JP4855317B2 - Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and ultrasonic transducer connection relation determination method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that performs imaging of an organ or the like in a living body by transmitting / receiving ultrasonic waves to generate an ultrasonic image used for diagnosis. Furthermore, the present invention relates to an ultrasonic transducer connection relation determination method used in such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

  In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus used for medical use, an object is usually scanned with an ultrasonic beam formed by combining a plurality of ultrasonic waves using an ultrasonic probe, and reflected inside the object. By receiving the ultrasonic echo, image information relating to the tissue of the subject is obtained based on the intensity of the ultrasonic echo. According to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, since the living body is acoustically measured using ultrasonic waves, the tissue properties of the organ in the living body can be diagnosed noninvasively.

  An ultrasonic probe used in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is composed of an array transducer in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves are arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally. The array transducer and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus are connected using a dedicated connector connected to the array transducer via a probe cable including a plurality of small coaxial cables.

Since the wiring process of the coaxial cable that connects the array transducer and a plurality of terminals provided in the dedicated connector is performed while making the correspondence between the number of the ultrasonic transducer and the number of the terminal while measuring with a tester, It took time and effort. Therefore, this wiring process has been improved by the color coding of the coaxial cable described in Patent Document 1.
JP 2003-61954 A

  However, with the advancement of sophistication of ultrasonic diagnostic technology, the number of elements in an array transducer has been increasing in recent years, and accordingly, coaxial cables are becoming thinner and more multi-core. Under such circumstances, even if the method of color coding of the coaxial cable shown in Patent Document 1 is adopted, the coaxial cable wiring process performed while matching the order between the number of the ultrasonic transducer and the number of the terminal is a great deal of labor. It took time and the solution was a problem.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and in the coaxial cable wiring process, using a tester or the like, the order is matched between the number of the ultrasonic transducer and the number of the terminal. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that eliminates the need for wiring work and can greatly simplify the wiring work process by randomly performing wiring work between each ultrasonic transducer and each connector terminal, and its An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic transducer connection relation determining method used in such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

  In order to solve the above problems, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is provided in a plurality of ultrasonic transducers and a connector used to connect the plurality of ultrasonic transducers to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body. , An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using an ultrasonic probe comprising a plurality of terminals electrically connected to a plurality of ultrasonic transducers, by supplying a plurality of drive signals to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, Provided in a connector connected to the ultrasonic probe and a transmission / reception circuit for receiving a plurality of detection signals respectively outputted from a plurality of ultrasonic transducers that transmit ultrasonic waves to a plurality of ultrasonic transducers and receiving ultrasonic echoes A plurality of ultrasonic transducers and transmission / reception circuits connected between the plurality of terminals and the transmission / reception circuits. A connection selection switch for switching a connection relationship between the storage unit, a storage unit for storing connection relationship data representing a connection relationship between a plurality of ultrasonic transducers and a plurality of terminals in the ultrasonic probe, and an ultrasonic probe for ultrasonic diagnosis When connected to the apparatus body, the storage unit retrieves connection relation data corresponding to the ultrasonic probe, and when connection relation data does not exist in the storage unit, a plurality of test sound signals generated from the sound source are received. By measuring the reception timing of the ultrasonic transducer, connection relation data is generated and stored in the storage unit, and a plurality of ultrasonic transducers and transmission / reception circuits are connected based on the generated connection relation data, and connection relation data is obtained. A plurality of ultrasonic transformers based on the connection relation data read from the storage unit. And a control unit for controlling the connection selection switch to connect the Yusa and reception circuit.

  In addition, an ultrasonic transducer connection relation determination method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers and a plurality of ultrasonic transducers provided on a connector used for connecting the ultrasonic transducers to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body. In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using an ultrasonic probe having a plurality of terminals, a method for determining a connection relationship between a plurality of ultrasonic transducers and a plurality of terminals, wherein the ultrasonic probe is connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body. (A) for searching connection relation data corresponding to the ultrasonic probe in the storage unit of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body and a test sound wave generated from the sound source when the connection relation data does not exist in the storage part Storage unit that generates connection relation data by measuring reception timings of a plurality of ultrasonic transducers that receive signals Step (b) of connecting a plurality of ultrasonic transducers and transmission / reception circuits based on the generated connection relation data and reading from the storage section when the connection relation data exists in the storage section And a step (c) of connecting a plurality of ultrasonic transducers and a transmission / reception circuit based on the connection relation data.

