Disclosure of Invention
An object of the embodiment of the present application is to provide an artificial structure ultrasonic transducer, which aims to solve the problem of high difficulty in the conventional process of manufacturing a fresnel structure for focusing by using a piezoelectric material.
The embodiment of the application realizes like this, an artificial structure ultrasonic transducer, including piezoelectric material layer, matching layer and the focusing lens that connects gradually, focusing lens is used for focusing the sound wave, just focusing lens's material is the acoustics soft materials.
In one embodiment, the focusing lens forms a central ring part and a plurality of first ring parts on the surface far away from the matching layer, the first ring parts are spaced from the central ring part, each first ring part is arranged concentrically and at intervals, and a plurality of second ring parts which are concentric and spaced from each other are formed on the inner side of each first ring part; the second ring portion is protruded or recessed with respect to the central ring portion and the first ring portion.
In one embodiment, the focusing lens forms a central ring part and a plurality of first ring parts on the surface facing the matching layer, the first ring parts are spaced from the central ring part, each first ring part is arranged concentrically and at intervals, and a plurality of second ring parts which are concentric and spaced from each other are formed on the inner side of each first ring part; the second ring portion is protruded or recessed with respect to the central ring portion and the first ring portion.
In one embodiment, the second ring portion protrudes relative to the central ring portion and the first ring portion, and a plurality of concentric and spaced-apart mating rings are formed on a surface of the matching layer facing the focusing lens, the mating rings being inserted into the central ring portion and the first ring portion respectively;
or, the second ring portion is recessed relative to the central ring portion and the first ring portion, and a plurality of concentric and spaced mating rings are formed on a surface of the matching layer facing the focusing lens, and the mating rings are correspondingly inserted into the second ring portion.
In one embodiment, the widths of the central ring portion, first ring portion and second ring portion are determined by the following formula:
wherein d isi(i=1)=r1,
di(i>1)=ri-rj,
i=1,2,3,...j=1,2,3,...
Wherein r isnRepresents the radius of the nth fresnel region; λ ═ c/f denotes the wavelength of the sound wave emitted by the artificial structure ultrasound transducer, c denotes the speed of sound, f denotes the frequency of the sound wave emitted by the artificial structure ultrasound transducer; f represents a preset focal length of the focusing lens; di(i ═ 1) denotes a radius of a central ring portion of the focus lens; defining the central ring part, the first ring part and the second ring part to be wave bands, di(i>1) Representing the widths of the bands other than the central ring portion; r isiRepresenting the radius of the smallest Fresnel zone containing the ith said zone, rjRepresents the radius of the other maximum fresnel regions within the minimum fresnel region that are smaller than the radius of the minimum fresnel region.
In one embodiment, the sidewalls of the central ring portion and the first ring portion are each parallel to the central axis of the focusing lens.
In one embodiment, the acoustically soft material is a plastic material, a rubber material, or a silicone material.
In one embodiment, the material of the matching layer comprises an epoxy.
In one embodiment, the piezoelectric material layer, the matching layer and the focusing lens are sequentially bonded by an adhesive.
It is another object of an embodiment of the present application to provide an ultrasound apparatus, including: the ultrasonic probe and the artificial structure ultrasonic transducer which is arranged in front of the ultrasonic probe according to the embodiments.
The beneficial effects of artifical structure ultrasonic transducer and ultrasonic device that this application embodiment provided lie in: the artificial structure ultrasonic transducer comprises a piezoelectric material layer, a matching layer and a focusing lens which are sequentially connected, wherein the focusing lens is made of an acoustic soft material, the piezoelectric material layer is used for converting voltage into acoustic wave vibration, the focusing lens is made of an acoustic soft material and is used for focusing the acoustic wave, and the matching layer is used for matching impedance from the piezoelectric material layer to an area to be measured; the artificial structure ultrasonic transducer of the ultrasonic device is not required to be arranged on the piezoelectric material layer, but is independently manufactured through the acoustic soft material for focusing, so that the problem that the piezoelectric material layer is easily damaged when being directly processed and manufactured is solved, the ultrasonic device is easy to process and manufacture, the manufacturing success rate is high, and the cost is low.
