JP4838781B2 - Ultrasonic vibrator and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic transducer that generates ultrasonic vibrations due to electrical distortion of a piezoelectric element, and a method for manufacturing the same.

  A Langevin type ultrasonic vibrator has been proposed in which a laminated unit of piezoelectric elements that are integrally fired is fitted into a recess provided in a metal vibration block (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In the ultrasonic vibrator of this document, a screw hole (female screw) is formed in the inner wall of a recess provided in the vibration block, and by fastening a bolt to the screw hole, the laminated unit of the piezoelectric elements is attached to the vibration block. It is fixed.
JP 2003-199195 A

  However, such an ultrasonic transducer has a structure in which the piezoelectric element laminated unit is fixed by screwing as described above, so that the formation region of the screw structure is in the radial direction of the product (ultrasonic transducer main body). It is necessary to secure. In other words, fixing by screwing restricts the size of the piezoelectric element and the product body. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the size of the product and increase the output of the product by applying a large-diameter piezoelectric element. It becomes a hindering factor.

  Further, the holding force for holding (holding) the piezoelectric element inside the ultrasonic transducer as described above is one of the factors that affect the vibration performance of the ultrasonic transducer itself. However, in the above-described screw fastening structure, the frictional force generated at the time of tightening the screw becomes a hindrance factor, and it is difficult to assemble the piezoelectric element with an appropriate holding (holding) force. In addition to this, the screwing structure may cause displacement of the piezoelectric element from a predetermined design position due to torsional stress applied to the piezoelectric element, resulting in variations in vibration characteristics of the ultrasonic transducer. It will cause to generate. There is also a concern that the stress in the torsional direction described above may cause damage due to, for example, an excessive mechanical stress applied to the piezoelectric element.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and can suppress the occurrence of torsional stress and the like that can be applied to the piezoelectric element, and can suppress variations in vibration characteristics, and can be downsized and increased in output. An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic transducer capable of achieving the above and a method for manufacturing the same.

  In order to achieve the above object, the ultrasonic transducer according to the present invention includes a piezoelectric element, a pair of sandwiching members that sandwich the piezoelectric element, and the piezoelectric element in a state of being interposed between the pair of sandwiching members. And a cover member welded to the pair of clamping members while surrounding the element.

  That is, in the present invention, a pair of clamping members that clamp the piezoelectric element are welded via a cover member without using a screw structure or the like, and the formation region of the screw structure is defined as a product main body (ultrasonic transducer main body). ) Is not necessary. Therefore, according to the present invention, the degree of freedom in selecting the size of the piezoelectric element and the size of the product body is improved, thereby reducing the size of the ultrasonic vibrator and, on the other hand, the relatively large size. High output (high power) of an ultrasonic transducer can be realized by applying a piezoelectric element.

  Further, since the present invention uses welding for joining individual members without applying a screw structure as described above, this welding is performed while applying an appropriate load from both sides of a pair of clamping members, for example. Thus, the piezoelectric element can be incorporated between the holding members with an appropriate holding (holding) force without applying torsional stress or the like to the piezoelectric element. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to assemble the piezoelectric element with an appropriate holding force while suppressing misalignment at the time of assembling the piezoelectric element, it is possible to suppress variation in vibration characteristics of the ultrasonic vibrator, Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the piezoelectric element from being damaged due to mechanical stress.

  The ultrasonic transducer manufacturing method of the present invention includes a member disposing step of disposing a cover member at a position surrounding the piezoelectric element and disposing a pair of sandwiching members at positions sandwiching the cover member and the piezoelectric element from both sides. And a welding step of welding the pair of clamping members and the cover member in a state where the piezoelectric element is pressurized through the pair of clamping members arranged in the member arranging step. To do.

  As described above, according to the present invention, ultrasonic vibration that can suppress generation of torsional stress that can be applied to the piezoelectric element, suppress variation in vibration characteristics, and achieve miniaturization and high output. A child and a manufacturing method thereof can be provided.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing the ultrasonic transducer 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention in a partial cross section. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of some components of the ultrasonic transducer 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer 1.

  The ultrasonic transducer 1 according to the present embodiment is used as a vibration source for a handheld ultrasonic device such as an ultrasonic cutter or an ultrasonic calculus remover. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ultrasonic transducer 1 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having a total length of 21.9 mm and a maximum outer diameter of 4.0 mm, for example, and includes a plurality of piezoelectric elements 8. 9, 10, 11, a front plate 2 and a backing plate 3 as a pair of sandwiching members that sandwich the piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, 11, and a side plate 12 as a cover member. It is configured.

