Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

Abstract

To calculate a residual capacity of a secondary battery with accuracy, with simple configurations.SOLUTION: A power source for calculating a residual capacity of a secondary battery on the basis of a discharge voltage of a secondary battery, comprises: an AC power circuit; a secondary battery; a charging circuit; a discharge circuit; and a control circuit. The AC power circuit converts an AC voltage from the AC power source, into a DC voltage. The charging circuit converts an AC voltage from the AC power source into a DC voltage, and charges the secondary battery by the DC voltage. The discharge circuit discharges the secondary battery. The control circuit detects a discharge current of the secondary battery, controls a current output from the charging circuit on the basis of the detected discharge current, for canceling a current output to the discharge circuit from the secondary battery.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments disclosed in this specification and the drawings relate to a power supply device and an ultrasonic diagnostic device.

Background Art

[0002] A power supply device such as an uninterruptible power supply is connected to a device that consumes power (power-consuming device). The power supply device supplies power to the power-consuming device during normal times, and also supplies power to the power-consuming device when the power is cut off due to a power failure or the like. The uninterruptible power supply is connected to a commercial AC (alternating current) power supply and used, and is called a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply).

[0003] Also, conventionally, the remaining capacity (RC: Remaining Capacity) of a secondary battery mounted on an electronic device such as a personal computer (PC) is calculated by adding / subtracting the integrated value (charge / discharge amount) of the charge / discharge current or charge / discharge power with respect to the full charge capacity (FCC: Full Charge Capacity), that is, the amount of electricity (current value × time) or the amount of electric power (power value × time) of the secondary battery in the fully charged state. The so-called remaining capacity may also be expressed as a relative state of charge (RSOC) with respect to the full charge capacity. Although the full charge capacity, which is the basis for calculating the remaining capacity, decreases according to the deterioration accompanying the use of the secondary battery, in the actual use state of the secondary battery, it is rarely discharged (or charged from the fully discharged state to the fully charged state) from the fully charged state to the end-of-discharge state. Therefore, in reality, there are few opportunities to calculate the accurate full charge capacity.

[0004] Therefore, there is a technique for calculating the full charge capacity of a secondary battery from the change amount of the relative remaining capacity calculated from the discharge voltage (no-load voltage) of the secondary battery at the first and second time points and the change amount of the charge and discharge amount between the first and second time points. In this way, the remaining capacity of the secondary battery is calculated by multiplying the full charge capacity calculated based on the discharge voltage of the secondary battery by the relative remaining capacity. Further, a new remaining capacity is calculated by adding / subtracting the charge and discharge amount from when the remaining capacity of the secondary battery is calculated.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] One of the problems to be solved by the embodiments disclosed in this specification and the drawings is to accurately calculate the remaining capacity of a secondary battery with a simple configuration. However, the problems solved by the embodiments disclosed in this specification and the like are not limited to the above problems. The problems corresponding to the respective effects of each configuration shown in the embodiments described later can also be positioned as other problems solved by the embodiments disclosed in this specification and the like.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] A power supply device for calculating the remaining capacity of a secondary battery based on the discharge voltage of the secondary battery according to an embodiment includes an AC power supply circuit, a secondary battery, a charging circuit, a discharging circuit, and a control circuit. The AC power supply circuit converts the AC voltage from the AC power supply into a DC voltage. The charging circuit converts the AC voltage from the AC power supply into a DC voltage and charges the secondary battery with the DC voltage. The discharging circuit discharges the secondary battery. The control circuit detects the discharge current of the secondary battery and controls the current output from the charging circuit based on the detected discharge current, thereby canceling the current output from the secondary battery to the discharging circuit.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of a power supply device and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a power supply device according to the first embodiment.

[0011] FIG. 1 shows a power supply device 10 and a power consumption device 20 according to the first embodiment. The power supply device 10 is an uninterruptible power supply device, that is, a UPS, and includes an AC (alternating current) power supply circuit 11, a diode 12, a variable charging circuit (AC-DC converter) 13, a discharge circuit (DC-DC converter) 14, a diode 15, a battery pack 16, an ammeter 17, and a control circuit 18. The components 13 to 18 constitute a battery unit U. The battery pack 16 includes a secondary battery C and a remaining capacity calculation circuit D. Note that the control circuit 18 and the remaining capacity calculation circuit D are constituted by an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or the like.

