Ultrasonic transducer

Abstract

This ultrasonic transducer comprises: a piezoelectric element; and an ultrasonic coupler attached to the piezoelectric element and configured to transmit ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic coupler has a plurality of recessed portions for focusing the ultrasonic waves, the plurality of recessed portions including first recessed portions and second recessed portions having ultrasonic focusing points of mutually different focusing depths.

Description

ultrasonic transducer

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an ultrasonic transducer for generating ultrasonic waves.

[0002] Ultrasound is widely used for skin care and wound treatment. A device for generating ultrasound includes an ultrasonic transducer and a power generation unit. The ultrasonic transducer is composed of electrodes formed on both sides of a piezoelectric element, and the power generation unit generates pulse power to drive the ultrasonic transducer. When ultrasonic power is applied to the electrodes formed on the surface of the piezoelectric element, the piezoelectric element physically vibrates, resulting in the generation of ultrasound.

[0003] Since these ultrasonic transducers cannot operate with electrodes formed on the surface of the piezoelectric element in direct contact with human skin, a coupler made of metal or synthetic resin is attached to the surface where the ultrasound is irradiated. The coupler is made of a material with excellent ultrasound transmission properties, typically stainless steel or nylon. Typically, the surface of these couplers is smooth, and the ultrasound generated by the piezoelectric element is transmitted to human tissue through the coupler. There is room for various technological improvements, such as improving treatment efficiency and reducing patient pain.

[0004] The matters described in the technical background of this invention are written to enhance understanding of the background of the invention and may include matters that are not already known prior art in the field to which this technology belongs.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic transducer capable of efficient ultrasonic treatment by forming multiple ultrasonic focus points.

[0006] The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

[0007] An ultrasonic transducer according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a piezoelectric element and an ultrasonic coupler attached to the piezoelectric element and configured to transmit ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic coupler includes a plurality of recessed portions for focusing the ultrasonic waves, and the plurality of recessed portions include a first recessed portion and a second recessed portion having ultrasonic focus points of different focusing depths.

[0008] The first recessed portion and the second recessed portion may be configured to have different ultrasonic focusing shapes.

[0009] The first recessed portion and the second recessed portion may be positioned at different depth positions.

[0010] The first recessed portion and the second recessed portion may have the same ultrasonic focusing shape and be positioned at different depth-direction positions.

[0011] The first recessed portion and the second recessed portion may be configured to form ultrasonic focus points at different times.

[0012] An ultrasonic transducer according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a piezoelectric element and an ultrasonic coupler attached to the piezoelectric element and configured to transmit ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic coupler has a plurality of recessed portions for focusing the ultrasonic waves, and the plurality of recessed portions include a first recessed portion and a second recessed portion having different ultrasonic focusing shapes. The first recessed portion and the second recessed portion are configured to have an ultrasonic focusing point with the same focusing depth.

[0013] An ultrasonic transducer according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a piezoelectric element and an ultrasonic coupler attached to the piezoelectric element and configured to transmit ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic coupler has a plurality of recessed portions for focusing the ultrasonic waves, and the plurality of recessed portions are configured to form ultrasonic focusing areas each having a continuously extended shape.

[0014] The above ultrasound focusing area may have a linear shape or a ring shape.

[0015] The ultrasonic focusing areas formed by the plurality of recesses may have different focusing depths.

[0016] The above piezoelectric element can be configured to generate ultrasonic waves of different frequencies by receiving pulse power of different frequencies.

[0017] An ultrasonic transducer according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first piezoelectric element and a second piezoelectric element configured to separately generate ultrasonic waves, and an ultrasonic coupler attached to the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element and configured to transmit ultrasonic waves generated by the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element. The ultrasonic coupler includes a plurality of first recessed portions configured to focus ultrasonic waves generated by the first piezoelectric element, and a plurality of second recessed portions configured to focus ultrasonic waves generated by the second piezoelectric element.

[0018] The first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element may be configured to be driven simultaneously or sequentially.

[0019] The first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element may be configured to generate ultrasonic waves of different frequencies.

