Abstract: A transmission/reception beamformer output provided with point spread functions having different wave number vector directions is used to obtain a compound image that is highly isochronous and sufficiently blurring-resistant.

Abstract: Ultrasonic diagnostic arrangements (apparatus, methods, etc.) including: an ultrasonic probe or operation for transmitting an ultrasonic wave to an object to be tested and receiving an ultrasonic wave from the object; a transmitter or operation for pulse-driving the ultrasonic probe to transmit an ultrasonic beam to the object; a reception phasing unit or operation for performing phasing on reflected echo signals received by the ultrasonic probe, the reception phasing unit separately performing phasing at multiple phasing frequencies on the reflected echo signals received in response to at least one transmission of the ultrasonic beam; an image generator or operation for generating an ultrasonic image based on the phased received signal.

Abstract: Multidimensional beamformer data including time, which is provided by numerical data in practical use, is efficiently stored in storage means and is computed. The computation means for the beamformer utilizes beamformer data computing means which performs the computation of delays and weighting by using a linear combination function of a 2nd-degree term of time and n number of any parameters P1 to Pn, a 2nd-degree term of time, a 1st-degree term of P1 to Pn, and a constant term, thereby achieving high storage efficiency and enabling time-wise continuous adjustment of parameters.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging apparatus comprising a plurality of transducer elements images an object by making use of the plurality of transducer elements whose received signals are given delays, transmitting a pulse ultrasonic wave to the object and receiving its reflected wave. The transducer elements are divided into a plurality of blocks and the transducer elements in each of the blocks are selected by a selecting means so that the delays given to the received signals for the transducer elements in each of the blocks are identical.

Abstract: In a place where the personal authentication is requested, if there occurs an emergency, e.g., an authenticatee is forced to unlock a key under threat against the authenticatee's will, there is provided an urgency report system that has lowered both a danger of an authentication apparatus's false operation and a risk of being detected from those around the authenticatee. In the personal authentication technology based on a finger-vein authentication, the employment of the following methods makes it possible to enter a rescue mode and to issue an urgency report: Actively deforming the finger-vein pattern in captured image, pushing a switch, which becomes a trigger for starting the authentication, longer than a predetermined time, or using a rotational motion of the finger.

Abstract: The invention detects the state where a vehicle cabin is or the individual occupants are short of oxygen and eliminates this shortage of oxygen. Further, the invention prevents the occupant from developing high-altitude sickness when a vehicle runs in highlands. Still further, the invention constructs a system tough to the failure of sensors. There is provided an apparatus in which a system is constructed in such a way as to provide a vehicle with a function of measuring oxygen saturation in blood, a function of measuring oxygen concentration or carbon dioxide concentration, and a function of measuring altitude and can condition air in a vehicle cabin by use of a remaining function even in the event of a failure of the respective functions. With this, it is possible to eliminate a shortage of oxygen in individual occupants according to their states and hence to prevent the occupants from developing high-altitude sickness when the vehicle runs in highlands and hence to secure the safe running of the vehicle.

Abstract: An ultrasonic probe in which two-dimensional array transducer elements are arrayed convexly both in one direction of the two-dimensional array and in the direction perpendicular to the former direction relative to the direction where an ultrasonic wave is transmitted. By switching a transducer element selecting switch circuit provided near the transducer elements, the shape of the diameter of the probe for transmitting and receiving of ultrasound and the position of the diameter are arbitrarily determined.

Abstract: In a place where the personal authentication is requested, if there occurs an emergency, e.g., an authenticatee is forced to unlock a key under threat against the authenticatee's will, there is provided an urgency report system that has lowered both a danger of an authentication apparatus's false operation and a risk of being detected from those around the authenticatee. In the personal authentication technology based on a finger-vein authentication, the employment of the following methods makes it possible to enter a rescue mode and to issue an urgency report: Actively deforming the finger-vein pattern in captured image, pushing a switch, which becomes a trigger for starting the authentication, longer than a predetermined time, or using a rotational motion of the finger.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sterilizing water containing pathogen protozoa having shells in a simple manner without negative influencing the environment is disclosed. Ultrasonic waves are applied to drinking water to form fine cavitation bubbles which are used to destroy the shells of pathogenic protozoa. The residual chlorine in the drinking water along with an oxidizing action and effect of the ultrasonic wave, permit not only sterilization but also deodorization and decolorization.

