Disclosed sensors can include at least one resonator (in some embodiments, at least two resonators) and various other structures that may be formed in association with the resonators. The at least one resonator in embodiments can include a bottom electrode, a piezoelectric layer, and a top electrode, wherein the piezoelectric layer is positioned between the bottom electrode and the top electrode.

A method of forming parts uses a forming tool having a forming surface, and an ultrasonic transducer array on the forming surface.

In some examples, a distributed acoustic detector system may include a frame structure and multiple acoustic detectors. The frame structure may be configured to be retained in a laser-based ophthalmo-logical surgical system aligned to an eye of a patient during therapeutic treatment of the eye of the patient with the laser-based ophthalmological surgical system. The acoustic detectors may be coupled to the frame structure and may be spaced apart from each other and electrically separated from each other.

An ultrasonic sensor which includes a substrate where an opening section is formed, a vibration plate that is provided on the substrate so as to close the opening section, and a piezoelectric element that is layered on a surface of the vibration plate on an opposite side to the opening section and includes a first electrode, a piezoelectric element, and a second electrode, includes a reflection layer that is provided in a space around the piezoelectric element on the surface of the vibration plate on an opposite side to the opening section, to reflect other ultrasonic waves which are transmitted in a different direction from a transmitted ultrasonic wave transmitted to a measuring target side on an interface between the piezoelectric element and the reflection layer, and has a thickness so as to superimpose other ultrasonic waves on the transmitted ultrasonic wave.

A method of monitoring both liner wear and charge impact in an industrial mill uses a sensor mounted on an elongated element deployed through a shell into a liner of the mill. The elongated element wears at a same rate as the liner under conditions within the shell. Liner wear is related to a reduction in length of the elongated element as measured by travel time of an ultrasound wave, while location and strength of charge impact is related to change in amplitude of vibrations caused by the charge impact. Liner wear measurement can be improved by using shear ultrasound waves instead of conventional longitudinal ultrasound waves. A mill monitoring apparatus has a means for acquiring ultrasonic waves and audible sound waves using the same digitizer; a means for determining the angular position of the monitoring apparatus; and a means for supplying electric power to the apparatus.

An ultrasonic dry coupled wheel probe with radial transducers emit ultrasound in substantially all radial directions relative to a longitudinal axis. The probe does not require normalization and is efficient in directing ultrasound to a surface being inspected. The probe has a wheel composed of rubber or other materials for acoustically dry coupling the transducer to the surface. A first transducer is composed of a piezoelectric material so that the transducer receives an electrical signal, vibrates, and generates and transmits sound, such as ultrasound. Similarly, a second transducer receives sound such as ultrasound, vibrates, and generates a corresponding electrical signal. The transducer arrangement both transmits ultrasound to the surface and receives the reflection of the ultrasound from the surface. An acoustic barrier separates the transmitting component from the receiving component. The transducer has annular electroplates adjacent to the piezoelectric material. The two transducers can comprise a single, integrated transducer module.

A solid mount resonator sensor has a substrate. An anti-reflector stack is disposed proximate the substrate. The anti-reflector stack includes one or more acoustic interference layers. A first electrode is disposed proximate the anti-reflector stack. A second electrode having a first surface facing towards the first electrode and an opposing second surface facing away from the first electrode. A substantially quarter-wave piezoelectric material layer is disposed between the first and second electrodes.

A method, system, device, and medium for online stress monitoring without baseline data based on single-mode multi-frequency signal fusion are provided. The method includes: establishing a dispersion curve according to geometric dimensions and material parameters of a measured object; then solving an approximate linear relationship between propagation time of S0 modes with different frequencies and stress at a fixed propagation distance by using a relationship between stress and group velocity, the obtained linear relationship being an acousto-elastic equation required for final measurement; then performing Hilbert transformation on an obtained signal, extracting a signal envelope, and determining arrival time of two excitation frequency signals by means of a peak extraction algorithm and a time domain width of an excitation signal; and calculating a propagation time ratio and substituting the propagation time ratio into a pre-calibrated acousto-elastic equation to solve a stress value of an object to be measured. The disclosure is advantageous in that the multi-frequency data is fused by using dispersion characteristics of a single-mode Lamb wave and an acousto-elastic effect, thereby achieving online stress monitoring without baseline data.

The invention comprises a device and method to estimate the elasticity of soft elastic solids from surface wave measurements. The method is non-destructive, reliable and repeatable. The final device is low-cost and portable. It is based in audio-frequency shear wave propagation in elastic soft solids. Within this frequency range, shear wavelength is centimeter sized. Thus, the experimental data is usually collected in the near-field of the source. Therefore, an inversion algorithm taking into account near-field effects was developed for use with the device. Example applications are shown in beef samples, tissue mimicking materials and in vivo skeletal muscle of healthy volunteers.

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.