A loudspeaker assembly enabled with means to control the directivity of sound emitted from the loudspeaker and the use of such an assembly in audio rendering equipment. The inventive assembly includes an acoustic lens having movable mechanical means enabling controlled directivity of the sound emitted from the loudspeaker by moving one or more of the movable mechanical means from a first position to a second position.

Devices and methods for obtaining a real-time, three-dimensional image of a body part, particularly a blood vessel. A catheter has a chamber in its tip. The chamber contains an ultrasound transducer and reflector which generally face each other and rotate about a common axis. The transducer element on the transducer and the reflective face on the reflector are both tilted off-axis. The difference in angular velocity generally creates a phase shift between the transducer and the reflective face. The phase shift allows the transducer and the reflective face to actively scan a three-dimensional volume that is generally bounded interiorly by a hyperboloid and exteriorly by the effective range of the ultrasound beam. The transducer and reflector may rotate at constant speeds or nonconstant speeds as well in the same direction or in opposite directions.

Among other things, there is disclosed structure and methods for registering images obtained through internal (e.g. intravascular) ultrasound devices. Embodiments of a device with a rotating ultrasound beam is provided, with a wall of the device being anisotropic in ultrasound passage. As examples, a cable opaque to ultrasound is attached along the wall of the device, so that the ultrasound beam at the location of the cable is blocked, reflected or scattered. As another example, a thin film of metallic material is placed on or in the wall to allow a portion of the beam to be blocked or attenuated. The imaging system recognizes the changes to the signals made by the anisotropic wall, and registers successive images according to those changes.

A loudspeaker assembly enabled with means to control the directivity of sound emitted from the loudspeaker and the use of such an assembly in audio rendering equipment. The inventive assembly includes an acoustic lens having movable mechanical means enabling controlled directivity of the sound emitted from the loudspeaker by moving one or more of the movable mechanical means from a first position to a second position.

A portable ultrasound probe is described having a mechanical transducer, rotating mirror, and mirror motor. The transducer can be used for diagnostic imaging and procedural guidance imaging. The probe has a light weight design for easy one-handed use, and can use external processors to provide proper image display with accompanying software

A device for superscattering a target acoustic wave may include a body having an outer surface, at least one resonator being defined within the body and extending to an opening defined within the outer surface and configured to cause the superscattering of the target acoustic wave impinging upon the body, and a motor connected to the body and configured to selectively rotate the body.

A portable ultrasound probe is described having a mechanical transducer, rotating mirror, and mirror motor. The transducer can be used for diagnostic imaging and procedural guidance imaging. The probe has a light weight design for easy one-handed use, and can use external processors to provide proper image display with accompanying software

An acoustic microscope for scanning a sample, comprising: a pulse transmitter for generating and propagating first acoustic pulses along a propagation direction; a rotatable mirror for deflecting the first acoustic pulses, the rotatable mirror being rotatable about a rotation axis being substantially orthogonal to the propagation direction; an acoustic lens for focusing the deflected first acoustic pulses in the sample and propagating second acoustic pulses reflected by the sample towards the rotatable mirror, the second acoustic pulses being deflected by the rotatable mirror; a pulse detector for detecting the deflected second acoustic pulses; a transmitter controller for controlling the pulse emitter and emitting each one of the first acoustic pulses as a function of a respective angular position of the rotatable mirror; and a mirror controller for rotating the rotatable mirror in order to scan the sample along a scan direction.

An illustrative device for creating images based on ultrasonic pulses comprises an ultrasonic transducer configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic pulses; and a mirror comprising at least two facets configured to reflect the ultrasonic pulses, wherein the mirror is configured to rotate. The ultrasonic transducer and the mirror are positioned in a probe head. A first facet of the mirror reflects the ultrasonic pulses from the ultrasonic transducer during a first range of rotation of the mirror and a second facet of the mirror reflects the ultrasonic pulses from the ultrasonic transducer during a second range of rotation of the mirror.

Provided is an ultrasound transducer for irradiating a subject with ultrasound and receiving an ultrasound echo reflected from the subject. The ultrasound transducer includes a plurality of piezoelectric elements configured to emit ultrasound according to input of an electric signal and convert ultrasound incident from outside into an electric signal, and a mask portion provided between the plurality of piezoelectric elements and a radiation surface of the ultrasound on the ultrasound transducer. The mask portion is configured to: mask any divided region among a plurality of divided regions obtained by dividing an elevation direction orthogonal to a plane parallel to a scanning direction of the ultrasound; reflect the ultrasound in a direction different from a propagation direction of the ultrasound on the masked division region; and allow the ultrasound to pass in the propagation direction in the plurality of divided regions except the masked divided region.