[0020] An ultrasonic transducer according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first piezoelectric element and a second piezoelectric element configured to separately generate ultrasonic waves, a first ultrasonic coupler having a plurality of first recessed portions attached to the first piezoelectric element and configured to focus ultrasonic waves generated by the first piezoelectric element, a second ultrasonic coupler having a plurality of second recessed portions attached to the second piezoelectric element and configured to focus ultrasonic waves generated by the second piezoelectric element, and a connecting member connecting the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element.

[0021] The above connecting member may be formed of a flexible material.

[0022] According to the present invention, the treatment effect can be maximized through a coupler having multiple focus depths, and the time required to reach the focus point varies due to the difference in the ultrasonic propagation speed, so that the focus points do not form simultaneously, thereby reducing the pain felt by the patient.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an ultrasonic transducer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of Figure 1.

[0025] Figure 3 is a schematic bottom view of an ultrasonic transducer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an ultrasonic transducer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an ultrasonic transducer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an ultrasonic transducer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 7 is a bottom view of an ultrasonic transducer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 8 is a bottom view of an ultrasonic transducer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] FIG. 9 is a schematic bottom view of an ultrasonic transducer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] FIG. 10 is a schematic bottom view of an ultrasonic transducer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] FIG. 11 is a schematic bottom view of an ultrasonic transducer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of an ultrasonic transducer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the described embodiments.

[0036] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," as used herein, indicate the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. The term "coupled" indicates a physical relationship between two components in which the components are directly connected to one another or are indirectly connected through one or more intervening components.

[0037] In describing the components of the present invention, when it is described that a component is “connected,” “coupled,” or “connected” to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly connected, coupled, or connected to the other component, but another component may also be “connected,” “coupled,” or “connected” between each component.

[0038] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, an ultrasonic transducer (10) according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a piezoelectric element (11) and an ultrasonic coupler (13). The piezoelectric element (11) is configured to convert electrical energy into mechanical vibration energy by the piezoelectric effect. For example, the piezoelectric element (11) can be formed by forming electrodes on both sides of a piezoelectric material layer having a piezoelectric effect. The piezoelectric material layer can be formed of a material capable of converting an electrical signal into mechanical vibration, such as ceramic, a composite piezoelectric material, or single-crystal quartz, and the electrodes can be formed of a metal having good electrical conductivity, such as silver.

[0039] Although not shown in the drawing, a pulse power generator capable of applying pulse power to the electrodes of the piezoelectric element (11) may be electrically connected to the piezoelectric element (11). When pulse power is applied to the piezoelectric element (11), the piezoelectric element (11) vibrates, generating ultrasonic waves. The generated ultrasonic waves are transmitted to a target object, for example, human tissue, through an ultrasonic coupler (13).

[0040] The ultrasonic coupler (13) is configured to cover one side of the piezoelectric element (11). For example, the ultrasonic coupler (13) may be formed of a metal, synthetic resin, etc. having ultrasonic transmission characteristics, and may specifically be formed of stainless steel, nylon, etc. In the embodiment of the present invention, the ultrasonic coupler (13) is configured to control the propagation, focusing, etc. of ultrasonic waves through the shape and structure.

[0041] The ultrasonic coupler (13) can form a recessed portion (15, 16). The recessed portion (15, 16) formed in the ultrasonic coupler (13) can be configured to form a focusing point within the human body by the propagation characteristics of ultrasonic waves. The recessed portion (15, 16) can basically have a circular shape, and in other examples, can have any shape that allows ultrasonic focusing, such as an elliptical shape.

[0042] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the ultrasonic coupler (13) includes a first recessed portion (15) and a second recessed portion (16) having different ultrasonic focusing depths. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first recessed portion (15) and the second recessed portion (16) can be alternately arranged adjacent to each other. By utilizing the fact that the propagation pattern of ultrasonic waves varies depending on the shape, size, etc. of the surface to which the ultrasonic waves are radiated, the first recessed portion (15) and the second recessed portion (16) have different shapes, structures, etc., thereby setting the ultrasonic focusing pattern by the first recessed portion (15) and the second recessed portion (16) differently. Through this, the focusing depth of the focused ultrasonic waves formed by the first recessed portion (15) and the second recessed portion (16) can be adjusted. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first and second depressions (15, 16) can be arranged adjacent to each other and continuously, thereby generating continuous focused ultrasound.

