ACOUSTIC-WAVE SENSOR, ACOUSTIC-WAVE SENSOR ARRAY, AND ULTRASONIC IMAGING APPARATUS

• US 20110187868A1
• Filed: 08/25/2008
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, Chienliu, Nagae, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,531,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/163
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 9/006 the vibrations causing a variation in the relative position of the end of a fibre and another element

Abstract

An acoustic-wave sensor (10) is constructed by a membrane (11) adapted to be displaced by an acoustic wave, a first waveguide (16a) for transmitting light therein, an optical coupling part (15) to which the light transmitted through the first waveguide (16a) is adapted to be optically coupled, and a second waveguide (16b) through which the light coupled from the optical coupling part (15) transmits. When the membrane (11) is displaced by its reception of the acoustic wave, at least one of an optical coupling coefficient between the first waveguide (16a) and the optical resonator (15) and an optical coupling coefficient between the second waveguide (16b) and the optical resonator (15) is changed to output a corresponding optical signal.

Claims

1. An acoustic-wave sensor comprising:

an acoustic wave receiving part that is constructed to include a movable part adapted to be displaced by an acoustic wave;

a waveguide for transmitting light therein; and

an optical coupling part to which the light transmitted through said waveguide is adapted to be optically coupled;

wherein an optical signal is output which corresponds to an optical coupling coefficient between said waveguide and said optical coupling part, said optical coupling coefficient being changed in accordance with a displacement of said acoustic wave receiving part generated by its reception of the acoustic wave.

2. An acoustic-wave sensor according to claim 1, wherein said optical coupling part is an optical resonator.

3. An acoustic-wave sensor according to claim 1, wherein said acoustic wave receiving part and said optical coupling part are connected with each other, and said optical coupling part is displaced by a displacement of said acoustic wave receiving part generated by its reception of the acoustic wave.

4. An acoustic-wave sensor according to claim 1, wherein said acoustic wave receiving part and said waveguide are connected with each other, and said waveguide is displaced by a displacement of said acoustic wave receiving part generated by its reception of the acoustic wave.

8. An acoustic-wave sensor array comprising a plurality of acoustic-wave sensors, each of which is the acoustic-wave sensor according to claim 1.

9. An ultrasonic imaging apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic wave transmitting unit that receives a signal for transmitting an ultrasonic wave and generates an ultrasonic wave;

an ultrasonic probe composed of the acoustic-wave sensor array according to claim 8; and

an image processing unit that converts the ultrasonic wave received by said acoustic-wave sensor array into an image.

5. An acoustic-wave sensor comprising:

an acoustic wave receiving part that is constructed to include a movable part adapted to be displaced by an acoustic wave;

a first waveguide for transmitting light therein;

an optical coupling part to which the light transmitted through said first waveguide is adapted to be optically coupled; and

a second waveguide in which the light coupled from said optical coupling part transmits;

wherein an optical signal is output which corresponds to at least one of a first optical coupling coefficient between said first waveguide and said optical coupling part and a second optical coupling coefficient between said second waveguide and said optical coupling part, said first and second optical coupling coefficients being changed in accordance with a displacement of said acoustic wave receiving part generated by its reception of the acoustic wave.

6. An acoustic-wave sensor comprising:

an acoustic wave receiving part that is constructed to include a movable part adapted to be displaced by an acoustic wave;

a first waveguide for transmitting light therein; and

a second waveguide in which the light coupled from said first waveguide transmits;

wherein an optical signal is output which corresponds to an optical coupling coefficient between said first waveguide and said second waveguide, said optical coupling coefficient being changed in accordance with a displacement of said acoustic wave receiving part generated by its reception of the acoustic wave.

7. An acoustic-wave sensor comprising:

an acoustic wave receiving part that is constructed to include a movable part adapted to be displaced by an acoustic wave;

a first waveguide for transmitting light therein;

a first optical resonator to which the light transmitted through said first waveguide is adapted to be optically coupled; and

a second optical resonator connected with said acoustic wave receiving part,

wherein an optical signal is output which corresponds to a relative distance between said first optical resonator and said second optical resonator, said relative distance being changed in accordance with a displacement of said acoustic wave receiving part generated by its reception of the acoustic wave.