HIFU water volume adaptive adjustment device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a HIFU water volume self-adaptive regulating device, which has a focusing transducer for focusing ultrasound on a target area in a human body, a water storage unit for containing degassed water to meet the propagation of ultrasound, and a shell wrapped around the focusing transducer and the water storage unit; the water storage unit includes a water tank formed in the lower half of the shell and a water bag sealed and connected to the lower end of the water tank and capable of being squeezed by the human body; it also includes a lifting mechanism, a water tank, an idle space, a treatment head bracket, and a water inlet and outlet. The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the defects of the prior art, such as the large volume of the water tank, the large water consumption, the large volume and weight of the treatment head, and to provide a HIFU water volume self-adaptive regulating device with a small volume, a small amount of degassed water used, and a small weight.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of ultrasonic therapy, and in particular to a HIFU water consumption self-adapting regulating device. Background Art

[0002] HIFU is an emerging technology, short for High Intensity Focused Ultrasound. Its working principle is to use ultrasound as the energy source. Under the guidance and monitoring of images, it utilizes its penetrability and focusability to focus low-energy ultrasound waves outside the body on the target area inside the human body to form a focal area. The dense ultrasonic energy in the focal area can make the temperature of the local tissue (target area) rise rapidly in a very short time, and then coagulative necrosis (ablation) occurs, thereby achieving the purpose of treatment.

[0003] Since ultrasound waves need to propagate in an acoustic medium, the space between the transducer and the patient's epidermis must be filled with an acoustic medium. The acoustic medium of the HIFU device is degassed water, which meets the requirements of high-power acoustic energy transmission, low attenuation, water acoustic impedance close to the patient's tissue, and good wettability with the transducer surface and the human body surface. During the HIFU treatment process, the HIFU device with a fixed-focus focused transducer needs to adjust the distance between the focused transducer and the patient's epidermis, thereby adjusting the treatment depth to meet the thermal ablation treatment of target tissue areas at different depths. The movement of the focused transducer position requires not only degassed water to fill the transmission path, but also sufficient space to meet the movement of the focused transducer. In order to meet the above requirements, existing HIFU devices usually use a larger water tank structure in an open or semi-closed state to meet the position movement of the focused transducer; and the movement of the focused transducer position and the water level change caused by the squeezing of the water bag by the patient are solved by increasing the height of the water tank and increasing the capacity of the water level change. This will not only increase the size of the water tank and the water consumption, but also increase the size and weight of the treatment head of the HIFU device. At the same time, it also puts forward higher water production capacity requirements for the HIFU supporting equipment - the dehydration equipment. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the defects of the prior art in that the water tank is large in size, the water consumption is large, the treatment head is large in size and weight, and to provide a HIFU water consumption adaptive adjustment device which is small in size, uses less degassed water and is light in weight.

[0005] The technical solution to achieve the purpose of the present invention is: a HIFU water amount adaptive adjustment device, comprising a focusing transducer for focusing ultrasound on a target area in the human body, a water storage unit for containing degassed water to meet the ultrasonic wave propagation, and a shell arranged around the focusing transducer and the water storage unit; the water storage unit comprises a water tank formed in the lower half of the shell and a water bag sealed and connected to the lower end of the water tank and capable of being squeezed by the human body; and further comprising

[0006] A lifting mechanism for changing the longitudinal relative position of the focusing transducer in the water storage unit;

[0007] A water tank forms a closed communicating space with the focusing transducer, the water tank and the water bag and is used to absorb and discharge the water volume changed by the change of the longitudinal relative position of the focusing transducer in the water storage unit and the contact between the water bag and the human body;

[0008] An idle space for arranging a water bladder and formed between the longitudinal relative position moving path of the focusing transducer and the housing;

[0009] A treatment head bracket used for setting up the water tank and installed on the inner periphery of the housing above the sink;

[0010] A water inlet and outlet is opened at the top of the water bladder and communicated with the interior of the water bladder.

[0011] More preferably, the bladder is made of an elastic polymer or compound lightweight material.

