KR20090078624A - Ultrasound diagnostic device with a single transducer element - Google Patents

Abstract

An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus using a single transducer device is provided to reduce loss and distortion of signals by reducing an impedance difference between components by mounting a pulser and an amplifier in a probe. An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus using a single transducer device includes a probe(110) and a main body. The probe includes a pulser for generating a transmitting pulse signal, a converter, and an amplifier for amplifying an electrical signal. The converter is composed of a single conversion element(111) for transmitting an ultrasonic signal in response to the transmitting pulse signal and outputting an electrical signal in response to an ultrasonic echo signal. The main body includes a signal processor and an image processor. The signal processor is used for processing output signals of the probe and forming ultrasonic data. The image processor forms ultrasonic image signals by processing the ultrasonic data.

Description

Ultrasonic diagnostic device with a single transducer element

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly, to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using a single conversion element.

Ultrasonic diagnostic devices have non-invasive and non-destructive characteristics and are widely used in the medical field for obtaining information inside an object. Ultrasonic diagnostic devices are very important in the medical field because they can provide a high-resolution image of the internal tissue of the human body to a doctor in real time without the need for surgical surgery to directly incision. Recently, high-performance ultrasound diagnostic devices provide Doppler spectral images of blood flow in the heart or blood vessels, as well as two-dimensional or three-dimensional diagnostic images of the internal shape of the object (eg, internal organs of a patient).

Ultrasonic diagnostic devices generally use a conversion element formed of a piezoelectric material for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus electrically stimulates the conversion element to generate an ultrasonic signal transmitted to the human body and transmit the ultrasonic signal to the human body. The ultrasonic signal transmitted to the human body is reflected at the boundary of the discontinuous human tissue, and the ultrasonic echo signal transmitted from the boundary of the human tissue to the conversion element is converted into an electrical signal. The converted electrical signal is amplified and signal processed to generate ultrasonic image data about the tissue.

In general, an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus transmits an ultrasound signal to an object in response to a transmission pulse signal, receives a ultrasound echo signal reflected from the object, and converts the ultrasound signal into an electrical signal, and generates an ultrasound image signal based on a signal output from the probe. And a display device configured to display an ultrasound image of the object based on the main body and the ultrasound image signal. The main body includes a pulser for generating a transmission pulse signal, a receiver for receiving an output signal of a probe, an amplifier for amplifying the received signal, an analog-to-digital converter for analog-to-digital conversion of the amplified signal, and a digital signal for processing an ultrasonic image signal. Digital signal processor, scan converter, and so on.

Conventionally, since the probe and the main body are connected by cables, and the signal output from the probe is received by the main body through the cable, the signal is reflected by an impedance difference according to the components of the main body and the cable connection of the probe, resulting in loss and distortion of the signal. This can happen.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention reduces the configuration of the channel circuit using a single conversion element, by embedding a pulser and amplifier in the probe to reduce the impedance difference between components to reduce the loss of signal and distortion Provide a diagnostic device.

In order to achieve the above object, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention includes a pulser for generating a transmission pulse signal, a single conversion element for transmitting an ultrasonic signal in response to the transmission room pulse signal and outputting an electrical signal in response to the ultrasonic echo signal. A probe comprising a configured transducer and an amplifier for amplifying and outputting the electrical signal; And a main body including a signal processor for processing the signal output from the probe to form ultrasound data and an image processor for processing the ultrasound data to form an ultrasound image signal.

According to the present invention, by using a single conversion element in the converter, the circuit constituting the channel can be made small, so that a transceiver such as a pulser and an amplifier can be easily embedded in the probe, and a microscopic ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can be implemented. have. In addition, by using a single conversion element, it is possible to implement a high frequency probe, for example, 20MHz or more.

In addition, by embedding a pulser and an amplifier in the probe, it is possible to reduce the loss and distortion of the signal due to the impedance difference between components, and can be implemented as a portable wireless device to further increase the convenience of using an ultrasound diagnostic device.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the present invention includes a probe 110, a cable 120, and a main body 130. The probe 110 transmits an ultrasonic signal to the object in response to the transmission pulse signal, amplifies the ultrasonic echo signal received from the object into an electrical signal and outputs the ultrasonic signal. The cable 120 is responsible for wired communication between the probe 110 and the main body 130. The main body 130 converts the output signal of the probe 110 received through the cable 120 into a digital signal, forms an ultrasound image signal through digital image processing, and then displays an ultrasound image of the object.

