Ultrasound probes and ultrasound systems

Abstract

To provide an ultrasonic probe which can be attached to an object over a long period of time.SOLUTION: An ultrasonic probe performs ultrasonic measurement by being attached to an object. An ultrasonic probe comprises: a first substrate which includes an ultrasonic element array in which a plurality of ultrasonic elements executing at least one of transmission and reception of an ultrasonic wave are arrayed and in which the ultrasonic element array is arranged on a first surface; a second substrate which is arranged so as to be opposed to a second surface on the opposite side to the first surface of the first substrate; and a housing which stores the first substrate and the second substrate and in which an opening through which the ultrasonic wave passes at a position corresponding to the ultrasonic element array. The second substrate includes a communication part which is connected to the plurality of ultrasonic elements and can wirelessly communicate with another terminal device, and the weight of the ultrasonic probe is equal to or less than 150 g.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, ultrasonic probes that perform medical operations such as capturing internal tomographic images of a human body or treating predetermined tissue by transmitting ultrasonic waves to a predetermined site of the human body are known (for example, Patent Document 1). The ultrasonic probe described in Patent Document 1 is connected to a device terminal via a cable. The ultrasonic probe has a housing that accommodates an ultrasonic transducer outputting ultrasonic waves, and the housing includes a probe main body and a probe head detachably attachable to the probe main body. In such an ultrasonic probe, an operator operates the ultrasonic probe by holding the probe main body in hand and bringing the probe head into contact along the skin (surface) of the human body.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, operation of an ultrasonic probe as described in Patent Document 1 requires an operator with specialized knowledge to properly operate the ultrasonic probe, and furthermore, during the performance of various processes using ultrasonic waves, the operator must grip the probe main body of the ultrasonic probe and maintain a posture such that the probe head is in contact with the skin of the subject. Therefore, for example, when it is desired to perform measurement processing with an ultrasonic probe over a long period of time, there is also the problem that the operator must continue holding the ultrasonic probe at all times, so the probe cannot be used easily. For these reasons, there is a demand for an ultrasonic probe that can be attached to a target over a long period of time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An ultrasonic probe according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is an ultrasonic probe that is attached to an object to perform ultrasonic measurement, and includes an ultrasonic element array in which a plurality of ultrasonic elements that perform at least one of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves are arranged in an array, comprising: a first substrate on which the ultrasonic element array is arranged on a first surface; a second substrate arranged opposite to a second surface of the first substrate that is opposite to the first surface; and a housing that houses the first substrate and the second substrate inside and has an opening for the passage of ultrasonic waves at a position corresponding to the ultrasonic element array, wherein the second substrate includes a communication unit that is connected to the plurality of ultrasonic elements and can communicate wirelessly with other terminal devices, and the weight of the ultrasonic probe is 150 g or less.

[0006] In the ultrasonic probe according to this embodiment, it is preferable that the dimension of the housing along the first axis, with respect to the axis perpendicular to the first surface, is 10 mm or less.

[0007] In the ultrasonic probe of this embodiment, the second substrate preferably includes a control circuit for controlling a plurality of ultrasonic elements, and the control circuit preferably includes a drive unit for driving the plurality of ultrasonic elements to transmit ultrasonic waves, and a signal processing unit for processing signals output when the plurality of ultrasonic elements receive ultrasonic waves.

[0008] In the ultrasonic probe of this embodiment, it is preferable that an acoustic lens is provided in the opening of the housing for focusing the ultrasonic waves output from the ultrasonic element array to a predetermined depth.

