Abstract: 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.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus with which elastic modulus can be measured when measuring elastic modulus using shear wave generation. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasound probe that sends and receives echo signals, a strain-computing unit that receives an echo signal from the body by radiating a first displacement-detecting beam and computes strain information in a Region 1, a measurement position-selecting unit that selects a Region 2, within Region 1, based on the strain information, a displacement-generating unit that radiates a focused beam into the body and displaces the tissue, an elastic modulus-computing unit that receives an echo signal from the body by radiating a second displacement-detecting beam, detects the shear wave displacement that results from the focused beam, and computes the elastic modulus in Region 2, and a display unit that displays the strain image that is based on the strain information in Region 1 and the elastic modulus.

Abstract: Provided is a technology which quantitatively measures blood flow in the vicinity of circulatory organs. An ultrasound image capture device according to the present invention removes an image portion corresponding to an organ shape by taking the difference of a multi-frame ultrasound image, and thereafter computes a measured value of a blood flow velocity vector on the basis of a plurality of images at different timings (as per FIG. 3).

Abstract: When multiple tissues having differing speeds of sound are intermixed in the viewing field of a measured subject such as a living body, the invention measures hardness, such as modulus of elasticity or viscosity, with high precision. As a means for detecting heterogeneity of sound speed in the tissues of a subject, a displacement-generating transmission beam is applied from a displacement generating beam-generating device (13) of a displacement-generating unit (10) on an ultrasound probe (1) to irradiate a focused ultrasonic wave into the living tissue and generate a shear wave. From the displacement-time waveforms of multiple positions of the shear wave detected using the displacement detection transmission beam-generating device (22) and the displacement detection received beam-computing device (23) of a displacement-detecting unit (20), at least two pieces of information, such as the integrated value and the maximum amplitude value, are obtained.

Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging device which narrows the width of annular areas to be established, without increasing the number of channels. The controller establishes the annular areas 421 to 42p the number of which is larger than the number of signal lines, along line intersections between wave surfaces 51 to 54 of reflective waves and a multi-dimensional surface of the probe 1. The controller selects multiple annular areas (0, 0), (0, 1), and (0, 2) with focal depths differing, for example, by an integral multiple of the ultrasonic wavelength ?, out of the multiple annular areas being established, and connects the multiple transducer elements positioned within the selected multiple annular areas with an identical signal line. Accordingly, the received signals from the selected multiple annular areas arrive at multiple time points shifted by the time corresponding to the wavelength, and the signals do not cancel one another out.

Abstract: An objective is to enable calculation of a distribution of a physical property such as a density inside a measurement object, even when the distribution of the physical property value is non-uniform, within a feasible period of time without causing image deterioration due to phenomena such as refraction and multiple-reflections caused by the non-uniformity.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ultrasound diagnosis device for creating an ultrasound image with a high contrast-to-tissue ratio. Said device sends a transmission pulse to the subject, uses an ultrasound probe to receive echoes reflected from an ultrasound contrast agent injected into the subject, and forms an image. The transmission pulse is sent such that nonlinear interactions between the constituent frequency components of said transmission pulse, as a result of the acoustic nonlinearity of the subject, do not produce sum and difference components in the frequency sensitivity range of the ultrasonic probe as the transmission pulse propagates across the subject.

Abstract: Provided is an ultrasonic imaging device that noninvasively measures the stiffness of the cardiac muscle, which is the heart muscle, or intracardiac pressure, which is the blood pressure inside the heart. The ultrasonic imaging device includes: an ultrasonic probe (2) that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from the heart, which is the target organ inside the body; a signal-processing section (15) that processes reflected echo signals received by the ultrasonic probe; a display section (14) that displays the results of signal processing as an image; and an input section (10) for setting a predetermined point on the image displayed on the display section.

Abstract: Ultrasound imaging apparatus including a two-dimensional array of plural transducer elements distributed two-dimensionally and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves while scanning an area to be imaged to create an ultrasound three-dimensional image. Transducer elements are divided into plural element blocks including a first element block of which a size in a second direction of an arrangement surface of the two-dimensional array is larger than a size in a first direction of the surface, and a second element block of which a size in the first direction is larger than a size in the second direction. Each of the element blocks is divided into a predetermined number of groups to form a transmit beam and plural receive beams in the area to be imaged. Further included is a selecting means for making transmit/receive channels of the transducer elements grouped to be one channel in each of the groups.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging device, which can extract nonlinear components efficiently and improve the ultrasound penetration, is provided. The receiver has a given reception band, and the lower limit frequency of the reception band is the first frequency. The frequency band of the ultrasound wave transmitted by the transmitting means is set as the first frequency or higher and at least 3 times of the first frequency. When the ultrasound wave in such band is transmitted, the low-frequency harmonic component of the nonlinear component may have higher frequency than the first frequency and therefore can be received by the receiver. Also, as most of the high-frequency harmonic components can be generated in the reception band, most of the high-frequency harmonic components can be received.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging apparatus includes a transmitter which transmits an ultrasound pulse to a subject, a receiver which receives ultrasound coming from the subject, and a signal processor to process a received signal at the receiver and generate image data. The receiver has a predetermined reception band, and the ultrasound pulse transmitted by the transmitter has one frequency band with a frequency peak. Each of an upper limit frequency and a lower limit frequency of the one frequency band is set to be values which make a low frequency harmonic component and a high frequency harmonic component produced by the ultrasound pulse be within the reception band. The signal processor generates image data by using a nonlinear component of at least one of the low frequency and high frequency harmonic component received by the receiver.