[0012] The power consumption device 20 generally means all electronic devices that consume power. For example, the power consumption device 20 means an electronic component that consumes power among a medical image diagnostic device (for example, an ultrasonic diagnostic device 100) described later with reference to FIG. 5, a computer such as a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, and a tablet, a digital camera, and home appliances. For example, the electronic components that consume the power of the ultrasonic diagnostic device 100 are the device main body 30 (which may include an ultrasonic probe 40, an input interface 50, and a display 60) shown in FIG. 5.

[0013] The power supply device 10 is connected to the power consumption device 20 and supplies power to the power consumption device 20 via the AC power supply circuit 11 and the diode 12. The AC power supply circuit 11 converts an AC voltage into a DC voltage. On the other hand, when the power from the AC power supply is cut off due to a power failure or the like, the power supply device 10 supplies power to the power consumption device 20 via the battery unit U.

[0014] The secondary battery C of the battery pack 16 means a battery (chemical battery) that can be repeatedly used by charging, and is also called a storage battery or a battery. For example, the secondary battery C is preferably a lithium ion battery that needs to combine constant current charging and low voltage charging.

[0015] The remaining capacity calculation circuit D of the battery pack 16 calculates (estimates) the remaining capacity of the secondary battery C. The remaining capacity calculation circuit D calculates the remaining capacity of the secondary battery C by adding / subtracting the charge / discharge current or the integrated value (charge / discharge amount) of the charge / discharge power with respect to the full charge capacity, that is, the amount of electricity or electric power of the secondary battery C in the fully charged state. The so-called remaining capacity may be expressed as a relative remaining capacity with respect to the full charge capacity. Although the full charge capacity, which is the basis for calculating the remaining capacity, decreases according to the deterioration associated with the use of the secondary battery C, since the secondary battery C is hardly discharged (or charged from the fully discharged state to the fully charged state) from the fully charged state to the end-of-discharge state in the actual use state of the secondary battery C, there are few opportunities to calculate the accurate full charge capacity.

[0016] Therefore, the remaining capacity calculation circuit D calculates the full charge capacity of the secondary battery C from the change amount of the relative remaining capacity between the first and second time points calculated from the discharge voltages (no-load voltages, that is, open circuit voltages) of the secondary battery C at the first and second time points, and the change amount of the charge / discharge amount between the first and second time points. Then, the remaining capacity calculation circuit D calculates the remaining capacity of the secondary battery C by multiplying the full charge capacity calculated based on the discharge voltage of the secondary battery C by the relative remaining capacity. Further, the remaining capacity calculation circuit D calculates the new remaining capacity of the secondary battery C by adding / subtracting the charge / discharge amount from when the remaining capacity of the secondary battery C was calculated.

[0017] Here, when the secondary battery C is not charged, a constant discharge current always flows from the secondary battery C through the discharge circuit 14. When the discharge current value exceeds the threshold value, the open circuit voltage of the secondary battery C cannot be measured, so the remaining capacity of the secondary battery C cannot be calculated correctly. Therefore, when the power consumption device 20 is operating by the AC power supply circuit 11 and the secondary battery C continues to supply power to the load during a light load such as when not charged, the power supply device 10 outputs power from the variable charging circuit 13 to cancel out the power supplied by the secondary battery C. Thereby, the power supply device 10 provides the timing for calculating the remaining capacity of the secondary battery C, and the remaining capacity calculation circuit D can accurately calculate the remaining capacity from the discharge voltage at the calculation timing.

[0018] At the timing of calculating the remaining capacity of the secondary battery C by the remaining capacity calculation circuit D, the control circuit 18 detects the discharge current value of the secondary battery C by the ammeter 17, and controls so that all the power consumption (light load power) P1 of the discharge circuit 14 is supplied from the variable charging circuit 13. That is, by the control of the control circuit 18, the discharge current I3 of the secondary battery C is canceled. Here, the cancellation of the discharge current I3 of the secondary battery C includes not only the case where the discharge current I3 of the secondary battery C is set to "0", but also the case where the discharge current I3 of the secondary battery C is equal to or less than (or less than) the threshold value. Hereinafter, the cancellation of the discharge current I3 of the secondary battery C will be described as meaning the case where the discharge current I3 = 0.

