JP7629075B2 - Ultrasound diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ultrasound diagnostic device body, and in particular to an ultrasound diagnostic device body capable of controlling the image quality of an ultrasound image displayed on a connected monitor.

The ultrasound diagnostic device is composed of an ultrasound diagnostic device main body (sometimes referred to as the "device main body" in this specification), an ultrasound probe connected to the device main body for transmitting and receiving ultrasound to the subject, and a monitor connected to the device main body for displaying ultrasound images formed by the device main body.

Conventionally, ultrasound diagnostic devices capable of adjusting the image quality of a monitor are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an ultrasound diagnostic device capable of automatically adjusting the brightness (luminance) of a monitor according to the brightness of the surroundings of the monitor. Patent Document 2 discloses an ultrasound diagnostic device capable of setting a local region of interest on an ultrasound image and adjusting the luminance separately within and outside the region of interest.

Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2013-0137973A JP 2000-139914 A

Conventionally, ultrasound diagnostic devices have typically been connected to a monitor specific to the device itself. However, it is conceivable to make it possible to connect various monitors to the device itself, and to display ultrasound images formed by the device itself on various monitors.

Image quality can vary depending on the type of monitor. For example, if the monitor is an LCD panel, image quality can vary depending on factors such as the driving electronic circuitry used to display the screen, the type of LED (direct type, side type, etc.), the LCD system (IPS system, VA system, etc.), or the type of optical film (glare type, non-glare type, etc.). Image quality can also vary between monitors of the same type depending on factors such as the number of years they have been used.

As a result, when the same ultrasound image is displayed on multiple monitors, the image quality of the multiple ultrasound images displayed on each monitor may differ from one another. Because the image quality of an ultrasound image can affect the ease of diagnosis by a doctor, it is desirable for the ultrasound image to be displayed with the best possible image quality, regardless of what monitor is connected to the device body.

The object of the present invention is to adapt the image quality of the ultrasound image displayed on a monitor in an ultrasound diagnostic device that can be connected to various monitors, depending on the monitor.

The ultrasound diagnostic device main body according to the present disclosure is characterized in that it comprises: a connector for interchangeably connecting multiple types of monitors with different display methods that display ultrasound images formed by the device itself; a receiving unit that receives monitor identification information that identifies the type of the monitor from the monitor connected to the connector ; an image characteristic adjustment unit that generates a corrected ultrasound image by changing image characteristics of the ultrasound image based on image characteristic parameter information in which image characteristic parameters indicating image characteristics of the ultrasound image suitable for the monitor are associated with each monitor identification information; and a display control unit that displays, on the monitor, the corrected ultrasound image that has been generated so as to have image quality adapted for at least two or more different types of monitors based on the monitor identification information received by the receiving unit.

According to the present invention, in an ultrasound diagnostic device main body to which various monitors can be connected, the image quality of the ultrasound image displayed on the monitor can be adapted according to the monitor.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a basic structure of an ultrasonic diagnostic device. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a main part of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of image quality parameter information. FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram showing a main part of a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of image characteristic parameter information. FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram showing a main part of a third embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of image formation parameter information. FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram showing a main part of a fourth embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of signal parameter information. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which an apparatus main body and a monitor are connected via a communication line.

<Basic structure of an ultrasound diagnostic device>
Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the basic structure of an ultrasonic diagnostic device 10. In this specification, first to fourth embodiments will be described, but the basic structure of the ultrasonic diagnostic device 10 shown in Fig. 1 is common to the first to fourth embodiments.

The ultrasound diagnostic device 10 includes a device body 12, an ultrasound probe 14 that is detachably connected to the device body 12, and a monitor 16.

The ultrasonic probe 14 transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to the subject. Specifically, the ultrasonic probe 14 has a transducer array consisting of multiple transducer elements arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally, and transmits ultrasonic waves to the subject by vibrating the transducer array in response to ultrasonic transmission data from the device body 12. The ultrasonic probe 14 also receives reflected waves reflected from the subject at the transducer array. The ultrasonic probe 14 transmits ultrasonic reception data output by the transducer array in response to the received reflected waves to the device body 12.

The monitor 16 displays the ultrasound image formed by the device main body 12. The monitor 16 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The device main body 12 and the monitor 16 are connected by a standardized connection method. This allows various (multiple types of) monitors 16 that meet the connection standard to be connected to the device main body 12. In this embodiment, the device main body 12 and the monitor 16 are connected by an HDMI (registered trademark) cable. Therefore, any monitor 16 that has an HDMI terminal (or may be a DVI, DP, etc.) can be connected to the device main body 12.

The following describes each part of the device main body 12.

