Probe head of an ultrasound probe and ultrasound probe

Abstract

In an acoustic head and an ultrasonic probe, the negative electrode lead-out structure has a sheet-shaped main body and at least one negative electrode lead-out part extending outward from the main body, the main body covering at least all the inner array elements and being connected with the negative electrodes of the array elements, and the negative electrode lead-out part leading out from the position of the outer array elements and being connected with a flexible circuit board to electrically connect the negative electrodes of the array elements with the flexible circuit board. In the structure, the negative electrode lead-out part leads out from only one side or both sides of the outer array elements, and there is no need to set the negative electrode lead-out part at too many positions, so that the overall volume of the acoustic head can be reduced, and the consistency of the shapes of the wafer, the backing and the matching layer is also beneficial.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of medical devices, in particular to a sound head structure of an ultrasonic probe. BACKGROUND

[0002] The ultrasonic probe is an important component of an ultrasonic device (for example, an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging device), and its working principle is to convert an excitation electric pulse signal of an ultrasonic machine into an ultrasonic signal to enter a patient's body, and then convert a tissue-reflected ultrasonic echo signal into an electric signal, so as to realize detection of the tissue.

[0003] Among them, the transesophageal ultrasonic probe (TEE) is a device capable of extending into the body cavity of the human body for ultrasonic detection. Generally, please refer to Figure 1 and 2 The ultrasonic probe includes a backing 1, a flexible circuit board 2, a wafer 3, a copper foil 4 and a matching layer 5. The flexible circuit board 2 is covered on the backing 1, the wafer 3 is located on the flexible circuit board 2, the copper foil 4 is covered on the wafer 3, and the matching layer 5 is located on the copper foil 4. The outer side of the flexible circuit board 2 is bent from the top wall of the backing 1 to the position of the outer side wall, the outer side of the copper foil 4 is bent from the top wall of the wafer 3 to the flexible circuit board 2, and is welded together with the flexible circuit board 2, so as to lead out the positive and negative poles of the wafer 3 to the flexible circuit board 2.

[0004] Since the ultrasonic probe is used to see the heart through the esophagus, the smaller the sound head volume is, the better. However, although the volume of the existing ultrasonic probe has been minimized as much as possible, it still causes discomfort to the patient. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application mainly provides a novel sound head of an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic probe adopting the sound head, so as to provide a novel array element negative pole leading-out structure.

[0006] In an embodiment of the present application, a sound head of an ultrasonic probe is provided, which includes:

[0007] A wafer is cut into a plurality of array elements, the array elements include outer side array elements located on both sides of the outer side and inner side array elements located between the outer side array elements;

[0008] A backing;

[0009] A flexible circuit board is installed on the backing, the array elements are located on the flexible circuit board, and the flexible circuit board is electrically connected with the positive poles of the array elements;

[0010] The negative electrode lead-out structure has a sheet-shaped main body and at least one negative electrode lead-out portion extending outward from the main body, the main body covers the wafer and is connected to the negative electrodes of all the inner array elements, the negative electrode lead-out portion leads out from the position of the outer array element and is connected to the flexible circuit board to electrically connect the negative electrodes of the array elements to the flexible circuit board.

[0011] and a matching layer covering the negative electrode lead-out structure.

[0012] In one embodiment, the flexible circuit board has a negative electrode connecting portion corresponding to the position of the negative electrode lead-out portion, the negative electrode connecting portion has a negative electrode connecting point, and the negative electrode connecting point is electrically connected to the negative electrode lead-out portion.

[0013] In one embodiment, the negative electrode connecting portion extends from the position of the outer array element and is bent downward to the side of the backing, and the negative electrode lead-out portion is bent downward and covers the outside of the negative electrode connecting portion, and the negative electrode lead-out portion is welded to the negative electrode connecting portion.

[0014] In one embodiment, the flexible circuit board has a positive electrode connecting portion and at least one adapter portion, the positive electrode connecting portion has a positive electrode connecting point, the adapter portion has an adapter point for connecting to the control unit of the ultrasonic probe, the positive electrode connecting point and the negative electrode connecting point are both electrically connected to the adapter point, the positive electrode connecting portion is mounted on the backing, the wafer is located above the positive electrode connecting portion, and the positive electrodes of all the inner array elements are electrically connected to the positive electrode connecting point.

[0015] In one embodiment, the backing includes at least three backing blocks arranged side by side and spliced to form the support table, and the adapter portion extends out of the backing from the gap between adjacent backing blocks.

