Ultrasonic phased array acupuncture system for simulating acupuncture needle manipulation

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of ultrasonic treatment, and discloses an ultrasonic phased array acupuncture system for simulating acupuncture manipulation, comprising: a signal control module comprising M signal channels, the signal control module generating different ultrasonic pulse signals in different signal channels in response to selection of acupuncture manipulation modes and sound field parameters; the ultrasonic phased array module comprises M planar array elements located on the same plane, the ultrasonic phased array module is used for receiving the ultrasonic pulse signals of the signal control module, and the ultrasonic pulse signals of the M signal channels control the M planar array elements respectively; the planar array elements comprise N focusing array elements and P angular momentum array elements; angular momentum array elements are distributed in a circular ring array; m = N + P; and the N focusing array elements and / or the P angular momentum array elements emit different ultrasonic pulses under the control of different ultrasonic pulse signals. Two sound fields are adopted, the acupuncture points of the human body are subjected to ultrasonic stimulation accurately and effectively, and the treatment effect of acupuncture and moxibustion is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of ultrasonic therapy, and in particular to an ultrasonic phased array acupuncture system for simulating acupuncture needle manipulation. Background Art

[0002] Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine treatment method with good results. However, traditional acupuncture has strong stimulation, pain, cross infection caused by puncturing the skin, risky acupuncture, high technical difficulty, and difficulty in replication, which makes it impossible to achieve accurate mastery of the technology and homogeneous promotion.

[0003] Ultrasonic acupuncture therapy is a new invisible acupuncture tool designed on the premise of following the basic theory of acupuncture and retaining the characteristics of traditional treatment methods. It does not require needles, drugs, electricity, or magnetism. Ultrasonic acupuncture therapy can be integrated with traditional acupuncture meridian therapy to become a new treatment method in acupuncture. The acupuncture probe's regulation of the ultrasound excitation depth, energy intensity, and focusing time in human tissues, as well as the simulation of traditional acupuncture techniques such as lifting, inserting, and twisting, will directly determine the therapeutic effect of ultrasonic acupuncture.

[0004] At present, the acupuncture technique is often simulated by focusing ultrasound pulses to a point to form an energy area, which often has the following disadvantages: 1. The energy area of ​​the ultrasonic pulse is small, and for the twisting acupuncture technique, the contact area between the focus and the skin is large. When the aforementioned sound field is used, although the focus position can be changed to achieve rotation, the contact area between the focus and the skin is small when the focus acts, and only the focus is directly affected. The energy distribution is extremely uneven and cannot cover the entire required acupoint area, and cannot achieve extensive stimulation on the acupoints, resulting in poor acupuncture treatment effects of the twisting acupuncture technique; 2. The existing sound field mode is single, that is, it can only achieve acupuncture treatment with a single technique, and cannot achieve treatment that requires multiple acupuncture techniques at the same time, which has certain limitations.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop an ultrasonic phased array acupuncture system that simulates acupuncture techniques to solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an ultrasonic phased array acupuncture system for simulating acupuncture needle techniques. By setting two different types of array elements, the simulation of various acupuncture techniques can be achieved. For the twisting acupuncture technique, the acupoints are dynamically stimulated by a vortex sound field. The energy of the vortex sound field covers the entire acupoint area and contacts the skin in the form of a surface, thereby increasing the stimulation range on the acupoints, thereby improving the therapeutic effect of acupuncture. The lifting and twisting modes can be used simultaneously, or the oblique insertion and twisting modes can be used simultaneously to simulate more complex acupuncture techniques.

[0007] The present invention provides an ultrasonic phased array acupuncture system for simulating acupuncture needle manipulation, comprising: A signal control module, comprising M signal channels, wherein the signal control module generates different ultrasonic pulse signals in different signal channels in response to the selection of acupuncture manipulation mode and sound field parameters; An ultrasonic phased array module comprises M planar array elements located on the same plane, wherein the ultrasonic phased array module is used to receive ultrasonic pulse signals from a signal control module, and the ultrasonic pulse signals of the M signal channels respectively control the M planar array elements to emit different ultrasonic pulses; wherein, The planar array elements include N focusing array elements for generating a focused sound field and P angular momentum array elements for generating a vortex sound field; the angular momentum array elements are distributed in a circular array; the angular momentum array elements and the focusing array elements are spliced ​​into a planar rectangular array or a planar circular array, and the center of the planar rectangular array or the planar circular array is located at the same point as the circular array; M, N and P are natural numbers not equal to 0, and M=N+P; The N focusing array elements and / or the P angular momentum array elements emit different ultrasonic pulses under the control of different ultrasonic pulse signals to simulate different acupuncture manipulation modes.

