Ultrasonic cavitation control method and system based on focus movement and ultrasonic cavitation equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to an ultrasonic cavitation control method and system based on focus movement and ultrasonic cavitation equipment, and the method comprises the steps: obtaining a current position of a transducer, and obtaining a current focus regulation and control range according to the current position of the transducer; acquiring a next processing point location of the current processing point location; and if the next processing point location is within the current focus regulation and control range, changing the phase of the transducer so as to enable the focus of the transducer to move to the next processing point location. According to the method, the cavitation memory effect can be reduced or eliminated, and the target processing time can be shortened.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of medical instruments, and in particular, to an ultrasonic cavitation control method, system and ultrasonic cavitation device based on focal point movement. Background Art

[0002] The ultrasonic cavitation technology uses high-intensity, low-duty-cycle pulsed energy to act on a target, and induces controlled cavitation (bubble cloud formation) in the focal volume through extremely short and intense acoustic energy bursts. The violent expansion and collapse of these microbubbles mechanically homogenize the cells and tissue structures in the focal volume into cell-free body fluids or subcellular levels without damaging the surrounding healthy tissues.

[0003] In the ultrasonic cavitation technology, after the cavitation bubble cloud violently collapses, the remaining cavitation bubbles can act as unstable atomic nuclei for several seconds. Without sufficient dissolution time, the unstable atomic nuclei are preferentially re-excited, and this phenomenon is called the cavitation memory effect. The bubbles tend to nucleate at approximately the same position and form more spatially restricted bubble clouds, which can lead to non-uniform damage in the focal area. In the prior art, a long pulse repetition period is used to reduce or eliminate the cavitation memory effect, but this method increases the processing time of the target.

[0004] It can be seen that it is difficult for the prior art to balance reducing or eliminating the cavitation memory effect and shortening the processing time of the target volume. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems or at least partially solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an ultrasonic cavitation control method, system and ultrasonic cavitation device based on focal point movement, which can reduce the cavitation memory effect and at the same time shorten the processing time of the target.

[0006] In a first aspect, an ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focal point movement is provided. The ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focal point movement includes:

[0007] Obtain the current position of the transducer, and obtain the current focal point regulation range according to the current position of the transducer;

[0008] Obtain the next processing point of the current processing point;

[0009] If the next processing point is within the current focal point regulation range, change the phase of the transducer to move the focal point of the transducer to the next processing point.

[0010] Optionally, the ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focal point movement further includes:

[0011] If the next processing point is outside the current focus control range, change the spatial position of the transducer so that the focus of the transducer moves to the next processing point.

[0012] Optionally, the ultrasonic cavitation control method further includes generating a movement trajectory, and the generating of the movement trajectory includes:

[0013] Obtain a number of target areas within the processing area;

[0014] Divide each of the target areas into a plurality of processing points;

[0015] Generate the movement trajectory according to the number of target areas and the plurality of processing points.

[0016] Optionally, the obtaining of the next processing point of the current processing point includes:

[0017] Obtain the coordinate information of the current processing point;

[0018] Obtain the coordinate information of the next processing point according to the coordinate information of the current processing point and the movement trajectory.

[0019] Optionally, the generating of the movement trajectory according to the number of target areas and the plurality of processing points includes:

[0020] Obtain the processing order of a plurality of target areas;

[0021] Within each of the target areas, obtain the processing order of a number of the processing points;

[0022] In each target area, after traversing all the processing points, go to the next target area according to the processing order of the multiple target areas.

[0023] Optionally, the generating of the movement trajectory according to the number of target areas and the plurality of processing points includes:

[0024] Start from the first processing point and traverse to the last processing point;

[0025] Return to the first processing point.

[0026] Optionally, the generating of the movement trajectory according to the number of target areas and the plurality of processing points includes:

[0027] Traverse all the processing points, and the order of the processing points is randomly generated.

[0028] Optionally, in the movement trajectory, the distance between the next processing point and the current processing point is a preset distance.

[0029] Optionally, in the movement trajectory, the next processing point is the processing point that is farthest from the current processing point.

[0030] Optionally, the focus control range is a sphere centered at the geometric center of the transducer with a diameter less than or equal to 30 mm.

[0031] Optionally, the dividing each of the target regions into a plurality of processing points includes:

[0032] Arranging the plurality of processing points in a closely packed structure with a center spacing of 1-3 mm in the transverse plane and a center spacing of 2-6 mm in the axial plane.

[0033] Optionally, before obtaining the next processing point of the current processing point, the ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focus movement further includes:

[0034] Emitting at least one ultrasonic pulse at the current processing point to generate a bubble cloud at the current processing point;

[0035] After moving the focus of the transducer to the next processing point, the method further includes:

[0036] Emitting at least one ultrasonic pulse at the next processing point to generate a bubble cloud at the next processing point.

[0037] Optionally, taking the repetition frequency between two adjacent ultrasonic pulses as the pulse repetition frequency, and the pulse repetition frequency is less than or equal to 20 Hz.

[0038] Optionally, the ultrasonic pulse includes a first ultrasonic pulse, and the emitting at least one ultrasonic pulse at the current processing point includes:

[0039] Emitting the first ultrasonic pulse and focusing the first ultrasonic pulse to the current processing point to generate a first bubble cloud at the current processing point;

[0040] Wherein, the first ultrasonic pulse has a peak negative pressure exceeding the intrinsic threshold of the current processing point.

[0041] Optionally, the ultrasonic pulse includes a second ultrasonic pulse and a third ultrasonic pulse, and the emitting at least one ultrasonic pulse at the current processing point includes:

[0042] Emitting the second ultrasonic pulse and focusing the second ultrasonic pulse to the current processing point to generate at least one bubble;

[0043] Emit the third ultrasonic pulse and focus the third ultrasonic pulse into at least one bubble generated by the second ultrasonic pulse to generate a second bubble cloud at the current treatment point.