The ultrasonic transmission/reception unit 18 includes a connector to which the ultrasonic probe 14 is connected. The ultrasonic transmission data formed by the beamformer 20 is supplied in parallel to the multiple transducer elements of the ultrasonic probe 14. The ultrasonic transmission/reception unit 18 also outputs the multiple ultrasonic reception data output in parallel from the multiple transducer elements of the ultrasonic probe 14 to the beamformer 20.

The beamformer 20 is composed of electronic circuits such as multiple A/D converters, detection circuits, and amplifier circuits. The beamformer 20 forms ultrasonic transmission data based on set ultrasonic transmission parameters and supplies it to the ultrasonic transmission/reception unit 18. The beamformer 20 also forms reception beam data by phasing and adding (delaying and adding) multiple ultrasonic reception data from the ultrasonic transmission/reception unit 18 and amplifying them. In this specification, the reception beam data formed by the beamformer 20 is referred to as ultrasonic signal data.

The signal processing unit 22 processes the ultrasound signal data to convert the ultrasound signal data from the beamformer 20 into ultrasound signal data for forming a suitable ultrasound image. For example, the signal processing unit 22 performs filtering, logarithmic amplification, gain adjustment, dynamic range adjustment, STC (Sensitivity Time Control) processing (gain correction according to the reflected waves from each depth of the subject), enhancement processing for edge emphasis, and the like on the ultrasound signal data.

The image forming unit 24 includes, for example, a DSC (Digital Scan Converter). The image forming unit 24 forms an ultrasound image based on the ultrasound signal data from the signal processing unit 22. Examples of ultrasound images include a B-mode image, which is a tomographic image, an M-mode image showing the subject's movement as a time change, a Doppler image showing the blood flow velocity as a time-varying waveform, a tissue Doppler image showing the subject's movement direction and velocity with colors or the like, a color flow image showing the blood flow with colors, and an elasticity image showing the subject's elasticity with colors or the like.

The image memory 26 stores the ultrasound images formed by the image forming unit 24. The image memory 26 has a ring buffer structure and stores multiple ultrasound images spanning a certain period of time from the most recent ultrasound image.

The image characteristic adjustment unit 28 adjusts the image characteristics of the ultrasound image stored in the image memory 26. In particular, it adjusts the image characteristics of the ultrasound image so that the ultrasound image is displayed with image quality suited to the monitor 16 connected to the device main body 12. The processing of the image characteristic adjustment unit 28 will be described in detail in the explanation of the second embodiment.

The display control unit 30 controls the display on the monitor 16 of the ultrasound image formed by the image forming unit 24 and stored in the image memory 26, or the ultrasound image whose image characteristics have been adjusted by the image characteristic adjustment unit 28. In particular, the display control unit 30 causes the monitor 16 to display an ultrasound image with image quality adapted to the monitor 16 based on EDID information (described later) as monitor identification information received from the monitor 16 by the transmission/reception unit 32 described below. As will be described in detail later, the display control unit 30 may adjust the display settings according to the monitor 16 (first embodiment), or may cause the monitor 16 to display an ultrasound image having image characteristics according to the monitor 16 formed by processing of the signal processing unit 22, the image forming unit 24, or the image characteristic adjustment unit 28 (second to fourth embodiments). In this specification, the "image quality" of the ultrasound image displayed on the monitor 16 means the quality of the image on the monitor 16, and varies depending on both the display settings of the monitor 16 and the image characteristics of the ultrasound image.

The transmission/reception unit 32 is configured to include, for example, a connector to which a cable connecting the device main body 12 and the monitor 16 is connected. In particular, the transmission/reception unit 32 is configured to include a connector compatible with a standardized connection method. For example, it is configured to include an HDMI connector. The transmission/reception unit 32 may also be configured to include a LAN connector. Under the control of the display control unit 30, the ultrasound image is transmitted from the transmission/reception unit 32 to the monitor 16, whereby the ultrasound image is displayed on the monitor 16. In addition, various information is transmitted and received between the device main body 12 and the monitor 16 via the transmission/reception unit 32. In particular, the transmission/reception unit 32 receives EDID information for identifying the monitor 16 from the monitor 16.

The storage unit 34 includes, for example, a hard disk, a ROM, or a RAM. The storage unit 34 stores programs for controlling each part of the device body 12. The storage unit 34 also stores various parameters used in image quality control processing of ultrasound images. These parameters will be described in detail in the explanation of the first to fourth embodiments.

The control unit 36 includes, for example, a microcomputer. The control unit 36 controls each part of the device main body 12 and performs image quality control processing according to the program stored in the storage unit 34.

The basic structure of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 is as described above. The signal processing unit 22, image characteristic adjustment unit 28, and display control unit 30 can each be realized using hardware such as a processor or electronic circuit, and devices such as memory may be used as necessary in the realization of the units.

