Abstract: A surgical operating apparatus capable of a high-precision surgical operation while observing a detailed image of an affected part to be subjected to surgical operation and capable of observing a related location of the affected part under surgical operation by means of an image obtained the imaging of a wider range is provided with an operating table provided in an area made an object of measurement by an MRI apparatus so that a surgical operation can be performed by operating an operating manipulator by an operation input device while monitoring a local image from an endoscope and/or a ultrasonic scanner and the observation of a range in the neighborhood of the affected part and wider than an observing area of the endoscope is enabled by the MRI apparatus under surgical operation, thereby providing a high-security surgical operating apparatus.

Abstract: To achieve a high resolution, by modifying a delay time distribution of received waves with correlation computations between signals from adjacent elements and by removing influences of inhomogeneities in a living body with a simple computing circuit for correlation factors.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus employing two or more ultrasonic probes each comprising a plurality of ultrasonic transducers each for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus further comprising: a first storage means for storing only standard focus data, that is, focus data for forming received ultrasonic beams employed in a predetermined one of the ultrasonic probes; a second storage means for storing a ratio of a center frequency of the predetermined one of the ultrasonic probes to a center frequency of another one of the ultrasonic probes; and a calculation means for calculating focus data for forming received ultrasonic beams employed in the other ultrasonic probe from the standard focus data stored in the first storage means and the ratio stored in the second storage means to form an ultrasonic image from the ultrasonic waves received by the ultrasonic transducers employed in the other ultrasonic probe, wherein focus data for forming recei

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: A needle-like ultrasonic probe includes an inner needle received in a hollow, tubular outer needle for rotation about an axis thereof. The inner needle has a pointed distal end, and a notch is formed in an outer peripheral surface of that portion of the inner needle which is located adjacent to the distal end thereof. At least one ultrasonic transducer, as well as an acoustic lens for converging an ultrasonic wave, produced by the ultrasonic transducer, onto a point near to the outer peripheral surface of the inner needle, is provided in the notch. A filler, having an outer surface conforming to the outer peripheral surface of the inner needle, is fitted in the notch. With this construction, after the inner needle is smoothly stuck into a living tissue, even if it is rotated and axially moved, the living tissue is less affected or damaged by the inner needle.

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: A receiving beamformer is provided which simultaneously generates a plurality of receiving beam signals corresponding to receiving beams of a plurality of directions on the basis of signals received by an array of vibrator elements for receiving an ultrasonic wave. This receiving beamformer includes a variable amplifying unit for amplifying the received signals in accordance with the depth of measurement to produce output signals, an A/D converting unit for converting the output signals from the variable amplifying unit into digital signals at a predetermined sampling period, a digital delay unit for receiving each of the digital signals and for producing a plurality of delayed signals corresponding to the receiving beams for each of the digital signals, and a first adding unit for adding the delayed signals corresponding to each of the receive beams and to the respective digital signals.

Abstract: An ultrasonic flow mapping apparatus transmits and reflects waves from sampling points on a two-dimensional cross-section. The waves are detected while transmitting repeatedly ultrasonic pulses. The phase shifts of different reflected waves are calculated, and displayed in color to show a distribution of blood flow velocity. Artifact due to reflected waves from body organs, which remain even by using MTI filters, is detected from phase signals, which have not passed through the MTI filters, and the artifact is removed by lowering display brightness for a sampling point corresponding to a relevant detection output.

Abstract: A transmitter/receiver for suppling a pulse power to a transducer and receiving a signal from the transducer comprises a parallel connection of a first circuit including a first switch element connected in series with a power supply having one terminal thereof connected to a common potential point, a second circuit including a second switch element connected in series with a receiver having one end thereof connected to the common potential point, and a third circuit including the transducer having one end thereof connected to the common potential point.

Abstract: An input circuit in which an input impedance of a reception amplifier connected to a piezoelectric transducer is selected to be lower than an impedance composed of an inter-electrode capacitance of the piezoelectric transducer, an equivalent capacitance of a cable used to connect the piezoelectric transducer to the reception amplifier, etc., that is, the parallel impedance of those elements connected in parallel to the reception amplifier so that the reception amplifier is used as an amplifier of the current detection type.

Abstract: A multi-element ultrasonic transducer in which elements are arrayed and in which a plate-shaped piezoelectric material has its one face formed with a uniform electrode and its other face formed alternately with electrodes corresponding to the respective elements and electrodes for separating the elements. These electrodes for the element separation are connected the uniform electrode opposed thereto and is fed with a ground potential. On the other hand, the electrodes corresponding to the respective elements are fed individually with transmitting and receiving signals independently of the elements so that the electronic scanning or focusing operations can be achieved.