TWI690301B - Ultrasound probe and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An ultrasound probe is provided, which includes a transmitter, a receiver and a controller. The transmitter includes a signal receiving element. The transmitter includes a plurality of signal transmitting element; there is an included angle between each signal transmitting element and the signal receiving element, and the included angles of the signal transmitting elements and the signal receiving element are different from each other. The controller is connected to the transmitter and the receiver; the controller alternately drives the signal transmitting elements and the signal receiving element receives the echo signal of each signal transmitting element. The controller makes a comparison among the echo signals and selects one of the signal transmitting elements as a target signal transmitting element according to the comparison result; then, the controller generates a measurement result according to the echo signal of the target transmitting element.

Description

Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic probe control method

The present disclosure relates to an ultrasonic probe, especially a multi-angle ultrasonic probe.

The principle of measuring the distance of the ultrasonic probe is to use the ultrasonic wave emitted by the signal transmitting element to a target, and use the signal receiving element to receive the echo signal reflected by the target, and then calculate the ultrasonic probe and the target according to the echo signal the distance between.

However, since the angle of the signal transmitting element of the existing ultrasonic probe is fixed on the substrate, it can only effectively measure the target object in a specific distance range. Therefore, when the distance between the ultrasonic probe and the target object changes, is too close, or too When deep, the measurement accuracy of the ultrasonic probe is easily affected. For example, when the distance between the ultrasonic probe and the target is relatively short, the ultrasonic probe is likely to have a blind spot, so it is impossible to effectively measure the distance or depth between the ultrasonic probe and the target.

In addition, when the ultrasound probe is used in medical applications such as measuring blood flow velocity, because different patients may have different body types, they may also have different blood vessel depths, so the distance between the ultrasound probe and the blood vessel is also different. Therefore, it is also easy to detect blind spots, so the ultrasound probe cannot accurately measure the blood flow velocity of different patients.

Therefore, how to propose an ultrasonic probe that can effectively change the limitations of the existing ultrasonic probe has become an urgent issue.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, one of the purposes of the present disclosure is to provide an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic probe control method to solve various problems of the existing ultrasonic probe.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides an ultrasonic probe, which includes a receiving end, a transmitting end, and a controller. The receiving end includes a signal receiving element. The transmitting end includes a plurality of signal transmitting elements, each of which has an angle between the signal transmitting element and the signal receiving element, and the angle between the signal transmitting element and the signal receiving element is different from each other. The controller is connected to the transmitting end and the receiving end, and drives the signal transmitting elements in sequence, and then the signal receiving element receives the echo signals of each signal transmitting element. The controller compares the echo signals and selects one of the signal transmitting elements as the target signal transmitting element according to the comparison result, and generates a measurement result according to the echo signal of the target signal transmitting element.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for controlling an ultrasonic probe, which includes the following steps: sequentially driving a plurality of signal transmitting elements at a transmitting end through a controller, and each signal transmitting element has an included angle with a signal receiving element at a receiving end, And the angles between the signal transmitting elements and the signal receiving elements are different from each other; the signal receiving elements receive the echo signals of each signal transmitting element and send them to the controller; the controller compares the echo signals and according to the comparison result One of the signal transmitting elements is selected as the target signal transmitting element; and the measurement result is generated by the controller according to the echo signal of the target signal transmitting element.

The following will describe the embodiments of the ultrasonic probe and the method for controlling the ultrasonic probe according to the present disclosure with reference to the related drawings. For the sake of clarity and convenience of the description of the drawings, the components and parts in the drawings may be exaggerated in size and proportion Or present it in a reduced size. In the following description and/or patent application, when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it may be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present; and when the element is mentioned When "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements, and other words used to describe the relationship between the elements or layers should be interpreted in the same manner. For ease of understanding, the same elements in the following embodiments are described with the same symbols.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, which are a perspective view and a side view of the ultrasonic probe of the first embodiment disclosed. As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic probe 1 includes a substrate 10, a transmitting end 11 and a receiving end 12.

