KR101798082B1 - Probe device, server, ultrasound image diagnosis system, and ultrasound image processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

A probe device, a server, and an ultrasound imaging system and method are disclosed. The disclosed ultrasound imaging system includes a probe device that transmits an echo signal received through a transducer to a server, a server that executes an ultrasound imaging diagnostic application that generates ultrasound image data using an echo signal transmitted through the probe device, and a server And an electronic device for receiving the ultrasound image data generated by the ultrasound image diagnostic application and displaying the ultrasound image data on the display unit.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a probe device, a server, an ultrasound imaging system, and an ultrasound image processing method,

The present invention relates to a probe apparatus, a server, an ultrasound imaging system, and an ultrasound image processing method, and more particularly to a probe apparatus, a server, an ultrasound imaging system, and an ultrasound image processing method based on a cloud computing Lt; / RTI >

Ultrasound is a sound wave in the frequency range higher than the audible frequency (20Hz ~ 20kHz) and refers to a high frequency sound wave that can not be heard by our ears. The ultrasound imaging system is an apparatus that obtains an image of a tissue or an organ by using the ultrasound signal transmitted from the human body as a medium in tissue or organs of the human body and using the information of the ultrasound signal reflected from the tissue within the human body. Such an ultrasound imaging system is advantageous in that it is compact, inexpensive, and can be displayed in real time. In addition, the ultrasound image diagnostic system has advantages of high stability because it does not have exposure of X-ray and the like, and it can be used in various fields such as X-ray diagnostic apparatus, CT (computerized tomography) scanner, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Image) And is widely used together with an image diagnostic apparatus.

Ultrasound imaging systems include cart-type equipment and HCU (Hand Carried Ultrasonic) type equipment. The card-type ultrasound imaging system is so large that it can not be used in emergency situations or in the general household. On the other hand, the HCU type ultrasound imaging system is manufactured as a portable terminal in the form of a transducer or an ultrasound image information processing apparatus, and can be used in a rescue site. However, the HCU type ultrasound imaging system has limitations on the image quality of the ultrasound image due to the limitation of the portable terminal size.

In order to enhance the portability of the ultrasound imaging apparatus, it is necessary to make the ultrasound imaging apparatus compact and slim. However, since a high-performance processing apparatus is required for processing the high-resolution image signals of the ultrasound imaging apparatus and performing various functions, The present invention provides a probe device, a server, an ultrasound imaging system, and an ultrasound image processing method which are significantly reduced in size and manufacturing cost.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a probe apparatus comprising: a pulse generating unit including a pulser for generating a pulse signal; A transducer for converting a pulse signal generated in the pulse generator into an ultrasonic wave and transmitting the ultrasonic wave and converting the received ultrasonic wave into an electric signal; An analog signal processor for generating an echo signal using the electrical signal converted by the transducer; And a probe communicator communicating with the server for executing the ultrasound imaging application requested from the electronic device, and transmitting the echo signal processed by the analog signal processor to the server.

And a combining unit for performing a procedure for interlocking with the ultrasonic diagnostic application executed in the server.

The pulse generating unit may further include a transmission beam forming unit for focusing the ultrasound output from the transducer.

The analog signal processing unit includes: an amplifying unit amplifying an electric signal, that is, an analog echo signal, converted by the transducer; And an A / D converter for converting the electrical signal amplified by the amplifier into a digital echo signal.

The analog signal processing unit may further include a reception beam forming unit focusing the digital echo signal converted by the A / D converter.

The analog signal processing unit may further include a compression unit for compressing the digital echo signal converted by the A / D conversion unit.

The probe communication unit may include at least one of a mobile communication module, a wireless Internet module, and a local communication module.

And a user input unit for inputting a user's operation.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a server comprising: a server communication unit for communicating with a probe device and an electronic device; A data storage unit in which an ultrasound imaging diagnostic application is stored; And an operation unit for executing the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application when the execution of the ultrasound imaging application is requested from the electronic device, wherein the operation unit generates ultrasound image data using the echo signal transmitted from the probe apparatus, And transmit ultrasound image data to the electronic device.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ultrasound diagnostic system including: a probe device for transmitting an echo signal received through a transducer to a server; A server for executing an ultrasound imaging diagnostic application for generating ultrasound image data using an echo signal transmitted from the probe device; And an electronic device having a display unit for receiving and displaying the ultrasound image data generated by the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application of the server.

A transmission beam forming process may be performed in the ultrasound imaging application of the server to focus the ultrasound output from the transducer.

And a reception beam forming process of focusing the digital echo signal converted by the A / D converter in the ultrasound imaging application of the server.

The display unit of the first electronic device may display a user interface of the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application executed in the server.

The probe apparatus can be controlled from the electronic apparatus.

The ultrasound imaging mode of the ultrasound imaging application may be selected through the electronic device.

The electronic device may include a first electronic device and a second electronic device for receiving and displaying the ultrasound image data generated in the ultrasound imaging application of the server. At this time, the ultrasound imaging application executed in the server can be controlled from any one of the first electronic device and the second electronic device. Or an ultrasound imaging application running on the server may be controlled from both the first electronic device and the second electronic device. The user interface of the ultrasound imaging or ultrasound imaging application displayed on the first electronic device may be allowed to operate from the second electronic device connected through the server. . For example, the first electronic device may be a device used by a user located adjacent to the probe device, such as a paramedic or a self-diagnostic user, and the second electronic device may be a personal computer, Or the like. In this case, the ultrasound imaging application of the server may be executed through the first electronic device, and the second electronic device may receive and display the ultrasound image data generated by the ultrasound imaging application of the server. Of course, an operation of selecting the ultrasound image mode of the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application executed in the server may be performed through the second electronic device.

