An ultrasonic probe

Abstract

The present invention discloses an ultrasonic probe, which includes: a housing; an ultrasonic transducer; a sound-permeable structure, a convex portion is arranged on the top of the sound-permeable structure, and the sound-permeable structure is arranged at the front end of the ultrasonic transducer; a driving component, the driving component is arranged in the housing and used to drive the sound-permeable structure; a curved surface structure, the curved surface structure extends from the end face of the convex portion toward the edge of the sound-permeable structure, and forms a first curved surface on the left and right sides of the convex portion, the first curved surface includes a concave curved surface segment, and the concave curved surface segment extends downward along the left and right sides of the end face of the convex portion. The present invention can improve the two-dimensional imaging effect while realizing high-quality transient elastic imaging detection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical devices, and in particular to an ultrasonic probe. Background Art

[0002] At present, due to the accuracy of transient elastography in diagnosing the degree of fibrosis, it has been recommended by major global liver disease guidelines including the World Health Organization. However, its shortcomings are also obvious. Since a single-element ultrasonic transducer is usually used for detection, it lacks image guidance function, that is, it cannot perform two-dimensional imaging (a single-element ultrasonic transducer can only achieve one-dimensional imaging, not two-dimensional imaging). There are many large blood vessels distributed in the liver tissue, as well as some cysts and other areas and locations that are not suitable for elastic imaging. When performing transient elastic imaging, these locations need to be avoided, otherwise the elasticity test results will be abnormal or even wrong. Multi-element ultrasonic transducers can achieve two-dimensional imaging and observation of a two-dimensional imaging area, thereby realizing image guidance function. Through the image guidance function, areas and locations that are not suitable for elastic imaging can be avoided during transient elastic imaging.

[0003] The principle of transient elastography is to determine the hardness of the liver by measuring the propagation speed of low-frequency shear waves in liver tissue fibers, thereby evaluating the degree of liver fibrosis. The shear wave in transient elastography uses the mechanical vibration of the ultrasonic transducer itself to act on the surface of the detection target, excite shear waves inside the detection target, and track and detect the propagation of shear waves in the area along the central axis directly below the ultrasonic transducer. However, when the size of the transducer used to excite the shear wave becomes larger, the excited shear wave will have a certain degree of diffraction. When the shear wave is used for elastic detection, the shear wave velocity obtained will deviate from the true value, resulting in deviations or errors in the test results. If the ultrasonic transducer itself is used for vibration excitation to generate shear waves, the size of the ultrasonic transducer will be limited, resulting in the inability of conventional transient elastography to achieve both image guidance and elastic detection.

[0004] If the acoustic lens is placed at the front end of the ultrasonic transducer and is set to the shape of a vibrating probe in conventional transient elastic imaging, although imaging can be performed using the multi-element ultrasonic transducer placed behind it, the imaging range is still limited by the size of the vibration size of the acoustic lens, and there is still the problem of poor two-dimensional imaging effect.

[0005] Therefore, the prior art still needs to be improved and developed. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic probe to solve the problem that the existing transient elastic imaging cannot achieve both image guidance and elasticity detection.

[0007] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0008] An ultrasonic probe, comprising:

[0009] case;

[0010] Ultrasonic transducer;

[0011] A sound-permeable structure, wherein a convex portion is provided on the top of the sound-permeable structure, and the sound-permeable structure is provided at the front end of the ultrasonic transducer;

[0012] A driving assembly, the driving assembly is disposed in the housing and is used to drive the sound-permeable structure;

[0013] A curved surface structure extends from the end surface of the raised portion toward the edge of the sound-permeable structure and forms a first curved surface on the left and right sides of the raised portion, wherein the first curved surface includes a concave curved surface segment extending downward along the left and right sides of the end surface of the raised portion.

[0014] The ultrasonic probe provided by the present invention is provided with a sound-permeable structure provided with a protrusion at the front end of the ultrasonic transducer, and the protrusion on the sound-permeable structure is used to replace the vibration of the ultrasonic transducer itself to generate shear waves. During transient elastic imaging detection, the sound-permeable structure is driven to vibrate by a driving component to take into account both two-dimensional imaging and high-quality transient elastic imaging. And by adding a curved surface structure on both sides of the protrusion, during the imaging process, the concave curved surface segment of the first curved surface on the curved surface structure can increase the contact area with the skin, thereby improving the two-dimensional imaging effect. The concave curved surface segment can also reduce the pressure caused by the contact of the peripheral structure of the end face of the protrusion on the skin. Even if a force is generated between the concave curved surface segment and the skin, the position where the force is generated is far away from the end face of the protrusion, so it will not affect the shear wave directly below the protrusion, that is, it will not affect the transient elastic imaging detection, thereby achieving high-quality transient elastic imaging detection while improving the two-dimensional imaging effect.