[0008] Furthermore, the acoustic field parameters are used to adjust the excitation depth and excitation path of the pulse train formed by the ultrasonic pulses.

[0009] Furthermore, the acupuncture manipulation modes include a lifting and inserting mode and a twisting mode; The lifting and inserting mode is realized by generating a first pulse train focused on a first focus by a focusing array element, a first straight line where the first focus and the center of the plane array element are located is perpendicular to the plane array element, and the first focus moves along the excitation path; The twist mode is realized by a vortex pulse train generated by an angular momentum element, and the vortex pulse train moves along an excitation path.

[0010] Furthermore, the acupuncture manipulation mode also includes an oblique needling mode, which is achieved by generating a second pulse train focused on the same focus by a focusing array element; the second straight line where the second focus and the center of the plane array element are located is not perpendicular to the plane array element, and the second focus moves along the excitation path.

[0011] Furthermore, the angle between the second straight line and the plane array element is greater than 45°.

[0012] Furthermore, the ultrasonic pulse signal corresponding to the focusing array element includes delay timing information; and the ultrasonic pulse signal corresponding to the angular momentum array element includes phase compensation information.

[0013] Furthermore, the delay timing information is calculated by the following method: Take the plane where the focusing element is located as z=0, establish a rectangular coordinate system, take the arrangement center of the focusing element as the origin of the coordinate system, and the coordinates of the center point of the qth focusing element are , the preset focus position is ; The time at which the qth focusing element transmits an ultrasonic pulse at the focal position for: , where c is the speed of sound; Then the delay sequence of the qth focusing element relative to the focusing element that first transmits the ultrasonic pulse is: ; in, The preset focus position to the center of each focusing element The minimum value of .

[0014] Further, the phase compensation information is calculated in the following manner: Assume the radius of the ring array is , the angle between the line connecting the center point of the jth angular momentum array element and the origin of the coordinate system and the x-axis is , the coordinates of the center point of the jth angular momentum array element are ; Then the traveling wave formula of the ultrasonic pulse emitted by the jth angular momentum array element is: , in, is the maximum amplitude, is the angular frequency of the propagating sound wave, represents time, i represents the imaginary part; then the phase compensation of the jth angular momentum array element is for: , Where m is the topological charge.

[0015] The embodiments of the present invention have the following technical effects: The present application designs a signal control module and an ultrasonic phased array module, and the signal control module is used to control the excitation form of the array elements in the ultrasonic phased array module to achieve the simulation of various acupuncture techniques; wherein, the ultrasonic phased array module includes planar array elements, which realizes the simulation of lifting, inserting, oblique insertion and twisting techniques, and specifically designs focusing array elements and angular momentum array elements: the angular momentum array elements are distributed in a circular array, and a suitable vortex sound field is generated by phase delay to simulate the twisting action; the focusing array element excites the ultrasonic pulse to focus on a focus by delaying the timing sequence, and realizes the simulation of different lifting, inserting or oblique insertion actions by adjusting the sound field parameters; The present application adopts two sound fields. By selecting the acupuncture manipulation mode and sound field parameters, ultrasonic stimulation of human acupuncture points can be performed accurately and effectively. Energy compensation is performed on the two array elements by calculating the phase delay and delay timing, respectively, to meet the different parameter settings of different sound fields; for the twisting acupuncture technique, a vortex sound field is generated by the angular momentum array elements distributed in a circular array, and the vortex sound field is used to dynamically stimulate the acupuncture points. Since the vortex sound field can act on a large area, the energy of the vortex sound field can cover the entire acupuncture point area, contact the skin in the form of a surface, increase the stimulation range on the acupuncture point, and thus improve the therapeutic effect of acupuncture; since the present application adopts two sound fields, the present application can also adopt the lifting and twisting modes at the same time, or the oblique insertion and twisting modes at the same time, to simulate more complex acupuncture techniques, thereby adapting to different diseases and further meeting the needs of acupuncture. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an ultrasonic phased array acupuncture system for simulating acupuncture needle manipulation provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a signal channel structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of planar array element distribution provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the generation principle of the vortex sound field provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the principle of generating a focused sound field provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a simulation of a vortex acoustic field provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 It is a simulation schematic diagram of a focused sound field provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] Example 1 Figure 1 Schematic diagram of an ultrasonic phased array acupuncture system for simulating acupuncture techniques provided by an embodiment of the present invention, specifically comprising: The signal control module includes M signal channels, and the signal control module generates different ultrasonic pulse signals in different signal channels in response to the selection of acupuncture manipulation mode and sound field parameters, see Figure 2 ; In the present application, acupuncture manipulation modes mainly include lifting and inserting mode and twisting mode, which are commonly used acupuncture manipulation modes. The lifting and inserting mode is to insert the needle into the acupuncture point to a certain depth, and then make the needle move up and down longitudinally in the acupuncture point, while the twisting mode is to insert the needle into the acupuncture point to a certain depth, and then repeatedly rotate the needle forward and backward in the acupuncture point. In addition, the oblique insertion mode can also be achieved, that is, the needle is inserted into the acupuncture point at a fixed angle to the skin surface.

