An ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

Abstract

This application relates to the technical field of medical devices, and in particular to an ultrasound probe and an ultrasound diagnostic device. The ultrasound probe includes a backing and a heat dissipation base disposed below and connected to the backing. The heat dissipation base has a plurality of heat sinks on its side facing the backing, and the backing has a plurality of grooves on its side facing the heat dissipation base for placing the heat sinks. The grooves are arc-shaped, and the heat sinks are arc-shaped and cooperate with the grooves. The ultrasound diagnostic device includes the aforementioned ultrasound probe. This application increases the contact area between the backing and the heat dissipation base by arranging the heat sinks in the grooves of the backing, thereby improving the heat dissipation effect of the ultrasound probe.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of medical devices, and in particular to an ultrasound probe and an ultrasound diagnostic device. Background Technology

[0002] The working principle of an ultrasound probe is to convert an excited electrical pulse signal into an ultrasonic signal that enters the patient's body, and then convert the ultrasonic echo signal back into an electrical signal, thereby achieving energy conversion. During the conversion between acoustic and electrical energy, due to mechanical losses and losses in the electroacoustic conversion process, some energy is converted into heat, producing a thermal effect. If this heat cannot be dissipated in time, the temperature of the ultrasound probe will continuously rise, which will not only affect the quality of the ultrasound image but may also cause burns to the patient, resulting in a very poor patient experience. Therefore, heat dissipation of the ultrasound probe is essential in its clinical use.

[0003] Traditional ultrasonic phased array probes typically incorporate an aluminum or copper backing behind the piezoelectric material during the design process. The high thermal conductivity of the metal conducts the generated heat to the probe housing, which then dissipates it into the surrounding environment. While this heat dissipation structure is simple and inexpensive, the heat dissipation capacity of the metal backing is limited, especially during prolonged high-power operation, which can still lead to excessively high probe temperatures. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to overcome the shortcomings of existing ultrasonic probes, which have limited heat dissipation capabilities and may still cause the ultrasonic probe to overheat during long-term high-power operation.

[0005] Therefore, this application provides an ultrasonic probe, which includes a backing and a heat dissipation base disposed below the backing and connected to the backing. The heat dissipation base has a plurality of heat dissipation fins on the side facing the backing, and the backing has a plurality of grooves for placing the heat dissipation fins on the side facing the heat dissipation base. The grooves are arc-shaped grooves, and the heat dissipation fins are arc-shaped and cooperate with the grooves.

[0006] Furthermore, the backing is an arc-shaped backing, and the side of the heat dissipation base facing the backing is arc-shaped to match the backing.

[0007] Furthermore, the heat dissipation base includes a base and an arc-shaped seat connected to the base, with the side of the arc-shaped seat facing the backing conforming to the backing.

[0008] Furthermore, several of the aforementioned heat sinks are evenly arranged on the arc-shaped base.

[0009] Furthermore, several of the heat sinks are arranged along the width direction of the arc-shaped seat, and the curvature of the heat sinks is the same as the curvature of the groove.

[0010] Furthermore, the two ends of the heat sink extend to the two ends of the backing in the length direction.

[0011] Furthermore, the backing material is graphite.

[0012] Furthermore, both the heat dissipation base and the heat sink are made of aluminum.

[0013] Furthermore, the heat sink, heat sink base, and arc-shaped base are integrally formed.

[0014] This application also provides an ultrasound diagnostic device, which includes the aforementioned ultrasound probe.

[0015] The ultrasonic probe of this application increases the contact area between the backing and the heat dissipation base by arranging several heat sinks in the grooves of the backing, thereby improving the heat dissipation effect of the ultrasonic probe. By setting the grooves as arc-shaped grooves and setting the heat sinks as arc-shaped grooves to match the grooves, the contact area between the backing and the heat dissipation base is further increased, thereby further improving the heat dissipation effect of the ultrasonic probe. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the ultrasonic probe of this application;

[0017] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the ultrasonic probe of this application;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic probe of this application.

