JP4616467B2 - Ultrasonic probe backing and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a backing for an ultrasonic probe and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly to a backing in which a signal line is embedded and a method for manufacturing the same.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the ultrasonic probe, a backing is provided behind the ultrasonic transducer. This backing absorbs ultrasonic waves that are radiated unnecessarily backward. As the ultrasonic transducer, a single transducer, a one-dimensional (1D) array transducer, a two-dimensional (2D) array transducer, and the like are known.
[0003]
In particular, in the case of a 2D array transducer, since it is constituted by an extremely large number of vibrating elements, the drawing of signal lines from the vibrating elements becomes a problem. In recent years, a large number of signal lines are embedded in the backing in the same arrangement pattern as the array transducer, and a cable or a flexible circuit board (FPC) is connected to the end face of each signal line that appears on the bottom surface of the backing. ing.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, if a signal line is embedded in the backing and the connection is made on the lower surface side of the backing, the amount of material will inevitably increase in the thickness direction of the backing, that is, in the vertical direction, and as a result, an ultrasonic probe that accommodates an ultrasonic transducer, etc. The height of the child will increase. Although it is conceivable to make the backing thin, in that case, there arises a problem that the ultrasonic waves cannot be sufficiently absorbed.
[0005]
Furthermore, if the connection is made on the lower surface side of the backing, the connection portion may become an obstacle when pressure-bonding a matching layer or an acoustic lens to the upper surface of the piezoelectric body, or excessive stress may be applied to the connection portion. To do.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to avoid connection on the lower surface side of the backing.
[0007]
Another object of the present invention is to realize simple and reliable manufacture of a backing or an ultrasonic probe.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
(1) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a backing that is provided on the back side of a piezoelectric body that generates ultrasonic vibrations and that absorbs ultrasonic waves, and the upper surface of the backing serves as a piezoelectric joint surface. A signal line is embedded along the path to the side of the backing.
[0009]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a backing that is provided on the back side of an array transducer that generates ultrasonic vibrations and that absorbs ultrasonic waves, and the upper surface of the backing serves as a piezoelectric bonding surface. A plurality of signal lines are embedded along a plurality of paths leading to the side surface of the backing so as to correspond to the plurality of vibration elements constituting the array transducer.
[0010]
According to the above configuration, the signal line is embedded non-linearly from the upper surface of the backing to the side surface thereof, that is, the wiring can be performed using the side surface of the backing. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of the ultrasonic transducer in the vertical direction by reducing the amount of the material on the lower surface side of the backing, and to protect the connection portion when, for example, pressure-bonding the matching layer or the acoustic lens.
[0011]
Normally, the backing is made of a material that absorbs ultrasonic waves and is electrically insulating. An electrode layer may be formed on the end face of each signal line on the backing surface.
[0012]
Preferably, the signal line includes a vertical line extending in the backing thickness direction and a horizontal line extending horizontally from the lower end of the vertical line. Since the horizontal line is a line orthogonal to the ultrasonic propagation path, the horizontal line may be separated from the upper surface as much as possible in order to reduce the reflection of the ultrasonic wave there. Alternatively, the diameter of the signal line may be made smaller than the wavelength of the ultrasonic wave to prevent interference on the acoustic surface.
[0013]
(2) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a backing that is provided on the back side of an array transducer that generates ultrasonic vibrations and that absorbs ultrasonic waves, from the upper surface of the backing as a piezoelectric joint surface. A plurality of signal lines are embedded corresponding to the plurality of vibration elements constituting the array transducer along a plurality of paths to the first side surface and the second side surface of the backing.
[0014]
According to this configuration, connection can be performed using a plurality of side surfaces of the backing. The first side surface and the second side surface are preferably opposite surfaces, but may be two side surfaces in an orthogonal relationship.
[0015]
(3) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a first member having a horizontal upper surface and an inclined lower surface provided below the horizontal upper surface, and a signal line embedded from the horizontal upper surface to the inclined lower surface, A second member having a slope side surface joined to the sloped lower surface of the first member and a vertical side surface provided on the side of the sloped side surface, and a signal line embedded from the sloped side surface to the vertical side surface; In the joined state between the first member and the second member, the end face of the signal line on the inclined lower surface and the end face of the signal line on the inclined side surface are electrically joined.
[0016]
In order to form an L-shaped signal line as described above at a low cost, it is desirable that the backing is a combination of a plurality of members, and the signal lines are electrically coupled at the joint surfaces of the plurality of members. It is desirable to do.