First Embodiment
2 is a block diagram showing the main parts of the first embodiment. First, the monitor 16 will be described with reference to FIG.

The transmission/reception unit 40 includes, for example, a connector to which a cable connecting the device main body 12 and the monitor 16 is connected. The transmission/reception unit 40 includes, for example, an HDMI connector and a LAN connector.

The storage unit 42 is configured to include, for example, an EEPROM. As shown in FIG. 2, the storage unit 42 stores EDID information 44 and cumulative operating time information 45 indicating the cumulative operating time of the monitor 16. The EDID information 44 is information including a manufacturer ID that identifies the manufacturer of the monitor 16, a product ID code that identifies the type of the monitor 16, a serial number that uniquely identifies the monitor 16 for each manufacturer, and the manufacturing date of the monitor 16. Of the information included in the EDID information 44, the manufacturer ID, product ID code, serial number, or a combination of these functions as monitor identification information. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the product ID code is used as monitor identification information. The EDID information 44 is written into the storage unit 42 by the manufacturer when the monitor 16 is manufactured.

The display setting information 46 is information indicating the display settings of the display unit 48 described below, particularly the display settings related to the image quality of the display unit 48. The display setting information 46 is composed of setting items and their corresponding setting values. For example, the display setting information 46 may be a brightness value (e.g., 0 to 100) that is a setting value for the setting item brightness, a contrast value (e.g., 0 to 100) that is a setting value for the setting item contrast, and a color temperature value (e.g., 5000K, 6500K, 9300K, etc.) that is a setting value for the setting item color temperature. In this way, the display setting information 46 may be a set of multiple setting items and multiple setting values for them. Also, multiple pieces of display setting information 46 may be stored in the storage unit 42. For example, the monitor 16 may be capable of displaying ultrasound images in multiple display modes, and multiple pieces of display setting information 46 corresponding to each display mode may be stored.

The display unit 48 is configured to include, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel. The display unit 48 displays an ultrasound image (a screen including an ultrasound image) formed by the device main body 12.

The controller 50 is configured to include, for example, a microcontroller. The controller 50 controls each part of the monitor 16. In particular, the controller 50 causes the display unit 48 to display an ultrasound image in a display setting indicated by the display setting information 46 stored in the storage unit 42. When a plurality of pieces of display setting information 46 are stored in the storage unit 42, the controller 50 causes the display unit 48 to display an ultrasound image in a display setting indicated by the selected display setting information 46. Also, as described below, in the first embodiment, the controller 50 causes the display unit 48 to display an ultrasound image in a display setting instructed by the display control unit 30 of the device main body 12.

In addition, the monitor 16 may have an environmental detection sensor that detects the environment around the monitor 16. An example of an environmental detection sensor is a brightness sensor that detects the brightness around the monitor 16. The monitor 16 also has a sensor (such as CLK) that counts the display (operation) time, and the accumulated operation time information 45 that indicates the accumulated operation time of the monitor 16 detected by this is stored in the memory unit 42.

The first embodiment will be described below. In the first embodiment, the display control unit 30 instructs the monitor 16 on the image quality based on the EDID information 44 received from the monitor 16, and the controller 50 of the monitor 16 applies display settings according to the image quality, and an ultrasound image is displayed on the display unit 48.

In the first embodiment, image quality parameter information 52 is stored in the storage unit 34 of the device main body 12. The image quality parameter information 52 is information in which image quality parameters indicating the image quality of an ultrasound image adapted to the monitor indicated by each monitor identification information (in this embodiment, the product ID code of the monitor) are associated with each monitor identification information.

An example of the image quality parameter information 52 is shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the image quality parameter information 52 associates each monitor identification information (monitor 1, monitor 2, monitor 3, etc.) with image quality parameters such as gamma coefficient (e.g., a value between 1.8 and 2.4), brightness (e.g., a value between 0 and 100), sharpness (e.g., a value between 1 and 5), color temperature (e.g., a value between 7000K and 14000K), and color map (e.g., a value between 1 and 10) (specific values are not shown in FIG. 3). Each image quality parameter included in the image quality parameter information 52 may be the display setting of the monitor 16 itself. The image quality parameter information 52 is stored in advance in the storage unit 34 by the administrator of the device main body 12. It is desirable to update the image quality parameter information 52 as new monitors 16 are manufactured.

Note that image quality parameters are not limited to those shown in FIG. 3. For example, if the display unit 48 of the monitor 16 uses a backlight such as an LCD, the brightness of the backlight may be included in the image quality parameters. Also, if the display unit 48 of the monitor 16 uses a self-luminous body, the brightness of the self-luminous body may be included in the image quality parameters. Naturally, the availability of image quality parameters may vary depending on the display method of the display unit 48 (liquid crystal panel, organic EL panel, etc.).

