ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS

• US 20160095582A1
• Filed: 10/01/2015
• Published: 04/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.), Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: IWAMA, Nobuyuki, HONGOU, Hironobu, MORIKAWA, Koichi, OKUMURA, Takatoshi, UCHIUMI, lsao
• Granted Patent: US 10,390,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4416 related to combined acquisition of different diagnostic modalities, e.g. combination of ultrasound and X-ray acquisitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/485 involving measuring strain or elastic properties
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5246 combining images from the same or different imaging techniques, e.g. color Doppler and B-mode
• 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: A61M 37/0092 using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic vibrations, e.g. phonophoresis

Abstract

In general, according to one embodiment, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe, a plurality of power supplies implemented by circuitry, at least one pulser, and a controller implemented by circuitry. The ultrasonic probe includes a plurality of piezoelectric transducers which generate ultrasonic waves in response to supplied driving signals. The pulser outputs the driving signal based on an applied voltage applied from any one of the plurality of power supplies. The controller switches the plurality of power supplies in accordance with the at least one pulser used for generation of the driving signal in one transmission mode period.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic probe including a plurality of piezoelectric transducers, configured to generate ultrasonic waves in response to supplied driving signals;

a plurality of power supplies implemented by circuitry;

at least one pulser configured to output the driving signal based on an applied voltage from one of the plurality of power supplies; and

a controller implemented by circuitry, configured to switch between the plurality of power supplies in accordance with the at least one pulser used to generate the driving signal in one transmission mode period.

2. The apparatus according to the claim 1, wherein the transmission mode is push pulse transmission in shear wave elastography.

3. The apparatus according to the claim 1, wherein the transmission mode is ultrasonic transmission for drug delivery.

4. The apparatus according to the claim 1, wherein the controller switches between the power supplies at predetermined time intervals.

5. The apparatus according to the claim 1, wherein the controller switches between the power supplies for each predetermined pulse output count.

6. The apparatus according to the claim 1, further comprising a monitoring unit implemented by circuitry, configured to monitor the applied voltage,

wherein the controller switches between the power supplies every time the applied voltage becomes lower than a predetermined threshold.

7. The apparatus according to the claim 1, wherein the controller changes an open voltage of an inactive power supply.

8. The apparatus according to the claim 1, wherein the plurality of power supplies each comprise at least one of a power source, a storage battery, and a capacitor.