JP2008113945A - Electronic treatment instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic treatment instrument that when driving a plurality of oscillators, can instantly switch to the optimum power source voltage for each oscillator and improve its ripple characteristics. <P>SOLUTION: When a plurality of ultrasonic oscillators 1a, 1b, 1c are driven with time division, the power source circuit 4 of driving circuits 2 for a plurality of ultrasonic oscillators 1a, 1b, 1c is composed of a main power source circuit 15 and an auxiliary power source circuit 16. The main power source circuit 15 has a large time constant and is a stable power source, while the auxiliary power source circuit 16 has a small time constant and can fast switch the power voltage. This makes it possible to fast switch the power source voltage for driving the ultrasonic oscillators 1a, 1b and 1c in a plurality of channels, and supply more stable power source with less ripples. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic treatment device that performs treatment by irradiating an affected part with electromagnetic waves or ultrasonic waves, and particularly relates to supply of power to a drive circuit.

  An optimum power supply voltage is supplied to a drive circuit for driving an electromagnetic wave oscillation vibrator or an ultrasonic vibrator in consideration of variations of the vibrators and amplitudes of the vibrators. For example, in Patent Document 1, a transmission power supply voltage switching signal is generated in a transmission power identification signal of a probe, an ultrasonic transmission signal applied to the probe from an ultrasonic transmission / reception circuit is changed, and an ultrasonic transmission is performed. An apparatus for correcting and controlling wave signal power is disclosed.

  In a drive circuit that drives multi-channel electromagnetic wave or ultrasonic transducers in a time-sharing manner, the power supply to the drive circuit is supplied so that an appropriate drive signal is supplied to each transducer every time the channel is switched. The voltage is switched.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of an ultrasonic drive circuit for driving a conventional multi-channel ultrasonic transducer. In FIG. 7, the oscillation output from the oscillation circuit 101 is supplied to the drive circuit 102. Drive power is supplied from the power supply circuit 103 to the drive circuit 102. The output signal of the drive circuit 102 is supplied to the output switching circuit 104. The output switching circuit 104 sequentially switches the drive signal from the drive circuit 102 and outputs it to the terminals 105a, 105b, 105c,. Ultrasonic transducers 106a, 106b, and 106c are connected to the terminals 105a, 105b, and 105c, respectively.

  Switching signals SW101, SW102, and SW103 are sequentially supplied to the output switching circuit 104 and the power supply circuit 103. By the switching signals SW101, SW102, and SW103, driving signals are sequentially supplied to the terminals 105a, 105b, and 105c, and the ultrasonic transducers 106a, 106b, and 106c are switched in a time division manner. Further, the output voltage of the power supply circuit 103 is switched at a timing synchronized with the switching of the ultrasonic transducers 106a, 106b, and 106c. As a result, an optimum drive voltage is supplied to the drive circuit 102 for each drive period of each of the ultrasonic transducers 106a, 106b, and 106c.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart of each part of the above-described conventional ultrasonic drive circuit. As shown in FIGS. 8A to 8C, the switching signals SW101, SW102, and SW103 sequentially become high level during the periods T100 to T101, T101 to T102, and T102 to T103. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8D, drive signals are sequentially supplied to the terminals 105a, 105b, 105c,. As shown in FIG. 8E, in the periods T100 to T101, T103 to T104,... In which the terminal 105a is selected, the drive voltage from the power supply circuit 103 is set to Va and the terminal 105b is selected. In T101 to T102, T104 to T105,..., The drive voltage from the power supply circuit 103 is set to Vb, and in the periods T102 to T103, T105 to T106,. Set to Vc.
JP-A-7-289553

  In the ultrasonic drive circuit that drives the multi-channel ultrasonic transducer described above, it is desirable that the power supply voltage be switched quickly each time the terminals 105a to 105c are switched, as shown in FIG. Further, it is desired that the power supply voltage has less ripple.

  However, if the time constant of the smoothing circuit of the power supply circuit is made small so that the power supply voltage can be switched at a high speed, there arises a problem that the ripple characteristics deteriorate. Further, if the time constant of the smoothing circuit of the power supply circuit is increased so as to improve the ripple characteristics, there arises a problem that the power supply voltage cannot be switched at high speed.

