Ultrasound probes and ultrasound diagnostic equipment

Abstract

To provide an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic diagnostic device capable of inhibiting heat generated in the vicinity of a contact surface with a subject from being transmitted to the subject.SOLUTION: An ultrasonic probe 100 includes: a plurality of vibrators 10 arrayed in a right-left direction X; a support part 11A for supporting a second surface on a side opposite to a first surface on a side that the vibrators 10 transmit / receive ultrasonic waves; an acoustic lens 13 disposed on a side opposite to a support part 11A side with respect to the vibrators 10; an acoustic matching part 12 disposed between the vibrators 10 and the acoustic lens 13; and a connection part 11B for connecting a region of at least part of one or both of a first end surface S1 and a second end surface S2 with the support part 11A with both end surfaces of the acoustic matching part 12 in a front-back direction Y intersecting with a right-left direction X and a vertical direction Z as the first end surface S1 and the second end surface S2. Heat conductivity of the support part 11A and the connection part 11B is higher than that of the acoustic lens 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. [Background Art]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an ultrasonic transceiver including: a piezoelectric body; an acoustic matching layer provided on the piezoelectric body; a protection portion that is in contact with at least a part of a side surface of the acoustic matching layer and is provided at a position fixed relative to the piezoelectric body; and a backing load member disposed on a back surface of the piezoelectric body and configured to attenuate ultrasonic waves radiated from the piezoelectric body in a back direction, wherein the protection portion is constituted by a part of the backing load member, and the ultrasonic transceiver is integrated with the backing load member.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses an ultrasonic transducer in which the entire combined structure of a piezoelectric body and an acoustic impedance matching layer is fixed to an outer shell by a damping member, and the piezoelectric body and the acoustic impedance matching layer are surrounded by the damping member.

[0004] Patent Document 3 discloses an ultrasonic transducer including a matching body, a compensation body inserted between the matching body and a piezoelectric transducer element, and an attenuation element, wherein the attenuation element surrounds the matching body on a radiation side facing a fluid medium, and surrounds the matching body and the compensation body in a radial direction.

[0005] Patent Document 4 discloses an ultrasonic transceiver including a piezoelectric body, an acoustic matching body, and an insulating damping member, wherein the insulating damping member covers an outer surface of the piezoelectric body.

[0006] Patent Document 5 discloses an ultrasonic sensor including: an acoustic matching member that receives an ultrasonic wave transmitted from an ultrasonic generating element toward the front of a vehicle and reflected by a detected object existing in front of the vehicle, and transmits vibration to a piezoelectric element; the piezoelectric element that detects the vibration transmitted by the acoustic matching member; and a vibration attenuation member provided between a side surface of the acoustic matching member and a housing. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-184423 [Patent Document 2] Registered Utility Model Publication No. 03224928 [Patent Document 3] Special Publication No. 2012-513714 [Patent Document 4] International Publication No. 2013 / 183292 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-187355 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] In medical ultrasound diagnostic equipment, an ultrasound beam is transmitted from the ultrasound probe to the subject, an ultrasound echo is received from the subject by the ultrasound probe, and an ultrasound image is generated by electrically processing the received signal. In recent years, with the improvement of the performance of ultrasound probes and ultrasound diagnostic equipment, a wide variety of drives are being applied to the transducer inside the ultrasound probe. As a result, the amount of heat generated near the contact surface with the subject in the ultrasound probe tends to increase. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the heat generated by the ultrasound probe from being transferred to the subject. Patent documents 1-5 are not technologies intended for medical ultrasound diagnostic equipment.

[0009] The object of this disclosure is to provide an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus equipped therewith that can suppress the transfer of heat generated near the contact surface with the subject to the subject. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] An ultrasonic probe according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a plurality of transducers arranged in a first direction, a support portion that supports a second surface of the transducer opposite to the first surface on which the transducer transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, an acoustic lens positioned on the side of the transducer opposite to the support portion, and a position between the transducer and the acoustic lens. The above transducer and the above acoustic lens are fixed together. The device comprises an acoustic matching section, and a connecting section that connects the support section to at least a portion of one or both of the first and second end faces of the acoustic matching section in a second direction intersecting the first direction and the direction from the acoustic lens toward the transducer, with the end faces of the acoustic matching section being the first and second end faces. The above-mentioned connecting portion is in contact with the region of one or both of the first end face and the second end face, including the edge on the acoustic lens side, and the acoustic lens is in contact with the connecting portion, covering the portion of one or both of the first end face and the second end face that is in contact with the acoustic matching portion. The support portion and the connecting portion have a higher thermal conductivity than the acoustic lens.

