Abstract: An edge detector executes a process to extract a surface of an inner wall of a left ventricle from a binarized image output from a binarization circuit. A telediastolic edge memory stores an intracardial surface image at the end of ventricular diastole from among intracardial surface images for time phases output from the edge detector. A displacement detector unit detects the amount of displacement for each site of the intracardial surface between time phases from the intracardial surface image at the telediastolic which is output from the telediastolic edge memory, a current intracardial surface image which is output from the edge detector, and a center-of-mass coordinate of the intracardial section at the telediastolic point which is stored in a telediastolic center-of-mass memory. A coloring processor unit applies a coloring process to each site of the surface of the current intracardial surface image based on the amount of displacement and outputs the result to an image synthesizer unit.

Abstract: In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of forming a three-dimensional ultrasonic image, an entire cavity portion of an organ can be displayed without any part being invisible. Three-dimensional ultrasonic image data obtained based on an ultrasonic wave transmitted and received with respect to an object organ is stored in a memory 20. With regard to the stored data, a brightness value of each voxel is binarized in a binarization processing section 24 using a predetermined threshold value. Then, the binarized brightness value is further inverted in a brightness value inverting section 26. Consequently, the cavity portion of the organ which has low brightness before inversion has high brightness, and the wall portion of the organ which has high brightness before inversion and which obstruct observation of the inner cavity portion has now low brightness. Thus, solid representation of the cavity portion to be observed can be obtained, thereby facilitating observation.

Abstract: A parallel, frequency domain filter (50) for providing frequency-dependent phase delay for real data includes a fast Fourier transform (FFT) device (52), a complex multiplier (54), a filter memory (56) and an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) device (58). The FFT and IFFT devices (52) and (58) are shown with two inputs and two outputs each. The filter (50) of the present invention allows for increased throughput by filtering two real signals in parallel, one being applied to the real input of FFT device (52) and the other being applied to the imaginary input of FFT device (52). The filter memory 56 of FIG. 2 is provided with sufficient capacity to store several filter frequency characteristics. The appropriate filter frequency characteristic for the particular digitized rf signal being processed can be selected based on factors such as beam focus depth. The parallel, frequency domain filter (50) allows the use of coded waveforms to improve signal to noise ratio in ultrasound images.

Abstract: An ultrasonic probe for use in an ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus for a living body comprises an array transducer made up of a plurality of layered transducer elements. A specified structure (face-to-face structure) is created across two adjacent transducer elements. In each transducer element, a first vertical electrode layer for ground is connected with a top electrode layer and an inner electrode layer, and a second vertical electrode layer for signal is connected with a bottom electrode layer and an inner electrode layer. When creating the specified structure, steps including formation of slits in a layered assembly and filling of the slits or the like are repeated. By finally forming a plurality of separating slits, the layered assembly is divided into a plurality of transducer elements. On the other hand, each transducer element is compounded in the horizontal direction. The compounding is performed at any stage of before, during or after formation of the specified structure.

Abstract: To accurately measure wave intensity as an evaluation value using an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a measurement line is set in a tomogram and anterior and posterior walls of a blood vessel are tracked on the measurement line, so that a change waveform concerning a blood vessel diameter is prepared. A tracking gate S is set on the measurement line, so that a blood velocity change waveform is prepared based on echo data concerning a part within the tracking gate S, the change waveform indicating averaged blood velocity. Wave intensity is calculated based on the blood vessel diameter change waveform and the blood velocity change waveform. Prior to the calculation of wave intensity, the blood vessel diameter change waveform is calibrated based on the maximum and minimum blood pressure values into a blood pressure waveform. A beam for Doppler measurement may be set intersecting with the displacement measurement beam.

Abstract: A sample pretreatment system is equipped with a label sticking apparatus for sticking labels on containers. In this system, a manipulator 72 grasps and holds a container before label sticking from the pipetting apparatus to convey it to a receiving position on the line L-L along with the raising/lowering path of a container holding device 82. The container holding device 82 is raised by the raising/lowering mechanism 86 to be positioned at a receiving position in a complexly opened state. After receiving the container, the container holding device 82 is lowered, and then the container holding device 82 carries out the closing operation according to the lowering motion, thereby enabling to hold the container reliably irrespective of the diameter of the container. At the label sticking position which is set at a lower position, a label is stuck to the container.

