ULTRASONIC IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS POWER CIRCUIT AND ULTRASONIC IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS

• US 20120200196A1
• Filed: 02/02/2012
• Published: 08/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Amemiya, Shinichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,934,272 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 310/317
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0207 Driving circuits specially adapted for particular applications, see the relevant subclass, e.g. G01; circuits for steering transducer arrays G10K11/34; basic circuits H03
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 2201/76 Medical, dental
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52019 Details of transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

An ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit is provided. The power circuit includes a high-voltage fixed power supply portion configured to boost a voltage of a low-voltage power supply and generate positive and negative voltages, a bias voltage output portion connected to the high-voltage fixed power supply portion and configured to output a bias voltage to a switch configured to switch an ultrasonic transducer configured to transmit and receive an ultrasonic wave, a transmission power supply portion connected to the high-voltage fixed power supply portion, the transmission power supply portion configured to supply transmission power for the ultrasonic wave to the ultrasonic transducer and configured to regenerate the transmission power as regeneration power to the high-voltage fixed power supply portion, and a regenerative electric power storage portion provided between the high-voltage fixed power supply portion and the transmission power supply portion and configured to store regeneration power.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit comprising:

a high-voltage fixed power supply portion configured to boost a voltage of a low-voltage power supply and generate positive and negative voltages;

a bias voltage output portion connected to said high-voltage fixed power supply portion and configured to output a bias voltage to a switch configured to switch an ultrasonic transducer configured to transmit and receive an ultrasonic wave;

a transmission power supply portion connected to said high-voltage fixed power supply portion, said transmission power supply portion configured to supply transmission power for the ultrasonic wave to the ultrasonic transducer and configured to regenerate the transmission power as regeneration power to said high-voltage fixed power supply portion; and

a regenerative electric power storage portion provided between said high-voltage fixed power supply portion and said transmission power supply portion and configured to store regeneration power from said transmission power supply portion.

2. The ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit according to claim 1, wherein said bias voltage output portion comprises a low pass filter.

3. The ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit according to claim 1, wherein the bias voltage output portion comprises a current limiting circuit.

4. The ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit according to claim 1, wherein an output voltage from said high-voltage fixed power supply portion equals the bias voltage.

5. The ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit according to claim 1, wherein said transmission power supply portion is configured to supply power to both said ultrasonic transducer and said high-voltage fixed power supply portion.

6. The ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit according to claim 5, wherein said transmission power supply portion comprises a synchronous buck circuit.

7. The ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit according to claim 6, wherein said transmission power supply portion is configured to generate positive and negative transmission voltages as the transmission voltage.

8. The ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit according to claim 7, wherein said synchronous buck circuit comprises a positive-side synchronous buck circuit configured to generate a positive transmission voltage and a negative-side synchronous buck circuit configured to generate a negative transmission voltage.

9. The ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit according to claim 1,

wherein said regenerative electric power storage portion comprises a diode and a capacitor serially connected to each other;

and

wherein the regeneration power is stored in said capacitor.

10. The ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit according to claim 9,

wherein said diode and said capacitor are provided between said high-voltage fixed power supply portion and a ground;

wherein said diode is provided toward said high-voltage fixed power supply portion; and

wherein said capacitor is provided toward said ground.

11. The ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit according to claim 10,

wherein said transmission power supply portion is connected between said diode and said capacitor.

12. The ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit according to claim 11, wherein said diode is provided in a direction such that said diode is configured to prevent a current regenerated from said transmission power supply portion from flowing backward to said high-voltage fixed power supply portion.

13. The ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit according to claim 8, wherein said regenerative electric power storage portion comprises a positive-side regenerative electric power storage portion configured to store regeneration power from said positive-side synchronous buck circuit and a negative-side regenerative electric power storage portion configured to store regeneration power from said negative-side synchronous buck circuit.

14. The ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operation stop portion configured to detect a voltage of said regenerative electric power storage portion and configured to stop and operation of said transmission power supply portion when a detected voltage reaches at least one of a predetermined value and a larger value.

15. An ultrasonic image display apparatus comprising an ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit comprising:

a high-voltage fixed power supply portion configured to boost a voltage of a low-voltage power supply and generate positive and negative voltages;

a bias voltage output portion connected to said high-voltage fixed power supply portion and configured to output a bias voltage to a switch configured to switch an ultrasonic transducer configured to transmit and receive an ultrasonic wave;

a transmission power supply portion connected to said high-voltage fixed power supply portion, said transmission power supply portion configured to supply transmission power for the ultrasonic wave to the ultrasonic transducer and configured to regenerate the transmission power as regeneration power to said high-voltage fixed power supply portion; and

a regenerative electric power storage portion provided between said high-voltage fixed power supply portion and said transmission power supply portion and configured to store regeneration power from said transmission power supply portion.

16. A method of assembling an ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit, said method comprising:

providing a high-voltage fixed power supply portion configured to boost a voltage of a low-voltage power supply and generate positive and negative voltages;

coupling a bias voltage output portion to the high-voltage fixed power supply portion, the bias voltage output portion configured to output a bias voltage to a switch configured to switch an ultrasonic transducer configured to transmit and receive an ultrasonic wave;

coupling a transmission power supply portion to the high-voltage fixed power supply portion, the transmission power supply portion configured to supply transmission power for the ultrasonic wave to the ultrasonic transducer and configured to regenerate the transmission power as regeneration power to the high-voltage fixed power supply portion; and

coupling a regenerative electric power storage portion between the high-voltage fixed power supply portion and the transmission power supply portion, the regenerating configured to store regeneration power from the transmission power supply portion.

17. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein coupling a bias voltage output portion comprises coupling a low pass filter to the high-voltage fixed power supply portion.

18. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein coupling a bias voltage output portion comprises coupling a current limiting circuit to the high-voltage fixed power supply portion.

19. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein coupling a transmission power supply portion comprises coupling a transmission power supply portion configured to supply power to both the ultrasonic transducer and the high-voltage fixed power supply portion.

20. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein coupling a transmission power supply portion comprises coupling a synchronous buck circuit to the high-voltage fixed power supply portion.