Mosaic arrays using micromachined ultrasound transducers
US6865140B2 · kind B2 · utility
126Cited by
18References
24Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 6, 2003 |
| Grant date | Mar 8, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 6, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB06B1/0292
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
An ultrasound transducer array includes a multiplicity of subelements interconnected by a multiplicity of microelectronic switches, each subelement comprising a respective multiplicity of micromachined ultrasound transducer (MUT) cells. The MUT cells within a particular subelement are hard-wired together. The switches are used to configure the subelements to form multiple concentric annular elements. This design dramatically reduces complexity while enabling focusing in the elevation direction during ultrasonic image data acquisition.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.