KR20190082102A - High intensity focused ultrasound medical apparatus using rf board - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a high intensity focused ultrasound medical device comprising an RF board, which comprises: an RF board which applies an RF signal adjusted to the use frequency of a transducer to the transducer; a transducer which outputs acoustic energy for the applied RF signal; and a control unit for determining the validity of the acoustic energy output by the transducer and re-determining the validity of the acoustic energy by adjusting a frequency range of the RF signal when the acoustic energy output by the transducer is not valid.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a high intensity focused ultrasound medical apparatus having an RF board,

More particularly, the present invention relates to an RF board capable of monitoring the characteristics of a transducer by applying an RF signal adjusted in accordance with the frequency of use of the transducer to the transducer, To a high intensity focused ultrasound medical device.

Ultrasonic wave means waves having a frequency of 20 KHz or more and has a property of transmitting water and is widely used in medical fields such as medical imaging apparatus and medical treatment apparatus.

The imaging medical device is a medical device that generates a cross-sectional image in the human body by visualizing the time and intensity of the reflected ultrasound transmitted through the human body and transmitting through each organ.

In addition, the medical treatment apparatus for treatment uses a heat generated by a high-intensity focused ultrasonic wave to burn and remove certain subcutaneous tissues such as a tumor in the skin, to cause denaturation and regeneration of skin tissue, .

The medical treatment apparatus for treatment may concentrate the high-intensity ultrasound in one place to generate heat, and burn the treated region with the generated heat, so that a fine image may be formed on the treatment site or pain may be generated. In order to prevent this, recently, therapeutic medical devices equipped with a cooling function have been developed.

However, there is a problem that the cooling water for cooling the heat flows into the medical device, specifically, the transducer included in the medical device, resulting in deterioration of the ultrasonic output.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a high-intensity focused ultrasound medical apparatus having an RF board capable of monitoring the characteristics of a transducer by applying an RF signal adjusted to a use frequency using an RF board to a transducer, .

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and other problems which are not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a high-intensity focusing ultrasonic medical apparatus including an RF board, the RF board having a transducer for applying an RF signal adjusted to a frequency of use of the transducer to a transducer; A transducer for outputting acoustic energy for an applied RF signal; And a controller for determining the effectiveness of the acoustic energy output by the transducer and re-determining the effectiveness of the acoustic energy by adjusting the frequency range of the RF signal when the acoustic energy output by the transducer is not valid. .

The control unit resets the frequency range of the applied RF signal to the frequency of use of the transducer when it is determined that the outputted acoustic energy is valid.

Further, when the specification of the transducer is determined, the control section reduces the frequency variable range of the RF board to determine the impedance cover range according to the frequency change.

The RF board uses a digital frequency variable chip to vary the frequency range of the RF signal.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a high-intensity focused ultrasound medical apparatus for monitoring characteristics of a transducer using an RF board according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a transducer; An RF board for applying an RF signal adjusted to the frequency of use of the transducer to the transducer; And measuring the voltage and current of the transducer with respect to the applied RF signal, extracting the impedance of the transducer using the measured voltage and current, comparing the extracted impedance value with the initial impedance value of the transducer, And a control unit for determining whether the characteristics of the memory unit are changed.

Further, the high-intensity focused ultrasound medical device further includes a display, wherein the display displays the status of the transducer when the characteristics of the transducer are changed.

Other specific details of the invention are included in the detailed description and drawings.

According to the present invention, the characteristics of the transducer can be monitored by applying an RF signal adjusted in accordance with the frequency of use to the transducer using the RF board.

In addition, it is possible to determine the validity of the output of the transducer by applying an RF signal adjusted in accordance with the frequency of use.

In addition, the impedance of the transducer is measured using the RF board, and it is possible to know whether the coolant has flowed into the transducer through the measured impedance.

In addition, the introduction of cooling water into the transducer means leakage of the cartridge, so that the user can be informed of the replacement timing of the cartridge by notifying the user of the state of the cartridge.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

1 is a configuration diagram of a high-intensity focused ultrasound medical apparatus having an RF board according to the present invention.
2 is a block diagram illustrating a method of monitoring a characteristic of a transducer using an RF board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention and the manner of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein, Is provided to fully convey the scope of the present invention to a technician, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of illustrating embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. In the present specification, the singular form includes plural forms unless otherwise specified in the specification. The terms " comprises "and / or" comprising "used in the specification do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements in addition to the stated element. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification and "and / or" include each and every combination of one or more of the elements mentioned. Although "first "," second "and the like are used to describe various components, it is needless to say that these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one component from another. Therefore, it goes without saying that the first component mentioned below may be the second component within the technical scope of the present invention.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein may be used in a sense that is commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. In addition, commonly used predefined terms are not ideally or excessively interpreted unless explicitly defined otherwise.

