Fujifilm Healthcare Corporation

Hitachi, Ltd.

Misaki Hiroshima

Hiroshi Kuribara

Kenichi Kawabata

Ryo Imai

Tomohiko Tanaka

Teiichiro Ikeda

Chizue Ishihara

Nobuhiko Fujii

A coherence indicator of received signals is calculated for pixels with a small amount of calculation, and a high-quality ultrasound image is obtained. A plurality of types of images in which a sound speed for beamforming is changed into a plurality of types are generated. By arranging, in order of the sound speed for beamforming, signal intensities of the pixels at corresponding positions between the plurality of types of images, a change in signal intensities in a direction of the sound speed for beamforming is obtained. A coherence indicator representing coherence of the received signals used for beamforming of the pixels is calculated based on the obtained change in the signal intensities.

Ultrasound imaging device, signal processing device, and signal processing method

In a transcatheter treatment support technique using a combination of a guide wire equipped with a photoacoustic technique and an ultrasonic imaging device, the ultrasonic imaging device estimates a front edge position of the guide wire using a difference between arrival times of photoacoustic waves arriving at an array of elements configuring an ultrasonic probe or a change of an image of the photoacoustic generation source, which depends on a distance of the photoacoustic generation source from an imaging region, and grasps a relationship between an imaging position and the front edge position of the guide wire using the estimation result. This enables visually grasping a relationship between a region (imaging region) from which an image is able to be obtained with reflective waves from a biological body with use of the ultrasonic probe and an insertion object present outside the region, particularly, the front edge of the guide wire.

Ultrasonic imaging device, treatment support system, and image processing method

An image with the sound speed in reception beamforming being changed is generated with a small amount of calculation. A conversion unitconverts first real space image data into first wave number space data in a wave number space. A remapping processing unitprocesses the first wave number space data to generate data equivalent to second wave number space data. A reconversion unitgenerates a second real space image by inversely converting data equivalent to the second wave number space data.

Ultrasound imaging apparatus, image processing apparatus, and image processing program

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 calculatorthat obtains times until ultrasonic waves transmitted from a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arrive at a reception focus by calculation, and a delay time extractorthat 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. 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.

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Tokyo, Japan

Misaki Hiroshima