Ultrasonic probe with coupling fluid compensation function

Abstract

An ultrasonic probe with a coupling liquid compensation function, wherein a compensating member (3) is built into a receiving chamber (11), and the compensating chamber (31) is located in the receiving chamber (11) and is sealed and separated from each other. The gas inlet and outlet (32) of the compensating chamber (31) are openly arranged so that it can be connected to the outside, thereby ensuring that the gas in the compensating chamber (31) has the same pressure as the outside. The compensating member (3) is at least partially made of a deformable flexible material, and the coupling liquid is filled in the receiving chamber (11) and also acts on the outer wall of the flexible material of the compensating member (3). When the coupling liquid pressure changes, the flexible material of the compensating member (3) can be deformed, thereby adjusting the coupling liquid pressure by changing the storage space of the coupling liquid. The compensating member (3) is built into the receiving chamber (11), and the compensating member (3) itself occupies a part of the space of the receiving chamber (11), thereby reducing the amount of coupling liquid filled, and the compensating member (3) built into the receiving chamber (11) does not increase the overall volume of the probe, making the ultrasonic probe more compact and more conducive to miniaturization design.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to medical devices, and in particular to a probe of an ultrasonic device. Background Art

[0002] Ultrasonic imaging equipment is a device that uses ultrasonic waves to detect and image, and is widely used in medical diagnosis, research and other fields. Ultrasonic probes are an important part of ultrasonic equipment. They are a structure that uses the piezoelectric effect of materials to achieve electrical energy and acoustic energy conversion.

[0003] A common ultrasonic probe generally has a sound head unit for transmitting and receiving signals. The sound head unit can transmit ultrasonic waves and receive echoes with human tissue information, thereby imaging human tissue and constructing an image of human tissue. The ultrasonic probe also includes a base and a sound head shell, which enclose a closed space, and the sound head is accommodated in the closed space. The closed space is filled with coupling liquid, and the function of the coupling liquid is to fill the gap between the sound head and the sound head shell to conduct ultrasonic waves.

[0004] Since the coupling fluid in the confined space will expand and contract with the change of temperature, and in some ultrasonic probes, such as 3D probes, the acoustic head needs to swing in the confined space. When the acoustic head swings, the coupling fluid in the confined space generates fluctuating pressure. Therefore, a liquid compensation structure is provided in some ultrasonic probes. The liquid compensation structure is usually an external hose, which is connected to the confined space and contains coupling fluid. When the coupling fluid pressure in the confined space changes, buffering can be achieved through the hose connected to the confined space.

[0005] However, since the coupling fluid is also filled in the hose, the amount of coupling fluid used in the entire ultrasonic probe will increase, which will increase the weight of the entire ultrasonic probe, which is not conducive to the lightweight design of the ultrasonic probe. Moreover, after analysis and calculation, in order to obtain a better compensation effect, the volume ratio of the external hose part used to compensate for thermal expansion and contraction to the volume filled in the confined space is approximately 1:4, which makes the overall volume of the ultrasonic probe too large, which is not conducive to the miniaturization of the ultrasonic probe. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Technical issues

[0008] The present invention mainly provides an ultrasonic probe with a coupling liquid compensation function, which is used to realize pressure compensation for the ultrasonic probe coupling liquid and reduce the weight and volume of the ultrasonic probe.

[0009] Solution to the problem

[0010] Technical Solutions

[0011] According to one aspect of the present application, an embodiment provides an ultrasonic probe with a coupling liquid compensation function, including an acoustic head shell, a base and a compensating member, the acoustic head shell and the base enclose a closed accommodating chamber, the compensating member has a compensation chamber, the compensation chamber has a gas inlet and outlet, the compensating member extends into the accommodating chamber, the compensation chamber is located in the accommodating chamber and is sealed and separated from each other, so that at least a portion of the outer wall of the compensating member and the cavity wall of the accommodating chamber together form a storage space for the coupling liquid, the gas inlet and outlet are openly arranged and connected to a space isolated from the accommodating chamber, so that the gas in the compensation chamber can move in the compensation chamber and the space, and the compensating member is at least partially made of deformable flexible material, so that the volume of the compensation chamber can change with the pressure change of the coupling liquid.

