Patents by Inventor Gen Nagano

Gen Nagano 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: 12263039
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry extracts an odd harmonic component from a reflected wave signal received by each element of an ultrasonic probe. The processing circuitry determines whether the reflected wave signal is saturated or not using the extracted odd harmonic component. The processing circuitry multiplies the reflected wave signal of an element for which the reflected wave signal is determined to be saturated by a weight coefficient. The processing circuitry generates reflected wave data by performing phasing addition on the reflected wave signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: Canon Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroki Takahashi, Gen Nagano
  • Patent number: 12089999
    Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe, a plurality of detectors, a measurer, and processing circuitry. The ultrasonic probe includes the plurality of transducers, and is configured to transmit an ultrasonic signal to a subject through each of the transducers, and receive, through each of the transducers, a reflected wave signal obtained when the transmitted ultrasonic signal has been reflected from an inside of a body of the subject and returned. Each of the plurality of detectors respectively corresponds to transducers and are configured to detect a reflected wave signal received by the corresponding transducer. The measurer configured to measures a reflected wave signal having an amplitude greater than an amplitude at which at least one of the detectors is saturated when determining a gain of the at least one of the plurality of detectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Gen Nagano
  • Publication number: 20230233188
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry extracts an odd harmonic component from a reflected wave signal received by each element of an ultrasonic probe. The processing circuitry determines whether the reflected wave signal is saturated or not using the extracted odd harmonic component. The processing circuitry multiplies the reflected wave signal of an element for which the reflected wave signal is determined to be saturated by a weight coefficient. The processing circuitry generates reflected wave data by performing phasing addition on the reflected wave signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2023
    Publication date: July 27, 2023
    Applicant: Canon Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroki TAKAHASHI, Gen NAGANO
  • Publication number: 20220265248
    Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe, a plurality of detectors, a measurer, and processing circuitry. The ultrasonic probe includes the plurality of transducers, and is configured to transmit an ultrasonic signal to a subject through each of the transducers, and receive, through each of the transducers, a reflected wave signal obtained when the transmitted ultrasonic signal has been reflected from an inside of a body of the subject and returned. Each of the plurality of detectors respectively corresponds to transducers and are configured to detect a reflected wave signal received by the corresponding transducer. The measurer configured to measures a reflected wave signal having an amplitude greater than an amplitude at which at least one of the detectors is saturated when determining a gain of the at least one of the plurality of detectors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2022
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Applicant: CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Gen NAGANO
  • Patent number: 11259777
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes a storage and a control unit. The storage stores transmission/reception conditions for a first ultrasound probe among a plurality of ultrasound probes. Upon receipt of a second switching instruction to switch a second ultrasound probe to the first ultrasound probe after a first switching instruction to switch the first ultrasound probe to the second ultrasound probe, the control unit applies the transmission/reception conditions stored in the storage to the first ultrasound probe when the time between the first switching instruction and the second switching instruction is less than a predetermined time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Koichi Morikawa, Hironobu Hongou, Gen Nagano, Kenichi Unayama, Satoshi Kamiyama
  • Patent number: 10390794
    Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasound probe with transducers, memory storing probe identification information and binary state generation unit generating a binary electrical state corresponding to a probe identifier, probe identifier conversion unit converting the electrical state into the probe identifier, read unit reading the probe identification information from the memory, determination unit determining consistency between the probe identifier after conversion and the probe identification information read from the memory, and warning output unit outputting a predetermined warning if the probe identifier is inconsistent with the probe identification information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Kuroiwa, Tatsuo Ogasawara, Kazuhito Nakata, Gen Nagano, Kenichi Unayama, Takeshi Fukasawa, Fumio Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 10213185
    Abstract: A converting circuitry convert position information on at least one of an ultrasonic probe and a scan area, used in a past ultrasonic scan, into first position information based on a predetermined coordinate system. The converting circuitry further convert position information on at least one of ultrasonic probe and a scan position, used in a current ultrasonic scan, into second position information based on the predetermined coordinate system. The display circuitry determine the position of a first marker, which represents at least one of the ultrasonic probe and scanning area used in a past ultrasonic scan, and a second marker, which represents at least one of the ultrasonic probe and scanning area used in a current ultrasonic scan, based on first position information and second position information, and display the first and second markers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Kuroiwa, Kazuhito Nakata, Gen Nagano, Kenichi Unayama, Takeshi Fukasawa, Fumio Mochizuki
  • Publication number: 20180103926
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes a storage and a control unit. The storage stores transmission/reception conditions for a first ultrasound probe among a plurality of ultrasound probes. Upon receipt of a second switching instruction to switch a second ultrasound probe to the first ultrasound probe after a first switching instruction to switch the first ultrasound probe to the second ultrasound probe, the control unit applies the transmission/reception conditions stored in the storage to the first ultrasound probe when the time between the first switching instruction and the second switching instruction is less than a predetermined time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2017
    Publication date: April 19, 2018
