Ultrasonic diagnostic device

• US 9,168,019 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2010
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.), Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Miyajima, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Brutus, Joel F
• Application Number:
  US13/128,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20110230767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,952 Days
• Field of Search: 600/407, 600/437, 600/459, 382/128
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/06 Measuring blood flow measuring volume flow in general G01F, e.g. G01F1/66, G01F1/72; measuring speed of fluids in general G01P5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/44 Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4444 related to the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/546 involving monitoring or regulation of device temperature

Abstract

An ultrasonic diagnostic device is characterized by being provided with a cooling mechanism for cooling an ultrasonic vibrator by circulating a refrigerant in a cable of an ultrasonic probe in which the ultrasonic vibrator is provided, a cooling abnormality detecting means for detecting the abnormal state of the cooling mechanism, and an operating means for, when the abnormal state of the cooling mechanism is detected by the cooling abnormality detecting means, performing a degraded operation in which the transmission/reception condition of the ultrasonic vibrator is changed according to the detected abnormal state.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic device, comprising:

a cooling mechanism configured to cool an ultrasonic probe unit by circulating a refrigerant in a cable of the ultrasonic probe unit in which ultrasonic transducers are provided;

a cooling abnormality detecting unit configured to detect an abnormal state in the cooling mechanism; and

an operating unit configured to, when the abnormal state of the cooling mechanism is detected by the cooling abnormality detecting unit, perform a fallback operation to change a transmission reception condition of the ultrasonic transducers in accordance with the detected abnormal state,

wherein a list of fallback operations with respect to the abnormal state is displayed on a display screen for selection by an operator.

2. The ultrasonic diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the abnormal state is a decrease in rotation or a stopping of a cooling fan in a connector unit of the ultrasonic probe unit.

3. The ultrasonic diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the fallback operations include limiting continuous use time.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the fallback operations include a change in the transmission reception condition, which is a change that includes a decrease in transmission beam width.

5. The ultrasonic diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the fallback operations include a change in the transmission reception condition, which is a change that includes intermittent scanning or an increase in a scanning interval.

6. The ultrasonic diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the fallback operations include inhibiting an operation mode or selection of a transmission reception condition in which power consumption is large.

7. The ultrasonic diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the fallback operations include a change in the transmission reception condition, which is a change that includes a decrease in a number of operating elements of the ultrasonic transducers.