Abstract: An accuracy calculation unit receives an ultrasound image generated by transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave, and specifies an imaging scene by a plurality of types of specifying processing for specifying the imaging scene of the ultrasound image. Further, the accuracy calculation unit calculates accuracy of specifying the imaging scene for each specifying processing. The determination unit determines an examination action to be performed next on the basis of a result of calculation by the accuracy calculation unit.

Abstract: Provided is an ultrasound imaging apparatus capable of automatically and stably optimizing an imaging parameter for each examination even in a situation where an original ultrasound signal and electrical noise or the like are mixed in a reception signal, and shortening examination time. A pilot ultrasound signal for detecting a feature of a subject is radiated from an ultrasound element to the subject. Based on a reception signal from the ultrasound element, a feature value, which is a value representing a mode of distribution in a depth direction of the subject or an energy value at a specific depth of energy of the pilot ultrasound signal, is calculated. A predetermined parameter value is determined based on the feature value. An imaging signal is transmitted to one or more ultrasound elements, and an imaging ultrasound signal is radiated from the ultrasound element to the subject.

Abstract: Receive signals generated by ultrasound waves propagating in completed manner in a depth direction of a subject, are efficiently subjected to delay-and-sum processing, whereby a higher resolution image is generated with reducing a circuit size. Receive signals outputted from multiple ultrasound probe elements are delayed by predetermined delay amounts in association with the depths of receive focal points, respectively, and the delayed receive signal is branched. The phase of the branched receive signal is shifted by a predetermined phase shift amount to generate a phase-compensated signal, and then the phase-compensated signal is added to the receive signal before branched, thereby generating a beamformed signal.

Abstract: Provided is an ultrasound imaging apparatus capable of reducing examination time with optimizing parameters on an examination basis. A subject is irradiated with an ultrasound wave, and a plurality of ultrasound transducers receives the ultrasound wave from the subject to obtain received signals. A feature value is calculated from the received signals, the feature value indicating a frequency-dependent characteristic of attenuation of the ultrasound wave, associated with propagation of the ultrasound wave through the subject. A predetermined processing is performed on the received signals using one or more received-signal processing parameters to generate an image. An image processing is performed on the generated image using one or more image processing parameters. Values of the received-signal processing parameter and the image processing parameter are determined based on the feature value.

Abstract: To generate a higher resolution image by efficiently performing delay-and-sum processing of receive signals generated by ultrasound waves transmitted from a plurality of ultrasound probe elements and propagating in a depth direction of a subject in a complicated manner. The receive signals are obtained by the plurality of ultrasound probe elements receiving ultrasound waves that reached an ultrasound element array from the subject that reflect the transmitted ultrasound waves. The receive signals are received. One or two or more beamformed signals are generated according to a depth range of the subject by delaying and adding the receive signals by delay times the number of which differs according to the depth range. Two or more beamformed signals are synthesized in a depth range where the two or more beamformed signals are generated.

Abstract: In performing aperture synthesis according to an ultrasound imaging apparatus, the amount of spatial change of amplification factors of phasing signals at respective receive phasing points are reduced, and a high-quality image is obtained. In a receive beamformer that generates an inter-transmission weight in accordance with a phasing range, and performs aperture synthesis processing, the inter-transmission weight being generated is applied to the receive phasing points within the phasing range obtained through transmission and reception, and the inter-transmission synthesis is performed. The inter-transmission weight is generated in such a manner that a variation form of the amplification factor between adjacent receive phasing points is smoothed and a difference of the amplification factor is reduced, as to each receive phasing point after the inter-transmission synthesis is performed.

Abstract: Provided are an ultrasound imaging apparatus and a surgical operation support system for obtaining position information of a device outside an imaging area and presenting the position information to a user together with an ultrasound image. The surgical operation support system includes the ultrasound imaging apparatus, an ultrasonic source fixed to a therapeutic tool to be inserted into a subject body, a display device for displaying the ultrasound image and the position of the ultrasonic source. The ultrasound imaging apparatus is provided with a position estimator for estimating the position information of the ultrasonic source, and the position estimator analyzes a grating lobe artifact (false image) that is generated by the ultrasonic wave emitted from the ultrasonic source outside the imaging area, to estimate the position information of the ultrasonic source with respect to the imaging area.

Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging apparatus is capable of removing noise for each tissue from a received signal of a living tissue in which a plurality of tissues are intricately intertwined, and suppressing artifacts even at a tissue boundary. An evaluator receives one or more time-series ultrasonic signals obtained by receiving an ultrasonic wave from a subject by an ultrasonic probe after transmitting an ultrasonic wave, and generates a filter control signal for setting a characteristic value of a filter for removing noise contained in the ultrasonic signal, for a time-series direction of the ultrasonic signal. A filter processor removes the noise by processing the ultrasonic signal of the corresponding signal characteristic value by the filter having the characteristic value set based on the filter control signal. A smoothing processor that smooths distribution of the filter control signal is disposed between the evaluator and the filter processor.

Abstract: Without using any approximated wave front propagation model, appropriate delay times are set for received signals to obtain phased signals for both the inside and outside of irradiation area of transmission beam. A reception beamformer comprises a wave front propagation calculator 121 that obtains times until ultrasonic waves transmitted from a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arrive at a reception focus by calculation, and a delay time extractor 122 that calculates delay times for the reception focus on the basis of distribution of the arrival times of the ultrasonic waves for each of the plurality of the ultrasonic transducers obtained by the wave front propagation calculator 121. Therefore, even if the wave front that arrives at the reception focus has a complicated shape, it is not necessary to approximate the wave front, and phasing addition can be performed with appropriate delay times obtained from times until the ultrasonic waves arrive at the reception focus.

Abstract: A clutter reduction effect using adaptive beam forming is uniformly obtained with respect to the entire image even in an imaging condition in which the number of bundled signals is greatly distributed in an ultrasonic image. A received signal processing unit includes a summing unit that bundles the plurality of received signals for a predetermined imaging point or a plurality of signals obtained by processing the received signals, and a weighting unit that obtains a coherence value among the plurality of signals summed in the summing unit, and weights the plurality of signals before being summed in the summing unit or a signal obtained through summing in the summing unit, with a weight corresponding to the coherence value. The weighting unit weights the coherence value nonlinearly in a predetermined direction in the subject, and weights the plurality of signals before being summed in the summing unit or the signal obtained through summing in the summing unit by using the nonlinearly weighted coherence value.

Abstract: Reception beamforming that does not generate discontinuity in the vicinity of the depth of a transmit focus is executed even if reception scanning lines are disposed outside of the irradiation area of a focusing-type transmission beam. The degree of discontinuity showing the discontinuity of reception signals detected by plural ultrasound elements 105 or the degree of discontinuity regarding the discontinuity of the wave fronts of phased signals is detected by a discontinuity extracting unit 113. If there is an area where the degree of discontinuity is larger than a predefined value, a delay time generating unit 114 for discontinuity elimination changes the delay times in the area where the discontinuity is generated.

Abstract: Reception beamforming is executed using delay times that complexly vary in accordance with differences between transmission conditions. An irradiation area 32 of a transmission beam is calculated, and the lengths of segments, using which delay times are calculated, are set in accordance with the positional relationships between the calculated irradiation area 32 and reception scanning lines 31. For example, the reception scanning lines 31 are divided into areas A to C, and the lengths of segments 40b in the outer area B located outside of the irradiation area 32 are set shorter than the lengths of segments 40a and 40c in the inner areas A and C.

Abstract: A clutter reduction effect using adaptive beam forming is uniformly obtained with respect to the entire image even in an imaging condition in which the number of bundled signals is greatly distributed in an ultrasonic image. A received signal processing unit includes a summing unit that bundles the plurality of received signals for a predetermined imaging point or a plurality of signals obtained by processing the received signals, and a weighting unit that obtains a coherence value among the plurality of signals summed in the summing unit, and weights the plurality of signals before being summed in the summing unit or a signal obtained through summing in the summing unit, with a weight corresponding to the coherence value. The weighting unit weights the coherence value nonlinearly in a predetermined direction in the subject, and weights the plurality of signals before being summed in the summing unit or the signal obtained through summing in the summing unit by using the nonlinearly weighted coherence value.

