JPH0724660B2 - Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an image display device provided in, for example, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

[Technical Background of the Invention and Problems Thereof] In recent years, in ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses, one frame structure of an ultrasonic image is formed due to complicated data processing and image structure accompanying diversification of scanning patterns of ultrasonic beams. The cycle tends to be long.

By the way, an ultrasonic image is usually displayed in real time (real time), but if the configuration period of one ultrasonic image screen becomes long as described above, the display image on the television (TV) monitor becomes discontinuous in time. It causes the inconvenience. This is because the display image on a TV monitor is generally 1 as the dynamic characteristics of the human eye.
This is because, although at least about 30 frames are required for each second (slightly different depending on various conditions), an ultrasonic image is composed only about a fraction thereof.

Therefore, conventionally, by using the read-modify-write operation of the frame memory, each time the pixel corresponding to the scanning of the ultrasonic beam is accelerated, the previously captured data is weighted, and this is set as the newly captured data. A so-called frame correlation process of smoothing by adding is performed.

However, the frame correlation processing is effective when the one-frame constituting period of the ultrasonic image is shorter than or about the same as the one-frame constituting period of the TV monitor. When the one-frame configuration period becomes long or when the image displayed on the TV monitor is a discontinuous image such as a so-called frame-advanced image, it cannot be sufficiently smoothed. As a result, flicker (flicker) is felt by human eyes, and image display excellent in medical diagnostic ability cannot be expected at all.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can perform smooth image display in real time even when the configuration period of an ultrasonic image is long. To do.

[Summary of the Invention] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including means for forming an ultrasonic image in a subject at each cycle longer than the display cycle of the display means. A frame memory group that stores the two latest ultrasonic images that have been configured, and a coefficient that is initialized for each of the configuration cycles is sequentially decreased for each of the display cycles, and the previously stored ultrasound image of the two ultrasonic images is stored. A first multiplying means for multiplying the sound wave image, and a second multiplying means for sequentially increasing a coefficient initialized in each of the constituent cycles in each of the display cycles and multiplying the ultrasonic image stored later in the two ultrasonic images. And means for generating a plurality of interpolated images that sequentially change from previously stored ultrasonic images to later stored ultrasonic images by adding the outputs of the first multiplication means and the second multiplication means, Generate An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: a display unit that sequentially displays the interpolation image generated by the unit for each display cycle.

Embodiments of the Invention Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a case where an image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. In FIG. 1, gradation value addition data (image data) transferred from an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (image data source) not shown is switched to a switching signal IF.
Switching means 2 for distributing and outputting to output terminals A or B according to S is a frame memory group, and this frame memory group 2 stores image data input via the output terminal A of the switching means 1. A first frame memory 2a, a second frame memory 2b for storing image data input via the output terminal B of the switching means 1, and image data read from the first frame memory 2a. And a second frame memory 2b
And a fourth frame memory 2d for storing the image data read out further. Reference numeral 5 denotes an inverter, which inverts the switching signal IFS to output the first and fourth frame memories 2
R / of each of a, 2d and the fifth frame memory 7 described later.
Apply to W end. The second and third frame memories 2b,
R / W of each of 2c and a sixth frame memory 8 described later
The switching signal IFS is directly applied to the end. 6 is the number-of-additions data ADD transferred from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (not shown)
Is assigned to the output terminal A or B in accordance with the switching signal IFS, and is output. 7 is a fifth frame memory for storing the addition circuit data input via the output terminal A of the switching means 6. It is a sixth frame memory for storing the number-of-additions data inputted through the output terminal B of the switching means 6. Further, 9 is the output of the first frame memory 2a and the second frame memory 2b according to the switching signal IFS.
Switching means for selecting one of the outputs of the fourth frame memory 2d and the third frame memory 2c, and 11 for the fifth output. Output of frame memory 7 and the sixth
Is a switching means for selecting either one of the outputs of the frame memory 8. Numeral 12 is a linear interpolation means for smoothing the input image data, for example, a first multiplier 12a for multiplying the image data input via the switching means 9 by a multiplier W1 which is sequentially increased, and the switching means. A second multiplier 12b that multiplies the image data input via the means 10 by a sequentially decreasing multiplier W2, and, for example, the trailing edge of the one-screen configuration periodic signal IFC of the ultrasonic image input from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (not shown). And a multiplier that is sequentially increased by counting the one image plane constituent periodic signal VD of the display means (not shown).
A weight counter 12c that outputs W1 and a sequentially decreasing multiplier W2
And an adder 12d for adding the outputs of the first and second multipliers 12a and 12b. Further, 13 is a divider that divides the output of the adder 12d by the output of the switching means 11, and its output ODE is passed through a D / A (digital / analog) conversion means (not shown), and a display means (not shown) such as a television set. It is used for display on the monitor.

