Abstract: An ultrasound image processing apparatus includes a structural object extracting unit, an abnormal candidate spot detecting unit and a cine information generating unit. The structural object extracting unit extracts a structural object in an ultrasound image of each frame from ultrasound image data of a plurality of continuous frames. The abnormal candidate spot detecting unit detects an abnormal candidate spot in the extracted structural object. The cine information generating unit generates cine information where the detected abnormal candidate spot is made to be associated with a frame in which the abnormal candidate spot is detected.

Abstract: An ultrasound image processing apparatus includes a structural object extracting unit, an abnormal candidate spot detecting unit and a cine information generating unit. The structural object extracting unit extracts a structural object in an ultrasound image of each frame from ultrasound image data of a plurality of continuous frames. The abnormal candidate spot detecting unit detects an abnormal candidate spot in the extracted structural object. The cine information generating unit generates cine information where the detected abnormal candidate spot is made to be associated with a frame in which the abnormal candidate spot is detected.

Abstract: An ultrasonic image generating device which generates a cross-sectional image of a specific cross-section of a subject from ultrasonic images obtained by scanning the subject from a plurality of directions using an ultrasonic probe, includes: a cross-section position identifying unit which obtains cross-section information indicating a position and an orientation of the specific cross-section; a positional information obtaining unit which obtains positional information including a position and an orientation of each of the ultrasonic images of the subject; a reference image selecting unit which selects at least one of the ultrasonic images as a reference image, the at least one of the ultrasonic images having a distance from the specific cross-section that is less than a first threshold and an orientation difference from the specific cross-section that is less than a second threshold; and a cross-sectional image generating unit which generates the cross-sectional image using the reference image.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus capable of displaying an image for providing guidance in moving an instrument to a target part in a subject to a user with high visual perceptibility. The image processing apparatus may be an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus including: a three-dimensional image analyzer determining target position indicating a three-dimensional position of the target part based on a three-dimensional image including the target part; a position information acquirer acquiring instrument position indicating a three-dimensional position of the instrument; a display state determiner selecting one display state from at least two display states, based on a positional relationship between the target part and the instrument; an assist image generator generating an assist image for the selected display state by using the target position and the instrument position; and a display controller performing control for outputting the assist image generated by the assist image generation unit to a display device.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic device includes: a contour extraction unit extracting a first contour image from ultrasound images obtained from spatially-successive examination positions and each including an image of an organ, a contour image indicating a contour of the organ and extracted from the organ image; a specification unit receiving, from a user, specification information specifying a manual correction target ultrasound image and correction information indicating details of a manual correction performed with respect to a first contour image extracted from the manual correction target ultrasound image; and a contour correction unit correcting the first contour image extracted from the manual correction target ultrasound image according to the correction information. The contour extraction unit further extracts a second contour image from a target ultrasound image by using information indicating the corrected first contour image. The target ultrasound image differs from the manual correction target image.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus which detects a target blood vessel of a subject based on reflected ultrasound waves obtained, using an ultrasound probe, from the subject, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus including: a B-mode image generation unit which generates a tomographic image of the subject, based on the reflected ultrasound waves; a blood flow image generation unit which generates blood flow information indicating a blood flow region of the subject in the tomographic image, based on the reflected ultrasound waves; and a blood flow region determination unit which determines whether or not the blood flow region corresponds to the target blood vessel, by analyzing the blood flow information generated by the blood flow image generation unit.

Abstract: Both tilt information included in an image and positional information are acquired in order to calculate a relative tilt angle between at least two images. Whether the tilt information can be used to estimate the tilt angle (whether the tilt information is fake information) is determined from a distribution characteristic in the image of the acquired positional information. The tilt angle is estimated from the tilt information determined to be able to be used. A tilt included in the acquired image is corrected using the estimation result, and the image having the correct orientation can be produced.

Abstract: Both tilt information included in an image and positional information are acquired in order to calculate a relative tilt angle between at least two images. Whether the tilt information can be used to estimate the tilt angle (whether the tilt information is fake information) is determined from a distribution characteristic in the image of the acquired positional information. The tilt angle is estimated from the tilt information determined to be able to be used. A tilt included in the acquired image is corrected using the estimation result, and the image having the correct orientation can be produced.

Abstract: An image processing device of the present invention includes: a motion amount estimating unit which estimates, using feature points extracted from each of a first picture and a second picture, a motion amount indicating an amount of displacement of the second picture with respect to the first picture, the second picture being captured temporally after the first picture; a determining unit which determines, using the feature points, whether or not correction is made using the motion amount estimated by the motion amount estimating unit; and a picture correcting unit which corrects the displacement of the second picture with respect to the first picture using the motion amount so as to correct the displacement between the pictures, in the case where the determining unit determines that the correction is made using the motion amount.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic device processes ultrasound images obtained by ultrasound scanning on a diagnostic target. The ultrasound images include a set of material images for analyzing shape of the diagnostic target and a diagnostic image for analyzing a diagnostic value of a specific part of the diagnostic target. An image analysis measurement unit generates a schematic diagram showing schematic shape of the diagnostic target based on the shape of the diagnostic target. A relative position calculation unit calculates a relative position of local shape of the specific part to the shape of the diagnostic target. A diagnostic value superimposing unit identifies a position on the schematic shape of the diagnostic target that corresponds to a position of the specific part based on the relative position, and superimposes data of the diagnostic value on the identified position on the schematic shape of the diagnostic target shown in the schematic diagram.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic device includes: a contour extraction unit extracting a first contour image from ultrasound images obtained from spatially-successive examination positions and each including an image of an organ, a contour image indicating a contour of the organ and extracted from the organ image; a specification unit receiving, from a user, specification information specifying a manual correction target ultrasound image and correction information indicating details of a manual correction performed with respect to a first contour image extracted from the manual correction target ultrasound image; and a contour correction unit correcting the first contour image extracted from the manual correction target ultrasound image according to the correction information. The contour extraction unit further extracts a second contour image from a target ultrasound image by using information indicating the corrected first contour image. The target ultrasound image differs from the manual correction target image.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus measures blood flow velocity by emitting ultrasound towards a measurement target and receiving a reflected wave, via an ultrasound probe. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasound image acquisition unit, a vascular region detection unit, a measurement position determination unit, and a Doppler gate setting unit. The ultrasound image acquisition unit acquires an ultrasound image which has been captured of the measurement target. The vascular region detection unit detects, from the ultrasound image, a vascular region corresponding to a blood vessel. The measurement position determination unit detects a specific part of the vascular region based on vascular region shape and determines, in accordance with the specific part, one or more measurement positions in the vascular region in terms of longitudinal direction thereof. The Doppler gate setting unit sets, with respect to each measurement position, a Doppler gate in a lumen region of the vascular region.

