JP2007236820A - Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic probe for attaining a pulse subtraction method without enlarging the ultrasonic probe, and to provide ultrasonic diagnostic equipment. <P>SOLUTION: A straight polarity vibrator 3a and a reverse polarity vibrator 3b are polarized mutually in opposite directions and alternately arranged in a direction to be orthogonally crossed with the surface of array ultrasonic vibrators so as to be rotationally-symmetrical by 180° with an axis, which passes the center of the surface of array, as a rotary axis. In the first transmission, the straight polarity vibrator 3a is driven so as to transmit ultrasonic wave. In the second transmission, the reverse polarity vibrator 3b is driven so as to transmit the ultrasonic wave. The phase of a signal received by the reverse polarity vibrator 3b is inverted by a phase inverting part 6. The signals obtained by the first and second transmission are added so as to acquire a signal only with a nonlinear component. Then, an image based on the nonlinear component is obtained. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe in which ultrasonic transducers are two-dimensionally arranged, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including the ultrasonic probe.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus transmits an ultrasonic wave into the subject using an ultrasonic probe equipped with an ultrasonic transducer, receives a reflected wave caused by an acoustic impedance mismatch in the subject, and receives the received signal. Is an apparatus for imaging the internal state of the subject based on the above.

  Here, a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the related art will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the prior art. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is configured to include an ultrasonic probe 100 and a main body 200, and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves by the ultrasonic probe 100, and images based on signals acquired by the main body 200 by transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves. Is generated and displayed.

  The ultrasonic probe 100 includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 101 arranged in a matrix (lattice) shape, and transmits a three-dimensional ultrasonic wave to receive a reflected wave, thereby three-dimensionally spreading in a radial shape. Data can be received as an echo signal.

  The control unit 201 provided in the main body unit 200 includes a clock generation circuit and a transmission delay setting circuit. The clock generation circuit is a circuit that generates a clock signal that determines the transmission timing and transmission frequency of the ultrasonic signal. The transmission delay circuit is a circuit that sets delay data in the transmission unit in order to perform transmission focus with a delay when transmitting ultrasonic waves.

  The transmitter 102 generates a drive pulse at a transmission timing multiplied by a delay, and supplies the drive pulse to each ultrasonic transducer 101. The receiving unit 103 receives the echo signal received by the ultrasonic transducer 101 and amplifies the echo signal for each reception channel. The amplified echo signal is output to the signal processing unit 202 of the main body unit 200 via the connector 104.

  The signal processing unit 202 performs A / D conversion on the echo signal received by the reception unit 103, gives a delay time necessary for determining reception directivity to the echo signal after A / D conversion, and adds the delay time . Then, bandpass filter processing is performed on the signal after the addition processing, and then the envelope of the output signal is detected, and the detected data is subjected to compression processing by logarithmic transformation.

  The image processing unit 203 performs three-dimensional image data or arbitrary cross-sectional image data (MPR image data) by performing image processing such as volume rendering processing or MPR processing on volume data acquired by transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves. ) Etc. are generated. This image data is output to the display unit 204, and a three-dimensional image, an MPR image, or the like is displayed on the screen of the display unit 204.

  Here, the manufacturing process of the ultrasonic probe 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing process of an ultrasonic probe according to the prior art. First, the ultrasonic transducer is polarized in one direction (step S10). Then, after the acoustic matching layer is formed (step S11), a common (GND) electrode is connected to the ultrasonic radiation surface side, and a signal electrode is connected to the back surface side opposite to the radiation surface (step S12). . Thereafter, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 101 are arranged in a matrix (lattice) by two-dimensionally arraying the ultrasonic transducers (step S13). Then, the transmitting unit 102 and the receiving unit 103 are connected to the ultrasonic transducer 101 (step S14), and the ultrasonic probe 100 is formed by attaching the outer case (step S15).

  In a one-dimensional ultrasonic probe in which ultrasonic transducers are arranged in one row, strip-like ultrasonic transducers are arranged in one row, so the number of elements is about 100, but the ultrasonic transducers are arranged two-dimensionally. In the arranged two-dimensional ultrasonic probe, the number of elements of the ultrasonic transducer is several thousand. Therefore, if the signal wire of all ultrasonic transducers is passed through the cable connecting the ultrasonic probe and the main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the diameter of the cable increases, and the operability of the ultrasonic probe deteriorates. There's a problem. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 10, a transmitter and a receiver are often provided in the ultrasonic probe. On the other hand, since the operator operates the ultrasonic probe by hand, it is desirable that the ultrasonic probe is small in consideration of operability. Therefore, the physical capacity of the transmitter and the receiver installed in the ultrasonic probe becomes severely limited. Therefore, when the transmitter and the receiver are provided in the ultrasonic probe, the transmitter is installed in the main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Compared with the case where the receiving unit is provided, it is necessary to simplify the functions of the transmitting unit and the receiving unit and reduce the circuit scale as much as possible.

  Also, in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using a one-dimensional ultrasonic probe, a pulse wave having an opposite phase is transmitted between the first ultrasonic transmission and the second ultrasonic transmission, and the received reflected waves are added. Thus, a technique (pulse subtraction method) that removes the fundamental wave component and visualizes only the nonlinear component has been put into practical use (for example, Patent Document 1). Thereby, the influence of artifacts such as side lobes and grating lobes is reduced, and an image with high contrast and easy to see is generated. However, in the pulse subtraction method, since it is necessary to transmit a pulse wave of both polarities, the configuration of the transmission unit becomes complicated and the circuit scale of the transmission unit increases as compared with the case of transmitting a pulse wave of one polarity. . In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus provided with a two-dimensional ultrasonic probe, it is necessary to limit the circuit scale of a transmission unit and a reception unit installed in the two-dimensional ultrasonic probe, so that it is not easy to realize the pulse subtraction method. In other words, it is not easy to realize the pulse subtraction method without increasing the circuit scale of the transmission unit installed in the ultrasonic probe.

US Pat. No. 5,706,819

  The present invention solves the above problems, and is a two-dimensional ultrasonic probe in which ultrasonic transducers are two-dimensionally arranged and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including the two-dimensional ultrasonic probe, An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic probe capable of realizing the pulse subtraction method without increasing the size of the ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including the ultrasonic probe.