Note that the switching signal IFS is a periodic signal I for forming one screen of an ultrasonic image.
It is a binarized signal whose state changes for each FC. Further, the switching means 1 and 6 output the input data from the output terminal A when a "high" level signal is applied to the SEL terminal,
On the contrary, when a "low" level signal is applied, the signal is output from the output terminal B. Further, the switching means 9 and 10
And 11 outputs the data input through the input terminal A when the “low” level signal is applied to the SEL terminal, and conversely, when the “high” level signal is applied, the input terminal It is assumed that the data input via B is output. Further, the data writing to the first and second frame memories 2a and 2b and the fifth and sixth frame memories 7 and 8 is performed by the pixel clock of the image data source system, and
Data writing to the third and fourth frame memories 2c, 2d and the first to sixth frame memories 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d,
Data reading from 7 and 8 is performed by the pixel clock of the display means system.

Next, the operation of the embodiment apparatus having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the apparatus of this embodiment. In the figure, WR is a writing state, RD is a reading state, and the numbers in the circles are the sequence of data transferred from the image data source for each screen. Is shown.

For convenience of description, it is assumed that the first frame memory 2a and the fifth frame memory 7 have already stored the gradation value addition data IAD and the addition count data ADD transferred first.

First, in Tus1 in the one-screen configuration periodic signal IFC of the ultrasonic image in FIG. 2, the switching signal IFS becomes the “low” level. As a result, the first, fourth frame memories 2a, 2d and the fifth frame memory 7 are in the read state, and the second, third frame memories 2b, 2c and the sixth frame memory 8 are in the write state.

Therefore, the gradation value addition data IAD newly transferred from the image data source in the Tus1 is the output terminal B of the switching means 1.
Is written to the second frame memory 2b via
The additional value data ADD transferred in the same cycle is written in the sixth frame memory 8 via the output terminal B of the switching means 6. And, in the Tus1, the display means 1
Multiple times (4 times in the drawing) every screen configuration cycle Ttv, first
The contents stored in the frame memory 2a and the fifth frame memory 7 (IAD and ADD, respectively) are read. The read IAD is input to the first multiplier 12a via the input terminal A of the switching means 9 and also the third frame memory 2c.
Written in. At the same time, the fourth frame memory 2d
The stored content of is read out and input to the input terminal A of the switching means 10. However, in the Tus1 cycle, there is still no data in the fourth frame memory 2d (next (Written in Tus2), so linear interpolation means
12 is an IAD input through the input terminal A of the switching means 9
Smoothing is performed only on (this data is input multiple times for each Ttv). That is, as will be described later in detail,
Multiplier that is sequentially increased by the first multiplier 12a.
W1 is multiplied, and the result is added to the divider 13 via the adder 12d.
Entered in. The divider 13 divides the output of the adder 12d by the number-of-additions data (ADD) read from the fifth frame memory 7 to perform post-processing of addition averaging processing performed in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The processing result OED is provided for image display on a display unit (not shown).
Here, in the image display of the display means, four images whose gradation values are sequentially increased are switched and displayed every one screen configuration period Ttv even though the IAD is for the screen. IAD
Is read from the first frame memory 2a four times for each Ttv, and weighted by a multiplier W1 that sequentially increases for each Ttv.

Next, Tus2 in the one-screen periodic signal IFC of the ultrasonic image
Then, the switching signal IFS becomes "high" level. As a result, the first, fourth frame memories 2a, 2d and the fifth frame memory 7 are in the writing state, and the second, third frame memories
2b, 2c and the sixth frame memory 8 are in a read state.

Therefore, the gradation value addition data IAD newly transferred from the image data source in the Tus2 cycle is written in the first frame memory 2a via the output terminal A of the switching means 1 and transferred in the same cycle. The added value data ADD is written in the fifth frame memory 7 via the output terminal A of the switching means 6. Then, in the Tus2, a plurality of times (in the drawing, 4
Times), the storage contents (respectively IAD, ADD) of the second frame memory 2b and the sixth frame memory 8 are read. The read IAD is input to the first multiplier 12a via the input terminal B of the switching means 9 and is written in the third frame memory 2c. At the same time, the storage content (IAD) of the third frame memory 2c is read for each Ttv, and the read IAD is input to the second multiplier 12b via the input end B of the switching means 10. .