[0015] The present invention further provides that the first curved surface further includes: a convex curved surface segment; the convex curved surface segment extends along one end of the concave curved surface segment away from the end surface of the raised portion to the edge of the sound-permeable structure.

[0016] The present invention further provides that the sound-permeable structure moves integrally with the ultrasonic transducer, or the sound-permeable structure moves independently.

[0017] The present invention further provides that when the sound-permeable structure and the ultrasonic transducer move in an integrated manner, the ultrasonic transducer is directly or indirectly connected to the sound-permeable structure.

[0018] The present invention further provides that a transition structure is provided between the sound-permeable structure and the ultrasonic transducer.

[0019] The present invention further provides that, when the sound-permeable structure moves independently, a connecting piece is provided between the ultrasonic transducer and the sound-permeable structure.

[0020] The present invention further provides that the sound-permeable structure is coaxially arranged with the ultrasonic transducer.

[0021] The present invention further provides that the curved surface structure also includes second curved surfaces arranged on the front and rear sides of the raised portion, and the second curved surfaces extend along the front and rear sides of the end surface of the raised portion to the end surface of the sound-permeable structure.

[0022] The present invention further provides that the angle between the second curved surface and the central axis of the raised portion is 0-30°.

[0023] The present invention further provides that the connection between the first curved surface and the end surface of the protruding portion is in a chamfered shape or an inverted triangle shape; the connection between the second curved surface and the end surface of the protruding portion is in a chamfered shape or an inverted triangle shape.

[0024] The present invention is further configured to include a mounting portion; an opening is provided at a position of the mounting portion corresponding to the ultrasonic transducer, the opening and the raised portion form a receiving cavity, the ultrasonic transducer is placed in the receiving cavity, and is in direct or indirect contact with the sound-permeable structure.

[0025] The present invention further provides that the housing of the ultrasonic transducer is connected to the mounting portion; or the housing of the ultrasonic transducer is integrally provided with the mounting portion.

[0026] The present invention further provides that the ultrasonic probe further includes: an elastic medium, and the elastic medium is arranged between the mounting portion and the shell.

[0027] The present invention is further arranged that the driving assembly comprises:

[0028] Vibrator;

[0029] At least one transmission rod, one end of the at least one transmission rod is connected to the vibrator, and the other end of the at least one transmission rod is connected to the mounting portion or the ultrasonic transducer.

[0030] The present invention further provides that the width of the surface of the protrusion is 5-15 mm.

[0031] The present invention further provides that the protrusion is columnar or truncated cone-shaped.

[0032] The present invention further provides that the length of the surface of the protruding portion is less than twice the width of the surface of the protruding portion.

[0033] The present invention further provides that the ultrasonic probe also includes: a fixing part; the fixing part is arranged in the shell, and the ultrasonic transducer is arranged on the fixing part; the transmission rod passes through the fixing part and is connected to the mounting part. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary personnel in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0035] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the ultrasonic probe in the present invention.

[0036] Figure 2 The structure schematic diagram of the synchronous vibration of the sound permeable structure and the ultrasonic transducer in the present invention is Figure 1 .

[0037] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of the sound-permeable structure of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the installation of the sound-permeable structure and the ultrasonic transducer in the present invention.

[0039] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the sound-permeable structure and the mounting part in the present invention.

[0040] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of the sound-permeable structure and the mounting part in the present invention from another angle.

[0041] Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram of the sound-permeable structure and the mounting part in the present invention from another angle.

[0042] Figure 8 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of the installation part in the present invention.

[0043] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the end surface of the protrusion and the ribs in the present invention.

[0044] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the curved surface structure and the ribs in the present invention.

[0045] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the contact between the sound-permeable structure and the skin tissue in the present invention.

[0046] Fig.12 The structure schematic diagram of the synchronous vibration of the sound permeable structure and the ultrasonic transducer in the present invention is Figure 2 .

[0047] Fig.13 It is a schematic diagram of the structure in which the sound-permeable structure vibrates alone.

[0048] The marks in the accompanying drawings are: 1. shell; 2. sound-permeable structure; 21. raised portion; 22. curved surface structure; 221. first curved surface; 2211. concave curved surface segment; 2212. convex curved surface segment; 222. second curved surface; 23. mounting portion; 3. ultrasonic transducer; 4. driving assembly; 41. vibrator; 42. transmission rod; 5. accommodating chamber; 6. elastic medium; 7. ultrasonic coupling agent; 8. connecting piece; 9. connecting device; 10. elastic gasket; 11. fixing portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] The present invention provides an ultrasonic probe. To make the purpose, technical solution and effect of the present invention clearer and more specific, the present invention is further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0050] In the embodiments and the scope of the patent application, unless the text specifically defines the article, "a", "an", "the" and "the" may also include plural forms. If there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features.