[0017]
Preferably, end surfaces of the signal lines on the inclined lower surface and the inclined side surface are formed with end surface electrodes, and the end surface electrodes are electrically separated from each other by insulating grooves on each surface. According to such an end face electrode, there is an advantage that electrical connection can be performed more reliably.
[0018]
In the case of joining the first member and the second member, for example, the insulation between the adjacent end surfaces is ensured while the electrical connection between the opposing end surfaces is achieved.
[0019]
(4) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a step of obliquely cutting a body of an ultrasonic absorbing member in which a signal line is vertically embedded to form two inclined bodies, and the oblique cutting. And the step of joining the inclined surfaces of the inclined bodies produced by the above to each other so that the signal line is embedded in an L shape from the upper surface to the side surface of the joined body.
[0020]
According to the above configuration, the L-shaped signal line is obtained by obliquely cutting the conductor of the ultrasonic absorbing member in which the signal line is embedded vertically and joining the two inclined bodies formed thereby in a predetermined direction. Can be easily formed. In general, a L-shaped backing is formed when viewed from the side, but it may be a cube. When joining the inclined surfaces of two inclined bodies, from the state where the two inclined surfaces generated by cutting face each other, one of the inclined bodies is rotated by, for example, 180 degrees around a rotation axis perpendicular to the inclined surfaces. You can do it.
[0021]
Further, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention is caused by a step of obliquely cutting a body of an ultrasonic absorbing member in which a plurality of signal lines are embedded vertically to form two inclined bodies, and the oblique cutting. And joining the inclined surfaces of the inclined bodies to each other so that each signal line is embedded in an L shape from the upper surface to the side surface of the bonded body.
[0022]
(5) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a plurality of signals for a first member having a plurality of signal lines embedded vertically and having a horizontal upper surface, a first inclined lower surface, and a second inclined lower surface. A method of manufacturing a backing for an ultrasonic probe by joining a second member and a third member having lines embedded horizontally and having a vertical side surface and an inclined side surface, wherein the first inclination of the first member An L-shaped member that joins the inclined side surface of the second member to the lower surface, joins the inclined side surface of the third member to the second inclined lower surface of the first member, and extends from the horizontal upper surface to the vertical side surface of the second member. The signal line is formed, and an L-shaped signal line extending from the horizontal upper surface to the vertical side surface of the third member is formed.
[0023]
According to the above configuration, the array transducer is bonded to the horizontal upper surface of the first member, and connection can be made using the vertical side surface of the second member and the vertical side surface of the third member. Alternatively, array transducers can be arranged on the vertical side surface of the second member and the vertical side surface of the third member, respectively, and the connection can be performed using the horizontal upper surface of the first member. In any case, the connection can be made by using the surface deviated from the ultrasonic wave propagation path (behind the array transducer).
[0024]
The backing according to the present invention can reduce the size of the ultrasonic transducer incorporated in various intracavity ultrasonic probes, particularly for transesophageal, transrectal, transvaginal, and blood vessel insertion. There is an advantage. Furthermore, a plurality of signal lines can be taken out in a distributed manner, and according to such a configuration, advantages such as a reduction in crosstalk can be obtained by widening the connection interval.
[0025]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0026]
1 to 6 show a method of manufacturing an ultrasonic probe backing according to the present invention. This backing is built into an ultrasonic probe that is used in contact with the body surface, or built into an ultrasonic probe that is inserted into a body cavity. It has a function of absorbing the ultrasonic waves emitted backward. Further, the backing according to the present embodiment particularly has a plurality of signal lines built therein.
[0027]
In FIG. 1, the original member 10 is constituted by, for example, a cubic ultrasonic absorbing member having a size of 1 cm × 1 cm × 1 cm. The original member 10 is a non-conductive member, and a plurality of signal lines 12 are embedded in the original member 10 on the array along the vertical direction as shown in FIG.
[0028]
In the original member 10, the surface shown on the lower side in FIG. 1 is the transducer bonding surface 10A, and the surface shown on the upper side in FIG. 1 is the connection surface 10B.
[0029]
That is, in FIG. 1 and each drawing to be described later, the state in which the original member 10 is inverted is shown, and assuming the state in which the original member 10 is established, the vibrator bonding surface 10A becomes the upper surface.
[0030]
As shown in FIG. 1, one end portion of each signal line 12 is exposed (protruded) from the connection surface 10B, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The signal line 12 is a tin-plated wire having a diameter of 0.1 mm, for example.
[0031]
Next, the body of the original member 10 shown in FIG. 1 is cut obliquely as shown in FIG. Here, reference numeral 14 represents the cut surface. The cut surface 14 is a surface having a constant inclination in the XZ plane. For example, the inclination is 30 degrees or 45 degrees. The original member 10 is separated into the first member 18 and the second member 16 by cutting the original member 10. Accordingly, the signal line 12 is also separated into the first portion 12A and the second portion 12B. FIG. 3 shows the members 16 and 18 cut as described above in a separated state.
