Abstract: A guide wire is provided with a core shaft, a coil portion, a sound source, and wiring. The coil portion is coupled to a distal end portion of the core shaft and is helically wound around a periphery of the core shaft to the rearward. The coil portion includes an open portion in which an interval of element wires constituting the coil portion itself is larger than that in another portion. The sound source is provided in an inner side of the open portion. The wiring extends along an extending direction of the core shaft, and a distal end of the wiring is positioned at an inner side of the coil portion. The wiring supplies energy to the sound source.

Abstract: A beacon device is housed within a recess portion. The beacon device has a tip end to be housed in a tip end portion. A photoacoustic wave source is disposed at the tip end of the beacon device. The tip end portion contains an ultrasonic propagation medium such as water. With the beacon device housed within the recess portion, a light generating device is connected with a rear end of the beacon device to irradiate the photoacoustic wave source with laser light. A photoacoustic signal emitted from the photoacoustic wave source is received by an ultrasonic probe. Whether the beacon device and the light generating device are connected is determined based on the received signal.

Abstract: A laser beam is applied to a photoacoustic wave generation source multiple times in a reception period of ultrasound waves during photoacoustic imaging. As a result, a plurality of photoacoustic waves are generated from the photoacoustic wave generation source in the reception period and received by a reception unit of an ultrasound imaging apparatus. The positions of the plurality of photoacoustic waves on a time axis is adjusted, and the plurality of photoacoustic waves are averaged. A photoacoustic image is generated based on a signal obtained through the averaging.

Abstract: Provided is an acoustic coupler for ultrasound imaging that can detect a posture of an ultrasound probe from an image. An acoustic coupler includes: a first layer in contact with an ultrasound probe of an ultrasound imaging device; a second layer in contact with an imaging target; and an intermediate layer made of a material having a high elastic modulus between the first layer and the second layer. The intermediate layer includes a plurality of markers made of a material that reflects an ultrasound wave, at different positions in an ultrasound wave propagation direction, for example, near a boundary between two adjacent layers. The ultrasound imaging device detects the posture of the ultrasound probe based on images of the markers included in an ultrasound image.

Abstract: An ultrasonic wave imaging apparatus is disclosed, including: an ultrasonic probe for irradiating a subject with an ultrasonic wave and receive a reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave and receiving an ultrasonic wave from a beacon inserted into the subject; a probe position-acquiring unit for acquiring a 3D position and an orientation of the ultrasonic probe; a beacon location-acquiring unit for determining a 3D location of the beacon from relative location and speed of the beacon relative to the ultrasonic probe as calculated from an ultrasonic wave image received at the ultrasonic probe and the 3D position and the orientation of the ultrasonic probe as acquired by the probe position-acquiring unit; and a display image formation section for using the ultrasonic wave image of the ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic probe to form a display image. A corresponding method is also disclosed.

Abstract: Provided are an ultrasound imaging apparatus and a surgical operation support system for obtaining position information of a device outside an imaging area and presenting the position information to a user together with an ultrasound image. The surgical operation support system includes the ultrasound imaging apparatus, an ultrasonic source fixed to a therapeutic tool to be inserted into a subject body, a display device for displaying the ultrasound image and the position of the ultrasonic source. The ultrasound imaging apparatus is provided with a position estimator for estimating the position information of the ultrasonic source, and the position estimator analyzes a grating lobe artifact (false image) that is generated by the ultrasonic wave emitted from the ultrasonic source outside the imaging area, to estimate the position information of the ultrasonic source with respect to the imaging area.

Abstract: Provided is an acoustic coupler capable of achieving both low elastic modulus and high deformability required for ultrasound imaging. The acoustic coupler is disposed between a probe for transmitting ultrasound waves and a subject, the acoustic coupler comprising a hydrogel including a copolymer that contains water. The copolymer comprises a monofunctional monomer having one ethylenically unsaturated group and a polyfunctional monomer having two to six ethylenically unsaturated groups. The molar ratio of the monofunctional monomer to the polyfunctional monomer is more than 90 and less than or equal to 3500.

Abstract: To propose a novel and improved actuator and artificial leg capable of miniaturizing an apparatus. An actuator (320) includes: a leaf spring (322) whose one end (322a) is cantilevered, the leaf spring being capable of deflection deformation in a plate thickness direction in accordance with torque by transmitting the torque; and a support member (324) configured to support a part of the leaf spring on a deflection direction side in a case where the torque transmitted by the leaf spring is greater than a predetermined value.

Abstract: To propose a novel and improved actuator and artificial leg capable of miniaturizing an apparatus. An actuator (320) includes: a leaf spring (322) whose one end (322a) is cantilevered, the leaf spring being capable of deflection deformation in a plate thickness direction in accordance with torque by transmitting the torque; and a support member (324) configured to support a part of the leaf spring on a deflection direction side in a case where the torque transmitted by the leaf spring is greater than a predetermined value.