[0051] It should be further understood that the term "comprising" used in the specification of the present invention refers to the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof. It should be understood that when we refer to an element as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or there can be intermediate elements. In addition, the "connection" or "coupling" used herein can include wireless connection or wireless coupling. The term "and / or" used herein includes all or any unit and all combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0052] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art in the art to which the present invention belongs. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in general dictionaries should be understood to have meanings consistent with the meanings in the context of the prior art, and will not be interpreted with idealized or overly formal meanings unless specifically defined as herein.

[0053] In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the fact that ordinary technicians in the field can implement it. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0054] Please also see Figures 1 to 13 , the present invention provides a preferred embodiment of an ultrasonic probe.

[0055] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, an ultrasonic probe of the present invention comprises: a housing 1, an ultrasonic transducer 3, a sound-permeable structure 2, a driving assembly 4 and a curved surface structure 22. A convex portion 21 is arranged on the top of the sound-permeable structure 2, and the sound-permeable structure 2 is arranged at the front end of the ultrasonic transducer 3; the driving assembly 4 is arranged in the housing 1 and is used to drive the sound-permeable structure 2; the curved surface structure 22 extends from the end surface of the convex portion 21 toward the edge of the sound-permeable structure 2, and forms a first curved surface 221 on the left and right sides of the convex portion 21, and the first curved surface 221 includes a concave curved surface segment 2211, and the concave curved surface segment 2211 extends downward along the left and right sides of the end surface of the convex portion 21.

[0056] Specifically, the ultrasonic transducer 3 is arranged on the shell 1, the ultrasonic transducer 3 is a multi-element ultrasonic transducer, the sound-permeable structure 2 is arranged at the front end of the ultrasonic transducer 3, the sound-permeable structure 2 is directly or indirectly in contact with the detected tissue, and the array direction of the multi-element ultrasonic transducer 3 corresponds to the curved surface structure 22, that is, the imaging surface of the multi-element ultrasonic transducer 3 corresponds to the curved surface structure 22. Among them, the sound-permeable structure 2 has an obvious convex portion 21, and the convex portion 21 is used to vibrate on the surface of the detected tissue to generate shear waves. The ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic transducer 3 can be propagated in the sound-permeable structure 2, and the ultrasonic signal detection of the tissue can be realized through the sound-permeable structure 2. In some embodiments, the ultrasonic transducer 3 can be linear or convex array. In this embodiment, the ultrasonic transducer 3 is a convex array transducer that can achieve two-dimensional imaging of a large area with a small size.

[0057] In order to enhance the imaging effect of the two-dimensional B-image, the present invention adds a curved surface structure 22 on both sides of the raised portion 21, wherein the curved surface structure 22 has a first curved surface 221, and the first curved surface 221 is a concave curved surface segment 2211, and the concave curved surface segment 2211 extends downward along the left and right sides of the end surface of the raised portion 21, and is a concave curved surface as a whole. Figures 3 to 5 As shown. The concave curved surface segment 2211 extends downward along the end surface of the protruding portion 21. The concave curved surface segment 2211 of the first curved surface 221 on the curved surface structure 22 can increase the area of ​​contact with the skin, thereby improving the two-dimensional imaging effect. The concave curved surface segment 2211 can also reduce the pressure caused by the peripheral structure of the end surface of the protruding portion 21 on the skin. Even if a force is generated between the concave curved surface segment 2211 and the skin, the position where the force is generated is far away from the end surface of the protruding portion 21, so it will not affect the shear wave directly below the protruding portion 21, that is, it will not affect the transient elastic imaging detection, thereby achieving high-quality transient elastic imaging detection while improving the two-dimensional imaging effect. During the transient elastic detection, by driving the sound permeable structure 2 to vibrate, the protruding protruding portion 21 is used to vibrate, and high-quality transient elastic imaging detection can be obtained, so as to achieve the purpose of taking into account both two-dimensional imaging and high-quality transient elastic imaging.

[0058] See also Figures 4 to 6 In a further implementation of an embodiment, the first curved surface 221 also includes: a convex curved surface segment 2212; the convex curved surface segment 2212 extends along one end of the concave curved surface segment 2211 away from the end surface of the raised portion 21 to the edge of the sound permeable structure 2.

