JP6985115B2 - Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment and ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic probe.

In the medical field, ultrasonic diagnostic equipment is used for various diagnoses and treatments because it can non-invasively examine the internal structure and blood flow state of a subject. In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic probe equipped with an ultrasonic vibrator (piezoelectric vibrator) at the tip is brought into contact with the body surface of the subject, and ultrasonic waves are transmitted into the body. Then, the reflected wave generated by the mismatch of the acoustic impedance inside the subject is received by the vibrator of the ultrasonic probe. An ultrasonic image is generated based on the received signal thus obtained.

The signal applied to the ultrasonic transducer to drive the ultrasonic transducer is generated by the transmission beam former. That is, the transmission beam former delays the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the ultrasonic transducers to the subject according to the distance between each ultrasonic transducer and the focal point so that the phases are aligned at a predetermined focal point in the subject. It is a circuit that calculates the time and generates a transmission pulse with the delay added. Therefore, the transmission beam former is provided with a delay calculator and a pulse generator inside, and the transmission pulse is generated after the delay is added by the delay calculator or the pulse generator.

Here, when the ultrasonic probe transmits ultrasonic waves and receives reflected waves, time division is performed to alternately transmit ultrasonic signals and receive reflected waves. Therefore, when the reflected wave is being received, the transmission beam former does not generate a transmission pulse and stops its function.

However, a clock is supplied to the transmission beam former even while the reflected wave is being received. That is, the clock is always supplied to the transmission beam former regardless of whether the ultrasonic signal is transmitted or the reflected wave is received. When the clock is constantly supplied to the transmission beam former in this way, the power consumption of, for example, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus or an ultrasonic probe provided with the transmission beam former becomes large.

Therefore, various methods have been proposed for reducing the power consumption of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus or the ultrasonic probe.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-128532

An object to be solved by the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic probe that can be miniaturized by reducing power consumption.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment includes a transmission beam former and a transmission circuit. The transmit beam former produces a transmit pulse. The transmission circuit supplies the transmission pulse supplied from the transmission beam former as a drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer. The transmission beam former is a pulse generator that generates a transmission pulse to be supplied to the transmission circuit, a delay computer that calculates the delay time added for each transmission pulse, and a clock that is supplied to the delay calculator and the pulse generator. Has a clock generator, which produces. The supply of the clock from the clock generator to the delay calculator and the pulse generator is stopped during the period of receiving the echo signal from the ultrasonic transducer.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and the ultrasonic probe which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the transmission beam former which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The waveform diagram which shows the state of supply of the transmission clock to the transmission beam former in 1st Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the flow of supply of the transmission clock to the transmission beam former in 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the transmission beam former which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The waveform diagram which shows the state of supply of the transmission clock to the transmission beam former in 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the flow of supply of the transmission clock to the transmission beam former in the 2nd Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the transmission beam former which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. The waveform diagram which shows the state of supply of the transmission clock to the transmission beam former in 3rd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the flow of supply of the transmission clock to the transmission beam former in the 3rd Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the transmission beam former which concerns on 4th Embodiment. The block diagram which shows another structure of the transmission beam former which concerns on 4th Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on 5th Embodiment.

(First Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[Configuration of ultrasonic diagnostic equipment and ultrasonic probe]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the internal configurations of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 and the ultrasonic probe 2 according to the first embodiment. In the first embodiment to the fourth embodiment (the second to fourth embodiments will be described later), the ultrasonic probe 2 is detachably connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 receives a transmission beam former 11 that generates a transmission pulse, a transmission circuit 12 that supplies a drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer 21 in the ultrasonic probe 2, and a reflection signal from the ultrasonic probe 2. A receiving circuit 13 for processing a reflected signal, a scan converter 15 for generating an ultrasonic image, and a control circuit 16 for controlling each part are built in.

The configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 in the first embodiment is as described above, but only the configuration considered necessary for explaining the first embodiment is shown. Therefore, a configuration such as an input circuit that is input-operated by an operator such as an inspector or a display control unit for displaying the generated ultrasonic image, which is not shown in FIG. 1, may be further provided.

The transmission beam former 11 generates a transmission pulse based on the control by the control circuit 16 and outputs the transmission pulse to the transmission circuit 12. As will be described later, the transmission pulse is a drive signal applied from the transmission circuit 12 to the ultrasonic transducer 21. That is, the transmission beam former 11 sets the distance between each ultrasonic transducer 21 and the focal point so that the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer 21 to the subject are in phase at a predetermined focal point in the subject. The corresponding delay time is calculated, and a transmission pulse (drive signal) with the delay added is generated.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the transmission beam former 11 according to the first embodiment. The transmission beam former 11 includes a clock generator 111, a delay calculator 112, and a pulse generator 113. The clock generator 111 receives the transmission synchronization signal and the transmission clock from the control circuit 16 and generates a clock to be supplied to the delay computer 112. The delay calculator 112 calculates the delay time added for each transmission pulse. The pulse generator 113 generates a transmission pulse to be supplied to the transmission circuit 12. Then, the transmission pulse supplied from the pulse generator 113 to the transmission circuit 12 is applied to the ultrasonic transducer 21 of the ultrasonic probe 2 as a drive signal.

In FIG. 2, one clock generator 111 is provided in the transmission beam former 11. Further, for the delay calculator 112 and the pulse generator 113, a combination thereof is provided for each channel of the ultrasonic vibrator 21. A plurality of channels are provided, and a plurality of delay calculators 112 and a plurality of pulse generators 113 are also provided in the transmission beam former 11. However, in FIG. 2, only two sets of the combination of the delay calculator 112 and the pulse generator 113 are shown, and the other illustrations are omitted.

Returning to FIG. 1, the transmission circuit 12 receives the input of the transmission pulse generated by the transmission beam former 11 and transmits it to the ultrasonic transducer 21 as a drive signal for generating ultrasonic waves in the ultrasonic probe 2. As the configuration of the transmission circuit 12, for example, a configuration such as a switching pulser or a linear driver can be adopted.

The receiving circuit 13 receives the reflected signal from the ultrasonic probe 2, that is, the echo signal. The echo signal received by the receiving circuit 13 is input to the receiving beam former 14. The reception beam former 14 performs delay addition on the echo signal, and outputs the signal acquired by the delay addition to the scan converter 15.