Abstract: In a radiation-pressure elastography technique for transmitting a ultrasound focused beam into a test object body and diagnosing the hardness thereof, it is required to consider high sensitivity and safety. In the present invention, the focused beam is transmitted to two positions as a means for displacing a tissue and exciting a shear wave. In addition, time control is performed in such a manner that a transmit beam serves as a burst-chirp signal, and ultrasound waves are transmitted and received while sweeping a transmit frequency. On this occasion, when the distance between the two focused points and the transmit frequency become integral multiple of the wavelength, two waves interfere with each other, thereby obtaining a large amplitude. Furthermore, when the transmit frequency becomes equal to a resonance frequency peculiar to the tissue, the amplitude also becomes larger. Accordingly, a small intensity of transmit waveform enhances sensitivity.

Abstract: A manufacturing yield of a semiconductor device (capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer) is increased. A plurality of first chips 1 in which a plurality of cells each having functions of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves are formed on a front surface of a first semiconductor wafer are manufactured, and each of the first chips 1 is judged as a superior/inferior product, and then, the first semiconductor wafer is sigulated into a plurality of first chips 1. Next, a plurality of second chips 2 in which a wiring layer is formed on a front surface of a second semiconductor wafer are manufactured, and each of the second chips 2 is judged as a superior/inferior product, and then, the second semiconductor wafer is sigulated into a plurality of second chips 2.

Abstract: The absolute pressure inside the heart with respect to heartbeat time phase is measured non-invasively or with minimal invasion. An ultrasonic diagnostic device comprising: a pressure sensor that detects artery pressure non-invasively; a reference pressure computation part that converts the artery pressure into absolute reference pressure with respect to a reference point; a spatial pressure difference calculation part that calculates a spatial pressure difference between the reference point and a location distinct from the reference point; and an absolute pressure computation part that calculates intracardiac absolute pressure using a shape image, the reference pressure, and the spatial pressure difference.

Abstract: A manufacturing yield of a semiconductor device (capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer) is increased. A plurality of first chips 1 in which a plurality of cells each having functions of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves are formed on a front surface of a first semiconductor wafer are manufactured, and each of the first chips 1 is judged as a superior/inferior product, and then, the first semiconductor wafer is sigulated into a plurality of first chips 1. Next, a plurality of second chips 2 in which a wiring layer is formed on a front surface of a second semiconductor wafer are manufactured, and each of the second chips 2 is judged as a superior/inferior product, and then, the second semiconductor wafer is sigulated into a plurality of second chips 2.

Abstract: There is provided an ultrasound probe including a capacitive transducer for reducing multiple reflections while maintaining a pulse characteristic with which a high-quality image can be obtained, and is also provided an ultrasound imaging apparatus using the ultrasound probe. The ultrasound probe including the capacitive transducer is configured so as to satisfy the condition 6.5/fc<?d, where ? [dB/mm/MHz] denotes the absorption coefficient of an acoustic lens, d [mm] denotes the maximum thickness of the acoustic lens, and fc [MHz] denotes the center frequency of the capacitive transducer, and satisfy the condition L<1/((3?fc)2×C), where L [H] denotes an inductance value per channel of the capacitive transducer, C [pF] denotes a capacitance per channel of the capacitive transducer, and fc [MHz] denotes the center frequency of the capacitive transducer.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging device, which can extract nonlinear components efficiently and improve the ultrasound penetration, is provided. The receiving means has a given reception band 74, and the lower limit frequency of the reception band 74 is the first frequency f1. The frequency band of the ultrasound wave transmitted by the transmitting means is set as the first frequency f1 or higher and 3 times of the first frequency f1 or lower (f1?3f1). When the ultrasound wave in such band is transmitted, the low-frequency harmonic component 72 of the nonlinear component may have higher frequency than the first frequency f1 and therefore can be received by the receiving means. Also, as most of the high-frequency harmonic components 73 can be generated in the reception band 74, most of the high-frequency harmonic components 73 can be received.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ultrasonic imaging device which narrows the width of annular areas to be established, without increasing the number of channels, thereby enabling enhancement of a focused sound pressure. The controller establishes the annular areas 421 to 42p the number of which is larger than the number of signal lines, along the line intersections between the wave surfaces 51 to 54 of reflective waves and a two-dimensional surface of the probe 1. The controller selects multiple annular areas (0, 0), (0, 1), and (0, 2) with focal depths differing by an integral multiple of the ultrasonic wavelength ?, out of the multiple annular areas being established, and connects the transducer elements positioned within the selected multiple annular areas with an identical signal line. Accordingly, the received signals from the selected multiple annular areas arrive at multiple time points shifted by the time corresponding to the wavelength, and the signals do not cancel one another out.

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: Embodiments of the invention provide a water treatment method and water treatment device capable of automatically tracking the frequency of ultrasonic waves and automatically controlling their amplitude such that optimal cavitation is generated. In one embodiment, a water treatment method of sterilizing water containing microbes comprises supplying ultrasonic vibration to the water to be treated by driving and controlling a transducer of a sterilization cell using a signal; detecting an amplitude of the transducer and a frequency of the signal applied to the transducer; and controlling the amplitude and a vibration frequency of the transducer to target values in accordance with the detected transducer amplitude and the detected signal frequency.