阅读说明：本技术 用于超声成像设备的声学阻尼 (Acoustic damping for ultrasound imaging devices ) 是由 萨尔普·萨特尔 海梅·斯科特·扎霍里安 西蒙·埃斯特韦 韦恩·萨姆斯 于 2019-09-20 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种超声成像设备,包括：超声换能器模块,所述超声换能器模块被设置在壳体内；以及可流动声学阻尼材料,所述可流动声学阻尼材料被设置在位于壳体的内部内的至少一个表面上。(An ultrasound imaging device comprising: an ultrasonic transducer module disposed within the housing; and a flowable acoustic damping material disposed on at least one surface within the interior of the housing.)

1. An ultrasound imaging device comprising:

an ultrasonic transducer module disposed within the housing; and

a flowable acoustic damping material disposed on at least one surface within the interior of the housing.

2. The ultrasound imaging device of claim 1, wherein the flowable acoustic damping material comprises one or more of a gel and a paste.

3. The ultrasonic imaging device of claim 1, wherein the flowable acoustic damping material comprises a polytetrafluoroethylene-containing gel.

4. The ultrasonic imaging device of claim 1, wherein the flowable acoustic damping material is in contact with an inner surface of the housing.

5. The ultrasound imaging device of claim 1, further comprising: a heat dissipating structure in thermal contact with the ultrasound transducer module, and wherein the flowable acoustic damping material is in contact with the heat dissipating structure.

6. The ultrasound imaging device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a heat dissipating material.

7. The ultrasound imaging device of claim 6, wherein the housing comprises a metallic material.

8. The ultrasound imaging device of claim 7, wherein the housing comprises aluminum.

9. The ultrasound imaging device of claim 6, wherein the housing comprises: an outer housing configured to be held by a user.

10. The ultrasound imaging device of claim 1, wherein the flowable acoustic damping material is in contact with the ultrasound transducer module.

11. The ultrasound imaging device of claim 10, wherein the ultrasound transducer module comprises: an ultrasound transducer array bonded to the integrated circuit.

12. The ultrasound imaging device of claim 1, wherein the flowable acoustic damping material is in contact with the ultrasound transducer array.

13. The ultrasound imaging device of claim 1, wherein the flowable acoustic damping material is disposed between the ultrasound transducer array and an acoustic lens, the acoustic lens covering the ultrasound transducer array.

14. A method of manufacturing an ultrasound imaging device, the method comprising:

applying a flowable acoustic damping material to at least one surface located within an interior of a housing having an ultrasonic transducer module disposed therein.

15. An ultrasound device comprising:

an ultrasonic probe housing; and

an acoustic damping gel disposed within the ultrasound probe housing.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to ultrasound imaging devices and, more particularly, to structures and techniques for acoustic damping of ultrasound imaging devices.

Background

The ultrasound device may perform diagnostic imaging and/or therapy using sound waves having a frequency higher than that audible to humans. Ultrasound imaging may be used to view internal soft tissue body structures, for example to find the source of a disease or to exclude any pathology. When an ultrasound pulse is transmitted into tissue (e.g., by using a probe), the acoustic wave is reflected out of the tissue, with different tissues reflecting different degrees of sound. These reflected acoustic waves can then be recorded and displayed to the operator as ultrasound images. The strength (amplitude) of the acoustic signal and the time it takes for the wave to travel through the body provide information for producing an ultrasound image.

Some ultrasound imaging devices may be manufactured using micromachined ultrasonic transducers that include a flexible membrane suspended over a substrate. The cavity is located between a portion of the substrate and the membrane such that the combination of the substrate, the cavity, and the membrane form a variable capacitor. When actuated by a suitable electrical signal, the membrane generates an ultrasonic signal by vibrating. In response to receiving the ultrasonic signal, the membrane is vibrated and an output electrical signal is generated accordingly.

Disclosure of Invention

Some aspects of the present application provide packaging for an ultrasound device including an acoustic damping material. In some embodiments, the acoustic damping material may be a gel.

In one aspect, an ultrasound imaging apparatus includes: an ultrasonic transducer module disposed within the housing; and a flowable acoustic damping material disposed on at least one surface within the interior of the housing.

In another aspect, a method of manufacturing an ultrasound imaging device includes: a flowable acoustic damping material is applied to at least one surface within an interior of a housing having an ultrasonic transducer module disposed therein.

Drawings

Various aspects and embodiments of the present application will be described with reference to the following drawings. It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Items appearing in multiple figures are indicated by the same reference numeral in all of the figures in which they appear.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary ultrasound imaging device that may be used in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2A is an exploded perspective view of an ultrasound transducer module assembly that may comprise a portion of the ultrasound imaging device of fig. 1.

