Ultrasound therapy equipment

Abstract

This disclosure provides an ultrasound therapy device, comprising: a control unit for outputting a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal is a modulation signal and the second signal is an ultrasound driving continuous signal, and the frequency of the second signal is higher than the frequency of the first signal; a power amplifier unit for amplifying the first signal and modulating it into the second signal to obtain a third signal, wherein the third signal is an ultrasound driving modulation signal and carries the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the sound field of the first signal; and an ultrasound transducer for converting the third signal into ultrasound waves and outputting them.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of ultrasound therapy, and more specifically, to an ultrasound therapy device. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of ultrasound therapy, focused ultrasound therapy and modulation is a novel non-invasive treatment technology. The core principle of this technology lies in precisely focusing ultrasound energy generated outside the body onto a specific target tissue area within the body. At the focal point, the ultrasound energy can produce various biophysical effects, primarily including thermal, mechanical, and cavitation effects. Utilizing these effects, this technology can achieve various medical purposes such as disease treatment and neuromodulation without damaging surrounding normal tissues.

[0003] Among the many technical aspects of focused ultrasound therapy and control systems, the driving method of ultrasound waves is one of the core technologies that determines its treatment mechanism, efficacy, and safety. Currently, there are two main driving methods that are widely used in clinical practice and have been studied in depth: continuous wave driving and pulse wave driving.

[0004] Continuous wave ablation refers to a driving method that uses continuous and stable emission of ultrasonic energy to act on target tissue. The core feature of this driving method is that it provides a long-term, constant ultrasonic energy output, mainly relying on the thermal effect generated by the accumulation of ultrasonic waves in the tissue to achieve thermal ablation of the tissue.

[0005] Pulse wave drive refers to a driving method that uses intermittent energy emission. This driving method employs an intermittent ultrasonic emission mode, with intervals between pulses. Pulse wave drive generates mechanical effects or controllable thermal effects through a series of short, high-intensity ultrasonic pulses.

[0006] Although continuous wave drive and pulsed wave drive form the basis of current focused ultrasound technology and are each applied in specific scenarios, they both have significant inherent limitations. First, these two drive modes tend to have singular effects: continuous wave drive focuses on thermal effects, making it difficult to effectively excite or precisely control mechanical and cavitation effects; while pulsed wave drive focuses on mechanical effects, with its thermal effects typically being weaker and more limited, and its utilization of cavitation effects often lacking active controllability. In other words, existing continuous wave drive and pulsed wave drive technologies fail to fully integrate the mechanical, thermal, and cavitation effects of ultrasound, limiting the diversity of treatment mechanisms and the potential for optimizing therapeutic efficacy.

[0007] In summary, the continuous wave and pulse wave driving modes relied upon by existing focused ultrasound technology result in limited therapeutic mechanisms due to their singular effects. Furthermore, the lack of dynamic modulation capabilities based on physiological feedback restricts the precision, safety, and adaptability to diverse individual needs and complex treatment requirements. These limitations significantly hinder the further development and widespread adoption of focused ultrasound technology in broader clinical applications, especially those requiring multi-mechanism synergy or real-time precise energy control. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop an innovative driving strategy that can intelligently integrate multiple ultrasound effects and achieve dynamic modulation based on real-time physiological signal feedback. Utility Model Content

[0008] This disclosure aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and proposes an ultrasound therapy device that, by combining the characteristics of pulse wave driving and continuous wave driving, fully and synergistically utilizes the mechanical, cavitation and thermal effects of ultrasound, thereby expanding the application scope and usage of ultrasound therapy in clinical medicine.

[0009] To achieve the purpose of this disclosure, an ultrasound therapy device is provided, comprising:

[0010] The control unit is used to output a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal is a modulated signal and the second signal is an ultrasonic driving continuous signal, and the frequency of the second signal is higher than the frequency of the first signal;

[0011] The power amplifier unit is used to amplify the first signal and modulate it onto the second signal.

[0012] A third signal is obtained, which is an ultrasonic-driven modulation signal and carries the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the sound field of the first signal; and

[0013] An ultrasonic transducer assembly is used to convert the third signal into ultrasonic waves and output them.

[0014] In some embodiments, the power amplifier unit includes:

[0015] A voltage adjustment module is used to amplify the first signal to enhance its driving capability.

