Patent ID: 7798971

Claim:
An ultrasonic scanhead which is configured for assembly onto a scanning probe and which enables scanning of a cylindrical volume, said scanhead having a major longitudinal axis and said scanhead comprising: (a) a transducer portion including mounted thereon at least one linear array transducer longitudinally aligned with the major longitudinal axis of the scanhead; (b) a removable motorization portion mounted at a distal end of the transducer portion so as to be removable without disassembly of the scanhead from a scanning probe onto which the scanhead is assembled, said motorization portion including motorization means for providing rotation of said at least one linear array transducer about an axis in alignment with said major longitudinal axis; (c) a proximal portion configured to be connected to or plugged into the scanning probe, said proximal portion including transducer interconnection means for connection to the at least one linear array transducer and a position encoder for detecting the rotational position of the at least one linear array transducer; and (d) said scanhead further including a central hollow space coaxially aligned with the major longitudinal axis of the scanhead and extending from the proximal portion through the transducer portion to the motorization portion, said space housing electrical interconnections for the motorization means.