[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.

An ultrasonic touch sensor includes a touch structure configured to receive a touch; a transmitter arrangement configured to transmit one or more ultrasonic transmit waves toward the touch structure; a receiver arrangement configured to receive ultrasonic reflected waves produced by reflections of the one or more ultrasonic transmit waves and generate a plurality of measurement signals representative of the ultrasonic reflected waves; and a measurement circuit configured to measure a degree of variation of a plurality of measurement signals, compare the degree of variation with a detection threshold, and determine whether a no-touch event or a touch event has occurred at the touch structure based on whether the degree of variation satisfies the detection threshold.

Disclosed is an acoustic matching member comprising matching pattern to determine an impedance of the acoustic matching member and a phase change of the acoustic matching member defined as the product of a wave number and thickness of the acoustic matching member, which satisfies the impedance and the phase change matching conditions so that 90% or more of an ultrasound may be transmitted through a barrier located between an incident medium and a target medium.

A pulsation damper for damping pressure medium vibrations in a hydraulic system, has a membrane within a bore of a housing, which membrane is exposed to the pressure medium on its one side and faces a gas-filled cavity inside the housing on its other side, the bore of which is closed by means of a plug. The membrane, in conjunction with the plug and a hollow-cylindrical support body, forms an independently handleable, functionally pre-testable assembly, for which purpose the membrane is substantially cup-shaped, and the support body extends into it.

Provided is a method for determining an operating range of an ultrasonic vibrating unit (7), which ultrasonic vibrating unit (7) is supplied with electrical power by a generator (2) via an output (2a) and is excited to vibrate ultrasonically, wherein at least constituent parts of the ultrasonic vibrating unit (7), preferably an ultrasonic transducer (8) contained therein, and constituent parts of the generator (2), preferably a matching network (2b) on the output side, form a tuned circuit (2c, 2d). The method is characterized in that a measuring circuit (3) is connected upstream of the output (2a) of the generator (2), via the measuring circuit (3), a voltage (U) is applied to the tuned circuit, and by the measuring circuit (3), at least the phase, preferably magnitude and phase, of an impedance of the tuned circuit are measured, and at least the phase, preferably the phase and magnitude, of the impedance are evaluated in order to determine the working range. The invention further relates to a circuit arrangement for carrying out the aforementioned method.

There is provided a device for testing ultrasound probes comprising a plurality of transducing elements, said device comprising a plurality of ultrasound transmitter/receiver circuits, a computing device and a control device arranged to control the transmitter/receiver circuits and the computing device arranged to select an interrogation protocol from a plurality of different interrogation protocols, where each interrogation protocol comprises instructions for the order in which the plurality of transmitter/receiver circuits shall send voltage pulses to the transducers of the ultrasound probe.

A system includes: an ultrasonic generator; a transfer unit coupled to the ultrasonic generator and configured to move the ultrasonic generator in a preset pattern; a sensor configured to detect a movement of the ultrasonic generator; and a control unit configured to: determine a position of the ultrasonic generator based on detection result information by the sensor, and based on the position of the ultrasonic generator not changing while the transfer unit is being driven, determine that the ultrasonic generator is in one of a state of being separated from the transfer unit, a state of being detached, or a state of being stopped.

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.

An ultrasonic generator and a method for controlling an oscillator unit (13) of the ultrasonic generator (10) in a machine tool for generation of ultrasound to excite a tool (26). A control variable for controlling a frequency f of an electrical control signal HFS generated by the oscillator unit (13) is determined depending on an analysis of the size of an input and/or output current I or of an input and/or output power P of the ultrasonic generator (10).

Control consoles and methods for supplying a drive signal to a surgical tool are provided. The control console comprises a transformer with primary and secondary windings. The primary winding receives an input signal from a power source and induces the drive signal in the secondary winding to supply the drive signal to the surgical tool. A first current source comprising a leakage control winding is coupled to a path of the drive signal. The primary winding induces a first cancellation current in the leakage control winding to inject into the path of the drive signal to cancel leakage current. A sensor coupled to the path of the drive signal outputs a sensed signal to provide feedback related to leakage current. The sensor may connect to a second leakage current cancellation source and/or a fault detection stage. The power source may be variable and may also energize the second current source.