The transmitting end 11 is disposed on the substrate 10, and includes two signal emitting elements 111a and 111b; in this embodiment, the signal emitting elements 111a and 111b may be sound emitting elements, such as piezoelectric plates, etc.; such sound emission The signal emitted by the component is a radial sound wave, which is suitable for the measurement of biomedical signals, and the frequency range of the signal emitted by such sound emitting components is preferably 1~3MHz; among them, the low frequency signal has a high penetration rate, The high-frequency signal has a low penetration rate; therefore, if it is used in biomedical signal measurement applications (such as measuring fetal heart sounds or patient blood vessel depth), the frequency of the signals emitted by such sound emitting elements may be about 2MHz.

In another embodiment, the signal emitting elements 111a and 111b may be light emitting elements, such as LED light emitters, laser light emitters, etc.; the signals emitted by such sound emitting elements are straight beams (preferably (Green light), which is suitable for other types of signal measurement (non-biomedical signal measurement).

The receiving end 12 is disposed on the substrate 10 and includes a signal receiving element 121; in this embodiment, the signal receiving element 121 is a sound sensing element, such as a piezoelectric sheet, which is suitable for biomedical measurement.

Similarly, in another embodiment, the signal receiving element 121 may be a light sensing element, such as an LED light receiver, a laser light receiver, etc., which is suitable for other types of signal measurement (non-biomedical signal measurement) .

As shown in FIG. 2, the signal transmitting element 111 a and the signal receiving element 121 have an angle θ ₁ ; the signal transmitting element 111 b and the signal receiving element 121 have an angle θ ₂ .

The angle θ ₂ between the signal transmitting element 111 b and the signal receiving element 121 is greater than the angle θ ₁ between the signal transmitting element 211 a and the signal receiving element 121.

Generally speaking, the included angle θ ₁ and the included angle θ _{2 are between} approximately 1° and 20°, and the difference between the included angle θ ₂ and the included angle θ ₁ is approximately 3° to 4°; for example, in this embodiment, the included angle θ ₁ may be 5°, and the included angle θ ₂ may be 8°; in another embodiment, the included angle θ ₁ may be 6°, and the included angle θ ₂ may be 10°; the included angle θ ₁ and the included angle θ ₂ may be dependent on the target The characteristics of object G are designed to obtain the best measurement results.

Please refer to FIG. 3, which is a schematic diagram of the operation principle of the ultrasonic probe of the first embodiment disclosed. FIG. 3 uses the signal transmitting element 111a as an example to illustrate the operation principle of the ultrasonic probe 1.

The signal emitting element 111a emits the ultrasonic signal US1 to the target object G, and the target object G reflects the echo signal ES1.

The signal receiving element 121 receives the echo signal ES1.

The speed of sound propagation in the air is related to temperature, as shown in the following formula (1):

v=331+0.6T...............................................................(1)

Among them, v represents the speed of sound propagation in the air (m/s); T represents the temperature (°C).

The path length of the echo signal ES1 transmitted from the target G to the signal receiving element 121 can be expressed by the following formula (2):

D=v(△t/2)........................................................................... (2)

Among them, D represents the path length (m) of the echo signal ES1 from the target G to the signal receiving element 121; △t represents the ultrasonic signal US1 is transmitted from the signal transmitting element 111 to the signal receiving element 121 to receive the echo signal ES1 Time (s).

Therefore, the distance between the ultrasonic probe 1 and the target G can be expressed by the following formula (3):

X=DcosA = v(△t/2)cosA.........................................................(3)

Among them, X represents the distance (m) between the ultrasonic probe 1 and the target G; A represents the incident angle of the ultrasonic signal US.

Therefore, in the above manner, the ultrasonic probe 1 can calculate the distance X between the ultrasonic probe 1 and the target G according to the echo signal ES.

Please refer to FIG. 4, which is a first schematic diagram of the ultrasonic probe of the first embodiment disclosed. As shown in the figure, since the angles between the signal transmitting elements 111a and 111b and the signal receiving element 121 are different from each other, the objects to be measured at different distances or depths can be measured.

The signal transmitting element 111a transmits the ultrasonic signal US1 to the target object G. The ultrasonic signal US1 is reflected by the reflecting surface S1 to generate an echo signal ES1, and is transmitted to the signal receiving element 121.

The signal transmitting element 111b transmits the ultrasonic signal US2 to the target object G. The ultrasonic signal US2 is reflected by the reflecting surface S2 to generate an echo signal ES2, and is transmitted to the signal receiving element 121.

According to the angle θ ₁ between the signal transmitting element 111a and the signal receiving element 121, the distance between the ultrasonic probe 1 and the reflecting surface S1 can be calculated as M1, and according to the angle between the signal transmitting element 111b and the signal receiving element 121 θ ₂ , the distance between the ultrasonic probe 1 and the reflective surface S2 can be calculated as M2; where the distance M1 between the ultrasonic probe 1 and the reflective surface S1 can be calculated by the following formula (4):

tanθ ₁ =T/M1…………………………………………………………..(4)

Where, T represents the distance between the center of the signal transmitting element 111a and the center of the signal receiving element 121. For example, according to equation (4), if θ ₁ is 5° and T is 10.5mm, M1 is 120mm according to equation (4); if θ ₁ is 5° and T is 7.5mm, it is calculated according to equation (4) Available M1 is 86mm.

Similarly, the distance M2 between the ultrasonic probe 1 and the reflecting surface S2 can be calculated by the following formula (5):

Tanθ ₂ =T/M2........................................................................(5)

Where T represents the distance between the center of the signal transmitting element 111b and the center of the signal receiving element 121 (in this embodiment, the distance between the center of the signal transmitting element 111a and the center of the signal receiving element 121 and the signal transmitting element 111b The distance between the center of the signal receiving element 121 and the center of the signal receiving element 121 is equal). For example, according to equation (5), if θ ₂ is 8° and T is 10.5 mm, M2 is calculated to be 75 mm according to equation (5); if θ ₁ is 8° and T is 7.5 mm, calculated according to equation (5) Available M2 is 53mm.

Therefore, through the special structural design of the ultrasonic probe 1, the ultrasonic probe 1 can effectively measure the objects to be measured at different distances or depths, so the detection blind area can be effectively eliminated, and the performance of the ultrasonic probe 1 is greatly improved Therefore, it is very suitable for reversing radar and other general applications. In addition, the ultrasonic probe 1 can effectively measure the blood flow velocity according to the Doppler effect.

Please refer to FIG. 5, which is a second schematic diagram of the ultrasonic probe of the first embodiment disclosed. As shown in the figure, the ultrasound probe 1 transmits the ultrasound signal US to the blood vessel B, and receives the echo signal to measure the blood flow velocity; wherein, according to the Doppler effect, the blood flow velocity can be expressed by the following formula (6):

V _b = (F _D × C) / (2F _O × Cosα)...............................................................(6)

Among them, V _b represents the blood flow velocity; F _D represents the Doppler shift (Doppler shift); C represents the speed of sound in the tissue; F _O represents the original frequency of the ultrasound signal US; α represents the beam of the ultrasound signal US The angle between W and the direction of blood flow BD. Since the Doppler shift F _D occurs twice, the original frequency F _{O of the} ultrasonic signal US needs to be multiplied by 2, and Cosα is used to compensate the angle α between the beam W of the ultrasonic signal US and the blood flow direction BD.

Through the formula (6), the ultrasonic probe 1 can effectively measure the blood flow velocity according to the Doppler effect.

As mentioned above, the ultrasonic probe 1 of this embodiment has a special structural design, so if the target G in FIG. 4 is a blood vessel, the ultrasonic probe 1 can effectively measure blood vessels of different depths, so even different patients may have With different blood vessel depths, the ultrasound probe 1 can still accurately measure the blood flow velocity of these patients according to the Doppler effect, and further provide various data according to the blood flow velocity; for example, cardiac discharge volume, cardiac discharge volume Stroke volume index, Stroke volume variability, Stroke work, Cardiac output, Cardiac index, Cardiac power, blood pressure ( Blood pressure, Heart rate, Peak velocity flow, Velocity time integral, Minute distance, Ejection time percent, Whole body blood vessels Resistance 力 (Systemic vascular resistance), systemic vascular resistance index (Systemic vascular resistance index), mean pressure gradient (Mean pressure gradient), flow time (Flow time) and flow time correction (Flow time corrected), etc.; ultrasonic probe 2 also It can be applied to other medical applications.

Of course, the above is only an example, the structure of the ultrasonic probe 1 and the synergy between the components can be changed according to actual needs, and the disclosure is not limited to this.

