Abstract: A transducer main body has, on a front end side thereof, an oscillating plane having a bent shape in a side view and corresponding to a larger-diameter curved surface formed at a bend of a laminated part. Over the oscillating plane of the transducer main body, a plurality of piezoelectric oscillators is distributed in a matrix in a bent direction and a width direction. In each oscillator group, a controlling unit switches the piezoelectric oscillators to transmission and reception piezoelectric oscillators by turns in the width direction according to a preset transmission/reception pattern and processes a received signal from the reception piezoelectric oscillator according to an aperture synthesis method.

Abstract: A transducer main body has, on a front end side thereof, an oscillating plane having a bent shape in a side view and corresponding to a larger-diameter curved surface formed at a bend of a laminated part. Over the oscillating plane of the transducer main body, a plurality of piezoelectric oscillators are distributed in a matrix in a bent direction and a width direction. In each oscillator group, a controlling unit 5 switches the piezoelectric oscillators to transmission and reception piezoelectric oscillators by turns in the width direction according to a preset transmission/reception pattern and processes a received signal from the reception piezoelectric oscillator according to an aperture synthesis method.

Abstract: An ultrasonic probe is characterized in that a piezoelectric member 111 formed of solution-based single-crystal containing at least plumbum titanate is sandwiched between resin layers 113 and 115 having smaller acoustic impedance than the piezoelectric member and having conductivity, so processing errors are prevented from occurring during cutting and the resin layers can be used as acoustic layers or electrodes.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, which records an image onto a recording medium by flying an ink-droplet from a surface of an ink by a pressure of ultrasonic beam, is characterized by comprising ultrasonic generating element array which has a plurality of ultrasonic elements arranged in array for emitting ultrasonic beams, driving means for applying a plurality of pulses having different phases each other to converging ultrasonic beams by interfering said plurality of ultrasonic beams with each other emitted from said ultrasonic generating elements of a part of said ultrasonic generating element array, which are simultaneously driven, with sequentially shifting said ultrasonic generating elements simultaneously driven to an array direction, and converging means for converging each of said plurality of ultrasonic beams in a direction of perpendicular to the array direction.

Abstract: An ultrasonic probe is characterized in that a piezoelectric member 111 formed of solution-based single-crystal containing at least plumbum titanate is sandwiched between resin layers 113 and 115 having smaller acoustic impedance than the piezoelectric member and having conductivity, so processing errors are prevented from occurring during cutting and the resin layers can be used as acoustic layers or electrodes.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus records an image onto a recording medium by flying an ink-droplet from an ink surface by a pressure of an ultrasonic beam. The apparatus including an ultrasonic generating element array having a plurality of ultrasonic elements arranged in an array for emitting ultrasonic beams, a driving device for applying a plurality of pulses having different phases from each other, and a converging device for converging the ultrasonic beams by interfering the ultrasonic beams with each other. The generating elements are simultaneously driven and sequentially shifted in an array direction, and the converging device converging the ultrasonic beams in a direction perpendicular to the array direction.

Abstract: An ultrasonic probe provided with an ultrasonic wave-transmitting/receiving element comprising a 1-3 type or 2-2 type composite piezoelectric body exposing a piezoelectric monocrystal from at least one of the faces of the composite piezoelectric body, and an electrode mounted on at least one of the faces of the composite piezoelectric body, wherein the composite piezoelectric body comprises a piezoelectric monocrystal whose electromechanical coupling coefficient ratio k.sub.33 /k.sub.t is 1.6 or more, and a resin whose acoustic impedance Zp is 4.times.10.sup.6 kg/m.sup.2 s or less.

