JP6895697B1 - Blood flow measuring device using ultrasonic Doppler and its operation method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a blood flow measuring device using an ultrasonic Doppler and an operation method thereof. A blood flow measuring device using an ultrasonic Doppler according to the present invention is a two-dimensional transducer array in which a plurality of transducers for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals are arranged in a two-dimensional manner; Acoustic window searcher that sends and receives ultrasonic signals, detects Doppler signals for each of some transducers, and identifies the transducer that corresponds to the highest intensity Doppler signal; multiple adjacent transducers including the identified transducers. A blood flow transducer that detects the Doppler signal for each of multiple steering vectors by beam steering and confirms the steering vector corresponding to the maximum intensity Doppler signal; and performs beam steering with the confirmed steering vector to obtain the Doppler signal. Includes a Doppler processing unit that detects and acquires blood flow information; [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic technique, and relates to a blood flow measuring device using an ultrasonic Doppler and an operation method thereof.

In general, blood flow velocity measurement in blood vessels is widely used for diagnosing diseases, and an ultrasonic diagnostic system using the Doppler effect is widely used for blood flow velocity measurement. ..
The blood flow measurement method using the Doppler effect of ultrasonic waves has a feature that the blood flow velocity can be measured in real time non-invasively, and is therefore widely used for diagnosis in modern medicine.
In an ultrasonic diagnostic system using the Doppler effect, an ultrasonic signal is transmitted to a target such as red blood cells, the signal reflected from the target is received, and then the frequency shift of the received signal due to the movement of the target is detected. To determine the speed of the target.
That is, an ultrasonic wave having a specific frequency is incident on the human body, and the ultrasonic wave reflected by the red blood flowing through the blood vessel is detected, but the frequency of the detected ultrasonic wave has a frequency different from the frequency of the incident ultrasonic wave. , Such a change in frequency is detected to measure the blood flow velocity.
To briefly explain the principle of measuring blood flow velocity using ultrasonic signals, an ultrasonic signal is transmitted to a target through an ultrasonic probe, and the ultrasonic signal reflected from the target is acquired again through the ultrasonic probe. ..
At this time, if the target moves, the center frequency of the reflected signal changes from the center frequency of the transmitted signal, but the moving speed of the target can be calculated from the amount of change in the center frequency of the reflected signal. it can. Here, the moving speed of the target is proportional to the Doppler variation of the signal reflected from the target.
In the case of patients with cardiovascular diseases such as midwind, it is necessary to measure the blood flow velocity of blood vessels to monitor the state of the disease. For this purpose, the blood flow velocity is measured using an ultrasonic Doppler. For example, transcranial Doppler Ultrasound (TCD) is a device that measures blood flow velocity and Doppler spectral waveforms of blood vessels in the cranial cavity using low frequency ultrasound of 2 MHz. TCD emits ultrasonic waves into the skull, analyzes the echoes reflected by red blood cells in blood vessels, converts Doppler mutations into velocities, and expresses them in the Doppler spectrum.
By the way, in general, since it is difficult for ultrasonic signals to pass through the skull, in TCD, blood flow is measured through an acoustic window, which is a thin part of the skull (for example, near the temporal lobe temple). Must. The acoustic window is an anatomically relatively thin part of the skull through which ultrasonic signals can easily pass, such as the temporal window, the Orbital window, and the retromandibular vein. A window (Suboccipital window), a submandibular window (Submandibular window), a retromandibular window (Retromandibular window), and the like are used.
However, since the area of the acoustic window is narrow and the anatomical position is slightly different for each person and cannot be confirmed with the naked eye, there is no choice but to rely on the user's experience to find the position, which is usually a trial and error process. Accompany. Also, even if the ultrasonic probe is located in the acoustic window, an accurate Doppler signal can only be obtained if the user has a good anatomical understanding of the direction in which the blood vessel is located and the direction of the ultrasonic probe is directed toward that side. Be done.
Therefore, blood flow measurement such as TCD can be performed only by a skilled specialist, and correction is required in real time depending on the movement and posture of the patient, and the measurement requires a long time and effort.

