Patent ID: 8747318
Filing Date: 2014-06-10
Classification: A61B,G01S

Abstract:
1. An ultrasonic measurement apparatus comprising: a plurality of ultrasonic probes that includes, at least, a first ultrasonic probe and a second ultrasonic probe; an information acquisition unit that acquires information on whether an increase period or a decrease period is in progress, the increase period being a period in which a temporal change of a force applied to an object to be measured or an amount of deformation of the object to be measured exhibits a tendency of increase, and the decrease period being a period in which the temporal change of the force or the amount of deformation exhibits a tendency of decrease, wherein the object to be measured exhibits periodic motion or deformation; a transmitting circuit that inputs signals for transmitting ultrasonic waves to said first and second ultrasonic probes, inputting such signal for transmitting ultrasonic waves to said first ultrasonic probe only when not inputting such signal for transmitting ultrasonic waves to said second ultrasonic probe, and vice versa; a receiving circuit that receives signals produced by said first and second ultrasonic probes upon reception of ultrasonic waves; a processing unit; an output unit; and a system control unit that controls said transmitting circuit, said receiving circuit, said processing unit, and said output unit, wherein said first ultrasonic probe is positioned such that it receives an ultrasonic wave reflected by the object to be measured which is located in an overlapped portion between an ultrasonic wave transmitting area of said first ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic wave transmitting area of said second ultrasonic probe, and produces first received data, and said second ultrasonic probe is positioned such that it receives an ultrasonic wave reflected by the object to be measured which is located in the overlapped portion, and produces second received data, said system control unit controlling, based at least in part on the information acquired by said information acquisition unit, such that said second ultrasonic probe receives the ultrasonic wave and produces the second received data at a time different from the time at which said first ultrasonic probe is producing the first received data, and wherein said processing unit, based in part on the information acquired by said information acquisition unit, wherein said output unit outputs information on the object to be measured by using the first and second displacement-related information, and wherein said system control unit controls said transmitting circuit and said receiving circuit so that transmission and receiving of ultrasonic waves by said first ultrasonic probe is not performed at the same time as, but alternates with, transmission and receiving of ultrasonic waves by said second ultrasonic probe.