Ultrasound unit and ultrasound endoscope

An ultrasound unit comprising:

• an ultrasound array having a plurality of separated ultrasound elements, each of the plurality of ultrasound elements comprising:
• a rectangular substrate having a pair of short sides and a pair of long sides, the long sides being longer than the short sides;
• a transmitting and receiving portion disposed on a surface of the substrate for transmitting and receiving ultrasound;
• a ground electrode and a ground electrode terminal connected to the ground electrode, the ground electrode terminal being disposed on the surface of the substrate adjacent to one of the pair of short sides;
• and
• a signal electrode and a signal electrode terminal connected to the signal electrode, the signal electrode terminal being disposed on the surface of the substrate adjacent to an other one of the pair of short sides;
• one or more common lines that are connected to the ground electrode terminal for each of the plurality of ultrasound elements;
• a ground line that is connected to each of the one or more common lines;
• and
• a signal line connected to each of the signal electrode terminals,
• wherein the plurality of ultrasound elements are coupled together along adjacent long sides such that adjoining first and second ultrasound elements of the plurality of ultrasound elements are configured such that:
• the first ultrasound element having the ground electrode terminal disposed adjacent to a first short side of the pair of short sides and having the signal electrode terminal disposed adjacent to a second short side of the pair of short sides opposite to the first short side;
• the second ultrasound element having the signal electrode terminal disposed adjacent to the first short side and the ground electrode terminal disposed adjacent to the second short side;
• and
• the first short side of the first ultrasound element is adjacent the second short side of the second ultrasound element and the second short side of the first ultrasound element is adjacent the first short side of the second ultrasound element.