[0012] As a further improvement of the ultrasonic probe, the compensating member is fixedly mounted on the base and extends from the base into the accommodating cavity.

[0013] As a further improvement of the ultrasonic probe, the base has a mounting opening, and the compensating member is fixed in the mounting opening.

[0014] As a further improvement of the ultrasonic probe, it also includes a pressing block with a gas inlet and outlet channel, the pressing block fixes the compensating piece on the base, and the gas inlet and outlet channel of the pressing block is connected to the compensation cavity of the compensating piece.

[0015] As a further improvement of the ultrasonic probe, the pressing block is inserted into the compensating member from the gas inlet and outlet, and the compensating member is pressed and fixed on the wall of the installation opening.

[0016] As a further improvement of the ultrasonic probe, the gas inlet and outlet of the compensating member are provided with outward flanges, and the pressing block fixes the flanges on the base.

[0017] As a further improvement of the ultrasonic probe, the compensating member is fixed to the wall of the mounting opening by mechanical pressing or bonding.

[0018] As a further improvement of the ultrasonic probe, the compensating member is a hose, one end of which is closed, and the other end is provided with the gas inlet and outlet, and the closed end of the hose extends into the accommodating cavity.

[0019] As a further improvement of the ultrasonic probe, it also includes a support rod, which extends into the hose and is arranged along the extension direction of the hose to prevent the inner walls on both sides of the hose from sticking to each other.

[0020] As a further improvement of the ultrasonic probe, the hose has a circular or square cross section.

[0021] Advantageous Effects of the Invention

[0022] Beneficial Effects

[0023] According to the ultrasonic probe of the above embodiment, its compensating part extends into the accommodating chamber, that is, it is built into the accommodating chamber, so that the compensating chamber is located in the accommodating chamber and is sealed and separated from each other. The gas inlet and outlet of the compensation chamber are openly arranged so that it can be connected to the outside to ensure that the gas in the compensation chamber has the same pressure as the outside. The compensating part is at least partially made of a deformable flexible material. The coupling liquid is filled in the accommodating chamber and also acts on the outer wall of the flexible material of the compensating part. When the coupling liquid pressure changes, the flexible material of the compensating part can be deformed, thereby adjusting the coupling liquid pressure by changing the storage space of the coupling liquid. In this solution, the compensating part is built into the accommodating chamber, and the compensating part itself occupies a part of the space of the accommodating chamber, so the filling amount of the coupling liquid can be reduced, and the compensating part built into the accommodating chamber will not increase the overall volume of the probe, making the ultrasonic probe more compact and more conducive to miniaturization and lightweight design.

[0024] Brief description of the accompanying drawings BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of an ultrasound probe in one embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a hose fixing structure in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 3 and 4 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a hose, a base, and a pressing block in one embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of an ultrasound probe in one embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Embodiments of the invention

[0030] Embodiments of the present invention DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The present invention is further described in detail below by specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Wherein similar elements in different embodiments adopt associated similar element numbers. In the following embodiments, many detailed descriptions are for making the present application better understood. However, those skilled in the art can easily recognize that some features can be omitted in different situations, or can be replaced by other elements, materials, methods. In some cases, some operations related to the present application are not shown or described in the specification, this is to avoid the core part of the present application being overwhelmed by too much description, and for those skilled in the art, it is not necessary to describe these related operations in detail, and they can fully understand the related operations according to the description in the specification and the general technical knowledge in the art.

[0032] In addition, the features, operations or characteristics described in the specification can be combined in any appropriate manner to form various implementations. At the same time, the steps or actions in the method description can also be interchanged or adjusted in a manner that is obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the various sequences in the specification and the drawings are only for the purpose of clearly describing a certain embodiment and are not meant to be a required sequence, unless otherwise specified that a certain sequence must be followed.

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

[0034] This embodiment provides an ultrasonic probe with a coupling liquid compensation function, which belongs to a type of ultrasonic device and is used to assist the ultrasonic device in imaging by emitting and receiving ultrasonic signals. The following specifically describes a body surface 3D mechanical probe as an example. Of course, the compensation structure shown in this embodiment can also be applied to other ultrasonic probes that require coupling liquid compensation.

[0035] Please refer to Figure 1 In one embodiment, the ultrasonic probe includes an acoustic head shell 1, a base 2 and a compensation part 3.

[0036] The acoustic head shell 1 (also called an acoustic window) is used to seal the acoustic head and also serves as the part of the ultrasonic probe that contacts the human skin. The acoustic head shell 1 and the base 2 form a closed accommodating chamber 11. The accommodating chamber 11 is used to store coupling liquid. Figure 1 The bracket (not shown) is installed in the accommodating cavity 11, and can be set to swing or be fixed in the accommodating cavity 11 as needed.

[0037] The compensating member 3 has a compensating chamber 31, and the compensating chamber 31 has a gas inlet and outlet 32. The gas inlet and outlet 32 ​​is used for the air to enter and exit when the volume of the compensating chamber 31 changes. The compensating member 3 extends into the accommodating chamber 11, so that the compensating chamber 31 is located in the accommodating chamber 11 and is sealed and separated from each other. The outer wall of the compensating member 3 and the cavity wall of the accommodating chamber 11 together enclose a coupling liquid storage space, that is, at least a part of the outer wall of the compensating member 3 is used as a part of the coupling liquid storage space. The gas inlet and outlet 32 ​​is open and connected to a space isolated from the accommodating chamber 11. When the coupling liquid pressure in the accommodating chamber 11 changes, the gas in the compensating chamber 31 can move in the compensating chamber 31 and the space, thereby adjusting the pressure in the compensating chamber 31 so that it can adapt to the change of the coupling liquid in the accommodating chamber 11. The space can be an external atmospheric environment, that is, the gas inlet and outlet 32 ​​of the compensating member 3 is directly connected to the external atmospheric environment. Or the space can also be a space formed inside the probe, for example, a cavity surrounded by the probe shell. The probe shell mentioned here includes the above-mentioned acoustic head shell 1 and other shell parts, such as the shell of the probe holding part.

[0038] The compensating member 3 is at least partially made of a deformable flexible material, so that the compensation chamber 31 can interact with the coupling liquid when the pressure of the coupling liquid changes, and the coupling liquid pressure is compensated by changing the volume of the compensation chamber 31. Specifically, the coupling liquid is filled in the accommodating chamber 11, and also acts on the outer wall of the flexible material of the compensating member 3. When the pressure of the coupling liquid changes, it can deform the flexible material of the compensating member 3, thereby adjusting the pressure of the coupling liquid by changing the storage space of the coupling liquid. For example, when the pressure of the coupling liquid increases due to thermal expansion and contraction or the fluctuating pressure generated by the swing of the sound head, the flexible material of the compensating member 3 will be deformed, so that the volume of the compensation chamber 31 becomes smaller, and the storage space of the coupling liquid becomes larger. On the contrary, the volume of the compensation chamber 31 may become larger, and the storage space of the coupling liquid may become smaller.

[0039] In this solution, the compensating member 3 is built into the accommodating cavity 11. Since the compensating member 3 itself occupies a part of the space of the accommodating cavity 11, the amount of coupling liquid filled can be reduced. Moreover, the compensating member 3 built into the accommodating cavity 11 will not increase the overall volume of the probe, making the ultrasonic probe more compact and more conducive to miniaturization and lightweight design.

