Abstract: A change amount information calculation unit calculates change amount information indicating an amount of change Vn between signal intensity of a target voxel and signal intensity of a neighboring voxel near the target voxel for each voxel forming ultrasound volume data. An opacity calculation unit calculates opacity ?(Xn)*g(Vn) of each voxel such that opacity of the voxel is reduced with reduction in the amount of change Vn in the signal intensity from the neighboring voxel. A rendering processing unit performs volume rendering on the basis of signal intensity Xn of each voxel and the calculated opacity ?(Xn)*g(Vn) of each voxel and forms a three-dimensional image.

Abstract: A temporal change at each coordinate of interest which is spatially fixed in frame data of a plurality of time phases obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasound is made understandable. A trace processor derives an amount of temporal change at each coordinate of interest of a plurality of coordinates of interest which are spatially fixed in the frame data over a plurality of time phases. The trace processor also derives an amount of spatial movement of each site of interest based on the amount of temporal change of each coordinate of interest near each site of interest. Further, the trace processor derives an amount of spatial movement of each site of interest for each time phase over a plurality of time phases in a trace period, and traces a motion of each site of interest in the trace period based on the amount of movement derived for each time phase.

Abstract: Provided is a technology for extracting an image of a target plane from 2D or 3D image data acquired by a medical imaging apparatus with a small amount of computation and at high speed. A plane of a target plane including a predetermined structure is extracted from image data of a subject. A region of the predetermined structure included in the plane is detected by applying a learning model learned using learning data including a target plane for learning including an image of the structure and a region-of-interest plane for learning obtained by cutting out and enlarging a partial region including the structure in the target plane for learning to a plurality of planes obtained from the image data, and the plane of the target plane is extracted based on the detected region of the predetermined structure.

Abstract: Provided is a technique for automatically extracting a cross section with a high degree of precision and at high speed, with avoiding problems of operator dependence and imaging target dependence, from 3D volume data or temporally sequential 2D or 3D images or 3D volume data, acquired by a medical imaging device, when determining the cross section used for diagnosis and measurement. An image processor of an imaging device is provided with a cross section extractor for extracting a specified cross section from imaged data. The cross section extractor determines the specified cross section by using a learning model trained in advance to output discrimination scores for a plurality of cross sectional image data, the discrimination score representing spatial or temporal proximity to the specified cross section. The learning model is a downsized model obtained by integrating a highly trained model having a large number of layers, with an untrained model having less number of layers, followed by retraining.

Abstract: Provided is a technology for extracting an image of a target plane from 2D or 3D image data acquired by a medical imaging apparatus with a small amount of computation and at high speed. A plane of a target plane including a predetermined structure is extracted from image data of a subject. A region of the predetermined structure included in the plane is detected by applying a learning model learned using learning data including a target plane for learning including an image of the structure and a region-of-interest plane for learning obtained by cutting out and enlarging a partial region including the structure in the target plane for learning to a plurality of planes obtained from the image data, and the plane of the target plane is extracted based on the detected region of the predetermined structure.

Abstract: A temporal change at each coordinate of interest which is spatially fixed in frame data of a plurality of time phases obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasound is made understandable. A trace processor derives an amount of temporal change at each coordinate of interest of a plurality of coordinates of interest which are spatially fixed in the frame data over a plurality of time phases. The trace processor also derives an amount of spatial movement of each site of interest based on the amount of temporal change of each coordinate of interest near each site of interest. Further, the trace processor derives an amount of spatial movement of each site of interest for each time phase over a plurality of time phases in a trace period, and traces a motion of each site of interest in the trace period based on the amount of movement derived for each time phase.

Abstract: An ultrasonography generation device includes an ultrasonic wave transceiver (1002), a user inputter (1006) which inputs input by an operator, a monitor (1011) capable of displaying an image, an image processor (1005) which generates tomographic image data of a fetus and the placenta based on signals acquired from the ultrasonic wave transceiver and sets a region of interest including a region between the fetus and the placenta according to the input from the inputter when the tomographic image data is displayed on the display, a 3D-ROI corrector (1008) which corrects the region of interest using the region of interest set by the operator and the tomographic image data and determines validity of the corrected region of interest, and a presentation part (1012) which presents the determination result from 3D-ROI corrector. The ultrasonography generation device generates a 3D image of the fetus using the corrected region of interest.

Abstract: On the basis of voxel data for a plurality of voxels constituting a set of ultrasound volume data, a voxel group identifying unit 50 identifies, in said ultrasound volume data, one or more voxel groups formed by a plurality of voxels in which voxel data satisfy a condition of being linked. On the basis of the voxel data for a plurality of voxels corresponding to each voxel group to be displayed, from among the one or more identified voxel groups, an image forming unit 80 forms an ultrasound image in which the voxel groups to be displayed are indicated clearly in a selective manner. It is thus possible for a three-dimensional image to be formed in such a way that one part of the image, such as floating matter in the amniotic fluid, does not interfere with another part of the image, such as a fetus.

Abstract: A region of interest setting unit sets a region of interest within image data for a tomographic image. The region of interest setting unit sets the region of interest to the heart of an embryo and partitions the region of interest into a plurality of blocks. A waveform generating unit generates an embryonic heartbeat waveform for each block of the plurality of blocks within the region of interest on the basis of the image data within the block. A waveform evaluating unit uses a standard waveform to evaluate the reliability of the embryonic heartbeat waveform for each block of the plurality of blocks within the region of interest.