The scan converter 15 generates various data using the signal supplied from the received beam former 14. The scan converter 15 has, for example, a B mode processing circuit, a Doppler mode processing circuit, a color Doppler mode processing circuit, and the like, which are not shown. The B mode processing circuit visualizes the amplitude information of the received signal and generates the data of the B mode signal. The Doppler mode processing circuit extracts the Doppler shift frequency component from the received signal and further performs FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) processing or the like to generate Doppler signal data of blood flow information. The color Doppler mode processing circuit visualizes the blood flow information based on the received signal and generates the data of the color Doppler mode signal.

Further, the scan converter 15 generates an ultrasonic image or a Doppler image such as a two-dimensional cross section or a rendered image regarding a scan area based on the generated data. For example, the scan converter 15 generates volume data about the scan area from the supplied data. Then, two-dimensional ultrasonic image data and volume rendering image data are generated from the generated volume data by MPR processing (multi-section reconstruction method). The scan converter 15 outputs the generated ultrasonic image of any one or more to a display circuit (not shown).

The ultrasonic probe 2 transmits and receives ultrasonic waves in a state where the tip surface thereof is in contact with the surface of the subject. The ultrasonic probe 2 contains a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 21, which are one-dimensionally arranged on the tip surface. The ultrasonic probe 2 transmits ultrasonic waves into the subject by each ultrasonic transducer 21 to scan the scan area, and receives the reflected wave from the subject as an echo signal. In addition, as this scan, there are various scans such as B mode scan and Doppler mode scan.

Further, the ultrasonic probe 2 includes sector scanning, linear scanning, convex scanning, and the like, and is arbitrarily selected according to the diagnostic site. Further, the ultrasonic vibrator 21 is not limited to a one-dimensional arrangement, and volume data can be acquired in real time by arranging the ultrasonic vibrator 21 two-dimensionally. When obtaining a three-dimensional stereoscopic image, a probe for three-dimensional scanning is used as the ultrasonic probe 2. Examples of the probe for three-dimensional scanning include a two-dimensional array probe and a mechanical four-dimensional probe.

Note that FIG. 1 does not show all of the ultrasonic transducers 21 built in the ultrasonic probe 2, but is provided between the two ultrasonic transducers 21 by connecting them with a broken line. The illustration of the ultrasonic vibrator 21 is omitted.

[Operation and signal flow in the transmission beam former]
Next, the operation and the signal flow in the transmission beam former will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 3 is a waveform diagram showing a state of supply of a transmission clock to the transmission beam former 11 according to the first embodiment.

As described above, the transmission beam former 11 generates a transmission pulse (drive signal) to be applied to the ultrasonic transducer 21. Therefore, first, the transmission synchronization signal and the transmission clock are input from the control circuit 16 to the clock generator 111. Further, the transmission synchronization signal from the control circuit 16 is input not only to the clock generator 111 but also to the delay computer 112 of each channel.

In the clock generator 111, the transmission clock is supplied to each delay computer 112 and the pulse generator 113 during the period in which the ultrasonic probe 2 transmits ultrasonic waves (transmitted waves) into the body of the subject. The supply of the transmission clock to the delay computer 112 by the clock generator 111 is simultaneously performed to all the delay computers 112 provided in the transmission beam former 11.

When the delay calculator 112 receives the transmission clock from the clock generator 111, the delay calculator 112 calculates the delay time added for each transmission pulse. The delay calculator 112 supplies a pulse generation trigger containing the calculated delay time to the connected pulse generator 113.

The pulse generator 113 adds the delay time received from the delay computer 112 to generate a transmission pulse to be supplied to the transmission circuit 12. The generated transmission pulse is applied to the ultrasonic vibrator 21 via the transmission circuit 12 as described above.

Here, an example is given in which a transmission pulse is generated by adding the delay time calculated by the delay computer 112 by the pulse generator 113. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and for example, a process of delaying the pulse generation trigger itself supplied to the pulse generator 113 may be performed.

The ultrasonic probe 2 alternately transmits ultrasonic waves to the subject and receives reflected waves. Therefore, the transmission period for transmitting ultrasonic waves and the reception period for receiving reflected waves are alternately provided. The transmission pulse generated by the transmission beam former 11 is applied to the ultrasonic transducer 21 during the transmission period. The application of the transmission pulse to the ultrasonic vibrator 21 ends with the switching from the transmission period to the reception period by the control circuit 16.

Therefore, in the pulse generator 113, when the generated transmission pulse is transmitted to the transmission circuit 12, the transmission completion signal is transmitted to the clock generator 111. In FIG. 2, the arrow extending from the pulse generator 113 toward the clock generator 111 represents a transmission completion signal transmitted from the pulse generator 113 to the clock generator 111. When the clock generator 111 receives the transmission completion signals transmitted from all the pulse generators 113, the clock generator 111 stops the supply of the transmission clock from the clock generator 111 to the delay computer 112.

In the waveform diagram shown in FIG. 3, a "transmission / reception direction" indicating "transmission" and "reception" is shown. This "transmission / reception direction" indicates transmission of ultrasonic waves and reception of reflected waves in the ultrasonic probe 2. Therefore, the lengths of "transmission" and "reception" shown in the "transmission / reception direction" indicate the lengths of "transmission period" and "reception period", respectively. Two waveform diagrams are shown above and below with this "transmission / reception direction" in the center. Above the "transmission / reception direction" is a waveform diagram of the "transmission synchronization signal", and below the "transmission / reception direction" is a waveform diagram of the transmission clock supplied from the clock generator 111 to the delay computer 112. There is.

As described above, the transmission synchronization signal is input from the control circuit 16 to the clock generator 111 and each delay computer 112. Further, the transmission clock is input to the clock generator 111 from the control circuit 16 and further supplied to the delay computer 112. Looking at the waveform diagram of the transmission clock, the transmission clock is supplied from the clock generator 111 to each delay computer 112. The transmission period starts from here.

Then, the transmission / reception direction of the ultrasonic wave is changed, and the supply of the transmission clock from the clock generator 111 to each delay computer 112 is stopped immediately before the transmission period is switched to the reception period. After that, the supply of the transmission clock to each delay computer 112 is continuously stopped during the reception period until the transmission period is started again.