  The invention according to claim 1 is an ultrasonic probe having an ultrasonic transducer section in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are two-dimensionally arranged, and the ultrasonic transducer section is polarized in a first direction. A plurality of first ultrasonic transducers, and a plurality of second ultrasonic transducers polarized in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the first ultrasonic wave The transducers and the second ultrasonic transducers are alternately arranged, and are arranged so as to be 180 ° rotationally symmetric with respect to an axis perpendicular to the arrangement plane of the ultrasonic transducers. Ultrasonic probe.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ultrasonic wave comprising: an ultrasonic vibrator part in which a plurality of ultrasonic vibrators are two-dimensionally arranged; and a transmission part that applies a drive pulse signal to the ultrasonic vibrator. The probe includes a plurality of third ultrasonic transducers polarized in a predetermined direction and a plurality of fourth ultrasonic waves polarized in the same direction as the third ultrasonic transducer. The third ultrasonic transducer and the fourth ultrasonic transducer are alternately arranged, and rotated by 180 ° about an axis perpendicular to the arrangement plane of the ultrasonic transducer. The transmitter is arranged symmetrically, and the transmitter alternately applies the drive pulse signal to the third ultrasonic transducer and the drive pulse signal to the fourth ultrasonic transducer. For the fourth ultrasonic transducer, a driving pulse applied to the third ultrasonic transducer An ultrasound probe, characterized by applying a No. opposite polarity driving pulse signal.

  The invention according to claim 8 is an ultrasonic probe having an ultrasonic transducer unit in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are two-dimensionally arranged, and a transmission unit that applies a drive pulse signal to the ultrasonic transducer unit An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: a signal processing unit; and an image processing unit that generates image data based on a signal received by the ultrasonic probe, wherein the ultrasonic transducer unit has a first direction. A plurality of first ultrasonic transducers polarized in a first direction and a plurality of second ultrasonic transducers polarized in a second direction opposite to the first direction, The ultrasonic transducers and the second ultrasonic transducers are alternately arranged, arranged so as to be 180 ° rotationally symmetric about an axis perpendicular to the arrangement plane of the ultrasonic transducers, and the transmission unit , Applying a drive pulse signal to the first ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer. By alternately applying the drive pulse signal to the child, the first ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer are caused to transmit ultrasonic waves alternately, and the signal processing unit A reflected wave based on an ultrasonic wave transmitted by applying a drive pulse signal to the first ultrasonic vibrator, the signal received by the first ultrasonic vibrator and the second ultrasonic vibrator; A reflected wave based on an ultrasonic wave transmitted by applying a drive pulse signal to the second ultrasonic vibrator, and a signal received by the first ultrasonic vibrator and the second ultrasonic vibrator; , And the image processing unit generates image data based on the added signal.

  The invention according to claim 10 is an ultrasonic probe having an ultrasonic transducer unit in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are two-dimensionally arranged, and a transmitter for applying a drive pulse signal to the ultrasonic transducer unit An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: a signal processing unit; and an image processing unit that generates image data based on a signal received by the ultrasonic probe, wherein the ultrasonic transducer unit is polarized in a predetermined direction. A plurality of third ultrasonic transducers, and a plurality of fourth ultrasonic transducers polarized in the same direction as the third ultrasonic transducers, and the third ultrasonic transducers, The fourth ultrasonic transducers are alternately arranged, arranged so as to be 180 ° rotationally symmetric with respect to an axis perpendicular to the arrangement plane of the ultrasonic transducers, and the transmission unit includes the third ultrasonic transducer Application of drive pulse signal to ultrasonic transducer and to the fourth ultrasonic transducer The drive pulse signal is alternately applied, and a drive pulse signal having a polarity opposite to that of the drive pulse signal applied to the third ultrasonic transducer is applied to the fourth ultrasonic transducer. Then, the ultrasonic waves are alternately transmitted to the third ultrasonic transducer and the fourth ultrasonic transducer, and the signal processing unit applies a drive pulse signal to the third ultrasonic transducer. A reflected wave based on the transmitted ultrasonic wave, a signal received by the third ultrasonic transducer and the fourth ultrasonic transducer, and a drive pulse signal applied to the fourth ultrasonic transducer. A reflected wave based on the transmitted ultrasonic wave, and the third ultrasonic transducer and the signal received by the fourth ultrasonic transducer are added together, and the image processing unit An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that generates image data based on a signal.

  According to this invention, since the ultrasonic transducers polarized in opposite directions can be alternately arranged and the pulse subtraction method can be realized by applying a drive pulse signal of the same polarity to each ultrasonic transducer, There is no need to apply bipolar drive pulse signals to each ultrasonic transducer. Since it is not necessary to apply bipolar drive pulse signals to each ultrasonic transducer in this way, the pulse subtraction method can be realized without complicating the configuration of the transmitter and increasing the circuit scale. . This makes it possible to realize the pulse subtraction method without increasing the size of the ultrasonic probe even when the transmission unit is installed in the ultrasonic probe.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the pulse subtraction method can be realized by transmitting ultrasonic waves by alternately applying driving pulse signals having opposite polarities to a plurality of ultrasonic transducers polarized in the same direction. It is not necessary to apply a driving pulse signal to each ultrasonic transducer. Since it is not necessary to apply bipolar drive pulse signals to each ultrasonic transducer in this way, the pulse subtraction method can be realized without complicating the configuration of the transmitter and increasing the circuit scale. . This makes it possible to realize the pulse subtraction method without increasing the size of the ultrasonic probe even when the transmission unit is installed in the ultrasonic probe.

[First Embodiment]
(Constitution)
The configurations of the ultrasonic probe and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of the ultrasonic transducer unit installed in the ultrasonic probe according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The ultrasonic probe 2 is provided with an ultrasonic transducer unit 3 on a known back material (not shown), and a known acoustic matching layer (not shown) is provided on the ultrasonic transducer unit 3. Yes. That is, the back material, the ultrasonic transducer unit 3, and the acoustic matching layer are laminated in this order. In the ultrasonic transducer unit 3, the surface on which the acoustic matching layer is provided is the ultrasonic radiation surface side, and the surface opposite to the surface (the surface on which the back material is provided) is the back surface side. A common (GND) electrode is connected to the radiation surface side of the ultrasonic transducer section 3, and a signal electrode is connected to the back surface side.