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is the blood flow measurement using the ultrasonic Doppler, which can significantly reduce the time and effort required for searching the acoustic window and the blood vessel direction when measuring the blood flow using the ultrasonic Doppler. The purpose is to provide an apparatus and a method of operating the apparatus.
The problem to be solved by the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned problems and is not mentioned. Yet other issues will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

The blood flow measuring device using the ultrasonic Doppler according to the present invention for solving the above technical problems is a two-dimensional transducer array in which a plurality of transducers for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals to and from an object are arranged in two dimensions. Of the plurality of transducers, a part of the transducers is driven to transmit and receive an ultrasonic signal, a Doppler signal is detected for each of the part of the transducers, and the maximum intensity of the detected Doppler signals is obtained. Acoustic window search unit for confirming the transducer corresponding to the Doppler signal of the above; the Doppler signal for each of the plurality of steering vectors is detected by beam steering with a plurality of transducers adjacent to each other including the confirmed transducer, and the detected transducer is detected. Among the Doppler signals, a blood flow transducer that confirms the steering vector corresponding to the highest intensity Doppler signal; and beam steering is performed with the confirmed steering vector to detect the Doppler signal, and blood is detected from the detected Doppler signal. It is characterized by including a Doppler processing unit for acquiring flow information;

The acoustic window search unit can drive some of the transducers at the same time.
The blood flow measuring device using the ultrasonic Doppler may further include a multiplexer connected to the two-dimensional transducer array so that the partial transducers are driven at the same time.
The partial transducers are distributed so as to be scattered in the two-dimensional transducer array.
The ultrasonic signal transmitted from each of the partial transducers is a spherical wave signal.
The number of some of the transducers is also less than or equal to the number of available channels.
The blood flow search unit can confirm two or more steering vectors corresponding to the Doppler signal larger than a predetermined critical value among the detected Doppler signals.
The acoustic window search unit can confirm the transducer corresponding to the maximum intensity Doppler signal through machine learning.
The operation method of the blood flow measuring device using the ultrasonic Doppler according to the present invention for solving the above technical problem is as follows: (a) A plurality of transducers for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals to and from an object are arranged two-dimensionally. A step of driving a part of the transducers of the two-dimensional transducer array to transmit and receive an ultrasonic signal and detecting a Doppler signal for each of the part of the transducers; (b) Of the detected Doppler signals. , The step of confirming the transducer corresponding to the maximum intensity Doppler signal; (c) the step of detecting the Doppler signal for each of a plurality of steering vectors by beam steering with a plurality of transducers adjacent to each other including the confirmed transducer; (D) A step of confirming the steering vector corresponding to the maximum intensity Doppler signal among the detected Doppler signals; and (e) Beam steering is performed with the confirmed steering vector to detect the Doppler signal, and the transducer signal is detected. It is characterized by including a step of acquiring blood flow information from the detected Doppler signal;
Some of the transducers are driven at the same time.
The partial transducers are distributed so as to be scattered in the two-dimensional transducer array.
The ultrasonic signal transmitted from each of the partial transducers is a spherical wave signal.
The number of some of the transducers is also less than or equal to the number of available channels.
In step (d), it is possible to confirm two or more steering vectors corresponding to the Doppler signal larger than a predetermined critical value among the detected Doppler signals.
In step (b), the transducer corresponding to the maximum intensity Doppler signal can be confirmed through machine learning.

According to the present invention described above, when measuring blood flow using an ultrasonic Doppler, the time and effort required for searching between the acoustic window and the blood vessel direction can be significantly reduced.
The effects of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and yet other issues not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the blood flow measuring apparatus using the ultrasonic Doppler by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a drawing which shows an example of a 2D transducer array. An acoustic window of an object in which a part of the transducers to be driven and a two-dimensional transducer array are arranged is shown. The cross section of the acoustic window portion of the skull is shown schematically. An example of a Doppler signal detected for each of some driven transducers is shown. An example in which a transducer driven for beam steering on an acoustic window is selected is shown. An example of several steering vectors obtained through beam steering and a steering vector directed to a blood flow point of a blood vessel in the target body is shown. It is a flowchart which shows the operation method of the blood flow measuring apparatus using the ultrasonic Doppler by one Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, duplicate description will be omitted by indicating substantially the same components in the description and the accompanying drawings with the same reference numerals. In addition, in explaining the present invention, if it is determined that a specific explanation about a related known function or configuration may obscure the gist of the present invention, a detailed explanation about the same may be given. Omit.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a blood flow measuring device using an ultrasonic Doppler according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, the blood flow measuring device using the ultrasonic Doppler according to the present embodiment includes a two-dimensional transducer array 110, a multiplexer 120, a transmission / reception unit 130, a pearls generation unit 140, a signal processing unit 150, and a beam steering unit 160. , Processor 170, communication unit 180, display device 190.