The electronic device may be a mobile terminal connected to a wireless network or a desktop computer connected to a wired or wireless network. The mobile terminal may be, for example, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a touch pad, a notebook computer, a digital broadcast terminal, a PDA, a PMP, a navigation device, a tablet PC, or a remote control device.

In addition, the server may perform a user authentication process for the electronic device.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ultrasonic imaging method including: transmitting an execution request of an ultrasonic imaging diagnostic application from an electronic device to a server; Executing an ultrasound imaging application by a server at the request of the electronic device; Generating an echo signal in the probe apparatus; Transmitting to the server through an echo signal generated in the probe apparatus; Generating ultrasound image data in the server using a received echo signal; And receiving ultrasound image data from the server and displaying the ultrasound image on the electronic device.

And a step of interlocking the probe device with an ultrasonic diagnostic application executed in the server.

The step of generating echo data in the probe apparatus may include converting ultrasound received from a subject into an electric signal, that is, an analog echo signal; And converting the electrical signal into a digital echo signal.

The step of generating echo data in the probe apparatus may further include compressing the digital echo signal.

A transmission beam forming process for focusing ultrasonic waves output from a transducer of the probe apparatus may be performed in the probe apparatus. Or a transmission beam forming process for focusing the ultrasonic wave output from the transducer of the probe apparatus in the ultrasonic imaging diagnostic application of the server.

And displaying the user interface of the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application running on the server on the electronic device.

The probe device may allow control from the electronic device.

The ultrasound image mode of the ultrasound imaging application may be selected through the electronic device.

And a step of performing user authentication of the electronic device when the electronic device is connected to the server or when the ultrasound image diagnostic application is executed.

And a second electronic device for receiving the ultrasound image data from the server and displaying an ultrasound image when the electronic device that has transmitted the execution request of the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application to the server is a first electronic device . The server may transmit ultrasound image data to the second electronic device at the request of the first electronic device or the second electronic device. The method may further include the step of performing user authentication to the second electronic device upon connection to the server of the second electronic device or upon connection to the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application.

The ultrasound imaging application executed in the server may be controlled in any one of the first electronic device and the second electronic device. Or the ultrasound imaging application running on the server may be allowed to be controlled from both the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

The user interface of the ultrasound imaging or ultrasound imaging application displayed on the first electronic device may be allowed to operate from the second electronic device connected through the server. Or the user interface of the ultrasound imaging or ultrasound imaging application displayed on the second electronic device may be allowed to operate from the first electronic device connected through the server.

The ultrasound imaging system and the ultrasound image processing method according to the disclosed embodiments can reduce the compactness and slimness of the probe device or the electronic device by preventing the probe device or the electronic device from needing the high performance processing device by concentrating the high- So that the portability can be improved and the manufacturing cost thereof can be lowered.

In addition, the ultrasound imaging system and the ultrasound image processing method according to the disclosed embodiments reduce the time for starting the diagnosis using the high-performance computing resources of the server, thereby enabling quick diagnosis of the patient.

In addition, the ultrasound imaging system and the ultrasound image processing method according to the disclosed embodiments can access the ultrasound imaging system through the electronic device connected to the network to view the progress of the application, Thereby limiting the number.

1 is a diagram illustrating an ultrasound diagnostic system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram of a probe apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram of a server in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 shows an example of a user interface displayed on the electronic device of Fig.
6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the ultrasound diagnostic system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a block diagram of a probe apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a block diagram of a probe apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a block diagram of a probe apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a diagram illustrating an ultrasound diagnostic system according to another embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a flowchart illustrating an ultrasound image processing method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like elements, and the size and thickness of each element may be exaggerated for clarity of explanation.

1 is a diagram illustrating an ultrasound diagnostic system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the ultrasound diagnostic system of the present embodiment includes a probe device 100 for transmitting and receiving ultrasound, a server 100 for executing an ultrasound image diagnostic application for generating an ultrasound image using echo data received from the probe device 100, An electronic device 500 providing a user interface of an ultrasound imaging diagnostic application executed on the server 300, The electronic device 500 may be one or more.

The probe apparatus 100 and the server 300 transmit and receive data through the first network 200. In addition, the server 300 and the electronic device 500 transmit and receive data through the second network 400. The first and second networks 200 and 400 may include an Internet network, a mobile communication network, and the like. The first and second networks 200 and 400 may be a homogeneous network or a heterogeneous network depending on the usage.

2 is a block diagram of the probe apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. 2, the probe apparatus 100 includes a transducer 110, a pulse generator 120, an analog signal processor 130, a combiner 140, and a probe communicator 150.

The transducer 110 includes a plurality of conversion elements for converting a pulse signal generated in the pulse generating unit 120 into an ultrasonic wave and transmitting the ultrasonic wave and converting the reflected ultrasonic wave into an analog echo signal, that is, an electric signal. The conversion elements are made of, for example, a piezoelectric material and can have a one-dimensional array or a two-dimensional array structure. The transducer 110 receives the high-voltage electric pulse of the pulse generator 120 and generates ultrasonic waves. The transducer 110 converts the ultrasonic waves reflected from the body of the examinee into an analog electric signal (analog echo signal).