[0020] The sound field parameters are used to adjust the excitation depth and excitation path of the pulse train formed by the ultrasonic pulse; the excitation path is the location where acupuncture is to be performed, and the focus position can be changed in a very short time; the excitation depth is to apply force to the acupuncture point tissue of the human body by controlling the excitation intensity of the sound field to simulate the intensity of acupuncture; the excitation path and excitation depth can be pre-set by a computer, and then the corresponding settings can be selected according to the actual situation, or they can be directly set numerically.

[0021] The ultrasonic phased array module includes M planar array elements located on the same plane. The ultrasonic phased array module is used to receive the ultrasonic pulse signal of the signal control module. Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the ultrasonic pulse signals of the M signal channels respectively control the M planar array elements to emit different ultrasonic pulses; Among them, see Figure 6 and Figure 7 , the planar array elements include N focusing array elements for generating a focused sound field and P angular momentum array elements for generating a vortex sound field; the angular momentum array elements are distributed in a circular array; the angular momentum array elements and the focusing array elements are spliced ​​into a planar rectangular array or a planar circular array, and the center of the planar rectangular array or the planar circular array is located at the same point as the circular array; M, N and P are natural numbers that are not 0, and M=N+P. Figure 3The letter part in represents the angular momentum array element, and the letters are numbered 57, 58...64 in sequence. There is a one-to-one correspondence between each planar array element and the signal channel. Based on the convenience of the connection line, the position between each planar array element and the signal channel can be different.

[0022] The focusing array element and the angular momentum array element are both prior art, and this application does not provide too much explanation. The planar array element can be distributed as a planar rectangular array or a planar circular array. This application does not make specific restrictions on the size, specific arrangement, etc., and is subject to meeting actual needs.

[0023] Because the distribution of array elements will affect the shape of the sound field, the angular momentum array elements are distributed in a circular array, which can make the formed vortex sound field closer to a circle to better simulate the twisting action. It should be noted that according to the design of the overall shape of the planar array elements, the angular momentum array elements can be distributed in an approximately circular shape. This application does not specifically limit the size of the circular ring. The diameter of the circular ring can be increased according to actual conditions to increase the number of angular momentum array elements, and the corresponding sound field energy is also enhanced.

[0024] In addition, the present application does not make any specific limitations on the size, shape, spacing between array elements, and various values ​​of the array elements, which are also subject to satisfying actual conditions.

[0025] Based on the design of array elements and excitation paths, the excitation timing of each array element needs to be calculated so that the ultrasonic pulses emitted by each array element are focused together to form a corresponding sound field. Specifically, the ultrasonic pulse signal corresponding to the focusing array element includes delay timing information; the ultrasonic pulse signal corresponding to the angular momentum array element includes phase compensation information.

[0026] See also Figure 5 , the delay timing information is calculated by the following method: Take the plane where the focusing element is located as z=0, establish a rectangular coordinate system, take the arrangement center of the focusing element as the origin of the coordinate system, and the coordinates of the center point of the qth focusing element are , the preset focus position is ; The time at which the qth focusing element transmits an ultrasonic pulse at the focal position for: , where c is the speed of sound; Then the delay sequence of the qth focusing element relative to the focusing element that first transmits the ultrasonic pulse is: ; in, The preset focus position to the center of each focusing element The minimum value of .

