Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus according to the present invention includes an ultrasonic endoscope having ultrasonic transducers for scanning ultrasonic wave in a living body three-dimensionally, an ultrasonic image creating portion of an ultrasonic observing apparatus for creating ultrasonic volume data based on an ultrasonic signal captured by the ultrasonic endoscope, a two-dimensional image select knob, keyboard, trackball, computing/control portion and display control portion for selecting a tomographic plane from the ultrasonic volume data by designating the angle of rotation about the straight line through two points designated on the ultrasonic volume data as the axis of rotation, and a monitor for displaying the tomographic plane selected during a scanning operation as a two-dimensional ultrasonic image.

Abstract: A capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer having an ultrasonic wave transmission/reception surface formed by arranging a plurality of transducer cells each of which includes a membrane having a first electrode and a supporting film for supporting the first electrode, and also includes a second electrode arranged being opposite to the first electrode and being spaced apart from the first electrode at a prescribed interval, wherein: the transducer cells are arranged on the basis of resonant frequencies of the transducer cells.

Abstract: Within the tip portion of a cylindrical shaped sheath a capacitive ultrasonic transducer which is an array type two-dimensionally arrayed on the outer surface of the cylindrical face is disposed. Capacitive ultrasonic transducer units employ m capacitive ultrasonic transducer elements arrayed in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical face as a division unit, thereby providing an arrangement wherein the respective capacitive ultrasonic transducer units are readily disposed in the circumferential direction, whereby radial scanning or the like can be performed within a body cavity.

Abstract: It becomes possible to obtain high sound pressure in a high frequency domain by a capacitive ultrasonic transducer which comprises a membrane on which one electrode is formed, a cavity constructed in its backface, and a substrate on which these are mounted and supported and on whose surface an electrode is provided, on a surface in an ultrasonic transmission and reception side, characterized in that the membrane comprises two or more layers, and at least one layer of them comprises a high dielectric constant film.

Abstract: A capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) at least including a silicon substrate, a bottom electrode mounted onto the silicon substrate, a upper electrode mounted facing the bottom electrode and apart therefrom by a predetermined cavity, and a membrane supporting the upper electrode, wherein a part of the aforementioned cMUT is charged.

Abstract: An ultrasonic probe apparatus which applies a RF pulse signal with a DC bias signal superimposed thereon to c-MUTs and transmits/receives an ultrasound wave is configured such that a transmission control system includes bias regulators which regulate the voltage value of the DC bias signal, a reception control system has a plurality of different frequency band pass filtering characteristics including at least those for a low pass and high pass and a frequency band pass filtering processing section which can select at least one frequency band pass filtering characteristic from those frequency band pass filtering characteristics. The apparatus controls voltage settings of the bias regulators in conjunction with the selection of frequency band pass filtering characteristics of the frequency band pass filtering processing section.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer comprising an transducer element, which includes a piezoelectric resonator oscillating in order to emit an ultrasonic wave and one or more acoustic matching layer(s), and an acoustic lens, wherein a gap area between the adjacent transducer elements is filled with the same constituent material as that of the acoustic lens.

Abstract: A blood-vessel detecting device includes a partially-deforming device which can be inserted into the body cavity so as to come into contact with the tissue surface in order to deform a part of the tissue surface so that turbulence is generated in a blood flow within blood vessels extending underneath the tissue surface, thereby enabling detection of the presence or absence of blood vessels underneath the tissue surface. Turbulent sound due to the turbulence generated at a part of the tissue surface deformed by the partially-deforming device is converted into electric signals by a converting device, following which the electric signals are subjected to signal processing such as amplification and so forth by a signal processing device.

