WO2023234638A1 - Ultrasonic device, and method for controlling ultrasonic transducer module - Google Patents

Abstract

An ultrasonic device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: an ultrasonic transducer module including a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements; and a control module for controlling the ultrasonic transducer module, wherein the control module, in a first operation mode, controls the ultrasonic transducer module so that a first burst signal is transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer module to an object, and generates an ultrasonic image of the object by using a first echo signal for the first burst signal, and, in a second operation mode, determines one or more active ultrasonic transducer elements corresponding to a target area determined from the ultrasonic image from among the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements, and controls the ultrasonic transducer module so that a second burst signal is transmitted from the determined active ultrasonic transducer element to the object.

Description

Control method of ultrasonic device and ultrasonic transducer module

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic device and a method of controlling an ultrasonic transducer module constituting the ultrasonic device.

An ultrasound diagnosis device irradiates a burst signal generated from an ultrasonic transducer (ultrasonic probe) to an object and receives information from the echo signal reflected from the object to obtain an image of the area inside the object. It works like this. In particular, ultrasound diagnostic devices are used for medical purposes such as observing the interior of an object, detecting foreign substances, and measuring injuries. These ultrasound diagnostic devices have the advantage of being more stable than diagnostic devices using It is being applied properly.

In the field of ultrasound diagnosis technology, the industry's demand is to obtain high-resolution ultrasound images, and various studies in this regard are continuously being conducted. However, the resolution of ultrasound images obtained from conventional ultrasound diagnosis devices does not meet the industry's needs. This is the situation.

In addition, conventional ultrasound diagnostic devices are limited to the purpose of acquiring ultrasound images inside an object, and treatment of the object is performed using separate treatment equipment, so diagnosis and treatment using ultrasound are integrated. A system that can do this is being requested.

The present invention was created to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the purpose of one aspect of the present invention is to produce high-resolution ultrasound images through the design of the dielectric constant and quality factor (Q-factor) of the ultrasonic transducer element constituting the ultrasonic probe. At the same time, it provides a control method for an ultrasonic device and ultrasonic transducer module that can improve diagnosis and treatment efficiency by integratedly performing ultrasonic diagnosis and treatment through a single ultrasonic transducer.

An ultrasonic device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an ultrasonic transducer module including a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements; A control module that controls the ultrasonic transducer module, wherein in a first operation mode, controls the ultrasonic transducer module to transmit a first burst signal from the ultrasonic transducer module to the object, and wherein the first burst An ultrasound image of the object is generated using a first echo signal, and in a second operation mode, at least one of the plurality of ultrasound transducer elements corresponds to a target area determined from the ultrasound image. and a control module that determines an active ultrasonic transducer element and controls the ultrasonic transducer module so that a second burst signal is transmitted from the determined active ultrasonic transducer element to the object.

In the present invention, the first operation mode is an operation mode when diagnosing the object, the second operation mode is an operation mode when treating the object, and the intensity of the second burst signal is the first burst signal. It is characterized by being greater than the intensity of.

In the present invention, the control module scales the ultrasound image to an area where the plurality of ultrasound transducer elements are arranged on the ultrasound transducer module, and fits the target area on the scaled ultrasound image. Characterized in that the ultrasonic transducer element is determined as the active ultrasonic transducer element.

In the present invention, the control module is characterized in that it continuously generates a plurality of ultrasound images for a plurality of consecutive points of the object as the ultrasonic transducer module scans the object in the first operation mode. do.

In the present invention, in the second operation mode, the control module determines the active ultrasound transducer element to correspond to each of the plurality of continuously generated ultrasound images, thereby It is characterized by variably determining the active ultrasonic transducer element.

In the present invention, the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements are arranged in a one-dimensional array (1-Dimensional Array) or a two-dimensional array (2-Dimensional Array).

In the present invention, the ultrasonic transducer element is characterized by being composed of a single crystal dielectric material composed of any one of PMN-PT, PIN-PMN-PT, and Mn:PIN-PMN-PT.