Abstract: In an ultrasound signal processor, respective received signals received at received signal processing units are sampled by a sampling clock of a frequency which is sufficiently higher than a Nyquist sampling frequency of an upper limit of a frequency band width for each of the received signals received at the received signal processing units so as to be digitized. Each of the digitized received signals is multiplied by a reference signal of a predetermined frequency to produce converted received signals in which the frequency of the digital received signal waveform is shifted, and converted signals are cumulated for a time which is longer than the sampling period. Each of the cumulated signals is processed by a clock frequency lower than the sampling clock in connection with an ultrasound beam in one direction, so that after one transmission operation of ultrasound, a plurality of ultrasound received beams are formed from the received signals received at the respective transducers.

Abstract: An ultrasound signal processor for receiving an ultrasound signal from a testing body by a plurality of electro-magnetic transducer elements and processing a plurality of received signals to obtain information of the interior of the testing body is provided with analog-digital converters for sampling at least two of received analog signals, multipliers for multiplying the outputs of the analog-digital converters by first complex digital reference signals, first low-pass filters for limiting the signal bands of the outputs of the multipliers, first complex multipliers for multiplying the outputs of the first low-pass filters by second complex digital reference signals, adders for performing the addition of the outputs of the first complex multipliers for real signals and the addition thereof for imaginary signals, memory devices for storing the outputs of the adders, second complex multipliers for multiplying signals read from the memory devices by third complex digital reference signals, and second low-pass f

Abstract: An ultrasound signal processor has a receiving signal digitizing circuit, waveform conversion circuit for mixing a produced digital signal by a reference signal, a cumulation circuit for performing a cumulation processing of a series of converted signals, a delay circuit subject to the cumulation processing, and a circuit for adding delayed signals, whereby the frequency of the receiving signal is shifted to a lower frequency and thereafter subjected to a cumulation processing which perform over-sampling technique so that the accuracy of an analog to digital conversion can be improved drastically. The ultrasound signal processor further has a circuit for converting a receiving signal into a low frequency signal by analog-mixing and a circuit for passing a low frequency component of the analog-converted signal, whereby a higher frequency receiving signal can be digitized even if the digitizing circuit has a insufficient sampling rate.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnosis system including a plurality of elements arrayed for transmitting ultrasonic wave to a testing object and for receiving ultrasonic wave reflected from the testing object, a device for giving a delay time distribution to respective transmitting and receiving signals of the elements to thereby form an ultrasonic beam having directivity in a predetermined direction, a device for displaying a sectional image of the testing object, and a sound velocity distribution control device for changing sound velocities in the testing object to be set up in respective elements in accordance with a focal point position of the ultrasonic beam and the respective positions of the elements in order to determine the delay time distribution, wherein the system further includes a sound velocity distribution control device for changing sound velocities to be set up in the respective elements on the basis of functions forming a system of orthogonal functions in which array number successively given to respectiv

Abstract: An ultrasonic measuring system including a transducer having a plurality of row electrodes on one surface thereof and a plurality of column electrodes crossing the plurality of row electrodes on the other surface thereof and made of an electrostrictive material in which piezoelectricity is induced by a bias electric field applied thereto to thereby obtain sectional images sequentially. A row position selector is connected to the row electrodes to select several row electrodes and apply a direct current bias voltage to the selected electrode and to shift the position of the selection sequentially. An electronic B-mode image scanner is connected to the column electrodes to shift the directivity of the transmission/reception ultrasound beams sequentially widthwise of the column electrodes (in the direction of row extension) to obtain echo signals indicative of an acoustic reflective response.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which has a probe including a plurality of transducer elements made of an electrostrictive material arranged on a plane in two-dimensional directions, a bias applying unit for selecting the transducer elements in an arbitrary row in the horizontal direction to be in an operative condition by applying the same with a bias voltage, and a switching unit for selecting the transducer elements in at least one arbitrary column in the vertical direction by applying the same with a bias voltage, and controls the bias voltage applying unit and the switching unit to scan an ultrasonic beam in the two-dimensional directions to collect three-dimensional information on a body under inspection.