KR20120136985A - Ultrasound probe with improved skin penetration efficiency of ultrasound energy - Google Patents

Ultrasound probe with improved skin penetration efficiency of ultrasound energy Download PDF

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KR20120136985A
KR20120136985A KR1020110056242A KR20110056242A KR20120136985A KR 20120136985 A KR20120136985 A KR 20120136985A KR 1020110056242 A KR1020110056242 A KR 1020110056242A KR 20110056242 A KR20110056242 A KR 20110056242A KR 20120136985 A KR20120136985 A KR 20120136985A
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ultrasonic
housing
acoustic impedance
coating layer
skin
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KR1020110056242A
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Korean (ko)
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채희천
김동수
이선복
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채희천
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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/05—Detecting, measuring or recording for diagnosis by means of electric currents or magnetic fields; Measuring using microwaves or radio waves 
    • A61B5/053—Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of a portion of the body
    • A61B5/0531—Measuring skin impedance
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/44—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device
    • A61B8/4444—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device related to the probe
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01H—MEASUREMENT OF MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OR ULTRASONIC, SONIC OR INFRASONIC WAVES
    • G01H15/00—Measuring mechanical or acoustic impedance
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N29/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves; Visualisation of the interior of objects by transmitting ultrasonic or sonic waves through the object
    • G01N29/22—Details, e.g. general constructional or apparatus details
    • G01N29/24—Probes

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  • Molecular Biology (AREA)
  • Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
  • Radiology & Medical Imaging (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Biomedical Technology (AREA)
  • Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
  • Medical Informatics (AREA)
  • Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy & Molecular Imaging (AREA)
  • Surgery (AREA)
  • Biophysics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Public Health (AREA)
  • Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
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  • Dermatology (AREA)
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  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
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Abstract

PURPOSE: An ultrasonic probe with the improved skin transmission efficiency of ultrasonic energy is provided to improve the skin transmission efficiency of the oscillated ultrasonic energy by forming a coating layer containing Teflon on the outer surface of a housing. CONSTITUTION: An ultrasonic wave oscillator oscillates ultrasonic waves. A housing(120) is bonded with the ultrasonic wave oscillator. A coating layer(130) is formed on the outer surface of the housing. The sound impedance of the coating layer has a value between the sound impedance of the housing, and the sound impedance of patient skin or the tissue of an affected area. The coating layer contains a Teflon compound.

Description

ULTRASOUND PROBE WITH IMPROVED SKIN PENETRATION EFFICIENCY OF ULTRASOUND ENERGY

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe, and more particularly, to an ultrasonic probe with improved skin penetration efficiency of ultrasonic energy.

Ultrasonic examination is a method of examining abnormalities of tissues by ultrasound, and is a method of examining abnormalities of tissues by shooting an ultrasound wave at a specific site and reflecting the reflection image on the CRT. It is mainly used for the diagnosis of tumor tissues and fetuses. For the ultrasound test, ultrasound is applied to tissues using an ultrasound probe that oscillates the ultrasound.

The oscillated ultrasound is absorbed, reflected, refracted, attenuated, etc. while being applied to the tissue from the ultrasonic probe. In particular, the reflection of the ultrasonic waves occurs at the interface of different media, the amount of reflection of the ultrasonic energy is determined according to the acoustic impedance difference and the incident angle. Acoustic impedance, a kind of resistance to sound, is material dependent.

The ultrasonic probe may include a piezoelectric element and a housing, which generate ultrasonic waves, and the skin permeation efficiency of the ultrasonic energy generated by the piezoelectric element varies depending on the material of the housing. That is, the piezoelectric element, the housing, and the skin tissue all have different acoustic impedances. If the acoustic impedances of the two parts forming the interface are the same, the ultrasonic waves completely pass through the interface, but if the acoustic impedances are different, the ultrasonic waves are reflected from the interface. Therefore, there is a difference in acoustic impedance depending on what material the housing is made of, and a large difference occurs in the transmission efficiency of ultrasonic waves, which is a kind of sound waves.

As described above, the conventional ultrasonic probe has a large difference in the ultrasonic energy skin transmittance according to the material constituting the housing, and thus, ultrasonic energy cannot effectively penetrate the skin. In order to effectively transmit ultrasonic energy to skin tissue, ultrasonic propagation media such as gel is used between the ultrasonic probe and the body contact surface, but it is not possible to overcome the limitations of reflection and attenuation generated by the ultrasonic probe itself. There is no problem.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems of the conventionally proposed methods, by forming a coating layer on the outer surface of the housing of the ultrasonic probe and having the acoustic impedance of the coating layer has a value between the housing and the acoustic impedance of the skin, It is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic probe having improved skin penetration efficiency of ultrasonic energy, which can improve skin penetration efficiency of ultrasonic energy.

