JP2003348694A - Front view ultrasonic search unit and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a front view ultrasonic search unit wherein wiring to an ultrasonic transducer is facilitated to facilitate handling of the ultrasonic transducer and enhance acoustic absorption and to provide its manufacturing method. <P>SOLUTION: In the front view ultrasonic search unit 10, a drive circuit applies a drive voltage to a ring array shaped ultrasonic transducer 13 mounted to the inside of a tip of a catheter 11 and having an acoustic absorption member 14 made of a conductive material at its back side to emit an ultrasonic wave in front of the ultrasonic transducer and then receive a reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave thereby acquiring an ultrasonic wave image in front of the catheter. The probe 10 is configured to include a circuit component 15 configuring the drive circuit via an acoustic absorption member 14b electrically directly connected to the ultrasonic transducer 13 and an acoustic matching layer 12 in front of the ultrasonic transducer 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a forward-looking ultrasonic probe for acquiring an ultrasonic image in front of a catheter used for treatment or diagnosis in a living body such as a blood vessel, a urethra, and a kidney. And a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a catheter used for endovascular treatment or diagnosis is inserted into a blood vessel based on information of an X-ray angiogram and operated to perform treatment or diagnosis. On the other hand, a forward-looking ultrasound probe is provided at the distal end of the catheter to perform treatment and diagnosis using a catheter and a guide wire while acquiring an ultrasonic image in front of the catheter in real time. Various developments of visual ultrasound probes have been made.

[0003] In these forward-looking ultrasonic probes, basically, electrodes are provided on both sides of a small-area ultrasonic transducer, and wiring is connected to these electrodes.
It is configured by attaching a sound absorbing material to the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer.

[0004]

However, such a forward-looking ultrasonic probe must be small and thin because it is attached to the tip of a catheter inserted into a blood vessel or the like. For this reason, the area of the ultrasonic vibrator becomes very small, and since a very high frequency of, for example, about 10 to 40 MHz is used as the ultrasonic wave, the thickness of the ultrasonic vibrator is also very thin. Therefore, it becomes difficult to handle the ultrasonic vibrator. In addition, it is difficult to route the wiring so that the electrodes on both sides of the ultrasonic transducer do not short-circuit. Here, in order to constitute a forward-looking ultrasonic probe, it is necessary to draw out wiring from electrodes provided on both surfaces of the ultrasonic transducer to the rear. At this time, since an acoustic absorbing material (backing material) is attached to the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer, it is difficult to route the wiring in a narrow space.

[0005] In addition, when wiring is arranged from the side by a flexible cable, assembly becomes complicated, and if it is not bent sufficiently, the outer diameter of the wiring may become larger than the diameter of the ultrasonic vibrator. there were. Furthermore, when manufacturing a forward-looking ultrasonic probe, the sound absorbing material must be finally bonded to the ultrasonic transducer, and when handling a small-area and thin ultrasonic transducer, In addition, the ultrasonic vibrator may be deformed or cracked, and the yield is reduced.

In addition, the forward-looking ultrasonic probes having such a configuration have conventionally had to be manually manufactured one by one.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, the present invention provides a 1-3 composite ring array structure with a sound absorbing material, which facilitates wiring to the ultrasonic vibrator, facilitates handling of the ultrasonic vibrator, It is an object of the present invention to provide a forward-looking ultrasonic probe and a method for manufacturing the same that can be manufactured in a lump.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ring array mounted on a distal end of a hollow cylindrical catheter and provided with a sound absorbing material on a back surface. By applying a drive voltage from the drive circuit to the ultrasonic transducer, the ultrasonic wave is emitted in front of the ultrasonic transducer, and then the reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave is received, and the ultrasonic image in front of the catheter is obtained. A front-view ultrasonic probe for acquiring the ultrasonic transducer, wherein the acoustic absorber provided on the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer is made of a conductive material, and the ultrasonic transducer has an equal angular interval. Each of the rear electrode portions of the ultrasonic transducer is divided corresponding to each of the electrode portions of the rear electrode, and each of the electrode portions of the rear electrode of the ultrasonic vibrator is connected to the drive circuit via each of the divided acoustic absorber portions. It is characterized by being electrically connected.