[0012] More preferably, the shell is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom; the side wall of the water tank is designed to have a corrugated structure that meets the moving distance of the focusing transducer and can accommodate the total overflow volume.

[0013] Preferably, an auxiliary function mechanism capable of driving the focusing transducer to realize a variety of mechanical movements is installed between the output end of the lifting mechanism and the focusing transducer; the longitudinal relative position is changed so that the focusing transducer together with the auxiliary function mechanism moves up and down relative to the treatment head bracket through the driving of the lifting mechanism.

[0014] Preferably, an auxiliary function mechanism capable of driving the focusing transducer to realize a variety of mechanical movements is installed between the output end of the lifting mechanism and the focusing transducer; the longitudinal relative position is changed so that the outer shell is driven by the lifting mechanism to move up and down as a whole relative to the focusing transducer, the auxiliary function mechanism and the treatment head bracket.

[0015] More preferably, the outer shell is of equal width at the top and bottom; the side wall of the water tank is designed to have a corrugated structure that meets the moving distance of the focusing transducer and can accommodate the total overflow volume.

[0016] More preferably, the longitudinal relative position is changed by driving the focusing transducer to move up and down relative to the treatment head support via a lifting mechanism.

[0017] More preferably, the longitudinal relative position is changed by driving the focusing transducer and the treatment head support as a whole to move up and down relative to the housing via a lifting mechanism.

[0018] More preferably, the total overflow amount = the overflow amount caused by squeezing the water tank when the longitudinal relative position of the focusing transducer changes + the overflow amount caused by squeezing the water bag when it contacts the human body.

[0019] More preferably, the water tank capacity is greater than the total water overflow.

[0020] After adopting the above technical solution, the present invention has the following positive effects:

[0021] (1) The present invention adopts a water tank structure to collect the degassed water overflowing from the water tank when the transducer moves in the empty space between the treatment head structures, thereby reducing the volume of the treatment head.

[0022] (2) The diameter of the water tank of the present invention only needs to be slightly larger than the focusing transducer, and the height of the water tank and the water level in the water tank 21 need to be higher than the lower end surface of the focusing transducer when the focusing transducer is in a high position. In this way, the minimum water tank capacity can be achieved, and the amount of degassed water used can be reduced, thereby effectively reducing the volume and weight of the treatment head, which is conducive to the miniaturization of HIFU equipment and convenient for HIFU treatment.

[0023] (3) The water bladder structure of the present invention seals the degassed water, effectively preventing the degassed water from overflowing, splashing, or leaking to other components in the treatment head.

[0024] (4) The water bladder of the present invention is made of elastic material, which effectively alleviates the water level change caused by the patient squeezing the water bag. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to make the content of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below according to specific embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the high-position structure of the focusing transducer of the connection auxiliary function mechanism moving relative to the treatment head bracket in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the low-position structure of the focusing transducer of the connection auxiliary function mechanism relative to the treatment head bracket in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the high-position structure of the connection auxiliary function mechanism focusing the transducer relative to the housing movement according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the low-position structure of the connection auxiliary function mechanism focusing the transducer relative to the housing movement according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the high-position structure of the focusing transducer moving relative to the treatment head support in Example 3 of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the low-position structure of the focusing transducer moving relative to the treatment head support according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the high-position structure of the focusing transducer moving relative to the housing according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the low-position structure of the focusing transducer moving relative to the housing according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

[0034] The numbers in the accompanying drawings are: focusing transducer 10, water storage unit 20, water tank 21, water bag 22, water bladder 23, lifting mechanism 30, lifting rod 31, shell 40, idle space 50, treatment head bracket 60, water inlet and outlet 70, auxiliary function mechanism 80. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] (Example 1)

