Methods for measuring the curvature information of ultrasound probes.

Abstract

This invention provides an ultrasound probe and a method for measuring its curvature information, comprising a grip shell, a transducer layer, a filler layer, and a reflective layer. The transducer layer is disposed at one end of the grip shell for transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves. The filler layer is disposed on the transducer layer. The reflective layer is disposed on the opposite side of the filler layer relative to the transducer layer, wherein the reflective layer and the filler layer are disposed within the grip shell. The filler layer has a first acoustic impedance, and the reflective layer has a second acoustic impedance, wherein the first acoustic impedance is different from the second acoustic impedance.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a probe and a method for measuring the curvature information of the probe, and more particularly, to an ultrasonic probe and a method for measuring the curvature information of the probe. BACKGROUND

[0002] In recent years, ultrasonic probes have become an important examination tool in medicine. Generally, an ultrasonic probe includes a transducing layer, which can be used to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves and convert between "electromagnetic energy" and "acoustic energy". After the ultrasonic probe is manufactured, it is necessary to measure whether the curvature information thereof meets the expectation. If the curvature information deviates from the expectation, it will affect the accuracy of medical measurement. However, the error of the current method for measuring the curvature information of the ultrasonic probe (such as setting a water tank reflection plate) is already greater than the manufacturing tolerance, and cannot provide correct curvature information.

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to design a new ultrasonic probe and a method for measuring the curvature information of the probe to overcome the above-mentioned defects. SUMMARY

[0004] The present invention aims to provide an ultrasonic probe and a method for measuring the curvature information of the probe, which can obtain more accurate curvature information without additionally setting a reflection layer outside the ultrasonic probe, and avoid the influence of manufacturing tolerance and human error in the setting process.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides an ultrasonic probe, which includes a hand-held shell, a transducing layer arranged at one end of the hand-held shell, the transducing layer being used to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves, a filling layer arranged on the transducing layer, and a reflection layer arranged on the other side of the filling layer opposite to the transducing layer, wherein the reflection layer and the filling layer are arranged in the hand-held shell.

[0006] The filling layer has a first acoustic impedance, the reflection layer has a second acoustic impedance, and the first acoustic impedance is different from the second acoustic impedance.

[0007] Preferably, the reflection layer includes a first surface, the transducing layer includes a second surface, the first surface and the second surface are opposite to each other, and the first surface has a first curvature and the second surface has a second curvature, the first curvature and the second curvature are the same as each other.

[0008] Preferably, the first curvature and the second curvature are both zero; or the first curvature and the second curvature are both not equal to zero.

[0009] Preferably, the transducing layer includes a piezoelectric material.

[0010] Preferably, the ultrasonic waves are transmitted in the filling layer to correct the ultrasonic probe.

[0011] Preferably, the ultrasonic waves are transmitted in the filling layer and reflected by the reflecting layer to the transducing layer. The ultrasonic probe further comprises a time of flight for correcting the ultrasonic probe.

[0012] Preferably, the reflecting layer comprises an air layer.

[0013] Preferably, a barrier structure is further included, which surrounds the side of the filling layer.

[0014] The present application also provides a method for measuring the curvature information of an ultrasonic probe, which comprises: providing an ultrasonic probe, one end of the ultrasonic probe having a transducing layer; disposing a filling layer on the transducing layer, and the filling layer being wrapped in the ultrasonic probe; disposing a reflecting layer on the filling layer, the reflecting layer being in the ultrasonic probe; transmitting ultrasonic waves through the transducing layer and in the filling layer; obtaining the time of flight of the ultrasonic waves between the transducing layer and the reflecting layer; and calculating the curvature information of the ultrasonic probe by the time of flight.

[0015] Preferably, the filling layer has a first acoustic impedance, the reflecting layer has a second acoustic impedance, and the first acoustic impedance is different from the second acoustic impedance.

