Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Fumio Muramatsu

Masami Kawabuchi

Takeshi Takeda

Takeo Miyata

Tetsuhiko Tomiki

Koetsu Saito

Akira Fukumoto

Koji Matsuo

Akinori Watanabe

Koetsu Saitoh

Junichi Satoh

An ultrasonic transducer element is supported by a member. The transducer element and the supporting member are disposed within a casing filled with ultrasonic wave propagation medium. At least part of the casing forms an ultrasonic wave transmission window. In a first case, the supporting member is rotatable about a first axis and about a second axis, and the position of the supporting member is detected. In a second case, the casing has a first portion accommodating the transducer element and the supporting member and a second portion extending in rear of the first portion and being narrower than the first portion, and the transducer element is allowed to emit and receive ultrasonic wave to and from a region extending in front of the casing with resepct to a direction of insertion of the casing into a body to be examined. In a third case, a sensor detects at least one condition related to opreation of a mechanism driving the supporting member.

Ultrasonic probe

An ultrasonic transducer for medical diagnostic examinations which comprises a transducer element having one surface through ultrasonic waves are emitted, an acoustic impedance matcher, and a contact member brought to contact with an object being examined and formed on the one surface of the ultrasonic transducer element. The contact member includes at least a flat plate or an acoustic lens made of a-4-methylpentene-1-base polymer which has high mechanical strength. Transducer arrays and assemblies using such polymer as a member directly contacted with human body are also described.

Ultrasonic transducer assembly for medical diagnostic examinations

A plurality of transducers is arranged successively on a common impedance matching layer of a resilient material. Each transducer comprises an elongated piezoelectric element having a width expansion vibrational mode, a pair of first and second electrodes attached to opposite surfaces of the element across its thickness and an elongated block of an impedance matching material disposed between the second electrode and the common impedance matching layer. The common impedance matching layer is bent to take the shape of an arch to conform to the surface of a frame structure which is convexed in the direction of propagation of ultrasonic energy. The piezoelectric elements are secured to the frame so that they bridge the parallel side members of the frame. The piezoelectric members are divided into a plurality of subgroups, each composed of successively arranged elements. The piezoelectric elements of a given subgroup are selected and energized during each clock interval for transmission of focused ultrasonic energy. The subgroup to be selected is shifted linearly to the next by at least one element in response to successive clock pulses. Becuase of the convex shape of the array, the transmitted energy is successively angulated to provide arc scan.

Arc scan ultrasonic transducer array

A phosphor expressed fundamentally as YA10.sub.3 :Ce is produced through baking under a usual condition of a mixture of Y.sub.2 O.sub.3, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, CeO.sub.2 and a controlled amount of barium compound exemplified by BaCO.sub.3, BaO, Ba(OH).sub.2 and BaF.sub.2. The presence of the barium compound in the mixture causes intensification of ultraviolet emission and/or suppression of the formation of blue-emitting Y.sub.3 Al.sub.5 O.sub.12 :Ce. The use of BaF.sub.2 as the barium compound or partial replacement of at least one of Y.sub.2 O.sub.3 and Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 respectively by YF.sub.3 and AlF.sub.3 is favorable to the intensification of the ultraviolet emission.

Method of producing cerium-activated phosphor of improved characteristic

A cerium-activated yttriumaluminate phosphor such as YA10.sub.3 :Ce featuring an enhanced luminous intensity is produced by adding a barium compound exemplified by BaO, BaCO.sub.3, Ba(OH).sub.2 and BaF.sub.3 to a mixture of source materials of the host material and the activator and baking the resulting mixture at a usual temperature ranging from 1000.degree. to 1400.degree. C. The barium compound preferably amounts to 0.001-8 mol% of the yttriumaluminate and may alternatively be introduced into a preliminarily baked and pulverized mixture of the source materials.

Method of preparing cerium-activated yttriumaluminate phosphor of

Production of a recording material having the chemical composition Na.sub.6 Al.sub.6 Si.sub.6 O.sub.24 .multidot.2(1-x)NaX.multidot.xNa.sub.2 SO.sub.4 (X is F, Cl, Br or I and 0.1 .ltoreq. .times. .ltoreq. 0.8) by only the simple sintering method can be attained by substituting a part of halogen site of said composition by other ions.

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Atsugi, Japan

Fumio Muramatsu