[0040] The acoustic head shell 1 can be composed of multiple parts or can be integrally formed. Similarly, the base 2 can also be composed of multiple parts or can be integrally formed. The compensating member 3 can extend from the base 2, the acoustic head shell 1 or other places into the accommodating cavity 11.

[0041] Please refer to Figure 1 In one embodiment, the compensating member 3 is fixedly mounted on the base 2 and extends from the base 2 into the accommodating cavity 11 .

[0042] For further information, please refer to Figure 1 In one embodiment, the base 2 has a mounting opening 21, and the compensating member 3 is fixed in the mounting opening 21. Of course, in addition to being fixed in the mounting opening 21, the compensating member 3 can also be fixed to the base 2 by other mounting methods.

[0043] like Figure 1 As shown, in one embodiment, it also includes a pressing block 4 with a gas inlet and outlet channel 41, which fixes the compensating member 3 on the base 2, and the gas inlet and outlet channel 41 of the pressing block 4 is connected with the compensating cavity 31 of the compensating member 3, so that the compensating cavity 31 is connected with the outside.

[0044] There are many ways to fix the pressure block 4 to the compensating member 3. For example, please refer to Figure 1 In one embodiment, the pressing block 4 is inserted into the compensating member 3 from the gas inlet and outlet 32, and the compensating member 3 is pressed and fixed on the wall of the mounting opening 21. That is, the pressing block 4 fixes the compensating member 3 to the mounting opening 21 by interference fit. To ensure the reliability of assembly, the clamping area formed by the outer wall of the pressing block 4 and the wall of the mounting opening 21 for clamping the compensating member 3 can have a longer distance, thereby increasing the clamping action area and improving the firmness.

[0045] Or, as another example, see Figure 2 The gas inlet and outlet 32 ​​of the compensating member 3 is provided with an outward flange 33, and the pressing block 4 fixes the flange 33 on the base 2. The specific fixing member can be a screw 5 or a bolt.

[0046] In addition, in other embodiments, the compensating member 3 can also be fixed to the wall of the installation opening 21 by mechanical pressing or bonding. Alternatively, other fixing methods are used for fixing, such as snap connection, magnetic adsorption, welding, etc.

[0047] Furthermore, the elastic flexible material used in the compensating member 3 may include materials such as rubber and silicone. The compensating member 3 may be made entirely or partially of an elastic flexible material, and may have various shapes. For example, the compensating member 3 may be tubular, sac-shaped, or have other shapes. The other shapes include a combination of various shapes. As long as the flexible material is at least partially located in the accommodating chamber 11 and in direct contact with the coupling liquid, so that the coupling liquid can interact with the flexible material when the pressure changes, causing the flexible material to deform, the pressure change of the coupling liquid can be compensated.

[0048] Please refer to Figure 1 In one embodiment, the compensating member 3 is a hose. One end of the hose is closed, and the other end is provided with a gas inlet and outlet 32. The closed end of the hose extends into the accommodating chamber 11 so as to seal and separate the accommodating chamber 11 from the compensating chamber 31.

[0049] Please refer to Figure 3 and 4 In some embodiments, the compensating member 3 (such as a hose) has a circular or square cross-section. The circular shape includes a perfect circle, an ellipse, and other circular shapes. The square shape includes a square, a rectangle, or other square shapes. Of course, in addition to this, the compensating member 3 (such as a hose) may also have a cross-section of other shapes, such as a pentagon, a hexagon, or even a cross-section of an irregular shape. At the same time, the compensating member 3 (such as a hose) may generally have a uniform wall thickness so that the compensating member 3 can better deform under the coupling hydraulic pressure.

[0050] Please refer to Figure 3 In some embodiments, the wall thickness of the mounting opening 21 on the base 2 is substantially equal to the thickness of the gas inlet and outlet channel 41 on the pressing block 4, so that the compensating member 3 (hose) can be clamped more firmly, ensuring the assembly reliability of the compensating member 3 (hose). Furthermore, the distance between the inner side of the wall of the mounting opening 21 on the base 2 and the outer side of the pressing block 4 can be set to be slightly less than or equal to half of the thickness of the hose, that is, the compression amount during the hose assembly needs to be greater than or equal to more than half of the thickness of the hose, thereby better ensuring the firmness of the hose assembly.