[0009] In the forward-looking ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, preferably, the sound absorbing material portions adjacent to each other are electrically insulated by opposing each other via a groove.

[0010] In the forward-looking ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, an insulating material is preferably provided in the groove.

[0011] In the forward-looking ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, preferably, conductive powder is mixed with the material constituting the sound absorbing material.

[0012] The ultrasonic probe for forward vision according to the present invention is preferably provided with an acoustic matching layer on the front surface of the ultrasonic transducer.

In the forward-looking ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, preferably, a component on which an integrated circuit constituting a drive circuit is mounted is directly mounted on the rear surface of the acoustic absorber.

[0014] In the forward-looking ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, preferably, the mounting component of the integrated circuit is a polymer structure having an electrode pattern on a surface.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ring array-shaped ultrasonic vibration device mounted on the distal end of a hollow cylindrical catheter and provided with a sound absorbing material on the back surface. By applying a drive voltage from the drive circuit to the probe, it radiates in front of the ultrasonic transducer, receives a reflected wave, and obtains an ultrasonic image in front of the catheter to acquire an ultrasonic image in front of the catheter. A method for manufacturing a transducer, comprising: a first step of providing a conductive acoustic absorber for a polarized ultrasonic vibrator having electrodes on front and rear surfaces, and then providing an ultrasonic vibrator and a conductive acoustic A second step of forming a 1-3 composite structure by forming a groove in the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction with respect to the absorbing material and filling the insulating material, followed by an ultrasonic transducer and a conductive acoustic absorbing material To the center at equal angular intervals In the meantime, the third stage of filling the insulating material, and thereafter, the ultrasonic vibrator and the conductive sound absorbing material are cut into an inner circle and an outer circle with respect to the center thereof, and the whole is formed into a ring shape. A fourth stage, and a fifth stage of inserting and fixing an insulating-coated grounding metal tube in the hollow portion of the ring-shaped ultrasonic vibrator and the conductive acoustic absorber, and connecting to the front electrode, It is characterized by containing.

The method for manufacturing a forward-looking ultrasonic probe according to the present invention preferably further includes a sixth step of attaching an acoustic matching layer to the front surface of the ultrasonic transducer.

The method for manufacturing a forward-looking ultrasonic probe according to the present invention preferably further comprises a seventh step of mounting an integrated circuit constituting a drive circuit directly on a rear surface of the conductive acoustic absorber. It has.

In the method for manufacturing a forward-looking ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, preferably, the mounting component of the integrated circuit is a polymer structure having an electrode pattern on a surface.

According to the first configuration, the acoustic absorber provided on the back surface of the ultrasonic vibrator is made of a conductive material, and the respective electrode portions of the rear electrode of the ultrasonic vibrator correspond to each other. Since it is electrically connected to the drive circuit via the divided sound absorbing material portion, it is not necessary to route wiring from each electrode portion of the rear electrode of the ultrasonic transducer to the drive circuit. Therefore, the electrical connection of each electrode portion of the rear electrode of the ultrasonic transducer to the drive circuit can be easily performed.

When adjacent sound absorbing material portions are electrically insulated by opposing each other via the groove, each sound absorbing material portion functions independently as one wiring, and It can be used as a divided number of wires.

When an insulating material is provided in the groove, the respective sound absorbing material portions are reliably electrically insulated from each other.

With respect to the material constituting the sound absorbing material,
The conductivity is achieved by mixing the conductive powder.

When an acoustic matching layer is provided on the front surface of the ultrasonic vibrator, the acoustic matching layer interpolates and matches the difference in acoustic impedance between the ultrasonic vibrator and the living body, and matches the acoustic impedance. The efficiency of the transmission and reception of the ultrasonic wave to and from can be improved.

When the component on which the integrated circuit is mounted is directly mounted on the rear surface of the sound absorbing material, the connection terminals thereof are in contact with the respective sound absorbing material portions to be electrically connected. Thereby, the routing of the wiring is completely eliminated. In addition, if the component mounted on the integrated circuit is a polymer structure having an electrode pattern on the surface, mass production is possible even with complicated wiring.