Abstract: A driving circuit controls a time for applying a drive signal to a piezoelectric element so as to bring a control in the number of ink droplets squirted from a liquid surface of liquid ink according to a gray scale level of an image to be printed on a printed object. According to application of the drive signal, acoustic waves emitted from a piezoelectric element array are focused in a main scanning direction, made incident to an acoustic lens via an acoustic matching layer, further focused in a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction and focused in a vicinity of the liquid surface in a point form. In the vicinity of the liquid surface, an ink liquid mound is formed by means of pressure (discharging pressure) generated by the focused acoustic waves and then from a tip of the ink liquid mound an ink droplet according to the application time is squirted. The squirted ink droplet is ejected and stuck to the printed object.

Abstract: An applicator includes a concave piezoelectric oscillator. The concave piezoelectric oscillator comprises a plurality of piezoelectric oscillation plates having equal areas. Each piezoelectric oscillation plate comprises a plurality of piezoelectric oscillator elements. Each piezoelectric oscillator element has a higher resonance frequency in the lateral direction thereof than in the thickness direction thereof.

Abstract: An ultrasound medical treatment apparatus includes an ultrasound applicator for applying ultrasound irradiation to a treatment target. The treatment apparatus also includes an ultrasound imaging device that transmits ultrasound pulses to image the treatment target. The treatment apparatus is capable of reducing noises occurring at an ultrasound imaging device due to the ultrasound irradiation generated by the ultrasound application during ultrasound medical treatment. The noises may be reduced by increasing a transmission power of the ultrasound pulses. Alternatively, the noises may be reduced by subtracting pre-recorded noise components from the ultrasound pulses received by the ultrasound imaging device, where the pre-recorded noise components are characteristic of noise occurring at the ultrasound imaging device due to the ultrasound irradiation generated by the ultrasound applicator.

Abstract: An ultrasound medical treatment system capable of determining the hot spot at high spatial resolution, and preventing the displacement of the hot spot from the focal point. In the system, the imaging device for obtaining image data of a treatment portion containing a treatment target and an irradiation device for applying radiation onto the treatment target are controlled in such a manner that the imaging device is controlled to obtain hot spot detection image data after the irradiation device is controlled to apply radiation at a prescribed level, so that a hot spot indicating a change due to a temperature change caused by the radiation at the prescribed level can be detected from the hot spot detection image data. The irradiation device is then controlled to apply a treatment radiation at a treatment level higher than the prescribed level according to the detected hot spot.

Abstract: Disclosed is a piezoelectric single crystal which has a large electromechanical coupling coefficient and hardly brings about depolarization due to the effect of heat in, e.g., the steps of manufacturing an ultrasonic transmitting/receiving element. The piezoelectric single crystal consists essentially of a general formula:Pb{[M1.sub.1/3 Nb.sub.(2/3)-(2z/3) Ta.sub.2z/3 ].sub.1-x-y Ti.sub.x M2.sub.y }O.sup. 3wherein M1 represents at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Zn, Ni, and Mg, M2 represents at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Pt, Fe, Bi, Rh, and Ir, and x, y, and z are defined as 0.05.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.0.2, 0.00001.ltoreq.y.ltoreq.0.01, and 0.ltoreq.z.ltoreq.0.1, respectively.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnosing system includes a probe having an vibrator made of a plurality of spaced piezoelectric; material elements arranged in a matrix, first electrodes arranged on one surface of the vibrator in an array of rows parallel to each other, and second electrodes arranged on another surface of the vibrator in an array of rows parallel to each other and orthogonally to the first electrodes.Particularly, the piezoelectric material elements are spaced by spacer segments arranged between the electrode rows and formed from a high molecular weight material with less acoustic impedance than the piezoelectric material, a Shore hardness D50 or more (JIS) and a thickness of about 1/10 to 1/2 of the piezoelectric elements. The ultrasonic diagnosing system uses a phased array technique to provide tomograms at mutually orthogonal and spatially close positions with sufficient sensitivity.

