Ultrasonic transducer testing device and method and computer readable storage medium
By designing an ultrasonic transducer test device, using the combination of clamping device, testing container and processing unit, the problem of difficulty in detecting the pin marking error of ultrasonic transducer array element in the prior art is solved, and simple testing and efficient imaging quality assurance is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202311584902.X
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-11-24
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-27
- Estimated Expiration
- 2043-11-24
AI Technical Summary
The prior art is difficult to easily test the foot marking error of the ultrasonic transducer array element, which affects the imaging quality of the ultrasonic diagnostic instrument.
An ultrasonic transducer testing device is designed, including a clamping device, a test container and a processing unit. By fixing and moving the transducer through the clamping device, using the coupling fluid and reflector in the test container, the processing unit activates the transducer array element and obtains echo information, and determines the working status and pin marking errors of the array element by analyzing the echo information.
It realizes the simple detection of the working status and pin marking errors of the transducer array element before connecting to the ultrasonic host, improves the guarantee of imaging quality and simplifies the transducer testing process.
Smart Images

Figure CN120036815A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present application belongs to the field of ultrasonic detection technology, and in particular, relates to an ultrasonic transducer testing device, an ultrasonic transducer testing method, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art
[0002] Ultrasound is the current mainstream clinical imaging technology, with the characteristics of no radiation and low cost. Ultrasonic transducer is an indispensable key part of ultrasonic diagnostic instrument, with dual functions of ultrasonic emission and reception. Ultrasonic transducer array elements are multiple channels cut out of the ultrasonic transducer, which can be excited by the electronic system according to certain rules and timing to achieve the emission and reception of ultrasonic waves. The arrangement, number, shape, size, etc. of ultrasonic transducer array elements will affect the sound field characteristics of ultrasonic waves, and thus affect the performance and function of ultrasonic diagnostic instrument.
[0003] If the ultrasonic transducer array element is working abnormally or the pin position marking is wrong, when connected to the ultrasonic host, it may affect the imaging quality at best, or even lead to the inability to image. And after the transducer is packaged and connected to the host, it is time-consuming and labor-intensive to disassemble the transducer. How to more easily test whether the transducer has a transducer array element pin position marking error is a technical problem that technicians in this field need to solve urgently.
[0004] The preceding description is intended to provide general background information and does not necessarily constitute prior art. Summary of the invention
[0005] Based on this, it is necessary to propose an ultrasonic transducer testing device, an ultrasonic transducer testing method and a computer-readable storage medium to address the above problems, which can more easily test whether the transducer is working properly and whether there are any transducer element pin marking errors.
[0006] The present application solves the technical problem by adopting the following technical solutions:
[0007] The present application provides an ultrasonic transducer testing device, comprising: a clamping device for fixing and moving a transducer; the clamping device comprises a connecting mechanism and a moving mechanism; the transducer is arranged on the connecting mechanism, and the connecting mechanism controls the transducer through electrical connection; the connecting mechanism is arranged on the moving mechanism, and the moving mechanism is used to drive the transducer to move; a test container for accommodating the transducer and coupling liquid to realize testing; the test container comprises a containing tank body and a reflector; the containing tank body is the main body of the test container, the reflector is arranged in the containing tank body, and the coupling liquid is filled in the containing tank body; a processing unit, and The clamping device is electrically connected and electrically connected to the transducer through a connecting mechanism. The transducer includes a plurality of transducer array elements. The transducer array elements are used to emit ultrasonic waves when activated, and collect echo information formed when the ultrasonic waves are reflected back after encountering a reflector; the processing unit is used to activate the transducer array elements during testing, and control the transducer to move along a preset trajectory in the test container after the emitting surface of the transducer is directed toward the reflector by controlling the clamping device; the processing unit obtains and processes the echo information fed back by the transducer array elements during the movement of the transducer to realize detection of the transducer.
[0008] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the clamping device also includes a degree of freedom adjustment mechanism; the connecting mechanism is connected to the moving mechanism through the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism, and the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism is used to adjust the orientation and / or angle of the transducer according to the control of the processing unit so that when the transducer is moving, the beam emitted by the transducer array element is perpendicular to the reflector.
[0009] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the working surface of the reflector is perpendicular to the acoustic axis of the transducer, and the working surface is the side of the reflector facing the transducer; the setting parameters of the reflector are determined according to the sound wave indicators emitted by the transducer, and the setting parameters include at least one of the relative distance between the transducer and the reflector, the surface thickness, the lateral dimension, the parallelism of the working surface and the roughness of the working surface; the height of the reflector is higher than the height of the transducer and lower than the height of the accommodating groove.
[0010] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the height of the coupling agent injected into the containing tank is consistent with the height of the reflector; when the transducer starts testing, it is placed in the containing tank, and the coupling agent completely immerses the transducer.
[0011] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the processing unit includes an oscilloscope, which is used to collect and process echo information for display. The working status of each channel of the transducer can be determined by observing the pulse wave.
