Ultrasound probe and ultrasound diagnostic imaging apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9402599-B2
Application number	US-201414321266-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2014
Priority date	Jul 4, 2013
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed is an ultrasound probe including a piezoelectric device which transmits and receives ultrasound, n layers of acoustic matching layers provided on a front side of the piezoelectric device, n layers meaning two layers or more, an acoustic lens which is provided on a front side of the acoustic matching layers and an acoustic reflecting layer which is provided on a back side of the piezoelectric device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ultrasound probe, comprising:
a piezoelectric device which transmits and receives ultrasound, the piezoelectric device having a predetermined layer thickness;
n layers of acoustic matching layers having respective predetermined layer thicknesses and provided on a front side of the piezoelectric device, wherein the n layers comprise two layers or more;
an acoustic lens which is provided on a front side of the acoustic matching layers; and
an acoustic reflecting layer having a predetermined layer thickness and provided on a back side of the piezoelectric device,
wherein the piezoelectric device, the acoustic matching layers, and the acoustic reflecting layer, fulfill the following formula (1):

(

t
d

λ

c
⁢

⁢
d

+

t
p

λ

c
⁢

⁢
p

+

t

m
⁡

(
1
)

λ

c
⁢

⁢

m
⁡

(
1
)

+
…
+

t

m
⁡

(
n
)

λ

c
⁢

⁢

m
⁡

(
n
)

)

≦

3
4

(
1
)

wherein t d represents the layer thickness of the acoustic reflecting layer, t p represents the layer thickness of the piezoelectric device, t m(1) , . . . , and t m(n) respectively represent the layer thicknesses of the acoustic matching layers, such that t m(1) represents a 1 st layer among the acoustic matching layers, and t m(n) represents an n th layer among the acoustic matching layers, counting from the piezoelectric device, λ cd represents a wavelength of ultrasound that propagates inside the acoustic reflecting layer, the ultrasound being at a center frequency of a transmission and reception band of the ultrasound probe, λ cp represents a wavelength of the ultrasound that propagates inside the piezoelectric device, and λ cm(1) , . . . , and λ cm(n) respectively represent wavelengths of the ultrasound that propagate inside the acoustic matching layers, such that λ cm(1) represents the wavelength of the ultrasound that propagates inside the 1 st layer among the acoustic matching layers, and λ cm(n) represents the wavelength of the ultrasound that propagates inside the n th layer among the acoustic matching layers, counting from the piezoelectric device.

2. The ultrasound probe of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound probe comprises three or more acoustic matching layers.

3. An ultrasound diagnostic imaging apparatus, comprising:
the ultrasound probe of claim 1 which outputs transmission ultrasound toward a subject in accordance with a drive signal and which outputs a received signal by receiving reflection ultrasound from the subject; and
an image generating unit which generates ultrasound image data for displaying an ultrasound image on a basis of the received signal output from the ultrasound probe.

4. A method for producing an ultrasound probe, comprising:
providing a piezoelectric device which transmits and receives ultrasound, the piezoelectric device having a predetermined layer thickness;
providing n layers of acoustic matching layers having respective predetermined layer thicknesses on a front side of the piezoelectric device, the n layers comprising two layers or more;
providing an acoustic lens on a front side of the acoustic matching layers;
providing an acoustic reflecting layer having a predetermined layer thickness on a back side of the piezoelectric device, and
setting the layer thicknesses of the piezoelectric device, the acoustic matching layers, and the acoustic reflecting layer, so as to fulfill the following formula (1):

(

t
d

λ

c
⁢

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Okuda Shuhei

Classifications

• A61B8/4483

  characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer · CPC title

• A61B8/4444 Primary

  related to the probe · CPC title

• G10K11/002

  Devices for damping, suppressing, obstructing or conducting sound in acoustic devices (G10K1/06 - G10K1/10 take precedence; for electro-mechanical transducers for communication H04R3/002) · CPC title

• B06B1/067

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