  According to the present invention, the wiring work process is greatly simplified by performing the wiring work randomly without corresponding the order between the transducer number and the terminal number of the connector. Such randomly wired ultrasonic probes can be used.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In the following embodiment, in order to simplify the description, an ultrasonic beam is formed by simultaneously driving 11 ultrasonic transducers using a linear array in which 27 ultrasonic transducers are arranged in a one-dimensional manner. However, the present invention does not depend on the number of ultrasonic transducers or the shape of the array, and can be applied to the case where an array in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are arranged in a two-dimensional manner is used. is there.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 includes an ultrasonic probe 2 and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 4 connected to the ultrasonic probe 2 via a connection connector 3. The connection connector 3 includes a connection connector 3a on the ultrasonic probe side and a connection connector 3b on the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body side, and the connection connectors 3a and 3b are provided with a plurality of terminals.

  The ultrasonic probe 2 transmits an ultrasonic wave according to the supplied drive signal, and connects a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 24 that receive an ultrasonic echo and output a detection signal, and the ultrasonic transducer 24 and the connection connector 3a. And a probe cable 23 including a plurality of coaxial cables.

  As the ultrasonic transducer, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic represented by PZT (lead zirconate titanate: Pb (lead) zirconate titanate) or a polymer piezoelectric element such as PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) is used. In addition, in recent years, a piezoelectric element including PZNT (an oxide containing lead, zinc, niobium, and titanium), which is expected to contribute to the improvement of sensitivity and bandwidth of an ultrasonic transducer, may be used.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 4 includes a connection selection switch 41, a transmission / reception unit 42, a signal processing unit 43, a system control unit 44, an image processing unit 45, a DSC 46, a D / A converter 47, and a display unit. 48, and processing the detection signal output from the ultrasonic probe 2 to generate an image signal, thereby displaying an ultrasonic image on the display unit 48.

  The connection selection switch 41 selects the ultrasonic transducer 24 and connects it to the transmission / reception unit 42. The transmission / reception unit 42 includes a plurality of transmission circuits 421, a plurality of reception circuits 422, and a plurality of A / D converters 423. The plurality of transmission circuits 421 generate a plurality of drive signals having delay amounts corresponding to the respective ultrasonic transducers under the control of the system control unit 44 and supply them to the ultrasonic transducers 24. Thereby, transmission beam formation is performed, and an ultrasonic beam is transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 2 in a desired direction. The plurality of reception circuits 422 perform processing such as amplification on the plurality of detection signals output from the ultrasonic transducer 24.

  The transmitter circuit 421 is provided for m channels from Tx1 to Txm, and the receiver circuit 422 is provided for n channels from Rx1 to Rxn. In one embodiment of the present invention, the case where m = n = 11 is taken as an example. Will be described. The A / D converter 423 converts the analog signal output from the receiving circuit 422 into a digital signal and inputs the digital signal to the signal processing unit 43.

  The signal processing unit 43 performs delay processing on the detection signals output from the plurality of A / D converters 423, and adds the detection signals subjected to the delay processing. Thereby, reception beam forming is performed. The signal processing unit 43 generates envelope data based on the added detection signal and outputs the envelope data.

  The image processing unit 45 generates and outputs B-mode image data based on the envelope data. The DSC 46 converts the B-mode image data into image data according to a normal television signal scanning method (raster conversion), and performs necessary image processing such as gradation processing to generate image data for display. The D / A converter 47 converts the display image data into an analog image signal and outputs the analog image signal to the display unit 48.