Detailed Description
In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more apparent, the present application is described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "secured to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly or indirectly secured to or disposed on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly or indirectly connected to the other element. The terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", and the like, indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for convenience of description, but do not indicate or imply that the referred devices or elements must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the patent. The terms "first", "second" and "first" are used merely for descriptive purposes and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features. The meaning of "plurality" is two or more unless specifically limited otherwise.
In order to explain the technical solutions of the present application, the following detailed descriptions are made with reference to specific drawings and examples.
Referring to fig. 1, fig. 2 and fig. 7, an embodiment of the present application first provides an artificial structure ultrasonic transducer 100, which includes a piezoelectric material layer 1, a matching layer 2 and a focusing lens 3, which are connected in sequence; specifically, one side of the piezoelectric material layer 1, which is away from the matching layer 2, is used to cooperate with the ultrasonic probe 9 (please refer to fig. 9), the piezoelectric material layer 1 is used to convert a high-frequency voltage applied to the piezoelectric material layer 1 by the ultrasonic probe 9 into a high-frequency vibration, that is, to generate a high-frequency planar acoustic wave, the focusing lens 3 is made of an acoustic soft material and is used to focus the acoustic wave, and the matching layer 2 is used to match impedances from the piezoelectric material layer 1 to the focusing lens 3 and the region C to be measured (please refer to fig. 9), so as to reduce attenuation loss of the acoustic wave from the piezoelectric material layer 1 to the region C to be measured.
The utility model provides an artificial structure ultrasonic transducer 100, it is including the piezoelectric material layer 1 that connects gradually, matching layer 2 and focusing lens 3, need not on piezoelectric material layer 1 but make the structure that is used for the focus alone through the acoustics soft materials, avoided directly to process piezoelectric material layer 1 and make the problem that leads to the damage easily, this artificial structure ultrasonic transducer 100 easily processes and prepares, the preparation success rate is high, and is with low costs, and the acoustics soft materials have high transmissivity to the sound wave, can guarantee this artificial structure ultrasonic transducer 100 has high sound wave utilization ratio, and obtain high sound wave focusing energy.
It is understood in the art that by acoustically soft material is meant a material with a high transmission for acoustic waves, i.e. a material with a high acoustic wave transmission. Specifically, in one embodiment, the transmission of acoustic soft material to acoustic waves is greater than or equal to 50%.
Wherein, optionally, the acoustically soft material used by the focusing lens 3 may be at least one of a silicone material, a rubber material and a plastic material, for example, the acoustically soft material used by the focusing lens 3 may be a silicone material, a rubber material or a plastic material. These materials are easily processed into various shapes and structures, and thus, the overall manufacturing difficulty and cost of the artificial structure ultrasonic transducer 100 can be significantly reduced.
In a specific application, the focusing lens 3 can be manufactured by injection molding, press molding, or the like using the above-mentioned materials.
In a specific embodiment, the material of the focusing lens 3 is silicone rubber.
Referring first to fig. 1 to 3, an artificial structure ultrasonic transducer 100 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. In this embodiment, a central ring portion 31 and a plurality of first ring portions 32 are formed on the surface of the focusing lens 3 away from the matching layer 2, the plurality of first ring portions 32 are concentrically arranged and spaced apart from each other, the innermost first ring portion 32 is also spaced apart from the central ring portion 31, and thus, a second ring portion 33 is formed inside each first ring portion 32, and the plurality of second ring portions 33 are concentrically arranged and spaced apart from each other. The central ring portion 31 and the first ring portion 32 have the same height, and the second ring portion 33 has a different height from the central ring portion 31 and the first ring portion 32. Specifically, the second ring portion 33 may protrude or be recessed with respect to the central ring portion 31 and the first ring portion 32.
Fig. 1 to 3 show an example in which the central ring portion 31 and the first ring portion 32 protrude from the second ring portion 33.