[0012] The present application also provides an ultrasonic transducer testing method, which is applied to the ultrasonic transducer testing device provided above, and the ultrasonic transducer testing method includes the following steps: performing a correction operation on the ultrasonic transducer testing device to prepare the ultrasonic transducer testing device to start testing; obtaining device information of the transducer through a connecting mechanism, and determining a moving trajectory based on the device information, wherein the device information is used to characterize the transducer array element of the transducer; controlling the movement of the moving mechanism according to the moving trajectory, and obtaining echo information generated by the transducer during the movement process through the connecting mechanism; generating and outputting a detection report based on the echo information, wherein the detection report is used to characterize the working status of the transducer.
[0013] In an optional embodiment of the present application, a correction operation is performed on the ultrasonic transducer testing device, including: cleaning the working surfaces of the transducer and the reflector, the working surface being the side of the reflector facing the transducer; the ultrasonic transducer testing device also includes a degree of freedom adjustment mechanism, and the connecting mechanism is connected to the moving mechanism through the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism; the ultrasonic transducer testing device adjusts the orientation and / or angle of the transducer by controlling the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism, so that the acoustic axis of the transducer is perpendicular to the working surface; the transducer is placed in the containing tank body by controlling the moving mechanism, and the position of the transducer is adjusted so that the reflector is located at the maximum sound intensity point in the transducer sound beam, and the maximum sound intensity point is determined according to the device information; a coupling agent is injected into the containing tank body so that the height of the coupling agent is consistent with the height of the reflector, and the coupling agent immerses the transducer; when it is determined that there are no interfering elements in the coupling agent, it is determined that the correction operation is completed, and the interfering elements include at least one of bubble impurities, suspended particles, liquid flow, and liquid temperature changes.
[0014] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the device information of the transducer is obtained through the connecting mechanism, and the moving trajectory is determined according to the device information, including: determining the transducer array element position and the transducer shape according to the device information; generating a moving trajectory according to the transducer array element position and the transducer shape, and the moving trajectory includes a moving route and a moving direction; the moving route is used to control the moving mechanism to ensure that each transducer array element will cross the liquid surface of the coupling agent at least twice in different directions during the movement process; the moving direction is used for the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism to ensure that when each transducer array element crosses the liquid surface of the coupling agent, the acoustic axis of the transducer array element emitting the ultrasonic wave is perpendicular to the reflector.
[0015] In an optional embodiment of the present application, a test report is generated and outputted based on the echo information, including: determining the number of echoes of the transducer array element of the transducer when passing through the liquid surface of the coupling agent based on the echo information; determining the number of array elements located below the liquid surface of the coupling agent when the transducer passes through the coupling agent based on the movement trajectory and the device information; when the number of echoes and the number of array elements are not equal, determining that the transducer array element located on the liquid surface of the coupling agent has a transducer array element pin position marking error; traversing all echo numbers and array element numbers to generate a test report.
[0016] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which implements the aforementioned method when the computer program is executed by a processor.
[0017] The embodiments of the present application have the following beneficial effects:
[0018] This application uses a simple instrument mechanism and the echo information formed by the transducer when passing through the coupling agent to determine whether the transducer array element set on the transducer has a transducer array element pin mark error. Therefore, the device can ensure that the connection is correct before connecting to the ultrasound host, and after eliminating the bad track of the ultrasound transducer, check whether the pin mark of each array element is incorrect in a simpler way, and can check the specific error array element.
[0019] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present application. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present application, it can be implemented according to the contents of the specification, and in order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the following preferred embodiments are specifically cited and described in detail with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the above general description and the detailed description below are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application 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 application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.
[0021] in:
[0022] Figure 1 A first structural schematic diagram of an ultrasonic transducer testing device provided by an embodiment;
[0023] Figure 2 A second structural schematic diagram of an ultrasonic transducer testing device provided by an embodiment;
[0024] Figure 3 A schematic block diagram of a processing unit provided in an embodiment
[0025] Figure 4 A schematic flow chart of a method for testing an ultrasonic transducer provided by an embodiment;
[0026] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a first angle setting of a convex linear array probe transducer provided in an embodiment;
[0027] Figure 6A schematic diagram of the relationship between a convex linear array probe transducer and a reflector at a second angle in a top-down perspective provided by an embodiment;
[0028] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a second angle setting of a convex linear array probe transducer provided in an embodiment;
[0029] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the relationship between a convex linear array probe transducer and a reflector at a first angle in a top-down perspective provided by an embodiment;
[0030] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the appearance of a linear array probe transducer provided in an embodiment;
[0031] Fig.10 A first state diagram of an ultrasonic transducer testing device when a linear array probe transducer provided by an embodiment starts testing;
[0032] Fig.11 A second state diagram of an ultrasonic transducer testing device during a test of a transducer of a linear array probe provided in an embodiment;
[0033] Fig.12 Schematic diagram of various transducers provided in one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0034] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0035] At present, conventional ultrasonic transducer testing devices can only use a pulse echo test system to test whether the transducer has bad tracks. Or other methods, such as connecting the transducer to the host, tilting the reflector in the water tank at a certain angle, and observing whether the reflection points received by the received image are on the same straight line. However, the existing technology cannot accurately check the array elements with incorrect pin mark. To this end, the present application proposes an ultrasonic transducer testing device. In order to clearly describe the ultrasonic transducer testing device provided in this embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 to Figure 3 .
[0036] For the ultrasonic transducer testing device provided in this application, the structural diagram of each component and its connection relationship can be referred to Figure 1 .like Figure 1 As shown, the ultrasonic transducer testing device 100 includes: a clamping device 110 , a testing container 120 and a processing unit 130 .
[0037] Among them, the clamping device 110 is used to fix and move the transducer 140. The transducer 140 can be an ultrasonic transducer that needs to be detected. The transducer 140 includes a plurality of transducer array elements 141. The transducer array element 141 is used to emit ultrasonic waves when activated, and collect echo information formed when the ultrasonic waves encounter a reflector and are reflected back. Specifically, the clamping device 110 includes a connecting mechanism 111 and a moving mechanism 112. The transducer 140 is arranged on the connecting mechanism 111, and the transducer 140 is fixed by the fixing components of the connecting mechanism 111. The fixing components may include but are not limited to screws, clamps, buckles, magnets, Velcro, suction cups, etc., as long as the transducer 140 can be fixed in a certain way. Furthermore, the connection mechanism 111 also includes a connection component, which is used to realize the electrical connection between the processing unit 130 and the transducer 140. In a wired manner, the transducer 140 can be connected through a USB interface to realize the control of the transducer 140 by the processing unit 130. In other embodiments, the connection component can also realize the electrical connection between the processing unit 130 and the transducer 140 by wireless connection.
[0038] Furthermore, the connecting mechanism 111 is arranged on the moving mechanism 112, and the moving mechanism 112 is a mechanical device that drives the connecting mechanism 111 and the transducer 140 to move. In a preferred embodiment, the moving mechanism 112 can achieve vertical movement up and down. The moving mechanism 112 is also connected to the processing unit 130, and is controlled by the processing unit 130 to move according to a predetermined trajectory. The specific moving process will be described in detail later, and will not be described here for the time being.
[0039] In one embodiment, the clamping device 110 also includes a degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113; the connecting mechanism 111 is connected to the moving mechanism 112 through the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113, and the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113 is used to adjust the orientation and / or angle of the transducer 140 according to the control of the processing unit 130, so that when the transducer 140 is moving, when each transducer array element 141 passes through the liquid surface of the coupling agent 123, the acoustic axis of the transducer array element 141 emitting the ultrasonic wave is perpendicular to the reflector 122.
[0040] In one embodiment, the connection relationship of the freedom adjustment mechanism 113 in the ultrasonic transducer testing device 100 can be specifically referred to. Figure 2 .like Figure 2As shown, the connection mechanism 111 is arranged on the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113, and the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113 is arranged on the moving mechanism 112. And the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113 is also electrically connected to the processing unit 130, and is controlled by the processing unit 130, so that it can be rotated, twisted, etc. according to the control to adjust the orientation and / or angle of the transducer 140. It can be understood that the present application completes the test according to the echo information formed by the interaction of the ultrasonic wave and the reflector 122. Therefore, the quality of the acquired echo information will be directly related to the accuracy of the final test result. At the same time, each transducer array element 141 on the transducer 140 can emit an ultrasonic wave, and when the acoustic axis of the ultrasonic wave is perpendicular to the reflector 122, the quality of the acquired echo information is the best. To this end, it is ensured that when each transducer array element 141 passes through the liquid surface of the coupling agent 123, the acoustic axis of the ultrasonic wave emitted by the transducer array element 141 is perpendicular to the reflector 122, so it needs to be adjusted by the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113. Specifically, the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113 may have six degrees of freedom for adjustment, which can align the effective acoustic axis center of the transducer array element 141 with the reflector 122 during the test.
[0041] The ultrasonic transducer testing device 100 further includes a testing container 120. The testing container 120 in the ultrasonic transducer testing device 100 is used to accommodate the transducer 140 to implement testing. Specifically, the testing container 120 includes a containing tank body 121, a reflector 122 and a coupling agent 123.
[0042] In one embodiment, the receiving tank 121 is the main body of the test container 120. Figure 1 or Figure 2 As shown, the containing tank 121 may be a cavity capable of accommodating the reflector 122 , the coupling agent 123 and the transducer 140 , and the present application does not impose any limitation on its shape and material.