The pulse generating unit 120 includes a pulse generator 121 for generating a high-voltage electric pulse signal.

The analog signal processing unit 130 generates a digital echo signal (echo data) using the analog echo signal converted by the transducer 110. The analog signal processor 130 may include an amplifier 131 for amplifying the analog echo signal converted by the transducer 110 and an A / D converter 132 for converting the analog echo signal into a digital format .

For example, the amplifying unit 131 may include a low noise amplifier (LNA) for good sensitivity or a time gain compensator (TGC) that adjusts the gain with time to compensate for increased signal attenuation while passing through the human body. ), And the like.

In addition to the components shown in FIG. 2, a battery, a high voltage multiplexer (HVMUX), an LNA (Low Noise Amplifier), and a T / R switch for separating transmission and reception may be further included. It will be self-evident.

The combining unit 140 performs a procedure for interworking with the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application executed in the server 300 through the first network 200. [ For example, when the probe communication unit 150 connects to the server 300, the coupling performing unit 140 stores the identification information of the probe apparatus 100 and transmits the identification information of the probe apparatus 100 to the server 300 So that the ultrasonic imaging diagnostic application executed on the server 300 can identify the probe apparatus 100. [

The probe communication unit 150 may include at least one of a mobile communication module, a wireless Internet module, and a local communication module. The mobile communication module transmits and receives a radio signal with at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network such as 2G, 3G, or 4G. The wireless Internet module is a module for wireless Internet access. The short-range communication module is a module for short-range communication. The short-range communication module is a module for short-range communication, and includes 802.11, Bluetooth, UWB, and ZigBee, which are standard specifications of a wireless LAN for a wireless LAN including a wireless LAN and some infrared communication proposed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (Broadband Wireless Access) (BWA) including 802.15, which is a standard for a wireless personal area network (PAN) including a Zigbee, etc., and a fixed broadband network (FWA) (802.20), which is a standard specification for the mobile Internet for wireless mobile MAN (Mobile Broadband Wireless Access) (MBWA) including WiBro, WiMAX, and the like, . The probe communication unit 150 further includes a wired Internet module for wired Internet access, and may communicate with the server 300 in a wired manner according to the usage environment. The probe communication unit 150 communicates with the server 300 using at least one of a mobile communication module, a wired Internet module, a wireless Internet module, and a local area communication module. Hereinafter, 100 are communicating with the server 300.

Communication between the probe apparatus 100 and the server 300 can be performed through the first network 200. [ For example, the first network 200 may include a relay device (not shown) that performs a relay function for communication connection between a plurality of external devices or performs a relay function for communication connection between a peripheral device and an external communication network . The relay device may also perform a protocol conversion function when the communication protocol of the probe device 100 to be relayed and the communication protocol of the server 300 are different. Such a relay device may be an access point, a gateway, a hotspot, a router, or a combination thereof. Also, the probe apparatus 100 may be directly connected to the server 300 through an ad hoc method, a WFD (Wi-Fi Directi) method, or the like without a relay apparatus.

The probe communication unit 150 transmits the echo data processed in the analog signal processing unit 130 to the server 300 through the first network and receives the probe control data for controlling the probe apparatus 100 from the server 300 .

The probe apparatus 100 may be a portable wireless apparatus that communicates with the server 300 by connecting to the first network 200 in a wireless manner.

3 is a block diagram of a server 300 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 3, the server 300 includes a server communication unit 310, an operation unit 320, and a data storage unit 330.

The server communication unit 310 may include at least one of a mobile communication module, a wired Internet module, a wireless Internet module, and a local area communication module. The mobile communication module, the wired Internet module, the wireless Internet module, and the short-range communication module are substantially the same as those described in the probe communication unit 150, and therefore, the repeated description will be omitted.

The operation unit 320 receives the execution command of the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application through the server communication unit 310 and loads the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application from the data storage unit 330 to execute the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application. The ultrasound imaging diagnostic application includes an image processing module that generates an ultrasound image based on the ultrasound echo data obtained from the probe apparatus 100. The ultrasound imaging application may also provide a user interface to the electronic device 500. Such a user interface may include not only a menu related to the ultrasound image processing, but also a control menu for controlling the probe apparatus 100 and the like. The ultrasound image diagnostic application may include a module for managing various diagnostic data related to the ultrasound image of the subject. Further, the ultrasound imaging application may further include an authentication module for the probe device 100 and / or the electronic device 500. The operation unit 320 compares the identification information transmitted from the probe apparatus 100 with the identification information of the probe apparatus 100 stored in the data storage unit 330 and proceeds to identify the probe apparatus 100 to be connected . In addition, the operation unit 320 may proceed with a user authentication process for the electronic device 500. [ The user authentication process for the electronic device 500 may proceed when the electronic device 500 is connected to the server 300, or may proceed when the ultrasound imaging application is executed.