[0051] In one embodiment, another ultrasonic probe with coupling liquid compensation function is provided, and an intracavity 3D mechanical probe is specifically used as an example for description. Similarly, the compensation structure shown in this embodiment can also be applied to other ultrasonic probes that require coupling liquid compensation.

[0052] The difference between the ultrasonic probe shown in this embodiment and the structure shown in the first embodiment is: Figure 5 The intracavity 3D mechanical probe has a relatively long acoustic head shell 1 in structure. The acoustic head shell 1 and the base 2 can form a narrow and long closed accommodating cavity 11. The compensating member 3 is installed in the narrow and long accommodating cavity 11. The compensating member 3 can be arranged according to the embodiment 1. Figure 2 Of course, other methods can also be used for fixing. In short, other structures of the ultrasonic probe shown in the second embodiment, such as the compensation component structure, the fixing method of the compensation component, etc., can be implemented by using but not limited to the structure shown in the first embodiment above.

[0053] It should be noted that, since the accommodating cavity 11 in the second embodiment is long and narrow, the corresponding compensating member 3 (such as a hose) is also relatively long, which makes it easy for the two opposite side walls inside the compensating member 3 to be bonded. Figure 5 In one embodiment, the ultrasonic probe further includes a support rod 5, which extends into the hose and is arranged along the extension direction of the hose to prevent the inner walls on both sides of the hose from sticking to each other. The support rod 5 can be fixed or integrally formed with the above-mentioned pressing block 4, or can be located on other structures.

[0054] The above specific examples are used to illustrate the present invention, which are only used to help understand the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, according to the concept of the present invention, the above specific implementation methods can be changed.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic probe with coupling liquid compensation function, characterized in that: The device comprises a sound head shell, a base and a compensating member, wherein the sound head shell and the base are combined to form a closed accommodating chamber, the compensating member has a compensating chamber, the compensating chamber has a gas inlet and outlet, the compensating member extends into the accommodating chamber, the compensating chamber is located in the accommodating chamber and is sealed and separated from each other, so that at least a part of the outer wall of the compensating member and the chamber wall of the accommodating chamber jointly form a storage space for the coupling liquid, the gas inlet and outlet are openly arranged and communicated with a space isolated from the accommodating chamber, so that the gas in the compensation chamber can move in the compensation chamber and the space, and the compensating member is at least partially made of a deformable flexible material, so that the compensation chamber can change its volume size as the pressure of the coupling liquid changes; The compensating member is a hose, one end of which is closed, and the other end is provided with the gas inlet and outlet, and the closed end of the hose extends into the accommodating cavity; It also includes a support rod, which extends into the hose and is arranged along the extension direction of the hose to prevent the inner walls on both sides of the hose from sticking to each other.

2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, characterized in that: The compensating member is fixedly mounted on the base and extends from the base into the accommodating cavity.

3. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base has a mounting opening, and the compensating member is fixed in the mounting opening.

4. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, characterized in that: It also includes a pressing block with a gas inlet and outlet channel, the pressing block fixes the compensating piece on the base, and the gas inlet and outlet channel of the pressing block is connected with the compensation cavity of the compensating piece.

5. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 4, characterized in that: The pressing block is inserted into the compensating member from the gas inlet and outlet, and the compensating member is pressed and fixed on the wall of the installation opening.

6. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 4, characterized in that: The gas inlet and outlet of the compensating member are provided with outward flanges, and the pressing block fixes the flanges on the base.

7. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, characterized in that: The compensating piece is fixed to the wall of the installation opening by mechanical pressing or bonding.

8. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hose has a circular or square cross section.

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