Abstract: A video camera includes a vibration generation section including a camera body having a lens system with an auto-focus mechanism, an image pickup element, arranged along an optical axis of the camera body, for picking up an optical image obtained through the lens system, and a piezoelectric actuator for linearly vibrating the image pickup element with a predetermined amplitude at a predetermined period along the direction of the optical axis, an image signal processing circuit for A/D-converting a plurality of images time-serially obtained at arbitrary positions within the amplitude of the image pickup element vibrating along the optical axis, and an image memory for storing the plurality of time-serial images, further including an image input processing section consisting of an in-focus decision/extraction circuit for selecting and extracting clear in-focus areas of a predetermined image area, and an image synthesizing circuit for selecting desired ones of the plurality of areas from the image memory and syn

Abstract: An ultrasonic probe includes an ultrasonic transmitting/receiving element which uses a piezoelectric member constituted by a solid-solution based single crystal of zinc lead niobate-lead titanate, so that low-frequency driving can be achieved, the thickness of the piezoelectric member in the direction of vibration can be decreased, matching with a transmitting/receiving circuit can be easily made, and the sensitivity can be improved. The ultrasonic probe includes an ultrasonic transmitting/receiving element having a piezoelectric member constituted by a solid-solution based single crystal of zinc lead niobate-lead titanate and a pair of electrodes formed on an ultrasonic transmitting/receiving surface of the piezoelectric member and a surface opposite to the transmitting/receiving surface, respectively.

Abstract: A shockwave generator is adapted to be coupled to an object through a liquid medium for ultrasound transmission to generate a shockwave in the object. The shockwave generator comprises a piezoelectric element having an ultrasound radiating surface, an acoustic matching layer formed on the ultrasound radiating surface of the piezoelectric element, a fluorine-resin coating layer formed on the acoustic matching layer and a bag provided in front of the ultrasound radiating surface of the piezoelectric element and holding water for ultrasound transmission, where the water is held in contact with the fluorine-resin coating layer.

Abstract: An ultrasonic probe system is disclosed, which is designed to allow connection of a DC power supply capable of applying a voltage higher than the coercive electric field of each of a plurality of piezoelectric layers thereto, and includes a polarization turn over circuit means for, when the DC power supply is driven, turning over the polarity of the DC power supply so as to direct electric fields of every two adjacent layers constituting the piezoelectric layers in substantially opposite directions or electric fields of all the layers in the same direction.

Abstract: An ultrasonic probe includes a probe head having a piezoelectric element which includes a plurality of piezoelectric layers which are laminated in the thickness direction thereof with the polarity directions of the adjacent piezoelectric layers set opposite to each other and each of which has opposite end surfaces, electrodes formed on the opposite end surfaces of the piezoelectric layers in the laminated direction, a plurality of external electrodes formed on the opposite end surfaces of the piezoelectric layers on the laminated direction, internal electrodes formed in the lamination interface of the piezoelectric layers, an acoustic matching layer having a plurality of layers and formed on one surface of the plurality of laminated piezoelectric layers, an acoustic lens disposed on the matching layer with the convex surface thereof set towards the outside, and a backing material disposed on the other surface of the piezoelectric element.

Abstract: In an automatic focus control apparatus for a video camera including an image pick-up element for picking up an optical image obtained through a lens system composed of a focus lens group, a zoom lens group, a focal position correction lens group and a relay lens group and a defocus detector for detecting a defocus signal corresponding to a defocus of the lens system from an image signal output from the image pickup element, a piezoelectric actuator is provided to move the image pick-up element in an optical-axis direction in accordance with the defocus signal and a motion transmission mechanism connects the image pick-up element to the relay lens group of the lens system to allow that lens group to be moved in a direction opposite to that in which the image pick-up element is moved. A stroke burden which is borne by the piezoelectric actuator can be alleviated by moving the relay lens group together with the image pick-up element.

Abstract: The invention is concerned with the miniaturization of construction of solid state imaging devices used in electric cameras, endoscopes or the like. A flexible printed circuit board assembled with some peripheral components thereon is attached to a side surface of a solid state imaging element to expose the element directly to incident light. The element is composed of a CCD chip and a light transparent cover sized about same as the CCD chip, and both are electrically connected using conduction bumps.