[0019] When the discharge current I3 of the secondary battery C is canceled, the power consumption P2 of the power consumption device 20 is supplied from the AC power supply via the AC power supply circuit 11 and the diode 12. The voltage is adjusted to V0 > V4, and the output power of the discharge circuit 14 is zero. The discharge circuit 14 performs an idle operation with the power consumption P1, and the power consumption P1 is supplied only from the variable charging circuit 13 (I1 = I2). Note that it is preferable that the control circuit 18 performs feedback control on the current from the variable charging circuit 13 so that the discharge current I3 of the secondary battery C is canceled (I3 = 0).

[0020] On the other hand, a comparative example of the power supply device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a power supply device according to a first comparative example.

[0022] FIG. 2 shows a power supply device 10P according to a first comparative example and a power consumption device 20. The power supply device 10P includes an AC power supply circuit 11, a diode 12, a charging circuit 13P, a discharge circuit 14, a diode 15, and a battery pack 16. Further, the components 13P, 14 to 16 constitute a battery unit UP.

[0023] The power supply device 10P is connected to the power consuming device 20 and supplies power to the power consuming device 20 via the AC power supply circuit 11 and the diode 12. On the other hand, when the power is cut off due to a power failure or the like, the power supply device 10P supplies power to the power consuming device 20 via the battery unit UP. In FIG. 2, the same components as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

[0024] In the power supply device 10P, the power consumption P2 of the power consuming device 20 is supplied from the AC power supply via the AC power supply circuit 11 and the diode 12. The voltage is adjusted to V0 > V4, and the output power of the discharge circuit 14 is zero. The discharge circuit 14 performs an idle operation with the power consumption P1, and the power consumption P1 is supplied only from the secondary battery C (I3 = I2). In this case, charging is suspended and the output current of the charging circuit 13P becomes "0" (I1 = 0).

[0025] In the configuration of FIG. 2, unlike the configuration of FIG. 1, the discharge current I3 of the secondary battery C cannot be canceled, so the accuracy of calculating the remaining capacity of the secondary battery C is not good.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a power supply device according to a second comparative example.

[0027] FIG. 3 shows the power supply device 10Q according to the second comparative example and the power consuming device 20. The power supply device 10Q includes an AC power supply circuit 11Q, a diode 12Q, a charging circuit 13Q, a discharge circuit 14Q, a diode 15Q, and a battery pack 16.

[0028] The power supply device 10Q is connected to the power consuming device 20 and supplies power to the power consuming device 20 via the AC power supply circuit 11Q, the diode 12Q, and the discharge circuit 14Q. On the other hand, when the power is cut off due to a power failure or the like, the power supply device 10Q supplies power to the power consuming device 20 via the battery pack 16, the diode 15Q, and the discharge circuit 14Q. In FIG. 3, the same components as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

[0029] In the power supply device 10Q, the power consumption P2 of the power consuming device 20 is supplied from the AC power supply via the AC power supply circuit 11Q, the diode 12Q, and the discharge circuit 14Q. The voltage is adjusted to V0 > V1, and the output power of the secondary battery C is zero. Also, the power consumption P1, which is the conversion loss of the discharge circuit 14Q, is supplied from the AC power supply circuit 11Q.

[0030] In the configuration of FIG. 3, similar to the configuration of FIG. 1, the discharge current of the secondary battery C can be canceled, so that the remaining capacity of the secondary battery C can be accurately calculated. However, in the configuration of FIG. 3, since the diode 15Q is energized at a low voltage of about the voltage of the secondary battery C, there is a problem that power loss occurs.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a power supply device according to a third comparative example.

[0032] FIG. 4 shows a power supply device 10R and a power consuming device 20 according to a third comparative example. The power supply device 10R includes an AC power supply circuit 11, a diode 12, charging circuits 13R, 13R', a discharge circuit 14, a diode 15, battery packs 16, 16', and switches 19, 19'.

[0033] The power supply device 10R is connected to the power consuming device 20 and supplies power to the power consuming device 20 via the AC power supply circuit 11 and the diode 12. On the other hand, when the power supply device 10P loses power due to a power outage or the like, it supplies power to the power consuming device 20 via the battery packs 16, 16'. In FIG. 4, the same components as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. Although not shown, the battery packs 16, 16' are each provided with a secondary battery C and a remaining capacity calculation circuit D in the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 1.

