KR102080251B1 - Line focused ultrasound transducer and high intensity line focused ultrasound driving apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a focused ultrasound transducer, the piezoelectric element 100 manufactured in a semi-circular cylindrical shape by bending; A first electrode part 110 provided on an inner surface of the piezoelectric element 100; It is provided on the outer surface of the piezoelectric element 100, the second electrode portion 120 provided corresponding to the first electrode portion 110; includes, and the ultrasonic wave by a semi-circular cylindrical transducer according to the present invention Since the line is focused in the form of a line, it is possible to reduce the procedure time, maximize the effect of the procedure and simplify the configuration compared to focusing on a single point.

Description

LINE FOCUSED ULTRASOUND TRANSDUCER AND HIGH INTENSITY LINE FOCUSED ULTRASOUND DRIVING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to a focused ultrasound transducer and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, a semicircular cylindrical transducer for focusing ultrasonic waves can be easily manufactured by bending to maximize the ultrasonic focusing effect. The present invention relates to a high speed ultrasonic transducer and a high intensity focused ultrasound driving device including the same.

At present, the popularity of skin treatment equipment using high-intensity focused ultrasound technology developed on the basis of noninvasive characteristics of ultrasound is quite high.

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) technology is a non-invasive effect that is used to treat internal tumors and uterine fibroids without incisions. This is in the limelight. It has been shown to stimulate the myofascial fascia layer (SMAS layer) under the dermal layer of skin, the main target of surgical open face-lifting, to contract the skin overall, and to promote collagen synthesis.

This focused ultrasound therapy is performed by a high intensity focused ultrasound generator using a focused ultrasound transducer that focuses the ultrasound to produce a high intensity focused ultrasound.

The piezoelectric element for ultrasonic integration may be designed to have a desired focal length using the principle of the spherical lens and the frequency constant of the thickness vibration mode. That is, the thickness can be designed to have a desired ultrasonic generation frequency, and the piezoelectric body may be manufactured in a hemispherical shape having a spherical surface, thereby manufacturing an ultrasonic focusing device having a desired frequency and a focal length. Usually, the point where the focusing of the ultrasonic waves occurs coincides with the radius of curvature of the domed piezoelectric body.

Conventionally, by manufacturing a piezoelectric material in the form of a bulk and then processing a lens, a grinding machine is manufactured in the same manner as a radius of curvature to process the piezoelectric element in the form of a bulk to a desired thickness.

In addition, a piezoelectric material is melt-treated to produce a dome-shaped piezoelectric element by injection molding.

Such a manufacturing method consumes a lot of piezoelectric materials, and is brittle in piezoelectric ceramics at the time of processing, so that cracks are likely to occur.

In addition, since the accumulation of internal stress due to processing is increased in the brittle piezoelectric material, the risk of damage during vibration due to a strong alternating electric field increases.

In addition to the problems caused by mechanical processing, spurious vibrations generated near the edges of conventional dome-type ultrasonic focusing elements serve as an obstacle to the focusing of ultrasonic waves, thereby reducing the ultrasonic focusing effect.

On the other hand, the high-intensity point-focused ultrasonic wave generating apparatus includes a housing and an ultrasonic transducer fixed inside the housing. The ultrasonic transducer may be configured by forming a piezoelectric vibrator including a dome-shaped piezoelectric element and first and second electrodes formed on both surfaces of the piezoelectric element, respectively, and the electric current applied to the first and second electrodes. Convert the signal to ultrasound.

When ultrasonic waves are generated using the dome-shaped piezoelectric element as described above, the ultrasonic waves are focused at one point at the treatment position. In this way, focused ultrasound has been used in recent years to treat cancer as well as to improve skin wrinkles and lipolysis.

Korean Patent No. 10-1538896 discloses a dome-shaped body of piezoelectric material for ultrasonic focusing, and facilitates injection of the dome shape during ultrasonic focusing and powder injection molding of the body portion, and removes the twisting phenomenon of the dome shape during sintering. And it discloses an ultrasonic focusing piezoelectric actuator configured to be integrally installed to strengthen the ultrasonic focusing.

Ultrasonic focusing to one point, however, is not a problem when applied to a small treatment area, but when used for a large area of treatment, the procedure takes a long time because it forms a heat-denatured recession at one point at a time. There is a problem that the tissue between the point and the focused ultrasound is not degeneration thermally.

In addition, since the hemispherical piezoelectric element must be moved by a motor or the like in order to perform regular and repetitive treatments over a wide range of procedures using ultrasonic waves focused at one point, mechanical mechanisms become complicated.

The Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-1335476 can automatically move the focused ultrasound transducer and the focused ultrasound transducer in the housing to reduce the time to the procedure, maximize the effect of the procedure and simplify the configuration by focusing the ultrasound in the form of a line. Disclosed is a focused ultrasound generator.

However, the focused ultrasound generating apparatus of the document is configured so that the ultrasonic transducer is moved by the driving of the motor inside the housing, and the user moves the ultrasonic transducer to treat a plurality of affected parts (treatment sites) or elongated lesions. There is discomfort to go and treat the affected area.

On the other hand, in order to increase the output of the focused ultrasound transducer, the output voltage of the drive system must be increased and at the same time, the increased voltage must be maintained stably. When the output voltage or frequency increases, heat generation occurs and when the temperature reaches the limit point, the temperature rapidly increases As they rise, they reach a state that cannot be solved by the chiller, which leads to circuit breakage and system instability.

The main problems are that the frequency of the ultrasonic drive circuit is not changed, impedance matching is not good, and the delay of treatment time caused by moving the point focus transducer by mechanical movement using a motor to produce a partial focusing effect. Side effects of skin burns.

The present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned conventional problems, an object of the present invention is to reduce the breakage of the piezoelectric material by mechanical processing by producing by the bending processing technique excellent in mass productivity, high dimensional accuracy, easy to manufacture any shape And to provide a focused ultrasound transducer that makes the best use of the ultrasound focusing effect by removing internal stress and spurious vibrations.

Another object of the present invention is to focus the ultrasound in the form of a line instead of a single point to reduce the procedure time, maximize the treatment effect and to simplify the configuration of the focused ultrasound transducer and high intensity focused ultrasound including the same It is to provide a driving device.

In order to achieve the above object, the focused ultrasound transducer according to an embodiment of the present invention, the piezoelectric element manufactured in a semi-circular cylindrical shape by bending; A first electrode part provided on an inner surface of the piezoelectric element; And a second electrode part provided on an outer surface of the piezoelectric element and provided to correspond to the first electrode part.

Preferably, the edges of the first and second electrode portions are chamfered at the left and right ends of the piezoelectric elements to compare the width of the first and second electrode portions with regions other than the both ends of the piezoelectric elements. To form shrinkage.

Preferably, each edge portion of the left and right both ends of the piezoelectric element is chamfered to reduce the width at both ends of the transducer in comparison with regions other than both ends of the piezoelectric element.

Preferably, the length of the first and second electrode portions in the longitudinal direction may be smaller than the length of the piezoelectric element.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the housing includes a housing and an acoustic lens for accommodating the focused ultrasound transducer, and inclined surfaces may be formed at both ends of the housing corresponding to left and right ends of the focused ultrasound transducer. have.

Preferably, the housing may be made of the same material as the acoustic lens.

The high intensity focused ultrasound driving device of the present invention includes the foregoing focused ultrasound transducer; An acoustic lens attached to an inner recess of the transducer; A housing housing the transducer and the acoustic lens; A power supply unit for driving the transducer; A control unit for controlling the transducer; And a display unit for displaying the operation information of the operator and the operation of the ultrasonic drive device.

According to the present invention as described above, since the ultrasonic wave is focused in a linear form by the semi-circular cylindrical transducer, it is possible to reduce the treatment time, maximize the treatment effect and simplify the configuration compared to the conventional focusing to one point.

