KR102024224B1 - An ultrasonic transducer for moxibustion therapy having temperature sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic transducer for moxibustion treatment having a temperature sensor which is in contact with the skin without using moxa and can be heated and maintained at a constant temperature in the tissue under the skin, the housing; A piezoelectric element installed in the housing; An ultrasound focusing lens bonded to at least one surface of the piezoelectric element and converting a wavelength generated from the piezoelectric element into a wavelength of an ultrasonic frequency to focus the target region; And a temperature sensor installed in at least one of the housing, the piezoelectric element, and the ultrasonic focusing lens, and measuring a temperature of the target region.

Description

An ultrasonic transducer for moxibustion therapy having temperature sensor

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic transducer for treating moxibustion, and more particularly, to an ultrasonic transducer for treating moxibustion having a temperature sensor.

In general, traditional moxibustion treatment is not quantitative and lacks objectivity because most of them depend on the subjective and qualitative treatment of the operator. When directly injecting into the body, granulocytes are significantly increased in white blood cells, which decreases human immunity and increases the risk of adult disease caused by increased blood pressure.

Moxibustion treatments can leave scars on the skin tissue, so women and young children should consider cosmetic aspects. In addition, moxibustion caused by burns can be difficult to recover from, even if you have a severe plastic surgery. If moxibustion is performed in diabetics, the wormwood and wormwood may cause toxic reactions and may be particularly dangerous for pregnant women. In addition, there are side effects such as shortness of breath due to smoke generated during the moxibustion treatment suffers from the inconvenience caused by the smoke generated during moxibustion.

Due to burn pain during moxibustion treatment, avoiding visits to oriental hospitals or performing moxibustion in oriental hospitals requires additional exhaust facilities and additional personnel to prevent burns. The methods of stimulating menstrual blood include electric, physical, magnetic field, and ultrasonic methods, but there are many cases that do not show clear results in reproducibility and accuracy.

Recently, the market for magnetic field stimulation devices for stimulating deep stimulation, deep nerves and cartilage, in addition to the low frequency therapy devices for electric stimulation used in transdermal and transdermal nerve stimulation is rapidly increasing, and as a new attempt to overcome the limitation of clinical application. Research into the mechanism of stimulation treatment is very active.

Therapeutic devices using magnetic fields are mainly used for the treatment of pain, nerve, cartilage regeneration, and the electrical stimulation method is used for the treatment of skin and obesity by applying heat therapy. Surgical laser stimulators are also commercially available. Most stimulation devices have been developed mainly for the application of veterinary medicine or cosmetics, there is a limit to apply to the field of oriental medicine treatment.

Prior art literature

1. Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0137793 (2012.12.24)

2. Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1006309 (2010.12.29)

The present invention is to solve a number of problems, including the above problems, to provide a moxa treatment ultrasonic transducer that can be maintained by heating to a constant temperature in the tissue below the skin in contact with the skin without using moxa. The purpose. However, these problems are exemplary, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereby.

According to an aspect of the invention, the housing; A piezoelectric element installed in the housing; An ultrasound focusing lens bonded to at least one surface of the piezoelectric element and converting a wavelength generated from the piezoelectric element into a wavelength of an ultrasonic frequency to focus the target region; And a temperature sensor installed in at least one of the housing, the piezoelectric element, and the ultrasonic focusing lens, and measuring a temperature of the target region.

The piezoelectric element may be a tube type having a temperature sensor accommodating hole therein, and the temperature sensor may be inserted into the temperature sensor accommodating hole.

The ultrasonic focusing lens may be provided with a matching layer for converting the wavelength generated from the piezoelectric element into ultrasonic waves in whole or in part.

The acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric element may include 24 to 44 MRayL, and the acoustic impedance of the ultrasonic focusing lens may include 1 to 7 MRayL.

The ultrasound focusing lens may have a concave surface having a focusing depth of 7 to 17 mm.

An epoxy-based backing material may be filled between the housing and the piezoelectric element.

The housing may include an accommodating space in which the piezoelectric element and the back member may be accommodated, and a wire hole penetrated by a signal transmission line connected to the piezoelectric element and the temperature sensor, respectively, may be formed thereon.

The ultrasonic frequency may comprise a range from 1 to 15 MHz.

In the moxibustion treatment ultrasonic transducer having the temperature sensor, The control unit for applying an electric field to the piezoelectric element by receiving a temperature signal from the temperature sensor to control the temperature of the target area.

According to one embodiment of the present invention made as described above, it is possible to implement the moxibustion ultrasonic transducer for contacting the skin without using the moxa can be maintained by heating to a constant temperature in the tissue below the skin. Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited by these effects.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the moxibustion ultrasound transducer having a temperature sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of parts showing the moxa therapy ultrasonic transducer having the temperature sensor of FIG. 1. FIG.
3 is a view showing the principle and effect of the moxa treatment ultrasonic transducer having a temperature sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but can be implemented in various forms, and the following embodiments are intended to complete the disclosure of the present invention, the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art It is provided to inform you completely. In addition, the components may be exaggerated or reduced in size in the drawings for convenience of description.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the moxa therapy ultrasonic transducer having a temperature sensor according to embodiments of the present invention, Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of parts showing the moxa therapy ultrasonic transducer having a temperature sensor of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the moxibustion ultrasonic transducer 100 having a temperature sensor according to the embodiments of the present invention has a housing 10, a piezoelectric element 20, and an ultrasonic focusing apparatus. It may include a lens 30 and a temperature sensor 40.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 10 may protect the piezoelectric element 20 and the temperature sensor 40 so as to protect the piezoelectric element 20 and the temperature sensor 40. It may be a cylindrical structure formed in a shape surrounding the, and having a lower strength and sufficient strength to support them.

More specifically, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 10 has an accommodating space in which the piezoelectric element 20 and the backing material 50 to be described later are formed. The wire hole 10a penetrated by the signal transmission line L connected to the piezoelectric element 20 and the temperature sensor 40 may be formed thereon.

1 and 2, the piezoelectric element 20 (PZT) is installed in the housing 10 and may include, for example, a single element on which the upper electrode and the lower electrode are deposited. have. For example, the piezoelectric element 20 may have a tube shape having a diameter of about 12.7 mm, and the temperature sensor 40 may be inserted into the sensor accommodating hole 20a of the tube of the piezoelectric element 20. In addition, the signal line coming from the piezoelectric element and the temperature sensor can be integrated. In the case of a tube with a central hole, the processing of Pyrex can be limited, so that only one matched glass can be used.

More specifically, for example, the resonant frequency of the tubular piezoelectric element may be defined as follows.

Where Tr = Thickness of PZT

       ρ = Density

= Elastic compliance at constant charge density

= Elastic compliance at constant charge density

However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and all piezoelectric elements 20 of various types and shapes may be applied.

투과율이 1이 되는데, 투과율이 1이란 압전재의 임피던스와 부하 임피던스의 기하 평균 임피던스를 갖는 1/4 파장 두께의 정합층을 사용하였을 때, 압전소자에서 발생시킨 탄성에너지가 매질(Ⅲ) 까지 이론적으로 음향에너지의 완전한 전달이 가능해진다는 의미이다. 3 shows a process in which sound waves generated in a piezoelectric element are transferred to a load through a matching layer. The sound pressures of the incident and reflected waves in the medium (I) are as follows. here,

The transmittance is 1, and when the matching layer of 1/4 wavelength thickness having the geometric mean impedance of the piezoelectric material and the load impedance is 1, the elastic energy generated in the piezoelectric element is theoretically up to medium (III). This means that complete transmission of acoustic energy is possible.

where Z1 = acoustic impedance of piezo material

       Z2 = acoustic impedance of front matching layer

       Z3 = acoustic impedance of water

       λ = wave length

       L = thickness of front matching layer

For example, the acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric element 30 (PZT C-91) is about 34 MRayL, and the acoustic impedance of water is about 1.5 MRayL, which is 7.1 MRayL. In reality, it is difficult to obtain the material of the matching layer which becomes about 7 MRayL, so it was replaced by plexiglass having 3.5 MRayL, and the matching layer can act as a focusing lens.

1 and 2, the ultrasonic focusing lens 30 is bonded to at least one surface of the piezoelectric element 20, and the ultrasonic wave frequency generates the wavelength generated by the piezoelectric element 20. It may be a kind of ultrasonic guided structure that is converted to the wavelength of to focus to the target area (A).

For example, the ultrasonic focusing lens 30 may be provided with a matching layer for converting the wavelength generated from the piezoelectric element 20 into ultrasonic waves in whole or in part, and the acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric element 20 may be Including a range of 24 to 44 MRayL, the acoustic impedance of the ultrasonic focusing lens 30 may include a range of 1 to 7 MRayL.

More specifically, for example, the ultrasonic focusing lens 30 has a through hole H for measuring the temperature at the center thereof, and has a depth of focus of 7 to 17 mm so as to obtain the maximum focusing effect as a result of repeated experiments. It may be a structure in which the concave surface 30a is formed.