[0011] An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is equipped with the above-mentioned ultrasonic probe. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide an ultrasonic probe that can suppress the transfer of heat generated near the contact surface with the subject to the subject, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus equipped therewith. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view partially showing the tip portion of an ultrasonic probe 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-section of unit U perpendicular to the left-right direction X. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the manufacturing process for the ultrasonic probe 100. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows a first modified example of the ultrasonic probe 100 and is a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 2. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows a second modified example of the ultrasonic probe 100 and is a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 2. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows a third modified example of the ultrasonic probe 100 and is a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 2. Description of Embodiments

[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view partially showing the distal end portion of an ultrasonic probe 100 according to one aspect of the present disclosure. In FIG. 1, as directions in the ultrasonic probe 100, three mutually orthogonal directions (a left-right direction X, a front-rear direction Y, and an up-down direction Z) are shown. One end in the up-down direction Z is referred to as an upward direction Z1, and the direction opposite to the upward direction Z1 is referred to as a downward direction Z2. One end in the front-rear direction Y is referred to as a rear direction Y1, and the direction opposite to the rear direction Y1 is referred to as a front direction Y2. The ultrasonic probe 100 is used with its upper end face in contact with a subject. The left-right direction X and the front-rear direction Y are each directions along a plane perpendicular to the up-down direction Z (one of the planes intersecting the up-down direction Z). In the present specification, the left-right direction X constitutes a first direction, the front-rear direction Y constitutes a second direction, and the up-down direction Z constitutes a direction from an acoustic lens 13 to a transducer 10 described later. The front-rear direction Y is a direction intersecting the left-right direction X and the up-down direction Z.

[0015] The ultrasonic probe 100 is an image generation device included in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an apparatus that generates and records an ultrasonic image while bringing the ultrasonic probe 100 close to the outer surface of a subject, or an apparatus that generates and records an ultrasonic image while bringing the ultrasonic probe 100 built into the distal end of an insertion portion of an endoscope close to an organ of a subject.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic probe 100 includes a plurality of units U arranged in the left-right direction X, and an acoustic lens 13 provided commonly to the plurality of units U on the upper side of the plurality of units U. Adjacent units U are separated by a separation layer 14. The separation layer 14 is formed of an insulating resin material or the like. The width of the unit U in the front-rear direction Y is larger than the width thereof in the left-right direction X.

[0017] The unit U includes a vibrator 10, an acoustic matching section 12 disposed above the vibrator 10, and a functional section 11 provided around the vibrator 10 and the acoustic matching section 12. Although not illustrated in FIG. 1, the acoustic lens 13, the plurality of units U, and the separation layer 14 are supported by a case 15 (see FIG. 2).

[0018] The vibrator 10 includes a piezoelectric body 10A, a signal electrode 10B fixed to the lower surface of the piezoelectric body 10A, and a ground electrode 10C fixed to the upper surface of the piezoelectric body 10A. The piezoelectric body 10A generates ultrasonic waves upon voltage application, and generates a received voltage when receiving reflected ultrasonic waves. The piezoelectric body 10A is formed of a piezoelectric material such as piezoelectric ceramics including PZT (lead zirconate titanate) or a polymer material including PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride). The piezoelectric body 10A may also be formed of CMUT (Capacitive Micro Ultrasound Transducers) or the like based on a semiconductor material.

[0019] The acoustic matching section 12 is provided to match the acoustic impedance between the piezoelectric body 10A and a subject, so as to efficiently transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. The acoustic matching section 12 is preferably formed of a material having an acoustic impedance smaller than that of the piezoelectric body 10A and larger than that of the subject.