  The ultrasonic transducer unit 3 includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers polarized in a predetermined direction and a plurality of ultrasonic transducers polarized in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction. The ultrasonic transducer unit 3 is configured by alternately arranging the transducers in a matrix (lattice) form. That is, the ultrasonic transducer unit 3 is configured by alternately arranging a plurality of ultrasonic transducers polarized in opposite directions.

  In this embodiment, an ultrasonic transducer polarized in a predetermined direction is a positive polarity transducer 3a, and an ultrasonic transducer polarized in the opposite direction is a reverse polarity transducer 3b. The positive vibrator 3a corresponds to the “first ultrasonic vibrator” of the present invention, and the reverse polarity vibrator 3b corresponds to the “second ultrasonic vibrator” of the present invention.

  Here, the arrangement pattern of the positive polarity vibrator 3a and the reverse polarity vibrator 3b constituting the ultrasonic vibrator section 3 will be described with reference to the top view of FIG. The positive polarity vibrator 3a and the reverse polarity vibrator 3b have the same size and a rectangular shape. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of positive vibrators 3a and a plurality of reverse polarity vibrators 3b are alternately arranged. That is, the positive-polarity vibrators 3a and the reverse polarity vibrators 3b are alternately arranged to form a checkered pattern as a whole. Further, the number of positive polarity vibrators 3a and the number of reverse polarity vibrators 3b are equal. Assuming that an axis passing through the center of the array surface of the ultrasonic transducer unit 3 and perpendicular to the array surface is the center axis, the array pattern of the positive polarity vibrator 3a and the reverse polarity vibrator 3b has the center axis as the rotation axis. It is 180 ° rotationally symmetric.

Incidentally, the ultrasonic transducer unit 3, titanate gyricons lead _{Pb (Zr, Ti) O 3} , lithium niobate (LiNbO _3), ceramics such as barium titanate (BaTiO ₃₎ or lead titanate (PbTiO ₃₎ Material is used. Further, the backing material attenuates and absorbs ultrasonic vibration components that are not necessary for image extraction of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus among the ultrasonic vibrations oscillated from the ultrasonic moving part 3 and the ultrasonic vibrations at the time of reception. Generally, a material obtained by mixing inorganic particles such as tungsten, ferrite, and zinc oxide into synthetic rubber, epoxy resin, urethane rubber, or the like is used for the back material. The acoustic matching layer is provided to improve acoustic matching between the acoustic impedance of the ultrasonic transducer unit 3 and the acoustic impedance of the subject. There may be only one acoustic matching layer, or two or more acoustic matching layers.

  The control unit 9 provided in the main body unit 8 includes a clock generation circuit and a transmission delay setting circuit. The clock generation circuit is a circuit that generates a clock signal that determines the transmission timing and transmission frequency of ultrasonic vibration. The transmission delay setting circuit is a circuit that sets delay data in the transmission unit in order to perform transmission focus with a delay when transmitting ultrasonic waves.

  The transmission unit 4 generates a drive pulse signal at a transmission timing multiplied by a delay, and supplies the drive pulse signal to either the positive polarity vibrator 3a or the reverse polarity vibrator 3b. The supply destination of the drive pulse signal is switched by control by the control unit 9. When the pulse subtraction method is performed, for example, in the first transmission of ultrasonic waves, an ultrasonic wave is transmitted from the positive vibrator 3a by applying a drive pulse signal to the positive vibrator 3a under the control of the control unit 9. In the second transmission of the ultrasonic wave, the control unit 9 controls to switch the drive pulse signal supply destination and apply the drive pulse signal to the reverse polarity vibrator 3b, thereby transmitting the ultrasonic wave from the reverse polarity vibrator 3b. Send.

  The receiving unit 5 receives the echo signal received by the positive polarity vibrator 3a and the reverse polarity vibrator 3b, and amplifies the echo signal for each reception channel. The amplified echo signal is output to the signal processing unit 10 of the main body 8 via the connector 7.

  The phase inversion unit 6 is installed between the reverse polarity vibrator 3 b and the reception unit 5, inverts the phase of the signal output from the reverse polarity vibrator 3 b, and outputs a signal obtained by inverting the phase to the reception unit 5. .

  The signal processing unit 10 includes an A / D conversion circuit, a reception delay / addition circuit, a B-mode processing circuit, and the like. The A / D conversion circuit A / D converts the echo signal received by the receiving unit 5. The reception delay / adder circuit gives a delay time necessary for determining the reception directivity to the echo signal after A / D conversion, and adds the delay time. By the addition, the reflection component from the direction according to the reception directivity is emphasized. The B-mode processing circuit visualizes the amplitude information of the echo signal and generates B-mode ultrasonic raster data from the echo signal. Specifically, the B-mode processing circuit performs band-pass filter processing on the signal after the addition processing, then detects the envelope of the output signal, and performs compression processing by logarithmic conversion on the detected data To generate B-mode ultrasonic raster data.

  When performing the pulse subtraction method, the signal processing unit 10 adds the signal obtained by the first ultrasonic transmission / reception and the signal obtained by the second ultrasonic transmission / reception to obtain the fundamental wave component. Remove only the signal of the nonlinear component. More specifically, the signal processing unit 10 is a reflected wave based on the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the positive polarity vibrator 3a by applying a drive pulse signal to the positive polarity vibrator 3a. A reflected wave based on the signal received by the vibrator 3b (all ultrasonic vibrators) and the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the reverse polarity vibrator 3b by applying the drive pulse signal by the reverse polarity vibrator 3b, and having a positive polarity The signals received by the transducer 3a and the reverse polarity transducer 3b (all ultrasonic transducers) are added. As described above, the phase of the signal received by the reverse polarity vibrator 3 b is inverted by the phase inverter 6.

