[Problem]

Provided are a highly reliable automatic analyzer and an abnormality determination method for the same.

[Solution]

The automatic analyzer comprises: a stirring unit that stirs a sample and a reagent by irradiating a reaction container with ultrasonic waves; a power amplifier that applies a voltage to a piezoelectric element of the stirring unit; an impedance measuring unit that measures an electric impedance of the piezoelectric element of the stirring unit; an analyzing unit that makes component analysis of a reaction liquid of the sample and the reagent; and a control unit that controls the stirring unit, the power amplifier, the impedance measuring unit, and the analyzing unit. The automatic analyzer has a plurality of stirring units as mentioned above. The control unit determines a connection condition between the stirring unit and the power amplifier or the impedance measuring unit, or an inclination condition of the automatic analyzer according to the electric impedance measured by the impedance measuring unit for the stirring units.

Delay line memory device, systems and methods are disclosed. In one aspect, a delay line memory device includes a substrate; an electronic unit disposed on the substrate and operable to receive, amplify, and/or synchronize data signals into a bit stream to be transmitted as acoustic pulses carrying data stored in the delay line memory device; a first and a second piezoelectric transducer disposed on the substrate and in communication with the electronic unit, in which the first piezoelectric transducer is operable to transmit the data signals to the acoustic pulses that carry the data through the bulk of the substrate, and the second piezoelectric transducer is operable to transduce the received acoustic pulses to intermediate electrical signals containing the data, which are transferred to the electronic unit via an electrical interconnect to cause refresh of the data in the delay line memory device.

Delay line memory device, systems and methods are disclosed. In one aspect, a delay line memory device includes a substrate; an electronic unit disposed on the substrate and operable to receive, amplify, and/or synchronize data signals into a bit stream to be transmitted as acoustic pulses carrying data stored in the delay line memory device; a first and a second piezoelectric transducer disposed on the substrate and in communication with the electronic unit, in which the first piezoelectric transducer is operable to transmit the data signals to the acoustic pulses that carry the data through the bulk of the substrate, and the second piezoelectric transducer is operable to transduce the received acoustic pulses to intermediate electrical signals containing the data, which are transferred to the electronic unit via an electrical interconnect to cause refresh of the data in the delay line memory device.

The present invention relates to a driver device (40) for driving a load (52) having a plurality of separate capacitive load elements (52), in particular an ultrasound transducer having a plurality of transducer elements (52), comprising: input terminals (44, 46) for connecting the driver device (40) to power supply (48); a plurality of output terminals (50) each for connecting the driver device (40) to one of load elements (52), a first controllable switch (54) connected to a first of the input terminals (44), and a plurality of driving elements (42) each having a second controllable switch (60) and a resistor (58) connected in series to each other, wherein each of the driving elements (42) is connected in series with the first controllable switch (54) and to a second of the input terminals (46), and wherein each of the output terminals (50) is connected to one of the driving elements (42) for powering the load elements (52).

This present application relates to a system for delivering megasonic energy to a liquid, involving one or more megasonic transducers, each transducer having a single operating frequency within an ultrasound bandwidth and comprising two or more groups of piezoelectric elements arranged in one or more rows, and a megasonic generator means for driving the one or more transducers at frequencies within the bandwidth, the generator means being adapted for changing the voltage applied to each group of piezoelectric elements so as to achieve substantially the same maximum acoustic pressure for each group of piezoelectric elements. The generator means and transducers being constructed and arranged so as to produce ultrasound within the liquid. Such a system may be part of an apparatus for cleaning a surface of an article such as a semiconductor wafer or a medical implant.

An ultrasound transducer includes: an acoustic matching layer bending with a predetermined curvature; a plurality of piezoelectric elements disposed on an inner face on a side of a curvature center of the acoustic matching layer in such a manner that the plurality of piezoelectric elements bend; a plurality of wirings including respective one ends electrically connected to the plurality of piezoelectric elements, respectively; a substrate to which respective other ends of the plurality of wirings are electrically connected; and a holding member provided on the plurality of wirings at a position partway of the plurality of wirings between the plurality of piezoelectric elements and the substrate, the holding member being configured to hold a pitch of the plurality of wirings so as to be a pitch that is equal to or smaller than a predetermined arrangement pitch of the plurality of piezoelectric elements.

Embodiments shown and described herein relate, in general, to systems and methods for driving ultrasonic transducers and, more particularly, to systems and methods for controlling the output of high power ultrasonic transducers and improving performance of ultrasonic systems.

A control system for an ultrasound transmission/reception apparatus with a plurality of acoustic transducers for transmitting and receiving ultrasound signals may include driving device operatively coupled to the acoustic transducers and a control unit. The control unit may cyclically control the acoustic transducers in a transmission state for transmitting ultrasound signals, and in a reception state for receiving echoes of the transmitted ultrasound signals. The control unit may include an input stage which receives an external timing signal, and a processing stage which detects a first edge of the timing signal to determine the start time of a transmission phase during which the acoustic transducers are controlled in the transmission state, and a second edge of the timing signal to determine the stop time of a reception phase during which the acoustic transducers are controlled in the reception state.

An acoustic wave probe includes a support member including a plurality of through holes and a concave portion which is concave facing an object disposed in a measurement position at the time of measurement, and an acoustic wave transducer unit including at least a transducer. The acoustic wave transducer unit is mounted in the through hole facing approximately a center of curvature of the concave portion, and a thickness of the acoustic wave transducer unit is thinner on a side of the center of curvature.

An ultrasound transducer unit including a plurality of ultrasound transducers transmits and receives ultrasound waves to and from an inside of a subject. In a case where a checking operation unit is operated, a controller controls a driving voltage supply unit such that a driving voltage is supplied with all of the plurality of ultrasound transducers as driving target transducers. In a case where the checking operation unit is operated, a depolarization determination unit calculates, for each ultrasound transducer, a reception sensitivity in a case where an ultrasound wave is received by driving all of the plurality of ultrasound transducers as the driving target transducers, and determines whether or not a depolarization determination value calculated from the reception sensitivity of each ultrasound transducer satisfies numerical conditions. If the numerical conditions are satisfied, a polarization voltage supply unit supplies a polarization voltage to each of the plurality of ultrasound transducers.