Multi-purpose ultrasonic slotted array transducer
AssigneeVermon
InventorsPascal Mauchamp, Aimé Flesch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ultrasonic probe is provided for medical applications which can be used both in high resolution imaging and therapy or other high intensity applications. The probe includes a primary ultrasonic transducer array operating at first resonant frequency and formed by a plurality of elements arranged linearly along a coordinate axis, and a secondary ultrasonic transducer array operating at second resonant frequency and comprising a plurality of elements arranged linearly along the coordinate axis and being interdigitated with the elements of the primary ultrasonic transducer array. In one embodiment, separate transducer units are joined to form the probe while in a further embodiment, the two arrays are produced from a common piezoelectric member.
Claims33
An ultrasonic probe for medical applications, said probe comprising:
- (a) a primary ultrasonic transducer array adapted to operate at a first resonant frequency and comprising a plurality of individual transducer elements arranged linearly along a coordinate axis;
- (b) a secondary ultrasonic transducer array adapted to operate at a second resonant frequency and comprising a plurality of individual transducer elements arranged linearly along said coordinate axis and being interdigitated with the individual transducer elements of the primary ultrasonic transducer array so that the individual transducer elements of said primary array alternate with the individual transducer elements of said secondary array and so that an individual transducer element of one array is disposed between two individual transducer elements of the other array.
An ultrasonic probe design for medical applications, said probe comprising:
- (a) a primary ultrasonic transducer array adapted to operate at a first resonant frequency and comprising a plurality of individual transducer elements arranged linearly along an coordinate axis;
- and
- (b) a secondary ultrasonic transducer array adapted to operate at a second resonant frequency and comprising a plurality of individual transducer elements arranged linearly along said coordinate axis and being interdigitated with the individual transducer elements of the primary transducer array so that said individual transducer elements of said primary array alternate with said individual transducer elements of said secondary array and so that an individual transducer element of one army is disposed between two individual transducer elements of the other array;
- (c) the secondary transducer array comprising at least one piezoelectric layer abutting a rear face of the primary transducer array.
An ultrasonic linear transducer array for generating and receiving ultrasonic energy, said transducer array comprising:
- a first sub-array of individual transducer elements adapted to operate at a first resonance frequency, and with a first bandwidth and having a first circuit interconnect means;
- a second sub-array of individual transducer elements interdigitated with the individual transducer elements of the first sub-array so that said individual transducer elements of said first sub-array alternate with said individual transducer elements of said second sub-array and so that an individual transducer element of one array is disposed between two individual transducer elements of the other array, said second sub-array operating at a second resonance frequency, and with a second bandwidth and having a second circuit interconnect means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.