That is, as shown in the waveform of the transmission clock in FIG. 3, the transmission clock is supplied from the clock generator 111 to each delay computer 112 when the reception period is switched to the transmission period. On the other hand, the supply of the transmission clock from the clock generator 111 to each delay computer 112 is stopped immediately before the transmission period is switched to the reception period.

Although it is rare, it is not that the transmission clock is supplied to the delay computer 112 once or twice after switching to the reception period. However, even if such a phenomenon occurs, the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus may be impaired or the power consumption of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention may be insignificant due to the length of the reception period. It does not reach the point where the purpose such as reduction is impaired. Alternatively, even if the transmission clock is continuously supplied for a predetermined period after switching to the reception period for some reason, it does not prevent the effect of suppressing the power consumption. The above points are the same in any of the embodiments described later.

In FIG. 1, one arrow is shown from the clock generator 111 toward the left side of the figure, in which the transmission clock is supplied to all the delay calculators at the same time and the transmission clock is supplied. It is shown that the stop of is also performed for all delay computers at the same time.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of supply of the transmission clock to the transmission beam former 11 in the first embodiment. First, the transmission beam former 11 determines whether or not a transmission synchronization signal has been input from the control circuit 16 (ST1). The transmission beam former 11 waits until a transmission synchronization signal is input from the control circuit 16 (NO in ST1).

When the transmission synchronization signal is input from the control circuit 16 (YES in ST1), the clock generator 111 supplies the transmission clock to the delay calculator 112 of all channels (ST2). The delay calculator 112 calculates the delay time to be added to each transmission pulse by receiving the supply of the transmission clock (ST3).

The calculated delay time is supplied to each pulse generator 113. In the pulse generator 113, the delay time is added to generate a transmission pulse (ST4). Then, the generated transmission pulse is transmitted from the pulse generator 113 to the corresponding transmission circuit 12 (ST5).

The pulse generator 113 transmits a transmission completion signal of the transmission pulse to the transmission circuit 12 to the clock generator 111 (ST6). The clock generator 111 determines whether or not the transmission completion signal has been transmitted from all the pulse generators 113 (ST7).

If the transmission completion signal has not been transmitted from all the pulse generators 113 (NO in ST7), the clock generator 111 waits until the transmission completion signal is received from all the pulse generators 113. On the other hand, when the clock generator 111 determines that the transmission completion signal has been transmitted from all the pulse generators 113 (YES in ST7), the clock generator 111 supplies the transmission clock to all the delay calculators 112. Is stopped (ST8).

As described above, the time when the transmission completion signal is transmitted from all the pulse generators 113 corresponds to the time when the transmission / reception direction in the ultrasonic probe 2 is changed and the transmission period is switched to the reception period. Then, the stop of the supply of the transmission clock to the delay computer 112 is continued until the transmission synchronization signal is input to the clock generator 111 (transmission beam former 11) again.

As described above, the supply of the transmission clock from the clock generator to the delay computer, which has been performed regardless of the transmission period and the reception period as in the past, is transmitted only during the transmission period in the present embodiment. It was decided to supply the clock and stop the supply during the substantial reception period of the echo signal. By performing such processing, the power consumption in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can be reduced. Therefore, various effects such as miniaturization of constituent equipment, integration of channels, and noise reduction due to fluctuation of power supply voltage can be obtained, and as a result, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can be miniaturized.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, the same components as those described in the first embodiment described above are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description of the same components will be omitted because they are duplicated.

In the first embodiment, the clock generator 111 supplies the transmission clock to all of the plurality of delay computers 112 provided at the same time. Therefore, the transmission beam former 11 as a whole is processed to supply the transmission clock during the transmission period, while stopping the supply of the transmission clock during the substantial reception period of the echo signal.

In the second embodiment, the transmission beam former 11 controls to supply the transmission clock or stop the transmission clock for each channel. Therefore, the clock generator 111 processes to stop the supply of the transmission clock sequentially from the channel in which the supply of the transmission pulse to the transmission circuit 12 is completed.

[Transmission beam former configuration]
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the transmission beam former 11A according to the second embodiment. Further, FIG. 6 is a waveform diagram showing a state of supply of the transmission clock to the transmission beam former 11A in the second embodiment.

Here, the configuration of the transmission beam former 11A is not different between the case of the first embodiment and the second embodiment. However, the supply of the transmission clock from the clock generator 111 to the delay computer 112 is stopped for each channel. Therefore, in FIG. 5, the arrows indicating the supply of the transmission clock extending from the clock generator 111 to the delay calculator 112 are individually shown from the clock generator 111 to each delay calculator 112 of each channel. Further, in order to show that the delay calculator 112 and the pulse generator 113 are provided for each channel, these devices are shown by being surrounded by a broken line for each channel in FIG. The arrow indicating the clock supplied from the clock generator 111 to the pulse generator 113 is omitted in FIG.

[Operation and signal flow in the transmission beam former]
In the second embodiment, the transmission synchronization signal from the control circuit 16 is input to the clock generator 111 and the delay computer 112, and the transmission clock input from the control circuit 16 to the clock generator 111 is delayed. The points supplied to the computer 112 are as described in the first embodiment. Similarly, the supply of the transmission clock from the clock generator 111 to each delay computer 112 is stopped during the reception period.

However, when the transmission period is switched to the reception period, the supply of the transmission clock from the clock generator 111 to each delay computer 112 is not stopped all at once, but before the transmission period is switched to the reception period. However, the point that the stop of the transmission clock supply is determined for each channel is different from the first embodiment.

The waveform diagram in FIG. 6 shows the waveform diagram of the “transmission synchronization signal” and the “transmission / reception direction” of the ultrasonic wave from the top. Under "Transmission / reception direction", the processing performed by the transmission beam former 11A in the two channels "channel 0" and "channel 1" and the waveform indicating the transmission clock supplied for the processing are shown. ing.

As shown in FIG. 5, a delay calculator and a pulse generator are provided for each of a plurality of channels in the transmission beam former 11A, but in FIG. 6, only two channels thereof are extracted and these. Shows the processing performed on the channel.