[0016] Preferably, the reflecting layer comprises a first surface, the transducing layer comprises a second surface, the first surface and the second surface are opposite to each other, and the first surface has a first curvature and the second surface has a second curvature, the first curvature and the second curvature are the same as each other.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the ultrasonic probe and the method for measuring the curvature information of the ultrasonic probe provided by the embodiments of the present application have the following advantages. The ultrasonic probe comprises a reflecting layer, and the ultrasonic waves transmitted by the transducing layer can be transmitted to the inside of the ultrasonic probe, for example, transmitted through the filling layer and then reflected by the reflecting layer back to the transducing layer. The time of flight of the ultrasonic waves between the transducing layer and the reflecting layer in the inside of the ultrasonic probe can be calculated, and then the curvature information of the ultrasonic probe can be calculated by the time of flight. In this way, the curvature information obtained without additionally setting the reflecting layer outside the ultrasonic probe is more accurate, and the influences of the manufacturing tolerance and the human error in the setting process caused by additionally setting the reflecting layer are avoided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 A side view of an ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 2 An enlarged side view of a part of an ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 3 An exploded view of a part of an ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 4 A side view of an ultrasound probe according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 5 An enlarged side view of a portion of an ultrasound probe according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 6 An exploded view of a portion of an ultrasound probe according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a method of measuring curvature information of an ultrasound probe according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the objects, technical solutions, and advantages of the present application clearer, the following will be used in conjunction with embodiments to provide a detailed description.

[0026] Figure 1 A side view of an ultrasound probe 10 according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 An enlarged side view of a portion 120 of an ultrasound probe 10 according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 An exploded view of a portion 120 of an ultrasound probe according to an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments, the portion 120 may, for example, correspond to a back frame structure in the ultrasound probe 10.

[0027] Reference is made to Figures 1-3 The ultrasound probe 10 includes a handgrip housing 110, a transducer layer 122, a filler layer 126, and a reflective layer 128. The handgrip housing 110 encloses the portion 120. The transducer layer 122 is disposed at one end of the handgrip housing 110 (e.g., the end proximate to the object of interest OB), converts between "electromagnetic energy" and "acoustic energy" to transmit and receive ultrasound waves, and can thereby scan the pathological features of a patient. The filler layer 126 is disposed on the transducer layer 122. The reflective layer 128 is disposed on the other side of the filler layer 126 opposite the transducer layer 122. That is, the filler layer 126 has an inner side BS facing the interior of the handgrip housing 110 and an outer side MS facing the exterior of the handgrip housing 110, the inner side BS is opposite the outer side MS, the filler layer 126 is disposed between the transducer layer 122 and the reflective layer 128, the reflective layer 128 corresponds to the inner side BS, the transducer layer 122 corresponds to the outer side MS, and the reflective layer 128 is farther from the object of interest OB than the transducer layer 122. The object of interest OB may, for example, be a human body, but the present application is not limited thereto. It should be understood that the ultrasound probe 10 can also include other conventional elements disposed therein.

[0028] The reflective layer 128 and the filler layer 126 are disposed in the hand-held housing 110, wherein the filler layer 126 has a first acoustic impedance and the reflective layer 128 has a second acoustic impedance, and the first acoustic impedance is different from the second acoustic impedance. In some embodiments, the acoustic impedance of the filler layer 126 can be different from the acoustic impedance of the transducing layer 122.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, the transducing layer 122 has a first surface 122s and the reflective layer 128 has a second surface 128s, and the first surface 122s and the second surface 128s are opposite to each other, i.e., the first surface 122s and the second surface 128s sandwich the filler layer 126, but the present application is not limited thereto. In addition, the first surface 122s has a first curvature and the second surface 128s has a second curvature, and the first curvature and the second curvature are the same as each other. In some embodiments, the distance Dl between the first surface 122s and the second surface 128s can be maintained constant. Figure 2

[0030] The ultrasound waves generated by the transducing layer 122 can be transmitted to the inside of the hand-held housing 110 (i.e., in the direction shown by the inside BS), for example, transmitted in the filler layer 126, reflected by the reflective layer 128 having an acoustic impedance different from the filler layer 126 to the transducing layer 122, and the transmission process of the ultrasound waves includes the time of flight between the reflective layer 128 and the transducing layer 122, which can be used to calibrate the ultrasound probe 10, for example, by measuring whether the curvature information of the transducing layer 122 is consistent with the expectation. If the curvatures of multiple points on the transducing layer 122 are not consistent, it can be determined that the curvature information is not consistent with the expectation. In the present embodiment, the transducing layer 122 has an arc-shaped curved surface, and one end of the ultrasound probe 10 (i.e., the end adjacent to the object OB to be measured) is arc-shaped, but the present application is not limited thereto.

