Diagnostic ultrasound apparatus
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsKatsuya Oikawa, Kenichi Nagae, Yasuhiro Someda
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Abstract
A novel diagnostic ultrasound apparatus has a plurality of ultrasound probes 1, delay means pairs 4 and 7 arranged respectively in the plurality of ultrasound probes to electronically delay the timings of transmissions or receptions of ultrasonic waves by the ultrasonic transducers, position/orientation detecting means 10 and delay control signal generating means for generating a delay control signal to control signal delays of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers of the plurality of ultrasound probes, using information acquired from the means 10. The delay control signal is input to the delay means to control the timings of transmission of ultrasonic waves to a target object of examination.
Claims14
A diagnostic ultrasound apparatus for transmitting ultrasonic waves to a target object, receiving ultrasonic waves reflected from the target object and generating image data relating to the target object based on acquired echo signals, said apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of ultrasound probes, each being formed to include a plurality of ultrasonic transducers;
- delay circuitry deployed to electronically delay the timing of transmission of ultrasonic waves from said ultrasonic transducers;
- and
- position-and-orientation sensors provided respectively in said plurality of ultrasound probes to detect information as to relative position and relative angle with respect to each other of said plurality of ultrasound probes,
- wherein said delay circuitry controls the timing of transmission of ultrasonic waves from respective ones of said ultrasonic transducers according to the information as to relative position and relative angle with respect to each other of said plurality of ultrasound probes that was acquired from said position-and-orientation sensors so that ultrasonic waves transmitted from said plurality of ultrasound probes are in phase and combined with each other in a crossing region of the transmitted waves.
A diagnostic ultrasound apparatus for transmitting ultrasonic waves to a target object, receiving ultrasonic waves reflected from the target object and generating image data relating to the target object based on acquired echo signals, said apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of ultrasound probes, each being formed to include a plurality of ultrasonic transducers;
- delay circuitry deployed to electronically delay reception signals from the plurality of ultrasound probes;
- and
- position-and-orientation sensors arranged respectively in said plurality of ultrasound probes to detect information as to relative position and relative angle with respect to each other of said plurality of ultrasound probes,
- wherein said delay circuitry controls electronically delaying the reception signals according to the information as to relative position and relative angle with respect to each other of said plurality of ultrasound probes that was acquired from said position-and-orientation sensors so that reception signals, corresponding to ultrasonic waves from a same point of the target object, from said plurality of ultrasound probes are in phase with each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.