[0009] An ultrasonic system according to a second aspect of the present disclosure comprises an ultrasonic probe as described above and a terminal device that is communicatively connected via the communication unit. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1]A schematic perspective view showing an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] A perspective view showing the external appearance of the ultrasonic probe of this embodiment. [Figure 3] Schematic cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic probe when cut along line AA in Figure 2. [Figure 4] A plan view showing the schematic configuration of the ultrasonic substrate of this embodiment. [Figure 5] Schematic cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic substrate when cut along line BB in Figure 4. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the arrangement of each component when the second substrate of this embodiment is viewed from the -Z side. [Figure 7] A diagram showing an example of attaching the ultrasonic probe of this embodiment to the human body. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of an experiment to measure the tape strength of medical tape 102. [Figure 9] A diagram showing the strength of medical tape 102. [Figure 10] Block diagram of the ultrasonic system of this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] An embodiment of this disclosure will be described below. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic system of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the ultrasonic system 1 comprises an ultrasonic probe 2 and a terminal device 10 that is communicatively connected to the ultrasonic probe 2. This ultrasound system 1 transmits ultrasound waves into the human body from the ultrasound probe 2 while the ultrasound probe 2 is in contact with the surface of the target (for example, the human body in this embodiment). The ultrasound probe 2 also receives ultrasound waves reflected by organs within the body, and based on the received signals, it can, for example, acquire internal tomographic images of the body, measure the state of organs within the body (for example, blood flow), or perform treatment by focusing the ultrasound waves on a specific organ.

[0012] [1. Configuration of terminal device 10] The terminal device 10 includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, an operation unit 11 including buttons, a touch panel, etc., and a display unit 12. Although not shown in the figures, the terminal device 10 also includes a storage unit configured by a memory or the like, and an arithmetic unit configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like. The terminal device 10 controls the ultrasound system 1 by causing the arithmetic unit to execute various programs stored in the storage unit. For example, the terminal device 10 outputs a command for controlling driving of the ultrasound probe 2, forms an image of the internal structure of a living body based on an ultrasound signal input from the ultrasound probe 2 and causes the image to be displayed on the display unit 12, or measures biological information such as blood flow and causes the information to be displayed on the display unit 12. As such a terminal device 10, for example, a terminal device such as a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or a personal computer can be used, and a dedicated terminal device for operating the ultrasound probe 2 may also be used.

[0013] [2. Configuration of Ultrasound Probe 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the ultrasound probe 2. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the ultrasound probe 2 taken along line A-A in FIG. 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ultrasound probe 2 includes a housing 3, an acoustic lens 4 arranged in an opening 31 provided in the housing 3 and exposed to the outside, a first substrate 5 and a second substrate 6 housed inside the housing 3, and the like. [2-1. Configuration of First Substrate 5] The first substrate 5 is a substrate arranged to face the opening 31 provided in the housing 3. The first substrate 5 includes an ultrasound substrate 51 and a device substrate 52. The ultrasound substrate 51 is arranged closer to the opening 31 than the device substrate 52 and is bonded to the device substrate 52. That is, the ultrasound substrate 51 constitutes a first surface of the first substrate 5 that faces the opening 31.

[0014] [2-1-1. Configuration of Ultrasound Substrate 51] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the ultrasound substrate 51 of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the ultrasound substrate 51 taken along line B-B in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of ultrasonic elements (ultrasonic transducers Tr) are arranged in a two-dimensional array on an ultrasonic substrate 51 along the X direction and the Y direction. Here, the direction orthogonal to the X direction and the Y direction is defined as the Z direction, and the Z axis parallel to the Z direction corresponds to the first axis of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers Tr arranged in the Y direction constitute a 1CH (channel) transmission / reception array Ch (vibrator). Further, a plurality of the 1CH transmission / reception arrays Ch are arranged side by side along the Y direction, thereby forming an ultrasonic element array Ar having a one-dimensional array structure. Note that although the number of arranged ultrasonic transducers Tr is reduced in FIG. 4 for convenience of explanation, more ultrasonic transducers Tr may actually be arranged.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 5, the ultrasonic substrate 51 includes an element substrate 511, a vibration plate 512 provided on the element substrate 511, and a piezoelectric element 513 provided on the vibration plate 512. The element substrate 511 is formed of, for example, a semiconductor substrate such as Si. The element substrate 511 is provided with substrate openings 511A respectively corresponding to the individual ultrasonic transducers Tr. In this embodiment, each substrate opening 511A is a through-hole penetrating the substrate thickness direction (Z direction) of the element substrate 511, and the vibration plate 512 is provided on the -Z side (the device substrate 52 side) of the through-hole. Further, the side (+Z) of the substrate opening 511A on which the vibration plate 512 is not provided is filled with an acoustic layer 515 having acoustic impedance close to that of a living body. As the acoustic layer 515, for example, a resin material such as silicone can be used. An acoustic lens 4 is provided on the +Z side of the element substrate 511. The acoustic lens 4 may be provided in contact with the element substrate 511, or an acoustic layer 515 may be interposed between it and the element substrate 511. As described above, this acoustic lens 4 is exposed through the opening 31 of the housing 3 and is the part that comes into contact with the human body when ultrasonic measurement is performed. The acoustic lens 4, like the acoustic layer 515, is made of a material such as silicone that has an acoustic impedance close to that of living organisms, and is formed in a cylindrical shape with the X direction as its axis.

