JP2001104356A - Ultrasonic therapy apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic therapy apparatus having a good assembling property and reliability derived from stable operation. SOLUTION: An oscillator 2 is bonded to a base material 1 by use of an electrically conductive adhesive 6. The base material 1 is a conductor with good heat conductivity and a driving voltage is applied to the oscillator 2 via the base material 1 itself. The heat of the oscillator 2 resulting from production of ultrasonic waves is dissipated via the base material 1 to provide stable operation. The apparatus is wired by simply taking out the base material 1 and a signal electrode side cable 5, so that the apparatus can have a good assembling property and reliability by means of a simple structure.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic treatment apparatus for irradiating an ultrasonic wave to a treatment target site to perform treatment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional technique, there has been known a technique of irradiating continuous ultrasonic waves to heat a treatment target portion in an ultrasonic irradiation area. As means for generating these ultrasonic waves, for example, a piezoelectric method using a piezo element, an electromagnetic conversion method, and the like have been used.

[0003] It is known to apply these prior arts to, for example, an ultrasonic treatment apparatus, and a therapeutic ultrasonic wave generated by an ultrasonic generator from outside the body of a patient to be treated is applied to the inside of the body. A configuration is provided for irradiating a diseased tissue or the like, which is a treatment target site.

[0004] Further, by providing a focusing means for focusing the ultrasonic waves to be irradiated in the above-mentioned ultrasonic therapy apparatus, it is also possible to focus on an intended part, and to focus on the lesion part to be treated by focusing the ultrasonic waves. It is made to tie. Due to the focusing of the ultrasonic waves, a temperature rise occurs at the focal point due to the concentration of the ultrasonic energy. Since the temperature of the treatment target site can be instantaneously heated to 80 degrees Celsius or more by this temperature rise, a lesion such as a tumor can be treated by degenerating tissue.

[0005] With the ultrasonic treatment apparatus having such a feature, the heat generated by the ultrasonic wave can be focused only on the treatment target portion by focusing the treatment ultrasonic wave.
The treatment can be performed without irradiating unnecessary ultrasonic waves to surrounding tissues such as around the focal point. In order to heat and cauterize the tumor by locating the lesion at the focal position in this way, or to crush the calculus, the vibrator provided in the ultrasonic treatment apparatus includes a piezo element ( Hereinafter, a vibrator) is used.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic structure of an applicator provided in a conventional ultrasonic therapy apparatus. The base member 27 is made of a resin having a high electrical insulation property, and the vibrator 28 for generating ultrasonic waves is made of a resin material adhesive.
It is fixed to. The vibrator 28 has electrodes formed on both surfaces thereof. Each of these electrodes has a negative electrode side cable 26 on the negative electrode side, that is, the ground side, and a signal electrode side cable 25 on the positive electrode side, that is, the drive signal side. It is connected.

When a voltage for driving the vibrator 28 is applied through these cables, the vibrator is vibrated by the piezoelectric effect to generate ultrasonic waves. The generated ultrasonic waves are irradiated into the living body through the ultrasonic wave propagation medium 31 that is in contact with the transducer 28. The ultrasonic wave propagation medium 31 is made of, for example, water with low ultrasonic attenuation. The coupling 29 holds the ultrasonic wave propagation medium 31 and comes into contact with the body surface of a living body. A notch or a hole is formed in the peripheral surface of the base member 27 or the vibrator 28 on the electrode surface on the side of the ultrasonic wave propagation medium 31, and a negative electrode side cable 26 is formed there.
Connected through.

Although the vibrator 28 generates ultrasonic waves by the piezoelectric effect, not all of the input electric power is converted to ultrasonic waves, and part of the electric power is converted to heat, and the temperature of the vibrator 28 is reduced. Will rise. Thus, the vibrator 28
Is generated and transmitted to the ultrasonic wave propagation medium 31 and the resin, and the heat is radiated. However, since the vibrator 28 is surrounded by the resin, the heat radiation efficiency is low, the temperature of the vibrator 28 rises, Conversion efficiency may be reduced.