[0036] See Figures 1 to 8 The present invention comprises a focusing transducer 10 for focusing ultrasound on a target area in a human body, a water storage unit 20 for containing degassed water to meet the propagation of ultrasound, and a shell 40 wrapped around the focusing transducer 10 and the water storage unit 20; the water storage unit 20 comprises a water tank 21 formed in the lower half of the shell 40 and a water bag 22 which is sealed and connected to the lower end of the water tank 21 and can be squeezed by the human body. More specifically, the water tank 21 and the shell 40 are integrally formed, the lower end of the shell 40 is recessed inward to form a tank wall of the water tank 21, and the water bag 22 is sealed and connected to the lower end of the water tank 21 by a mechanical static seal; and further comprises

[0037] A lifting mechanism 30 for changing the longitudinal relative position of the focusing transducer 10 in the water storage unit 20;

[0038] A water bladder 23 is formed between the focusing transducer 10, the water tank 21 and the water bag 22 to form a closed communicating space and is used to handle the water volume changed by the change of the longitudinal relative position of the focusing transducer 10 in the water storage unit 20 and the contact of the water bag 22 with the human body; more specifically, an opening is provided at the lower end of the water bladder 23, one end of the opening is sealed at the notch at the high end of the water tank 21, and the other end is sealed at the edge near the upper end surface of the focusing transducer 10, the water tank 21 is sealed and connected to the water bladder 23 by a mechanical static sealing method, and the focusing transducer 10 is also sealed and connected to the water bladder 23 by a mechanical static sealing method. The water bladder 23 has a throughput function that ensures that the focused transducer 10 is immersed in the degassed water in the water tank 21 during the entire treatment process. More specifically, when the relative longitudinal position of the focused transducer 10 in the water storage unit 20 changes, the degassed water in the water tank 21 is squeezed to overflow, and the water bladder 23 can swallow the overflowed degassed water. When the focused transducer 10 is returning to the high position, in order to ensure that the focused transducer 10 is immersed in the degassed water in the water tank 21 during the entire treatment process, the swallowed degassed water must return to the water tank 21, and the water bladder 23 has the function of throughput at the necessary moment.

[0039] An idle space 50 is used to arrange the water bladder 23 and is formed between the longitudinal relative position moving path of the focusing transducer 10 and the housing 40; the water bladder 23 is arranged in the idle space and does not occupy the longitudinal displacement path of the focusing transducer 10. The overflowing degassed water is collected and carried in the idle space in the structure space of the treatment head through the structure of the water bladder 23, which can effectively prevent the degassed water from overflowing, splashing or leaking from the water tank 21, thereby avoiding affecting other components in the treatment head. Thereby effectively reducing the volume of the treatment head;

[0040] A treatment head bracket 60 for mounting the water bladder 23 and installed on the inner periphery of the housing 40 above the water tank 21; the mounting of the water bladder 23 here means that the upper end of the water bladder 23 is suspended on the lower end surface of the treatment head bracket 60, so as to facilitate the degassed water in the water bladder 23 to flow back into the water tank 21;

[0041] A water inlet and outlet 70 is provided at the top of the water bladder 23 and communicates with the interior of the water bladder 23 .

[0042] More specifically in this embodiment, the water bladder 23 is made of an elastic polymer or compound lightweight material, specifically rubber. The use of rubber as an elastic material for the water bladder can effectively alleviate the water level changes caused by the patient squeezing the water bag 22. At the same time, the elastic material is more conducive to the water bladder to absorb and discharge degassed water and has good recovery ability.

[0043] (Example 1)

[0044] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 Based on the above general technical solution, this embodiment preferably records that the housing 40 is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom; the side wall of the water tank 23 is designed to be a corrugated structure that meets the moving distance of the focusing transducer 10 and can accommodate the total overflow volume.