It is worth mentioning that due to the structural limitations of the existing ultrasonic probe, it can only effectively measure the target object in a specific distance range, so when the distance between the ultrasonic probe and the target object changes, is too close or too deep, Ultrasonic probes are prone to detect blind spots, so it is impossible to effectively measure the distance between the ultrasonic probe and the target. On the contrary, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmitting end 11 of the ultrasonic probe 1 includes a plurality of signal transmitting elements 111a, 111b, and the signal transmitting elements 111a, 111b and the signal receiving element 121 of the receiving end 12 The included angles θ ₁ and θ ₂ are different from each other, so the target G at different distances or depths can be effectively measured, and the target G at a short distance can be accurately measured to eliminate the detection blind area.

In addition, because different patients may have different body types, and therefore may have different blood vessel depths, the existing ultrasound probe cannot accurately measure the blood flow velocity of different patients when it is used in measuring blood flow velocity and other medical applications. On the contrary, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the ultrasonic probe 1 has a special structural design, so that the ultrasonic probe 1 can effectively measure the target G at different distances or depths, so even different patients may have different blood vessel depths The ultrasonic probe 1 can also accurately measure blood flow velocity, so it is very suitable for medical applications such as measuring blood flow velocity.

Please refer to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, which are a perspective view and a side view of the ultrasonic probe of the second embodiment disclosed. As shown in FIG. 6, the ultrasonic probe 2 includes a substrate 20, a transmitting end 21 and a receiving end 22.

The receiving end 22 is disposed on the substrate 20 and includes a signal receiving element 221.

The transmitting end 21 is disposed on the substrate 20; unlike the previous embodiment, the transmitting end 21 includes three signal transmitting elements 211a, 211b, and 211c.

As shown in FIG. 7, the signal-emitting element 211a and the signal receiving element 221 having an included angle between θ _3; θ ₄ having an included angle between the signal-emitting element 221 and the signal receiving element 211b; 211c between the signal-emitting element 221 and the signal receiving element With angle θ ₅ .

Signal-emitting element 211b and the signal receiving element of the angle [theta] between the signal-emitting element ₂₂₁₄ is greater than the angle [theta] between 211a and the signal receiving element 221 _3; signal-emitting element 211c and signal receiving angle θ ₅ between the member 221 is greater than the signal emitted The angle θ ₄ between the element 211b and the signal receiving element 221.

Similarly, generally speaking, the included angle θ ₃ , included angle θ ₄ and included angle θ _{5 are} between 1° and 20°; the difference between the included angle θ ₄ and included angle θ ₃ and the included angle θ ₅ and included angle θ ₄ The gap is about 3°~4°. For example, in this embodiment, the included angle θ ₃ may be 3°, the included angle θ ₄ may be 6°, and the included angle θ ₅ may be 9°; in another embodiment, the included angle The angle θ ₃ can be 5°, the angle θ ₄ can be 9°, and the angle θ ₅ can be 13°; the angle θ ₃ , the angle θ ₄ and the angle θ ₅ can be designed according to the characteristics of the target G to obtain the best Measurement results.

It can be seen from the above that the ultrasonic probe 2 can add more signal emitting elements, so that it can more effectively measure more target objects G at different distances or depths, so as to meet the requirements of practical applications.

Of course, the above is only an example, the structure of the ultrasonic probe 2 and the synergy between the components can be changed according to actual needs, and the disclosure is not limited to this.

Please refer to FIG. 8, which is a block diagram of the ultrasonic probe of the third embodiment of the disclosure. As shown in the figure, similarly, the ultrasonic probe 3 includes a substrate 30, a transmitting end 31 and a receiving end 32.

The receiving end 32 is disposed on the substrate 30 and includes a signal receiving element 321. The transmitting end 31 is disposed on the substrate 30 and includes a plurality of signal transmitting elements 311a, 311b, and 311c. The structure of the ultrasonic probe 3 is the same as the previous embodiment (as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 ), so it will not be described here.

Unlike the previous embodiment, the ultrasonic probe 3 further includes a controller 33, a receiving circuit 34, an analog-to-digital converter 35, a transmitting circuit 36, and a selection switch 37.

The controller 33 selects the signal transmitting element 311a through the selection switch 37, and drives the signal transmitting element 311a to transmit the ultrasonic signal US3 through the transmitting circuit 36, and the receiving circuit 34 receives the echo signal ES3 of the ultrasonic signal US3 from the signal receiving element 321, and The echo signal ES3 is converted into a digital signal by an analog-to-digital converter 35, and the controller 33 receives and stores the digital signal.