[0032]
Next, as shown in FIG. 4, electrodes 22 are formed on the end faces of the signal lines as necessary. In this case, for example, a thin conductive layer is formed on each of the inclined surfaces 18A and 16B of the first member 18 and the second member 16, and the grooves 20 are formed in a matrix on the conductive layer. Also good. Alternatively, a technique such as etching may be used. In any case, by forming an electrode on the end face of each signal line, when connecting two inclined faces later, electrical connection between the end faces of each signal line can be more reliably performed.
[0033]
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the second member 16 is rotated with respect to the first member 18, and the inclined surfaces 18A and the inclined surfaces 16A are bonded to each other. Specifically, the inclined surface 16A is rotated by 180 degrees with respect to the inclined surface 18A with the vertical line as the normal line of the inclined surfaces 18A and 16A as the cutting surfaces as the rotation axis, and in this state, the two inclined surfaces 18A, 18A, 16A are joined together. The joined state is shown in FIG. Of course, when the first member 18 and the second member 16 are joined, it is necessary to ensure electrical insulation between adjacent signal lines. At the time of the above bonding, the two members are joined together while pressure-bonding the surfaces with an insulating adhesive to ensure the contact between the metal parts. In order to ensure the bonding of the plated portion, irregularities of about 50 μm may be formed on the bonding surface.
[0034]
In the state shown in FIG. 6, when viewed as a whole backing, each signal line has an L-shape, that is, each signal line is composed of a vertical portion and a horizontal portion.
[0035]
In FIG. 6, the horizontal surface 18B of the first member 18 is the vibrator joint surface 10A of the original member 10 shown in FIG. 1, and the ultrasonic vibrator 20 is joined to the vibrator joint surface 10A. The ultrasonic transducer 20 is an array transducer composed of a plurality of transducer elements in the present embodiment.
[0036]
Therefore, according to the backing shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to draw the signal line from the ultrasonic transducer 20 to the rear side and further draw each signal line in the horizontal direction. The surface of the second member 16 opposite to the inclined surface 16A is a vertical side surface 16B, and this side surface 16B is the connection surface 10B of the original member 10. That is, a cable or the like is connected to the end of each signal line on the connection surface 10B, or a flexible circuit board or the like is connected.
[0037]
According to the backing shown in FIG. 6, for example, when the ultrasonic transducer 20 is pressure bonded to the backing, the end surface 24 opposite to the ultrasonic transducer 20 can be pressed against the pressurization base. Even in this case, the connection portion of each signal line is not damaged.
[0038]
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the first member 18 and the second member 16 are formed by cutting the two original members 10. However, the first member 18 and the second member 16 are separately provided. They may be formed and joined together. In any case, according to such a manufacturing method, there is an advantage that a signal line having an L shape can be easily embedded in the backing.
[0039]
FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a backing according to another embodiment.
[0040]
This backing is roughly composed of a first member 30, a second member 34, and a third member 36. An array transducer 32 as an ultrasonic transducer is bonded to the transducer bonding surface 30A of the first member 30. That is, FIG. 7 shows the inverted state of the backing, and in the state where the backing is established, the transducer joint surface 30A forms the upper surface.
[0041]
The first member 30 has two inclined surfaces 30B and 30C as surfaces opposite to the transducer bonding surface 30A. Each of the inclined surfaces 30B and 30C has an end surface of a half of the plurality of signal lines.
[0042]
The inclined surface 34A of the second member 34 is surface-bonded to the inclined surface 30C. That is, the second member 34 has an inclined surface 34A as an inclined side surface and a side surface 34B as a vertical surface. Here, the side surface 34B constitutes a connection surface. Similarly, the third member 36 is also provided with an inclined surface 36A as an inclined side surface and a side surface 36B as a vertical surface, and the inclined surface 36A is joined to the inclined surface 30B of the first member 30 by surface bonding. Yes. The side surface 36B forms a connection surface.
[0043]
According to the above configuration, half of the signal lines from the vibrating elements constituting the array transducer 32 can be drawn out to the first side surface of the backing, and the other half can be drawn to the second side surface of the backing. It can be pulled out. Of course, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the two opposite side surfaces are used, but two orthogonal side surfaces may be used, or three or four side surfaces may be used. Incidentally, it is necessary to match the end surface arrangement of the signal lines on the inclined surface 30C in the first member 30 with the end surface arrangement of the signal lines on the inclined surface 34A in the second member 34, which is the same as that of the inclined surface 30B. The same applies to the relationship with the inclined surface 36A.
