Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Konica Minolta, Inc.

Panasonic Corporation

Morio Nishigaki

Hiroshi Fukukita

Hisashi Hagiwara

Takao Suzuki

Yasuhiro Nakamura

Yoshihiko Ito

Yoshito Touzawa

Koetsu Saito

Akihiro Kawabata

Hisashi Akiyama

Manabu Migita

Makiko Urabe

Yuki Muramatsu

Akiko Uchikawa

Ryuichi Kato

Hidenori Yoshitomi

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus wirelessly connected to a displayer includes: an image data generator that generates ultrasound image data based on a reception signal received from an ultrasound probe that transmits and receives ultrasound waves to and from a subject; and a hardware processor that wirelessly transmits the generated ultrasound image data to the displayer to display the ultrasound image data on the displayer, acquires refresh rate information of the ultrasound image data displayed on the displayer from the displayer, determines whether or not the refresh rate information is equal to or less than a first threshold value, and causes a notifier to notify of notification information indicating that display of the ultrasound image data on the displayer is poor due to deterioration of the wireless communication state when the refresh rate information is equal to or less than the first threshold value.

Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, ultrasound diagnostic system, and recording medium

An ultrasound diagnostic device including: an ultrasound probe that includes: multiple vibrators that are arrayed to be multiple rows in a long axis direction, the rows being arranged in a short axis direction, and that transmit and receive ultrasonic waves; a switching element that switches on and off of input of a drive signal to a vibrator in each of the rows and output of a received signal; an ultrasound image generator that generates ultrasound image data of a tomographic plane for each of the rows based on the received signal that is received by the vibrator corresponding to each of the rows via switching of the switching element; and a three-dimensional image generator that generates three-dimensional image data from the generated ultrasound image data of the multiple rows.

Ultrasound diagnostic device and storage medium

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes: a probe that transmits and receives ultrasound; a signal analysis unit that, when the probe scans a cross section of elevation direction of a blood vessel using ultrasound, detects a center scan line echo signal having passed through a center of the blood vessel among a plurality of scan line echo signals in the cross section of elevation direction of the blood vessel received by the probe, based on a part of each of the plurality of scan line echo signals that has a relatively small amplitude that corresponds to a reflected wave from a part of the blood vessel where blood flows; and an IMT measurement unit that computes an IMT from the center scan line echo signal. With this configuration, it is possible to provide an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus capable of performing wide-range IMT measurements with few errors even when a blood vessel seen from a body surface is not linear.

Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus for intima-media thickness measurement

There are provided a transducer that irradiates an ultrasonic wave, a transmitter that drives the transducer, and a plurality of power sources that supply a plurality of positive voltages and negative voltages to the transmitter. The transmitter includes a plurality of switches (SWto SW) that connect the power sources selectively, and a timing controller that controls a plurality of the switches. A driving pulse is generated through a selection of the switches. A plurality of the positive voltages and a plurality of the negative voltages have absolute values different from each other. With this configuration, it is possible to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that allows the amplitude of the driving pulse to be varied in multiple stages, is low in cost, and requires small amounts of both material and control.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus with pulse timing controller

An sound probe includes an array of transducer elements with a plurality of transducer elements arranged in a first direction and which makes an interconversion between an electric pulse and an ultrasonic wave; an acoustic lens with a convex surface in a transmission direction of the ultrasonic wave on a cross section that is parallel to the first direction and the transmission direction and which converges the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the plurality of transducer elements; and at least two acoustic adjustment layers made of a material that has a different sound velocity from the acoustic lens and arranged between at least two of the transducer elements. At least one of the material and a thickness of each of the at least two acoustic adjustment layers in the transmission direction are different from each other.

Ultrasound probe

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a controller, to which a probe and a monitor are connected, the probe having an array of transducers, in which a number of transducers are arranged in a first direction. The controller controls transmission of an ultrasonic beam using the array of transducers and reception of an echo signal reflected from a region of interest, generates image data based on the echo signal, and gets echo signals received from multiple points of the region of interest by either moving or swinging the array of transducers in a second direction that intersects with the first direction at right angles. If the sum of image data ranges of measured value retrievable portions of the region of interest at the multiple points synthesized based on the echo signals, is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the controller calculates a detected value of the region of interest.

Ultrasonic diagnostic device, and region-to-be-detected image display method and measurement method using same

There are provided transducers, transmission pulse generators for transmitting pulses to the transducers, a transmission power source for supplying power to the transmission pulse generators, and an output side capacitorfor stabilizing a voltage of the transmission power source. The transmission power source includes a plurality of mode-specific power sourcesA andB for outputting a constant voltage, and a mode changeover switchprovided between the mode-specific power sources and the output side capacitor. The transmission power source further includes a power supplying power sourceconnected to the mode-specific power sources for supplying power, and a power regeneration capacitorwith a larger capacity than that of the output side capacitor, one electrode terminal of which is connected to a connection point between the power supplying power source and the mode-specific power sources and the mode changeover switch, and the other electrode terminal of which is connected to ground. The mode changeover switch is capable of connecting the power regeneration capacitor, instead of each of the mode-specific power sources, to the output side capacitor. There is provided an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that reuses power stored in the output side capacitor to reduce power consumption.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

A small ultrasound diagnostic device is provided at a low cost that enables the appropriate control by a single power supply unit so as to give a predetermined transmission power to a driving waveform different for each mode without excess or deficiency and without affecting properties of the driving waveform. The ultrasound diagnostic device includes: an ultrasound generation unit () that transmits ultrasound; a waveform generation unit () that generates a single pulse or a burst pulse whose duty factor is variable in units of a time that is a period corresponding to a frequency outside a frequency band of the ultrasound generation unit () so as to drive the ultrasound generation unit (); and a single power supply unit () that determines an amplitude of a driving waveform generated by the waveform generation unit (). Thereby, an acoustic power of the transmitted ultrasound can be controlled without making the transmission amplitude variable.