According to an aspect of the present invention, an ultrasonic probe having an improved skin penetration efficiency of ultrasonic energy,

An ultrasonic oscillator for oscillating ultrasonic waves; And

A housing housing the ultrasonic oscillation unit and having a coating layer formed on an outer surface thereof;

The acoustic impedance of the coating layer is characterized in that the configuration is a value between the acoustic impedance of the housing and the acoustic impedance of the affected tissue.

Preferably, the coating layer,

It may contain a Teflon compound.

Preferably,

The acoustic impedance of the coating layer may be smaller than the acoustic impedance of the housing and greater than the acoustic impedance of the affected tissue.

More preferably,

The acoustic impedance of the ultrasonic oscillator may be greater than the acoustic impedance of the housing.

According to the ultrasonic probe having improved skin penetration efficiency of ultrasonic energy proposed by the present invention, an ultrasonic wave is generated by forming a coating layer on the outer surface of the ultrasonic probe and having the acoustic impedance of the coating layer have a value between the housing and the acoustic impedance of the skin. The skin permeation efficiency of energy can be improved.

1 shows a conventional ultrasonic probe.
2 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional ultrasonic probe.
3 is a view illustrating an ultrasonic probe with improved skin penetration efficiency of ultrasonic energy according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view of an ultrasonic probe having improved skin penetration efficiency of ultrasonic energy according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in order that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. In the drawings, like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings.

In addition, in the entire specification, when a part is referred to as being 'connected' to another part, it may be referred to as 'indirectly connected' not only with 'directly connected' . In addition, the term 'comprising' of an element means that the element may further include other elements, not to exclude other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

1 is a view showing a conventional ultrasonic probe 10, Figure 2 is a view showing a cross section of the conventional ultrasonic probe 10. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the conventional ultrasonic probe 10 may include an ultrasonic oscillator 11 and a housing 12. In particular, as shown in FIG. 2, the conventional ultrasonic probe 10 is configured such that ultrasonic energy oscillated by the ultrasonic oscillator 11 passes directly through the housing 12 to be incident on the skin. Since the housing 12 may have various acoustic impedances depending on the material of the housing 12, the material of the housing 12 may have a great influence on the skin penetration efficiency of the ultrasound. In addition, the housing 12 is in direct contact with the skin. In general, the materials constituting the housing 12 are very different from those of the skin tissue, and the acoustic impedance is also very different, so that ultrasonic waves do not effectively reach the skin tissue. There is a problem with reflection.

3 is a view showing the ultrasonic probe 100, the skin penetration efficiency of the ultrasonic energy is improved according to an embodiment of the present invention that can solve the problems as described above, Figure 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention Figure is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic probe 100, the skin penetration efficiency of the ultrasonic energy is improved. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the ultrasonic probe 100 having improved skin penetration efficiency of ultrasonic energy according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing in which a coating layer 130 is formed on an ultrasonic oscillation unit 110 and an outer surface thereof. 120 may be configured to be included.

The ultrasonic oscillator 110 may oscillate ultrasonic waves. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the ultrasonic oscillator 110 may include a piezoelectric element PZT to oscillate ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic oscillator 110 may oscillate ultrasonic waves by adjusting the frequency, intensity, duration, and the like of ultrasonic energy under the control of the user.

The housing 120 may form the coating layer 130 on the outer surface of the ultrasonic oscillating unit 110 and the housing 120. The housing 120 may be bonded to the ultrasonic wave oscillator 110 and may have a constant acoustic impedance depending on a material forming the housing 120.

The coating layer 130 may be formed at a portion where the housing 120 is in contact with the skin or the affected part of the patient, and the ultrasonic wave generated by the ultrasonic wave oscillator 110 is applied to the skin through the housing 120 and the coating layer 130. You can do that. In particular, when the coating layer 130 is formed, the acoustic impedance of the coating layer 130 may have a value between the acoustic impedance of the housing 120 and the acoustic impedance of the affected tissue or the skin of the patient. More specifically, the acoustic impedance of the coating layer 130 may be smaller than the acoustic impedance of the housing 120 and greater than the acoustic impedance of the affected tissue. That is, in general, the housing 120 is often made of plastic or the like. Since the acoustic impedance of the constituent materials of the general housing 120 is very large compared to the acoustic impedance of the skin, the housing 120 may be changed according to the acoustic impedance difference. Much of the ultrasonic energy that passes through is reflected.

In more detail, the ratio of the reflected energy with respect to the incident energy is called a reflection coefficient (Γ). The reflection coefficient is if the ultrasonic waves are incident from the medium 1 to proceed with the medium 2 by the acoustic impedance of the incident medium Ζ acoustic impedance of the first and second refractive medium Ζ determined as the following formula.

Figure pat00001

As can be seen in Equation 1, the greater the difference in acoustic impedance, the greater the reflectance at the interface of the medium. When using the conventional ultrasonic probe 10, comparing the reflectance between the medium through which the ultrasonic wave generally passes as shown in Table 1 below.

