New Patents 115

4583184 4586512

ULTRASONIC IMAGE PROCESSOR

Masakaz Murase, Fuji, Japan assigned to Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha

By repeatedly adding items of picture element data representing an identical region of a serial picture element input which arrives serially in time, an improvement is effected in the S/N ratio of a periodic signal mixed in irregular, randomly occurring noise. A memory is provided for storing items of picture element data of one frame at storage locations corresponding to each of the picture elements. For each new item of pic- ture element data that arrives, an item of picture element data of the same region accumulated and stored prior to said arrival is readout of the memory and added to the newly arrived data. The resulting sum is then written back into the memory at the same storage location. Thus, a single memory can be made to store picture data of enhanced S/N ratio merely by increasing slightly the bit storage capacity per data item in conformance with the number of times frames are accumulated.

4584880

TISSUE SIGNATURE TRACKING TRANCEIVER

Terranc Matzuk assigned to Dymax Corpora- tion

An ultrasound tranceiver providing enhanced imaging by selective filtering of the received signal to provide a variable frequency, constant bandwidth filtering of the received echo signals. The resulting signals are then detected to pro- duce a signal, which when displayed, has a reduced number of false multiple images and en- hanced signal quality from the deeper tissue dis- continuities. Additionally, the received signal is detected in quadrature by reference to a simulated carrier pilot tone having a non- constant frequency relationship to the trans- mitted signal. The resulting signal is post- processed to provide information which is used to display structural features, and in addition, the velocity profile of blood flow. The structure and velocity image information is superimposed to provide a composite signal wherein the static and dynamic characteristic of a patient is com- pletely reported to the observer.

DEVICE FOR LOCALIZED HEATING OF BIOLOGICAL

TISSUES

Jean-Paul Do-huu, Pierre Hartemann, Paris, France assigned to Thomson-CSF

A device for therapeutic heating by hyper- thermia comprises an emitter which focuses ul- trasonic radiation into biological tissues and produces localized heating, especially for the treatment of tumors. The radiation emitter con- sists of a piezoelectric plate subdivided into annular radiating zones of equal width by a set of concentric circular grooves.

8600516

IMAGE DIAGNOSING APPARATUS

Yasuhito TAKEUCHI, Takao HIGASHIIZUMI, Hideya AKASAKA, Takao JIBIKI, Shinichi SANO, Yokogawa Medical Systems, Ltd., 7-11, Nakacho 2-chome, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180, Japan assigned to YOKOGAWA MEDICAL SYSTEMS LTD;

An image diagnosing apparatus uses common ultrasonic transceivers. When the B-mode two- dimensional imaging and the measurement of pulse Doppler signals are to be effected in time increments, the B-mode two-dimensional im- aging which features good real time property and the measurement of pulse Doppler signals based on a sufficient data rate are carried out by simply constructed Doppler signal interpolation means. Ultrasonic transceiver means (21, 23-25, 27) repetitively effect the combination of a plurality of times of ultrasonic transceiver sequences for the pulse Doppler mode and one time of ul- trasonic transceiver sequence for B-mode two- dimensional imaging, for a sample (22). Demodulator means (38-41) demodulate Dop- pler signals based upon received signals that are obtained by the ultrasonic transceiver sequences for the pulse Doppler mode. Sampling means (42-44) range-gate sample the Doppler signals that are demodulated. Interpolation means (45) interpolate a sampled output signal by a sampled value of Doppler signal that is lost when the ul- trasonic transceiver sequences for B-mode two- dimensional imaging are being executed. Doppler signal processing means (46-48) process sampling signals that have been interpolated, and B-mode two-dimensional imaging means