[0059] Specifically, when the protrusion 21 generates extrusion vibration with the skin tissue, the surrounding tissue will form a cluster around the convex curved surface segment 2212, and the convex curved surface segment 2212 can better allow the skin tissue at the end surface relatively far away from the protrusion 21 to fully contact with the sound permeable structure 2. During the imaging process, the convex curved surface segment 2212 of the curved surface structure 22 can increase the area of ​​contact with the skin, easily form an ultrasound propagation channel, and thus improve the two-dimensional imaging effect, such as Fig.10 In addition, although a force is generated between the convex curved surface segment 2212 and the skin tissue due to contact, the place where the force is generated is relatively far away from the end surface of the protrusion 21, so it will not affect the shear wave distribution directly below the protrusion 21, that is, it will not affect the conventional elastic imaging detection, so that high-quality instantaneous elastic imaging detection can be achieved while improving the two-dimensional imaging effect.

[0060] It should be noted that, since the convex curved surface segment 2212 is sufficiently protruding, a gap may still appear around the end surface of the protruding portion 21. Generally, as long as the user is not particularly thin, the air gap in this part will not be particularly large (the more fat the user has, the smaller the gap). Fig.11 As shown, the gap can be filled with an ultrasonic coupling agent 7 to enable the acoustically transparent structure 2 with the curved structure 22 to better contact the skin tissue, thereby helping to form a signal transmission and receiving channel for the ultrasonic transducer 3, thereby helping to achieve a two-dimensional ultrasonic imaging guidance function.

[0061] It should be further explained that, during the detection process, attention should be paid to the position and direction of the curved structure 22, and the first curved surface 221 on both sides of the raised portion 21 should be placed in the rib gap to ensure that the ultrasonic transducer 3 can avoid the ribs for two-dimensional imaging.

[0062] See also Figure 2 In a further implementation of an embodiment, the sound-permeable structure 2 is coaxially arranged with the ultrasonic transducer 3 .

[0063] Specifically, the sound-permeable structure 2 is coaxially arranged with the ultrasonic transducer 3, that is, the protrusion 21 is also coaxially arranged with the ultrasonic transducer 3, so that the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic transducer 3 can be transmitted from the sound-permeable structure 2, and the ultrasonic signal detection of the measured tissue is realized through the sound-permeable structure 2.

[0064] See also Figures 3 to 6 In some embodiments, the end face shape of the raised portion 21 can be circular, elliptical, square, etc., and the end face of the raised portion 21 can also be convex or concave. In some embodiments, the raised portion 21 is cylindrical or truncated cone-shaped, and the cross-section shape of the raised portion 21 is elliptical or circular, that is, the raised portion 21 can be a cylinder, an elliptical cylinder or a truncated cone, but is not limited to the above shapes, for example, it can also be a cuboid. Taking the raised portion 21 as an elliptical cylinder as an example, the cross-section shape of the raised portion 21 is an ellipse, and its end face is also an ellipse. Among them, in order to ensure the quality of transient elastic imaging detection, the vertical height between the end face of the raised portion 21 and the upper surface of the ultrasonic transducer 3 is 2-30 mm, for example, it can be 15 mm.

[0065] The end surface of the protrusion 21 directly or indirectly acts on the surface of the tissue to be detected. Under the action of mechanical vibration, the end surface s of the protrusion 21 directly and mechanically vibrates relative to the skin. In order to better generate a shear wave field suitable for transient elastic imaging detection through vibration in the intercostal space, the size d1 of the end surface s of the protrusion 21 cannot be too large. The length d1 of the minor axis of the ellipse is 5-15 mm. Fig. 9When testing a user, the curved surface structure 22 is placed between the ribs, as shown in FIG. Fig.10 As shown. Among them, the array direction of the array elements of the ultrasonic transducer 3 is set corresponding to the length direction of the surface of the protrusion 21 (the extension direction of the dimension d2), and this setting is convenient for using a multi-element ultrasonic transducer for two-dimensional imaging. The end surface s of the protrusion 21 acts on the rib gap through mechanical vibration. Since the position of the ribs is relatively fixed, under the force of mechanical vibration, the end surface of the protrusion 21 will press the skin tissue of the rib gap into the inside of the rib gap. Compared with the fixed position of the ribs, an obvious fault will be formed, which is conducive to the generation of shear waves. The dimension d1 is set in the rib gap, and its size determines the size of the fault plane, which directly affects the generated shear wave field. The dimension d1 should not be too large. On the one hand, a large size will produce a diffraction effect, which is not conducive to elastic detection. On the other hand, it is difficult to place in the rib gap, which is not conducive to elastic detection. The dimension d1 is consistent with the size range of conventional transient elastic imaging probes. Usually, the probes of the three models S, M, and XL are 5mm, 7mm, and 10mm respectively. The S model is suitable for children with narrow rib spaces, the M model probe is used for conventional adults, and the larger XL model probe is used for obese patients. The dimension parallel to the rib direction is d2, that is, the long radius of the protrusion 21 is d2. The dimension d2 will also affect the generation of the shear wave field, but the effect on the generation of the shear wave is smaller than that of the dimension d1, because when the protrusion 21 vibrates in the direction parallel to the rib, the support of the rib is lacking, and the fault force formed is weak, so the effect on the shear wave field is smaller. Appropriately increasing the dimension d2 is conducive to the two-dimensional imaging of the multi-element ultrasonic transducer 3 placed behind it, but at the same time, considering the diffraction effect caused by the excessive size, the length of the surface of the protrusion 21 is less than twice the width of the surface of the protrusion 21, that is, the relationship between the dimension d1 and the dimension d2 is: d2<2*d1.

