The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus and a power supply device. The ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus comprises: an ultrasonic host including a pluggable main battery pack; a backup power supply device including a plurality of pluggable backup battery packs, for powering the ultrasonic host; and a trolley for carrying the ultrasonic host and the backup power supply device; wherein a specification of each of the plurality of backup battery packs is identical to that of the main battery pack.

Systems and methods for dynamically managing power consumption in an ultrasound device are provided herein. A transducer in an ultrasound device may have transmit and receive elements for respectively transmitting and receiving ultrasound signals. In at least one embodiment, the method includes sensing a motion of the transducer by a motion sensor that is coupled to the transducer. An amount of power consumed by the ultrasound device is then reduced, based on the sensed motion of the transducer. Reducing an amount of power consumption may include adjusting one or more operational parameters of the ultrasound device, such as but not limited to reducing the display frame rate, the receive aperture, or the transmit amplitude, or by decoupling power to one or more components of the ultrasound device. Alternatively or in addition, power consumption may be reduced based on signals received from a capacitive sensor and/or a patient contact sensor.

An ultrasound probe includes a receiving section to receive ultrasound waves from an object and to acquire a receiving signal of each of multiple channels; a beam forming section to adjust a phase of the receiving signal of each of multiple channels and to sum the receiving signals; an image producing section to produce image data to display an ultrasound diagnostic image based on the receiving signals summed by the beam forming section; a transmission target selecting section to select one from at least two of the receiving signal for each of multiple channels, the receiving signals summed by the beam forming section, and the image data as a transmission target; and a transmitting section to transmit the transmission target selected by the transmission target selecting section.

Circuitry for ultrasound devices is described. A multi-level pulser is described, which can support time-domain and spatial apodization. The multi-level pulser may be controlled through a software-defined waveform generator. In response to the execution of a computer code, the waveform generator may access master segments from a memory, and generate a stream of packets directed to pulsing circuits. The stream of packets may be serialized. A plurality of decoding circuits may modulate the streams of packets to obtain spatial apodization.

In general, embodiments of the ultrasound imaging system save power in relation to a predetermined active aperture and or a predetermined update depth. With respect to a predetermined active aperture, the imaging system saves power by reducing or turning off a predetermined portion of the receive electronics when the predetermined receive electronics portion is not operating in relation to the active aperture range. That is, in a first power saving mode, the predetermined receive electronics portion operates only when it is collecting and or processing the data inside the active aperture range. Furthermore, with respect to a predetermined update depth, the imaging system saves power by reducing the operational frequency as the predetermined receive electronics portion collects or process the data from a deeper area. That is, in a second power saving mode, the predetermined receive electronics portion operates less frequently when it is collecting and or processing the data from the middle or far range than the near range. Lastly, the imaging system saves power by modifying the operation as the predetermined receive electronics portion collects or process the data depending upon the active aperture and or the update depth. That is, in a third power saving mode, the predetermined receive electronics portion operates at least less frequently when it is collecting and or processing the data from the outside the active aperture and or at a far update depth. In other words, the third power saving mode is a hybrid or combination of the first and second power saving modes.

In a method for operating a fingerprint sensor including a plurality of ultrasonic transducers and a presence sensor, the presence sensor proximate the fingerprint sensor is activated, where the presence sensor is for detecting interaction between an object and the fingerprint sensor. Subsequent to detecting interaction between an object and the fingerprint sensor at the presence sensor, a subset of ultrasonic transducers of the fingerprint sensor is activated, the subset of ultrasonic transducers for determining whether the object is a human finger, where the subset of ultrasonic transducers is proximate the presence sensor such that the subset of ultrasonic transducers and the presence sensor can concurrently interact with the object.

A matrix array ultrasound probe passively dissipates heat developed by the matrix array transducer and beamformer ASIC away from the distal end of the probe. The heat developed in the transducer stack is coupled to a metallic frame inside the handle of probe. A metallic heatspreader is thermally coupled to the probe frame to convey heat away from the frame. The heatspreader surrounds the inside of the probe handle and has an outer surface which is thermally coupled to the inner surface of the probe housing. Heat is thereby coupled evenly from the heatspreader into the housing without the development of hotspots in the housing which could be uncomfortable to the hand of the sonographer.

The ultrasonic probe according to any of embodiments includes a transmitting/receiving circuit, a power supply circuit, and a probe control circuit. The transmitting/receiving circuit is configured to control transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves. The power supply circuit is configured to function as a power source for the transmitting/receiving circuit. The probe control circuit is configured to determine a scan mode, and to control a frequency of switching noise of the power supply circuit according to the scan mode.

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a probe configured to transmit ultrasonic waves to a living body and receive ultrasonic waves reflected by the living body; and a processor configured to, in a moving image mode, cause ultrasonic image data based on ultrasonic waves received by a first subset of the total number of oscillators that the probe has to be output, and, in a static image mode, cause ultrasonic image data based on ultrasonic waves received by a second subset of the total number of oscillators that the probe has to be output, wherein the number of oscillators used in the second subset is greater than the number of oscillators used in the first subset.

A detection circuit detects a signal output from an element that receives an acoustic wave. The detection circuit is configured so as not to conduct a detection operation during a period in which the element does not receive the acoustic wave.