Therefore, when the acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric element 20 is in the range of 24 to 44 MRayL, and the acoustic impedance of the ultrasonic focusing lens 30 is in the range of 1 to 7 MRayL, the concave surface having a focusing depth of 7 to 17 mm ( The ultrasonic frequency obtained through the ultrasonic focusing lens 30 in which 30a) is formed may include a range of 1 to 15 MHz to obtain an optimum moxibustion effect.

For example, FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 show simulation results of the ultrasonic focusing lens 30 using Matlab, and according to the shape of the focusing surface (flat surface, focusing surface) and focusing depth (12, 13, 15 mm). When simulating a total of four, Figure 4 shows the sound pressure and temperature change and the signal magnitude when the flat surface, Figure 5 when the focusing depth is 12mm, Figure 6 when the focusing depth is 13mm, Figure 7 shows the focusing depth is When it is 15mm. As a result of this simulation, it can be seen that focusing is best shown when the focusing depth is 12 mm.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the temperature sensor 40 is installed in at least one of the housing 10, the piezoelectric element 20, and the ultrasonic focusing lens 30. And a sensor for measuring the temperature of the target area A, and may be installed in the piezoelectric element 20.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the piezoelectric element 20 is a tube shape in which a temperature sensor accommodating hole 20a is formed, and the temperature sensor 40 is the temperature sensor accommodating hole 20a. It may be a cylindrical sensor inserted in the.

Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, an epoxy-based backing material 50 may be filled between the housing 10 and the piezoelectric element 20 to serve as a matching layer.

Accordingly, the piezoelectric element 20 and the temperature sensor 40 may be more firmly fixed using the backing material 50, and the external shock may be alleviated by using the backing material 50. They can be greatly improved in durability.

8 is an exploded photo of a part of the moxibustion ultrasonic transducer having a temperature sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the components may be composed of an inner and outer housing, a temperature sensor, a piezoelectric element, and the like, and the outer metal housing may be made of aluminum to remove noise of the ultrasonic transducer.

9 is a photo showing the manufacturing process of the moxa therapy ultrasonic transducer having a temperature sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention, after connecting the matching layer and the inner and outer housing to the piezoelectric element, the temperature sensor of the piezoelectric element After inserting into the hole, the backing material was coated with epoxy, and the signal line of the temperature sensor and the signal line of the piezoelectric element were integrated into one line.

In addition, as shown in Figure 1, the moxibustion treatment ultrasound transducer 100 having a temperature sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention, the temperature sensor 40 so as to control the temperature of the target area (A). The control unit 60 may further include a control unit 60 receiving a temperature signal from the piezoelectric element 20 to apply an electric field to the piezoelectric element 20.

Therefore, by using the temperature sensor 40 and the controller 60, the temperature of the target area may be constantly maintained, or the temperature may be controlled at a temperature bonded to the user by raising or lowering the temperature.

Therefore, the ultrasound focusing lens 30 may constantly irradiate the lower skin tissue with ultrasonic energy irradiated to the target area A. FIG. At this time, the temperature of the skin is changed according to the energy of the ultrasonic waves irradiated to the lower skin tissue.

At this time, the temperature sensor 40 may check the temperature of the skin in real time, the temperature information obtained by the temperature sensor 40 is fed back to the control unit 60, the control unit 60 It is possible to control the energy of the ultrasonic wave irradiated based on the background.

That is, when it is determined that the temperature is higher than the preset temperature, the ultrasonic energy may be reduced and vice versa.

Therefore, according to the present invention having the ultrasonic focusing lens 30 and the temperature sensor 40, the temperature of the skin substructure, for example, around 40 ℃ without sudden temperature rise of the skin substructure. Can be kept constant.

10 and 11 are diagrams and photographs showing a sound field standard inspection method for evaluating the performance of the moxa therapy ultrasonic transducer having a temperature sensor of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, performance evaluation is performed. For this purpose, the ISO 12715: 1999 (E) standard test, which measures sound field and beam formation, was performed. This standard measures the beam geometry of focused, vertical and square ultrasonic transducers for side drilled hole (SDH) specimens. The frequency range of the transducer covers 1-15 MHz. When the ultrasonic transducer is moved from the left to the right of the SDH specimen test surface, the sound field distribution can be obtained from the data reflected by the oscilloscope (Lecroy wave runner 62Xi, USA).

As shown in FIG. 11, since the ultrasonic characteristics cannot be transmitted due to the concave portion of the lens and the geometrical characteristics of the surface of the specimen when the specimen is examined, a human body couplant is applied to the concave portion so that ultrasonic waves can be transmitted to the specimen. Side holes may be placed at intervals of 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 20, 30, 60 mm from the specimen surface.