Next to "Channel 0", "Receive", "Transmission delay", "Pulse generation", "Waiting for transmission completion", and "Receive" are shown in order from the left. Of these, "reception" is the reception period in the "transmission / reception direction". On the other hand, the other "transmission delay", "pulse generation", and "transmission completion wait" indicate the processing performed in the transmission beam former 11A during the transmission period. Further below these, the waveform of the transmission clock is shown.

That is, "transmission delay" is a process performed in the delay computer 112, and "pulse generation" is a process performed in the pulse generator 113. When the transmission pulse is transmitted from the pulse generator 113 to the transmission circuit 12, the pulse generator 113 transmits a transmission completion signal to the clock generator 111. Therefore, the period from the completion of pulse generation to the switching from the transmission period to the reception period is the "waiting for transmission completion" in the clock generator 111.

"Channel 1" is also shown in the same manner as "Channel 0", but the time related to each process performed during the transmission period is different. That is, the processing of the "transmission delay" on the channel 1 takes longer than the processing of the "transmission delay" on the channel 0. As a result, the time of "waiting for completion of transmission" in channel 1 is shorter than the processing of "waiting for completion of transmission" in channel 0.

The transmission clock is supplied from the clock generator 111 to the delay computer 112 until a transmission completion signal is sent from the pulse generator 113. Therefore, for both channel 0 and channel 1, as shown in the waveform of the transmission clock in FIG. 6, the processing of the delay computer 112 is completed, the pulse is generated by the pulse generator 113, and transmission is performed. The transmission clock is supplied from the clock generator 111 to the delay computer 112 and the pulse generator 113 until the transmission of the transmission pulse to the circuit 12 is completed.

However, in the transmission pulse generated by the pulse generator 113, the delay time to be added differs for each channel. This point appears in the difference in the length of the "transmission delay" between channel 0 and channel 1 in FIG. 6, as described above. That is, the time during which the transmission clock is supplied from the clock generator 111 to each delay computer 112 is different.

In this way, the time during which the transmission clock is supplied differs for each channel, which means that the transmission time of the transmission completion signal of the transmission pulse to the transmission circuit 12 from the pulse generator 113 to the clock generator 111 also differs for each channel. It will be. Therefore, the stop of the supply of the transmission clock from the clock generator 111 to the delay computer 112 also differs for each channel.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of supply of the transmission clock to the transmission beam former 11A in the second embodiment. Up to step ST6 described below, the flow is the same as that described in the first embodiment.

That is, the transmission beam former 11A determines whether or not a transmission synchronization signal has been input from the control circuit 16 (ST21). The transmission beam former 11A waits until a transmission synchronization signal is input from the control circuit 16 (NO in ST21).

When the transmission synchronization signal is input from the control circuit 16 (YES in ST21), the clock generator 111 supplies the transmission clock to the delay calculator 112 of all channels (ST22). The delay calculator 112 calculates the delay time to be added to each transmission pulse by receiving the supply of the transmission clock (ST23).

The calculated delay time is supplied to each pulse generator 113. In the pulse generator 113, the delay time is added to generate a transmission pulse (ST24). Then, the generated transmission pulse is transmitted from the pulse generator 113 toward the transmission circuit 12 (ST25). The pulse generator 113 transmits a transmission completion signal of the transmission pulse to the transmission circuit 12 to the clock generator 111 (ST26).

The clock generator 111 stops supplying the transmission clock to the channel including the pulse generator 113 that has transmitted the transmission completion signal of the transmission pulse (ST27). As described above, the transmission completion signal is transmitted to the clock generator 111 with a time lag for each channel. Therefore, the clock generator 111 stops the supply of the transmission clock in order from the channel that received the transmission completion signal.

Then, the clock generator 111 determines whether or not the transmission completion signal has been transmitted from all the pulse generators 113 (ST28).

When the transmission completion signal is transmitted from all the pulse generators 113 (YES in ST28), the supply of the transmission clock from the clock generator 111 to all the delay calculators 112 is stopped. Then, the stop of the supply of the transmission clock to the delay computer 112 is continued until the transmission synchronization signal is input to the clock generator 111 (transmission beam former 11A) again. On the other hand, if it is determined that the transmission completion signal has not been transmitted from all the pulse generators 113 (NO of ST28), the process waits until the transmission completion signal is transmitted from the pulse generator 113 of each channel. It becomes.

As described above, the supply of the transmission clock from the clock generator to the delay computer, which has been performed regardless of the transmission period and the reception period as in the past, is transmitted only during the transmission period in the present embodiment. It was decided to supply the clock and stop the supply during the substantial reception period of the echo signal. By performing such processing, the power consumption in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can be reduced. Therefore, various effects such as miniaturization of constituent equipment, integration of channels, and noise reduction due to fluctuation of power supply voltage can be obtained, and as a result, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can be miniaturized.

Further, by controlling the supply of the transmission clock from the clock generator 111 to the delay computer 112 for each channel, it is possible to stop the supply of the transmission clock even during the transmission period depending on the channel. By performing such processing, it is possible to further reduce power consumption.

Depending on the inspection mode, such as the CW mode, there may be channels that are not used in the ultrasonic probe. In this case, the transmission clock is not supplied to the channel, and the transmission clock supply can be stopped even during the transmission period while the inspection mode is selected.

Further, depending on the ultrasonic probe, if the number of ultrasonic transducers is small, there may be a channel that does not perform transmission. When there is such an unused channel, it is possible to stop the supply of the transmission clock even during the transmission period without supplying the transmission clock to the channel.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the third embodiment, the same components as those described in the first and second embodiments described above are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description of the same components is duplicated. Omit.

In the second embodiment, the supply and stop of the transmission clock from the clock generator 111 to the delay computer 112 are controlled for each channel. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, the supply and stop of the transmission clock from the clock generator 111 are controlled for each delay computer 112 and each pulse generator 113.

[Transmission beam former configuration]
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the transmission beam former 11B according to the third embodiment. In the transmission beam former 11B, in addition to the internal configuration of the transmission beam former 11 so far, a signal branched from the signal line connecting between the delay computer 112 and the pulse generator 113 and connected to the clock generator 111. A line is provided. The signal transmitted from the delay computer 112 to the clock generator 111 via the signal line is indicated by an arrow.

