JPH026533B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly to a so-called 1/2 pitch scanning type ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that aims to improve image quality by increasing the ultrasonic scanning line density. [Prior art] As an ultrasonic diagnostic device, the density of ultrasonic scanning lines is improved by changing the number of arbitrary number of vibrating elements of a probe for every repeated pulse or every fixed period. The one using the pitch scanning method was published in 1972.
It is known from the publication No.-68775. [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The 1/2 pitch scanning method described in the above publication has difficulty in obtaining a homogeneous image because there is a difference in output and reception sensitivity between adjacent ultrasound beams. be. The principle will be explained with reference to FIG. In Figure 2, 1, 2, 3,..., n-1, n
indicates vibrating elements arranged at equal intervals. A, B,
C, D, H, H are ultrasonic transmission by a vibrating element,
Indicates the number of receptions, 1 in A, respectively.
Ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received by the 2,..., n-1 vibrating elements, in B by the 1, 2,..., n vibrating elements, and further by the 2, 3,..., n vibrating elements in C. There is. Therefore, if the center spacing of each vibrating element is 1 pitch (1P),
For each ultrasonic transmission/reception, the ultrasonic beam is 1/2 (1/2
P) Vibration elements are selectively used so as to shift by pitch. That is, in the above conventional technology, the number of vibration elements n=10
Then, as shown in Table 1, the order of ultrasonic transmission and reception is

【table】

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A probe having a plurality of (m) transducers, and n
oscillators (where n<m) #1 to #n are sequentially selected while shifting each oscillator, and the first and second wave transmission/reception cycles are performed for each selected n oscillators. is set, and in the first wave transmission/reception cycle, all n selected oscillators #1 to #n are driven to perform wave transmission, and for wave reception, oscillators #1 to #(n+
α) (however, α=+1 or -1) to perform wave reception, and in the second wave transmission/reception cycle, drive all n selected oscillators #1 to #n to transmit waves. When receiving waves, vibrators #2 to #(n+1+
β) (However, in the first transmission/reception cycle, α=
+1, set β=+1, and when α=-1 in the first wave transmission/reception cycle, set β=-1) to perform wave reception. An ultrasonic diagnostic device featuring: