Abstract: An automated pressing device (3) for an ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus according to the present invention is constituted by being provided with a probe holding member (21) including an attaching portion (31) to which a probe (2) is detachably attached and a griping portion (32) to which the attaching portion is slidably attached together with the probe attached thereto so as to permit advancing and retreating of an ultrasonic transmission and reception plane (27) of the probe, a motive power transmission wire (23) including a flexible cylindrical body (41) of which one end is secured to the griping portion in the probe holding member and an inner wire (42) that is inserted in the cylindrical body and of which one end is coupled to the attaching portion and a pressing motive power means (24) to which the other end of the cylindrical body in the motive power transmission wire is secured and that couples with the other end of the inner wire to advance and retreat the same.

Abstract: An ultrasonographic device includes an ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver section which transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a test subject through a probe, a phasing addition circuit which controls the phase of the received ultrasonic wave and generates RF signal frame data, an RF signal frame data selection section which makes variable the frame interval of the RF signal frame data to be outputted, and an elastic image generating section which sets the optimum imaging range for each elastic frame data generated based on the RF signal frame data and generates elastic image.

Abstract: An ultrasonographic device includes an ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver section which transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a test subject through a probe, a phasing addition circuit which controls the phase of the received ultrasonic wave and generates RF signal frame data, an RF signal frame data selection section which makes variable the frame interval of the RF signal frame data to be outputted, and an elastic image generating section which sets the optimum imaging range for each elastic frame data generated based on the RF signal frame data and generates elastic image.

Abstract: An ultrasound elasticity imaging apparatus includes an elastic data processing section which processes a received signal detected by an ultrasound probe and generates elastic frame data, a display evaluation section which evaluates a display value of the elastic frame data based on various data in the generation of the elastic frame data, a display processing section which performs image processing of the elastic frame data according to the evaluation result by the display evaluation section, and a display section which displays an elastic image based on the elastic frame data processed by the image processing section.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasound probe which transmits/receives an ultrasound wave with respect to a subject to be diagnosed, an ultrasound wave transmit section which transmits an ultrasound wave for driving the ultrasound probe, a pressing section which applies an external pressure to the subject, a displacement measuring section which obtains two tomographic image data different in time series from a reflected echo signal received from the ultrasound probe and measures a displacement of each part in the subject based on the two tomographic image data, an image generating section which generates an elastic image from elasticity information based on the displacement of each part measured by the displacement measuring section, and a display section which displays the generated elastic image. Further, a pressing decision section decides whether or not the pressing operation by the pressing section is proper.

Abstract: An image processing device according to the present invention which includes image creating means for creating each of a smoothened image and a sharpened image with respect to at least a part of image data, and mixed image creating means for mixing the smoothened image and the sharpened image created by the image creating means to create a mixed image, including: analysis quantity calculating means for calculating an analysis quantity on plural pixel values in each matrix that surrounds each pixel of the image data and has any matrix size; control means for controlling the mixing ratio between the smoothened image and the sharpened image in the mixed image creating means in accordance with the analysis quantity calculated by the analysis quantity calculating means; and display means for displaying the mixed image that is controlled by the control means and output from the mixed image generating means.

Abstract: An ultrasonic enhanced-contrast imager and method includes an ultrasonic probe for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave to and from an organism, a transmitting section for transmitting an ultrasonic signal to the ultrasonic probe, a receiving section for processing a response signal ultrasonic wave received by the ultrasonic probe, a filter for extracting a specific frequency component from the processed response signal, and a setting control section for setting a pass frequency band of the filter on the basis of a frequency band of the response signal from a contrast medium injected to the organism. A control section controls the operation of the filter in the set pass band, and the setting control section sets the center frequency of the pass band of the filter to be greater than f0 and less than 2f0, where f0 is the average frequency of the ultrasonic signal transmitted to the ultrasonic probe.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for recognition helpful to diagnosis by giving and displaying a score serving as an index of diagnosis. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprises a displacement measuring section (109) for measuring the displacement of an organism tissue of a subject (100) according to a reflection echo signal received correspondingly when an ultrasonic wave is transmitted from a probe (101) to the subject (100), an elastic image creating section for creating an elastic image after determining the distortion amount or the elastic modulus from the displacement, and an image display (107) for displaying the elastic image. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus further comprises scoring means for specifying the distorted state or elastic state according to the information on the elastic image outputted from the elastic image creating section.

