Ultrasonic transducer assembly and method of scanning

An ultrasonic transducer assembly for examining a patient comprising:

• a transducer unit having an array transducer composed of a plurality of transducer elements arranged along a predetermined direction for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to effect electronic scanning;
• a casing housing said transducer unit therein, said casing having an outer surface and a contact portion formed on the outer surface, said contract portion adapted to be brought into contact with the patient;
• rocking means disposed within said casing, for rocking said transducer unit angularly about a virtual rotative axis which is determined on an electronic scanning plane produced by the array transducer, said virtual rotative axis being located outside said casing and in the vicinity of said contact portion of said casing in such a manner that said virtual rotative axis is adapted to be positioned between adjacent ribs of the patient when said contact portion is abutted onto the body surface of the patient for diagnosis and said rocking means having an arc-shaped guide route about the virtual rotative axis;
• linking means for linking said transducer unit to the arc-shaped guide route in such a way that said transducer unit can be rocked along the arc-shaped guide route with the virtual rotative axis as its center, the linking means including guiding means for guiding said transducer unit about said virtual rotative axis comprising a pair of guiding members arranged in parallel to each other, each guide member being disposed opposite a respective end of said array transducers, and each of said guiding members includes first and second arc-shaped guide routes arranged concentrically with a space in a radial direction thereof;
• and
• driving means for reciprocatingly moving said linking means along the arc-shaped guide route of said guiding means through said linking means.

An ultrasonic transducer assembly for examining a patient comprising:

• transducer unit having an array transducer composed of a plurality of transducer elements arranged along a predetermined direction for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to effect electronic scanning;
• casing housing said transducer unit therein, said casing having an outer surface and a contact portion formed on the outer surface, said contract portion adapted to be brought into contact with the patient;
• rocking means disposed within said casings, for rocking said transducer unit angularly about a virtual rotative axis which is determined on an electronic scanning plane produced by the array transducer and located between the array transducer and the patient, said rocking means having an arc-shaped guide route about the virtual rotative axis;
• linking means for linking said transducer unit in such a way that said transducer unit can be rocked along the arc-shaped guide route with the virtual rotative axis as its center, the linking means including guiding means for guiding said transducer unit about the virtual rotative axis comprising a pair of guiding members arranged in parallel to each ether, each guide member being disposed opposite a respective end of said array transducers, and each of said guiding members includes first and second arc-shaped guide routes arranged concentrically with a space in a radial direction thereof, said guiding members having upper and lower surfaces providing said first and second arc-shaped guide routes, respectively;
• and
• driving means for reciprocatingly moving said linking means along the arc-shaped guide route of said guiding means through said linking means;
• wherein said transducer unit includes opposite end portions, in which said linking means comprises:
• a pair of arms extending from the end portions of said transducer unit to said guiding members, respectively;
• and
• plurality of rollers provided on each of said arms and rotatably engaged with each of said first and second guide routes of said guide members.

An ultrasonic transducer assembly for examining a patient, the assembly comprising:

• a transducer unit having an array transducer composed of a plurality of transducer elements arranged along a predetermined direction for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to effect electronic scanning, said transducer unit including opposite end portions,
• a casing housing said transducer unit therein, said casing having a an outer surface and contact portion formed on the outer surface, said contact portion adapted to be brought into contact with the patient;
• rocking means disposed within said casing, for rocking said transducer unit angularly about a virtual rotative axis which is determined on an electronic scanning plane produced by the array transducer and located between the array transducer and the patient, said rocking means having an arc-shaped guide route about the virtual rotative axis;
• linking means for linking said transducer unit such a way that said transducer unit can be rocked along the arc-shaped guide route of with the virtual rotative axis as its center, said linking means comprising guiding means having arms extending from the end portions of said transducer unit to said guiding means and engaging means provided on each of said arms and movably engaged with said guiding means;
• and
• driving means for reciprocatingly moving said linking means along the arc-shaped guide route of said guiding means through said linking means.

A method of improved ultrasonic scanning of a body part of a patient, using a transducer assembly having an array transducer composed of a plurality of transducer elements arranged along a predetermined direction for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves via a transmitting and receiving surface to effect electronic scanning and a casing housing said array transducer unit therein, said casing having an outer surface and a contact portion formed on the outer surface adjacent the transmitting and receiving surface, and the contact portion adapted to be brought into contact with a body surface of a patient to be examined when used, the method comprising:

• mounting said array transducer within said casing at a position spaced from the transmitting and receiving surface such that said array transducer can move angularly about a virtual axis which is located outside said casing and in the vicinity of said contact portion of said casing in such a manner that said virtual rotative axis is adapted to be positioned between adjacent ribs of the patient when said contact portion is abutted onto the body surface of the patient for diagnosis;
• placing the casing in the vicinity of a body part of the patient
• producing a scanning plane passing through said virtual axis;
• acquiring echo data produced from said scanning plane;
• rocking said array transducer about said virtual axis;
• and
• repeating said producing, acquiring, and rocking steps to form a three-dimensional data acquisition region by sweeping the scanning plane about the virtual axis.