Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
367138000 | With beam forming, shaping, steering, or scanning | 41 |
20080205196 | METHOD FOR SELECTIVE BANDLIMITED DATA ACQUISITION IN SUBSURFACE FORMATIONS - The method for exploring desired characteristics of a subsurface sector, having at least one resonant frequency, is based on selectively transmitting suitable narrowband energy waves into the subsurface sector, thereby producing narrowband signals reflected off the subsurface sector. The transmitted narrowband energy waves can be selectively and optimally adjusted in real time so as to provide optimum illumination of the desired characteristics from the explored sector. | 08-28-2008 |
20080316864 | SPRING BASED FINE ACOUSTIC WAVEGUIDE - A fine acoustic waveguide comprising an inner spring. The inner spring provides stability to the acoustic waveguide and increases the manufacturing yield. The disclosed methods further comprise the steps of bending the fine acoustic waveguide with the inner spring and placing a securing material over the bent fine acoustic waveguide, optionally by using mold injection, casting, or extrusion coating. | 12-25-2008 |
20090086578 | ADAPTIVE ARRAY CONTROL DEVICE, METHOD AND PROGRAM, AND ADAPTIVE ARRAY PROCESSING DEVICE, METHOD AND PROGRAM USING THE SAME - [Object] To provide an adaptive array control method, device, and program, and an adaptive array processing method, device, and program, capable of performing accurate coefficient update control independent of frequency characteristics and incoming directions of signals. | 04-02-2009 |
20090147625 | EFFICIENT METHODS FOR WIDEBAND CIRCULAR AND LINEAR ARRAY PROCESSING - The objective of this patent is to develop new signal processing algorithms for a wide-band circular electronically scanned array (CESA) or a wideband linear electronically scanned array (LESA) for use in surveillance and communications applications, where a sequence of pulses are transmitted and their returns are collected by the array for further processing. Instead of partitioning the entire wideband frequency into various subbands and then processing them separately using narrowband schemes, a frequency focusing method is proposed here to compensate and focus the wideband spatio-temporal data into a single narrow frequency band. This is made possible by operating with a pre-computed frequency focusing matrix that transforms the data from various frequency slots that are spread across the entire wideband region into a common narrowband frequency for the array outputs. Finally the focused narrowband data can be processed using conventional space-time adaptive processing methods to suppress the clutter/noise returns and detect any targets present. | 06-11-2009 |
20090274006 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ACOUSTIC IMAGING - The invention relates to an imaging method and system for providing acoustic images of a surface and more particularly, but not exclusively, to acoustic imaging of a surface within a confined space. Also described are an acoustic probe and a transmit/receive sensor array configuration to implement the imaging method and system. The probe has an array of acoustic transmitters arranged in juxtaposed or spaced relationship around at least a portion of the circumferential surface of the probe, and an array of acoustic receivers also disposed around at least a portion of its circumferential surface. A beam-former is used for focussing and steering the acoustic beams from the acoustic transmitter array onto portions of the structure to be examined and for focussing and steering the receive beams onto said surface portions, said beam-former adapted to cause the acoustic transmit beams to be focussed in a plane orthogonal to the plane used to focus the receive beams. High resolution in the near field can be achieved by focussing the transmit and receive beams onto a surface at a focus region, the focus region being narrow in both the orthogonal planes. | 11-05-2009 |
20100080085 | FORCED ACOUSTIC DIPOLE AND FORCED ACOUSTIC MULTIPOLE ARRAY USING THE SAME - Provided is a forced acoustic dipole capable of regulating phases and acoustic pressures of first and second acoustic signals output from first and second pole speakers to freely steer the direction of an acoustic lobe. In addition, a forced acoustic multipole array is constituted by a plurality of forced acoustic dipoles. When the phases and acoustic pressures of the first and second acoustic signals output from the forced acoustic dipoles are regulated to steer an acoustic lobe in a specific direction, sound can be heard from a desired direction only without disturbing others. | 04-01-2010 |
20100124150 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ACOUSTIC BEAMFORMING USING DISCRETE OR CONTINUOUS SPEAKER ARRAYS - In various embodiments, the invention pertains to systems for acoustic beamforming that include one or more speaker membranes, such as, for example, a continuous ribbon membrane, and several independently addressable drivers. Moreover, certain embodiments relate to methods for beamforming with improved directionality. | 05-20-2010 |
