Abstract: Ultrasonic imaging arrays are severely restricted in design and imaging quality by artifacts associated with the geometry of the arrays. Linear and convex linear arrays are limited by the appearance of side lobes and grating lobes in the images, which obscure diagnostically useful information. limited access to parts of the body useful for accurate diagnosis in many cases forces the use of phased arrays or mechanical arrays in place of linear and curved linear arrays. One of the ways to avoid the limitations and utilize the advantage of the curved linear configuration is to use a concave design. This paper compares the results of simulations of the concave and convex designs, and the degree of reduction of grating lobes. The simulation results are verified with beam plots of each design. Concave arrays are fabricated and clinical results are shown for intercoastal and subcoastal abdomen imaging. !1
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