EP0130709A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Ultrasonic transducers for medical diagnostic examinations
Assignee: Panasonic Holdings Corp
•
Filing: 1984-06-06
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2004-06-06
Abstract
Abstract An ultrasonic transducer (10) for medical diagnostic examinations which comprises at least one transducer element (14) having one surface through which ultrasonic waves are emitted, an acoustic impedance matcher (17), and a contact member (18) which in use is brought to contact with an object being examined and is formed on the one surface of the ultrasonic transducer element (14). The contact member (18) includes at least one flat plate or an acoustic lens made of a 4-methylpentene-1 polymer which has high mechanical strength. Transducer arrays and assemblies (A) using such polymer as a member for direct contact with a human body are also described.
Inventors
- 👤 Masami Kawabuchi
- 👤 Koji Matsuo
- 👤 Fumio Muramatsu
- 👤 Akira Fukumoto
- 👤 Koetsu Saito
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 02:57
CPC Classifications
G; G10; G10K; G10K11/00; G10K11/02; G10K11/18; G10K11/26; G10K11/30
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
79 words
An ultrasonic transducer (10) for use in medical diagnostic examinations comprising at least one transducer element (14) having one surface through which ultrasonic waves are emitted, an acoustic impedance matcher (17) formed on the one surface, and a contact member (18) which in use is brought into contact with an object being examined and is formed on the acoustic impedance matcher (17), characterized in that said contact member (18) comprises at least a reinforcement made of a 4-methylpentene-1 polymer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
79 words
An ultrasonic transducer (10) for use in medical diagnostic examinations comprising at least one transducer element (14) having one surface through which ultrasonic waves are emitted, an acoustic impedance matcher (17) formed on the one surface, and a contact member (18) which in use is brought into contact with an object being examined and is formed on the acoustic impedance matcher (17), characterized in that said contact member (18) comprises at least a reinforcement made of a 4-methylpentene-1 polymer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
13 words
An ultrasonic transducer according to claim 1, wherein said 4-methylpentene-1 polymer is polymethylpentene.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
An ultrasonic transducer according to claim 1, wherein said 4-methylpentene-1 polymer is a copolymer of 4-methylpentene-1 and an olefinic monomer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
An ultrasonic transducer according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said reinforcement (18a) is a thin flat plate.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
An ultrasonic transducer according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said reinforcement (18a) is in the form of a plano-concave lens which is formed on said acoustic impedance matcher (17) at the plane side thereof.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
An ultrasonic transducer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said acoustic impedance matcher (17) consists of a single layer or multiple layers.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
An ultrasonic transducer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said contact member (18) is a combination of an acoustic lens (18b) of silicone rubber, and the reinforcement (18a) of a 4-methylpentene-1 polymer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
36 words
An ultrasonic transducer according to claim 7, wherein said reinforcement (18a) is a thin flat plate and said acoustic lens (18b) is a plano-convex form and formed on said flat plate at the plane side thereof.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
An ultrasonic transducer according to claim 7, wherein said reinforcement (18a) is a plano-concave form and said acoustic lens (18b) is a biconvex form and is formed on said reinforcement (18a).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
An ultrasonic transducer according to claim 7, wherein said acoustic lens (18b) is a plano-convex form on which said reinforcement (18a) is formed to cover said acoustic lens (18b) therewith.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
37 words
An ultrasonic transducer according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said at least one ultrasonic transducer element (14) is made of one element, or a multiplicity of elements arranged in a linear spherically curved array.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
114 words
An ultrasonic transducer assembly (A) for use in medical diagnostic examinations comprising an ultrasonic transducer (20) having a transducer element (4) with one surface through which an ultrasonic wave is emitted, an acoustic impedance matcher (7) formed on the one surface and an acoustic lens (8) formed on said acoustic impedance matcher (7), and a casing (22) having an acoustic window (23) in face-to-face relation with and at a distance from said one surface, an acoustic wave transfer medium (24) being filled in said casing (22), said acoustic window (23) being brought in use into contact with an object being examined, characterized in that said acoustic window (23) is made of a 4-methylpentene-1 polymer.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
114 words
An ultrasonic transducer assembly (A) for use in medical diagnostic examinations comprising an ultrasonic transducer (20) having a transducer element (4) with one surface through which an ultrasonic wave is emitted, an acoustic impedance matcher (7) formed on the one surface and an acoustic lens (8) formed on said acoustic impedance matcher (7), and a casing (22) having an acoustic window (23) in face-to-face relation with and at a distance from said one surface, an acoustic wave transfer medium (24) being filled in said casing (22), said acoustic window (23) being brought in use into contact with an object being examined, characterized in that said acoustic window (23) is made of a 4-methylpentene-1 polymer.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
An ultrasonic transducer assembly according to claim 12, wherein said transducer (20) is adapted to be mechanically swung for sector scans or mechanically moved in opposite directions.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.