Further, a signal line connecting the clock generator 111 and the pulse generator 113 is also provided. The signal transmitted from the clock generator 111 to the pulse generator 113 via the signal line is indicated by an arrow.

A pulse generation trigger including a delay time added when a transmission pulse is generated in the pulse generator 113 is transmitted from the delay computer 112 to the pulse generator 113. Then, in the third embodiment, the pulse generation trigger transmitted from the delay computer 112 is also input to the clock generator 111. Further, the pulse generation clock is transmitted from the clock generator 111 toward the pulse generator 113.

[Operation and signal flow in the transmission beam former]
Next, the operation and the signal flow in the transmission beam former 11B will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 9 is a waveform diagram showing a state in which a transmission clock is supplied to the transmission beam former 11B according to the third embodiment.

In FIG. 9, the waveform of the “transmission synchronization signal” and the “transmission / reception direction” of the ultrasonic wave are shown from above. These are, for example, the same as the waveform diagrams (FIGS. 3 and 6) used in the description in the first or second embodiment. Further below, waveform diagrams of "channel 0" and "channel 1" are roughly divided.

For example, taking the waveform diagram shown in "Channel 0" as an example, first, "Receive", "Transmission delay", and "Pulse generation" are placed next to "Channel 0" in order from the left. , "Waiting for transmission completion", and "Reception" are shown. Of these, "reception" is the reception period in the "transmission / reception direction". On the other hand, the other "transmission delay", "pulse generation", and "transmission completion wait" indicate the processing performed in the transmission beam former 11B during the transmission period.

Further, below these, the waveform of the transmission clock supplied from the clock generator 111 is shown, but unlike the conventional embodiments, the "delay calculation clock" and the "pulse generation clock" are used. Shown separately. The “delayed calculation clock” is a transmission clock supplied from the clock generator 111 to the delay computer 112. The "pulse generation clock" is a transmission clock supplied from the clock generator 111 to the pulse generator 113.

Here, in the transmission beam former 11B, the flow of each signal when generating a transmission pulse (drive signal) applied to the ultrasonic vibrator 21 is as follows. First, the transmission synchronization signal and the transmission clock are input from the control circuit 16 to the clock generator 111. Further, the transmission synchronization signal from the control circuit 16 is input not only to the clock generator 111 but also to the delay computer 112 of each channel.

The clock generator 111 supplies the delay calculation clock to each delay computer 112 during the transmission period. The delay calculation clock is supplied to the delay computer 112 by the clock generator 111 all at once to all the delay computers 112 provided in the transmission beam former 11B.

The delay calculator 112 calculates the delay time added for each transmission pulse when the delay calculation clock is supplied from the clock generator 111. The delay calculator 112 supplies a pulse generation trigger containing the calculated delay time to the connected pulse generator 113.

As described above, the pulse generation trigger transmitted from the delay calculator 112 to the pulse generator 113 is also transmitted to the clock generator 111. When the clock generator 111 receives the pulse generation trigger, it first stops supplying the delay calculation clock to the delay computer 112.

This flow is shown in the waveform diagram shown in FIG. That is, taking channel 0 as an example, when the reception period is switched to the transmission period, the delay calculation clock is supplied from the clock generator 111 to the delay computer 112. While the delay calculator 112 calculates the delay time to be added to the transmission pulse (during the "transmission delay"), the clock generator 111 continuously supplies the delay calculation clock to the delay calculator 112. Then, the pulse generation trigger is transmitted from the delay computer 112 to the pulse generator 113 and the clock generator 111.

The clock generator 111 that has received the pulse generation trigger from the delay computer 112 stops supplying the delay calculation clock to the delay computer 112. Looking at the waveform of the "delay calculation clock" in FIG. 9, this point is shown only during the "transmission delay", and is not shown in the "pulse generation" processing portion of the next pulse generator 113.

Further, when the clock generator 111 receives the pulse generation trigger, the clock generator 111 supplies the pulse generation clock to the pulse generator 113. The pulse generator 113 generates a transmission pulse by using a delayed pulse transmission trigger transmitted from the delay computer 112 and a pulse generation clock supplied from the clock generator 111. In FIG. 9, it is shown that the process of "pulse generation" is started by supplying the pulse generation clock from the clock generator 111 to the pulse generator 113.

The transmission pulse generated by the pulse generator 113 is applied to the ultrasonic transducer 21 via the transmission circuit 12 as described above.

When the generated transmission pulse is transmitted to the transmission circuit 12, the pulse generator 113 transmits a transmission completion signal to the clock generator 111. In FIG. 8, the arrow extending from the pulse generator 113 toward the clock generator 111 represents a transmission completion signal transmitted from the pulse generator 113 to the clock generator 111. When the clock generator 111 receives the transmission completion signal transmitted from the pulse generator 113, the clock generator 111 stops supplying the pulse generation clock to the pulse generator 113 that has transmitted the transmission completion signal.

In this regard, the waveform diagram of FIG. 9 shows as follows. That is, the waveform indicating the pulse generation clock is shown only during the "pulse generation" process, the pulse generation process is completed in the pulse generator 113, and the transmission completion signal is transmitted to the clock generator 111 to "wait for transmission completion". The waveform indicating the pulse generation clock is not shown.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of supply of the transmission clock to the transmission beam former 11B according to the third embodiment.

The transmission beam former 11B determines whether or not a transmission synchronization signal has been input from the control circuit 16 (ST31). The transmission beam former 11B waits until a transmission synchronization signal is input from the control circuit 16 (NO in ST31).

When the transmission synchronization signal is input from the control circuit 16 (YES in ST31), the clock generator 111 supplies the delay calculation clock to all the delay calculators 112 (ST32). The delay calculator 112 calculates the delay time to be added to each transmission pulse by receiving the supply of the delay calculation clock (ST33).

The calculated delay time is supplied to each pulse generator 113 together with the pulse generation trigger. The pulse generation trigger is also supplied to the clock generator 111. The clock generator 111 determines whether or not a pulse generation trigger has been received from the delay computer 112 (ST34).