[0066] It can be understood that if the protrusion 21 is cylindrical, that is, the cross-section of the protrusion 21 is circular, the diameter of the circle is 5-15 mm.

[0067] See also Figures 3 to 7 In a further implementation of an embodiment, the curved surface structure 22 also includes a second curved surface 222 arranged on the front and rear sides of the raised portion 21, and the second curved surface 222 extends along the front and rear sides of the end surface of the raised portion 21 to the end surface of the sound-permeable structure 2; wherein the angle between the second curved surface 222 and the central axis of the raised portion 21 is 0-30°.

[0068] Specifically, the second curved surface 222 is located on the adjacent side of the first curved surface 221 and on the opposite side of the protrusion 21. The second curved surface 222, like the first curved surface 221, is centrally symmetrically distributed with respect to the protrusion 21. The angle between the second curved surface 222 and the central axis of the protrusion 21 is 0-30°, which is approximately a plane. In this way, during the vibration process, the portion of the protrusion 21 located between the second curved surfaces 222 can enter the gap between the ribs without obstruction, thereby forming effective vibration. In one implementation, the angle between the second curved surface 222 and the protrusion 21 can be 0°.

[0069] In some embodiments, the second curved surface 222 and the end surface of the protrusion 21 are made of a hard sound-transmitting material to support vibration, thereby completing shear wave excitation, and the first curved surface 221 can be made of a hard sound-transmitting material or an elastic sound-transmitting material. In some embodiments, the curved surface structure 22 can be integrally provided with the protrusion 21, or can be a separate structure.

[0070] See also Figure 3 and Figure 4 In a further implementation of an embodiment, the connection between the first curved surface 221 and the end surface of the protruding portion 21 is chamfered or inverted triangular; the connection between the second curved surface 222 and the end surface of the protruding portion 21 is chamfered or inverted triangular.

[0071] Specifically, both the first curved surface 221 and the second curved surface 222 extend downward along the end surface of the raised portion 21. By rounding or inverted triangulating the connection between the first curved surface 221 and the end surface of the raised portion 21 and the connection between the second curved surface 222 and the end surface of the raised portion 21, the connection between the first curved surface 221 and the end surface of the raised portion 21 and the connection between the second curved surface 222 and the end surface of the raised portion 21 are smooth, which can increase the comfort of contact with the skin during detection.

[0072] See also Figure 4 and Figure 8 In a further implementation of an embodiment, the ultrasonic probe also includes: a mounting portion 23; an opening is provided at a position of the mounting portion 23 corresponding to the ultrasonic transducer 3, the opening and the raised portion 21 form a accommodating cavity 5, the ultrasonic transducer 3 is placed in the accommodating cavity 6, and is in direct or indirect contact with the sound-permeable structure 2.

[0073] Specifically, the protrusion 21 is arranged on the mounting portion 23, and the sound-permeable structure 2 is connected to the driving assembly 4 through the mounting portion 23. The ultrasonic transducer 3 can be accommodated in the accommodating cavity 5 formed by the mounting portion 23 and the protrusion 21, and directly or indirectly contacts the sound-permeable structure 2. In this way, the mounting portion 23 is not limited to being made of a sound-permeable material, as long as the ultrasonic transducer 3 can form an ultrasonic wave propagation channel with the protrusion 21. In some embodiments, the sound-permeable structure 2 and the mounting portion 23 can be integrally formed.

[0074] See also Figure 2 , Fig.12 and Fig.13 In a further implementation of an embodiment, the sound-permeable structure 2 moves integrally with the ultrasonic transducer 3, or the sound-permeable structure 2 moves alone.

[0075] See also Figure 2 and Fig.12 In a further implementation of an embodiment, the driving assembly 4 includes: a vibrator 41 and at least one transmission rod 42, one end of the at least one transmission rod 42 is connected to the vibrator 41, and the other end of the at least one transmission rod 42 is connected to the mounting portion 23 or the ultrasonic transducer 3.

