# US 2014/0194745 A1 · Ultrasound image diagnostic device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0194745 A1 - Document ID: US20140194745A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/208,230 - Filed: 2014-03-13 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2011-06-14 - Assignees: Konica Minolta, Inc. - Applicants: Konica Minolta, Inc. - Inventors: Tsuyoshi OKUBO - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140194745A1 ## CPC - A61B 8/5269: {involving detection or reduction of artifacts} - A61B 8/4483: {characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer} - A61B 8/4488: {the transducer being a phased array} - G01S 7/52026: {Extracting wanted echo signals (Doppler systems G01S15/50; Doppler short range imaging systems G01S15/8979)} - G01S 7/52038: {involving non-linear properties of the propagation medium or of the reflective target} - G01S 7/52047: {for elimination of side lobes or of grating lobes; for increasing resolving power} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES ## Abstract An ultrasound image diagnostic device including: a transducer to output transmission ultrasound toward a subject by a drive signal and also to output a reception signal by receiving reflection ultrasound from the subject; a noise output section in which when the transducer receives the reflection ultrasound, a voltage containing noise is applied to the transducer to amplify the reception signal by a stochastic resonance phenomenon; a harmonic extracting section to extract a harmonic component from the reception signal; and an image processing section to generate ultrasound diagnostic image data of an interior of the subject based on the harmonic component extracted by the harmonic extracting section, wherein the noise output section applies a voltage containing noise such that the harmonic component is amplified by the stochastic resonance phenomenon to the transducer. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for an ultrasound image diagnostic device comprising a transducer, the method comprising: outputting, by the transducer, transmission ultrasound toward a subject in accordance with a drive signal; receiving, by the transducer, reflection ultrasound from the subject, and outputting a reception signal from the transducer; applying a voltage containing noise to the transducer to amplify the reception signal by a stochastic resonance phenomenon, when the transducer receives the reflection ultrasound; extracting a harmonic component from the reception signal; and generating ultrasound diagnostic image data of an interior of the subject based on the extracted harmonic component, wherein the voltage containing noise is applied to the transducer such that the harmonic component is amplified by the stochastic resonance phenomenon. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method described in claim 1, wherein the voltage containing noise is applied to the transducer such that a third harmonic component is amplified by the stochastic resonance phenomenon. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method described in claim 1, wherein the voltage containing noise is applied to the transducer such that based on a depth of the reflection ultrasound received by the transducer, a gain of an amplification of the harmonic component by the stochastic resonance phenomenon is changed per harmonic order. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method described in claim 3, wherein a pattern of noise contained in the applied voltage is changed, to change, per harmonic order, the gain of the amplification of the harmonic component by the stochastic resonance phenomenon. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method described in claim 1, wherein the voltage containing noise is applied to the transducer such that the harmonic component is amplified at a timing when the transducer receives the reflection ultrasound from a predetermined depth in the subject. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method described in claim 1, further comprising superimposing a bias voltage to the voltage containing noise so that the voltage containing noise matches a baseline of the reception signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method described in claim 6, wherein a magnitude of the bias voltage is changed based on a depth of the reflection ultrasound received by the transducer. ### Claim 8 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a program stored thereon that is executable by a computer of an ultrasound image diagnostic device comprising a transducer, the program being executable to cause the ultrasound image diagnostic device to perform functions comprising: outputting, by the transducer, transmission ultrasound toward a subject in accordance with a drive signal; receiving, by the transducer, reflection ultrasound from the subject, and outputting a reception signal from the transducer; applying a voltage containing noise to the transducer to amplify the reception signal by a stochastic resonance phenomenon, when the transducer receives the reflection ultrasound; extracting a harmonic component from the reception signal; and generating ultrasound diagnostic image data of an interior of the subject based on the extracted harmonic component, wherein the voltage containing noise is applied to the transducer such that the harmonic component is amplified by the stochastic resonance phenomenon. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium described in claim 8, wherein the voltage containing noise is applied to the transducer such that a third harmonic component is amplified by the stochastic resonance phenomenon. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium described in claim 8, wherein the voltage containing noise is applied to the transducer such that based on a depth of the reflection ultrasound received by the transducer, a gain of an amplification of the harmonic component by the stochastic resonance phenomenon is changed per harmonic order. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium described in claim 10, wherein a pattern of noise contained in the applied voltage is changed, to change, per harmonic order, the gain of the amplification of the harmonic component by the stochastic resonance phenomenon. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium described in claim 8, wherein the voltage containing noise is applied to the transducer such that the harmonic component is amplified at a timing when the transducer receives the reflection ultrasound from a predetermined depth in the subject. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium described in claim 8, wherein functions further comprise superimposing a bias voltage to the voltage containing noise so that the voltage containing noise matches a baseline of the reception signal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium described in claim 13, wherein a magnitude of the bias voltage is changed based on a depth of the reflection ultrasound received by the transducer.