When the monitor 16 is connected to the device body 12, the control unit 36 of the device body 12 instructs the controller 50 of the monitor 16 to transmit the EDID information 44 to the control unit 36 of the device body 12. The controller 50 of the monitor 16 transmits the EDID information 44 to the control unit 36 of the device body 12. The control unit 36 of the device body 12 passes the EDID information 44 received from the monitor 16 to the display control unit 30.

The display control unit 30 identifies an image quality parameter set associated with the monitor identification information from the image quality parameter information 52 in the storage unit 34 based on the monitor identification information included in the EDID information 44 received from the control unit 36. As described above, the identified image quality parameter set is an image quality parameter set adapted to the monitor 16 connected to the device main body 12.

The display control unit 30 may also correct the image quality parameter set identified from the image quality parameter information 52 in accordance with the accumulated operating time information 45 received from the monitor 16. For example, since the brightness of the display unit 48 of the monitor 16 becomes darker as the accumulated operating time becomes longer, the brightness value may be increased in accordance with the accumulated operating time.

Furthermore, the device main body 12 may receive environmental information indicating the environment (e.g., brightness) around the monitor 16 detected by an environmental detection sensor of the monitor 16, and the display control unit 30 may correct the image quality parameter set identified from the image quality parameter information 52 in accordance with the environmental information. For example, the brighter the environment around the monitor 16, the higher the brightness value may be. Or, the display settings of the monitor 16 may be corrected based on the cumulative operating time information 45 received from the monitor 16. For example, the brightness of the display settings of the monitor 16 may be increased in accordance with the cumulative operating time information 45 to offset luminance degradation.

Then, the display control unit 30 transmits to the monitor 16 the image quality information indicating the identified image quality parameter set or the identified and corrected image quality parameter set together with the ultrasound image formed by the image forming unit 24 and stored in the image memory 26.

The controller 50 of the monitor 16 determines the display settings of the display unit 48 based on the image quality information transmitted from the device body 12. Then, the display unit 48 displays the ultrasound image transmitted from the device body 12. As a result, the ultrasound image is displayed on the display unit 48 with image quality adapted to the monitor 16. Specifically, the display control unit 30 displays the ultrasound image on the display unit 48 with the image quality parameter set specified based on the monitor identification information, so that the ultrasound image can be displayed with image quality adapted to at least two or more different monitors 16. Differences between the monitor 16 and the display unit 48 are absorbed. In addition, the display control unit 30 corrects the display settings of the monitor 16 based on the cumulative operating time information 45 of the monitor 16, so that the ultrasound image can be displayed with image quality adapted to at least two or more different points in time of the same monitor 16. In addition, the display control unit 30 corrects the image quality parameter set specified based on the monitor identification information based on the cumulative operating time information 45, so that the ultrasound image can be displayed with image quality adapted to at least two or more different monitors and image quality adapted to at least two or more different points in time of the same monitor. This absorbs differences in image quality due to monitor type, differences in image quality due to differences in accumulated monitor operation time, and differences in image quality due to differences in the monitor's usage environment, allowing doctors and others looking at the monitor to easily view the ultrasound image.

When multiple pieces of display setting information 46 are stored in the storage unit 42 of the monitor 16, the display control unit 30 can also cause the controller 50 to select appropriate display setting information 46 from the multiple pieces of display setting information 46 based on the monitor identification information received from the monitor 16. In this case, the display control unit 30 first identifies an image quality parameter set associated with the monitor identification information from the image quality parameter information 52 based on the monitor identification information received from the monitor 16. Next, the display control unit 30 refers to the multiple pieces of display setting information 46 stored in the storage unit 42 of the monitor 16, and selects display setting information 46 that matches the identified image quality parameter set from the multiple pieces of display setting information 46. Then, the controller 50 causes the display unit 48 to display an ultrasound image with the display setting indicated by the selected display setting information 46.

It is also possible that, among the multiple pieces of display setting information 46 stored in the memory unit 42 of the monitor 16, there is no display setting information 46 that matches the image quality parameter set identified by the display control unit 30. In that case, the display control unit 30 can write the identified image quality parameter set (display setting) into the memory unit 42 of the monitor 16 as new display setting information 46. The controller 50 causes the display unit 48 to display the ultrasound image using the new display setting information 46 written into the memory unit 42.

Second Embodiment
The second embodiment is an embodiment in which the image characteristic adjustment unit 28 corrects the ultrasound image itself in accordance with the monitor 16 based on the EDID information 44 received from the monitor 16 to generate a corrected ultrasound image, thereby displaying an ultrasound image with image quality adapted to the monitor 16.

