A method of fabricating an ultrasonic medical device is presented. The method includes machining a surgical tool from a flat metal stock, contacting a face of a first transducer with a first face of the surgical tool, and contacting a face of a second transducer with an opposing face of the surgical tool opposite the first transducer. The first and second transducers are configured to operate in a D31 mode with respect to the longitudinal portion of the surgical tool. Upon activation, the first transducer and the second transducer are configured to induce a standing wave in the surgical tool and the induced standing wave comprises a node at a node location in the surgical tool and an antinode at an antinode location in the surgical tool.

Cost effective connectors of high bending stiffness for making high-performance piezoelectric actuators and derivative devices are disclosed. In one embodiment, the connector has circumferentially alternating recesses of circular cross-section which can be cost-effectively machined out with conventional machining techniques. The circular recesses can be adopted to house circular or non-circular cross-sectioned piezoelectric active elements to make cost effective 2-level (2×) piezoelectric displacement actuators. In another embodiment, the non-circular cross-sectioned recesses in the connector include suitable wall openings to enable said recesses to be machined out cost effectively via conventional machining techniques, or via reduced use of non-conventional machining techniques. Additional stiffening mechanisms can be added to minimize the bending displacement of the base of recesses when desired. Cost effective derivative devices, such as high-performance multi-level displacement actuators and compact Langevin low-frequency underwater projectors, can be made from such connectors.

A device having a piezoelectric actuator, which can both detect the actuation force and provide a haptic feedback. The linear expansion of the actuator can be amplified in the desired direction by a deformable metal sheet. The actuator has a flat piezoelectric basic body having plane-parallel main surfaces and two electrodes. The body is designed to generate an active haptic feedback when a force exerted upon the basic body is detected. The haptic feedback is generated in that an actuator voltage, which, by piezoelectric actuator action, results in a change in the length of the basic body, is applied between the electrodes. A cymbal-shaped metal sheet is fastened to the basic body. The body is fixed with the truncated cone vertices between a base and an actuation means connected to the base and fixed by means of a bias, which is set as tensile or compressive stress.

Piezoelectric devices having small dimensions and which can operate at high frequencies with high penetration depths for a given applied voltage are described. The devices may be well suited for integration into medical devices, such as intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) catheters, to provide high resolution ultrasound images.

A composition includes at least one Pb/Ni/Nb - Pb/Mg/W - Pb/Zr/Ti mixed oxide. A piezoelectric device may be made by providing at least two layers comprising the composition and coated with an outer electrode material; providing a plurality of layers comprising the composition and coated with an inner electrode material; combining or stacking a plurality of layers coated with inner electrode materials between two outer electrodes; and sintering or co-firing the inner electrode materials and outer electrode materials at a temperature at or below about 1000° C.

Piezoelectric devices having small dimensions and which can operate at high frequencies with high penetration depths for a given applied voltage are described. The devices may be well suited for integration into medical devices, such as intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) catheters, to provide high resolution ultrasound images.

An acoustic device includes: a first vibrating body having a first vibration frequency; a second vibrating body having a second vibration frequency; and a base material having a disposition surface on which the second vibrating body is disposed. In a plan view of the base material, the first vibrating body and the second vibrating body are arranged in an in-plane direction of the disposition surface.

A Piezo-electric transceiver for a vibration sensor, with the Piezo-electric transceiver being embodied as a separately handled unit with a drive seat comprising a mechanical connection section for connecting the Piezo-electric transceiver to a mechanical oscillation unit of the vibration sensor.

The present application relates to stacked piezoelectric composites comprising piezoelectric structures. Suitably, the composites are useful as tissue-stimulating implants, including spinal fusion implants. The present application also relates to methods of making stacked piezoelectric composites.

A helical dielectric elastomer actuator (HDEA) can include a first dielectric region comprising an elastomer defining a helix. In an example, a dielectric material can be deposited and a compliant conductive material can be deposited, such as using an additive manufacturing approach, to provide an HDEA. In an example where the HDEA has multiple mechanical degrees of freedom, at least two compliant conductive regions can be located on a first surface of the first dielectric region and at least one compliant conductive region can be located on an opposite second surface of the first dielectric region. For such an example, the at least two compliant conductive regions can be arranged to be energized with respect to the at least one compliant conductive region in a manner providing at least two mechanical degrees of freedom for operation of the HDEA.