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

1 is a configuration diagram of a high-intensity focusing ultrasound medical apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a high-intensity focused ultrasound medical apparatus 1 (hereinafter, referred to as a "medical apparatus") may include a main body 10 and a treatment unit 20, (20) can be connected. For example, the treatment portion 20 may be connected to the body portion 10 of the medical device 1 via a cable.

The main body 10 includes all or a part of the control unit 110 that controls the entire system, the memory 120, the high frequency oscillator 130, the input / output interface 140, the display 150 and the RF board 160 . In some embodiments, the medical device 1 may omit at least one of the components or additionally include other components.

The control unit 110 may include one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), an application processor (AP), or a communication processor (CP). The control unit 110 may perform calculations and data processing relating to, for example, control and / or communication of at least one other component of the medical device 1 using ultrasonic waves. The specific functions performed by the control unit 110 will be described in detail below.

Memory 120 may include volatile and / or non-volatile memory. The memory 120 may store instructions or data related to at least one other component of the medical device 1 using, for example, ultrasound. According to one embodiment, the memory 120 may store software and / or programs. In addition, the memory 120 may store data on a movement pattern or frequency intensity of one or more transducers 212 of the treatment section 20, which will be described later. In this way, the memory 120 can store the movement path, speed, signal strength, etc. of the transducer 212 in the cartridge 210 in a programmed specific treatment mode.

The high-frequency oscillator 130 may include a half-coupled oscillator, a negative resistance oscillator, and a crystal oscillator. The high-frequency oscillator 130 emits a continuous oscillating current into the treatment section 20 of the medical apparatus 1 using ultrasonic waves, for example, so that the transducers 212 inside the cartridges 210 are ultrasonic waves of the same frequency Make it changeable.

The input / output interface 140 may serve as an interface through which commands or data input from, for example, a user or other external device can be transmitted to the other component (s) of the medical device 1. [

In one embodiment, the input / output interface 140 may include a wireless communication unit (not shown). The wireless communication unit may receive data from an external device and transmit the received data to the control unit 110. For example, the wireless communication unit may receive medical image data from a medical image photographing apparatus (for example, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) photographing apparatus) corresponding to an external apparatus, or may transmit analysis data , Position information of the tumor determined by reading the medical image data, and the like). The medical device 1 may receive status information about the patient and determine the appropriate treatment mode (or treatment program) for the user.

In another embodiment, the input / output interface 140 may include a button portion or a touch screen. Through the button portion or the touch screen, the user can select the treatment mode of the medical device 1. [

The display 150 may include, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) . The display 150 may include a touch screen, for example, an electronic pen or a touch input using a portion of the user's body.

The display 150 displays information (for example, medical image data) received from the external device or the treatment unit 20 on the screen so that the user can confirm various kinds of information (for example, medical image data).

The RF board 160 applies an RF signal adjusted to the frequency of use of the transducer 212 to the transducer 212 to monitor the characteristics of the transducer 212. That is, the RF board 160 applies the RF signal to the transducer 212 to allow the control unit 110 to determine the validity of the output energy of the transducer 212 and also to determine the impedance of the transducer 212 Thereby allowing the status of the transducer 212 to be confirmed.

According to one embodiment, the controller 110 determines the effectiveness of the acoustic energy output by the transducer 212. At this time, the acoustic energy is outputted to the RF signal applied from the RF board 160 to the transducer 212, and may be the intensity of the ultrasonic wave output by the transducer 212. Here, the effectiveness of the acoustic energy is determined based on whether the acoustic energy actually output from the transducer 212 is equal to the acoustic energy predetermined as the component specification.

If the acoustic energy actually output by the transducer 212 is different from the acoustic energy predetermined by the component specification, this means that the frequency of use of the predetermined transducer 212 is wrong. Accordingly, the control unit 110 adjusts the frequency range of the RF board 160 so that the actual output acoustic energy is output as the same value as the predetermined acoustic energy of the component specification.

Thereafter, when the control unit 110 determines that the output acoustic energy is valid, the control unit 110 resets the frequency range of the RF signal applied to the transducer 212 to the frequency used by the transducer 212 , The specification of the transducer 212 can be reset.

In addition, when the specification of the transducer 212 is reset, the control unit 110 can reduce the frequency variable range of the RF board 160 and determine the impedance cover range according to the frequency change.

At this time, the RF board 160 can vary the frequency range of the RF signal using the digital frequency variable chip.