[0043] The first recessed portion (15) and the second recessed portion (16) have different shapes and / or sizes, and are thus formed to have different ultrasonic focusing shapes. At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the focusing point (F1) of the focused ultrasonic waves by the first recessed portion (15) and the focusing point (F2) of the focused ultrasonic waves by the second recessed portion (16) are formed to have the same focusing depth. Here, the focusing depth can be understood as the depth from the surface of the ultrasonic transducer (10) to the ultrasonic focusing point. Here, a case where two types of recessed portions, i.e., the first and second recessed portions (15, 16), are provided has been exemplarily described, but three or more types of recessed portions may be provided within the concept of the present invention.

[0044] FIGS. 4 to 6 each illustrate cross-sectional views of ultrasonic transducers according to different embodiments of the present invention. First, referring to FIG. 4, a plurality of recessed portions (21) having the same ultrasonic focusing shape are formed at different depth positions to form focused ultrasonic waves having different focusing depths. Next, referring to FIG. 5, a first recessed portion (31) and a second recessed portion (32) having different ultrasonic focusing shapes are arranged to have different ultrasonic focusing depths. Next, referring to FIG. 6, a first recessed portion (41) and a second recessed portion (42) having different ultrasonic focusing shapes are formed at different depth positions to have different ultrasonic focusing depths.

[0045] In the embodiments described above, the ultrasound focus points formed by the first and second recessed portions (15, 16) in the ultrasonic coupler (13) can be configured to be formed at different times. The time interval between the formation of these ultrasound focus points can be formed by differences in the shape and thickness of the recessed portions, etc., and can be formed by differences in the ultrasonic propagation speed. For example, ultrasound having a shorter distance from the surface of the recessed portion to the focus point can be focused first. The existence of this time difference in ultrasound focus can alleviate pain felt by the patient.

[0046] FIGS. 7 and 8 are bottom views illustrating an ultrasonic transducer according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which a recessed portion is configured to form a continuous ultrasonic focusing area. In FIGS. 7 and 8, the ultrasonic focusing area is illustrated with a dotted line to aid understanding. FIG. 7 illustrates a case in which a continuous ultrasonic focusing area, i.e., an ultrasonic focusing area (F1, F2) in a linearly extended shape, is formed by each recessed portion (71, 72). At this time, the ultrasonic focusing areas (F1, F2) formed by the recessed portions (71, 72) may have different ultrasonic focusing depths. FIG. 8 illustrates a case in which a continuous ultrasonic focusing area (F3, F4) in a ring shape is formed by each recessed portion (81, 82). At this time, the ultrasonic focusing areas (F3, F4) formed by the recessed portions (81, 82) may have different ultrasonic focusing depths.

[0047] Meanwhile, if the size of the ultrasonic transducer is too large, the power consumed during ultrasound irradiation is large, and at the same time, focused ultrasound is irradiated to the human body over a wide area, which may increase the pain felt by the patient. To solve this problem, multiple piezoelectric elements can be attached to a single coupler and the multiple piezoelectric elements can be driven simultaneously or sequentially to generate focused ultrasound, or multiple ultrasonic transducers including piezoelectric elements and couplers can be connected and used. Examples of such structures are illustrated in FIG. 9 and FIG. 11. FIG. 9 illustrates an example in which four piezoelectric elements (51) having a square shape are attached to a single coupler (52). FIG. 10 illustrates an example in which a piezoelectric element (53) having a circular shape and a piezoelectric element (54) having a ring shape are attached to a single coupler (55) so as to be concentric. FIG. 11 illustrates an example in which four piezoelectric elements (57) having a fan shape are attached to a single coupler (58) so as to form a circle.

[0048] In addition, when using multiple piezoelectric elements, the ultrasonic frequency of each piezoelectric element can be made different, and when the ultrasonic frequency is different, the energy intensity and shape of the focus point can be formed differently, so that ultrasound with an optimized frequency can be used depending on the treatment area.

[0049] In another embodiment, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers having a single coupler attached thereto may be configured. Referring to FIG. 12, two ultrasonic transducers (61, 62) may be connected to each other by a connecting member (63). Each ultrasonic transducer (61, 62) includes a piezoelectric element (65, 66) and a coupler (67, 68), respectively. The connecting member (63) may be attached to an area at the edge of the piezoelectric elements (65, 66) that are arranged adjacent to each other to connect the piezoelectric elements (65, 66) to each other. The connecting member (63) may be formed of a flexible material such as silicone or rubber, thereby being able to fold or unfold according to the curved surface of human skin, thereby changing the angle between the piezoelectric elements (65, 66) connected to each other by the connecting member (63) and the couplers (67, 68) attached thereto, so that the couplers (67, 68) may be more effectively brought into close contact with the skin.

