Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Detecting nuclear – electromagnetic – or ultrasonic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
2003-04-17
2004-06-01
Jaworski, Francis J. (Department: 3737)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Detecting nuclear, electromagnetic, or ultrasonic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
active
06743176
ABSTRACT:
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Application No. 2002-115973 filed Apr. 18, 2002.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic image display apparatus and ultrasonic image display method for producing an ultrasonic image based on an echo signal output by an ultrasonic probe and displaying the ultrasonic image on a monitor, and more particularly to an ultrasonic image apparatus and ultrasonic image display method that improve monitor display condition operating ease and enable easy display of an arbitrary site.
Conventionally, an ultrasonic image display apparatus for imaging the interior of a subject by applying ultrasound to a region to be examined in the subject with an abutting ultrasonic probe, and producing an image of an echo signal of reflected waves of the applied ultrasound is commonly used in non-destructive examination. Since ultrasound is harmless to a living body, the ultrasonic image display apparatus is especially useful for medical applications and is used for detection of foreign material in the living body, determination of lesion degree, observation of a tumor or a fetus, and the like.
In the conventional ultrasonic image display apparatus, in general, a display method of displaying a single ultrasonic image produced based on an echo signal and a display method of simultaneously displaying a plurality of ultrasonic images are switchably used. The method of displaying a single ultrasonic image is used for displaying the whole ultrasonic image produced from an echo signal on a monitor, and the method of simultaneously displaying a plurality of ultrasonic images is used for comparison between the ultrasonic images. When the plurality of ultrasonic images are displayed, the screen of the monitor must be allocated among a plurality of display areas, and accordingly the display area available for displaying each ultrasonic image becomes smaller. To display the ultrasonic images in sufficient resolution and size, part of each ultrasonic image produced from an echo signal must be selectively displayed. Therefore, the ultrasonic image display apparatus selectively displays necessary parts of ultrasonic images for comparison between the ultrasonic images by switching the display between the single ultrasonic image display and multiple ultrasonic image display.
Moreover, the ultrasonic image display apparatus usually has a function of measuring distance, area, volume, and the like in the ultrasonic image. In measuring distance in the ultrasonic image, a pointing device capable of specifying an arbitrary point on the monitor, such as a mouse, is employed and two arbitrary points are specified to calculate the distance therebetween; or an arbitrary curve is specified using the pointing device to calculate the length thereof. In measuring an area, an arbitrary region is specified using the pointing device to calculate the area of that region. In measuring volume, processing for calculating the volume from area and distance measurements is executed. When distance, area or volume is to be calculated as described above, the single display by which the whole ultrasonic image can be displayed is more suitable than the multiple display by which only part of the ultrasonic image is displayed, because the locations to be specified must be displayed on the monitor.
Furthermore, when an echo signal received by the ultrasonic probe is displayed as an ultrasonic image, the operator must hold the ultrasonic probe against the region to be examined and operate the ultrasonic image display apparatus at the same time. Usually, the ultrasonic image display apparatus must be operated by one hand because the other hand is used for holding the ultrasonic probe. Therefore, ease of operation in operating the ultrasonic image apparatus is very important. For example, it is desirable that the operation for switching between the single display and multiple display described above can be easily done by one hand, and that a desired portion of the ultrasonic image can be displayed.
In the conventional ultrasonic image display apparatus described above, when part of an ultrasonic image is displayed in the multiple display and a certain location of the ultrasonic image not in that part is to be displayed, the multiple display must be switched to the single display. Therefore, when measurement of distance or area is to be made on locations including those not displayed in the multiple display, processing for switching from the multiple display to the single display is required, thus imposing limitation on the measurement in the multiple display. That is, the conventional ultrasonic image display apparatus requires the operator to conduct cumbersome operations, leading to problems that ease of operation is reduced and the time needed for the operations is increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic image display apparatus and ultrasonic image display method that improve monitor display condition operating ease and enable easy display of an arbitrary site.
To solve the aforementioned problems and attain the object, the present invention in accordance with a first aspect provides an ultrasonic image display apparatus for producing an ultrasonic image based on an echo signal received by an ultrasonic probe and displaying said ultrasonic image on a monitor, said apparatus characterized in comprising: display area forming means for forming on a screen of said monitor a display area in which at least part of said ultrasonic image is displayed; displayed range selecting means for selecting a displayed range to be displayed in said display area from said ultrasonic image; displayed range moving means for conducting movement of said displayed range of said ultrasonic image; and movement instruction inputting means for inputting a direction and an amount of the movement of said displayed range to said displayed range moving means.
According to the invention of the first aspect, the ultrasonic image display apparatus produces an ultrasonic image based on an echo signal received by an ultrasonic probe, forms a display area for displaying the ultrasonic image on a monitor screen, selects a displayed range to be displayed in the display area from the ultrasonic image, and allows scrolling of the displayed range of the ultrasonic image.
The present invention in accordance with a second aspect is, in the invention in accordance with the first aspect, characterized in that said ultrasonic image display apparatus further comprises position specifying means for specifying an arbitrary position on said monitor screen, and when the position specified by said position specifying means is moved from the inside to the outside of said display area, said displayed range moving means conducts movement of said displayed range according to the amount of said movement.
According to the invention of the second aspect, when an arbitrary position on the monitor screen specified by the position specifying means is moved from the inside to the outside of the display area, the ultrasonic image display apparatus scrolls the displayed range according to the amount of the movement.
The present invention in accordance with a third aspect is, in the invention in accordance with the second aspect, characterized in comprising a single user interface that operates as said movement instruction inputting means or said position specifying means by switching its operation.
According to the invention of the third aspect, the scrolling of the displayed range can be conducted in a plurality of methods by switchably using a single user interface.
The present invention in accordance with a fourth aspect is, in the invention in accordance with any one of the first-third aspects, characterized in that said display area forming means is capable of switching display between single display in which a single display area is formed on said monitor screen and multiple display in which a plurality of display areas are formed on said monitor screen.
Accord
Armstrong Teasdale LLP
GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC
Horton Esq. Carl B.
Jaworski Francis J.
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