Since the height of the second ring portion 33 is different from the height of the central ring portion 31 and the first ring portion 32, a concentric and alternating concave-convex structure is formed on the surface of the focusing lens 3 away from the matching layer 2, please refer to fig. 4 and fig. 5 in combination. The concave-convex structure can diffract the sound wave so that the sound wave can converge at a point in front of the focusing lens 3 after passing through the focusing lens 3 (the dotted line in fig. 5 represents the diffracted sound wave), that is, at the focal point S of the focusing lens 3 (see fig. 5). The acoustic energy at the focus S is high, and corresponding applications, such as ultrasonic imaging, ultrasonic surgery or ultrasonic stimulation, can be performed.
The surface of the matching layer 2 facing the focusing lens 3 may be planar and the surface of the focusing lens 3 facing the matching layer 2 may be planar. Thus, on one hand, the surface of the matching layer 2 facing the focusing lens 3 and the surface of the focusing lens 3 facing the matching layer 2 are easier to form and manufacture, and on the other hand, the surfaces can be easily and closely attached together without a gap, so that the air gap and the impedance difference between the matching layer 2 and the focusing lens 3 can be reduced, the attenuation loss of the sound wave from the matching layer 2 to the focusing lens 3 can be reduced, and the effective utilization rate of the sound wave can be improved.
Wherein optionally, the surface of the matching layer 2 facing the focusing lens 3 and the surface of the focusing lens 3 facing the matching layer 2 are both perpendicular to the central axis of the focusing lens.
In a specific application, the surface of the matching layer 2 facing the focusing lens 3 and the surface of the focusing lens 3 facing the matching layer 2 can be adhered together by an adhesive, and also, the air gap between the two can be further reduced, so that the conduction of the sound wave is facilitated.
Referring next to fig. 6-8, another form of an ultrasound transducer 100 of an artificial structure is provided according to an embodiment of the present application. The difference from the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 3 described above is that in this embodiment, the central ring portion 31, the first ring portion 32, and the second ring portion 33 are all formed on the surface of the focus lens 3 facing the matching layer 2. The features of the central ring portion 31, the first ring portion 32 and the second ring portion 33 may be the same as those of the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 3, and are not described herein again.
Correspondingly, in this embodiment, the surface of the matching layer 2 facing the focusing lens 3 is configured to be correspondingly matched with the surface of the focusing lens 3 facing the matching layer 2, that is, the concave-convex structure opposite to the concave-convex structure formed on the surface of the matching layer 2 facing the focusing lens 3 is formed on the focusing lens 3.
Specifically, when the central ring portion 31 and the first ring portion 32 on the surface of the focus lens 3 facing the matching layer 2 are protruded with respect to the second ring portion 33, the surface of the matching layer 2 facing the focus lens 3 forms the mating ring 21 that can be inserted into the second ring portion 33, and at this time, the height and width of the mating ring 21 are equal to the height and width of the corresponding second ring portion 33, respectively. Therefore, the surfaces of the focusing lens 3 and the matching layer 2 which are contacted with each other can be completely attached together without air gaps, the impedance difference between the matching layer 2 and the focusing lens 3 can be further reduced, the attenuation loss of sound waves from the matching layer 2 to the focusing lens 3 is reduced, and the effective utilization rate of the sound waves is improved.
The height of the mating ring 21 may be equal to the maximum thickness of the matching layer 2, so that the inside of the mating ring 21 forms an annular through groove; alternatively, the height of the mating ring 21 may be equal to the maximum thickness of the matching layer 2, so that the inside of the mating ring 21 forms an annular recess.
Alternatively, as shown in fig. 6 to 8, the central ring portion 31 and the first ring portion 32 are recessed with respect to the second ring portion 33.
Correspondingly, the surface of the matching layer 2 facing the focusing lens 3 forms a mating ring 21 that can be inserted into the central ring portion 31 and the first ring portion 32, respectively, at which time the height and width of the mating ring 21 are equal to the height and width of the corresponding central ring portion 31 and the corresponding first ring portion 32, respectively. Also, attenuation loss of the acoustic wave from the matching layer 2 to the focusing lens 3 can be reduced.
The height of the mating rings 21 may be equal to the maximum thickness of the matching layer 2, so that an annular through slot is formed between two adjacent mating rings 21; alternatively, the height of the mating rings 21 may be equal to the maximum thickness of the matching layer 2, so that an annular groove is formed between two adjacent mating rings 21.