  In some cases, the signal processing unit 10 includes a Doppler processing unit or a CFM processing unit. The Doppler processing unit extracts the Doppler shift frequency component, further performs FFT processing, and generates data having blood flow information. The CFM processing unit visualizes blood flow information and generates color ultrasonic raster data.

  The image processing unit 11 performs image processing such as volume rendering processing and MPR processing on volume data acquired by transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves, thereby performing three-dimensional image data or arbitrary cross-sectional image data (MPR image data). ) Etc. are generated. This image data is output to the display unit 12, and a three-dimensional image, an MPR image, or the like is displayed on the screen of the display unit 12.

(Manufacturing process of ultrasonic probe 2)
Next, the manufacturing process of the ultrasonic probe according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing manufacturing steps of the ultrasonic probe according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  First, after forming an acoustic matching layer on the ultrasonic transducer (step S01), a common (GND) electrode is connected to the ultrasonic wave emission surface side, and a signal electrode is connected to the back side opposite to the emission surface. Connect (step S02). Then, the ultrasonic transducers are two-dimensionally arrayed to arrange a plurality of ultrasonic transducers in a matrix (lattice) (step S03). After that, half of the ultrasonic vibrators, and the positive vibrator 3a polarized in a predetermined direction by applying a high DC voltage every other one is manufactured (step S04). Then, by applying a DC high voltage in the reverse direction to the remaining half of the ultrasonic vibrators, the reverse polarity vibrator 3b polarized in the reverse direction with respect to the polarization of the positive vibrator 3a is produced (step) S05). Then, the transmission unit 4 and the reception unit 5 are connected to the ultrasonic transducers 3a and 3b (step S06). At this time, the phase inversion unit 6 is provided between the reverse polarity vibrator 3 b and the receiving unit 5. Thereafter, the ultrasonic probe 2 is formed by attaching the outer case (step S07).

(Function)
According to the ultrasonic probe 2 and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, it is possible to achieve the following preferable functions and effects.

(When sending)
When performing the pulse subtraction method, only half of the ultrasonic transducers polarized in the same direction are driven by the first ultrasonic transmission, and the remaining half of the ultrasonic transducers are driven by the second ultrasonic transmission. To do. For example, in the transmission of the first ultrasonic wave, the transmission unit 4 transmits the ultrasonic wave by applying the drive pulse signal only to the positive vibrator 3a under the control of the control unit 9, and in the transmission of the second ultrasonic wave, Under the control of the control unit 9, the transmission unit 4 applies a drive pulse signal only to the reverse polarity vibrator 3b to transmit an ultrasonic wave.

(When receiving)
At the time of reception, the reflected wave is received by all ultrasonic transducers. That is, at the time of transmission, ultrasonic waves are transmitted by driving either the positive polarity vibrator 3a or the reverse polarity vibrator 3b, but at the time of reception, the positive polarity vibrator 3a and the reverse polarity vibrator 3b ( All ultrasonic transducers) receive the reflected wave. The echo signal received by the positive vibrator 3a is output to the receiving unit 5 while maintaining the phase at the time of reception. On the other hand, the phase of the echo signal received by the reverse polarity vibrator 3 b is inverted by the phase inverting unit 6 and then output to the receiving unit 5. By the function of the phase inverting unit 6, the phase of the ultrasonic wave received by the reverse polarity vibrator 3b can be matched with the phase of the ultrasonic wave received by the positive polarity vibrator 3a.

  The echo signal received by the ultrasonic transducer unit 3 is output to the signal processing unit 10 of the main body unit 8 via the connector 7. Then, the signal processing unit 10 adds the signal obtained by the first ultrasonic transmission / reception and the signal obtained by the second ultrasonic transmission / reception to remove the fundamental component and Get signal only. That is, in the first transmission of ultrasonic waves, only the positive vibrator 3a is driven to transmit ultrasonic waves, and in the second transmission of ultrasonic waves, only the reverse polarity vibrator 3b is driven to transmit ultrasonic waves. Therefore, pulse waves having opposite phases to each other are transmitted, and by adding the signals obtained by this transmission / reception, the fundamental wave component is removed, and only the signal of the nonlinear component is obtained.

  The image processing unit 11 generates image data based on the nonlinear component signal obtained by the addition processing of the signal processing unit 10. For example, by performing image processing such as volume rendering and MPR processing, image data such as three-dimensional image data and MPR image data in an arbitrary cross section is generated. As a result, an image such as a three-dimensional image or an MPR image based on the nonlinear component signal is displayed on the display unit 12.

  Here, the ultrasonic field distribution during transmission and reception will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a sound field distribution formed when ultrasonic waves are transmitted by the ultrasonic probe according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a sound field distribution formed when ultrasonic waves are received by the ultrasonic probe according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  For example, when an ultrasonic beam is transmitted while being deflected in an oblique direction from the center of the ultrasonic transducer section 3, a grating lobe is generated in the oblique direction. In the first embodiment, the element pitch in the vertical and horizontal directions is the same as in the prior art, but the element pitch in the oblique direction is about 1.4 times the element pitch in the prior art. Due to this influence, a grating lobe is generated in an oblique direction as shown in FIG.

  As described above, the gray glove is generated at the time of transmission. However, as described above, when the reflected wave is received by all the ultrasonic transducers at the time of reception, the signal intensity of the oblique grating lobe is reduced at the time of reception. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, since the intensity of the received signal from the reflected wave of the grating lobe generated at the time of transmission becomes low, the influence of the grating lobe generated at the time of transmission can be reduced. Thereby, an image in which the influence of the artifact is reduced can be obtained. Further, in the pulse subtraction method, artifacts such as grating gloves generated during transmission can be efficiently reduced, so that the influence of the grating lobe is considered not to be a problem. As a result, the influence of artifacts such as side lobes and grating lobes is reduced, and high-quality images with high contrast and easy viewing are obtained.

