ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS

• US 20130150723A1
• Filed: 02/04/2013
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: SATOH, Yoshiaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,801,612 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/459
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4411 Device being modular
• 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 8/4494 characterised by the arrangement of the transducer elements devices for short-range imaging using particular transducer elements arrangements under G01S15/8909; arrangements of transducers in generation of mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic frequency B06B1/0607
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8913 using separate transducers for transmission and reception
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8915 using a transducer array
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/5208 with integration of processing functions inside probe or scanhead
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52082 involving a modular construction, e.g. a computer with short range imaging equipment modular ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices A61B8/4411
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52098 related to workflow protocols

Abstract

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasound probe including a transducer array, and a back unit connected to the ultrasound probe by wireless communication and generating an ultrasound image based on reception signals outputted from the transducer array, the ultrasound probe including a middle unit connected to the back unit by wireless communication and a front unit detachably connected to the middle unit and including the transducer array, and the front unit having a transmission driver that supplies drive signals to the transducer array and causes the transducer array to transmit an ultrasonic beam and a preamplifier that amplifies reception signals outputted from the transducer array.

Claims

1. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising:

an ultrasound probe including a transducer array; and

a back unit connected to the ultrasound probe by wireless communication and generating an ultrasound image based on reception signals outputted from the transducer array,

wherein the ultrasound probe includes a middle unit connected to the back unit by wireless communication and a front unit detachably connected to the middle unit and including the transducer array, and

wherein the front unit has a transmission driver that supplies drive signals to the transducer array and causes the transducer array to transmit an ultrasonic beam and a preamplifier that amplifies reception signals outputted from the transducer array.

2. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the front unit and the middle unit comprise dedicated CPUs and are detachably connected to each other through a connector that includes a reception signal line for transmitting reception signals amplified by the preamplifier of the front unit and a communication line for transmitting signals between both CPUs.

3. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the front unit comprises a multiplexer connected to the transducer array.

4. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transducer array comprises a transmission transducer array dedicated to transmission and a reception transducer array dedicated to reception.

5. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transducer array comprises a transmission transducer array dedicated to transmission and a reception transducer array dedicated to reception.

6. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transducer array comprises a transmission transducer array dedicated to transmission and a reception transducer array dedicated to reception.

7. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transducer array comprises a dual-purpose transducer array for transmission and reception and a harmonic transducer array for harmonic component reception.

8. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transducer array comprises a dual-purpose transducer array for transmission and reception and a harmonic transducer array for harmonic component reception.

9. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transducer array comprises a dual-purpose transducer array for transmission and reception and a harmonic transducer array for harmonic component reception.

10. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the middle unit comprises an A/D converter converting reception signals amplified by the preamplifier of the front unit into a digital signal, a reception signal processor frequency-modulating the digital signal obtained through conversion by the A/D converter to a baseband frequency, and a parallel/serial converter serializing the signal that is frequency-modulated by the reception signal processor.

11. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the middle unit comprises an A/D converter converting reception signals amplified by the preamplifier of the front unit into a digital signal, a reception signal processor frequency-modulating the digital signal obtained through conversion by the A/D converter to a baseband frequency, and a parallel/serial converter serializing the signal that is frequency-modulated by the reception signal processor.

12. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the middle unit comprises an A/D converter converting reception signals amplified by the preamplifier of the front unit into a digital signal, a reception signal processor frequency-modulating the digital signal obtained through conversion by the A/D converter to a baseband frequency, and a parallel/serial converter serializing the signal that is frequency-modulated by the reception signal processor.

13. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the middle unit comprises an A/D converter converting reception signals amplified by the preamplifier of the front unit into a digital signal, a reception signal processor frequency-modulating the digital signal obtained through conversion by the A/D converter to a baseband frequency, and a parallel/serial converter serializing the signal that is frequency-modulated by the reception signal processor.

14. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the middle unit comprises an A/D converter converting reception signals amplified by the preamplifier of the front unit into a digital signal, a reception signal processor frequency-modulating the digital signal obtained through conversion by the A/D converter to a baseband frequency, and a parallel/serial converter serializing the signal that is frequency-modulated by the reception signal processor.

15. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the middle unit comprises at least one of an operating unit performing input operation into the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and a display unit displaying information.

16. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the middle unit comprises at least one of an operating unit performing input operation into the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and a display unit displaying information.

17. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the middle unit comprises at least one of an operating unit performing input operation into the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and a display unit displaying information.