[0016] The diaphragm 512 is made of, for example, a laminate of SiO2 and ZrO2, and is provided to cover the entire device substrate 52 side of the element substrate 511. That is, the diaphragm 512 is supported by the partition wall 511B that constitutes the substrate opening 511A, and closes the -Z side of the substrate opening 511A. The thickness dimension of this diaphragm 512 is sufficiently small compared to the thickness dimension of the element substrate 511.

[0017] Each piezoelectric element 513 is provided on a diaphragm 512 that closes each substrate opening 511A. This piezoelectric element 513 is, for example, composed of a laminate in which a lower electrode 513A, a piezoelectric film 513B, and an upper electrode 513C are stacked toward the -Z side from the diaphragm 512. Here, the portion of the diaphragm 512 that closes the substrate opening 511A constitutes the vibrating section 512A, and this vibrating section 512A and the piezoelectric element 513 constitute one ultrasonic transducer Tr. In this type of ultrasonic transducer Tr, a square wave voltage (drive signal) of a predetermined frequency is applied between the lower electrode 513A and the upper electrode 513C, causing the piezoelectric film 513B to bend and the vibrating part 512A to vibrate, thereby transmitting ultrasonic waves to the +Z side. Furthermore, when the vibrating part 512A vibrates due to ultrasonic waves reflected from the living body (reflected waves), a potential difference is generated above and below the piezoelectric film 513B. By detecting this potential difference between the lower electrode 513A and the upper electrode 513C, it becomes possible to detect the received ultrasonic waves.

[0018] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, the lower electrode 513A is formed linearly along the Y direction and connects to a plurality of ultrasonic transducers Tr that constitute a 1CH transmit / receive train Ch. This drive terminal 513D is electrically connected to the wiring circuit of the second board 6 by, for example, a flexible printed circuit board 53 (see Figure 3).

[0019] Furthermore, the upper electrode 513C is formed in a straight line along the X direction and connects to ultrasonic transducers Tr arranged in the X direction. The ±X ends of the upper electrode 513C are connected to a common electrode wire 514. This common electrode wire 514 connects multiple upper electrodes 513C arranged along the Y direction, and a common terminal 514A is provided at its end, which is electrically connected to the wiring circuit of the second substrate 6. This common terminal 514A is electrically connected to the second substrate 6, for example, by a flexible printed circuit board 53 (see Figure 3). In Figure 3, an example is shown in which the drive terminal 513D and common terminal 514A are connected to the second board 6 by the flexible printed circuit board 53. However, connections using lead wires may also be used, or connections using through electrodes provided on the device board 52 may be used. Furthermore, although this embodiment shows an example in which a one-dimensional array structure of ultrasonic element array Ar is configured on the ultrasonic substrate 51, a two-dimensional array structure of ultrasonic element array may also be configured by individually driving ultrasonic transducers Tr arranged in the X direction and ultrasonic transducers Tr arranged in the Y direction.

[0020] [2-1-2. Configuration of the device board 52] The device substrate 52, together with the ultrasonic substrate 51, constitutes the first substrate 5 and is bonded to the -Z side surface of the ultrasonic substrate 51 that faces the opening 31. In other words, the -Z side surface of the device substrate 52 constitutes the second surface of the first substrate 5, which is opposite to the first surface. The device substrate 52 is joined to the ultrasonic substrate 51 on the diaphragm 512 side of the ultrasonic substrate 51, at a position where it overlaps with the partition wall 511B when viewed from the substrate thickness direction, by a fixing member such as resin, thereby reinforcing the ultrasonic substrate 51.

