ULTRASONIC PROBE AND INSPECTION APPARATUS EQUIPPED WITH THE ULTRASONIC PROBE

• US 20090005685A1
• Filed: 06/24/2008
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Fukutani, Kazuhiko, Asao, Yasufumi, Nakagawa, Katsumi, Nagae, Kenichi
• Application Number:
  US12/145,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20090005685A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/459
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0095 by applying light and detecting acoustic waves, i.e. photoacoustic measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/72 Signal processing specially adapted for physiological signals or for diagnostic purposes character recognition, recognising digital ink, document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00; recognition or understanding of postal images G06V30/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4416 related to combined acquisition of different diagnostic modalities, e.g. combination of ultrasound and X-ray acquisitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5261 combining images from different diagnostic modalities, e.g. ultrasound and X-ray
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02466 Biological material, e.g. blood
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02475 Tissue characterisation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/2418 using optoacoustic interaction with the material, e.g. laser radiation, photoacoustics photoacoustic cells G01N21/1702; measuring characteristics of vibrations by using radiation-sensitive means G01H9/00; acousto-optical conversion techniques for short-range imaging G01S15/8965; sound-producing devices using laser bundle G10K15/046

Abstract

An ultrasonic probe includes a light irradiating portion configured to radiate light for generating ultrasonic waves from a light absorber, an ultrasonic transducing portion configured to transduce the ultrasonic waves to an electric signal, and a light guide member configured to introduce light from a light source to the light irradiating portion. A light irradiating region of the light irradiating portion is included within an ultrasonic receiving region of the ultrasonic transducing portion.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic probe comprising:

a light irradiating portion configured to radiate light for generating ultrasonic waves from a light absorber;

an ultrasonic transducing portion configured to transduce the ultrasonic waves, which are generated with irradiation of the light from the light irradiating portion, to an electric signal; and

a light guide member configured to introduce light from a light source to the light irradiating portion,

wherein a light irradiating region of the light irradiating portion is included within an ultrasonic receiving region of the ultrasonic transducing portion.

2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic transducing portion and the light irradiating portion are disposed such that the ultrasonic receiving region and the light irradiating region are positioned to face each other.

3. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein a center of the ultrasonic receiving region matches a center of the light irradiating region.

4. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, further comprising a light scatterer disposed on an end surface of the light guide member.

5. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the light guide member is a housing containing a liquid.

6. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the light guide member is a diffusion plate.

7. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein a textured structure is formed in a surface of the light guide member to constitute the light irradiating portion.

8. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein fine particles having a light diffusion function are dispersed in a surface of the light guide member to constitute the light irradiating portion.

9. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein a light-shield mask layer is formed on a surface of the light guide member, and the light irradiating portion receives light from an area of the light guide member in which the light-shield mask layer is not formed.

10. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the light guide member is curved and the light irradiating portion is constituted by the curved surface.

11. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic transducing portion is constituted as a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT).

12. An inspection apparatus using the ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, the inspection apparatus comprising:

a signal processing unit configured to process an ultrasonic signal from the ultrasonic probe;

an image data processing unit configured to reconstruct an image by using data from the signal processing unit; and

a display unit configured to display, as image data, information of an inspection target obtained from the image data processing unit.

13. The inspection apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising an optical control unit configured to generate a light pulse from a light source.