Further, according to the second configuration, in the first stage, an acoustic absorber is first provided to the ultrasonic vibrator, so that the ultrasonic vibrator having a small area and a small thickness is used for the acoustic vibrator. Since the ultrasonic vibrator is reinforced by the absorbing material, handling of the ultrasonic vibrator is facilitated, and the ultrasonic vibrator is not deformed or broken in an intermediate step. Therefore, the yield is improved,
Cost may be reduced. Further, from the second stage to the fourth stage, vertical and horizontal grooves are formed, equiangular intervals are divided, and a ring is formed with reference to the center of the ultrasonic transducer and the conductive acoustic absorber. For example, batch processing can be performed using an ultra-high-speed ultra-precision vertical processing machine such as a dicing saw or micro-milling, so that a forward-looking ultrasonic probe can be easily manufactured.

In the forward-viewing ultrasonic probe thus configured, the acoustic absorber provided on the back surface of the ultrasonic vibrator is made of a conductive material as described above, and the ultrasonic vibration Since each electrode portion of the rear electrode of the ultrasonic transducer is electrically connected to the drive circuit via a corresponding divided acoustic absorber portion, the drive circuit is connected to each electrode portion of the rear electrode of the ultrasonic transducer. There is no need to route the wiring up to that point. Therefore, the electrical connection of each electrode portion of the rear electrode of the ultrasonic transducer to the drive circuit can be easily performed. Further, in the case of a ring array ultrasonic transducer having a 1-3 composite structure having a conductive acoustic absorber, it can be manufactured collectively.

Further, when the sixth step of attaching the acoustic matching layer to the front surface of the ultrasonic transducer is provided, in the completed forward-looking ultrasonic probe, this acoustic matching layer The difference in acoustic impedance between the ultrasonic transducer and the blood in the living body is interpolated and matched, and the efficiency of transmission and reception of the ultrasonic wave into the body can be improved.

Further, when an integrated circuit or the like constituting a drive circuit is directly mounted on the rear surface of the conductive acoustic absorbing material, the circuit component 15 of the integrated circuit in the completed forward-looking ultrasonic probe is used. Are directly attached to the rear surface of the sound absorbing material, respectively, so that the connection terminals abut against the respective sound absorbing material portions to be electrically connected, and wiring is completely eliminated. When a component mounted on an integrated circuit is a polymer structure having an electrode pattern on its surface, mass production is possible even with complicated wiring.

[0029]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings. 1 and 2 show one embodiment of a forward-looking ultrasonic probe according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, a forward-looking ultrasonic probe 10 is mounted inside a distal end of a hollow cylindrical catheter 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the forward-looking ultrasonic probe 10 includes an acoustic matching layer 12, an ultrasonic transducer 13, an acoustic absorber 14, a circuit component 15, and these ultrasonic transducers sequentially from the front. 1
3, a metal tube 16 for grounding (hereinafter, referred to as GND) penetrating the acoustic absorber 14 and the circuit component 15. Here, the catheter 11 itself has a known configuration, and is made of a biocompatible material such as polyurethane or silicone, and has a diameter of 0.1 mm.
It is selected to be about 1 to 3.0 mm.

The acoustic matching layer 12 is formed in a flat annular shape and is made of, for example, a polymer such as polyimide. The thickness of the acoustic matching layer 12 is, for example, about 50
It is selected to be about μm. The size corresponds to the shape of the ultrasonic transducer 13 described later. The acoustic matching layer 12 interpolates the difference in acoustic impedance between the ultrasonic transducer 13 and blood in the living body, thereby improving the efficiency of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to the body.

As shown in the section A--A in FIG. 1 shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonic transducer 13 has a ring array shape, and is composed of, for example, a PZT transducer.
For example, the outer diameter is 3 mm, the inner diameter is 1.6 mm, and the thickness is 1
It is selected to be 50 μm. Further, the ultrasonic vibrator 1
3 includes a plurality of portions 13b at equal angular intervals along the circumferential direction.
The grooves 13a are divided into eight (in the illustrated case) grooves 13a, and these grooves 13a are filled with an insulating material 17 such as an epoxy resin. The ultrasonic vibrator 1
Electrodes are respectively formed on both surfaces (front and rear surfaces) of No. 3 and are divided into a plurality by grooves 13a.