[0016] An inverter module is used to modulate the amplified first signal onto the second signal to obtain the third signal.

[0017] In some embodiments, the power amplifier unit includes:

[0018] The monitoring component is used to collect the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the sound field of the third signal in real time.

[0019] In some embodiments, the control unit includes:

[0020] The feedback module is used to dynamically adjust the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the first signal based on the comparison results between the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the sound field of the third signal and the preset signal parameters.

[0021] In some embodiments, the control unit includes:

[0022] Carrier generator, used to generate ultrasonic carrier waves;

[0023] A modulation unit is used to receive a target physiological signal and modulate the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the target physiological signal onto the ultrasonic carrier wave to obtain a first signal carrying the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the physiological signal.

[0024] In some embodiments, the modulation unit includes:

[0025] The feature extraction module is used to extract the waveform features and spatiotemporal distribution features of the target physiological signal.

[0026] In some embodiments, the control unit includes:

[0027] An interactive component for receiving the target physiological signal from external input.

[0028] In some embodiments, the ultrasound therapy device further includes:

[0029] A physiological monitoring unit is used to collect the target's physiological signals in real time.

[0030] In some embodiments, the ultrasonic transducer assembly includes a single ultrasonic transducer, wherein the single ultrasonic transducer is used to output the ultrasonic waves according to preset timing parameters.

[0031] In some embodiments, the ultrasonic transducer assembly includes:

[0032] Multiple ultrasonic transducers are used to form an ultrasonic transducer phased array structure. Each ultrasonic transducer in the ultrasonic transducer phased array structure includes an adjustment device for adjusting the emission phase of the ultrasonic transducer, so that the ultrasonic transducer phased array structure has multiple emission modes.

[0033] This disclosure has the following beneficial effects:

[0034] The ultrasound therapy device disclosed herein includes a control unit, a power amplifier unit, and an ultrasound transducer assembly. The control unit outputs a first signal and a second signal. The first signal is a modulated signal, and the second signal is a continuous ultrasound driving signal, wherein the frequency of the second signal is higher than the frequency of the first signal. The power amplifier unit amplifies the first signal and modulates it into the second signal to obtain a third signal. The third signal is an ultrasound driving modulated signal and carries the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the sound field of the first signal. The ultrasound transducer assembly converts the third signal into ultrasound waves and outputs them. The ultrasound therapy device of this disclosure amplifies the first signal, which is a low-frequency modulated signal, and modulates the amplified signal into the second signal, which is a high-frequency ultrasound driving signal, to form a third signal driven by ultrasound carrier modulation. This allows the third signal to simultaneously possess the characteristics of continuous wave driving and pulse wave driving, thereby fully and synergistically utilizing the mechanical, cavitation, and thermal effects of ultrasound waves to effectively treat and regulate specific diseases. Attached Figure Description

[0035] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an ultrasound therapy device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0036] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the power amplifier unit of the ultrasound therapy device provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0037] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the control unit of the ultrasound therapy device provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0038] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an ultrasound therapy device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0039] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the signal of an ultrasound therapy device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 6 This is another signal schematic diagram of the ultrasound therapy device provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0041] Figure 7 Another signal schematic diagram of the ultrasound therapy device provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0042] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of an ultrasound therapy device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure, which includes a physiological monitoring unit;

[0043] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the power amplifier unit of the ultrasound therapy device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the ultrasound transducer component includes a single ultrasound transducer.

[0044] Figure 10This is a schematic diagram of an ultrasound therapy device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which multiple ultrasound transducer components form an ultrasound transducer phased array structure.

[0045] List of reference numerals in the attached diagram:

[0046] 1. Ultrasonic therapy equipment;

[0047] 10. Control unit; 110. Feedback module; 120. Carrier generator; 130. Modulation unit; 131. Feature extraction module; 140. Interaction component;

[0048] 20. Power Amplifier Unit; 210. Voltage Adjustment Module; 211. EMC Circuit; 212. Buck-Boost Circuit; 220. Inverter Module; 230. Monitoring Components; 240. Microcontroller Module; 250. Communication Conversion Module;

[0049] 30. Ultrasonic transducer assembly; 310. Single ultrasonic transducer; 320. Ultrasonic transducer;

[0050] 40. Physiological monitoring unit. Detailed Implementation

[0051] The present disclosure is described in detail below. Examples of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar components or components having the same or similar functions throughout. Furthermore, detailed descriptions of known technologies that are unnecessary for the features of the present disclosure illustrated are omitted. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are used only to explain the present disclosure, and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

[0052] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in general dictionaries should be understood to have the same meaning as in the context of the prior art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless specifically defined as herein.

