Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Konica Minolta, Inc.

Shuhei Okuda

Eishi Yoshida

Yutaka Matsumoto

Takashi Yoshida

Kenichi Ohno

Kenichi Omagari

Tetsuya Taniguchi

Toru Eguchi

Junya Ochiai

Takumi Fukaura

Hiroshi Isozaki

Takashi Matsuo

A coil molding apparatus being capable of easily forming the band-shaped coil into a wound state, without the winding posture in the coil winding jig being disturbed by spring back of the band-shaped coil. The coil molding apparatus includes: a coil winding jig for winding the band-shaped coil with inserting straight portions thereof into a plurality of comb-shaped grooves in the outer periphery; a coil conveying mechanism unit for pivotally conveying the band-shaped coil along the outer periphery of the coil winding jig; and guide members for inserting the band-shaped coil into the plurality of comb-shaped grooves by guiding in an arc shape while contacting with the side end of the band shaped groove thereby gradually reducing in diameter accompanying pivoting at a second half portion of pivot conveying of the band-shaped coil, then extending with maintaining curvature of the portion of which the diameter has already been reduced.

Coil forming apparatus and coil forming method

Provided is an acoustic lens applied to an ultrasound probe and forming an ultrasound beam by focusing ultrasound transmitted from a piezoelectric transducer, in which: an ultrasound radiation surface of the acoustic lens includes: a first area that is located in a lens center portion and forms a focal point at a position corresponding to a deep portion of the ultrasound beam; and a second area that is located on a lens outer side of the first area and forms a focal point at a position corresponding to a shallow portion of the ultrasound beam, and a focal depth formed by a lens portion of each position of the first area and the second area draws a profile that becomes continuously shallow from a side of the lens center portion to the lens outer side.

Acoustic lens, ultrasound probe and ultrasound diagnostic apparatus

A coil forming apparatus includes: a coil winding jig that winds the belt-shaped coil, the coil winding jig including a plurality of comb-shaped grooves on an outer periphery thereof; a coil conveying mechanism that pivotally conveys the belt-shaped coil along at least a portion of the outer periphery of the coil winding jig; and guide members guide the belt-shaped coil in an arc shape while being in contact with the side ends. The guide members guide the belt-shaped coil so as to be in an arc shape having a diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the coil winding jig in a second half portion of the belt-shaped coil upon pivot conveying, and allow the plurality of straight portions to be inserted into a respective one of the plurality of comb-shaped grooves of the coil winding jig.

A coil forming apparatus includes: a coil winding jig including a plurality of comb-shaped grooves; a coil conveying mechanism that pivotally conveys the belt-shaped coil along at least a portion of the outer periphery of the coil winding jig; and guide members guide the belt-shaped coil in an arc shape along an outer periphery of the coil winding jig while being in contact with the side ends, and allow the plurality of straight portions to be inserted into a respective one of the plurality of comb-shaped grooves in a second half portion of the belt-shaped coil upon pivot conveyance. The guide members include a reforming portion in a first half portion of the belt-shaped coil upon pivot conveyance, and the reforming portion deforms and reforms the belt-shaped coil in an arc shape in a state sandwiching the side ends of the belt-shaped coil.

A coil forming apparatus includes: a coil winding jig being configured to wind the belt-shaped coil by inserting the plurality of straight portions of the belt-shaped coil into a respective one of the plurality of comb-shaped grooves; a coil conveying mechanism that pivotally conveys the belt-shaped coil; and guide members that guide the belt-shaped coil in an arc shape while being in contact with the side ends of the belt-shaped coil, and further allow the plurality of straight portions to be inserted into a respective one of the plurality of comb-shaped grooves in a second half portion of the belt-shaped coil upon pivot conveying. The coil conveying organizer includes a conveying rail that provides a conveying path pivotally conveying the belt-shaped coil along the coil winding jig, and a conveyor that moves along the conveying rail in a state gripping the plurality of straight portions of the belt-shaped coil.

An ultrasonic probe includes: an ultrasonic vibrator that transmits and receives an ultrasonic wave; a wire member that is electrically connected to the ultrasonic vibrator and is provided along a side surface of the ultrasonic vibrator; a shield member that is provided outside the wire member from a viewpoint of the ultrasonic vibrator and electrically protects the ultrasonic vibrator; and a first heat conduction member that is provided in contact with the ultrasonic vibrator, wherein the first heat conduction member and the shield member are thermally connected to each other.

Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnostic device

An assembling device () includes a first arranging section (), a second arranging section (), eighteen support arms () for supporting coil segments (), a feeding part (), and a controller (). When the controller () drives a motor () to rotate the feeding part () in a counterclockwise direction D, a pressing roller () rolls in the direction Dalong a first guide portion (), and presses a base part () of the eighteenth support arm () in the direction D. Thus, the first to eighteenth support arms () are rotated in the direction Dto insert the base parts () of the first to eighteenth support arms () sequentially in a second guide portion () of the second arranging section (), so that the first to eighteenth support arms () are rotated in a clockwise direction Dto assemble the coil segments () while overlapping with one another.

Assembling device and method

An alignment apparatus is configured to include an alignment mechanism. At least one of first legs or second legs of electric conductors are retained so as to be aligned in an arcuate shape or a circular shape by a plurality of holders that make up the alignment mechanism. Thereafter, the plurality of holders are rotated. Accordingly, the electric conductors, which are aligned in an arcuate or circular shape, are rotated and arranged on the same circumference. In other words, the electric conductors are aligned in an annular shape.

Alignment method and apparatus for electric conductors

A control device moves a split claw () holding a projecting portion () of an eighth-layer coil segment () in a counterclockwise direction D. At this time, the control device moves first to third extended blades () to () in an outward direction Dso that the projecting portion () of the eighth-layer coil segment () is bent in the outward direction D. Then, the control device moves the first to third extended blades () to () in an inward direction D. Through the above steps, the projecting portion () of the eighth-layer coil segment () is bent in the counterclockwise direction Dwhile being bent in the outward direction D. As a result, a return force tending to return in the inward direction Dis generated by an elastic deformation force.

Electrical conductor bending method and apparatus

Disclosed is an ultrasound probe which outputs ultrasound on a basis of a drive signal which is to be received. The ultrasound probe including a composite piezoelectric layer in which a piezoelectric material and a polymer material are arranged alternately in a one-dimensional array or in a two-dimensional array, an acoustic reflection layer which has an acoustic impedance higher than an acoustic impedance of the composite piezoelectric layer and an adhesion layer which bonds the composite piezoelectric layer and the acoustic reflection layer wherein in a bonding surface of the composite piezoelectric layer that bonds with the acoustic reflection layer, a polymer material part is concaved in a direction opposite to an acoustic reflection layer side comparing to an piezoelectric material part.

Ultrasound probe, ultrasound diagnostic imaging apparatus and manufacturing method of ultrasound probe

Disclosed is an ultrasound probe including a piezoelectric device which transmits and receives ultrasound, n layers of acoustic matching layers provided on a front side of the piezoelectric device, n layers meaning two layers or more, an acoustic lens which is provided on a front side of the acoustic matching layers and an acoustic reflecting layer which is provided on a back side of the piezoelectric device.

Growing community of inventors

Tochigi, Japan

Shuhei Okuda