Patents by Inventor Yasuhito Watanabe

Yasuhito Watanabe has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11821873
    Abstract: An ultrasound flaw detector includes: an ultrasound probe that is provided with a plurality of transducers and that is held so that a direction in which the transducers are arrayed is parallel to a surface of the test object in a state where the plurality of transducers is located in the liquid; a hardware processor that, using the plurality of transducers, transmits an ultrasound beam in a first direction with a predetermined angle with respect to a normal direction of the surface of the test object and receives a reflected ultrasound wave reflected by the test object; and an ultrasound signal processor that specifies a flaw of the test object on the basis of a reception signal that has been generated by the hardware processor on the basis of the reflected ultrasound wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventor: Yasuhito Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11744555
    Abstract: An ultrasound signal processing device performs transmission events by an ultrasound probe having transducer elements, generates a sub-frame acoustic line signal for each transmission event based on reflected ultrasound, and synthesizes sub-frame acoustic line signals to generate a frame acoustic line signal. A transmitter causes the ultrasound probe to transmit ultrasound beams to an ultrasound main irradiation area. A receiver generates receive signals for the transducer elements. A delay-and-sum calculator sets a target area in the ultrasound main irradiation area, and performs delay-and-sum calculation with respect to the receive signals from measurement points in the target area to generate a sub-frame acoustic line signal. The target area has, in a depth range shallower than a focal point, a width in the transducer element array direction that decreases as the depth decreases. A synthesizer synthesizes sub-frame acoustic line signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Yasuhito Watanabe, Junko Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11413012
    Abstract: An ultrasound signal processing device includes a transmitter that causes transducers to transmit an ultrasound beam, a receiver that, based on reflected waves received by reception transducers, generates reception signal sequences corresponding to the reception transducers, and a delay-and-sum section that, for a reference observation point in a region of interest, calculates delay times of reflected wave arrival to each of the reception transducers from the reference observation point as reference delay times and generates acoustic line signals by using the reference delay times corresponding to the reception transducers. For one or more dependent observation points in the region of interest that are contiguous in a depth direction from the reference observation point, the delay-and-sum section generates acoustic line signals by applying the reference delay times corresponding to the reception transducers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Yasuhito Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11399805
    Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic device detecting shear wave propagation velocity through push pulse transmission. The ultrasound diagnostic device includes: a push pulse transmitter that transmits a push pulse; a detection wave transmitter/receiver that, following the push pulse transmission, transmits plane wave transmission detection waves towards a region of interest (ROI) inside a subject and receives reflection detection waves from the subject, to generate receive signals sequentially; a displacement detector that detects subject tissue displacement occurring inside the ROI due to a shear wave; and a shear wave analyzer that detects a shear wave propagation velocity based on the subject tissue displacement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Yasuhito Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20220003718
    Abstract: An ultrasound flaw detector includes: an ultrasound probe that is provided with a plurality of transducers and that is held so that a direction in which the transducers are arrayed is parallel to a surface of the test object in a state where the plurality of transducers is located in the liquid; a hardware processor that, using the plurality of transducers, transmits an ultrasound beam in a first direction with a predetermined angle with respect to a normal direction of the surface of the test object and receives a reflected ultrasound wave reflected by the test object; and an ultrasound signal processor that specifies a flaw of the test object on the basis of a reception signal that has been generated by the hardware processor on the basis of the reflected ultrasound wave.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2021
    Publication date: January 6, 2022
    Inventor: YASUHITO WATANABE
  • Publication number: 20200337679
    Abstract: An ultrasonic signal processing apparatus includes: a push wave transmitter that causes the ultrasonic probe to transmit a push wave for causing displacement in a subject; a detection wave transmitter that causes the ultrasonic probe to transmit a detection wave after the transmission of the push wave; a detection wave receiver that receives an ultrasonic wave reflected from the region of the interest by using the ultrasonic probe and converts the ultrasonic wave into a reception signal; a phasing adder that sets a plurality of observation points in the region of the interest and performs phasing addition for each of the plurality of the observation points to generate an acoustic line signal; and a mechanical property calculator that calculates a mechanical property of the subject in the region of the interest based on an acoustic line signal for each of the plurality of the observation point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2020
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Inventors: Yasuhito Watanabe, Kazuya Takagi
  • Publication number: 20200015787
