Information processing apparatus and ultrasound system

1 . An information processing apparatus configured to process information acquired from a probe including a base having flexibility to bend along a surface of a subject's body and ultrasound transducers arranged on the base at predetermined intervals, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a controller configured to:

acquire:

transmission information, which relates to ultrasound emitted from the ultrasound transducers of the probe whose base is attached to the subject along the surface of the subject's body; and

first reception information, which relates to first reflection received by first ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducers after the ultrasound is reflected by a first target; and

calculate parameters, which relate to a curve of the base, from the transmission information, the first reception information, and the predetermined intervals between the first ultrasound transducers,

wherein the controller is further configured to:

identify which ultrasound transducers are close to the first target; and

cause only some of the ultrasound transducers determined to be close to the first target by the controller to emit the ultrasound,

the controller is further configured to:

successively switch the ultrasound transducers to emit the ultrasound; and

identify which ultrasound transducers are close to the first target based on whether reflection that has been received by each of the ultrasound transducers follows a predetermined pattern corresponding to the first target.

2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller is configured to calculate the parameters from distances between the first target and each of the first ultrasound transducers and the predetermined intervals between the first ultrasound transducers.

3 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the parameters include angles between straight lines connecting the first target and each of the first ultrasound transducers.

4 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the parameters include radii of curvature of the curve.

5 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller is further configured to:

generate an image data based on the first reception information;

compensate the image data based on the parameters; and

output the compensated image data.

6 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an input reception unit configured to receive selection of the ultrasound transducers to be caused to emit the ultrasound,

wherein the controller is further configured to cause the selected ultrasound transducers to emit the ultrasound.

7 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller is configured to acquire the first reception information relating to the first reflection received by the first ultrasound transducers after the ultrasound is reflected by a reflector embedded in the base.

8 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller is further configured to:

acquire second reception information, which relates to second reflection received by second ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducers after the ultrasound is reflected by a second target, and

calculate the parameters from the transmission information, the first and the second reception information, the predetermined intervals between the first ultrasound transducers, and the predetermined intervals between the second ultrasound transducers.

9 . An ultrasonic processing system, comprising:

a probe including a base having flexibility to bend along a surface of subject's body and ultrasound transducers arranged on the base at predetermined intervals; and

the information processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

10 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the controller is further configured to:

identify which ultrasound transducers are close to the first target based on whether reflection that has been received by each of the ultrasound transducers follows a predetermined pattern of amplitude that is peculiar to reflections from the first target.

11 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the first target is a carotid artery.

12 . An information processing apparatus configured to process information acquired from a probe including a base having flexibility to bend along a surface of a subject's body and ultrasound transducers arranged on the base at predetermined intervals, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a controller configured to:

acquire:

transmission information, which relates to ultrasound emitted from the ultrasound transducers of the probe whose base is attached to the subject along the surface of the subject's body; and

first reception information, which relates to first reflection received by first ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducers after the ultrasound is reflected by a first target; and

calculate parameters, which relate to a curve of the base, from the transmission information, the first reception information, and the predetermined intervals between the first ultrasound transducers,

wherein the controller is further configured to:

acquire the first reception information relating to the first reflection received by the first ultrasound transducers after the ultrasound is reflected by the first target, the first target being embedded in the base.

13 . An ultrasonic processing system, comprising:

a probe including a base having flexibility to bend along a surface of subject's body and ultrasound transducers arranged on the base at predetermined intervals; and

the information processing apparatus according to claim 12 .