Fig. 2B illustrates an exemplary location on the ultrasonic transducer module assembly for flowable acoustic damping material of fig. 2A, in accordance with an embodiment.

Fig. 3 is an exploded end view of the ultrasound transducer module assembly of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic transducer module assembly of fig. 3, as viewed along arrows 4-4.

Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary shroud of the ultrasound transducer module assembly of fig. 2-4.

Fig. 6 and 7 illustrate exemplary heat sink elements of the ultrasound transducer module assembly of fig. 2-4.

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a partially completed ultrasound transducer module assembly showing exemplary placement locations for flowable acoustic damping material, in accordance with an embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a top view of the completed ultrasound transducer module assembly.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the completed ultrasonic transducer module assembly of fig. 9, as viewed along arrows 10-10.

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the completed ultrasonic transducer module assembly of fig. 9, as viewed along arrows 11-11.

Detailed Description

Medical ultrasound imaging transducers are used to transmit acoustic pulses that are coupled into a patient through one or more acoustic matching layers. After each pulse is transmitted, the transducer then detects the incoming body echo. Echoes are generated by acoustic impedance mismatches of different tissues (or different types) within the patient, which enables both partial transmission and partial reflection of acoustic energy. An exemplary type of ultrasound transducer includes: an ultrasonic transducer formed of a piezoelectric material; or a Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (MUT) formed using a semiconductor substrate in recent years. A Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (CMUT) is one specific example of a MUT in which a flexible membrane is suspended over a conductive electrode by a gap. When a voltage is applied between the membrane and the electrode, coulomb forces attract the flexible membrane to the electrode. As the applied voltage changes over time, the position of the membrane changes, generating acoustic energy that radiates from the transducer face as the membrane moves. However, in addition to transmitting acoustic energy in a forward direction toward the body being imaged, the transducer may also simultaneously transmit acoustic energy in a rearward direction away from the patient being imaged. That is, some portion of the acoustic energy also propagates back through the CMUT support structure, e.g., silicon wafer, for example.

When an incident ultrasound pulse encounters a large, smooth interface of two body tissues with different acoustic impedances, acoustic energy is reflected back to the transducer. This type of reflection is known as specular reflection and the generated echo intensity is proportional to the acoustic impedance gradient between the two media. The same is true for structures located away from the patient being imaged, such as semiconductor chips or metal heat sink interfaces.

Typically, for both piezoelectric transducer devices and capacitive transducer devices, an acoustic backing material is positioned on the back side of the ultrasound transducer array to absorb and/or scatter as much of the back-transmitted acoustic energy as possible, and to prevent such energy from being reflected back to the transducer by any supporting structure and degrading the quality of the acoustic image signals obtained from the patient due to interference. However, in general, materials with good acoustic attenuation and scattering properties may also have poor thermal conductivity and/or a mismatched Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) with respect to the transducer substrate material. Conversely, a material with good thermal conductivity may have poor acoustic attenuation capabilities.

In the case of transducer ultrasound devices on an integrated circuit (e.g., such as those produced by the assignee of the present application), where the computing resources are located within the body of the ultrasound probe, and possibly near the transducing end of the probe body, thermally conductive materials (e.g., aluminum or other metals) may be used in the fabrication of the probe body itself to help dissipate heat from the device. In such a case, such a heat dissipating probe body may be more rigid in structure than more conventional probe bodies (e.g., plastic). Accordingly, it may be desirable to be able to provide acoustic damping capabilities to an ultrasound imaging device that utilizes one or more thermally conductive rigid housing materials.

Accordingly, exemplary embodiments disclosed herein incorporate an ultrasonic imaging device that incorporates a flowable acoustic damping material, such as a polytetrafluoroethylene-containing gel material, in contact with at least one interior surface of the imaging device to provide acoustic damping. One such suitable substance that may be used as a polytetrafluoroethylene-containing Gel material for acoustic damping is available under the trademark Tef-Gel from Ultra Safety Systems, Inc^TMAnd (5) selling. As described by the manufacturer, the polytetrafluoroethylene-containing gel comprises a paste containing 40% PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) powder and 0% volatile solvent, the paste being free of silicone rubber or petroleum solvents. The gel is sold and developed as a bite-stick, corrosion-inhibiting lubricant for use in corrosive marine environments to prevent galling, galling and blistering of metals, and to prevent corrosion between dissimilar metals. Despite the marketing utility of such materials, applicants have advantageously found that such polytetrafluoroethylene-containing gel materials provide acoustic damping characteristics in addition to the corrosion protection and lubrication characteristics of conventionally used materials.