20100157740 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING ACOUSTIC RADIATION PATTERN OUTPUT THROUGH ARRAY OF SPEAKERS - Provided are an apparatus and method for controlling an acoustic radiation pattern output through an array of speakers. The apparatus stores a plurality of filter values for forming a plurality of corresponding control patterns set in advance from an input signal. The apparatus forms a compensation control pattern such that signals output through the array of speakers have an intended pattern in consideration of a filter value of a focusing filter. The apparatus selects at least one of the control patterns set in advance to form the compensation control pattern, and processes the input signal using a filter value corresponding to the selected control pattern. | 06-24-2010 |
20100315906 | HAND-HELD ACOUSTIC CAMERA - An acoustic camera includes an acoustic transmitter disposed at one longitudinal end of a housing. The transmitter has a convex radiating surface. A diameter of the transmitter is about four times a wavelength of acoustic energy emitted by the transmitter. A plurality of acoustic receivers is disposed at spaced locations in a pattern extending laterally from the housing. A signal processor is in signal communication with the acoustic receivers. The signal processor is configured to cause the acoustic receivers to be sensitive along steered beams. The signal processor is configured to cause an end of the steered beams to move through a selected pattern within a beam width of the acoustic energy emitted by the acoustic transmitter. The signal processor is configured to operate a visual display device to generate a visual representation corresponding to acoustic energy detected by the acoustic receivers. A visual display device is in signal communication with the signal processor. | 12-16-2010 |
20110058454 | Housing For Phased Array Monostatic Sodar Systems - A housing for a phased array monostatic sodar system with a transducer array that emits and receives multiple generally conical main beams of sound along different primary axes. The housing includes one or more upwardly-directed sidewalls that define a volume between them that is open to the atmosphere at the top, to emit and receive the beams, and an upper lip at the top of at least one wall, defining a curved perimeter at the top of at least some of the volume that closely conforms to the shape of at least one main beam at the location of the lip. | 03-10-2011 |
20110085421 | ELECTRONIC BAFFLING OF SENSOR ARRAYS - A method and system is described for reducing unwanted noise components/interfering targets detected through an ambiguous beam-steer direction, such as the ambiguous ‘back-lobe’ of a sensor array. A pressure sensor array | 04-14-2011 |
20110205848 | BEAM FORMING SYSTEM AND METHOD - A beam forming system ( | 08-25-2011 |
20120106299 | MULTI FREQUENCY 2D PHASED ARRAY TRANSDUCER - Improved two-dimensional planar array transducer and beamformer apparatus and methods. In one embodiment, the two-dimensional planar array transducer is capable of simultaneously or sequentially forming multiple acoustic beams in two axes and at two or more widely separated acoustic frequencies from a single flat planar array transducer. The transducer planar array consists of two or more electrically and acoustically independent two dimensional planar transducer array structures operating at different frequencies that are physically integrated onto a single multi frequency configuration. In an exemplary embodiment, a second higher frequency transducer array is positioned within the aperture area of a lower frequency planar array transducer. Methods of using the aforementioned two-dimensional planar array transducer and beamformer are also disclosed. | 05-03-2012 |
20120163129 | Acoustic Transducer Chip - An array of acoustic transducing unit cells configured with an acoustic focus or a beam steering orientation. A variety of time delays between consecutively coupled acoustic transducing unit cells provides acoustic focus. In another configuration, a resistive signal path between adjacent acoustic transducing unit cells can be used to acoustically steer an acoustic beam in a direction non-normal to the top surface in which the array is disposed. In a further embodiment, a signal pad is made available at each end of the connections through an array of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducing unit cells. | 06-28-2012 |