[0021] [2-2. Configuration of the second circuit board 6] The second board 6 is positioned on the -Z side of the first board 5. As described above, the drive terminal 513D and common terminal 514A of the second board 6 are connected by the flexible printed circuit board 53. Figure 6 shows an example of the arrangement of each component when the second substrate 6 is viewed from the -Z side. As shown in Figure 6, the second substrate 6 has an IC chip 61, a communication unit 62, and a battery mounting unit 63 on the -Z side. Figure 6 shows an example with one IC chip 61 for simplicity of explanation, but multiple IC chips 61 may be provided. One or more IC chips 61 constitute the control circuit 80 (see Figure 10). The connection between the IC chip 61 and the second board 6 may be made, for example, by soldering the terminal legs of the IC chip 61 to the printed circuit (wiring circuit) formed on the second board 6. Alternatively, a bare chip may be used as the IC chip 61, in which case the bare chip and the printed circuit (wiring circuit) formed on the second substrate 6 may be connected by wire bonding or the like. When a bare chip is used, the IC chip package housing is not required, so the design can be made even thinner.

[0022] The communication unit 62 is connected to the IC chip 61 and the drive terminal 513D via a wiring circuit and communicates with the terminal device 10 via wireless communication. The communication method of the communication unit 62 is not particularly limited and can be, for example, Bluetooth®, infrared, wireless LAN, etc. A battery is installed in the battery installation section 63. For example, a rechargeable battery can be used as the battery. In this embodiment, the IC chip 61, communication unit 62, and battery mounting unit 63 are arranged on the same plane on the -Z side of the second substrate 6 and do not overlap in the Z direction.

[0023] [3. Configuration of housing 3 and attachment of ultrasound probe 2 to the human body] The housing 3 has an opening 31 on one side facing +Z, and an acoustic lens 4 is provided that is exposed through the opening 31. Inside the housing 3, a first circuit board 5 and a second circuit board 6 are arranged, and the first circuit board 5 and the second circuit board 6 are stacked from the +Z side toward the -Z side. In this configuration, the dimensions in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the housing 3 can be minimized, allowing for miniaturization of the ultrasonic probe 2. Specifically, the thickness of the housing 3 in the Z direction is formed to be 10 mm or less. In this way, by making the thickness of the housing 3 10 mm or less, when the ultrasonic probe 2 is attached to the human body, it can be placed in the gap between the skin surface and clothing without causing discomfort to the user.

[0024] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the housing 3 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the Z direction. Although a rectangular housing 3 with a minor axis and a major axis is given as an example, it may also be elliptical, polygonal, or square in shape. Here, it is preferable that, in a plan view from the Z direction of the housing 3, the length in the direction of the major axis (the long side in the case of a rectangle) is 50 mm or less, and the length of the minor axis is 25 mm or more. The surface of the human body has many curved surfaces, and when the size exceeds 50 mm, it becomes difficult to uniformly adhere the ultrasonic transmission surface, including the acoustic lens 4 exposed from the aperture 31, to the human body. By making the length in the long axis direction 50 mm or less, it is possible to uniformly adhere to the surface of the human body, making it possible to properly transmit ultrasound to the desired area, for example, when acquiring internal tomographic images inside the human body. Furthermore, if the length of the short axis of the housing 3 is less than 15 mm, the area of ​​the ultrasonic element array Ar housed in the housing 3 will also be smaller. In this case, the measurable range, depth, and ultrasonic sound pressure will also be reduced. In contrast, by making the length of the short axis of the housing 3 15 mm or more, an ultrasonic element array Ar of an appropriate size for measurement can be exposed through the opening 31 of the housing 3.

