PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCER DEVICE WITH FLEXIBLE SUBSTRATE

• US 20150345987A1
• Filed: 05/30/2014
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Dimatix, Inc. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Arman Hajati
• Inventors: Hajati, Arman
• Granted Patent: US 10,107,645 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0207 Driving circuits specially adapted for particular applications, see the relevant subclass, e.g. G01; circuits for steering transducer arrays G10K11/34; basic circuits H03
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/06 operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction piezoelectric or electrostrictive devices per se H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0622 on one surface
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 2201/55 Piezoelectric transducer
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/12 using electric or magnetic means G01D5/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/262 by electronic orientation or focusing, e.g. with phased arrays phased arrays per se G10K11/34
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/34 Generating the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves , e.g. electronic circuits specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/348 with frequency characteristics, e.g. single frequency signals, chirp signals measuring frequency of mechanical vibrations or acoustic waves in general G01H1/06, G01H3/04; measuring frequency or analysing frequency spectra G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8915 using a transducer array
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8925 the array being a two-dimensional transducer configuration, i.e. matrix or orthogonal linear arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8927 using simultaneously or sequentially two or more subarrays or subapertures
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8929 using a three-dimensional transducer configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/5208 with integration of processing functions inside probe or scanhead
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/346 using phase variation

Abstract

In an embodiment, a transducer device comprises a flexible substrate and a plurality of tiles coupled to the substrate. The tiles each include a plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements and a base adjoining and supporting the plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements. The substrate has disposed therein or thereon signal lines to serve as a backplane for communication to, from and/or among integrated circuitry of the tiles. In another embodiment, the integrated circuitry of the tiles are each pre-programmed to implement any of a respective plurality of operational modes. Signals exchanged with the tiles via the flexible substrate facilitate operation of the transducer device to provide a phased array of transducer elements.

Claims

1. A device for generating a pressure wave in a medium, the device comprising:

a flexible substrate including signal lines; and

a plurality of tiles each coupled to the flexible substrate, each tile of the plurality of tiles including;

a plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements; and

a base supporting the plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements on a first surface of the base, the base including integrated circuitry comprising;

control logic to configure a respective first operational mode of the tile in response to signals received by the tile from the signal lines after the control logic is programmed for a plurality of operational modes of the tile including the respective first operational mode;

pulse logic to activate, in response to the control logic, a selected subset of the plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements corresponding to the respective first operational mode; and

demultiplexer logic to receive image information based on the activation of the selected subset of the plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements and, based on configuration of the respective first operational mode, to demultiplex the image information for transmission from the device to the flexible substrate;

wherein a first voltage domain of the tile includes the pulse logic and a second voltage domain of the tile includes the demultiplexer logic, the base further comprising circuitry to protect the second domain from a first voltage of the first voltage domain.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the respective signal lines to communicate to the tiles signals for operation of a phased array including respective transducer elements of some or all of the plurality of tiles.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the respective signal lines to communicate to the tiles signals to simulate with respective transducer elements of some or all of the plurality of tiles a rotational movement of an array.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the respective signal lines to communicate to the tiles signals to simulate with respective transducer elements of some or all of the plurality of tiles a translational movement of an array.

5. The device of claim 1, each tile of the plurality of tiles further including:

timer logic to receive from the control logic of the tile a first indication of the respective first operational mode and a second indication, subsequent to the first indication, of a second respective operational mode of the tile;

wherein the timer logic to transition, in response to the second indication, from signaling to the pulse logic a selection of a first subset of the plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements to signaling to the pulse logic a selection of a second subset of the plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein second voltage domain includes the timer logic.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein control logic of a first tile includes a state machine to transition through the sequence of operational modes.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein control logic of a first tile includes a memory storing data specifying the sequence of operational modes.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the control logic of a first tile is programmed to implement a sequence of the plurality of operational modes of the first tile.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the control logic of the first tile is reprogrammable to implement another sequence of a plurality of operational modes of the first tile.

19. A system comprising:

a probe including the device of any of claims 1 through 6;

receiving means coupled to the probe to receive electrical response signals from the device; and

signal processing means coupled to the receiving means to process the electrical response signals received from the device.

20. The system of claim 19, the probe including a curved surface, wherein the device is disposed on the curved surface, wherein the probe to image a tapered volume proximate to the curved surface.

11. A method comprising:

receiving signals at a device including;

a flexible substrate including signal lines; and

a plurality of tiles each coupled to the flexible substrate, each tile of the plurality of tiles including;

a plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements; and

a base supporting the plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements on a first surface of the base, the base including integrated circuitry comprising control logic, pulse logic and demultiplexer logic;

wherein the signals are received via the signal lines after the respective control logic of the plurality of tiles are each programmed for a respective plurality of operational modes;

for each of the plurality of tiles;

configuring a respective first operational mode of the tile in response to the signals;

with the pulse logic, activating a selected subset of the plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements corresponding to the respective first operational mode; and

receiving image information based on the activation of the selected subset of the plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements and, based on configuration of the respective first operational mode, demultiplexing the image information for transmission from the tile to the flexible substrate;

wherein a first voltage domain of the tile includes the pulse logic of the tile and a second voltage domain of the tile includes the demultiplexer logic of the tile, the base of the tile further comprising circuitry to protect the second domain from a first voltage of the first voltage domain.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the respective signal lines communicate to the plurality of tiles signals for operation of a phased array including respective transducer elements of some or all of the plurality of tiles.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the respective signal lines communicate to the plurality of tiles signals to simulate with respective transducer elements of some or all of the plurality of tiles a rotational movement of an array.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the respective signal lines communicate to the plurality of tiles signals to simulate with respective transducer elements of some or all of the plurality of tiles a translational movement of an array.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein control logic of a first tile includes a state machine to transition through the sequence of operational modes.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein control logic of a first tile includes a memory storing data specifying the sequence of operational modes.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the control logic of a first tile is programmed to implement a sequence of the plurality of operational modes of the first tile.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the control logic of the first tile is reprogrammable to implement another sequence of a plurality of operational modes of the first tile.