JPH04297243A - Ultrasonic diagnostic system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce a signal line when a driver is built thereinto in the system requiring a number of signal lines of a two-dimensional array probe or the like by arranging a signal line of a timing pulse for driving a driver to serve as also a signal line of received signals from a vibrator. CONSTITUTION:A pulse corresponding to the number (m) of the maximum diameter from a transmission timing pulse generator 1 is inputted into a driver 3 of a transmitting/receiving section 10 through two analog switches 2 and 2'. Then, a vibrator drive pulse is outputted with the driver 3 to be applied to a desired vibrator 6 from a high voltage withstand analog switch 5 passing through a transmitting/receiving separation circuit 4. On the other hand, a signal received with a vibrator 6 is passed through a signal line 13 of a transmission timing pulse after inputted into the analog switch 2' passing the high voltage withstand analog switch 5 and the transmitting/receiving separation circuit 4. Then, the signal is introduced to a receiving circuit 7 with the analog switch 2 while processed with a signal processing section 8 to display an image on a monitor 9.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly to a configuration for reducing the number of signal lines in a transmitting/receiving circuit using a two-dimensional array probe.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4 shows the configuration of a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. It has m transmitting/receiving circuits (consisting of a driver 3, a transmitting/receiving separation circuit 4, and a receiving circuit 7) for approximately the maximum transmission channel, and the linear probe and convex probe have a high voltage analog switch for switching the transducer. 5 for each vibrator and is connected to the vibrator. To drive the driver 3, the output of the timing pulse generator 1 corresponding to the number of channels is used. The received signal is configured such that the signal selected by the high-voltage analog switch 5 is guided to the receiving circuit 7 by the transmitting/receiving separation circuit 4.

There are two types of probe configurations: one in which a high-voltage analog switch 5 for switching and a transducer group 6 are installed in the probe, and the other in which only the transducer group is installed in the probe. The number of signal lines connecting the former probe and the main body is approximately the maximum number of transmission and reception channels m. Regarding the latter, signal lines with approximately n number of oscillators are required. However, in the case of sector scanning,
Basically, there is no need for a changeover switch.

As a method for reducing the size of these transmitting/receiving sections, the inventors of the present invention have already described a driver circuit and a transmitting/receiving system suitable for semiconductor integration in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-21583. This will be briefly explained using FIG. 5(b). P
A push-pull driver consisting of N1 and N1, and N1, n2
, n3 and a circuit having a transmitting and receiving wave separation function consisting of N1 and D1 are connected to a transducer group 6 consisting of n transducers as shown in FIG. 5(a). By placing a driver circuit 16 in each case, the high-voltage analog switch 5 is eliminated and the range of functional applications is expanded. Regarding the structure of the short axis variable aperture in a two-dimensional array of transducers, the inventors of the present invention have described a high-voltage analog switch probe built-in system in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-234952.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] When the driver circuit of the prior art is mounted on a probe, a signal line D for timing pulses to drive the driver circuit 16 and a signal line R for returning received signals to the main body are required. There is no problem if the transmit timing pulse generator can be mounted inside the probe, but for devices with a large number of transmit transducers such as two-dimensional array probes, the peripheral circuit that controls the transmit timing pulse generator or its signal line is required. It is difficult to implement because of the increase in Furthermore, in order to control multiple probes, a transmission timing pulse generator is placed in the main body. In that case, the number of transmitting/receiving signal lines increases and S
/N was not considered. Furthermore, in the conventional example that mentioned the built-in probe method, the focus was on the short axis variable aperture, and the system for arbitrary focusing was not considered.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The above problem can be alleviated by using the signal line for the timing pulse that drives the driver as the signal line for the received signal.

[0007]

[Operation] By using the signal line for the timing pulse that drives the driver as the signal line for the received signal, the number of signal lines can be reduced by the number of received signal lines.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings, taking as an example an apparatus for electronically moving the aperture.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention. A pulse corresponding to the maximum aperture of several meters from the transmission timing pulse generator 1 passes through the analog switch 2 twice and is input to the driver 3. The driver 3 outputs a vibrator drive pulse, which passes through a transmission/reception separation circuit 4 to a high voltage analog switch 5.
is applied to the desired vibrator 6. The signal received by the vibrator 6 passes through the high-voltage analog switch 5, passes through the reception signal line by the transmission/reception separation circuit 4, enters the analog switch 2', passes through the transmission timing pulse signal line 13, and is input to the analog switch 2'. 2 to the receiving circuit 7, the signal is processed by the signal processing section 8, and an image is displayed on the monitor 9.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which a driver section 10, a high voltage analog switch 5, and an analog switch 2' are mounted inside a probe 12. m signal lines are required. Further, a power supply line and a control line for the high voltage analog switch 5 are added.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment in which only a vibrator 6 is placed in the probe 12, and a driver section 10, a high voltage analog switch 5, and an analog switch 2' are built into the connector 14. In this case, signal lines for the number of vibrators n are required. Needless to say, a ground line is added.