  That is, the voltage control circuit 110 of the power supply circuit includes, for example, a switch circuit 122a that switches between a transistor 120, Zener diodes 121a, 121b, and 121c having different Zener voltages, and Zener diodes 121a, 121b, and 121c, as shown in FIG. This can be realized by 122b and 122c. Zener voltages of the Zener diodes 121a, 121b, and 121c are values corresponding to the set voltages of the ultrasonic transducers 1a, 1b, and 1c. The switch circuits 122a, 122b, 122c are turned on / off by switching signals SW101, SW102, SW103. The output voltage of the electric voltage control circuit 110 is output through the smoothing circuit 111.

  The smoothing circuit 111 typically includes capacitors 131 and 132 and a choke coil 133 as shown in FIG. Increasing the capacitances of the capacitors 131 and 132 increases the time constant, and decreasing the capacitances of the capacitors 131 and 132 decreases the time constant.

  Here, when the smoothing circuit 111 having a small time constant is used, the power supply voltage can be switched quickly each time the terminal is switched as shown in FIG. However, in this case, as shown in FIG. 11, the power supply voltage is not stable, and the power supply includes many ripples.

  On the other hand, when the smoothing circuit 111 having a large time constant is used, the stability of the power supply voltage is improved and almost no ripple component is included, as shown in FIG. However, in this case, as shown in FIG. 12, it takes time until the power supply voltage switches to a desired voltage.

  In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic treatment device that can instantaneously switch to an appropriate power supply voltage for each transducer and improve ripple characteristics.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a plurality of vibration elements, an oscillation unit that outputs an oscillation signal for the plurality of vibration elements, and a drive for driving the plurality of vibration elements by the oscillation signal from the oscillation unit. Circuit, a power supply circuit for supplying drive power to the drive circuit, and output switching means for selectively supplying drive signals from the drive circuit to a plurality of vibration elements. The power supply circuit is a main power supply circuit having a large time constant. And an auxiliary power supply circuit having a small time constant, wherein the output of the auxiliary power supply circuit is superimposed on the output of the main power supply circuit and supplied to the drive circuit.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the voltage of the main power supply is made higher than the voltage of the auxiliary power supply.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the output of the auxiliary power supply circuit can be varied, and the voltage of the auxiliary power supply circuit is switched in accordance with the switching of the output switching means.

  Further, in the present invention, the outputs of the main power supply circuit and the auxiliary power supply circuit can be changed, and when the change voltage is small, the voltage of the auxiliary power supply circuit is switched according to the switching of the output switching means, and when the change voltage is large, The voltage of the main power supply circuit is switched.

  Also, the present invention is characterized in that the output of the main power supply circuit and the output of the auxiliary power supply circuit are superimposed with the same polarity.

  Also, the present invention is characterized in that the output of the main power supply circuit and the output of the auxiliary power supply circuit are superimposed with opposite polarities.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the main power supply circuit and the auxiliary power supply circuit are arranged in balance with respect to the drive circuit so as to overlap the output of the main power supply circuit and the output of the auxiliary power supply circuit.

  According to the present invention, the power supply from the main power supply circuit and the power supply from the auxiliary power supply circuit are superimposed to form a power supply for the ultrasonic transducer. The main power supply circuit has a large time constant and is a stable power supply, and the auxiliary power supply circuit has a small time constant and is a power supply capable of switching the power supply voltage at high speed. Thereby, the voltage of the drive power supply to the ultrasonic transducers of a plurality of channels can be switched quickly, and a stable power supply with little ripple can be supplied.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1a, 1b, and 1c are ultrasonic transducers.

  The ultrasonic transducers 1a, 1b, and 1c have unique resonance frequencies. The drive circuit 2 receives an oscillation signal from a VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) 3 and drives the ultrasonic transducers 1a, 1b, and 1c at a resonance frequency. Drive power is supplied from the power supply circuit 4 to the drive circuit 2.