[0020] In the present embodiment, the acoustic matching section 12 is formed by laminating a plurality of layers formed of such materials in the vertical direction Z. Specifically, the acoustic matching section 12 includes a first acoustic matching layer 12A fixed to the upper surface of the vibrator 10, a second acoustic matching layer 12B fixed to the upper surface of the first acoustic matching layer 12A, and a third acoustic matching layer 12C fixed to the upper surface of the second acoustic matching layer 12B. It is preferable that the acoustic matching section 12 has a layered structure in which acoustic impedance decreases stepwise from the vibrator 10 toward the subject.

[0021] The acoustic lens 13 is provided to focus the ultrasonic beam using refraction and improve resolution. The acoustic lens 13 is generally convex in shape. The acoustic lens 13 is made of, for example, silicone resin or plastic. The acoustic lens 13 is fixed to the upper surface of the acoustic matching section 12 in all units U and the upper surface of the separation layer 14 between these units U using an adhesive or the like.

[0022] In the ultrasonic probe 100, pulsed or continuous wave voltages are applied between the ground electrode 10C and signal electrode 10B of each of the multiple transducers 10, causing each piezoelectric element 10A to expand and contract, generating pulsed or continuous wave ultrasonic waves. When these ultrasonic waves are incident on the subject through the acoustic matching unit 12 and acoustic lens 13, they are combined to form an ultrasonic beam, which propagates within the subject. When the ultrasonic echoes that have propagated within the subject and been reflected are incident on each piezoelectric element 10A through the acoustic lens 13 and acoustic matching unit 12, each piezoelectric element 10A deforms, and a signal voltage is generated between the ground electrode 10C and signal electrode 10B in response to this deformation. The signal voltages generated in the multiple transducers 10 are extracted from between the ground electrode 10C and signal electrode 10B of each transducer 10 and received as a received signal, and an ultrasonic image is generated based on this received signal.

[0023] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-section of unit U perpendicular to the left-right direction X. As shown in Figure 2, the functional unit 11 includes a support part 11A that supports the second surface (lower surface) of the transducer 10 opposite to the first surface (upper surface) on which the transducer 10 transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, and a connecting part 11B that connects the support part 11A to at least a part of the acoustic matching unit 12. The support part 11A supports the lower surface of the transducer 10 by contacting the lower surface of the signal electrode 10B, the front and rear end surfaces of the piezoelectric body 10A, and the front and rear lower surfaces of both ends of the ground electrode 10C.

[0024] Figure 2 shows the two end faces of the acoustic matching section 12 in the front-rear direction Y: a first end face S1 consisting of the rear end face AS1 of the first acoustic matching layer 12A, the rear end face BS1 of the second acoustic matching layer 12B, and the rear end face CS1 of the third acoustic matching layer 12C; and a second end face S2 consisting of the front end face AS2 of the first acoustic matching layer 12A, the front end face BS2 of the second acoustic matching layer 12B, and the front end face CS2 of the third acoustic matching layer 12C. Figure 2 also shows the edge E1 of the first end face S1 on the side of the acoustic lens 13, and the edge E2 of the second end face S2 on the side of the acoustic lens 13. The rear end face CS1 is the region that includes edge E1. The front end face CS2 is the region that includes edge E2.

[0025] In the example shown in Figure 2, the connecting portion 11B connects the entirety of the first end face S1 and the entirety of the second end face S2 to the support portion 11A. More specifically, the connecting portion 11B extends upward in Z1 from the upper surfaces of both the front and rear ends of the support portion 11A, along the first end face S1 and the second end face S2, respectively, and contacts the first end face S1 and the second end face S2. The connecting portion 11B is provided in a manner that fills the space between the case 15 and the first end face S1 and the second end face S2. In this embodiment, the acoustic lens 13 also covers the upper surface of the connecting portion 11B. That is, the connecting portion 11B is in contact with the acoustic matching portion 12 and also in contact with the lower surface of the acoustic lens 13.

[0026] The support section 11A supports multiple transducers 10 and is made of an insulating material that has absorption properties to prevent ultrasonic waves traveling downward Z2 from the transducers 10 from returning into the transducers 10, and also has vibration damping properties to remove unwanted weak vibrations from the vibration components of the transducers 10. The support section 11A has a higher thermal conductivity than the acoustic lens 13. The support section 11A is mainly made of, for example, urethane resin, epoxy resin, or silicone resin. Electrodes 16 are provided inside the support section 11A, which are connected to the ground electrode 10C and the signal electrode 10B, respectively.