[0044] Optionally, the ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focal point movement further includes:

[0045] Before treating the first treatment point, obtain a preset range around the treatment area as a pre-treatment area;

[0046] Receive a pre-treatment energy control instruction and a pre-treatment phase control instruction;

[0047] According to the pre-treatment energy control instruction, generate a set of pre-treatment ultrasonic pulses with a peak negative pressure lower than the intrinsic threshold of the current treatment point;

[0048] According to the pre-treatment phase control instruction, focus the set of pre-treatment ultrasonic pulses on the pre-treatment area.

[0049] In a second aspect, there is provided an ultrasonic cavitation control system based on focal point movement, which applies the method described in any one of the above. The ultrasonic cavitation control system based on focal point movement includes:

[0050] A focal point regulation range acquisition unit, configured to acquire the current position of the transducer and acquire the current focal point regulation range according to the current position of the transducer;

[0051] A point position acquisition unit, configured to acquire the next treatment point of the current treatment point;

[0052] A phase change unit, configured to change the phase of the transducer if the next treatment point is within the current focal point regulation range, so that the focal point of the transducer moves to the next treatment point.

[0053] In a third aspect, there is provided an ultrasonic cavitation device, which applies the method described in any one of the above. The ultrasonic cavitation device includes a control host and a transducer;

[0054] The control host is configured to acquire the current position of the transducer and acquire the current focal point regulation range according to the current position of the transducer;

[0055] The control host is further configured to acquire the next treatment point of the current treatment point;

[0056] The control host is further configured to change the phase of the transducer if the next treatment point is within the current focal point regulation range, so that the focal point of the transducer moves to the next treatment point.

[0057] Optionally, the ultrasonic cavitation device further includes a robotic arm for connecting the control host and the transducer;

[0058] The robotic arm is further configured to move under the control of the control host if the next processing point is outside the current focal point adjustment range, so as to change the spatial position of the transducer, so that the focal point of the transducer moves to the next processing point.

[0059] Optionally, the control host is further configured to receive an energy control instruction and a phase control instruction;

[0060] The transducer is configured to generate ultrasonic pulses according to the energy control instruction;

[0061] The transducer is further configured to focus the ultrasonic pulses to the processing point according to the phase control instruction, so as to generate a bubble cloud at the processing point.

[0062] The present invention provides a method, a system and an ultrasonic cavitation device for controlling ultrasonic cavitation based on focal point movement. The method includes: obtaining the current position of the transducer, and obtaining the current focal point adjustment range according to the current position of the transducer; obtaining the next processing point of the current processing point; if the next processing point is within the current focal point adjustment range, changing the phase of the transducer so that the focal point of the transducer moves to the next processing point. In the embodiments of the present invention, the focal point moves between multiple processing points, which can give the current processing point sufficient time to dissolve residual bubbles, and can also make full use of the time to generate a bubble cloud at the next processing point, and can reduce or eliminate the cavitation memory effect. In addition, in the embodiments of the present invention, the current focal point adjustment range is obtained according to the current position of the transducer. When the next processing point is within the current focal point adjustment range, by controlling the phase of the transducer, the focal point of the transducer moves to the next processing point, and the movement of the robotic arm is not required, that is, rapid damage and sufficient damage to the target area can be achieved. Because the speed of changing the focal point by changing the phase is much higher than the speed of changing the focal point by the movement of the robotic arm, the present invention can also shorten the processing time of the target and save time costs. Description of the Drawings

[0063] The drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of this specification, showing embodiments consistent with the present invention, and are used together with the specification to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0064] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, for those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0065] Figure 1 The following shows an application environment diagram of the ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focal point movement in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0066] Figure 2 The following shows a flowchart of the ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focal point movement in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0067] Figure 3 The following shows a structural schematic diagram of a transducer in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0068] Figure 4 The following shows a schematic diagram of a treatment point in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0069] Figure 5 The following shows a schematic diagram of the damaged area during the treatment process at different pulse repetition frequencies in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0070] Figure 6 The following shows a representative schematic diagram of the damage generated using multiple pulses and different PRFs;

[0071] Figure 7 The following shows a schematic diagram of a treatment point and a pretreatment area in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0072] Figure 8 The following shows a schematic diagram of a treatment point and a pretreatment area in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0073] Figure 9 The following shows a structural schematic diagram of the ultrasonic cavitation control system based on focal point movement in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0074] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0075] Figure 1 The following shows an application environment diagram of the ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focal point movement in an embodiment of the present invention. Refer to Figure 1 , this ultrasonic cavitation control based on focal point movement is applied to an ultrasonic cavitation device, which can also be called an ultrasonic focusing device / apparatus. The ultrasonic cavitation device may include a display screen 110, a control host 120, a robotic arm 130, and a transducer 140. The transducer 140 contains an imaging head ( Figure 1 not shown in Figure 1(not shown in the figure). The controller can be set on the control host 120 or can be an external device. Specifically, the controller can be a desktop terminal or a mobile terminal, and the mobile terminal can specifically be at least one of a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, etc. The controller can also be a server or a server cluster composed of multiple servers to implement. The display screen 110 can display the image and processing parameters at the target; the robotic arm 130 can drive the transducer 140 to move; the transducer 140 emits and / or receives ultrasonic waves and focuses the ultrasonic waves on the target; the control host 120 can drive the transducer 140 and control the entire system and device.