20120213035 | BOARD FOR SYNTHETIC APERTURE BEAMFORMING APPARTUS - The present invention relates to a board for a synthetic aperture ultrasound imaging apparatus which includes an analog to digital converter converting M analog channel data into M digital channel data; a partial beamformer unit including N partial beamformers generating N partial beams from the M digital channel data; and an adder adding a partial beam stored in a k-th synthetic aperture memory among a plurality of synthetic aperture memories and a partial beam outputted from a k+1-th partial beamformer to input the added partial beam to a k+1-th synthetic aperture memory. The present invention can facilitate an increase in the number of channels by adding a board without transmitting a lot of channel data between boards by exchanging and synthesizing a part of the scanline data between the boards at rear ends of the boards. | 08-23-2012 |
20130051178 | RESONANTLY AMPLIFIED SHEAR WAVES - Apparatus and methods for generating resonantly amplified ultrasound shear waves in biological tissue. The apparatus comprises a plurality of transducer elements and a controller for controlling the element excitation such as to cyclically generate the pattern of focal regions having associates shear waves and to create resonant amplification of the shear waves. Resonant amplification of the shear waves is obtained when shear waves generated at one focal region are superposed in phase on shear waves synchronously generated at an adjacent focal region. The generation may be done by burst or continuous wave excitation. In some embodiments, the shear waves are supersonic shear waves. | 02-28-2013 |
20130148472 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COMMUNICATING DATA THROUGH AN ELECTROMAGNETIC BARRIER - An electromagnetic barrier includes a first surface and a second surface. A first transducer is coupled to the first surface. A second transducer is coupled to the second surface such that a signal is transmittable between the first transducer and the second transducer without physically penetrating the electromagnetic barrier. | 06-13-2013 |
20130194895 | ULTRASOUND PROBING DEVICE, METHOD OF CONTROLLING TRANSDUCERS OF AN ULTRASOUND PROBE AND CORRESPONDING COMPUTER PROGRAM - An ultrasound probing device including: a box; a locating mechanism to provide a position of the box in relation to a reference frame associated with an object to be examined; a mechanism to determine a delay law based on focusing parameters, representing a desired position of a focal point in relation to a reference frame associated with the box; a controller to provide control signals based on the delay law; transducers attached to the box, to receive control signals and, in response, to transmit ultrasonic waves in the object respectively delayed according to the delay law to focus at the focal point defined by the focusing parameters; and a mechanism updating the focusing parameters based on predefined associations between positions on a desired path of the box in relation to the reference frame associated with the object and corresponding focusing parameter values and the position of the box. | 08-01-2013 |
20130201798 | IMAGING TRANSDUCER ARRAY - An imaging transducer ( | 08-08-2013 |
20130294201 | ULTRA WIDE BANDWIDTH TRANSDUCER WITH DUAL ELECTRODE - Wide bandwidth piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs), pMUT arrays and systems having wide bandwidth pMUT arrays are described herein. For example, a piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (pMUT) includes a piezoelectric membrane disposed on a substrate. A reference electrode is coupled to the membrane. First and second drive/sense electrodes are coupled to the membrane to drive or sense a first and second mode of vibration in the membrane. | 11-07-2013 |
20130294202 | MULTI-FREQUENCY ULTRA WIDE BANDWIDTH TRANSDUCER - Piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (pMUT) arrays and techniques for frequency shaping in pMUT arrays are described, for example to achieve both high frequency and low frequency operation in a same device. The ability to operate at both high and low frequencies may be tuned during use of the device to adaptively adjust for optimal resolution at a particular penetration depth of interest. In embodiments, various sizes of piezoelectric membranes are fabricated for tuning resonance frequency across the membranes. The variously sized piezoelectric membranes are lumped together by two or more separate electrode rails, enabling independent addressing between the two or more subgroups of sized transducer elements. Signal processing of the drive and/or response signals generated and/or received from each of the two or more electrode rails may achieve a variety of operative modes for the device, such as a near field mode, a far field mode, and an ultra wide bandwidth mode. | 11-07-2013 |
20140104989 | ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS, PROBE HEAD, ULTRASONIC PROBE, ELECTRONIC MACHINE, AND ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS - An ultrasonic measurement apparatus has an ultrasonic transducer device including an ultrasonic element array, a first through n-th first end-side terminal XA | 04-17-2014 |