  The electronic scanning method in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 forms an ultrasonic beam that converges to one focal point by supplying a drive signal with a desired delay to a plurality of ultrasonic transducers and performing a transmission operation having a time difference. At the same time, a desired delay is added to a plurality of detection signals output from the plurality of ultrasonic transducers and then added to form one focal point in the received ultrasonic echo. By moving this focal point, the entire imaging region of the subject is scanned. In the ultrasonic beam forming operation, a “sparse array” (sparse array) that uses only a part of ultrasonic detection elements from among a plurality of ultrasonic detection elements may be used.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of forming an ultrasonic beam when a 27-channel array is simultaneously driven by an 11-channel transmission circuit. In that case, the ultrasonic transducer used for one transmission and reception is a part of the entire array. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body 4 is equipped with the same number of transmission / reception circuits as the number of ultrasonic transducers to be connected, and scanning is performed while switching the connection between the ultrasonic transducers and the transmission / reception circuits for each transmission / reception. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, a connection selection switch 41 such as a crosspoint switch is installed between the ultrasonic probe connector 3 and the transmission / reception unit 42, and the connection selection switch 41 transmits and receives the transmission / reception unit based on the connection relation data. While switching the connection between 42 and the ultrasonic transducer 24, transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves is performed.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic probe used in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasonic probe 2 includes an ultrasonic probe tip 21 used in contact with a subject, an ultrasonic probe connection 22 connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body 4 (FIG. 1), and an ultrasonic probe tip. 21 and a probe cable 23 for connecting the ultrasonic probe connecting portion 22.

  The ultrasonic probe tip 21 includes an ultrasonic transducer 24 that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, and a flexible substrate (FPC) 25 that connects the ultrasonic transducer 24 and the probe cable 23. The ultrasonic probe tip 21 may further include an acoustic lens 26 at the tip of the ultrasonic transducer 24.

  The ultrasonic probe connection unit 22 includes a connection connector 3 a connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 4. Furthermore, the ultrasonic probe connection part 22 may have a relay board 27 for connecting the connection connector 3a and the probe cable 23, and has an intermediate connector 28 between the connection connector 3a and the relay board 27. May be.

  Next, the wiring connection work process of the coaxial cable 29 of the ultrasonic probe 2 shown in FIG. 3 will be described. The length of the coaxial cable 29 is about 2.5 m for the ultrasonic probe for the body surface and 3 m or more for the ultrasonic probe for the endoscope. Therefore, it is complicated to manage the wiring order of the coaxial cables during the wiring work. Requires a process.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to simplify this complicated process, the plurality of coaxial cables 29 that connect the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 24 and the plurality of terminals of the connection connector 3a are the numbers of the ultrasonic transducers 24. And the terminal numbers are randomly connected without regularity without taking a one-to-one correspondence.

  Specifically, first, the first terminals of the plurality of coaxial cables 29 are soldered to the signal extraction portion of the flexible substrate 25 to which the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 24 are connected, without being conscious of the color or the order. Connect randomly. Next, the second terminals of the plurality of coaxial cables 29 are connected to the plurality of terminals of the connection connector 3a without considering the number of the ultrasonic transducer 24 to which the first terminal of the coaxial cable 29 is connected. Connect at random. In practice, the coaxial cable 29 is not directly connected to the terminal of the connection connector 3a, but the relay board 27 and the intermediate connector 28 for connecting the coaxial cable are generally used.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body 4 shown in FIG. 1 has a correspondence between a connector terminal number and an ultrasonic transducer 24 for each ultrasonic probe type and / or identification number, that is, a plurality of randomly connected ultrasonic transducers 24. a plurality of terminals of the connector 3a is stored actually how the connection relationship data indicating whether it is connected to the table 50 of the storage unit 49.

  When the ultrasonic probe 2 is connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 4, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 4 specifies the type and / or identification number of the connected ultrasonic probe, and uses the specified ultrasonic probe. Corresponding connection relation data is searched in the storage unit 49. The probe type and / or identification number may be specified by reading from the ultrasonic probe terminal connection information that uniquely defines the probe type and / or identification number. And the type and / or identification number of the probe may be read from the storage unit.

  When the storage unit 49 is searched and the corresponding connection relation data exists, the transmission / reception operation of the ultrasonic probe 2 can be executed. If the corresponding connection relationship data does not exist when the storage unit 49 is searched, the measurement of the connection relationship described below is performed, and the plurality of randomly connected ultrasonic transducers 24 and the connection connectors 3a are measured. Connection relation data representing how the plurality of terminals are actually connected is created and stored in the storage unit 49 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body 4.