  The piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, and 11 are integrally fired together with electrodes (silver electrodes) 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, conductor patterns 23, 25, and an insulating layer 24 made of silver palladium, etc. The unit 28 is configured.

  The piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, and 11 are made of a piezoelectric ceramic material such as PZT (lead zirconate titanate) or barium titanate, and have a rectangular flat plate shape of 2.5 mm square, or a diameter of 2.5 mm, for example. It is formed in a disk shape of size. The piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, and 11 are polarized in the thickness direction, and have a positive electrode or a negative electrode on the front surface or the back surface.

  That is, the piezoelectric element unit 28 includes the piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, 11 and the electrodes 14, 15, 16, 17, so that the piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, 11 are electrically connected in parallel. 18 and the conductor patterns 23 and 25 and the insulating layer 24 are laminated and fired integrally. Here, the insulating layer 24 is made of an electrically insulating resin material, ceramic, or the like, prevents a short circuit between the positive electrode conductor pattern 25 and the front plate 2, and the piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, In order to avoid the 11 side locally pressing the front plate 2 side (to effectively transmit the ultrasonic vibration generated on the piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, 11 side to the front plate 2 side) Is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ultrasonic transducer 1 is provided with a positive lead wire 19 and a negative lead wire 20 each formed of a covered wire. The positive lead wire 19 is led out of the backing plate 3 from the side of the piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, 11 while being inserted through a through hole 3 c formed in the backing plate 3. On the other hand, the negative lead wire 20 is fixed in a state of being in pressure contact with the surface (outer surface) of the backing plate 3 through a lead fixing tool 21 in order to take a body ground.

  More specifically, the electrodes 15 and 17 serving as positive electrodes are connected to the positive lead wire 19 through the conductor pattern 25. On the other hand, the electrodes 14, 16 and 18 as negative electrodes are connected to the negative lead wire 20 through the conductor pattern 23 and the body of the backing plate 3. Further, the peripheral surface (side wall surface) of the piezoelectric element unit 28 electrically connected to the lead wires 19 and 20 is covered with an insulating layer 22. The insulating layer 22 is composed of a heat-shrinkable tube having an insulating property, or a tape or a resin ring made of, for example, a polyimide film. The insulating layer 22 electrically insulates the piezoelectric element unit 28 from the inner wall surface of the side plate 12. Secure. Further, such an insulating layer 22 may be formed by applying a liquid insulating material to the peripheral surface of the piezoelectric element unit 28.

Next, the structure of the front plate 2, the backing plate 3, and the side plate 12 and the joining structure of these members will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front plate 2 is configured as a substantially frustoconical metal block provided with a step having a small diameter on the base end side (piezoelectric element side) using a titanium alloy or the like as a material. ing. The front plate 2 has a length in the axial direction of, for example, 1 / 4λ with respect to the resonance frequency λ of the ultrasonic transducer 1 body, and ultrasonic vibration generated on the piezoelectric element unit 28 side. And the most advanced surface is the vibration radiating surface 7. On the other hand, the backing plate 3 is similarly configured as a substantially cylindrical metal block using a titanium alloy or the like as a constituent material and provided with a step having a small diameter on the tip side (piezoelectric element side). The lead wires 19 and 20 described above are drawn out from the most proximal end surface of the backing plate 3.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the side plate 12 is formed into a cylindrical shape (cylindrical shape) using the titanium alloy or the like as a material, and is interposed between the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3. While being surrounded, the piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, 11 are welded to the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3, respectively. That is, the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3 are arranged on one side of the cylindrical side plate 12 so as to sandwich the piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, 11 (piezoelectric element unit 28) disposed inside the cylindrical side plate 12. And insertion portions 2a and 3a respectively inserted from the other opening portions 12a and 12b.