An execution program of the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application may be stored in the data storage unit 330 or may be stored in the data storage unit 330. The data processed in the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application may be stored in the data storage unit 330. For example, Image-processed ultrasound image data, and the like). The identification information of the probe apparatus 100 and the identification information of the electronic apparatus 500 may be stored in the data storage unit 330. Further, the data storage unit 330 may store testee information including testee identification information (ID, resident number, name, address, contact, etc.), diagnosis result information of the testee, and the like. The data storage unit 330 may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory) (Random Access Memory) SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory) A disk, and / or an optical disk. The data storage unit 330 may be a separate sorting server connected to the network.

The server 300 may be understood as a cloud service server that executes an application requested by a client such as the probe device 100 or the electronic device 500 through the first and second networks 200 and 400 have.

4 shows an example of a block diagram of an electronic device 500 according to the present embodiment. 1 and 4, an electronic device 500 includes a terminal communication unit 510 for communicating with a server 300, a display unit 520 for displaying a screen of an image diagnostic application executed in the server 300, A user input unit 530 for inputting operation menus of the image diagnostic application executed in the server 300, and a terminal control unit 540 for generating control messages and the like.

The terminal communication unit 510 may include at least one of a mobile communication module, a wired Internet module, a wireless Internet module, and a local area communication module. The mobile communication module, the wired Internet module, the wireless Internet module, and the short-range communication module are substantially the same as those described in the probe communication unit 150, and therefore, the repeated description will be omitted.

The display unit 520 displays a screen of the image diagnostic application executed in the server 300. [ For example, a screen of the imaging diagnostic application can be configured to select an ultrasound image processed by the server 300 and a mode of the ultrasound image processing (for example, B mode, D mode, C mode, M mode, And may be a user interface displayed with an operation menu or the like. The display unit 520 may be a liquid crystal display, a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode, a flexible display, a transparent display display, and a 3D display.

The user input unit 530 generates key input data that the user inputs for the operation of the imaging diagnostic application executed in the server 300. The user input unit 530 may include a key pad, a touch pad (static pressure / static electricity), and the like. Particularly, when the touchpad type user input unit 530 has a mutual layer structure with the display unit 520, it can be called a touch screen.

5 shows an example of a user interface displayed on the display unit 520 of the electronic device 500 of this embodiment. 5, the display unit 520 includes an ultrasound image 521 outputting the ultrasound image data generated by the server 300, information 522 of the user, information 523 of the ultrasound image processing mode, Identification information 524 of the probe apparatus 100, and the like can be displayed. In the case where the user input unit 530 takes a touch screen type input method, operations of the ultrasound image diagnostic application including the ultrasound image processing mode or operation of the probe apparatus (for example, 100 and so on.

4, the terminal control unit 540 may generate a control message to be controlled by the image diagnostic application executed in the server 300 according to the key input data input from the user input unit 530. FIG. The electronic device 500 may further include a memory (not shown) in which image data of the imaging diagnostic application input from the server 300 is temporarily stored.

 As described above, the electronic device 500 of the present embodiment functions as an input / output unit of the server 300 that displays an execution screen of the image diagnostic application of the server 300 and inputs an operation menu. Such an electronic device 500 may be a mobile terminal connected to a wireless network or a desktop computer connected to a wired or wireless network. Examples of the mobile terminal include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a touch pad, a notebook computer, a digital broadcast terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), a navigation device, , A remote controller (remote controller), and the like. The performance of the electronic device 500 does not have to be high performance because the ultrasound image processing that takes a heavy processing load is performed in the image diagnostic application of the server 300. If the server 300 can display the processed result Suffice.

Next, the operation of the ultrasound diagnostic system according to the present embodiment will be described.

6 is a view for explaining the operation of the ultrasound diagnostic system according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, the ultrasound diagnostic system of the present invention operates through the following steps. First, the electronic device 500 connects to the server 300 (S110). The electronic device 500 may be a terminal carried by a medical imaging specialist such as a doctor, a nurse, a clinician, or a paramedic, or may be possessed by the subject person of the ultrasound image. When the execution request message of the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application is transmitted from the electronic device 500 to the server 300, the server 300 executes the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application (S120).

A user authentication step may be further included in executing the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application (S130). In the user authentication step S130, when the ultrasound imaging application is executed, for example, the server 300 requests the user's identification information to the electronic device 500, and the electronic device 500 requests the input operation of the user or the electronic device 500 The server 300 transmits the user identification information to the server 300. The server 300 may check the received user identification information against the stored user information. In some cases, user authentication may be performed as identification information of the electronic device 500 itself. FIG. 5 shows a case where the user authentication step is performed when the ultrasound image diagnostic application is executed, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In some cases, the user authentication process may proceed when the electronic device 500 initially connects to the server 300.

Next, the power of the probe apparatus 100 is turned on so that the probe apparatus 110 is linked to the imaging diagnostic application of the server 300 (S140). When power is supplied to the probe apparatus 100, the combining unit 140 in the probe apparatus 100 transmits its identification information to the server 300, and the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application executed in the server 300 transmits The probe apparatus 100 can be identified based on the received identification information. A plurality of probe apparatuses 100 may be connected to the server 300. In this case, the ultrasonic imaging diagnostic application of the server 300 may transmit the identification information of the probe apparatus 100, The user may select the probe apparatus 100 by displaying the selected data on the display unit 520. [

Next, the probe apparatus 100 transmits the digital echo data generated from the reflected ultrasonic waves to the server 300 (S150). The image diagnostic application of the server 300 generates ultrasound image data using the echo data transmitted from the probe apparatus 100 (S160).