[0043] In one embodiment, the reflector 122 is disposed in the accommodating groove 121, and the working surface of the reflector 122 is perpendicular to the acoustic axis of the transducer 140, and the working surface is the side of the reflector 122 facing the transducer 140; the setting parameters of the reflector 122 are determined according to the sound wave indicators emitted by the transducer 140, and the setting parameters include at least one of the relative distance from the transducer 140, the surface thickness, the lateral dimension, the parallelism of the working surface and the roughness of the working surface; the height of the reflector 122 is higher than the height of the transducer 140 and lower than the height of the accommodating groove 121.
[0044] In one embodiment, the side of the reflector 122 facing the transducer 140 is called the working surface. In order to improve the test effect, the working surface needs to be set to a certain extent. It is beneficial for the working surface to be located at the point of maximum sound intensity in the sound beam of the transducer 140, and different transducers 140 emit different sound waves. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain the device parameters of the transducer 140, and determine the setting parameters of the reflector 122 according to the sound wave index in the device parameters. The setting parameters may include but are not limited to: at least one of the relative distance from the transducer 140, the surface thickness, the lateral dimension, the parallelism of the working surface, and the roughness of the working surface. Specifically, a more general setting parameter is proposed for this application, which may be: the relative distance from the transducer 140 is set to 10cm according to the sound wave index. The surface thickness is not less than 30mm, so that the reflected waves from the front and rear surfaces can be clearly separated. The lateral dimension should be large enough, at least three times the linear dimension of the cross-sectional area of the sound beam (usually not less than 100mm). The parallelism deviation of the working surface is not greater than 0.02 mm, or within 1 / 20 of the wavelength in water. The roughness Rz of the working surface is less than 0.63 μm, or within 1 / 100 of the wavelength in water. Further, the setting parameters may also include some parameters that do not require the determination of the acoustic wave index, such as the acoustic characteristic impedance of the material used for the reflector 122 should be greater than 10.0×10 6 Pa·s / m; the material used should be corrosion-resistant (usually stainless steel is used because of its good reflectivity). It can be understood that the above specific parameters are general general settings, and the specific settings need to be determined according to actual needs. The above disclosed numbers are simple descriptions of the solution, not limitations on the technology.
[0045] In one embodiment, the coupling agent 123 is a predetermined liquid that fills the receiving tank 121 ; the height of the coupling agent 123 injected into the receiving tank 121 is consistent with the height of the reflector 122 ; when the transducer 140 starts testing, it is placed in the receiving tank 121 , and the coupling agent 123 completely immerses the transducer 140 .
[0046] In one embodiment, the coupling agent 123 can be pure water in a preferred embodiment. Further, when the coupling agent 123 is injected into the accommodating tank 121, the height of the injected liquid should be consistent with the height of the reflector 122, so that the reflector 122 is just immersed in the coupling agent 123. When starting the test, the transducer 140 should also be immersed in the coupling agent 123. In a preferred embodiment, only the end transducer array element 141 is located at the junction of the coupling agent 123 and the air. The subsequent detection process will be described in detail in the method, which is not discussed here for the time being.
[0047] The ultrasonic transducer testing device 100 further includes a processing unit 130. The processing unit 130 is electrically connected to the clamping device 110 and is electrically connected to the transducer 140 through the connecting mechanism 111. A plurality of transducer array elements 141 are arranged on one surface of the transducer 140. When activated, the transducer array elements 141 can emit ultrasonic waves and collect echo information formed by ultrasonic wave reflection. The processing unit 130 is used to activate the transducer array elements 141 during the test, and control the transducer 140 to move along a preset track in the test container 120 after controlling the clamping device 110 to direct the side of the transducer 140 provided with the transducer array elements 141 toward the reflector 122; the processing unit 130 obtains the echo information formed by the reflection interaction between the transducer array elements 141 and the reflector 122 during the movement of the transducer 140, and uses the echo information formed by the reflection interaction to detect the transducer 140.
[0048] In one embodiment, Figure 3 FIG. 1 shows an internal structure diagram of a processing unit 130 in an embodiment. The processing unit 130 may be a terminal or a server. Figure 3 As shown, the processing unit 130 includes a processor, a memory, and a network interface connected via a system bus. The memory includes a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium of the processing unit 130 stores an operating system and may also store a computer program. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the processor may implement the ultrasonic transducer testing method. The internal memory may also store a computer program. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the processor may implement the ultrasonic transducer testing method. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that Figure 3 The structure shown in the figure is only a block diagram of a part of the structure related to the scheme of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the processing unit 130 to which the scheme of the present application is applied. The specific processing unit 130 may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements. In the case where the processing unit 130 is a mobile terminal, the specific form may be, for example, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant (English: personal digital assistant, abbreviated: PDA), a mobile Internet device (English: mobile Internet device, abbreviated: MID) and a wearable device (such as a smart watch). The mobile terminal can use an application (such as APP) to process and display the corresponding information, and perform corresponding operations, thereby improving the use efficiency.
[0049] In one embodiment, the processing unit 130 includes an oscilloscope, which is used to convert echo information into pulse waves and display them. By observing the pulse waves, it can be determined whether the transducer array element pin position marking error of the transducer 140 exists.
