Ultrasound probe that exhausts heat via infrared-radiative heat transfer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10130336-B2
Application number	US-201213982062-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2012
Priority date	Sep 1, 2011
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

An ultrasound probe and ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus that can maintain surface temperature of an ultrasound probe within a safe range, without reduction in performance. The ultrasound probe includes a casing, a transducer, an electronic circuit, and a heat-transfer construction. Elements of the transducer are aligned at one end of the casing and send out ultrasound waves in accordance with their respective delay times. The electronic circuit, disposed in the casing, includes a delay circuit setting delay times and pulsers for generating pulses in accordance with the delay times, the pulses being sent to the transducer. While the electronic circuit is being energized, the heat-transfer construction disposes a member having a low heat conductivity at least either between the electronic circuit and the casing or between the electronic circuit and the transducer. Thereby, heat from the electronic circuit is conducted to the other end of the casing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ultrasound probe for sending and receiving ultrasound waves, comprising:
a casing having a first end and a second end with a middle part disposed therebetween, the second end being an opposite end of the first end;
a transducer comprising transducer elements, which are aligned at the first end of the casing and are configured, respectively, to emit ultrasound waves in accordance with delay times;
an electronic circuit comprising a delay circuit accommodated in the casing and configured to set the delay times and a pulser configured to generate pulses based on the delay times and output, the pulses to the transducer elements; and
a heat-transfer construction arranged between the first end and the second end of the casing, the heat-transfer construction comprising
a thermal diffusion member accommodated in the casing, located along an inner surface of the casing and thermally contacting the second end of the casing, the inner surface corresponding to an inside of the middle part,
a circuit-heat transfer member arranged to envelope at least a part of the electronic circuit and conduct heat from die electronic circuit, and
a thermal-radiation member configured to convert heat received from the electronic circuit through the circuit-heat transfer member into infrared rays that are transmitted to the thermal diffusion member and an optical component in the casing, wherein

the optical component is located between the thermal diffusion member and the thermal-radiation member and configured to reduce heating of the first end and the middle part by redirecting a part of the infrared rays that are transmitted from the thermal-radiation member towards the first end and the middle part by reflecting or refracting the part of the infrared rays toward the second end of the casing, and
the thermal-radiation member is located at least between the electronic circuit and the casing at a distance from the optical component providing a transmission path for the infrared rays converted from the heat received through the circuit-heat transfer member.

2. An ultrasound probe according to claim 1 , wherein the thermal-radiation member includes a material that has a thermal conductivity that is temperature dependent.

3. An ultrasound probe according to claim 1 , wherein the thermal-radiation member is a mesh.

4. An ultrasound probe according to claim 3 , wherein the thermal-radiation member a graphite sheet.

5. An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus comprising:
an ultrasound probe according to claim 1 ; and
a main body configured to be connected to the ultrasound probe and create images based on signals received by the ultrasound probe.

Assignees

• Miyajima Yasuo
• Hongou Hironobu
• Hirano Toru
• Uchiumi Isao
• Iwama Nobuyuki
• Ishitsuka Masaaki
• Toshiba Medical Sys Corp

Inventors

• Miyajima Yasuo
• Hongou Hironobu
• Hirano Toru
• Uchiumi Isao
• Iwama Nobuyuki
• Ishitsuka Masaaki

Classifications

• A61B8/4444 Primary

  related to the probe · CPC title

• A61B8/06

  Measuring blood flow · CPC title

• A61B8/546

  involving monitoring or regulation of device temperature · CPC title

• A61B2562/16

  Details of sensor housings or probes; Details of structural supports for sensors (A61B2560/0462 takes precedence) · CPC title