The ultrasound image processing process itself performed by the ultrasound imaging application may be a known process. For example, the ultrasound image processing process may include a transmitter beam forming process, a receiver beam forming process, a filtering process, a scan conversion process, and the like.

The transmission beam forming process is a process of signal processing that focuses the ultrasonic wave output from the transducer 110 in order to view the reflection characteristic of a tissue at a desired position. The transmission beam forming process is a process of focusing the position of the conversion elements of the transducer 110 and the focusing point of the output ultrasonic wave And determines the pulse signals to be applied to each of the conversion elements.

The receive beamforming process is a process of focusing a received echo signal to see the reflection characteristics of the tissue at the desired location. An example of the receive beam forming process is adaptive weight beam forming (DAS) processing that assigns weights to echo signals that are transformed in the transducer elements of the transducer (110 in FIG. 2) weight beamforming technique are known.

The filtering process not only reduces noise with, for example, bandpass filtering, but also treats the ultrasound image with a fundamental frequency (providing better penetration) or with a second harmonic (better resolution due to better tissue segmentation) Can be used.

The scan conversion process is a process of converting the coordinate system of raw data into a coordinate system used in the display portion 520 of the electronic device 500.

Ultrasound imaging applications can employ a variety of algorithms in the digital processing path for sharper image extraction. For example, an ultrasound imaging application may employ algorithms such as matching filtering, time frequency compensation, echo line averaging, speckle reduction, frame smoothing, edge smoothing, and the like.

Meanwhile, the ultrasound imaging application performs ultrasound image processing according to at least one of a brightness mode, a D mode (Doppler mode), a C mode (Color mode), an M mode (Motion mode), and an elastic mode . Further, the ultrasound imaging application may process a two-dimensional image or a three-dimensional image.

B mode provides black and white images used to examine organizational structures and organs. The D mode uses the Doppler effect to provide the velocity of the moving object as the image of the Doppler spectrum. The C mode provides a color image that shows the speed of a moving object in color using a Doppler effect. The M mode provides an image of how the biometric information (e.g., luminance information) of a target object in a specific region in the B mode image changes with time. The elastic mode provides an image of the reaction difference between when the object is subjected to compression and when it is not.

The server 300 transmits the generated ultrasound image data to the electronic device 500 (S170) and causes the display unit 520 of the electronic device 500 to display the ultrasound image. In addition, the server 300 transmits operation menu information on various modes of the ultrasound image processing or control of the probe device 100 to the electronic device 500 so that the user can operate the electronic device 500 to perform ultrasound image processing. Mode can be selected and the probe apparatus 100 can be controlled.

The ultrasound imaging system of the above-described embodiment may have various uses. For example, in an emergency situation, a paramedic can scan an image of a subject by executing an imaging diagnostic application of the server 300 through the electronic device 500 and operating the probe device 100 in conjunction with the imaging diagnostic application, At the same time, the first-aid agent can check the status of the first-aid patient instantly in real time while viewing the ultrasound image displayed on the electronic device 500. As another example, the patient, that is, the doctor or the subject himself or herself at the testee's home, executes the imaging diagnostic application of the server 300 through the electronic device 500 and operates the probe device 100 in conjunction with the imaging diagnostic application, At the same time, the state of the examinee can be checked instantaneously in real time while viewing the ultrasound image displayed on the electronic device 500. [ As another example, an imaging specialist may have a probe device 100 and an electronic device 500 separately in a hospital, and ultrasound diagnosis may be performed in real time in a real-time room in a separate examination room rather than in a separate ultrasound diagnostic room. Needless to say, the ultrasound image acquired through the probe apparatus 100 may be stored in the server 500 and used for diagnosis.

The probe apparatus 100 and the electronic device 500 that connect to the server 300 may be plural and can operate independently of each other. That is, one probe apparatus 100 and one electronic apparatus 500 can be connected to the server 300 in a pair. In this case, the cost of constructing the ultrasound diagnostic system can be reduced by replacing the server 300 with a server 300 in a hospital or a data sensor and replacing the ultrasound image processing apparatus, which requires a high cost, with the server 300.

A cloud computing service is a service technology that provides computing resources that are requested by the user anytime and anywhere via the Internet. In a cloud computing service, when a client requests execution of an application, the server executes the application and provides the result only to the client. That is, in the cloud computing service, the client can be regarded as a kind of input / output device. The ultrasonic imaging system according to the present embodiment separates the ultrasound image processing from the probe apparatus 100 and the electronic apparatus 500 and processes the ultrasound image processing application into the ultrasound imaging application executed in the server 300, The server 500 can be understood as a kind of client, and the server 300 can be understood as a cloud service server. High-performance computing resources are required to derive high-quality ultrasound images or diagnostic results, and such high-performance computing resource demands have hampered the compactness and slimness of ultrasound imaging systems. The present embodiment can make the probe device 100 portable and compact by allowing the server 300 to perform an image processing process for obtaining an ultrasound image from the echo data. Accordingly, the ultrasound image diagnostic service .

7 is a block diagram of a probe apparatus 101 according to another embodiment of the present invention. 7, the probe apparatus 101 of the present embodiment further includes a transmission beam forming section 122 in the pulse generating section 120 and a reception beam forming section 133 in the analog signal processing section 130 And is substantially the same as the probe apparatus 100 of the above-described embodiment except that the probe apparatus 100 is provided.