Further, the ultrasonic vibrator 13 has a so-called 1
-3 has a composite structure.
Here, the 1-3 composite structure is a structure in which one-dimensional micro columns of piezoelectric ceramics are embedded in a three-dimensional polymer matrix. The acoustic impedance can be reduced while maintaining the electromechanical coupling coefficient. Thereby, the difference between the acoustic impedance of the ultrasonic transducer 13 and the acoustic impedance in the living body can be reduced, so that the image quality of the ultrasonic image can be improved.

The acoustic absorber 14 is formed of the ultrasonic vibrator 13
And is formed of, for example, a conductive adhesive, is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape corresponding to the ultrasonic vibrator 13, and has a thickness of, for example, about 2.0 mm. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the acoustic absorber 14 is integrated with the ultrasonic transducer 13 and, at the same time as the ultrasonic transducer 13 is divided, a plurality of the acoustic absorbers are equally spaced in the circumferential direction. (In the case of the figure, eight) grooves 14a, and these grooves 14a are filled with the insulating material 17 into the grooves 13a of the ultrasonic vibrator 13 at the same time.
For example, an insulating material 17 such as an epoxy resin is filled.

Thus, the sound absorbing member 14 mechanically supports the ultrasonic vibrator 13 as a whole, and absorbs backward sound to suppress unnecessary sound vibration. Further, each of the divided sound absorbing material portions 14b of the sound absorbing material 14 comes into contact with the rear electrode of the corresponding one of the divided ultrasonic transducer portions 13b of the ultrasonic vibrator 13, thereby increasing its conductivity. Based on this, it also serves as a wiring to the ultrasonic transducer portion 13b.

The circuit component 15 may be any component in which the mounted component of the integrated circuit is a polymer structure having an electrode pattern on the surface. The circuit component 15 is, for example, an MID (Molded Inter) of an injection-molded circuit component having three-dimensional electric wiring on the surface of a polymer injection molded body by a method such as electroplating.
connection Device). On the circuit component 15, an integrated circuit 15a configured as a drive circuit for driving the ultrasonic vibrator 13, for example, channel switching in transmission and reception, electrical impedance matching, amplification of a received signal, and the like is mounted by bonding or the like. At the same time, connection terminal portions electrically connected to the respective terminals of the integrated circuit 15a are arranged three-dimensionally. The integrated circuit 15a is sealed with an epoxy resin or the like for protection. In this case, each connection terminal portion (not shown) of the circuit component 15 is disposed on the front surface thereof,
When the front surface of the circuit component 15 is in contact with the rear surface of the above-described sound absorbing material 14, each connection terminal is connected to the sound absorbing material 14.
Are electrically connected to respective portions of the rear electrode of the ultrasonic vibrator 13 via these acoustic absorber portions 14b which are electrically connected to each other and serve as wiring. It has become so. The circuit component 15 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape similarly to the above-described ultrasonic vibrator 13 and acoustic absorber 14.

The GND metal tube 16 for grounding is made of, for example, a conductive metal such as stainless steel or indium, and is provided in the hollow portion of the ultrasonic vibrator 13, the sound absorbing material 14 and the circuit component 15. By being inserted, these are penetrated in the front-back direction. The GND metal tube 16 is selected to have, for example, an outer diameter of 1.6 mm, an inner diameter of 1.4 mm, and a length of 5 mm, and has a working channel 16a formed inside. The working channel 16a is used to perform examination and treatment of a lesion in a blood vessel, such as insertion and removal of a micro tool, administration of a drug, and the like, from the rear end to the inside of the catheter 11. Therefore,
In order to secure the working channel 16a as large as possible, the GND metal tube 16 is formed to be as thin as possible.

As described above, the forward-looking ultrasonic probe 10 mounted inside the distal end of the catheter 11
After the signal line and the GND metal tube 16 are connected to the wiring in the catheter 11, for example, biocompatibility is imparted by being covered with a protective film such as a parylene resin film.