Probe 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a transducer 111, the transducer driver 112, the motor 113, the motor driving amplifier 114, the pulser 115, the amplifier 116 and the housing 117 Include. The converter 111 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a single conversion element. The transducer 111 transmits an ultrasonic signal in response to the transmission pulse signal, and outputs an ultrasonic echo signal reflected from the object as an electrical signal. The transducer driver 112 drives the transducer 111 to the left and right within a predetermined range in the housing 117 according to the driving of the motor 113. The motor driving amplifier 114 controls the driving of the motor 113 in response to the motor control signal.

The pulser 115 generates a transmit pulse signal that is applied to the transducer 111. The amplifier 116 amplifies and outputs the signal output from the converter 111. According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a TGC amplifier may be used as the amplifier 116. The signal output from the amplifier 116 is transmitted to the main body 130 through the cable 120.

The main body 130 includes an analog-to-digital converter 131, a digital signal processor 132, a digital image processor 133, a display unit 134, and a motor controller 135. The analog-digital converter 131 converts an output signal of the probe 110 received through a cable into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal. In an embodiment of the present invention, the analog-digital converter 131 is shown to be included in the main body 130, but in another embodiment of the present invention, the analog-digital converter may be implemented to be included in the probe 110. The digital signal processor 132 processes the digital signal output from the analog-digital converter 131 to form ultrasonic data.

The digital image processor 133 forms an ultrasound image signal through image processing such as scan conversion and rendering of ultrasound data, and the display unit 134 displays an ultrasound image of the object based on the image signal.

The motor controller 135 generates a motor control signal for controlling the driving of the motor. The motor control signal is transmitted to the motor drive amplifier 114 via the cable 120.

The main body 130 according to the present invention supplies the power of the battery 136 and the battery 137 to each component such as an analog-to-digital converter so that the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention can operate without an external power supply. It may further include a power supply unit 138 for supplying. In this way, the battery 136 can be attached to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, thereby being used as a portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention shows a configuration in which the probe and the main body are wirelessly communicated unlike the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 of FIG. 1. In addition, in the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention, an analog-digital converter is shown mounted on the probe 210. In the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus 200 illustrated in FIG. 2, the same components as those of the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 are assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The probe 210 of the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus 200 according to the present invention is a first device for wirelessly communicating with a digital-to-analog converter 211 and a main body 220 that convert a signal output from the amplifier 116 into a digital signal. A wireless communication unit 212 is included. The first wireless communication unit 212 may process the digital signal output from the digital-to-analog converter 211 into a signal capable of wireless communication and transmit the wireless signal. The probe 210 may be equipped with a battery 213 for supplying power to each component to operate the probe 210 without supplying power from the outside.

The main body 220 includes a second wireless communication unit 221 for receiving a signal wirelessly transmitted from the probe 210 and wirelessly transmitting a motor control signal to the probe 220. The second wireless communication unit 221 may process the signal received from the probe 220 into a signal that can be processed by the signal processor and output the signal. The output signal is displayed on the display unit through signal processing and image processing. In addition, the second wireless communication unit 221 may process and transmit a control signal for controlling the operation of the probe 210 according to the present invention into a signal capable of wireless communication.

While the present invention has been described and illustrated by way of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of Signs of Major Parts of Drawings>

110, 210: probe

111: conversion element

117: housing

120: cable

130, 220: main body

Claims (7)

As an ultrasound diagnostic device, A pulser for generating a transmission pulse signal, a converter configured to transmit an ultrasonic signal in response to the transmission pulse signal and output an electrical signal in response to the ultrasonic echo signal, and an amplifier for amplifying and outputting the electrical signal; Probes; And A main body including a signal processor for processing the signal output from the probe to form ultrasound data and an image processor for processing the ultrasound data to form an ultrasound image signal Ultrasonic diagnostic device comprising a. The method of claim 1, The main body further comprises an analog-to-digital converter for converting the signal output from the probe into a digital signal. The method of claim 1, The probe further comprises an analog-to-digital converter for converting the signal output from the amplifier into a digital signal. The method of claim 2 or 3, The main body further includes a motor control unit for generating and outputting a motor control signal, wherein the probe is a motor driving amplifier for driving the motor in response to the motor and the motor control signal and the transducer according to the driving of the motor An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus further comprising a transducer driver for driving from side to side within the range. The method of claim 4, wherein The main body further includes a battery and a power supply for supplying power of the battery to the main body, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus. The method of claim 2, The probe further includes a first wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly process a battery for supplying power to the probe and an output signal of the amplifier into a signal capable of wireless transmission, and the main body receives a signal transmitted wirelessly from the probe. Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus further comprises a second wireless transmitter for processing to output the analog-to-digital converter to be processed. The method of claim 3, wherein The probe further includes a battery for supplying power to the probe and a first wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly process the digital signal into a signal capable of wireless transmission, and the main body receives the wirelessly transmitted signal from the probe. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus further comprises a second wireless transmitter for processing and outputting the signal processing unit to be processed.

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