Which component establishes the firing pattern for the array systems, and during reception establishes time delays used in dynamic focusing?

• A. Beam former
• B. Transducer
• C. Pulser
• D. Master synchronizer

Answer: (A)

The beam former handles both the transmit firing pattern and the receive time-delay adjustments used for dynamic focusing. It decides which elements fire and in what order to create the desired beam, and on receive it applies precise time delays to each element’s signal so echoes from a specific depth arrive in phase. This dynamic focusing sharpens the image and allows steering without moving the transducer. The transducer is the physical array that converts electrical energy to sound and back. The pulser provides the initial electrical pulses to excite the elements, setting transmit timing but not the per-element delays for focusing. The master synchronizer supplies a common timing reference to keep all parts in sync, but it doesn’t establish the firing pattern or the receive delays.