TW201618721A - Elasticity measuring device for measuring a viscoelastic medium - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an elasticity measuring device for measuring a viscoelastic medium, and the activation of which is controlled by virtue of a magnitude of pressure. The device comprises at least one ultrasonic transducer, one spring with a constant coefficient of elasticity, one position sensor for detecting displacement, and one actuator configured to activate the device, where the device further comprises an electric actuator configured to generate a transient low-frequency pulse, a signal generator linked to the position sensor for generating an activation signal, and a switch configured to activate the electric actuator. In contrast to the prior art, the technical solution according to the present disclosure has the following advantage: by virtue of the magnitude of the pressure, controlling the activation of the measuring device can guarantee it operates within the most suitable pressure range.

Description

Elastic measuring device for measuring viscoelastic medium

The invention relates to an elastic measuring device for measuring a viscoelastic medium. More specifically, it relates to an elastic measuring device that can control the activation of the device by the magnitude of the pressure.

In order to determine the optimal time for hepatitis treatment in medicine, it is necessary to determine the degree of fibrosis in the liver. This fibrosis may be caused by chronic hepatitis caused by alcohol, virus or other causes, and the degree of fibrosis can be measured by measurement. The elasticity of the corresponding part is obtained.

A device for measuring the elasticity of a human or animal organ has been proposed in the international patent application WO 2004/016176, which is hereby incorporated by the present application, which comprises: at least one probe mechanism having an ultrasonic transducer, at least one sense of position A detector and a controlled electric actuator fixed to the ultrasonic transducer and capable of generating transient low frequency pulses. The low frequency pulse generated by the electric actuator guides the shear wave to propagate in the human tissue, and the speed of the shear wave depends on the elasticity of the organ tissue. Therefore, by measuring the speed of the shear wave, the elasticity of the measured organ tissue can be calculated, thereby diagnosing the lesion of the organ without damage. Especially for the detection and diagnosis of liver diseases.

However, the device of the prior application may require special training and experience in actual use to obtain good measurement values. The main reason is that when the device is applied to the human body, it is necessary to apply appropriate pressure to obtain the desired measurement value. Pure manual operation does not guarantee that the applied pressure can be stabilized within a predetermined range. If the pressure of the device probe in contact with the patient's skin surface is too light, the shear wave will not be transmitted to the liver and will be severely attenuated, if the device probe and the patient are If the organ contact pressure is too large, the patient will be more uncomfortable. Therefore, it is desirable to propose a mechanism capable of precisely controlling the pressure applied by the measuring device.

The present invention provides an elastic measuring device that can solve the above problems, the device can control the activation of the device by detecting the magnitude of the applied pressure, the device comprising a probe having at least one ultrasonic transducer for generating ultrasonic vibration An electric actuator coupled to the ultrasonic transducer for generating a transient low frequency pulse wave; a pressure detecting device for detecting a pressure applied by the probe to the object to be tested; for triggering the electric actuation a starting device for generating a start signal when the pressure detected by the pressure detecting device is within a predetermined range, wherein the starting device can trigger the electric motor when the signal generator issues a start signal The actuator works.

Compared with the prior art, the technical solution provided by the invention has the following advantages: by detecting the pressure to control the starting timing of the measuring device, the measuring device can be operated within the most suitable pressure range.

The examples of the embodiments are illustrated in the drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are intended to be illustrative of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting. The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different structures of the present invention. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present invention, the components and arrangements of the specific examples are described below. Of course, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the present invention may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in different examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity, and is not in the nature of the description of the various embodiments and/or arrangements discussed. Moreover, the present invention provides examples of various specific methods and materials, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize the applicability of other methods and/or the use of other materials.

The present invention provides an elastic measuring device for measuring a viscoelastic medium. Hereinafter, a method of forming the elastic measuring device of Fig. 1 will be specifically described by an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the elastic measuring device provided by the present invention comprises:

A probe having at least one ultrasonic transducer 1 for emitting ultrasonic waves. When the measurement is made, the probe with the ultrasonic transducer 1 is in contact with a viscoelastic medium (for example, human skin), and the probe of the ultrasonic transducer 1 can be longitudinally along the housing 7 of the elastic measuring device Moving, there is a spring 2 (elastic device) between the housing 7 and the probe, and the spring 2 between the housing 7 and the probe is compressed when the body 7 is manually pressed by the probe through the housing 7. By measuring the displacement of the probe relative to the housing 7 and the spring rate of the spring 2, the pressure exerted by the probe on the human body can be calculated.

Preferably, the ultrasonic transducer 1 is indirectly contacted with the viscoelastic medium to be tested by a protective head (not shown), and the ultrasonic transducer 1 and its protective head have an extended shape to Increase the contact area with the medium to be tested. For example, rectangular, elliptical or other similar shapes.

The probe of the ultrasonic transducer 1 is connected to the electric actuator 4 along an axis. The electric actuator 4 applies a low frequency impact response during the measurement. The low frequency impact response acts on the viscoelastic medium to be tested together with the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic transducer 1.

Correspondingly, the elastic measuring device of the present invention further comprises an ultrasonic collecting component (not shown), and the ultrasonic wave generated by the ultrasonic transducer 1 is reflected by the particles distributed in the viscoelastic medium to be tested, and is detected by the ultrasonic collecting component. The reflected ultrasonic signal can measure the displacement of each part of the viscoelastic medium under the action of the shear wave generated by the low-frequency impulse response, thereby measuring the transmission rate of the shear wave. The elasticity of the medium to be tested is calculated according to the shear wave transmission rate.