[0034] In the power supply device 10R, the battery packs 16, 16' can be switched by the switches 19, 19', and only the battery pack among the battery packs 16, 16' that measures the discharge voltage has the switches 19, 19' opened.

[0035] In the configuration of FIG. 4, similar to the configuration of FIG. 1, the discharge current of each secondary battery C of the battery packs 16 and 16' can be canceled, so that the remaining capacity of the secondary battery C can be accurately calculated. However, in the configuration of FIG. 4, since the device (for example, switches 19 and 19') may be driven even when measuring the discharge voltage, there is a problem of redundantly adding a battery pack that was unnecessary when there was no switching function.

[0036] As described above, according to the power supply device 10 shown in FIG. 1, by only supplying a current equivalent to the constant discharge current, which was the cause of inaccurate calculation of the remaining capacity, from the variable charging circuit 13, switching becomes unnecessary, and the problems described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 can be solved. That is, according to the power supply device 10 shown in FIG. 1, since the current output from the variable charging circuit 13 can be controlled to cancel the discharge current of the secondary battery C, the remaining capacity of the secondary battery C can be accurately calculated based on the discharge voltage of the secondary battery C at an appropriate timing.

[0037] (Application Example of the First Embodiment) Specifically, the power supply device 10 is provided as part of a medical image diagnostic device that generates medical image data, an image processing device (including a workstation) that processes medical image data, or an image server that manages medical image data. Hereinafter, the case where the power supply device 10 is provided as part of an ultrasonic diagnostic device as a medical image diagnostic device will be described. However, it is not limited to that case. For example, the power supply device 10 may be provided as part of a simple X-ray device, an X-ray fluoroscopy imaging device, an X-ray CT (Computed Tomography) device, an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) device, or a nuclear medicine diagnostic device, etc., as a medical image diagnostic device.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a power supply device 10 provided in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Note that the configuration and operation of the power supply device 10 provided in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus are the same as those of the power supply device 10 shown in FIG. 1, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

[0039] FIG. 5 shows an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 provided with a power supply device 10. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 includes a power supply device 10, a device main body 30 as a power consumption device 20 (shown in FIG. 1), an ultrasonic probe 40, an input interface 50, and a display 60. Note that in some cases, a device obtained by adding at least one of the ultrasonic probe 40, the input interface 50, the display 60, and the power supply device 10 to the device main body 30 may be referred to as the device main body. In the following description, a case where all of the ultrasonic probe 40, the input interface 50, the display 60, and the power supply device 10 are provided outside the device main body 30 will be described.

[0040] The power supply device 10 has the configuration and functions described with reference to FIG. 1 and supplies power to the device main body 30 as the power consumption device 20.

[0041] The device main body 30 receives power supply from the power supply device 10, controls transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves, and generates ultrasonic image data based on the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves. The device main body 30 includes a transmission / reception circuit 31, a B-mode processing circuit 32, a Doppler processing circuit 33, an image generation circuit 34, an image memory 35, a network interface 36, a processing circuit 37, and a main memory 38. Circuits 31 to 34 are configured by application-specific integrated circuits or the like. However, the present invention is not limited to this case, and all or part of the functions of circuits 31 to 34 may be realized by the processing circuit 37 executing a program.

[0042] The transmission / reception circuit 31 includes a transmission circuit and a reception circuit (not shown). The transmission / reception circuit 31 controls the transmission directivity and the reception directivity in the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves under the control of the processing circuit 37. Although the case where the transmission / reception circuit 31 is provided in the apparatus main body 30 will be described, the transmission / reception circuit 31 may be provided in the ultrasonic probe 40, or may be provided in both the apparatus main body 30 and the ultrasonic probe 40. Note that the transmission / reception circuit 31 is an example of a transmission / reception unit.

[0043] The transmission circuit includes a pulse generation circuit, a transmission delay circuit, a pulsar circuit, etc., and supplies a drive signal to the ultrasonic vibrator. The pulse generation circuit repeatedly generates rate pulses for forming transmission ultrasonic waves at a predetermined rate frequency. The transmission delay circuit focuses the ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic vibrators of the ultrasonic probe 40 into a beam shape, and gives the delay time for each piezoelectric vibrator necessary for determining the transmission directivity to each rate pulse generated by the pulse generation circuit. Further, the pulsar circuit applies a drive pulse to the ultrasonic vibrator at a timing based on the rate pulse. The transmission delay circuit arbitrarily adjusts the transmission direction of the ultrasonic beam transmitted from the piezoelectric vibrator surface by changing the delay time given to each rate pulse.