[0019] In the diagram: 1. Backing; 11. Groove; 2. Heat sink base; 21. Base; 22. Arc-shaped base; 3. Heat sink. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0021] To keep the drawings concise, only the parts relevant to the invention are shown schematically in each figure, and they do not represent the actual structure of the product. Furthermore, for ease of understanding, in some figures, only one of components with the same structure or function is shown schematically, or only one is labeled. In this document, "one" can mean not only "only one" but also "more than one".

[0022] It should also be further understood that the term “and / or” as used in this application specification and the appended claims means any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0023] In this document, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0024] Furthermore, in the description of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the specific implementation methods of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings and other implementation methods can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0026] Example 1

[0027] Reference Figures 1-3 Example 1 provides an ultrasonic probe, which includes a backing 1 and a heat dissipation base 2 disposed below the backing 1 and connected to the backing 1. The heat dissipation base 2 is provided with a plurality of heat dissipation fins 3 on the side facing the backing 1, and the backing 1 is provided with a plurality of grooves 11 for placing the heat dissipation fins 3 on the side facing the heat dissipation base 2. The grooves 11 are arc-shaped grooves, and the heat dissipation fins 3 are arc-shaped and cooperate with the grooves 11.

[0028] The aforementioned ultrasonic probe increases the contact area between the backing 1 and the heat dissipation base 2 by placing several heat sinks 3 in the grooves 11 of the backing 1, thereby improving the heat dissipation effect of the ultrasonic probe. By setting the grooves 11 as arc-shaped grooves and setting the heat sinks 3 as arc-shaped grooves that cooperate with the grooves 11, the contact area between the backing 1 and the heat dissipation base 2 is further increased, thereby further improving the heat dissipation effect of the ultrasonic probe.

[0029] Reference Figures 1-3The central angle of the groove 11 is located in the direction of the heat dissipation base 2. The backing 1 is an arc-shaped backing 1, which is mainly used for the convex array probe to cooperate with the transducer of the convex array probe. Specifically, when the backing 1 is set as an arc-shaped backing 1, the side of the heat dissipation base 2 facing the backing 1 is arc-shaped to cooperate with the backing 1, so that the heat dissipation base 2 and the backing 1 cooperate with each other, improving the firmness of the connection between the backing 1 and the heat dissipation base 2.

[0030] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The heat dissipation base 2 includes a base 21 and an arc-shaped seat 22 connected to the base 21. One side of the arc-shaped seat 22 is in contact with the ultrasonic backing 1. By attaching the arc-shaped seat 22 to the backing 1, the contact area between the backing 1 and the heat dissipation base 2 is increased, further improving the heat dissipation effect of the heat dissipation base 2. Specifically, the base 21 is rectangular, and the side of the arc-shaped seat 22 facing the base 21 has the same shape as the side of the base 21 facing the arc-shaped seat 22. The arc-shaped seat 22 and the base 21 are integrally formed, which facilitates the production of the heat dissipation base 2.

[0031] Reference Figure 2 Several heat sinks 3 are evenly arranged on the heat dissipation base 2. By evenly arranging the heat sinks 3, the heat dissipation uniformity of the ultrasonic probe is further improved, enabling the ultrasonic probe to dissipate heat uniformly, thereby improving the imaging quality of the ultrasonic images obtained by the ultrasonic probe. Specifically, each heat sink 3 is the same size and shape, thereby further improving the heat dissipation uniformity of the ultrasonic probe.

[0032] Reference Figure 2 A plurality of heat sinks 3 are arranged along the width direction of the arc-shaped base 22, or they can be arranged along the length direction of the heat dissipation base 2. Preferably, the heat sinks 3 are evenly arranged along the width direction of the heat dissipation base 2, which results in a longer arc length for the heat sinks 3. Compared to arranging the heat sinks 3 along the width direction of the arc-shaped base 22, this increases the contact area between the heat sinks 3 and the backing 1, further improving the heat dissipation effect of the ultrasonic probe. The heat sinks 3 are evenly arranged along the width direction of the heat dissipation base 2, with a spacing of 4 mm, and the air convection heat transfer coefficient of the heat sinks 3 is approximately 25 W / m·K. Specifically, the arc of the heat sinks 3 is the same as the arc of the groove 11, thereby improving the fit between the heat sinks 3 and the groove 11, further enhancing the heat dissipation effect of the heat sinks 3.