20140126335 | Endoscopic Device for Generating Acoustic Waves With Variable Focus - An endoscopic device for generating acoustic waves with a sheath defining a center axis contains a first transducer for generating a first beam of acoustic energy radiating outwards of the endoscope sheath and a second transducer for generating a second beam of acoustic energy radiating outwards of the endoscope sheath. Both beams have different directions and intersect outside of the endoscope forming a focus spot. The second transducer is linearly movable parallel to the center axis with respect to the first transducer to displace the second beam and therefore to displace the intersection of the beams and therefore of the focus spot. | 05-08-2014 |
20140198621 | BEAMFORMING MODULE, ULTRASONIC IMAGING APPARATUS USING THE SAME, BEAMFORMING METHOD USING THE BEAMFORMING MODULE, AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE ULTRASONIC IMAGING APPARATUS USING THE BEAMFORMING MODULE - A beamforming module includes a conversion unit configured to convert an input signal to generate a converted signal using at least one conversion function, a weight calculator configured to calculate a converted signal weight as a weight for the converted signal, and a synthesizer configured to generate a result signal using the converted signal and the converted signal weight. | 07-17-2014 |
20140269206 | Ultrasound Transducer with Differential Mode Signaling - Rather than using a coaxial cable, a twisted pair of wires is provided for each element-to-beamformer connection. Differential mode signals are transmitted between the transducer element and the respective channel. A multi-layer element is used for operation with the differential mode signals. In catheters or other probes, coaxial cables are not used. Using differential mode signals over twisted pairs allows reduction or rejection of common mode cross-talk and/or interference. | 09-18-2014 |
20140269207 | Portable Electronic Device Directed Audio Targeted User System and Method - A computationally implemented system and method that is designed to, but is not limited to: electronically conditioning one or more information signals accessed at least in part through one or more portions of a portable electronic device to be transmitted from one or more portable electronic device emitters through one or more modulated acoustic ultrasonic signals; and electronically governing for output of one or more beams of said one or more modulated acoustic ultrasonic signals for demodulation of said one or more modulated acoustic ultrasonic signals into one or more acoustic audio signals containing said one or more information signals at a first location spaced away from said portable electronic device and spaced away from a second location. In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure. | 09-18-2014 |
20140269208 | PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE DIRECTED AUDIO TARGETED USER SYSTEM AND METHOD - A computationally implemented system and method that is designed to, but is not limited to: electronically conditioning one or more information signals accessed at least in part through one or more portions of a portable electronic device to be transmitted from one or more portable electronic device emitters through one or more modulated acoustic ultrasonic signals; and electronically governing for output of one or more beams of said one or more modulated acoustic ultrasonic signals for demodulation of said one or more modulated acoustic ultrasonic signals into one or more acoustic audio signals containing said one or more information signals at a first location spaced away from said portable electronic device and spaced away from a second location. In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure. | 09-18-2014 |
20140313859 | COMPUTATIONALLY EFFICIENT BROADBAND FILTER-AND-SUM ARRAY FOCUSING - A method of determining a focused output signal of a sensor array comprising a plurality of sensors, each sensor being operable to output a sensor output signal responsive to a measured quantity, the focused output signal being indicative of a calculated quantity at a focus point; the method comprising: receiving a respective measured sensor output signal from each of the sensors; computing the focused output signal by performing a focusing calculation with respect to the measured sensor signals; wherein the method further comprises determining a subset of mesh points of a set of predetermined mesh points, each mesh point having at least one pre-computed filter parameter associated with it; and wherein computing the focused output signal comprises performing an interpolation with respect to the subset of mesh points so as to obtain an interpolated focused output signal. | 10-23-2014 |