  Specifically, the outer diameter portions of the insertion portions 2a and 3a and the inner diameter portion of the cylindrical side plate 12 are formed with dimensions that fit each other. Further, the insertion portion 2a of the front plate 2 is provided with a counterbore portion 2c in which the most proximal end surface is slightly depressed. The piezoelectric element unit 28 is sandwiched between the bottom surface of the spot facing portion 2c provided in the insertion portion 2a on the front plate 2 side and the foremost surface of the insertion portion 3a on the backing plate 3 side.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each of the opening portions 12a of the side plate 12 is inserted in the state where the insertion portions 2a and 3a are inserted from the opening portions 12a and 12b of the side plate 12 and the piezoelectric element unit 28 is sandwiched therebetween. , 12b peripheral portions 12c, 12d (mainly the end surfaces of the peripheral portions of the opening portions 12a, 12b) and the step portions 2b, 3b (mainly the vibration radiating surface 7 or the backing plate 3 of the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3). Are connected to each other (through the welds 5 and 6).

  Here, in a state where the side plate 12 is interposed between the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3 with the piezoelectric element unit 28 interposed therebetween, the step portions 2b and 3b (step surfaces) of the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3 The length of the side plate 12 in the axial direction is set so that a slight clearance is generated between both ends of the cylindrical side plate 12. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the front plate 2, the back plate 3, and the side plate 12 in a state where the piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, 11 (piezoelectric element unit 28) are pressurized through the front plate 2 and the back plate 3. Are welded together. Thereby, the improvement of the vibration transmission property from the piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, 11 side to the front plate 2 side is achieved.

Next, a method for manufacturing the ultrasonic transducer 1 configured as described above will be described mainly with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 2, first, the piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, 11, the electrodes 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, A baking process is performed in a state where the conductor patterns 23 and 25 and the insulating layer 24 are laminated and the piezoelectric element unit 28 is integrally fired. Subsequently, the peripheral surface (side wall surface) of the piezoelectric element unit 28 is covered with the insulating layer 22, and then, for example, lead wires 19 and 20 are wired.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the side plate 12 and the piezoelectric element unit 28 are disposed on both sides while the side plate 12 is disposed at a position surrounding the piezoelectric element unit 28 (piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, 11). The front plate 2 and the backing plate 3 are disposed at the positions sandwiched between the insertion portions 2a and 3a in the opening portions 12a and 12b of the side plate 12. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the front plate 2 and the backing plate in a state where the piezoelectric element unit 28 is pressurized with an appropriate load from the P1 and P2 directions through the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3 arranged in this way. 3 and the side plate 12 are welded (welding portions 5 and 6 are formed).

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, a laser irradiation device 29 is applied, and the laser irradiation device 29 circulates around both ends of the side plate 12, and the peripheral portions of the opening portions 12 a and 12 b of the side plate 12. Laser welding is performed on 12c and 12d and the stepped portions 2b and 3b of the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3. The above laser welding does not require, for example, setting of energization electrodes on the members to be welded (front plate 2, backing plate 3 and side plate 12) at the time of welding. Becomes easy. Also, instead of such laser welding, electrons generated by heating the filament in vacuum are accelerated at a high voltage, and the accelerated electrons are supplied to the welded part while being focused by an electromagnetic coil or the like. Electron beam welding for performing welding may be applied. The ultrasonic vibrator 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be obtained through such a welding process by electron beam welding or laser welding.

  As described above, according to the ultrasonic transducer 1 and the manufacturing method thereof of the present embodiment, the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3 that sandwich the piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, 11 (piezoelectric element unit 28) are disposed. Since welding is performed via the side plate 12 without using a screw structure or the like, it is not necessary to secure the formation region of the screw structure on the product (the ultrasonic transducer 1 main body). Therefore, the degree of freedom in selecting the size of the piezoelectric element and the size of the product body is improved, which makes it possible to reduce the size of the ultrasonic vibrator and, on the other hand, to apply a relatively large size piezoelectric element. Realization of high-power acoustic transducers. In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, since a screw structure or the like is not necessary, it is possible to reduce the cost of components, and furthermore, it is possible to apply welding that is difficult to apply a mechanical load when joining individual members. Therefore, it is possible to select a material having a relatively low hardness as a constituent material of the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3.