[0025] Figure 7 shows an example of the ultrasonic probe 2 of this embodiment being attached to a human body. As shown in Figure 7, in this embodiment, the ultrasonic probe 2 is interposed between the ultrasonic probe 2 and the human body O to match acoustic impedance, and then the ultrasonic probe 2 is brought into close contact with the human body O and attached to the human body using medical tape 102. The medical tape 102 used is generally set to have an adhesive strength that allows it to be applied to and removed without damaging the skin. When the ultrasound probe 2 is fixed to the human body using medical tape 102, the strength at which the tape peels off changes depending on the application length H of the medical tape 102 that is stretched outwards from the ultrasound probe 2 and the width L of the medical tape 102 (see Figure 7). Furthermore, when fixing the ultrasound probe 2 using such medical tape 102, it is preferable to minimize the area of ​​contact with the human body and shorten the length of the tape as much as possible. This suppresses skin irritation caused by the medical tape 102 and also reduces tape costs. To shorten the length of the tape, the width of the medical tape 102 is aligned with the long axis of the housing 3, and the medical tape 102 is stretched and attached along the short axis of the housing 3. In this embodiment, the housing 3 of the ultrasonic probe 2 has a length of 50 mm or less in the long axis direction and a length of 15 mm or more in the short axis direction. Therefore, it is preferable that the tape width L of the medical tape 102 be 50 mm or more, corresponding to the long axis of the housing 3.

[0026] Figure 8 shows an example of an experiment to measure the tape strength of medical tape 102, and Figure 9 shows the results, i.e., the strength of medical tape 102. In other words, when a weight 9 having the same shape as the ultrasonic probe 2 of this embodiment was attached to the human body O using medical tape 102, the attachment length H in the short axis direction of the medical tape was changed, and the attachment length H at which the weight 9 fell was measured. By performing this experiment multiple times while changing the weight (load) of the weight 9, the relationship diagram shown in Figure 9 was obtained. In this embodiment, the ultrasonic probe 2 is formed to have a total weight of 150g or less. In this case, as shown in Figure 9, even if the attachment length H of the medical tape 102 is about 5mm, the detachment of the ultrasonic probe 2 can be suppressed. In other words, since the total weight of the ultrasound probe 2 in this embodiment is 150g or less, the contact area of ​​the medical tape 102 with the human body O can be reduced, thereby suppressing the impact on the human skin. Furthermore, even when the contact length H of the medical tape is set to a short dimension of 5mm to 10mm, the detachment of the ultrasound probe 2 can be suppressed, and the reduction in contact length H also leads to cost reduction.

[0027] [4. System Configuration of Ultrasound System 1] Next, the system configuration of the ultrasonic system 1 of this embodiment will be described. Figure 10 is a block diagram of the ultrasonic system 1 of this embodiment. In this embodiment, as described above, the control circuit 80 is composed of multiple IC chips 61 on the second substrate 6. As shown in Figure 10, this control circuit 80 includes a multiplexer (MUX 81), a transmitting circuit 82, a delay circuit 83, a receiving circuit 84, a phase-correcting and adding circuit 85, a processor 86, and the like. MUX81 is connected to each ultrasonic transducer Tr of the ultrasonic element array Ar, the transmitting circuit 82, and the receiving circuit 84. MUX81 is controlled based on a drive switching signal from the processor 86 and switches between the transmitting connection connecting the ultrasonic transducer Tr to the transmitting circuit 82 and the receiving connection connecting the ultrasonic transducer Tr to the receiving circuit 84.

[0028] The transmitting circuit 82 outputs a drive signal of a predetermined drive voltage to each ultrasonic transducer Tr when a transmission connection is established, causing each ultrasonic transducer Tr to transmit ultrasound. The delay circuit 83 is controlled by the processor 86 and sets the output timing of the drive signal output from the transmission circuit 82 to each ultrasonic transducer Tr. In this embodiment, a single transmit / receive train Ch is formed by multiple ultrasonic transducer Trs, and the ultrasonic waves transmitted from this single transmit / receive train Ch are focused to a predetermined depth by the acoustic lens 4. By delaying the drive of the multiple transmit / receive train Chs using the delay circuit 83, the ultrasonic beam can be swung in the X direction, enabling ultrasonic measurement that can measure in-plane internal tomographic images along the XZ plane. The drive unit of this disclosure is comprised of the transmitting circuit 82 and the delay circuit 83.

[0029] The receiving circuit 84, under the control of the processor 86, processes the received signals output from each channel when a receiving connection is established. For example, it amplifies the signal strength of the received signal and then performs AD conversion processing. The phase-correcting and adding circuit 85, under the control of the processor 86, performs phase-correcting and adding processing on the received signals output from the receiving circuit 84 and outputs an ultrasonic signal. The signal processing unit of this disclosure is configured by the receiving circuit 84 and the phase-correcting and adding circuit 85.