The two-dimensional transducer array 110 is a two-dimensional array of a plurality of transducers for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals to and from an object, and each of the plurality of transducers included in the two-dimensional transducer array 110 is The input electric signal can be converted into an ultrasonic signal, the converted ultrasonic signal can be transmitted to the target body, the ultrasonic signal reflected from the target body is received, and the received ultrasonic signal is transmitted. It can be converted into an electrical signal.

The multiplexer 120 is for driving as many transducers as the number of channels supported by the device (or less) among the transducers of the two-dimensional transducer array 110, and the transducer to be driven is selected and two-dimensional. It plays a role of matching the number of signal lines between the transducer array 110 and the subsequent stage of the multiplexer 120. That is, the multiplexer 120 connects the transducer and the transmission / reception unit 130 so that a part of the transducer of the two-dimensional transducer array 110 is driven at the time of transmitting the ultrasonic signal and receiving the echo signal.

The transmission / reception unit 130 transmits a high-voltage pulse signal generated from the pulse generation unit 140 to the two-dimensional transducer array 110 through the multiplexer 120 under the control of the processor 170, or an analog received from the two-dimensional transducer array 110 through the multiplexer 120. The echo signal is transmitted to the signal processing unit 150. Specifically, the transmission / reception unit 130 performs a switching operation for connecting the TX circuit including the processor 170, the beam steering unit 160, and the pulse generation unit 140 at the time of ultrasonic signal transmission and the two-dimensional transducer array 110 at the time of receiving the ultrasonic echo signal. A switching operation is performed in which the two-dimensional transducer array 110 is connected to the RX circuit including the signal processing unit 150, the beam steering unit 160, and the processor 170.

The pulse generation unit 140 generates a high voltage pulse signal applied to the two-dimensional transducer array 110 (more precisely, a partial transducer of the two-dimensional transducer array) in order to generate an ultrasonic signal. The pulse signal has a frequency of, for example, 2 MHz and has a predetermined pulse repetition frequency (PRF, Pulse Repetition Frequency). A delay time for determining the transmission directivity can be applied to the pulse signal of each channel applied to each transducer.

The signal processing unit 150 processes the analog echo signal reflected and received from the object to generate ultrasonic data. The signal processing unit 150 can amplify the echo signal for each channel, remove noise, and perform analog-to-digital conversion. A delay time for determining the reception directivity can be applied to the digitally converted echo signal.

The beam steering unit 160 transmits an ultrasonic signal to a region of interest of a specific steering vector (that is, a specific distance and a specific direction) under the control of the processor 170, and performs beam steering for acquiring an echo signal. The beam steering unit 160 can perform beam steering by applying the transmission delay time to the pulse generation unit 140 and the reception delay time to the signal processing unit 150.

The processor 170 controls the operations of the elements constituting the device, that is, the multiplexer 120, the transmission / reception unit 130, the pulse generation unit 140, the signal processing unit 150, the beam steering unit 160, the communication unit 180, and the like, and the Doppler signal from the ultrasonic data. Is detected, blood flow information such as the velocity and direction of blood flow is acquired based on the detected Doppler signal, and a Doppler image expressing it in color or waveform can be generated. The Doppler image may include a blood flow Doppler image (also called a color flow image) showing the flow of blood, a tissue Doppler image showing the movement of tissue, a spectral Doppler image showing the moving speed of an object in a waveform, and the like. ..