[0053] The technical solutions of this disclosure and how they solve the above-mentioned technical problems will be described in detail below with specific embodiments.

[0054] like Figures 1 to 4As shown, this disclosure provides an ultrasound therapy device 1. The ultrasound therapy device 1 includes a control unit 10, a power amplifier unit 20, and an ultrasound transducer assembly 30. The control unit 10 outputs a first signal and a second signal. The first signal is a modulation signal, and the second signal is an ultrasound-driven continuous signal, with the frequency of the second signal being higher than the frequency of the first signal. For example, the first signal is a pulse modulation signal. The power amplifier unit 20 amplifies the first signal and modulates it into the second signal to obtain a third signal. The third signal is an ultrasound-driven modulation signal and carries the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the sound field of the first signal. The ultrasound transducer assembly 30 converts the third signal into ultrasound waves and outputs them. This ultrasound therapy device 1 amplifies the first signal, which is a low-frequency modulation signal, and modulates the amplified signal into the second signal, which is a high-frequency ultrasound driving signal, to form a third signal driven by ultrasound carrier modulation. This allows the third signal to simultaneously possess the characteristics of continuous wave driving and pulse wave driving, thereby fully and synergistically utilizing the mechanical, cavitation, and thermal effects of ultrasound waves to effectively treat and regulate specific diseases. It should be noted that the waveform characteristics described in this disclosure can be understood as ultrasonic irradiation parameters, including power, pulse length, pulse repetition frequency, irradiation time, pulse envelope shape, pulse frequency and phase modulation, etc., and the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics include the sound pressure, sound intensity, sound power, etc. of the signal.

[0055] Typically, continuous wave driven signals have relatively low power due to energy accumulation, primarily producing thermal effects. Pulse wave driven signals, on the other hand, usually have higher power and shorter pulse durations, primarily producing mechanical or cavitation effects. Furthermore, both continuous wave and pulse wave driven signals employ a single driving method, typically utilizing only a single ultrasonic effect. Compared to existing continuous wave and pulse wave driven methods, such as... Figures 5 to 7 The ultrasound therapy device 1 of this embodiment can generate controllable thermal effect accumulation in the target tissue when the drive signal is in a continuous low-amplitude state; and can mainly generate mechanical effects when the drive signal switches to a short-cycle high-frequency amplitude state; and can effectively promote cavitation effects in the tissue when in a specially designed high-amplitude state. Therefore, the ultrasound therapy device 1 of this embodiment no longer utilizes the above-mentioned effects in isolation, but can dynamically and seamlessly switch or combine thermal, mechanical, and cavitation effects. This dynamic modulation capability greatly enhances the flexibility and adaptability of the ultrasound therapy process. Thus, the ultrasound therapy device 1 of this embodiment, through rapid adjustment, causes the amplitude of the output ultrasound energy to fluctuate regularly, achieving the purpose of treating and regulating the patient through different fluctuation frequencies and amplitudes.

[0056] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2As shown, the power amplifier unit 20 may include a voltage adjustment module 210 and an inverter module 220. The voltage adjustment module 210 amplifies the first signal to enhance its driving capability. The inverter module 220 modulates the amplified first signal onto a second signal to obtain a third signal. Thus, the first signal is loaded into the voltage adjustment module 210, which dynamically drives the voltage to rapidly change according to the characteristics of the first signal, thereby amplifying it. Then, the amplified first signal is sent to the inverter module 220, which performs high-frequency switching according to the second signal to generate a third signal with the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the sound field of the first signal, serving as a high-frequency ultrasonic drive.

[0057] In some embodiments, amplifying the first signal includes amplifying the signal amplitude of the first signal.

[0058] In some embodiments, amplifying the first signal includes amplifying the power of the first signal.

