Ultrasonic vibrator and ultrasonic treatment device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10420599-B2
Application number	US-201715427692-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2017
Priority date	Sep 22, 2014
Publication date	Sep 24, 2019
Grant date	Sep 24, 2019

Abstract

An ultrasonic vibrator and an ultrasonic treatment device which can adjust a resonant frequency while maintaining driving force are provided. An ultrasonic vibrator 1 includes two metal blocks 2, a driving unit 3 that is arranged between the metal blocks 2 and produces a piezoelectric effect to vibrate by application of an alternating voltage, and at least one adjustment unit 4 that is arranged between the metal blocks 2 and the driving unit 3 in an insulated state and changes Young's modulus.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ultrasonic vibrator comprising:
two metal blocks;
a driving unit arranged between the two metal blocks, the driving unit being configured to produce a piezoelectric effect to vibrate by application of an alternating voltage; and
at least one adjustment unit arranged between the two metal blocks and the driving unit in an insulated state, the adjustment unit being configured to change Young's modulus, wherein:
the at least one adjustment unit comprises a plurality of stacked adjustment piezoelectric elements and adjustment electrodes that are joined to the respective adjustment piezoelectric elements, and
Young's modulus of the adjustment unit is changed by opening or short-circuiting at least one of the adjustment electrodes.

2. The ultrasonic vibrator according to claim 1 , wherein the adjustment unit comprises:
a first adjustment unit arranged between one of the two metal blocks and the driving unit, and
a second adjustment unit arranged between the other of the two metal blocks and the driving unit.

3. The ultrasonic vibrator according to claim 1 , wherein the adjustment unit is symmetrically arranged with respect to the driving unit.

4. The ultrasonic vibrator according to claim 1 , wherein:
at least some of the adjustment electrodes are short-circuited; and
Young's modulus of the adjustment unit is changed by opening the short-circuited ones of the adjustment electrodes or short-circuiting electrodes other than the short-circuited ones of the adjustment electrodes.

5. The ultrasonic vibrator according to claim 1 , wherein:
all the adjustment electrodes are short-circuited; and
Young's modulus of the adjustment unit is changed by opening some of the short-circuited adjustment electrodes.

6. The ultrasonic vibrator according to claim 1 , wherein:
all the adjustment electrodes are open; and
Young's modulus of the adjustment unit is changed by short-circuiting some of the open adjustment electrodes.

7. The ultrasonic vibrator according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of stacked adjustment piezoelectric elements has a thickness different from a thickness of other ones of the plurality of stacked adjustment piezoelectric elements.

8. The ultrasonic vibrator according to claim 1 , wherein:
the two metal blocks are made of a 64 titanium alloy (64Ti); and
the driving piezoelectric elements and the adjustment piezoelectric elements are made of lithium niobate (LiNbO3).

9. An ultrasonic treatment device comprising:
the ultrasonic vibrator according to claim 1 ; and
an end portion to which ultrasonic vibrations generated by the ultrasonic vibrator are transmitted and which treats living body tissue.

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Sakai Nagahide

Classifications

• H02N2/06

  Drive circuits; Control arrangements {or methods} · CPC title

• B06B1/0611 Primary

  in a pile · CPC title

• B06B1/0607

  using multiple elements (B06B1/064 and B06B1/0688 take precedence) · CPC title

• A61B18/00 Primary

  Surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body (eye surgery A61F9/007; ear surgery A61F11/00) · CPC title

• A61B17/320068

  using mechanical vibrations, e.g. ultrasonic (A61B17/22012 takes precedence; dental tooth drilling devices operated by vibration A61C3/03; removing intra-ocular material using mechanical vibrations A61F9/00745) · CPC title