In the present invention, the single crystal dielectric material has a dielectric constant of 3000 [F/m] or more and a quality factor (Q Factor) of 300 or more.

A method of controlling an ultrasonic transducer module according to an aspect of the present invention includes the steps of controlling the ultrasonic transducer module so that a first burst signal is transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer module to an object; generating, by the control module, an ultrasound image of the object using a first echo signal for the first burst signal; determining, by the control module, one or more active ultrasonic transducer elements among the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements corresponding to a target area determined from the ultrasonic image; and controlling, by the control module, the ultrasonic transducer module so that a second burst signal is transmitted from the determined active ultrasonic transducer element to the object.

According to one aspect of the present invention, high-resolution ultrasound images can be obtained through the design of the dielectric constant and quality factor (Q-Factor) of each ultrasonic transducer element constituting the ultrasonic transducer module, and the By adopting a method of differentially controlling the intensity of the burst signal, diagnostic and treatment efficiency can be improved by performing integrated ultrasound diagnosis and treatment through a single ultrasound transducer module, and the internal area of the object to be treated (target area) can be improved. ) By adopting a method of variably determining the active ultrasonic transducer element that will transmit the therapeutic ultrasonic signal (second burst signal) to match the shape of the target area, the ultrasonic treatment effect on the target area can be maximized.

1 is a block diagram showing an ultrasonic device according to this embodiment.

Figure 2 is an exemplary diagram showing the structure of an ultrasonic transducer module in the ultrasonic device according to this embodiment.

Figure 3 is an exemplary diagram showing a first operation mode in the ultrasonic device according to this embodiment.

Figure 4 is an exemplary diagram showing a second operation mode in the ultrasonic device according to this embodiment.

Figures 5 and 6 are exemplary diagrams showing the process of determining an active ultrasonic transducer element in the ultrasonic device according to this embodiment.

Figure 7 is an exemplary diagram showing a process for variably determining an active ultrasonic transducer element in the ultrasonic device according to this embodiment.

Figure 8 is a flowchart showing a control method of an ultrasonic transducer module according to this embodiment.

Hereinafter, a control method of an ultrasonic device and an ultrasonic transducer module according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In this process, the thickness of lines or sizes of components shown in the drawing may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of explanation. In addition, the terms described below are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, and may vary depending on the intention or custom of the user or operator. Therefore, definitions of these terms should be made based on the content throughout this specification.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the ultrasonic device according to this embodiment, FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram showing the structure of an ultrasonic transducer module in the ultrasonic device according to this embodiment, and FIG. 3 is an ultrasonic device according to this embodiment. is an exemplary diagram showing the first operating mode, Figure 4 is an exemplary diagram showing the second operating mode in the ultrasonic device according to this embodiment, and Figures 5 and 6 are an active ultrasonic transducer in the ultrasonic device according to this embodiment. This is an exemplary diagram showing a process for determining an element, and Figure 7 is an exemplary diagram showing a process for variably determining an active ultrasonic transducer element in an ultrasonic device according to this embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, the ultrasonic device according to this embodiment may include an interface module 100, an ultrasonic transducer module 200, and a control module 300.

The interface module 100 may function as an input/output device that performs interfacing between the ultrasound device of this embodiment and the user. The commands input by the user to the interface module 100 include an operation trigger command and an operation end command of the ultrasonic device, and the intensity of a burst signal transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer module 200, which will be described later. It may include a setting command and a switching command between the first operation mode and the second operation mode described later, and a typical input device (e.g., an operation button or a touch screen) for receiving the above command is an interface module (100). ) can be included. Additionally, a display for providing the user with an ultrasound image of an object, which will be described later, may be included in the interface module 100 as an output device.

The ultrasonic transducer module 200 is defined as a configuration that includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements 210 and performs the function of an ultrasonic probe. Each ultrasonic transducer element 210 may be composed of a single crystal dielectric material with piezoelectric properties, and may have any one of PMN-PT, PIN-PMN-PT, and Mn:PIN-PMN-PT as its composition. . However, according to the experimental data on the power density of the ultrasonic transducer element 210 in Table 1 below, it may be preferable that the single crystal dielectric material be composed of Mn:PIN-PMN-PT containing manganese (Mn).