[0030] The processor 86 controls the operation of each circuit and also controls the communication unit 62 to communicate with the terminal device 10 and send and receive various information. Specifically, upon receiving a measurement command from the terminal device 10 to perform ultrasonic measurement, the processor 86 controls the transmitting circuit 82, delay circuit 83, receiving circuit 84, and phase-correcting summing circuit 85 to perform ultrasonic measurement using the ultrasonic probe 2. Then, the processor 86 transmits the ultrasonic signal output from the phase-correcting summing circuit 85 to the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 62.

[0031] The terminal device 10 functions as a wireless transmission / reception unit 111, an image processing unit 112, and an image display unit 113, for example, as shown in Figure 10, by having the arithmetic unit execute various programs stored in the memory unit. The wireless transceiver 111 transmits a measurement command signal to the ultrasonic probe 2 and receives an ultrasonic signal from the ultrasonic probe 2 based on user operations, etc. The image processing unit 112 generates an internal tomographic image of the object (human body) based on the obtained ultrasonic signal. The image display unit 113 displays the generated internal tomographic image on the display unit 12.

[0032] [5. Effects of this embodiment] The ultrasonic probe 2 of this embodiment includes an ultrasonic element array Ar in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers Tr that perform ultrasonic transmission and reception are arranged in an array, a first substrate 5 on which the ultrasonic element array Ar is arranged on the first surface (+Z side), a second substrate 6 arranged opposite to the second surface (-Z side) of the first substrate 5, and a housing 3 that houses the first substrate 5 and the second substrate 6 and has an opening 31 through which ultrasonic waves pass at a position corresponding to the ultrasonic element array Ar. The second substrate 6 includes a communication unit 62 that is connected to the plurality of ultrasonic transducers Tr and can communicate wirelessly with the terminal device 10. The weight of the ultrasonic probe 2 is 150g or less.

[0033] With such an ultrasound probe 2, when it is attached to the human body using medical tape 102, the peeling of the medical tape 102 due to the weight of the ultrasound probe 2 can be suppressed. In particular, when attaching the ultrasound probe 2 to the human body, it is preferable that the length of the long axis of the housing 3 be 50 mm or less in order to properly ensure that the ultrasound transmitting portion is in close contact with the human body. Furthermore, in order to perform proper ultrasound measurement, it is preferable to perform beamforming using a sufficient number of ultrasound transducers Tr, and it is preferable that the length of the short axis be 15 mm or more. When attaching such an ultrasound probe 2 to the human body, in order to minimize the amount of medical tape 102 attached, the medical tape 102 is stretched along the short axis and the housing 3 is attached to the human body. In this embodiment, since the ultrasound probe 2 weighs 150 g or less, the detachment of the ultrasound probe 2 can be suppressed by simply stretching the medical tape 102 outward by about 5 mm and attaching it to the human body. Furthermore, since the ultrasound probe 2 communicates with the terminal device 10 wirelessly via the communication unit 62, there is no wire connected to the ultrasound probe 2. Therefore, even when the ultrasound probe 2 is worn for a long period of time, there is no inconvenience caused by a wire getting in the way, and there is no inconvenience such as the medical tape 102 peeling off due to the wire getting caught.

[0034] In this embodiment of the ultrasonic probe 2, the dimension (thickness) of the housing 3 along the Z direction is 10 mm or less. This allows the ultrasound probe 2 to be sufficiently positioned between the body and clothing, even when attached to the human body. Therefore, even when the ultrasound probe 2 is attached to the human body for an extended period, inconveniences that would interfere with daily life can be minimized.

