Ultrasonic probe, ultrasonic diagnostic device, and manufacturing method of ultrasonic probe

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11564665-B2
Application number	US-202016801355-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2020
Priority date	Mar 22, 2019
Publication date	Jan 31, 2023
Grant date	Jan 31, 2023

Abstract

An object of the invention is to provide an ultrasonic probe, an ultrasonic diagnostic device, and a manufacturing method of the ultrasonic probe, which are capable of reducing a product defect rate. An ultrasonic probe according to one embodiment includes a plurality of channels. Each of the plurality of channels includes a vibrator that outputs an ultrasonic wave, and a transmission circuit unit that changes an output in response to an input transmission signal and causes the vibrator to output the ultrasonic wave by driving the vibrator with the output. Here, the transmission circuit unit includes a stop signal holding circuit that holds a stop signal when the stop signal is input in advance, and selects whether to change the output in response to the transmission signal based on whether the stop signal is held.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A manufacturing method of an ultrasonic probe including a plurality of channels,
wherein the plurality of channels are two-dimensionally arranged in a row direction and a column direction,
each of the plurality of channels including
a vibrator that is configured to output an ultrasonic wave, and
a transmission circuit unit that is configured to hold operation availability information indicating whether or not to change an output in response to an input transmission signal, and, when to change the output based on the operation availability information, causes the vibrator to output the ultrasonic wave by driving the vibrator with the output, and
the transmission circuit units of the plurality of channels being connected to a common power source,

the manufacturing method comprising:
a first step of assembling the ultrasonic probe, by preparing a transducer unit in which the vibrators of the plurality of channels are formed and a control IC in which the transmission circuit units of the plurality of channels are formed, and by wiring the vibrator and the transmission circuit unit for each of the plurality of channels; and
a second step of determining the operation availability information for each of the plurality of channels, by an inspection device taking the ultrasonic probe as a target and detecting change in a power source current flowing through the common power supply while changing each output level of the transmission circuit units of the plurality of channels by using the transmission signal for test,
wherein in the second step, the inspection device compares the power source current with a predetermined current threshold, in a state where a potential difference is generated in the output levels of the transmission circuit units between an observation channel and an adjacent channel arranged adjacent to the observation channel, and
wherein in the second step, the inspection device searches for the adjacent channel, between which and the observation channel a short circuit failure occurs, while changing one by one the adjacent channel, between which and the observation channel a potential difference is generated, taking the observation channel as a reference.

2. The manufacturing method of the ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 , wherein
in the second step, the inspection device controls the output level of the transmission circuit unit in units of the plurality of channels arranged in the same column, or in units of the plurality of channels arranged in the same row.

3. The manufacturing method of the ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 , wherein
in the second step, the inspection device controls the output level of the transmission circuit unit in units of the plurality of channels arranged in a staggered pattern.

4. The manufacturing method of the ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 , wherein
the ultrasonic probe further includes a memory that stores the operation availability information as setting information for each of the plurality of channels, and
in the second step, the inspection device writes the setting information into the memory.

Assignees

• Hitachi Ltd
• Fujifilm Healthcare Corp

Inventors

• Yazaki Toru
• Igarashi Yutaka
• Hayashi Yoshihiro
• Kawamata Tsuneo

Classifications

• G01N29/34

  Generating the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves {, e.g. electronic circuits specially adapted therefor} · CPC title

• G01H3/005

  Testing or calibrating of detectors covered by the subgroups of G01H3/00 (calibrating geophysical instruments, e.g. seismic receivers G01V13/00) · CPC title

• A61B8/585

  Automatic set-up of the device · CPC title

• G01N2291/106

  one or more transducer arrays · CPC title

• G01N29/24 Primary

  Probes {(transducers for acoustic waves B06B, G10K; for measuring G01H)} · CPC title