Three-dimensional ultrasonic probe

Abstract

Provided is a three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonic probe that may diagnose all regions of an object to be diagnosed without being limited by a rotation angle by allowing a rotation axis of a driving unit to be directly connected to an ultrasonic transducer.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonic probe comprising: an ultrasonic transducer in which ultrasound transmitting/receiving elements are arranged; a first driving motor that is disposed at one end of the ultrasonic transducer such that a rotation axis of the first driving motor is coincident with a rotation axis of the ultrasonic transducer, and directly transmits rotational force to the ultrasonic transducer; and a second driving motor that is disposed at another end of the ultrasonic transducer such that a rotation axis of the second driving motor is coincident with the rotation axis of the ultrasonic transducer, and directly transmits rotational force to the ultrasonic transducer, wherein the first driving motor comprises a rotor that is disposed at a central portion of the first driving motor and a plurality of stators that surround the central portion of the first driving motor, and the second driving motor comprises a rotor that is disposed at a central portion of the second driving motor and a plurality of stators that surround the central portion of the second driving motor, and wherein the first driving motor and the second driving motor are respectively disposed at either end of the ultrasonic transducer, and the stators of the first driving motor and the second driving motor which are disposed at either end face each other and are asymmetric to each other.

2. The 3D ultrasonic probe of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound transmitting/receiving elements are aligned on a top surface of the ultrasonic transducer.

3. The 3D ultrasonic probe of claim 1, wherein the first driving motor and the second driving motor are a servo motor or a step motor.

4. The 3D ultrasonic probe of claim 1, wherein a rotation angle of the ultrasonic transducer is equal to or greater than 120 and equal to or less than 360.

5. The 3D ultrasonic probe of claim 1, wherein the 3D ultrasonic probe is an endocavity probe or a convex probe.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating essential elements of a three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonic probe;

(3) FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present invention;

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an ultrasonic transducer of FIG. 2;

(5) FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views illustrating first and second step motors, according to embodiments of the present invention;

(6) FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an endocavity 3D ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present invention;

(7) FIG. 6A is a perspective view illustrating a 3D ultrasonic probe according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

(8) FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view illustrating the 3D ultrasonic probe of FIG. 6A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings for those of ordinary skill in the art to be able to perform the present invention without any difficulty. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those of ordinary skill in the art. Also, parts in the drawings unrelated to the detailed description may be omitted to ensure clarity of the present invention, and widths, lengths, and thicknesses of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for convenience. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements, and thus their description will not be repeated.

(10) It will be further understood that when a part includes or comprises an element, unless otherwise defined, the part may further include other elements, not excluding the other elements.

(11) As used herein, the term and/or includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as at least one of, when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.

(12) FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating essential elements of a three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonic probe 10.

(13) Referring to FIG. 1, the 3D ultrasonic probe 10 transmits an ultrasound signal to an object 2 and receives an ultrasound echo signal reflected from the object 2 by using an ultrasound transmitting/receiving element 100 while moving along a surface of the object 2 in a state where a front surface of the 3D ultrasonic probe closely contacts the surface of the object 2.

(14) A main body 5 includes an input unit 6, a control unit 3, and a display unit 4 in order to receive a response signal from the ultrasound transmitting/receiving element 100 and to transmit a control signal to the ultrasound transmitting/receiving element 10. The input unit 6 may receive a diagnosis command for using the 3D ultrasonic probe 10, for example, an on/off signal of the 3D ultrasonic probe 10, may be input to the input unit 6. A button and a knob (not shown) for inputting various operation commands may be provided in the input unit 6. The control unit 3 may obtain an image of internal tissue of the object 2 by detecting a characteristic value of the internal tissue of the object 2 by using the response signal that is received from the 3D ultrasonic probe 10. The display unit 4 that is a unit for visually displaying the image of the internal tissue obtained by the control unit 3 may include an image display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, a cathode-ray tube (CRT), or an electric bulletin board using a light-emitting display (LED).

(15) FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the 3D ultrasonic probe 10 including a first driving unit 200a and a second driving unit 200b, according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an ultrasonic transducer 24 of FIG. 2.

(16) Referring to FIG. 2, the 3D ultrasonic probe 10 includes a handle case 21, a cap 22 that is disposed at a front end of the handle case 21 and contacts the object 2 to be diagnosed, the ultrasonic transducer 24 that includes the first and second driving units 200a and 200b that generate a rotational force, and the ultrasonic transducer 24 that includes a plurality of the ultrasound transmitting/receiving elements 100 and rotates by receiving the rotational force from the first and second driving units 200a and 200b.