    Abstract: An ultrasound signal processing device performs transmission events by an ultrasound probe having transducer elements, generates a sub-frame acoustic line signal for each transmission event based on reflected ultrasound, and synthesizes sub-frame acoustic line signals to generate a frame acoustic line signal. A transmitter causes the ultrasound probe to transmit ultrasound beams to an ultrasound main irradiation area. A receiver generates receive signals for the transducer elements. A delay-and-sum calculator sets a target area in the ultrasound main irradiation area, and performs delay-and-sum calculation with respect to the receive signals from measurement points in the target area to generate a sub-frame acoustic line signal. The target area has, in a depth range shallower than a focal point, a width in the transducer element array direction that decreases as the depth decreases. A synthesizer synthesizes sub-frame acoustic line signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Publication date: January 16, 2020
    Inventors: Yasuhito WATANABE, Junko YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20190150888
    Abstract: An ultrasound signal processing device including: a transmitter 103 that causes transducers 101a to transmit an ultrasound beam; a receiver 1041 that, based on reflected waves received by reception transducers Rwk, generates reception signal sequences RFk corresponding to the reception transducers Rwk; and a delay-and-sum section 1043 that, for a reference observation point PRij in a region of interest, calculates delay times of reflected wave arrival to each of the reception transducers Rwk from the reference observation point PRij as reference delay times ?tk, and generates acoustic line signals DS by using the reference delay times ?tk corresponding to the reception transducers Rwk, and for one or more dependent observation points PFij in the region of interest that are contiguous in a depth direction from the reference observation point PRij, generates acoustic line signals DS by applying the reference delay times ?tk corresponding to the reception transducers Rwk.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Inventor: Yasuhito WATANABE
  • Patent number: 10080547
    Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic device to which an ultrasound probe having a plurality of transducer elements is connectable. The ultrasound diagnostic device includes ultrasound signal processing circuitry operating as: a delay-and-sum processor; a determiner; and a velocity value calculator. The determiner determines whether adjustment of a velocity value for a partial area in a subject is necessary, based on acoustic line signal intensities for a specific measurement point in the partial area and other measurement points in the partial area. The specific measurement point is selected from among measurement points in the partial area based on acoustic line signals for the measurement points in the partial area. The velocity value calculator, when the determiner determines that velocity value adjustment is necessary, calculates an adjusted velocity value for the partial area by using the acoustic line signal for the specific measurement point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Yasuhito Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20180161003
    Abstract: An ultrasound signal processing device includes ultrasound signal processing circuitry that operates as: a transmitter that causes an ultrasound probe to transmit ultrasound beams to an ultrasound main irradiation area defined by two straight lines each connecting a focal point and a different end of a transmission transducer element array; a receiver that generates receive signal sequences; a delay-and-sum calculator that sets first and second target areas in the ultrasound main irradiation area, and performs delay-and-summing of receive signal sequences based on ultrasound reflection from measurement points in the first and second target areas thereby to generate sub-frame acoustic line signals, the first target area is an entirety of an area located at or shallower than a focal depth, the second target area is part of an area located deeper than the focal depth; and a synthesizer that synthesizes sub-frame acoustic line signals to generate a frame acoustic line signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventor: Yasuhito Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20180017797
    Abstract: A head-mounted perfume dispenser apparatus includes a processor which plays a moving image, a box, in which a container containing a perfume is received, a reservoir which is filled with the perfume received from the box and emits the perfume according to a start of playing the moving image, a tubular vent hole which vents the emitted perfume toward a nose of a user when the user wears the head-mounted perfume dispenser apparatus, and a first opener-closer provided between the box and the reservoir. The first opener-closer opens and closes according to the start and an end of the moving image played by the processor. The reservoir has a second opener-closer provided at an upper portion of the reservoir. The second opener-closer opens according to the end of the moving image played by the processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Publication date: January 18, 2018
    Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Yasuhito WATANABE, Taiji SASAKI
  • Publication number: 20170347990
    Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic device detecting shear wave propagation velocity through push pulse transmission. The ultrasound diagnostic device includes: a push pulse transmitter that transmits a push pulse; a detection wave transmitter/receiver that, following the push pulse transmission, transmits plane wave transmission detection waves towards a region of interest (ROI) inside a subject and receives reflection detection waves from the subject, to generate receive signals sequentially; a displacement detector that detects subject tissue displacement occurring inside the ROI due to a shear wave; and a shear wave analyzer that detects a shear wave propagation velocity based on the subject tissue displacement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Inventor: Yasuhito WATANABE
  • Patent number: 9804398
    Abstract: A head-mounted display includes a playback processor which plays back a moving image from first time until second time, a box for placing a container containing a perfume inside, a filled section which is temporarily filled with the perfume and emits the temporarily filled perfume according to starting playback of the moving image, and a tubular vent hole which is in contact with a nose of a user when the user wears the head-mounted display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Yasuhito Watanabe, Taiji Sasaki
  • Patent number: 9622718
