Acoustic Lens Of Enhanced Wear Resistance
AssigneeTransducerworks, LLC
InventorMatthew Todd Spigelmyer
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Abstract
In one aspect, ultrasound transducers are described herein comprising acoustic lenses having enhanced wear resistance. Such transducers can be employed in applications having harsh operating conditions, including veterinary applications. A transducer described herein, in some embodiments, comprises a polymeric acoustic lens having an acoustic velocity greater than 1.7 mm/μs, the polymeric acoustic lens arranged over an array of transducer elements wherein the array of transducer elements has a curvature in an elevation plane sufficient to compensate for wave refraction induced by the acoustic velocity of the polymeric acoustic lens to provide elevation focusing of an ultrasound beam generated by the transducer element array.
Claims24
An ultrasound transducer comprising:
- a polymeric acoustic lens having an acoustic velocity of greater than 1.7 mm/μs, the polymeric acoustic lens arranged over an array of transducer elements, the array of transducer elements having curvature in an elevation plane sufficient to compensate wave refraction induced by the acoustic velocity of the polymeric acoustic lens to provide elevation focusing of an ultrasound beam generated by the transducer element array.
An ultrasound transducer comprising:
- a polymeric acoustic lens arranged over an array of transducer elements, the polymeric acoustic lens having an acoustic velocity greater than 1.7 mm/μs and an exterior surface having a curvature in an elevation plane sufficient to compensate wave refraction induced by the acoustic velocity of the polymeric acoustic lens to provide elevation focusing of an ultrasound beam generated by the transducer element array.
An ultrasound transducer comprising:
- an array of transducer elements;
- a polymeric window having an acoustic velocity greater than 1.7 mm/μs arranged over the array of transducer elements;
- and
- a filler material positioned between the array of transducer elements and polymeric window, the array of transducer elements having curvature in an elevation plane sufficient to compensate wave refraction induced by the acoustic velocity of the polymeric window to provide elevation focusing of an ultrasound beam generated by the transducer element array.
A method of veterinary imaging comprising:
- providing an ultrasound transducer and imaging tissue of an animal with the ultrasound transducer, the ultrasound transducer comprising a polymeric acoustic lens having an acoustic velocity of greater than 1.7 mm/μs, the polymeric acoustic lens arranged over an array of transducer elements wherein the array of transducer elements has curvature in an elevation plane sufficient to compensate for wave refraction induced by the acoustic velocity of the polymeric acoustic lens to provide elevation focusing of an ultrasound beam generated by the transducer element array.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.