Abstract: A micromachined ultrasound transducer including a plurality of ultrasound transducer cells each of which includes a substrate on which a bottom electrode is formed, and a membrane provided apart from the substrate and having an upper electrode formed thereon, said ultrasound transducer generating ultrasound with the membrane vibrating when voltage is applied between the bottom electrode and the upper electrode, comprises: a vibration propagation suppression unit suppressing propagation of vibration of said each ultrasound transducer cell to an adjacent ultrasound transducer cell.

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer manufactured by using a micromachining process comprises: a first electrode into which a control signal for transmitting ultrasound is input; a substrate on which the first electrode is formed; a second electrode that is a ground electrode facing the first electrode with a prescribed space between the first and second electrodes; a membrane on which the second electrode is formed and which vibrates and generates the ultrasound when a voltage is applied between the first and second electrodes; a piezoelectric film contacting the membrane; and a third electrode electrically continuous to the piezoelectric film.

Abstract: An ultrasound endoscope has an ultrasound probe which is disposed at a distal end side of a distal end rigid portion configuring a distal end portion out of a flexible tube portion, a bending portion and the distal end rigid portion configuring an insertion portion, and forms an ultrasound scanning surface having a normal line in a direction orthogonal to an endoscope insertion axis L1, and a treatment instrument outlet of a treatment hole in the distal end rigid portion. The ultrasound probe is configured by a plurality of ultrasound transducers arranged in a convex circular arc shape, and a center of curvature of the plurality of ultrasound transducers is disposed at a proximal end side from the treatment instrument outlet.

Abstract: A probe cleaning tube cleans a probe in a cleaning tub of an endoscope reprocessor having a water supply nozzle for supplying liquid for reprocessing, and is made of at least a soft resin tube. An aperture is made in a side of the soft resin tube, and has a diameter larger than an outer diameter of the probe. A removable water supply nozzle attachment is provided at one end of the soft resin tube for coupling to the water supply nozzle. A drain unit has a drain port at another end of the soft resin tube to stop passage of the probe.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ultrasonic endoscope, comprising: an ultrasonic transducer in a cylindrical shape including a plurality of piezoelectric devices, an acoustic matching layer stacked on a principal plane on a sound emitting plane side, an acoustic lens on a plane of the acoustic matching layer opposite to a plane facing the piezoelectric devices, and a backing material stacked on another principal planes of the piezoelectric devices; an endoscopic observation and endo-therapy unit provided, for performing endoscopic image observation, at a proximal end side of the ultrasonic transducer; a cable ass'y including a plurality of cables for transmitting signals to and from the ultrasonic transducer. In the above configuration, the cable ass'y is arranged in such a manner that the cable ass'y passes through an inside portion of the ultrasonic transducer, and is connected to the ultrasonic transducer at a distal end side of the ultrasonic transducer.

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 tow or more layers, and at least one layer of them comprises a high dielectric constant film.

Abstract: An ultrasound endoscope comprises an ultrasonic probe where a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements for transmitting/receiving ultrasounds are arranged in a nearly cylindrical form, a distal rigid section which configures the tip of an endoscopic insertion tube and in which the ultrasonic probe is provided, a bending tube to which the distal rigid section is connected and which bends with remote operation, a flexible tube connected to the bending tube, and a signal line bundle which is a bundle of signal lines corresponding to respective ultrasonic transducer elements for transmitting a drive signal driving each of the ultrasonic transducer elements and which passes through the insides of the distal rigid section, the bending tube, and the flexible tube.

Abstract: An electronic radial type ultrasonic transducer, in which electrode pads to be electrically connected to signal wires are formed on a printed circuit board, forms the electrode pads on the top surface of the printed circuit board in a radial pattern and also exposes the electrode pads relative to the outer circumference of the printed circuit board, configures a wire by coating, in a predetermined thickness, the entirety of a substrate constituting the substrate of the wire with a different kind of conductive metal that is different from the substrate, and melts the different kind of metal at both ends of the wire, thereby electrically connecting the electrode pads to the ultrasonic transducer by way of the wire and electrically connecting the ultrasonic transducer to the signal wires.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer in which lead wire connection is facilitated even when piezoelectric devices are divided in order to prevent lateral vibrations from affecting longitudinal vibrations is manufactured by a method comprising: a step in which first dicing grooves are formed on an acoustic matching layer and a piezoelectric device plate that are mounted together in order to form a plurality of piezoelectric devices; a step in which a board and the respective piezoelectric devices are connected together; a step in which surfaces in the vicinity of locations at which the board and the piezoelectric devices are connected together are coated with a conductive sheet; and a step in which the plurality of transducer elements are formed by forming second dicing grooves between the first dicing grooves formed on the piezoelectric devices and the board that is coated with the conductive sheet and on the acoustic matching layer.