  Hereinafter, generation of connection relation data of the ultrasonic transducer will be described. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 4 can determine the connection relationship of the ultrasonic transducers in addition to the transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves and the diagnostic image forming operation normally performed in ultrasonic diagnosis. The determination of the connection relationship is executed by the transmission / reception unit 42 and the control unit 44 shown in FIG. Therefore, it is not necessary to add new components to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 4, so that the cost is not increased.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of determining the connection relationship of the ultrasonic transducer using a fixed point sound source. As shown in FIG. 4, the ultrasonic probe 2 for determining the connection relationship of the ultrasonic transducer is connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 4 via a connection connector. The ultrasonic transducer in the ultrasonic probe 2 is connected to a connection relation inspection / determination unit 51 including a transmission / reception unit 42 and a control unit 44 via a connection selection switch 41 in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body.

  In order to determine the connection relationship of the ultrasonic transducer, a point sound source 57 is installed in the acoustic medium on the entire surface of the ultrasonic probe 2. The connection relation inspection / determination unit 51 is output from a phantom in which a point sound source 57 is installed in an acoustic medium and an individual ultrasonic transducer 24 that receives a test sound wave signal (pulsed ultrasonic wave) transmitted from the point sound source 57. An amplifier (AMP) 53 for amplifying the detected signal, an A / D converter (ADC) 54 for A / D converting the amplified detection signal output from the amplifier 53 and outputting detected data, and an A / D A storage device (MEMO) 55 such as a memory for storing detection data output from the converter 54 and a control unit (CPU) 56 for processing the measured signal are included.

  In an embodiment of the present invention, a case where an ultrasonic beam is formed by simultaneously driving 11 ultrasonic transducers using a linear array in which 27 ultrasonic transducers are arranged in a one-dimensional manner will be described. In this case, since the reception timing of the 27 ultrasonic transducers is measured by the 11-channel reception circuit, three measurements are required to create connection relation data. The reception timing measurement in this embodiment can be applied to an array in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are two-dimensionally arranged, without depending on the number of ultrasonic transducers or the shape of the array.

  The control unit 56 detects the reception timings of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 24 based on the detection data stored in the storage device 55, and the connection relation of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 24 based on the detected reception timings. Is generated to generate connection relationship data representing the connection relationship between the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 24 and the plurality of terminals of the connection connector 3a (FIG. 2), and the storage unit 49 in the ultrasonic receiver main body. The connection relation data is written in (FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIG. 4, since the point sound source 57 is installed at the upper end of the array transducer, it is determined that the first terminal from the bottom with the earliest reception timing of the test sound wave signal is connected to the ultrasonic transducer T1. it can. Subsequently, it can be determined that the first terminal from the top with the second earliest reception timing of the test sound wave signal is connected to the ultrasonic transducer T2. In this way, by checking the reception timing at all terminals, it is possible to specify the connection relationship of the ultrasonic transducers connected to each terminal.

  In two adjacent ultrasonic transducers, the greater the difference in distance between the ultrasonic transducer and the point sound source, the greater the difference in reception timing of the ultrasonic transducer, and the easier it is to identify the connection relationship. On the contrary, in the case of the sound source position shown in FIG. 4, it is difficult to specify the connection relationship of the ultrasonic transducers near the upper end. The problem is that the connection relationship is determined by measuring at the sound source position shown in FIG. 4, then the point sound source 57 is moved to the lower end of the array transducer, and the reception timings of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 24 are measured. This is solved by combining and determining a plurality of connection relationship determination results with different positions of the point sound source 57, and accurate connection relationship data can be obtained.

  In the fixed sound source method described above, when a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are arranged in a convex shape having a large angle, an ultrasonic transducer that does not reach the ultrasonic wave may occur. In addition, even if a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are arranged in a linear shape, if the number of ultrasonic transducers is large, the acoustic lens has a large attenuation, and an ultrasonic transducer that can receive only a weak test acoustic wave signal may be generated. is there. In such a case, it is difficult to specify the connection relationship with the fixed sound source method.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method of determining the connection relationship of ultrasonic transducers using a moving point sound source. As shown in FIG. 5, the point sound source 57 is moved along the transmission surface of the array transducer, and the reception timing is measured every time it moves 1 / N times (N is an integer) the arrangement pitch of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers. Thus, even in the above case, the reception timing can be accurately measured, and the connection relationship of the ultrasonic transducer can be specified.