[0059] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the power amplifier unit 20 may include a monitoring component 230. The monitoring component 230 is used to acquire the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the third signal in real time to monitor the output state of the third signal.

[0060] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the control unit 10 may include a feedback module 110. The feedback module 110 is used to dynamically adjust the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the first signal based on a comparison of the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the third signal with preset signal parameters. Therefore, the ultrasound therapy device 1 of this embodiment can adjust the characteristics of the first signal based on the output state of the third signal to improve the output accuracy of the third signal.

[0061] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the voltage regulation module 210 may include an EMC circuit 211 (electromagnetic compatibility circuit) and a buck-boost circuit 212. The EMC circuit 211 and the buck-boost circuit 212 are interconnected. The EMC circuit 211 receives an external DC input and performs filtering and EMC processing on it. The buck-boost circuit 212 receives the processed DC power supply output from the EMC circuit 211, an analog voltage regulation signal from the control unit 10, and a first signal. The buck-boost circuit 212 amplifies the first signal based on the analog voltage regulation signal.

[0062] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2As shown, the power amplifier unit 20 may include a microcontroller module 240 to process analog voltage regulation signals and first signals from the control unit 10. In some embodiments, the power amplifier unit 20 may also include a communication conversion module 250, which is connected to the microcontroller module 240 and used for communication with the control unit 10.

[0063] In some embodiments, the function of the microcontroller module of the power amplifier unit 20 is integrated into the control unit 10.

[0064] In some embodiments, the first signal may be generated by the control unit 10.

[0065] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the control unit 10 may include a carrier generator 120 and a modulation unit 130. The carrier generator 120 is used to generate an ultrasonic carrier. The modulation unit 130 is used to receive a target physiological signal and modulate the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the target physiological signal onto the ultrasonic carrier to obtain a first signal carrying the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the physiological signal. The target physiological signal may include, for example, brain waves, electromyography signals, pulse, electrocardiogram, etc. The ultrasonic therapy device 1 of this embodiment closely links its driving mode with human physiological signals and can be used for brain nerve modulation, muscle group treatment and conditioning, etc. In some embodiments, the target physiological signal may include edited waveform characteristics. For example, the target physiological signal may be a signal extracted from specific components of brain waves.

[0066] In some embodiments, the second signal may be generated by the control unit 10.

[0067] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the modulation unit 130 may include a feature extraction module 131. The feature extraction module 131 is used to extract the waveform features and spatiotemporal distribution features of the target physiological signal. Thus, the ultrasound therapy device 1 of this embodiment can identify and distinguish different information in one or more target physiological signals, group signals of the same information category into one category, retain waveform features and spatiotemporal distribution features that are strongly correlated with the target physiological signal, avoid the one-sidedness of a single feature, and generate complete features that can comprehensively reflect the target physiological signal.

[0068] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the control unit 10 may include an interaction component 140. The interaction component 140 is used to receive target physiological signals input from external sources. For example, a user can manually input target physiological signals through the interaction component 140. Alternatively, the interaction component 140 may be communicatively connected to an external device (e.g., an external database) to receive target physiological signals from the external device.

[0069] In some embodiments, such as Figure 8 As shown, the ultrasound therapy device 1 may further include a physiological monitoring unit 40. The physiological monitoring unit 40 is used to acquire target physiological signals in real time. The physiological monitoring unit 40 may employ one or more of the following: ultrasound imaging equipment, pressure sensing equipment, temperature sensing equipment, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, fluorescence imaging, infrared imaging, bioelectrical impedance imaging, infrasound sensors, etc. Furthermore, in embodiments where the control unit includes a modulation unit 130, the modulation unit 130 may also dynamically adjust the waveform characteristics of the first signal and the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the sound field based on the real-time target physiological signals from the physiological monitoring unit 40, thereby achieving real-time synchronization with human physiological signals through ultrasound carrier modulation drive.