Likewise, in a specific application, the surface of the matching layer 2 facing the focusing lens 3 and the surface of the focusing lens 3 facing the matching layer 2 can be adhered together by an adhesive to further reduce the air gap therebetween.
Referring to fig. 8 in combination, in one embodiment, the widths of the central ring portion 31, the first ring portion 32 and the second ring portion 33 of the focusing lens 3 are determined by fresnel diffraction formula.
The central ring portion 31, the first ring portion 32 and the second ring portion 33 are defined as the wavelength bands of the focusing lens 3. Specifically, the central ring portion 31 and the first ring portion 32 sequentially correspond to odd wavelength bands (denoted by a, c, e, and g … … in fig. 4), specifically, 1 st, 3 rd, 5 th, and 7 … … wavelength bands, of the focusing lens 3 in order from inside to outside, and the second ring portion 33 sequentially corresponds to even wavelength bands (denoted by b, d, and f … … in fig. 4), specifically, 2 nd, 4 th, and 6 … … wavelength bands, of the focusing lens 3 in order from inside to outside.
From the inside out, the central ring section 31 denoted by a forms the 1 st fresnel region;
the central ring portion 31 and the second ring portion 33, denoted by b, form the 2 nd fresnel region;
the central ring portion 31, the second ring portion 33, denoted by b, and the first ring portion 32, denoted by c, form a 3 rd fresnel region;
the central ring portion 31, the second ring portion 33 denoted by b, the first ring portion 32 denoted by c and the second ring portion 33 denoted by d form a 4 th fresnel region;
the central ring portion 31, the second ring portion 33 denoted by b, the first ring portion 32 denoted by c, the second ring portion 33 denoted by d and the first ring portion 32 denoted by e form a 5 th fresnel region;
the central loop portion 31, the second loop portion 33 denoted by b, the first loop portion 32 denoted by c, the second loop portion 33 denoted by d, the first loop portion 32 denoted by e, and the second loop portion 33 denoted by f form a 6 th fresnel region;
the central loop portion 31, the second loop portion 33 denoted by b, the first loop portion 32 denoted by c, the second loop portion 33 denoted by d, the first loop portion 32 denoted by e, the second loop portion 33 denoted by f, and the first loop portion 32 denoted by g form a 7 th fresnel region;
and so on.
Then, the widths of the central ring portion 31, the first ring portion 32, and the second ring portion 33 are determined by the following equations (1) and (2):
wherein d isi(i=1)=r1, (2)
di(i>1)=ri-rj,
i=1,2,3,...j=1,2,3,...。
Wherein r isnRepresents the radius of the nth fresnel region; λ ═ c/f denotes the wavelength of the sound wave emitted by the artificial structure ultrasound transducer 100, c denotes the speed of sound, and f denotes the frequency of the sound wave emitted by the artificial structure ultrasound transducer 100; f denotes a preset focal length of the focusing lens 3; di(i ═ 1) denotes the radius of the central ring portion 31 of the focusing lens 3 (the radius of the 1 st fresnel region); di(i>1) Indicates the width of the other wave bands except the central ring portion 31; r isiDenotes the radius of the smallest Fresnel region containing the ith wave band, rjThe radius of the other maximum fresnel region within the aforementioned minimum fresnel region, which is smaller than the radius of the minimum fresnel region, is indicated.
Referring to fig. 4 and 9, the radius of the central ring 31, which is denoted by a, is the radius of the 1 st fresnel region, i.e. d1=r1;
The width of the second ring portion 33, denoted by b, is the difference between the radius of the 2 nd Fresnel region and the radius of the 1 st Fresnel region, i.e., d2=r2-r1;
The width of the first ring portion 32, denoted by c, is the difference between the radius of the 3 rd Fresnel region and the radius of the 2 nd Fresnel region, i.e., d3=r3-r2;
The width of the second ring portion 33, denoted by d, is the difference between the radius of the 4 th Fresnel region and the radius of the 3 rd Fresnel region, i.e. d4=r4-r3;
The width of the first loop portion 32, denoted by e, is the difference between the radius of the 5 th Fresnel region and the radius of the 4 th Fresnel region, i.e., d5=r5-r4;
And so on.