A specific method of wiring to the vibrator 28 is as follows. This method secures a space 32 between the base member 27 and the vibrator 28 so that the negative electrode cable 26 can pass through.
It is necessary to wire to the electrode on the side of the ultrasonic wave propagation medium 31, but the surface of the vibrator 28 opposite to the ultrasonic wave propagation medium 31 is often air in consideration of ultrasonic radiation efficiency. Therefore, it is important to seal between the base member 27 and the negative electrode side cable and the vibrator. If water as a propagation medium leaks from the base material 27, the ultrasonic radiation efficiency is reduced, which causes a problem.
Further, the transducer 28 used for the focused ultrasonic wave does not always include one transducer, and may include a plurality of transducers for controlling a focused sound field.

[0010]

However, in a transducer provided in a conventional ultrasonic therapy apparatus, a wiring for driving the transducer is directly connected to each electrode using a lead wire. For this reason, the wiring structure is complicated, particularly, the wiring is routed around the ultrasonic wave emitting surface side, and it has been difficult to say that the productivity is always good.

When the ultrasonic treatment apparatus is operated continuously, the vibrator is also driven continuously, and the heat generation phenomenon accompanying this driving is also continuous. Therefore, the generated heat is eventually accumulated in the applicator.

When the ultrasonic wave is irradiated for a certain period of time, the source cannot be sufficiently cooled only by cooling with the ultrasonic wave propagation medium and excessively generates heat, so that the temperature of the source falls outside the temperature range intended by the design. There is a problem in that the characteristics of the generation source change from the ideal state, so that efficient driving for generation of ultrasonic waves cannot be performed.

Further, when a plurality of transducers are used, the wiring is routed to the ultrasonic radiation surface side electrode (negative electrode) of the transducer, so that the base structure is complicated and the number of wirings is increased.
As the manufacturing time becomes longer, erroneous wiring and the like are more likely to occur, which contributes to an increase in manufacturing cost.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic therapy apparatus which has a good heat radiation property of the vibrator and can obtain a stable operation, and has a simple structure and good assemblability and reliability.

[0015]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vibrator having electrodes on the front and back surfaces of a plate-like vibrator, and the vibrator includes an ultrasonic wave. In an ultrasonic treatment apparatus for irradiating a subject with therapeutic ultrasonic waves through an ultrasonic propagation medium provided on a radiation surface side, a support means for supporting the vibrator at a peripheral portion of the vibrator is provided. The ultrasonic therapy apparatus is characterized in that continuity with an electrode on the ultrasonic wave emitting surface side of the vibrator is measured through the support means.

Further, in the present invention described in claim 2,
2. The ultrasonic therapy apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supporting means is formed of a heat conductor, and heat generated by the vibrator is conducted and radiated through the supporting means. I do.

Further, in the present invention according to claim 3,
The ultrasonic therapy apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the support means is connected to a ground side.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an ultrasonic wave generating means provided in an ultrasonic therapy apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the following shows an example in which the applicator is gripped and operated by an operator, but is not limited to this shape, but is, for example, provided with a holding arm mechanism and mechanically fixed. May be.

The configuration shown in FIG. 1 is an applicator 10 which is an ultrasonic wave generating means. The vibrator 2 generates ultrasonic waves, and the vibrator 2 is arranged at a predetermined position. A base member 1 mechanically supported, and the base member 1
A conductive adhesive 6 that is mechanically adhered to the one electrode surface of the vibrator 2 while electrically connecting the negative electrode side cable 7 to the base member 1, and the other end of the vibrator 2. Signal electrode side cable 5 connected to the electrode surface of
And an ultrasonic wave propagation medium 4 for transmitting the ultrasonic waves generated by the vibrator 2, a coupling film 3 for holding the ultrasonic wave propagation medium 4, and a gripping case 33 containing the configuration of the applicator 10. It consists of

The base material 1 is made of a conductive metal having corrosion resistance (copper alloy, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, etc.), and has a shape such that it goes around the ultrasonic wave propagation medium 4 of the vibrator 2. It has become. The vibrator 2 is connected to the base member 1 with no gap between the base member 1 and the vibrator 2 while ensuring electrical continuity with solder or a conductive adhesive 6. The opposing surface and side surface of the vibrator 2 opposite to the side in contact with the ultrasonic wave propagation medium 4 are in contact with air.
However, a signal electrode side cable 5 is electrically connected to the surface opposite to the ultrasonic wave propagation medium 4, and a drive voltage applied to the vibrator 2 is previously applied between the electrode on this surface and the base material 1. Thus, a space that does not cause discharge is secured.