[0076] When the transducer 140 is an array transducer, it can emit ultrasonic waves and focus them on a specified position according to the energy control instruction and phase control instruction of the control host 120.

[0077] The ultrasonic cavitation device can be applied to biological tissues, biological cells, industrial products, etc., and the generated ultrasonic pulses can cause damage to biological tissues, biological cells, industrial products, etc.

[0078] Figure 2 The figure shows the flowchart of the ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focal point movement according to an embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 2 shown, the ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focal point movement includes:

[0079] Step 210, obtain the current position of the transducer, and obtain the current focal point adjustment range according to the current position of the transducer.

[0080] Figure 3 The figure shows the structural schematic diagram of the transducer according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1 、 Figure 3 shown, the transducer can be driven by the robotic arm to move. The array elements in the transducer are distributed in a hemispherical shape, and its geometric center is 310. When the transducer adopts the initial phase, it can be focused at the geometric center 310. However, after the phase of the transducer changes, the focal point will move, for example Figure 3 the point 320 in

[0081] The transducer can only make a small-range adjustment to the focal point position, and this adjustment range can be called the focal point adjustment range. The focal point adjustment range of the transducer is related to the arrangement method, position, structure and other parameters of the array elements in the transducer itself. When the structure of the transducer is determined, the focal point adjustment range corresponding to this position can be directly determined through the position of the transducer.

[0082] Step 220, obtain the next processing point of the current processing point.

[0083] In the embodiment of the present invention, after processing at the current processing point, it will turn to process the next processing point.

[0084] The focus moves between multiple processing points, which can give sufficient time for the current processing point to dissolve residual bubbles, and can also make full use of the time to generate a bubble cloud at the next processing point, reducing or eliminating the cavitation memory effect.

[0085] The method for determining the processing points will be described below and will not be elaborated here.

[0086] Step 230, if the next processing point is within the current focus control range, change the phase of the transducer to move the focus of the transducer to the next processing point.

[0087] In the embodiment of the present invention, the phase of the transducer represents the emission delay time of each element in the transducer, and the focus position can be changed by changing the emission delay time of the transducer elements.

[0088] In the embodiment of the present invention, the focus control range is a sphere centered on the geometric center of the transducer with a diameter less than or equal to 30 mm.

[0089] The focus control range is set to a sphere with a diameter less than or equal to 30 mm for two reasons. One is that if it is greater than this value, defocusing will occur, and the other is that the energy within the focus control range will become smaller and insufficient to cause sufficient damage.

[0090] In other embodiments of the present invention, the focus control range can also be in the form of an ellipsoid, a cube, etc.

[0091] For ease of description, Figure 3 a circle 300 is used to represent the current focus control range in Figure 3 As shown, it can be seen that both point 310 and point 320 are within the current corner control range, while point 330 is outside the current focus control range.

[0092] As Figure 3 In the shown embodiment, if the current processing point is point 310, the current focus control range is 300. At this time, if the next processing point is point 320 within the current focus control range, the focus can be directly changed by changing the phase of the transducer so that the focus is at point 320.

[0093] In the embodiments of the present invention, the focus moves between multiple processing points, which can give sufficient time for the current processing point to dissolve residual bubbles and can also make full use of the time to generate a bubble cloud at the next processing point, thereby reducing or eliminating the cavitation memory effect. In addition, in the embodiments of the present invention, the current focus control range is obtained according to the current position of the transducer. When the next processing point is within the current focus control range, by controlling the phase of the transducer, the focus of the transducer can be moved to the next processing point without the movement of the robotic arm, that is, rapid damage and sufficient damage to the target area can be achieved. Since the speed of changing the focus by changing the phase is much higher than that of changing the focus by the movement of the robotic arm, the present invention can also shorten the processing time of the target and save time costs.

[0094] Referring to Figure 3 the embodiment shown, if the current processing point is point 310, the current focus control range is 300. At this time, if the next processing point is point 330 outside the current focus control range, the focus cannot be made to be at point 330 by changing the phase of the transducer.

[0095] The embodiments of the present invention provide the following method for this application scenario:

[0096] In the embodiments of the present invention, the ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focus movement further includes:

[0097] If the next processing point is outside the current focus control range, the spatial position of the transducer is changed so that the focus of the transducer moves to the next processing point.

[0098] Still referring to Figure 3 the embodiment shown, if the current processing point is point 310, the current focus control range is 300. At this time, if the next processing point is point 330 outside the current focus control range. In the embodiments of the present invention, after it is determined that the next processing point 330 is outside the current focus control range, the robotic arm is moved to change the spatial position of the transducer to the next position of the transducer. The distance between the next position of the transducer and the current position of the transducer is related to the movement accuracy of the robotic arm and also related to the next processing point 330.

[0099] If the distance between the next position of the transducer and the current position of the transducer meets the minimum movement accuracy of the robotic arm, for example, the minimum movement accuracy is 1 unit distance, and the movement distance between the two positions of the transducer is 2 unit distances, then the next position of the transducer can be directly set at the corresponding geometric center at the next processing point 330.

[0100] If the distance between the next position of the transducer and the current position of the transducer cannot meet the minimum movement accuracy of the robotic arm, for example, the minimum movement accuracy is 1 unit distance, and the movement distance between the two positions of the transducer is 0.8 unit distance, then the transducer can be moved by the minimum movement accuracy, and then by adjusting the phase of the transducer, the focus of the transducer can be moved to the next processing point 330.

[0101] In other embodiments of the present invention, the robotic arm can also be moved according to the movement trajectory, comprehensively considering the order of multiple processing points, so that the number of movements of the robotic arm is less, and the movement of the focus between the processing points mainly depends on the change of the transducer phase rather than the movement of the robotic arm, thereby saving processing time.