Referring now to fig. 1, a perspective view of an exemplary ultrasound imaging device 100 is shown that may be used in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. First, it should be understood that device 100 is merely an example of an ultrasound imaging device with which embodiments of the present disclosure may be used, and that other such devices are also contemplated. As shown, the ultrasound imaging device 100 includes a probe body 102, which probe body 102 may be a unitary component or alternatively may include a plurality of housing components 104a, 104b as indicated by the dashed lines. For example, providing a probe body with multiple components 104a, 104b may allow for easier assembly of various internal components of the imaging device including, for example, circuit boards, batteries, cable connectors, and the like. Disposed at the first (transducing) end of the probe body 102 is a shroud 106 that houses an ultrasound transducer module assembly (described in further detail below). In one embodiment, both the probe body 102 and the shroud 106 are made of, for example, the same material, such as anodized aluminum or an anodized aluminum alloy. As indicated above, the probe body 102 and shroud 106 may provide heat dissipation capabilities, and thus may be more rigid in structure than more conventional probe bodies (e.g., plastic).

Fig. 1 also shows an acoustic lens 108 disposed at the transducing end of the shroud 106, wherein the acoustic lens 108 is configured to be in physical contact with an object to be imaged. The acoustic lens 108 may be formed, for example, from Room Temperature Vulcanized (RTV) silicone rubber by: by mixing the silicone rubber material with a curing or vulcanizing agent, followed by degassing to remove any entrained air bubbles from the mixed silicone rubber and catalyst to provide the desired tensile strength.

Disposed at the second end of the probe body 102 is a cable 110, the cable 110 may be configured to provide a communication path between the ultrasound imaging device 100 and a host device (not shown), such as a smartphone, tablet, computer terminal, display screen, or the like. In embodiments where the probe body 102 does not contain an internal power supply, it is contemplated that the cable 110 may also provide power to the ultrasound imaging device from an external power source (not shown). Optionally, a strain relief sleeve 112 may be provided at the second end of the probe body 102, which second end of the probe body 102 corresponds to the location where the cable 110 is mechanically and electrically connected with the internal components of the ultrasound imaging device 100. The strain relief sleeve 112 may be, for example, a flexible material, such as rubber.

Referring now to fig. 2A, an exploded perspective view of an ultrasound transducer module assembly 200 that may comprise a portion of the ultrasound imaging device 100 of fig. 1 is shown. In addition to the externally disposed shroud 106 and acoustic lens 108, fig. 2 also shows a packaged ultrasound transducer assembly 202 and a heat sink element 204 configured to reside within an interior region of the shroud 106. In the illustrated embodiment, the packaged ultrasound transducer assembly 202 includes: a transducer chip stack 206 on an integrated circuit (hereinafter referred to as an "ultrasonic chip" for convenience), a circuit board/interposer 208, and a thermally conductive region 210. The heat sink element 204 is formed, for example, of a thermally conductive material, such as aluminum, and is provided with openings 212 at the periphery of the heat sink element 204, the openings 212 aligning and mating with corresponding posts 214 on the shroud 106. Additional hardware such as, for example, screws 216 and set screws 218 may be used to help secure the heat sink element 204 within the inner confines of the shroud 106.

In the fully assembled and operational state of the ultrasound imaging device 100, heat generated by the processing capabilities of the ultrasound chip 206 may be transferred to the shroud 106 via the thermally conductive area 210 of the packaged ultrasound transducer assembly 202. For example, the thermally conductive areas 210 may be placed in thermal contact with the lugs 219 of the shroud 106, optionally with a quantity of thermal adhesive, grease or paste (not shown) between the thermally conductive areas 210 and the lugs 219. Shroud 106 may then direct heat away from the transduction end of ultrasound imaging device 100 to probe body 102 (fig. 1) via heat sink element 204.

As noted above, the structure of relatively good thermal conductors may have less desirable acoustic damping capabilities, and as such, applicants have determined that disposing flowable acoustic damping material 220 at one or more locations within ultrasound transducer module assembly 200 is effective in providing acoustic damping caused by operation of the ultrasound transducers of ultrasound chip 206. In FIG. 2B, solid arrows 222 illustrate a method for arranging flowable soundIn one suitable position of the chemical damping material 220, the flowable acoustic damping material 220 is in contact with the inner periphery of the shroud 106. However, alternative and/or accessory locations for flowable acoustic damping material 220 are also contemplated, as indicated by the dashed arrows in fig. 2. Such other locations for material 222 include, but are not limited to, packaged ultrasound transducer assembly 202 (including chip 206, circuit board 208, thermal conductive area 210) and heat sink element 204. In addition, if desired, a flowable acoustic damping material 220 may also be disposed on the inner surface of probe body 102. In addition to gels containing polytetrafluoroethylene, it is contemplated that other flowable acoustic damping materials may be utilized including, for example, Dow Corning^TM1-4173 thermally conductive adhesive and butyl rubber. With such alternative flowable acoustic damping material, curing of such material may also be utilized.

