A piezoelectric-body film joint substrate includes a substrate, a first electrode provided on the substrate, a first piezoelectric-body film stuck on the first electrode and including a first piezoelectric film and a first upper electrode film formed on the first piezoelectric film, a second electrode provided on the substrate, and a second piezoelectric-body film stuck on the second electrode and including a second piezoelectric film different from the first piezoelectric film and a second upper electrode film formed on the second piezoelectric film, wherein a height from an upper surface of the substrate, on which the first electrode and the second electrode are formed, to a top of the first upper electrode film and a height from the upper surface of the substrate to a top of the second upper electrode film differ from each other.

An ultrasonic transducer having a piezoelectric element for use on a vehicle is disclosed. The transducer has a control and evaluation circuit for generating a control voltage for the piezoelectric element, which generates and emits an ultrasonic signal based on the control voltage, and for outputting an output signal on the basis of an echo signal received at the piezoelectric element. A gyrator circuit is included for providing a compensation inductance for adapting the control and evaluation circuit, for compensating for a parasitic connection capacitance of the piezoelectric element. The gyrator circuit has a variable compensation inductance. A method for compensating for an ultrasonic transducer having a piezoelectric element for adapting a reception sensitivity is also disclosed. The method involves recording a measurement variable for adapting the reception sensitivity, and compensating for the ultrasonic transducer by changing the compensation inductance of the gyrator circuit based on the recorded measurement variable.

Devices for providing an acoustic wave to a target location include at least one transducer device and at least one beam-forming processor to cause the at least one transducer device to produce a first acoustic wave, the first acoustic wave includes a plurality of pulses having a pulse repetition frequency, where a pulse width of each pulse is in a range of 10 ns to 10 μs and the pulse repetition frequency is in a range of 1 Hz to 50 Hz, receive data associated with a second acoustic wave, wherein the second acoustic wave is a reflection of the first acoustic wave, determine a characteristic of the second acoustic wave, and determine whether to change a beam path of an acoustic wave produced by the at least one transducer device based on the characteristic of the second acoustic wave. Methods and computer program products are also disclosed.

A non-Hermitian complementary metamaterial (NHCMM). Acoustic transmission systems including an acoustic wave generator configured to generate an acoustic wave and propagate the acoustic wave through a tissue of a specimen, and the NHCMM, which is configured to add a first amount of energy amplification coherently to the acoustic wave to account for energy loss in the acoustic wave as a result of the wave propagating through the tissue of the specimen. The acoustic wave generator can be an ultrasound generator, and the tissue can be a cranium.

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of the present invention includes: a transmitter that generates and outputs a plurality of drive signals to a transducer of an ultrasound probe, the drive signals causing the transducer to transmit a plurality of transmission ultrasound waves that have different waveforms in a temporally shifted manner, the drive signals being compensated for asymmetry of the transmission sound pressure waveforms of the plurality of transmission ultrasound waves transmitted from the transducer; and a hardware processor configured to extract a harmonic component according to a plurality of reception signals, and generating an ultrasound image based on the extracted harmonic component.

A hookah device (202) which attaches to a hookah (246). The hookah device (202) comprises a plurality of ultrasonic mist generator devices (201) for generating a mist for inhalation by a user. The hookah device (202) comprises a driver device (202) which controls the mist generator devices (201) to maximize the efficiency of mist generation by the mist generator devices (201) and optimize mist output from the hookah device (202).

A nicotine delivery device (200) for generating a mist containing nicotine for inhalation by a user. The device comprises a mist generator device (201) and a driver device (202). The driver device (202) is configured to drive the mist generator device (201) at an optimum frequency to maximise the efficiency of mist generation by the mist generator device (201).

An ultrasonic unit manufacturing system and process are based on a universal ultrasonic generator unit that operates interchangeably with either one of piezoelectric and magnetostrictive ultrasonic devices, and optionally as well as with either on-off or power level control footswitches. The ultrasonic units use a generator unit having a detector that determines whether the connected device is piezoelectric or magnetostrictive, and activates the generator for the appropriate piezoelectric or magnetostrictive operating mode. The ultrasonic units so made and methods of using them are also disclosed.

An electroacoustic transducer 400 is described. The electroacoustic transducer 400 comprises an active element 410. The electroacoustic transducer 400 comprises an acoustic coupling layer 430 arranged to acoustically couple, in use, the active element 410 to a transmission medium. The electroacoustic transducer 400 further comprises a cavity 420 arranged between the active element 410 and the acoustic coupling layer 430 to receive a fluid. In this way, acoustic coupling of the electroacoustic transducer 400 and the transmission medium is improved.

Provided in accordance with the herein described exemplary embodiments are piezo micro-machined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs) each having a first electrode that includes a first electrode portion and a second electrode portion. The second electrode portion is separately operable from the first electrode portion. A second electrode is spaced apart from the first electrode and defines a space between the first electrode and the second electrode. A piezoelectric material is disposed in the space. Also provided are arrays of pMUTs wherein individual pMUTs have first electrode portions operably associated with array rows and second electrode portions operably associated with array columns.