IP Library Granted Patent US 9,786,040
Granted Patent B2
US 9,786,040 · App. 14/431,603 · Granted Oct 10, 2017

Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and ultrasound two-dimensional cross-section image generation method

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,786,040
App. No.
14/431,603
Granted
Oct 10, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes a light source information setting unit setting light source data indicating a property of a light source irradiated to a cross section region of the object, an optical property setting unit setting a weight coefficient indicating an optical property of cross-section region data including intensity information on the cross section region to the light source, an illuminance slice data creation unit calculating illuminance at positions corresponding to coordinates of a plurality of the cross-section regions based on the light source data and the weight coefficient, and creating illuminance slice data of the plurality of the cross-section regions based on the calculated illuminance, and a composition unit compositing a two-dimensional cross-section image of the object from the plurality of illuminance slice data.

Claims (39)

1. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus for use with tissue, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising:

a light source configured to irradiate the tissue with light; and

a processor programmed to:

set light source data indicating a property of the light irradiated to a cross section region of the tissue;

set a weight coefficient calculated based on a wavelength and illumination slice of the light source, the weight coefficient reflecting a behavior of the light irradiated in the tissue, the cross-section region data including intensity information on the cross-section region;

calculate an illuminance at positions corresponding to coordinates of a plurality of cross-section regions based on the light source data and the weight coefficient, by calculating two-dimensional convolution of the light source data to generate two-dimensional convolution data;

calculate illuminance slice data of the plurality of the cross-section regions based on the calculated illuminance by calculating weighted addition of the light source data and the two-dimensional convolution data based on the weight coefficient to create the illuminance slice data; and

composite a two-dimensional cross-section image of the tissue from a plurality of the calculated illuminance slice data.

2. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim claim 1 , the processor further comprising:

holding, as light source slice data, an initial value of the light source data and a calculated result of the weighted addition, and

while switching the cross-section region data from an illuminance calculation starting slice to an illuminance calculation ending slice in the cross-section region data, the processor calculates two-dimensional convolution of the light source slice data to generate two-dimensional convolution data, and calculates weighted addition of the light source slice data and the two-dimensional convolution data based on the weight coefficient to calculate the illuminance slice data.

3. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor changes an order from the illuminance calculation starting slice to the illuminance calculation ending slice, based on a visual line direction.

4. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor sets the weight coefficient depending on intensity of the cross-section region data and the number of slices of the cross-section region data in which effective intensity continues in a prescribed direction.

5. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor includes at least one of: (i) averaging illuminance values of a plurality of the illuminance slice data, (ii) weighted addition of a plurality of the slice data, and (iii) rendering processing by an opacity table referred to by the intensity information of the cross-section region data, to composite the two-dimensional cross-section image.

6. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim claim 1 , further comprising:

a display configured to display the two-dimensional cross-section image, wherein the display displays a cross-section image of the cross section region and the two-dimensional cross-section image corresponding to the cross-section image of the cross section region, in parallel.

7. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus for use with tissue, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising:

a light source configured to irradiate the tissue with light;

a processor programmed to:

set light source data indicating a property of the light irradiated to a cross section region of the tissue,

set a weight coefficient calculated based on a wavelength and illumination slice of the light source, the weight coefficient reflecting a behavior of the light irradiated in the tissue, the cross-section region data including intensity information on the cross-section region,

calculate an illuminance at positions corresponding to coordinates of a plurality of cross-section regions based on the light source data and the weight coefficient, and calculate illuminance slice data of the plurality of the cross-section regions based on the calculated illuminance, and

composite a two-dimensional cross-section image of the tissue from a plurality of the calculated illuminance slice data; and

a display configured to display the two-dimensional cross-section image, wherein the display displays at least one or a combination of two or more of:

setting a width of a region in a visual line direction for setting the plurality of cross-section regions,

setting an arbitrary thickness in a normal direction of the cross-section region data,

setting the number of slices of the cross-section region data,

setting an illumination direction of the light source,

changing a follow direction or an opposite direction of a viewpoint, and

setting a composition method.

8. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the display displays at least one of:

the two-dimensional cross-section image corresponding to a cross-section image of the cross section,

the two-dimensional cross-section image perpendicular to the cross-section image,

a plurality of the two-dimensional cross-section images perpendicular to one another in a three-dimensional space, and

a plurality of the two-dimensional cross-section images perpendicular to the cross-section image and parallel to one another.

9. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the display:

in the case of displaying the two-dimensional cross-section image perpendicular to the cross-section image, displays a cross-section image setting frame specifying positions of the plurality of the cross-section regions for creating the plurality of the illuminance slice data,

in the case of displaying a plurality of the two-dimensional cross-section images perpendicular to one another in the three-dimensional space, displays a point mark of intersection, the point mark of intersection being a common point of intersection, and

in the case of displaying the plurality of the two-dimensional cross-section images perpendicular to the cross-section image and parallel to one another, displays a cross-section image setting line specifying positions of the cross-section regions corresponding to the plurality of two-dimensional cross-section images.

Assignments (6)
MERGER Recorded Jan 10, 2025
From: FUJIFILM HEALTHCARE CORPORATION
To: FUJIFILM CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 069869/0833 →
MERGER Recorded Oct 11, 2024
From: FUJIFILM HEALTHCARE CORPORATION
To: FUJIFILM CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 069170/0272 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE THE PROPERTY AND APPLICATION NUMBERS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 058026 FRAME: 0559. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Jan 31, 2022
From: HITACHI LTD.
To: FUJIFILM HEALTHCARE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 058917/0853 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 4, 2021
From: HITACHI, LTD.
To: FUJIFILM HEALTHCARE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 058026/0559 →
MERGER Recorded Aug 26, 2016
From: HITACHI ALOKA MEDICAL, LTD.
To: HITACHI, LTD.
Reel/Frame 039843/0481 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 5, 2015
From: TSUJITA, TAKEHIRO
To: HITACHI ALOKA MEDICAL, LTD.
Reel/Frame 036964/0533 →