[0102] In the embodiments of the present invention, the ultrasonic cavitation control method further includes generating a movement trajectory, and generating the movement trajectory includes:

[0103] Obtaining a plurality of target regions within the processing area;

[0104] Dividing each target region into a plurality of processing points;

[0105] Generating a movement trajectory according to the plurality of target regions and the plurality of processing points.

[0106] In the embodiments of the present invention, obtaining the next processing point of the current processing point includes:

[0107] Obtaining the coordinate information of the current processing point;

[0108] Obtaining the coordinate information of the next processing point according to the coordinate information of the current processing point and the movement trajectory.

[0109] In the embodiments of the present invention, dividing each target region into a plurality of processing points includes:

[0110] Arranging the plurality of processing points to form a close-packed structure with a center spacing of 1-3 mm in the transverse plane and a center spacing of 2-6 mm in the axial plane.

[0111] In the embodiments of the present invention, the distribution of the processing points is determined according to the volume of the focus. The center spacing in the transverse plane and the axial plane of the arrangement of the processing points needs to be less than the size of the focus in the corresponding plane in order to be fully processed. In one embodiment of the present invention, for example, if the focus volume does not exceed 4*4*8 mm (if the focus is too large, the energy within the focus volume will become smaller), then the transverse direction is less than 4 mm and the axial direction is less than 8 mm during the arrangement.

[0112] Figure 4 The following shows a schematic diagram of the processing points in the embodiments of the present invention. Figure 4 Among them, the processing points form a close-packed structure.

[0113] In the embodiments of the present invention, multiple methods for generating a movement trajectory are provided. These multiple methods can be used alone or in combination according to requirements.

[0114] The first method can be:

[0115] Obtain the processing sequence of multiple target areas; within each target area, obtain the processing sequence of several processing points; in each target area, after traversing all the processing points, according to the processing sequence of the multiple target areas, move to the next target area.

[0116] The target areas can be A, B, and C. Among them, A includes processing points A1, A2, and A3, B includes processing points B1, B2, and B3, and C includes processing points C1, C2, and C3. According to the first method, the order of the multiple target areas is A, B, C; the order of the processing points in A is A1, A2, A3, the processing order in B is B1, B2, B3, and the processing order in C is C1, C2, C3. Then the movement trajectory is A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, C3.

[0117] The second method can be:

[0118] Start from the first processing point and traverse to the last processing point;

[0119] Return to the first processing point.

[0120] In the embodiments of the present invention, each processing point in the movement trajectory can appear multiple times. Therefore, it can start from the first processing point to the last processing point, and then start from the first processing point to the last processing point again. For example, referring to the settings of the above embodiments, according to the second method, the movement trajectory is A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, C3, A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, C3...

[0121] The third method can be:

[0122] Traverse all the processing points, and the order of the processing points is randomly generated.

[0123] Referring to the settings of the above embodiments, the order of the 9 processing points can be random, so there can be multiple trajectories, such as A1, B2, C3, A3, A2...

[0124] The fourth method can be:

[0125] In the movement trajectory, the distance between the next processing point and the current processing point is a preset distance.

[0126] For example, the distance between A1 and A3 is a preset distance, and the distances between A3 and B1, and between B1 and B3 are preset distances. Then the movement trajectory can be: A1, A3, B1, B3... The preset distance can also be understood as the number of processing points in between. For example, there are 2 processing points (A2, A3) between A1 and A4. If the preset distance is to have 2 processing points in between, then the movement trajectory can be: from A1 to A4.

[0127] This method plans the movement trajectory based on distance. The preset distance is the minimum distance at which adjacent processing points do not interfere, that is, the minimum spatial restriction is imposed on adjacent processing points so that after the electronic focusing steering position is pulsed at a given time, in a specific time period, the subsequent ultrasonic pulses will immediately point to the next processing point.

[0128] The fifth method can be:

[0129] In the movement trajectory, the next processing point is the processing point that is the farthest from the current processing point.

[0130] This method still plans the movement trajectory based on distance. For example, the distance between A1 and C3 is a preset distance, and the distance between C3 and B1 is a preset distance. Then the movement trajectory can be: A1, C3, B1...

[0131] Setting the next processing point and the current processing point at the farthest distance can effectively reduce or eliminate the cavitation memory effect.

[0132] In the embodiments of the present invention, before obtaining the next processing point of the current processing point, the ultrasonic cavitation control method based on the movement of the focus further includes:

[0133] Emitting at least one ultrasonic pulse at the current processing point to generate a bubble cloud at the current processing point;

[0134] After moving the focus of the transducer to the next processing point, the method further includes:

[0135] Emitting at least one ultrasonic pulse at the next processing point to generate a bubble cloud at the next processing point.

[0136] In the embodiments of the present invention, the repetition frequency between adjacent two ultrasonic pulses is used as the pulse repetition frequency (PRF), and the pulse repetition frequency is less than or equal to 20 Hz (that is, the pulse repetition period is 50 ms).

[0137] Optionally, the pulse repetition frequency is less than or equal to 1.2 Hz (that is, the pulse repetition period is greater than or equal to 0.83 s).

[0138] Optionally, the pulse repetition frequency is 0.2 Hz (that is, the pulse repetition period is 5 s). Including but not limited to the above values, it can be any value within the range.

