Measurement Frequency Variable Ultrasonic Imaging Device

• US 20140024941A1
• Filed: 07/18/2013
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Power Solutions Co., Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Power Solutions Co., Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: UMEDA, Masamichi, KITAMI, Kaoru, SUGAYA, Natsuki, TAKADA, Masafumi
• Granted Patent: US 9,326,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/445
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/14 Echo-tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4209 by using holders, e.g. positioning frames
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4461 Features of the scanning mechanism, e.g. for moving the transducer within the housing of the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/54 Control of the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/585 Automatic set-up of the device

Abstract

The ultrasonic imaging device includes the ultrasonic probe including the piezoelectric device transmitting ultrasonic waves to the sample and receives echo waves, the X axis scanner and the Y axis scanner scanning the sample and positions the probe at a scanning position, the frequency controller controlling the frequency of the received signal in accordance with the position of the scanning position, the signal processing unit processing the received signal, the image generator generating ultrasonic wave image at the frequency on the basis of the output of the signal processing unit. The frequency controller generates and supplies a burst signal having the predetermined frequency by the burst wave oscillator to the piezoelectric device of the ultrasonic probe to generate the ultrasonic waves having a predetermined frequency.

Claims

1. A measurement frequency variable ultrasonic imaging device comprising:

an ultrasonic probe including a piezoelectric device transmitting ultrasonic waves to a sample and receiving an ultrasonic waves reflected, scattered, and refracted by the sample to output a received signal;

a scanner scanning the sample with the ultrasonic probe and positioning the ultrasonic probe at a predetermined scanning position;

a frequency controller controlling a frequency of the received signal in accordance with the scanning position of the probe;

a signal processing unit processing the received signal; and

an image generator generating an ultrasonic wave image at the predetermined frequency on the basis of an output signal of the signal processing unit.

2. The measurement frequency variable ultrasonic imaging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frequency controller controls the frequency of the received signal by controlling a frequency of a transmission signal supplied to the piezoelectric device.

3. The measurement frequency variable ultrasonic imaging device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the frequency controller comprises a burst wave oscillator generating and supplying a burst signal having the predetermined frequency to the piezoelectric device.

4. The measurement frequency variable ultrasonic imaging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frequency controller controls the frequency of the received signal by controlling a pass band of the received signal.

5. The measurement frequency variable ultrasonic imaging device as claimed in claim 2,

wherein the frequency controller controls the predetermined frequency of the ultrasonic waves in accordance with the scanning position, and

wherein the image generator displays the predetermined frequency in accordance with the scanning position on the generated ultrasonic wave image.

6. The measurement frequency variable ultrasonic imaging device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an optimal frequency adjusting processing unit estimating the ultrasonic wave image of the sample and optimizing the frequency of the ultrasonic waves.

7. The measurement frequency variable ultrasonic imaging device as claimed in claim 6,

wherein the optimal frequency adjusting processing unit comprises a contrast calculating unit and optimizes the frequency of the ultrasonic waves to maximize the contrast.

8. The measurement frequency variable ultrasonic imaging device as claimed in claim 6,

wherein the optimal frequency adjusting processing unit comprises a high frequency component calculating unit calculating a high frequency component of the ultrasonic wave image of the sample and optimizes the frequency of the ultrasonic waves to maximize the high frequency component.