Patent · US Expired

Ultrasonic imaging device

US4495817A · kind A · utility

17Cited by
4References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 25, 1983
Grant dateJan 29, 1985
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 25, 2003

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2291/0427
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An ultrasonic imaging device includes a transducer assembly for transmitting ultrasound pulses into a portion of a structure to be imaged and receiving ultrasound scattered by said structure portion and generating signals in response thereto, means to energize said transducer assembly to transmit said pulses, scanning means for progressively relating said transducer assembly to successive portions of said structure according to a scanning pattern, and receiver and signal processing means for assembling an image from said generated signals, the transducer assembly comprising separate transmitting and receiving transducers, one of said transducers being a simulated conical transducer having a line focus, and the other of said transducers having its axis in parallel alignment with said line focus, the scanning means being operative to move said line focus in relation to a structure to be imaged in accordance with said scanning pattern. The simulated conical transducer includes a transducer element and an associated acoustic reflector system such that an active surface of the transducer element is perceived at said line focus as a conical transducer having a surface of much larger area…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.