[0016] In one embodiment, the backing includes at least three backing blocks, which are respectively a first backing block, a second backing block and a third backing block, the second backing block and the third backing block are located on both sides of the first backing block, the flexible circuit board has at least two adapter portions, which are respectively a first adapter portion and a second adapter portion, the positive electrode connecting portion is located on the top wall of the first backing block, the first adapter portion extends out of the backing from the gap between the first backing block and the second backing block, and the second adapter portion extends out of the backing from the gap between the first backing block and the third backing block.

[0017] In one embodiment, the side walls of the first backing block are symmetrically arranged relative to the top wall.

[0018] In one embodiment, the top walls of the backing blocks are flush and spliced into the planar support table.

[0019] In one embodiment, the negative electrode lead-out structure is a copper foil.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present application, an ultrasonic probe is provided, which comprises the transducer and the base as described in any of the above embodiments, and the transducer is mounted on the base through the backing.

[0021] In the transducer and the ultrasonic probe according to the above embodiments, the negative electrode lead-out structure has a sheet-shaped main body electrically connected to the negative electrodes of all the inner array elements, and at least one negative electrode lead-out portion extending outwardly from the main body, the negative electrode lead-out portion being led out from the position of the outer array element and being electrically connected to the negative electrode connection point of the flexible circuit board to electrically connect the negative electrodes of the array elements to the flexible circuit board. In this structure, the negative electrode lead-out portion is led out from only one side or both sides of the outer array element, and no negative electrode lead-out portion needs to be arranged at too many positions, so that the overall volume of the transducer can be reduced, and the consistency of the shapes of the wafer, the backing and the matching layer can be improved.

[0022] In particular, in one embodiment, the flexible circuit board has a negative electrode connection portion arranged at the position of the outer array element, and the negative electrode lead-out portion is electrically connected to the negative electrode connection point of the negative electrode connection portion, so as to electrically connect the inner array elements to the flexible circuit board. The negative electrode connection portion is arranged at the position of the outer array element, so that the flexible circuit board can avoid arranging too many negative electrode connection portions, and the space of the outer array element can be ingeniously utilized to arrange the related circuit on the flexible circuit board at the position below the outer array element, so that the volume of the entire transducer can be further reduced without changing the size of the wafer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a transducer of a transesophageal ultrasonic probe according to one embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of the transducer of FIG. 1; Figure 1 FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the transducer of FIG. 1;

[0025] Figure 3 FIG. 4 is a structural schematic diagram of the transducer according to one embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 4 FIG. 5 is an exploded schematic diagram of the transducer of FIG. 4; 5

[0027] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the transducer of FIG. 4; Figure 6

[0028] FIG. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of the flexible circuit board and the backing (before being cut) according to one embodiment of the present application; Figure 7

[0029] FIG. 8 is a structural schematic diagram of different shapes of the first backing block according to one embodiment of the present application; Figures 8-10 FIG. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of different shapes of the second backing block according to one embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Figure 11 Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wafer structure in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The application will be further described below in connection with the drawings. Like numbers in different figures represent similar elements. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present application can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present application. Embodiments of the present application are described herein with reference to the figures.

[0032] In addition, features, operations, or steps described in the specification can be combined in any suitable manner without departing from the scope of the present application. Similarly, steps in the methods described herein can be performed in an order different from the order described without departing from the scope of the application. Thus, the order in which operations are described is not a limitation of the application unless otherwise stated.

[0033] The serial numbers of components in this application, such as "first", "second", etc., are used only to distinguish the described objects, and do not have any sequential or technical meaning. The "connection" and "coupling" in this application, unless otherwise specified, include direct and indirect connections (couplings).

[0034] The present embodiment provides an acoustic head of an ultrasonic probe, which can be applied to various ultrasonic probes, especially a transesophageal ultrasonic probe (TEE).

[0035] Please refer to Figures 3 to 5 The acoustic head includes a wafer 100, a backing 200, a flexible circuit board 300, a negative electrode lead-out structure 400, and a matching layer 500.

[0036] The wafer 100 is cut into a plurality of array elements. The array elements can be used to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals. The upper surface of the array element is the negative electrode, and the lower surface is the positive electrode. Generally, the array element includes an inner array element 110 and an outer array element 120. Please refer to Figure 4 and 11The outer side elements 120 are generally located on the two sides of the array elements, and each side can have one or more outer side elements 120. The backing 200 can absorb the useless sound waves radiated from the back of the wafer, and also serve as a support structure for the flexible circuit board 300, the wafer 100, and the matching layer 500.

