Curved micromachined ultrasonic transducer arrays and related methods of manufacture
US7285897B2 · kind B2 · utility
66Cited by
5References
28Claims
0Family size
Assignee
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Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 31, 2003 |
| Grant date | Oct 23, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 20, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB06B1/0292
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A curved sensor device, such as an ultrasonic transducer array, is fabricated from a flat micromachined sensor (such as cMUT or pMUT) array constructed using micromachined electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) techniques. The device comprises: a support structure comprising a spine having a profile that is generally curved and a multiplicity of teeth extending from one side of the curved spine; and a multiplicity of sensors built on the support structure. The spine can be bent forward or backward and attached to a curved front face of a support member, thereby causing the sensors to adopt a curved array.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.