[0139] After the violent collapse of the cavitation bubble cloud, the remaining cavitation bubbles can persist as unstable atomic nuclei for several seconds. When the pulse repetition period is less than the dissolution time, the unstable atomic nuclei are preferentially re-excited, and this phenomenon is called the cavitation memory effect. The spatial distribution and extent of the cavitation bubble cloud highly depend on the PRF. When ultrasonic pulses are separated by short time intervals (high PRF), the bubbles tend to nucleate at roughly the same positions and form more spatially confined bubble clouds, which can lead to non-uniform damage in the focal area. When ultrasonic pulses are separated by sufficiently long time intervals (low PRF), when the unstable nuclei are allowed to dissolve, each ultrasonic pulse generates a more random and spatially differentiated cavitation bubble cloud, and these cavitation bubble clouds are considered to be groups of nano-sized nuclei inherent in the aqueous medium. Therefore, using a lower PRF can reduce or eliminate the cavitation memory effect.

[0140] During the treatment process at different pulse repetition frequencies, the damaged area is as Figure 5 shown. When the pulse repetition frequency is less than or equal to 10 Hz, the rate of increase in the damaged area after each ultrasonic pulse treatment is faster. When the pulse repetition frequency increases from 10 Hz to 100 Hz, the rate of increase slows down. Only when the pulse repetition frequency is less than or equal to 20 Hz can complete damage (i.e., 100% damaged) of the treatment area be achieved. When the pulse repetition frequency is 500 Hz, only 50% of the treatment area is damaged after treatment.

[0141] In an embodiment of the present invention, the treatment area is acted upon at a pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of 0.1 to 1.2 Hz. At a given dose, the degree of tissue damage decreases with the increase in PRF. Figure 6 Representative images of the damage generated using 120 pulses and different PRFs are shown. It was found that for 0.1 Hz and 0.2 Hz, the damage approached saturation (>99%) at approximately 95 and 120 pulses, respectively. However, among the tested PRFs, those >0.2 Hz required more than 200 pulses to reach a comparable damage level. Therefore, a PRF of 0.2 Hz was selected as the PRF for each point treatment. As can be seen from Figure 6 it, the degree of damage at a PRF of 0.2 Hz after 100 pulses is roughly equivalent to the degree of damage at a PRF of 0.4 Hz after 200 pulses.

[0142] In an embodiment of the present invention, the setting of the PRF is related to the damage effect and also to the treatment time. For example, there are 100 treatment points, and 100 ultrasonic pulses are applied to each treatment point, with a PRF of 0.2 Hz (i.e., the pulse repetition period is 5 s).

[0143] In the prior art, after applying 100 ultrasonic pulses at the same treatment point and then turning to the next treatment point, the interval between two adjacent ultrasonic pulses at the same treatment point is 5 s, so the total treatment time is 100×100×5 / 60 = 833 minutes. According to the method of the present invention, after emitting an ultrasonic pulse at a treatment point, it turns to other treatment points, ensuring that the time interval between the same treatment points is 5 s. During this 5 s interval, it can go to other treatment points. Therefore, the total treatment time can be 5×100 / 60 = 8.33 minutes.

[0144] It can be clearly seen from the above comparison that the method of the embodiment of the present invention saves treatment time.

[0145] In the embodiment of the present invention, the treatment of each treatment point can be carried out in the following manner.

[0146] In the embodiment of the present invention, the ultrasonic pulse includes a first ultrasonic pulse. Emitting at least one ultrasonic pulse at the current treatment point includes: emitting the first ultrasonic pulse and focusing the first ultrasonic pulse on the current treatment point to generate a first bubble cloud at the current treatment point; wherein, the first ultrasonic pulse has a peak negative pressure exceeding the intrinsic threshold of the current treatment point.

[0147] In the embodiment of the present invention, the ultrasonic pulse further includes a fourth ultrasonic pulse. Emitting at least one ultrasonic pulse at the current treatment point further includes: emitting the fourth ultrasonic pulse and focusing the fourth ultrasonic pulse on the current treatment point to generate a third bubble cloud; wherein, the peak negative pressure of the fourth ultrasonic pulse is less than the peak negative pressure of the first ultrasonic pulse, and the diameter of the third bubble cloud is less than the diameter of the first bubble cloud; wherein, the fourth ultrasonic pulse has a peak negative pressure exceeding the intrinsic threshold of the current treatment point.

[0148] In the embodiment of the present invention, the ultrasonic pulse further includes a fifth ultrasonic pulse. Emitting at least one ultrasonic pulse at the current treatment point further includes: emitting the fifth ultrasonic pulse and focusing the fifth ultrasonic pulse on the current treatment point to generate a fourth bubble cloud; wherein, the peak negative pressure of the fifth ultrasonic pulse is greater than the peak negative pressure of the first ultrasonic pulse, and the diameter of the fourth bubble cloud is greater than the diameter of the first bubble cloud; wherein, the fifth ultrasonic pulse has a peak negative pressure exceeding the intrinsic threshold of the current treatment point.

[0149] In the embodiment of the present invention, the intrinsic thresholds of all high water content samples (such as blood clots, liver, kidney, heart, brain, spleen, pancreas, blood, as well as water, hydrogel, etc.) are between 26 MPa and 30 MPa peak negative pressure, while the intrinsic thresholds of other media are between 13.7 MPa and 36 MPa peak negative pressure. Only when the peak negative pressure generated by the emitted ultrasonic pulse exceeds the peak negative pressure of the intrinsic threshold of the current treatment point can it directly generate a bubble cloud at the current treatment point, thereby causing damage to the current treatment point.

[0150] In an embodiment of the present invention, the frequency of the ultrasonic pulse is 250 kHz - 6 MHz, and the number of ultrasonic pulses at each treatment point is 50 to 6000 times.

[0151] In an embodiment of the present invention, by the above method, the generated bubble cloud can be made more controllable, and can also be more accurate, more effective and safer, resulting in a better damage effect.