    Applicant: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Koichi MORIKAWA, Hironobu Hongou, Gen Nagano, Kenichi Unayama, Satoshi Kamiyama
  • Patent number: 9910141
    Abstract: According to on embodiment, a power supply circuit is provided in a main body and generates operating voltages for various electric circuits in the ultrasonic probe. Signal lines SL1 connects the power supply circuit to the electric circuits by way of the probe connector, to supply operating voltages from the power supply circuit to the electric circuits. A voltage monitoring circuit is provided in the main body and monitors voltages supplied to the electric circuits, utilizing the input voltage from the ultrasonic probe. To supply input voltages to the voltage monitoring circuit, signal line SL2 branches from signal lines SL1 in the ultrasonic probe and connects the electric circuits and the voltage monitoring circuit to each other by way of the probe connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Fumio Mochizuki, Gen Nagano, Kazuhito Nakata, Kenichi Unayama, Takeshi Fukasawa, Koji Kuroiwa
  • Patent number: 9629611
    Abstract: Saturation of received signals and generation of artifacts that are associated with tap concentration are prevented from occurring even if the differences in the delay amount between each of transducers are small. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus comprises a plurality of ultrasound transducers, a plurality of taps, a delay amount calculator, a channel distributor, and a delay processor. The delay amount calculator calculates a first delay amount. The channel distributor specifies the minimum delay amount and the maximum delay amount from the first delay amount. Further, the channel distributor divides the range from the minimum delay amount to the maximum delay amount by the number of taps, and relates each to a tap. The channel distributor also inputs a signal output from an ultrasound transducer to the tap related to the divided range including the corresponding first delay amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignees: TOSHIBA MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION, KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Wataru Kameishi, Hiroyuki Shibanuma, Satoshi Kamiyama, Shuta Fujiwara, Gen Nagano, Takayuki Shiina
  • Publication number: 20160007955
    Abstract: A converting circuitry convert position information on at least one of an ultrasonic probe and a scan area, used in a past ultrasonic scan, into first position information based on a predetermined coordinate system. The converting circuitry further convert position information on at least one of ultrasonic probe and a scan position, used in a current ultrasonic scan, into second position information based on the predetermined coordinate system. The display circuitry determine the position of a first marker, which represents at least one of the ultrasonic probe and scanning area used in a past ultrasonic scan, and a second marker, which represents at least one of the ultrasonic probe and scanning area used in a current ultrasonic scan, based on first position information and second position information, and display the first and second markers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Koji KUROIWA, Kazuhito NAKATA, Gen NAGANO, Kenichi UNAYAMA, Takeshi FUKASAWA, Fumio MOCHIZUKI
  • Publication number: 20150346331
    Abstract: According to on embodiment, a power supply circuit is provided in a main body and generates operating voltages for various electric circuits in the ultrasonic probe. Signal lines SL1 connects the power supply circuit to the electric circuits by way of the probe connector, to supply operating voltages from the power supply circuit to the electric circuits. A voltage monitoring circuit is provided in the main body and monitors voltages supplied to the electric circuits, utilizing the input voltage from the ultrasonic probe. To supply input voltages to the voltage monitoring circuit, signal line SL2 branches from signal lines SL1 in the ultrasonic probe and connects the electric circuits and the voltage monitoring circuit to each other by way of the probe connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Fumio MOCHIZUKI, Gen NAGANO, Kazuhito NAKATA, Kenichi UNAYAMA, Takeshi FUKASAWA, Koji KUROIWA
  • Publication number: 20140171802
    Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasound probe with transducers, memory storing probe identification information and binary state generation unit generating a binary electrical state corresponding to a probe identifier, probe identifier conversion unit converting the electrical state into the probe identifier, read unit reading the probe identification information from the memory, determination unit determining consistency between the probe identifier after conversion and the probe identification information read from the memory, and warning output unit outputting a predetermined warning if the probe identifier is inconsistent with the probe identification information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicants: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Koji KUROIWA, Tatsuo Ogasawara, Kazuhito Nakata, Gen Nagano, Kenichi Unayama, Takeshi Fukasawa, Fumio Mochizuki
  • Publication number: 20130338499
    Abstract: Saturation of received signals and generation of artifacts that are associated with tap concentration are prevented from occurring even if the differences in the delay amount between each of transducers are small. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus comprises a plurality of ultrasound transducers, a plurality of taps, a delay amount calculator, a channel distributor, and a delay processor. The delay amount calculator calculates a first delay amount. The channel distributor specifies the minimum delay amount and the maximum delay amount from the first delay amount. Further, the channel distributor divides the range from the minimum delay amount to the maximum delay amount by the number of taps, and relates each to a tap. The channel distributor also inputs a signal output from an ultrasound transducer to the tap related to the divided range including the corresponding first delay amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2012
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Wataru Kameishi, Hiroyuki Shibanuma, Satoshi Kamiyama, Shuta Fujiwara, Gen Nagano, Takayuki Shiina
  • Publication number: 20130245451
    Abstract: An ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment includes a receiving unit and a light emitting unit. The receiving unit receives input operation related to transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves performed by a piezoelectric vibrator transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves under the control of an apparatus body. The light emitting unit emits light in a first light emission state when connected to the apparatus body and emits light in a second light emission state when the receiving unit receives input operation in a state that the light emitting unit is connected to the apparatus body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicants: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Fumio Mochizuki, Tatsuo Ogasawara, Kazuhito Nakata, Kenichi Unayama, Gen Nagano, Takeshi Fukasawa, Koji Kuroiwa