[0044] The reception circuit includes an amplifier circuit, an A / D (Analog to Digital) converter, an adder, etc., receives the echo signal received by the ultrasonic vibrator, and performs various processes on this echo signal to generate echo data. The amplifier circuit amplifies the echo signal for each channel and performs gain correction processing. The A / D converter performs A / D conversion on the gain-corrected echo signal and gives the delay time necessary for determining the reception directivity to the digital data. The adder performs an addition process on the echo signal processed by the A / D converter to generate echo data. By the addition process of the adder, the reflection component from the direction corresponding to the reception directivity of the echo signal is emphasized.

[0045] The B-mode processing circuit 32 receives echo data from the receiving circuit under the control of the processing circuit 37, performs logarithmic amplification, envelope detection processing, etc., and generates data (two-dimensional or three-dimensional data) in which the signal intensity is expressed by the brightness of the luminance. This data is generally called B-mode data. Note that the B-mode processing circuit 32 is an example of a B-mode processing unit.

[0046] The Doppler processing circuit 33 frequency-analyzes velocity information from the echo data from the receiving circuit under the control of the processing circuit 37, and generates data (two-dimensional or three-dimensional data) in which movement information of a moving body such as average velocity, variance, power, etc. is extracted for multiple points. This data is generally called Doppler data. Here, the moving body is, for example, blood flow, tissues such as the heart wall, or a contrast agent. Note that the Doppler processing circuit 33 is an example of a Doppler processing unit.

[0047] The image generation circuit 34 generates an ultrasonic image expressed in a predetermined luminance range as image data based on the echo signal received by the ultrasonic probe 40 under the control of the processing circuit 37. For example, the image generation circuit 34 generates a B-mode image in which the intensity of the reflected wave is represented by luminance from the two-dimensional B-mode data generated by the B-mode processing circuit 32 as an ultrasonic image. Further, the image generation circuit 34 generates an average velocity image, a variance image, a power image, or a color Doppler image as a combined image of these, which represents movement state information, from the two-dimensional Doppler data generated by the Doppler processing circuit 33 as an ultrasonic image. Note that the image generation circuit 34 is an example of an image generation unit.

[0048] The image memory 35 has, for example, a magnetic or optical recording medium, or a recording medium such as a semiconductor memory that can be read by a processor. Under the control of the processing circuit 37, the image memory 35 stores ultrasonic image data corresponding to a plurality of heartbeats associated with the heartbeat data, which is generated by the image generation circuit 34. The plurality of ultrasonic image data stored in the image memory 35 is associated with the heartbeat data of the subject on a per heartbeat (one cardiac cycle) basis. Specifically, for example, each ultrasonic image data stored in the image memory 35 is associated with the heartbeat data corresponding to one heartbeat.

[0049] The network interface 36 implements various information communication protocols according to the form of the network. The network interface 36 connects the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 and an external device (not shown) according to these various protocols. For this connection, an electrical connection via an electronic network or the like can be applied. Here, the electronic network means the entire information communication network using telecommunication technology, including wireless / wired hospital backbone LAN (Local Area Network), Internet network, telephone communication line network, optical fiber communication network, cable communication network, satellite communication network, and the like.

[0050] Further, the network interface 36 may implement various protocols for non-contact wireless communication. In this case, the apparatus main body 30 can directly transmit and receive data to and from, for example, the ultrasonic probe 40 without going through the network. Note that the network interface 36 is an example of a network connection section.

[0051] The processing circuit 37 means an ASIC, a programmable logic device, etc., in addition to a dedicated or general-purpose CPU (central processing unit), MPU (Micro Processor Unit), or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). Examples of the programmable logic device include a simple programmable logic device (SPLD), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0052] Also, the processing circuit 37 may be constituted by a single circuit, or may be constituted by a combination of a plurality of independent circuit elements. In the latter case, the main memory 38 may be provided individually for each circuit element, or a single main memory 38 may store programs corresponding to the functions of a plurality of circuit elements. Note that the processing circuit 37 is an example of a processing unit.

