Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Yushichi Kikuchi

Susumu Enjoji

Masayuki Takano

Kaoru Machida

Kiyoshi Hara

Akifumi Suzuki

A mechanical type ultrasonic scanner has a housing which includes an insertion hole and a window member. The window member possesses ultrasonic transmission properties. The housing is filled with an acoustic liquid medium. A vibrator and a scanning mechanism are also accommodated in the housing. The vibrator generates ultrasonic waves. The scanning mechanism mechanically moves the vibrator, to scan the ultrasonic waves generated thereby. A rotating shaft is inserted in the housing, through the insertion hole. The rotating shaft transmits the driving force of a motor to a scanning mechanism. A seal member is inserted between the housing and the rotating shaft in the insertion hole. A partition wall is formed in the housing, to partition it into a first liquid medium chamber and an adjacent second liquid medium chamber. The first liquid medium chamber accommodates the vibrator and the scanning mechanism. The partition wall guides bubbles, undesirably inserted into the acoustic liquid medium, from the first liquid medium chamber to the second liquid medium chamber, and prevents the bubbles from returning to the first liquid medium chamber.

Mechanical type ultrasonic scanner

An attachment to a diagnostic ultrasound probe having a beam radiating surface from which ultrasound beam is radiated in a first plane toward a skin surface of an organic body through the attachment which comprises a reservoir section containing acoustic medium. The reservoir section includes an auxiliary membrane, a contact membrane, and a first plane. The auxiliary membrane has an outer surface in contact with the beam radiating surface and is capable of transmitting an ultrasound beam. The contact membrane is arranged to face the auxiliary membrane, has an outer surface in contact with the skin surface of an organic body, and an inner surface, and is capable of transmitting an ultrasound beam. The first wall connects the auxiliary membrane with the contact membrane and has the inner surface crossing the first plane. When an ultrasound beam is radiated from the beam radiating surface and transmitted to the contact membrane, the ultrasound beam is split into a component transmitted through the contact membrane and transferred to the skin surface in the first plane, and the remaining component reflected by the inner surface of the contact membrane. When the remaining component of ultrasound beam is transferred to the first wall in the first plane, a major part of ultrasound beam reflected by the inner surface of the first wall is prevented from being returned to the contact membrane to be reflected by the inner surface thereof, and from being returned to the beam radiating surface.

Growing community of inventors

Tochigi, Japan

Yushichi Kikuchi