  In the above description, a point sound source installed outside the ultrasonic probe is used. However, a reflector is installed instead of the point sound source, and pulsed ultrasonic waves are transmitted from at least one ultrasonic transducer, and reflected. The connection relationship of the ultrasonic transducers may be specified by measuring the reception timing of the ultrasonic waves reflected by the body.

  Further, in the case shown in FIG. 4, since the reception timing of the ultrasonic transducer T1 is the earliest, if the wiring connecting the ultrasonic transducer T1 is known by color coding or the like, the reception timing at the ultrasonic transducer T1 is used as a reference. By measuring the delay time of the reception timing in the other ultrasonic transducers, it is possible to specify the connection relationship of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers.

  Further, when connecting a plurality of coaxial cables included in the probe cable 23, only the wiring of the ultrasonic transducer located at the upper end or the lower end or only the wiring of the ultrasonic transducer at both ends is distinguished by color coding, etc. By identifying it, connecting a specific wiring to a specific connector terminal does not hinder the wiring process, but is advantageous for simplifying the wiring process.

  In this way, by distinguishing only the wiring of a specific ultrasonic transducer among the cable wirings made at random, it is possible to set a reference in specifying the connection relationship of the remaining ultrasonic transducers, so the connection of the ultrasonic transducer It becomes possible to efficiently measure the relationship.

  Further, according to the connection relationship of the ultrasonic transducers, the plurality of coaxial cables connected thereto are divided into a plurality of groups and pulled out, and the distance between two adjacent ultrasonic transducers in one group is determined. The connection relationship may be specified reliably by increasing the size.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the plurality of coaxial cables connected to the ultrasonic transducers are divided into two groups depending on whether the connection relationship of the ultrasonic transducers is odd or even. This facilitates accurate measurement of the difference in reception timing between two adjacent ultrasonic transducers. At that time, as shown in FIG. 5, in the flexible substrate 25, the pattern to which the odd-numbered ultrasonic transducers are connected is arranged on the front side, and the pattern to which the even-numbered ultrasonic transducers are connected is arranged on the back side. Anyway.

  Next, the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the ultrasonic probe 2, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 24 are randomly connected to a plurality of terminals of the connection connector 3 a via a plurality of cables 23. The ultrasonic probe 2 is connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 4 via the connection connector 3.

  Since the ultrasonic probe 2 suitable for the purpose of diagnosis is used at the time of ultrasonic diagnosis, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body 4 is connected to the ultrasonic probe from the storage unit of the ultrasonic probe by connecting the ultrasonic probe. By obtaining the type and / or identification number, or by giving probe information to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 4 by an operator inputting probe information from an information input unit connected to the system control unit 44 Based on this, the type and / or identification number of the ultrasonic probe is specified, the connection relation data of the ultrasonic transducer 24 stored in the storage unit 49 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body 4 is read, and based on the connection relation data Then, the transmitter / receiver 42 is controlled to transmit / receive ultrasonic waves.

  In the conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 101 shown in FIG. 7, the correspondence between the number of the ultrasonic transducer 24 and the terminal number of the connection connector 3 a is taken, and they are regularly connected by the probe cable 23. The system control unit 64 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 104 controls the connection selection switch 41 as set, whereby a desired ultrasonic transducer is connected.

  On the other hand, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, the correspondence between the number of the ultrasonic transducer 24 and the terminal number of the connection connector 3a is not taken. May be randomly connected by the probe cable 23, the system control unit 44 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 4 represents the connection relationship between the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 24 and the plurality of terminals of the connection connector 3a. Need to get connection related data.

  Therefore, as already described with reference to FIG. 1, the system control unit 44 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 4 creates a conversion table (TBL) 50 that associates the number of the ultrasonic transducer with the number of the terminal, The data is stored in a storage unit 49 connected to the system control unit 44. When performing the ultrasonic beam scanning, the system control unit 44 refers to the connection relation data in the conversion table 50 and controls the connection selection switch 41 to connect the desired ultrasonic transducer 24 and the transmission / reception unit 42.

