ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS AND PROBE INSPECTION APPARATUS

• Main Authors: KOBAYASHI YUTAKA, OHASHI MINORU, OGASAWARA YOICHI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: 10.08.2023
• Subjects: DIAGNOSIS; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; IDENTIFICATION; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; SURGERY

To favorably separate a reflected signal from unnecessary signals to improve the reliability of inspection of an ultrasonic probe, in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for inspecting the ultrasonic probe.SOLUTION: In one embodiment, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe and an apparatus main body. The ultrasonic probe includes at least a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged in an array and an ultrasonic lens. The apparatus main body inspects the ultrasonic probe by using a reflected signal from an interface between the ultrasonic lens and air, and includes inspection processing part. The inspection processing part sequentially selects an ultrasonic transducer to be inspected from the plurality of ultrasonic transducers one by one, causes the selected ultrasonic transducer to transmit an ultrasonic pulse, and sequentially inspects each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers by acquiring a reflected signal responding to transmission of the ultrasonic pulse from the interface. The inspection processing part sequentially selects the to-be inspected ultrasonic transducers one by one in such a way that any two temporally adjacent transducers are not spatially adjacent but are separated by a predetermined separation distance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5 【課題】超音波プローブを点検する超音波診断装置において、反射信号を不要信号から良好に分離し、超音波プローブの点検の確実性を高める。【解決手段】一実施形態の超音波診断装置は、超音波プローブと、装置本体とを備える。超音波プローブは、アレイ状に配列された複数の超音波振動子と超音波レンズとを少なくとも有する。装置本体は、超音波レンズと空気との界面からの反射信号を利用して前記超音波プローブを点検するものであり、前記複数の超音波振動子の中から点検対象の超音波振動子をひとつずつ順次選択し、選択した前記超音波振動子から超音波パルスを送信し、前記超音波パルスの送信に応じた前記界面からの反射信号を取得して前記複数の超音波振動子の夫々を順次点検する、点検処理部、を備え、前記点検処理部は、時間的に隣接する２つの超音波振動子が、空間的には隣接せずに所定の離隔距離だけ離れるように、前記点検対象の超音波振動子をひとつずつ順次選択する。【選択図】 図５