Apparatus for producing an image of an object scanned by ultrasonic wave beams
AssigneeTokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorIchiro Sato
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Delay controllers are provided to delay pulses supplied to a plurality of electro-acoustic transducers. Each controller comprises a delay line provided with a plurality of taps and a switch for selectively changing the taps. There are further provided a measuring circuit for measuring amounts of delay time defined by the respective taps of the delay controllers; a CPU for controlling the operation of the measuring circuit and delay controllers. The CPU causes the measuring circuit to measure the amounts of delay time defined by the respective taps. Where the electro-acoustic transducers are electrically operated in accordance with the result of measurement, data for selecting any of the taps is stored in the RAM after proper compensation.
Claims4
In an apparatus for producing an image of an object scanned by ultrasonic wave beams and comprising a plurality of electro-acoustic transducer means arranged in a prescribed manner for irradiating ultrasonic wave beams toward an object under examination and for converting ultrasonic waves reflected from the object into corresonding video signals, means for generating reference signals for activating said transducer means, means for processing video signals to display an image of the object under examination, and means for delaying for one of a plurality of selectable time delay periods the transfer of said reference signals to said transducer and the transfer of said video signals to said processing means, means for calibrating the time durations of said selectable time delay periods comprising:
- memory means for selectively storing in associated memory locations a reference delay value corresponding to the duration of each said selectable time delay periods;
- means for measuring the actual time delay periods provided by said delaying means;
- and
- central processor means coupled to said memory means and said measuring means for (1) converting said measurements of said actual time delay periods into corresponding comparison values, (2) determining an ideal time delay value corresponding to each of said selectable time delay periods, (3) comparing a said ideal time delay value to each of said comparison values, (4) storing said comparison value most nearly equal to a said compared ideal time delay value into said memory location associated with the time delay period corresponding to said compared value whereby said memory locations store reference values corresponding to the actual time delay periods provided by said delaying means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.