EP0142862A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Ultrasonic probe having a liquid-containing housing formed of polymethylpentene resin
Assignee: Panasonic Holdings Corp
•
Filing: 1984-11-20
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2004-11-20
Abstract
Abstract Disclosed is an ultrasonic probe having a transducer submerged in an acoustic transmitting liquid medium contained in a housing. The housing is formed of polymethylpentene resin having an acoustic impedance approximately equal to that of the human body. Multiple reflections and transmission loss of acoustic energy are minimized to ensure high quality tomographic images.
Inventors
- 👤 Fumio Muramatsu
- 👤 Masami Kawabuchi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 14:55
CPC Classifications
G; G10; G10K; G10K11/00; G10K11/02; G10K11/18; G10K11/26; G10K11/35; G10K11/352; G10K11/355
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
47 words
An ultrasonic probe comprising: a housing having an Acoustic window for passing acoustic energy therethrough, said acoustic window being formed of polymethylpentene resin; an acoustic energy propagating liquid in said housing; and a piezoelectric transducer in said liquid for transmitting and receving acoustic energy through said window.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
47 words
An ultrasonic probe comprising: a housing having an Acoustic window for passing acoustic energy therethrough, said acoustic window being formed of polymethylpentene resin; an acoustic energy propagating liquid in said housing; and a piezoelectric transducer in said liquid for transmitting and receving acoustic energy through said window.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
An ultrasonic probe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housing is entirely formed of said polymethylpentene resin.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
An ultrasonic probe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housing is provided with a window through which said liquid is made visible from the outside.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
An ultrasonic probe as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for repetitively moving said transducer over 'a predetermined path to steer said acoustic energy.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
An ultrasonic probe as claimed in claim 4, wherein said predetermined path is a part circular path to scan said energy in a sector format.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
An ultrasonic probe as claimed in claim 4, wherein said predetermined path is a straight line path to scan said energy in a rectangular format.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
44 words
An ultrasonic probe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housing is provided with an inlet port through which said liquid is supplied to said housing and an air vent port through which bubbles in said liquid is allowed to escape to the outside.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
101 words
An ultrasonic probe as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a second piezoelectric transducer, wherein said mechanically moving means comprises a permanent magnet, means for rotatably supporting the first and second transducers in angularly spaced apart relationship to each other, means for rotating said support, and first and second reed switches connected respectively to said first and second transducers and mounted on said supporting means in an angularly spaced apart relationship to each other to sequentially establish connection from an acoustic energy source to the first and second transducers under the influence of an electromagnetic field generated by said permanent magnet.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
An ultrasonic probe as claimed in claim 4, wherein said mechanically moving means comprises means for reciprocating said transducer along a linear path.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.