  As described above, according to the ultrasonic probe 2 according to the first embodiment, it is not necessary to employ special manufacturing in the manufacturing process of the ultrasonic transducer, and the configuration of the ultrasonic probe 2 is also a special configuration. Therefore, it is possible to realize the pulse subtraction method without increasing the cost and reducing the yield. In addition, since the ultrasonic transducers polarized in opposite directions to each other are alternately arranged, and the drive pulse signal having the same polarity is applied to each ultrasonic transducer, the pulse subtraction method can be realized. There is no need to apply a drive pulse signal to each ultrasonic transducer. Since it is not necessary to apply bipolar drive pulse signals to the ultrasonic transducers in this way, it is possible to realize the pulse subtraction method without complicating the configuration of the transmission unit 4 and increasing the circuit scale. Become. As a result, even when the transmitter 4 is installed in the ultrasonic probe 2, it is possible to realize the pulse subtraction method without increasing the size of the ultrasonic probe 2.

  Further, by making the number of the positive polarity vibrators 3a and the reverse polarity vibrators 3b polarized in opposite directions equal to each other, the sound pressure of the fundamental wave at the time of transmission with the reverse polarity and the sound pressure at the time of transmission with the positive polarity. Since the arrangement pattern of the positive polarity vibrator 3a and the reverse polarity vibrator 3b is 180 ° rotationally symmetric, it is possible to transmit / receive without causing the sound axis of the ultrasonic wave to be shifted accurately. By performing the pulse subtraction method, the effect of the pulse subtraction method can be sufficiently obtained.

  In this embodiment, the numbers of the positive polarity vibrator 3a and the reverse polarity vibrator 3b are made equal. However, even if these numbers do not completely coincide with each other and are not strictly 180 ° rotationally symmetric, It is possible to achieve the same operations and effects as the invention. In other words, if the number of the positive polarity vibrator 3a and the number of the reverse polarity vibrators 3b are substantially the same and are substantially 180 [deg.] Rotationally symmetric, the same operation and effect as the present invention can be achieved. For example, even when the number of positive-polarity vibrators 3a and reverse-polarity vibrators 3b does not match at the end of the ultrasonic vibrator unit 3 and is not strictly 180 ° rotationally symmetric, the pulse subtraction method By implementing the above, the influence of artifacts such as grating lobes is reduced, and a high-quality image with high contrast can be obtained.

  In the first embodiment, the phase of the signal output from the reverse polarity vibrator 3b is inverted by the phase inverting unit 6. However, instead of providing the phase inverting unit 6, the signal processing unit 10 performs A / A You may invert the phase of the signal output from the reverse polarity vibrator 3b after performing D conversion. As described above, even when the signal processing unit 10 inverts the phase of the signal, the phase of the ultrasonic wave received by the reverse polarity vibrator 3b can be matched with the phase of the ultrasonic wave received by the positive polarity vibrator 3a. it can.

  In the first embodiment, the example in which the transmitter 4, the receiver 5, and the phase inversion unit 6 are provided in the ultrasonic probe 2 has been described, but these are installed in the main body 8 and the connector 7. Also, the same operation and effect as the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment can be obtained.

  When transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves in the fundamental wave mode or the Doppler mode, either the positive polarity vibrator 3a or the reverse polarity vibrator 3b is driven to implement the fundamental wave mode or the Doppler mode.

(Modification 1)
Next, Modification 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a top view illustrating a schematic configuration of the ultrasonic transducer unit according to the first modification. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a sound field distribution formed when ultrasonic waves are transmitted by the ultrasonic probe according to the first modification. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a sound field distribution formed when ultrasonic waves are received by the ultrasonic probe according to the first modification.

  In the first modification, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are collected for each column, and the combined elements are polarized in the same direction. In the example shown in FIG. 6, three positive polarity vibrators 3a are grouped as one group, and three reverse polarity vibrators 3b are grouped as one group. Then, the positive vibrators 3a and the reverse polarity vibrators 3b arranged in groups of three are alternately arranged, rotated through 180 ° with the central axis perpendicular to the array plane passing through the center of the ultrasonic vibrator unit 31 A group of positive vibrators 3a and a group of reverse polarity vibrators 3b are arranged so as to be symmetrical. Thus, polarization and circuit arrangement can be simplified by combining a plurality of ultrasonic transducers.

  As described above, even when a plurality of ultrasonic transducers having the same polarity are combined and ultrasonic transducers having opposite polarities are alternately arranged, the pulse subtraction method can be accurately performed. In the case of performing the pulse subtraction method, at the time of transmission, in the first transmission of the ultrasonic wave by the control of the control unit 9, the drive pulse signal is applied only to the positive vibrator 3a to transmit the ultrasonic wave. In the transmission of ultrasonic waves, a drive pulse signal is applied only to the reverse polarity vibrator 3b to transmit the ultrasonic waves. At the time of reception, the reflected wave is received by all the ultrasonic transducers. Similar to the first embodiment described above, the phase of the echo signal received by the reverse polarity vibrator 3 b is inverted by the phase inverter 6.

  Then, similarly to the first embodiment described above, the signal processing unit 10 adds the signal obtained by the first ultrasonic transmission / reception and the signal obtained by the second ultrasonic transmission / reception. . As a result, the fundamental wave component is removed, and only a non-linear component signal is obtained. Then, the image processing unit 11 generates image data based on the nonlinear component signal. As a result, an image such as a three-dimensional image or an MPR image based on the nonlinear component signal is displayed on the display unit 12.

  Next, the ultrasonic field distribution during transmission and reception will be described with reference to FIGS. For example, when an ultrasonic beam is transmitted while being deflected in an oblique direction from the center of the ultrasonic transducer section 31, a grating lobe is generated in the oblique direction as shown in FIG. Thus, although a grating lobe is generated during transmission, the signal intensity of the oblique grating lobe is reduced during reception by receiving reflected waves from all ultrasonic transducers during reception. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, since the signal intensity of the reflected wave of the grating lobe generated at the time of transmission becomes low, the influence of the grating lobe generated at the time of transmission can be reduced. Thereby, an image in which the influence of the artifact is reduced can be obtained. As a result, the influence of artifacts such as side lobes and grating lobes is reduced, and high-quality images with high contrast and easy viewing are obtained.

  As described above, even with the ultrasonic probe according to the first modification, it is not necessary to make the configuration of the ultrasonic probe special, so that it is possible to realize the pulse subtraction method without incurring an increase in cost and a decrease in yield. It becomes.