Abstract: A sample pretreatment system is provided with a pipettig table. On the pipetting table, there are provided on its front side a normal area 57 in which a plurality of normal secondary sample racks 56 are placed and on its back side an urgent area 76 in which a plurality of urgent secondary sample racks 77 are placed. Each of the normal secondary sample racks 56 holds a plurality of normal secondary sample containers 60 and each of the urgent secondary sample rack 77 holds a plurality of urgent secondary sample containers 79. In a normal pipetting mode, a sample is pipetted from a normal source sample container to the normal secondary sample containers 60, and in an urgent mode, a sample is pipetted from a source sample container to the urgent secondary sample containers 79. The urgent secondary sample rack 77 is formed into a portable type and has a size smaller than the normal secondary sample rack 56.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 12 outputs echo data to a host controller 20. In the host controller 20, a tissue coordinate operation unit 48 computes coordinate information of a tumor 30 using a three dimensional probe 10 as an origin; a probe coordinate operation unit 52 computes coordinate information of the three dimensional probe 10 using, as its origin, an X-ray source apparatus 18 which functions as a reference position; and a combined tissue coordinate operation unit 54 uses the coordinate information of the tumor using the three dimensional probe 10 as its origin and the coordinate information of the three dimensional probe 10 using the X-ray source apparatus 18 as its origin to compute coordinate information of the tumor 30 using the X-ray source apparatus as its origin, and outputs the computed coordinate information to the X-ray source apparatus 18.

Abstract: In an improvement of a nozzle tip for a pipetting apparatus which is adapted to be removably attached to a nozzle base of the pipetting apparatus, the nozzle tip includes a head portion having an opening adapted to fit onto the nozzle base, a cylindrical portion extending downward from the head portion, a tip portion provided on the lower side of the cylindrical portion and having a tip opening for aspirating and dispensing a liquid, the tip portion having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical portion, and a step portion formed between the cylindrical portion and the tip portion. A plurality of fins are integrally formed from the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion to the peripheral surface of the tip portion through the step portion with the same spacing in a circumferential direction for making the insertion of the nozzle tip into an upper opening of a target container smoothly and for structurally reinforcing the step portion.

Abstract: An ultrasonic probe which is used for ultrasonic diagnosis comprises a transducer element, a sonic speed control element, and an acoustic matching layer. The sonic speed control element has a function to control the sonic speed of the ultrasonic waves traveling therethrough, and has an inclined characteristic in the sonic speed control effect in which the sonic speed control effect changes continuously along the direction of travel of the ultrasonic waves (thickness direction). The specific acoustic impedance of the sonic speed control element at the end near the living body corresponds to the specific acoustic impedance of the acoustic matching layer at the end away from the living body. The acoustic matching layer is preferably formed by layering 2 or 3 or more overlapped members. The boundary between two adjacent members has a shape with a plurality of hills and valleys.

Abstract: A cap opening system which can handle various containers having caps and container bodies of different sizes is disclosed. In this system, when a cap of a container is to be opened, a container body of the container is gripped by a container body holding apparatus to raise the container body upward. A top surface of the cap is detected as a reference surface when the cap interrupts an optical beam. Based on the height of the reference surface, the cap is positioned with respect to the cap handling apparatus. Alternatively, a cap receiving member is provided underneath the cap handling apparatus to perform positioning of the cap with respect to the cap handling apparatus.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a surgical operation apparatus which comprises a tip member for outputting ultrasound vibration and/or high-frequency coagulation current, a handpiece provided with the tip member, a circuit for supplying the high-frequency coagulation current to the tip member and a circuit for supplying the ultrasound vibration to the tip member. The surgical operation apparatus includes an ultrasound vibration mode for mainly fragmenting tissue in a surgical operation region by outputting the ultrasound vibration from the tip member, and a coagulation mode for mainly performing hemostasis of the tissue by outputting the high-frequency coagulation current from the tip member. The ultrasound vibration mode and the coagulation mode are switchable by a control device, wherein during the coagulating mode, a predetermined coagulation mode ultrasound vibration is also supplied to the tip member, thereby suppressing the tissue from being burnt to be stuck to the tip member.

Abstract: An apparatus (78) for the real-time calculation of local variance in an array of digital signals includes a first squaring device (80) arranged to receive an input signal, the input signal being one of a plurality of signals within a window defined in the array. The first squaring device (80) squares the value indicated by the input signal and provides a signal indicative of the squared value to a first recursive sum device (84). The first recursive sum device (84) uses a recursive sum method to calculate the sum of the squares of a plurality of values indicated by the plurality of digital signals. The input signal is also received by a second recursive sum device (86). The second recursive sum device (86) uses a recursive sum method to calculate the sum of the plurality of values. The second recursive sum device (86) outputs a signal indicative of this sum to a second squaring device (82), which, in turn, provides a signal to a first dividing device (88).

