An ultrasound transducer unit includes: a plurality of units each of which includes a piezoelectric element group, a wiring substrate that includes a plurality of wiring lines that are electrically connected to piezoelectric elements included in the piezoelectric element group, and a cable group that is electrically connected to the wiring lines included in the wiring substrate, that extends in a direction intersecting a longitudinal direction of each of the piezoelectric elements included in the piezoelectric element group, and that is formed into a helical shape; an outer surface support that supports, by using an outer surface of the outer surface support, the piezoelectric element group included in each of the plurality of units; and an inner surface support that supports an inner surface of the outer surface support. Cable groups included in the plurality of units constitute a multiple helical structure.

Provided is an electric field-vibration generating transducer having a piezoelectric material of a high degree of displacement, and a manufacturing method thereof. The electric field-vibration generating transducer lowers the cost of production through miniaturization simultaneously with realizing excellent generating characteristics of the electric field-vibration generating transducer based on high efficiency and low voltage driving because the piezoelectric material of the high degree of displacement (high strain piezoelectrics) having a high piezoelectric constant (d.sub.33=1,000 to 6,000 pC/N), a high dielectric constant (K.sub.3.sup.T=6,000 to 15,000) as well as a low dielectric loss (tan δ<2%) is applied thereto, so the electric field-vibration generating transducer may accelerate the movement of a material, a chemical action, and a biological reaction, and may be applied to a medical device for the purpose of treatment for tumors aimed at human bodies and animals.

An acoustic transducer array and method of making same. A first metal layer is deposited on a first side of a piezoelectric composite to form a common electrode and a second metal layer is provided over the obverse side. Portions of the second metal layer are removed to create a plurality of individual electrodes. A third metal layer may be deposited onto the plurality of individual electrodes, the third metal layer being thicker than the second metal layer. The individual electrodes extend beyond the piezoelectric composite in the elevation direction to create electrode leads. Metal layers may be provided by lithography, a wireframe or a foil sheet.

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.

A battery-powered, modular surgical device comprising an electrically powered surgical instrument that requires a pre-determined minimum amount of electrical energy to complete a surgical procedure, and a power module assembly that has a battery that powers the surgical instrument and has a current state of electrical charge, and a control circuit that is electrically coupled to the battery and the surgical instrument and has a memory and a microprocessor. The microprocessor determines the current state of electrical charge of the battery, compares the current state of electrical charge to the pre-determined minimum amount of electrical energy, permits the battery to discharge if the current state of electrical charge is above the pre-determined minimum amount of electrical energy, and maintains the battery in a non-discharge state if the current state of electrical charge is below the pre-determined minimum amount of electrical energy.

An ultrasonic probe according to one embodiment comprises: a plurality of sound absorbing bodies that form a sound absorbing layer; at least one ground connection part that is joined between the sound absorbing bodies; at least one center connection part that is joined between the sound absorbing bodies and has an electrode; a plurality of side connection parts that are joined between the sound absorbing bodies and disposed outside the center connection part and have an electrode; and a plurality of piezoelectric bodies that are disposed in front of the sound absorbing layer to be electrically connected to the ground connection part, the center connection part, and the side connection parts.

An ultrasound diaphragmography device includes a plurality of piezoelectric ultrasound transducers arranged in at least two linear arrays for placement on a patient's chest along a cranio-caudal axis of the patient. The ultrasound transducers generate and transmit ultrasound waves that penetrate the patient's anatomy and receive returned ultrasound waves. Circuitry in communication with the ultrasound transducers receive the returned ultrasound waves and analyzes the returned ultrasound waves to determine the quality of the patient's lung function in real-time and compare the movement of the left and right hemidiaphragms.

A sonicator assembly, including: a microplate defining a plurality of wells; a manifold for containing a transducer fluid that is thermally coupled to the plurality of wells of the microplate; an ultrasonic generator operable for applying an ultrasonic excitation to the wells of the microplate; one or more of a heating module thermally coupled to and operable for selectively heating the transducer fluid and a cooling module thermally coupled to and operable for selectively cooling the transducer fluid; and a controller operable for controlling operation of the ultrasonic generator and the one or more of the heating module and the cooling module. The controller is further operable for monitoring a temperature and a pressure within the manifold. A temperature of the plurality of wells is controllable over a temperature range from 4° C. to 95° C. Optionally, the plurality of wells include a plurality of heat-resistant round-bottom hydrophilic wells.

Some embodiments of the invention relate to an applicator for applying ultrasound energy to a tissue volume, comprising: an array comprising a plurality of ultrasound transducers, the transducers arranged side by side, the transducers configured to emit unfocused ultrasound energy suitable to thermally damage at least a portion of the tissue volume, each of the transducers comprising a coating thin enough so as not to substantially affect heat transfer via the coating to the tissue; and a cooling module configured to apply cooling via the transducers to prevent overheating of a surface of the tissue volume being contacted by the transducers.

The ultrasonic transducer has a cylindrical shape having a first end surface and a second end surface, and includes a piezoelectric material that generates ultrasonic vibration for treating biological tissue with ultrasonic energy, a first electrode that is disposed in contact with the first end surface and to which an ultrasonic driving voltage is applied for generating ultrasonic vibration to the piezoelectric material, a second electrode that is disposed in contact with the second end surface and to which a reference voltage is applied for generating ultrasonic vibration to the piezoelectric material, an insulating plate that opposes the second end surface with the second electrode interposed therebetween, a third electrode that opposes the second electrode with the insulating plate and to which high-frequency power for treating biological tissue is supplied with high-frequency energy, and a short-circuit prevention unit that prevents short-circuiting between the first and third electrodes.