The base material 1 has a negative electrode side cable 7.
Are electrically grounded. The surface of the vibrator 2 to which the base material 1 is bonded is the cathode side. Therefore, the signal electrode side cable 5 is connected to the anode side of the vibrator 2.

With such a structure, it is not necessary to provide a hole or a notch for cable wiring for connection to the electrode on the ultrasonic wave propagation medium side. For this reason, in order to connect the peripheral part of the vibrator 2 without a gap in a smooth shape part,
Since the mechanical sealing performance can be improved and there is no electrical gap, a shielding effect can be obtained, and a shielding effect of preventing entry and radiation of electromagnetic waves and the like can be obtained.

Further, since there is no connection between the cable for connecting to the negative electrode and the surface of the vibrator 2 on the negative electrode side which is the ultrasonic wave radiating surface, the ultrasonic wave radiating surface of the vibrator 2 is located at the center of the surface. Since the shape is geometrically symmetric with respect to the axis, the resulting sound field pattern is also bilaterally symmetric and uniform.

Further, since the base member 1 is made of metal, the thermal conductivity to water constituting the ultrasonic wave propagation medium 4 is improved.
The temperature rise of the vibrator 2 can be suppressed low, and stable ultrasonic waves can be obtained even if continuous driving is performed. In addition, even if the temperature of the base material 1 rises due to heat conduction to the base material 1, the base material 1 is housed inside the gripping case 33, so that it can be easily gripped regardless of the temperature rise. Operability is also good.

It should be noted that even with a configuration in which the holding mechanism is mechanically provided by a holding arm mechanism or the like that does not include the holding case 33, good heat conduction is performed, so that stable ultrasonic waves can be obtained.

Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention is shown in FIGS.

The applicator 20 shown in FIG. 2 is a vibrator 12 that generates ultrasonic waves in accordance with the applied driving voltage.
A base material 11 made of a conductive metal; a conductive adhesive 16 electrically and mechanically bonding one electrode surface of the vibrator 12 to the base material 11; Copper bridge 19 electrically connected to the other electrode surface
And the negative electrode side cable 17 connected to the base material 11
, A signal electrode side cable 15 connected to the copper bridge 19 and drawn out, an ultrasonic wave propagation medium 14 for transmitting ultrasonic waves emitted from the vibrator 12, and holding the ultrasonic wave propagation medium 14, for example, It comprises a coupling film 13 for improving the contact with the patient's body surface and, for example, an ultrasonic probe 18 for imaging a region of interest in the patient's body.

The configuration of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is different from the configuration of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that the cable 15 on the signal electrode side is not directly connected to the vibrator 12. , Once connected to the copper bridge 19,
9 is connected to the electrode of the vibrator 12. In FIG. 2, a drive voltage for driving the vibrator 12 is transmitted to the anode side of the vibrator 12 by the copper bridge 19 and the signal electrode side cable 15. On the other hand, the cathode side of the vibrator 12 is grounded by the base material 11 and the negative electrode side cable 17.

Although the cathode side of the vibrator 12 is connected to the base material 11 with the conductive adhesive 16, the entire cathode side is not entirely adhered to the base material 11. The base member 11 is provided with a window of a predetermined size so as not to hinder the irradiation of the ultrasonic waves generated from the vibrator 12. The vibrator 12 is fitted into the window, and the conductive adhesive 16
It is adhered by. The portion to be bonded is a peripheral portion extending over the entire periphery of the vibrator 12, and the peripheral portion is bonded to the base material 11 with a bonding margin having a predetermined width to ensure conduction.

