Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Canon Medical Systems Corporation

Hironobu Hongou

Isao Uchiumi

Nobuyuki Iwama

Yasuo Miyajima

Takatoshi Okumura

Koichi Morikawa

Masaaki Ishitsuka

Toru Hirano

Takayuki Shiina

Kazuhito Nakata

Kenichi Unayama

Tatsuro Baba

Hiroyuki Shibanuma

Takeshi Fukasawa

Gen Nagano

Fumio Mochizuki

Satoshi Kamiyama

Katsuya Hirakui

Hideo Onodera

According to one embodiment, an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes a storage and a control unit. The storage stores transmission/reception conditions for a first ultrasound probe among a plurality of ultrasound probes. Upon receipt of a second switching instruction to switch a second ultrasound probe to the first ultrasound probe after a first switching instruction to switch the first ultrasound probe to the second ultrasound probe, the control unit applies the transmission/reception conditions stored in the storage to the first ultrasound probe when the time between the first switching instruction and the second switching instruction is less than a predetermined time.

Ultrasound diagnosis apparatus and medical image processing method

An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes a transmitting and receiving circuitry, an input circuitry, and a processing circuitry. The transmitting and receiving circuitry transmits a first ultrasound wave used for changing the shape of a tissue in the body of a patient and transmits/receives a second ultrasound wave that is transmitted/received with timing different from that of the first ultrasound wave. The input circuitry receives an input of a request indicating that the first ultrasound wave should be transmitted. When the input circuitry has received the input of the request indicating that the first ultrasound wave should be transmitted, the processing circuitry controls the transmission of the first ultrasound wave in accordance with the strength of a reflected-wave signal of the second ultrasound wave or one or more pixel values of an image resulting from an imaging process performed by using the reflected-wave signal of the second ultrasound wave.

Ultrasound diagnosis apparatus and image processing method

An ultrasonic diagnostic device according to an embodiment includes an ultrasonic probe and transformer circuitry. The ultrasonic probe transmits ultrasonic waves to a subject and converts reflection waves reflected by the subject to a reflection wave signal. The transformer circuitry includes an auto transformer that transforms the reflection wave signal at a transformation ratio in accordance with a control signal based on information related to the ultrasonic probe among a plurality of transformation ratios.

Ultrasonic diagnostic device

In general, according to one embodiment, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe, a plurality of power supplies implemented by circuitry, at least one pulser, and a controller implemented by circuitry. The ultrasonic probe includes a plurality of piezoelectric transducers which generate ultrasonic waves in response to supplied driving signals. The pulser outputs the driving signal based on an applied voltage applied from any one of the plurality of power supplies. The controller switches the plurality of power supplies in accordance with the at least one pulser used for generation of the driving signal in one transmission mode period.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe, an image generation unit, a display unit, and a control unit. The image generation unit generates image data from a reflected wave received from the ultrasonic probe. The display unit displays the image data. The ultrasonic probe includes a plurality of temperature sensors that measure the temperature of the ultrasonic probe and a switching circuit that is connected to the respective temperature sensors and switches connection to any one of the temperature sensors to a valid state to output data from the temperature sensors to a temperature detector. The control unit includes an instruction unit that instructs the switching circuit to switch connection to any one of the temperature sensors to a valid state at a predetermined time interval and a determination unit that determines whether a temperature measured by the temperature detector is within a set temperature range.

Ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus and ultrasonic probe

To provide an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus capable of appropriately assigning a transmission delay time of a group to a transducer without complicated wires. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of the embodiment comprises a plurality of transducers, a timing pulse generator, a switch part, and a switch controller. Ultrasound waves are transmitted to the transducers. The timing pulse generator has output terminals for outputting timing pulses based on a delay time to a channel corresponding to each of the transducers, in which a plurality of output terminals are divided into groups and each group has the output terminals of a specific number greater than two. The timing pulse generator then generates the transmission delay time within a predetermined time range for the each group. The switch part selectively connects the channels with the output terminals. The switch controller divides the plurality of channels into channel regions of the same number as the specific number, and controls the switch part so as to correspond between the groups and the regions by connecting the channels and the output terminals.

Ultrasound diagnosis apparatus

An ultrasound probe and ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus that can maintain surface temperature of an ultrasound probe within a safe range, without reduction in performance. The ultrasound probe includes a casing, a transducer, an electronic circuit, and a heat-transfer construction. Elements of the transducer are aligned at one end of the casing and send out ultrasound waves in accordance with their respective delay times. The electronic circuit, disposed in the casing, includes a delay circuit setting delay times and pulsers for generating pulses in accordance with the delay times, the pulses being sent to the transducer. While the electronic circuit is being energized, the heat-transfer construction disposes a member having a low heat conductivity at least either between the electronic circuit and the casing or between the electronic circuit and the transducer. Thereby, heat from the electronic circuit is conducted to the other end of the casing.

