JP3028162B2 - Ultrasound diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly, to a method for displaying a biological signal by arranging segments representing a range from a minimum value to a maximum value of a biological signal during a predetermined period in the order of the period. The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that performs

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a biological signal A such as PCG collected from a living body is displayed on a screen G of a CRT as shown in FIG. Display may be performed. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the biological signal is displayed by displaying a line segment S representing a range from the minimum value to the maximum value of the biological signal during a predetermined period in the order of the period (in the figure,..., N, n + 1). , ...). The length L of the line segment S represents a range from the minimum value to the maximum value of the biological signal during a predetermined period, and the thickness F of the line segment S corresponds to one period. However, in the figure, the thickness F of the line segment S is represented by one pixel.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a main part of a part related to the display of a biological signal of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 51, a biological signal collected from a living body is amplified by the biological signal amplifier 2 and A / D converted by the A / D converter 3 to obtain a biological digital signal. Line segment start point value / end point value detection unit 4
Detects a minimum value and a maximum value of biometric digital signals input during a predetermined period, and sets a line drawing section as data of a start point value and an end point value of a line segment representing a range from the minimum value to the maximum value of the biometric signal. 7

The line drawing section 7 is a pixel memory column of the image memory 8 determined according to the input order of the data of the start point and the end point of the line segment. The pixel memory from the start point to the end point has zero luminance. Write image data. The CRT 9 performs the biological signal display as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B based on the image data written in the image memory 8. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the biological signal display is superimposed and displayed on the image in the B mode, the M mode, or the like.

[0005]

In the conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 51, a biological signal is displayed, which can be used for more detailed diagnosis. But B
When displaying a biological signal on an image in the mode, the M mode, or the like, where the change in the biological signal is large, the image is largely hidden by a line segment as shown in FIG. There is a problem that it becomes difficult to recognize. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of easily recognizing an underlying image even when a biological signal is displayed on an image in a B mode or the like.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention is an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for displaying a biological signal by arranging line segments representing a range from a minimum value to a maximum value of the biological signal during a predetermined period in the order of the period. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is characterized by including a line type changing unit that changes a line type according to the length of a line segment.

[0007]

According to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention, since the line type is changed by the line type changing means in accordance with the length of the line segment, the range from the minimum value to the maximum value of the biological signal during a predetermined period is set. The represented line segment is displayed by, for example, a broken line, a dotted line, or the like in addition to the solid line. Therefore, even when displaying a biological signal on an image in B mode or the like, if the line type of a long line segment is changed from a solid line to a dotted line, for example, the image portion hidden by the line segment is reduced, and the image below is recognized. Can be made easier.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited by this. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a main part of a part related to a biological signal display of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1, a biological signal amplifier 2, an A / D converter 3, a line segment start point / end point value detection section 4, a line drawing section 7, an image memory 8, and a CRT 9
Are the same components as those of the conventional device 51 shown in FIG. 5, and are denoted by the same reference numerals. However, unlike the conventional device 51, a line segment length calculating unit 6 and a line type changing unit 7 are provided in addition to these components. The biological signal display is performed by displaying line segments representing a range from the minimum value to the maximum value of the biological signal during a predetermined period on the screen of the CRT 9 in order of the period.

The operation of displaying a biological signal will now be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described according to the flowchart of FIG. Note that the flowchart in FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram when the period is set to a time interval corresponding to 16 times the sampling period of the A / D converter 3.

At step S1, A / D converter 3
A / D-converts the biological signal amplified by the biological signal amplifier 2 for each sampling period, and outputs the converted biological digital signal to the line segment start point / end point value detection unit 4. For example, A
The sampling cycle of the / D converter 3 is 1 msec.

In step S2, the line segment start point value / end point value detection section 4 detects the minimum value and the maximum value of the input biological digital signal. The minimum value and the maximum value correspond to the start point value and the end point value of the line segment representing the range from the minimum value to the maximum value of the biological signal. In step S3, the line segment start point value / end point value detection unit 4 confirms that the number of times of input of the biological digital signal from the A / D converter 3 is 16, and then determines the minimum value detected in step S2. The maximum value is the starting value of the line segment,
The data is sent to the line segment length calculation unit 5 and the line drawing unit 7 as end point value data. If the number of inputs is less than 16, the steps S1 and S2 are repeated, so that the line segment start point value / end point value detector 4 inputs the minimum value and the maximum value.
The detection is performed from the biological biosignals of the batch.

In step S4, the line segment length calculating section 5
From the data of the start point value and end point value of the line segment, the length L of the line segment is calculated as L
= | End point value-start point value | and the length L of the line segment
Is sent to the line type changing unit 6. In step S5, the line type changing unit 6 outputs a line type change signal for changing the line type according to the data of the line segment length L to the line drawing unit 7. For example, when 0.0 cm ≦ L <1.0 cm, the line type remains a solid line and no line type change signal is output. 1.0c
When m ≦ L <2.0 cm, a line type change signal for a broken line for changing the line type from a solid line to a broken line is output. 2.0
If cm ≦ L, a dotted line type change signal for changing the line type from a solid line to a dotted line is output.

In step S6, the line drawing section 7 receives the data of the start and end values of the line segment and the line type change signal,
The image data of the line segment is written in the area of the image memory 8 corresponding to the display pixel on the screen determined according to the sampling order of the original biological signal. In step S7, the line drawing unit 7
Causes the line segment start point / end point value detection unit 4 to clear the data of the line start point / end point values. The CRT 9 displays a biological signal as shown in FIG. 3 based on the image data written in the image memory 8. In the figure, A is a biological signal, and G is a screen of the CRT 9.

As shown in FIG. 3, this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1
Then, even when displaying a biological signal on an image in B mode, M mode, or the like, by changing the line type of a long line segment from a solid line to a dotted line, the image portion hidden by the line segment is reduced, and the image is displayed. It can be easily recognized.

As another embodiment, there can be cited one in which the longer the line segment, the smaller the luminance, and the longer the line segment, the thinner the line is displayed (however, the pitch between the line segments is kept constant). .

[0016]

According to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention, the line type can be changed according to the length of the line segment representing the range from the minimum value to the maximum value of the biological signal during a predetermined period. become. For this reason, even when displaying a biological signal on an image in B mode or the like, for example, by changing the line type of a long line segment from a solid line to a dotted line, the image portion hidden by the line segment is reduced, and the lower image is displayed. Can be easily recognized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a main part of a part related to a biological signal display of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of displaying a biological signal of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary view showing a biological signal display and a B-mode image display by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary view showing a biological signal display by a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a main part of a portion related to display of a biological signal of an example of a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing biological signal display and B by a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.
FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram of a mode image display.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 2 Biological signal amplifier 4 Line segment start point value / end point value detection unit 5 Line segment length calculation unit 6 Line type change unit 7 Line drawing unit 8 Image memory 9 CRT A biological signal S line segment

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for displaying a biological signal by arranging line segments representing a range from a minimum value to a maximum value of a biological signal during a predetermined period in order of the period, according to the length of the line segment. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising a line type changing means for changing a line type.