Ge Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC

Ge Yokogawa Medical Systems, Limited

General Electric Company

Sei Kato

Hiroshi Hashimoto

Shinichi Amemiya

Koji Miyama

Takanori Saito

Dai Morita

Tadahiro Yamakawa

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is characterized in comprising: an ultrasonic probe for transmitting/receiving ultrasound to/from a subject; a reception beamformer for applying reception beamforming to ultrasonic echo signals obtained by the ultrasonic probe based on a plurality of different sound velocities; a spatial frequency analyzing sectionfor applying spatial frequency analysis to each of data obtained by the reception beamforming based on each of the plurality of different sound velocities; and a sound-velocity setting sectionfor setting a sound velocity corresponding to one of the results of spatial frequency analysis corresponding respectively to the plurality of different sound velocities that has a highest intensity for a given spatial frequency, as optimal sound velocity in the reception beamforming.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

An ultrasonic imaging apparatus includes an image obtaining unit for irradiating an imaging region and obtaining tomographic image information that draws the imaging region, an input unit for inputting scan parameter value information and a target sound pressure parameter value as an index of an estimated sound pressure in the subject, an estimated maximum sound pressure parameter value calculating device for calculating an estimated maximum sound pressure parameter value in the subject on the basis of the scan parameter value information and maximum drive voltage information of a piezoelectric transducer group for generating an ultrasonic wave, and a maximum drive voltage optimization device for comparing the estimated maximum sound pressure parameter value and the target sound pressure parameter value and optimizing the maximum drive voltage value of the maximum drive voltage information.

Ultrasonic imaging apparatus

For the purpose of acquiring three-dimensional data for a contrast-enhanced image at an appropriate scan plane distance even for a different moving rate of an ultrasonic probe or for a different subject or imaged region, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprises: an image producing section for producing an image based on received data obtained from one scan plane; a correlation value calculating section for calculating a correlation value between images; a low-MI scan control section for repeatedly conducting a scan with such a low MI value as not break contrast agent until a correlation value between an initial image and a current image becomes smaller than a threshold; and a high-MI scan control section for, when the correlation value becomes smaller than the threshold, capturing one image with such a high MR value as to break contrast agent and returning control to the low-MI scan control section.

For the purpose of suitably making comparison between a previously acquired reference image and a real-time image currently being acquired, a reference image and a scan condition therefor are stored, the reference image and scan condition are read out, a real-time image is acquired after setting the scan condition, and the reference image and real-time image are displayed side by side.

Ultrasonic imaging method and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an image producing section which produces images of time-serial frames of an inspection subject based on echoes of ultrasonic waves emitted to the subject, a marking section which marks certain frame images among the frame images produced by the image producing section, and a cine memory which memorizes data of the frame images produced by the image producing section and the time-serial positions of the frame images marked by the marking section.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus with automatic marking

For the purpose of improving monitor display condition operating ease and enabling easy display of an arbitrary site, an ultrasonic image based on an echo signal received by an ultrasonic probe is produced by an image producing section a display area is formed on a screen by a display area forming section a displayed range of the ultrasonic image to be displayed in the display area is selected by a displayed range selecting section and scrolling of a selected range and rotation of the displayed range are achieved by a displayed range moving section and a displayed range rotating section respectively, based on a position on the monitor screen specified by the pointing device

Ultrasonic image display apparatus and ultrasonic image display method

In order that an image observed last is ensured to be re-displayed even if an operator inadvertently misses a command to save the image before releasing freeze, an image save processing is activated when the operator commands freeze during cine display, and the latest freeze-displayed image is tagged with a last mark by the image save processing (Step R,). The image tagged with the last mark is automatically saved.

Image display method and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

It is an object of the invention to display an image during the freeze mode or the cine reproduction mode which has a degree of averaging different from images displayed during the real-time display mode. During the real-time display mode, images are displayed based on the averaged image data F.sub.n. During the freeze mode or the cine reproduction mode, a plurality of sets of averaged image data F are read from a cine memory 3 and a calculation is performed thereon in the calculator 10 to generate averaged image data G having a degree of averaging different from the averaged image data F or unaveraged image data G. Then an image based on the data G is displayed.

Ultrasound image displaying method and ultrasound imaging apparatus

With the intention of producing a tomographic image having information in depth direction in a short time, image data is produced from multiple tomographic images and a projection process is implemented for extracting a certain value from the image data at a corresponding position of the tomographic images, with the projection process being ended after the value of image data along the direction of projection process has passed a first threshold value and when the value comes to a second threshold value.

Imaging method and apparatus using MIP projection of doppler power values

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus either for displaying three-dimensional ultrasonic images allowing an operator to become aware of the distance of a target object from an ultrasonic probe, or for displaying practical three-dimensional ultrasonic images while being simply structured and taking a short time to perform necessary operations. The apparatus comprises: an ultrasonic beam data memory for storing B-mode ultrasonic beam data or CFM ultrasonic beam data; an address control unit for sequentially writing and reading the ultrasonic beam data to and from the ultrasonic beam data memory in the direction of depth; a three-dimensional operation unit for generating three-dimensional ultrasonic beam data using the ultrasonic beam data read from the ultrasonic beam data memory by the address control unit; a three-dimensional ultrasonic beam data memory for storing the three-dimensional ultrasonic beam data thus generated; a DSC (digital scan converter) for converting the three-dimensional beam data to a display-ready format; and a CRT.

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Tokyo, Japan

Sei Kato