| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the complexity of an ultrasound system employing an array whose configuration is variable resulting in leading to reduced power consumption, reduced cost and increased portability. SOLUTION: An ultrasound transducer array includes a multiplicity of subelements (U1, U2, U3) interconnected by a multiplicity of microelectronic switches (X1, X2, X3) , each subelement comprising a respective multiplicity of micromachined ultrasound transducer (MUT) cells (2). The MUT cells within a particular subelement are hard-wired together. The switches are used to configure the subelements to form multiple concentric annular elements. This design dramatically reduces complexity while enabling focusing in the elevation direction during ultrasonic image data acquisition. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI
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