  Further, according to the ultrasonic transducer 1 and the manufacturing method thereof of the present embodiment, welding is performed for joining the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3 (and the side plate 12) without applying the screw structure as described above. Furthermore, since this welding is performed while applying an appropriate load from both sides of the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3, without applying torsional stress or the like to the piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, 11 (piezoelectric element unit 28), In addition, the piezoelectric element can be incorporated between the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3 with an appropriate holding (holding) force. As a result, the piezoelectric element can be assembled with an appropriate holding force while suppressing the displacement of the piezoelectric element during the assembly, so that variation in vibration characteristics of the ultrasonic vibrator 1 can be suppressed. It is possible to prevent the piezoelectric element from being damaged due to mechanical stress.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 4 is a front view showing the ultrasonic transducer 31 according to this embodiment in a partial cross section. 5 is a detailed view of a portion A of the ultrasonic transducer 31 shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a detailed view of a portion B of the ultrasonic transducer 31 shown in FIG. 4 to 6, the same components as those provided in the ultrasonic transducer 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. Is omitted.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the ultrasonic transducer 31 of this embodiment includes a side plate 32 instead of the side plate 12 provided in the ultrasonic transducer 1 of the first embodiment. Is done. In the state where the piezoelectric element unit 28 is pressurized with an appropriate load through the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3, the ultrasonic transducer 31 uses spot welding which is electric welding, and uses the side plate 32, the front plate 2, The backing plate 3 is welded to each other.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 6, the welded portions 35, 36 between the front plate 2 and the back plate 3 and the side plate 32 described above are provided so that the energization at the time of spot welding is good. Rib-shaped protrusions 32a and 32b are respectively formed. The rib-shaped protrusions 32 a and 32 b are provided on the end surfaces of the peripheral edges of the opening portions 12 a and 12 b of the side plate 32. More specifically, the protrusions 32 a and 32 b are parallel to the stepped portions 2 b and 3 b of the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3 from the both end sides of the side plate 32 (the vibration radiation surface 7 or the most proximal end surface of the backing plate 3). Each stepped surface) is formed so as to project around the periphery of the opening portions 12a and 12b.

  Further, in the state where the side plate 32 is interposed between the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3 while sandwiching the piezoelectric element unit 28, the step portions 2b and 3b (step surfaces) and the sides of the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3 are disposed on the side. The length of the side plate 32 in the axial direction is such that the pressure required for spot welding can be applied to the welded portions 35 and 36 between the protrusions 32a and 32b at both ends of the face plate 12. It is configured (adjusted).

  4 illustrates an embodiment in which each of the rib-like protrusions 32a and 32b is provided on the side plate 32 side. Instead, the rib-like protrusions are replaced with the front plate 2 or the backing plate. You may provide in the board 3 side. That is, for example, the side plate 12 according to the first embodiment having no projection is applied, and further, from the stepped portions 2b and 3b (each stepped surface) side of the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3 to both end sides of the side plate 32. You may provide the rib-shaped protrusion part which protrudes in the said front board 2 and the backing board 3. FIG.

  As described above, according to the ultrasonic transducer 31 and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce torsional stress or the like that can be applied to the piezoelectric element at the time of assembly, to suppress variation in vibration characteristics, and to reduce the ultrasonic wave. It is possible to reduce the size and output of the vibrator body. Further, in this embodiment, an extremely short current such as several milliseconds to several hundred milliseconds is generally flowed by providing a rib-like protrusion on the welded portion between the front plate and the backing plate and the side plate. Therefore, it is possible to apply spot welding which can be welded, and it is possible to improve the efficiency of the welding process. Furthermore, in this embodiment, in the step of pressurizing the piezoelectric element unit 28 through the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3 during welding, a pressing force necessary for spot welding is simultaneously applied to the welded portion on which the protrusion is formed. Therefore, the welded portion can be efficiently welded.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 7 is a front view showing a partial cross section of the ultrasonic transducer 41 according to this embodiment. In FIG. 7, the same components as those provided in the ultrasonic transducer 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. .

  As shown in FIG. 7, the ultrasonic transducer 41 of this embodiment has a cover portion 42a instead of the front plate 2 and the side plate 12 provided in the ultrasonic transducer 1 of the first embodiment. A front plate 42 is provided. That is, the front plate 42 is realized by configuring the front plate 2 and the side plate 12 of the first embodiment with a single member.

  The ultrasonic transducer 41 uses laser welding or electron beam welding in a state where the piezoelectric element unit 28 is pressurized with an appropriate load through the front plate 42 and the backing plate 3, and covers the cover portion 42 a (first portion) of the front plate 42. The component part of the side plate 12 of the embodiment) and the backing plate 3 are welded to each other. Specifically, the peripheral edge portion 12d of the opening portion 12b of the cover portion 42a and the stepped portion 3b (stepped surface) of the backing plate 3 are welded (the welded portion 6 is formed therebetween).