[0050] In this case, the pulse power circuit supplied to the piezoelectric elements (65, 66) may be provided as a single or multiple circuits. In the case where a single pulse power circuit is provided, a switch connected to each piezoelectric element (65, 66) may be provided so that the pulse power may be supplied sequentially. As another example, a single piezoelectric element may be supplied with pulse power having different frequencies so that ultrasonic waves having multiple frequencies may be generated from the single piezoelectric element. This may achieve a harmonic effect.

[0051] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and includes all changes and modifications that can be easily modified by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains and are recognized as equivalent from the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. Piezoelectric element, and An ultrasonic coupler is included that is attached to the piezoelectric element and configured to transmit ultrasonic waves. The above ultrasonic coupler has a plurality of recessed portions for focusing the ultrasonic waves, An ultrasonic transducer comprising a first recessed portion and a second recessed portion having ultrasonic focus points of different focus depths.

2. In paragraph 1, An ultrasonic transducer wherein the first recessed portion and the second recessed portion are configured to have different ultrasonic focusing shapes.

3. In paragraph 2, An ultrasonic transducer in which the first recessed portion and the second recessed portion are positioned at different depth positions.

4. In paragraph 1, An ultrasonic transducer in which the first recessed portion and the second recessed portion have the same ultrasonic focusing shape and are positioned at different depth positions.

5. In paragraph 1, An ultrasonic transducer wherein the first recessed portion and the second recessed portion are configured to form ultrasonic focus points at different times.

6. Piezoelectric element, and An ultrasonic coupler is included that is attached to the piezoelectric element and configured to transmit ultrasonic waves. The above ultrasonic coupler has a plurality of recessed portions for focusing the ultrasonic waves, The above plurality of recessed portions include a first recessed portion and a second recessed portion having different ultrasonic focusing shapes, An ultrasonic transducer configured such that the first recessed portion and the second recessed portion have ultrasonic focusing points with the same focusing depth.

7. Piezoelectric element, and An ultrasonic coupler is included that is attached to the piezoelectric element and configured to transmit ultrasonic waves. The above ultrasonic coupler has a plurality of recessed portions for focusing the ultrasonic waves, An ultrasonic transducer in which the plurality of recessed portions are configured to form ultrasonic focusing areas each having a continuously extended shape.

8. In paragraph 7, The above ultrasonic focusing area is an ultrasonic transducer having a linear shape or a ring shape.

9. In paragraph 8, An ultrasonic transducer in which the ultrasonic focusing areas formed by the plurality of recesses each have different ultrasonic focusing depths.

10. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 9, The above piezoelectric element is an ultrasonic transducer configured to generate ultrasonic waves of different frequencies by receiving pulse power of different frequencies.

11. A first piezoelectric element and a second piezoelectric element configured to separately generate ultrasonic waves, and An ultrasonic coupler is included that is attached to the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element and configured to transmit ultrasonic waves generated by the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element. The ultrasonic coupler is an ultrasonic transducer including a plurality of first recessed portions configured to focus ultrasonic waves generated from the first piezoelectric element, and a plurality of second recessed portions configured to focus ultrasonic waves generated from the second piezoelectric element.

12. In paragraph 11, An ultrasonic transducer configured such that the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element can be driven simultaneously or sequentially.

13. In paragraph 11, An ultrasonic transducer in which the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element are configured to generate ultrasonic waves of different frequencies.

14. A first piezoelectric element and a second piezoelectric element configured to separately generate ultrasonic waves; A first ultrasonic coupler having a plurality of first recessed portions attached to the first piezoelectric element and configured to focus ultrasonic waves generated from the first piezoelectric element; A second ultrasonic coupler having a plurality of second recessed portions attached to the second piezoelectric element and configured to focus ultrasonic waves generated in the second piezoelectric element, and An ultrasonic transducer including a connecting member connecting the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element.

15. In paragraph 14, The above connecting member is an ultrasonic transducer formed of a flexible material.

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