[0035] In the ultrasonic probe 2 of this embodiment, the second substrate 6 includes a control circuit 80 that controls a plurality of ultrasonic transducers Tr. The control circuit 80 includes a transmitting circuit 82 and a delay circuit 83 that drive a plurality of ultrasonic elements to transmit ultrasonic waves. The control circuit 80 also includes a receiving circuit 84 and a phase-correcting summing circuit 85 that process the signals output when the plurality of ultrasonic transducers Tr receive ultrasonic waves. As a result, the terminal device 10, which is communicatively connected to the ultrasonic probe 2, only needs to output a measurement command to the ultrasonic probe 2 to perform ultrasonic measurement, and receive the ultrasonic signal obtained from the ultrasonic probe 2 to form an image. In other words, the terminal device 10 does not need circuits for focusing the ultrasonic beam or circuits for performing phase-correcting and summing processing of the received signal, and the ultrasonic system 1 can be constructed using a general-purpose computer such as a smartphone or tablet terminal.

[0036] In the ultrasonic probe 2 of this embodiment, an acoustic lens 4 is provided in the opening 31 of the housing 3 to focus the ultrasonic waves output from the ultrasonic element array Ar to a predetermined depth. This makes it easy to form an ultrasonic beam that converges to a predetermined depth from a single channel of transmitting and receiving signals.

[0037] The ultrasonic system 1 of this embodiment includes an ultrasonic probe 2 and a terminal device 10 that is connected to the ultrasonic probe 2 via a communication unit 62 so as to be able to communicate with it. This enables wireless communication between the ultrasound probe 2 and the terminal device 10, allowing the user to check the measurement results on the terminal device 10 during ultrasound measurement. In this case, since the ultrasound probe 2 and the terminal device 10 are not connected by a wire, inconveniences such as the ultrasound probe 2 falling off due to snagging of a wire or the wire getting in the way when attaching the ultrasound probe 2 can be prevented.

[0038] [Differentiation] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and modifications described above, and any configurations obtained by modifications, improvements, and appropriate combinations of the embodiments, as long as they can achieve the objectives of the present invention, are included in the present invention.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the ultrasonic element array Ar was a one-dimensional array structure in which multiple transmit / receive rows Ch were arranged in the X direction. However, an ultrasonic element array with a two-dimensional array structure in which multiple ultrasonic transducers Tr, each independently drivable, are arranged in the X and Y directions may also be constructed. In this case, the acoustic lens 4 can be eliminated.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the control circuit 80 provided in the ultrasonic probe 2 is configured to transmit an ultrasonic signal to the terminal device 10, and includes a transmitting circuit 82, a delay circuit 83, a receiving circuit 84, and a phase-correcting summing circuit 85. Alternatively, the processor 86 may be configured to form an image based on the ultrasonic signal and transmit the generated image to the terminal device 10.

[0041] In the above embodiment, each ultrasonic transducer Tr performs both transmission and reception of ultrasound, but for example, it may only transmit ultrasound. That is, in the above ultrasonic system 1, an internal tomographic image of the human body is obtained by ultrasonic measurement performed by the ultrasonic probe 2, but it may also function as an ultrasonic treatment device that performs treatment on a predetermined part (period) of the human body by transmitting ultrasound to that part. In this case, ultrasound reception processing becomes unnecessary, and the receiving circuit 84 and the phase-correcting summing circuit 85 can be made unnecessary.

[0042] In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the ultrasonic probe 2 is attached to the human body, but it may also be attached to other objects. Examples of objects to which the ultrasonic probe 2 can be attached include living organisms such as pets, and inorganic materials such as concrete structures.

[0043] [Summary of this disclosure] An ultrasonic probe according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is an ultrasonic probe that is attached to an object to perform ultrasonic measurement, and includes an ultrasonic element array in which a plurality of ultrasonic elements that perform at least one of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves are arranged in an array, comprising: a first substrate on which the ultrasonic element array is arranged on a first surface; a second substrate arranged opposite to a second surface of the first substrate that is opposite to the first surface; and a housing that houses the first substrate and the second substrate inside and has an opening for the passage of ultrasonic waves at a position corresponding to the ultrasonic element array, wherein the second substrate includes a communication unit that is connected to the plurality of ultrasonic elements and can communicate wirelessly with other terminal devices, and the weight of the ultrasonic probe is 150 g or less.

