Patent ID: 6915696

Claim:
An ultrasonic array transducer, said transducer having a central region and front and rear faces, and comprising: a first linear array extending through the central region of the transducer and including signal electrodes on the front face of the transducer and ground electrodes on the rear face of the transducer; a second linear array extending through the central region of the transducer mutually orthogonally to said first linear array, said second linear array including signal electrodes on the rear face of the transducer and ground electrodes on the front face of the transducer; said first and second linear arrays intersecting to form a cross shaped configuration including a central area at which said first and second arrays intersect, said central area including a central group of signal electrodes from the first array on the front face of the transducer and a central group of signal electrodes from the second array on the rear face of the transducer; a first interconnection means disposed at the first face of the transducer for providing electrical connection of the signal electrodes of the first array without shunting the ground electrodes of the second array; a second interconnection means disposed at the rear face of the transducer for providing electrical connection of the signal electrodes of the second array; and a switching device, disposed in the vicinity of the first and second arrays between said first and second interconnection means and external coaxial cables, for switching the central groups of signal electrodes of the first and second arrays between ground and excitation circuitry for providing excitation of the respective central groups, said transducer further comprising a further linear array interecting said first linear array, and said further linear array including signal electrodes on the rear face of the transducer, and ground electrodes on the front face of the transducer.