Ultrasonic device, ultrasonic module, and ultrasonic measurement apparatus

• US 10,722,213 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2016
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Matsuda, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Roy, Baisakhi
• Application Number:
  US15/240,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20170055949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/145 characterised by scanning multiple planes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4427 Device being portable or laptop-like
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4488 the transducer being a phased array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4494 characterised by the arrangement of the transducer elements devices for short-range imaging using particular transducer elements arrangements under G01S15/8909; arrangements of transducers in generation of mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic frequency B06B1/0607
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5207 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image reconstruction G06T11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/54 Control of the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0622 on one surface
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8915 using a transducer array
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52038 involving non-linear properties of the propagation medium or of the reflective target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52046 Techniques for image enhancement involving transmitter or receiver image enhancement by image data processing G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52079 Constructional features constructional features of transducers B06B; mounting transducers G10K11/00; constructional features of ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices A61B8/44

Abstract

An ultrasonic device includes a plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting sections adapted to transmit an ultrasonic wave as a fundamental wave, and a plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving sections capable of receiving a second-order harmonic wave with respect to the fundamental wave, the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting sections and the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving sections are arranged along an X direction, the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving sections are arranged at first intervals corresponding to the order of the second-order harmonic wave, the N ultrasonic wave transmitting sections constitute a single transmission channel, and are wired with each other, and the transmission channels are arranged at second intervals each twice as long as the first interval. N is a natural number.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic device comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups disposed on the substrate, each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups being configured with a plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting elements, each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups extending along a first direction so that the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting elements in each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups are serially connected along the first direction, each element of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting elements transmitting a fundamental wave; and

a plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups disposed on the substrate, each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups being configured with a plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving elements, each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups extending along the first direction so that the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving elements in each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups are serially connected along the first direction, each element of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving elements receiving an N-th-order harmonic wave with respect to the fundamental wave,

wherein the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups and the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups are alternately arranged along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction so that each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups and each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups are directly adjacent and parallel to each other,

a distance in the second direction between adjacent two groups of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups is a first distance corresponding to an N-th-order of the N-th-order harmonic wave,

an N group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups is a single unit of a transmission channel, and the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting elements of the N group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups are wired with each other, and

a distance in the second direction between adjacent two channels of the transmission channels is a second distance, and the second distance is N times as long as the first distance.

2. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1, wherein

an extending length of each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups along the first direction is larger than an extending length of each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups along the first direction.

3. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups overlaps an imaginary line which passes through a central position in the first direction of each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups, and

the imaginary line extends along the second direction.

4. The ultrasonic device according to claim 3, wherein

the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups is disposed at a position overlapping the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups in a projection view along the second direction.

5. An ultrasonic module comprising:

an ultrasonic device, the ultrasonic device being configured with;

a substrate;

a plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups disposed on the substrate, each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups being configured with a plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting elements, each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups extending along a first direction so that the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting elements in each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups are serially connected along the first direction, each element of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting elements transmitting a fundamental wave; and

a plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups disposed on the substrate, each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups being configured with a plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving elements, each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups extending along the first direction so that the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving elements in each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups are serially connected along the first direction, each element of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving elements receiving an N-th-order harmonic wave with respect to the fundamental wave; and

a circuit board on which the ultrasonic device is disposed,

wherein the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups and the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups are alternately arranged along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction so that each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups and each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups are directly adjacent and parallel to each other,

a distance in the second direction between adjacent two groups of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups is a first distance corresponding to an N-th-order of the N-th-order harmonic wave,

an N group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups is a single unit of a transmission channel, and the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting elements of the N group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups are wired with each other, and

a distance in the second direction between adjacent two channels of the transmission channels is a second distance, and the second distance is N times as long as the first distance.

6. The ultrasonic module according to claim 5,

wherein an extending length of each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups along the first direction is larger than an extending length of each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups along the first direction.

7. The ultrasonic module according to claim 5,

wherein the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups overlaps an imaginary line which passes through a central position in the first direction of each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups, and

the imaginary line extends along the second direction.

8. The ultrasonic module according to claim 7,

wherein the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups is disposed at a position overlapping the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups in a projection view along the second direction.

9. An ultrasonic measurement apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic device, the ultrasonic device being configured with;

a substrate;

a plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups disposed on the substrate, each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups being configured with a plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting elements, each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups extending along a first direction so that the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting elements in each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups are serially connected along the first direction, each element of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting elements transmitting a fundamental wave; and

a plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups disposed on the substrate, each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups being configured with a plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving elements, each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups extending in the first direction, each element of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving elements receiving an N-th-order harmonic wave with respect to the fundamental wave; and

a controller configured to execute a program so as to control the ultrasonic device,

wherein the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups and the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups are alternately arranged along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction so that each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups and each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups are directly adjacent and parallel to each other,

a distance in the second direction between adjacent two groups of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups is a first distance corresponding to an N-th-order of the N-th-order harmonic wave,

an N group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups is a single unit of a transmission channel, and the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting elements of the N group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups are wired with each other, and

a distance in the second direction between adjacent two channels of the transmission channels is a second distance, and the second distance is N times as long as the first distance.

10. The ultrasonic measurement apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein an extending length of each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups along the first direction is larger than an extending length of each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups along the first direction.

11. The ultrasonic measurement apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups overlaps an imaginary line which passes through a central position in the first direction of each group of the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups, and

the imaginary line extends along the second direction.

12. The ultrasonic measurement apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving groups is disposed at a position overlapping the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting groups in a projection view along the second direction.