Figure 4 is a configuration diagram showing the main parts of the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the configuration of the monitor 16 is the same as in the first embodiment.

In the second embodiment, image characteristic parameter information 60 is stored in the storage unit 34 of the device main body 12. The image characteristic parameter information 60 is information in which image characteristic parameters indicating the image characteristics of an ultrasound image adapted to the monitor indicated by each monitor identification information (in this embodiment, the product ID code of the monitor) are associated with each monitor identification information.

An example of image characteristic parameter information 60 is shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the image characteristic parameter information 60 associates each monitor identification information (monitor 1, monitor 2, monitor 3, etc.) with image characteristic parameters such as a gamma coefficient correction value (e.g., a value between 1.8 and 2.4), a brightness correction value (e.g., a value between 0 and 100), a sharpness correction value (e.g., a value between 1 and 5), a color temperature correction value (e.g., a value between 7000K and 14000K), and a color map correction value (e.g., a value between 1 and 10) (specific values are not shown in FIG. 5). Note that the image characteristic parameters are not limited to those shown in FIG. 5. The image characteristic parameter information 60 is stored in advance in the storage unit 34 by the administrator of the device main body 12. It is desirable to update the image characteristic parameter information 60 as new monitors 16 are manufactured.

The image characteristic adjustment unit 28 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The image characteristic adjustment unit 28 includes a contrast correction unit 62, a brightness correction unit 64, a sharpness correction unit 66, a color temperature correction unit 68, and a color map correction unit 70.

The contrast correction unit 62 corrects the contrast of the ultrasound image based on the gamma coefficient correction value of the image characteristic parameter information 60. The brightness correction unit 64 corrects the brightness (gradation) of the ultrasound image based on the brightness correction value of the image characteristic parameter information 60. The sharpness correction unit 66 corrects the sharpness of the ultrasound image based on the sharpness correction value of the image characteristic parameter information 60. The color temperature correction unit 68 corrects the color temperature of the ultrasound image based on the color temperature correction value of the image characteristic parameter information 60. The color map correction unit 70 corrects the color values of the ultrasound image, i.e., hue, saturation, and brightness, based on the color map correction value of the image characteristic parameter information 60.

When the monitor 16 is connected to the device body 12, the control unit 36 of the device body 12 instructs the controller 50 of the monitor 16 to send EDID information 44 to the control unit 36 of the device body 12. The controller 50 of the monitor 16 sends the EDID information 44 to the control unit 36 of the device body 12. The control unit 36 of the device body 12 passes the EDID information 44 received from the monitor 16 to the image characteristics adjustment unit 28.

Based on the monitor identification information included in the EDID information 44 received from the control unit 36, the image characteristic adjustment unit 28 identifies an image characteristic parameter set associated with the monitor identification information from the image characteristic parameter information 60 in the storage unit 34. As described above, the identified image characteristic parameter set is a parameter set that indicates the image characteristics of an ultrasound image adapted to the monitor 16 connected to the device main body 12.

The image characteristic adjustment unit 28 corrects the image characteristics of the ultrasound image based on the identified image characteristic parameter set to generate a corrected ultrasound image. Specifically, the image characteristics of the ultrasound image (gamma coefficient, brightness, sharpness, color temperature, and color map) are corrected so that the image characteristics of the ultrasound image become the image characteristic values (correction values) indicated by the identified image characteristic parameter set. Note that the image characteristic adjustment unit 28 does not need to correct all image characteristic parameters, and may correct only some of the image characteristic parameters.

The image characteristics adjustment unit 28 may correct the image characteristics of the ultrasound image taking into account the cumulative operating time information 45 received from the monitor 16. For example, the image characteristics may be corrected so that the luminance of the ultrasound image is greater as the cumulative operating time of the monitor 16 is longer.

Furthermore, the device main body 12 may receive environmental information indicating the environment (e.g., brightness) around the monitor 16 detected by an environment detection sensor of the monitor 16, and the image characteristic adjustment unit 28 may correct the image characteristics of the ultrasound image by further taking the environmental information into consideration. For example, the brightness of the ultrasound image may be corrected to be greater the brighter the area around the monitor 16.

Then, the display control unit 30 transmits the corrected ultrasound image generated by the correction process of the image characteristic adjustment unit 28 to the monitor 16, and the controller 50 of the monitor 16 causes the corrected ultrasound image to be displayed on the display unit 48. As a result, the ultrasound image is displayed on the display unit 48 with image quality adapted to the monitor 16. For example, some relatively inexpensive monitors 16 have a large minimum brightness value that can be displayed (low expressiveness of black). According to this embodiment, even with such a monitor 16, the visibility of the ultrasound image can be improved by performing offset processing of the brightness value and contrast correction of low brightness areas.

