Patent ID: 8278799

Claim:
A method for optimizing an ultrasonic transducer design based on a one-dimensional profile curve and specified to produce one or more beams at one or more respective focal points in a volume of interest, said method comprising the steps of: determining locations of a first through an N-th focal points with respect to a coordinate system; specifying a first through an N-th beam parameters at respective said first through an N-th focal points; establishing the location of the profile curve with respect to said coordinate system; determining a first through an N-th apertures configured to produce said N beam parameters at respective said first through N-th focal points; calculating a composite phase curve as a function of coordinate distance along the profile for said first through N-th apertures; and using said composite phase curve to derive one or more break points at respective one or more coordinate distance values along the profile curve, said one or more break points defining a segmented profile, the number of profile segments in said segmented profile determinant of an optimal value for the number of transducer elements in the ultrasonic transducer design.