The elastic measuring device of the present invention further comprises a position sensor 3 connected to the spring 2 through a rigid medium or directly connected to the other end of the spring 2, and the spring 2 is obtained by detecting the displacement of the end of the spring 2. The amount of expansion. Based on this, the pressure exerted by the human body at this time is calculated. When the pressure value reaches a certain range, the position sensor 3 transmits a start signal to the signal generator 5.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the pressure at which the trigger position sensor 3 emits the start signal ranges from 4 to 8 N, which is a typical range determined according to the type of the subject, for example, for children, 1-8N is selected, for obesity For patients, choose 4-10N. This pressure range is chosen because if the device probe is too lightly in contact with the patient's organs, the wave will not be transmitted to the liver, and if the device probe is too stressed with the patient's organs, it will make the patient more uncomfortable. Within this pressure range, shear waves can be transmitted to the liver while the patient feels comfortable. In other embodiments, those skilled in the art can adjust this pressure range according to actual application requirements.

After receiving the start signal transmitted by the position sensor 3, the signal generator 5 sends a measurement ready signal for prompting the user to activate the electric actuator 4 to emit a low frequency by operating the switch 6 (or other starting device). The pulse performs the measurement. At this time, the user can manually activate the electric actuator 4 by pressing the switch 6. Otherwise, when the signal generator 5 does not emit a measurement ready signal, pressing the switch 6 will not activate the electric actuator 4 to emit a low frequency pulse, thus ensuring the accuracy and consistency of the measurement.

The electric actuator 4 can also be an automatic trigger, i.e., when the position sensor 3 detects that a suitable pressure is applied, the electric actuator 4 automatically emits a low frequency pulse for measurement.

The measurement ready signal may be a signal that is easily observed by sound, light, or the like generated by a buzzer, a laser diode, or the like. If the automatic control mode is adopted, the position sensor 3 uses the start signal for the start switch 6, and the switch 6 automatically activates the electric actuator 4 to emit the low frequency pulse after receiving the start signal. The measurement ready signal may be a change in color, such as changing from red to green to indicate that the measurement is ready. The measurement ready signal can also be a parameter displayed on the screen, and the user can conveniently check whether the applied pressure range is appropriate when the user views the parameters of the screen.

In the present invention, although the compression of the spring and the position sensor measure the amount of spring compression to detect the pressure of the ultrasonic probe on the measured medium, in fact, other pressure detecting devices such as a piezoelectric detector and a varistor can be used. An element that converts pressure directly into an electrical signal.

The elastic measuring device provided by the invention controls the starting of the measuring device by the magnitude of the pressure, and can ensure that the measuring device operates within the most suitable pressure range.

While the invention has been described with respect to the preferred embodiments and the embodiments of the present invention, it is understood that various changes, substitutions and modifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For other examples, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the order of method steps may be varied while remaining within the scope of the invention.

Further, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to the process, mechanism, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps of the specific embodiments described in the specification. From the disclosure of the present invention, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the processes, mechanisms, manufactures, compositions, means, methods, or steps that are presently present or will be developed in the The corresponding embodiments described have substantially the same function or substantially the same results, which can be applied in accordance with the invention. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims is intended to cover such a process, mechanism, manufacture, composition, means, method, or step.

1‧‧‧ Ultrasonic transducer
2‧‧‧ Spring
3‧‧‧ position sensor
4‧‧‧Electric actuator
5‧‧‧Signal Generator
6‧‧‧ switch
7‧‧‧Shell

1 is a schematic view of an elastic measuring device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

no.

1‧‧‧ Ultrasonic transducer

2‧‧‧ Spring

3‧‧‧ position sensor

4‧‧‧Electric actuator

5‧‧‧Signal Generator

6‧‧‧ switch

7‧‧‧Shell

Claims (6)

An elastic measuring device for measuring a viscoelastic medium, the elastic measuring device comprising: a probe having at least one ultrasonic transducer for generating ultrasonic waves; and an electric actuator connected to the ultrasonic transducer For generating a low frequency pulse wave; a pressure detecting device for detecting the pressure applied by the probe to the object to be tested; a starting device for triggering the electric actuator; and a signal generator for The pressure detected by the pressure detecting device emits a start signal when the signal generator emits a measurement ready signal, wherein the starting device can trigger the electric actuator to operate. The elastic measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure detecting device comprises a resilient device and a position sensor; both ends of the ultrasonic transducer are respectively coupled with a viscoelastic medium and the elastic device Contacting and causing the telescopic movement of the elastic device by transmitting pressure applied to the object to be tested. The elastic measuring device according to claim 2, wherein the position sensor detects an amount of expansion and contraction of the elastic device, and transmits a start signal to the signal generator when a certain range is reached, The amount of expansion and contraction of the elastic device is related to the pressure applied by the elastic measuring device to the object to be tested. The elastic measuring device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the signal generator emits a measurement ready signal when the magnitude of the pressure of the object to be tested on the ultrasonic transducer ranges from 4N to 8N. The elastic measuring device of claim 1, wherein the electric actuator is coupled to the ultrasonic transducer. The elastic measuring device of claim 1, further comprising an ultrasonic collecting component for collecting an ultrasonic signal reflected by the interior of the viscoelastic medium.