Panasonic Corporation

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Konica Minolta, Inc.

Takehiko Suginouchi

Masahiko Hashimoto

Hidetomo Nagahara

Manabu Migita

Yong Wang

Yasuhiro Nakamura

Katsuhiko Asai

Takashi Sakai

Akihiro Kawabata

Kiyoshi Fujii

Makiko Urabe

Yushi Nishimura

Yoshihiko Itoh

Masashi Kunita

Koichi Saito

Hideo Hongo

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus generates an ultrasonic image of a subject by using an ultrasonic probe, and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes: a transducer unit that is arranged in the ultrasonic probe and performs transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves; a stepping motor that is arranged in the ultrasonic probe and moves the transducer unit; a motor controller that sends a drive signal of a microstep drive method to the stepping motor; an encoder that is arranged in the ultrasonic probe, detects rotational motion of the stepping motor, and generates a detection signal having a pulse train shape depending on an amount of rotational displacement per unit time of the stepping motor; and a position data generator that generates high-resolution position data in which resolution of position data of the transducer unit obtained from the detection signal is increased.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and ultrasonic probe

An ultrasound probe which is connected to an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes an acoustic element for converting an electric signal and an ultrasound to each other, an electric signal processing circuit electrically connected to the acoustic element, a case for storing the acoustic element and the electric signal processing circuit, an acoustic element board for electrically connecting the acoustic element to the electric signal processing circuit, and a partition part which is arranged to contact with the case and separates the acoustic element and the electric signal processing circuit. A space on the side of the acoustic element in the case separated by the partition part is filled with a first material having lower thermal conductivity than that of a material for forming an inner wall surface of the case. Accordingly, the heat generated by a circuit unit such as the electric signal processing circuit can be more efficiently dissipated.

Ultrasound probe

An ultrasonograph of the present invention comprises a probe (), a controller () connected to the probe (), and a display () connected to the controller (). The controller () causes the display () to display a detected image of a target object detected by the probe () and an angular position relationship image showing a relative angular position of the probe to the detected image of the target object. This enables even a non-expert to take accurate measurements.

Ultrasonograph and method of diagnosis using same

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes: a plurality of vibration elements () that transmit and receive an ultrasonic beam; a plurality of transmission circuits () that are connected to the respective vibration elements and output a transmission driving signal to be used for driving the vibration elements; and a transmission power source () that supplies electric power to the transmission circuits. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus further includes: a pulse detection unit () that detects a transmission signal to be used for generating the transmission driving signal; an electric power measurement unit () that detects an amount of electric power supplied to the transmission circuits as a whole; a distribution calculation unit () that calculates an amount of electric power distributed into each of the vibration elements based on outputs of the pulse detection unit and the electric power measurement unit; and a power distribution derivation unit () that derives electric power having been supplied to each of the plurality of vibration elements based on an output of the distribution calculation unit, wherein the transmission driving signal is controlled based on the power distribution derived in the power distribution derivation unit. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a more compact and highly reliable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of performing a temperature monitoring that detects local heat generation of the vibration elements based on the actual transmission power by using a circuit with a reduced number of components.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

An optical ultrasonic microphone includes an acoustic waveguide that transmits a sound wave received from an opening, an optical acoustic propagation medium that forms at least one portion of a wall face of the acoustic waveguide and an LDV head, and a sound wave proceeding through the acoustic waveguide is received by the optical acoustic propagation medium so that a change in the refractive index caused by the proceeding sound wave inside the optical acoustic propagation medium is generated with high efficiency, and by detecting this as an optical modulation by the LDV head, the optical ultrasonic microphone is allowed to have a very wide band.

Optical ultrasonic microphone

An ultrasonic measurement method, including: receiving a plurality of ultrasonic waves that have been spectrum-spread with different codes by first and second wave-receivers; de-spreading the first and second receive signals respectively with a selected code and a non-selected code; obtaining an amplitude ratio between the produced selected de-spread signal and the non-selected de-spread signal; determining a threshold value based on the amplitude ratio; extracting a signal having an amplitude greater than or equal to the threshold value from the non-selected de-spread signal to thereby produce an interfering signal; spreading the interfering signal with a corresponding non-selected code and then removing the interfering signal from the first and second receive signals to thereby produce first and second receive signals from which the interfering signal has been removed; de-spreading the first and second receive signals from which the interfering signal has been removed each with the selected code to thereby obtain first and second de-spread signals from which the interfering signal has been removed; and calculating the propagation distance and the propagation direction of the selected ultrasonic wave based on points in time at which the first and second de-spread signals arrive at the first and second wave-receivers.

Ultrasonic measuring device and ultrasonic measuring method

An ultrasonic receiver according to the present invention includes: a wave propagating portion, which defines a first openingand a waveguidethat makes an ultrasonic wave, coming through the first opening, propagate in a predetermined direction; and a propagation medium portion, which has a transmissive interfaceand which is arranged with respect to the waveguidesuch that the transmissive interfacedefines one surface of the waveguidein the direction in which the ultrasonic wave propagates. The interfaceis designed and arranged with respect to the waveguidesuch that as the ultrasonic wave propagates along the waveguide, each portion of the ultrasonic wave is transmitted into the propagation medium portionthrough the interfaceand then converged toward a predetermined convergence point. The receiver further includes a sensor portion, which is arranged at the convergence pointto detect the ultrasonic wave converged. The propagation medium portion includes a propagation medium that fills a space between the interface and the convergence point. The waveguide is filled with an environmental fluid and acoustic velocities Cand Cof the ultrasonic wave propagating through the propagation medium portionand the environmental fluid, respectively, satisfy C/C&#x3c;1. If a distance from the first opening of the waveguide to a point P, which is set at an arbitrary location on the transmissive interface, is Las measured in the ultrasonic wave propagating direction and if a distance from the point P to the convergence point is L, then L/C+L/Cis always constant irrespective of where the point P is located.