[0044] In an ultrasound probe with this configuration, when attached to a target such as the human body using general medical tape, the weight of the ultrasound probe prevents the medical tape from peeling off, allowing the ultrasound probe to remain attached to the target for a long period of time. Furthermore, since no wires are used to connect to the terminal device, the risk of the ultrasound probe falling off due to snagging on wires can be suppressed.

[0045] In the ultrasonic probe according to this embodiment, it is preferable that the dimension of the housing along the first axis, with respect to the axis perpendicular to the first surface, is 10 mm or less. This allows the ultrasound probe to be positioned between the body and clothing, even when attached to the body. Therefore, even when the ultrasound probe is attached to the body for extended periods, inconveniences that would interfere with daily life can be minimized.

[0046] In the ultrasonic probe of this embodiment, the second substrate preferably includes a control circuit for controlling a plurality of ultrasonic elements, and the control circuit preferably includes a drive unit for driving the plurality of ultrasonic elements to transmit ultrasonic waves, and a signal processing unit for processing signals output when the plurality of ultrasonic elements receive ultrasonic waves. This allows ultrasonic measurements to be performed using only the ultrasonic probe. Furthermore, various circuits related to ultrasonic measurement are not required as terminal devices, and a general-purpose computer can be used as the terminal device.

[0047] In the ultrasonic probe of this embodiment, it is preferable that an acoustic lens is provided in the opening of the housing for focusing the ultrasonic waves output from the ultrasonic element array to a predetermined depth. This allows the acoustic lens to focus the ultrasound output from the ultrasonic element to a predetermined focal point. Therefore, a delay drive for focusing the ultrasound becomes unnecessary, and the circuit configuration for driving the ultrasonic probe can be simplified.

[0048] An ultrasonic system according to a second aspect of the present disclosure comprises an ultrasonic probe as described above and a terminal device that is communicatively connected via the communication unit. This enables wireless communication between the ultrasound probe and the terminal device, allowing the user to control the ultrasound probe using the terminal device while it is attached to the target. In this case, since the ultrasound probe and the terminal device are not connected by a wire, inconveniences such as the ultrasound probe falling off due to snagging on a wire or the wire getting in the way when attaching the ultrasound probe can be prevented. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0049] 1... Ultrasonic system, 2... Ultrasonic probe, 3... Housing, 4... Acoustic lens, 5... First circuit board, 6... Second circuit board, 10... Terminal device, 31... Aperture, 51... Ultrasonic circuit board, 52... Device circuit board, 53... Flexible printed circuit board, 61... IC chip, 62... Communication unit, 63... Battery mounting unit, 80... Control circuit, 81... MUX, 82... Transmitting circuit, 83... Delay circuit, 84... Receiving circuit, 85... Phase-correcting summing circuit, 86... Processor, 101... Gel, 102... Medical tape, Tr... Ultrasonic transducer.

Claims

1. An ultrasound probe that is attached to a target and used for ultrasound measurement, The ultrasonic element array includes a plurality of ultrasonic elements arranged in an array, which perform at least one of ultrasonic transmission and reception, and the ultrasonic element array is placed on a first surface of the first substrate, A second substrate is positioned opposite the second surface of the first substrate, which is on the opposite side from the first surface, The device comprises a housing having a short axis and a long axis longer than the short axis, housing the first substrate and the second substrate inside, and having an opening for the passage of the ultrasonic waves at a position corresponding to the ultrasonic element array, The second substrate is provided with a drive unit that drives a plurality of ultrasonic elements to transmit the ultrasonic waves, a control circuit that includes a signal processing unit that processes signals output when the plurality of ultrasonic elements receive the ultrasonic waves, a communication unit that can wirelessly communicate with other terminal devices, and a battery arrangement unit where a battery is placed. The control circuit, the communication unit, and the battery placement unit are arranged side by side along the long axis on the same plane on the second substrate. An ultrasonic probe having a weight of 150 g or less.

2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the dimension of the housing along the first axis, with respect to the axis perpendicular to the first surface, is 10 mm or less.

3. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein an acoustic lens is provided in the opening of the housing for focusing the ultrasonic waves output from the ultrasonic element array to a predetermined depth.

4. An ultrasonic probe according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A terminal device that is connected to the aforementioned communication unit in a way that enables communication, An ultrasonic system equipped with [the necessary components].

Images