  Even in the first modification, even if the number of the positive polarity vibrator 3a and the number of the reverse polarity vibrators 3b do not exactly coincide with each other and is not strictly 180 ° rotationally symmetric, If the number of 3a and the number of the reverse polarity vibrators 3b are substantially the same and are substantially 180 [deg.] Rotationally symmetric, the same operation and effect as the present invention can be achieved.

[Second Embodiment]
(Constitution)
The configuration of an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 20 according to the second embodiment differs from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment described above in the configuration of the ultrasonic probe 30, and the main body unit 8 has the same configuration. Have.

  The ultrasonic transducer unit 31 includes a plurality of positive-polarity transducers 3c and reverse-polarity transducers 3d arranged in a matrix (lattice) shape. The plurality of positive electrode vibrators 3c and reverse pole vibrators 3d are polarized in the same direction (one direction). In the first embodiment described above, ultrasonic vibrators polarized in opposite directions are alternately arranged. However, in the second embodiment, ultrasonic vibrations are generated by ultrasonic vibrators that are all polarized in the same direction. The child part 31 is configured. The positive electrode vibrator 3c corresponds to the “third ultrasonic vibrator” of the present invention, and the reverse pole vibrator 3d corresponds to the “fourth ultrasonic vibrator” of the present invention.

  The positive polarity transmission unit 4a and the reverse polarity transmission unit 4b apply drive pulse signals having opposite polarities to the ultrasonic transducer. The positive polarity transmission unit 4a is connected to the positive electrode vibrator 3c, and the reverse polarity transmission unit 4b is connected to the reverse polarity vibrator 3d.

  The positive electrode vibrator 3c and the reverse pole vibrator 3d are alternately arranged. In other words, the positive electrode vibrators 3c and the reverse pole vibrators 3d are arranged in a staggered manner to form a checkered pattern as a whole. Further, the number of the positive electrode vibrator 3c and the number of the reverse pole vibrators 3d are equal, and a line passing through the center of the array surface of the ultrasonic transducer unit 31 and perpendicular to the array surface is a central axis O. The arrangement pattern of the positive electrode vibrator 3c and the reverse pole vibrator 3d is 180 [deg.] Rotationally symmetric with the central axis O as the rotation axis.

  Since the positive polarity transmitter 3a is connected to the positive electrode vibrator 3c and the reverse polarity transmitter 4b is connected to the reverse polarity vibrator 3d, the polarity of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the positive electrode vibrator 3c The polarity of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the reverse pole vibrator 3d is reversed.

  The functions of the receiving unit 5, the connector 7, the control unit 9, the signal processing unit 10, and the image processing unit 11 have the same functions as the respective units according to the above-described first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  The control unit 9 controls switching of application of the drive pulse signal by the positive polarity transmission unit 4a and the reverse polarity transmission unit 4b. In other words, when the pulse subtraction method is performed, in the first transmission of ultrasonic waves, the positive transmission unit 4a applies the drive pulse signal to the positive transducer 3c under the control of the control unit 9, so that the positive transducer When transmitting ultrasonic waves from 3c and transmitting ultrasonic waves for the second time, the reverse polarity transmission unit 4b applies a drive pulse signal to the reverse polarity transducer 3d under the control of the control unit 9, whereby the reverse polarity transducer An ultrasonic wave is transmitted from 3d. As described above, the control unit 9 switches the application of the drive pulse signal by the positive polarity transmission unit 4a and the reverse polarity transmission unit 4b.

  Here, the manufacturing process of the ultrasonic probe 30 will be briefly described. First, after the ultrasonic vibrator is polarized in a predetermined direction, array processing is performed to produce an ultrasonic vibrator portion 31 in which a plurality of ultrasonic vibrators are arranged. Then, the positive-polarity transmission unit 4a and the reverse-polarity transmission unit 4b that apply drive pulse signals having opposite polarities to each other are alternately connected to the ultrasonic transducer. As a result, the arrangement pattern of the ultrasonic transducers connected to the positive transmission unit 4a and the ultrasonic transducers connected to the reverse polarity transmission unit 4b becomes a checkered pattern.

(Function)
According to the ultrasonic probe 30 and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 20 having the above-described configuration, the following preferable functions and effects can be achieved.

(When sending)
When the pulse subtraction method is performed, in the first transmission of ultrasonic waves, the positive transmission unit 4a drives the positive electrode vibrator 3c to transmit ultrasonic waves under the control of the control unit 9. In the second transmission of ultrasonic waves, the reverse polarity transmission unit 4b drives the reverse-polar vibrator 3d to transmit ultrasonic waves by switching control of the control unit 9.

(When receiving)
At the time of reception, the reflected wave is received by all ultrasonic transducers. That is, at the time of transmission, the positive pulse vibration can be obtained by applying a drive pulse signal to either the positive polarity vibrator 3c or the reverse polarity vibrator 3d by either the positive polarity transmission unit 4a or the reverse polarity transmission unit 4b. The ultrasonic wave is transmitted from either the child 3c or the reverse pole vibrator 3d, but at the time of reception, the reflected wave is received by the positive pole vibrator 3c and the reverse pole vibrator 3d (all ultrasonic vibrators). To do. Since the positive electrode vibrator 3c and the reverse pole vibrator 3d constituting the ultrasonic vibrator unit 31 are all polarized in the same direction, the phase of one of the outputs is changed as in the first embodiment described above. There is no need to flip.

  The echo signal received by the ultrasonic transducer unit 31 is output to the signal processing unit 10 of the main body unit 8 via the connector 7. Then, the signal processing unit 10 removes the fundamental component by adding the signal obtained by the first ultrasonic transmission / reception and the signal obtained by the second ultrasonic transmission / reception, and removes the nonlinear component. Get signal only. That is, in the first transmission of ultrasonic waves, the positive-polarity transmission unit 4a drives only the positive electrode vibrator 3c to transmit ultrasonic waves, and in the second transmission of ultrasonic waves, the reverse-polarity transmission unit 4b transmits vibrations for the reverse polarity. Since only the child 3d is driven to transmit ultrasonic waves, pulse waves having opposite phases to each other are transmitted, and the fundamental wave component is removed by adding the signals obtained by this transmission and reception, Only the signal of the non-linear component is obtained.

  The image processing unit 11 generates image data based on the nonlinear component signal obtained by the addition processing of the signal processing unit 10. As a result, an image such as a three-dimensional image or an MPR image based on the nonlinear component signal is displayed on the display unit 12.

  Note that the ultrasonic sound field distribution during transmission and reception is the same as in the first embodiment. That is, at the time of transmission, as shown in FIG. 4, oblique gray gloves are generated, but at the time of reception, the signal intensity of the gray gloves is low. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, since the signal intensity of the reflected wave of the grating lobe generated at the time of transmission becomes low, the influence of the grating lobe generated at the time of transmission can be reduced. Thereby, an image in which the influence of the artifact is reduced can be obtained. As a result, the influence of artifacts such as side lobes and grating lobes is reduced, and high-quality images with high contrast and easy viewing are obtained.

  As described above, according to the ultrasonic probe 30 according to the second embodiment, the positive polarity transmission unit 4a and the reverse polarity transmission unit 4b are provided to supply drive pulse signals having opposite polarities to the ultrasonic transducer. Since the pulse subtraction method can be realized by this, it is not necessary to apply a bipolar drive pulse signal to each ultrasonic transducer. And, reversing the phase of the transmission unit like the positive transmission unit 4a and the reverse polarity transmission unit 4b is far more than the case of connecting a circuit that supplies a bipolar pulse wave to each ultrasonic transducer. Can be realized on a small scale. Further, since no switch circuit is required and the circuit scale does not increase, the pulse subtraction method can be realized without increasing the cost and reducing the yield. As a result, even when the transmission unit is installed in the ultrasonic probe 30, the pulse subtraction method can be realized without increasing the size of the ultrasonic probe 30.

  As in the first embodiment, the number of the positive electrode vibrator 3c and the number of the reverse pole vibrators 3b do not completely coincide with each other, and is not exactly 180 ° rotationally symmetric. The effects and effects of can be achieved.

  In the second embodiment, the example in which the positive polarity transmitter 4a, the reverse polarity transmitter 4b, and the receiver 5 are provided in the ultrasonic probe 30 has been described. Even if installed, the same operation and effect as the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 20 according to the second embodiment can be obtained.

(Modification 2)
Next, Modification 2 will be described. Even in the ultrasonic probe and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the second embodiment, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers may be combined in the same manner as in the first modification, and a drive pulse signal having the same polarity may be applied to the combined elements. good. For example, it is assumed that three positive electrode vibrators 3c are one group and three reverse pole vibrators 3d are one group. Then, three positive electrode vibrators 3c and three reverse pole vibrators 3d are arranged alternately.

  In this way, even when a plurality of ultrasonic transducers to which drive pulses of the same polarity are applied are collected and arranged alternately, the pulse subtraction method can be performed accurately. In the case of performing the pulse subtraction method, during transmission, in the transmission of the first ultrasonic wave by the control of the control unit 9, the positive transmission unit 4a drives the positive electrode vibrator 3c to transmit the ultrasonic wave. In the transmission of the ultrasonic wave for the second time, the reverse polarity transmission unit 4b drives the reverse polar vibrator 3d to transmit the ultrasonic wave. At the time of reception, the reflected wave is received by all the ultrasonic transducers. Since the positive electrode vibrator 3c and the reverse pole vibrator 3d are all polarized in the same direction, it is not necessary to invert the phase of the echo signal received by the positive electrode vibrator 3c or the reverse pole vibrator 3d.

  Then, similarly to the second embodiment described above, the signal processing unit 10 adds the signal obtained by the first ultrasonic transmission / reception and the signal obtained by the second ultrasonic transmission / reception. . As a result, the fundamental wave component is removed, and only a non-linear component signal is obtained. Then, the image processing unit 11 generates image data based on the linear component signal. As a result, an image such as a three-dimensional image or an MPR image based on the nonlinear component signal is displayed on the display unit 12.

  Note that the ultrasonic sound field distribution at the time of transmission / reception is the same as in the first modification. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, oblique gray gloves are generated during transmission, but the signal strength of the gray gloves is low during reception. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, since the signal intensity of the reflected wave of the grating lobe generated at the time of transmission becomes low, the influence of the grating lobe generated at the time of transmission can be reduced. Thereby, an image in which the influence of the artifact is reduced can be obtained. As a result, the influence of artifacts such as side lobes and grating lobes is reduced, and high-quality images with high contrast and easy viewing are obtained.

  As described above, even with the ultrasonic probe according to the modified example 2, it is not necessary to make the configuration of the ultrasonic probe special, so that it is possible to realize the pulse subtraction method without causing an increase in cost and a decrease in yield. It becomes.

  In addition, the following two methods are mentioned as another method of implement | achieving a pulse subtraction method in the ultrasonic diagnosing device provided with the two-dimensional ultrasonic probe.

  As a first method, signal electrodes are installed on both surfaces of an ultrasonic transducer, and when transmitting a positive polarity pulse wave, the back side is used as a signal electrode, the radiation side is used as a common electrode, and a reverse polarity pulse wave is used. Is transmitted and received using the radiation surface side as a signal electrode and the back surface side as a common electrode. Thereby, it is possible to transmit a pulse wave of reverse polarity between the first transmission and the second transmission, and to realize the pulse subtraction method.