  The power supply circuit 4 includes a main power supply circuit 15 and an auxiliary power supply circuit 16. The main power supply circuit 15 has a large time constant and is a stable power supply. The auxiliary power supply circuit 16 is a power supply that has a small time constant and can switch the power supply voltage at high speed. The power supply voltage of the main power supply circuit 15 is set larger than the power supply voltage of the auxiliary power supply circuit 16. As will be described later, the drive circuit 2 superimposes the output power supply from the main power supply circuit 15 and the output power supply from the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 to form a drive power supply for the ultrasonic transducers 1a, 1b, and 1c. ing.

  The VCO 3 is an oscillator whose oscillation frequency changes according to the control voltage at its control terminal. The oscillation frequency of the VCO 3 is controlled so as to be equal to the resonance frequency of the ultrasonic transducer 1.

  Output switching circuits 5a, 5b, and 5c are provided between the ultrasonic transducers 1a, 1b, and 1c of each channel and the drive circuit 2, respectively. The output switching circuits 5a, 5b, and 5c are supplied with switching signals SW1, SW2, and SW3 from the numerical operation circuit 6, respectively. The drive signals from the drive circuit 2 are selectively supplied to the ultrasonic transducers 1a, 1b, and 1c of the respective channels by the switching signals SW1, SW2, and SW3. Thereby, the ultrasonic transducers 1a, 1b, 1c of a plurality of channels are driven in a time division manner.

  Further, detection resistors 7a, 7b, 7c and detection processing circuits 8a, 8b, 8c are provided for the ultrasonic transducers 1a, 1b, 1c of the respective channels. Switching signals SW1, SW2, and SW3 are supplied to the detection processing circuits 8a, 8b, and 8c, respectively. The detection values of the detection resistors 7a, 7b, and 7c of each channel are sent to the buffer circuit 10, and are sent from the buffer circuit 10 to the numerical operation circuit 6 via the rectifier circuit 11 and the A / D converter 12.

  The numerical operation circuit 6 is constituted by, for example, a microprocessor. The numerical operation circuit 6 captures the detection output of the rectifier circuit 11 while continuously changing the oscillation frequency of the VCO 3, monitors the impedances of the ultrasonic transducers 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, and the ultrasonic transducers 1 a, 1 b. Each resonance frequency of 1c is detected.

  The impedances of the ultrasonic transducers 1a, 1b, and 1c are minimized at the resonance frequency. Therefore, the resonance frequency of the ultrasonic transducers 1a, 1b, and 1c of each channel can be detected by detecting the frequency at which the detection output of the rectifier circuit 11 becomes the minimum value when each channel is selected.

  When the numerical arithmetic circuit 6 detects the resonance frequency of the ultrasonic transducers 1a, 1b, and 1c from the frequency at which the detection output of the rectifier circuit 11 becomes the minimum value, it sets the control voltage at that time to VCO3. As a result, the oscillation frequency of the VCO 3 coincides with the resonance frequency of each ultrasonic transducer 1a, 1b, 1c. Thus, by detecting the resonance frequency of each ultrasonic transducer 1a, 1b, 1c and setting the oscillation frequency of the VCO 3 to the resonance frequency of each ultrasonic transducer 1a, 1b, 1c, each ultrasonic vibration The children 1a, 1b and 1c can be driven efficiently.

  Next, supply of power to the drive circuit 2 in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the power supply from the main power supply circuit 15 and the power supply from the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 are superimposed to form a power supply circuit for the drive circuit 2. The main power supply circuit 15 has a large time constant and is a stable power supply, and the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 has a small time constant and is a power supply capable of switching the power supply voltage at high speed. The power supply voltage of the main power supply circuit 15 is set to be higher than the power supply voltage of the auxiliary power supply circuit 16. Thereby, the voltage of the drive power supply to the ultrasonic transducers 1a, 1b, 1c of a plurality of channels can be switched quickly, and a stable power supply with little ripple can be supplied. This will be described below.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the main power supply circuit 15 and the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 are connected in series in the same polarity direction and supplied to the drive circuit 2. As described above, since the main power supply circuit 15 has a large time constant, the main power supply circuit 15 becomes a stable power supply with little ripple, but switching of the power supply voltage takes time. In contrast, the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 has a small time constant and can switch the power supply voltage at high speed, but has a large ripple. The auxiliary power supply circuit 16 is supplied with voltage setting signals SW1, SW2, and SW3. The output voltage of the auxiliary power circuit 16 is switched by the voltage setting signals SW1, SW2, and SW3. Thereby, the power supply voltage supplied to the drive circuit 2 is switched at a timing corresponding to the output switching circuits 5a, 5b, and 5c.