[0076] Specifically, when the sound-permeable structure 2 and the ultrasonic transducer 3 move as a whole, the transmission rod 42 is connected to the mounting portion 23 or the ultrasonic transducer 3 to synchronously drive the ultrasonic transducer 3 and the sound-permeable structure 2 to vibrate. When the sound-permeable structure 2 vibrates alone, the transmission rod 42 is connected to the mounting portion 23 to drive the sound-permeable structure 2 to vibrate alone. Figure 2 In some embodiments, two or four transmission rods 42 may be provided.

[0077] When the sound-permeable structure 2 and the ultrasonic transducer 3 move together, the ultrasonic transducer 3 is directly or indirectly connected to the sound-permeable structure 2. Figure 2 and Fig.12 shown.

[0078] For example, when the ultrasonic transducer 3 is directly connected to the sound-permeable structure 2 , in one implementation, the ultrasonic transducer 3 directly abuts against the bottom surface of the sound-permeable structure 2 .

[0079] See also Figure 2 In one embodiment, the shell of the ultrasonic transducer 3 is bonded to the mounting portion 23 , or the shell of the ultrasonic transducer 3 is integrally provided with the mounting portion 23 .

[0080] Specifically, the sound permeable structure 2 and the ultrasonic transducer 3 can be connected and fixed by gluing to ensure that the upper surface of the ultrasonic transducer 3 is tightly fitted with the mounting portion 23 or the protrusion 21. In addition, the mounting portion 23 can also serve as the outer shell of the ultrasonic transducer 3, so that the sound permeable structure 2 and the ultrasonic transducer 3 are integrally arranged, thereby achieving tight fit between the ultrasonic transducer 3 and the mounting portion 23 or the protrusion 21.

[0081] See also Fig.12 In a further implementation of an embodiment, when the sound-permeable structure 3 and the ultrasonic transducer 2 move in an integrated manner, the ultrasonic probe further includes: a connecting device 9; the ultrasonic transducer 3 is arranged on the connecting device 9. The ultrasonic transducer 3 and the sound-permeable structure 2 are indirectly connected through the connecting device 9.

[0082] Specifically, the connecting device 9 is provided with a groove structure (marked in the figure), and the ultrasonic transducer 3 is connected to the connecting device 9 through the groove structure. The transmission rod 42 is connected to the connecting device 9, and the driving assembly 4 drives the ultrasonic transducer 3 and the sound-permeable structure 2 to vibrate synchronously by driving the connecting device 9.

[0083] Please continue reading Fig.12 Furthermore, an elastic gasket 10 is provided between the connecting device 9 and the ultrasonic transducer 3, and the elastic gasket 10 is provided at the bottom of the groove structure. When the ultrasonic transducer 3 is installed on the connecting device 9, an upward force is exerted on the ultrasonic transducer 3, thereby making the connection between the ultrasonic transducer 3 and the sound-permeable structure 2 tighter. In one implementation, the elastic gasket 10 may be a rubber gasket.

[0084] In another implementation, a transition structure (not shown in the figure) is provided between the sound-permeable structure 2 and the ultrasonic transducer 3. The transition structure is made of a sound-permeable material, and the ultrasonic signal can pass through the transition structure. The ultrasonic transducer 3 is connected to the sound-permeable structure 2 through the transition structure. The transition structure can be composed of a capsule cavity with an elastic membrane, or can be made of a sound-permeable elastic pad with a certain elasticity. The elasticity of the transition structure can provide a squeezed force, which can ensure that the transition structure and the sound-permeable structure 2 and the transition structure and the detection surface of the ultrasonic transducer 3 are more closely attached, ensuring that there is no gap between the sound-permeable structure 2 and the ultrasonic transducer 3, which is conducive to the propagation of ultrasonic signals.

[0085] Among them, the present invention drives the ultrasonic transducer 3 and the sound-permeable structure 2 to vibrate synchronously through the driving component 4, which can avoid the mechanical impact phenomenon between the sound-permeable structure 2 and the ultrasonic transducer 3, and avoid the gap between the sound-permeable structure 2 and the ultrasonic transducer 3 during the vibration process, so that the sound-permeable structure 2 and the ultrasonic transducer 3 maintain a tightly fitted state during the vibration process, ensuring that the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic transducer 3 placed behind the sound-permeable structure 2 can be smoothly transmitted to the detected tissue without obstruction, thereby avoiding the mechanical vibration of the sound-permeable structure 2 and the ultrasonic transducer 3 to affect the detection and imaging of the ultrasonic signal. At the same time, it also avoids the mechanical impact phenomenon between the sound-permeable structure 2 and the ultrasonic transducer 3 during the vibration process to damage the surface of the ultrasonic transducer 3.