Abstract: An ultrasonic enhanced-contrast imager includes an ultrasonic probe for transmitting an ultrasonic wave to an organism and receiving an ultrasonic wave from the organism, a transmitting section for transmitting an ultrasonic signal to the ultrasonic probe, a receiving section for processing a response signal ultrasonic wave received by the ultrasonic probe, a filter for extracting a specific frequency component from the processed response signal, a setting control section for setting a pass frequency band of the filter on the basis of a frequency band of the response signal from a contrast medium injected to the organism, and a control section for controlling the operation of the filter in the set pass band.

Abstract: An ultrasound probe includes an ultrasound wave transmit/receive surface coming into contact with a contact surface of a subject, an ultrasound wave transmit/receive section which transmits an ultrasound wave to the subject via the ultrasound wave transmit/receive surface and the contact surface and receives an ultrasound wave reflected in the subject, and a pressing mechanism for performing a pressing operation for applying a pressure to the contact surface perpendicularly to the ultrasound wave transmit/receive surface via the ultrasound wave transmit/receive surface.

Abstract: An ultrasonographic device includes an ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver section which transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a test subject through a probe, a phasing addition circuit which controls the phase of the received ultrasonic wave and generates RF signal frame data, an RF signal frame data selection section which makes variable the frame interval of the RF signal frame data to be outputted, and an elastic image generating section which sets the optimum imaging range for each elastic frame data generated based on the RF signal frame data and generates elastic image.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention includes means for generating a tomographic image from a reflected echo signal received by the probe corresponding to an ultrasound wave transmitted by a probe put on an object to be examined, means for measuring a displacement of the object's tissue and calculating elasticity information on the basis of a reflected echo signal received from the object corresponding to an ultrasound wave transmitted while the pressure applied when the probe is put on the object is changed, and generating a color elasticity image from the elasticity information, means for generating a translucent image from the color elasticity image on the basis of image information of either the tomographic image or the color elasticity image, and overlapping the translucent image and the tomographic image, and means for displaying the combined image.

Abstract: An ultrasonic enhanced-contrast imager includes an ultrasonic probe for transmitting an ultrasonic wave to an organism and receiving an ultrasonic wave from the organism, a transmitting section for transmitting an ultrasonic signal to the ultrasonic probe, a receiving section for processing a response signal ultrasonic wave received by the ultrasonic probe, a filter for extracting a specific frequency component from the processed response signal, a setting control section for setting a pass frequency band of the filter on the basis of a frequency band of the response signal from a contrast medium injected to the organism, and a control section for controlling the operation of the filter in the set pass band.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for displaying a subject moving at high speed, in slow motion. The apparatus has a circuit for picking up an ultrasonic image signal at a frame rate higher than a display frame rate, a circuit for writing the picked-up image signal at a frame rate higher than the display frame rate, a circuit for reading the image signal from the memory at the display frame rate, and a device for displaying the read image signal.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnosis system includes a probe and a diagnosis processing apparatus. Ultrasonic transmission signal-transmission power characteristic intrinsic to the probe is previously measured and a transmission power identifying signal indicating the characteristic is imparted to the probe itself. Upon connection of the probe to the diagnosis processing apparatus, the transmission power identifying signal is inputted to a CPU of the diagnosis processing apparatus which includes a memory for storing correcting data corresponding to ranks of the characteristics. The CPU reads out from the memory the correcting data on the basis of the inputted transmission power identifying signal indicating the rank of the probe for thereby correcting the ultrasonic transmission signal.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus includes a circuit unit for obtaining an envelope signal of a received ultrasonic signal, an A/D converter for A/D converting the envelope signal, and a circuit unit responsive to the output from the A/D converter for emphasizing the high frequency components of the envelope signal through a digital signal processing.