[0031] In some embodiments, the transducing layer 122 can include a piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric material can include aluminum nitride (AIN), lead zirconate titanate (PZT), quartz, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and / or zinc oxide, but the present application is not limited thereto. The filler layer 126 can include an epoxy resin or other suitable filler material. The reflective layer can include an air layer, but the present application is not limited thereto. The reflective layer 128 can be a single layer or a double layer structure, for example, a single layer of an air layer, a single layer of a solid material layer (such as plastic or metal, etc.), a double layer structure of air combined with a solid material, or other suitable materials and structures, as long as the material selected for the reflective layer 128 has an acoustic impedance difference with the materials of the filler layer 126 and the transducing layer 122. The thickness of the reflective layer 128 can be maintained constant.

[0032] ​In this embodiment, the ultrasonic probe 10 further includes a baffle structure 124, which is disposed within the grip housing 110 and surrounds the side of the filling layer 126; however, the invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the ultrasonic probe 10 may not include the baffle structure 124, but may instead be formed directly by molding a stacked structure of reflective layer 128 / filling layer 126 / transducer layer 122.

[0033] Figure 4 This is a side view of an ultrasonic probe 20 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 This is an enlarged side view of part 220 of an ultrasonic probe 20 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 The figure is an exploded view of portion 220 of an ultrasound probe 20 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In some embodiments, portion 220 may correspond, for example, to the back frame structure in the ultrasound probe 20. Elements in the ultrasound probe 20 that are the same as or similar to those in the ultrasound probe 10 are represented by the same or similar element symbols and have the same or similar materials, construction or function; repetitions will not be repeated here.

[0034] Please refer to the following at the same time Figures 4-6 The ultrasound probe 20 includes a grip housing 210, a transducer layer 222, a filler layer 226, and a reflective layer 228. The transducer layer 222 is disposed at one end of the grip housing 210 (e.g., the end adjacent to the object under test OB) for transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves. The filler layer 226 is disposed on the transducer layer 222. The reflective layer 228 is disposed on the opposite side of the filler layer 226 relative to the transducer layer 222. That is, the filler layer 226 has an inner side BS facing the interior of the grip housing 210 and an outer side MS facing the exterior of the grip housing 210, with the inner side BS opposite to the outer side MS. The filler layer 226 is disposed between the transducer layer 222 and the reflective layer 228, with the reflective layer 228 corresponding to the inner side BS and the transducer layer 222 corresponding to the outer side MS. The reflective layer 228 is further away from the object under test OB than the transducer layer 222. The object under test OB is, for example, a human body, but the invention is not limited thereto.

[0035] A reflective layer 228 and a filling layer 226 are disposed within the hand grip housing 210. The filling layer 226 has a first acoustic impedance, and the reflective layer 228 has a second acoustic impedance, wherein the first acoustic impedance is different from the second acoustic impedance. In some embodiments, the acoustic impedance of the filling layer 226 may be different from the acoustic impedance of the transducer layer 222.

[0036] like Figure 5As shown, the reflective layer 228 comprises a first surface 228s, and the transducing layer 222 comprises a second surface 222s, the first surface 228s and the second surface 222s are opposite to each other. Also, the first surface 228s has a first curvature, and the second surface 222s has a second curvature, the first curvature of the first surface 228s and the second curvature of the second surface 222s are identical to each other. In some embodiments, the first curvature of the first surface 228s and the second curvature of the second surface 222s are equal to zero. The first surface 228s and the second surface 222s are flat surfaces and parallel to each other. In some embodiments, the distance D2 between the first surface 228s and the second surface 222s can be kept constant. That is, in the present embodiment, one end of the ultrasonic probe 20 (i.e. the end adjacent to the object OB to be measured) is a flat surface.