[0053] The main memory 38 is constituted by a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (random access memory) or a flash memory, a hard disk, an optical disk, etc. The main memory 38 may be constituted by a portable medium such as a USB (universal serial bus) memory and a DVD (digital video disk). The main memory 38 stores various processing programs (including an operating system (OS) in addition to application programs) used in the processing circuit 37 and data necessary for program execution. Also, the OS may include a GUI (graphical user interface) that uses a lot of graphics for displaying information on the display 60 to the operator and can perform basic operations by the input interface 50. Note that the main memory 38 is an example of a storage unit.

[0054] The ultrasonic probe 40 is provided with a plurality of minute vibrators (piezoelectric elements) on the front surface portion, and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a region including a scan target, for example, a region including a tubular cavity. Each vibrator is an electroacoustic conversion element, and has a function of converting an electric pulse into an ultrasonic pulse during transmission, and converting a reflected wave into an electric signal (received signal) during reception. The ultrasonic probe 40 is configured to be small and lightweight, and is connected to the apparatus main body 30 via a cable (or wireless communication).

[0055] The input interface 50 includes an input device operable by an operator and an input circuit that inputs a signal from the input device. The input device is realized by a trackball, a switch, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch pad that performs an input operation by touching an operation surface, a touch screen in which a display screen and a touch pad are integrated, a non-contact input device using an optical sensor, a voice input device, and the like. When the input device is operated by the operator, the input circuit generates a signal corresponding to the operation and outputs it to the processing circuit 37. Note that the input interface 50 is an example of an input unit.

[0056] The display 60 is configured by a general display output device such as a liquid crystal display or an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display. The display 60 displays various information according to the control of the processing circuit 37. Note that the display 60 is an example of a display unit.

[0057] The power supply device 10 supplies power to the apparatus main body 30 (which may include the ultrasonic probe 40, the input interface 50, and the display 60), which is an example of the power consumption device 20 (illustrated in FIG. 1).

[0058] As described above, according to the power supply device 10 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, by only supplying from the variable charging circuit 13 a current equivalent to the constant discharge current, which was the cause of the inability to accurately calculate the remaining capacity, switching is not required, and the problems described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 can be solved. That is, according to the power supply device 10 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, since the current output from the variable charging circuit 13 can be controlled to cancel the discharge current of the secondary battery C, the remaining capacity of the secondary battery C can be accurately calculated with high precision at an appropriate timing based on the discharge voltage of the secondary battery C.

[0059] (Second Embodiment) In the power supply device 10 according to the first embodiment, the AC power supply circuit 11 is configured independently of the battery unit U, and when the fluctuation in the power consumption of the power consuming device 20 (for example, the device main body 30) is sufficiently small, the remaining capacity of the secondary battery C is calculated based on the discharge voltage of the secondary battery C. In the power supply device 10 (illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6), when the fluctuation in the power consumption of the device main body 30 is sufficiently small, that is, when the power consumption is stable, this includes cases where the device main body 30 is not used for a long time (when an inspection waiting screen is displayed) or when the clock boost of the CPU of the processing circuit 37 is stopped.

[0060] On the other hand, when the power supply circuit has a simple configuration, that is, when the AC power supply circuit 11 is not configured independently of the battery unit U, in other words, in the case of a constant conversion method, there is a problem that when the load power P2 of the power consuming device 20 (for example, the device main body 30) suddenly decreases, the output voltage of the AC power supply circuit increases and an excessive voltage is applied to the secondary battery C. To solve this problem, in the power supply device 10A according to the second embodiment, before the load power P2 suddenly decreases, the control circuit 18A receives a feedforward control signal from the device main body 30 to stop the current output of the AC power supply circuit and prevent the voltage from rising. As a specific condition for the device main body 30 to issue a feedforward control signal, there is a timing when a push pulse with a large power consumption stops.

[0061] In this case, in order for the power supply device 10A to make the discharge current I3 follow the load, the power supply device 10A receives a feed-forward control signal from the device main body 30 in response to the variation in the power consumption P2 of the device main body 30, and controls the timing for canceling the current I3 based on the feed-forward control signal. Note that since the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is the same as that shown in FIG. 5, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0062] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a power supply device according to a second embodiment provided in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

[0063] FIG. 7 shows the power supply device 10A according to the second embodiment and the device main body 30 as the power consumption device 20. The power supply device 10A is an uninterruptible power supply device, that is, a UPS, similar to the power supply device 10 (shown in FIG. 1). The power supply device 10A includes an AC power supply circuit 11, a variable charging circuit 13A, a discharge circuit 14A, a battery pack 16, an ammeter 17, and a control circuit 18A. The variable charging circuit 13A charges the secondary battery C based on a DC voltage. Note that the control circuit 18A and the remaining capacity calculation circuit D are configured by an application-specific integrated circuit or the like. Also, the AC power supply circuit 11 and the variable charging circuit 13A can be configured as a single circuit configuration, and in that case, the reduction in the number of circuits can also be achieved.