[0027] The connection part 11B is made of an insulating material, mainly composed of urethane resin, epoxy resin, or silicone resin. The connection part 11B has a higher thermal conductivity than the acoustic lens 13. Due to this relationship in thermal conductivity, heat generated near the boundary between the acoustic lens 13 and the acoustic matching part 12 is more easily transferred to the connection part 11B, which has a higher thermal conductivity than the acoustic lens 13. The heat transferred to the connection part 11B is then transferred to the support part 11A, which occupies the majority of the volume in the unit U. Therefore, the heat transferred to the acoustic lens 13 can be reduced, thereby increasing safety for the subject. Furthermore, since the connection part 11B and the acoustic lens 13 are in contact, the heat transferred to the acoustic lens 13 can be dissipated to the connection part 11B and the support part 11A through the contact surface between the acoustic lens 13 and the connection part 11B. This further reduces the heat transferred to the subject in contact with the acoustic lens 13.

[0028] Preferably, the connecting portion 11B is made of the same material as the support portion 11A. The thermal conductivity of the connecting portion 11B may be the same as that of the support portion 11A, lower than that of the support portion 11A, or higher than that of the support portion 11A. Preferably, the thermal conductivity of the connecting portion 11B is the same as that of the support portion 11A. If the thermal conductivity of the connecting portion 11B and the support portion 11A are the same, the connecting portion 11B and the support portion 11A can be integrally molded from the same material, thereby reducing manufacturing costs. If the thermal conductivity of the support portion 11A is configured to be higher than that of the connecting portion 11B, the heat can be more efficiently dissipated to the underside of the ultrasonic probe 100, thereby improving heat dissipation performance.

[0029] Furthermore, it is preferable that the maximum thickness D1 of the connection portion 11B in the front-to-back direction Y be greater than or equal to the average thickness of the acoustic lens 13 in the vertical direction Z and the average thickness of the third acoustic matching layer 12C in the vertical direction Z that contacts the acoustic lens 13, and less than or equal to the thickness of the ultrasonic probe 100 in the front-to-back direction due to the thickness of the connection portion 11B. With this configuration, sufficient heat dissipation performance by the connection portion 11B and the support portion 11A can be ensured, the constraints of the ultrasonic probe 100 as a medical device can be met, and manufacturing can be easily carried out.

[0030] In the ultrasonic probe 100, the connecting portion 11B is in contact with the entire first end face S1 and the entire second end face S2, but various contact configurations can be adopted between the connecting portion 11B and the acoustic matching portion 12. For example, the connecting portion 11B may be in contact with the front end face CS2 and the rear end face CS1 of the first end face S1 and the second end face S2, but not with the front end face AS2, the front end face BS2, the rear end face AS1, and the rear end face BS1. Alternatively, the connecting portion 11B may be in contact with the front end face CS2, the front end face BS2, the rear end face CS1, and the rear end face BS1 of the first end face S1 and the second end face S2, but not with the rear end face AS1 and the front end face AS2. Alternatively, the connecting portion 11B may be in contact with the front end face BS2, front end face AS2, rear end face BS1, and rear end face AS1 of the first end face S1 and second end face S2, but not in contact with the rear end face CS1 and front end face CS2. Alternatively, the connecting portion 11B may be in contact with the front end face CS2, front end face AS2, rear end face CS1, and rear end face AS1 of the first end face S1 and second end face S2, but not in contact with the rear end face BS1 and front end face BS2.

[0031] Furthermore, although the ultrasonic probe 100 is configured to have connection parts 11B between the first end face S1 and the case 15, and between the second end face S2 and the case 15, the heat dissipation performance provided by the support part 11A and the connection part 11B can be ensured even if the connection part 11B between the first end face S1 and the case 15 is omitted, or if the connection part 11B between the second end face S2 and the case 15 is omitted.

