Ultrasonic probe with heat dissipation members arranged in center of backing layer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11786223-B2
Application number	US-202117189292-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2021
Priority date	May 14, 2020
Publication date	Oct 17, 2023
Grant date	Oct 17, 2023

Abstract

An ultrasonic probe has a transduction layer in which a plurality of transducers are placed, a backing layer provided at a rear side of the transduction layer with a wiring layer therebetween, and a plurality of heat dissipation members provided in the backing layer. The plurality of heat dissipation members extend in a line form in the backing layer, and are placed with an aligned direction of extension. An area occupancy percentage of the heat dissipation member at a center region of the backing layer is larger than that at an outer side of the center region. The center region is not positioned at ends of the cross section intersecting the direction of extension of the heat dissipation member, includes a center of gravity of the cross section, and occupies an area less than or equal to a half of an area of the cross section.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ultrasonic probe comprising:
a transduction layer in which a plurality of transducers are placed;
a backing layer provided at a rear side of the transduction layer; and
a plurality of heat dissipation members which are provided in the backing layer, wherein the heat dissipation members extend in a line form in the backing layer in a long axis of the ultrasonic probe and are placed with an aligned direction of extension,
wherein an area occupancy percentage of the heat dissipation members relative to the backing layer at a center region of the backing layer in a cross section along a short axis intersecting the long axis is larger than the area occupancy percentage of the heat dissipation members relative to the backing layer at a region at an outer side of the center region.

2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 , wherein
the center region is a region which is not positioned at ends of the cross section, which includes a center of gravity of the cross section, and which occupies an area less than or equal to a half of an area of the cross section.

3. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the transducers extends in the long axis direction, and is placed in an arrangement along the short axis direction intersecting the long axis direction, and
the heat dissipation members extend in the long axis direction, and are placed a positions between cut grooves extending from gaps between two adjacent transducers to the backing layer.

4. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a wiring layer provided between the transduction layer and the backing layer, wherein
each of the transducers extend in the long axis direction, and is placed in an arrangement along the short axis direction intersecting the long axis direction, and
the heat dissipation members extend in the short axis direction, and the wiring layer has a heat conducting structure.

5. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 4 , wherein
the heat conducting structure includes thermal vias provided between the transducers and the heat dissipation members.

6. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 5 , wherein
the thermal vias are provided at positions between cut grooves extending from gaps between two adjacent transducers to the wiring layer.

7. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a cut groove extending from a gap between two adjacent transducers to the wiring layer.

8. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 , wherein
a placement interval of the plurality of heat dissipation members becomes wider from a center of the center region toward an outer side.

9. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 , wherein
a width in a direction of placement of the plurality of heat dissipation members becomes greater from an outer side of the center region of the backing layer toward a center of the backing layer.

10. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 , wherein
thermal conductivities of materials forming the plurality of heat dissipation members become higher from an outer side of the center region of the backing layer toward a center of the backing layer.

Assignees

• Hitachi Ltd
• Fujifilm Healthcare Corp

Inventors

• Sawada Wataru
• Watanabe Toru

Classifications

• A61B8/546 Primary

  involving monitoring or regulation of device temperature · CPC title

• A61B8/4488

  the transducer being a phased array · CPC title

• B06B1/067

  which is used as, or combined with, an impedance matching layer · CPC title

• B06B1/0622

  on one surface · CPC title

• H10N30/80

  Constructional details · CPC title