Next, such a forward-looking ultrasonic probe 10 will be described.
A method of manufacturing the device will be described. Forward-looking ultrasonic probe 10
Is manufactured based on one embodiment of the manufacturing method according to the present invention, specifically, as shown in FIGS. First, as a first step, as shown in FIG.
and a 10 mm square PZT plate 21 having a thickness of 150 μm and a substantially square glass form 22 comprising four glass prisms of 2 × 2 × 20 mm, for example. At a predetermined position on the heat release sheet 23. Next, as shown in FIG. 5, CLN-6 manufactured by METADUCT, for example, is placed in the glass mold 22.
58 is filled with a conductive adhesive 24 such as
After covering the open upper part of the glass form 22 with, for example, a hot plate, the conductive adhesive 24 is cured by heating, for example, for 3 hours while being turned upside down at a temperature of about 65 ° C. to 70 ° C. every 30 minutes, Thus, a conductive backing material 24a is formed. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6, the lower heat release sheet 23 and the glass mold 22 are removed. As described above, the conductive sound absorbing material is configured by attaching the conductive backing material 24a to the PZT plate 21.

Next, as a second stage, as shown in FIG. 7, a so-called Dice and Fill (Dice and Fill)
By a Fill) method, a groove 26 is formed by a dicing saw from the side of the PZT plate 21 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and after filling the groove 26 with an epoxy resin, for example, defoaming is performed in a low vacuum chamber. Further, for example, curing is performed by heating in a thermostat at 80 ° C. for 5 hours. Thereby, a 1-3 composite structure is manufactured. At this stage, the forward-looking ultrasonic probe 10 has
Although a composite structure is produced, a PZT plate 21 having a 1-3 composite structure may be adhered from the beginning in the first stage of adhering onto the heat release sheet 23. In this case, the step shown in FIG. 7 can be omitted.

Subsequently, as a third step, as shown in FIG. 8, the conductive backing material 24a is used, for example, with a dicing saw to remove P from each region to become an ultrasonic vibrator.
A groove 28 is formed extending radially from the center of the ZT plate 21 to the lower electrode (the upper electrode in FIG. 8A) at equal angular intervals, and the groove 28 is filled with an epoxy resin, and similarly removed. Perform foaming and curing. In this example, the forward-looking ultrasonic probe 1
Although the case where four 0s are manufactured is shown, it goes without saying that a larger number can be manufactured.

Thereafter, as a fourth step, the heat release sheet 25 is removed, and as shown in FIG.
1 on the dummy plate 27 with the PZT plate 21
And the conductive backing material 24a together with the dummy plate 27,
For example, a stage (not shown) of an ultra-high-speed super-precision vertical machining machine
Fixed to. Then, each ultrasonic transducer is sequentially aligned with the center of the groove 28 for each region to become an ultrasonic transducer, and cut into a ring by micro-milling in the order of the inner circle 29 and the outer circle 30. As a result, the regions 31 to be the respective ultrasonic transducers are individually separated. Here, each region 31 is formed by the ultrasonic vibrator 1 by the PZT plate 21.
3 and the sound absorbing material 14 made of the conductive backing material 24a are integrally formed. Up to this point, a plurality of regions 31 to be ultrasonic transducers are formed at the same time.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the dummy plate 27 is removed from the stage of the ultra-high-speed, ultra-precision vertical machining machine.
After each region 31 is removed from the dummy plate 27, the upper electrode (the lower electrode in FIG. 10) of the PZT plate 21 in each region is polished, so that the epoxy adhered to the upper electrode in the process of FIG. Remove the resin.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 11, as a fifth stage, the GND metal tube 16 is inserted into the hollow portion of the region 31 and fixed by bonding or the like, and then, as shown in FIG. The outer peripheral surface of 31 is masked with, for example, a polyimide tape 32, and the upper electrode 33 is formed again on the lower surface of the region 31 by sputtering or the like, and the upper electrode and the GND metal tube 16 are electrically connected.

Thereafter, as a sixth step, as shown in FIG. 13, the acoustic matching layer 12 is attached to the lower surface of the region 31, and as a seventh stage, a circuit separately formed in advance on the upper surface of the region 31. Attach the part 15. Of course, at the stage of attaching the circuit component 15 in the seventh stage,
A connection terminal to which the wiring 34 has already been connected may be attached to the connection terminal of the integrated circuit of the circuit component 15.