  In addition, FIG. 7 illustrates a mode in which the welded portion 6 is formed by laser welding or electron beam welding, but instead of this, the peripheral portion 12d of the opening portion 12b of the cover portion 42a (the peripheral portion of the opening portion 12b). A rib-like projection may be provided on the stepped portion 3b (stepped surface) of the backing plate 3 or the backing plate 3, and the front plate 42 and the backing plate 3 may be welded by spot welding.

  Therefore, according to the ultrasonic transducer 41 of this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first or second embodiment, the number of welding points and the number of parts are reduced, so that the manufacturing cost is reduced and the production efficiency is improved. be able to.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 8 is a front view showing the ultrasonic transducer 51 according to this embodiment in a partial cross section. In FIG. 8, the same components as those provided in the ultrasonic transducer 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. .

  As shown in FIG. 8, the ultrasonic transducer 51 of this embodiment has a cover portion 53a instead of the backing plate 3 and the side plate 12 provided in the ultrasonic transducer 1 of the first embodiment. A backing plate 53 is provided. That is, the backing plate 53 is realized by configuring the backing plate 3 and the side plate 12 of the first embodiment with a single member.

  The ultrasonic transducer 51 uses laser welding or electron beam welding in a state where the piezoelectric element unit 28 is pressurized with an appropriate load through the front plate 2 and the backing plate 53, and covers the cover portion 53a (first portion) of the backing plate 53. The component part of the side plate 12 of this embodiment) and the front plate 2 are welded to each other. Specifically, the peripheral edge portion 12c of the opening portion 12a of the cover portion 53a and the stepped portion 3b (stepped surface) of the front plate 2 are welded (the welded portion 5 is formed therebetween).

  Further, FIG. 8 illustrates a mode in which the welded portion 5 is formed by laser welding or electron beam welding, but instead of this, the peripheral portion 12c of the opening portion 12a of the cover portion 53a (the peripheral portion of the opening portion 12a). A rib-shaped protrusion may be provided on the stepped portion 2b (stepped surface) of the front plate 2 or the front plate 2 and the front plate 2 and the backing plate 53 may be welded by spot welding.

  Therefore, according to the ultrasonic transducer 51 of the present embodiment, similar to the effect of the third embodiment, since the number of welding points and the number of parts are reduced, the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the production efficiency can be improved. it can.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 9 is a front view showing a partial cross section of the ultrasonic transducer 71 according to this embodiment. In FIG. 9, the same components as those provided in the ultrasonic transducer 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. .

  In addition to the configuration of the ultrasonic transducer 1 of the first embodiment, the ultrasonic transducer 71 of this embodiment further includes buffer members 72 and 73 that function as a damper material that attenuates unnecessary vibration, and a heat shrinkable tube 74. It is prepared for. The buffer member 72 is formed in a ring shape, for example, and is fixed to a position straddling the respective peripheral surfaces of the front plate 2 and the side plate 12 via an adhesive or the like. On the other hand, the buffer member 73 is formed in a columnar shape, for example, and is fixed to the most proximal end surface of the backing plate 3 via the heat shrinkable tube 74.

  These buffer members 72 and 73 are provided to remove unnecessary vibrations (mainly vibrations other than the vibration bands generated by the piezoelectric elements 8, 9, 10, and 11) that can occur in the main body of the ultrasonic vibrator 71. . That is, the buffer members 72 and 73 are made of a material having at least a lower hardness than the front plate 2 and the backing plate 3 made of titanium alloy. Specifically, as a constituent material of the buffer members 72 and 73, for example, a urethane resin containing lead titanate is applied. Further, such buffer members 72 and 73 protruding from the outer shape of the ultrasonic vibrator main body have a function of removing unnecessary vibrations, as well as a housing of an ultrasonic device such as an ultrasonic cutter or an ultrasonic calculus remover. It is also used as an attached portion (a convex portion to be fitted with a concave portion provided in a casing of an ultrasonic device) when the ultrasonic vibrator 71 is attached to the inside as a vibration source (internal part).

