Method of manufacturing an ultrasound system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9636133-B2
Application number	US-201313874083-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2013
Priority date	Apr 30, 2012
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

An ultrasound therapy system is provided that can include any number of features. In some embodiments, the custom transducer housings can be manufactured using a rapid-prototyping method to arrange a plurality of single-element, substantially flat transducers to share a common focal point. The rapid-prototyping method can include, for example, fused-deposition modeling, 3D printing, and stereolithography. In some embodiments, the therapy system can include a plurality of transducer modules insertable into the openings of the transducer housing. Methods of manufacture are also described, including designing a transducer housing shell to a desired geometry and a plurality of acoustic focusing lenses integral to the transducer housing shell in a 3D computer aided design software, and constructing the transducer housing shell and the plurality of acoustic focusing lenses integral to the transducer housing shell using a rapid-prototyping method.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of designing and manufacturing an ultrasound system, comprising:
designing a transducer housing shell to a desired geometry and a plurality of acoustic focusing lenses integral to the transducer housing shell such that the transducer housing shell and the plurality of acoustic focusing lenses are each designed in a 3D computer aided design software; and
constructing the transducer housing shell and the plurality of acoustic focusing lenses integral to the transducer housing shell wherein the transducer housing shell and the plurality of acoustic focusing lenses are each formed using a rapid-prototyping method.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the designing step further comprises designing the transducer housing shell to a desired geometry so that a plurality of openings in the housing shell are aligned to converge upon a common focal point.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising constructing a plurality of transducer element modules with the rapid-prototyping method, and inserting the transducer element modules into the openings of the transducer housing shell.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
inserting a plurality of substantially flat, piezoelectric or piezoceramic elements, into the transducer housing shell so that ultrasound energy from the piezoelectric or piezoceramic elements converges upon a common focal point.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
inserting a plurality of curved, piezoelectric or piezoceramic elements, into the transducer housing shell so that ultrasound energy from the piezoelectric or piezoceramic elements converges upon a common focal point.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the rapid-prototyping method is selected from the group consisting of fused-deposition modeling, 3D printing, and stereolithography.

Assignees

• Univ Michigan Regents

Inventors

• Hall Timothy L
• Maxwell Adam
• Cain Charles A
• Kim Yohan
• Xu Zhen

Classifications

• Y10T29/42

  Piezoelectric device making · CPC title

• A61N2007/0039

  using microbubbles · CPC title

• A61B17/225

  for extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy [ESWL], e.g. by using ultrasonic waves · CPC title

• G10K11/004

  Mounting transducers, e.g. provided with mechanical moving or orienting device (mountings specially adapted to a particular sound-producing device, see the preceding groups G10K1/00 - G10K9/00, e.g. G10K1/26, G10K1/28, G10K9/22; arrangements of sonic watch equipment on submarines B63G8/39; buoys B63B22/00) · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title