US 11,723,625 B2
Acoustic lens of enhanced wear resistance
Matthew Todd Spigelmyer, Spring Mills, PA (US)
Assigned to TRANSDUCERWORKS, LLC, Centre Hall, PA (US)
Filed by Transducerworks, LLC, Centre Hall, PA (US)
Filed on Apr. 25, 2014, as Appl. No. 14/262,164.
Prior Publication US 2015/0305714 A1, Oct. 29, 2015
Int. Cl. A61B 8/00 (2006.01); A61D 1/00 (2006.01); A61B 8/08 (2006.01); G01S 15/89 (2006.01); G01S 7/52 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 8/4483 (2013.01) [G01S 7/52079 (2013.01); G01S 15/8915 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
determining the curvature of an exterior surface of an ultrasound transducer having a polymeric acoustic lens formed of thermoplastic, has a planar interior surface, wherein the exterior surface is configured with a concave curvature in the elevation plane that compensates for wave refraction induced by the acoustic velocity of the polymeric acoustic lens, provides elevation focusing of an ultrasound beam generated by the transducer element array and is uncovered; and,
providing the ultrasound transducer and imaging tissue of an animal with the ultrasound transducer, wherein the ultrasound transducer further comprises,
the polymeric acoustic lens having an acoustic velocity of greater than 1.7 mm/μs, the polymeric acoustic lens arranged over an array of transducer elements that have a uniform axial thickness along the elevation plane, wherein the array of transducer elements is planar in an elevation plane;
at least one matching layer positioned between the polymeric acoustic lens and the array of transducer elements; and
a casing covering side edges of the concave polymeric acoustic lens completely.