[0027] See also Figure 4 , the large ellipse represents the plane array element, the small ellipse represents the plane parallel to the xoy plane where the focus is located, and the phase compensation information is calculated in the following way: The phase compensation information is calculated in the following way: Assume the radius of the circular array is , the angle between the line connecting the center point of the jth angular momentum array element and the origin of the coordinate system and the x-axis is , the coordinates of the center point of the jth angular momentum array element are ; Then the traveling wave formula of the ultrasonic pulse emitted by the jth angular momentum array element is: , in, is the maximum amplitude, is the angular frequency of the propagating sound wave, represents time, i represents the imaginary part; then the phase compensation of the jth angular momentum array element is for: , Where m is the topological charge.

[0028] After the sound field parameters and acupuncture manipulation mode are selected, the delay timing information and phase compensation information of each array element can be calculated to perform energy compensation, so that each ultrasonic pulse is focused to form a focus or vortex, completing the simulation of acupuncture manipulation.

[0029] The N focusing array elements and / or the P angular momentum array elements emit different ultrasonic pulses under the control of different ultrasonic pulse signals to achieve different acupuncture manipulation modes to simulate different acupuncture manipulation modes.

[0030] Specifically, the lifting and inserting mode is realized by generating a first pulse train focused on a first focus by a focusing array element, a first straight line where the first focus and the center of the plane array element are located is perpendicular to the plane array element, and the first focus moves along the excitation path; so as to realize the lifting and inserting action; The twisting mode is realized by a vortex pulse train generated by an angular momentum array element, and the vortex pulse train moves along a selected excitation path to realize a twisting action; the angular momentum array element can excite mutually orthogonal ultrasonic waves, which have a continuous spiral phase during propagation, so it has a spiral wavefront array to simulate the twisting action. The present application uses angular momentum array elements to simulate the twisting acupuncture technique, forming a cylindrical energy area with a large range of action, which is more similar to the effect of acupuncture needles.

[0031] The acupuncture manipulation mode also includes an oblique needling mode, which is achieved by focusing the array element to generate a second pulse train focused on the same focus; the second straight line where the second focus and the center of the plane array element are located is not perpendicular to the plane array element, and the second focus moves along the excitation path to achieve the oblique needling action; the angle between the second straight line and the plane array element is greater than 45°, so as to better stimulate the acupuncture points while reducing the discomfort of acupuncture.

[0032] It should be noted that the time for the focusing element or angular momentum element to excite the ultrasonic pulse is very short and needs to be continuously excited. Therefore, when performing the lifting and inserting mode, whether the position of the first focus is changed or not, the pulse timing needs to be continuously updated, that is, the first focus moves along the excitation path (when the first focus does not change, it can be excited multiple times or continuously).

[0033] In addition, the lifting and inserting mode and the twisting mode, or the oblique needling mode and the twisting mode, can be used at the same time, and the focus of the focusing element moves on the central axis of the vortex pulse train, so as to adapt to different diseases and further meet the needs of acupuncture. It should be noted that the simultaneous use here means the rapid alternation of the two sound fields at the microscopic level, thereby realizing the simultaneous use of the two modes at the macroscopic level.

[0034] Example 2 Based on the content of Example 1, a specific embodiment is provided: The planar array element can be Rectangular array, is the number of rows of planar array elements, is the number of columns of the planar array elements, and Can be equal or unequal.

[0035] Specifically, see Figure 2 and Figure 3 , there are 64 planar array elements. Among them, there are 56 focusing array elements and 8 angular momentum array elements. At a frequency of 1MHz, if the lifting and inserting mode is selected, the focus is formed at 17mm, and the focus diameter is less than 1mm. After adjusting the timing, the focus is formed at 30mm, and the focus diameter is still less than 1mm; similarly, for the angular momentum array element, it can also reach the depth required by traditional acupuncture, with good working performance.

[0036] Based on the above technical solution, the present application designs a signal control module and an ultrasonic phased array module, and uses the signal control module to regulate the excitation form of the array elements in the ultrasonic phased array module to achieve the simulation of acupuncture techniques; wherein the ultrasonic phased array module includes planar array elements, which realizes the simulation of lifting, inserting, oblique insertion and twisting techniques, and specifically designs focusing array elements and angular momentum array elements; The angular momentum array elements are distributed in a circular ring, and generate a suitable vortex sound field through phase delay to simulate the twisting action; the focusing array elements excite the ultrasonic pulse to focus on a focal point through delay timing control, and realize the simulation of different lifting, insertion or oblique insertion actions by adjusting the sound field parameters.