Abstract: There is disclosed an ultrasonic transducer system for harmonic imaging, comprising: an ultrasonic transducer comprising a transmitting ultrasonic vibrator for transmitting a fundamental ultrasound having a center frequency f0, and a receiving ultrasonic vibrator for receiving a harmonic signal having a center frequency nf0 (n is an integer of 2 or more); and control means for controlling the ultrasonic transducer, wherein the transmitting ultrasonic vibrator comprises a transmitting piezoelectric resonator, the receiving ultrasonic vibrator comprises a receiving piezoelectric resonator, the transmitting and receiving piezoelectric resonators are superposed in layers and disposed, and the control mean supplies a drive signal to the transmitting piezoelectric resonator only for a time t1, holds a state between electrodes of the receiving piezoelectric resonator in a low resistance state including a short circuit for a predetermined time t2 (>t1) after the drive signal is supplied, and holds the state betwee

Abstract: There is disclosed an ultrasonic transducer system for harmonic imaging, comprising: an ultrasonic transducer comprising a transmitting ultrasonic vibrator for transmitting a fundamental ultrasound having a center frequency f0, and a receiving ultrasonic vibrator for receiving a harmonic signal having a center frequency nf0 (n is an integer of 2 or more); and control means for controlling the ultrasonic transducer, wherein the transmitting ultrasonic vibrator comprises a transmitting piezoelectric resonator, the receiving ultrasonic vibrator comprises a receiving piezoelectric resonator, the transmitting and receiving piezoelectric resonators are superposed in layers and disposed, and the control means supplies a drive signal to the transmitting piezoelectric resonator only for a time t1, holds a state between electrodes of the receiving piezoelectric resonator in a low resistance state including a short circuit for a predetermined time t2 (>t1) after the drive signal is supplied, and holds the state betwe

Abstract: An acoustic impedance measuring apparatus emits ultrasonic waves to a target measurement object and measures the acoustic impedance of the target measurement object by ultrasonic waves fed back from the target measurement object. This acoustic impedance measuring apparatus includes an ultrasonic transducer, pulse signal generator, signal separator, frequency converter, parameter extractor, and acoustic impedance calculator. The pulse signal generator generates a pulse signal to be applied to the ultrasonic transducer. The signal separator separates, from an output from the ultrasonic transducer, an immediate ultrasonic response signal resulting from ultrasonic waves reflected by the surface of the target measurement object. The frequency converter obtains the frequency characteristics of the immediate ultrasonic response signal. The parameter extractor extracts predetermined parameters from the frequency characteristics.

Abstract: There is disclosed a base station apparatus for radiocommunication network in which radiocommunication with one or more radio terminal apparatuses is established according to a frequency hopping scheme.

Abstract: A base station apparatus for a radiocommunication network in which radiocommunication with one or more radio terminal apparatuses is established according to a frequency hopping scheme. The base station apparatus includes a search section which searches for another radiocommunication network in the vicinity of the base station apparatus when the base station apparatus is started, and when another radiocommunication network is detected, obtains the pattern and time of frequency hopping in another radiocommunication network. A frequency hopping selection/setting section selects the pattern obtained by the search section as the frequency hopping pattern for the base station apparatus, and selects, on the basis of the time obtained by the search section, timing at which the frequency hopping based on the pattern does not cause frequency interference with respect to frequency hopping performed in another radiocommunication network, and carries out frequency hopping of the pattern at the thus-selected timing.

Abstract: A radio communications system such as a radio local area network including a base station and mobile stations. The radio communications system includes an intermittent power-on type mobile station for shifting automatically to a power-on state synchronously with a received timing of a beacon signal, with a fixed period of time after the beacon signal has been received being a data receive-ready period; and a base station for emanating a beacon signal to the intermittent power-on type mobile station and communicating with the intermittent power-on type mobile station by radio while the intermittent power-on type mobile station is controlled. The base station preferentially transmits data to a normal mobile station in a normally power-on state when the data to be transmitted to the intermittent power-on type mobile station exists during the data receive-ready period of the intermittent power-on type mobile station. The radio communications system can realize improved throughput and power-saving.

Abstract: A plurality of electrical light-emitting surface light source elements are arranged in a matrix form on a semiconductor substrate. Each of the surface light source elements has a ferroelectric capacitor portion and an electrical light-emitting portion. The capacitor portion has a lower electrode formed on the substrate, a ferroelectric thin film formed on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode formed on the thin film with an electron emission hole. The light-emitting portion has a carrier acceleration/multiplication layer formed on the upper electrode by a semiconductor layer, a light-emitting layer formed on the acceleration/multiplication layer, and a transparent electrode formed on the light-emitting layer. A plurality of switching elements are formed on the substrate in correspondence with the surface light source elements.