Material	Power Density(W/ cm3 )
Existing material (piezoelectric ceramic)	7.7
Mn:PIN-PMN-PT	38.1

According to the experimental data in Table 1, when the ultrasonic transducer element 210 is composed of Mn:PIN-PMN-PT, it can be confirmed that the power density is improved by about 5 times compared to the existing piezoelectric ceramic material. Meanwhile, with regard to the energy efficiency of the ultrasonic transducer element 210, in this embodiment, the mechanical quality factor (Q-Factor) is considered so that high output ultrasonic energy can be secured with small electrical energy. The mechanical quality coefficient can be an indicator of how efficiently the piezoelectric material vibrates at the resonant frequency. In other words, it is a parameter that can check how effectively the input of electrical energy is transmitted through mechanical vibration. Therefore, the larger the value, the higher the output with small electrical energy. This may mean that ultrasonic energy can be secured. The mechanical quality factor (Qm) can be measured by Equation 1 below.

[Equation 1]

In Equation 1, fr is the resonance frequency, Zm is the impedance at the resonance frequency, fa is the anti-resonance frequency, and Co is a constant.

According to the experimental data on the sensitivity of the ultrasonic transducer element 210 in Table 2 below, the mechanical quality factor (Q-Factor) of the single crystal dielectric material constituting the ultrasonic transducer element 210 can be realized at 300 or more. In addition, the dielectric constant of the single crystal dielectric material can be implemented at 3000 [F/m] or more.

division	unit	Piezoelectric single crystal dielectric material	existing material (Piezoelectric ceramic)	Advantages
Piezoelectric constant	10 -12 m/V	>1200	700	High sensitivity, high output
permittivity	K3T _	>3000	1400	high sensitivity
Electromechanical coupling coefficient	-	≥ 0.89	0.70	Broadband, efficiency
mechanical quality factor	-	≥ 300	30~80	Thermal efficiency, high output (Power Density)

According to the experimental data in Table 2, when the dielectric constant of the single crystal dielectric material is over 3000 [F/m] and the mechanical quality factor (Q-Factor) is over 300, the existing piezoelectric ceramic material (dielectric constant: 1400, mechanical It can be confirmed that the ultrasonic transducer element 210 with high sensitivity, high efficiency, and high output is implemented (quality coefficient: 30 to 80). The signal output range of the ultrasonic transducer element 210 implemented as above may correspond to 50 mW/cm ² to 5 W/cm ^2. In this embodiment, the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements 210 are formed in a one-dimensional array (1). -Dimensional Array) or 2-Dimensional Array. Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described as a structure in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements 210 are arranged in a two-dimensional array (M rows (300) is a subject that controls the ultrasonic transducer module 200 according to the user input to the interface module 100 described above, and is a processor, central processing unit (CPU), or SoC (System on Chip), can control a plurality of hardware or software components connected to the control module 300 by running an operating system or application, can perform various data processing and calculations, and can operate at least one device stored in memory. It may be configured to execute one command and store the execution result data in memory.

In this embodiment, the control module 300 has a first operation mode (i.e., diagnosis mode) defined as an operation mode when diagnosing an object (e.g., inside the human body) and a second operation mode (i.e., a diagnosis mode) defined as an operation mode when treating an object ( That is, the ultrasonic transducer module 200 can be controlled in treatment mode). In the first operation mode, the control module 300 may operate to generate an ultrasound image of the object based on control of the ultrasound transducer module 200, and in the second operation mode, the control module 300 may operate to generate the ultrasound image generated above. The ultrasound transducer module 200 can be controlled to treat the object based on the image.

Hereinafter, the operation of the control module 300 will be described in detail by dividing it into a first operation mode and a second operation mode.

First, referring to FIG. 3, in the first operation mode, the control module 300 operates the ultrasonic transducer module 200 so that a first burst signal (IUT) is transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer module 200 to the object. control, and generate an ultrasound image of the object using the first echo signal (IUR) for the first burst signal (IUT). The first burst signal (IUT) may have the intensity of a typical diagnostic ultrasound transmission signal. The control module 300 can generate an ultrasound image based on digital conversion signal processing, framing, and beamforming methods for the received first echo signal (IUR), and the ultrasound image generation method is as follows. Since it is well-known in the technical field, detailed description will be omitted.

When an ultrasound image is generated, the control module 300 may determine a target area from the generated ultrasound image, and the target area may correspond to, for example, a affected area to be treated (e.g., a bone area inside the human body). . In this case, the control module 300 may determine the target area on the ultrasound image through an image matching method between the ultrasound image and a pre-stored corresponding affected area image.

Meanwhile, in the first operation mode, the control module 300 generates ultrasound images (and A plurality of target areas on an image may be continuously created. The operation of the control module 300 functions as a prerequisite for variably determining the active ultrasonic transducer element, which will be described later, and a detailed description will be provided later.

Next, referring to FIG. 4, in the second operation mode, the control module 300 selects one or more active ultrasonic transducers among the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements 210 corresponding to the target area on the ultrasonic image determined through the first operation mode. A deducer element may be determined, and the ultrasonic transducer module 200 may be controlled so that a second burst signal (TUT) is transmitted from the determined active ultrasonic transducer element to the object. The second burst signal (TUT) is a therapeutic ultrasound transmission signal, which is applied to cause tumor necrosis by concentrating high-intensity ultrasound on one point of the affected area and causing heat or mechanical effect (cavitation). It may be an Intensity Focused Ultrasound (Intensity Focused Ultrasound) signal, and therefore the second burst signal (TUT) may have a greater intensity value than the first burst signal (IUT).

The active ultrasonic transducer element determined in the second operation mode is an ultrasonic transducer element that transmits a second burst signal for treatment of the object in the second operation mode among the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements 210 ( 210). In other words, depending on the shape of the target area, it is considered energy efficient to drive only some of the ultrasonic transducer elements 210 rather than all ultrasonic transducer elements 210 included in the ultrasonic transducer module 200. Therefore, the control module 300 may determine only the ultrasonic transducer element 210 whose shape corresponds to the target area as the active ultrasonic transducer element.

5 and 6, the process of determining the active ultrasonic transducer element will be described in detail. First, the control module 300 has a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements 210 arranged on the ultrasonic transducer module 200. The ultrasound image can be scaled to the area, and as the ultrasound image is scaled, the target area (TA) can also be scaled. Additionally, the control module 300 may determine the ultrasonic transducer element 210 fitting or overlapping the target area on the scaled ultrasonic image as the active ultrasonic transducer element. Accordingly, only the ultrasound transducer element 210 required for treatment of the target area (TA) can be determined.

Once the active ultrasonic transducer element is determined, the control module 300 may control the ultrasonic transducer module 200 so that the above-described second burst signal is transmitted from the active ultrasonic transducer element. Since the second burst signal is transmitted only from the ultrasonic transducer element fitted to the target area (i.e., the active ultrasonic transducer element), side effects to the human body caused by the second burst signal being irradiated to areas other than the target area requiring treatment This is minimized and the transmission of the second burst signal is focused on the target area, allowing more effective treatment of the target area. In addition, this embodiment adopts a configuration in which a single ultrasonic transducer module 200 is utilized in the first and second operation modes, so that ultrasonic diagnosis and treatment can be performed integratedly, improving diagnostic and treatment efficiency. It can be improved. Furthermore, the control module 300 can differentially adjust the phase applied to each active ultrasonic transducer element so that the energy transfer efficiency of the ultrasonic transducer module 200 can be increased when treating an object according to the second operation mode. And the phase adjustment algorithm for this may be predefined in the control module 300 based on experimental results.

Meanwhile, as mentioned above, in the first operation mode, the control module 300 transmits ultrasonic waves to a plurality of consecutive points on the object as the ultrasonic transducer module 200 scans the object by a user or a predetermined mechanical driving device. Multiple images can be generated sequentially. In the second operation mode following this, the control module 300 activates ultrasound to correspond to each of a plurality of continuously generated ultrasound images through the first operation mode (that is, to correspond to each target area on each ultrasound image). The transducer element can be determined.

