A multilayer board includes: a front-side layer; an intermediate layer; a back-side layer; the front-side layer; a first ground terminal and a second ground terminal for connecting ground lines of a plurality of shield lines to be connected to the multilayer board; a plurality of signal line connecting terminal arrays each including a plurality of signal line connecting terminals for connecting respective signal lines of the shield lines; and a wire having a thermal conductivity, the wire extending to the second end on the intermediate layer.

For intraluminal ultrasound probes, two long-thin arrays (e.g., 1D arrays) are provided in the intraluminal ultrasound probe for bi-plane imaging. The arrays are rotatable relative to each other so that during insertion the arrays align to be long and thin, allowing the shaft of the probe to be narrow. For bi-plane imaging after insertion, one array is rotated relative to the other array, defining two non-parallel imaging planes.

A method and system of pulse-echo ultrasound imaging by separating transducer elements of an ultrasound transducer array separate subsets, wherein the transducer elements in one subset performs a transmit operation only, and the transducer elements in the other subset perform an echo receive operation only; and grouping the transducer elements into groups of transducer elements based on subset, where each of the groups of transducer elements has the same probability of membership in either a transmit subset or a receive subset; and randomly concatenating the groups of transducer elements into a sparse array.

An ultrasonic generator includes an ultrasonic wave source and a converging portion. The converging portion includes a first reflecting portion which reflects the ultrasonic wave generated by the ultrasonic wave source on its first reflecting surface, a second reflecting portion which reflects the ultrasonic wave reflected by the first reflecting surface on its second reflecting surface, and a waveguide serving as a transmission path for the ultrasonic wave. The waveguide is disposed such that the ultrasonic wave reflected by the second reflecting surface is introduced through an introduction portion thereof. The focal point of the second reflecting surface and the focal point of the first reflecting surface are disposed such that the ultrasonic wave reflected by the second reflecting surface becomes a plane wave.

An intravascular ultrasound probe is disclosed, incorporating features for utilizing an advanced transducer technology on a rotating transducer shaft. In particular, the probe accommodates the transmission of the multitude of signals across the boundary between the rotary and stationary components of the probe required to support an advanced transducer technology. These advanced transducer technologies offer the potential for increased bandwidth, improved beam profiles, better signal to noise ratio, reduced manufacturing costs, advanced tissue characterization algorithms, and other desirable features. Furthermore, the inclusion of electronic components on the spinning side of the probe can be highly advantageous in terms of preserving maximum signal to noise ratio and signal fidelity, along with other performance benefits.

An apparatus comprising an array of polymer-based capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers positioned on a substrate. The substrate may be at least substantially transparent to ionizing radiation, be flexible, and/or have walls positioned thereon to protect the transducers.

An ultrasound imaging and therapy device includes an array of concentric annular ultrasound transducers, and an ultrasound imaging device situated inside an innermost transducer of the plurality of concentric annular ultrasound transducers, wherein it further comprises a mechanical linkage allowing a tilting movement of the array of concentric annular ultrasound transducers with respect to the ultrasound imaging device and in that the ultrasound imaging device protrudes in an axial direction from the array of concentric annular ultrasound transducers; whereby the ultrasound imaging device can be kept stationary and in direct or indirect contact with a patient's skin while the array of concentric annular ultrasound transducers is tilted so as to move a focal point of ultrasound waves generated by the concentric annular ultrasound transducers within an imaging region of the ultrasound imaging device.

An ultrasonic includes: a piezoelectric layer; an absorbing layer disposed at a lower portion of the piezoelectric layer, configured to absorb an acoustic signal; and a connection part disposed between the piezoelectric layer and the absorbing layer. The connection part may deform at least partially so that a plurality of acoustic signals radiated from the piezoelectric layer due to the connection part have different magnitudes. In the case of the ultrasonic probe, since the magnitude of the acoustic energy radiated from the center of the ultrasonic probe is larger than the magnitude of the acoustic energy radiated from the side of the ultrasonic probe, the directivity of the ultrasonic signal is improved and a side lobe is decreased. In addition, an apodization effect capable of suppressing overlapping between adjacent phases can be obtained by using a difference in the magnitude of the acoustic energy to be radiated.

An ultrasonic device may include an electromechanical ultrasonic system defined by a predetermined resonant frequency, in which the system may include an ultrasonic transducer coupled to an ultrasonic blade. A method of estimating a state of an end effector of the ultrasonic device may include applying a drive signal defined by a magnitude and a frequency to the ultrasonic transducer, sweeping the frequency of the drive signal from below a first resonance to above the first resonance of the electromagnetic ultrasonic system, measuring and recording, impedance/admittance circle variables R.sub.e, G.sub.e, X.sub.e, and B.sub.e, comparing, the measured impedance/admittance circle variables R.sub.e, G.sub.e, X.sub.e, and B.sub.e to reference impedance/admittance circle variables R.sub.ref, G.sub.ref, X.sub.ref, and B.sub.ref, and determining, a state or condition of the end effector based on the result of the comparison. An electromechanical ultrasonic system may include a control circuit to effect the method.

An ultrasound detection device comprising: an ultrasound receiver configured to generate a signal indicative of a pressure of ultrasound that impinges on the receiver; and a coded mask comprising an ultrasound-blocking material perforated by an array of a plurality of apertures, the apertures arranged such that when the coded mask is placed over the receiver between the receiver and a source of ultrasound in a predetermined lateral position, the ultrasound is transmitted from the ultrasound source to the receiver via a known unique pattern of active apertures of the plurality of apertures such that the signal that is generated by the receiver is a multiplexed signal.