The processor 170 may include an acoustic window search unit 171, a blood flow search unit 172, and a Doppler processing unit 173. These specific operations will be described later with reference to the following in FIG.
The communication unit 180 is for transmitting and receiving data to and from other devices such as the display device 190, and can transmit blood flow information or Doppler images to the display device 190 under the control of the processor 170. The communication unit 180 can use a wired or wireless communication method for data transmission. As a wired communication method, data can be transmitted and received using a wired cable such as a USB cable. As the wireless communication method, Bluetooth (registered trademark) (Bluetooth), wireless USB (Wireless USB), Wireless LAN, Wi-Fi (WiFi), Zigbee, IrDA (Infrared Data Association) and the like can be used.
The display device 190 receives the blood flow information or the Doppler image and displays it on the screen. The display device 190 includes a smartphone (smartphone), a tablet PC (tablet personal computer), a mobile phone (mobile phone), an image telephone, an electronic book reader (e-book reader), a desktop PC (desktop personal computer), and a laptop PC. (Laptop personal computer), netbook computer (netbook computer), workstation (workstation), PDA (personal digital assistant), PMP (tabletable multi-media player) and the like may be included.
In addition, the communication unit 180 can be connected to the network by wire or wirelessly to communicate with an external device or server. The communication unit 180 can transmit and receive data to and from a hospital server connected through a medical video information system (PACS, Picture Archiving and Communication System) and other medical devices in the hospital. In addition, the communication unit 180 can perform data communication according to medical digital video and communication (DICOM, Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) standards. Further, the communication unit 180 can perform data communication not only with a server or a medical device in a hospital but also with a portable terminal of a doctor, a patient or a guardian.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the two-dimensional transducer array 110. For example, the two-dimensional transducer array 110 may include M × N transducers 1100 arranged in M rows and N columns, as shown. Here, M and N are the same number or different numbers.
If the device supports K channels, the multiplexer 120 is connected to the transmitter / receiver 130 through K signal lines and is connected to the 2D transducer array 110 through M × N signal lines. Each of the M × N signal lines corresponds to each transducer 1100 contained in the two-dimensional transducer array 110. The multiplexer 120 is controlled by the processor 170 to perform a switching operation of connecting the signal lines corresponding to the transducers to be driven out of the M × N signal lines to the K signal lines, thereby performing the required K (). Alternatively, it can drive a transducer (or less).

The acoustic window search unit 171 drives some of the transducers of the two-dimensional transducer array 110 at the same time to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals, and detects Doppler signals for each of the driven transducers. .. At this time, the ultrasonic signal transmitted by each of the driven transducers is a spherical wave signal having no directivity or a small amount of spherical wave signal. Then, the acoustic window search unit 171 confirms the transducer corresponding to the maximum intensity Doppler signal among the detected Doppler signals, and considers this transducer as the transducer located in the acoustic window.
FIG. 3 shows the acoustic window of the object in which a part of the transducers driven by the acoustic window search unit 171 and the two-dimensional transducer array 110 are arranged, and FIG. 4 shows a schematic cross section of the acoustic window portion of the skull. Shown in.

Referring to FIG. 4, the ultrasonic signal is hardly reflected in most thick bone parts of the skull and does not reach its medial depth, but is thin compared to the periphery, such as near the thin temporal lobe temple. The acoustic window (W) region, which is, can reach the blood vessel (P) through which the ultrasonic signal passes.
The acoustic window search unit 171 can select a transducer among the transducers of the two-dimensional transducer array 110 that is driven so as to be relatively uniform within the available number of channels and distributed so as to be scattered. FIG. 3 shows, for example, the case where nine transducers (1101, 1102, ..., 1109) corresponding to nine channels are selected.

In the example of FIG. 3, the acoustic window (W) (which is not actually visible) is located across the transducer 1104 and the transducer 1105, as shown, with the transducer 1104 overlapping a larger portion of the acoustic window (W).
Since the ultrasonic signal transmitted by the transducers 1104 and 1105 passes through the acoustic window (W), the Doppler signal is detected if the ultrasonic signal is reflected in the blood flow of the blood vessel. Here, since the transmitted ultrasonic signal has no directivity or is small, the Doppler signal is detected even if the blood vessel does not pass directly under the acoustic window (W). However, since the ultrasonic signals transmitted from the transducers 1101, 1102, 1103, 1106, 1107, 1108, and 1109 cannot pass through the acoustic window (W), they cannot reach the blood flow of the blood vessel. Doppler signal is not detected.