That is, when performing ultrasound diagnosis of a plurality of points on an object, considering that the shape of the target area subject to treatment may be different for each of the plurality of points, the control module 300 controls the shape of the target area of each point. By variably determining the active ultrasonic transducer element to fit each shape, the treatment efficiency can be improved by allowing the active ultrasonic transducer element to actively change in response to changes in the shape of the target area at a plurality of points.

Figure 7 shows an example in which the first to third ultrasound images are generated for the first to third points of the object (the number '3' above is an example and represents the number of points of the object and the ultrasound image generated accordingly The number can be determined by considering realistic aspects such as the area of the object subject to diagnosis and treatment). To be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7 , the control module 300 determines the ultrasonic transducer element 210 fitted to the first target area (TA1) on the first ultrasonic image as the first active ultrasonic transducer element, The ultrasonic transducer element 210 fitted to the second target area (TA2) on the second ultrasound image is determined as the second active ultrasonic transducer element, and the ultrasonic transducer element 210 fitted to the third target area (TA3) on the third ultrasound image is determined. The transducer element 210 may be determined as the third active ultrasonic transducer element.

In the second operation mode, while the ultrasonic transducer module 200 is scanning the first to third points of the object (i.e., the same part of the object scanned in the first operation mode), the control module 300 sequentially The first to third active ultrasonic transducer elements can be controlled to cause a second burst signal to be transmitted, thus at the first point to the first target area, at the second point to the second target area, and at the third point. 3 By transmitting the second burst signal to the target area, transmission focus and treatment effect for the target area can be secured. In addition, from the user's point of view, the inconvenience of having to visually check different target areas for each point of the object is eliminated, and detection of different target areas and corresponding detection through only two scanning in the first and second operation modes is eliminated. Since active treatment is possible, user convenience in the ultrasound diagnosis and treatment process can be improved.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control method of the ultrasonic transducer module according to this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 8, the control method of the ultrasonic transducer module of this embodiment is explained, and a detailed description of the parts overlapping with the above-mentioned content is provided. will be omitted and the explanation will focus on the time series structure.

First, the control module 300 controls the ultrasonic transducer module 200 so that the first burst signal is transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer module 200 to the object (S100).

Next, the control module 300 generates an ultrasound image of the object using the first echo signal for the first burst signal and determines a target area from the generated ultrasound image (S200). As mentioned earlier, the target area may correspond to the affected area to be treated (e.g., a bone area inside the human body).

Next, the control module 300 determines one or more active ultrasonic transducer elements corresponding to the target area on the ultrasound image among the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements 210 (S300). In step S300, the control module 300 scales the ultrasound image to the area where the plurality of ultrasound transducer elements 210 are arranged on the ultrasound transducer module 200, and the ultrasound image is fitted to the target area on the scaled ultrasound image. The transducer element 210 is determined to be an active ultrasonic transducer element.

Next, the control module 300 controls the ultrasonic transducer module 200 so that a second burst signal is transmitted from the active ultrasonic transducer element determined in step S300 to the object (S400). The second burst signal may be HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound), and therefore the second burst signal has a greater intensity value than the first burst signal in step S100.

Meanwhile, in step S200, the control module 300 may continuously generate a plurality of ultrasound images for a plurality of consecutive points on the object as the ultrasonic transducer module 200 scans the object. Accordingly, the control module 300 determines the active ultrasonic transducer element to correspond to each of the plurality of continuously generated ultrasound images in step S300, thereby variably adjusting the active ultrasonic transducer element for a plurality of consecutive points of the object. It may be determined, and in step S400, the ultrasonic transducer module 200 may be controlled so that a second burst signal is transmitted to the object from each of the variably determined active ultrasonic transducer elements.