Abstract: A tracking processing unit performs tracking processing for a plurality of states during a tracking period and, on the basis of a plurality of tracking results obtained from the tracking processing for the plurality of states, tracks the movement of a measurement point during the tracking period. In addition, with regard to a plurality of tracking points that comprise the measurement point and an auxiliary point, the tracking processing unit performs tracking processing for each tracking point during the tracking period and, on the basis of a plurality of tracking results obtained from the plurality of tracking points, tracks the movement of the measurement point during the tracking period.

Abstract: An ultrasonography generation device includes an ultrasonic wave transceiver (1002), a user inputter (1006) which inputs input by an operator, a monitor (1011) capable of displaying an image, an image processor (1005) which generates tomographic image data of a fetus and the placenta based on signals acquired from the ultrasonic wave transceiver and sets a region of interest including a region between the fetus and the placenta according to the input from the inputter when the tomographic image data is displayed on the display, a 3D-ROI corrector (1008) which corrects the region of interest using the region of interest set by the operator and the tomographic image data and determines validity of the corrected region of interest, and a presentation part (1012) which presents the determination result from 3D-ROI corrector. The ultrasonography generation device generates a 3D image of the fetus using the corrected region of interest.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to use multiresolution decomposition to reduce image sections, such as fogging and stationary artifacts, which appear in an ultrasound image. An image processing unit (20) performs resolution conversion processing on an ultrasound image obtained on the basis of a reception signal, to form a plurality of resolution images having mutually different resolutions, determines, on the basis of the plurality of resolution images, a reduction degree for each section in the image, and forms an ultrasound image in which reduction processing has been performed on each section in the image in accordance with the reduction degrees.

Abstract: An image processing unit (20) performs resolution conversion processing on an ultrasound image obtained on the basis of a reception signal, to generate a plurality of resolution images having mutually different resolutions. Furthermore, the image processing unit (20) performs non-linear processing on a difference image obtained by comparing the plurality of resolution images with each other, to generate boundary components related to boundaries included in the image. Moreover, a boundary-enhanced image is generated by performing enhancement processing on the ultrasound image on the basis of the generated boundary components.

Abstract: A densification processing unit (20) densifies image data composed of a plurality of pieces of line data corresponding to a plurality of ultrasound beams obtained by scanning with an ultrasonic beam (a transmission beam and a reception beam). The densification processing unit (20) densifies the image data by compensating for density of scanning direction data arranged at a low density along the scanning direction of the ultrasonic beam on the basis of depth direction data arranged at a high density along the depth direction of the ultrasonic beam within the imaging data.

Abstract: Image-use data of a low-density image acquired by scanning an ultrasound beam at a low density is densified in a densification processing unit. The densification processing unit densifies image-use data of a low-density image by compensating for density of image-use data of the low-density image using a plurality of densified data units that have been acquired from a high-density image as a result of learning, by way of the learning related to the high-density image which has been acquired by scanning an ultrasound beam at a high density.

Abstract: In a semiconductor integrated circuit 11, there is constructed a test expected value programming circuit 100 having an input/input-output pad 103 for retrieving a ground/power-source signal 104 from a ground terminal 30 or a power source terminal 31 connected to the semiconductor integrated circuit 11, a switch 105 for selectively switching the outputting of the ground/power-source signal 104 inputted via the input/input-output pad 103, and an expected value generation circuit 13 for generating a test expected value signal 21 based on a switch output signal 122 outputted from the switch 105.

Abstract: In a semiconductor integrated circuit 11, there is constructed a test expected value programming circuit 100 having an input/input-output pad 103 for retrieving a ground/power-source signal 104 from a ground terminal 30 or a power source terminal 31 connected to the semiconductor integrated circuit 11, a switch 105 for selectively switching the outputting of the ground/power-source signal 104 inputted via the input/input-output pad 103, and an expected value generation circuit 13 for generating a test expected value signal 21 based on a switch output signal 122 outputted from the switch 105.

Abstract: In order to reduce the time required for error correction in the error correction device, data are transferred from the buffer memory not only to the syndrome calculator but also to the error detector at the same time, and until the syndrome calculator detects an error-containing code, the error detector performs error detection in parallel with the syndrome calculation done by the syndrome calculator. In the error detection after the error corrector corrects the error, the mid-term results of the error detection obtained before the error-containing code is detected are used. Consequently, it becomes unnecessary to transfer all data from the buffer memory to the error detector, thereby making it possible to execute error detection process at a halfway point.

Abstract: For reducing time required for error correction in an error correction device, data are transferred from a buffer memory not only to a syndrome calculator but also to an error detector at the same time, and until the syndrome calculator detects an error-containing code, the error detector performs error detection in parallel with the syndrome calculation done by the syndrome calculator. During error detection after the error corrector corrects the error, mid-term results of the error detection obtained before an error-containing code is detected are used. Consequently, it becomes unnecessary to transfer all data from the buffer memory to the error detector, thereby making execution of an error detection process possible at a halfway point.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and method for error correction that can directly performs the operation without deinterleaving read data, that has an increased parallel operation and performs at high-speed. An error correction apparatus 50 comprises a plurality of syndrome operation circuits 21 based on a parallel operation, and a second Galois field multiplication circuit 25 for multiplying a syndrome operation result halfway through the operation by index compensating coefficients.