[0152] In another embodiment of the present invention, the ultrasonic pulse harm includes a second ultrasonic pulse and a third ultrasonic pulse. Emitting at least one ultrasonic pulse at the current treatment point includes: emitting a second ultrasonic pulse and focusing the second ultrasonic pulse to the current treatment point to generate at least one bubble; emitting a third ultrasonic pulse and focusing the third ultrasonic pulse into at least one bubble generated by the second ultrasonic pulse to generate a second bubble cloud at the current treatment point.

[0153] In an embodiment of the present invention, the ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focal point movement further includes:

[0154] Before processing the first treatment point, obtaining a preset range around the treatment area as a preprocessing area;

[0155] Receiving a preprocessing energy control instruction and a preprocessing phase control instruction;

[0156] According to the preprocessing energy control instruction, generating a group of preprocessing ultrasonic pulses with a peak negative pressure lower than the intrinsic threshold of the current treatment point;

[0157] According to the preprocessing phase control instruction, focusing a group of preprocessing ultrasonic pulses to the preprocessing area.

[0158] In order to process the treatment point more precisely during treatment without causing excessive damage to the periphery, precise and limited damage can be generated by locally suppressing cavitation around the treatment point without affecting the cavitation in the center. That is, by using preprocessing ultrasonic pulses to actively control the cavitation around the treatment point before treatment, local suppression of cavitation is achieved. Specifically, a short-time medium negative pressure preprocessing ultrasonic pulse is given around the treatment point before the ultrasonic pulse, which can significantly suppress peripheral damage while maintaining complete segmentation of the focal center. Since the peak negative pressure of the preprocessing ultrasonic pulse is lower than the intrinsic threshold of the current treatment point, no bubble cloud will be generated in the preprocessing area, so no damage will be caused to the preprocessing area.

[0159] If there is only one treatment area 701, such as Figure 7As shown, before the first ultrasonic pulse is sent at the first processing point 710, a preprocessing ultrasonic pulse is first applied in the preprocessing area 700. Before the second ultrasonic pulse is sent at the second processing point 720, a preprocessing ultrasonic pulse is first applied in the preprocessing area 700, and so on.

[0160] In other embodiments of the present invention, before the first ultrasonic pulse is sent at the first processing point, a preprocessing pulse is applied in a local preprocessing area (a local area adjacent to the first processing point). Before the second ultrasonic pulse is sent at the second processing point, a preprocessing pulse is applied in a local preprocessing area (a local area adjacent to the second processing point), and so on; or after a preprocessing ultrasonic pulse is applied in the preprocessing area, an ultrasonic pulse is applied at all processing points. It should be noted that the processing area and the preprocessing area are three-dimensional and can be a sphere, an ellipsoid, a cube, a cuboid, etc.

[0161] If there are multiple processing areas, such as Figure 8 the processing areas 801, 802, and 803 shown, and the processing points such as Figure 8 810 and 820 in [reference]. The preprocessing area 800 can be outside the entire processing area. Before applying the ultrasonic pulse, that is, before processing the first processing point, a preprocessing ultrasonic pulse can be completely applied in the preprocessing area; or a local preprocessing ultrasonic pulse can be applied; or after a preprocessing ultrasonic pulse is applied in the preprocessing area, an ultrasonic pulse is applied at all processing points, and so on.

[0162] In the embodiments of the present invention, a number of target areas are obtained within the processing area; each target area is divided into multiple processing points; a movement trajectory is generated according to the number of target areas and the multiple processing points. The present invention also provides a variety of methods for generating a movement trajectory. After generating the movement trajectory, the order between multiple processing points can be obtained. When processing in the embodiments of the present invention, after processing at a certain processing point, the next processing point is obtained. At this time, the current focus control range is obtained according to the current position of the transducer, and it is judged whether the next processing point is within the current focus control range. If the next processing point is within the current focus control range, the phase of the transducer is changed to move the focus of the transducer to the next processing point; if the next processing point is outside the current focus control range, the robotic arm is moved to change the position of the transducer to move the focus of the transducer to the next processing point.

[0163] In the embodiments of the present invention, the focus moves between multiple processing points, which can give sufficient time to the current processing point to dissolve residual bubbles and can also make full use of the time to generate a bubble cloud at the next processing point, reducing or eliminating the cavitation memory effect. In addition, when the next processing point is within the current focus control range, by controlling the phase of the transducer, the focus of the transducer can be moved to the next processing point without the movement of the robotic arm, achieving rapid and sufficient damage to the target area. Since the speed of changing the focus by changing the phase is much higher than that of changing the focus by the movement of the robotic arm, the present invention can also shorten the processing time of the target and save time costs.

[0164] Figure 9 The following is a schematic diagram of an ultrasonic cavitation control system based on focus movement according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasonic cavitation control system based on focus movement includes:

[0165] A focus control range acquisition unit 910, configured to acquire the current position of the transducer and acquire the current focus control range according to the current position of the transducer;

[0166] A point acquisition unit 920, configured to acquire the next processing point of the current processing point;

[0167] A phase change unit 930, configured to change the phase of the transducer to move the focus of the transducer to the next processing point if the next processing point is within the current focus control range.

[0168] In the embodiments of the present invention, the phase change unit 930 is further configured to:

[0169] If the next processing point is outside the current focus control range, change the spatial position of the transducer to move the focus of the transducer to the next processing point.

[0170] In the embodiments of the present invention, the ultrasonic cavitation control system based on focus movement further includes a trajectory unit 940, configured to generate a movement trajectory;

[0171] In the embodiments of the present invention, the trajectory unit 940 is further configured to:

[0172] Acquire a plurality of target areas within the processing area;

[0173] Divide each target area into multiple processing points;

[0174] Generate a movement trajectory according to the plurality of target areas and the multiple processing points.