  The present invention aims to positively use an ultrasonic probe in which the ultrasonic transducer 24 and the terminals of the connection connector 3a are randomly connected in order to simplify the wiring process. In addition to such randomly connected ultrasonic probes, a conventional ultrasonic probe created by taking a one-to-one correspondence between the ultrasonic transducer 24 and the terminal of the connection connector 3a may be used. . Even in this case, the system control unit 44 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body 4 creates ultrasonic transducer connection relation data and stores it in the storage unit 49 to form an ultrasonic beam for ultrasonic diagnosis.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the formation operation | movement of an ultrasonic beam. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the method to determine the connection relationship of an ultrasonic transducer using a fixed point sound source. It is a figure for demonstrating the method to determine the connection relationship of an ultrasonic transducer using a moving point sound source. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the ultrasonic probe wired by 2 division which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the conventional ultrasonic diagnosing device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 Ultrasonic probe 3 Connection connector 3a Ultrasonic probe side connection connector 3b Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body side connection connector 4 Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 21 Ultrasonic probe tip part 22 Ultrasonic probe connection part 23 Probe Cable 24 Ultrasonic transducer 25 Flexible substrate for ultrasonic transducer connection 26 Acoustic lens 27 Relay substrate 28 Intermediate connector 29 Coaxial cable 41 Connection selection switch 42 Transmission / reception unit 421 Transmission circuit 422 Reception circuit 423 A / D converter 43 Signal processing unit 44 System Control unit 45 Image processing unit 46 DSC
47 D / A converter 48 Display unit 49 Storage unit 50 Conversion table 51 Connection relationship test determination unit 53 Amplifier 54 A / D converter 55 Storage unit 56 Control unit 57 Point sound source

Claims (5)

A plurality of ultrasonic transducers, and a plurality of terminals provided on a connector used to connect the plurality of ultrasonic transducers to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body, and a plurality of terminals electrically connected to the plurality of ultrasonic transducers. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using an ultrasonic probe that comprises:
By supplying a plurality of drive signals to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers are caused to transmit ultrasonic waves, and the plurality of ultrasonic transducers respectively receiving the ultrasonic echoes are output from the plurality of ultrasonic transducers. A transmission / reception circuit for receiving a detection signal;
A connection selection switch connected between a plurality of terminals provided on a connector connected to the ultrasonic probe and the transmission / reception circuit, and for switching a connection relationship between the plurality of ultrasonic transducers and the transmission / reception circuit;
A storage unit for storing connection relationship data representing a connection relationship between the plurality of ultrasonic transducers and the plurality of terminals in the ultrasonic probe;
When the ultrasonic probe is connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body, connection relation data corresponding to the ultrasonic probe is searched in the storage unit, and when the connection relation data does not exist in the storage part, the sound source The connection relation data is generated by measuring the reception timings of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers that receive the test sound wave signals generated from the data and stored in the storage unit, and the plurality of the connection relation data is generated based on the generated connection relation data. The ultrasonic transducers and the transmission / reception circuit are connected, and when the connection relation data exists in the storage unit, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers and the transmission / reception circuit based on the connection relation data read from the storage unit A control unit for controlling the connection selection switch so as to connect
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit measures reception timings of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers based on a plurality of detection signals output from the transmission / reception circuit. In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using an ultrasonic probe comprising a plurality of ultrasonic transducers and a plurality of terminals provided on a connector used to connect the plurality of ultrasonic transducers to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body, A method of determining a connection relationship between a plurality of ultrasonic transducers and the plurality of terminals,
When the ultrasonic probe is connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body, a step (a) for searching connection relation data corresponding to the ultrasonic probe in the storage unit of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body,
When connection relation data does not exist in the storage unit, connection relation data is generated by measuring reception timings of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers that receive test sound wave signals generated from a sound source, and stored in the storage part. And (b) connecting the plurality of ultrasonic transducers and the transmitting / receiving circuit based on the generated connection relation data;
A step (c) of connecting the plurality of ultrasonic transducers and the transmission / reception circuit based on connection relationship data read from the storage unit when connection relationship data is present in the storage unit;
An ultrasonic transducer connection relation determining method comprising:   The ultrasonic transducer connection relation determination method according to claim 3, wherein the step (b) includes a step of transmitting a test sound wave signal from an external sound source existing outside the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus as the sound source. Step (b) is
Transmitting a test sound wave signal from at least one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers as the sound source;
A step of measuring reception timings in the plurality of ultrasonic transducers by receiving, in the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, a test sound wave signal reflected by a reflector installed in front of a transmission surface of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers; When,
The ultrasonic transducer connection relation determination method according to claim 3, comprising:

Images