In the embodiment described above, the transmission beam forming process and the reception beam forming process are performed by the server 300. However, the present embodiment may be applied to the transmission beam forming unit 122 and the reception beam forming unit 133 built in the probe apparatus 101, A transmission beam forming process and a reception beam forming process are performed. For example, the transmission beam forming unit 122 generates the pulse signals to be applied to the conversion elements in the pulser 121 in consideration of the positions of the conversion elements of the transducer 110 and the focusing point of the output ultrasonic waves. The reception beam forming unit 133 performs a focusing operation to view the reflection characteristic of tissue at a desired position from the received ultrasonic signal.

In this embodiment, since the transmission / reception beam forming process is performed in the probe apparatus 101, data according to the transmission / reception beam forming process need not be transmitted / received through the first network 200, It is possible to reduce the burden on the user.

8 is a block diagram of a probe apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. 8, the probe apparatus 102 of the present embodiment is substantially identical to the probe apparatus 101 described with reference to Fig. 7, except that the analog signal processing section 130 is further provided with a compression section 134, same.

In the above-described embodiments, uncompressed echo data is transmitted from the probe apparatuses 100 and 101 to the server 300, but since the probe apparatus 102 of this embodiment transmits the compressed data to the server 300, It is possible to transmit more information to the server 300 in real time and to acquire a higher resolution ultrasound image in real time.

9 is a block diagram of a probe apparatus 103 according to another embodiment of the present invention. 9 is substantially the same as the probe apparatuses 100, 101, and 102 of the above-described embodiments, except that a further user input unit 160 is additionally provided in the probe apparatus 103. The user input unit 160 may be a key input unit for operating the probe apparatus 103, for example. In some cases, the user input unit 160 may provide a user interface of the ultrasound diagnostic imaging application executed in the server 300. [ In this manner, since the user input unit 160 is additionally provided in the probe apparatus 103, the probe apparatus 103 can operate the probe apparatus 103 itself.

10 is a diagram illustrating an ultrasound diagnostic system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

10, the ultrasound diagnostic system of this embodiment includes a probe device 100, a server 300, a first electronic device 501, and a second electronic device 502. [ In this embodiment, the first electronic device 501 and the second electronic device 502 are combined with one probe device 100 to form one ultrasound imaging system. Of course, three or more electronic devices may be coupled to one probe apparatus 100. [ 1 to 9, except that the first electronic device 501 and the second electronic device 502 are coupled to one probe device 100. The electronic device 500 and the second electronic device 502 in the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. Substantially the same. That is, the first electronic device 501 and the second electronic device 502 have substantially the same mechanical structure as the electronic device 500 in the embodiment described with reference to Figs. 1-9.

The collaboration relationship between the first electronic device 501 and the second electronic device 502 may vary.

For example, the ultrasound imaging application executed in the server 300 may be controlled in any one of the first electronic device 501 and the second electronic device 502. Or the ultrasound imaging application may be allowed to be controlled from both the first electronic device 501 and the second electronic device 502. [ The ultrasound imaging diagnostic application can not only generate the ultrasound image based on the echo signal from the probe apparatus 100 but also control the probe apparatus 100 itself so that the first electronic device 501 and the second electronic device 502 may be used to control the probe apparatus 100. [

In addition, the user interface of the ultrasound imaging or ultrasound imaging application displayed on the first electronic device 501 may allow operation from the second electronic device 502 connected through the server 300, An operation from the first electronic device 501 in which the ultrasound image displayed on the electronic device 502 or the user interface of the ultrasound imaging application is connected through the server 300 may be allowed.

For example, the first electronic device 501 may include a first electronic device 501 prior to the operation of the probe device 100 (i.e., the operation of scanning the ultrasonic waves on the testee) at a position adjacent to the probe device 100 It is possible to connect to the server 300 and execute the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application of the server 300. [ For example, the probe apparatus 100 and the first electronic device 5010 can be operated by the same person. On the other hand, the second electronic device 501 can remotely view the ultrasound image based on the echo signal obtained from the probe apparatus 100, remotely from the probe apparatus 100 (consequently the examinee).

As a specific example, the first electronic device 501 may be used by a paramedic and the second electronic device 502 may be used by an imaging specialist located at a hospital or the like. In this case, under an emergency situation, the first-aid agent executes the imaging diagnostic application of the server 300 via the first electronic device 501 and operates the probe device 100 in conjunction with the imaging diagnostic application to scan a predetermined part of the examinee The remote diagnostic imaging specialist views the ultrasound image in the imaging diagnostic application screen executed in the server 300 through the second electronic device 502 in real time and displays the ultrasound image on the probe device 100 (E.g., designation of a part to be scanned, etc.). If the ultrasound image displayed on the first electronic device 501 or the user interface of the ultrasound imaging application is allowed to be manipulated from the second electronic device 502, The ultrasound image or other data displayed on the first electronic device 502 may be directly manipulated through the second electronic device 502. The imaging expert may also directly manipulate the ultrasound image or other data displayed on the first electronic device 502 through the second electronic device 502, (E.g., B mode, D mode, C mode, resilient mode, etc.) by operating the operation menu. In addition, a third electronic device may be further provided, You may also see an emergency situation through.