Abstract: An image processing device including: a motion amount estimating unit estimating a first motion amount indicating a displacement amount of a second picture with respect to a first picture; an area setting unit setting an area to be used for post-processing for each of the first picture and a first corrected picture, using feature points extracted from the first picture and the second picture; a post-processing unit generating a first cutout picture from the first picture and a second cutout picture from the first corrected picture and estimating a second motion amount indicating a displacement amount of the second cutout picture with respect to the first cutout picture; and a motion amount obtaining unit obtaining a motion amount indicating a displacement amount between the first picture and the second picture, from the estimated first motion amount and the estimated second motion amount.

Abstract: A picture processing device (100) includes: a mask generation unit (110x) which generates a masking picture (110aI) based on an edge in a first picture (101a); a feature point masking unit (111x) which masks extracted feature points with the generated masking picture (110aI); a rotation matrix calculation unit (112) which calculates a positional change between the first picture and a second picture (101a, 101b) using a feature point selected from the feature points as a result of the masking; and a picture correction unit (113) which uses the calculated change.

Abstract: A decoding device improves a cache hit rate in a decoding process of compressed encoded image data. The decoding device, before the decoding process, generates a sort table for each reference picture for a plurality of MPEG data streams included in a GOP and having a frame type of P- or B-picture. The decoding device, by using the generated sort table, selects a group of pictures composed of a plurality of decoding target macro blocks that refer to the same reference macro block. The decoding device obtains, from the reference picture, four macro blocks including the same reference macro block referred to by the selected picture group, and stores the four macro blocks into the cache memory. The decoding device sequentially decodes each decoding target macro block included in the selected picture group, by using the four macro blocks stored in the cache memory.

Abstract: The picture processing device of the present invention includes: a rotational motion distance calculating unit which calculates a rotational motion distance of a second picture with respect to a first picture; a cutout picture generating unit which (i) generates a first cutout picture from the first picture, and (ii) and generates a second cutout picture from a first corrected picture, the first corrected picture being generated from the second picture whose rotational displacement amount, in a combination of directions in three axes, is corrected; a parallel motion amount calculating unit which calculates a parallel motion amount of a second cutout picture with respect to the first cutout picture; and a motion amount determining unit which determines a motion amount of the second picture with respect to the first picture.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes a measurement position-orientation determination unit, a judgment unit and a property measurement unit. The measurement position-orientation determination unit determines a measurement target region for measuring a property of a vascular wall, based on a 3D image of a blood vessel generated from transverse tomographic images acquired by scanning of an ultrasound probe in a longitudinal direction, and also determines a measurement position and measurement orientation of the ultrasound probe for acquiring a longitudinal tomographic image including the measurement target region. The judgment unit judges whether a current position and current orientation of the ultrasound probe differ from the measurement position and measurement orientation respectively by no greater than a threshold value, and when judging affirmatively causes the apparatus to acquire the longitudinal tomographic image.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus which detects a target blood vessel of a subject based on reflected ultrasound waves obtained, using an ultrasound probe, from the subject, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus including: a B-mode image generation unit which generates a tomographic image of the subject, based on the reflected ultrasound waves; a blood flow image generation unit which generates blood flow information indicating a blood flow region of the subject in the tomographic image, based on the reflected ultrasound waves; and a blood flow region determination unit which determines whether or not the blood flow region corresponds to the target blood vessel, by analyzing the blood flow information generated by the blood flow image generation unit.

Abstract: An ultrasound image generation apparatus includes: a first motion estimation unit which estimates, as a first motion vector, a motion vector of the ultrasound probe using a first estimation method, the motion vector indicating the movement between images of the respective ultrasound signals; a second motion estimation unit which estimates, as a second motion vector, a motion vector of the ultrasound probe using a second estimation method different from the first estimation method in direction dependency of estimation accuracy; and a position reconstruction unit which (i) assigns, based on a direction of the first motion vector or a direction of the second motion vector, weights to the first and the second motion vectors, (ii) combines the weighted first and second motion vectors into a combined motion vector, and (iii) constructs an ultrasound diagnostic image of a subject using the combined motion vector and the images.

Abstract: To provide an image processing device that calculates a parameter used for correcting large video jitter with high accuracy even when the accuracy of a sensor for measuring a movement of a photographing device is low. The image processing device includes: a constraint condition generating unit (130) that generates a constraint condition using sensor information such that a parameter value falls within a range; and a parameter calculating unit (140) that calculates the parameter according to the constraint condition.