1. An image pickup device control signal generating apparatus to generate a plurality of control signals for controlling an image pickup device, the generating apparatus comprising:
a control data generator to generate control data, piece by piece at each predetermined timing, corresponding to the plurality of control signals;
a first storage unit to sequentially receive the generated control data at the each predetermined timing and outputs one or more pieces of the received control data at one time at a timing predetermined for the one or more pieces of the control data; and
a control signal generator to generate, at one time, one or more control signals of a value or values corresponding to the one or more pieces of the control data at a timing predetermined for the one or more pieces of the control data,
wherein the first storage unit includes a plurality of memory units arranged as a shift register, each of the memory units receiving and retaining the control data from one of the control data generator and the memory unit at a previous stage by the predetermined timing and outputting the retained control data to one of the memory unit at a next stage and the control signal generator.
2. The image pickup device control signal generating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a switching signal generator to generate a switching signal to make the control data generator generate the control data;
wherein the control data generator generates the control data according to the switching signal.
3. The image pickup device control signal generating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second storage unit to store group identification data indicating to which group the plurality of the control signals respectively belong on the basis that the control signals may belong to one or more groups,
wherein the control data includes group selection data to select one of the groups and output state data specifying a value of one or more control signals belonging to the selected group; and
the control signal generator includes a selector to select one or more control signals belonging to the selected group based on the group identification data corresponding to the group selection data and a decoder to generate the one or more control signals thus selected in an output state corresponding to the output state data.
4. The image pickup device control signal generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of control signals can each have one of two or three different values.
5. An image processing apparatus configured to control an image pickup device by using the image pickup device control signal generating apparatus according to claim 1.
6. An image pickup device control signal generating method for making a processor provided with a plurality of memory units arranged as a shift register generate control data to be used by a control signal generator to generate a plurality of control signals to be used for controlling an image pickup device, the method making the processor execute the steps of:
simultaneously generating by a predetermined timing through the control signal generator the control signals having a value corresponding to the respective one or more pieces of control data simultaneously output and generating the control data pieces one by one corresponding to the plurality of control signals by the predetermined timing; and
making the plurality of memory units respectively receive and retain one of the generated control data and the control data from the memory unit at a previous stage and simultaneously output the control data retained in hold until then to one of the memory unit at a next stage and the control signal generator by the predetermined timing.
7. A program for making a processor provided with a plurality of memory units arranged as a shift register generate control data to be used by a control signal generator to generate a plurality of control signals to be used for controlling an image pickup device, the program making the processor execute the steps of:
simultaneously generating by a predetermined timing through the control signal generator the control signals having a value corresponding to the respective one or more pieces of control data simultaneously output and generating the control data pieces one by one corresponding to the plurality of control signals by the predetermined timing; and
making the plurality of memory units respectively receive and retain one of the generated control data and the control data from the memory unit at a previous stage and simultaneously output the control data retained in hold until then to one of the memory unit at a next stage and the control signal generator by the predetermined timing.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An ultrasonograph for obtaining an image of the inside of a living body by transmittingreceiving an ultrasonic wave to the living body into which a contrast agent is introduced comprising:
an ultrasonic probe transmitting a first ultrasonic pulse and a second ultrasonic pulse, generated by superimposing higher harmonics including at least a second harmonic of a fundamental wave;
a memory for recording a first converted signal acquired by converging the signal acquired by transmission of the first ultrasonic pulse; and
a temporal change component detector for extracting a temporal change component corresponding to an irreversible change of the contrast agent caused by radiation of the ultrasonic pulse,
wherein:
the first ultrasonic pulse is an acoustic pressure rise enhanced waveform in which a leading edge of an ultrasonic acoustic pressure waveform is sharper than a trailing edge of the ultrasonic acoustic pressure waveform,
the second ultrasonic pulse is an acoustic pressure fall enhanced waveform in which a trailing edge of an ultrasonic acoustic pressure waveform is sharper than a leading edge the ultrasonic acoustic pressure waveform,
the ultrasonic probe transmits the first ultrasonic pulse or the second ultrasonic pulse with switching an ultrasonic acoustic pressure waveform,
the temporal change component detector calculates a difference between the first converted signal recorded in the memory and a second converted signal acquired by converging the signal acquired by transmission of the second ultrasonic pulse as the temporal change component, and
the temporal change component detector adds variable weight to the first converted signal andor the second converted signal.
2. An ultrasonograph according to claim 1, wherein:
an ultrasonic pulse transmitted from the ultrasonic probe includes a maximum positive pressure enhanced waveform in which the peak value on the side of positive acoustic pressure of maximum amplitude is larger than the peak value on the side of negative acoustic pressure.
3. An ultrasonograph according to claim 1, wherein: an ultrasonic pulse transmitted from the ultrasonic probe includes a maximum negative pressure enhanced waveform in which the peak value of the side of negative acoustic pressure of maximum amplitude is larger than the peak value on the side of positive acoustic pressure.
4. An ultrasonograph according to claim 1, wherein: the contrast agent includes microbubbles; and
the mean frequency of the fundamental wave is set to the resonance frequency of the microbubble at the mean diameter of microbubbles introduced.
5. An ultrasonograph according to claim 1, wherein:
the ultrasonic pulse has a waveform generated by superimposing a second harmonic the phase of which is shifted by .pi.2 at a point that crosses zero from the fundamental wave on the fundamental wave.
6. An ultrasonograph according to claim 1, wherein:
the ultrasonic pulse has a waveform generated by superimposing a second harmonic the phase of which is equal to that of the fundamental wave at a point that crosses zero on the fundamental wave.
7. An ultrasonic apparatus for obtaining an image of the inside of a living body by transmittingreceiving an ultrasonic wave to the living body into which a contrast agent is introduced comprising:
an ultrasonic probe transmitting a first ultrasonic pulse and a second ultrasonic pulse, generated by superimposing higher harmonics including at least a second harmonic of fundamental wave on the fundamental wave
a memory for recording a first converted signal acquired by converging the signal acquired by transmission of the first ultrasonic pulse; and
temporal change component detector extracting a temporal change component corresponding to the irreversible change of the contrast agent caused by radiation of the ultrasonic pulse,
wherein:
an ultrasonic pulse transmitted from the ultrasonic probe includes a maximum positive pressure enhanced waveform in which the peak value on the side positive acoustic pressure of maximum amplitude is larger than the peak value on the side of negative acoustic pressure,
an ultrasonic pulse transmitted from the ultrasonic probe includes a maximum negative pressure enhanced waveform in which the peak value on the side of negative acoustic pressure of maximum amplitude is larger than the peak value on the side of positive acoustic pressure,
the ultrasonic proved transmit the first ultrasonic pulse or the second ultrasonic pulse with switching an ultrasonic acoustic pressure waveform
the temporal change component detector calculates a difference between the first converted signal recorded in the memory and a second converted signal acquired by converging the signal acquired by transmission of the second ultrasonic pulse as the temporal change component; and
the temporal change component detector adds variable weight to the first converted signal andor the second converted signal.