ULTRASONIC THERAPY DEVICE USING HIFU AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20190314646A1
• Filed: 06/28/2016
• Published: 10/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sogang University Research Foundation
• Original Assignee: Sogang University Research Foundation
• Inventors: SONG, Tai-Kyong, KIM, Pilsu, PARK, Jiwon, BAE, Sua
• Granted Patent: US 11,406,848 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0078 with multiple treatment transducers
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0095 by modifying an excitation signal
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/00 Ultrasound therapy lithotripsy A61B17/22, A61B17/225; massage using supersonic vibration A61H23/00 ; using ultrasound for introducing media into the body A61M37/0092
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/02 Localised ultrasound hyperthermia hyperthermia in general A61F7/00

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an ultrasound therapy device using high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and a control method thereof. The ultrasound therapy device comprises: an array type HIFU converter having a plurality of HIFU conversion elements; and a control unit for performing a control to treat tissues in a focusing area by selecting and driving some of the HIFU conversion elements of the array type HIFU converter and irradiating ultrasound signals to an object through the driven active conversion elements to generate heat energy, wherein, after an elapse of a predetermined time period, the control unit drives a combination of other conversion elements as new active conversion elements in replacement of the active conversion elements.

Claims

1. An ultrasound therapy device, comprising:

an array type high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) converter having a plurality of HIFU conversion elements; and

a control unit which performs control to treat tissues in a focusing area by selecting and driving some of the conversion elements of the array type HIFU converter and irradiating ultrasound signals to an object through the driven active conversion elements to generate heat energy,

wherein, after an elapse of a predetermined time period, the control unit drives conversion elements selected for a different combination of conversion elements as new active conversion elements in replacement of the active conversion elements.

2. The ultrasound therapy device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes a combination of conversion elements that constitute active conversion elements over time, and beam focusing through the conversion elements included in the combination before the change and beam focusing through the conversion elements included in the combination after the change have a same location of main lobe and different locations of grating lobe.

3. The ultrasound therapy device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a storage unit which generates and pre-stores a plurality of combinations of conversion elements having a same location of main lobe and different locations of grating lobe,

wherein the control unit reads the combinations of conversion elements stored in the storage unit in a sequential order, and makes replacement and drives as active conversion elements at a predetermined time interval.

4. The ultrasound therapy device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes a combination of conversion elements that constitute active conversion elements for varying distances between conversion elements from a center of the array type HIFU converter over time.

5. The ultrasound therapy device according to claim 1, wherein the active conversion elements are selected from conversion elements arranged randomly on the array type HIFU converter, or arranged forming a sparse array, a Fermat'"'"'s spiral or a concentric ring, or arranged symmetrically with respect to one reference axis.

6. An ultrasound therapy method, comprising:

(a) selecting and driving some conversion elements from an array type high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) converter having a plurality of HIFU conversion elements;

(b) treating tissues in a focusing area by irradiating ultrasound signals to an object through the driven active conversion elements to generate heat energy;

(c) after an elapse of a predetermined time period, selecting conversion elements for a different combination of conversion elements and driving as new active conversion elements in replacement of the active conversion elements; and

(d) treating the tissues in the focusing area using the driven new active conversion elements.

7. The ultrasound therapy method according to claim 6, wherein the step (c) comprises:

selecting new active conversion elements by changing a combination of conversion elements that constitute active conversion elements; and

stopping the operation of the existing active conversion elements, and driving the new active conversion elements,

wherein beam focusing through the conversion elements included in the combination before the change and beam focusing through the conversion elements included in the combination after the change have a same location of main lobe and different locations of grating lobe.

8. The ultrasound therapy method according to claim 7, further comprising:

generating and pre-storing a plurality of combinations of conversion elements having a same location of main lobe and different locations of grating lobe,

wherein the step (c) comprises reading the pre-stored combinations of conversion elements in a sequential order and making replacement and driving as active conversion elements at a predetermined time interval.

9. The ultrasound therapy method according to claim 6, wherein the step (c) comprises changing a combination of conversion elements that constitute active conversion elements for varying distances between conversion elements from a center of the array type HIFU converter over time.

10. The ultrasound therapy method according to claim 6, wherein the active conversion elements selected through the step (a) and the step (c) are selected from conversion elements arranged randomly on the array type HIFU converter, or arranged forming a sparse array, a Fermat'"'"'s spiral or a concentric ring, or arranged symmetrically with respect to one reference axis.

11. An ultrasound therapy device, comprising:

an array type high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) converter having a plurality of HIFU conversion elements;

a control unit which performs control to treat tissues in a focusing area by driving the conversion elements of the array type HIFU converter and irradiating ultrasound signals to an object to generate heat energy; and

a rotation unit which rotates the array type HIFU converter while maintaining a plane facing the object.

12. The ultrasound therapy device according to claim 11, wherein the rotation unit rotates the array type HIFU converter around a center of the array type HIFU converter to continuously change a location of grating lobe over time.

13. The ultrasound therapy device according to claim 11, wherein when the focusing area formed by beam focusing is disposed on a rotation axis of the rotation unit, the control unit fixes a location of main lobe to the object to be treated without change in beam focusing signal irrespective of rotation of the array type HIFU converter.

14. The ultrasound therapy device according to claim 11, wherein when the focusing area formed by beam focusing is not disposed on a rotation axis of the rotation unit, the control unit controls the beam focusing signals of each of the conversion elements of the array type HIFU converter such that a main lobe changing in focusing position with the rotation of the array type HIFU converter is disposed in the object to be treated.

15. The ultrasound therapy device according to claim 11, wherein the conversion elements are arranged randomly on the array type HIFU converter, or arranged forming a sparse array, a Fermat'"'"'s spiral or a concentric ring, or arranged symmetrically with respect to one reference axis.

16. The ultrasound therapy device according to claim 11, wherein the control unit drives all or some of the conversion elements of the array type HIFU converter, and performs control such that when some conversion elements are driven, the focusing area formed by beam focusing implemented by the driven conversion elements is disposed on the rotation axis of the rotation unit.

17. An ultrasound therapy method, comprising:

(a) treating tissues in a focusing area by driving conversion elements of an array type high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) converter having a plurality of HIFU conversion elements and irradiating ultrasound signals to an object to generate heat energy; and

(b) rotating the array type HIFU converter while maintaining a plane facing the object to continuously change a location of grating lobe over time.

18. The ultrasound therapy method according to claim 17, wherein when the focusing area formed by beam focusing is disposed on a rotation axis of the rotation unit, the step (b) comprises fixing a location of main lobe to the object to be treated without change in beam focusing signal irrespective of rotation of the array type HIFU converter.

19. The ultrasound therapy method according to claim 17, wherein when the focusing area formed by beam focusing is not disposed on a rotation axis of the rotation unit, the step (b) comprises controlling the beam focusing signals of each of the conversion elements of the array type HIFU converter such that a main lobe changing in focusing position with the rotation of the array type HIFU converter is disposed in the object to be treated.

20. The ultrasound therapy method according to claim 17, wherein when some of the conversion elements are driven through the step (a), the step (b) includes performing control such that the focusing area formed by beam focusing implemented by the driven conversion elements is disposed on a rotation axis of the rotation unit.