If the pulse generation trigger is not received from the delay computer 112 (NO in ST34), the transmission delay process is still being performed in the delay computer 112, so that the clock generator 111 waits as it is. It becomes. On the other hand, when the clock generator 111 receives the pulse generation trigger from the delay computer 112 (YES in ST34), the clock generator 111 supplies the delay calculation clock to the delay computer 112 that has transmitted the pulse generation trigger. Is stopped (ST35).

At the same time, the clock generator 111 supplies the pulse generation clock to the pulse generator 113 that has received the pulse generation trigger from the delay computer 112 that has transmitted the pulse generation trigger (ST36). The pulse generator 113 generates a transmission pulse by receiving a pulse generation clock supply from the clock generator 111 and a delayed pulse generation trigger supply from the delay computer 112 (ST37).

Then, the generated transmission pulse is transmitted from the pulse generator 113 toward the transmission circuit 12 (ST38). The pulse generator 113 also transmits a transmission completion signal of the transmission pulse to the transmission circuit 12 to the clock generator 111.

The clock generator 111 determines whether or not a transmission completion signal has been transmitted from the pulse generator 113 (ST39). If the transmission completion signal has not been transmitted from the pulse generator 113 (NO in ST39), the pulse generator 113 is performing the pulse generation process, so that the clock generator 111 stands by as it is.

On the other hand, when the transmission completion signal is received from the pulse generator 113 (YES in ST39), the clock generator 111 stops supplying the pulse generation clock to the pulse generator 113 that has transmitted the transmission completion signal of the transmission pulse. (ST40). The time required to calculate the delay time in the delay computer 112 is the same in all delay computers 112, but since the delay time to be added is different, the pulse generation trigger delayed from the delay computer 112 is the pulse generator. The timing of transmission to 113 is different. Therefore, the transmission completion signal is transmitted to the clock generator 111 with a time difference for each pulse generator 113. Therefore, the clock generator 111 stops the supply of the pulse generation clock in order from the pulse generator 113 that has received the transmission completion signal.

As described above, the supply of the transmission clock from the clock generator to the delay computer, which has been performed regardless of the transmission period and the reception period as in the past, is transmitted only during the transmission period in the present embodiment. It was decided to supply the clock and stop the supply during the substantial reception period of the echo signal. By performing such processing, the power consumption in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can be reduced. Therefore, various effects such as miniaturization of constituent equipment, integration of channels, and noise reduction due to fluctuation of power supply voltage can be obtained, and as a result, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can be miniaturized.

Further, the transmission clock in the generation of the transmission pulse is supplied for each delay calculator of each channel and for each pulse generator, and the supply of the delay calculation clock to the delay calculator of each channel is stopped or the pulse generator is supplied. It was decided to independently control the stop of the supply of the pulse generation clock to. By performing such processing, it is possible to stop the supply of the clock to the delay computer and the pulse generator even during the transmission period, so that it is possible to further reduce the power consumption.

(Fourth Embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the same components as those described in the first to third embodiments described above are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description of the same components is duplicated. Omit.

In the first to third embodiments so far, the power consumption has been reduced by appropriately stopping the supply of the clock to the delay computer or the pulse generator in the transmission beam former. In the fourth embodiment, the power consumption is reduced by shutting off the power supplied to the delay computer and the pulse generator instead of stopping the clock supply.

[Configuration of transmission beam former 11C]
FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the transmission beam former 11C according to the fourth embodiment. The fact that the control circuit 16 and the transmission beam former 11C are connected, and that the transmission beam former 11C is provided with the delay computer 112 and the pulse generator 113 are the same as in the previous embodiments. Is.

The transmission beam former 11C is further provided with an ON / OFF control power supply 114 and a constant ON power supply 115. The ON / OFF control power supply 114 supplies power to the delay calculator 112 and the pulse generator 113. On the other hand, the constantly ON power supply 115 supplies power to each device constituting the transmission beam former 11C except for the delay calculator 112 and the pulse generator 113. Further, a power supply control circuit 116 is also provided, and the power supply control circuit 116 controls ON / OFF of the ON / OFF control power supply 114.

[Operation and signal flow in the transmission beam former 11C]
The control circuit 16 transmits a transmission synchronization signal to the transmission beam former 11C. The transmission beam former 11C generates a transmission pulse to be transmitted to the transmission circuit 12 by inputting the transmission synchronization signal. In generating the transmission pulse, as described above, the delay calculator 112 calculates the delay time, and the pulse generator 113 adds the delay time to generate the transmission pulse.

Further, the control circuit 16 transmits a transmission / reception identification signal to the power supply control circuit 116. The transmission / reception identification signal is a signal that identifies whether the ultrasonic wave is transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 2 to the subject or the reflected wave as a result of the transmission of the ultrasonic wave is received.

In the configuration of the transmission beam former 11C shown in FIG. 11, the power supply control circuit 116 controls ON / OFF of the ON / OFF control power supply 114 based on the transmission / reception identification signal received from the control circuit 16.

That is, during the transmission period, the transmission / reception identification signal transmitted from the control circuit 16 indicates "transmission". Therefore, the power supply control circuit 116 determines that the received transmission / reception identification signal is "transmission", and controls the ON / OFF control power supply 114 to be ON. By such control by the power supply control circuit 116, power is supplied to the delay computer 112 and the pulse generator 113, so that a transmission pulse is generated.

On the other hand, during the reception period in which the reflected wave is received after the ultrasonic wave is transmitted to the subject, the transmission / reception identification signal transmitted from the control circuit 16 indicates "reception". Therefore, the power supply control circuit 116 determines that the received transmission / reception identification signal is "reception", and controls the ON / OFF control power supply 114 so that the power supply 114 is turned off. By such control by the power supply control circuit 116, the supply of power to the delay computer 112 and the pulse generator 113 is stopped.

In this way, the power supply control circuit 116 controls the ON / OFF control power supply 114 during the reception period of the reflected wave to be turned off. Thereby, in the present embodiment, the delay calculator 112 and the pulse generator 113 are appropriately supplied with power during the transmission period, while the delay calculator 112 is provided during the substantial reception period of the echo signal. And the supply of power to the pulse generator 113 is cut off. Therefore, the power consumption in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can be reduced. Therefore, various effects such as miniaturization of constituent equipment, integration of channels, and noise reduction due to fluctuation of power supply voltage can be obtained, and as a result, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can be miniaturized.

