Magnetostrictive actuator of a medical ultrasound transducer assembly, and a medical ultrasound handpiece and a medical ultrasound system having such actuator
First Claim
1. Apparatus comprising:
- a magnetostrictive actuator of a medical ultrasound transducer assembly that has an end effector and a central longitudinal axis through the end effector, the magnetostrictive actuator having a first end and a second end, and further comprising an end mass, that has magnetostrictive properties or is a soft magnetic collector, acoustically connected to at least one of the first and second ends of the magnetostrictive actuator;
wherein the magnetostrictive actuator comprises;
an elongated magnetostrictive alloy substantially coaxially alignable with the longitudinal axis of the medical ultrasound transducer assembly,wherein the magnetostrictive alloy is coupleable to the end effector to provide the end effector with a longitudinal, standing wave vibration amplitude at its distal antinode tip equal to substantially the vibrational amplitude of the magnetostrictive actuator.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus includes a magnetostrictive actuator of a medical ultrasound transducer assembly. The actuator comprises a magnetostrictive alloy chosen from a list. A medical ultrasound handpiece includes an ultrasound transducer assembly adapted to attachingly receive an end effector. The transducer assembly includes a magnetostrictive actuator having a magnetostrictive alloy, and includes a first coil surrounding the actuator and adapted to excite the actuator to substantially a desired medical resonant frequency and substantially a desired medical amplitude. A medical ultrasound system includes a handpiece housing, a first medical ultrasound transducer assembly, and a first medical end effector attachable to the first transducer assembly. The first transducer assembly includes a magnetostrictive first actuator having a first magnetostrictive alloy. At least a portion of the first transducer assembly is attachingly insertable in the handpiece housing without the use of tools, without damaging the handpiece housing, and without damaging the first transducer assembly.
615 Citations
26 Claims
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1. Apparatus comprising:
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a magnetostrictive actuator of a medical ultrasound transducer assembly that has an end effector and a central longitudinal axis through the end effector, the magnetostrictive actuator having a first end and a second end, and further comprising an end mass, that has magnetostrictive properties or is a soft magnetic collector, acoustically connected to at least one of the first and second ends of the magnetostrictive actuator;
wherein the magnetostrictive actuator comprises;an elongated magnetostrictive alloy substantially coaxially alignable with the longitudinal axis of the medical ultrasound transducer assembly, wherein the magnetostrictive alloy is coupleable to the end effector to provide the end effector with a longitudinal, standing wave vibration amplitude at its distal antinode tip equal to substantially the vibrational amplitude of the magnetostrictive actuator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 23, 24, 26)
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6. A medical ultrasound handpiece comprising a medical ultrasound transducer assembly adapted to attachingly receive an ultrasonically-driven medical end effector, wherein the transducer assembly includes:
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a central longitudinal axis, an elongated magnetostrictive actuator substantially coaxially aligned with the longitudinal axis and comprising a magnetostrictive alloy, a first coil substantially coaxially aligned with the longitudinal axis, surrounding the actuator, and adapted to excite the actuator to substantially a desired medical resonant frequency and substantially a desired medical amplitude, and wherein the transducer assembly includes one or more permanent magnets substantially coaxially aligned with the longitudinal axis, surrounding at least the actuator, and adapted to create a bias magnetic field for a desired operating point on a strain versus magnetic field graph of the magnetostrictive alloy; wherein the magnetostrictive alloy is chosen from the group consisting of an alloy comprising iron and gallium, an alloy comprising iron and aluminum, an alloy comprising iron, gallium and aluminum, an alloy comprising cobalt, manganese and gallium, an alloy comprising nickel, manganese and gallium, an alloy comprising cobalt, manganese and aluminum, an alloy comprising nickel, manganese and aluminum, an alloy comprising cobalt, nickel, manganese and gallium, an alloy comprising cobalt, nickel, manganese and aluminum, an alloy comprising cobalt, manganese, gallium and aluminum, an alloy comprising nickel, manganese, gallium, and aluminum, and an alloy comprising cobalt, nickel, manganese, aluminum and gallium. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 25)
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19. A medical ultrasound system comprising;
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a handpiece housing, a first medical ultrasound transducer assembly, and an ultrasonically-driven first medical end effector attachable to the first medical ultrasound transducer assembly, wherein the first medical ultrasound transducer assembly includes; a first central longitudinal axis; and an elongated magnetostrictive first actuator substantially coaxially aligned with the longitudinal axis and comprising a first magnetostrictive alloy, the magnetostrictive actuator having a first end and a second end, and further comprising an end mass, that has magnetostrictive properties or is a soft magnetic collector, acoustically connected to at least one of the first and second ends of the magnetostrictive actuator; wherein the magnetostrictive actuator has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end if coupleable to the end effector and the second end is acoustically connected to an end mass that has magnetostrictive properties or is a soft magnetic collector; wherein at least a portion of the first medical ultrasound transducer assembly is attachingly insertable in the handpiece housing without the use of tools, without damage to the handpiece housing, and without damage to the first medical ultrasound transducer assembly, and wherein the first magnetostrictive alloy is chosen from the group consisting of an alloy comprising iron and gallium, an alloy comprising iron and aluminum, an alloy comprising iron, gallium and aluminum, an alloy comprising cobalt, manganese and gallium, an alloy comprising nickel, manganese and gallium, an alloy comprising cobalt, manganese and aluminum, an alloy comprising nickel, manganese and aluminum, an alloy comprising cobalt, nickel, manganese and gallium, an alloy comprising cobalt, nickel, manganese and aluminum, an alloy comprising cobalt, manganese, gallium and aluminum, an alloy comprising nickel, manganese, gallium, and aluminum, and an alloy comprising cobalt, nickel, manganese, aluminum and gallium. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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Specification