Finally, as shown in FIG.
5 is connected to the connection terminal of the integrated circuit of FIG.
After the ground wire 35 is connected to the ND metal tube 16, parylene resin is vapor-deposited on the whole. Thus, the forward-looking ultrasonic probe 10 is manufactured.

The forward-looking ultrasonic probe 10 according to the present invention comprises:
It is configured as described above, and operates as follows when used. That is, the catheter 11 is inserted into, for example, the blood vessel 40, and the ultrasonic vibrator 13 is driven by the integrated circuit 15a as a drive circuit via each of the divided acoustic absorber portions 14b of the acoustic absorber 14, and Ultrasonic waves are transmitted forward from the tip. Then, the ultrasonic wave reflected back by the reflecting object is received by the ultrasonic transducer 13 and transmitted to the integrated circuit 15a.
As a result, the received signal is amplified by the integrated circuit 15a and transmitted to the outside via the catheter 11. In this case, as shown in FIG. 16, in the ultrasonic vibrator 13, each portion 13b divided by the groove 13a operates as a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, respectively. Then, an ultrasonic pulse is transmitted from one portion 13c, and the ultrasonic pulse reflected by the reflecting object 41 is:
This is detected by the other portion 13d. Then, by outputting the time from transmission to reception of each ultrasonic pulse to the outside and appropriately processing the same by, for example, a computer, an ultrasonic image in front of the catheter 11 can be obtained.

In this case, the acoustic absorber 14 attached to the ultrasonic vibrator 13 is made of a conductive material, and the acoustic vibrator 14 is divided corresponding to each of the divided rear electrodes of the ultrasonic vibrator. The absorbent portion 14b serves as a wiring for each part of the back electrode. Therefore, it is not necessary to route the wiring from each portion of the divided rear electrode of the ultrasonic transducer 13 to the connection terminal of the integrated circuit 15a as a drive circuit, so that the circuit components 15 through these acoustic absorber portions 14b are not required. Since it is directly connected to the integrated circuit 15a inside, the connection between the ultrasonic vibrator and the drive circuit is easily performed.

Further, since the acoustic matching layer 12 is provided on the front surface of the ultrasonic transducer 13, the acoustic impedance difference between the ultrasonic transducer 13 and the living body is interpolated and matched.
The efficiency of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves into the body is improved. Further, the ultrasonic vibrator 13 is first integrated with the acoustic absorber 14 when the forward-looking ultrasonic probe 10 is manufactured. The ultrasonic vibrator 13 is not deformed or cracked in the middle of the process, and the yield can be improved and the cost can be reduced.

When manufacturing the ultrasonic probe 10 for forward vision, in each of the steps shown in FIGS. 4 to 9, a plurality of ultrasonic probes 10 for forward vision are simultaneously produced. Therefore, the production efficiency is improved, and the use of the circuit component 15 simplifies complicated wiring and enables mass production, so that the cost can be further reduced. Further, since the machine tool can be program-controlled in the steps of FIGS. 4 to 9, when changing the size or shape of the ultrasonic probe 10 for front view, the numerical values of the above-described program are appropriately adjusted. Since it is possible to respond simply by changing, the size and shape can be changed easily and in a short time. Therefore, the wiring to the ultrasonic vibrator can be easily performed, and the 1-3 composite ring array structure with the acoustic absorber, which can easily handle the ultrasonic vibrator, can be manufactured at a time. Also,
In the process of FIG. 7, when the 1-3 composite structure is manufactured, since the sound absorbing material has conductivity,
The ultrasonic vibrator is less likely to be broken by static electricity or the like.