[0050] In one embodiment, the processing unit 130 may further include a relay board. The relay board is electrically connected to the aforementioned clamping device 110 and the transducer 140 to enable the processing unit 130 to communicate with and control the clamping device 110 and the transducer 140. Further, the processing unit 130 may further include a pulse signal generator / receiver, such as a DPR300 pulse signal generator / receiver; and may include an oscilloscope. Therefore, the electrical energy of the excitation pulse can be converted into an ultrasonic pulse that is tested by the material or propagated by the medium. The DPR300 is configured to operate in a pulse echo mode, and the reflected acoustic echo of the transducer is converted into an electronic signal, which is transmitted by the sensor to the DPR300 T / R connector. The low-noise DPR300 receiver amplifies these electronic signals, and the signals are then transmitted through adjustable high-pass filters and low-pass filters. The gain of the DPR300 receiver can be adjusted in the range of 13 dB to 66 dB, and there are six high-pass filters and six low-pass filters to set the receiver frequency response with bandwidth limitation, and the amplified and filtered signals will be output to the oscilloscope. This makes the acquired echo information visualized, making it easier to complete the test.
[0051] The foregoing describes in detail the specific structure of the ultrasonic transducer testing device 100, but according to the foregoing description, it can be seen that the device also requires a corresponding control method to complete the test. For this purpose, the present application also proposes an ultrasonic transducer testing method, which is applied to the ultrasonic transducer testing device 100 provided in the foregoing. For a clear description of the ultrasonic transducer testing method provided by the present application, please refer to Figures 1 to 12 , including steps S410~440.
[0052] Step S410: performing a calibration operation on the ultrasonic transducer testing device to prepare the ultrasonic transducer testing device to start testing.
[0053] In one embodiment, step S410: controlling the ultrasonic transducer testing device 100 to perform a correction operation, including: cleaning the working surfaces of the transducer 140 and the reflector 122, the working surface being the side of the reflector 122 facing the transducer 140; the ultrasonic transducer testing device 100 further includes a degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113, the connecting mechanism 111 is connected to the moving mechanism 112 through the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113; the ultrasonic transducer testing device 100 controls the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113 to adjust the orientation and / or angle of the transducer 140 so that the acoustic axis of the transducer 140 is perpendicular to the working surface. The transducer 140 is placed in the receiving tank 121 by controlling the moving mechanism 112, and the position of the transducer 140 is adjusted so that the reflector 122 is located at the maximum sound intensity point in the sound beam of the transducer 140, and the maximum sound intensity point is determined according to the device information; the coupling agent 123 is injected into the receiving tank 121 so that the height of the coupling agent 123 is consistent with the height of the reflector 122, and the coupling agent 123 immerses the transducer 140; when it is determined that there are no interfering elements in the coupling agent 123, it is determined that the correction operation is completed, and the interfering elements include at least one of bubble impurities, suspended particles, liquid flow, and liquid temperature changes.
[0054] In one embodiment, before starting the test, preparations may be made in advance to facilitate the start of the test. For example, the working surfaces of the transducer 140 and the reflector 122 may be cleaned. Specifically, the transducer 140 and the transducer array element 141 may be cleaned to remove any oil, dust or other substances that may exist on the outer surface thereof. In addition, before the test, the transducer 140 may be placed in degassed water to fully wet the outer surface of the transducer 140 so that no bubbles are attached to the outer surface of the transducer 140.
[0055] Also refer to Figure 2 The ultrasonic transducer testing device 100 further includes a degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113, and the connecting mechanism 111 is connected to the moving mechanism 112 via the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113; the ultrasonic transducer testing device 100 adjusts the orientation and / or angle of the transducer 140 by controlling the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113. If the transducer array elements 141 of the transducer 140 are distributed as follows Figure 5 That is to say, when Figure 5 For a similar convex array probe transducer 140, it is difficult to determine the acoustic axis direction of the acoustic wave emitted by the corresponding transducer array element 141. Figure 5 The convex array probe transducer 140 shown is placed in the test container 120, which may be caused by the angle problem. Figure 6 As shown: the sound waves emitted by the transducer element 141 are not perpendicular to the reflector 122. Figure 6 The arc extending from the middle transducer array element 141 is also the acoustic axis. Figure 8 Similarly. That is to say Figure 6In the case shown, the transducer 140 at the angle of the reflector 122 is as shown in FIG. Figure 7 shown.
[0056] Therefore, in order to ensure that the transducer 140 can transmit sound waves perpendicular to the reflector 122 during measurement, that is, the transducer 140 at the angle of the reflector 122 can Figure 5 As shown, when the measurement starts, the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113 can be used to rotate the angle so as to rotate to the following angle: Figure 5 The angle shown in the figure, so that when looking down, Figure 8 As shown, it is ensured that the acoustic axis emitted by the transducer array element 141 to be tested is always perpendicular to the reflector 122. At the same time, the control of the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113 can be carried out not only during the correction operation but also during the test process, that is, it can continuously ensure that the acoustic axis of the transducer array element 141 to be measured is perpendicular to the reflector 122 during the test.