In one embodiment, the piezoelectric material layer 1 may be a piezoelectric crystal layer or a piezoelectric ceramic layer. In an alternative embodiment, the piezoelectric material layer 1 is a piezoelectric ceramic layer, which is relatively low in cost, relatively easy to manufacture, and has good piezoelectric performance.
As shown in fig. 3, 6 and 7, in one embodiment, the surface of the piezoelectric material layer 1 facing the matching layer 2 may be planar, and the surface of the matching layer 2 facing the piezoelectric material layer 1 may be planar. Like this, on the one hand, the surface towards matching layer 2 of piezoelectric material layer 1 and the surface towards piezoelectric material layer 1 of matching layer 2 are all easier shaping and preparation, and on the other hand, can be easily closely laminated together and do not have the air gap between the two, can reduce the acoustic wave by the attenuation loss of piezoelectric material layer 1 to matching layer 2, improve the effective utilization ratio of acoustic wave.
Wherein, optionally, the surface of the piezoelectric material layer 1 facing the matching layer 2 and the surface of the matching layer 2 facing the piezoelectric material layer 1 are both perpendicular to the central axis of the focusing lens 3.
Referring to fig. 3 and 8, in one embodiment, the sidewalls of the central ring 31 and the first ring 32 are parallel to the central axis of the focusing lens 3 and perpendicular to two opposite surfaces of the piezoelectric material layer 1 (the surface of the piezoelectric material layer 1 away from the matching layer 2 and the surface facing the matching layer 2). This has the advantage that the central ring portion 31, the first ring portion 32 and the second ring portion 33 can be fabricated more easily, and this makes the thickness of the focusing lens 3 layer thinner, which is beneficial to improve the bandwidth of the artificial structure ultrasound transducer 100. In an alternative embodiment, the artificial structure ultrasonic transducer 100 is suitable for a sound wave frequency range of 0.2MHz to 100MHz, and has a wide bandwidth and a wider applicability.
Further, according to the above equations (1) and (2), for a sound wave of a certain frequency, the position on which the sound wave is focused after passing through the focusing lens 3 is certain, that is, the focal length of the focusing lens 3 is determined. For sound waves with different frequencies, the sound waves can be focused at different positions after passing through the focusing lens 3, that is, the focal length of the focusing lens 3 is different according to the frequency of the regulated sound waves. For example, when the frequency of the planar acoustic wave converted by the piezoelectric material layer 1 is 1MHz, the acoustic wave wavelength λ is 1.5mm, and the focal length F is 18 mm.
In one embodiment, the surface of the piezoelectric material layer 1 facing the matching layer 2 and the surface of the matching layer 2 facing the piezoelectric material layer 1 are adhesively connected by an adhesive.
In another embodiment, the material of the matching layer 2 may comprise epoxy. Alternatively, the material of the matching layer 2 comprises alumina and epoxy, and the acoustic parameters of the matching layer 2 can be adjusted by adjusting the mass fraction of alumina therein. In this way, the matching layer 2 can not only match the impedances of the piezoelectric material layer 1 to the focusing lens 3 and the region C to be measured, but also directly form adhesive connections with the piezoelectric material layer 1 and the focusing lens 3 respectively by means of curing of the epoxy resin, and no additional adhesive is needed.
Referring to fig. 10 in combination with fig. 1 to 9, an ultrasound apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an ultrasound probe 9, and an artificial structure ultrasound transducer 100 according to the embodiments above, which is disposed in front of the ultrasound probe 9. The ultrasonic probe 9 is used for applying a high-frequency voltage to the piezoelectric material layer 1, and after inverse piezoelectric conversion and focusing of the artificial structure ultrasonic transducer 100, sound waves are focused on the region C to be measured.
The ultrasound device 200 may be used for ultrasound imaging, ultrasound surgery, ultrasound stimulation (e.g., ultrasound neuromodulation), and the like.
The above description is only exemplary of the present application and should not be taken as limiting the present application, as any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.