(17) The cap 22 is formed such that a portion of the cap 22 corresponding to the ultrasonic transducers 24 has an arc-like cross-sectional shape in order to maintain a constant interval between an inner surface of the cap 22 and an outer surface of the ultrasonic transducer 24 even when the ultrasonic transducer 24 that is provided in the cap 22 rotates.

(18) The ultrasound transmitting/receiving elements 100 that are each a unit for transmitting ultrasound into the object 2 and receiving a response signal reflected from each tissue in the object 2 convert a sound signal into an electrical signal by using the piezoelectric effect or magnetostriction effect, and transmit the electrical signal to a control unit (not shown). Examples of the ultrasound transmitting/receiving elements 100 may include piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs), capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (cMUTs), and magnetic micromachined ultrasonic transducers (Mmuts).

(19) The ultrasonic transducer 24 including the ultrasound transmitting/receiving elements 100 may be rotatably provided in the cap 22 as described above to read a 3D image of the object 2 to be diagnosed. The ultrasonic transducer 24 of FIG. 2 is a one-dimensional (1D) array ultrasonic transducer in which the ultrasound transmitting/receiving elements 100 are aligned. In order to obtain a 3D image by using the ultrasonic transducer 24 that is a 1D array ultrasonic transducer, the ultrasonic transducer 24 has to rotate within a predetermined angle range.

(20) In a conventional ultrasonic probe, a separate driving unit for transmitting power to rotate the ultrasonic transducer 24 is provided. Power generated by the driving unit is transmitted to a rotation axis of the ultrasonic transducer 24 by disposing a wire between a pulley that is connected to a rotation axis of the driving unit and a pulley that is connected to the rotation axis of the ultrasonic transducer 24. The conventional ultrasonic probe has problems in that due to the pulleys and the wire, a rotation angle of the ultrasonic transducer 24 is limited to a predetermined range.

(21) Referring to FIG. 3, in the 3D ultrasonic probe 10, the first and second driving units 200a and 200b are disposed at both end portions of the ultrasonic transducer 24 so that a 3D image may be obtained by pivoting by a predetermined angle the ultrasonic transducer 24 in which the ultrasound transmitting/receiving elements 100 are aligned.

(22) In order to rotate the ultrasonic transducer 24, the first driving unit 200a or/and the second driving unit 200b may be disposed at one end portion or both end portions of the ultrasonic transducer 24. In this case, rotation axes 340 and 341 of the first and second driving units 200a and 200b may be fixed to the both end portions of the ultrasonic transducers in order for the ultrasonic transducer 24 to be directly driven by the first and second driving units 200a and 200b. For example, in FIG. 3, a main body 210 of any of the first and second driving units 200a and 200b for rotating the ultrasonic transducer 24 may be formed to have an annular shape, and the rotation axes 340 and 341 of the first and second driving units 200a and 200b may be fixed to the both end portions of the ultrasonic transducer 24 to transmit power and to function as hinge units. Accordingly, a rotational force for rotating the ultrasonic transducer 24 may be directly transmitted from the first and second driving units 200a and 200b without additionally providing a connection member such as a wire or a pulley, and thus an overall structure may be miniaturized and lightened. Also, since a manufacturing process is simplified, a manufacturing time and manufacturing costs may be reduced. In addition, since the first and second driving units 200a and 200b are disposed at the both end portions of the ultrasonic transducer 24, an inner space of the ultrasonic transducer 24 may be additionally secured. Accordingly, since a connection circuit that is connected to the plurality of ultrasound transmitting/receiving elements 100 may be easily constructed, and thus an analog driving unit such as a wire and a pulley is omitted, noise and rotation backrush may be removed, and since an internal structure is simplified, air bubbles may be easily removed and thus a failure rate may be reduced.

(23) In FIGS. 2 and 3, a step motor or a servo motor including a rotor that rotates about a stator may be used as each of the first and second driving units 200a and 200b. A rotational force that is generated by the first and second driving units 200a and 200b may be directly transmitted to the ultrasonic transducer 24 by disposing the rotation axes 340 and 341 of the first and second driving units 200a and 200b at the both end portions of the ultrasonic transducer 24. However, the present embodiment is not limited to the step motor or the servo motor, and any other type of unit may be used as each of the first and second driving units 200a and 200b as long as the unit may directly transmit a rotational force that is generated by the first and second driving units 200a and 200b to the ultrasonic transducer 24.