Ultrasound diagnostic device

An ultrasonic diagnostic equipment capable of reducing cost by reducing the number of transmission drive circuits for generating transmission pulse is disclosed. High voltage switches for determining an aperture by selecting eight pieces from among transducer elements to which transmission pulses are applied, and low voltage switches for selecting 16 pieces from among the transducer elements to receive ultrasonic echo are provided individually. Regarding the high voltage switches for transmission, four inputs are integrated into one, and a distribution circuit of 1:4 is constructed. Regarding the low voltage switches for reception, two outputs are integrated into one, and a multiplexer of 2:1 is constructed. Linear scanning is performed by only eight pulsers (transmission drive circuits). The high voltage switches for transmitting ultrasonic waves and the low voltage switches for receiving ultrasonic waves are separated from each other.

Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is disclosed which can reduce the device amount of a receiving circuit, while obtaining the shape of an excellent received beam. In this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a plurality of transducer elements are arrayed and used as an ultrasonic probe, and the transducer elements are driven by a plurality of transmission driving circuit. The signal received by the transducer element is distributed to any of a plurality of input terminals of a cross point switch beam former. The received signals of the three transducer elements near the center of the aperture of the ultrasonic probe are added and inputted to one terminal of a beam former. The second, fourth and sixth transducer elements at the end of the aperture are not connected to the beam former. The signals received by the transducer elements are delay-added by the beam former. The delay precision can be improved, and the beam shape can be made sharper, thereby improving the image quality of the ultrasonic image.

Ultrasonograph

A system for analyzing an echo image containing a contour of an organ with reduced manual operation is provided. The echo image is first obtained. A user manually sets, say, four points as known or initial points such that two of the known points provide a width of the contour and the other two of the known points provide a height of the contour. A search region including a connecting line segment connecting each pair of adjacent ones of the known points is set on the contour. A search line segment that originates from a point bisecting the connecting line segment of the search region and reaches an end of the search region is set. Each search line segment is sought for a contour point constituting the contour. A contour is formed by connecting the contour points on the search line segments. Three points may be set as the initial points such that two of the initial points provide a width of the contour and the other one is on top of the contour.

System for accurately obtaining a contour and/or quantitative information from an echo image with reduced manual operation

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes a probe which outputs RF signals. There are N phase detectors for converting the RF signals outputted from the probe into baseband signals In and Qn, where &ldquo;N&rdquo; denotes a first predetermined natural number and &ldquo;n&rdquo; denotes a second predetermined natural number set as 2&lE;n&lE;N. A reception beam former operates for processing the baseband signals In and Qn into a time-division-multiplexed signal. The reception beam former includes a device for multiplying the baseband signals In and Qn by phase shift data to generate multiplication-resultant signals, a device for delaying the multiplication-resultant signals to generate delay-resultant signals, and a device for combining the delay-resultant signals into the time-division-multiplexed signal.

Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus

A nonlinear distortion-based ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system displays a raised-resolution video of tissue inside a body at an increased frame rate. Using a two-pulse technique, a transducer driver supplies narrower-width and wider-width driving pulses to a transducer, which transmits weaker and stronger ultrasonic wave pulses alternately while putting the same intervals between adjacent ultrasonic wave pulses to obtain a weaker echo and a stronger echo. An equalizer equalizes each weaker echo to the stronger echo into an equalized weaker echo. An interpolator calculates an interpolation value between the equalized weaker echo and an equalized previous weaker echo obtained from a previous weaker echo. For each weaker ultrasonic wave pulse, a detector finds a difference between the interpolation value and a stronger echo obtained between the weaker echo and the previous weaker echo. The equalization and interpolation enables high-speed scanning, which has not been achieved with two-pulse technique. Thus, a raised-resolution video signal of the tissue is formed at an increased frame rate on the basis of the difference signal and a scan control signal which is also used in the transducer.

Ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system

An ultrasonic diagnostic system includes a transducer. A first electric drive signal is fed to the transducer. A second electric drive signal is fed to the transducer at a time different from a time of the feed of the first electric drive signal thereto. The second electric drive signal has a waveform different from a waveform of the first electric drive signal. A first received signal is derived from an output signal of the transducer. The first received signal represents ultrasonic echoes related to an ultrasonic beam caused by the transducer in response to the first electric drive signal. A second received signal is derived from the output signal of the transducer. The second received signal represents ultrasonic echoes related to an ultrasonic beam caused by the transducer in response to the second electric drive signal. The first received signal is subjected to a waveform equalizing process, thereby being converted into a third received signal having a waveform corresponding to a waveform of the second received signal. A calculator operates for calculating a difference between the second received signal and the third received signal, and generating a signal representing the calculated difference.

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Fujisawa, Japan

Morio Nishigaki