Portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

Abstract: A portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a LCD display 20 for displaying the result of the ultrasonic diagnosis and a single element probe 10 as a probe in a pistol-shaped case, thereby minimising the volume and the weight of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and providing increased convenience in use.

Description: The present invention relates to a portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly, to a pistol-shaped portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus scans an ultrasonic wave into a human body and converts information loaded on a reflected ultrasonic wave into an electrical signal using a piezoelectric effect of a probe, to thereby display the electrical signal on a screen. Therefore, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can enable a user to obtain information of the inside of a human body, without cutting out the affected parts of the human body. However, a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is bulky and weighty, which should be improved. Even in a compact model, it weighs more than 10Kg, which makes it difficult to move it and impossible to carry it. NL 8800016 A discloses a hand held ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having a pivotable video screen and two ultrasonic probes. Various control buttons are provided on the housing of the apparatus to facilitate a user to operate it. US 3964296 also discloses an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The apparatus may be in the shape of a pistol and have an on/off trigger and a probe drum, which is provided in the muzzle of the gun. To solve the above problem, it is an object of the present invention to provide a portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. To accomplish the above object of the present invention, there is provided a portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: a case; a probe which is formed in said case; an electronic circuit, which is installed in said case, for converting a frequency signal supplied from said probe into a video signal to be displayed; a display, which is installed in a portion opposite to said probe on said case, for displaying the video signal supplied from said electronic circuit thereon; and a user manipulation keypad which is installed in a predetermined portion to facilitate a user to operate the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus or to select various functions of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, characterised by further comprising: a lamp for facilitating diagnosis in a dark place, wherein said case is a pistol-shaped case and said probe is formed in a muzzle of said pistol-shaped case. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a portable ultrasonic apparatus according to the present invention. A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing. A probe 10 scans an ultrasonic wave and converts a reflected ultrasonic wave into an electrical signal. It is preferable that a single element probe is used as the probe to minimise the volume and weight of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. An electronic circuit for processing an analog signal and a digital signal to perform ultrasonic diagnosis is installed in the body of the pistol-shaped ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. A display 20 displays an ultrasonic diagnosis result of which the signal has been processed, on a screen. It is preferable that such a display is a LCD display. Since the LCD display has a small and thin screen, it is appropriate for a portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. A user can adjust the brightness of the screen on which the image is displayed, using a brightness control key 50. Also, the user can adjust the contrast of shape of the displayed image using a contrast control key 60. Power for driving the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is supplied via a power cable 90 or using a battery such as a dry cell. The user drives the portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus by depressing a power key 30. Function select keys 40 enable the user to select various functions of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention can possess a picture stop function as an auxiliary function. That is, using a freeze key 70, a particularly displayed picture can be stopped during the ultrasonic diagnosis, or the stopped picture can be changed into a picture which is being actually scanned. Also, the portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention includes a detachable lamp 80 to enable the user to facilitate diagnosis in a dark place. As described above, the portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention may include an LCD display for displaying the result of the ultrasonic diagnosis and a single element probe as a probe in a pistol-shaped case, thereby minimising the volume and the weight of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and allowing more convenient use. The aforegoing description has been given by way of example only and it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims: A portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: a case; a probe (10) which is formed in said case; an electronic circuit, which is installed in said case, for converting a frequency signal supplied from said probe into a video signal to be displayed; a display (20), which is installed in a portion opposite to said probe on said case, for displaying the video signal supplied from said electronic circuit thereon; and a user manipulation keypad (30, 40, 50, 60) which is installed in a predetermined portion to facilitate a user to operate the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus or to select various functions of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, characterised by further comprising: a lamp (80) for facilitating diagnosis in a dark place, wherein said case is a pistol-shaped case and said probe is formed in a muzzle of said pistol-shaped case. A portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said probe is a single element probe. A portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said display is a liquid crystal display. A portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any preceding claim, further comprising a freeze key (70), located in a position where a convenient use of the user is enabled, for selecting a function of stopping a particularly displayed picture and changing the stopped picture into an actually scanned picture. A portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said lamp is detachable from said pistol-shaped case.

Inventors: CHANG SEON HO, CHANG, SEON HO
Applicants: MEDISON CO LTD, MEDISON CO., LTD.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: A61B8
IPC codes: A61B8