Abstract: A nondestructive readout ferroelectric memory device for writing/reading information by reversing/not reversing a ferroelectric polarization state, and a method for manufacturing the same includes a ferroelectric memory cell array having ferroelectric memory cells arrayed in matrix and each having a nonlinear resistor of ZnO/Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 /ZnO, a ferroelectric substance, and an intermediate electrode of Pt interposed therebetween, and upper and lower electrodes intersecting each other and interposing the ferroelectric memory cells, or a ferroelectric memory cell array having ferroelectric memory cells arrayed in matrix and each having a nonlinear resistor both surfaces of which are covered with high-melting point metal and which is formed of a varistor thin film of (Sr.sub.1-X CaX)TiO.sub.3 +MeO formed by thermal treatment of metal alkoxide compound mixing liquid (precursor), a ferroelectric thin film of Pb(Zr . Ti)O.sub.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device comprises a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of pixels formed on the semiconductor substrate, an output amplifier circuit for converting a pixel signal generated in each of the pixels to an imaging signal, a plurality of horizontal selecting lines connected to the pixels, a plurality of vertical selecting lines connected to the pixels, and a pixel address circuit for addressing the pixels by applying a read-out signal to the horizontal and vertical selecting lines. The output amplifier circuit includes an output amplifier for converting the pixel signals input from the pixels via the vertical selecting lines, to an imaging signal, and a load resistance reducing circuit for reducing a load resistance of the switching portion in the pixels.

Abstract: There are disclosed a low driving voltage surface emitting semiconductor laser and an optoelectronic integrated which comprises a two-dimensional array of such surface emitting semiconductor lasers which are modulatable with input signals of small voltage amplitudes. In an embodiment of the present invention, an optical semiconductor device includes a GaAs substrate 105, and an epitaxial growth layer structure on the GaAs substrate, the epitaxial growth layer structure including in the named order a p type GaAs/AlAs multilayer semiconductor mirror layer 104, an active layer 103 and an n type GaAs/AlAs multilayer semiconductor mirror layer 102. The epitaxial growth layer structure is etched to the depth of the active layer in forming a mesa, while the p type mirror layer remains unetched throughout a top surface of the semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: A detecting portion outputs a contact state signal in accordance with a contact state with respect to an object to be manipulated. The contact state signal represents at least one of information of a sense of sliding of the detection portion with respect to the object and surface information such as surface roughness of the object. A signal processing section converts the contact state signal from the detecting portion into tactility information corresponding to at least one of the information of the sense of sliding and the surface information. A tactility providing portion is excited in accordance with the tactility information from the signal processing section to generate at least one of a traveling wave corresponding to the information of the sense of sliding and a standing wave corresponding to the surface information. A transmission portion transmits at least one of the traveling wave and the standing wave generated by the tactility providing portion to a finger of an operator.

Abstract: An acoustic device has an acoustic wave propagating medium exhibiting elastic abnormality in the vicinity of a Curie temperature. It is desirable that such an acoustic wave propagating medium be formed of a ferroelectric substance or a high-elastic substance and, in particular, have a Curie temperature at normal temperatures. For example, such ferroelectric substance is a solid solution expressed by Cs(Pb.sub.1-x Sr.sub.x)(Cl.sub.1-y Br.sub.y).sub.3 or (Bi.sub.1-x Dy.sub.x)VO.sub.4. By changing values of x and y appropriately, the Curie temperature of the solid solution can be varied, and an acoustic wave propagating medium meeting the purpose of use can be obtained. In such an acoustic wave propagating medium, an elastic coefficient C.sup.P at the time of constant polarization differs greatly from an elastic coefficient C.sup.E at the time of a constant electric field in the vicinity of the Curie temperature. Accordingly, the propagation velocity of acoustic waves is greatly different, too.