Next, the operation of the ultrasound diagnostic system according to the present embodiment will be described.

11 is a flowchart illustrating an ultrasound image processing method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

10 and 11, the ultrasound imaging system of the present invention is operated through the following steps. First, the first electronic device 501 connects to the server 300 (S210). The first electronic device 501 may be a terminal carried by a medical imaging specialist such as a doctor, a nurse, a clinician, or a paramedic, or may be carried by the person himself / herself of the ultrasound image. When the execution request message of the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application is transmitted from the first electronic device 501 to the server 300, the server 300 executes the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application (S220). A user authentication step may be further included when the first electronic device 501 connects to the server 300 or when executing an ultrasound imaging application. Next, the power of the probe apparatus 100 is turned on so that the probe apparatus 110 is linked to the image diagnostic application of the server 300 (S230). Next, the probe apparatus 100 transmits the digital echo data generated from the reflected ultrasonic waves to the server 300 (S240). The image diagnostic application of the server 300 generates ultrasound image data using the echo data transmitted from the probe apparatus 100 (S250).

The server 300 transmits the generated ultrasound image data to the first electronic device 501 in step S260 and displays the ultrasound image on the display unit of the first electronic device 501 in step 520 of FIG.

Meanwhile, the second electronic device 502 is connected to the server 300 to execute the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application (S270). The second electronic device 502 may be remotely located from the probe device 100. For example, the probe device 100 and the first electronic device 501 may be located outdoors or at home, and may be used by a non-specialist for imaging, such as a patient or a paramedic, Is located in a hospital and can be used by imaging specialists such as doctors. When the second electronic device 502 executes the ultrasound imaging application, the ultrasound imaging application sends ultrasound image data based on the ultrasound echo data obtained from the probe device 100 to the second electronic device 502 502, and the second electronic device 502 displays the ultrasound image (S280). Further, the server 300 may also provide the user interface of the ultrasound imaging application to the second electronic device 502 to allow control of the ultrasound imaging application running on the server 300 also in the second electronic device 502 It is possible. Further, a user authentication step may be further included when the second electronic device 502 connects to the server 300 or when executing the ultrasound imaging application of the second electronic device 502.

Meanwhile, the present invention can be implemented as a code that can be read by a processor in a processor-readable recording medium provided in the server 300. The processor-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording apparatuses in which data that can be read by the processor is stored. Examples of the recording medium readable by the processor include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical information storage, and the like, and may be implemented in the form of a carrier wave such as transmission over the Internet. In addition, the processor-readable recording medium may be distributed over network-connected computer systems so that code readable by the processor in a distributed fashion can be stored and executed.

The probe apparatus, the server, and the ultrasound imaging system and method according to the present invention have been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings to facilitate understanding of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art It will be understood that various modifications and equivalent embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the appended claims.

100: Probe device 110: Transducer
120: Pulse generation unit 121: Pulser
122: transmission beam forming unit 130: analog signal processing unit
131: Amplifier 132: Analog-to-
133: receiving beam forming unit 134:
140: combining unit 150: probe communication unit
160: user input unit 200, 400: network
300: server 310: server communication unit
320: Operation unit 330: Data storage unit
500: terminal 510: terminal communication unit
520: display unit 530: terminal storage unit
540:

Claims (47)

