Patent ID: 8946972
Filing Date: 2015-02-03
Classification: B06B,G01S,G10K

Abstract:
1. An ultrasound transducer element system, the system comprising: at least one ultrasound transducer element comprising at least first and second layers of transducer material having a single center terminal between the first and second layers, each of the first and second layers of transducer material operable to convert between electrical and acoustic energies based on a transduction nature of the transducer material; a transmit beamformer channel connected with the element such that both first and second layers are responsive to a same transmit waveform, the transmit waveform applied to the single center terminal between the first and second layers; a receive beamformer channel connected with the element and configured such that signals generated by both the first and second layers, in response to acoustic echoes to acoustic energy transmitted by the transmit beamformer, are provided to the receive beamformer channel; a passive switching circuit connected between and with the single center terminal and both of the transmit beamformer channel and the receive beamformer channel.