[0044]
FIG. 8 shows still another embodiment. In this embodiment, the backing is roughly composed of a first member 40, a second member 42, and a third member 44. One surface of the first member 40 constitutes a connection surface 40A, and two inclined surfaces 40B and 40C are formed as opposite surfaces.
[0045]
The second member 42 is formed with a vibrator joint surface 42B and an inclined surface 42A. The inclined surface 42A is surface-bonded to the inclined surface 40B of the first member 40. The array transducer 46 is bonded to the transducer bonding surface 42B.
[0046]
Similarly, the third member 44 has an inclined surface 44A and a transducer bonding surface 44B, the inclined surface 44A is bonded to the inclined surface 40C of the first member 40, and the transducer bonding surface 44B has an array transducer. 48 is joined.
[0047]
Therefore, the backing shown in FIG. 8 is similar to the backing shown in FIG. 7 in terms of its overall shape, but in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of signal lines extending from the two array transducers 46 and 48 are provided. There exists an advantage that it can be made to gather on one connection surface 40A. The backing as shown in FIG. 8 is used, for example, in an ultrasonic probe of the type inserted into a blood vessel, and for example, two array transducers 46 with a central axis passing through the first member 40 as the center. , 48 can be rotated and radial scanning of two ultrasonic beams can be executed simultaneously.
[0048]
In the embodiment shown in each figure, the signal line is drawn out in an L shape. Of course, the path in the case of drawing the signal line from a certain horizontal plane to a side surface is not limited to the L shape, for example, an arc shape. You may make it set the path | route.
[0049]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, connection on the lower surface side of the backing can be avoided. Further, according to the present invention, a simple manufacturing of a backing or an ultrasonic probe can be realized.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an original member.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing cutting of the original member.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a first member and a second member formed by cutting in a separated state.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a first member.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a bonded state of the first member and the second member.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a completed backing state.
FIG. 7 is a view showing a backing according to another embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a view showing a backing according to still another embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 original member, 12 signal line, 14 cut surface, 16 second member, 18 first member, 20 groove, 22 electrode.

Claims (6)

A backing that is provided on the back side of the array transducer that generates ultrasonic vibrations and absorbs ultrasonic waves,
A plurality of signal lines are embedded corresponding to a plurality of vibration elements constituting the array vibrator along a plurality of paths from the upper surface as the piezoelectric bonding surface of the backing to the first side surface and the second side surface of the backing. A backing for an ultrasonic probe characterized by being made. A first member having a horizontal upper surface and an inclined lower surface provided therebelow, and a signal line embedded from the horizontal upper surface to the inclined lower surface;
A second member having a slope side surface joined to the sloped lower surface of the first member and a vertical side surface provided on a side of the sloped side surface, and a signal line embedded from the slope side surface to the vertical side surface;
Consists of
In the joined state of the first member and the second member, an end face of the signal line on the inclined lower surface and an end face of the signal line on the inclined side surface are electrically joined to each other. backing. The backing of claim 2 ,
An end face electrode is formed on the end face of the signal line on the inclined lower face and the inclined side face, and the end face electrodes are electrically separated from each other by insulating grooves on each face. For backing. Forming a slanted body by obliquely cutting the body of the ultrasonic wave absorbing member in which the signal line is embedded vertically;
Bonding the inclined surfaces of the inclined bodies generated by the oblique cutting to each other so that the signal line is embedded in an L shape from the upper surface to the side surface of the bonded body;
The manufacturing method of the backing for ultrasonic probes characterized by including these. Forming an inclined body by obliquely cutting a body of an ultrasonic absorbing member in which a plurality of signal lines are embedded vertically;
Bonding the inclined surfaces of the inclined bodies generated by the oblique cutting to each other so that each signal line is embedded in an L shape from the upper surface to the side surface of the bonded body;
A backing for an ultrasonic probe characterized by comprising: For a first member in which a plurality of signal lines are embedded vertically and have a horizontal upper surface, a first inclined lower surface, and a second inclined lower surface,
A plurality of signal lines are embedded horizontally, and the second member and the third member having the vertical side surface and the inclined side surface are joined,
This is a method of manufacturing a backing for an ultrasonic probe,
Bonding the inclined side surface of the second member to the first inclined lower surface of the first member;
Bonding the inclined side surface of the third member to the second inclined lower surface of the first member;
An L-shaped signal line extending from the horizontal upper surface to the vertical side surface of the second member;
An L-shaped signal line extending from the horizontal upper surface to a vertical side surface of the third member is formed.

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