In the above-described embodiment, the forward-viewing ultrasonic transducer 10 has the acoustic matching layer 12 at the front end, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the acoustic matching layer 12 may be omitted. In the above-described embodiment, the epoxy resin is filled in each of the grooves 13a and 14a of the ultrasonic transducer 13 and the sound absorbing material 14. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and another insulating material may be filled. Alternatively, the insulating material may be omitted.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the sound absorbing material 14 is made of a conductive adhesive. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and even if a carbon nanotube powder is mixed as a conductive powder, for example. Good. Thereby, the conductivity of each sound absorbing material portion 14b of the sound absorbing material 14 is realized, and the wiring resistance can be reduced. In the above-described embodiment, the integrated circuit 15a is wired by the circuit component 15 being brought into contact with the rear surface of the sound absorbing material 14. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Components may be used and the integrated circuit 1
The sound absorbing material portions 14 corresponding to the connection terminals 5a respectively
b may be connected via a wiring. further,
In the above-described embodiment, the ultrasonic vibrator 13 has a size of 1-3.
It is composed of a composite structure and can improve image quality,
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other composite structures may be used.

[0052]

As described above, according to the present invention, the acoustic transducer is first provided with the ultrasonic vibrator at the time of fabrication, so that the ultrasonic vibrator has a small area and is thin. Is reinforced by the sound absorbing material, so that the handling of the ultrasonic vibrator becomes easy, and the ultrasonic vibrator is not deformed or broken in an intermediate step. Therefore, the yield can be improved and the cost can be reduced. Further, from the second stage to the fourth stage, vertical and horizontal grooves are formed, equiangular intervals are divided, and a ring is formed with reference to the center of the ultrasonic transducer and the conductive acoustic absorber. For example, since the batch processing can be performed using an ultra-high-speed ultra-precision vertical processing machine such as a tiling saw or micro-milling, the ultrasonic probe for forward vision can be easily manufactured.

In the forward-viewing ultrasonic probe thus configured, the acoustic absorber provided on the back of the ultrasonic transducer is made of a conductive material, and the rear electrode of the ultrasonic transducer is used. Are electrically connected to the drive circuit via the corresponding divided sound absorbing material portions, so that wiring is routed from each electrode portion of the rear electrode of the ultrasonic transducer to the drive circuit. Eliminates the need. Therefore, the electrical connection of the rear electrode of the ultrasonic transducer to the drive circuit of each electrode portion is easily performed.

As described above, according to the present invention, the wiring to the ultrasonic vibrator can be easily performed, the handling of the ultrasonic vibrator is facilitated, the sound absorption is improved, and the size and shape of the ultrasonic vibrator are improved. Provided is an extremely excellent forward-looking ultrasound probe and a method for manufacturing the same, in which a change can be made in a short time and at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing the configuration of an embodiment of a forward-looking ultrasonic probe according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of the ultrasonic probe for forward vision of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing a configuration of an ultrasonic transducer and a sound absorbing material in the ultrasonic probe for front view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a first step in one embodiment of a method for manufacturing a forward-looking ultrasonic probe according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view showing a second step in the manufacturing method of FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a third step in the manufacturing method of FIG. 4,
(A) is a schematic sectional view, and (B) is a reduced plan view.

FIG. 7 shows a fourth step in the manufacturing method of FIG. 4,
(A) is a schematic sectional view, and (B) is a reduced plan view.

8 shows a fifth step in the manufacturing method of FIG. 4,
(A) is a schematic sectional view, and (B) is a reduced plan view.

9 shows a sixth step in the manufacturing method of FIG. 4,
(A) is a schematic sectional view, and (B) is a reduced plan view.

FIG. 10 shows a seventh step in the manufacturing method of FIG. 4,
(A) is an enlarged bottom view, (B) is an enlarged side view, and (C) is an enlarged plan view.

FIG. 11 shows an eighth step in the manufacturing method of FIG. 4,
(A) is an enlarged bottom view, (B) is an enlarged side view, and (C) is an enlarged plan view.

FIG. 12 shows a ninth step in the manufacturing method of FIG. 4,
(A) is an enlarged bottom view, (B) is an enlarged side view, and (C) is an enlarged plan view.

FIG. 13 shows a tenth step in the manufacturing method of FIG. 4,
(A) is an enlarged bottom view, and (B) is an enlarged side view.

FIG. 14 shows an eleventh step in the manufacturing method of FIG. 4, in which (A) is an enlarged bottom view and (B) is an enlarged side view.