[0064] In FIG. 7, the same components as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0065] When the secondary battery C is being charged, the variable charging circuit 13A supplies a current I1 equal to the sum of the load power (the power consumption P1 of the discharge circuit 14A + the power consumption P2 of the device main body 30) equivalent current I2 and the charging current I3 (the value is negative) (I2 + I3 = I1). After charging is completed, the discharge current I3 of the secondary battery C is canceled by the control of the control circuit 18A (I3 = 0), and the variable charging circuit 13A supplies a current such that I2 = I1. The control circuit 18A receives a feedforward control signal from the device main body 30 when the load current I2 rapidly decreases (when it decreases beyond a threshold value). In addition to the operation of the control circuit 18, the control circuit 18A performs control to stop the current output of the AC power supply circuit 11A and prevent a voltage increase at the timing of receiving the feedforward control signal.

[0066] For example, when the power consumption of the device main body 30 rapidly decreases (when the decrease in power consumption exceeds a threshold value), it includes at least one of the cases where the freeze button as the input interface 50 is pressed, that is, when the operation of the analog circuit of the device main body 30 is stopped, when switching from the diagnostic mode for generating ultrasonic image data to the patient information input mode, and when the operation (for example, display) of the display 60 is stopped. For example, the analog circuit of the device main body 30 includes a transmission and reception circuit 31, etc., which is the FE (Front-End) of the transmission and reception end of the device main body 30. The transmission circuit (T X ) that generates transmission pulses in the transmission and reception circuit 31, or the reception circuit (R X ) that receives echo signals, etc.

[0067] According to the power supply device 10A with a simple configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, since the current output from the variable charging circuit 13A can be controlled to cancel the discharge current of the secondary battery C, the remaining capacity of the secondary battery C can be accurately calculated based on the discharge voltage of the secondary battery C at an appropriate timing. Also, according to the power supply device 10A with a simple configuration, it is possible to prevent the output voltage of the AC power supply circuit 11 from rising and an excessive voltage being applied to the secondary battery C when the power consumption of the device main body 30 rapidly decreases.

[0068] According to at least one embodiment described above, it is possible to accurately calculate the remaining capacity of the secondary battery with a simple configuration.

[0069] Although several embodiments have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention, various omissions, replacements, changes, combinations of embodiments, and combinations of an embodiment and one or more modifications can be made. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0070] 10, 10A... Power supply device 20... Power consumption device 11... AC power circuit 12... Diode 13, 13A... Variable charging circuit 14, 14A... Discharge circuit 15... Diode 16... Battery pack 17... Ammeter 18, 18A... Control circuit 30... Device main body 100... Ultrasonic diagnostic device C... Secondary battery D... Remaining capacity calculation circuit

Claims

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising a power supply device that calculates the remaining capacity of the secondary battery based on the discharge voltage of the secondary battery, and a device body that receives power supply from the power supply device, controls transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves, and generates ultrasonic image data based on the transmission and reception of the ultrasonic waves, wherein the power supply device includes: an AC power supply circuit that converts an AC voltage from an AC power supply into a DC voltage; the secondary battery; a charging circuit that charges the secondary battery based on the DC voltage; a discharging circuit that discharges the secondary battery; a control circuit that cancels the current output from the secondary battery to the discharging circuit by controlling the current output from the charging circuit based on the discharge current of the secondary battery; and the control circuit receives a feed-forward control signal from the device body in response to fluctuations in power consumption of the device body, and stops the current output of the AC power supply circuit based on the feed-forward control signal. Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the AC power supply circuit and the charging circuit have a single circuit configuration.

3. The device body issues the feed-forward control signal based on at least one of a case where the operation of the transmission and reception circuit of the device body is stopped, a case where the diagnostic mode for generating the ultrasonic image data is switched to the patient information input mode, and a case where the display on the display is stopped. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. ​ ​

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