ULTRASONIC DEVICE, PROBE, ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENT, DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE, AND PROCESSING DEVICE

• US 20130226005A1
• Filed: 02/20/2013
• Published: 08/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: KANO, Kazuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,271,699 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/459
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4411 Device being modular
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4444 related to the probe
• 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 8/461 Displaying means of special interest
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0607 using multiple elements B06B1/064 and B06B1/0688 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0622 on one surface

Abstract

An ultrasonic device includes an ultrasonic element group, a first to an Nth driving electrode lines, first and second terminals. The ultrasonic element group includes a plurality of ultrasonic elements forming “N” columns arranged along a second direction intersecting with a first direction with each of the “N” columns including a plurality of the ultrasonic elements arranged along the first direction, “N” being a natural number that is equal to or more than 2. The first to the Nth driving electrode lines are arranged along the first direction. An ith driving electrode line is connected to the ultrasonic elements constituting an ith column among the “N” columns, with “i” being a natural number equal to or less than “N”. The first terminal is connected to one end of the ith driving electrode line, and the second terminal is connected to the other end of the ith driving electrode line.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic device comprising:

an ultrasonic element group including a plurality of ultrasonic elements, the ultrasonic elements forming “

N”

columns arranged along a second direction intersecting with a first direction with each of the “

N”

columns including a plurality of the ultrasonic elements arranged along the first direction, “

N”

being a natural number that is equal to or more than 2;

a first to an Nth driving electrode lines arranged along the first direction;

a first terminal; and

a second terminal,

wherein an ith driving electrode line among the first to the Nth driving electrode lines is connected to the ultrasonic elements constituting an ith column among the “

N”

columns, with “

i”

being a natural number that is equal to or less than “

N”

, the first terminal is connected to one end of the ith driving electrode line, and the second terminal is connected to the other end of the ith driving electrode line.

2. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1, wherein

a “

M”

number of the ultrasonic elements arranged in each column is equal to or less than “

m”

, with “

m”

being a natural number that is equal to or more than 3.

3. The ultrasonic device according to claim 2, wherein

a number “

M”

is equal to or less than “

m”

that is equal to “

a”

, “

a”

being a number of the ultrasonic elements arranged in the first direction, with “

a”

being a natural number that is equal to or more than 3, when a sound pressure of a center of each column of the ultrasonic elements is half of a peak value with respect to sound pressure distribution characteristics in the first direction of ultrasonic waves output from the ultrasonic element group when a driving signal for driving the ultrasonic element group is input only to the first terminal.

4. The ultrasonic device according to claim 2, wherein

a number “

M”

is equal to or less than “

m”

that is equal to “

b”

, when sound pressure distribution characteristics in the first direction of ultrasonic waves output from the ultrasonic element group have double peaks when the number of the ultrasonic elements arranged in the first direction is b+1, with “

b”

being a natural number that is equal to or more than 3, and have a single peak when the number of the ultrasonic elements arranged in the first direction is “

b”

when a driving signal is input to the first terminal and the second terminal.

5. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1, further comprising

a driving signal output circuit configured to output a driving signal for driving the ultrasonic element group to the first terminal and the second terminal.

6. The ultrasonic device according to claim 5, wherein

the driving signal output circuit is configured to output the driving signal having different amplitude to the first terminal and the second terminal.

7. The ultrasonic device according to claim 6, wherein

the driving signal output circuit has an output amplifier, a first variable resistance for adjusting amplitude of the driving signal to the first terminal provided between the output amplifier and the first terminal, and a second variable resistance for adjusting amplitude of the driving signal to the second terminal provided between the output amplifier and the second terminal.

8. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1, wherein

a number of the ultrasonic elements arranged in each column is “

M”

, with “

M”

being a natural number that is equal to or more than 2, and the ultrasonic element group is a group of the ultrasonic elements arranged in a matrix pattern having “

M”

rows and the “

N”

columns in which the “

N”

columns of the ultrasonic elements are arranged.

9. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1, further comprising

a plurality of common electrode lines arranged along the second direction.

10. The ultrasonic device according to claim 9, further comprising

a shared common electrode line connected to the common electrode lines in common and arranged along the first direction.

11. The ultrasonic device according to claim 10, further comprising

terminals provided at both ends of the shared common electrode line for supplying a common voltage to the ultrasonic element group.

14. An ultrasonic probe comprising:

the ultrasonic device according to claim 1.

15. An electronic instrument comprising:

the ultrasonic device according to claim 1.

16. A diagnostic device comprising:

the ultrasonic device according to claim 1; and

a display section.

17. A processing device comprising:

the ultrasonic device according to claim 1; and

a driving signal output circuit configured to output a driving signal to the first terminal and the second terminal of the ultrasonic device.

12. An ultrasonic device comprising:

an ultrasonic element column in which a plurality of ultrasonic elements are arranged;

a driving electrode line connected to the ultrasonic elements;

a first terminal connected to one end of the driving electrode line; and

a second terminal connected to the other end of the driving electrode line.

13. An ultrasonic device comprising:

an ultrasonic element column in which a plurality of ultrasonic elements are arranged; and

a driving electrode line connected to the ultrasonic elements,

wherein a driving signal for driving the ultrasonic elements is supplied to both ends of the driving electrode line.