[0032] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the manufacturing process for an ultrasonic probe 100. First, as shown in state ST1, a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped material 110, which is long in the left-right direction, is prepared. Next, as shown in state ST2, the material 110 is cut using a machining sensor or the like to form a recess 11C, and an integrally molded product of a support part 11A and a connecting part 11B is obtained. Next, as shown in state ST3, the transducer 10 and the acoustic matching part 12 are sequentially stacked in the recess 11C. After that, the elements in state ST3 are diced to obtain multiple units U. After that, insulating material is filled into the grooves obtained by dicing to form a separation layer 14, and an acoustic lens 13 is formed on the acoustic matching part 12 and the separation layer 14. The integrally molded product of the support part 11A and the connecting part 11B shown in state ST2 may be formed using a mold instead of machining. By using a mold, manufacturing costs can be reduced when mass production is carried out.

[0033] Figure 4 shows a first modified example of the ultrasonic probe 100 and is a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 2. The ultrasonic probe 100 shown in Figure 4 has the same configuration as in Figure 2, except that the width of the third acoustic matching layer 12C in the front-rear direction Y is smaller than the width of the second acoustic matching layer 12B and the third acoustic matching layer 12C in the front-rear direction Y. In this modified example, the acoustic matching section 12 includes a third acoustic matching layer 12C, which is a first part with a width in the front-rear direction Y being a first width, and a second acoustic matching layer 12B and a first acoustic matching layer 12A, which are second parts with a width in the front-rear direction Y being larger than the first width. Also, the positions of both ends of the piezoelectric element 10A in the front-rear direction Y coincide with the positions of both ends of the third acoustic matching layer 12C in the front-rear direction Y. The contact configuration between the connection section 11B and the acoustic matching section 12 is the same as described above.

[0034] According to the configuration shown in Figure 4, the connection portion 11B can also be brought into contact with the upper surface of the second acoustic matching layer 12B. In other words, it becomes possible to increase the contact area between the acoustic matching portion 12 and the connection portion 11B, thereby further improving the heat dissipation performance of the connection portion 11B and the support portion 11A. In addition, the maximum thickness of the connection portion 11B is also increased, which further improves the heat dissipation performance of the connection portion 11B and the support portion 11A.

[0035] Figure 5 shows a second modified example of the ultrasonic probe 100 and is a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 2. The ultrasonic probe 100 shown in Figure 5 has the same configuration as in Figure 2, except that the end of the transducer 10 on one side (front side) in the front-rear direction Y protrudes further to the front (front side) than the end of the acoustic matching section 12 on one side (front side) in the front-rear direction Y, and that the upper surface of the ground electrode 10C and the electrode 16 are connected at this protruding portion of the transducer 10.

[0036] In the ultrasonic probe 100 shown in Figure 5, the region to which the electrodes 16 of the transducer 10 are connected contributes almost nothing to acoustic radiation. Therefore, the acoustic matching section 12 does not need to be located above this region. In the ultrasonic probe 100 shown in Figure 5, the connection section 11B is located above this region, so the maximum thickness D1 of the connection section 11B can be made larger than in the configuration shown in Figure 2. By increasing the maximum thickness D1 of the connection section 11B, the heat dissipation performance of the connection section 11B and the support section 11A can be improved.

[0037] Figure 6 shows a third modified example of the ultrasonic probe 100 and is a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 2. The ultrasonic probe 100 shown in Figure 6 is the same as the configuration shown in Figure 2, except that a support portion integrally formed with the acoustic lens 13 is filled between the case 15 and the functional part 11, and a part of the acoustic lens 13 holds each unit U; the support portion between the case 15 and the functional part 11 is provided with multiple through holes 13A that penetrate in the front-rear direction Y, and a filling layer 11D made of a material with a higher thermal conductivity than the acoustic lens 13 is provided in these through holes 13A; and a copper plate 17 is added.

[0038] The copper plate 17 has a thickness direction that coincides with the front-rear direction Y and is provided between the case 15 and the support portion which is part of the acoustic lens 13. The copper plate 17 constitutes a heat dissipation member that is positioned opposite the end faces of the support portion 11A and the connecting portion 11B in the front-rear direction Y. The copper plate 17 may be made of a metal other than copper.

[0039] The filling layer 11D is made of the same material as, for example, the support part 11A or the connecting part 11B. One end face of the filling layer 11D in the front-rear direction Y is in contact with the copper plate 17, and the other end face in the front-rear direction Y is in contact with the functional part 11.