FIG. 5 shows Doppler signals detected for each of the nine channels, i.e., nine transducers (1101, 1102, ..., 1109). Referring to FIG. 5, the highest intensity Doppler signal is detected in the 4th channel, the Doppler signal is detected in the 5th channel, but the Doppler signal having a lower intensity than that of the 4th channel is detected. This is because the transducer 1104 corresponding to the 4th channel overlaps with a larger portion of the acoustic window (W) than the transducer 1105 corresponding to the 5th channel.
Therefore, the acoustic window search unit 171 considers the transducer 1104 of channel 4, which corresponds to the maximum intensity Doppler signal, as the transducer located in the acoustic window (W).
The acoustic window search unit 171 can search for the position of the acoustic window at one time through the above-mentioned operation, but if necessary, it can search for the optimum acoustic window multiple times while changing the transducer to be driven. it can. For example, set a critical value for Doppler signal strength, and if any of the detected Doppler signals are less than the critical value, change the transducers (eg, shift each or reselect unless already selected). By transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals again, it is possible to search for a transducer in which a Doppler signal larger than the critical value is detected.

On the other hand, in general, the Doppler signal has a poor signal-to-noise ratio, and the ultrasonic signal produced by a single transducer has a relatively weak signal strength. Therefore, in order to find the optimum acoustic window, for example, CNN (Convolutional Neural) is used. Machine learning algorithms such as Network) can also be used. For example, to obtain a Doppler signal pattern as shown in FIG. 5 for a large number of patient samples whose acoustic window positions are known, and to confirm the transducer corresponding to the maximum intensity Doppler signal through machine learning with this data. Can be done.

If the position of the acoustic window (that is, the transducer on the acoustic window) is confirmed by the acoustic window search unit 171, the blood flow search unit 172 can steer a plurality of transducers by beam steering with a plurality of transducers adjacent to each other including the transducer. Detects Doppler signals for each of the vectors. Then, the blood flow search unit 172 confirms the steering vector corresponding to the maximum intensity Doppler signal among the detected Doppler signals with the steering vector at the point where the blood flow of the blood vessel passes.
FIG. 6 shows each of the nine transducers (1101, 1102, ..., 1109) of FIG. 3 including the transducer 1104 by confirming that the transducer 1104 is a transducer located on the acoustic window (W). The case where an adjacent transducer (1104, 1110, 1111, ..., 1117) is selected as a transducer to be driven for beam steering is shown. In the example of FIG. 6, the center point of the transducer 1104 is the center point (O) of the beam steering (that is, the steering vector), but the shape of the transducer (for example, a triangle or a hexagon) can be various. However, depending on the arrangement, a specific point between the transducers can also be the center point.

FIG. 7 shows some steering vectors (V1, V2, V3, ...) obtained by performing beam steering with the transducer (1104, 1110, 1111, ..., 1117) of FIG. 6 and blood vessels in the subject body. (P) and. For example, in the case of TCD, the blood vessels (P) are the middle cerebral artery, the anterior cerebral artery, the posterior cerebral artery, the optic artery, and the vertebral artery. It can be an artery), a basillary artery, and the like. Referring to FIG. 7, since the steering vector (V2) is the steering vector at the point where the blood flow in the blood vessel (P) passes, the Doppler signal having the highest intensity is detected in the steering vector (V2).
Therefore, the blood flow search unit 172 confirms the steering vector (V2) at which the highest intensity Doppler signal is detected by the steering vector at the point where the blood flow passes in the blood vessel (P).

If the blood flow search unit 172 confirms the steering vector at the point where the blood flow in the blood vessel passes, the Doppler processing unit 173 performs beam steering with the steering vector and transmits / receives an ultrasonic signal with the steering vector. , Detects Doppler signals. Then, the Doppler processing unit 173 can acquire blood flow information such as the velocity and direction of blood flow from the detected Doppler signal, and can generate a Doppler image expressing it in color or waveform.