According to one embodiment, the controller 110 measures the voltage and current of the transducer 212 for the applied RF signal, extracts the impedance of the transducer 212 using the measured voltage and current, And determines whether the characteristic of the transducer 212 is changed by comparing the impedance value of the transducer 212 with the initial impedance value of the transducer 212. [

A method for determining whether the characteristic of the transducer 212 performed by the control unit 110 is changed will be described with reference to FIG.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a method of monitoring a characteristic of a transducer using an RF board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The RF board 160 is adjusted in accordance with the frequency of use of the transducer 212 and the RF signal adjusted in accordance with the frequency of use of the transducer 212 is applied to the transducer 212 .

The handpiece 220 extracts the impedance of the transducer 212 using the RF signal applied to the transducer 212 (S30). That is, when the RF signal is applied to the transducer 212, the voltage and current consumed by the transducer 212 are measured, and the measured voltage and current are filtered to extract the impedance value of the transducer 212 have.

Then, the handpiece 220 compares the extracted impedance value with a normal impedance value (initial impedance value) of the corresponding transducer 212 initially stored in the cartridge 210 (S40). That is, when the extracted impedance value is compared with the initial impedance value, the handpiece 220 determines whether or not the impedance of the transducer 212 has decreased.

When the impedance of the transducer 212 is lowered, the handpiece 220 may sense that the characteristic of the transducer 212 has been changed (S50). That is, it can be sensed that the performance of outputting the ultrasonic waves of the transducer 212 is deteriorated.

When the ultrasonic output performance of the transducer 212 is detected, the handpiece 220 transmits the status information of the transducer 212 to the main body unit 10, State information of the transducer 212 to allow the user to monitor the characteristics of the transducer 212. [ In this way, the user can periodically monitor the characteristics of the transducer 212 to check whether the frequency output performance of the transducer 212 has deteriorated or, if the performance of the transducer 212 has deteriorated, By sensing the leakage of the cooling water in the cartridge 210, the cartridge 210 can be replaced at an appropriate time.

The treatment unit 20 serves to provide high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to the body tissue of the patient.

The treatment section 20 includes a cartridge 210 in which the transducer 212 is disposed on a curved surface having a certain curvature. That is, the treatment unit 20 may be provided with a plurality of flat plate transducers 212 disposed on a curved surface or a spherical surface having a predetermined radius to form a plurality of flat plate transducers 212 at a specific depth, have. Further, the treatment section 20 can be filled with deaeration water in the space where the cartridge 210 is disposed. Accordingly, the high-intensity focused ultrasonic wave provided by the cartridge 210 enters the inside of the body immediately after passing through the air without passing through the air. That is, as the treatment unit 20 contacts the patient's body, the space filled with the deaeration water is brought into contact with the patient's body through the window for providing ultrasonic waves, and the high-intensity focused ultrasonic wave provided by the cartridge 210 is passed through the deaerated water And then directly into the body.

The treatment section 20 also includes a handpiece 220. The handpiece 220 serves to connect the main body unit 10 and the cartridge 210 including the transducer 212.

The handpiece 220 may include a driver 222. The driving unit 222 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include one or more motors. Each motor can be configured in various ways using a solenoid, a step motor, and a linear motor. According to some embodiments, one or more motors may be omitted and other components may be used to provide similar motor power to the motor.

One or more transducers 212 included in the cartridge 210 may be configured to be physically connected to one or more motors of the drive 222. Also, one or more motors of the drive 222 may be physically connected to the cartridge 210 itself.

In one embodiment, when the driving unit 222 includes one motor, the transducer 212 can be moved in a linear form. In addition, the driving unit 222 can realize various movements of the transducer 212 by controlling the rotation of the motor and the rotation speed. For example, the medical device 1 may implement a movement mode in which the transducer 212 moves linearly through rotation at a constant speed of the motor in the driver 222. [ In addition, for example, the medical device 1 may implement a mode of moving a specific distance of separation and stopping for a specific time period to provide ultrasound to a specific position.

In another embodiment, when the driving unit 222 includes two motors, it may include an X-axis moving motor and a Y-axis moving motor. For example, the driving unit 222 has a first track (i.e., an X-axis moving track) and a second track (i.e., a Y-axis moving track) The transducer 212 can be moved in the X-axis and Y-axis directions by driving a motor (i.e., a Y-axis moving motor).

The pair of first tracks each have a bar shape of a predetermined length and can be arranged in parallel with the area of the handpiece 220 where the cartridge 210 is detachable. The second track has a bar shape of a predetermined length, is disposed at right angles to the first track, and can be movably connected on the pair of first tracks. Accordingly, the transducer 212 is movable on the second track, and the transducer 212 is moved in the Y-axis direction by moving the bar corresponding to the second track on the first track, The transducer can be moved in the X-axis direction on the track. Accordingly, the driving unit 222 can realize the motion of the transducer 212 on the two-dimensional plane.

