# US 12,178,659 B2 · Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and operation method of ultrasound diagnostic apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,178,659 B2 - Document ID: US12178659B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/160,193 - Filed: 2023-01-26 - Published: 2023-06-08 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-29 - Assignees: FUJIFILM Corporation - Applicants: FUJIFILM Corporation - Inventors: Yoshiaki Satoh; Katsuya Yamamoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12178659B2 ## CPC - A61B 8/56: {Details of data transmission or power supply} - B06B 1/0215: {for generating pulses, e.g. bursts of oscillations, envelopes} - A61B 8/12: in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters - A61B 8/467: {characterised by special input means} - A61B 8/5207: {involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image} - A61B 8/54: {Control of the diagnostic device} - A61B 8/58: {Testing, adjusting or calibrating the diagnostic device} - B06B 1/0207: {Driving circuits (specially adapted for particular applications, see the relevant subclass, e.g. G01; circuits for steering transducer arrays G10K11/34; basic circuits H03)} - B06B 1/06: operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction (piezoelectric or electrostrictive devices per se H10N30/00) - B06B 1/0607: {using multiple elements (B06B1/064 and B06B1/0688 take precedence)} - B06B 1/0625: {Annular array} - A61B 8/14: Echotomography - A61B 8/488: {involving Doppler signals} - B06B 2201/20: Application to multi-element transducer - B06B 2201/40: with testing, calibrating, safety devices, built-in protection, construction details - B06B 2201/76: Medical, dental - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - B06B: METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OF INFRASONIC, SONIC, OR ULTRASONIC FREQUENCY, {e.g.} FOR PERFORMING MECHANICAL WORK IN GENERAL (for particular applications, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. B07B1/40, B23Q17/12, B24B31/06; measurement of mechanical vibrations G01H; in direction finding, locating, distance or velocity measuring G01S; {generating seismic energy G01V1/02}; control of mechanical vibrations in general G05D; sound-producing devices, e.g. bells, sirens, whistles G10K, {e.g. methods or devices for transmitting, conducting, or directing sound in general G10K11/00}; generation of electrical oscillations H03B; electromechanical resonators in general H03H; electromechanical transducers {for communication techniques, e.g. microphones, speakers} H04R) ## Abstract An ultrasound transducer unit including a plurality of ultrasound transducers transmits and receives ultrasound waves to and from an inside of a subject. In a case where a checking operation unit is operated, a controller controls a driving voltage supply unit such that a driving voltage is supplied with all of the plurality of ultrasound transducers as driving target transducers. In a case where the checking operation unit is operated, a depolarization determination unit calculates, for each ultrasound transducer, a reception sensitivity in a case where an ultrasound wave is received by driving all of the plurality of ultrasound transducers as the driving target transducers, and determines whether or not a depolarization determination value calculated from the reception sensitivity of each ultrasound transducer satisfies numerical conditions. If the numerical conditions are satisfied, a polarization voltage supply unit supplies a polarization voltage to each of the plurality of ultrasound transducers. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An ultrasound system, comprising: an ultrasound probe including an array of ultrasound transducers; a transmission circuit having transmit channels coupled to the ultrasound transducers; and a controller with computer readable instructions stored on non-transitory memory that when executed during operation of the ultrasound system, cause the controller to: apply an imaging transmit signal for processing in one or more modes via the transmission circuit to the ultrasound probe; and apply a repolarization transmit signal for processing in one or more modes via the transmission circuit to the ultrasound probe one or more of before, after, or interleaved between execution of the imaging transmit signal for processing in one or more modes, wherein the imaging transmit signal is different and separate from the repolarization transmit signal, and wherein an amplitude of the repolarization transmit signal is greater than an amplitude of the imaging transmit signal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The ultrasound system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging transmit signal includes one of a b-mode pulse signal and a harmonic pulse signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The ultrasound system according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasound transducers are single crystal transducers. ### Claim 4 An ultrasound image generation method, executable in an ultrasound system, comprising: an ultrasound probe including an array of ultrasound transducers; a transmission circuit having transmit channels coupled to the ultrasound transducers; and a controller with computer readable instructions stored on non-transitory memory that when executed during operation of the ultrasound system, cause the controller to: apply an imaging transmit signal for processing in one or more modes via the transmission circuit to the ultrasound probe; and apply a repolarization transmit signal for processing in one or more modes via the transmission circuit to the ultrasound probe one or more of before, after, or interleaved between execution of the imaging transmit signal for processing in one or more modes, the method comprising: executing processing in one or more ultrasound image generation modes with an ultrasound transducer; and causing the ultrasound transducer to execute polarization processing mode for repolarization one or more of before, after, and interleaved between execution in the one or more ultrasound image generation modes, wherein the polarization processing is different and separate from the one or more ultrasound image generation modes, wherein the imaging transmit signal is different and separate from the repolarization transmit signal, and wherein an amplitude of the repolarization transmit signal is greater than an amplitude of the imaging transmit signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The ultrasound image generation method according to claim 4, wherein the executing processing in one or more ultrasound image generation modes includes sending an imaging input signal adapted for ultrasound image generation to the ultrasound transducer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The ultrasound image generation method according to claim 4, wherein the ultrasound transducer is a single crystal transducer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The ultrasound image generation method according to claim 5, wherein the causing the ultrasound transducer to execute the polarization processing includes sending one or more signals of a polarization voltage adapted for repolarization of the ultrasound transducer to the ultrasound transducer, and wherein the polarization voltage is different and separate from the imaging input signal adapted for imaging. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The ultrasound image generation method according to claim 4, wherein the causing the ultrasound transducer to execute the polarization processing is responsive to a user's input received at least one of before, after, or interleaved between executing the one or more ultrasound image generation modes. ### Claim 9 (depends on 4) The ultrasound image generation method according to claim 4, wherein the causing the ultrasound transducer to execute the polarization processing occurs automatically after and in response to a set threshold number of image generation pulses of the one or more ultrasound image generation modes being executed, and wherein the causing the ultrasound transducer to execute the polarization processing includes applying a number of repolarization pulses, and wherein the number of repolarization pulses is less than the threshold number of image generation pulses. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The ultrasound image generation method according to claim 4, further comprising: determining a sensitivity level of the ultrasound transducer during the executing the one or more ultrasound image generation modes, wherein the causing the ultrasound transducer to execute the polarization processing occurs automatically, in response to the determined sensitivity level decreasing to a threshold sensitivity level. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The ultrasound image generation method according to claim 10, wherein the causing the ultrasound transducer to execute the polarization processing occurs after a conclusion of one ultrasound image generation mode of the one or more ultrasound image generation modes that is occurring while the sensitivity level of the ultrasound transducer is determined to be at or below the threshold sensitivity level and before executing a subsequent ultrasound image generation mode of the one or more ultrasound image generation modes. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The ultrasound image generation method according to claim 10, wherein the determined sensitivity level is based on an amplitude of echoes received by the ultrasound transducer during executing the one or more ultrasound image generation modes. ### Claim 13 (depends on 4) The ultrasound image generation method according to claim 4, further comprising: determining image quality deterioration of an image generated from an echo signal received as a result of executing the one or more ultrasound image generation modes, wherein the causing the ultrasound transducer to execute the polarization processing occurs automatically in response to the determined image quality deterioration. ### Claim 14 An ultrasound image generation method, executable in an ultrasound system, comprising: an ultrasound probe including an array of ultrasound transducers; a transmission circuit having transmit channels coupled to the ultrasound transducers; and a controller with computer readable instructions stored on non-transitory memory that when executed during operation of the ultrasound system, cause the controller to: apply an imaging transmit signal for processing in one or more modes via the transmission circuit to the ultrasound probe; and apply a repolarization transmit signal for processing in one or more modes via the transmission circuit to the ultrasound probe one or more of before, after, or interleaved between execution of the imaging transmit signal for processing in one or more modes, the method comprising: executing an ultrasound image generation mode by applying one or more imaging transmit pulses adapted for imaging to an ultrasound transducer; determining a sensitivity of the ultrasound transducer during executing the ultrasound image generation mode; and in response to the determined sensitivity decreasing to a threshold level, causing the ultrasound transducer to execute polarization processing following a conclusion of the executed ultrasound image generation mode, wherein the imaging transmit signal is different and separate from the repolarization transmit signal, and wherein an amplitude of the repolarization transmit signal is greater than an amplitude of the imaging transmit signal. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The ultrasound image generation method according to claim 14, wherein the causing the ultrasound transducer to execute the polarization processing includes applying one or more repolarization transmit pulses adapted for repolarization to the ultrasound transducer, and wherein the repolarization transmit pulses are different from and occur separately from the one or more imaging transmit pulses. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The ultrasound image generation method according to claim 14, wherein the one or more imaging transmit pulses include a first number of imaging transmit pulses, and wherein the causing the ultrasound transducer to execute the polarization processing includes applying a second number of repolarization transmit pulses to the ultrasound transducer, the second number being less than the first number. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The ultrasound image generation method according to claim 16, wherein the second number is determined in response to the sensitivity of the ultrasound transducer. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The ultrasound image generation method according to claim 14, wherein the executing the ultrasound image generation mode includes sending an imaging input signal adapted for ultrasound image generation to the ultrasound transducer. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The ultrasound image generation method according to claim 18, wherein the ultrasound transducer is a single crystal transducer.