Acoustic-wave sensor, acoustic-wave sensor array, and ultrasonic imaging apparatus

• Main Authors: NAGAE KENICHI, CHANG CHIENLIU
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 10.09.2013
• Subjects: ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVEREDIN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION ORRERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; MEASUREMENT OF MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OR ULTRASONIC, SONIC ORINFRASONIC WAVES; MEASURING; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS; MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEARDIMENSIONS; MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION,OR SHOCK; MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PHYSICS; RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; TESTING

An acoustic-wave sensor (10) is constructed by a membrane (11) adapted to be displaced by an acoustic wave, a first waveguide (16a) for transmitting light therein, an optical coupling part (15) to which the light transmitted through the first waveguide (16a) is adapted to be optically coupled, and a second waveguide (16b) through which the light coupled from the optical coupling part (15) transmits. When the membrane (11) is displaced by its reception of the acoustic wave, at least one of an optical coupling coefficient between the first waveguide (16a) and the optical resonator (15) and an optical coupling coefficient between the second waveguide (16b) and the optical resonator (15) is changed to output a corresponding optical signal.