Ultrasonic detection device and ultrasonic diagnostic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9314820-B2
Application number	US-201013393918-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2010
Priority date	Nov 6, 2009
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

Provided is an ultrasonic detection device including: a capacitive electromechanical transducer including a cell that includes a first electrode and a second electrode disposed so as to oppose with a space; a voltage source for developing a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode; and an electric circuit for converting a current, which is caused by a change in electrostatic capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode due to vibration of the second electrode, into a voltage, in which the capacitive electromechanical transducer provides an output current with a high-pass characteristic having a first cutoff frequency with respect to a frequency, the electric circuit provides an output with a low-pass characteristic having a second cutoff frequency with respect to the frequency, and the second cutoff frequency is smaller than the first cutoff frequency.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ultrasonic detection device comprising:
a capacitive electromechanical transducer including at least one cell that includes a first electrode and a second electrode disposed opposite from the first electrode, a space being between the first electrode and the second electrode; and
an electric circuit for converting a current, which is output from the capacitive electromechanical transducer, into a voltage,
wherein frequency characteristic of the capacitive electromechanical transducer has a high-pass characteristic having a first cutoff frequency with respect to a frequency,
wherein frequency characteristic of the electric circuit has a low-pass characteristic having a second cutoff frequency with respect to the frequency, and
wherein the second cutoff frequency is smaller than the first cutoff frequency so that the current output from the capacitive electromechanical transducer is input to the electric circuit and the frequency characteristic of the voltage output from the electric circuit, obtained by using both the frequency characteristic of the capacitive electromechanical transducer and the frequency characteristic of the electric circuit, has band-pass characteristic.

2. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one cell further includes a vibrating membrane that supporting the second electrode.

3. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1 , wherein, in a frequency characteristic of the ultrasonic detection device, a geometric mean of the first cutoff frequency and the second cutoff frequency is in a range of from 0.4 MHz to 1.0 MHz.

4. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 2 , wherein the capacitive electromechanical transducer includes a plurality of cells, where some of the cells constitute an element, and
wherein a characteristic of an output current of the element is determined according to factors including electrostatic capacitances of the element and an average of mechanical characteristics of a plurality of second electrodes or a plurality of vibrating membranes of the plurality of the cells.

5. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the capacitive electromechanical transducer includes a plurality of elements, where each element includes a plurality of cells.

6. An ultrasonic diagnostic device comprising:
the ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1 ;
a light source; and
a signal processing system,
wherein the ultrasonic detection device detects a signal generated by a photoacoustic effect due to the light applied to the object with the light source, and
wherein the signal processing system processes the signal detected by the ultrasonic detection device.

7. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the electric circuit has a feedback resistance and a feedback capacitance, and
wherein frequency characteristic of the electric circuit is determined according to factors including the feedback resistance and the feedback capacitance.

8. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1 , wherein a slope of an inclined portion of the frequency characteristic of the capacitive electromechanical transducer and a slope of an inclined portion of the frequency characteristic of the electric circuit are opposite in sign to each other and are equal in absolute value to each other.

9. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the frequency characteristic of the capacitive electromechanical transducer is frequency characteristic of current output from the capacitive electromechanical transducer per input sound pressure.

10. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the frequency characteristic of the electric circuit is frequency characteristic of a current-voltage conversion gain.

11. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the first cutoff frequency is in a domain lower than a frequency showing a maximum value of the output current of the capacitive electromechanical transducer with respect to an ultrasonic wave to be received.

12. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the first cutoff frequency is in a domain lower than a frequency showing a value lowered by 3 dB at a frequency side lower than a frequency at which the output current of the capacitive electromechanical transducer shows a maximum value with respect to an ultrasonic wave to be received.

13. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the second cutoff frequency is in a domain higher than a frequency showing a maximum value of the output voltage of the electric circuit with respect to the current to be input.

14. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the second cutoff frequency is in a domain higher than a frequency showing that the output voltage of the electric circuit is lowered by 3 dB than a low band with respect to the current to be input.

15. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the frequency characteristic of the output current of the capacitive electromechanical transducer with respect to an ultrasonic wave to be received is a frequency characteristic of the output current of the capacitive electromechanical transducer with respect to a unit sound pressure of an ultrasonic wave to be received.

16. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the frequency characteristic of the output voltage of the electric circuit with respect to a current to be input is a frequency characteristic of a conversion gain of the output voltage of the electric circuit with respect to a current to be input.

17. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the capacitive electromechanical transducer outputs a current in accordance with a change in an electrostatic capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

18. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 5 , wherein the plurality of elements is disposed on a substrate.

19. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the capacitive electromechanical transducer receives an ultrasonic wave generated in an object to be tested by absorption of light.

20. The ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the capacitive electromechanical transducer transmits an ultrasonic wave.

Assignees

• Akiyama Takahiro
• Takagi Makoto
• Fujii Kazunari
• Mizutani Hidemasa
• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Akiyama Takahiro
• Takagi Makoto
• Fujii Kazunari
• Mizutani Hidemasa

Classifications

• G01N29/2406

  Electrostatic or capacitive probes, e.g. electret or cMUT-probes · CPC title

• G01N29/2418

  using optoacoustic interaction with the material, e.g. laser radiation, photoacoustics (photoacoustic cells G01N21/1702; measuring characteristics of vibrations by using radiation-sensitive means G01H9/00; acousto-optical conversion techniques for short-range imaging G01S15/8965; sound-producing devices using laser bundle G10K15/046) · CPC title

• G01N2291/101

  one transducer · CPC title

• B06B1/0292 Primary

  Electrostatic transducers, e.g. electret-type · CPC title

• G01N29/24

  Probes {(transducers for acoustic waves B06B, G10K; for measuring G01H)} · CPC title