A system and method from improving the image quality achievable with an ultrasound transducer by using a composite aperture for receiving ultrasound echoes. By using two receive cycles per vector, twice as many transducers may be used for receiving ultrasound imaging data than there are physical channels available in the ultrasound probe. An ultrasound probe utilizing a composite aperture can achieve high image quality from a system have reduced power, size, cost and complexity.

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.

Disclosed herein are ultrasonic transducer systems comprising: an ultrasonic imager comprising a plurality of pMUT transducer elements; and one or more circuitries connected electronically to the plurality of transducer element, the one or more circuitries configured to enable: pulse transmission and reception of reflected signal for the ultrasonic transducer, where inductors are used to equalize impedance to obtain greater pressure output. Also disclosed are methods of altering a pressure of an ultrasonic wave emitted by an ultrasonic transducer.

Apparatus and methods for removing a dental crown from a tooth. Chemical bonds within an adhesive, between the adhesive and the crown, and between the adhesive and the tooth may secure the crown to the tooth. The chemical bonds may be weakened. After weakening the bonds, the crown may not be securely affixed to the tooth. After weakening the bonds, the crown may be easily removed from the tooth. The bonds may be weakened by applying ultrasonic waves to the adhesive. Sonic energy of the waves may heat the adhesive. The bonds may be weakened by positioning the adhesive within an electric field. The bonds may be weakened by applying heat to the adhesive. The heating may cause particles within the adhesive to expand. The electric field and/or the sonic energy may be applied via an electronic tool.

Disclosed are a flexible vibration cushion and a method of controlling the same. The flexible vibration cushion may include a cover member, a first soft filler material filled in the cover member; and a vibration generation device including components made of a soft material and disposed in the soft filler. The vibration generation device is configured to generate vibration as an electrostatic force is repeatedly generated and released. The vibration generation device may be applied in a vehicle part, e.g., headrest, thereby minimizing the foreign body sensation acting on the user’s skin while delivering soft and various senses of vibrations to the user.

An impedance matching device includes a matching element array unit with a matching element array to which a transmission pulse and a received pulse pass, an extraction/calculation unit extracting pulse information from the transmission pulse and the received pulse, calculating impedance values corresponding to the pulse information, and calculating an impedance value having best response characteristics of the received pulse with respect to the transmission pulse as a matching impedance value, an array control unit routing the matching element array unit according to the matching impedance value, a first converter converting a frequency of the transmission pulse into a carrier frequency and outputting the transmission pulse to the matching element array unit, a second converter converting the carrier frequency into a low frequency, and a converter control unit outputting a signal for controlling the frequency converting of the first converter and the second converter.

An ultrasound imaging device includes an assembly of ultrasound transducers. The ultrasound transducers are divided into a plurality of sub-assemblies each having P ultrasound transducers. The ultrasound imaging device further includes, for each sub-assembly, K transceiver circuits and a configurable routing circuit coupling the P ultrasound transducers of the sub-assembly to the K transceiver circuits where P and K are integers greater than or equal to 2, with K smaller than P. Each sub-assembly further includes at least one mobile transducer capable of being, via the routing circuit, disconnected or connected to any one of a plurality of predefined transceiver circuits among the K transceiver circuits of the sub-assembly.

Circuits, devices and methods generating an ultrasound pulse are provided herein. An ultrasound probe includes an array of transducer elements configured to transmit an ultrasound signal toward a target structure in a region of interest, and an array of pulse generators for driving a respective transducer element. Each of the pulse generators are coupled to a respective transducer element and include a driver circuit configured to receive a control signal and to output a driving signal, a switching element coupled to the driver circuit, and a resonant circuit coupled to the switching element and the respective transducer element, wherein the resonant circuit is configured to provide a transmit pulse to the respective transducer element based on the driving signal. The switching element may comprise a gallium nitride field effect transistor (GaN FET).

Disclosed is an ultrasound vortex energy injection device configured in such a way as to disperse ultrasound waves without focusing the ultrasound waves with respect to an area coming in contact with a human body, and at the same time, apply a vortex-type stimulus in a circumferential direction of an area getting in contact with the human body with respect to a plurality of piezoelectric elements arranged to be spaced apart from one another in a circumferential direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) of an area opposed to the human body where ultrasound waves are transmitted.

Aspects of this disclosure relate to a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) with a contoured electrode. In certain embodiments, the CMUT has a contoured electrode. The electrode may be non-planar to correspond to a deflected shape of the outer plate. A change in distance between the electrode and the plate after deflection may be greater than a minimum threshold across the width of the CMUT.