Similarly, the controller 33 selects the signal transmitting element 311b through the selection switch 37, and drives the signal transmitting element 311b through the transmitting circuit 36 to transmit the ultrasonic signal US4, and the receiving circuit 34 receives the echo signal of the ultrasonic signal US4 from the signal receiving element 321 ES4, and converts the echo signal ES4 into a digital signal through an analog-to-digital converter 35, and the controller 33 receives and stores the digital signal.

Next, the controller 33 selects the signal transmitting element 311c through the selection switch 37, and drives the signal transmitting element 311c through the transmitting circuit 36 to transmit the ultrasonic signal US5, and the receiving circuit 34 receives the echo signal of the ultrasonic signal US5 from the signal receiving element 321 ES5, and converts the echo signal ES5 into a digital signal through an analog-to-digital converter 35, and the controller 33 receives and stores the digital signal.

Then, the controller 33 compares the signal characteristics of the echo signals ES3, ES4, ES5; in this embodiment, the above-mentioned signal characteristics are the signal strength; the controller 33 compares the signals of the echo signals ES3, ES4, ES5 Intensity, and select the signal transmitting element of the echo signal with the highest signal intensity as the target signal transmitting element, and generate the measurement result according to the echo signal of the target signal transmitting element. In another embodiment, the aforementioned signal characteristics may also be signal waveforms or other related characteristics. For example, if the comparison result shows that the echo signal ES3 of the signal transmitting element 311a has the highest signal strength, the controller 33 selects the signal transmitting element 311a as the target signal transmitting element, and generates a measurement result according to its echo signal ES3.

The controller 33 continuously switches the signal transmitting elements 311a, 311b, and 311c through the selection switch 37 to scan the target object, and selects the signal intensity of the signal transmitting elements 311a, 311b, and 311c as the target with the highest signal intensity again. The signal transmitting element makes the measurement result more accurate.

Through the above-mentioned special control logic mechanism, the ultrasonic probe 3 can accurately select the most appropriate signal transmitting element from the signal transmitting elements 311a, 311b, and 311c as the target signal transmitting element, and continuously scan to restart the Of the signal transmitting elements, 311a, 311b, and 311c select the one with the highest signal intensity as the target signal transmitting element, so that the measurement result can be optimized; therefore, when the ultrasonic probe 3 is used to measure blood flow velocity, even if it is different Patients may have different blood vessel depths, and the ultrasound probe 3 can still accurately measure blood flow velocity.

Of course, the above is only an example, the structure of the ultrasonic probe 3 and the synergy between the components can be changed according to actual needs, and the disclosure is not limited to this.

Please refer to FIG. 9, which is a flowchart of the ultrasonic probe control method of the third embodiment disclosed. The control method of the ultrasonic probe 3 of this embodiment includes the following steps:

Step S91: The controller 33 sequentially selects the plurality of signal transmitting elements 311a, 311b, and 311c of the transmitting end 31 through the selection switch 37. The signal transmitting elements 311a, 311b, and 311c and the signal receiving element 321 of the receiving end have the angle _{θ 3, θ 4, θ 5} , and the plurality of signal-emitting element 311a, the angle [theta] between 311b, 311c and the signal receiving element 321 _3, θ _4, θ ₅ different from each other.

Step S92: The controller 33 controls the transmission circuit 36 to drive the signal transmission element selected by the selection switch 37.

Step S93: Use the receiving circuit 34 to receive the echo signals ES3, ES4, and ES5 of the signal transmitting elements 311a, 311b, and 311c, and send them to the controller 33.

Step S94: The analog-to-digital converter 35 converts these echo signals ES3, ES4, ES5 into digital signals, and then sends them to the controller 33.

Step S95: Compare the signal strength of the echo signals ES3, ES4, ES5 through the controller 33 and select the signal transmitting element of the echo signal with the highest signal intensity as the target signal transmitting element, and according to the return of the target signal transmitting element Wave signals produce measurement results.

Step S96: The controller 33 repeatedly drives the signal emitting elements 311a, 311b, and 311c in sequence to reselect the target signal emitting element from the signal emitting elements 311a, 311b, and 311c.