FIG. 12 illustrates a shape capable of measuring the ultrasonic beam formation. As shown in FIG. 12, the ultrasonic transducer may be positioned at the center of the side hole and the specimen, and the ultrasonic signal reflected from the side hole may be measured. have. The measured signal records the maximum amplitude (A) of the signal and the y coordinate (y1) together. In this manner, data is acquired in the scan direction of FIG. 10, and from this process, the distance Zi between the side hole and the flaw surface can be known. Through this process, the transducer could be positioned at the center of the side hole to obtain the maximum amplitude (A) .In order to predict the beam shape, the transducer was moved back to the left and right sides of the side hole to obtain the maximum amplitude as shown in FIG. Record the y-coordinate (y2, y3) at the point that is half the amplitude, half the maximum amplitude means an energy loss of about -6 dB.

In addition, the side hole close to the surface may be covered by the main bang of the ultrasonic transducer, so that the flaw detection may not be possible. In this case, the flaw may be moved to a point where the reflection signal of the side hole may be acquired to start the flaw detection.

FIG. 13 is a graph showing data plotted by such a process. As shown in FIG. 13, the position of the ultrasonic transducer for each depth at the maximum amplitude may be represented as shown in FIG. 13B, wherein the transducer The sound field at the point of -6 dB, which is 50% of the maximum amplitude by moving the left and right, can be expressed as shown in FIG. 13 (a).

14 is a graph illustrating sound field data acquisition data for each side hole depth of an ultrasonic transducer developed through the same process. In general, the higher the impedance of the ultrasonic transducer, the smaller the ringing (ringing) of the main room, but the lower the sensitivity. The reason is that the backing material acts as a damper to the ultrasonic waves generated from the upper surface of the piezoelectric material, and the ultrasonic energy is rapidly reduced to improve the resolution of the transducer. Since the developed ultrasonic transducer has high sensitivity and does not consider bandwidth and resolution, it can be confirmed that the main room is relatively long and can be inspected from the side hole located at 30 mm.

Moxa treatment ultrasonic transducer having a temperature sensor of the present invention was confirmed that the focus was before 30 mm through the sound field experiment, the dead zone area by the main room to check the focusing point of the ultrasonic transducer with the focusing lens Considering this, it was confirmed that proper impedance adjustment of the backing material is necessary.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, this is merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

10: housing
20: piezoelectric element
30: ultrasonic focusing lens
40: temperature sensor
50: back material
60: control unit
100: Ultrasonic transducer for moxibustion treatment with temperature sensor

Claims (9)

housing;
A piezoelectric element installed in the housing;
An ultrasound focusing lens bonded to at least one surface of the piezoelectric element and converting a wavelength generated from the piezoelectric element into a wavelength of an ultrasonic frequency to focus the target region; And
A temperature sensor installed in at least one of the housing, the piezoelectric element, and the ultrasonic focusing lens, the temperature sensor measuring a temperature of the target region;
Including,
The piezoelectric element is a tube type in which a temperature sensor accommodating hole is formed therein,
The temperature sensor is inserted into the temperature sensor receiving hole,
A controller configured to receive a temperature signal from the temperature sensor and apply an electric field to the piezoelectric element so as to control the temperature of the target region;
More,
The skin temperature information obtained by checking the skin temperature in real time by the temperature sensor is fed back to the controller, and when it is determined that the skin temperature is higher than a preset temperature, ultrasonic energy is reduced and the skin temperature is lower than the preset temperature. If judged, increase the ultrasonic energy,
The acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric element includes a range from 24 to 44 MRayL,
The acoustic impedance of the ultrasonic focusing lens includes 1 to 7 MRayL range,
The ultrasound focusing lens has a concave surface having a focusing depth of 11 to 13 mm, moxibustion ultrasonic transducer for having a temperature sensor. delete The method of claim 1,
The ultrasonic focusing lens, the entirety or part of the ultrasonic transducer for moxibustion treatment having a temperature sensor, a matching layer for converting the wavelength generated by the piezoelectric element into ultrasonic waves is provided. delete delete The method of claim 1,
An ultrasonic moxibustion transducer having a temperature sensor, wherein an epoxy-based backing material is filled between the housing and the piezoelectric element. The method of claim 6,
The housing,
Moxibustion treatment having a temperature sensor therein is formed an accommodating space for accommodating the piezoelectric element and the backing material, and a wire hole penetrated by a signal transmission line connected to the piezoelectric element and the temperature sensor, respectively, in an upper portion thereof. Ultrasonic transducer for use. The method of claim 1,
Wherein said ultrasonic frequency comprises a range from 1 to 15 MHz. delete

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