Patents by Inventor Akifumi Sako
Akifumi Sako 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).
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Patent number: 11642695Abstract: An ultrasonic probe includes a semiconductor chip in which an ultrasonic transducer is formed and an electrode pad electrically connected to an upper electrode or a lower electrode of the ultrasonic transducer is provided and a flexible substrate in which a bump electrically connected to the electrode pad is provided and the bump is disposed in a portion overlapping with a stepped portion of the semiconductor chip. Further, a height of a connection surface of the electrode pad of the semiconductor chip connected to the bump is lower than a height of a lower surface of the lower electrode.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2018Date of Patent: May 9, 2023Assignee: FUJIFILM HEALTHCARE CORPORATIONInventors: Shuntaro Machida, Akifumi Sako, Yasuhiro Yoshimura
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Patent number: 11478220Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic probe includes: an oscillator; a base on which the oscillator is provided; a base conductive wire portion connected to the oscillator; a bump electrode portion supplying a signal to the oscillator via the base conductive wire portion; a pad portion engaging with the bump electrode portion; and an acoustic lens provided such that a force toward the bump electrode portion is applied to the pad portion.Type: GrantFiled: March 20, 2019Date of Patent: October 25, 2022Assignee: FUJIFILM Healthcare CorporationInventors: Yasuhiro Yoshimura, Akifumi Sako, Masahiro Sato
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Patent number: 11452205Abstract: Provided is an ultrasonic probe having ultrasonic elements and a printed-circuit board that establishes connection between the ultrasonic elements and external wiring, achieving strong connection between the ultrasonic elements and the printed-circuit board mechanically and electrically, and thereby improving performance in examination and diagnosis using the ultrasonic probe. The printed-circuit board with pads each having a via-hole to be bonded to electrode pads of a chip equipped with the ultrasonic elements, is provided with a reinforcement, in an area of the base material where the pad having the via-hole is not formed. The reinforcement is formed simultaneously with forming the pads and wiring on the printed-circuit board, having the same thickness as the pads. With the reinforcement, pressure is evenly applied to the printed-circuit board when the electrode pad is press-fitted into the pad having the via-hole, thereby preventing warping and deforming of the board.Type: GrantFiled: February 4, 2020Date of Patent: September 20, 2022Assignee: Fujifilm Healthcare CorporationInventors: Yasuhiro Yoshimura, Akifumi Sako, Makoto Fukada, Masahiro Sato
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Publication number: 20210162462Abstract: An ultrasonic probe includes a semiconductor chip 101 in which a CMUT 102 is formed and an electrode pad 101a electrically connected to an upper electrode or a lower electrode of the CMUT 102 is provided and a flexible substrate 100 in which a bump 100b electrically connected to the electrode pad 101a is provided and the bump 100b is disposed in a portion overlapping with a stepped portion 101e of the semiconductor chip 101. Further, a height of a connection surface 101aa of the electrode pad 101a of the semiconductor chip 101 connected to the bump 100b is lower than a height of a lower surface of the lower electrode.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 23, 2018Publication date: June 3, 2021Inventors: Shuntaro Machida, Akifumi Sako, Yasuhiro Yoshimura
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Publication number: 20200359495Abstract: Provided is an ultrasonic probe having ultrasonic elements and a printed-circuit board that establishes connection between the ultrasonic elements and external wiring, achieving strong connection between the ultrasonic elements and the printed-circuit board mechanically and electrically, and thereby improving performance in examination and diagnosis using the ultrasonic probe. The printed-circuit board with pads each having a via-hole to be bonded to electrode pads of a chip equipped with the ultrasonic elements, is provided with a reinforcement, in an area of the base material where the pad having the via-hole is not formed. The reinforcement is formed simultaneously with forming the pads and wiring on the printed-circuit board, having the same thickness as the pads. With the reinforcement, pressure is evenly applied to the printed-circuit board when the electrode pad is press-fitted into the pad having the via-hole, thereby preventing warping and deforming of the board.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 4, 2020Publication date: November 12, 2020Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.Inventors: Yasuhiro Yoshimura, Akifumi Sako, Makoto Fukada, Masahiro Sato