[0040] In the ultrasonic probe 100 shown in Figure 6, the functional part 11 and the copper plate 17 with high thermal conductivity are connected by a packed layer 11D. This allows heat generated near the boundary between the acoustic lens 13 and the acoustic matching part 12 to be dissipated to the copper plate 17, thereby improving heat dissipation performance.

[0041] The number (or area) of the packed bed 11D may be varied between the region overlapping with the connection portion 11B and the region overlapping with the support portion 11A when viewed in the front-rear direction Y. In other words, the contact area between the connection portion 11B and the packed bed 11D may be different from the contact area between the support portion 11A and the packed bed 11D.

[0042] For example, by providing more packed layers 11D in the region overlapping with the connection portion 11B when viewed in the front-to-back direction Y than in the region overlapping with the support portion 11A when viewed in the front-to-back direction Y, heat dissipation can be performed more efficiently. Alternatively, the packed layers 11D may be omitted in either the region overlapping with the support portion 11A or the region overlapping with the connection portion 11B when viewed in the front-to-back direction Y.

[0043] This specification contains at least the following:

[0044] (1) Multiple oscillators arranged in a first direction, The transducer has a support that supports the second surface opposite to the first surface on which it transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, An acoustic lens positioned on the opposite side of the support portion to the transducer, An acoustic matching unit is disposed between the above-mentioned transducer and the above-mentioned acoustic lens, The acoustic matching portion comprises the first end face and the second end face, which are the end faces of the acoustic matching portion in the second direction intersecting the first direction and the direction from the acoustic lens toward the transducer, and a connecting portion that connects at least a portion of one or both of the first end face and the second end face to the support portion, The above-mentioned support part and the above-mentioned connection part are ultrasonic probes with a higher thermal conductivity than the above-mentioned acoustic lens.

[0045] According to (1), since at least a portion of one or both of the first and second end faces of the acoustic matching section is connected to the support section by a connection section with a higher thermal conductivity than the acoustic lens, heat generated near the boundary between the acoustic matching section and the acoustic lens can be dissipated from the end face of the acoustic matching section to the support section, which has a higher thermal conductivity than the acoustic lens. This reduces the heat transmitted to the subject in contact with the acoustic lens and reduces the constraints on the driving method of multiple transducers. For example, it becomes possible to increase the driving voltage of the transducers, thereby improving the image quality and sensitivity of the ultrasonic image generated using the ultrasonic probe.

[0046] (2) (1) The ultrasonic probe described above, The above-mentioned connecting portion is an ultrasonic probe that contacts the region of one or both of the first and second end faces, including the edge on the acoustic lens side.

[0047] According to (2), the heat generated near the boundary between the acoustic matching section and the acoustic lens can be more efficiently dissipated to the support section.

[0048] (3) (2) The ultrasonic probe described above, The above-mentioned connection part is an ultrasonic probe that further contacts the above-mentioned acoustic lens.

[0049] According to (3), even if heat generated near the boundary between the acoustic matching section and the acoustic lens is transferred to the acoustic lens, the contact between the acoustic lens and the connection section allows that heat to be dissipated to the support section via the connection section. This further reduces the amount of heat transferred to the subject in contact with the acoustic lens.

[0050] (4) An ultrasound probe as described in any of (1) to (3), The ultrasonic probe is constructed with the same material for both the connecting portion and the support portion.

[0051] According to (4), the thermal conductivity of the connection and support parts can be made uniform, thereby improving the heat dissipation performance of the connection and support parts. Furthermore, manufacturing can be made easier.

[0052] (5) An ultrasonic probe according to any one of (1) to (4), The above-mentioned vibrator includes a piezoelectric material, In the view in the first direction described above, the acoustic matching section includes a first portion whose width in the second direction is a first width, and a second portion whose width in the second direction is greater than the first width. The positions of the ends of both ends of the piezoelectric body in the second direction and the positions of the ends of both ends of the first portion in the second direction coincide. The above-mentioned connection portion is an ultrasonic probe that at least contacts the above-mentioned first portion.

[0053] According to (5), it is possible to increase the contact area between the acoustic matching section and the connection section while suppressing the impact on acoustic performance, thereby further improving the heat dissipation performance of the connection section and the support section.

