Multi-pillar Piezoelectric Stack Ultrasound Transducer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current intravascular ultrasound transducers face limitations in delivering sufficient acoustic power at distances greater than 1 mm from the transducer aperture and often cause unwanted acoustic radiation, which can damage surrounding tissues, making them inefficient for deep vein thrombosis treatments.
Innovation Solution
A multi-pillar piezoelectric stack ultrasound transducer with laterally spaced pillars and a bonding layer between each pair of piezoelectric elements, designed to enhance acoustic power delivery and reduce lateral radiation, allowing for focused ultrasound energy transmission over a longer distance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If single-pillar piezoelectric stack transducer is used, then device complexity is reduced, but acoustic power delivery at distances greater than 1 mm is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The transducer is divided into multiple piezoelectric pillars (N≥2) arranged in an array, where each pillar is a separate stack of piezoelectric elements. This segmentation allows the acoustic energy to be distributed across multiple sources, improving overall power delivery and focal zone coverage while maintaining individual pillar simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple piezoelectric pillars are combined into a single transducer assembly with common electrical connections and housing. The pillars work together to produce coherent ultrasound waves that constructively interfere at the focal zone, achieving enhanced acoustic power delivery without proportionally increasing device complexity
2Object-affected harmful factors
If single-pillar piezoelectric stack transducer is used, then manufacturing is simplified, but lateral acoustic radiation is excessive causing tissue damage
Solution Approach 1:
The acoustic energy is segmented into multiple discrete pillars with spacing between them. This segmentation creates an interference pattern where lateral waves from adjacent pillars cancel each other out through destructive interference, reducing harmful lateral radiation while maintaining forward directionality
Solution Approach 2:
Each piezoelectric pillar is designed with specific local characteristics (spacing, orientation, individual element properties) that optimize the collective beam pattern. The local arrangement of pillars creates a directional acoustic field that concentrates energy forward while suppressing lateral radiation through geometric configuration
3Power
If increased acoustic power is delivered at distance, then treatment efficacy is improved, but surrounding tissue damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple pillars create a distributed source that produces a more uniform and extended focal zone compared to a single pillar. This segmentation allows the acoustic energy to be spread over a larger volume, maintaining effective treatment power while reducing peak intensity at any single location, thereby minimizing tissue damage
Solution Approach 2:
The transducer design extends the focal zone in the axial dimension by using multiple pillars spaced appropriately. This creates a prolonged region of effective acoustic pressure along the beam axis, allowing treatment of deeper or more extended targets without concentrating excessive energy at a single point, thus protecting surrounding tissues
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The multi-pillar design effectively delivers high acoustic pressure over a wide focal zone, enhancing thrombolysis efficacy by activating nanodroplet cavitation, thereby improving treatment outcomes for deep vein thrombosis without damaging surrounding tissues.
Implementation Method 1
N pillars, each formed of a stack of M piezoelectric elements
Implementation Method 2
applying an electrical signal to the multi-pillar piezoelectric stack ultrasound transducer via the at least one electrical interconnect, which causes the pillars to vibrate and deliver ultrasound energy
Implementation Method 3
The multi-pillar design effectively delivers high acoustic pressure over a wide focal zone, enhancing thrombolysis efficacy by activating nanodroplet cavitation
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-pillar piezoelectric stack (MPPS) ultrasound transducer includes N pillars, each formed of a stack of M piezoelectric elements, N and M being integers of at least two. The ultrasound transducer further includes a bonding layer between each pair of the M piezoelectric elements. The pillars are laterally spaced from each other to form an inter-pillar gap. The transducer further includes at least one electrical interconnect for connecting the ultrasound transducer to a signal source. Through the MPPS design, the therapeutic range and the transducer sensitivity are increased over the conventional single pillar piezoelectric stack (SPPS) transducer design.