In this way, this embodiment can acquire high-resolution ultrasound images through the design of the dielectric constant and quality factor (Q-Factor) of each ultrasonic transducer element constituting the ultrasonic transducer module, and the burst signal transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer module By adopting a method of differentially controlling the intensity of ultrasound, it is possible to improve diagnosis and treatment efficiency by performing integrated ultrasound diagnosis and treatment through a single ultrasound transducer module. By adopting a method of variably determining the active ultrasound transducer element that will transmit the therapeutic ultrasound signal (second burst signal) to match the shape, the ultrasound treatment effect on the target area can be maximized.

The term “module” used in this specification may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit, for example. A module may be an integrated part or a minimum unit of the parts or a part thereof that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, the module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Additionally, implementations described herein may be implemented as, for example, a method or process, device, software program, data stream, or signal. Although discussed only in the context of a single form of implementation (eg, only as a method), implementations of the features discussed may also be implemented in other forms (eg, devices or programs). The device may be implemented with appropriate hardware, software, firmware, etc. The method may be implemented in a device such as a processor, which generally refers to a processing device that includes a computer, microprocessor, integrated circuit, or programmable logic device. Processors also include communication devices such as computers, cell phones, portable/personal digital assistants (“PDAs”) and other devices that facilitate communication of information between end-users.

Claims (9)

1. An ultrasonic transducer module including a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements;

   A control module that controls the ultrasonic transducer module,

   In a first operation mode, the ultrasonic transducer module is controlled so that a first burst signal is transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer module to the object, and a first echo signal for the first burst signal is generated. Generating an ultrasound image of the object using

   In the second operation mode, among the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements, one or more active ultrasonic transducer elements corresponding to the target area determined from the ultrasound image are determined, and a second burst is transmitted from the determined active ultrasonic transducer element to the object. a control module that controls the ultrasonic transducer module to transmit a signal;

   An ultrasonic device comprising:
2. According to paragraph 1,

   The first operating mode is an operating mode when diagnosing the object, and the second operating mode is an operating mode when treating the object,

   Ultrasound device, characterized in that the intensity of the second burst signal is greater than the intensity of the first burst signal.
3. According to paragraph 1,

   The control module scales the ultrasonic image to an area where the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements are arranged on the ultrasonic transducer module, and an ultrasonic transducer element fitting to the target area on the scaled ultrasonic image. An ultrasonic device, characterized in that determining as the active ultrasonic transducer element.
4. According to paragraph 1,

   The control module is configured to continuously generate a plurality of ultrasound images for a plurality of consecutive points on the object as the ultrasonic transducer module scans the object in the first operation mode.
5. According to paragraph 4,

   In the second operation mode, the control module determines the active ultrasonic transducer element to correspond to each of the plurality of continuously generated ultrasonic images, so that the active ultrasonic transducer element is activated for a plurality of consecutive points of the object. An ultrasonic device characterized in that the element is variably determined.
6. According to paragraph 1,

   An ultrasonic device, characterized in that the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements are arranged in a one-dimensional array (1-Dimensional Array) or a two-dimensional array (2-Dimensional Array).
7. According to paragraph 1,

   The ultrasonic transducer element is an ultrasonic device, characterized in that it is composed of a single crystal dielectric material composed of any one of PMN-PT, PIN-PMN-PT and Mn:PIN-PMN-PT.
8. In clause 7,

   An ultrasonic device, characterized in that the dielectric constant of the single crystal dielectric material is 3000 [F/m] or more and the quality factor (Q Factor) is 300 or more.
9. A method of controlling an ultrasonic transducer module, wherein the ultrasonic transducer module includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers, the method comprising:

   Controlling, by a control module, the ultrasonic transducer module so that a first burst signal is transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer module to the object;

   generating, by the control module, an ultrasound image of the object using a first echo signal for the first burst signal;

   determining, by the control module, one or more active ultrasonic transducer elements among the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements corresponding to a target area determined from the ultrasonic image; and

   Controlling, by the control module, the ultrasonic transducer module to transmit a second burst signal from the determined active ultrasonic transducer element to the object;

   A control method of an ultrasonic transducer module comprising:

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