(24) In FIGS. 2 and 3, although the first driving unit 200a may be formed at one end portion of the ultrasonic transducer 24, when a sufficient rotational force has to be guaranteed or rotation of the ultrasonic transducer 24 has to be precisely adjusted, the first and second driving units 200a and 200b may be disposed at the both end portions of the ultrasonic transducer 24.

(25) FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views illustrating first and second step motors 201 and 202 that are used as the first and second driving units 200a and 200b, according to embodiments of the present invention.

(26) Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the first and second step motors 201 and 202 that are used as the first and second driving units 200a and 200b may include rotors 351 and 352 respectively including the rotation axes 340 and 341 and stators 203, 204, 205, and 206 that each surround the rotors 351 and 352. The stators 203, 204, 205, and 206 are disposed to be symmetric to each other about the rotors 351 and 352. Driving steps of the first and second step motors 201 and 202 are determined by an arrangement of the stators 203, 204, 205, and 206. When a greater driving force has to be guaranteed or more precise control is necessary, an arrangement of the first and second step motors 201 and 202 may be changed.

(27) Referring to FIG. 4A, the first and second step motors 201 and 202 are disposed at both end portions of the ultrasonic transducer 24 such that the stators 203 and 204 at the both end portions of the ultrasonic transducer 24 are symmetric to each other. Since the stators 203 and 204 of the first and second step motors 201 and 202 that are disposed at the both end portions of the ultrasonic transducer 24 are disposed to be symmetric to each other, driving forces of the first step motor 201 and the second step motor 202 may be simultaneously applied to the ultrasonic transducer 24, and thus a greater driving force at each step may be guaranteed. When each step of each of the first and second step motors 201 and 202 is sub-divided, the first and second step motors 201 and 202 may be more precisely controlled. To this end, steps corresponding to the first step motor 201 and the second step motor 202 that are disposed at the both end portions of the ultrasonic transducer 24 have to occur at different times.

(28) Referring to FIG. 4B, since the stators 206 of the second step motor 202 are disposed not to be symmetric to the stators 205 of the first step motor 201, driving steps of the first step motor 201 and the second step motor 202 may alternately occur, and thus an interval between steps may be more finely sub-divided. As an interval between steps is finely sub-divided, an operation of transmitting a driving force to the ultrasonic transducer 24 may also be sub-divided. Accordingly, since an operation of controlling rotation of the ultrasonic transducer 24 is more finely sub-divided, an overall system may be precisely controlled.

(29) In the 3D ultrasonic probe 10 including the ultrasonic transducer 24 in which the ultrasound transmitting/receiving elements 100 are aligned, a region of the object 2 to be diagnosed is determined according to a rotation angle by which the ultrasonic transducer 24 may pivot. In particular, in an endocavity probe 30 of FIG. 5, since a diagnosis is made in a state where the endocavity probe 30 is inserted into a female patient's vagina or anus, a rotation range of the ultrasonic transducer 24 is an essential factor in determining a diagnosis range of the object 2. A conventional ultrasonic probe using a method of transmitting a rotational force by using a gear, a pulley, and a wire to a driving unit has a maximum rotation angle of 120 due to a structure of the wire and thus may not have a sufficient diagnosis range.

(30) In contrast, referring to FIG. 3, since the rotation axes 340 and 341 of the first and second driving units 200a and 200b are fixed to the both end portions of the ultrasonic transducer 24, a rotation angle of the ultrasonic transducer 24 is not limited by a connection structure that is used to transmit a rotational force that is generated by the first and second driving units 200a and 200b. FIGS. 6A and 6B are views illustrating the 3D ultrasonic probe 10, according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, a rotation axis 350 of a driving unit 200 is formed in a longitudinal direction of the ultrasonic probe 10, and the ultrasonic transducer 24 that is fixed to a bearing 353 that supports the rotation axis 350 rotates about the rotation axis 350 due to a slide unit 361 that is disposed on the bearing 353. In FIGS. 6A and 6B, since the driving unit 200 is disposed to directly drive the rotation axis 350, and thus the ultrasonic transducer 24 may rotate by up to 360 without a limitation of a rotation angle due to a power transmission device of the driving unit 200, the 3D ultrasonic probe 10 may diagnose all regions in the object 2 after being inserted.

(31) While one or more embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the figures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims. Accordingly, the true technical scope of the present invention is defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

(32) The use of the terms a and an and the and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural. Furthermore, recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. Finally, the steps of all methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., such as) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. Numerous modifications and adaptations will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in this art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.