In another embodiment, when the driving unit 222 includes three motors, it may include an X-axis moving motor, a Y-axis moving motor, and a Z-axis moving motor. The motors mounted on the respective shafts can give motive power to perform linear reciprocating motion within a certain range of the transducers 212. [ For example, the Z-axis motor adjusts the vertical height of the transducer 212 so that the depth of the focal point of the transducer 212 can be adjusted, and the X-axis motor and the Y- The movement of the ducer 212 can be controlled. For example, the first track may further include a third track disposed parallel to the first track so as to allow the first track to move up and down, and the third motor (i.e., the Z-axis moving motor) The track and the second track can be moved in parallel. Each motor can be configured to control the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis movement of the transducer 221.

In addition, the handpiece 220 may include a handpiece controller 224. The handpiece controller 224 receives a signal from the control unit 110 and can control the driving unit 222 of the handpiece 220.

Cartridge 210 is removable and attachable to handpiece 220 and includes one or more transducers 212. The transducer 212 is capable of receiving a high frequency pulse from the main body 10 and converting it into an ultrasound wave (for example, a high intensity focused ultrasound wave).

When the transducer 212 is a single body, the transducer 212 may be formed and arranged such that ultrasonic waves are directed toward one focal point. The cross-sectional structure of the transducer 212 has a concave shape (e.g., a hemispherical shape) so that the ultrasonic waves generated at the transducer 212 can be focused at the concave center point of the transducer 212 have. Thus, at the concave center point of the transducer 212, the focal point of the ultrasonic waves can be formed. It is also arranged so as to have an output surface aligned with the acoustic window.

The transducer 212 may be formed so that the depth of the focal point is different at the position on the same Z axis according to the curvature. In addition, the transducer 212 can adjust the intensity of energy applied per unit area of the skin surface at the same energy transfer to the focal point depending on the size of the piezo.

Further, in another embodiment, the transducer 212 may be a structure in which a plurality of transducers are arranged on a curved surface having a constant curvature. That is, the treatment unit 20 may have a plurality of flat plate transducers 212 disposed on a curved surface or a spherical surface having a predetermined radius, so that a plurality of flat plate transducer focusing points can be formed at a specific depth.

Further, in another embodiment, the transducer 212 may be implemented in a plane without a hemispherical shape. At this time, in order to focus the ultrasonic waves, an acoustic lens may be provided in the lower portion of the transducer so that a high-intensity focused ultrasonic wave can form a focal point.

Further, the internal space of the cartridge 210 can be filled with acoustic liquid. The acoustic liquid acts as a degassing water as a medium for transferring the ultrasonic waves generated from the transducer 212 into the skin tissue of the recipient and also serves as cooling water for cooling the heat generated in the transducer 212 can do.

When the inside of the cartridge 210 is filled with the acoustic liquid, the cartridge 210 must be formed so that the inside and the outside are completely closed to prevent the acoustic liquid in the cartridge 210 from leaking.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments of the present invention may be embodied directly in hardware, in software modules executed in hardware, or in a combination of both. The software module may be a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a flash memory, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD- May reside in any form of computer readable recording medium known in the art to which the invention pertains.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, You will understand. Therefore, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive.

1: medical device 10:
20: treatment section 110:
120: memory 130: high frequency oscillator
140: input / output interface 150: display
160: RF board 210: cartridge
212: transducer 220: handpiece
222: driving unit 224: handpiece controller

Claims (6)

A high-intensity focused ultrasound medical apparatus having an RF board,
An RF board for applying an RF signal to the transducer in accordance with the frequency of use of the transducer;
A transducer for outputting acoustic energy for an applied RF signal; And
And a controller for judging the validity of the acoustic energy output by the transducer and re-determining the validity of the acoustic energy by adjusting the frequency range of the RF signal when the acoustic energy output by the transducer is not valid. High intensity focused ultrasound medical device with RF board. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit resets the frequency range of the applied RF signal to the frequency of use of the transducer when it is determined that the outputted acoustic energy is valid. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit reduces the frequency variable range of the RF board to determine an impedance cover range according to the frequency change when the specification of the transducer is determined. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the RF board uses a digital frequency variable chip to vary a frequency range of an RF signal. A high-intensity focused ultrasound medical device that monitors the characteristics of a transducer using an RF board,
Transducer;
An RF board for applying an RF signal adjusted to the frequency of use of the transducer to the transducer; And
The voltage and current of the transducer are measured for the applied RF signal, the impedance of the transducer is extracted using the measured voltage and current, and the extracted impedance value is compared with the initial impedance value of the transducer. And a controller for determining whether the characteristic of the transducer is changed by using the RF board. 6. The method of claim 5,
The high-intensity focused ultrasound medical device further includes a display, wherein the display displays the status of the transducer on the screen when the characteristics of the transducer are changed. The high intensity focused ultrasound medical device Device.

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