More specifically, the controller 33 first selects the signal transmitting element 311a, and controls the transmitting circuit 36 to drive the signal transmitting element 311a; after the receiving circuit 34 receives the echo signal ES3 of the signal transmitting element 311a, the analog-to-digital converter 35 returns The wave signal ES3 is converted into a digital signal and then transmitted to the controller 33; next, the controller 33 selects the signal transmitting element 311b and controls the transmitting circuit 36 to drive the signal transmitting element 311b; the waiting circuit 34 receives the echo of the signal transmitting element 311b After the signal ES4, the analog-to-digital converter 35 converts the echo signal ES4 into a digital signal and sends it to the controller 33; then, the controller 33 selects the signal transmitting element 311c and controls the transmitting circuit 36 to drive the signal transmitting element 311c; After receiving the echo signal ES5 from the signal transmitting element 311c, the receiving circuit 34 converts the echo signal ES5 into a digital signal by the analog-to-digital converter 35, and then transmits it to the controller 33; finally, the controller 33 performs a comparison procedure to generate Measure the results, and drive the signal emitting elements 311a, 311b, and 311c sequentially according to the above-mentioned method to select the one with the highest signal intensity from the signal emitting elements 311a, 311b, and 311c as the target signal emitting element again.

Please refer to FIG. 10, which is a flowchart of the control logic mechanism of the ultrasonic probe of the third embodiment disclosed. Figure 10 details the detailed flow of the control logic mechanism of the ultrasonic probe of this embodiment, which includes the following steps:

Step S101: Select and drive the signal transmitting element 311a, and receive and store the echo signal ES3 of the signal transmitting element 311a, and proceed to step S102.

Step S102: Select and drive the signal transmitting element 311b, and receive and store the echo signal ES4 of the signal transmitting element 311b, and proceed to step S103.

Step S103: Select and drive the signal transmitting element 311c, and receive and store the echo signal ES5 of the signal transmitting element 311c, and proceed to step S104.

Step S104: Compare the signal strengths of the echo signals ES3, ES4, ES5, and select the signal transmitting element of the echo signal with the highest signal strength as the target signal transmitting element, and go to step S105.

Step S105: Generate a measurement result according to the echo signal of the target signal transmitting element, and proceed to step S106.

Step S106: Do you continue to scan? If yes, go back to step S101; if no, go to step S107.

Step S107: Scanning ends.

Of course, the above is only an example, the control logic mechanism of the ultrasonic probe 1 can be changed according to actual needs, and the disclosure is not limited to this.

Please refer to FIG. 11A, FIG. 11B and FIG. 11C, which are measurement results of the ultrasonic probe of the third embodiment of the disclosure. FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 11C are graphs of measurement results of the actual measurement of the target G using the ultrasonic probe 3 of the third embodiment of the present disclosure.

First, the controller 33 sequentially selects and drives the signal transmitting element 311a, the signal transmitting element 311b, and the signal transmitting element 311c, and the receiving circuit 34 respectively receives the echo signal ES3 of the signal transmitting element 311a and the echo signal ES4 of the signal transmitting element 311b And the echo signal ES5 of the signal transmitting element 311c.

Figure 11A shows the waveform of the echo signal ES3, where the horizontal axis is time (seconds) and the vertical axis is intensity. This intensity is the normalized voltage value (volts); the waveform in the middle region of the echo signal ES3 It can be seen that the echo signal ES3 has obvious changes, which can be regarded as that the echo signal ES3 has a stronger signal strength (compared to the echo signals ES4 and ES5), so the signal emitting element 311a can effectively measure the target object G.

Figure 11B shows the waveform of the echo signal ES4, where the horizontal axis is time and the vertical axis is intensity; as can be seen from the waveform in the middle region of the echo signal ES4, the echo signal ES4 is zero, so the signal transmitting element 311b The target G cannot be effectively measured.

Figure 11C shows the waveform of the echo signal ES5, where the horizontal axis is time and the vertical axis is intensity; from the waveform of the middle area of the echo signal ES5, it can be seen that the echo signal ES5 is zero, so the signal transmitting element 311c The target G cannot be effectively measured.

Since the signal emitting element 311a can effectively measure the target G, the controller 33 uses the signal emitting element 311a as the target signal emitting element, and continues to repeat the above steps, and then looks at the signal emitting element 311a, the signal emitting element 311b and The measurement result of the signal transmitting element 311c is again used to select the target signal transmitting element from the signal transmitting elements 311a, 311b, and 311c.