In addition, according to the present invention, since the ultrasonic wave is focused by the semi-circular cylindrical transducer, it is possible to prevent durability improvement and malfunction of the device by eliminating mechanical movement of the transducer by the motor.

Figure 1 (a) is a schematic cross-sectional view sequentially showing a manufacturing process of the piezoelectric element according to an embodiment of the present invention, (b) is a perspective view of the piezoelectric element.
FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view illustrating a focused ultrasound transducer according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2A and 2C are cross-sectional perspective views in which the transducer is installed in a housing.
3 is a cross-sectional view showing a focused ultrasound transducer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view showing a focused ultrasound transducer according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a cross-sectional view showing a focused ultrasound transducer according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
6 (a) and 6 (b) are front and side cross-sectional views showing a modification of the housing according to another embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a high intensity focused ultrasound driving apparatus equipped with a focused ultrasound transducer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a focused ultrasound driving system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. On the other hand, in the drawings and detailed description showing and referring to the configuration and operation easily known to those skilled in the art will be briefly or omitted. In particular, in the drawings and detailed description of the drawings, detailed descriptions and illustrations of specific technical configurations and operations of elements not directly related to technical features of the present invention are omitted, and only the technical configurations related to the present invention are briefly shown or described. It was. The specific constructions and functions described in detail herein are not limiting, but are merely described as a basis for teaching the claims and as a basis for teaching those skilled in the art to variously practice the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Conventional point focus piezoelectric elements are manufactured in a concave concave form by processing both sides of a disk ceramic in a sintered state. Since it is manufactured by mechanical processing, it is possible to process one ceramic per machine, thereby increasing the manufacturing time and cost.

On the other hand, in the case of the pre-focused piezoelectric element according to the present invention, as shown in Figure 1, by forming a rectangular ceramic sheet in a predetermined shape by bending pores and then sintering it can be produced several ceramics at the same time. As a result, manufacturing time is reduced and costs are greatly reduced.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the piezoelectric element 100 of the present invention has a semicircular cylindrical shape as a whole. The piezoelectric element 100 may be formed of various materials capable of converting electrical signals into mechanical vibrations such as ceramics, composite piezoelectric materials, and single crystal quartz. In addition, the piezoelectric element 100 is a vibration frequency generated according to the thickness is determined in the embodiment of the present invention may include all the vibration frequency that can be implemented by the piezoelectric element 100 without limiting the range of the frequency. Preferably, it comprises a full range of vibration frequencies that can be used for ultrasound therapy, for example it can comprise a vibration frequency of 5 MHz.
On the other hand, the acoustic lens 40 is bonded to the concave portion inside the piezoelectric element 100, the acoustic lens 40 is formed with an arcuate convex portion 42 on one surface corresponding to the focused ultrasound transducer (A). The other surface is formed of a flat portion 44, the piezoelectric element 100 and the acoustic lens 40 are accommodated in the housing 30, and the acoustic lens 40 is made of a heat resistant resin (TPX) or a silicon material. The acoustic lens 40 is provided to protect the piezoelectric element 100 from an external shock, and serve as an intermediate medium in order to deliver ultrasonic waves to the human body while being in close contact with the skin so that ultrasonic waves are focused at a target point. Including configuration.

In addition, the size of the piezoelectric element 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a size of (a) 20 mm x (b) 7 mm x thickness 1 mm, as shown in FIG. The size of the ultrasonic ultrasound driving apparatus is not limited in size so that it can be properly implemented according to the energy and therapeutic use.

Preparation of the focused ultrasound transducer according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a mixing step, a bending forming step and a sintering step.

After weighing and wet-milling and mixing the materials including various materials capable of converting electrical signals into mechanical vibrations such as ceramics, composite piezoelectric materials, and single crystal quartz, into a predetermined composition range, The mixture was calcined at 800 ° C. to 1100 ° C. for 4 hours. The calcined powder obtained is ground, granulated by the addition of a suitable adhesive, and a planar cuboid sheet 100 having a predetermined size is produced by press molding.

Subsequently, the sheet body 100 is placed between the upper mold 1 having the semicircular convex portion 10 and the lower mold 2 having the semicircular concave groove 20, as shown in FIG. Subsequently, the sheet body 100 located between the upper and lower molds is sequentially bent by the lowering of the upper die 2 due to its own weight, thereby producing a semi-circular cylindrical piezoelectric element.

The molded article prepared as described above was calcined at 1050 ° C. to 1250 ° C. for 1 hour to 5 hours in an oxygen environment to obtain a sintered body. After lapping and grinding the sintered body, a polarization electrode is formed on the sintered body, and this is 1 kV / mm to 3 kV / for 30 minutes to 60 minutes in a silicon oil bath at 80 ° C. to 100 ° C. Polarization processing is performed by applying an electric field of mm.

The semi-circular cylindrical transducer according to the embodiment of the present invention manufactured as described above does not generate internal stress due to processing regardless of thickness, and eliminates the shape of cracks generated during processing as compared to the conventional injection molding method. It is possible to have a high production yield, to eliminate the semi-circular cylindrical thickness constraints during processing to maximize the ultrasonic focusing effect, as well as to greatly improve the precision or yield of the product.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 2A, the first electrode part 110 and the second electrode part 120 have an inner surface (semicircular cylindrical inner surface) and an outer surface (semicircular shape) of the piezoelectric element 100. Are formed on the outer surface of the cylindrical shape) and correspond to each other. For example, the first and second electrode portions 110 and 120 may be formed of a metal such as silver having good electrical conductivity.

The first and second electrode units 110 and 120 may be electrically connected to a pulse power generator (not shown) to receive a pulse current generated by the pulse power generator (not shown). That is, the first electrode unit 110 is electrically connected to any one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode (or the ground electrode) of the output terminal of the pulse power generator (not shown) by the first electrically conductive line (not shown), The second electrode unit 120 may be electrically connected to the other of the positive electrode and the negative electrode (or the ground electrode) of the output terminal of the pulse power generator (not shown) by a second electrically conductive line (not shown). Accordingly, the pulse current generated by the pulse power generator (not shown) is applied to the first and second electrode portions 110 and 120, and the applied pulse current flows through the piezoelectric element 100. When a current flows through the piezoelectric element 100, the piezoelectric element 100 vibrates due to the piezoelectric effect of the piezoelectric element 100.

As described above, when a pulse current is applied to the first and second electrode parts 110 and 120 and a pulse current flows through the piezoelectric element 100, the piezoelectric element 100 vibrates, and the vibration is characteristic of ultrasonic waves. And generate ultrasonic waves in an ultrasonic transfer medium (not shown) surrounding the piezoelectric element 100, and the ultrasonic waves are propagated through the ultrasonic transfer medium (not shown) and focused in a line shape at the treatment position.

Next, a modification of the transducer of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

Spurious vibrations generated near the edges of the conventional point focusing dome-shaped element or the line focusing element act as an element that hinders the focusing of the ultrasonic waves, thereby reducing the ultrasonic focusing effect.

Accordingly, the present invention has a configuration for eliminating the spurious vibration occurring near the edge of the device as described above.

As shown in FIG. 3, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, by chamfering respective corner portions of the first and second electrode portions 110 and 120 at both left and right ends of the piezoelectric element 100. The widths of the first and second electrode parts 110 and 120 are reduced in comparison with regions other than both ends of the transducer. As a result, spurious vibrations generated near the edge of the device can be reduced.

In addition, as shown in Figure 4, according to the third embodiment of the present invention, by chamfering the respective corner portions of the left and right both ends of the piezoelectric element 100, the width at both ends of the piezoelectric element 100 It is reduced to form compared to the region other than the both ends of the piezoelectric element (100). As a result, spurious vibrations generated near the edge of the device can be reduced.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, lengths of the first and second electrode parts 110 and 120 may be smaller than lengths of the piezoelectric elements. As a result, spurious vibrations generated near the edge of the device can be reduced.

On the other hand, according to another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 2 (b), (c) and 6 (a), (b), to accommodate the focused ultrasound transducer (A) It includes a housing 30 and an acoustic lens, the inclined surface may be formed on both ends 31 of the housing corresponding to the left and right both ends of the focused ultrasound transducer (A). As a result, spurious vibrations generated near the edge of the device can be reduced.

Preferably, the housing may be made of the same material as the acoustic lens.

The acoustic lens according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be made of heat resistant resin (TPX) or silicone material.

In order to deliver ultrasonic waves generated from the transducer to the human body, an acoustic lens serving as an intermediate medium protects the focused transducer from external shocks, not merely delivering ultrasonic waves. Adhesion of the acoustic lens to the concave portion of the inside of the transducer adheres well to the skin so that the ultrasound is well delivered to the human body and the ultrasound can be focused at the target point.

Next, a description will be given of the housing 30 of the focused ultrasound transducer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In general, the focusing transducer should be waterproofed, and in general, in order to measure most ultrasonic output characteristics, ultrasonic waves generated from a transducer developed in a water tank are measured by a sensor and analyzed. Therefore, the housing according to an embodiment of the present invention is a form surrounding the focusing transducer and the acoustic lens, and manufactured in a mock up form and then waterproofed through adhesion.

As described above, by manufacturing the housing made of the same material as the acoustic lens, the housing of the acoustic lens integrated type can be manufactured or processed.

In addition, the present invention, as shown in Figure 7, a focused ultrasound transducer manufactured as described above; An acoustic lens attached to an inner recess of the transducer; A housing housing the transducer and the acoustic lens; A power supply unit for driving the transducer; A control unit for controlling the transducer; And it provides a high intensity focused ultrasound driving device including a display unit for displaying the operation information of the operator and the operation of the ultrasonic driving device.

Hereinafter, a high intensity focused ultrasound transducer driving system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The high-intensity focused ultrasound transducer driving system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a piezoelectric element 100 manufactured in a semi-circular cylindrical shape by bending, and a first electrode part provided on an inner surface of the piezoelectric element 100 ( 110 and a focused ultrasound transducer (A) provided on an outer surface of the piezoelectric element (100) and including a second electrode part (120) provided corresponding to the first electrode part (110); RF oscillation circuit; A frequency variable circuit including a function generator and a digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) element; Serial communication circuits; A plurality of time division control circuits; A control circuit including a digital signal processor (DSP) and a complex programmable logic device (CPLD); Touch LCD; And a power supply (SMPS).

The apparatus may further include a driving voltage adjusting circuit which adjusts the driving voltage of the power supply device to adjust the ultrasonic output intensity of the focusing transducer.

The power supply may also include an AC-DC converting circuit, an input / output isolation, an output voltage variable circuit, and a noise filtering circuit.

In addition, the driving system may further include an output voltage variable circuit.

The frequency circuit is a frequency variable circuit in the range of 0.1 MHZ to 10 MHz using a digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) element used in a commercial function generator to generate various frequencies.

In addition, the number of switching field effect transistor (FET) devices is increased from 2 to 20 in order to apply time division technology to the switching circuit to drive the ultrasonic transducer.

In order to control the frequency variable and time division driving, a control circuit including a digital signal processing device (DSP) and a complex programmable logic device (CPLD) is designed and a serial communication function for using a touch LCD is implemented.

The driving voltage adjusting circuit of the present invention can freely adjust the ultrasonic output intensity of the focusing transducer by adjusting the driving voltage of the power supply.

In addition, the frequency and output voltage can be freely changed by system control using the touch function.