Abstract: An ultrasonic wave oscillator is configured in a manner that an acoustic matching member is formed on the ultrasonic wave emission side of an electromechanical transducer element, a backing material is fixed with adhesive on the other side thereof, and the electromechanical transducer element is fixed by connection members pressing it respectively from opposite directions.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ultrasonic transducer which is composed of a plurality of piezoelectric elements having an electrode on each of two opposite surfaces, an acoustic matching layer arranged on the first surface that is one of the two opposite surfaces, a wiring board so arranged on the acoustic matching layer as to be in contact with the piezoelectric element, and a conductor electrically connecting the wiring board with the electrode on the second surface that is one of the two opposite surfaces. This ultrasonic transducer is characterized in that the surface of the wiring board on the same side as the second surface of the piezoelectric element is positioned relatively lower than the second surface of the piezoelectric element.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer arraying at even intervals ultrasonic transducers for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves and layering a plurality of acoustic matching layers on them, comprising an transducer shape forming member made of a fiber-reinforced thermosetting PPE for filling a gap formed on the side face of the ultrasonic transducer with the same material as that of the acoustic matching layer, mixing a colorant in a division member adjacent to a predefined ultrasonic transducer from among a plurality of ultrasonic transducers, and arraying the plurality thereof.

Abstract: An electronic radial ultrasonic probe comprising an electronic radial array which comprises a plurality of ultrasonic transducers being continuously arrayed circularly around an insertion axis as center and also for which a transmission/reception of an ultrasonic wave is controlled by electronically selecting the plurality of ultrasonic transducer, comprises: a support member equipped on the electronic radial array; a lock member featured with a cavity in which the support member is inserted and with a lock groove for locking a balloon which is mounted in a manner to cover the electronic radial array and in which an ultrasonic medium is filled; and a filler member which is constituted by an adhesive material converting from a fluid state to a solid state, and is filled in the cavity.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer comprises: an acoustic matching layer including at least a layer made up of a hard material; a piezoelectric member of which the length dimension is shorter than this acoustic matching layer, which is fixed and disposed at a predetermined position of a layer made up of the hard material which makes up the acoustic matching layer, and divided into a plurality of piezoelectric devices in this disposed state; and a transducer shape-formative member made up of a hard material, wherein, in a state in which the surfaces of the piezoelectric devices divided and formed are disposed on the inner circumferential surface side, the plurality of piezoelectric devices are arrayed in a predetermined shape, fixed and disposed on the surface where the piezoelectric devices of the acoustic matching layer protruding from the piezoelectric devices have been disposed.

Abstract: An ultrasonic wave oscillator is configured in a manner that an acoustic matching member is formed on the ultrasonic wave emission side of an electromechanical transducer element, a backing material is fixed with adhesive on the other side thereof, and the electromechanical transducer element is fixed by connection members pressing it respectively from opposite directions.

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: 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: 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: An ultrasonic transducer includes a piezoelectric member that includes electrodes on two plane portions. The electrodes are fixed and disposed such that part of an acoustic matching layer protrudes at a predetermined position of the hard layer, which makes up the acoustic matching layer. The piezoelectric member further includes a substrate formed with an electroconductive pattern and is fixed and disposed on the face of the hard layer. The piezoelectric member and the substrate are divided to array piezoelectric devices. The electroconductive pattern of the substrate, and at least part of the electrodes of the piezoelectric member that is electrically connected to at least part of this electro conductive pattern are directed in the same direction. The substrate is disposed adjacent to the piezoelectric member, the electroconductive pattern on the substrate, and the electrodes of the piezoelectric member. The electrodes are divided, and are electrically connected via an electroconductive member.

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.