In summary, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmitting end 31 of the ultrasonic probe 3 includes a plurality of signal transmitting elements 311a, 311b, 311c, and the signals of the signal transmitting elements 311a, 311b, 311c and the receiving end 32 The angles θ ₃ , θ ₄ , and θ ₅ between the receiving elements 321 are different from each other, so the target G at different distances or depths can be effectively measured, and the target G at a short distance can be accurately measured to eliminate detection. Blind zone.

Moreover, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the ultrasonic probe 3 has a special structural design, so that the ultrasonic probe 3 can effectively measure the target G at different distances or depths, so even if different patients may have different blood vessel depths, The ultrasonic probe 3 can also accurately measure blood flow velocity, so it is very suitable for medical applications such as measuring blood flow velocity.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the ultrasonic probe 3 has a special control logic mechanism, so that the ultrasonic probe 3 can accurately select the most appropriate signal transmitting element from the signal transmitting elements 311a, 311b, and 311c as the target The signal transmitting element can make the measurement result more accurate.

It can be seen that this disclosure has indeed achieved the desired effect by breaking through the previous technology, and it is not easy to think about by those who are familiar with this art. Its progressiveness and practicality have obviously met the patent application requirements. I filed a patent application in accordance with the law, and urge your office to approve this patent application in order to encourage creation and to feel virtuous.

The above is only exemplary, and not restrictive. Any other equivalent modifications or changes made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure should be included in the scope of the attached patent application.

1, 2, 3‧‧‧Ultrasonic probe US, US1~US5‧‧‧Ultrasonic signal 10, 20, 30‧‧‧ substrate ES, ES1~ES5‧‧‧ Echo signal 11, 21, 31‧‧‧ Transmitting end G‧‧‧ Targets 111a, 111b, 111c, 211a, 211b, 211c, 311a, 311b, 311c ‧‧‧ Signal transmitting element S1, S2‧‧‧Reflecting surface 12, 22, 23‧‧‧Receiving end B ‧‧‧Vessel 121, 221, 321‧‧‧ Signal receiving element W‧‧‧ Beam 33‧‧‧ Controller A‧‧‧ Angle of incidence 34‧‧‧ Receive circuit X, T‧‧‧ Distance 35‧‧‧ Analog Digital converter D‧‧‧Path length 36‧‧‧Transmission circuit BD‧‧‧Blood flow direction 37‧‧‧Select switch α‧‧‧Included angles θ ₁ , θ ₂ , θ ₃ , θ ₄ , θ ₅ , α‧ ‧‧ Angle S91~S96, S101~S107

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an existing ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ultrasonic probe of the first embodiment disclosed.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the ultrasonic probe of the first embodiment disclosed.

FIG. 4 is a first schematic diagram of the ultrasonic probe of the first embodiment disclosed.

FIG. 5 is a second schematic diagram of the ultrasonic probe of the first embodiment disclosed.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the ultrasonic probe of the second embodiment disclosed.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the ultrasonic probe of the second embodiment disclosed.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the ultrasonic probe of the third embodiment disclosed.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the ultrasonic probe control method of the third embodiment disclosed.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the control logic mechanism of the ultrasonic probe of the third embodiment disclosed.

Figures 11A, 11B, and 11C are measurement results of the ultrasonic probe of the third embodiment of the disclosure.

1‧‧‧Ultrasonic probe

10‧‧‧ substrate

11‧‧‧ Launcher

111a, 111b ‧‧‧ signal transmitting element

12‧‧‧Receiver

121‧‧‧Signal receiving component

θ ₁ , θ ₂ ‧‧‧ included angle

Claims (17)