[0175] In the embodiments of the present invention, the point acquisition unit 920 is further configured to:

[0176] Acquire the coordinate information of the current processing point;

[0177] Obtain the coordinate information of the next processing point according to the coordinate information and movement trajectory of the current processing point.

[0178] In the embodiment of the present invention, the trajectory unit 940 is further configured to:

[0179] Obtain the processing sequence of multiple target areas;

[0180] In each target area, obtain the processing sequence of several processing points;

[0181] In each target area, after traversing all processing points, go to the next target area according to the processing sequence of multiple target areas.

[0182] In the embodiment of the present invention, the trajectory unit 940 is further configured to:

[0183] Traverse from the first processing point to the last processing point;

[0184] Return to the first processing point.

[0185] In the embodiment of the present invention, the trajectory unit 940 is further configured to:

[0186] Traverse all processing points, and the order of the processing points is randomly generated.

[0187] In the embodiment of the present invention, in the movement trajectory, the distance between the next processing point and the current processing point is a preset distance.

[0188] In the embodiment of the present invention, in the movement trajectory, the next processing point is the processing point farthest from the current processing point.

[0189] In the embodiment of the present invention, the focus control range is a sphere centered on the geometric center of the transducer and with a diameter less than or equal to 30 mm.

[0190] In the embodiment of the present invention, the trajectory unit 940 is further configured to:

[0191] Arrange multiple processing points to form a close-packed structure with a center spacing of 1 - 3 mm in the transverse plane and a center spacing of 2 - 6 mm in the axial plane.

[0192] In the embodiment of the present invention, the ultrasonic cavitation control system based on focus movement further includes a transmitting unit 950, which is used for:

[0193] Emit at least one ultrasonic pulse at the current processing point to generate a bubble cloud at the current processing point;

[0194] The transmitting unit 950 is further used for:

[0195] After moving the focus of the transducer to the next treatment point, at least one ultrasonic pulse is emitted at the next treatment point to generate a bubble cloud at the next treatment point.

[0196] In an embodiment of the present invention, the repetition frequency between two adjacent ultrasonic pulses is used as the pulse repetition frequency, and the pulse repetition frequency is less than or equal to 20 Hz.

[0197] In an embodiment of the present invention, the transmitting unit 950 is further configured to:

[0198] Transmit a first ultrasonic pulse and focus the first ultrasonic pulse on the current treatment point to generate a first bubble cloud at the current treatment point;

[0199] Wherein, the first ultrasonic pulse has a peak negative pressure exceeding the intrinsic threshold of the current treatment point.

[0200] In an embodiment of the present invention, the transmitting unit 950 is further configured to:

[0201] Transmit a second ultrasonic pulse and focus the second ultrasonic pulse on the current treatment point to generate at least one bubble;

[0202] Transmit a third ultrasonic pulse and focus the third ultrasonic pulse on at least one bubble generated by the second ultrasonic pulse to generate a second bubble cloud at the current treatment point.

[0203] In an embodiment of the present invention, the ultrasonic cavitation control system based on focus movement further includes a preprocessing unit 960, configured to:

[0204] Before processing the first treatment point, obtain a preset range around the treatment area as the preprocessing area;

[0205] Receive a preprocessing energy control instruction and a preprocessing phase control instruction;

[0206] According to the preprocessing energy control instruction, generate a set of preprocessing ultrasonic pulses with a peak negative pressure lower than the intrinsic threshold of the current treatment point;

[0207] According to the preprocessing phase control instruction, focus a set of preprocessing ultrasonic pulses on the preprocessing area.

[0208] An embodiment of the present invention further provides an ultrasonic cavitation device, which applies the method of any one of the above. The ultrasonic cavitation device includes a control host and a transducer;

[0209] The control host is configured to obtain the current position of the transducer and obtain the current focus adjustment range according to the current position of the transducer;

[0210] The control host is further configured to obtain the next treatment point of the current treatment point;

[0211] The control host is further configured to change the phase of the transducer if the next processing point is within the current focal regulation range, so as to move the focal point of the transducer to the next processing point.

[0212] In an embodiment of the present invention, the ultrasonic cavitation device further includes a robotic arm for connecting the control host and the transducer;

[0213] The robotic arm is further configured to move under the control of the control host if the next processing point is outside the current focal regulation range, so as to change the spatial position of the transducer, and move the focal point of the transducer to the next processing point.

[0214] In an embodiment of the present invention, the control host is further configured to receive an energy control instruction and a phase control instruction;

[0215] The transducer is configured to generate ultrasonic pulses according to the energy control instruction;

[0216] The transducer is further configured to focus the ultrasonic pulses to the processing point according to the phase control instruction, so as to generate a bubble cloud at the processing point.

[0217] The system, device and ultrasonic cavitation device of the embodiments of the present invention can reduce the cavitation memory effect and at the same time shorten the processing time of the target.

[0218] Figure 2 It is a schematic flowchart of an ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focal point movement in an embodiment. It should be understood that although Figure 2 the steps in the flowchart are shown in sequence according to the indication of the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless otherwise clearly stated in this article, the execution of these steps has no strict order limit, and these steps can be executed in other orders. Moreover, Figure 2 at least a part of the steps in

[0219] Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be completed by instructing relevant hardware through a computer program. 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 methods. Among them, any reference to a memory, storage, database, or other medium used in the embodiments provided by the present invention can include non-volatile and / or volatile memories. Non-volatile memories can include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memories can include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. By way of 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 (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), Rambus direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and Rambus dynamic RAM (RDRAM), etc.

[0220] It should be noted that in this article, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the term "comprising", "including" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or further includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "comprising an..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the said element.