Next, a modification of the fourth embodiment will be described. The ON / OFF control power supply 114 described above supplies power to all delay calculators 112 and pulse generators 113 provided in the transmission beam former 11C. On the other hand, in the modification described below, the power supply to the delay computer 112 and the pulse generator 113 is performed by the channel power supply 117 provided for each channel.

[Internal configuration of transmission beam former 11D]
FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing another internal configuration of the transmission beam former 11C according to the fourth embodiment. The transmission beam former 11D in the modification has the same basic configuration as the transmission beam former 11C, but differs in that a channel power supply 117 is provided for each channel. The channel power supply 117 supplies power only to the delay calculator 112 and the pulse generator 113 provided for each channel. Therefore, power can be supplied or cut off for each channel, that is, for each delay computer 112 and pulse generator 113 constituting the channel.

[Operation and signal flow in the transmission beam former 11D]
In the modification, the power supply control circuit 116 receives the transmission / reception identification signal as well as the channel usage information from the control circuit 16. The channel usage information is information about the channel used during the transmission period.

The power supply control circuit 116, which has received the channel usage information from the control circuit 16 during the transmission period, uses the channel usage information to determine whether or not the channel usage information is used for each channel, that is, to transmit ultrasonic waves to the subject. Determine if the channel is on.

As a result, the channel being used is controlled to turn on the channel power supply 117 in the channel. On the other hand, control is performed so that the channel power supply 117 in the unused channel or the channel in which the transmission of the transmission pulse to the transmission circuit 12 is completed is turned off.

In this way, the power supply control circuit 116 determines which channels are used and which channels are not used by using the channel usage information, and controls ON or OFF for each channel power supply 117. This appropriately supplies power to the delay calculator 112 and the pulse generator 113 for each channel during the transmission period, while the delay calculator 112 and the pulse generator during the substantial reception period of the echo signal. The power supply to the device 113 is cut off. Therefore, the power consumption in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can be reduced. Therefore, various effects such as miniaturization of constituent equipment, integration of channels, and noise reduction due to fluctuation of power supply voltage can be obtained, and as a result, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can be miniaturized.

(Fifth Embodiment)
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the fifth embodiment, the same components as those described in the first to fourth embodiments described above are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description of the same components is duplicated. Omit.

In each of the embodiments described so far, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is taken as an example. In the fifth embodiment, an example in which the transmission beam former according to the embodiment of the present invention is mounted on the ultrasonic probe P will be described.

[Ultrasonic probe configuration]
FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ultrasonic probe P according to the fifth embodiment. In the fifth embodiment, the transmission beam former is provided inside the ultrasonic probe P as described above. The ultrasonic probe P is detachably connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

The ultrasonic probe P includes a transmission beam former 31 that generates a transmission pulse, a transmission circuit 33 that supplies a drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer 32, and a reception circuit 34 that receives a reflection signal from the ultrasonic probe P. It has a built-in reception beam former 35 that processes reflected signals and a control circuit 36 that controls each part.

The internal configuration of the ultrasonic probe P in the fifth embodiment is as described above, but the configuration considered necessary for explaining the fifth embodiment is shown. Therefore, it may further include a configuration not shown in FIG.

The transmission beam former 31 generates a transmission pulse, which is a drive signal transmitted and applied from the transmission circuit 33 to the ultrasonic vibrator 32, based on the control by the control circuit 36. That is, the transmission beam former 31 sets the distance between each ultrasonic transducer 32 and the focal point so that the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer 32 to the subject are in phase at a predetermined focal point in the subject. The corresponding delay time is calculated, and a transmission pulse (drive signal) with the delay added is generated.

The transmission beam former 31 includes a clock generator 311, a delay calculator 312, and a pulse generator 313. The clock generator 311 receives the transmission synchronization signal and the transmission clock from the control circuit 36, and generates a clock to be supplied to the delay calculator 312 and the pulse generator 313. The delay calculator 312 calculates the delay time added for each transmission pulse. The pulse generator 313 generates a transmission pulse to be supplied to the transmission circuit 33. Then, the transmission pulse supplied from the pulse generator 313 to the transmission circuit 33 is applied to the ultrasonic vibrator 32 as a drive signal.

Here, one clock generator 311 is provided in the transmission beam former 31. Further, for the delay computer 312 and the pulse generator 313, a combination thereof is provided for each channel. A plurality of channels are formed, and a plurality of delay calculators 312 and a plurality of pulse generators 313 are also provided in the transmission beam former 31. However, in FIG. 13, only two sets of the combination of the delay calculator 312 and the pulse generator 313 are shown, and the other illustrations are omitted.

The ultrasonic probe P transmits and receives ultrasonic waves in a state where the tip surface thereof is in contact with the surface of the subject. The ultrasonic probe P contains a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 32, which are one-dimensionally arranged on the tip surface. The ultrasonic probe P transmits ultrasonic waves into the subject by each ultrasonic transducer 32 to scan the scan area, and receives the reflected wave from the subject as an echo signal. In addition, as this scan, there are various scans such as B mode scan and Doppler mode scan.

Further, the ultrasonic probe P includes sector scanning, linear scanning, convex scanning, and the like, and is arbitrarily selected according to the diagnosis site. Further, the ultrasonic vibrator 21 is not limited to a one-dimensional arrangement, and volume data can be acquired in real time by arranging the ultrasonic vibrator 32 two-dimensionally. When obtaining a three-dimensional stereoscopic image, a probe for three-dimensional scanning is used as the ultrasonic probe P. Examples of the probe for three-dimensional scanning include a two-dimensional array probe and a mechanical four-dimensional probe.

Note that FIG. 13 does not show all of the ultrasonic transducers 32 built in the ultrasonic probe P, but is provided between the two ultrasonic transducers 32 by connecting them with a broken line. The illustration of the ultrasonic vibrator 32 is omitted.

The transmission circuit 33 receives the input of the transmission pulse generated by the transmission beam former 31 and transmits it to the ultrasonic vibrator 32 as a drive signal. As the configuration of the transmission circuit 12, for example, a configuration such as a switching pulser or a linear driver can be adopted.

