ULTRASOUND TRANSDUCER ARRAY WITH SEPARATED ACOUSTIC AND ELECTRIC MODULE

• US 20170188995A1
• Filed: 01/04/2016
• Published: 07/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Bruestle, Reinhold, Chartrand, David A., Rittenschober, Thomas, Easterbrook, Scott William, Schoenauer, Manuel, Kremsl, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 10,905,398 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4427 Device being portable or laptop-like
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0685 on the back only of piezoelectric elements

Abstract

Systems are provided for the arrangement of decoupled electric and acoustic modules for a transducer array of an ultrasound probe. In one embodiment, the decoupled modules are independently coupled to a flex interconnect, apart from one another, allowing for electric communication between all modules through the flex interconnect. As one example, an ultrasound transducer array for an ultrasound probe comprises an acoustic backing, a flex interconnect coupled to the backing at a first surface of the flex interconnect, a matrix acoustic array coupled to a second surface of the flex interconnect, the second surface opposite the first surface, and an electric module coupled to the second surface of the flex interconnect at a location spaced away from where the matrix acoustic array is coupled to the flex interconnect.

Claims

1. An ultrasound transducer array for an ultrasound probe, comprising:

an acoustic backing;

a flex interconnect coupled to the backing at a first surface of the flex interconnect;

a matrix acoustic array coupled to a second surface of the flex interconnect, the second surface opposite the first surface; and

an electric module coupled to the second surface of the flex interconnect at a location spaced away from where the matrix acoustic array is coupled to the flex interconnect.

2. The ultrasound transducer array of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound transducer array is an only module array of the probe and wherein the acoustic backing is a single acoustic backing and the flex interconnect is a single flex interconnect of the ultrasound transducer array.

3. The ultrasound transducer array of claim 1, wherein the flex interconnect includes a top side connected between a first side and second side of the flex interconnect.

4. The ultrasound transducer array of claim 1, wherein each of the first side and second side are arranged parallel to one another and perpendicular to the top side.

5. The ultrasound transducer array of claim 4, wherein the electric module is coupled to one of the first side and the second side and the matrix acoustic array is coupled to the top side.

6. The ultrasound transducer array of claim 4, wherein the matrix acoustic array is planar and coupled to the second surface of the top side of the flex interconnect.

7. The ultrasound transducer array of claim 3, wherein each of the first side and second side are arranged parallel to one another and perpendicular to a plane arranged normal to the top side, wherein the matrix acoustic array is curved and coupled to the second surface of the top side of the flex interconnect, wherein the top side of the flex interconnect is curved along with the curved matrix acoustic array, and wherein the first side and second side of the flex interconnect are planar.

8. The ultrasound transducer array of claim 3, wherein the electric module comprises two or more ASICs coupled along the first side or second side of the flex interconnect and spaced apart from one another along the flex interconnect.

9. The ultrasound transducer array of claim 8, wherein the acoustic backing is coupled to only the top side of the flex interconnect and further comprising a first heat sink coupled directly to the acoustic backing.

10. The ultrasound transducer array of claim 9, further comprising two or more second heat sinks coupled to the second surface of the flex interconnect, each of the two or more second heat sinks positioned opposite to and adjacent each of the two or more ASICs, where the first heat sink is separated from each of the two or more second heat sinks.

11. The ultrasound transducer array of claim 1, further comprising a circuit board and a secondary flex interconnect coupled between the flex interconnect and the circuit board.

12. The ultrasound transducer of claim 11, further comprising a coaxial probe cable electrically coupled to the circuit board.

13. The ultrasound transducer array of claim 1, wherein the matrix acoustic array has a first pitch and the electric module has a second pitch, the first pitch different than the second pitch.

14. The ultrasound transducer of claim 1, further comprising an interposer flex positioned between the matrix acoustic array and the second surface of the flex interconnect, where the interposer flex electrically couples the matrix acoustic array to the flex interconnect.

15. An ultrasound transducer array for an ultrasound probe, comprising:

a single base unit comprising an acoustic backing and heat sink;

a single primary flex interconnect coupled to the acoustic backing and electrically coupled to a circuit board;

at least two ASICs individually coupled to a first surface of the flex interconnect; and

a single matrix acoustic array disposed on the first surface of the flex interconnect and spaced away from the one or more ASICs, the matrix acoustic array comprising a plurality of acoustic stack elements.

16. The ultrasound transducer array of claim 15, wherein the primary flex interconnect comprises a first side parallel to a second side and perpendicular to a top side of the primary flex interconnect, and curved portions between the first side and top side and between the top side and second side.

17. The ultrasound transducer of claim 16, wherein each ASIC of the at least two ASICs is coupled to one of the first side and second side of the top side of the primary flex interconnect through an interposer flex that electrically couples the matrix acoustic array to the primary flex interconnect.

18. The ultrasound transducer of claim 16, wherein the circuit board includes two circuit boards and wherein the primary flex interconnect is electrically coupled to the two circuit boards through two secondary flex interconnects, where a first end of each of the two secondary flex interconnects is coupled to one of the first side and second side of the primary flex interconnect and a second end of each of the two secondary flex interconnects is coupled to one of the two circuit boards and further comprising a coaxial probe cable coupled to each of the two circuit boards.

19. The ultrasound transducer of claim 16, wherein the circuit board includes two circuit boards and wherein the primary flex interconnect is electrically coupled to the two circuit boards through a single secondary flex interconnect, where a first end of the secondary flex interconnect is coupled to each of the first side and second side of the primary flex interconnect and a second end of the secondary flex interconnect is coupled to each of the two circuit boards and further comprising a coaxial probe cable coupled to each of the two circuit boards.

20. An ultrasound transducer probe having a single module, comprising:

a single base unit comprising an acoustic backing and an acoustic heat sink coupled to the acoustic backing;

a single primary flex interconnect coupled to the acoustic backing;

one or more ASICs individually coupled to a first surface of the flex interconnect;

a single matrix acoustic array disposed on the first surface of the flex interconnect and spaced away from the one or more ASICs, the matrix acoustic array comprising a plurality of acoustic stack elements;

a secondary flex interconnect coupled to the primary flex interconnect and at least two circuit boards; and

a coaxial probe cable coupled to the at least two circuit boards.