An ultrasonic device includes: a substrate provided with a first opening and a second opening; a support film that is provided on the substrate and blocks the first opening and the second opening; a transmitting piezoelectric film that is provided on the support film at a position which overlaps the first opening when viewed in a thickness direction of the substrate and is interposed between a pair of electrodes in the thickness direction of the substrate; and a receiving piezoelectric film that is provided on the support film at a position which overlaps the second opening when viewed in the thickness direction of the substrate and is interposed between a pair of electrodes in the thickness direction of the substrate. In the thickness direction of the substrate, a thickness dimension of the transmitting piezoelectric film is smaller than a thickness dimension of the receiving piezoelectric film.

An ultrasound device (10) is disclosed comprising a transducer arrangement (110) and an acoustically transmissive window (150) over said arrangement, said window comprising an elastomer layer (153) having conductive particles dispersed in the elastomer, the elastomer layer having a pressure-sensitive conductivity, the ultrasound device further comprising an electrode arrangement (160) coupled to said elastomer layer and adapted to measure said pressure-sensitive conductivity. An ultrasound system and arrangement including such an ultrasound device are also disclosed.

An ultrasound transducer assembly that includes a piezoelectric layer configured to resonate and generate ultrasound signals around a predetermined ultrasound frequency in which the piezoelectric layer has a width to thickness ratio of at least about 0.6. A conductive matching layer is connected to the top surface of the piezoelectric layer to condition the ultrasound transducer for broad frequency bandwidth operation. A conductive backing layer is connected to the bottom surface of the piezoelectric layer. The ultrasound transducer assembly further includes a rigid body over which the conductive backing layer is positioned, the rigid body assembled for encompassing a central longitudinal axis of a catheter body. A signal and ground electrode may form a metallic layer over the top of or below each of the piezoelectric layers. Electrical waveguides may be connected to corresponding signal and ground electrodes of the transducers.

To provide a probe including a TGC circuit therein. The probe includes a plurality of receive circuits. Each receive circuit includes: an ultrasound transducer; a transmit/receive switch; a variable attenuator; a first capacitor; and an amplifier. The ultrasound transducer converts the receive signal into a ground level electric signal and outputs the ground level electric signal as a first output signal. The transmit/receive switch is connected to a first signal line, and switches depending on whether to output the first output signal output from the ultrasound transducer to the first signal line. The variable attenuator includes a control terminal and two terminals, and changes a resistance value between the two terminals other than the control terminal based on a control signal input to the control terminal. The amplifier has an input terminal connected to the first capacitor and includes at least an amplifier circuit configured to amplify an electric signal of the first signal line and output the amplified electric signal to a second signal line. In the variable attenuator, one of the two terminals other than the control terminal is connected to the first signal line, and the other terminal is connected to the ground via a second capacitor different from the first capacitor.

An ultrasonic sensor includes an ultrasonic transducer; a first voltage output circuit to output a transmission voltage signal that oscillates between a first high voltage and a first low voltage, supplied to a first terminal of the ultrasonic transducer; a reception circuit to detect a voltage signal generated at a second terminal of the ultrasonic transducer; and the second voltage output circuit to output a second high voltage smaller than the first high voltage. The first voltage output circuit includes a first switching unit to perform switching between supplying the transmission voltage signal in ultrasonic transmission; and fixing a potential of the first terminal in ultrasonic reception. The second voltage output circuit includes a second switching unit that performs switching between supplying the second high voltage to the second terminal in ultrasonic transmission; and electrically separating the second voltage output circuit from the second terminal in ultrasonic reception.

A tissue treatment catheter and system include a catheter shaft sized and shaped for delivery through a radial artery to a blood vessel of a patient. The catheter shaft has several lumens, including a guidewire lumen, a cable lumen, and one or more fluid lumens. A stiffening web extends from the guidewire lumen and is thicker than an outer wall of the catheter shaft. The tissue treatment catheter and system include an ultrasound transducer, a balloon surrounding the ultrasound transducer, and a single electrical cable electrically connected to the ultrasound transducer to deliver sufficient electrical energy during sonication to the transducer such that the transducer thermally induces modulation of neural fibers surrounding the blood vessel sufficient to improve a measurable physiological parameter corresponding to a diagnosed condition of the patient. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Each conductor of a plurality of insulated conductors of a wiring harness extends between, and electrically connects, a corresponding terminal of a first electrical connector to either a corresponding terminal of an electrical connector jack of a plurality of electrical jacks located along the wiring harness, or to a corresponding terminal of a corresponding auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensor of the plurality of auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensors. The plurality of insulated conductors are organized in a plurality of distinct branches, each distinct branch originating either from the first electrical connector or from another portion of the wiring harness, and the locations of the plurality of distinct branches, in cooperation with the plurality of electrical jacks, if present, are implicitly suggestive of a corresponding location of the corresponding auscultatory sound-or-vibration sensor on a thorax of a test subject.

The invention describes a device comprising at least one emitter of P-waves and/or S-waves, preferably shear waves, more preferably axisymmetric waves, and at least one wave receiver, wherein the receiver or receivers are disposed concentrically, and the disposition of the emitters and receivers allows same to simultaneously come into direct contact with a specimen, the structure of which it is desired to characterise. Also described is a method for characterising the spatial distribution of mechanical parameters of a specimen, based on the emission of shear waves and the subsequent reception thereof.

A radial type ultrasound transducer is arranged in an ultrasound endoscope including a bending portion on a distal end side of an insertion portion. The ultrasound transducer includes: a plurality of piezoelectric elements arranged at predetermined intervals in a circumferential manner and configured to transmit and receive ultrasound waves; a plurality of electrodes arranged in the respective piezoelectric elements; and a flexible printed circuit electrically connected to each of the electrodes. The flexible printed circuit includes a plurality of wires that extend such that at least parts of the wires cross a direction perpendicular to an arrangement direction of the piezoelectric elements, and the plurality of wires are electrically connected to the respective electrodes of the piezoelectric elements at positions where at least parts of the wires cross the direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the piezoelectric elements.

An ultrasonic probe includes: a piezoelectric element that is used for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves; a signal electrode that is disposed at a rear surface side of the piezoelectric element; and a backing that is disposed at a rear surface side of the signal electrode, wherein the backing has a thermal resistance of 8 K/W or less, and the backing attenuates an ultrasonic wave with the lowest frequency by 10 dB or more, among frequencies at which transmittance and reception sensitivity of the ultrasonic probe is decreased from the maximum value thereof by 20 dB.