[0037] Referring to Figures 3 to 5 The matching layer 500 is an acoustic material layer applied on the wafer 100 to match the acoustic impedance between the transducer wafer 100 and the sound transmission medium, so that the acoustic energy can be well transmitted.

[0038] To realize the negative electrode lead-out of the inner side elements 110 (or all the elements), please refer to Figures 3 to 5 In one embodiment, the negative electrode lead-out structure 400 has a main body 410 capable of electrically connecting with all the inner side elements 110 (or together with the outer side elements 120) and at least one negative electrode lead-out part 420 extending outward from the main body 410. The main body 410 and the negative electrode lead-out part 420 are in electrical connection with each other. The sheet-shaped main body 410 can cover all the inner side elements 110 (or together with the outer side elements 120), so that the main body 410 can be electrically connected with all the inner side elements 110 (or together with the outer side elements 120). The negative electrode lead-out part 420 is led out from the position of the outer side elements 120 and is connected with the flexible circuit board 300 to electrically connect the negative electrode of the elements with the flexible circuit board 300.

[0039] Referring to Figure 4 and 11 The outer side elements 120 are generally located on the two sides of the array elements, and each side can have one or more outer side elements 120. The backing 200 can absorb the useless sound waves radiated from the back of the wafer, and also serve as a support structure for the flexible circuit board 300, the wafer 100, and the matching layer 500.

[0040] Further, please refer to Figures 3 to 5 In one embodiment, the flexible circuit board 300 has a negative electrode connecting part 330. The negative electrode connecting part 330 has a negative electrode connecting point, and the negative electrode lead-out part 420 is electrically connected with the negative electrode connecting point of the negative electrode connecting part 330. In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 to 5 The negative electrode connecting part 330 is arranged corresponding to the negative electrode lead-out part 420, and is also led out from the position of the outer side elements 120. The negative electrode connecting point of the negative electrode connecting part 330 is electrically connected with the negative electrode lead-out part 420.

[0041] The negative electrode butt joint part 330 is also arranged at the position of the outer array element 120, so as to avoid arranging too many negative electrode butt joint parts 330 on the flexible circuit board 300, and to ingeniously use the space of the outer array element 120, so as to arrange the related circuit on the flexible circuit board 300 at the position below the outer array element 120, so as to butt joint the negative electrode lead-out part 420. Without changing the size of the wafer 100, the volume of the whole sound head can be further reduced.

[0042] Please refer to Figure 3 and 4 The negative electrode butt joint part 330 is bent downward from the positive electrode butt joint part 310 to the side of the backing 200, and the negative electrode lead-out part 420 is bent downward and covers the outside of the negative electrode butt joint part 330, and the negative electrode lead-out part 420 is welded with the negative electrode butt joint part 330.

[0043] Since the outer array element 120 is not directly used for emitting and recovering ultrasonic waves, the flexible circuit board 300 does not have to butt joint the positive electrode of the outer array element 120, so in some embodiments, the negative electrode butt joint part 330 can be bent downward below the outer array element 120, so that the negative electrode butt joint part 330 does not protrude out of the wafer 100, or only slightly protrudes out of the wafer 100, further reducing the width of the sound head.

[0044] In order to lead out the positive electrode of the inner array element 110, in one embodiment, at least the positive electrode of the inner array element 110 is connected with the positive electrode connection point on the positive electrode butt joint part 310, and at least the negative electrode of the inner array element 110 is electrically connected with the negative electrode connection point of the flexible circuit board 300 through the negative electrode lead-out structure 400.

[0045] Please refer to Figures 3 to 7 In one embodiment, the flexible circuit board 300 also has a positive electrode butt joint part 310 and at least one adapter 320. The positive electrode butt joint part 310 has a positive electrode connection point, the negative electrode butt joint part 330 has a negative electrode connection point, and the adapter 320 has an adapter point for connecting with the control unit of the ultrasonic probe. The positive electrode connection point and the negative electrode connection point are electrically connected with the adapter point. Among them, various electrical connection ends such as the positive electrode connection point, the negative electrode connection point and the adapter point can be realized by using electrode, connection terminal and other common electrical connection structures.

[0046] Among them, the adapter point can be divided into a positive electrode adapter point and a negative electrode adapter point, the positive electrode connection point is electrically connected with the positive electrode adapter point, and the negative electrode adapter point is electrically connected with the negative electrode connection point. Of course, in order to realize these electrical connections, some circuits can also be arranged on the flexible circuit board 300, so as to successfully lead out the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the array element. These circuits can be completely realized by existing means, and will not be described here.