Ultrasound probe that exhausts heat via infrared-radiative heat transfer

The present embodiment relates to an ultrasound probe having a first ultrasound vibrator group and a second ultrasound vibrator group, comprising a plurality of matrix switches and an adder. The ultrasound probe has a mode to send ultrasound to a predetermined observation point within a subject by the first ultrasound vibrator group, and to receive ultrasound echoes reflected within the subject by the second ultrasound vibrator group. The plurality of matrix switches extract, based on the distance between the second ultrasound vibrator group and the observation point, a plurality of ultrasound echoes having substantially the same phase from a plurality of ultrasound echoes output by the second ultrasound vibrator group. The adder adds the plurality of ultrasound echoes extracted by the plurality of matrix switches for each of the matrix switches and outputs them.

Ultrasound probe and ultrasound diagnostic apparatus

After an ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus is temporally placed on the receptacle of a docking cart to relieve a weight load, the portable ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus is placed at a predetermined position by sliding the apparatus while guiding it along the shapes of the edges of the receptacle. After the portable ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus is slid on the receptacle and rear foot portions come into contact with the stoppers of the receptacle, the front side of the portable ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus is placed on the receptacle. With this operation, front foot portions are fitted in fitting portions, and the portable ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus is placed at an accurate position on the receptacle. In addition, when an operator places the portable ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus on the receptacle or lifts the portable ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus from the receptacle, the fingers which grasp the apparatus are placed in the recessed portions of the receptacle.

Ultrasonic diagnostic system and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus docking cart

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus has an ultrasonic probe for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave at a group of a plurality of ultrasonic vibrators arranged in an array form to and from a subject and incorporating a preamplifier groups for amplifying the resulting weak ultrasonic echo received after obtaining tissue information about the subject. The ultrasonic vibrator group has a first area to which a first amplifier group is to be connected and a second preamplifier group to which a second amplifier group is to be connected. In an operating mode to cease the first preamplifier group from operating, a control circuit switches to supply the bias current being supplied to the first preamplifier group over to the second preamplifier group.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and system using an ultrasonic probe

To be able to control an aperture in ultrasound transducer units comprised such that the signals from a plurality of ultrasound transducers are added and output. An ultrasound probe comprising a plurality of ultrasound transducers, a plurality of delay circuits, and an adder circuit, and configured to be able to control a reception aperture of ultrasound waves. The delay circuit performs a delay processing to reception signals. The adder circuit adds and outputs the reception signals for each predetermined group. The ultrasound probe further comprises a gate means. The gate means switches connection and disconnection of the signal path for each signal path arranged between the ultrasound transducer and the adder circuit. The gate means also connects only the signal path from the ultrasound transducer corresponding to the initial reception aperture that is previously set after the transmission of ultrasound waves within the cycle of the ultrasound waves and sequentially connects the corresponding signal path from the ultrasound transducer that is closer to the initial reception aperture according to the lapse in time of the reception period.

Ultrasound probe and ultrasound diagnosis apparatus

According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic probe includes a probe unit and cooling unit. The probe unit is obtained by arranging, in a housing, a transducer unit which transmits and receives ultrasonic waves with an object to be examined, an electronic circuit unit which is connected to the transducer unit and performs electrical signal processing, and a heat transfer member which is made of a material having a heat transfer coefficient higher than that of the electronic circuit unit, and transfers heat of the electronic circuit unit to a housing surface. The cooling unit is detachably mounted on the housing of the probe unit, and cools the heat transfer member by passing a coolant in a channel formed inside the cooling unit.

Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes plural ultrasonic transducers, a catheter signal detection unit and a position detection unit. The plural ultrasonic transducers are arrayed two-dimensionally for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from an object. The catheter signal detection unit is configured to acquire a reception signal of a frequency modulated continuous wave from reception signals from at least three of the plural ultrasonic transducers. The frequency modulated continuous wave is transmitted from a catheter inserted in the object. The position detection unit is configured to detect a position of the catheter based on the acquired reception signal of the frequency modulated continuous wave.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and catheter tip part detection method

A plurality of signal transmitters are respectively configured to produce a pulse current by repeatedly switching the connection state of a switching element. A plurality of ultrasonic transducers are respectively configured to transmit an ultrasonic pulse to a subject to be examined upon receiving said pulse current, and to produce a receiving current upon receiving the reflected wave. A signal receiver is configured to receive said receiving current. A test signal generator is configured to produce a test signal and to output said test signal to a connection point of said signal transmitter, said ultrasonic transducer, and said signal receiver by switching said connection state of said switching element to a state through which said test signal is conducted.

Growing community of inventors

Otawara, Japan

Hironobu Hongou