Abstract: In an ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus, a first transmission signal including both of two fundamentals of frequencies f0 and 2f0 is transmitted, and then a second transmission signal having a polarity reverse that of the first transmission signal is transmitted. A receiving beam processor 22 generates a signal in which the echoes of the two transmission signals are added, and a signal in which the echoes are subtracted. The fundamental components are canceled out by addition and a secondary harmonic component A2 generated by the non-linear interaction remains in the sum signal. In the subtraction signal, the fundamental component remains while the secondary harmonic component is canceled out by subtraction. The fundamental component AII of the frequency 2f0 is extracted from the subtraction signal, and a ratio (A2/AII) is calculated by a divider 44. A differentiating process is then executed by an HPF 46 to obtain the evaluation value reflecting the non-linear parameter at each depth of the body.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system provides for high density scanning (transmit/receive) of color flow signals. The ultrasound scan sequence of each transmitted and received color flow ultrasound beam is laterally spaced through the imaging field to calculate flow velocities. The color flow beams are transmitted and received only once at each position along the horizontal scanning axis of the imaging field. The scanning technique of the present invention enables a large number of color flow lines to be acquired while keeping a high frame rate. The color line density is comparable to that of a B-mode image. A method of high-speed calculation or a high-speed autocorrelation is also provided to process the greater number of signals generated by the present scanning technique. A time-sharing scanning technique between color flow and B-mode images is also provided to synchronize blood flow and tissue (B-mode) images together.

Abstract: A three-dimensional ultrasound image processing apparatus includes three-dimensional probe for forming scanning planes successively by ultrasound beam scanning to acquire three-dimensional data specified by the depth r in the ultrasound beam direction, the angle &thgr; of the ultrasound beam with respect to a scanning start position in the respective scanning plane and the displacement angle &PHgr; of the scanning plane; two-dimensional coordinate transformation section for transforming the depth r and the angle &thgr; for the respective scanning plane to two-dimensional coordinates (x, y); two two-dimensional memories for sequentially storing the two-dimensional data for the respective scanning planes with each scanning plane as a unit, in which the two-dimensional data is written into an address specified by the two-dimensional coordinates (x, y) determined by the two-dimensional coordinate transformation section; three-dimensional coordinate transformation section for calculating three-dimensional coordina

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which displays a two-dimensional sectional image of, for example, the left ventricle of the heart by sending and receiving ultrasonic waves. A reference point is set in the left ventricle, and an outline of the left ventricle is identified using this point. The left ventricle is radially divided from the reference point into plural division regions, e.g. four regions. The area of each division region is calculated at each point in time, and an area variation rate is computed from the ratio of the area and a reference area. The area variation rate for each division region is continuously displayed as a graph. On this graph, a part with dull motion (diseased part) can easily be identified.

Abstract: A bone assessment apparatus for diagnosing bone by transmitting and receiving measuring waves (in particular ultrasonic waves) is provided. A body part (e.g. a foot) is gripped by a pair of transducer assemblies, and ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received in this state. Each transducer assembly comprises an ultrasonic transducer and a coupler. The transverse cross-sectional area of the ultrasonic wave beam is adjusted by adjusting the contact area of the coupler on the body part, by changing the vibrating area of the ultrasonic transducer, or by fitting an attachment which narrows the ultrasonic wave beam to the transducer assembly. The transverse cross-sectional area of the ultrasonic wave beam may be changed depending on the size of the body part to be measured.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system provides for depth-variable elevational and azimuthal focusing by combining electronic beamforming and fixed mechanical lens (or element shaping). The imaging system includes a plurality of beamformer channels that are selectively allocated to the imaging elements of an array. For phased arrays, a switching circuit controls the allocation of the beamformers, while a linear/convex array also requires an aperture shifting circuit for shifting the aperture along the array. The elevational focusing is achieved using a small number of beamformer channels by sharing the beamformer channels assigned to azimuthal elements for far field imaging and to elevational elements for near field imaging. A portion of the beamformer channels are connected to elevational elements (elements in the off-center rows) during near-field imaging.

Abstract: A bone assessment apparatus for diagnosing bone by transmitting and receiving measuring waves (in particular ultrasonic waves) is provided. A body part (e.g. a foot) is gripped by a pair of transducer assemblies, and ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received in this state. Each transducer assembly comprises an ultrasonic transducer and a coupler. The transverse cross-sectional area of the ultrasonic wave beam is adjusted by adjusting the contact area of the coupler on the body part, by changing the vibrating area of the ultrasonic transducer, or by fitting an attachment which narrows the ultrasonic wave beam to the transducer assembly. The transverse cross-sectional area of the ultrasonic wave beam may be changed depending on the size of the body part to be measured.