FIG. 15 is a schematic perspective view showing a use state of the ultrasonic probe for forward vision of FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 is a schematic view showing the principle of operation of the ultrasonic probe for forward vision of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Forward-looking ultrasonic probe 11 catheter 12 Acoustic matching layer 13 Ultrasonic transducer 13a groove 13b part 14 Sound absorbing material 14a groove 14b Sound absorbing material 15 Circuit parts 15a Integrated circuit (drive circuit) 16 Metal tube for GND (ground) 16a working channel 17 Insulating material 21 PZT plate 22 Glass formwork 23, 25 Thermal release sheet 24 conductive adhesive 24a conductive backing material 26 grooves 27 Dummy plate 28 grooves 29 Inner circle 30 outer circle 31 areas 32 polyimide tape 33 upper electrode 34 Wiring 35 Ground wire 40 blood vessels 41 Reflective object

Continuation of front page    F term (reference) 4C301 BB23 EE12 EE15 FF09 GB08                       GB19 GB20 GB22 GB33 GB34                       GB36 GB37 GB39                 5D019 AA25 AA26 BB10 BB12 FF04                       GG06 HH01

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A drive circuit applies a drive voltage to a ring array-shaped ultrasonic transducer, which is mounted inside a distal end of a hollow cylindrical catheter and has a sound absorbing material on the back, to thereby generate ultrasonic vibration. A forward-looking ultrasound probe for emitting an ultrasonic wave in front of the child and subsequently receiving a reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave to obtain an ultrasonic image in front of the catheter, The acoustic absorber provided on the back surface is made of a conductive material, and is divided corresponding to each electrode portion of the rear electrode divided at equal angular intervals of the ultrasonic transducer. A front-view ultrasonic probe, wherein each electrode portion of the rear electrode of the vibrator is electrically connected to the drive circuit via divided individual sound absorbing material portions. . 2. The forward-looking ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the sound absorbing material portions adjacent to each other are electrically insulated by facing each other via a groove. 3. The ultrasonic probe for forward vision according to claim 2, wherein an insulating material is provided in the groove. 4. The forward-looking ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein a conductive powder is mixed into a material constituting the acoustic absorber. 5. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein an acoustic matching layer is provided on a front surface of the ultrasonic transducer. 6. The device according to claim 1, wherein a component on which an integrated circuit constituting a drive circuit is mounted is directly mounted on a rear surface of the sound absorbing material. Forward looking ultrasound probe. 7. The forward-looking ultrasonic probe according to claim 6, wherein the mounting component of the integrated circuit is a polymer structure having an electrode pattern on a surface. 8. An ultrasonic transducer by applying a drive voltage from a drive circuit to a ring array-shaped ultrasonic transducer which is mounted inside the distal end of a hollow cylindrical catheter and has an acoustic absorber on the back surface. A method of manufacturing a forward-looking ultrasonic probe for emitting ultrasonic waves in front of a catheter to acquire an ultrasonic image in front of the catheter, comprising electrodes on front and rear surfaces and a polarized ultrasonic transducer. On the other hand, the first stage with a conductive acoustic absorber, and then, for the ultrasonic vibrator and the conductive acoustic absorber, by forming a groove in two vertical and horizontal directions and filling the insulating material, The second stage of fabricating the 1-3 composite structure, and then, for the ultrasonic vibrator and the conductive acoustic absorber,
A third step of dividing into a plurality of parts at equal angular intervals with respect to the center and filling an insulating material therebetween, and thereafter, the ultrasonic vibrator and the conductive sound absorbing material are placed inside and outside the center with respect to the center. A fourth step of cutting the entire structure into a ring shape, and inserting and fixing a grounded metal tube with insulation coating in the hollow portion of the ring-shaped ultrasonic vibrator and the conductive sound absorbing material, And a fifth step of connecting to the electrode of (1), wherein the method comprises the steps of: 9. Further, with respect to the front surface of the ultrasonic vibrator,
The method for manufacturing a forward-looking ultrasonic probe according to claim 8, further comprising a sixth step of attaching an acoustic matching layer. 10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising a seventh step of mounting an integrated circuit constituting a drive circuit directly on a rear surface of the conductive acoustic absorber. A method for manufacturing the forward-looking ultrasonic probe according to the above description. 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the mounting component of the integrated circuit is a polymer structure having an electrode pattern on a surface.