[0086] See also Fig.13 In some embodiments, when the sound-permeable structure 2 moves alone, a connecting piece 8 is provided between the ultrasonic transducer 3 and the sound-permeable structure 2 .

[0087] Specifically, when the driving component 4 drives the sound-permeable structure 2 to vibrate alone, a gap is generated between the ultrasonic transducer 3 and the sound-permeable structure 2. By providing a connector 8 between the ultrasonic transducer 3 and the sound-permeable structure 2, the connector 8 has sound-permeability and deformation capabilities, and when the sound-permeable structure 2 vibrates, it can move with the sound-permeable structure 2. The connector 8 can maintain the connection between the sound-permeable structure 2 and the ultrasonic transducer 3, so as to avoid the problem that the ultrasonic signal cannot be propagated due to the gap generated when the sound-permeable structure 2 vibrates alone.

[0088] It should be noted that the independent movement of the sound-permeable structure 2 includes the situation that when the sound-permeable structure 2 vibrates independently, the ultrasonic transducer 3 can vibrate in the opposite direction of the sound-permeable structure 2 .

[0089] In one implementation, the connector 8 is an elastic sound-permeable bag, which is connected between the ultrasonic transducer 3 and the sound-permeable structure 2; wherein the elastic sound-permeable bag contains a sound-permeable medium 6. In some embodiments, the sound-permeable medium may be a medium such as water or glycerin in which ultrasonic signals can propagate.

[0090] Specifically, the elastic sound-permeable bag is adhered to the surface of the ultrasonic transducer 3 and the surface of the sound-permeable structure 2, and a sound-permeable medium 6 capable of transmitting ultrasonic signals is arranged in the elastic sound-permeable bag. When the sound-permeable structure 2 vibrates alone, the elastic sound-permeable bag can produce a certain deformation under the pulling of the sound-permeable structure 2. The deformation can keep the sound-permeable structure 2 and the ultrasonic transducer 3 connected, so that the ultrasonic signal emitted by the ultrasonic transducer 3 can be smoothly transmitted to the detection target through the sound-permeable structure 2 without obstruction.

[0091] See also Fig.13 In some embodiments, when the sound-permeable structure 2 vibrates alone, the ultrasound probe further includes: a fixing part 11; the fixing part 11 is arranged in the shell, the ultrasonic transducer 3 is arranged on the fixing part 11, and the transmission rod 42 is passed through the fixing part 11 and connected to the mounting part 23 to drive the sound-permeable structure 2 to vibrate alone.

[0092] Specifically, the fixing portion 11 is fixedly connected to the housing 1, and a channel (not shown in the figure) whose size matches that of the transmission rod 42 is provided on the fixing portion 11, and the transmission rod 42 is passed through the fixing portion 11 through the channel, and the channel has a guiding effect on the transmission rod 42. When the driving component 4 drives the sound-permeable structure 2 to vibrate, the fixing portion 11 and the ultrasonic transducer 3 do not vibrate, the sound-permeable structure 2 is connected to the transmission rod 42, or the transmission rod 42 is connected to the mounting portion 23, so as to drive the sound-permeable structure 2 to vibrate alone, and the ultrasonic signal propagation channel between the sound-permeable structure 2 and the ultrasonic transducer 3 is realized through the connecting member 8.

[0093] In some embodiments, the ultrasonic transducer 3 may not be fixed on the fixing portion 11, but may be directly fixedly connected to the shell 1, and the transmission rod 42 is connected to the mounting portion 23 to drive the sound-permeable structure 2 to vibrate independently.

[0094] See also Figure 1 In a further implementation of an embodiment, the ultrasonic probe further includes: an elastic medium 6, and the elastic medium 6 is arranged between the mounting portion 23 and the housing 1. Alternatively, the elastic medium 6 is arranged between the connecting device 9 and the housing 1.

[0095] Specifically, the mounting portion 23 or the connecting device 9 is directly or indirectly connected to the housing 1 through the elastic medium 6 to form a closed ultrasonic probe. The elastic medium 6 has a telescopic effect, which enables the sound-permeable structure 2 to vibrate under the drive of the vibrator and remain connected to the housing.

