# US 12,599,370 B2 · Ultrasound diagnostic system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,599,370 B2 - Document ID: US12599370B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/778,868 - Filed: 2024-07-19 - Published: 2024-11-07 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2022-02-18 - Assignees: FUJIFILM Corporation - Applicants: FUJIFILM Corporation - Inventors: Masanobu Uchihara - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12599370B2 ## CPC - A61B 8/58: {Testing, adjusting or calibrating the diagnostic device} - A61B 8/00: Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves - A61B 8/12: in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters - A61B 8/14: Echotomography - A61B 8/4494: {characterised by the arrangement of the transducer elements} - A61B 8/54: {Control of the diagnostic device} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract A verification mode execution unit that executes a verification mode for verifying an operation of an ultrasound transducer array in which a plurality of ultrasound transducers are arranged includes an ultrasound image data generation unit that generates ultrasound image data of each pixel corresponding to each ultrasound transducer from a transmission and reception signal of each ultrasound transducer, and a failure channel detection unit that analyzes the generated ultrasound image data to detect a failed failure transducer channel, in which the transducer channel is a channel that includes the ultrasound transducer and that generates the ultrasound image data of the pixel, and the failure channel detection unit changes a determination criterion for determining the failure in accordance with a condition related to an influence degree on an acquired ultrasound image. As a result, provided is an ultrasound diagnostic system that can provide a mechanism for a user such as a medical worker and a service man who performs maintenance or inspection to detect and to notify of disconnections of the ultrasound transducer and a transmission line such as a signal line of the ultrasound transducer in a simple and automatic manner on a daily basis to specify a failure channel. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An ultrasound diagnostic system that acquires an ultrasound image of a part to be observed of a subject and performs diagnosis, the ultrasound diagnostic system comprising: an ultrasound probe provided with an ultrasound transducer array in which a plurality of ultrasound transducers that irradiate the part to be observed with an ultrasonic wave and receive an echo signal from the part to be observed to output a detection signal are arranged; and an ultrasound processor device that executes a verification mode for verifying an operation of the ultrasound transducer array, wherein the ultrasound processor device includes a processor, the processor is configured to: generate ultrasound image data of each pixel corresponding to each ultrasound transducer from a transmission and reception signal of each ultrasound transducer, and analyze the generated ultrasound image data to detect a failed failure transducer channel, a transducer channel is a channel that includes the ultrasound transducer and that generates the ultrasound image data of the pixel, the processor is configured to change a determination criterion for determining the failure in accordance with a condition related to an influence degree on the acquired ultrasound image, and the number of defective transducer channels, which is the determination criterion, is smaller at a position of the ultrasound transducer at which the influence degree on the ultrasound image is larger than at a position of the ultrasound transducer at which the influence degree is small. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to notify of a detection result. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein the determination criterion includes at least either the ultrasound image data of the pixel or the number of the transducer channels. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein the condition is a position of the ultrasound transducer in an arrangement direction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 4, wherein the condition is a position of the ultrasound transducer that is determined depending on an apparatus type of the ultrasound diagnostic system. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein the condition is at least one use mode of a user mode used by a user or a service man mode used by a service man. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 6, wherein, in a case where the failure is determined in each of the user mode and the service man mode, a notification is performed in each mode. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 1, further comprising: a memory that stores logs of the number of detected defective transducer channels, the failure transducer channel, and at least one of a date or a date and time on which the failure transducer channel is detected, or the number of times of energization of the failure transducer channel in a case where the verification mode is executed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein diagnostic image processing for acquiring a diagnostic ultrasound image of the part to be observed is different from failure transducer channel detection image processing for generating the ultrasound image data in a case where the verification mode is executed. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 9, wherein, in the failure transducer channel detection image processing, processing across the plurality of ultrasound transducers is reduced as compared with the diagnostic image processing. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 9, wherein, in the failure transducer channel detection image processing, processing across the plurality of ultrasound transducers is not performed.