[0070] In some embodiments, such as Figure 9 As shown, the ultrasonic transducer assembly 30 may include a single ultrasonic transducer 310. The single ultrasonic transducer is used to output ultrasonic waves according to preset timing parameters. Therefore, the ultrasonic therapy device 1 of this embodiment can further control the ultrasonic waves in timing to improve the control accuracy of the ultrasonic waves. In some embodiments, the single ultrasonic transducer 310 is used to align with a single target area, and the user can adjust the alignment area as needed. In some embodiments, the single ultrasonic transducer 310 may have a rotation / oscillation mechanism to adjust the alignment area of ​​the single ultrasonic transducer 310 while keeping the overall position and angle of the ultrasonic therapy device 1 relative to the user's application site unchanged.

[0071] In some embodiments, such as Figure 10 As shown, the ultrasonic transducer assembly 30 may include multiple ultrasonic transducers 320 for forming an ultrasonic transducer phased array structure. Each ultrasonic transducer 320 in the ultrasonic transducer phased array structure includes an adjustment device (not shown). The adjustment device is used to adjust the emission phase of the ultrasonic transducer 320, so that the ultrasonic transducer phased array structure has multiple emission modes. Thus, the ultrasonic therapy device 1 of this embodiment can deflect the ultrasonic beam by controlling the phase and amplitude of each array element in the array.

[0072] In some embodiments, the number of signal channels of the ultrasound therapy device 1 can be expanded from 1 to 1024 channels.

[0073] In some embodiments, the ultrasound therapy device 1 can modulate an ultrasound drive signal of 0.2 to 11 MHz with an arbitrary waveform within an amplitude of 1000 Hz.

[0074] It is understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments used to illustrate the principles of this disclosure, and this disclosure is not limited thereto. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and substance of this disclosure, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the subject matter of this disclosure extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other optional embodiments and / or uses of this disclosure, as well as obvious modifications and equivalents of this disclosure. Furthermore, although many variations of the disclosed embodiments have been shown and described in detail, other modifications within the scope of the subject matter of this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the content of this disclosure. It is also contemplated that various combinations or sub-combinations of the specific features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be made, and these combinations or sub-combinations still fall within the scope of the subject matter of this disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined or substituted with each other to form different modes of the disclosed utility model subject matter.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic therapy device, characterized in that, include: The control unit is used to output a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal is a modulated signal and the second signal is an ultrasonic driving continuous signal, and the frequency of the second signal is higher than the frequency of the first signal; A power amplifier unit is used to amplify the first signal and modulate it onto the second signal to obtain a third signal. The third signal is an ultrasonic drive modulation signal and carries the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the sound field of the first signal. An ultrasonic transducer assembly is used to convert the third signal into ultrasonic waves and output them.

2. The ultrasonic therapy device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power amplifier unit includes: A voltage adjustment module is used to amplify the first signal to enhance its driving capability. An inverter module is used to modulate the amplified first signal onto the second signal to obtain the third signal.

3. The ultrasonic therapy device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power amplifier unit includes: The monitoring component is used to collect the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the sound field of the third signal in real time.

4. The ultrasonic therapy device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The control unit includes: The feedback module is used to dynamically adjust the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the first signal based on the comparison results between the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the sound field of the third signal and the preset signal parameters.

5. The ultrasonic therapy device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit includes: Carrier generator, used to generate ultrasonic carrier waves; A modulation unit is used to receive a target physiological signal and modulate the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the target physiological signal onto the ultrasonic carrier wave to obtain a first signal carrying the waveform characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the physiological signal.

6. The ultrasonic therapy device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The modulation unit includes: The feature extraction module is used to extract the waveform features and spatiotemporal distribution features of the target physiological signal.

7. The ultrasonic therapy device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The control unit includes: An interactive component for receiving the target physiological signal from external input.

8. The ultrasonic therapy device according to claim 5, characterized in that, Also includes: A physiological monitoring unit is used to collect the target's physiological signals in real time.

9. The ultrasonic therapy device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ultrasonic transducer assembly includes a single ultrasonic transducer, wherein the single ultrasonic transducer is used to output the ultrasonic waves according to preset timing parameters.

10. The ultrasonic therapy device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ultrasonic transducer assembly includes: Multiple ultrasonic transducers are used to form an ultrasonic transducer phased array structure. Each ultrasonic transducer in the ultrasonic transducer phased array structure includes an adjustment device for adjusting the emission phase of the ultrasonic transducer, so that the ultrasonic transducer phased array structure has multiple emission modes.

Images