[0047] The positive electrode interface 310 is installed on the support platform and can be located on a part of the support platform. The array elements are located above the positive electrode interface 310, and the positive electrodes of the array elements are connected to the positive electrode connection points on the positive electrode interface 310. Please refer to Figure 4 The positive electrode interface 310 can be located in the middle of all array elements, so that the positive electrode interface 310 can simultaneously achieve electrical connection with all array elements (or only the inner array elements 110) with a narrow width.

[0048] The backing 200 includes at least two backing blocks (for example, 210, 220, 230), which are arranged side by side and spliced to form a support platform. Generally, the top walls of the backing blocks are flush and spliced to form a planar support platform. Of course, the top wall of the support platform can be planar or other shapes, which can be set according to the actual structure needs, and it can also be arc-shaped, undulating, and special-shaped, etc., to adapt to the structure of other components.

[0049] The adapter 320 can be one or more. Please refer to Figures 5 to 7 The two adapters 320 are shown in the figure, and in some embodiments, one of the two adapters 320 can be omitted. As shown in Figure 6 and 7 The adapter 320 extends out of the gap between adjacent backing blocks (for example, between 210 and 220 and between 210 and 230) to the outside of the backing 200, so that the flexible circuit board 300 can be electrically connected to other components, such as the control unit of the ultrasonic probe, to control the working state of the array elements.

[0050] Please refer to Figure 1 and 2 When the adapter 21 of the flexible circuit board 2 is arranged outside the backing 1, in order to ensure the electrical connection between the flexible circuit board 2 and the positive electrodes of the array elements, the bending part of the flexible circuit board 2 must be located outside the wafer 3. In the case of keeping the width of the wafer 3 unchanged, since the flexible circuit board 2 itself needs to occupy a certain space when bending, it will cause the width of the sound head to expand outward, and finally the width of the sound head is greater than the width of the wafer 3.

[0051] Please refer to Figure 6 In this embodiment, since the adapter 320 of the flexible circuit board 300 extends from the inside of the backing, by adjusting the size of each backing block, the width of the backing 200 can be kept consistent with the width of the wafer 100. In the case of keeping the width of the wafer 100 unchanged, the width of the sound head is basically consistent with the width of the wafer 100. The volume of the sound head can be reduced by avoiding the additional volume caused by the bending of the flexible circuit board 300 from the outside wall of the backing 200. Moreover, this structure can ensure the consistency of the matching layer 500, the wafer 100, and the backing 200 in appearance.

[0052] Further, please refer to Figures 5 to 7 In an embodiment, the backing 200 comprises at least three backing blocks, which are respectively a first backing block 210, a second backing block 220 and a third backing block 230, and the second backing block 220 and the third backing block 230 are located on both sides of the first backing block 210. The flexible circuit board 300 has at least two adapter portions 320, which are respectively a first adapter portion 320a and a second adapter portion 320b (as shown in Figure 6 The positive electrode adapter portion 310 is located on the top wall of the first backing block 210, the first adapter portion 320a extends out of the backing 200 from the gap between the first backing block 210 and the second backing block 220, and the second adapter portion 320b extends out of the backing 200 from the gap between the first backing block 210 and the third backing block 230.

[0053] This structure is conducive to setting the positive electrode adapter portion 310 of the flexible circuit board 300 in the middle of the support table, so as to be able to be adapted with all the elements. The setting of the two adapter portions 320 is conducive to improving the convenience and stability of the connection between the flexible circuit board 300 and other components (such as a control unit), and the two adapter portions 320 can be used to adapt the control unit. Of course, in some embodiments, one of the second backing block 220 and the third backing block 230 can be omitted, the top wall of the first backing block 210 is extended outward to replace the omitted second backing block 220 or third backing block 230, thereby forming a support table with the same size. At this time, the adapter portion 320 located on the side of the omitted second backing block 220 or third backing block 230 can also be omitted.

[0054] Of course, the first backing block 210 can be set to any possible shape that can meet the needs of forming a support table and can lead the adapter portion 320 of the flexible circuit board 300 out of the two backing blocks. However, from the processing cost and assembly efficiency, please refer to Figures 8 to 10 , generally, the two side walls 212 of the first backing block 210 are symmetrically arranged relative to the top wall 211. Correspondingly, the second backing block 220 and the third backing block 230 have side walls that can be attached to the first backing block 210. In particular, in an embodiment, the second backing block 220 and the third backing block 230 are symmetrical structures, which not only facilitate processing, but also facilitate assembly.