[0037] It should be noted that the terms used in the present invention are only for describing specific embodiments, rather than limiting the scope of the present application. As shown in the present specification, unless the context clearly indicates an exception, the words "one", "a", "a kind of" and / or "the" do not specifically refer to the singular, but may also include the plural. The terms "include", "comprise" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method or device. In the absence of more restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "include one..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method or device including the elements.

[0038] It should also be noted that the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention. Unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", etc. should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be a connection between the two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0039] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein by equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic phased array acupuncture system for simulating acupuncture techniques, characterized in that: include: A signal control module, comprising M signal channels, wherein the signal control module generates different ultrasonic pulse signals in different signal channels in response to the selection of acupuncture manipulation mode and sound field parameters; An ultrasonic phased array module comprises M planar array elements located on the same plane, wherein the ultrasonic phased array module is used to receive ultrasonic pulse signals from a signal control module, and the ultrasonic pulse signals of the M signal channels respectively control the M planar array elements to emit different ultrasonic pulses; wherein, The planar array elements include N focusing array elements for generating a focused sound field and P angular momentum array elements for generating a vortex sound field; the angular momentum array elements are distributed in a circular array; the angular momentum array elements and the focusing array elements are spliced ​​into a planar rectangular array or a planar circular array, and the center of the planar rectangular array or the planar circular array is located at the same point as the circular array; M, N and P are natural numbers not equal to 0, and M=N+P; The N focusing array elements and / or the P angular momentum array elements emit different ultrasonic pulses under the control of different ultrasonic pulse signals to simulate different acupuncture manipulation modes.

2. The ultrasonic phased array acupuncture system for simulating acupuncture techniques according to claim 1, characterized in that: The acoustic field parameters are used to adjust the excitation depth and excitation path of the pulse train formed by the ultrasonic pulse.

3. The ultrasonic phased array acupuncture system for simulating acupuncture techniques according to claim 2, characterized in that: The acupuncture manipulation modes include lifting and inserting mode and twisting mode; The lifting and inserting mode is realized by generating a first pulse train focused on a first focus by a focusing array element, a first straight line where the first focus and the center of the plane array element are located is perpendicular to the plane array element, and the first focus moves along the excitation path; The twist mode is realized by a vortex pulse train generated by an angular momentum element, and the vortex pulse train moves along an excitation path.

4. The ultrasonic phased array acupuncture system for simulating acupuncture techniques according to claim 3, characterized in that: The acupuncture manipulation mode also includes an oblique needling mode, which is achieved by focusing the array element to generate a second pulse train focused on the same focus; the second straight line where the second focus and the center of the plane array element are located is not perpendicular to the plane array element, and the second focus moves along the excitation path.

5. The ultrasonic phased array acupuncture system for simulating acupuncture mode manipulation according to claim 4, characterized in that: The angle between the second straight line and the plane array element is greater than 45°.

6. The ultrasonic phased array acupuncture system for simulating acupuncture techniques according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ultrasonic pulse signal corresponding to the focusing array element includes delay timing information; the ultrasonic pulse signal corresponding to the angular momentum array element includes phase compensation information.

7. The ultrasonic phased array acupuncture system for simulating acupuncture techniques according to claim 6, characterized in that: The delay timing information is calculated by the following method: Take the plane where the focusing element is located as z=0, establish a rectangular coordinate system, take the arrangement center of the focusing element as the origin of the coordinate system, and the coordinates of the center point of the qth focusing element are , the preset focus position is ; The time at which the qth focusing element transmits an ultrasonic pulse at the focal position for: , where c is the speed of sound; Then the delay sequence of the qth focusing element relative to the focusing element that first transmits the ultrasonic pulse is: ； in, The preset focus position to the center of each focusing element The minimum value of .

8. The ultrasonic phased array acupuncture system for simulating acupuncture techniques according to claim 7, characterized in that: The phase compensation information is calculated in the following way: Assume the radius of the circular array is , the angle between the line connecting the center point of the jth angular momentum array element and the origin of the coordinate system and the x-axis is , the coordinates of the center point of the jth angular momentum array element are ; Then the traveling wave formula of the ultrasonic pulse emitted by the jth angular momentum array element is: ， in, is the maximum amplitude, is the angular frequency of the propagating sound wave, represents time, i represents the imaginary part; then the phase compensation of the jth angular momentum array element is for: ， Where m is the topological charge.

Images