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Patent number: 10784231Abstract: The present invention addresses the problem of enlarging a sensing area in an ultrasonic probe so as to achieve a higher definition. This ultrasonic diagnostic equipment is provided with an ultrasonic probe that comprises: a CMUT chip (2a) that has drive electrodes (3e)-(3j), etc., arranged in a grid-like configuration on a rectangular CMUT element section (21); and a CMUT chip (2b) that has drive electrodes (3p)-(3u), etc., arranged in a grid-like configuration on the rectangular CMUT element section (21), that is adjacent to the CMUT chip (2a), and in which the drive electrodes (3e)-(3j) of the adjacent CMUT chip (2a) are electrically connected to the respective drive electrodes (3p)-(3u) via bonding wires (4f)-(4i), etc.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2017Date of Patent: September 22, 2020Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.Inventors: Yasuhiro Yoshimura, Akifumi Sako, Naoaki Yamashita, Tatsuya Nagata
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Publication number: 20200098726Abstract: The present invention addresses the problem of enlarging a sensing area in an ultrasonic probe so as to achieve a higher definition. This ultrasonic diagnostic equipment is provided with an ultrasonic probe that comprises: a CMUT chip (2a) that has drive electrodes (3e)-(3j), etc., arranged in a grid-like configuration on a rectangular CMUT element section (21); and a CMUT chip (2b) that has drive electrodes (3p)-(3u), etc., arranged in a grid-like configuration on the rectangular CMUT element section (21), that is adjacent to the CMUT chip (2a), and in which the drive electrodes (3e)-(3j) of the adjacent CMUT chip (2a) are electrically connected to the respective drive electrodes (3p)-(3u) via bonding wires (4f)-(4i), etc.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2017Publication date: March 26, 2020Inventors: Yasuhiro YOSHIMURA, Akifumi SAKO, Naoaki YAMASHITA, Tatsuya NAGATA
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Publication number: 20190321002Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic probe includes: an oscillator; a base on which the oscillator is provided; a base conductive wire portion connected to the oscillator; a bump electrode portion supplying a signal to the oscillator via the base conductive wire portion; a pad portion engaging with the bump electrode portion; and an acoustic lens provided such that a force toward the bump electrode portion is applied to the pad portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 20, 2019Publication date: October 24, 2019Inventors: Yasuhiro YOSHIMURA, Akifumi SAKO, Masahiro SATO
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Patent number: 10258312Abstract: In order to obtain a high-resolution ultrasound diagnostic image while reducing the back side reflection of a ultrasound irradiated to the side opposite to the ultrasound transmission direction of an ultrasound transmission/reception device, disclosed is an ultrasound probe, wherein a substrate is provided thereon with a cavity, insulation layers having the cavity therebetween, and an upper layer electrode and a lower layer electrode having the cavity and the insulation layers therebetween, so as to form an ultrasound vibration element, the substrate is held by a backing with a low-modulus member therebetween, and a direct voltage and a alternating voltage are applied between the electrodes to vibrate the ultrasound vibration element, and wherein a mechanical impedance by the substrate and the low-modulus member has a substantially equal value as an acoustic impedance of the backing.Type: GrantFiled: July 1, 2016Date of Patent: April 16, 2019Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Yasuhiro Yoshimura, Tatsuya Nagata, Akifumi Sako
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Patent number: 9964635Abstract: Both controlling damage when assembling an ultrasonic probe using a chip formed with a capacitive ultrasonic transducer and securing operational reliability are achieved. In a semiconductor substrate on which the capacitive ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) is formed on a first primary surface, a protective film is formed on the surface of the ultrasonic transducer which is formed on the first primary surface of the semiconductor substrate which is then thinned by polishing a second primary surface opposite to the first primary surface of the semiconductor substrate, an ultrasonic transducer chip is cutout of the semiconductor substrate, a sound absorbing material is provided on the surface opposite to the surface formed with the ultrasonic transducer, and the protective film formed on the surface of the ultrasonic transducer is removed.Type: GrantFiled: November 29, 2013Date of Patent: May 8, 2018Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.Inventors: Shuntaro Machida, Akifumi Sako, Taiichi Takezaki, Yasuhiro Yoshimura, Tatsuya Nagata, Naoaki Yamashita, Hiroki Tanaka