Third Embodiment
The third embodiment is an embodiment in which the image forming unit 24 forms an adaptive ultrasound image corresponding to the monitor 16 based on the EDID information 44 received from the monitor 16, thereby displaying an ultrasound image with image quality adapted to the monitor 16.

Figure 6 is a configuration diagram showing the main parts of the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the configuration of the monitor 16 is the same as in the first embodiment.

In the third embodiment, the storage unit 34 of the device body 12 stores image formation parameter information 80. The image formation parameter information 80 is information in which image formation parameters for forming an adaptive ultrasound image adapted to the monitor indicated by each monitor identification information (in this embodiment, the product ID code of the monitor) are associated with each monitor identification information.

An example of image formation parameter information 80 is shown in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 7, the image formation parameter information 80 associates each image formation parameter, such as a gain correction value, a tone correction value, a contrast correction value, a sharpness correction value, and a color correction value, with each monitor identification information (monitor 1, monitor 2, monitor 3, etc.) (specific numerical values are not shown in FIG. 7). The image formation parameter information 80 is stored in advance in the storage unit 34 by the administrator of the device main body 12. It is desirable to update the image formation parameter information 80 as new monitors 16 are manufactured.

The image forming unit 24 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The image forming unit 24 includes a gain correction unit 82, a tone correction unit 84, a contrast correction unit 86, a sharpness correction unit 88, and a color correction unit 90.

The gain correction unit 82 performs a multiplication operation on the ultrasound signal data based on the gain correction value of the image formation parameter information 80. The gradation correction unit 84 performs a histogram enhancement process based on the gradation correction value of the image formation parameter information 80. The contrast correction unit 86 performs a dynamic range change or image gamma correction based on the contrast correction value of the image formation parameter information 80. These processes correct the brightness value of the adaptive ultrasound image. The sharpness correction unit 88 changes the coefficient of an image filter for smoothing, edge enhancement, etc. based on the sharpness correction value of the image formation parameter information 80. This corrects the clarity of the subject's contour in the applied ultrasound image. The color correction unit 90 corrects the color mapping table for hue, saturation, and brightness based on the color correction value of the image formation parameter information 80. This corrects the color tone of the applied ultrasound image.

When the monitor 16 is connected to the device body 12, the control unit 36 of the device body 12 instructs the controller 50 of the monitor 16 to send the EDID information 44 to the control unit 36 of the device body 12. The controller 50 of the monitor 16 sends the EDID information 44 to the control unit 36 of the device body 12. The control unit 36 of the device body 12 passes the EDID information 44 received from the monitor 16 to the image forming unit 24.

Based on the monitor identification information included in the EDID information 44 received from the control unit 36, the image forming unit 24 identifies an image forming parameter set associated with the monitor identification information from the image forming parameter information 80 in the storage unit 34. As described above, the identified image forming parameter set is a parameter set for forming an adaptive ultrasound image adapted to the monitor 16 connected to the device main body 12 from the ultrasound signal data.

The image forming unit 24 forms an adaptive ultrasound image from the ultrasound signal data from the signal processing unit 22 based on the specified image formation parameter set. Specifically, the image forming unit 24 forms an adaptive ultrasound image from the ultrasound signal data using the parameters corrected by the gain correction unit 82, the gradation correction unit 84, the contrast correction unit 86, the sharpness correction unit 88, and the color correction unit 90 of the image forming unit 24. The adaptive ultrasound image formed by the image forming unit 24 includes a B-mode image, a Doppler image, a color flow image, or an elasticity image. That is, the image forming unit 24 can form various ultrasound images with image quality according to the monitor 16. Note that the image forming unit 24 does not need to use corrected parameters for all image formation parameters, and may form an adaptive ultrasound image using corrected parameters for only some of the image formation parameters.

The image forming unit 24 may form an adaptive ultrasound image taking into account the cumulative operating time information 45 received from the monitor 16. For example, the brightness of the adaptive ultrasound image may be increased as the cumulative operating time is longer.

Furthermore, the device main body 12 may receive environmental information indicating the environment (e.g., brightness) around the monitor 16 detected by an environmental detection sensor of the monitor 16, and the image forming unit 24 may form an adaptive ultrasound image by further taking the environmental information into consideration. For example, the brightness of the adaptive ultrasound image may be increased as the surroundings of the monitor 16 become brighter.

Then, the display control unit 30 transmits the adaptive ultrasound image formed by the image forming unit 24 to the monitor 16, and the controller 50 of the monitor 16 causes the adaptive ultrasound image to be displayed on the display unit 48. As a result, the ultrasound image is displayed on the display unit 48 with image quality adapted to the monitor 16.