The operation of searching for blood flow as described above by the blood flow search unit 172 is not limited to one time, but can be performed repeatedly and continuously to track blood flow in real time. As a result, if the steering vector corresponding to the maximum intensity Doppler signal, that is, the steering vector at the point where the blood flow passes is changed, the Doppler processing unit 173 performs beam steering with the changed steering vector to obtain the Doppler signal. Can be detected.
Further, the blood flow search unit 172 can search for one steering vector corresponding to the Doppler signal having the highest intensity as described above, but since there are two or more blood vessels, the critical value of the Doppler signal intensity is determined. It is also possible to search the blood flow of two or more blood vessels by searching for two or more steering vectors corresponding to a Doppler signal larger than the critical value. In this case, the Doppler processing unit 173 can also acquire blood flow information of two or more blood vessels by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals with the respective steering vectors.

A part of the blood flow measuring device using the ultrasonic Doppler according to the embodiment of the present invention is manufactured in a patch form and attached to the measurement site of the patient. For example, the patch for adhering to the measurement site of the patient includes a two-dimensional transducer array 110, a multiplexer 120, a transmission / reception unit 130, a pulse generation unit 140, a signal processing unit 150, and a beam steering unit 160, and is wired or wirelessly connected to the patch. A separate set-top box to be connected can include a processor 170, a communication unit 180, and the like. The display device 190 may be integrally provided in the set-top box, and an external device such as a smartphone may be used as the display device 190.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation method of a blood flow measuring device using an ultrasonic Doppler according to an embodiment of the present invention. Since the operation method according to the present embodiment includes the stage of being processed by the blood flow measuring device using the ultrasonic Doppler described above, the blood flow measuring device using the ultrasonic Doppler will be omitted below. The above-mentioned contents also apply to the operation method according to the present embodiment.
At 710 steps, some of the transducers in the two-dimensional transducer array 110 are simultaneously driven to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals, and Doppler signals are detected for each of the driven transducers.
At 720 steps, among the detected Doppler signals, the transducer corresponding to the highest intensity Doppler signal is confirmed.
At 730 steps, beam steering detects Doppler signals for each of the plurality of steering vectors on a plurality of transducers adjacent to each other, including the identified transducers.
In the 740 steps, the steering vector corresponding to the maximum intensity Doppler signal among the detected Doppler signals is confirmed.
At 750 steps, the Doppler signal is detected by performing beam steering with the confirmed steering vector and transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals with the steering vector.
At 760 steps, blood flow information such as the velocity and direction of blood flow is acquired from the detected Doppler signal.

Embodiments of the present invention may manifest themselves in functional block configurations and various processing steps. Such functional blocks can be embodied as a diverse number of hardware and / and software configurations that perform a particular function. For example, embodiments include integrated circuit configurations such as memory, processing, logic, and look-up tables that perform various functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Can be adopted. Just as the components in the present invention are software programming or executable in software elements, embodiments include a variety of algorithms embodied in combinations of data structures, processes, routines or other programming configurations. It can be embodied as a programming or scripting language such as C, C ++, Java, assembler. The functional aspect can be embodied as an algorithm that runs on one or more processors. Also, embodiments may employ prior art for electronic environment setting, signal processing, and / or data processing and the like. Terms such as "mechanism," "element," "means," and "construction" are widely used, mechanical, and are not limited to physical composition. The term may include the meaning of a series of software processes in cooperation with a processor or the like.

The specific execution described in the embodiment is an embodiment and does not limit the scope of the embodiment in any way. For the sake of brevity, the description of conventional electronic configurations, control systems, software, and other functional aspects of said systems is omitted. Also, the line connections or connecting members between the components shown in the drawings exemplify functional connections and / or physical or circuit connections and can be replaced in actual equipment. Or can be manifested as an additional variety of functional connections, physical connections, or circuit connections. In addition, unless there is a specific reference such as "essential" or "important", it is not necessarily a necessary component for the application of the present invention.