Alternatively, instead of the peripheral edge portion extending over the entire periphery of the vibrator 12, it may be bonded at a predetermined length in the circumferential direction according to the design intention.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram viewed from the anode surface side where two copper bridges 19 having the configuration shown in FIG. 2 are provided and connected.

In this configuration, the vibrator 12 is divided into eight parts. In the drawing, a and b show combinations of the vibrators 12, and the four vibrators 12 with a are one group. Similarly, the vibrator 12 marked with b also forms one set of four vibrators.
The first copper bridge 2 for each set of transducers 12
2 is connected to the four vibrators 12 marked with a.
The second copper bridge 21 is similarly connected to the four vibrators 12 with b. The base member 11 is commonly connected to the transducers a and b without distinction.

As for the set of the transducers a and b, the four transducers 12 of each set are driven in the same phase. 8 copper bridges
Ultrasonic waves can also be generated with independent phases by connecting each of the vibrators 12 independently and applying a drive voltage to each of the vibrators 12. Also in this case, since the wiring on the negative electrode side is shared by the base material 1, the negative electrode side cable 7 from the base material 11 is connected.
Can be a common wiring.

According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the base material is made of metal, the base and the negative electrode are electrically connected, and the base and the electrode (positive electrode) on the non-ultrasonic radiation surface side of the vibrator. The structure in which the electrode is electrically insulated makes it easier for heat generated by the vibrator to be radiated to the ultrasonic wave propagation medium through a metal having high thermal conductivity.

Further, since the base also serves as the wiring of the negative electrode, the structure is small, an electromagnetic shielding effect can be obtained, the structure can be simplified, and the assembling property can be improved.

The embodiments described above are described for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and are not described for limiting the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above embodiment is intended to include all design changes and equivalents belonging to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, the base material 11 does not have to be electrically conductive in all of its constituent materials, and may have a structure that is electrically conductive all around the vibrator 2 and has a shielding effect.
For example, the base material 11 itself may be made of a material having good heat conductivity, and a conductive metal film may be disposed on the surface thereof. By doing so, the present invention can be preferably implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0038]

According to the present invention, the wiring of the vibrator can be easily performed, the mechanical sealing performance is improved, and since there is no electrical gap, a shielding effect is obtained, and the penetration of electromagnetic waves and the like can be improved. It is possible to provide an ultrasonic therapy apparatus that can prevent radiation, suppress the temperature rise of the vibrator to a low level, and obtain stable ultrasonic waves even when driven continuously.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a configuration of an ultrasonic wave generating unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the configuration of another cooling means according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a vibrator array according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic structure of a conventional ultrasonic wave generating means.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Base material, 2 ... Oscillator, 3 ... Coupling film, 4 ...
Ultrasonic wave propagation medium, 5: signal electrode side cable, 6: conductive adhesive, 7: negative electrode side cable, 10: applicator,
11: base material, 18: ultrasonic probe, 19: copper bridge, 21: second copper bridge, 22: first copper bridge, 23: first vibrator, 24: second vibrator

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04R 7/00 330 H04R 17/00 330H 17/00 330 A61B 17/36 330 F term (Reference) 4C060 EE19 JJ27 4C099 AA01 CA13 CA19 EA08 GA30 JA13 LA21 4C301 FF26 GB18 GB40 5D019 AA18 AA26 BB28 FF03 GG12 5D107 AA12 AA14 BB07 CC02 CC05 CC10 CC11 EE04 FF01

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A vibrator having electrodes on the front and back surfaces of a plate-shaped vibrating body, and an ultrasonic wave transmitting medium provided on an ultrasonic wave emitting surface side of the vibrator provides an ultrasonic wave to a subject for treatment. An ultrasonic therapy apparatus that irradiates a sound wave, comprising: a supporting unit for supporting the vibrator at a peripheral portion of the vibrator; and an electrode on an ultrasonic wave emitting surface side of the vibrator through the supporting unit. An ultrasonic treatment apparatus characterized by measuring conduction. 2. The ultrasonic treatment according to claim 1, wherein said support means is formed of a heat conductor, and heat generated by said vibrator is conducted and radiated through said support means. apparatus. 3. The ultrasonic therapy apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said support means is connected to a ground side.