Hewlett-packard Company

David G Miller

John D Larson

An ultrasonic transducer is provided which has multiple apertures in at least the elevation direction, and preferably in both the elevation and azimuth direction. Each aperture has a selected focal length, with the focal length increasing with the size of the aperture. By transmitting multiple scan lines at a given angle using the different apertures and line splicing received echo signals, resolution is enhanced by utilizing only the portion of each received scan line for which the corresponding elevation aperture is focused. While different controlled elevation apertures may be utilized for transmit and receive, the same aperture is preferably used for both. Additional techniques are discussed for both further enhancing resolution and for mitigating the decrease in frame rate which results from shooting multiple scan lines at a given angle.

Ultrasonic transducer system

An acoustic transducer having a crystal stack or crystal stacks forming shelves, and leads adhered to a flexible sheet having an opening that fits over the part of the stack that extends above the shelves so as to permit the leads to be aligned with and make electrical contact with the respective crystals.

Lead attachment for an acoustic transducer

A method is provided to connect individual conductive traces to an array of individual piezoelectric elements by bonding a flexible circuit board containing conductive traces to the piezoelectric elements. The resultant bonded elements provide an array for an acoustic transducer.

Acoustic transducer with flexible circuit board terminals

A lens structure is disclosed for a transducer that is utilized to transmit pulses of alternating pressure waves into the body of a patient and produce signals in response to reflections from the body. The lens is comprised of a first lens element having a concave face facing the crystals and a second lens element filling the space between. The acoustic velocity of the first lens element is greater than that of the body and of the second lens element, but the acoustic impedance of the lens elements is similar to that of the body.

Growing community of inventors

Boxford, MA, United States of America

David G Miller