The present invention has been described above, focusing on its preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be embodied as a modified form without departing from the essential properties of the present invention. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments must be considered from a descriptive point of view, not from a limiting point of view. The scope of the present invention is shown in the claims rather than the above description, and any differences within the equivalent scope shall be construed as included in the present invention.

Claims (15)

A two-dimensional transducer array in which multiple transducers for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals to and from an object are arranged in two dimensions;
Among the plurality of transducers, a part of the transducers is driven to transmit and receive an ultrasonic signal, a Doppler signal is detected for each of the part of the transducers, and the maximum intensity of the detected Doppler signals is obtained. An acoustic window search unit that confirms the transducer corresponding to the Doppler signal,
Doppler signals for each of the plurality of steering vectors are detected by beam steering with a plurality of transducers adjacent to each other including the confirmed transducer, and the steering vector corresponding to the highest intensity Doppler signal among the detected Doppler signals. Blood flow search unit to confirm
A Doppler processing unit that performs beam steering with the confirmed steering vector, detects a Doppler signal, and acquires blood flow information from the detected Doppler signal.
A blood flow measuring device using an ultrasonic Doppler characterized by containing. The blood flow measuring device using the ultrasonic Doppler according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic window search unit drives a part of the transducers at the same time. The blood flow measuring device using an ultrasonic Doppler according to claim 2, further comprising a multiplexer connected to the two-dimensional transducer array so that a part of the transducers are driven at the same time. The blood flow measuring device using an ultrasonic Doppler according to claim 2, wherein some of the transducers are distributed so as to be scattered in the two-dimensional transducer array. The blood flow measuring device using an ultrasonic Doppler according to claim 2, wherein the ultrasonic signal transmitted from each of the partial transducers is a spherical wave signal. The blood flow measuring device using an ultrasonic Doppler according to claim 2, wherein the number of some of the transducers is equal to or less than the number of available channels. The ultrasonic wave according to claim 2, wherein the blood flow search unit confirms two or more steering vectors corresponding to a Doppler signal larger than a predetermined critical value among the detected Doppler signals. Blood flow measuring device using Doppler. The blood flow measuring device using an ultrasonic Doppler according to claim 2, wherein the acoustic window search unit confirms a transducer corresponding to the maximum intensity Doppler signal through machine learning. (A) A plurality of transducers for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals to and from an object drive a part of the transducers in a two-dimensional transducer array in which a plurality of transducers are arranged two-dimensionally to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals, and the partial transducers The stage of detecting the Doppler signal for each of
(B) Among the detected Doppler signals, the step of confirming the transducer corresponding to the maximum intensity Doppler signal, and
(C) A step of detecting a Doppler signal for each of a plurality of steering vectors by beam steering with a plurality of transducers adjacent to each other including the confirmed transducer.
(D) Among the detected Doppler signals, the step of confirming the steering vector corresponding to the maximum intensity Doppler signal, and
(E) A step of performing beam steering with the confirmed steering vector to detect a Doppler signal and acquiring blood flow information from the detected Doppler signal.
A method of operating a blood flow measuring device using an ultrasonic Doppler, which comprises. The method of operating a blood flow measuring device using an ultrasonic Doppler according to claim 9, wherein some of the transducers are driven at the same time. The method of operating a blood flow measuring device using an ultrasonic Doppler according to claim 10, wherein some of the transducers are distributed so as to be scattered in the two-dimensional transducer array. The method of operating a blood flow measuring device using an ultrasonic Doppler according to claim 10, wherein the ultrasonic signal transmitted from each of the partial transducers is a spherical wave signal. The method of operating a blood flow measuring device using an ultrasonic Doppler according to claim 10, wherein the number of some of the transducers is equal to or less than the number of available channels. The ultrasonic wave according to claim 10, wherein the step (d) confirms two or more steering vectors corresponding to a Doppler signal larger than a predetermined critical value among the detected Doppler signals. How to operate the blood flow measuring device using Doppler. The method of operating a blood flow measuring device using an ultrasonic Doppler according to claim 10, wherein the step (b) is to confirm a transducer corresponding to the maximum intensity Doppler signal through machine learning.

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