[0221] The above are only specific embodiments of the present invention, enabling those skilled in the art to understand or implement the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to these embodiments shown herein, but rather to the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features claimed herein.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focal point movement, characterized in that, The ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focal point movement includes: Obtaining the current position of the transducer, and obtaining the current focal point regulation range according to the current position of the transducer; Obtaining the next processing point of the current processing point; If the next processing point is within the current focal point regulation range, changing the phase of the transducer so that the focal point of the transducer moves to the next processing point.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focal point movement further includes: If the next processing point is outside the current focal point regulation range, changing the spatial position of the transducer so that the focal point of the transducer moves to the next processing point.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focal point movement further includes generating a movement trajectory, and the generating of the movement trajectory includes: Obtaining a plurality of target areas within the processing area; Dividing each of the target areas into a plurality of processing points; Generating the movement trajectory according to the plurality of target areas and the plurality of processing points.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The obtaining of the next processing point of the current processing point includes: Obtaining the coordinate information of the current processing point; Obtaining the coordinate information of the next processing point according to the coordinate information of the current processing point and the movement trajectory.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein The generating of the movement trajectory according to the plurality of target areas and the plurality of processing points includes: Obtaining the processing order of the plurality of target areas; Obtaining the processing order of a plurality of the processing points within each of the target areas; In each target area, after traversing all the processing points, proceeding to the next target area according to the processing order of the plurality of target areas.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein The generating of the movement trajectory according to the plurality of target areas and the plurality of processing points includes: Starting from the first processing point and traversing to the last processing point; Returning to the first processing point.

7. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The generating of the movement trajectory according to the plurality of target areas and the plurality of processing points includes: Traversing all the processing points, and the order of the processing points is randomly generated.

8. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that In the movement trajectory, the distance between the next processing point and the current processing point is a preset distance.

9. The method according to claim 3, wherein In the movement trajectory, the next processing point is the processing point with the farthest distance from the current processing point.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein The focal point regulation range is a sphere centered on the geometric center of the transducer with a diameter less than or equal to 30 mm.

11. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The dividing of each of the target areas into a plurality of processing points includes: Arranging the plurality of processing points in a closely packed structure with a center spacing of 1 - 3 mm in the transverse plane and a center spacing of 2 - 6 mm in the axial plane.

12. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Before the obtaining of the next processing point of the current processing point, the ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focal point movement further includes: Emitting at least one ultrasonic pulse at the current processing point to generate a bubble cloud at the current processing point; After the focal point of the transducer is moved to the next processing point, the method further includes: Emitting at least one ultrasonic pulse at the next processing point to generate a bubble cloud at the next processing point.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein Taking the repetition frequency between two adjacent ultrasonic pulses as the pulse repetition frequency, and the pulse repetition frequency is less than or equal to 20 Hz.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein The ultrasonic pulse includes a first ultrasonic pulse. Emitting at least one ultrasonic pulse at the current treatment point includes: Emitting the first ultrasonic pulse and focusing the first ultrasonic pulse to the current treatment point to generate a first bubble cloud at the current treatment point; Wherein, the first ultrasonic pulse has a peak negative pressure exceeding the intrinsic threshold of the current treatment point.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein The ultrasonic pulse includes a second ultrasonic pulse and a third ultrasonic pulse. Emitting at least one ultrasonic pulse at the current treatment point includes: Emitting the second ultrasonic pulse and focusing the second ultrasonic pulse to the current treatment point to generate at least one bubble; Emitting the third ultrasonic pulse and focusing the third ultrasonic pulse into at least one bubble generated by the second ultrasonic pulse to generate a second bubble cloud at the current treatment point.

16. The method according to claim 3, wherein The ultrasonic cavitation control method based on focal point movement further includes: Before treating the first treatment point, obtaining a preset range around the treatment area as a pretreatment area; Receiving a pretreatment energy control instruction and a pretreatment phase control instruction; According to the pretreatment energy control instruction, generating a set of pretreatment ultrasonic pulses with a peak negative pressure lower than the intrinsic threshold of the current treatment point; According to the pretreatment phase control instruction, focusing the set of pretreatment ultrasonic pulses to the pretreatment area.

17. An ultrasonic cavitation control system based on focus movement, characterized in that Applying the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, the ultrasonic cavitation control system based on focal point movement includes: A focal point regulation range acquisition unit, configured to acquire the current position of the transducer and acquire the current focal point regulation range according to the current position of the transducer; A point position acquisition unit, configured to acquire the next treatment point of the current treatment point; A phase change unit, configured to change the phase of the transducer if the next treatment point is within the current focal point regulation range, so that the focal point of the transducer moves to the next treatment point.

18. An ultrasonic cavitation device, characterized in that, Applying the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, the ultrasonic cavitation device includes a control host and a transducer; The control host is configured to acquire the current position of the transducer and acquire the current focal point regulation range according to the current position of the transducer; The control host is further configured to acquire the next treatment point of the current treatment point; The control host is further configured to change the phase of the transducer if the next treatment point is within the current focal point regulation range, so that the focal point of the transducer moves to the next treatment point.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein, The ultrasonic cavitation device further includes a robotic arm for connecting the control host and the transducer; The robotic arm is further configured to move under the control of the control host if the next treatment point is outside the current focal point regulation range to change the spatial position of the transducer, so that the focal point of the transducer moves to the next treatment point.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein The control host is further configured to receive an energy control instruction and a phase control instruction; The transducer is configured to generate ultrasonic pulses according to the energy control instruction; The transducer is also used to focus the ultrasonic pulse to the treatment point according to the phase control instruction, so as to generate a bubble cloud at the treatment point.

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