ULTRASOUND TRANSDUCER WITH SEALED, ACTIVE COOLING

• US 20160242747A1
• Filed: 02/24/2015
• Published: 08/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FUJIFILM SonoSite, Inc. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: FUJIFILM SonoSite, Inc. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Siedenburg, Clinton T., Stice, John R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,117,642 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4444 related to the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4472 Wireless probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/546 involving monitoring or regulation of device temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/5208 with integration of processing functions inside probe or scanhead

Abstract

A scan head for an ultrasound imaging device has a body that encloses a number of ultrasound transducers and controlling electronics. The electronics are sealed in the body of the scan head. The scan head has a fan that is configured to remove heat caused by the operation of the electronics. The motor is magnetically controlled and has controlling electronics that are sealed in the body of the scan head. In one embodiment, an airflow channel surrounds the electronics in the scan head and the fan is configured to move air through the airflow channel. In another embodiment, the electronics are thermally coupled to a heat exchanger heat via a conductive substrate and the fan is configured to move air over the heat exchanger.

Claims

1. A scan head for an ultrasound imaging system, comprising:

a scan head body;

a number of transducer elements disposed within the scan head body;

a number of electronic components that are electrically coupled to the transducer elements;

wherein the electronic components are hermetically sealed within the body of the scan head and the scan head further includes

a magnetically controlled fan having motor controlling electronics that are sealed within the body of the scan head and a rotor with a number of fan blades is configured to be moved by the motor controlling electronics in order to remove heat generated by the electronic components that are sealed within the body of the scan head.

2. The scan head of claim 1, wherein the scan head body includes an air gap between the electronics and the scan head body and the fan is configured to move air through the air gap.

3. The scan head of claim 1, wherein the electronic components are connected to a heat conductive substrate and the scan head further includes a heat exchanger thermally coupled to the heat conductive substrate, wherein the fan is configured remove heat from the heat exchanger.

4. The scan head of claim 1, wherein the rotor of the fan is removable from the scan head.

5. The scan head of claim 1, wherein the scan head is submersible in a cleaning fluid.

6. The scan head of claim 5, wherein the rotor is configured to be moved by the motor control electronics to move the cleaning fluid in order to clean the rotor.

7. A scan head for an ultrasound imaging system, comprising:

a scan head body;

a heat conductive printed circuit board;

a number of transducer elements disposed within the scan head body;

a number of electronic components that are thermally coupled to the heat conductive printed circuit and are hermetically sealed within the body of the scan head;

wherein the scan head further includes

a magnetically controlled fan positioned on the heat conductive printed circuit board and motor control electronics that are sealed within the body of the scan head, wherein the fan includes a rotor with a number of fan blades that are configured to be moved by the motor control electronics in order to remove heat generated by the electronic components.

8. The scan head of claim 7, further comprising a heat exchanger thermally coupled to the heat conductive printed circuit board, wherein the fan is configured to direct air over the heat exchanger.