Entrance medium Refraction medium reflectivity(%) Ultrasonic Gel skin 0.1 water Soft tissue 0.2 Fat muscle 0.8 skin Fat 0.9 bone Soft tissue 30.0 Ultrasonic Probe (100) air 99.9

As shown in Table 1, the amount of ultrasonic energy reflection is only 0.1% at the interface between the gel for ultrasound and the skin, and there is little reflection of the ultrasonic incident energy at the interface between the soft tissue and the soft tissue with similar acoustic impedance. However, more than 30% of the ultrasound energy is reflected at the soft tissue and bone boundaries, where the acoustic impedances differ significantly. In addition, in Table 1, since the reflectance from the ultrasonic probe 10 to the air is 99.9%, when the ultrasonic wave is used for medical purposes, the ultrasonic probe 10 directly contacts the skin by the air layer between the skin and the ultrasonic probe 10. Most of the energy is reflected and ultrasound does not enter the skin. In order to solve this problem, when using ultrasonic waves, a special gel is used between the ultrasonic probe 10 and the skin.

As described above, in order to solve the problem in which the ultrasonic waves are reflected due to the difference in acoustic impedance, ultrasonic gel or the like is used, but also in the structure of the ultrasonic probe 10 itself, the ultrasonic reflection greatly depends on the material constituting the housing 12. There is a limit to what happens.

Therefore, by forming a coating layer 130 on the housing 120 having an acoustic impedance smaller than the acoustic impedance of the housing 120 and larger than the acoustic impedance of the affected tissue, the ultrasonic wave oscillated from the ultrasonic wave oscillator 110 is directly in the housing 120. Rather than being applied to the affected tissue, the acoustic impedance is applied to the affected tissue through a coating layer 130 that is more similar to the affected tissue, thereby improving skin penetration efficiency of the ultrasonic energy.

Meanwhile, in the present invention, the coating layer 130 formed on the housing 120 may contain a Teflon compound. Teflon is the DuPont trade name for polytetrafluoroethylene and is used as a generic noun term. Teflon has a similar sound velocity and acoustic impedance to human skin tissue, resulting in low reflectance of ultrasonic energy. Comparing the sound velocity of the medium, including various tissues of the human body is shown in Table 2 below.

Medium type Sound velocity of the medium (m / s) air 330 Water (20 ℃) 1480 Lead (Pb) 2400 Aluminum (Al) 6400 Fat 1450 Soft tissue 1540 brain 1541 liver 1579 blood 1570 skull 4080 Teflon 1340

As shown in Table 2, Teflon is similar in sound velocity to affected tissue such as fat and soft tissue. Therefore, the reflectance of the ultrasonic energy is low, and by forming the coating layer 130 containing Teflon in the housing 120, it is possible to improve the skin penetration efficiency of the ultrasonic energy.

The present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention.

10: conventional ultrasonic probe
11, 110: ultrasonic oscillator 12, 120: housing
100: ultrasonic probe 130: coating layer

Claims (4)

As an ultrasonic probe,
An ultrasonic oscillator for oscillating ultrasonic waves; And
A housing housing the ultrasonic oscillation unit and having a coating layer formed on an outer surface thereof;
And the acoustic impedance of the coating layer is a value between the acoustic impedance of the housing and the acoustic impedance of the affected tissue.
The method of claim 1, wherein the coating layer,
An ultrasonic probe with improved skin permeation efficiency of ultrasonic energy, comprising a teflon compound.
The method of claim 1,
And the acoustic impedance of the coating layer is smaller than the acoustic impedance of the housing and larger than the acoustic impedance of the affected tissue.
The method of claim 3,
The ultrasonic impedance of the ultrasonic oscillation unit is greater than the acoustic impedance of the housing, characterized in that the ultrasonic probe with improved skin penetration efficiency of the ultrasonic energy.
KR1020110056242A 2011-06-10 2011-06-10 Ultrasound probe with improved skin penetration efficiency of ultrasound energy KR20120136985A (en)

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Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR20160040126A (en) * 2014-10-02 2016-04-12 삼성전자주식회사 Attachment for ultrasound probe, ultrasound probe, apparatus for inspecting ultrasound, and method of inspecting ultrasound
KR20210147731A (en) 2020-05-29 2021-12-07 서울대학교산학협력단 Ultrasonic transmission apparatus and control method of waves
KR20230077521A (en) 2021-11-25 2023-06-01 재단법인 파동에너지 극한제어 연구단 Ultrasonic transmission apparatus and control method of waves

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR20160040126A (en) * 2014-10-02 2016-04-12 삼성전자주식회사 Attachment for ultrasound probe, ultrasound probe, apparatus for inspecting ultrasound, and method of inspecting ultrasound
KR20210147731A (en) 2020-05-29 2021-12-07 서울대학교산학협력단 Ultrasonic transmission apparatus and control method of waves
KR20230077521A (en) 2021-11-25 2023-06-01 재단법인 파동에너지 극한제어 연구단 Ultrasonic transmission apparatus and control method of waves

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