JP2006288896A - Ultrasonograph - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To use an outside interface function of an internal PC part without having an exclusive connector separately. <P>SOLUTION: Changeover switches 231, 232, and 233 have an RS232C connector 221, a USB connector 222, and a LAN connector 223 connected respectively to connectors 51, 52, and 53 on the side of a side panel section 50 to be connected via cables C11, C12, and C13 respectively to an RS232C interface 211, a USB interface 212, and an LAN interface 213 which are each an outside interface function on the side of an host box section 20, or via cables C21, C22, and C23 to an RS232C interface/connector 67, a USB interface/connector 68, and a LAN interface/connector 69 which are each an outside interface function on the side of an internal PC section 60. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having an interface for connecting an external printer or the like.

  FIG. 2 shows a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having an interface for connecting an external printer or the like. This apparatus is schematically shown as a card box unit 10, a host box unit 20, a monitor 30, and an operator unit 40. A side panel unit 50, an internal PC (personal computer) unit 60, and a power supply box unit 70. The overall control of the apparatus is performed by the internal PC unit 60 controlling the host box unit 20 and by controlling other blocks via the host box unit 20.

  The card box unit 10 has probe connectors 11, 12, and 13 for connecting various ultrasonic probes (not shown), and transmits and receives ultrasonic signals to and from the host box unit 20 via the cable C1. The host box unit 20 includes a mother board 21. The mother board 21 includes an ultrasonic signal transmission / reception unit, an image processing circuit (all not shown), an RS232C interface 211, a USB interface 212, and a LAN interface 213 as external interfaces. The interfaces 211, 212, and 213 are connected to an RS232C connector 221, a USB connector 222, and a LAN connector 223 provided at the edge portion of the mother board 21 of the host box unit 20, respectively. The connectors 221, 222, and 223 are connected to an RS232C connector 51, a USB connector 52, and a LAN connector 53 provided on the side panel unit 50 via an RS232C cable C2, a USB cable C3, and a LAN cable C4, respectively. The connectors 51, 52, 53 on the side panel 50 side can be connected to an external device via respective interface cables (not shown).

  The operator unit 40 includes a main panel 41, a sub panel 42, and a slide keyboard 43, and is connected to the host box unit 20 via a cable C5. The internal PC unit 60 uses a general-purpose PC, and includes a power supply board 61, a mother board 62, an HDD part 63, a CD-R / W part 64, a LAN board 65, a cooling fan 66, an RS232C. It has an interface / connector 67, a USB interface / connector 68, and a LAN interface / connector 69, and is connected to the host box unit 20 via a cable C6. The power supply box unit 70 includes a switching regulator 71 and an insulating transformer 72, and supplies necessary power to the card box unit 10, the host box unit 20 and the like via a cable C7.

Here, as a conventional technique for effectively using the internal circuit of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in common, the following Patent Document 1 confirms the success or failure of reading the ultrasonic probe ID and control data for the built-in circuit, and exchanges data. A method for connecting a probe and an apparatus main body that does not increase the number of connected products for the device is disclosed, and the following Patent Document 2 stores a memory for storing an image obtained from an ultrasonic probe and an image reproduced from a VTR. A method that also uses a memory is disclosed.
JP-A-5-137724 (Abstract) Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-93408 (abstract)

  However, in the conventional example shown in FIG. 2, only the external interface functions (RS232C interface 211, USB interface 212, LAN interface 213) on the host box unit 20 side are effective, and the external interface function is external on the internal PC unit 60 side. Since the interface functions (RS232C interface / connector 67, USB interface / connector 68, LAN interface / connector 69) are not used, there is a problem that an application using a general-purpose OS cannot be used. For this reason, for example, even if a LAN is built in the hospital, it cannot be connected to the LAN in the hospital using a LAN application compatible with the general-purpose OS on the internal PC unit 60 side, and the general-purpose OS on the internal PC unit 60 side There is a problem that it is not possible to output to an external printer using a compatible printer application.

  Here, in order to validate the external interface function on the internal PC unit 60 side, a dedicated connector connected to each of the interface / connectors 67, 68, 69 is provided on the side panel unit 50 side separately from the connectors 51, 52, 53. If it is provided, the connector configuration of the side panel unit 50 is expensive and complicated for the user, and if the connector configuration is complicated, there is a possibility that the user may be erroneously connected.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can utilize the external interface function of the internal PC unit without providing a dedicated connector.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention generates an ultrasonic diagnostic image and has a host unit having an interface with other devices,
An internal personal computer unit that controls the host unit and has an interface with other devices;
A connector for connecting to an external device;
Switching means for selectively switching the connector to the interface on the host unit side or the interface on the internal personal computer unit side is provided.
With this configuration, the connector for connecting to the external device is selectively switched to the interface on the host unit side or the interface on the internal personal computer unit side, so that the external interface function of the internal personal computer unit is not provided with a separate connector. Can be used.

Further, the interface is any one of an RS232C interface, a USB interface, and a LAN interface.
With this configuration, the RS232C interface, USB interface, and LAN interface of the internal personal computer unit can be used without separately providing a dedicated connector.

  According to the present invention, the connector for connecting to the external device is selectively switched to the interface on the host unit side or the interface on the internal PC unit side, so that the external interface function of the internal PC unit is not provided separately. Can be used.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention. The schematic configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is the same as that of a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and includes a card box unit 10, a host box unit 20, a monitor 30, an operator unit 40, and a side panel unit. 50, the internal PC unit 60, and the power supply box unit 70, but the configuration of the host box unit 20 and the connection state of the host box unit 20 and the internal PC unit 60 are different.

  The host box unit 20 is provided with changeover switches 231, 232, and 233, and the changeover switches 231, 232, and 233 are provided on the edge portion of the substrate of the host box unit 20, respectively. RS232C connector 221, USB connector 222, and LAN connector 223 connected to 52 and 53 are connected to the RS232C interface 211, USB interface 212, LAN, which are external interface functions on the host box unit 20 side, via cables C 11, C 12, and C 13. RS232C interface / connector 67, USB interface / connector 6 which is an external interface function on the internal PC section 60 side via the cables C21, C22, C23 , And is configured to connect to a LAN interface / connector 69. Since other configurations are the same as those of the conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the above configuration, the user switches the changeover switches 231, 232, and 233 to the internal PC unit 60 side to connect the LAN connector 53 on the side panel unit 50 side using a LAN application compatible with the general-purpose OS on the internal PC unit 60 side. Via the RS232C connector 51 and USB connector 52 on the side panel unit 50 and output to an external printer using a general-purpose OS compatible printer application on the internal PC unit 60 side can do. The configuration of the changeover switches 231, 232, and 233 may be a mechanical switch that is manually switched by the user, or may be a configuration that is switched by software from the internal PC unit 60 side (or the host box unit 20 side).

  Since the present invention selectively switches the connector for connecting to an external device to the interface on the host box side or the interface on the internal PC unit side, the external interface function of the internal PC unit can be used without providing a dedicated connector separately. And can be used in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

20 Host box section 60 Internal PC section 67 RS232C interface / connector 68 USB interface / connector 69 LAN interface / connector 211 RS232C interface 212 USB interface 213 LAN interface 221 RS232C connector 222 USB connector 223 LAN connector 231, 232, 233 changeover switch

Claims (4)

A host unit that generates an ultrasound diagnostic image and has an interface with another device;
An internal personal computer unit that controls the host unit and has an interface with other devices;
A connector for connecting to an external device;
Switching means for switching the connector to selectively connect the interface on the host unit side or the interface on the internal personal computer unit side;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interface is an RS232C interface.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interface is a USB interface. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interface is a LAN interface.