    Abstract: A wireless ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (30) including a wireless ultrasonic probe (300) and a diagnostic device (400). The wireless ultrasonic probe (300) includes: a wireless transmission unit (306) which wirelessly transmits echo data (352); and an ultrasound transmission unit (303) which transmits pairing ultrasound (351) including probe information for identifying the wireless ultrasonic probe (300). The diagnostic device (400) includes: an ultrasound reception unit (401) which receives the pairing ultrasound (351); a probe information detection unit (402) which detects the probe information (452) from the pairing ultrasound (351); and a wireless reception unit (406) which determines, using the probe information (452), whether or not received data is the echo data (352) wirelessly transmitted by the wireless ultrasonic probe (300).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Yasuhito Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9575178
    Abstract: A beamforming method includes: generating a main beam signal by performing, with a focus on a first region, a delay and sum operation on receiving echo signals; generating a sub beam signal which has a low sensitivity to ultrasound signals reflected off the first region; and generating a narrow beam signal by (i) calculating a coefficient for narrowing an angle of the main beam signal, and (ii) multiplying the main beam signal by the coefficient, wherein in the generating of a sub beam signal, the sub beam signal is generated using a differential signal that is a difference between two beam signals each of which is generated by performing a delay and sum operation on the receiving echo signals, with a focus on a corresponding one of two regions of a subject which are different from the first region and are different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Takeo Kanamori, Yasuhito Watanabe, Mineo Tsushima
  • Publication number: 20160245905
    Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic device to which an ultrasound probe having a plurality of transducer elements is connectable. The ultrasound diagnostic device includes ultrasound signal processing circuitry operating as: a delay-and-sum processor; a determiner; and a velocity value calculator. The determiner determines whether adjustment of a velocity value for a partial area in a subject is necessary, based on acoustic line signal intensities for a specific measurement point in the partial area and other measurement points in the partial area. The specific measurement point is selected from among measurement points in the partial area based on acoustic line signals for the measurement points in the partial area. The velocity value calculator, when the determiner determines that velocity value adjustment is necessary, calculates an adjusted velocity value for the partial area by using the acoustic line signal for the specific measurement point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Publication date: August 25, 2016
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Yasuhito WATANABE
  • Patent number: 9239374
    Abstract: A beamforming method according to the present invention is a method of processing echo signals of a target region which are obtained from a probe including a plurality of receiving elements arrayed on a predetermined line. The beamforming method includes the following steps (S1 to S3). At S1, seed beams are formed from echo signals received by at least two receiving elements from among the plurality of receiving elements. At S2, a main beam and sub beams are formed by synthesizing at least one of the seed beams. At S3, a narrow beam for the target region is formed by multiplying the sub beams by respective predetermined coefficients and subtracting the multiplied sub beams from the main beam. Here, an signal intensity for the target region regarding the main beam is higher than a signal intensity for the target region regarding each of the sub beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Mineo Tsushima, Yasuhito Watanabe, Takeo Kanamori
  • Publication number: 20150241708
    Abstract: A head-mounted display includes a playback processor which plays back a moving image from first time until second time, a box for placing a container containing a perfume inside, a filled section which is temporarily filled with the perfume and emits the temporarily filled perfume according to starting playback of the moving image, and a tubular vent hole which is in contact with a nose of a user when the user wears the hemi-mounted display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2015
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Inventors: YASUHITO WATANABE, TAIJI SASAKI
  • Patent number: 9017261
    Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes: a first reference beam generating unit generating a first reference beam from DAS signals calculated in an N-th frame; a second reference beam generating unit generating a second reference beam from a DAS signal calculated in an (N?1)-th frame, the DAS signal calculated in the N-th frame, and another DAS signal calculated in an (N+1)-th frame; an attenuation coefficient calculating unit calculating, based on the first reference beam and the second reference beam, an attenuation coefficient to be multiplied by the DAS signals calculated in the N-th frame; and a beamforming unit generating and providing a beamformed signal generated for a reference scan line in the N-th frame by multiplying a DAS signal calculated in the N-th frame by the attenuation coefficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventor: Yasuhito Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8814600
    Abstract: A connection jack to which a connection plug having a center terminal and an earth terminal arranged on an outer peripheral side of the center terminal is connected and provided in an electronic apparatus in which a capacitor is disposed inside, includes: a housing made of an insulating material, in which an insertion opening to which the connection plug is inserted is formed; a center electrode to which the center terminal is connected and connected to the capacitor; a first earth electrode arranged on an outer peripheral side of the center electrode, to which the earth terminal is connected, and connected to the capacitor; and a second earth electrode arranged on an outer peripheral side of the center electrode, to which the earth terminal is connected, connected in series to a resistance limiting inrush current and connected to the capacitor through the resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuhito Watanabe