Transducer assembly with z-axis interconnect

• US 7,622,848 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2006
• Issued: 11/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Lee, Warren, Baumgartner, Charles Edward, Wildes, Douglas Glenn, Lewandowski, Robert Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Dougherty; Thomas M
• Application Number:
  US11/327,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20070157732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: 310/322, 310/334, 310/366
• US Class Current: 310/334
• 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 8/445 Details of catheter construction
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0629 Square array
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/002 Devices for damping, suppressing, obstructing or conducting sound in acoustic devices G10K1/06 - G10K1/10 take precedence; for electro-mechanical transducers for communication H04R3/002
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/34 using electrical steering of transducer arrays, e.g. beam steering constructional aspects B06B1/0607, B06B1/085

Abstract

A composite structure of a z-axis interconnect is presented. The composite structure includes a plurality of layers of backing material alternatingly arranged between a plurality of interconnect layers, where the plurality of interconnect layers is configured to facilitate coupling the composite structure of the z-axis interconnect to a transducer array, where the composite structure of z-axis interconnect is configured for use in an invasive probe.

Claims

1. A transducer assembly, comprising:

a composite structure of a z-axis interconnect; and

a transducer array disposed proximate the composite structure of the z-axis interconnect, wherein the transducer array comprises one or more transducer elements disposed in an array, and wherein the transducer array is in operative association with the composite structure of the z-axis interconnect,

wherein the transducer assembly is configured for use in an invasive probe.

2. The transducer assembly of claim 1, wherein the invasive probe comprises an imaging catheter, an endoscope, a laparoscope, a surgical probe, a transvaginal probe, a transrectal probe, an intracavity probe, or a probe adapted for interventional procedures.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the composite structure of the z-axis interconnect comprises a plurality of layers of backing material alternatingly arranged between a plurality of interconnect layers, and wherein the plurality of interconnect layers are configured to facilitate coupling the composite structure of z-axis interconnect to the transducer array.

4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the plurality of layers of backing material and the plurality of interconnect layers are bonded to form the composite structure having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is configured to facilitate coupling the composite structure to a transducer array having one or more transducer elements and the second end is configured to facilitate coupling the composite structure to a cable assembly or electronics.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the transducer array comprises a lead zirconate titanate array, a micromachined ultrasound array or combinations thereof.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly comprises one of a forward viewing transducer assembly for use in a forward viewing probe, a side viewing transducer assembly for use in a side viewing probe, or an oblique viewing transducer assembly for use in an oblique viewing probe.

7. The assembly of claim 4, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the first end of the composite structure is different from the cross-sectional shape of the second end.

8. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the plurality of layers of backing material and the plurality of interconnect layers are disposed to form a predetermined shape of the composite structure.

9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the predetermined shape of the composite structure comprises a square, a rectangle, an octagon, a circle, a rhombus, a triangle or combinations thereof.

10. The assembly of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of interconnect layers comprises a flexible interconnect layer.

11. The assembly, of claim 10, wherein the flexible interconnect layer comprises at least one conductive element disposed on a flexible substrate having a top side and a bottom side, and wherein the at least one conductive element is configured to facilitate coupling the composite structure to a respective transducer element on a transducer array.

12. The assembly of claim 11, wherein a pitch of conductive elements on an end of the composite structure is configured to match a pitch of the transducer elements on the transducer array.

13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein a pitch of conductive traces on a first end of the composite structure is different from a pitch of conductive traces on a second end of the composite structure, and wherein the pitch of the conductive elements on the second end is configured to match a spacing of connecting elements of a cable assembly or electronics.

14. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the flexible interconnect layers are staggered to facilitate coupling the composite structure to associated cabling or electronics.

15. A transducer assembly, comprising:

a composite structure of a z-axis interconnect comprising a plurality of layers of backing material alternatingly arranged between a plurality of interconnect layers, wherein the plurality of interconnect layers is configured to facilitate coupling the composite structure of the z-axis interconnect to a transducer array; and

a transducer array disposed proximate the composite structure of the z-axis interconnect, wherein the transducer array comprises one or more transducer elements disposed in an array, and wherein the transducer array is in operative association with the composite structure of the z-axis interconnect,

wherein the composite structure of a z-axis interconnect and the transducer assembly are configured for use in an invasive probe.

16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the plurality of layers of backing material and the plurality of interconnect layers are bonded to form the composite structure having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is configured to facilitate coupling the composite structure to a transducer array having one or more transducer elements and the second end is configured to facilitate coupling the composite structure to a cable assembly or electronics.

17. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the transducer array comprises a lead zirconate titanate array, a micromachined ultrasound array or combinations thereof.

18. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the assembly comprises one of a forward viewing transducer assembly for use in a forward viewing probe, a side viewing transducer assembly for use in a side viewing probe, or an oblique viewing transducer assembly for use in an oblique viewing probe.