Abstract: Pressure distribution on a surface of an ultrasonic probe can be measured directly. Piezoelectric sensors, in which a piezoelectric thin film is formed on a film-like substrate, are arranged in the form of an array on the surface of an ultrasonic probe, and a sensor output signal processing unit outputs pressure measured for each piezoelectric sensor S1, S2 to S9 based on output signals from each of the piezoelectric sensors to an image processing unit. The image processing unit generates a histogram of the measured pressures for piezoelectric sensors S1, S2 to S9, and displays the histogram, while plotting the piezoelectric sensors on the X axis and the measured pressures on the Y axis, along with the resulting ultrasound tomographic image, on a monitor.

Abstract: Pressure distribution on a surface of an ultrasonic probe can be measured directly. Piezoelectric sensors, in which a piezoelectric thin film is formed on a film-like substrate, are arranged in the form of an array on the surface of an ultrasonic probe, and a sensor output signal processing unit outputs pressure measured for each piezoelectric sensor S1, S2 to S9 based on output signals from each of the piezoelectric sensors to an image processing unit. The image processing unit generates a histogram of the measured pressures for piezoelectric sensors S1, S2 to S9, and displays the histogram, while plotting the piezoelectric sensors on the x axis and the measured pressures on the Y axis, along with the resulting ultrasound tomographic image, on a monitor.