[0057] It is also possible to obtain device information of the transducer 140 and determine the maximum sound intensity point in the sound beam of the transducer array element 141. The relative distance between the transducer 140 and the reflector 122 is adjusted by moving the moving mechanism 112 and / or the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113, thereby ensuring that the reflector 122 is located at the maximum sound intensity point in the sound beam of the transducer array element 141 under test when the test starts.
[0058] Further, the coupling agent 123 is injected into the accommodating tank 121 so that the height of the coupling agent 123 is consistent with the height of the reflector 122, and the coupling agent 123 immerses the transducer 140. When it is determined that there are no interfering elements in the coupling agent 123, it is determined that the correction operation is completed, wherein the interfering elements may include but are not limited to any one of the presence of bubble impurities, suspended particles, liquid flow, and liquid temperature changes in the coupling agent 123. After the above correction operation, it can be determined that the transducer 140 is ready and can start testing.
[0059] Step S420: acquiring device information of the transducer through the connection mechanism, and determining the movement trajectory according to the device information, wherein the device information is used to characterize the transducer array elements of the transducer.
[0060] In one embodiment, step S420: obtaining device information of the transducer 140 through the connecting mechanism 111, and determining the moving trajectory according to the device information, including: determining the position and shape of the transducer element 141 according to the device information; generating a moving trajectory according to the position and shape of the transducer element 141, the moving trajectory including a moving route and a moving direction; the moving route is used to control the moving mechanism 112 to ensure that each transducer element 141 will cross the liquid surface of the coupling agent 123 at least twice in different directions during the movement process; the moving direction is used for the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113 to ensure that when each transducer element 141 crosses the liquid surface of the coupling agent 123, the acoustic axis of the transducer element 141 emitting the ultrasonic wave is perpendicular to the reflector 122.
[0061] In one embodiment, there are many different types of transducers 140 available on the market, including Figure 5 The style shown may also be Fig. 9 The styles shown in the figure, as well as other styles of transducers, such as linear array, 1.5D array, etc., will be described in detail in the following figures. Figure 5 , 9 The transducer of the style shown is used for explanation. As can be seen from the comparison, different transducers 140 may have different parameters such as the distribution, quantity, style, etc. of the transducer array elements 141, so they cannot be tested with a single trajectory. To this end, it is necessary to electrically connect the transducer 140 through the connecting mechanism 111 and obtain the device information of the transducer 140. Among them, the device information records the position of the transducer array element 141 and the transducer shape. According to the position of the transducer array element 141 and the transducer shape, a specific movement trajectory can be generated for the transducer 140. Specifically, the movement trajectory includes a movement route and a movement direction. The movement route is used to control the moving mechanism 112 to ensure that each transducer array element 141 will cross the liquid surface of the coupling agent 123 at least twice in different directions during the movement process. It can be understood that with Figure 5 or Fig. 9 The transducer 140 shown only crosses the liquid surface of the coupling agent 123 once, and can only determine that a certain row or several rows have a problem, but cannot determine which transducer array element 141 is the problem. Figure 5 or Fig. 9 The transducer array elements 141 in the transducer 140 shown are actually distributed in two dimensions on a plane, so by crossing the liquid surface of the coupling agent 123 multiple times in different dimensional directions and obtaining echo information, it is possible to accurately determine which transducer array element 141 has a problem. In other words, two different directions can be crossed in two dimensions.
[0062] Furthermore, the moving trajectory also includes a moving direction, which is used to control the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113 to ensure that when each transducer array element 141 passes through the liquid surface of the coupling agent 123, the acoustic axis of the transducer array element 141 emitting the ultrasonic wave is perpendicular to the reflector 122. For details, refer to the structural description of the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113 in the previous text, and Figures 5 to 8 During the movement, especially when the measured transducer array element 141 passes through the coupling agent 123, the echo information obtained by the transducer array element 141 can be guaranteed to be true and valid according to the control of the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism 113.
[0063] Step S430: Control the movement of the moving mechanism according to the moving trajectory, and obtain the echo information generated by the transducer during the movement process through the connecting mechanism.