Fourth Embodiment
The fourth embodiment is an embodiment in which the signal processing unit 22 corrects the ultrasound signal data based on the EDID information 44 received from the monitor 16 to generate corrected ultrasound signal data so that an ultrasound image corresponding to the monitor 16 is formed.

Figure 8 is a configuration diagram showing the main parts of the fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the configuration of the monitor 16 is the same as in the first embodiment.

In the fourth embodiment, the memory unit 34 of the device main body 12 stores signal parameter information 100. The signal parameter information 100 is information in which, for each monitor identification information (in this embodiment, the product ID code of the monitor), signal parameters indicating the signal characteristics of the ultrasound signal data for forming an ultrasound image adapted to the monitor indicated by the monitor identification information are associated.

An example of signal parameter information 100 is shown in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 9, the signal parameter information 100 associates each of the signal parameters, signal intensity correction value, contrast correction value, and sharpness correction value, with each monitor identification information (monitor 1, monitor 2, monitor 3, etc.) (specific numerical values are not shown in FIG. 9). The signal parameter information 100 is stored in advance in the storage unit 34 by the administrator of the device main body 12. It is desirable to update the signal parameter information 100 as new monitors 16 are manufactured.

The signal processing unit 22 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. The signal processing unit 22 includes a signal intensity correction unit 102, a dynamic range setting unit 104, and an echo enhancement processing unit 106.

The signal intensity correction unit 102 performs correction of the amplification factor and multiplication coefficient of the ultrasound signal data, or gamma correction, based on the signal intensity correction value of the signal parameter information 100. These corrections correct the brightness value of the ultrasound image. The dynamic range setting unit 104 sets a dynamic range, which is the range of signal intensity of the ultrasound signal data used for image formation, based on the contrast correction value of the signal parameter information 100. The echo enhancement processing unit 106 performs edge enhancement processing of the ultrasound signal data based on the sharpness correction value of the signal parameter information 100. The edge enhancement processing corrects the clarity of the subject's contour in the ultrasound image.

The signal processing unit 22 may also include other processing units that perform correction processing other than that described above on the ultrasound signal data.

When the monitor 16 is connected to the device body 12, the control unit 36 of the device body 12 instructs the controller 50 of the monitor 16 to transmit the EDID information 44 to the control unit 36 of the device body 12. The controller 50 of the monitor 16 transmits the EDID information 44 to the control unit 36 of the device body 12. The control unit 36 of the device body 12 passes the EDID information 44 received from the monitor 16 to the signal processing unit 22.

Based on the monitor identification information included in the EDID information 44 received from the control unit 36, the signal processing unit 22 identifies a signal parameter set associated with the monitor identification information from the signal parameter information 100 in the storage unit 34. As described above, the identified signal parameter set is a parameter set for generating corrected ultrasound signal data for forming an ultrasound image adapted to the monitor 16 connected to the device main body 12.

The signal processing unit 22 corrects the ultrasound signal data from the beamformer 20 based on the identified signal parameter set to generate corrected ultrasound signal data. Note that the signal processing unit 22 does not need to perform correction processing in all of the signal intensity correction unit 102, dynamic range setting unit 104, and echo enhancement processing unit 106, and only some of them may perform correction processing. If the signal processing unit 22 is provided with processing units that perform correction processing other than those described above, other correction processing may be performed.

The signal processing unit 22 may generate the corrected ultrasound signal data taking into account the cumulative operating time information 45 received from the monitor 16. For example, the longer the cumulative operating time, the greater the gain of the corrected ultrasound signal data may be.

Furthermore, the device main body 12 may receive environmental information indicating the environment (e.g., brightness) around the monitor 16 detected by an environmental detection sensor of the monitor 16, and the signal processing unit 22 may generate corrected ultrasound signal data by further taking the environmental information into consideration. For example, the brighter the area around the monitor 16, the greater the gain of the corrected ultrasound signal data may be.

The image forming unit 24 forms an ultrasound image based on the corrected ultrasound signal data from the signal processing unit 22. Then, the display control unit 30 transmits the ultrasound image formed by the image forming unit 24 based on the corrected ultrasound signal data to the monitor 16, and the controller 50 of the monitor 16 displays the ultrasound image on the display unit 48. As a result, the ultrasound image is displayed on the display unit 48 with image quality adapted to the monitor 16.

In the fourth embodiment, the ultrasound signal data was corrected by the signal processing unit 22, but at least a part of the correction process for the ultrasound signal data may be performed in the beamformer 20.