20140334266 | Ultrasound Probe with Dynamic Focus and Associated Systems and Methods - Exemplary ultrasound probes with sub-aperture processing capable of dynamic focus are provided that generally include an array of transducer elements that form a sub-aperture in the ultrasound probe. The transducer elements can be assigned to dynamic delay update groups and an initial delay can be applied to ultrasound signals associated with the transducer elements of the sub-aperture. A sub-aperture processor can be configured to dynamically apply delay updates to the ultrasound signals associated with the transducer elements of the sub-aperture according to the dynamic delay update groups to which the transducer elements are assigned. Exemplary ultrasound systems with a dynamic focus and methods of transmitting ultrasound signals with a dynamic focus are also provided. | 11-13-2014 |
20140334267 | NONLINEAR DYNAMIC FOCUSING CONTROL METHOD - A nonlinear dynamic focusing control method includes: (1) using a minimum length in a scan line having the minimum length and a maximum length as an initial location and assigning a focal point on the scan line; (2) calculating half depth of focus of the focal point, and the initial location plus the half depth of focus of the focal point being the location of this focal point on the scan line; (3) determining an initial calculation location of the next focal point by adding the half depth of focus of the focal point from the location of this focal point on the scan line in the direction of the maximum length; and (4) determining if the initial calculation location of the next focal point is greater than the maximum length. | 11-13-2014 |
20150016226 | BEAMFORMER, BEAMFORMING METHOD, ULTRASONIC IMAGING APPARATUS, AND CONTROL METHOD OF ULTRASONIC IMAGING APPARATUS - Disclosed herein is a beamformer that performs beamforming, including a weight computation processor configured to compute a covariance of a conversion signal which is obtainable by converting an input signal using at least one conversion function, approximate the computed covariance to a Toeplitz matrix form, and compute a conversion signal weight that is a weight for the conversion signal based on the approximation result, and a synthesizer configured to generate an output signal using the conversion signal weight computed by the weight computation processor. | 01-15-2015 |
20150049590 | SUB-ARRAY TRANSDUCER APPARATUS AND METHODS - Apparatus and methods for creating transmit and/or receive beams within a fluidic medium. In one aspect, a series of sub-arrays are used to create a larger array capable of forming multiple transmit/receive beams. In one embodiment, a single sided electrode is disclosed, which provides among other things a technological alternative to prior art 2-dimensional array technologies for the purpose of producing multiple beams for applications such as Acoustic Doppler Current Profiling sonars or other 2D array sonar applications. In another embodiment, a dual-sided approach is used which advantageously requires reduced drive voltage(s) for the same output power. | 02-19-2015 |
20150085617 | ULTRASOUND TRANSDUCER ARRAYS WITH VARIABLE PATCH GEOMETRIES - A two dimensional ultrasonic array transducer receives echo signals from increasing depths of a volumetric region. The 2D array is configured into patches of elements which are processed by a microbeamformer and summed signals from a patch are coupled to a channel of an ultrasound beamformer At the shallowest depth the 2D array receives echoes from small patches in the center of the aperture. As signals are received from increasing depths the aperture is grown by symmetrically adding patches of progressively larger sizes on either side of the small patches in the center. The inventive technique can improve the multiline performance of both 1D and 2D array probes. | 03-26-2015 |
20150138924 | ACOUSTIC FRACTURING OF ROCK FORMATIONS - In various implementations, a method for stimulating a downhole rock formation may include propagating pressure waves into the downhole rock formation and deforming the downhole rock formation via the pressure waves. An apparatus for stimulating a downhole rock formation to enhance hydrocarbon recovery may include an acoustic assembly that emits pressure waves, the acoustic assembly having a first end and a second end; a mass coupled with the first end; and a transmission component coupled with the second end. The transmission component may be configured to transmit the emitted pressure waves into the downhole rock formation to deform the downhole rock formation. A system for stimulating a downhole rock formation to enhance hydrocarbon recovery may include at least one acoustic assembly configured to emit pressure waves and transmit the emitted pressure waves into the downhole rock formation to deform the downhole rock formation. | 05-21-2015 |