  As a second method, when transmitting a pulse wave of reverse polarity, a pulse wave of reverse polarity is obtained by generating a pulse wave in a direction of decreasing the voltage from a state in which the DC component is maintained at the maximum value. Thereby, it is possible to transmit a pulse wave of reverse polarity between the first transmission and the second transmission, and to realize the pulse subtraction method.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator part installed in the ultrasonic probe which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the manufacturing process of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the sound field distribution formed when transmitting an ultrasonic wave with the ultrasonic probe which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the sound field distribution formed when receiving an ultrasonic wave with the ultrasonic probe which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. 6 is a top view illustrating a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic transducer unit according to Modification 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the sound field distribution formed when transmitting an ultrasonic wave with the ultrasonic probe which concerns on the modification 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the sound field distribution formed when receiving an ultrasonic wave with the ultrasonic probe which concerns on the modification 2. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the ultrasonic diagnosing device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the ultrasonic diagnosing device which concerns on a prior art. It is a flowchart which shows the manufacturing process of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,20 Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 2,30 Ultrasound probe 3,31 Ultrasound vibrator part 3a Positive polarity vibrator 3b Reverse polarity vibrator 3c Positive pole vibrator 3d Reverse pole vibrator 4 Transmission part 4a Positive polarity transmission part 4b Reverse polarity transmission unit 5 Reception unit 6 Phase inversion unit 8 Body unit 9 Control unit 10 Signal processing unit 11 Image processing unit

Claims (10)

An ultrasonic probe having an ultrasonic transducer portion in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are two-dimensionally arranged,
The ultrasonic transducer unit is
A plurality of first ultrasonic transducers polarized in a first direction, and a plurality of second ultrasonic transducers polarized in a second direction opposite to the first direction,
The first ultrasonic transducers and the second ultrasonic transducers are alternately arranged, and are arranged so as to be 180 ° rotationally symmetric with respect to an axis perpendicular to the arrangement plane of the ultrasonic transducers. An ultrasonic probe characterized by comprising:   The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the number of the first ultrasonic transducer and the number of the second ultrasonic transducer are equal.   The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an arrangement pattern of the first ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer is a checkered pattern. .   The ultrasonic probe according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a phase inverting unit that inverts the phase of the signal output from the second ultrasonic transducer. An ultrasonic transducer unit in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are two-dimensionally arranged;
A transmitter for applying a drive pulse signal to the ultrasonic transducer;
An ultrasonic probe comprising:
The ultrasonic transducer unit is
A plurality of third ultrasonic transducers polarized in a predetermined direction, and a plurality of fourth ultrasonic transducers polarized in the same direction as the third ultrasonic transducer,
The third ultrasonic transducer and the fourth ultrasonic transducer are alternately arranged, and are arranged so as to be 180 ° rotationally symmetric with respect to an axis perpendicular to the arrangement plane of the ultrasonic transducers,
The transmitter is
The application of the drive pulse signal to the third ultrasonic transducer and the application of the drive pulse signal to the fourth ultrasonic transducer are alternately performed, and the fourth ultrasonic transducer is applied to the fourth ultrasonic transducer. Applies an drive pulse signal having a polarity opposite to that of the drive pulse signal applied to the third ultrasonic transducer.   The ultrasonic probe according to claim 5, wherein the number of the third ultrasonic transducer and the number of the fourth ultrasonic transducer are equal.   The ultrasonic probe according to claim 5, wherein an arrangement pattern of the third ultrasonic transducer and the fourth ultrasonic transducer is a checkered pattern. . An ultrasonic probe having an ultrasonic transducer portion in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are two-dimensionally arranged;
A transmission unit for applying a drive pulse signal to the ultrasonic transducer unit;
A signal processing unit;
An image processing unit for generating image data based on a signal received by the ultrasonic probe;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:
The ultrasonic transducer unit is
A plurality of first ultrasonic transducers polarized in a first direction, and a plurality of second ultrasonic transducers polarized in a second direction opposite to the first direction,
The first ultrasonic transducers and the second ultrasonic transducers are alternately arranged, and are arranged so as to be 180 ° rotationally symmetric with respect to an axis perpendicular to the arrangement plane of the ultrasonic transducers,
The transmitter is
By alternately applying a drive pulse signal to the first ultrasonic transducer and applying a drive pulse signal to the second ultrasonic transducer, the first ultrasonic transducer and Alternately transmitting ultrasonic waves to the second ultrasonic transducer,
The signal processing unit
A reflected wave based on an ultrasonic wave transmitted by applying a drive pulse signal to the first ultrasonic vibrator, and a signal received by the first ultrasonic vibrator and the second ultrasonic vibrator; ,
A reflected wave based on an ultrasonic wave transmitted by applying a drive pulse signal to the second ultrasonic vibrator, and a signal received by the first ultrasonic vibrator and the second ultrasonic vibrator; , And
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wherein the image processing unit generates image data based on the added signal. A phase inversion unit for inverting the phase of the signal received by the second ultrasonic transducer;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the signal processing unit adds a signal received by the first ultrasonic transducer and a signal whose phase is inverted. An ultrasonic probe having an ultrasonic transducer portion in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are two-dimensionally arranged;
A transmission unit for applying a drive pulse signal to the ultrasonic transducer unit;
A signal processing unit;
An image processing unit for generating image data based on a signal received by the ultrasonic probe;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:
The ultrasonic transducer unit is
A plurality of third ultrasonic transducers polarized in a predetermined direction, and a plurality of fourth ultrasonic transducers polarized in the same direction as the third ultrasonic transducer,
The third ultrasonic transducer and the fourth ultrasonic transducer are alternately arranged, and are arranged so as to be 180 ° rotationally symmetric with respect to an axis perpendicular to the arrangement plane of the ultrasonic transducer,
The transmitter is
The application of the drive pulse signal to the third ultrasonic transducer and the application of the drive pulse signal to the fourth ultrasonic transducer are alternately performed, and the fourth ultrasonic transducer is applied to the fourth ultrasonic transducer. Applies a drive pulse signal having a polarity opposite to that of the drive pulse signal applied to the third ultrasonic transducer, thereby alternately superimposing the third ultrasonic transducer and the fourth ultrasonic transducer on the third ultrasonic transducer. Send sound waves,
The signal processing unit
A reflected wave based on an ultrasonic wave transmitted by applying a drive pulse signal to the third ultrasonic vibrator, and a signal received by the third ultrasonic vibrator and the fourth ultrasonic vibrator; ,
A reflected wave based on an ultrasonic wave transmitted by applying a drive pulse signal to the fourth ultrasonic vibrator, and a signal received by the third ultrasonic vibrator and the fourth ultrasonic vibrator; , And
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wherein the image processing unit generates image data based on the added signal.