Ultrasound diagnostic equipment with rechargeable ultrasound probes

• US 10,105,124 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tashiro, Rika
• Primary Examiner(s): Gillman, Amelie R
• Application Number:
  US13/773,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20130165796A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,069 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/145 characterised by scanning multiple planes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4433 involving a docking unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4472 Wireless probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4477 using several separate ultrasound transducers or probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4488 the transducer being a phased array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/462 characterised by constructional features of the display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/467 characterised by special input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5207 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image reconstruction G06T11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/54 Control of the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/56 Details of data transmission or power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An ultrasound diagnostic equipment has at least one rechargeable ultrasound probe with a built-in battery, and a diagnostic equipment body connected to the at least one ultrasound probe in a wireless manner, wherein the diagnostic equipment body includes a power supply unit which supplies power to the battery of the at least one ultrasound probe, and a power supply controller which causes the battery of the at least one ultrasound probe to selectively perform refresh charging and top-up charging using the power supply unit on the basis of power supply information to the battery of the at least one ultrasound probe and the examination situation in the diagnostic equipment body.

Claims

1. An ultrasound diagnostic equipment comprising:

a plurality of rechargeable ultrasound probes, the plurality of rechargeable ultrasound probes comprising a first rechargeable ultrasound probe comprising a first battery and a second rechargeable ultrasound probe comprising a second battery; and

a diagnostic equipment body connected to the plurality of ultrasound probes in a wireless manner,

wherein the diagnostic equipment body includes

a plurality of probe holders configured to hold the plurality of rechargeable ultrasound probes,

a power source unit configured to supply power to the first and second batteries; and

a power supply controller configured to;

determine whether or not it is necessary to charge the first battery based whether or not a residual amount of power of the first battery falls below a first threshold value,

determine whether or not it is a refresh charging timings wherein the refresh charging timing is a timing of an end of an examination for the day, at which the first battery is to be once discharged to make the residual amount of power of the first battery zero and then is to be charged,

determines whether a number of times of top-up charging of the first battery has reached a predetermined second threshold value,

perform a refresh charging of the first battery using the power source unit in a case of determining that it is necessary to charge the first battery, that it is the refresh charging timing and that the number of times of top-up charging of the first battery has reached the predetermined second threshold value, and reset the number of times of top-up charging of the first battery to zero when the refresh charging of the first battery is completed,

perform a top-up charging of the first battery using the power source unit in a case of determining that it is necessary to charge the first battery and that it is not the refresh charging timing, and

perform a top-up charging of the first battery using the power source unit in a case of determining that it is necessary to charge the first battery, that it is the refresh charging timing and that the number of times of top-up charging of the first battery has not reached the predetermined second threshold value;

wherein the power supply controller is further configured to;

determine whether or not it is necessary to charge the second battery while the refresh charging of the first battery is being performed based on whether or not a residual amount of power of the second battery falls below the first threshold value,

determine whether or not the first rechargeable ultrasound probe has an identical type with that of the second rechargeable ultrasound probe, and

if the first and second rechargeable ultrasound probes have the identical type and if it is necessary to charge the second battery while the refresh charging of the first battery is being performed, perform a top-up charging of the second battery using the power source unit without performing a refresh charging of the second battery.

2. The ultrasound diagnostic equipment according to claim 1,

wherein the ultrasound diagnostic equipment comprises a storage unit which stores the residual amount of power of each of the first battery and the second battery and the number of times of top-up charging of each of first battery and the second battery.

3. The ultrasound diagnostic equipment according to claim 1,

wherein the power supply controller is configured to, if it is determined that it is necessary to charge a both the first battery and the second battery, that it is the refresh charging timing and that both the number of times of top-up charging of the first battery and the number of times of top-up charging of the second battery reached the predetermined second threshold value, perform the refresh charging of one of the first battery and the second battery having a larger number of times of top-up charging.

4. The ultrasound diagnostic equipment according to claim 1,

wherein the power supply controller is configured to:

if the residual amount of power of the first battery is equal to or larger than the first threshold value, preclude the refresh charging of the first battery and preclude the top-up charging of the first battery, and

if the residual amount of power of the second battery is equal to or larger than the first threshold value, preclude the refresh charging of the second battery and preclude the top-up charging of the second battery.