[0054] (6) An ultrasonic probe according to any one of (1) to (4), In the view in the first direction described above, the transducer has one end in the second direction that protrudes further in that direction than the end in the acoustic matching section in the second direction. The above-mentioned connection portion is an ultrasonic probe that contacts at least one end face in the second direction of the above-mentioned acoustic matching portion.

[0055] According to (6), the thickness of the connection part in the second direction that comes into contact with the acoustic matching part can be increased while suppressing the impact on acoustic performance, thereby improving the heat dissipation performance of the connection part and the support part.

[0056] (7) An ultrasonic probe according to any one of (1) to (6), The above acoustic matching section includes multiple layers, An ultrasonic probe wherein the maximum thickness of the connection portion in the second direction is greater than or equal to the average value of the thickness of the acoustic lens and the thickness of the layer in contact with the acoustic lens among the multiple layers.

[0057] According to (7), sufficient heat dissipation performance can be ensured by the connection and support parts.

[0058] (8) An ultrasound probe according to any one of (1) to (7), The heat dissipation member is positioned opposite the end face of the support portion and the connection portion in the second direction. An ultrasonic probe in which at least one of the above-mentioned support portion and the above-mentioned connection portion is connected to the above-mentioned heat dissipation member.

[0059] According to (8), the heat transferred to the connection and support parts can be released to the heat dissipation member, thereby further improving the heat dissipation performance.

[0060] (9) An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising an ultrasound probe as described in any of (1) to (8). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0061] S1 1st end surface S2 2nd end face E1,E2 edge ST1, ST2, ST3 status 10A piezoelectric element 10B signal electrode 10C ground electrode 10 oscillators 11A Support part 11B Connection section 11C recess 11D packed bed 11 Functional Section 12A 1st acoustic matching layer 12B 2nd acoustic matching layer 12C 3rd acoustic matching layer 12 Acoustic matching section 13 Acoustic Lens 14 Separation layer 15 cases 16 electrodes 100 Ultrasound Probes 110 Material AS1, BS1, CS1 rear end surface AS2, BS2, CS2 front end

Claims

1. Multiple oscillators arranged in a first direction, A support portion that supports the second surface of the transducer opposite to the first surface on which ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received, An acoustic lens positioned on the side opposite to the support portion relative to the vibrator, An acoustic matching unit is disposed between the vibrator and the acoustic lens and is fixed to the vibrator and the acoustic lens, The acoustic matching portion comprises a first end face and a second end face, with both end faces of the acoustic matching portion in a second direction intersecting the first direction and the direction from the acoustic lens toward the transducer, and a connecting portion connecting at least a portion of one or both of the first end face and the second end face to the support portion, The connecting portion is in contact with a region of one or both of the first and second end faces, including the edge on the acoustic lens side, and the acoustic lens is in contact with the connecting portion, covering the portion of one or both of the first and second end faces that the connecting portion is in contact with the acoustic matching portion. The support portion and the connecting portion are ultrasonic probes with a higher thermal conductivity than the acoustic lens.

2. The ultrasonic probe according to Claim 1, The ultrasonic probe is composed of the same material for both the connecting portion and the support portion.

3. An ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 or 2, The vibrator includes a piezoelectric element, In the view in the first direction, the acoustic matching portion includes a first portion whose width in the second direction is a first width, and a second portion whose width in the second direction is greater than the first width. The positions of the ends of the piezoelectric body in the second direction and the positions of the ends of the first portion in the second direction coincide. The connecting portion is an ultrasonic probe that at least contacts the first portion.

4. An ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 or 2, In the view in the first direction, the transducer has one end in the second direction that protrudes further in that direction than the end in the second direction of the acoustic matching section. The connecting portion is an ultrasonic probe that contacts at least one end face in the second direction of the acoustic matching portion.

5. An ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 or 2, The acoustic matching section includes multiple layers, An ultrasonic probe wherein the maximum thickness of the connection portion in the second direction is greater than or equal to the average value of the thickness of the acoustic lens and the thickness of the layer in contact with the acoustic lens among the plurality of layers.

6. An ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 or 2, The heat dissipation member is arranged opposite to the end faces of the support portion and the connecting portion in the second direction, An ultrasonic probe in which at least one of the support portion and the connecting portion is connected to the heat dissipation member.

7. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising the ultrasound probe described in Claim 1.

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