WIRELESS ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS, WIRELESS ULTRASONIC PROBE, AND PROBE AUTHENTICATION METHOD

• US 20110105904A1
• Filed: 04/22/2010
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Inventors: Watanabe, Yasuhito
• Granted Patent: US 9,622,718 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/443
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4438 Means for identifying the diagnostic device, e.g. barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4472 Wireless probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/56 Details of data transmission or power supply
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/5205 Means for monitoring or calibrating

Abstract

A wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (30) including a wireless ultrasonic probe (300) and a diagnostic device (400). The wireless ultrasonic probe (300) includes: a wireless transmission unit (306) which wirelessly transmits echo data (352); and an ultrasound transmission unit (303) which transmits pairing ultrasound (351) including probe information for identifying the wireless ultrasonic probe (300). The diagnostic device (400) includes: an ultrasound reception unit (401) which receives the pairing ultrasound (351); a probe information detection unit (402) which detects the probe information (452) from the pairing ultrasound (351); and a wireless reception unit (406) which determines, using the probe information (452), whether or not received data is the echo data (352) wirelessly transmitted by the wireless ultrasonic probe (300).

Claims

1. A wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

a wireless ultrasonic probe which generates echo data and wirelessly transmits the echo data; and

a diagnostic device which receives the echo data wirelessly transmitted by said wireless ultrasonic probe,

said wireless ultrasonic probe including;

a first signal generator which generates a first signal including probe information for identifying said wireless ultrasonic probe;

an ultrasound transmission unit configured to transmit the first signal as first ultrasound; and

a wireless transmission unit configured to wirelessly transmit the echo data associated with the probe information, and

said diagnostic device including;

an ultrasound reception unit configured to receive the first ultrasound transmitted by said wireless ultrasonic probe;

a probe information detection unit configured to detect the probe information from the first ultrasound received; and

a wireless reception unit configured to receive data that is wirelessly transmitted, and determine, using the probe information detected by said probe information detection unit, whether or not the received data is the echo data wirelessly transmitted by said wireless ultrasonic probe.

2. The wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said wireless ultrasonic probe further includes

an operating switch operable by an operator, and

when said operating switch is pressed,

said first signal generator generates the first signal, and

said ultrasound transmission unit is configured to transmit the first signal as the first ultrasound.

3. The wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said first signal generator generates the first signal including a synchronizing signal, and

said probe information detection unit is configured to detect the probe information from the first ultrasound by detecting the synchronizing signal included in the first ultrasound received.

4. The wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said ultrasound transmission unit is further configured to emit second ultrasound for generating the echo data.

5. The wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein said ultrasound transmission unit includes:

a first transducer which transmits the first ultrasound according to the first signal; and

a second transducer which emits the second ultrasound, said second transducer being different from said first transducer.

6. The wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein said first transducer has a transmission frequency lower than a transmission frequency of said second transducer.

7. The wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein said ultrasound transmission unit includes

a transducer which transmits the first ultrasound according to the first signal and emits the second ultrasound.

8. The wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein said ultrasound transmission unit includes

a plurality of transducers which synchronously transmit the first ultrasound according to the first signal.

9. The wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein said ultrasound transmission unit includes

a delay circuit which delays, according to a shape of a surface of said wireless ultrasonic probe from which the first ultrasound is emitted, the first signal provided to said transducers so that the first ultrasound synchronously transmitted by said transducers becomes plane waves.

10. The wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein said wireless ultrasonic probe further includes

a second signal generator which generates a second signal,

said transducers generate the second ultrasound according to the second signal, and

said delay circuit further delays the second signal to adjust a focal position of the second ultrasound, and provides the delayed second signal to said transducers.

11. The wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein said wireless ultrasonic probe includes

a scan unit configured to perform, when said ultrasound transmission unit emits the second ultrasound, sector scanning in directions in which the second ultrasound is emitted, and

when said ultrasound transmission unit emits the first ultrasound, said scan unit is configured to fix a direction in which the first ultrasound is emitted.

12. The wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said ultrasound reception unit has an acoustic impedance in a range of 1.5 to 2.0 inclusive.

13. The wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said ultrasound reception unit includes

an acoustic lens which adjusts a focal position of the first ultrasound.

14. The wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said diagnostic device includes

an error processing unit configured to notify an operator of error occurrence when an error occurs with the probe information transmitted by said wireless ultrasonic probe.

15. The wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein said error processing unit is configured to notify the operator of the error occurrence by causing an LED to flash or by changing a color of the LED.

16. The wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein said error processing unit is configured to notify the operator of the error occurrence by beeping.

17. A wireless ultrasonic probe which generates echo data and wirelessly transmits the echo data to a diagnostic device, said wireless ultrasonic probe comprising:

a first signal generator which generates a first signal including probe information for identifying said wireless ultrasonic probe;

an ultrasound transmission unit configured to transmit the first signal to the diagnostic device as first ultrasound; and

a wireless transmission unit configured to wirelessly transmit the echo data associated with the probe information.

18. A probe authentication method performed by a wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus,

the wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including:

a wireless ultrasonic probe which generates echo data and wirelessly transmits the echo data; and

a diagnostic device which receives the echo data wirelessly transmitted by the wireless ultrasonic probe, and

said probe authentication method comprising;

generating, by the wireless ultrasonic probe, a first signal including probe information for identifying the wireless ultrasonic probe;

transmitting, by the wireless ultrasonic probe, the first signal as first ultrasound;

wirelessly transmitting, by the wireless ultrasonic probe, the echo data associated with the probe information;

receiving, by the diagnostic device, the first ultrasound transmitted by the wireless ultrasonic probe;

detecting, by the diagnostic device, the probe information from the first ultrasound received;

receiving, by the diagnostic device, data that is wirelessly transmitted; and

determining, by the diagnostic device, using the probe information detected, whether or not the received data is the echo data wirelessly transmitted by the wireless ultrasonic probe.