[0064] In one embodiment, for ease of description, this embodiment is Fig. 9 The transducer 140 shown is used as an example to illustrate how to achieve the movement. Before the movement, according to the control of the correction operation, the instrument state of the ultrasonic transducer testing device 100 is as follows Fig.10 As shown, the coupling agent 123 and the reflector 122 are flush with each other, and the transducer 140 is completely immersed in the coupling agent 123. The transducer 140 is activated to emit sound waves toward the reflector 122, and collects the sound waves returned by the reflector 122 to obtain echo information. The moving mechanism 112 is controlled to move according to the moving trajectory, thereby driving the transducer 140 upward. The transducer array element 141 of the transducer 140 will be transformed into the following state during the upward traversal process. Fig.11 The status shown. Fig.11 As shown in the figure, when the transducer array element 141 passes through the coupling agent 123, the sound waves emitted by the transducer array element 141 will gradually stop interacting with the reflector 122, and the collected echo information will change significantly. Then, the changed echo information can be focused on. Fig.10 , Fig.11 After the transducer 140 is moved in the direction shown, the direction of the transducer 140 can also be changed by the freedom adjustment mechanism 113. Figure 5 , 9 In addition to the transducers shown, there are many other styles. Fig.12 Schematic diagrams of various transducers are provided. Fig.12, from left to right, they are a two-dimensional array probe transducer, a 1.5D array probe transducer, a linear array probe transducer, and a convex linear array probe transducer. That is to say, if various transducers only pass through the coupling agent 123 once, some transducer array elements 141 may not be detected. For this reason, the transducer 140 can be passed through the coupling agent 123 again at different angles and dimensions according to the moving trajectory for detection. In this way, the transducer 140 can pass through the coupling agent 123 twice in different directions, so that when an error occurs in the transducer array element 141, the transducer array element 141 with the problem can be specifically determined.
[0065] Step S440: Generate and output a test report based on the echo information, where the test report is used to indicate whether there is a transducer element pin mark error in the transducer.
[0066] In one embodiment, step S440: generating and outputting a detection report based on the echo information includes: determining the number of echoes of the transducer array element 141 of the transducer 140 when passing through the liquid surface of the coupling agent 123 based on the echo information; determining the number of array elements located below the liquid surface of the coupling agent 123 when the transducer 140 passes through the coupling agent 123 based on the movement trajectory and the device information; when the number of echoes and the number of array elements are not equal, determining that the transducer array element 141 located on the liquid surface of the coupling agent 123 has a transducer array element pin mark error; traversing all echo numbers and array element numbers to generate a detection report.
[0067] In one embodiment, Fig.10 , 11 As can be seen from the state diagram, the activated transducer array element 141 continuously transmits ultrasonic waves to the reflector 122 during the movement, and echo information is formed according to the ultrasonic waves reflected by the reflector 122. After each row or column of transducer array elements 141 passes through the coupling agent 123, the collected echo information will change accordingly. According to the change, it can be determined whether there is an error in the transducer array element pin mark, and if there is an error, which specific transducer array element 141 has a problem.
[0068] Specifically, the echo information can be converted into a waveform output by an oscilloscope in the processing unit 130, and the number of echoes in the waveform can be observed to determine the number of transducer array elements 141 located in the coupling agent 123 during the process of the transducer array element 141 passing through the coupling agent 123. If the number of echoes on the oscilloscope is equal to the number of array elements immersed in the coupling agent 123, the pin mark of the array element located on the coupling agent 123 is correct; if the number is inconsistent, the pin mark of the array element located on the coupling agent 123 is wrong. By traversing all the echo numbers and array element numbers, it can be determined whether there is an error in the transducer array element pin mark, and in the case of an error, which transducer array element 141 has a problem, so as to generate a corresponding detection report.
[0069] Therefore, the present application uses a simple instrument mechanism and the echo information formed by the transducer 140 when passing through the coupling agent 123 to determine whether the transducer array element 141 set on the transducer 140 has a transducer array element pin mark error. Therefore, the device can ensure that the connection is correct before connecting to the ultrasound host, and after eliminating the bad track of the ultrasound transducer, check whether the pin mark of each array element is incorrect in a simpler way, and can check the specific error array element.
[0070] In one embodiment, the present application further proposes a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the processor executes the steps of the aforementioned method.
[0071] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program, and the program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. Among them, any reference to memory, storage, database or other media used in the embodiments provided in this application can include non-volatile and / or volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) or flash memory. Volatile memory may include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. As an illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link (Synchlink) DRAM (SLDRAM), memory bus (Rambus) direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and memory bus dynamic RAM (RDRAM).
[0072] The technical features of the above embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.
[0073] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the present application. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the attached claims.
Claims
1. An ultrasonic transducer testing device, It is characterized in that include: A clamping device, used for fixing and moving the transducer; the clamping device comprises a connecting mechanism and a moving mechanism; the transducer is arranged on the connecting mechanism, and the connecting mechanism controls the transducer through electrical connection; the connecting mechanism is arranged on the moving mechanism, and the moving mechanism is used to drive the transducer to move; A test container, used to contain the transducer and the coupling liquid to realize the test; the test container comprises a containing tank body and a reflector; the containing tank body is the main body of the test container, the reflector is arranged in the containing tank body, and the coupling liquid is filled in the containing tank body; a processing unit, electrically connected to the clamping device, and electrically connected to the transducer through the connecting mechanism, wherein the transducer includes a plurality of transducer array elements, and the transducer array elements are used to emit ultrasonic waves when activated, and collect echo information formed when the ultrasonic waves are reflected back after encountering a reflector; The processing unit is used to activate the transducer array element during testing, and after controlling the clamping device to direct the emitting surface of the transducer toward the reflector, control the transducer to move along a preset trajectory in the test container; the processing unit obtains and processes the echo information fed back by the transducer array element during the movement of the transducer to realize detection of the transducer.
