ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS

• US 20170003385A1
• Filed: 03/11/2016
• Published: 01/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: FUJIWARA, Shuta
• Granted Patent: US 11,163,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/5202 for pulse systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52096 related to power management, e.g. saving power or prolonging life of electronic components details of power supplies for ultrasonic medical diagnostic imaging devices A61B8/56

Abstract

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment includes regulator circuitry, transmission circuitry, and control circuitry. The regulator circuitry convert a power supply input in accordance with a driving pulse signal to generate an output signal. The transmission circuitry convert the output signal to a transmission pulse to drive a ultrasonic probe. The control circuitry generate a driving pulse signal to increase the output signal when allowing the transmission circuitry to generate a transmission pulse having a strength and/or a time width equal to or greater than a predetermined value, in comparison to when allowing the transmission circuitry to generate a transmission pulse having a strength and/or a time width equal to or less than the predetermined value.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

regulator circuitry configured to convert a power supply input in accordance with a driving pulse signal to generate an output signal;

transmission circuitry configured to convert the output signal to a transmission pulse to drive a ultrasonic probe; and

control circuitry configured to generate the driving pulse signal to increase the output signal when allowing the transmission circuitry to generate a transmission pulse having a strength and/or a time width equal to or greater than a predetermined value, in comparison to when allowing the transmission circuitry to generate a transmission pulse having a strength and/or a time width equal to or less than the predetermined value.

2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the regulator circuitry comprises:

first regulator circuitry configured to convert the power supply input in accordance with the driving pulse signal to generate a first output signal; and

second regulator circuitry configured to convert the first output signal based on a first instruction voltage signal corresponding to a peak value of a desired transmission pulse to generate a second output signal,

wherein the transmission circuitry convert the second output signal to the transmission pulse, and

the control circuitry generate the driving pulse signal to increase a potential difference between the first and second output signals relative to the second regulator circuitry when allowing the transmission circuitry to generate the transmission pulse having the strength and/or the time width equal to or greater than the predetermined value, in comparison to when allowing the transmission circuitry to generate the transmission pulse having the strength and/or the time width equal to or less than the predetermined value.

3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control circuitry comprise:

addition circuitry configured to add an adjustment voltage value to adjust the potential difference to the first instruction voltage signal to generate a second instruction voltage signal; and

generation circuitry configured to generate the driving pulse signal based on a comparison between the second instruction voltage signal and the first output signal,

wherein the addition circuitry increase the adjustment voltage value when generating the transmission pulse having the strength and/or the time width equal to or greater than the predetermined value, in comparison to when generating the transmission pulse having the strength and/or the time width equal to or less than the predetermined value.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the addition circuitry increase the adjustment voltage value to prevent a voltage value of the first output signal from falling below a voltage value of the second output signal when generating the transmission pulse having the strength and/or the time width equal to or greater than the predetermined value.

5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control circuitry comprise a generation circuitry configured to generate the driving pulse signal having a predetermined duty cycle when generating the transmission pulse having the strength and/or the time width equal to or greater than the predetermined value.

6. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control circuitry comprises:

addition circuitry configured to add an adjustment voltage value to adjust the potential difference to the first instruction voltage signal to generate a second instruction voltage signal; and

generation circuitry configured to generate the driving pulse signal by feedback control based on the second instruction voltage signal and the first output signal in a case of generating the transmission pulse having the strength and/or the time width equal to or less than the predetermined value, and to generate the driving pulse signal having the predetermined duty cycle only for a predetermined period after instructing generation of the transmission pulse having the strength and/or the time width equal to or greater than the predetermined value in a case of generating the transmission pulse having the strength and/or the time width equal to or greater than the predetermined value.

7. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined period is set to be a time period required for a duty cycle to reach a target value from an initial value in a case where the duty cycle is determined by the feedback control.

8. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the generation circuitry generate the driving pulse signal having the predetermined duty cycle when a current value of the second output signal from the second regulator circuitry reached a threshold.

9. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first regulator circuitry are a switching regulator circuitry, and the second regulator circuit is a linear regulator circuitry.

10. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission pulse having the strength and/or the time length equal to or greater than the predetermined value is a transmission pulse for ShearWave, or a transmission pulse for bursting bubbles included in a ultrasonic contrast agent.