[0045] More specifically, in the present embodiment, an auxiliary function mechanism 80 capable of driving the focusing transducer 10 to realize a variety of mechanical movements is further installed between the output end of the lifting mechanism 30 and the focusing transducer 10; the above-mentioned various mechanical movements include one or a combination of rotation and swinging, and the specific structure of the auxiliary function mechanism 80 for realizing the above-mentioned various mechanical movements can refer to the structure in the prior art, which will not be elaborated here. In addition, the installation of the auxiliary function mechanism 80 will affect the gap between the focusing transducer 10 and the water tank 21, that is, it is slightly larger than the gap during vertical movement, and the specific gap is set according to the amplitude of swinging and rotation; the longitudinal relative position is changed so that the focusing transducer 10 together with the auxiliary function mechanism 80 are driven by the lifting mechanism 30 to move up and down relative to the treatment head bracket 50; more specifically, the treatment head bracket 50 The lifting mechanism 30 can be fixedly installed on the inner periphery near the upper edge of the shell 40 by bolt locking. The lifting mechanism 30 is fixedly installed on the upper end of the treatment head bracket 50. The lifting mechanism 30 includes a lifting rod 31. The lifting mechanism 30 moves up and down in the water tank 21 to enable the auxiliary function mechanism 80 fixed to the output end of the lifting rod 31 and the focusing transducer 10. When the focusing transducer 10 is at a high position, the degassed water is present in the water tank 21 and the water bag 22, and when the degassed water level in the water tank 21 is at a high position, it is also necessary to ensure that the focusing transducer 10 is immersed therein. At this time, there is no degassed water in the water bladder 23. When the focusing transducer 10 moves downward in the water tank 21, the focusing transducer 10 squeezes the degassed water space in the water tank 21, and the degassed water overflowing from the water tank 21 is collected in the water bladder 23 arranged in the empty space between the inner water bladder 23 and the shell 40.

[0046] (Example 2)

[0047] See Figure 3 and Figure 4 The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the longitudinal relative position is changed by driving the housing 40 to move up and down relative to the focusing transducer 10, the auxiliary function mechanism 80 and the treatment head bracket 50 as a whole through the lifting mechanism 30. More specifically, the lifting mechanism 30 moves the housing 40 up and down relative to the treatment head bracket 50 and the focusing transducer 10 as a whole, thereby changing the relative position of the focusing transducer 10 in the water tank 21. At this time, the outer body of the water tank 23 is designed to meet the moving distance of the focusing transducer 10 and the total overflow volume. The folded structure of the focusing transducer 10 is shown in FIG. 4 ; when the focusing transducer 10 is at a high position, the degassed water is present in the water tank 21 and the water bag 22, and when the degassed water level in the water tank 21 is at a high position, it is also necessary to ensure that the focusing transducer 10 is immersed therein, and at this time, there is no degassed water in the water bladder 23; when the housing 40 moves upward and the relative position of the focusing transducer 10 in the water tank 21 is about to reach a low position, the focusing transducer 10 squeezes the degassed water space in the water tank 21, and the degassed water overflowing from the water tank 21 is collected in the water bladder 23 arranged in the empty space between the water tank 21 and the wide housing 40.

[0048] (Example 3)

[0049] See Figure 5 and Figure 6 Based on the above general technical solution, this embodiment preferably records that the housing 40 is of equal width at the top and bottom; the side wall of the water tank 23 is designed to meet the moving distance of the focusing transducer 10 and the corrugated structure that can accommodate the total overflow volume.

[0050] More specifically, in this embodiment, the longitudinal relative position is changed so that the focusing transducer 10 is driven by the lifting mechanism 30 to move up and down relative to the treatment head bracket 50. More specifically, the treatment head bracket 50 can be fixedly installed on the inner periphery of the upper end of the housing 40 near the edge by bolts. The lifting mechanism 30 is fixedly installed on the upper end of the treatment head bracket 50. The lifting mechanism 30 includes a lifting rod 31. The lifting mechanism 30 moves up and down in the water tank 21. At this time, the outer side of the water tank 23 is designed to be smooth and close to the inner wall of the housing 40. The water tank 23 is arranged so that the focusing transducer 10 fixed to the output end of the lifting rod 31 moves up and down in the water tank 21. The inner bladder body of 3 is designed to have a corrugated structure that meets the moving distance of the focusing transducer 10 and accommodates the total overflow amount; when the focusing transducer 10 is at a high position, the degassed water is present in the water tank 21 and the water bag 22, and when the degassed water level in the water tank 21 is at a high position, it is also necessary to ensure that the focusing transducer 10 is immersed therein, and at this time there is no degassed water in the water bladder 23; when the focusing transducer 10 moves downward to a low position, the focusing transducer 10 squeezes the degassed water space in the water tank 21, and the degassed water overflowing the water tank 21 is collected in the water bladder 23 in the empty space between the lifting rod 31 at the upper end of the focusing transducer 10 and the outer shell 40.

