Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using synthetic and moving aperture synthesis

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

a probe configured to be equipped with a plurality of transducers arranged two dimensionally in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and be able to perform a two-dimensional scan;

a moving device configured to support the probe and mechanically move the probe in the second direction;

a transmitting circuit configured to divide a transmission aperture of the probe into a plurality of partial transmission apertures and transmit respective ultrasonic signals from the plurality of partial transmission apertures, wherein a plurality of virtual point sound sources respectively corresponding to the plurality of partial transmission apertures are formed;

a receiving circuit configured to generate first reception signals for respective moving positions of the probe in the second direction, by performing receiving phase-compensation and summation processing on respective reflected signals received by the plurality of transducers at each of the respective moving positions; and

processing circuitry configured to generate a second reception signal by performing moving aperture synthesis on the first reception signals generated for the respective moving positions of the probe based on positional information of the probe and generate image data from the second reception signal, wherein

the first reception signals are a plurality of reception signals respectively corresponding to the plurality of partial transmission apertures;

the processing circuitry is configured to

generate a plurality of processed signals by performing transmission aperture synthesis, the transmission aperture synthesis coherently summing up the first reception signals after correcting third respective delay amounts from the plurality of virtual point sound sources to an observation point in such a manner that the third respective delay amounts become substantially equal to each other, and

generate the second reception signal from the plurality of processed signals subjected to the transmission aperture synthesis;

the receiving phase-compensation and summation processing performed by the receiving circuit is processing of generating each of the first reception signals by coherently summing up the respective reflected signals, wherein, before coherent summation of the respective reflected signals, first respective delay amounts from the observation point in three-dimensional space inside an object to the plurality of transducers are corrected to become substantially equal to each other; and

the moving aperture synthesis is processing of generating the second reception signal by coherently summing up the first reception signals, wherein, when the probe is moved in the second direction, a beam formed by the probe is directed toward the observation point at each of moving positions of the probe by performing the two-dimensional scan by an electronic scan both in the first direction and the second direction, and before coherent summation of the first reception signal, second respective delay amounts from the observation point changed due to movement of the probe are corrected to become substantially equal for each of the moving positions of the probe.

2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the probe is configured in such a manner that number of the plurality of transducers arranged in the second direction is smaller than a number of the plurality of transducers arranged in the first direction.

3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the transmitting circuit is configured to divide the transmission aperture of the probe in the first direction into the plurality of partial transmission apertures; and

the processing circuitry is configured to perform the transmission aperture synthesis in the first direction.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the transmitting circuit is configured to divide the transmission aperture of the probe in the second direction into the plurality of partial transmission apertures; and

the processing circuitry is configured to perform the transmission aperture synthesis in the second direction.

5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the moving device is configured to be equipped with a robot arm; and

the processing circuitry is configured to

acquire probe information on a moving path of the probe controlled by the robot arm, the probe information including at least one of a position of the probe, velocity of the probe, and biological contact pressure of the probe, and

perform the moving aperture synthesis on the first reception signals based on the probe information.

6. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

a probe configured to be equipped with a plurality of transducers arranged two dimensionally in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and be able to perform a two-dimensional scan;

a moving device configured to support the probe and mechanically move the probe in the second direction;

a transmitting circuit configured to divide a transmission aperture of the probe into a plurality of partial transmission apertures and transmit respective ultrasonic signals from the plurality of partial transmission apertures, wherein a plurality of virtual point sound sources respectively corresponding to the plurality of partial transmission apertures are formed;

a receiving circuit configured to generate a plurality of first reception signals for respective moving positions of the probe, by performing receiving phase-compensation and summation processing on respective reflected signals received by the plurality of transducers at each of the respective moving positions; and

processing circuitry configured to generate a second reception signal by performing moving aperture compound processing on the plurality of first reception signals generated for the respective moving positions of the probe based on positional information of the probe and generate image data from the second reception signal, wherein

the plurality of first reception signals are a plurality of reception signals respectively corresponding to the plurality of partial transmission apertures;

the processing circuitry is configured to

generate a plurality of processed signals by performing transmission aperture synthesis, the transmission aperture synthesis coherently summing up the plurality of first reception signals after correcting third respective delay amounts from the plurality of virtual point sound sources to an observation point in such a manner that the respective delay amounts become substantially equal to each other, and

generate the second reception signal from the plurality of processed signals subjected to the transmission aperture synthesis, and

the receiving phase-compensation and summation processing is processing of generating each of the plurality of first reception signals by coherently summing up the respective reflected signals, wherein, before coherent summation of the respective reflected signals, first respective delay amounts from the observation point in three-dimensional space inside an object to the plurality of transducers are corrected to become substantially equal to each other; and

the moving aperture compound processing is processing of generating the second reception signal by incoherently summing up the plurality of first reception signals, wherein, when the probe is moved in the second direction, a beam formed by the probe is directed toward the observation point at each of moving positions of the probe by performing the two-dimensional by an electronic scan in the both the first direction and the second direction, and before incoherent summation of the plurality of first reception signals, second respective delay amounts from the observation point changed due to movement of the probe are corrected to become substantially equal for each of the moving positions of the probe.

7. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6 ,

wherein the moving aperture compound processing is processing of generating the second reception signal by weighting the plurality of first reception signals and incoherently summing up the plurality of first reception signals subjected to weighting, and

the weighting is set based on a beam width in a display direction of a three-dimensional image or in a cross-sectional direction of a three-dimensionally reconstructed MPR image to be displayed on a display.

8. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6 ,

wherein the moving aperture compound processing is processing of generating the second reception signal by weighting the plurality of first reception signals and incoherently summing up the plurality of first reception signals subjected to weighting, and

the weighting is set based on a beam width in an extending direction of a biological structure.

9. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6 ,

wherein the moving device is configured to be equipped with a robot arm; and

the processing circuitry is configured to

acquire probe information on a moving path of the probe controlled by the robot arm, the probe information including at least one of a position of the probe, velocity of the probe and biological contact pressure of the probe, and

generate the second reception signal by performing the moving aperture synthesis on the plurality of first reception signals based on the probe information.

10. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 9 ,

wherein the processing circuitry is configured to

acquire a plurality of data from a same target region in directions different from each other, and

perform the moving aperture compound processing by generating three-dimensional data from the plurality of data subjected to a predetermined calculation.

11. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 10 ,

wherein the predetermined calculation includes at least one of a weighting calculation based on signal intensity or a signal to noise ratio, a calculation based on a maximum value or a minimum value, and a calculation based on data acquired at frequencies different from each other.