Ultrasound probe wiring method and apparatus

• US 20030153834A1
• Filed: 03/11/2003
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Miller, David G.
• Granted Patent: US 6,952,870 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/459
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4461 Features of the scanning mechanism, e.g. for moving the transducer within the housing of the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4488 the transducer being a phased array
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0622 on one surface
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/118 specially for flexible printed circuits, e.g. using folded portions
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/147 at least one of the printed circuits being bent or folded, e.g. by using a flexible printed circuit H05K1/148 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3405 Edge mounted components, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/42 Piezoelectric device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49147 Assembling terminal to base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49169 Assembling electrical component directly to terminal or elongated conductor

Abstract

Wiring an IC, using flexible circuits, by relating a circuit board to an IC and using traces on the circuit board as a second set of input to the IC. More specifically, a set of first lands on the circuit board are connected to a first set of lands on the IC. The circuit board and IC are positioned so as to present a second set of lands on the circuit board in close proximity to a second set of lands on the IC. A first flex circuit is connected to the second lands on the circuit board while a second flex circuit is connected to the second lands on the IC. The flex circuits may be connected to signal wires or may serve themselves as the main signal wires.

Claims

1. A method of wiring an IC, the method comprising:

electrically connecting first ends of traces on a circuit board to lands on the IC;

connecting a first flex circuit to second ends of electrical traces on the circuit board; and

connecting a second flex circuit to the IC.

2. A method, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

bonding the circuit board to a surface of the IC.

3. A method, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

connecting the IC to a matrix of transducer elements.

4. A method, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

connecting the first and second flex circuits to a plurality of wires.

5. A method as set forth in claim 4, further comprising:

folding an end of the first flex circuit connected to the plurality of wires to reduce width of the connection area.

6. A circuit comprising:

an IC;

a circuit board secured in a fixed relationship to the IC, the circuit board having electrical traces in communication with the IC;

a first flex circuit connected to the circuit board so that leads on the flex circuit are in communication with the IC; and

a second flex circuit connected to the IC, such that leads on the second flex circuit are in communication with the IC.

7. The circuit of claim 6, wherein the circuit board is bonded to the IC.

8. The circuit of claim 6, wherein the first flex circuit and the second flex circuit are connected to a plurality of wires.

10. The circuit of claim 6, further comprising:

a matrix of transducer elements in communication with the IC.

11. An ultrasound probe comprising:

a plurality of transducer elements;

an IC having a first and second set of lands on two different areas thereof, the IC being connected to the plurality of transducer elements via a communication channel there between;

a circuit board bonded to the IC, the circuit board having a first and second set of lands on two different areas thereof, the first set of lands being electrically connected to the second set of lands, wherein the first set of lands is in close proximity to the first set of lands on the IC and the second set of lands being connected to the second set of lands on the IC;

a first flex circuit connected to the first lands of the circuit board so that electrical leads on the flex circuit are in communication with the second set of lands on the IC; and

a second flex circuit connected to the first set of lands on the IC.

12. The ultrasound probe, as set forth in claim 11, wherein the plurality of transducer elements comprises a two-dimensional array of elements.

17. The ultrasound probe, as set forth in claim 11, wherein the first flex circuit is TAB bonded to the first lands of the circuit board.

13. The ultrasound probe, as set forth in claim I1, wherein the first flex circuit comprises:

a first end, having leads with a first density, connected to the first lands of the circuit board; and

a second end divided into branches, wherein in each of the branches has leads with a density less than the first density.

14. The ultrasound probe, as set forth in claim 13, wherein the second end of the first flex circuit is divided into a first outer branch, a second outer branch, and a center branch, and wherein the first outer branch and the second outer branch are folded over the center branch.

15. The ultrasound probe, as set forth in claim 13, wherein the leads of the second end of the first flex circuit are connected to wires.

16. The ultrasound probe, as set forth in claim 13, wherein the leads of the second end of the first flex circuit are soldered to wires.