A pulse generator including a pulser for generating a pulse signal;
A transducer for converting a pulse signal generated in the pulse generator into an ultrasonic wave and transmitting the ultrasonic wave and converting the received ultrasonic wave into an electric signal;
An analog signal processor for generating an echo signal using the electrical signal converted by the transducer; And
And a probe communicating unit communicating with the server executing the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application requested from the electronic device and transmitting the echo signal processed by the analog signal processing unit to the server. The method according to claim 1,
And a coupling performing unit performing a procedure for interlocking with an ultrasonic diagnostic application executed in the server. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the pulse generating unit further comprises a transmission beam forming unit for focusing the ultrasonic wave output from the transducer. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The analog signal processing unit
An amplifier for amplifying the electrical signal converted by the transducer; And
And an A / D converter for converting the electrical signal amplified by the amplifier into a digital echo signal. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the analog signal processing unit further comprises a reception beam forming unit focusing the digital echo signal converted by the A / D conversion unit. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the analog signal processing unit further comprises a compression unit for compressing the digital echo signal converted by the A / D conversion unit. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Wherein the probe communication unit includes at least one of a mobile communication module, a wireless Internet module, and a local communication module. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
And a user input unit for receiving a user's operation. A server communication unit for communicating with the probe device and the electronic device;
A data storage unit in which an ultrasound imaging diagnostic application is stored; And
And an operation unit for executing the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application when the execution of the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application is requested from the electronic device,
Wherein the operation unit generates ultrasonic image data using the echo signal transmitted from the probe apparatus and transmits the generated ultrasonic image data to the electronic apparatus. A probe device for transmitting an echo signal received via a transducer to a server;
A server for executing an ultrasound imaging diagnostic application for generating ultrasound image data using an echo signal transmitted from the probe device; And
And an electronic device including a display unit for receiving and displaying the ultrasound image data generated by the ultrasound image diagnostic application of the server. 11. The method of claim 10,
The probe device
A pulse generator including a pulser for generating a pulse signal;
A transducer for converting a pulse signal generated in the pulse generator into an ultrasonic wave and transmitting the ultrasonic wave and converting the received ultrasonic wave into an electric signal;
An analog signal processing unit for generating a digital echo signal using the electrical signal converted by the transducer; And
And a probe communication unit that communicates with the server through a network and transmits the digital echo signal processed by the analog signal processing unit to the server. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the probe apparatus further comprises an association performing unit operable to perform a procedure for interworking with an ultrasonic diagnostic application executed in the server. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the pulse generating unit further comprises a transmission beam forming unit for focusing the ultrasonic wave output from the transducer. 12. The method of claim 11,
The analog signal processing unit
An amplifier for amplifying the electrical signal converted by the transducer; And
And an A / D converter for converting an electric signal amplified by the amplification unit into a digital echo signal. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the analog signal processing unit further comprises a reception beam forming unit focusing the digital echo signal converted by the A / D conversion unit. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the analog signal processing unit further comprises a compression unit for compressing the digital echo signal converted by the A / D conversion unit. 11. The method of claim 10,
And a transmission beam forming process for causing the ultrasonic imaging application of the server to focus the ultrasonic wave output from the transducer. 15. The method of claim 14,
And a reception beam forming process of focusing the digital echo signal converted by the A / D converter in an ultrasound imaging application of the server. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the probe communication unit includes at least one of a mobile communication module, a wireless Internet module, and a local communication module. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the probe apparatus further comprises a user input unit for receiving a user's operation. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the display unit of the electronic device displays a user interface of an ultrasound imaging diagnostic application executed in the server. 20. The method of claim 19,
Wherein the probe device is allowed to be controlled from the electronic device. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the ultrasound imaging mode of the ultrasound imaging application is selected through the electronic device. 24. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 23,
Wherein the electronic device comprises a first electronic device and a second electronic device for receiving and displaying the ultrasound image data generated by the ultrasound imaging application of the server. 25. The method of claim 24,
Wherein the ultrasound imaging application executed on the server is controlled from any one of the first electronic device and the second electronic device. 25. The method of claim 24,
Wherein the ultrasound imaging application running on the server is controlled from both the first electronic device and the second electronic device. 25. The method of claim 24,
Wherein the ultrasound image displayed on the first electronic device or the user interface of the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application is allowed to operate from the second electronic device connected through the server. 24. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 23,
Wherein the electronic device is a mobile terminal connected to a wireless network or a desktop computer connected to a wired or wireless network. 29. The method of claim 28,
Wherein the mobile terminal is a mobile phone, a smart phone, a touch pad, a notebook computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA, a PMP, a navigation, a tablet PC, or a remote control device. 24. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 23,
Wherein the server performs a user authentication process for the electronic device. A request to execute an ultrasound imaging application from an electronic device is transmitted to a server;
Executing an ultrasound imaging application by a server at the request of the electronic device;
Generating an echo signal in the probe apparatus;
Transmitting an echo signal generated in the probe apparatus to the server;
Generating ultrasound image data in the server using the received echo signal; And
And receiving the ultrasound image data from the server and displaying the ultrasound image on the electronic device. 32. The method of claim 31,
And interfacing the probe apparatus with an ultrasonic diagnostic application executed in the server. 32. The method of claim 31,
Wherein the step of generating an echo signal in the probe apparatus comprises:
Converting ultrasound received from the subject into an electrical signal; And
And converting the electrical signal into a digital echo signal. 34. The method of claim 33,
The step of generating an echo signal in the probe apparatus
And compressing the digital echo signal. 32. The method of claim 31,
And a transmission beam forming process for focusing the ultrasonic wave output from the transducer of the probe apparatus is performed in the probe apparatus. 32. The method of claim 31,
And a transmission beam forming process for focusing the ultrasonic wave output from the transducer of the probe apparatus is performed in an ultrasonic imaging application of the server. 32. The method of claim 31,
And displaying the user interface of the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application running on the server on the electronic device. 32. The method of claim 31,
Wherein the probe device permits control from the electronic device. 32. The method of claim 31,
Wherein the ultrasound imaging mode of the ultrasound imaging application is selected through the electronic device. 32. The method of claim 31,
Further comprising the step of performing user authentication of the electronic device when the electronic device is connected to the server or when the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application is executed. 41. The method according to any one of claims 31 to 40,
When the electronic device that has transmitted the execution request of the ultrasonic imaging diagnostic application to the server is a first electronic device,
Further comprising a second electronic device for receiving ultrasound image data from the server to display an ultrasound image. 42. The method of claim 41,
Wherein the server transmits ultrasound image data to the second electronic device at the request of the first electronic device or the second electronic device. 42. The method of claim 41,
Further comprising the step of performing user authentication for the second electronic device upon connection to the server of the second electronic device or upon connection to the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application. 42. The method of claim 41,
Wherein the ultrasound imaging application executed on the server is allowed to be controlled by any one of the first electronic device and the second electronic device. 42. The method of claim 41,
Wherein the ultrasound imaging application running on the server is controllable from both the first electronic device and the second electronic device. 42. The method of claim 41,
Wherein the ultrasound image displayed on the first electronic device or the user interface of the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application is allowed to operate from the second electronic device connected through the server. 42. The method of claim 41,
Wherein the ultrasound image displayed on the second electronic device or the user interface of the ultrasound imaging diagnostic application is allowed to operate from the first electronic device connected through the server.

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