[0051] (Example 4)

[0052] See Figure 7 and Figure 8The difference between this embodiment and the third embodiment is that the longitudinal relative position is changed so that the focusing transducer 10 and the treatment head bracket 50 are driven by the lifting mechanism 30 to move up and down as a whole relative to the housing 40. More specifically, the lifting mechanism 30 is fixed to the upper end of the housing 40 through a mounting base. The specific fixing method can be bolt locking connection. The output end of the lifting mechanism 30 is integrally connected with the focusing transducer 10 and the treatment head bracket 50. The treatment head bracket 50 is slidably arranged in the housing 40 above the water tank 21. The treatment head bracket 50 is fixedly connected to the focusing transducer 10 through a single rod. The treatment head bracket 50 and the single rod can be connected by bolt locking or welding. The single rod and the focusing transducer 10 are connected by bolt locking. The lifting mechanism 30 is actuated so that the focusing transducer 10 and the treatment head bracket 50 move up and down as a whole relative to the housing 40. Thereby, the relative position of the focusing transducer 10 in the water tank 21 is changed. At this time, the outer body of the water tank 23 is designed to meet the minimum space occupied by the upward movement distance of the outer shell 40, and the inner body of the water tank 23 is designed to meet the movement distance of the focusing transducer 10 and the total overflow volume. The corrugated structure; when the focusing transducer 10 is at a high position, the degassed water is present in the water tank 21 and the water bag 22, and when the degassed water level in the water tank 21 is at a high position, it is also necessary to ensure that the focusing transducer 10 is immersed therein, and there is no degassed water in the water tank 23; when the outer shell 40 moves upward and the relative position of the focusing transducer 10 in the water tank 21 is about to reach a low position, the focusing transducer 10 squeezes the degassed water space in the water tank 21, and the degassed water overflowing the water tank 21 is collected in the water tank 23 in the empty space between the single rod arranged at the upper end of the focusing transducer 10 and the outer shell 40.

[0053] In the above-mentioned embodiments 1 to 4, the total overflow amount = the overflow amount generated by squeezing the water tank 21 when the longitudinal relative position of the focusing transducer 10 changes + the overflow amount generated by squeezing the water bag 22 when it contacts the human body. The capacity of the water bladder 23 is greater than the total overflow amount, thereby ensuring that the water bladder 23 has sufficient space to accommodate the overflowed degassed water to prevent the degassed water from overflowing, spilling or leaking.

[0054] In the above embodiments 1 and 2, the diameter of the water tank 21 needs to be larger than the diameter of the focusing transducer 10, and the height of the water tank 21 and the water level in the water tank 21 are higher than the lower end surface position of the focusing transducer 10 in the high position state of the focusing transducer 10. Specifically, the diameter difference between the diameter of the water tank 21 and the diameter of the focusing transducer 10 is in the range of 4 mm to 6 mm. In the above embodiments 3 and 4, the diameter of the water tank 21 only needs to be slightly larger than the diameter of the focusing transducer 10, and the height of the water tank 21 and the water level in the water tank 21 are higher than the lower end surface position of the focusing transducer 10 in the high position state of the focusing transducer 10. Specifically, the diameter difference between the diameter of the water tank 21 and the diameter of the focusing transducer 10 is in the range of 2 mm to 3 mm. In this way, the minimum water tank capacity can be achieved, the amount of degassed water used can be reduced, and the volume and weight of the treatment head can be effectively reduced, which is conducive to the miniaturization of HIFU equipment and convenient for HIFU treatment.