  For example, if the power supply voltage of the main power supply circuit 15 is 10 V and the power supply voltage of the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 is variable in three stages of 1 V, 2 V, and 3 V, the main power supply circuit 15 and the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 are superimposed. Thus, a power output of the sum of the power supply voltage (10V) of the main power supply circuit 15 and the power supply voltage (1V, 2V, 3V) of the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 (11V, 12V, 13V) is obtained.

  Here, since the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 has a small time constant, its voltage can be switched at high speed, but a large amount of ripple occurs. However, by overlapping the main power supply circuit 15 and the auxiliary power supply circuit 16, the ripple ratio of the drive power supply supplied to the drive circuit 2 can be lowered.

That is, for example, it is assumed that a ripple component of 0.3 V is generated in the auxiliary power supply circuit 16. This ripple component is 3V for the auxiliary power supply.
0.3 / 3 = 0.1
And a ripple rate of 10%.

However, when the main power supply circuit 15 and the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 are combined, a ripple component of 0.3 V is obtained with respect to a 13 V power supply.
0.3 / 13 = 0.023
Thus, the ripple rate is 2.3%, and the ripple rate is reduced.

  As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the power supply circuit that supplies power to the drive circuit 2 is composed of the main power supply circuit 15 and the auxiliary power supply circuit 16, and the main power supply circuit is configured. The time constant of 15 is increased to provide a stable power supply with little ripple, the time constant of the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 is reduced, and the power supply voltage is switched at high speed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the voltage of the drive power source to the ultrasonic transducers 1a, 1b, 1c of a plurality of channels can be switched quickly corresponding to the switching of the ultrasonic transducers 1a, 1b, 1c. In addition, a stable power source with little ripple can be supplied. In FIG. 3, periods T0 to T1, T3 to T4,... Are driving periods of the ultrasonic transducer 1a, and the voltage VA is set between them. Periods T1 to T2, T4 to T5,... Are driving periods of the ultrasonic transducer 1b, and the voltage VB is set between them. Periods T2 to T3, T5 to T6,... Are driving periods of the ultrasonic transducer 1b, and the voltage VC is set during this period.

  In the first embodiment described above, the output voltage of the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 can be switched to, for example, three stages of 1V, 2V, and 3V, the output voltage of the main power supply circuit 15 is 10V, and the main power supply Although the circuit 15 and the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 are superimposed so that the polarities are in the same direction, the power supply voltage is an example, and any power supply voltage may be set.

  FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment described above, the voltage of the main power supply circuit 15 is fixed, and the power supply to the drive circuit 2 is switched by switching the voltage of the auxiliary power supply circuit 16, but in this second embodiment, The power supply voltage of the main power supply circuit 15 is also variable. In other words, in this embodiment, the output voltage of the auxiliary power circuit 16 is switched by the voltage setting signals SW1 and SW2, and the output voltage of the main power circuit 15 is switched by the voltage setting signal SW11. When the change voltage is small, the voltage of the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 is switched. When the change voltage is large, the voltage of the main power supply circuit 15 is switched. About another structure, it is the same as that of the above-mentioned 1st Embodiment.

  In addition, if the main power supply circuit 15 that controls the output voltage by switching control and the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 that controls the output voltage by analog control (such as a shunt regulator) are used, the loss can be kept low. Is also possible.

  FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment described above, the main power supply circuit 15 and the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 are connected and overlapped so that the polarities are in the same direction, whereas in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. Thus, the main power supply circuit 15 and the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 are connected and overlapped so that the polarities are in opposite directions. In the case of the first embodiment, the sum of the output voltage of the main power supply circuit 15 and the output voltage of the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 becomes the voltage of the drive power supply for the drive circuit 2. In the case of this second embodiment, The difference between the output voltage of the main power supply circuit 15 and the output voltage of the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 is the voltage of the drive power supply for the drive circuit 2. About another structure, it is the same as that of the above-mentioned 1st Embodiment.

  FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the main power supply circuit 15 and the auxiliary power supply circuit 16 are arranged in balance with respect to the drive circuit 2, and the drive power supply for the drive circuit 2 is driven by the balanced power supply. About another structure, it is the same as that of the above-mentioned 1st Embodiment.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  The present invention can be applied to various power supply circuits that switch power supply voltages in a time-sharing manner in addition to being used as a power supply circuit for an electronic therapy device using electromagnetic waves or ultrasonic waves.

It is a block diagram of a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of the power supply circuit in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a wave form diagram used for description of the power supply circuit in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the power supply circuit in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the power supply circuit in the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of an example of the ultrasonic drive circuit which drives the conventional multichannel ultrasonic transducer | vibrator. It is a timing diagram used for description of the ultrasonic drive circuit which drives the conventional multichannel ultrasonic transducer | vibrator. It is explanatory drawing of the power supply circuit in the ultrasonic drive circuit which drives the conventional multichannel ultrasonic transducer | vibrator. It is explanatory drawing of the smoothing circuit of the power supply circuit in the ultrasonic drive circuit which drives the conventional multichannel ultrasonic transducer | vibrator. It is explanatory drawing of the power supply circuit in the ultrasonic drive circuit which drives the conventional multichannel ultrasonic transducer | vibrator. It is explanatory drawing of the power supply circuit in the ultrasonic drive circuit which drives the conventional multichannel ultrasonic transducer | vibrator.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1a, 1b, 1c Ultrasonic vibrator 2 Drive circuit 4 Power supply circuit 5a, 5b, 5c Output switching circuit 6 Numerical operation circuit 8a, 8b, 8c Detection processing circuit 10 Buffer circuit 11 Rectifier circuit 12 A / D converter 15 Main power supply Circuit 16 Auxiliary power circuit

Claims (7)

A plurality of vibration elements;
An oscillating means for outputting an oscillation signal for the plurality of vibration elements;
A drive circuit for driving the plurality of vibration elements by an oscillation signal from the oscillation means;
A power supply circuit for supplying drive power to the drive circuit;
An output switching means for selectively supplying a drive signal from the drive circuit to the plurality of vibration elements;
The power supply circuit includes a main power supply circuit having a large time constant and an auxiliary power supply circuit having a small time constant, and superimposes the output of the auxiliary power supply circuit on the output of the main power supply circuit and supplies the output to the drive circuit. An electronic therapy device characterized by that.   The electronic therapy device according to claim 1, wherein the voltage of the main power source is set higher than the voltage of the auxiliary power source.   The electronic therapy device according to claim 1, wherein the output of the auxiliary power supply circuit is variable, and the voltage of the auxiliary power supply circuit is switched according to switching of the output switching means.   The outputs of the main power supply circuit and the auxiliary power supply circuit are variable, and when the change voltage is small, the voltage of the auxiliary power supply circuit is switched according to the switching of the output switching means, and when the change voltage is large, the main power supply circuit and the auxiliary power supply circuit are switched. 2. The electronic therapy device according to claim 1, wherein the voltage of the power supply circuit is switched.   The electronic therapy device according to claim 1, wherein the output of the main power supply circuit and the output of the auxiliary power supply circuit are superimposed with the same polarity.   The electronic therapy device according to claim 1, wherein the output of the main power supply circuit and the output of the auxiliary power supply circuit are superimposed with opposite polarities.   The main power supply circuit and the auxiliary power supply circuit are arranged in balance with respect to the drive circuit so as to overlap the output of the main power supply circuit and the output of the auxiliary power supply circuit. The electronic therapy device according to 1.

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