  Here, the buffer member 73 has, for example, a silicone resin-based or fluororesin-based heat-shrinkable tube 74 attached to the base end portion of the backing plate 3, and powdery lead titanate in the heat-shrinkable tube 74. After filling with the molten urethane resin, it is fixed to the most proximal end surface of the backing plate 3 by performing a heat treatment.

  9 illustrates an example in which the buffer members 72 and 73 (and the heat-shrinkable tube 74) are attached to the ultrasonic transducer 1, but instead of this, FIG. 4, FIG. 7, and FIG. Buffer members 72 and 73 may be attached to the ultrasonic transducers 31, 41 and 51 shown in FIG. Further, the ultrasonic transducer main body may be configured by removing the heat shrinkable tube 74 from the backing plate 3 after the buffer member 73 is fixed.

  As described above, according to the ultrasonic transducer 71 according to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of any of the above-described embodiments, unnecessary vibration that may occur in the ultrasonic transducer main body can be removed, and A portion to be attached to the housing of the ultrasonic device can be configured, and furthermore, vibration that can be transmitted to the housing of the ultrasonic device (for example, a handy type ultrasonic device main body) can be attenuated.

  The present invention has been specifically described above with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a titanium alloy is exemplified as the constituent material of the front plate, the backing plate, and the side plate. However, stainless steel, duralumin, or the like can be applied as the constituent material. In the above embodiment, the node position (vibration node position) of the ultrasonic transducer is not particularly described, but a welded portion (welded portion 5) having relatively low strength in the entire ultrasonic transducer. , 6 or the welded portions 35, 36) are preferably configured so that the ultrasonic transducer is located at the node position.

The front view which shows the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention in a partial cross section. The figure which decomposes | disassembles and shows the one part component of the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator of FIG. The figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator of FIG. The front view which shows the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention in a partial cross section. FIG. 5 is a detailed view of part A of the ultrasonic transducer shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a detailed view of part B of the ultrasonic transducer shown in FIG. 4. The front view which shows the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention in a partial cross section. The front view which shows the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention in a partial cross section. The front view which shows the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator which concerns on the 5th Embodiment of this invention in a partial cross section.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,31,41,51,71 ... Ultrasonic transducer, 2, 32, 42 ... Front plate, 2a ... Insertion part of front plate, 2b ... Step part of front plate, 3, 53 ... Backing plate, 3a ... Backing Insertion part of plate, 3b ... Step part of backing plate, 5,6 ... Welding part, 7 ... Vibration emitting surface, 8,9,10,11 ... Piezoelectric element, 12,32 ... Side plate, 12a, 12b ... Opening part 12c, 12d ... peripheral edge, 28 ... piezoelectric element unit, 29 ... laser irradiation device, 32a, 32b ... rib-like projection, 35, 36 ... welded part, 42a, 53a ... cover part, 72, 73 ... buffer Member, 74 ... heat shrinkable tube.

Claims (9)

A piezoelectric element;
A pair of clamping members for clamping the piezoelectric element;
A cover member welded to the pair of clamping members while surrounding the piezoelectric element in a state of being interposed between the pair of clamping members;
An ultrasonic transducer comprising:   The ultrasonic transducer according to claim 1, wherein the cover member and one of the clamping members are formed of a single member.   The ultrasonic transducer according to claim 2, wherein welding is performed in a state where the piezoelectric element is pressurized by the pair of clamping members.   The ultrasonic transducer according to claim 1, wherein laser welding or electric welding is applied to the welding.   The ultrasonic transducer according to claim 4, wherein a rib-like protrusion is formed in a welded portion where the electric welding is performed.   The ultrasonic transducer according to claim 1, further comprising a buffer member fixed to at least one of the clamping members and having a hardness lower than that of the fixed clamping member. . A member disposing step of disposing a cover member at a position surrounding the piezoelectric element and disposing a pair of sandwiching members at a position sandwiching the cover member and the piezoelectric element from both sides;
A welding step of welding the pair of clamping members and the cover member in a state where the piezoelectric element is pressurized through the pair of clamping members arranged in the member arrangement step;
A method for manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer, comprising: The cover member and any one of the clamping members are constituted by a single member,
In the welding step, the component part of the cover member in the one clamping member constituted by the single member and the other clamping member are welded to each other;
The method for manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer according to claim 7.   9. The method of manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer according to claim 7, wherein laser welding or electric welding is applied to the welding.

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