The receiving circuit 34 receives the reflected signal from the ultrasonic transducer 32, that is, the echo signal. The echo signal received by the receiving circuit 34 is input to the receiving beam former 35. The reception beam former 35 performs delay addition on the echo signal, and outputs the signal acquired by the delay addition to a scan converter provided in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus to which the ultrasonic probe P is connected.

[Operation and signal flow in the transmission beam former]
Next, the operation and the signal flow in the transmission beam former will be described. As described above, the transmission beam former 31 generates a transmission pulse (drive signal) to be applied to the ultrasonic transducer 32. Therefore, first, the transmission synchronization signal and the transmission clock are input from the control circuit 36 to the clock generator 311. Further, the transmission synchronization signal from the control circuit 36 is input not only to the clock generator 311 but also to the delay computer 312 of each channel.

In the clock generator 311, the transmission clock is supplied to each delay computer 312 and the pulse generator 313 during the period in which the ultrasonic probe P transmits ultrasonic waves (transmitted waves) into the body of the subject. The supply of the transmission clock to the delay computer 312 by the clock generator 311 is simultaneously performed to all the delay computers 312 provided in the transmission beam former 31.

When the delay calculator 312 receives the transmission clock from the clock generator 311, the delay calculator 312 calculates the delay time added for each transmission pulse. The delay calculator 312 supplies a pulse generation trigger containing the calculated delay time to the connected pulse generator 313.

The pulse generator 313 adds the delay time received from the delay computer 312 to generate a transmission pulse to be supplied to the transmission circuit 33. The generated transmission pulse is applied to the ultrasonic vibrator 32 via the transmission circuit 33 as described above.

The ultrasonic probe P alternately transmits ultrasonic waves to the subject and receives reflected waves. Therefore, the transmission period for transmitting ultrasonic waves and the reception period for receiving reflected waves are alternately provided. The transmission pulse generated by the transmission beam former 31 is applied to the ultrasonic transducer 32 during the transmission period, and the transmission pulse is applied to the ultrasonic transducer 32 as well as the transmission period is switched to the reception period. finish.

Therefore, in the pulse generator 313, when the generated transmission pulse is transmitted to the transmission circuit 33, the transmission completion signal is transmitted to the clock generator 311. In FIG. 13, the arrow extending from the pulse generator 313 toward the clock generator 311 represents a transmission completion signal transmitted from the pulse generator 313 to the clock generator 311. When the clock generator 311 receives the transmission completion signal transmitted from all the pulse generators 313, the clock generator 311 stops the supply of the transmission clock from the clock generator 311 to the delay calculator 312 and the pulse generator 313.

In FIG. 13, one arrow is shown from the clock generator 311 toward the left side of the figure, which supplies transmission clocks to all delay calculators and pulse generators at the same time. It is shown that the stop of the transmission clock supply is also performed for all delay computers and pulse generators at the same time.

As described above, the transmission clock is supplied from the clock generator to the delay calculator, which has been performed regardless of the transmission period and the reception period as in the past, and in the present embodiment, the transmission clock is supplied during the transmission period. It was decided to supply and stop the supply during the substantial reception period of the echo signal. By performing such processing, the power consumption of the ultrasonic probe can be reduced. Therefore, various effects such as miniaturization of constituent equipment, integration of channels, and noise reduction due to fluctuation of power supply voltage can be obtained, and as a result, the ultrasonic probe can be miniaturized.

Here, an example in which a transmission beam former for reducing power consumption by stopping the supply of the transmission clock to the delay computer during the reception period is mounted on the ultrasonic probe has been described (first embodiment). The transmission beam former mounted on this ultrasonic probe controls, for example, the supply and stop of the transmission clock for each channel (second embodiment), the delay calculator, and the clock supplied for each pulse generator. (Third embodiment), or a transmission beam former (fourth embodiment) that controls power supply and cutoff instead of a clock to reduce power consumption. It may be.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and variations thereof are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof, as are included in the scope and gist of the invention.

For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the clock generator supplies or stops various clocks. Further, the power supply in the transmission beam former was controlled by the power supply control circuit. However, these controls may be performed by, for example, a control circuit.

Further, the supply and stop of various clocks in the transmission beam former, or the supply and cut of power have been described separately for the embodiments, but the supply and stop of various clocks and the supply and cut of power are combined. You can also do it. This makes it possible to further reduce the power consumption.

1 Ultrasonic diagnostic device 2 Ultrasonic probe 11-11D Transmission beamformer 111 Clock generator 112 Delay calculator 113 Pulse generator 114 ON / OFF control power supply 115 Constant ON power supply 116 Power supply control circuit 12 Transmission circuit 13 Receive circuit 14 Receive beam Former 15 Scan converter 16 Control circuit 31 Transmit beam former 311 Clock generator 312 Delay calculator 313 Pulse generator 32 Ultrasonic oscillator 33 Transmit circuit 34 Receive circuit 35 Receive beam former 36 Control circuit

Claims (6)

A transmission beam former that generates a transmission pulse, and a transmission beam former
A transmission circuit that supplies the transmission pulse supplied from the transmission beam former as a drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer is provided.
The transmission beam former includes a pulse generator that generates the transmission pulse supplied to the transmission circuit, a delay calculator that calculates the delay time added for each transmission pulse, the delay calculator, and the pulse generator. Has a clock generator, which produces a clock to supply to
The supply of the clock from the clock generator to the delay calculator and the pulse generator shall be stopped during the period of receiving the echo signal from the ultrasonic transducer.
An ultrasonic diagnostic device characterized by. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the clock is supplied or stopped for each channel of the transmission circuit. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the clock is supplied or stopped for each of the pulse generators or the delay calculators constituting the channel. 2. Item 3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to item 3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein the clock is supplied to a channel used in the connected ultrasonic probe. A transmission beam former that generates a transmission pulse, and a transmission beam former
A transmission circuit that supplies the transmission pulse supplied from the transmission beam former as a drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer is provided.
The transmission beam former includes a pulse generator that generates the transmission pulse supplied to the transmission circuit, a delay calculator that calculates the delay time added for each transmission pulse, the delay calculator, and the pulse generator. Has a clock generator, which produces a clock to supply to
The supply of the clock from the clock generator to the delay calculator and the pulse generator shall be stopped during the period of receiving the echo signal from the ultrasonic transducer.
An ultrasonic probe featuring.

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