[0037] In the present embodiment, the ultrasonic probe 20 further comprises a barrier structure 224 disposed within the hand-held housing 210 and surrounding the side surface of the filling layer 226, but the present application is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the ultrasonic probe 20 can not comprise the barrier structure 224, but the stack structure of the reflective layer 228 / filling layer 226 / transducing layer 222 is directly formed by a molding process.

[0038] The present application also provides a method for measuring the curvature information of an ultrasonic probe, wherein the ultrasonic probe can be the ultrasonic probe 10 or 20 described above, or an ultrasonic probe according to other embodiments of the present application. Figure 7 The present application also provides a method for measuring the curvature information of an ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0039] Please refer to Figure 7As shown, the method for measuring the curvature information of an ultrasonic probe (e.g., ultrasonic probe 10 or 20) includes the following steps. First, as shown in step S1, an ultrasonic probe (e.g., ultrasonic probe 10 or 20) is provided, and one end of the ultrasonic probe (e.g., ultrasonic probe 10 or 20) has a transducing layer (e.g., transducing layer 122 or 222). As shown in step S2, a filler layer (e.g., filler layer 126 or 226) is disposed on the transducing layer (e.g., transducing layer 122 or 222), and the filler layer (e.g., filler layer 126 or 226) is enclosed in the ultrasonic probe (e.g., ultrasonic probe 10 or 20). As shown in step S3, a reflecting layer (e.g., reflecting layer 128 or 228) is disposed on the filler layer (e.g., filler layer 126 or 226), and the reflecting layer (e.g., reflecting layer 128 or 228) is enclosed in the ultrasonic probe (e.g., ultrasonic probe 10 or 20). In some embodiments, the order of steps S2 and S3 can be reversed. Second, as shown in step S4, ultrasonic waves are transmitted through the transducing layer (e.g., transducing layer 122 or 222) and are transmitted in the filler layer (e.g., filler layer 126 or 226). Next, as shown in step S5, the time of flight of the ultrasonic waves between the transducing layer (e.g., transducing layer 122 or 222) and the reflecting layer (e.g., reflecting layer 128 or 228) is obtained. Thereafter, as shown in step S6, the curvature information of the ultrasonic probe (e.g., ultrasonic probe 10 or 20) is calculated by the time of flight.

[0040] The present application is merely illustrative of the ultrasonic probes 10 and 20 as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 4 It should be understood that the shape of the ultrasonic probe of the present application is not limited to the ultrasonic probes 10 and 20 as shown. Various embodiments of the ultrasonic probe can include a reflecting layer and are encompassed within the scope of the present application.

[0041] Since the ultrasonic probe of the present application includes the reflection layer, the ultrasonic waves transmitted by the transducing layer can be transmitted to the interior of the ultrasonic probe, for example, transmitted through the filling layer and then reflected by the reflection layer back to the transducing layer, so that the time of flight of the ultrasonic waves between the transducing layer and the reflection layer in the interior of the ultrasonic probe can be calculated, and then the curvature information of the ultrasonic probe can be calculated by the time of flight. Therefore, compared with the embodiment in which the interior of the ultrasonic probe does not include the reflection layer, the curvature information of the ultrasonic probe of the present application can be obtained by the reflection layer in the interior of the ultrasonic probe, and the reflection layer does not need to be additionally arranged outside the ultrasonic probe, so that the influence of the manufacturing tolerance and the human error in the arrangement process caused by the additional arrangement of the reflection layer outside the ultrasonic probe can be avoided, and the curvature information of the ultrasonic probe obtained can be more accurate. In the process of manufacturing the ultrasonic probe of the present application, as long as the manufacturing of the completed part (for example, the completed part 120 or 220) is completed, the curvature of the transducing layer can be measured in advance, and if the curvature does not meet the expectation, the ultrasonic probe can be corrected or re-manufactured immediately, and the measurement of the curvature information of the ultrasonic probe does not need to wait until the entire ultrasonic probe (including the hand-held shell) is manufactured, so that the ultrasonic probe with the expected curvature can be manufactured in a more efficient way, and at the same time, after confirming that the curvature of the ultrasonic probe meets the expectation, the filling layer 126 or 226 and the reflection layer 128 or 228 in the interior of the ultrasonic probe do not need to be removed, and the ultrasonic probe can be directly used in business, which not only saves the manufacturing time, but also avoids unnecessary waste of materials, saves the cost, and is very convenient in operation. Furthermore, compared with the ultrasonic probe without the reflection layer, the ultrasonic probe of the present application has better imaging quality when scanning the measured object (for example, scanning the pathological features of a patient), and is less likely to produce noise to affect the interpretation of the image.