[0096] In summary, the ultrasonic probe provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. The sound-permeable structure is arranged at the front end of the ultrasonic transducer, and the sound-permeable structure has an obvious convex portion. The convex portion in the sound-permeable structure is used to replace the vibration of the ultrasonic transducer itself in conventional transient elastic imaging to generate shear waves, which can take into account both two-dimensional imaging and high-quality transient elastic imaging; 2. In order to further take into account both two-dimensional imaging and high-quality transient elastic imaging, the imaging surface of the ultrasonic transducer is tangent to the two sides of the convex portion. The curved surface design helps to highlight the convex portion while improving the contact between the sound-permeable structure and the skin of the tissue to be tested, and it is easy to form an ultrasonic propagation channel, which is beneficial to two-dimensional imaging; 3. The other two sides of the convex portion are designed to be approximately straight, which can maintain the size of the convex structure in the direction of the rib gap that is beneficial to the generation of shear waves. When performing elastic detection, the imaging surface of the ultrasonic transducer is placed parallel to the rib gap, which can not only generate ideal shear waves to achieve high-quality elastic imaging detection, but also use the curved surface design to achieve better two-dimensional imaging.

[0097] It should be understood that the application of the present invention is not limited to the above examples. For ordinary technicians in this field, improvements or changes can be made based on the above description. All these improvements and changes should fall within the scope of protection of the claims attached to the present invention.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic probe, characterized in that: include: case; An ultrasonic transducer, wherein the ultrasonic transducer is a multi-element ultrasonic transducer; An acoustically transparent structure, wherein a convex portion is disposed on the top of the acoustically transparent structure, the acoustically transparent structure is disposed at the front end of the ultrasonic transducer, and the convex portion is used to vibrate on the surface of the detected tissue to generate shear waves; A driving assembly, the driving assembly is disposed in the housing and is used to drive the sound-permeable structure; A curved surface structure, wherein the curved surface structure extends from the end surface of the raised portion toward the edge of the sound-permeable structure and forms a first curved surface on the left and right sides of the raised portion; the first curved surface includes a concave curved surface segment, and the concave curved surface segment extends downward along the left and right sides of the end surface of the raised portion, and the concave curved surface segment is used to increase the area of ​​contact with the skin and also to reduce the pressure effect caused by the peripheral structure of the end surface of the raised portion contacting the skin; Wherein, the imaging surface of the ultrasonic transducer corresponds to the curved surface structure.

2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first curved surface further includes: a convex curved surface segment; the convex curved surface segment extends along one end of the concave curved surface segment away from the end surface of the convex portion to the edge of the sound permeable structure.

3. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sound-permeable structure moves integrally with the ultrasonic transducer, or the sound-permeable structure moves independently.

4. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the sound-permeable structure and the ultrasonic transducer move integrally, the ultrasonic transducer is directly or indirectly connected to the sound-permeable structure.

5. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 4, characterized in that: A transition structure is provided between the sound-permeable structure and the ultrasonic transducer.

6. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the sound-permeable structure moves independently, a connecting piece is provided between the ultrasonic transducer and the sound-permeable structure.

7. The ultrasonic probe according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The sound-permeable structure is coaxially arranged with the ultrasonic transducer.

8. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, characterized in that: The curved surface structure also includes second curved surfaces arranged on the front and rear sides of the protruding portion, and the second curved surfaces extend along the front and rear sides of the end surface of the protruding portion to the end surface of the sound-permeable structure.

9. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 8, characterized in that: The included angle between the second curved surface and the central axis of the protruding portion is 0-30°.

10. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 8, characterized in that: The connection between the first curved surface and the end surface of the protruding portion is in a chamfered shape or an inverted triangle shape; the connection between the second curved surface and the end surface of the protruding portion is in a chamfered shape or an inverted triangle shape.

11. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 4 or 6, characterized in that: It also includes a mounting portion; an opening is provided at a position of the mounting portion corresponding to the ultrasonic transducer, the opening and the protruding portion form a receiving cavity, the ultrasonic transducer is placed in the receiving cavity, and is in direct or indirect contact with the sound-permeable structure.

12. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 11, characterized in that: The housing of the ultrasonic transducer is connected to the mounting portion; or the housing of the ultrasonic transducer is integrally provided with the mounting portion.

13. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 11, characterized in that: Also includes: An elastic medium is disposed between the mounting portion and the housing.

14. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 11, characterized in that: The drive assembly comprises: Vibrator; At least one transmission rod, one end of the at least one transmission rod is connected to the vibrator, and the other end of the at least one transmission rod is connected to the mounting portion or the ultrasonic transducer.

15. The ultrasonic probe according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The width of the surface of the raised portion is 5-15 mm.

16. The ultrasonic probe according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The protrusion is columnar or truncated cone-shaped.

17. The ultrasonic probe according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The length of the raised portion surface is less than twice the width of the raised portion surface.

18. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 14, characterized in that: Also includes: Connecting device; the ultrasonic transducer is arranged on the connecting device, and the transmission rod is connected to the fixing part.

19. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 14, characterized in that: Also includes: Fixed part; The fixing portion is arranged in the housing, and the ultrasonic transducer is arranged on the fixing portion; The transmission rod passes through the fixing portion and is connected to the mounting portion.

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