ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS, ULTRASONIC DELAY PROCESSING METHOD, AND ULTRASONIC DELAY PROCESSING PROGRAM

• Main Author: KUNIDA MASASHI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: 22.05.2024
• Subjects: DIAGNOSIS; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; IDENTIFICATION; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; SURGERY

To calculate a delay time of an ultrasonic wave without increasing calculation quantity.SOLUTION: An ultrasonic diagnostic device includes an ultrasonic probe for transmitting/receiving an ultrasonic wave by a plurality of acoustic elements through an acoustic lens, and a processing unit for obtaining a delay time that occurs in the transmission/reception of an ultrasonic wave for each acoustic element, and executing delay processing for the ultrasonic wave on the basis of the delay time. In the case where an acoustic element that is not positioned on a straight line connecting a center of curvature of the acoustic lens and a target point of the ultrasonic wave is a processing object, the processing unit sets a first passing point and a second passing point, at least one of which is a position different from a lens surface of the acoustic lens, on a line segment between the target point and the acoustic element of the processing object, obtains a first propagation time of the ultrasonic wave on the basis of the length of two line segments divided at the first passing point, obtains a second propagation time of the ultrasonic wave on the basis of the length of two line segments divided at the second passing point, and obtains an approximate value of the delay time on the basis of the first propagation time and the second propagation time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3 【課題】演算量を多くすることなく、超音波の遅延時間を演算すること。【解決手段】超音波診断装置は、音響レンズを介して、複数の音響素子により超音波を送受信する超音波プローブと、それぞれの音響素子について、超音波の送受信で発生する遅延時間を求め、遅延時間に基づいて、超音波に対する遅延処理を行う処理部を備え、処理部は、音響レンズの曲率中心と超音波の目標点とを結ぶ直線上に位置しない音響素子が処理対象である場合、目標点と処理対象の音響素子との間の線分上において、少なくとも一方が音響レンズのレンズ面とは異なる位置となる第１経由点及び第２経由点を設定し、第１経由点で区分される２つの線分の長さに基づいて、超音波の第１伝搬時間を求め、第２経由点で区分される２つの線分の長さに基づいて、超音波の第２伝搬時間を求め、第１伝搬時間と第２伝搬時間とに基づいて、遅延時間の近似値を求める。【選択図】図３