Ge Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC

Ge Yokogawa Medical Systems, Limited

General Electric Company

Dai Nippon Insatsu Kabushiki Kaisha

Shinichi Amemiya

Menachem Halmann

Bruno Hans Haider

Hiroshi Hashimoto

Yoichi Suzuki

Krishnakumar Sundaresan

Sei Kato

Takao Jibiki

Satoru Horiguchi

Osamu Furuta

Taiho Ri

Yoshinori Sakamoto

Naresh Kesavan Rao

Geir Ultveit Haugen

Koji Miyama

Scott D Cogan

Dai Morita

Thomas Halvorsrod

Ryota Ohsumi

Sumio Nishii

Xinping Zang

Yigang Yu

A method and system are disclosed for a compact, inexpensive ultrasound system using an off-the-shelf personal digital assistant (PDA) device interfacing to a hand-held probe assembly through a standard digital interface. The hand-held probe assembly comprises a detachable transducer head attached to a beamforming module that performs digital beamforming. The PDA runs Windows applications and displays menus and images to a user. The PDA also runs ultrasound data processing software to support a plurality of imaging modes. An internal battery is provided in the PDA to power the system. The transducer head is detachable from the beamforming module.

Method and system for PDA-based ultrasound

An ultrasonic transducer driving circuit configured to supply an output current and/or an output voltage to an output line for driving an ultrasonic transducer is provided. The ultrasonic transducer driving circuit includes a first current discharge circuit configured to allow a current arising from electric charges accumulated in the ultrasonic transducer to flow from the output line to ground when the output line is at a positive voltage, and a second current discharge circuit configured to allow the current arising from the electric charges accumulated in the ultrasonic transducer to flow from ground to the output line when the output line is at a negative voltage. The first current discharge circuit and the second current discharge circuit are controlled based on the output current and/or the output voltage.

Ultrasonic transducer driving circuit and ultrasonic image display apparatus

Exemplary ultrasound probes with sub-aperture processing capable of dynamic focus are provided that generally include an array of transducer elements that form a sub-aperture in the ultrasound probe. The transducer elements can be assigned to dynamic delay update groups and an initial delay can be applied to ultrasound signals associated with the transducer elements of the sub-aperture. A sub-aperture processor can be configured to dynamically apply delay updates to the ultrasound signals associated with the transducer elements of the sub-aperture according to the dynamic delay update groups to which the transducer elements are assigned. Exemplary ultrasound systems with a dynamic focus and methods of transmitting ultrasound signals with a dynamic focus are also provided.

Ultrasound probe with dynamic focus and associated systems and methods

An ultrasonic transducer drive circuit for driving an ultrasonic transducer by outputting pulses including a positive pulse and a negative pulse to an output line is provided. The ultrasonic transducer includes a positive voltage supply circuit, a negative voltage supply circuit, a current-inflow-type ground clamp circuit configured to operate when voltage in the output line is positive voltage, and a current-outflow-type ground clamp circuit configured to operate when voltage in the output line is negative voltage, wherein the current-inflow-type ground clamp circuit is configured to enter an operation state at a time of generating the negative pulse in a state where the voltage in the output line is positive voltage, and the current-outflow-type ground clamp circuit is configured to enter an operation state at a time of generating the positive pulse in a state where the voltage in the output line is negative voltage.

Ultrasonic transducer drive circuit and ultrasonic image display apparatus

A reception circuit disposed within an ultrasound probe is provided. The reception circuit includes, at least one amplifying unit configured to amplify echo signals received by ultrasound transducers, and at least one delay unit connected to the amplifying unit and including a first circuit and a second circuit each configured to apply a delay time to an output from the amplifying unit, wherein the first and second circuits each have a plurality of capacitor banks. Each capacitor bank includes two or more capacitors each configured to write therein a signal amplified by the amplifying unit, wherein the two or more capacitors are different from one another in capacitance, write switches configured to write an output current into the first and second capacitors of the two or more capacitors, and read switches configured to read the output written into the first and second capacitors.

Reception circuit, ultrasound probe and ultrasound image display apparatus

An ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit is provided. The power circuit includes a high-voltage fixed power supply portion configured to boost a voltage of a low-voltage power supply and generate positive and negative voltages, a bias voltage output portion connected to the high-voltage fixed power supply portion and configured to output a bias voltage to a switch configured to switch an ultrasonic transducer configured to transmit and receive an ultrasonic wave, a transmission power supply portion connected to the high-voltage fixed power supply portion, the transmission power supply portion configured to supply transmission power for the ultrasonic wave to the ultrasonic transducer and configured to regenerate the transmission power as regeneration power to the high-voltage fixed power supply portion, and a regenerative electric power storage portion provided between the high-voltage fixed power supply portion and the transmission power supply portion and configured to store regeneration power.

Ultrasonic image display apparatus power circuit and ultrasonic image display apparatus

Ultrasonic transducer driving ciruit and ultrasonic image display apparatus

An ultrasound probe connected to an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus configured to transmit an ultrasound beam to a target object is provided. The ultrasound probe includes a switching unit including N/2 channels, each channel configured to switch between a first pole and a second pole, wherein N is a natural number, N/2 first transducer elements connected to the first pole and placed in two-dimensions, wherein a placement is defined in an x-axis direction and a y-axis direction, and N/2 second transducer elements connected to the second pole and placed in two-dimensions, wherein the placement is defined in the x-axis and y-axis directions, wherein a placement of a channel number of the first transducer elements and a placement of a channel number of the second transducer elements differ in the x-axis and y-axis directions.

Ultrasound probe and ultrasound diagnostic apparatus

A transmission circuit for use with an ultrasonic probe including an ultrasonic transducer is provided. The transmission circuit includes a high voltage current DAC configured to output a drive current of an ultrasonic transducer to transmit and receive ultrasound, and a waveform generator configured to output a control signal from the high voltage current DAC to the high voltage current DAC with a predetermined timing. The control signal configured to output the drive current with a desired magnitude.

Transmission circuit, ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic image display apparatus

A voltage generating circuit generates a voltage for driving an ultrasonic oscillator, and includes a multi-stage connected power supply circuit without a transformer.

Voltage generating circuit and ultrasonic diagnosing device

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes: an ultrasonic probe in which a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor are located posterior to an oscillator; and a surface temperature calculation device for calculating a surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe on the basis of a first detection temperature Ta detected by the first temperature sensor and a second detection temperature Tb detected by the second temperature sensor. Also, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes: an ultrasonic probe in which a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor are embedded in a backing material; and a surface temperature calculation device for calculating a surface temperature Ts of the ultrasonic probe on the basis of a first detection temperature Ta detected by the first temperature sensor and a second detection temperature Tb detected by the second temperature sensor.

Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

With the aim of suppressing power consumption and reducing circuit size, a positive FET is turned on in accordance with a positive pulse signal and turned off when a return voltage rises up to a positive threshold. An active ground clamp circuit causes the output line to return to the ground voltage after the elapse of a predetermined period of time. A negative FET is turned on in accordance with a negative pulse signal and turned off when the return voltage falls down to a negative threshold. The active ground clamp circuit causes the output line to return to the ground voltage after the elapse of a predetermined period of time.

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Tokyo, Japan

Shinichi Amemiya