[0033] Preferably, the backing 1 is made of high thermal conductivity graphite (thermal conductivity 180 W / m·K), which further improves the heat dissipation performance of the ultrasonic probe. The side of the backing 1 facing the heat dissipation base 2 has 10 arc-shaped grooves 11, each with a radius of curvature of 8 mm, a depth of 3 mm, a spacing of 4 mm, and a surface roughness Ra < 0.8 μm. Specifically, at least two heat sinks 3 are provided, but multiple heat sinks may also be provided.

[0034] Reference Figure 1 The two ends of the heat sink 3 extend to the two ends of the backing 1 along the length direction, so that the two ends of the heat sink 3 along the length direction are exposed outside the backing 1, thereby increasing the contact area of ​​the probe structure outside the backing 1 of the heat sink 3, further improving the heat dissipation effect of the heat sink 3, and thus further improving the heat dissipation effect of the ultrasonic probe, making the use of the ultrasonic probe more convenient.

[0035] The heat dissipation base 2 is made of high thermal conductivity aluminum alloy (thermal conductivity 200W / m·K). Ten heat sinks 3 are provided on the side of the arc-shaped base 22 facing the backing 1. The heat sink 3 is 1.5mm thick, its length covers both ends of the backing 1, and its width is 10mm. The radius of curvature of the heat sink 3 is 8mm, and the heat sink 3 matches the groove 11. Tests show that after continuous operation at 25℃ for minutes, the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe stabilizes at 38℃, the thermal distribution temperature difference is less than 5℃, the transducer operating frequency deviation is less than 1%, and the imaging resolution is improved by 12%.

[0036] Preferably, in high-power scenarios, a micro heat pipe can be embedded inside the heat dissipation base 2. The micro heat pipe has a diameter of 2-3 mm and the working medium is water or ethanol. The setting of the micro heat pipe further reduces the temperature peak by 5°C.

[0037] Specifically, the heat sink 3, the heat sink base, and the arc-shaped base 22 are integrally formed, which further facilitates the production of the heat sink base 2.

[0038] Example 2

[0039] Example 2 provides an ultrasound diagnostic device, which includes the ultrasound probe provided in Example 1.

[0040] The above embodiments merely illustrate several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An ultrasound probe, characterized by, It includes a backing and a heat dissipation base disposed below and connected to the backing. The heat dissipation base has a plurality of heat dissipation fins on the side facing the backing, and the backing has a plurality of grooves for placing the heat dissipation fins on the side facing the heat dissipation base. The grooves are arc-shaped grooves, and the heat dissipation fins are arc-shaped and cooperate with the grooves.

2. An ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, characterized in that The backing is an arc-shaped backing, and the side of the heat dissipation base facing the backing is arc-shaped to match the backing.

3. An ultrasonic probe according to claim 2, characterized in that The heat dissipation base includes a base and an arc-shaped seat connected to the base, with the side of the arc-shaped seat facing the backing and fitting against the backing.

4. An ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, characterized in that Several heat sinks are evenly arranged on the arc-shaped base.

5. An ultrasonic probe according to claim 4, characterized in that Several heat sinks are arranged along the width direction of the arc-shaped base, and the curvature of the heat sinks is the same as the curvature of the groove.

6. An ultrasonic probe according to claim 5, characterized in that The heat sink extends from both ends along its length to both ends along the length of the backing.

7. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1, wherein, The backing material is graphite.

8. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1, wherein, Both the heat sink base and the heat sink are made of aluminum.

9. An ultrasonic probe according to claim 4, characterized in that The heat sink, heat sink base, and arc-shaped base are integrally formed.

10. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, characterized by comprising: Includes the ultrasonic probe as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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