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Patent number: 9846145Abstract: Provided are: an ultrasound probe with excellent characteristic stability; and ultrasound equipment that uses the ultrasound probe. The ultrasound probe has an ultrasonic transmitting and receiving element provided with a substrate, an insulating film formed on the substrate, a cavity formed between the substrate and the insulating film, and a pair of electrodes disposed parallel to the substrate so as to sandwich the cavity. The ultrasound probe is characterized in that the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving element has a beam part with a multilayer structure formed by laminating films made of materials different in stress, the beam part being disposed on the electrode distant from the substrate out of the pair of electrodes, and the beam part is formed by laminating a film that applies tensile stress and a film that applies compressive stress.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2013Date of Patent: December 19, 2017Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Yasuhiro Yoshimura, Tatsuya Nagata, Akifumi Sako
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Patent number: 9642596Abstract: Even when electroacoustic conversion elements with high nonlinearity are employed, a nonlinear imaging is carried out with extracting more nonlinear components. An ultrasonic wave beam is transmitted twice from the transmitter to an identical position on the imaging target, and the signal processor performs computation on the reception signals obtained in every transmission performed twice, thereby extracting a nonlinear component included in the reception signals. In one transmission out of the transmission performed twice, the transmitter delivers the transmission signal to all of multiple electroacoustic conversion elements for driving the electroacoustic conversion elements, and in the other transmission, the transmission signal is delivered selectively only to a part of the multiple electroacoustic conversion elements for driving the electroacoustic conversion elements.Type: GrantFiled: January 20, 2012Date of Patent: May 9, 2017Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.Inventors: Chizue Ishihara, Kunio Hashiba, Hiroki Tanaka, Akifumi Sako, Tomoko Takenaka
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Publication number: 20160310105Abstract: In order to obtain a high-resolution ultrasound diagnostic image while reducing the back side reflection of a ultrasound irradiated to the side opposite to the ultrasound transmission direction of an ultrasound transmission/reception device, disclosed is an ultrasound probe, wherein a substrate is provided thereon with a cavity, insulation layers having the cavity therebetween, and an upper layer electrode and a lower layer electrode having the cavity and the insulation layers therebetween, so as to form an ultrasound vibration element, the substrate is held by a backing with a low-modulus member therebetween, and a direct voltage and a alternating voltage are applied between the electrodes to vibrate the ultrasound vibration element, and wherein a mechanical impedance by the substrate and the low-modulus member has a substantially equal value as an acoustic impedance of the backing.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 1, 2016Publication date: October 27, 2016Inventors: Yasuhiro YOSHIMURA, Tatsuya NAGATA, Akifumi SAKO
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Patent number: 9402598Abstract: In order to obtain a high-resolution ultrasound diagnostic image while reducing the back side reflection of a ultrasound irradiated to the side opposite to the ultrasound transmission direction of an ultrasound transmission/reception device, disclosed is an ultrasound probe, wherein a substrate is provided thereon with a cavity, insulation layers having the cavity therebetween, and an upper layer electrode and a lower layer electrode having the cavity and the insulation layers therebetween, so as to form an ultrasound vibration element, the substrate is held by a backing with a low-modulus member therebetween, and a direct voltage and a alternating voltage are applied between the electrodes to vibrate the ultrasound vibration element, and wherein a mechanical impedance by the substrate and the low-modulus member has a substantially equal value as an acoustic impedance of the backing.Type: GrantFiled: August 19, 2011Date of Patent: August 2, 2016Assignee: Hitachi Medical CorporationInventors: Yasuhiro Yoshimura, Tatsuya Nagata, Akifumi Sako
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Publication number: 20150323657Abstract: Both controlling damage when assembling an ultrasonic probe using a chip formed with a capacitive ultrasonic transducer and securing operational reliability are achieved. In a semiconductor substrate on which the capacitive ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) is formed on a first primary surface, a protective film is formed on the surface of the ultrasonic transducer which is formed on the first primary surface of the semiconductor substrate which is then thinned by polishing a second primary surface opposite to the first primary surface of the semiconductor substrate, an ultrasonic transducer chip is cutout of the semiconductor substrate, a sound absorbing material is provided on the surface opposite to the surface formed with the ultrasonic transducer, and the protective film formed on the surface of the ultrasonic transducer is removed.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 29, 2013Publication date: November 12, 2015Inventors: Shuntaro MACHIDA, Akifumi SAKO, Taiichi TAKEZAKI, Yasuhiro YOSHIMURA, Tatsuya NAGATA, Naoaki YAMASHITA, Hiroki TANAKA