FIG. 5 shows a specific driver circuit. As shown in FIG. 6(b), the signal is output from terminal T in a push-pull configuration with P1 and N1. The received signal passes through N1 and n2 and is output from the R terminal. n2 and n3 are analog switches. When a positive pulse is applied to the D terminal, N1
, n2 are turned off, and P1 is turned on by the level shift circuit 23. A voltage is applied from the power source V to the vibrator 6' through P1. When the D terminal becomes L level, P1 and n3 are turned off and N1 and n2 are turned on. The charges accumulated in the vibrator 6' are extracted from N1 and a pulse with a wave height of V is applied to the vibrator 6', so that an ultrasonic wave is emitted from the vibrator 6'. The received ultrasonic waves are converted into electrical signals by the transducer 6' and guided to the receiving circuit through N1 and n2.

Therefore, the driver circuit shown in FIG. 2B has the functions of a driver, a transmission/reception separation function, and a reception analog switch. By providing this driver circuit 16 for each vibrator, it is possible to have the function of a high voltage analog switch. As shown in FIG. 5(a), in the vibrator array 6 consisting of n vibrators, when the maximum diameter is m, 1, m+
By grouping by m such as 1, 2m + 1,
As shown in (c), the D terminal and R terminal can be shared. The unit is a driver unit a17.

FIG. 7 shows an example in which the present invention is applied to this method.
Shown below. The received output R of the driver unit a17 is returned to the D terminal via a switch. This unit is referred to as a driver unit b18. FIG. 8 shows an example in which a buffer or amplifier 19 is loaded between the R terminal and the switch. When this driver unit 18 is built into the probe 12, it drives the signal line and improves the S/N ratio.

An application example will now be described in which a two-dimensional array is scanned in B mode in the x direction (major axis direction) and sector scanned in the y direction (minor axis direction). FIG. 6 shows an example in which these driver units are used and built into a probe. If we consider the n×P two-dimensional array of transducers 15 as an arrangement of P transducer arrays 6 each consisting of n transducers, then n signal lines from each transducer array 6 form m driver units b.
18, and m×P signal lines are output from the probe 12.

FIG. 9 shows a configuration in which a focusing section is added to the embodiment of FIG. 6. Transmission timing pulse generator 1
Timing pulses for focusing the transmission in the x direction are outputted, and a delay means 20 for focusing the transmission in the y direction and variable delaying the beam scanning for each pulse is outputted.
xP number of transmission timing pulses are applied to respective corresponding driver circuits to form and scan a three-dimensional beam. The received signal is sent to analog switch 2.
The variable delay means 20 is guided to the receiving circuit by
, the beam is delayed in the y direction, and a beam in the x direction is formed by the variable delay means 21. variable delay means 20,
When the variable delay amount of 21 is small, scanning is required to rearrange the order of the transducers. Further, by providing the timing pulse generator 1 for all controlled oscillators, the variable delay means 20 on the wave transmitting side may be eliminated. The same thing can be said on the receiving side.

Above, we have described a system for electronically moving the aperture of a part of a two-dimensional array vibrator.
If the beam is not sector scanned in the direction (minor axis direction),
Since the vibrator in the y direction can be treated as symmetrical, there are m×P/2 signal lines. In addition, for devices that do not move the diameter,
All n's in the figure are changed to m, and the changeover switch 5 is omitted. Further, in the example of FIG. 5, it is possible to cope with a configuration in which the D terminal and the R terminal are not commonly connected in (c). Further, the analog switches 2 and 2' are not limited to switches and may be used as long as they can separate signals.

[0018]

According to the present invention, when a driver is built in a device that requires many signal lines, such as a two-dimensional array probe, the driver's drive signal line and reception signal line can be shared, reducing the number of signal lines. can do.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 shows a conventional embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows a conventional embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a two-dimensional array using the method shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment applied to the method shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is an example of improving S/N.

9 shows an example of a two-dimensional array focusing method using the method shown in FIG. 5. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1... Transmission timing pulse generator, 2... Analog switch, 2'... Analog switch, 3... Driver, 4... Transmission/reception separation circuit, 5... High voltage analog switch, 6... Vibrator group, 6'... Vibrator, 7 ...Receiving circuit, 8...Signal processing section, 9...
Display, 10...Transmission/reception unit, 11...Device main body, 12
...Probe, 13...Signal line, 14...Connector, 15...Two-dimensional probe, 16...Driver circuit, 17...Driver unit 1, 18...Driver unit 2, 19...Buffer, 2
0...y-direction variable delay means, 21...x-direction variable delay means,
22...Inverter, 23...Level shift.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for obtaining tomographic images and Doppler signals by electrically scanning arrayed ultrasonic transducers, the apparatus comprising: a driver for driving the transducers; and a driver for driving the driver to focus transmission. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus characterized in that, in a transmitting/receiving system equipped with a timing pulse generator for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wiring for connecting the driver and the timing pulse generator is also used for receiving signals from a vibrator. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the probe includes a driver for driving a vibrator and a circuit for connecting a received signal from the vibrator to wiring connecting the driver and a timing pulse generator. An ultrasonic diagnostic device featuring: