KR20100047437A - Probe - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A probe is provided to prevent high heat from being transmitted into the human body by reducing heat generated in a probe through a heat pipe. CONSTITUTION: A piezoelectric element(122b) is formed inside a housing(121). A probe lens(125) collects an ultrasound generated by the piezoelectricity phenomenon of the piezoelectric element. A backing layer(123) absorbs the ultrasonic wave progressing in a direction which is opposite of the direction of the probe lens among the ultrasound wave which is generated in the piezoelectric element. A heat pipe is formed along the outer circumference of the backing layer. The heat pipe is wound along the outer circumference of the backing layer. The heat pipe is inserted inside the backing layer.

Description

Probe

The present invention relates to a probe, and more particularly to a probe used in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having a cooling means.

In the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus for diagnosing the subject by imaging the inside of the subject's body using ultrasound, an ultrasonic probe is used that contacts the diagnosis part of the subject. The ultrasonic probe generates ultrasonic waves, irradiates the inside of the examinee's body, receives the reflected ultrasonic waves, converts them into electrical signals, and transmits them to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

A general ultrasonic probe includes a piezoelectric element capable of converting an electrical signal transmitted to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus into an acoustic signal. Probe lenses, matching layers and backing layers may be provided around the piezoelectric elements to impart ultrasonic signals. At this time, the piezoelectric element may generate heat in the backing layer that absorbs the ultrasonic waves traveling in an unnecessary direction in the process of changing the electrical signal into the acoustic signal.

The generated heat can be transferred to the outside through the probe lens, and since the probe lens can directly contact the human body, it adjusts the voltage, pulse, TX frequency, etc. used to prevent the heat generated from the surface of the probe lens from rising above a certain temperature. Should be. If the voltage, pulse, etc. applied to the probe are not limited, the human body may be injured by the high heat generated by the probe, and the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus may be damaged. Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus capable of reducing heat generated while using an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

The present invention to solve the above problems provides a probe that can effectively reduce the heat generated in the process of using the ultrasonic probe of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

In addition, the present invention provides a probe that can effectively reduce the heat generated in the process of converting the electrical signal transmitted to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus into an acoustic signal, that is, ultrasonic waves.

In addition, the present invention provides a probe that can minimize the heat generated by the probe to minimize the injury that can be injured by the test subject by the heat generated from the probe.

In addition, the present invention can reduce the heat generated from the probe as much as possible to increase the voltage or other input value delivered to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, as a result provides a probe that can improve the ultrasonic diagnostic performance.

In order to achieve the above object, the probe according to the present invention is a housing, a piezoelectric element provided inside the housing, a probe lens for collecting ultrasonic waves generated by the piezoelectric phenomenon of the piezoelectric element, a probe among the ultrasonic waves generated in the piezoelectric element The backing layer absorbs the ultrasonic waves traveling in the opposite direction of the lens and a heat pipe provided inside the housing to cool the heat generated by the backing layer.

By configuring as described above, it is possible to reduce the heat generated in the probe during the ultrasonic test, it is possible to minimize the heat generated in the probe to reduce the injury of the subject due to overheating of the probe.

Here, the heat pipe may be provided along the outer circumferential surface of the backing layer, and may be formed in the form of a winding. In other words, the heat pipe may be formed to completely surround the backing layer in the form of a coil along the circumference of the outer circumferential surface of the backing layer. The heat pipe surrounding the backing layer as a whole can increase heat exchange efficiency by increasing the area in contact with the backing layer so as to reduce the heat generated from the backing layer, and can prevent a part of the inspector's body from being injured. In addition, by lowering the heat generated by the probe, it is possible to increase the voltage or other input value delivered to the probe, thereby improving the ultrasonic diagnostic performance.

Here, the heat pipe may be formed in the form of a coil around the backing layer. Alternatively, the heat pipe may be formed to surround the ultrasonic lens or surround the transducer module including the components disposed around the piezoelectric element.

Also, the heat pipe may be inserted inside the backing layer. That is, the heat pipe may be inserted into the backing layer and integrally formed with the backing layer. The heat pipe inserted into the backing layer allows the surface of the backing layer to reduce heat generated from the backing layer even without a separate cooling means, and forms the cooling means after forming the backing layer in the process of fabricating the probe. It can reduce the hassle.

The heat pipe may include an evaporator that directly contacts the backing layer and absorbs heat of the backing layer, and a condenser that is provided inside the housing so as to be spaced apart from the evaporator by a predetermined distance to emit heat absorbed by the evaporator. In addition, the evaporator and the condenser may be connected by a cooling fluid flow path, and the cooling fluid flow path may extend along the inner surface of the housing of the probe.

The evaporation part may be a part in which the cooling fluid is vaporized by heat absorbed by the backing layer, and the condensation part may be a part in which heat is discarded while the vaporized cooling fluid is liquefied again by containing heat.

Through the formed evaporator and the condenser, the cooling fluid may circulate the heat pipe while undergoing vaporization and liquefaction, and the heat of the backing layer may be reduced through the circulation of the cooling fluid.

Therefore, according to the probe of the present invention, it is possible to effectively reduce the heat generated in the probe used for the ultrasonic inspection. That is, heat may be generated in the probe during the ultrasonic inspection, and by providing a heat pipe, the heat generated from the probe may be effectively cooled to prevent the probe itself from overheating and to minimize damage to the device.

In addition, the present invention can minimize the injuries caused by the heat of the examinee by the probe used for the ultrasonic examination. Heat generated during the ultrasound may adversely affect the human body. By providing a heat pipe, heat generated from the probe may be reduced to prevent high heat from being transmitted to the human body.

In addition, the present invention can reduce the heat generated from the probe as much as possible to increase the voltage or other input value delivered to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, as a result can improve the ultrasonic diagnostic performance.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail with respect to the configuration and operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. The following description is one of several aspects of the patentable invention and the following description forms part of the detailed description of the invention. However, in describing the present invention, a detailed description of known functions or configurations will be omitted for clarity of the gist of the present invention.

1 is a front view showing an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having a probe according to an embodiment of the present invention. The probe according to the present invention may be used for various ultrasonic probe related devices as well as an ultrasonic diagnostic device for diagnosis. Hereinafter, the probe according to the present invention is used for the convenience of description.

First, referring to FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the present invention may emit various types of probes 120 and operation buttons 112 for radiating ultrasonic waves to an object and receiving an ultrasonic echo from the object. And a display device 114 or the like, the main body 110 for generating an image of the object under test. The probe 120 is connected to the main body 110 by a cable 130 and a connector 115 which are integrally connected thereto.

The probe 120 is a site that directly contacts a diagnosis site of a test subject. In the process of inspecting the object under test, the probe 120 may generate heat, and the heat generated may adversely affect the object under test, ie, the human skin surface. As such, it is desirable to provide cooling means for reducing the heat of the probe 120 to reduce the heat generated during the diagnosis of the probe 120 in the ultrasound examination. Heat pipes can be used. Hereinafter, a probe and a heat pipe will be described with reference to the drawings.

2 is a perspective view showing a probe according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a partial cutaway perspective view schematically showing the internal configuration of the probe of Figure 2, Figure 4 is a cut line IV-IV of FIG. According to the cross-sectional view.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the probe 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 121 forming a body, the housing 121 is the irradiation of ultrasonic waves, receiving and receiving reflected waves It may include a transducer module 124 for the conversion of the reflected wave. In addition, the probe 120 includes a cable 130 connecting the main body 110 and the housing 121 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, and irradiation and reception of ultrasonic waves are in contact with a diagnosis site such as the skin of the subject. It may be made through the probe lens 125.

Here, the transducer module 124 in which ultrasonic waves may be generated may be provided in the housing 121 according to the presence or absence of a voltage applied by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100. That is, referring to FIG. 4, the transducer module 124 includes a matching layer 122a, a piezoelectric element 122b, and a backing layer 123 capable of converting an electrical signal transmitted from the main body 110 into an acoustic signal. It may include. Here, the matching layer 122a may reduce the acoustic impedance difference between the piezoelectric element 122b and the object, and the probe lens 125 may generate high heat in the process of converting an electrical signal into an acoustic signal.

In this case, the backing layer 123 is provided on the rear surface of the matching layer 122a to proceed in the opposite direction of the probe lens 125 among the ultrasonic waves generated by the piezoelectric element 122b to absorb ultrasonic waves that are not directly used for inspection or diagnosis. can do. In this case, the backing layer 123 may absorb heat generated in the process of generating ultrasonic waves in the piezoelectric element 122b or in the process of absorbing ultrasonic waves in the backing layer 123.

As described above, the backing layer 123 may generate heat during the ultrasound examination, and may damage the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus 100 by the generated heat, and in some cases, the backing layer 123 may burn the skin surface of the examinee by the generated heat. do.

The heat pipe 129 may be provided inside the housing 121 of the probe 120 in order to discharge the generated heat to the outside of the probe 120 as much as possible.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the heat pipe 129 may be provided along the outer circumferential surface of the backing layer 123. That is, the heat pipe 129 may be provided to completely surround the backing layer 123 in the form of a winding along the outer circumferential surface of the backing layer 123 in the form of a coil.

The heat pipe 129 provided in the form of a winding may effectively reduce heat of the backing layer 123. That is, since the heat pipe 129 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the backing layer 123 in a winding form, the contact area between the heat pipe 129 and the backing layer 123 can be increased, and eventually, the contact surface through which heat exchange takes place is increased. Heat exchange efficiency can be improved.

In addition, the backing layer 123 generally controls the temperature of the surface of the backing layer 123 by the heat pipe 129 provided to the backing layer 123 with heat generated during the process of converting the electrical signal into the acoustic signal. Can be lowered. Therefore, the damage of the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus 100 may be reduced by heat generated during the ultrasound examination, and the injury of the examinee may be minimized such as the skin of the examinee being burned. In addition, since the heat generated from the backing layer 123 is generated by the voltage transmitted for the ultrasonic inspection, the voltage or other input value transferred to the ultrasonic probe 120 by cooling the heat generated from the backing layer 123. Can be increased. As a result, it is possible to improve the diagnostic performance required for the ultrasound.

The present invention will be described by way of example provided that the heat pipe 129 is provided in the form of a winding, the heat pipe 129 may be provided in a planar form covering the entire outer peripheral surface of the backing layer 123, which is required in the invention Various changes may be made depending on conditions, design specifications, and the like.

For convenience, the case in which the heat pipe 129 according to the present invention is applied to the backing layer 123 will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto and may occur in the ultrasound lens 125 or the backing layer 123 during the ultrasound diagnosis. The heat pipe may be provided in a form surrounding the ultrasonic lens 125 to cool the heat, and alternatively, the outer circumferential surface or the peripheral portion of the transducer module 124 including components disposed at the periphery of the piezoelectric element 122b. Accordingly, a heat pipe may be provided.

Referring again to FIG. 4, the heat pipe 129 has a predetermined distance from the evaporator 126 and the evaporator 126 or the backing layer 123 which may directly exchange heat by directly contacting the backing layer 123. It may be configured to include a condensation unit 127 spaced apart from the housing 121. Here, the evaporator 126 and the condenser 127 may be connected by the cooling fluid flow path 128 to form a kind of closed circulation path, and the cooling fluid flow path 128 may extend along the inner surface of the housing 121. Can be.

In other words, the cooling fluid (not shown) may flow toward the backing layer 123 along the cooling fluid flow path 128, and the heat exchange between the backing layer 123 and the cooling fluid flow path 128 where heat is generated The portion formed may be referred to as the evaporator 126. When the backing layer 123 and the cooling fluid meet, the cooling fluid may be evaporated by absorbing heat from the backing layer 123, and the heat of the backing layer 123 may be reduced while the cooling fluid is evaporated.