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Patent number: 9138203Abstract: In order to provide an ultrasonic probe capable of suppressing the influence of multiple reflections occurring on the interface of a transducer with a CMUT chip and a backing layer, an ultrasonic probe of the present invention has a structure where an acoustic lens 14, transducers 11-1 to 11-m, and a backing layer 12 are laminated. Each of the transducers 11-1 to 11-m has a CMUT chip, and the backing layer 12 is formed of a material with a value of substantially the same acoustic impedance as the acoustic lens 14.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2011Date of Patent: September 22, 2015Assignee: Hitachi Medical CorporationInventors: Masahiro Sato, Akifumi Sako, Kazunari Ishida, Hiroki Tanaka
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Patent number: 8975713Abstract: Disclosed is an ultrasonic probe comprising: CMUT cells (13) that mutually convert ultrasonic waves and electrical signals; a semiconductor substrate (15) that has a plurality of the CMUT cells (13) formed on the surface thereof; an acoustic lens (3) that is provided on the front face side of the CMUT cells (13); and a backing layer (5) that is provided on the rear face side of the semiconductor substrate (15). The backing layer (5) is formed by a first backing layer (27) that makes contact with the semiconductor substrate, and a second backing layer (29) that is provided on the rear face side of the backing layer (27). The acoustic impedance of the backing layer (27) is set based on the sheet thickness of the semiconductor substrate (15). The backing layer (29) is formed by attenuating material capable of attenuating ultrasonic waves transmitted through the backing layer (27).Type: GrantFiled: January 5, 2012Date of Patent: March 10, 2015Assignee: Hitachi Medical CorporationInventors: Akifumi Sako, Tomoko Takenaka, Kazunari Ishida
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Publication number: 20150011890Abstract: Provided are: an ultrasound probe with excellent characteristic stability; and ultrasound equipment that uses the ultrasound probe. The ultrasound probe has an ultrasonic transmitting and receiving element provided with a substrate, an insulating film formed on the substrate, a cavity formed between the substrate and the insulating film, and a pair of electrodes disposed parallel to the substrate so as to sandwich the cavity. The ultrasound probe is characterized in that the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving element has a beam part with a multilayer structure formed by laminating films made of materials different in stress, the beam part being disposed on the electrode distant from the substrate out of the pair of electrodes, and the beam part is formed by laminating a film that applies tensile stress and a film that applies compressive stress.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 13, 2013Publication date: January 8, 2015Inventors: Yasuhiro Yoshimura, Tatsuya Nagata, Akifumi Sako
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Patent number: 8758253Abstract: An ultrasonic probe is disclosed which includes a cMUT chip having a plurality of vibration elements whose electromechanical coupling coefficient or sensitivity is changed according to a bias voltage and transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, an acoustic lens arranged above the cMUT chip, and a backing layer arranged below the cMUT chip. An electric leakage preventing unit is provided at the ultrasonic wave transmission/reception surface side of the acoustic lens or between the acoustic lens and the cMUT chip. The electric leakage preventing unit can be, for example, an insulating layer such as a ground layer. Such a structure makes it is possible to provide an ultrasonic probe capable of preventing electric leakage from the ultrasonic probe to an object to be examined so as to improve the electric safety and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the probe.Type: GrantFiled: November 6, 2007Date of Patent: June 24, 2014Assignee: Hitachi Medical CorporationInventors: Shuzo Sano, Akifumi Sako, Takashi Kobayashi, Mikio Izumi
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Publication number: 20130331699Abstract: Even when electroacoustic conversion elements with high nonlinearity are employed, a nonlinear imaging is carried out with extracting more nonlinear components. An ultrasonic wave beam is transmitted twice from the transmitter to an identical position on the imaging target, and the signal processor performs computation on the reception signals obtained in every transmission performed twice, thereby extracting a nonlinear component included in the reception signals. In one transmission out of the transmission performed twice, the transmitter delivers the transmission signal to all of multiple electroacoustic conversion elements for driving the electroacoustic conversion elements, and in the other transmission, the transmission signal is delivered selectively only to a part of the multiple electroacoustic conversion elements for driving the electroacoustic conversion elements.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 20, 2012Publication date: December 12, 2013Applicant: HITACHI MEDICAL CORPORATIONInventors: Chizue Ishihara, Kunio Hashiba, Hiroki Tanaka, Akifumi Sako, Tomoko Takenaka