Patent ID: 7709997

Claim:
A piezoelectric transducer comprising: a body of piezoelectric material having first and second opposed sides; first and second electrically conductive layers on the first and second sides respectively of the piezoelectric body; and a switching arrangement operative to connect the transducer elements together in series, either in a matched field configuration or in an alternating field configuration; wherein the body of piezoelectric material and the electrically conductive layers are so constructed that they form a plurality of separate adjacent series-connected transducer elements, and wherein the first and second electrically conductive layers are comprised of respective pluralities of first and second electrically isolated portions, and wherein respective ones of said first and second electrically isolated portions are aligned to form electrode pairs which cooperate with intervening portions of the piezoelectric body to define the plurality of spaced piezoelectric transducer elements, and wherein the transducer elements are so arranged that a potential difference applied thereto generates an electric field in opposite directions in immediately adjacent transducer elements relative to a polarization direction of the piezoelectric material.