Ultrasound in Med. & Biol. Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 247-249, 1988 0301-5629/88 $3.00 + .00 Printed in the U.S.A. (c) 1988 Pergamon Press pie. All rights reserved.

NEW PATENTS

This Section contains abstracts and, where appropriate, illustrations of recently issued United States patents and published patent applications filed from over 30 countries under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. This information was obtained from recent additions to the Pergamon PATSEARCH "~ online database in accordance with interest profiles developed by the Editors. Further information about Pergamon PATSEARCH ~ can be obtained from Pergamon Orbit InfoLine Inc., 8000 Westpark Drive, McLean, Virginia 22102 U.S.A.

Copies of complete patents announced in this Section are available from Pergamon Orbit InfoLine Inc. for $8 per copy. Payment with order is required. Orders outside North America add $2 for air postage. Order by patent number for Pergamon Orbit InfoLine only.

4674516

ULTRASONIC DELAY LINE MATRIX SWITCH CHECK

SYSTEM

Yuichi Hirota, Toshikatsu Kodama, Hideya Akasaka, Yasuhito Takeuchi, Tokyo, Japan as- signed to Yokogawa Medical Systems Limited

The equipment in this invention provides an ul- trasound diagnostic equipment with a matrix switch checking means configured in a combined use with means commonly furnished to said device heaving a built-in test sequencer, whereby taps on the delay line is selected in due order from one end of said taps for each channel of the matrix switch to input a checking signal to that channel from a transducer circuit every time these taps are selected; as a result a signal ob- tained from the delay-line output terminals is shown on a display screen of a display device as a mimic echo signal to determine the presence or absence of any fault of switching elements in the relevant channel of the matrix switch based on a mimic echo image pattern shown on the display screen.

4676105

TISSUE SIGNATURE TRACKING TRANSCEIVER

Terrance Matzuk assigned to Dymax Corpora- tion

An ultrasound transceiver 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-

247

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.

4676106

ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCER

Yasutaka Nagai, Susumu Enjoji, Ootawara, Japan assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

A phased-array ultrasonic transducer for an ul- trasonograph is provided in which electrical signals are supplied to ultrasonic transducer ele- ments to generate ultrasonic beams for dia- gnostic scanning. The ultrasonic transducer comprises a number of ultrasonic transducer ele- ments arranged in the form of an array, a signal electrode plate coupled to the signal-supply side of the transducer elements and connected to a transmitter-receiver circuit by means of signal wires, and an earth electrode plate connected to the earth side of the transducer elements. The earth electrode plate is divided into a plurality of split earth electrode plates corresponding to ul- trasonic transducer groups each including a plurality of adjacent transducer elements so that the split earth electrode plates are grounded independently. Thus, clearer and more accurate ultrasonic images can be obtained without un- desired signals attributed to any other trans- ducer elements than the transducer element in operation being produced or artifact appearing on the ultrasonic image.