In addition, the cooling fluid vaporized by the heat absorbed by the backing layer 123 may move back to the condensation unit 127 along the cooling fluid flow path 128. The condensation unit 127 may liquefy the vaporized cooling fluid again. That is, the vaporized cooling fluid may be phase-converted to the cooling fluid in a state capable of releasing heat by releasing heat of condensation while liquefying in the condensation unit 127.

As described above, the heat pipe 129 includes an evaporator 126 and a condenser 127, so that the cooling fluid is evaporated 126, the cooling fluid flow path 128, the condensation part 127 and the cooling fluid flow path ( Circulating along 128 may absorb heat from the backing layer 123.

In addition, the positions of the evaporator 126 and the condenser 127 provided to the heat pipe 129 may be changed, and the path through which the cooling fluid circulates may also be changed.

On the other hand, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a probe according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the probe 120 (see FIGS. 2 to 4) may be provided with a piezoelectric element 124a to convert an electrical signal transmitted from the main body 110 (see FIG. 1) into an acoustic signal. In the process of converting an electrical signal into an acoustic signal, heat may be generated in the backing layer 123a of the probe 120, and a heat pipe 129a may be provided to reduce the generated heat.

The provided heat pipe 129a may be inserted into the backing layer 123a and provided in detail. More specifically, the heat pipe 129a may be integrally provided in the backing layer 123a. In this case, the heat pipe 129a may be provided in a form of winding the inside of the backing layer 123a in a coil form to increase the heat exchange area to effectively reduce heat generated in the backing layer 123a.

When the heat pipe 129a is inserted into the backing layer 123a and provided, the heat of the backing layer 123a may be reduced without providing a separate cooling means on the surface of the backing layer 123a.

In addition, the heat pipe 129a is provided inside the backing layer 123a to provide the backing layer 123a to the probe 120, and then the heat pipe 129a is provided without a separate process. The number of processes for forming the cooling means of the can be minimized.

As described above, another embodiment of the present invention is described with an example in which the heat pipe 129a is provided inside the backing layer 123a. However, the heat pipe 129a may have a probe lens 125_ other than the backing layer 123a. 2) or an outer circumferential surface of a component or the like arranged around the piezoelectric element 122b.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above by way of example, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and may be appropriately changed within the scope of the claims.

1 is a front view showing an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having an ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a perspective view illustrating an ultrasonic probe according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a partial cutaway perspective view schematically illustrating an internal configuration of the ultrasonic probe of FIG. 2.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 2.

5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an ultrasonic probe according to another embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100: ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 120: probe

121: housing 123: backing layer

125: probe lens 126: evaporation unit

127: condensation unit 128: cooling fluid flow path

129: heat pipe

Claims (7)

housing; A piezoelectric element provided inside the housing; A probe lens for collecting ultrasonic waves generated by the piezoelectric phenomenon of the piezoelectric element; A backing layer absorbing ultrasonic waves propagating in an opposite direction of the probe lens among ultrasonic waves generated in the piezoelectric element; And A heat pipe provided inside the housing to cool the heat generated by the backing layer; Probe comprising. The method of claim 1, And the heat pipe is provided along an outer circumferential surface of the backing layer. The method of claim 1, And the heat pipe is wound along an outer circumferential surface of the backing layer. The method of claim 1, The heat pipe is inserted into the backing layer. The method of claim 1, The heat pipe may include an evaporator which contacts the backing layer and absorbs heat of the backing layer, and a condenser that is provided inside the housing so as to be spaced apart from the evaporator by a predetermined distance to release heat absorbed by the evaporator. Probe. The method of claim 5, And the evaporator and the condenser are connected by a cooling fluid flow path, wherein the cooling fluid flow path extends along the inner surface of the housing. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The probe is characterized in that used in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

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