20150138925 | ULTRASOUND BEAMFORMER WITH INDIVIDUAL ARRAY ELEMENT MULTIPLEXERS - An ultrasound beamformer may include an array of ultrasound transducer elements. Multiple signal transmitters may each generate an ultrasound signal that is different from the ultrasound signal generated by each of the others. The number of ultrasound transmitters may be no more than half the number of ultrasound transducer elements. Each multiplexer may have multiple signal inputs, each connected to a different one of the ultrasound signals; an output that drives the ultrasound transducer element; and a control input that controls which of the ultrasound signals at the signal inputs to the multiplexer is delivered to the output of the multiplexer based on a control signal. The controller may generate the control signals with a collective configuration that causes the array of ultrasound transducer elements to steer an/or focus a beam of ultrasound energy in one or more different ways at one or more different times. | 05-21-2015 |
20150298169 | ACTUATING VIBRATION ELEMENT ON DEVICE BASED ON SENSOR INPUT - In one aspect, a device includes a vibration element, a microphone, an accelerometer, a processor, and a memory accessible to the processor. The memory bears instructions executable by the processor to actuate the vibration element at a first vibration level, determine whether the input conforms to a first parameter based on input from at least one of the microphone and the accelerometer, and reduce vibration from the first level to a second level responsive to a determination that the input conforms to the first parameter. | 10-22-2015 |
20150326966 | METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA FOR SOURCE AND LISTENER DIRECTIVITY FOR INTERACTIVE WAVE-BASED SOUND PROPAGATION - Methods, systems, and computer readable media for supporting source or listener directivity in a wave-based sound propagation model are disclosed. According to one method, the method includes computing, prior to run-time, one or more sound fields associated with a source or listener position and modeling, at run-time and using the one or more sound fields and a wave-based sound propagation model, source or listener directivity in an environment. | 11-12-2015 |
20150333814 | BEAM FORMING APPARATUS, METHOD FOR FORMING BEAMS, ULTRASONIC IMAGING APPARATUS, AND ULTRASONIC PROBE - A beam forming apparatus may include a first combiner configured to combine signals in a plurality of groups individually for each group to generate first composite signals and a second combiner configured to combine the first composite signals using a weight applied variously depending on the first composite signals. | 11-19-2015 |
20150334487 | STEERABLE ACOUSTIC RESONATING TRANSDUCER SYSTEMS AND METHODS - The present disclosure provides systems and methods associated with acoustic transmitters, receivers, and antennas. Specifically, the present disclosure provides a transducer system for transmitting and receiving acoustic energy according to a determined acoustic emission/reception pattern. In various embodiments, an acoustic transducer system may include an array of sub-wavelength transducer elements each configured with an electromagnetic resonance at one of a plurality of electromagnetic frequencies. Each sub-wavelength transducer element may generate an acoustic emission in response to the electromagnetic resonance. A beam-forming controller may cause electromagnetic energy to be transmitted at select electromagnetic frequencies to cause a select subset of the sub-wavelength transducer elements to generate acoustic emissions according to a selectable acoustic transmission pattern. A common port may facilitate electromagnetic communication with each of the sub-wavelength transducer elements. | 11-19-2015 |
20160027429 | Integrated Acoustic Phase Array - A system includes a processor and a phased array, coupled to the processor, having an arrayed waveguide for acoustic waves to enable directional sound communication. | 01-28-2016 |
20160125870 | ACOUSTIC FRESNEL ZONE PLATE LENS FOR AQUEOUS ENVIRONMENTS AND METHODS OF USING SAME - An apparatus in a surrounding liquid and methods of using same. The apparatus includes an acoustic Fresnel zone plate comprising a compliant frame, a substrate connected to the frame, and an acoustic diffraction grating connected to the substrate. The acoustic diffraction grating includes a plurality of concentric rings or a plurality of concentric islands. The substrate is acoustic-impedance-mismatched with the acoustic diffraction grating. The acoustic Fresnel zone plate includes at least one acoustic focal spot. The substrate is acoustic-impedance-mismatched with the surrounding liquid and the acoustic diffraction grating is acoustic-impedance-matched with the surrounding liquid, or the substrate is acoustic-impedance-matched with the surrounding liquid and the acoustic diffraction grating is acoustic-impedance-mismatched with the surrounding liquid. | 05-05-2016 |