A method of operating electro-acoustical transducers such as PMUTs involves applying to the transducer an excitation signal over an excitation interval, acquiring at the transducer a ring-down signal indicative of the ring-down behavior of the transducer after the end of the excitation interval, and calculating, as a function of said ring-down signal, a resonance frequency of the electro-acoustical transducer. A bias voltage of the electro-acoustical transducer can be controlled as a function of the resonance frequency. An acoustical signal received can be transduced into an electrical reception signal and a damping parameter of the electro-acoustical transducer can be calculated as a function of the ring-down signal so that a cross-correlation reference signal can be synthesized as a function of the resonance frequency and the damping ratio of the electro-acoustical transducer. Such a cross-correlation reference signal can be used for cross-correlation with the electrical reception signal to improve the reception quality.

A drive control device is provided that vibrates a vibrating body by applying signals having mutually different phases to a plurality of electrodes provided at a piezoelectric element on the vibrating body. The drive control device includes a signal application unit that selectively applies a signal to an electrode of the plurality of electrodes; an amplitude detection unit that receives a feedback signal from an electrode different from the electrode to which the signal application unit has performed selective application; and a signal condition control unit that controls a condition of a signal to be applied by the signal application unit based on the feedback signal.

An apparatus and system for deploying an acoustic sensor are disclosed. In some embodiments, an acoustic sensor includes a transducer comprising a piezoelectric material layer having a front side from which the transducer is configured to transmit acoustic sensing signals and an opposing back side. A backing material layer comprising an acoustic damping material is coupled at a front side to the back side of the piezoelectric material layer. An acoustic reflector such as may comprise a cavity containing gaseous or liquid fluid is disposed between the front side and a back side of the backing material layer.

A system includes sensor-actuator units fixed onto a plate to be actuated according to at least one predetermined vibratory mode, each sensor-actuator unit having an electromechanical actuator and a deformation or vibratory speed sensor, wherein the electromechanical actuator and the sensor are colocated on the surface, that is to say that the measurement by the sensor is performed in immediate proximity to the electromechanical actuator, this proximity being such that the actuator and the sensor can respectively actuate and measure the same predetermined vibratory mode.

A driving device generates a driving signal and outputs the driving signal to a piezoelectric element, the driving signal having a waveform obtained by using, as a first modulated wave, a first low-frequency wave having a frequency of 1 Hz or more and less than 100 Hz, using, as a second modulated wave, a waveform obtained by modulating an amplitude of a second low-frequency wave having a frequency of 100 Hz or more and 300 Hz or less with the first modulated wave, and modulating a high-frequency wave having a frequency of 20 kHz or more and 100 kHz or less with the second modulated wave.

An operation method of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes executing one or more imaging series of steps with an ultrasound transducer; and applying a polarization processing to the ultrasound transducer one or more of before, after, and interleaved between the one or more imaging series of steps, where the polarization processing is separate from the one or more imaging series of steps.

An amplifier circuit to be used in a sonar is described. The amplifier circuit includes a transducer and a matching circuit. The transducer has an impedance characteristic having a resonance frequency and an anti-resonance frequency higher than the resonance frequency. The matching circuit is connected to the transducer. The impedance characteristic of the transducer connected to the matching circuit has a first resonance frequency and a second resonance frequency higher than the first resonance frequency.

A vibration structure is provided that includes a vibration member including a frame having a first opening, a vibrator disposed inside the first opening and having a second opening, and one or more supports that support the vibrator to the frame; and a piezoelectric member disposed inside the second opening and having a first end and a second end, and expanding and contracting in a first direction connecting the first end and the second end when voltage is applied. Moreover, a first part and a second part of a first connection member are provided that connect the first end of the piezoelectric member to the frame; and a first part and a second part of a second connection member are provided that connect the second end of the piezoelectric member to the vibrator. At least the first connection member is an elastic body.

An ultrasound transducer includes: an acoustic matching layer; plural piezoelectric elements arrayed on the acoustic matching layer; and plural blocks arranged adjacent to at least one of ends of the piezoelectric elements in an elevation direction of the piezoelectric elements, each of the plural blocks including an abrasive.

The present disclosure relates to an ultrasonic device for real-time and nondestructive assessment of extracellular matrix stiffness, and the method of making and using the novel ultrasonic device.