Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation

Canon Medical Systems Corporation

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Masaaki Ishitsuka

Isao Uchiumi

Satoshi Kamiyama

Toru Hirano

Nobuyuki Iwama

Hironobu Hongou

Wataru Kameishi

Hiroyuki Shibanuma

Shuta Fujiwara

Tomohiro Fujita

Yasuo Miyajima

Takayuki Shiina

Teruki Hagihara

Hiroyuki Shikata

Takeshi Fukasawa

According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes at least a memory circuitry, a processing circuitry, a data interpolation circuitry, and an image generating circuitry. The memory circuitry stores a plurality of pieces of reception data in an order of reception, the plurality of pieces of reception data being received continuously in a time series by a plurality of transducers, and specifies reading positions in an order different from the order of reception. The processing circuitry calculates a delay time, and calculates, based on the delay time, reading positions for acquiring reception data being used for calculating interpolation data from the memory circuitry. The data interpolation circuitry calculates interpolating data based on the plurality of pieces of reception data acquired from the calculated reading positions of the memory circuitry. The image generating circuitry generates an ultrasonic image based on a reception beam formed by using the interpolation data.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, interpolation processing unit, and interpolation processing method

An ultrasound probe according to an embodiment includes: transducer elements, phase reversal processing circuitry, and delay processing circuitry. The transducer elements, each of which is configured to generate a first echo signal by receiving a reflected wave of a first ultrasound wave and to generate a second echo signal by receiving a reflected wave of a second ultrasound wave corresponding to an ultrasound wave obtained by reversing the phase of the first ultrasound wave. The phase reversal processing circuitry is configured to reverse the phase of the second echo signal. The delay processing circuitry is configured to delay the first echo signal and the phase-reversed second echo signal.

Ultrasound probe and ultrasound diagnosis apparatus

An ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment includes a group of transducer elements and a plurality of electronic circuits. The group of transducer elements constitutes a main array that is divided into a plurality of sub-arrays, and is two-dimensionally arranged. The electronic circuits are arranged corresponding to the arrangement of the transducer elements constituting the sub-array. At least one of the electronic circuits is a first electronic circuit having a first function. At least one of the electronic circuits is a second electronic circuit having a second function different from the first function.

Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnostic device

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to a present embodiment includes driving pulse generating circuitries and a transmission control circuitry. The transmission control circuitry turns on a switching element of respective driving pulse generating circuitries of the driving pulse generating circuitries to be grounded, and thereby controls so as to make an output impedance of the respective driving pulse generating circuitries become a low impedance. The transmission control circuitry turns off the switching element of the respective driving pulse generating circuitries, and thereby controls so as to make the output impedance become a high impedance by means of a resistance value of the resistance. The transmission control circuitry controls so as to make the output impedance of the respective driving pulse generating circuitries become a lower impedance during a transmission period in which the ultrasound is transmitted than during a reception period in which a reflected wave of the ultrasound is received.

Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus

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

An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes a transformer, a first power source, a second power source, and a switching unit. The transformer includes a primary winding and a secondary winding, and drives an ultrasound transducer based on a voltage generated in the secondary winding. The first and second power sources cause a potential difference. The switching unit switches a connection path between the primary winding and at least one of the first and second power sources to a first connection path that connects the first power source to one end of the primary winding and the second power source to the other end, a second connection path that connects the first power source to the other end and the second power source to the one end, or a ground connection path that connects the first power source or the second power source to the ground through the primary winding.

Ultrasound diagnosis apparatus and ultrasound probe

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

An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus in comprising a transformer, a first power source and a second power source, an ultrasound transducer, a processor, and a driving part. The transformer comprises a primary winding and a secondary winding. The first power source and the second power source are connected to the primary winding. The ultrasound transducer is driven by the voltage induced to the secondary winding, and transmits ultrasound waves to a subject, and receives reflected waves reflected by the subject to output the received signal. The processor implements processing on the received signal to generate ultrasound wave images. The driving part drives to change the voltage among a first level voltage based on the first power source, a second level voltage based on the second power source, and a third level voltage between the first level voltage and the second level voltage.

Ultrasound diagnosis apparatus and power supply

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.

A bias gate part supplies a bias current to a transmission pulse generator. The transmission pulse generator receives the supply of the bias current, amplifies an input voltage, and supplies an output voltage obtained by the amplification to array transducer elements. In accordance with the timing of transmitting ultrasound waves from the array transducer elements and the level of the output voltage supplied to the array transducer elements, the bias gate part supplies the bias current to the transmission pulse generator while changing the timing of supplying the bias current.

Growing community of inventors

Nasushiobara, Japan

Masaaki Ishitsuka