[0055] The lifting mechanism 30 in the above-mentioned embodiments 1 to 4 may adopt a lifting structure which may be, but is not limited to, a ball screw lifting, a worm gear, a lifting cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder, etc., which may realize an up and down lifting mechanical structure.

[0056] The above specific embodiments further illustrate the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention in detail. It should be understood that the above are only specific embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A HIFU water amount self-adaptive adjustment device, comprising a focusing transducer (10) for focusing ultrasound on a target area in a human body, a water storage unit (20) for containing degassed water to meet the propagation of ultrasound, and a housing (40) arranged around the focusing transducer (10) and the water storage unit (20); the water storage unit (20) comprises a water tank (21) formed in the lower half of the housing (40) and a water bag (22) sealedly connected to the lower end of the water tank (21) and capable of being squeezed by a human body; the characteristics are: Also includes A lifting mechanism (30) for changing the longitudinal relative position of the focusing transducer (10) in the water storage unit (20); A water bladder (23) is formed with the focusing transducer (10), the water tank (21) and the water bag (22) to form a closed communicating space and is used to absorb and discharge the changing amount of water generated by the change in the longitudinal relative position of the focusing transducer (10) in the water storage unit (20) and the contact between the water bag (22) and the human body; An idle space (50) for arranging a water bladder (23) and formed between a longitudinal relative position moving path of the focusing transducer (10) and the housing (40); A treatment head bracket (60) used for mounting a water tank (23) and installed on the inner periphery of the housing (40) above the water tank (21); A water inlet and outlet (70) is provided at the topmost position of the water bladder (23) and is in communication with the interior of the water bladder (23).

2. The HIFU water volume adaptive adjustment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water bladder (23) is made of elastic polymer or compound lightweight material.

3. The HIFU water volume adaptive adjustment device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The housing (40) is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom; the side wall of the water tank (23) is designed to have a corrugated structure that meets the moving distance of the focusing transducer (10) and can accommodate the total overflow volume.

4. The HIFU water consumption adaptive adjustment device according to claim 3, characterized in that: An auxiliary function mechanism (80) capable of driving the focusing transducer (10) to achieve a variety of mechanical movements is also installed between the output end of the lifting mechanism (30) and the focusing transducer (10); the longitudinal relative position is changed so that the focusing transducer (10) together with the auxiliary function mechanism (80) are driven by the lifting mechanism (30) to move up and down relative to the treatment head bracket (60).

5. The HIFU water consumption adaptive adjustment device according to claim 3, characterized in that: An auxiliary function mechanism (80) capable of driving the focusing transducer (10) to realize a variety of mechanical movements is also installed between the output end of the lifting mechanism (30) and the focusing transducer (10); the longitudinal relative position is changed so that the housing (40) is driven by the lifting mechanism (30) to move up and down as a whole relative to the focusing transducer (10), the auxiliary function mechanism (80) and the treatment head bracket (60).

6. The HIFU water volume adaptive adjustment device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer shell (40) is of equal width at the top and bottom; the side wall of the water tank (23) is designed to have a corrugated structure that satisfies the moving distance of the focusing transducer (10) and can accommodate the total overflow amount.

7. The HIFU water volume adaptive adjustment device according to claim 6, characterized in that: Changing the longitudinal relative position means that the focusing transducer (10) is driven by the lifting mechanism (30) to move up and down relative to the treatment head bracket (60).

8. The HIFU water volume adaptive adjustment device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The longitudinal relative position is changed so that the focusing transducer (10) and the treatment head bracket (60) are driven by the lifting mechanism (30) to move up and down relative to the housing (40) as a whole.

9. The HIFU water volume adaptive adjustment device according to any one of claims 3 to 8, characterized in that: The total overflow amount = the overflow amount generated by squeezing the water tank (21) when the longitudinal relative position of the focusing transducer (10) changes + the overflow amount generated by squeezing the water bag (22) when it contacts the human body.

10. The HIFU water volume adaptive adjustment device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The capacity of the water tank (23) is greater than the total overflow volume.

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