Abstract: A variance in transmitting/receiving sensitivity between multiple vibrational elements or transducers included in an ultrasonic probe is corrected. An ultrasonic probe in accordance with the present invention has multiple transducers, each of which includes multiple vibrational elements that each transmit or receive ultrasonic waves by converting ultrasonic waves and an electric signal into each other with a bias voltage applied thereto, set in array. The ultrasonic prove includes a transmitting/receiving sensitivity correction means that independently adjusts the bias voltage to be applied to at least two vibrational elements among the multiple vibrational elements so as to correct a variance in transmitting/receiving sensitivity between the at least two vibrational elements.

Abstract: There is provided an ultrasound probe including a first substrate having a silicon substrate and an ultrasound transmit-receive element, an acoustic lens disposed over an upper surface of the first substrate, and a damping layer disposed under the first substrate, in which a second substrate is disposed between a lower surface of the first substrate and an upper surface of the damping layer, and the second substrate is made of a material having approximately the same linear expansion coefficient and acoustic impedance as the silicon substrate of the first substrate. With this structure, it is possible to provide the ultrasound probe which can prevent damage to the silicon substrate due to temperature change and has excellent transmission/reception performance and structure reliability while reducing noise by reflected waves in transmission and reception.

Abstract: Encoded transmission and reception which reduces time side lobe are realized while suppressing increase of circuit scale. Transmission signals corresponding to a composite modulation code sequence composed from two or more modulation code sequences are outputted as transmission signals. A reception means demodulates reception signals stepwise by two or more demodulators. The demodulator can be thereby divided into two or more stages, and therefore with a circuit scale corresponding to the sum of the operation circuit numbers of two or more demodulators, time side lobe reduction effect can be obtained at a level equivalent to that obtainable with a circuit scale corresponding to the product of the operation circuit numbers of two or more demodulators.

Abstract: An ultrasonographic method includes: a first encoding transmission/reception step for transmitting an ultrasonic beam encoded by an encoding set consisting of a plurality of modulation codes in which at least two are in complementary relationship and demodulating reception signals corresponding to the ultrasonic beam; a step for obtaining a first synthesis signal by synthesizing the demodulation signals demodulated by the first encoding transmission/reception step; a second encoding transmission/reception step for transmitting an ultrasonic beam encoded by a reverse encoding set consisting of a plurality of modulation codes in which the arrangement order of modulation codes of the encoding set is reversed and demodulating the reception signals corresponding to the ultrasonic beam; a step for obtaining a second synthesis signal by synthesizing the demodulated signals demodulated by the second encoding transmission/reception step; a step for obtaining a third synthesis signal by synthesizing the first synthesis

Abstract: An ultrasonographic method includes: a first encoding transmission/reception step for transmitting an ultrasonic beam encoded by an encoding set consisting of a plurality of modulation codes in which at least two are in complementary relationship and demodulating reception signals corresponding to the ultrasonic beam; a step for obtaining a first synthesis signal by synthesizing the demodulation signals demodulated by the first encoding transmission/reception step; a second encoding transmission/reception step for transmitting an ultrasonic beam encoded by a reverse encoding set consisting of a plurality of modulation codes in which the arrangement order of modulation codes of the encoding set is reversed and demodulating the reception signals corresponding to the ultrasonic beam; a step for obtaining a second synthesis signal by synthesizing the demodulated signals demodulated by the second encoding transmission/reception step; a step for obtaining a third synthesis signal by synthesizing the first synthesis

Abstract: An ultrasound probe comprises therapeutic transducers which include a plurality of arrayed first transducer elements and emit therapeutic ultrasounds to a subject, and diagnostic transducers which include a plurality of arrayed second transducer elements and emit diagnostic ultrasounds to the subject and receive the diagnostic ultrasounds, wherein the therapeutic transducers are stacked over the diagnostic transducers.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic/treatment device includes a first ultrasonic wave irradiator that transmits a first ultrasonic wave signal to an organism for obtaining an image and receives a received wave signal corresponding to an echo signal of the first ultrasonic wave signal, a processor that processes the received wave signal to obtain diagnostic information, a second ultrasonic wave irradiator that irradiates the organism with a second ultrasonic wave signal for destroying medicine-containing microcapsules administered to the organism, and a controller that controls the second ultrasonic wave irradiator on the basis of the diagnostic information obtained by the first ultrasonic wave irradiator.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is capable of displaying a three-dimensional image by performing three-dimensional scanning in an object with ultrasonic beams at rapid speed. Small transducer blocks are formed through selective connection on a two-dimensional transducer array of an ultrasonic probe. Driving pulse signals are modulated and these driving pulse signals, each having respectively different frequencies, are simultaneously provided to the selected small transducer blocks, causing said small transducer blocks to transmit ultrasonic beams to the interior of the object. Waves reflected from the interior of the object are received by each small transducer block. After the echo signals received by each small transducer block are demodulated, these signals are input to a phasing circuit to generate a plurality of received beam signals. The selected position of the small transducer blocks is moved at each repetition of ultrasonic transmission/repetition.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for obtaining and displaying a three-dimensional image within a short time by performing three-dimensional scanning in an object with ultrasonic beams at rapid speed. A plurality of small transducer blocks is formed through selective connection on a two-dimensional transducer array provided on an ultrasonic probe. Driving pulse signals generated by a pulse generating circuit are modulated by a frequency modulator. These driving pulse signals respectively having different frequencies are simultaneously provided to the selected small transducer blocks, causing said small transducer blocks to transmit ultrasonic beams from each of them to the interior of the object. Then, waves reflected from the interior of the object are received by each small transducer block. After the echo signals received by each small transducer block are demodulated by a demodulator, these signals are input to a phasing circuit to generate a plurality of received beam signals.

Abstract: A ultrasonic diagnosing/treating device which makes it easy for a doctor to confirm with images a status in which a medicine-encapsulated microcapsule injected into the body of a patient reaches a diseased part, and to determine ultrasonic irradiation timing for destroying the microcapsule; and which comprises a harmonic detection unit for extracting, for input to a reception phasing unit that forms a reception wave beam, a harmonic echo signal generated from the ultrasonic-irradiated microcapsule, a frequency analysis unit for frequency-analyzing an output signal from the harmonic detection unit, a color mapping unit for detecting, for a scanning region, moving information, within the body, of the microcapsule by using the output from this frequency analysis unit to produce a color mapping diagram, and a time intensity (TI) curve producing TI detection unit for indicating a change with time in a microcapsule presence amount in the scanning region from the output signal of the frequency analysis unit.

Abstract: An ultrasonic probe which improves the directivity of the ultrasonic transmission beam by reducing the grating lobes at the time of transmitting ultrasonic waves. An ultrasonic probe 1 comprising a plurality of transducers 2 for transmitting ultrasonic waves and for receiving the reflected echoes thereof, and having a backing member 3 formed on the back surfaces of said transducers 2 as well as an acoustic matching layer and an acoustic lens formed on the front surfaces of said transducers, wherein the transducers 2 are formed in the shape of a predetermined small block and are arranged in many number in a spherical shape on the front surface of the backing member 3 formed in a spherical surface protruding in a semicircular manner. By applying the transmission signals which are in phase to the number of the transducers 2 to drive them, the sound pressure of the transmitted ultrasonic waves uniformly propagate in all directions, establishing a transmission from a point source of sound.