A method for transceiving signals and a transceiver using the same are provided. The method includes: configuring a transmitting circuit to transmit a transmitting signal via a first transmitting channel of the transmitting circuit during a transmitting period of the transmitting signal; configuring a switch module to connect the first transmitting channel to a first transducer element of a probe during the transmitting period; and configuring the switch module to disconnect the first transmitting channel form the first transducer element and to connect the first transmitting channel to a second transducer element of the probe during the transmitting period.

Provided in accordance with the herein described exemplary embodiments are piezo micro-machined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs) each having a first electrode that includes a first electrode portion and a second electrode portion. The second electrode portion is separately operable from the first electrode portion. A second electrode is spaced apart from the first electrode and defines a space between the first electrode and the second electrode. A piezoelectric material is disposed in the space. Also provided are arrays of pMUTs wherein individual pMUTs have first electrode portions operably associated with array rows and second electrode portions operably associated with array columns.

A therapy apparatus for treating tissue by the emission of focused ultrasound waves, including:

a creation surface of a pressure field of focused ultrasound waves divided into at least N sectors having segments of asymmetrical concave curve (S1, S2, . . . ) with centres of curvature;

centres of curvature (c.sub.1, c.sub.2, . . . ) asymmetrical to the extent where the centres of curvature are situated at different distances from the plane of symmetry (A1) or from the axis of symmetry (S) and/or at different depths taken according to the axis of symmetry;

the individual axes (a.sub.1, a.sub.2, . . . ) intersecting between the focal zones (Zc.sub.1, Zc.sub.2, . . . ) and the creation surface (8) or beyond the focal zones such that the beams originating from the sectors intersect to create a focal coverage zone (Zr) which is off-axis relative to the plane of symmetry (A1) or to the axis of symmetry (S);

the sectors of this creation surface (8) creating energy deposit zones with profiles corresponding to the focal coverage zones (Zr).

A method of generating ultrasound by driving an array of ultrasonic transducers comprises a charge transfer procedure. The charge transfer procedure comprises switching a terminal of a first ultrasonic transducer of the array, at a first electric potential, to a charge distribution bus; switching a terminal of a second ultrasonic transducer of the array, at a second electric potential different than the first potential, to the charge distribution bus; and allowing charge to flow between the first ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer through the charge distribution bus.

The present disclosure provides an ultrasonic sensor, a method for driving the same, and a method for manufacturing the same. The ultrasonic sensor includes a back plate, a sounding structure on the back plate and a backing layer on a side of the sounding structure distal to the back plate; the sounding structure includes a plurality of emitting electrodes, an opposite electrode, a piezoelectric layer and a plurality of signal leads, and the plurality of emitting electrodes and the opposite electrode are respectively arranged on two sides of the piezoelectric layer; and the plurality of emitting electrodes are arranged in an array, and each of the emitting electrodes is individually coupled to one of the signal leads. The ultrasonic sensor may achieve an independent control for each patterned electrode such that the ultrasonic sensor may be used as a point sound source.

To provide a photoacoustic probe capable of acquiring subject information for reducing generation of artifacts without increasing the number of wires connected to the outside. Provided is a probe including a plurality of ultrasonic transducers, wherein the ultrasonic transducers are divided into a plurality of groups, two adjoining ultrasonic transducers belong to different groups, and the probe includes a group selection unit configured to switch signals of the ultrasonic transducers to be outputtable for each of the groups.

A method for transceiving signals and a transceiver using the same are provided. The method includes: configuring a transmitting circuit to transmit a transmitting signal via a first transmitting channel of the transmitting circuit during a transmitting period of the transmitting signal; configuring a switch module to connect the first transmitting channel to a first transducer element of a probe during the transmitting period; and configuring the switch module to disconnect the first transmitting channel form the first transducer element and to connect the first transmitting channel to a second transducer element of the probe during the transmitting period.

In a method for transmit beamforming of a two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers, a beamforming pattern to apply to a beamforming space of the two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers is defined. The beamforming space includes a plurality of elements, where each element of the beamforming space corresponds to an ultrasonic transducer of the two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers, where the beamforming pattern identifies which ultrasonic transducers within the beamforming space are activated during a transmit operation of the two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers, and wherein at least some of the ultrasonic transducers that are activated are phase delayed with respect to other ultrasonic transducers that are activated. The beamforming pattern is applied to the two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers. A transmit operation is performed by activating the ultrasonic transducers of the beamforming space according to the beamforming pattern.

The present disclosure provides systems and methods associated with acoustic transmitters, receivers, and antennas. Specifically, the present disclosure provides a transducer system for transmitting and receiving acoustic energy according to a determined acoustic emission/reception pattern. In various embodiments, an acoustic transducer system may include an array of sub-wavelength transducer elements each configured with an electromagnetic resonance at one of a plurality of electromagnetic frequencies. Each sub-wavelength transducer element may generate an acoustic emission in response to the electromagnetic resonance. A beam-forming controller may cause electromagnetic energy to be transmitted at select electromagnetic frequencies to cause a select subset of the sub-wavelength transducer elements to generate acoustic emissions according to a selectable acoustic transmission pattern. A common port may facilitate electromagnetic communication with each of the sub-wavelength transducer elements.

A UT method includes steps of: placing multiple sensors on a test object, the sensors each having multiple elements; connecting the sensors to a UT device such that multiple elements each selected one by one from each of the sensors are set as one group, and the multiple elements belonging to a same group are selectively connected to a common connector of the UT device via a switcher; inputting to the UT device a collection of UT conditions used for the multiple sensors; causing the UT device to perform UT operations sequentially while switching the sensors connected to the UT device with the use of the switcher; and storing UT data in which the sensors used for UT match UT conditions on the basis of the order of execution of UT conditions included in the collection of UT conditions.