2. The ultrasonic transducer testing device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The clamping device also includes a degree of freedom adjustment mechanism; The connecting mechanism is connected to the moving mechanism via the degree of freedom adjusting mechanism, and the degree of freedom adjusting mechanism is used to adjust the orientation and / or angle of the transducer according to the control of the processing unit so that during the movement of the transducer, the beam emitted by the transducer array element is perpendicular to the reflector.
3. The ultrasonic transducer testing device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The working surface of the reflector is perpendicular to the acoustic axis of the transducer, and the working surface is a side of the reflector facing the transducer; The setting parameters of the reflector are determined according to the acoustic wave index emitted by the transducer, and the setting parameters include at least one of the relative distance between the transducer and the reflector, the surface thickness, the lateral dimension, the parallelism of the working surface and the roughness of the working surface; The height of the reflector is higher than the height of the transducer and lower than the height of the accommodating tank.
4. The ultrasonic transducer testing device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The height of the coupling agent injected into the containing groove is consistent with the height of the reflector; When the transducer starts testing, it is placed in the containing tank, and the coupling agent completely immerses the transducer.
5. The ultrasonic transducer testing device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The processing unit includes an oscilloscope, which is used to collect and process the echo information for display. The working status of each channel of the transducer can be determined by observing the pulse wave.
6. A method for testing an ultrasonic transducer, It is characterized in that Applied to the ultrasonic transducer testing device as claimed in claim 1, the ultrasonic transducer testing method comprises the following steps: performing a correction operation on the ultrasonic transducer testing device so that the ultrasonic transducer testing device is ready to begin testing; Acquiring device information of the transducer through the connection mechanism, and determining a movement trajectory according to the device information, wherein the device information is used to characterize a transducer array element of the transducer; Control the movement of the moving mechanism according to the movement trajectory, and obtain the echo information generated by the transducer during the movement process through the connecting mechanism; A detection report is generated and outputted according to the echo information, wherein the detection report is used to characterize the working state of the transducer.
7. The ultrasonic transducer testing method according to claim 6, It is characterized in that The controlling performs a corrective operation on the ultrasonic transducer testing device, comprising: Cleaning the working surfaces of the transducer and the reflector, wherein the working surface is a side of the reflector facing the transducer; The ultrasonic transducer testing device further comprises a degree of freedom adjustment mechanism, and the connecting mechanism is connected to the moving mechanism through the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism; the ultrasonic transducer testing device adjusts the orientation and / or angle of the transducer by controlling the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism, so that the acoustic axis of the transducer is perpendicular to the working surface; Placing the transducer into the containing tank by controlling the moving mechanism, and adjusting the position of the transducer so that the reflector is located at the maximum sound intensity point in the sound beam of the transducer, wherein the maximum sound intensity point is determined according to the device information; Injecting a coupling agent into the containing tank body so that the height of the coupling agent is consistent with the height of the reflector and the coupling agent immerses the transducer; When it is determined that no interfering elements exist in the coupling agent, the correction operation is deemed to be completed, and the interfering elements include at least one of bubble impurities, suspended particles, liquid flow, and liquid temperature changes.
8. The ultrasonic transducer testing method according to claim 6, It is characterized in that The step of obtaining device information of the transducer through the connection mechanism and determining a movement trajectory according to the device information includes: Determining a transducer array element position and a transducer shape according to the device information; A moving trajectory is generated according to the transducer array element position and the transducer shape, wherein the moving trajectory includes a moving route and a moving direction; the moving route is used to control the moving mechanism to ensure that each transducer array element crosses the liquid surface of the coupling agent at least twice in different directions during the movement process; the moving direction is used for the degree of freedom adjustment mechanism to ensure that when each transducer array element crosses the liquid surface of the coupling agent, the acoustic axis of the transducer array element emitting the ultrasonic wave is perpendicular to the reflector.
9. The ultrasonic transducer testing method according to claim 6, It is characterized in that The step of generating and outputting a detection report according to the echo information includes: Determine, according to the echo information, the number of echoes of the transducer array element of the transducer when the transducer array element passes through the liquid surface of the coupling agent; determine, according to the movement trajectory and the device information, the number of array elements of the transducer located below the liquid surface of the coupling agent when the transducer passes through the coupling agent; When the number of echoes is not equal to the number of array elements, it is determined that the transducer array elements located on the liquid surface of the coupling agent have transducer array element pin position marking errors; All the echo numbers and the array element numbers are traversed to generate the detection report.
10. A computer-readable storage medium, It is characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 6 to 9 is implemented.
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