Abstract: Accuracy of spectrum analysis improves, and further reliability of information indicating tissue characterization of a living organ improves. A computation region, which is a target of frequency spectrum analysis, and a window region are set on a received signal. A plurality of received signals of the window region are weighted and the frequency spectrum analysis is performed on the received signals of the window region after the weighting. The weighting is performed by using weight distribution corresponding to strength distribution generated in the received signals of the window region in a case of assuming that the ultrasound transmitted from the plurality of transducers propagates as waves in the subject, reaches a target region in the subject which corresponds to the computation region, is reflected from the target region, then further propagates as waves in the subject, and reaches the plurality of transducers.

Abstract: There is realized an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that eliminates the restriction on the image generation in ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses imposed by generation of no more than one delay curve, and enables imaging with higher resolution and higher speed. A received signal processor 12 comprises delayers 13, 14-1, and 14-2 disposed for every reception channel, and a synthesiser 60. The first delayer 13 delays received signals produced from a transmission beam 31 by a first delay time for phasing the received signals for a predetermined reception focus. The second delayer 14-1 delays received signals produced from a sound wave of a predetermined phase different from the phase of the transmission beam 31 by a second delay time for phasing the received signals for the same reception focus. The synthesiser 60 adds first phased signals generated by the first delayer, and second phased signals generated by the second delayer 14-1.

Abstract: Without using any approximated wave front propagation model, appropriate delay times are set for received signals to obtain phased signals for both the inside and outside of irradiation area of transmission beam. A reception beamformer comprises a wave front propagation calculator 121 that obtains times until ultrasonic waves transmitted from a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arrive at a reception focus by calculation, and a delay time extractor 122 that calculates delay times for the reception focus on the basis of distribution of the arrival times of the ultrasonic waves for each of the plurality of the ultrasonic transducers obtained by the wave front propagation calculator 121. Therefore, even if the wave front that arrives at the reception focus has a complicated shape, it is not necessary to approximate the wave front, and phasing addition can be performed with appropriate delay times obtained from times until the ultrasonic waves arrive at the reception focus.

Abstract: In performing aperture synthesis according to an ultrasound imaging apparatus, the amount of spatial change of amplification factors of phasing signals at respective receive phasing points are reduced, and a high-quality image is obtained. In a receive beamformer that generates an inter-transmission weight in accordance with a phasing range, and performs aperture synthesis processing, the inter-transmission weight being generated is applied to the receive phasing points within the phasing range obtained through transmission and reception, and the inter-transmission synthesis is performed. The inter-transmission weight is generated in such a manner that a variation form of the amplification factor between adjacent receive phasing points is smoothed and a difference of the amplification factor is reduced, as to each receive phasing point after the inter-transmission synthesis is performed.

Abstract: A weight value used for a beamforming process performed on received signals in an ultrasound imaging apparatus is obtained with a small amount of computations and with a high degree of precision, even when a method of adaptive signal processing is employed. Multiple elements 401 receive ultrasound signals from a test subject, and the similarity operator 404 obtains the similarity between the received signals x(n). By using the similarity C(n) between the received signals obtained by the similarity operator 404, the adaptive weight operator 407 computes the adaptive weight w(n) in association with the similarity. The beamforming operator 408 uses the adaptive weight w(n) and the received signal x(n) to generate a beamforming output. The imaging processor 108 uses the beamforming output to generate image data. By way of example, the similarity operator 404 performs computations of the similarity in the time direction.

Abstract: The invention aims to give uniform and stable characteristics to a cMUT-cell array and to improve acoustic characteristics. To this end, a signal blocking section is additionally provided for cells 102 located in the outermost peripheral portion or at the end positions of a two-dimensional array 101 of cMUT cells that are designed and manufactured as ones usable as an ordinary transducer capable of transmission and reception of signals. The signal blocking section is provided to prevent the displacement and the vibration of the cells, and to block the transmission and the reception of signals.

Abstract: Reception beamforming that does not generate discontinuity in the vicinity of the depth of a transmit focus is executed even if reception scanning lines are disposed outside of the irradiation area of a focusing-type transmission beam. The degree of discontinuity showing the discontinuity of reception signals detected by plural ultrasound elements 105 or the degree of discontinuity regarding the discontinuity of the wave fronts of phased signals is detected by a discontinuity extracting unit 113. If there is an area where the degree of discontinuity is larger than a predefined value, a delay time generating unit 114 for discontinuity elimination changes the delay times in the area where the discontinuity is generated.