Although the first to fourth embodiments have been described above, the first to fourth embodiments can be executed individually. The operator of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 may be able to select which embodiment to execute. In addition, the first to fourth embodiments can be executed in combination with each other, and the operator of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 may be able to select which embodiments to execute in combination.

In the first to fourth embodiments described above, the device main body 12 and the monitor 16 are connected by an HDMI cable, but the device main body 12 and the monitor 16 may be connected via a communication line. FIG. 10 shows the device main body 12 connected to a monitor 16A installed in room A and a monitor 16B installed in room B via a LAN 110, and further connected to a monitor 16C installed in room C via the LAN 110 and the Internet 112. The monitors 16A, 16B, and 16C may be of different models, and the environments (e.g., brightness) of the rooms A, B, and C may be different from each other. Even in such a case, the device main body 12 can transmit image quality information suitable for the monitors 16A, 16B, and 16C, respectively, or ultrasound images adapted to each of the monitors 16A, 16B, and 16C to the monitors 16A, 16B, and 16C, so that the ultrasound images can be displayed on the monitors 16A, 16B, and 16C with appropriate image quality.

In addition, in the above-mentioned first to fourth embodiments, an example is described in which the control of the present invention is performed using two control units, the control unit 36 and the display control unit 30, but this is not limited to this. In a relatively inexpensive ultrasound diagnostic device, it is also possible to perform the control of the present invention using a single control unit.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

10 Ultrasound diagnostic device, 12 Device body, 14 Ultrasound probe, 16, 16A, 16B, 16C Monitor, 18 Ultrasound transmission/reception unit, 20 Beamformer, 22 Signal processing unit, 24 Image formation unit, 26 Image memory, 28 Image characteristic adjustment unit, 30 Display control unit, 32, 40 Transmission/reception unit, 34, 42 Storage unit, 36 Control unit, 44 EDID information, 45 Accumulated operating time information, 46 Display setting information, 48 Display unit, 50 Controller, 52 Image quality parameter information, 60 Image characteristic parameter information, 62, 86 Contrast correction unit, 64 Brightness correction unit, 66, 88 Sharpness correction unit, 68 Color temperature correction unit, 70 Color map correction unit, 80 Image formation parameter information, 82 Gain correction unit, 84 Tone correction unit, 90 Color correction unit, 100 Signal parameter information, 102 Signal strength correction unit, 104 dynamic range setting unit, 106 echo enhancement processing unit, 110 LAN, 112 Internet.

Claims (4)

a connector for interchangeably connecting a plurality of types of monitors each having a different display method for displaying an ultrasound image formed by the device;
a receiving unit that receives monitor identification information that identifies a type of the monitor from the monitor connected to the connector;
an image characteristic adjustment unit that changes image characteristics of the ultrasonic image based on image characteristic parameter information in which image characteristic parameters indicating image characteristics of the ultrasonic image suitable for each monitor are associated with each monitor identification information to generate a corrected ultrasonic image;
a display control unit that causes the monitor to display the corrected ultrasound image , which is generated so as to have image quality adapted to at least two or more different types of monitors based on the monitor identification information received by the receiving unit; and
An ultrasonic diagnostic device body comprising: a connector for interchangeably connecting a plurality of types of monitors each having a different display method for displaying an ultrasound image formed by the device;
a receiving unit that receives monitor identification information that identifies a type of the monitor from the monitor connected to the connector;
an image forming unit that refers to image formation parameter information in which image formation parameters for forming the ultrasonic image suitable for the monitor are associated with each monitor identification information, and forms an adaptive ultrasonic image having image characteristics adapted to the monitor from the ultrasonic signal data based on the image formation parameters associated with the monitor identification information received by the receiving unit;
a display control unit that causes the monitor to display the adaptive ultrasound image, which is formed so as to have image quality adapted to at least two or more different types of monitors based on the monitor identification information received by the receiving unit; and
An ultrasonic diagnostic device body comprising: a connector for interchangeably connecting a plurality of types of monitors each having a different display method for displaying an ultrasound image formed by the device;
a receiving unit that receives monitor identification information that identifies a type of the monitor from the monitor connected to the connector;
a signal processing unit that refers to signal parameter information in which signal parameters indicating signal characteristics of ultrasound signal data for forming the ultrasound image suitable for each monitor are associated with each monitor identification information, and generates corrected ultrasound signal data by correcting the ultrasound signal data based on the signal parameters associated with the monitor identification information received by the receiving unit;
an image forming unit that forms an ultrasonic image from the corrected ultrasonic signal data;
a display control unit that displays the ultrasound image on the monitor, the image quality of which is adapted to at least two or more different types of monitors based on the monitor identification information received by the receiving unit;
An ultrasonic diagnostic device body comprising : Connected to the monitor via a communication line;
4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body is a body having a first end and a second end