Since HIFU systems require high voltage outputs, commonly used equipment uses voltage transformers to boost the voltage. This is easy to implement, but it interferes with the impedance matching between the ultrasonic ceramic and the system, reducing output efficiency and consequently causing the system's heat generation problems. In order to solve this problem, the power supply of the present invention has a high voltage output of 100V or more. To this end, noise is blocked by isolation between the input and output terminals.

In addition, an output voltage variable circuit is added to freely adjust the output voltage, which can be combined with various ceramics to be utilized in various systems.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and its modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the invention and the equivalent scope of the claims.

1: upper mold 2: lower mold
30 housing 100 piezoelectric element
110: first electrode 120: second electrode
300: Function generator 400: Ultra low impedance Amp
500: Variable Detection & Balance Algorithm A: Transducer

Claims (7)

In the focused ultrasound transducer A,
A piezoelectric element 100 manufactured in a semicircular cylindrical shape by bending;
A first electrode part 110 provided on an inner surface of the piezoelectric element 100;
A second electrode part 120 provided on an outer surface of the piezoelectric element 100 and provided to correspond to the first electrode part 110.
The piezoelectric element 100 is wet-milled and mixed with materials including ceramics, composite piezoelectric materials, and single crystal quartz, and then calcinates the mixture at 800 ° C to 1100 ° C for 4 hours. , The calcined powder is ground, granulated by applying an adhesive, and a planar cuboid sheet body 100a having a predetermined size is manufactured by press molding, and the sheet body 100a is produced. ) Is positioned between the upper mold 1 having the semicircular convex portion 10 and the lower mold 2 having the semicircular concave groove 20, and then the image is lowered by the lower weight of the upper mold 2. , Bending the sheet body (100a) located between the lower mold (1) (2) to produce a semi-circular cylindrical piezoelectric element, which is baked at 1050 ℃ to 1250 ℃ for 1 hour to 5 hours in an oxygen environment It is made to include that formed into a sintered body,
The acoustic lens 40 is attached to the concave portion inside the piezoelectric element 100, and the acoustic lens 40 has one surface corresponding to the focused ultrasound transducer A formed of an arcuate convex portion 42. The other side is formed of a flat portion 44,
The piezoelectric element 100 and the acoustic lens 40 are accommodated in the housing 30,
The acoustic lens 40 is formed of a heat resistant resin (TPX) or a silicon material,
The acoustic lens 40 includes a configuration in which the piezoelectric element 100 is protected from an external shock, and the ultrasonic wave is focused on the target point in close contact with the skin while acting as an intermediate medium to deliver the ultrasonic wave to the human body. A focused ultrasound transducer, characterized in that made. The method of claim 1,
Focusing ultrasonic transducer, characterized in that the chamfering of the respective corners (111, 121) of the first and second electrode (110, 120) at the left and right ends of the piezoelectric element (100). The method of claim 1,
Pre-focused ultrasonic transducer, characterized in that the chamfering of the respective corner portion 101 of the left and right both ends of the piezoelectric element (100). The method of claim 1,
The longitudinal focused transducers of the first and second electrode parts 110 and 120 are smaller than the longitudinal size of the piezoelectric element 100. The method of claim 1,
Further comprising a housing 30 and an acoustic lens for receiving the focused ultrasound transducer (A),
Concentrated ultrasound transducer, characterized in that the inclined surface is formed on both end portions (31) of the housing (30) corresponding to the left and right both ends of the focused ultrasound transducer (A). The method of claim 5,
Focusing ultrasonic transducer, characterized in that the housing 30 and the acoustic lens is made of the same material. Pre-focused ultrasound transducer (A) according to any one of claims 1 to 6;
An acoustic lens attached to an inner recess of the transducer;
A housing 30 accommodating the transducer and the acoustic lens;
A power supply unit for driving the transducer;
A control unit for controlling the transducer; And
High intensity focused ultrasound driving device comprising a display for displaying the operation information of the operator and the operation of the ultrasonic drive device.

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