The first multiplier 12a multiplies the input IAD by a multiplier W1 that increases in sequence. In the second multiplier 12b, the input IAD is multiplied by the sequentially decreasing multiplier W2. Here, the sequentially increasing multiplier W1 and the sequentially decreasing multiplier W2 are weight counters 12 for counting the one-screen configuration periodic signal VD of the display means.
Output by c. The counting state of the weight counter 12c is initialized at the trailing edge of the one-screen configuration periodic signal IFC of the ultrasonic image.

The outputs of the first and second multipliers 12a and 12b are added by the adder 12d and then input to the divider 13. As described above, the divider 13 performs post-processing of addition and averaging by dividing the output of the adder 12d by the number of additions read from the fifth frame memory 7, and the processing result is shown in the figure. Not used for the display of the display means. Here, IAD and IAD are simultaneously displayed on the display means.
D, that is, the gradation value of the image data that was captured first, decreases sequentially for each Ttv, and IAD, that is, the gradation value of the image data that is captured later, has a gradation value of Ttv.
It will increase sequentially with each. This allows IAD to I
The transition to AD is very smooth on the display screen.

In Tus3 in the one-screen configuration periodic signal IFC of the ultrasonic image, the IAD newly transferred from the image data source is written in the second frame memory 2b, and this time the fourth frame memory 2d and the first frame. The IAD and IAD read from each of the memories 2a are subjected to smoothing processing by the linear interpolation means 12. Then, in the display after the smoothing process, the gradation value for IAD is sequentially decreased, and the gradation value for IAD is sequentially increased.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of smoothing processing of image data in the linear interpolation means 12 of the apparatus of the present embodiment. Even if the gradation value of a predetermined pixel before the smoothing process changes abruptly as shown by the solid line 14 for each screen configuration period Tus of the ultrasonic image, the gradation value of the same pip cell after the smoothing process is It becomes very smooth as shown by the broken line 15. This prevents the human eyes from feeling flicker.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the gist of the present invention. Particularly, the configuration of the frame memory group 2 and the linear interpolation means 12 in FIG. 1 is an example, and the configuration is not limited to this. The function of the linear interpolation means 12 is
It can also be implemented as software according to a predetermined program.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the device of this embodiment is applied to the ultrasonic diagnostic device has been described, but the image display device according to the present invention can display all kinds of image data regardless of the image data source. . When the so-called averaging process is unnecessary for the image data to be displayed, the switching means 6 and 11, the fifth and sixth frame memories 7 and 8, and the divider 13
Of course, it becomes unnecessary.

In the above embodiment, the gradation of the pixel is sequentially changed by the linear interpolation means 12, but the color tone can be changed sequentially.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can perform smooth image display in real time even when the configuration period of an ultrasonic image is long.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a case where an image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, FIG. 2 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of smoothing processing of image data in the linear interpolation means of the apparatus of this embodiment. 2 ... Frame memory group, 2a ... First frame memory, 2b ... Second frame memory, 2c ... Third frame memory, 2d ... Fourth frame memory, 12 ... Linear interpolation means, 12a ... first multiplier, 12b ... second multiplier, 12c ... weight counter, 12d ... adder.

Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP 58-169439 (JP, A) JP 58-190184 (JP, A) JP 58-174105 (JP, A) JP 52-116011 (JP , A) JP 58-75537 (JP, A) JP 58-121941 (JP, A)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising means for constructing an ultrasonic image in a subject for each cycle longer than the display cycle of the display means, wherein the latest two ultrasonic images constructed by said constituent means are stored. A frame memory group, a first multiplication means for sequentially reducing a coefficient initialized for each of the constituent cycles for each of the display cycles, and multiplying by the previously stored ultrasonic image of the two ultrasonic images; Second multiplying means for sequentially increasing the coefficient initialized for each configuration cycle for each display cycle and multiplying the ultrasonic image stored later among the two ultrasonic images; the first multiplying means and the second multiplying Means for generating a plurality of interpolated images that sequentially change from previously stored ultrasonic images to later stored ultrasonic images by adding the outputs of the means, and the interpolated image generated by the means for generating table Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus characterized by comprising a display means for sequentially displaying each cycle.