An ultrasonic probe includes: a substrate; a receiving end is provided on the substrate and includes a signal receiving element; and a transmitting end is provided on the substrate so that the transmitting end and the receiving end are located at the same In the plane, the transmitting end includes a plurality of signal transmitting elements, each of which has an angle between the signal transmitting element and the signal receiving element, and the angle between the signal transmitting elements and the signal receiving element is different from each other, so that the signals are transmitted The directions of the ultrasonic signals transmitted by the components are different from each other, and the angle between the direction of the ultrasonic signals transmitted by the signal transmitting components and the plane is increasing or decreasing; and a controller is connected to the transmitting end and the receiving end, and Sequentially driving the signal transmitting elements, and the signal receiving element receives an echo signal of each signal transmitting element; wherein, the controller compares the echo signals and selects the signal transmitting elements according to a comparison result One of them serves as a target signal transmitting element, and generates a measurement result according to the echo signal of the target signal transmitting element. The ultrasonic probe as described in item 1 of the patent scope, wherein the controller compares the signal characteristics of the echo signals, and selects one of the signal transmitting elements according to the signal characteristics of the echo signals to do It is the target signal transmitting element. The ultrasonic probe as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the controller compares the signal strengths of the echo signals and selects the signal transmitting element of the echo signal with the highest signal intensity as the target signal transmitting element . The ultrasonic probe as described in item 1 of the patent scope, wherein the controller compares the signal waveforms of the echo signals and selects one of the signal transmitting elements as the signal waveform of the echo signals as the one The target signal transmitting element. The ultrasonic probe as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the controller repeatedly drives the signal transmitting elements in order to select the target signal transmitting element again from the signal transmitting elements. The ultrasonic probe as described in item 1 of the patent application scope further includes: a receiving circuit connected to the receiving end and receiving the echo signals; and an analog-to-digital converter, the receiving circuit and the controller Connect to receive the echo signals, convert the echo signals into digital signals, and send them to the controller. The ultrasonic probe as described in item 1 of the patent application scope further includes a selection switch, the controller is connected to the transmitting end through the selection switch, and sequentially selects the signal transmitting elements through the selection switch. The ultrasonic probe as described in item 7 of the patent application scope further includes a transmission circuit connected to the controller and the selection switch. The controller controls the transmission circuit to drive the signal transmission element selected by the selection switch. The ultrasonic probe as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the signal transmitting elements and the signal receiving elements are piezoelectric sheets. The ultrasonic probe as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the measurement result is the blood flow velocity. An ultrasonic probe control method, including: A controller sequentially drives a plurality of signal transmitting elements disposed on a transmitting end of a substrate, each of the signal transmitting elements and a signal receiving element disposed on the substrate and located on a receiving end of the same plane Angle, and the angle between the signal transmitting elements and the signal receiving element is different from each other, so that the directions of the ultrasonic signals transmitted by the signal transmitting elements are different from each other, and the directions of the ultrasonic signals transmitted by the signal transmitting elements are different from The included angle of the plane is increasing or decreasing; the signal receiving element receives an echo signal of each of the signal transmitting elements and sends it to the controller; the controller compares the echo signals and based on a comparison result from the The signal transmitting elements select one of them as a target signal transmitting element; and generate a measurement result according to the echo signal of the target signal transmitting element through the controller. The ultrasonic probe control method as described in item 11 of the patent application scope, wherein the controller compares the echo signals and selects one of the signal transmitting elements as the target signal transmitting element according to the comparison result The step further includes: comparing the signal characteristics of the echo signals through the controller, and selecting one of the signal transmitting elements as the target signal transmitting element according to the signal characteristics of the echo signals. The ultrasonic probe control method as described in item 11 of the patent application scope, wherein the controller compares the echo signals and selects one of the signal transmitting elements as the target signal transmitting element according to the comparison result The step further includes: comparing the signal strength of the echo signals through the controller and selecting the signal transmitting element of the echo signal with the highest signal intensity as the target signal transmitting element. The ultrasonic probe control method as described in item 11 of the patent application scope, wherein the controller compares the echo signals and selects one of the signal transmitting elements as the target signal transmitting element according to the comparison result The step further includes: the controller compares the signal waveforms of the echo signals and selects one of the signal emitting elements as the target signal emitting element according to the signal waveforms of the echo signals. The ultrasonic probe control method as described in item 11 of the patent application scope, wherein the steps further include: repeatedly driving the signal transmitting elements sequentially through the controller to reselect the target signal transmitting element from the signal transmitting elements . The ultrasonic probe control method as described in item 11 of the patent application scope, wherein the step of receiving the echo signal of each signal transmitting element by the signal receiving element and transmitting it to the controller further comprises: receiving by a receiving circuit The echo signals; and an analog-to-digital converter converts the echo signals into digital signals and sends them to the controller. The ultrasonic probe control method as described in item 11 of the patent application range, wherein the step of sequentially driving the signal transmitting elements of the transmitting end through the controller further includes: using the controller to sequentially select the signal through a selection switch Signal transmitting elements; and the controller controls a transmitting circuit to drive the signal transmitting element selected by the selection switch.

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