Fig. 3 and 4 provide additional views of the ultrasound transducer module assembly 200. More specifically, fig. 3 is an exploded end view of the ultrasound transducer module assembly of fig. 2, and fig. 4 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the ultrasound transducer module assembly of fig. 3, viewed along arrows 4-4. In addition to the various features shown and described in fig. 2, both fig. 3 and 4 show the back side of the packaged ultrasound transducer assembly 202, in which one or more backplane connectors 302 may be incorporated. The connector 302 may mate with a corresponding circuit board (e.g., power board, Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), not shown) also included within the housing 102 as part of the ultrasound imaging device 100. As shown in fig. 4, the horizontal lines indicated on the inner surface of shroud 106 correspond to the desired locations for applying flowable acoustic damping material 220.

Referring generally to fig. 5-8, various views illustrating some of the assembly steps of the ultrasonic transducer module assembly 200 described above are shown. Fig. 5 shows the shroud 106 and its inner surface, including the lugs 219, while fig. 6 and 7 show the radiator element 204 engaged with the shroud 106. Fig. 6 shows a top view of the heat sink element 204, which is oriented for insertion into the shroud shown in fig. 5, while fig. 7 shows a bottom view of the heat sink element 204. Likewise, the posts 214 of the shroud 106 are configured to receive the openings 212 of the heat sink element 204.

Referring now to fig. 8, the packaged ultrasonic transducer assembly 202 is shown inserted into the shroud 106. At the assembly point shown in fig. 8, various steps may have been completed, including by way of example only: cleaning of the shroud 106 (e.g., activating the surface by plasma cleaning), priming of the inner surface of the shroud 106, application of a thermal paste to the tabs 219 of the shroud 106, and formation of the acoustic lens 108.

Particularly visible in the image of fig. 8 are the circuit board/interposer 208 and backplane connector 302 of the packaged ultrasound transducer assembly 202. A portion of the RTV material for the acoustic lens 108 is also visible around the perimeter of the circuit board/interposer 208. As further shown in FIG. 8, a flowable acoustic damping material 220 is applied around the inner periphery of the shroud 106. A layer of thermally conductive paste 802 (e.g., such as that manufactured by Arctic Silver corporation) may optionally be applied around the top edge of the shroud in preparation for contact with the heat sink element 204 (not shown in fig. 8) once inserted.

Fig. 9-11 illustrate the ultrasonic transducer module assembly 200 in a substantially fully assembled configuration. After the flowable acoustic damping material 220 and optional thermally conductive paste 802 are applied, the heat sink element 204 is inserted into the shroud 106. The screw 216 and the set screw 218 are torqued to the desired fixation point and thereafter tightened. Although not specifically shown in fig. 9-11, a shroud cushion may also be provided at the outer periphery of the shroud, outside of the post 214, before the ultrasound transducer module assembly 200 is fully integrated with the housing 102 of the ultrasound imaging device 100. The arrows in fig. 10 and 11 indicate examples of the general location of the flowable acoustic damping material 220 applied after insertion of the heat sink element 204 into the shroud 106. It is contemplated that some of the acoustic damping material may be pushed further down the inner wall of the shroud 106 when the heat sink element 204 is inserted into the shroud 106.

Various aspects of the present application may be used alone, in combination, or in a variety of arrangements not specifically discussed in the embodiments described in the foregoing and is therefore not limited in this application to the details and arrangement of components set forth in the foregoing description or illustrated in the drawings. For example, features described in one embodiment may be combined in any manner with features described in other embodiments.

Further, certain aspects may be implemented to provide example methods. The actions performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Thus, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in a different order than shown, and even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments, may include performing some acts simultaneously.

Use of ordinal terms such as "first," "second," "third," etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.

Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of "including," "comprising," "having," "containing," "involving," and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as "comprising," including, "" carrying, "" having, "" containing, "" involving, "" holding, "" consisting of … … and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. The transition phrases "consisting of … …", "consisting essentially of … …" alone shall be closed or semi-closed transition phrases, respectively.