Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and image processing apparatus
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment has transmitting and receiving circuitry that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, and processing circuitry. The transmitting and receiving circuitry is configured to perform first beamforming processing on reflected wave signals output from a plurality of transducer elements that receive reflected waves and perform second beamforming processing different from the first beamforming processing on the reflected wave signals. The processing circuitry is configured to calculate an evaluation value of spatial correlation of the reflected wave signals and perform third beamforming processing based on a first processing result that is a processing result of the first beamforming processing, a second processing result that is a processing result of the second beamforming processing, and the evaluation value.
1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:
transmitting and receiving circuitry configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves; and
processing circuitry, wherein
the transmitting and receiving circuitry is configured to
perform first beamforming processing on reflected wave signals output from a plurality of transducer elements configured to receive reflected waves, and
perform second beamforming processing different from the first beamforming processing on the reflected wave signals, and
the processing circuitry is configured to
calculate an evaluation value of spatial correlation of the reflected wave signals, and
perform third beamforming processing that combines a first processing result and a second processing result based on a combination ratio according to the evaluation value, the first processing result being a result of the first beamforming processing, the second processing result being a result of the second beamforming processing.
2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to perform the third beamforming processing such that the second processing result accounts for a larger ratio in a ratio between the first processing result and the second processing result as the evaluation value of the spatial correlation increases.
3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to perform the first beamforming processing in a phase-additive method by delaying the reflected wave signals corresponding to the reflected waves in accordance with a delay time from generation of the ultrasonic waves to reception of the reflected waves corresponding to the ultrasonic waves by each of the plurality of transducer elements and adding the delayed reflected wave signals together.
4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to perform the second beamforming processing by delaying each of the reflected wave signals corresponding to the reflected waves in accordance with a delay time from generation of the ultrasonic waves to reception of the reflected waves corresponding to the ultrasonic waves by each of the plurality of transducer elements and adjusting amplitude of the reflected wave signals output from a first transducer element by each of the reflected wave signals output from two or more second transducer elements different from the first transducer element, the first transducer element and the two or more second transducer elements being included in the plurality of transducer elements.
5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to perform the second beamforming processing in at least one of a delay-multiply-and-sum (DMAS) method, a minimum variance method, and a coherence factor beamforming method.
6. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:
transmitting and receiving circuitry configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves; and
processing circuitry, wherein
the transmitting and receiving circuitry is configured to
perform first beamforming processing on reflected wave signals output from a plurality of transducer elements configured to receive reflected waves, and
perform second beamforming processing different from the first beamforming processing on the reflected wave signals, and
the processing circuitry is configured to
calculate an evaluation value of spatial correlation of the reflected wave signals, and
perform third beamforming processing that, based on a combination ratio according to the evaluation value, combines a first processing result to which a weighting factor has been applied and a second processing result to which the weighting factor has been applied, the first processing result being a result of the first beamforming processing, the second processing result being a result of the second beamforming processing.
7. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to receive an input of an adjustment parameter for the weighting factor.
8. An image processing apparatus comprising:
processing circuitry
configured to
perform first beamforming processing on reflected wave signals output from a plurality of transducer elements configured to receive reflected waves,
perform second beamforming processing different from the first beamforming processing on the reflected wave signals,
calculate an evaluation value of spatial correlation of the reflected wave signals, and
perform third beamforming processing that combines a first processing result and a second processing result based on a combination ratio according to the evaluation value, the first processing result being a result of the first beamforming processing, the second processing result being a result of the second beamforming processing.