Ultrasonic receiver

An ultrasonic measuring method includes the steps of: receiving ultrasonic waves, which have been transmitted by a spread spectrum technique using mutually different codes, at first and second receivers, thereby generating first and second received signals, respectively; generating interference signals, of which the amplitudes are equal to or greater than respective threshold values, from the first and second received signals that have been despread with a code that has been used to spread any of the ultrasonic waves other than a desired one; removing the spread interference signals from the first and second received signals; calculating maximum correlation values between the first and second despread received signals for the respective threshold values; selecting one of the threshold values, at which the greatest one of the maximum correlation values has been obtained, as a threshold value for canceling interference; and calculating the propagation distance or propagation azimuth of the desired ultrasonic wave by the amount of time it has taken for the first and second received signals to arrive.

Ultrasonic measuring apparatus and ultrasonic measuring method

An ultrasonic receiver according to the present invention includes a first horn having a first large opening and a first small opening which are an incidence end and an outgoing end of an ultrasonic wave; a second horn having a second small opening and a second large opening which are an incidence end and an outgoing end of the ultrasonic wave, the first and second horns being located such that the first and second small openings face each other, and such that propagation directions of the ultrasonic wave in the first and second horns match each other; and at least one ultrasonic receiver main body provided between the first and second small openings, the ultrasonic receiver including a surface parallel to the propagation direction and detecting the ultrasonic wave which has propagated in the first horn and then is incident on the parallel surface. A cross-sectional area vertical to the propagation direction in the first horn decreases from the first large opening toward the first small opening; and a cross-sectional area vertical to the propagation direction in the second horn increases from the second small opening toward the second large opening.

A tracking system of the present invention includes a transponderattached on a moving objectand an autonomous mobile unitfor tracking the transponder. The autonomous mobile unithas an environment detecting means for acquiring reflection environment information relating to a wall surfaceandexisting in the vicinity. In this system, the following tracking cycle is executed. The autonomous mobile unittransmits a first ultrasonic wave, and upon receipt of it, the transpondertransmits a second ultrasonic wave. By receiving the second ultrasonic wave, the autonomous mobile unitacquires reception information relating to a direct wave that directly arrives at the autonomous mobile unitfrom the transponderand a reflected wave that arrives via the wall surface. Using the reception information and the reflection environment information, the autonomous mobile unitdecides whether the received second ultrasonic wave is the direct wave or the reflected wave and processes the reception information based on the decision to estimate and track the position of the transponder

Tracking system and autonomous mobile unit

An ultrasonic flowmeter of the present invention includes: first and second ultrasonic transducers that send and receive an ultrasonic wave and are arranged so as to form a propagation path for the ultrasonic wave in a flow path of fluid; a transmission unit and a reception unit that drive the first ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer such that the ultrasonic wave is sent and received in two ways between the first ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer, and receive the ultrasonic wave; a zero-cross detection unit that measures a propagation time of the ultrasonic wave by subjecting a received signal generated by the ultrasonic wave received in the reception unit to zero-cross detection; and a correction unit that reduces an error in the zero-cross detection caused by noise superimposed on the received signal, in which the ultrasonic flowmeter calculates a flow volume of the fluid on the basis of the propagation time.

Ultrasonic flowmeter and ultrasonic flow rate measuring method

An ultrasonic distance measure includes: transmitting and receiving ultrasonic transducers with changeable resonant/resonance frequencies; a driving section generating a frequency-modulated drive signal to drive the transducer and transmit an ultrasonic wave; a transmitting control voltage generating section for generating a control voltage to change the resonant/resonance frequency of The transducer and applying it to the transducer in transmitting the ultrasonic wave; a receiving control voltage generating section for generating a control voltage to change the resonant/resonance frequency of the transducer and applying it to the transducer when a controllable amount of time delay has passed since The drive signal was generated; and a receiving section for sensing the intensity of a signal received as the ultrasonic wave at the transducer.

Ultrasonic distance measure

A composite piezoelectric transducer of the present invention includes a plurality of arranged piezoelectric elements, and dielectric portions positioned between the plurality of piezoelectric elements. In the composite piezoelectric transducer, an area of a cross-section perpendicular to an ultrasonic emitting direction in at least one piezoelectric element of the plurality of piezoelectric elements varies along the ultrasonic emitting direction.

Composite piezoelectric transducer and method of fabricating the same

An ultrasonic flowmeter arranged to perform measurement with high accuracy has first and second ultrasonic transducerswhich transmit and receive ultrasonic waves, and which are placed so as to form a path for propagation of the ultrasonic waves in a flow passagefor a fluid, a transmitting sectionwhich drives one of said first and second ultrasonic transducersa first matching sectionwhich is connected to the transmitting section, and which adjusts the output impedance of the transmitting section, and a receiving sectionwhich has an input impedance approximately equal to or lower than the adjusted output impedance, and which receives the ultrasonic wave reaching the other of the first and second ultrasonic transducers. The flow volume of the fluid is measured by detecting a bidirectional-propagation time difference between the ultrasonic waves propagating in the propagation path.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Takehiko Suginouchi