[0042] In summary, the present application provides an ultrasonic probe and a method for measuring the curvature information of the ultrasonic probe. The ultrasonic probe includes a hand-held shell, a transducing layer, a filling layer and a reflection layer. The transducing layer is arranged at one end of the hand-held shell and is used for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves. The filling layer is arranged on the transducing layer. The reflection layer is arranged on the other side of the filling layer opposite to the transducing layer, and the reflection layer and the filling layer are arranged in the hand-held shell. The filling layer has a first acoustic impedance, and the reflection layer has a second acoustic impedance. The first acoustic impedance is different from the second acoustic impedance. In this way, the reflection layer does not need to be additionally arranged outside the ultrasonic probe, so that the curvature information obtained by avoiding the influence of the manufacturing tolerance and the human error in the arrangement process caused by the additional arrangement of the reflection layer outside the ultrasonic probe is more accurate.

[0043] Although the present application is described in combination with the drawings, the embodiments disclosed in the drawings are intended to exemplarily illustrate the preferred embodiments of the present application and cannot be understood as a limitation of the present application. The proportions in the schematic drawings do not represent the proportional relationship of the actual components.

[0044] The present application has been described by the above-mentioned related embodiments, however, the above-mentioned embodiments are only examples for implementing the present application. It must be pointed out that the disclosed embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application. On the contrary, changes and modifications made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application are within the scope of the patent protection of the present application.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic probe characterized by, The ultrasonic probe comprises: a handgrip shell; a transducing layer disposed at one end of the handgrip shell, the transducing layer being configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves; a filler layer disposed on the transducing layer; and a reflective layer disposed on the other side of the filler layer opposite the transducing layer, wherein the reflective layer and the filler layer are disposed in the handgrip shell. The filler layer has a first acoustic impedance, the reflective layer has a second acoustic impedance, and the first acoustic impedance is different from the second acoustic impedance; the reflective layer includes a first surface, the transducing layer includes a second surface, the first surface and the second surface are opposite each other, and the first surface has a first curvature and the second surface has a second curvature, the first curvature and the second curvature are the same as each other. The first curvature and the second curvature are both zero; or the first curvature and the second curvature are both not equal to zero. The transducing layer comprises a piezoelectric material.

2. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1, wherein, The ultrasonic waves are transmitted in the filler layer to correct the ultrasonic probe.

3. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1, wherein, The ultrasonic waves are transmitted in the filler layer and reflected by the reflective layer to the transducing layer, and the ultrasonic probe further comprises a time of flight to correct the ultrasonic probe.

4. The ultrasonic probe of claim 3, wherein The reflective layer comprises an air layer.

5. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising a retaining wall structure surrounding the side of the filler layer.

6. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1, wherein, The method comprises:

7. A method of measuring curvature information of an ultrasonic probe, the method comprising: providing an ultrasonic probe, one end of the ultrasonic probe having a transducing layer; disposing a filler layer on the transducing layer, and the filler layer being wrapped in the ultrasonic probe; disposing a reflective layer on the filler layer, the reflective layer being in the ultrasonic probe; transmitting ultrasonic waves through the transducing layer and in the filler layer; obtaining the time of flight of the ultrasonic waves between the transducing layer and the reflective layer; and calculating the curvature information of the ultrasonic probe by the time of flight; The filler layer has a first acoustic impedance, the reflective layer has a second acoustic impedance, and the first acoustic impedance is different from the second acoustic impedance; the reflective layer includes a first surface, the transducing layer includes a second surface, the first surface and the second surface are opposite each other, and the first surface has a first curvature and the second surface has a second curvature, the first curvature and the second curvature are the same as each other. ​

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