ULTRASONIC DEVICE, ULTRASONIC MODULE, AND ULTRASONIC MEASUREMENT APPARATUS

• US 20170055949A1
• Filed: 08/18/2016
• Published: 03/02/2017
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 10,722,213 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic device comprising:

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 an N-th-order harmonic wave with respect to the fundamental wave,

wherein the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting sections and the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving sections are arranged along a first direction,

the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving sections is arranged at first intervals corresponding to an order N of the N-th-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 of which is N times as long as the first interval.

2. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1, wherein

the ultrasonic wave transmitting sections and the ultrasonic wave receiving sections are arranged alternately along the first direction.

3. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1, wherein

a dimension of the ultrasonic wave transmitting section in a second direction crossing the first direction of the ultrasonic wave transmitting section is larger than a dimension in the second direction of the ultrasonic wave receiving section.

4. The ultrasonic device according to claim 1, wherein

the ultrasonic wave transmitting section overlaps an imaginary line, which passes through a central position of the ultrasonic wave receiving section in a second direction crossing the first direction, and is parallel to the first direction.

5. The ultrasonic device according to claim 4, wherein

the ultrasonic wave receiving section is disposed at a position overlapping the ultrasonic wave transmitting section in a projection view along the first direction.

6. An ultrasonic module comprising:

an ultrasonic device provided with 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 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 sections and the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving sections are arranged along a first direction,

the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving sections is arranged at first intervals corresponding to an order N of the N-th-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 of which is N times as long as the first interval.

7. An ultrasonic module comprising:

an ultrasonic device provided with 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 an N-th-order harmonic wave with respect to the fundamental wave; and

a circuit board, on which the ultrasonic device is disposed, and which is provided with a selection section adapted to select the ultrasonic wave transmitting sections to which a same drive signal is input out of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting sections, p1 wherein the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting sections and the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving sections are arranged along a first direction,

the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving sections is arranged at first intervals corresponding to an order N of the N-th-order harmonic wave, and

the selection section selects the ultrasonic wave transmitting sections so that an interval between transmission channels, each of which is constituted by driving the N ultrasonic wave transmitting sections at the same time, becomes a second interval N times as long as the first interval.

8. An ultrasonic measurement apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic device provided with 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 an N-th-order harmonic wave with respect to the fundamental wave; and

a control section adapted to control the ultrasonic device,

wherein the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting sections and the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving sections are arranged along a first direction,

the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving sections is arranged at first intervals corresponding to an order N of the N-th-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 of which is N times as long as the first interval.

9. An ultrasonic measurement apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic device provided with 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 an N-th-order harmonic wave with respect to the fundamental wave;

a selection section adapted to select the ultrasonic wave transmitting sections to which a same drive signal is input; and

a control section adapted to control the ultrasonic device and the selection section,

wherein the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting sections and the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving sections are arranged along a first direction,

the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving sections is arranged at first intervals corresponding to an order N of the N-th-order harmonic wave,

the selection section selects the ultrasonic wave transmitting sections based on control by the control section so that an interval between transmission channels, each of which is constituted by driving the N ultrasonic wave transmitting sections at the same time, becomes a second interval N times as long as the first interval.

10. The ultrasonic measurement apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the plurality of ultrasonic wave receiving sections is capable of receiving a plurality of high-order harmonic waves with respective orders, and is arranged at the first intervals corresponding to highest one of the orders, and

the selection section selects the ultrasonic wave transmitting sections so that the second interval becomes a product of the order of the high-order harmonic wave as a reception object and the first interval.

11. The ultrasonic measurement apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the ultrasonic wave receiving section is provided with receiving elements corresponding respectively to the orders as the reception object.