[0055] Under the condition of symmetrical arrangement, the shape of the two side walls 212 of the first backing block 210 can also be flexibly selected as needed, please refer to Figures 8 to 10 The two side walls 212 of the first backing block 210 can be set to but not limited to a plane arranged at an angle (as shown in Figure 8 , a vertical surface arranged in the vertical direction (as shown in Figure 9 , or an arc surface arranged at an angle (asFigure 10 as shown.

[0056] Further, the wafer 100 is usually cut after being placed on the backing 200 and the flexible circuit board 300, as shown in Figure 4 and 5 When the wafer 100 is cut, the matching layer 500, the positive electrode butt joint 310 of the flexible circuit board 300 and the backing 200 are also cut, and the matching layer 500 can be cut into the same shape and structure as the wafer 100. The positive electrode butt joint 310 of the flexible circuit board 300 is also cut into a strip structure consistent with the wafer 100, and the positive electrode butt joint is located on the strip structure. The backing 200 is a support structure, and the top surface of the backing 200 has a cutting groove.

[0057] On the other hand, the embodiment also provides an ultrasonic probe, which comprises the acoustic head as shown in any of the above embodiments. Please refer to Figures 3 to 7 The ultrasonic probe further comprises a base 600, and the backing 200 is mounted on the base 600 and assembled to other components through the base 600.

[0058] Of course, the ultrasonic probe also comprises components such as a shell and a control unit for controlling the array elements, and these structures can be implemented by referring to the existing structures, and the embodiment will not be described one by one.

[0059] The above application of specific examples to illustrate the present application, is only used to help understand the present application, and is not used to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, according to the idea of the present application, the above specific embodiments can be changed.

Claims

1. An acoustic head of an ultrasonic probe, characterized by, The application relates to a transducer head and a base station. The transducer head comprises: a wafer cut into a plurality of elements, the elements comprising outer elements on both sides and inner elements between the outer elements, the outer elements not used for emitting and receiving ultrasonic waves; a backing; a flexible circuit board mounted on the backing, the elements being located on the flexible circuit board, the flexible circuit board being electrically connected to the positive poles of the elements; the flexible circuit board has a negative pole butt joint portion which is bent downward from the lower side of the positive poles of the outer elements to the side of the backing, and the negative pole butt joint portion has a negative pole connecting point; a negative pole lead-out structure which has a sheet-shaped main body and at least one negative pole lead-out portion extending outward from the main body, the main body covering the wafer and being electrically connected to the negative poles of all the inner elements, the negative pole lead-out portion extending from the position of the outer elements and being bent downward and covering the outer side of the negative pole butt joint portion, the negative pole connecting point being electrically connected to the negative pole lead-out portion to electrically connect the negative poles of the elements to the flexible circuit board; and a matching layer covering the negative pole lead-out structure.

2. The acoustic horn of claim 1, wherein, The flexible circuit board has a positive pole butt joint portion and at least one adapter portion, the positive pole butt joint portion having a positive pole connecting point, the adapter portion having an adapter connecting point for being connected to a control unit of an ultrasonic probe, the positive pole connecting point and the negative pole connecting point being electrically connected to the adapter connecting point, the positive pole butt joint portion being mounted on the backing, the wafer being located above the positive pole butt joint portion, and the positive poles of all the inner elements being electrically connected to the positive pole connecting point.

3. The acoustic horn of claim 2, wherein, The backing comprises at least three backing blocks which are arranged side by side and are spliced to form a support platform, and the adapter portion extends out of the backing from the gap between the adjacent backing blocks.

4. The acoustic horn of claim 3, wherein, The backing comprises at least three backing blocks, namely a first backing block, a second backing block and a third backing block, the second backing block and the third backing block being located on both sides of the first backing block, the flexible circuit board has at least two adapter portions, namely a first adapter portion and a second adapter portion, the positive pole butt joint portion is located on the top wall of the first backing block, the first adapter portion extends out of the backing from the gap between the first backing block and the second backing block, and the second adapter portion extends out of the backing from the gap between the first backing block and the third backing block.

5. The acoustic horn of claim 4, wherein, The side walls of the first backing block are symmetrically arranged relative to the top wall.

6. The acoustic horn of claim 4, wherein, The top walls of the backing blocks are flush and are spliced into the planar support platform.

7. The acoustic horn of claim 1, wherein: The negative pole lead-out structure is a copper foil.

8. An ultrasound probe, characterized by, The application further relates to a transducer head and a base station, the transducer head being mounted on the base station through the backing.

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