# US 12,365,007 B2 · Ultrasound transducer for medical applications > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,365,007 B2 - Document ID: US12365007B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/263,814 - Filed: 2021-02-01 - Published: 2024-03-21 - Granted: 2025-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2021-02-01 - Assignees: Sonogen Medical, Inc. - Applicants: Sonogen Medical, Inc.; Alan Winder; Robert Muratore - Inventors: Alan Winder; Robert Muratore - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12365007B2 ## CPC - A61B 8/4444: {related to the probe} - B06B 1/0223: {for generating signals continuous in time} - A61B 8/0875: {for diagnosis of bone} - 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}) - B06B 1/0607: {using multiple elements (B06B1/064 and B06B1/0688 take precedence)} - A61B 8/4281: {characterised by sound-transmitting media or devices for coupling the transducer to the tissue} - A61N 2007/0004: {Applications of ultrasound therapy} - A61N 2007/0013: {Fracture healing} - A61N 2007/0017: {Wound healing} - A61N 2007/0056: {Beam shaping elements} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - B06B: METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OF INFRASONIC, SONIC, OR ULTRASONIC FREQUENCY, {e.g.} FOR PERFORMING MECHANICAL WORK IN GENERAL (for particular applications, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. B07B1/40, B23Q17/12, B24B31/06; measurement of mechanical vibrations G01H; in direction finding, locating, distance or velocity measuring G01S; {generating seismic energy G01V1/02}; control of mechanical vibrations in general G05D; sound-producing devices, e.g. bells, sirens, whistles G10K, {e.g. methods or devices for transmitting, conducting, or directing sound in general G10K11/00}; generation of electrical oscillations H03B; electromechanical resonators in general H03H; electromechanical transducers {for communication techniques, e.g. microphones, speakers} H04R) - A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B) ## Abstract An ultrasound transducer assembly includes a housing; a wedge-shaped acoustic modal convertor (AMC) in the housing with a first surface exposed by an opening in the housing, and a second surface that meets the first surface at a tip located in the housing, and extends from the tip at an angle into the housing, wherein the second surface has a recessed portion formed therein, wherein the second surface of the AMC is oriented at a specific oblique angle to the first surface of the AMC; and a piezoelectric ultrasound transducer disposed in the recessed portion of the second surface of the AMC, wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound transducer is connected to an electrically tuned circuit that resonates at a specific frequency and has a finite bandwidth. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An ultrasound transducer assembly, comprising: a housing; a wedge-shaped acoustic modal convertor (AMC) in the housing with a first surface exposed by an opening in the housing, and a second surface that meets the first surface at a tip located in the housing, and extends from the tip at an angle into the housing, wherein the second surface has a recessed portion formed therein, wherein the second surface of the AMC is oriented at a specific oblique angle to the first surface of the AMC; and a piezoelectric ultrasound transducer disposed in the recessed portion of the second surface of the AMC, wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound transducer is connected to an electrically tuned circuit that resonates at a specific frequency and has a finite bandwidth, wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound transducer includes a back surface that is electroded with a metal plating in a uniform or elliptical pattern, that protrudes from the recessed portion and that is loaded with a material that controls a forward scattering amplitude and absorption cross-section, and a front surface inside the recessed portion that is also electroded, wherein said front surface establishes a ground plane and includes a matching layer over the ground plane of one or more materials, and wherein a tuned piezoelectric ultrasound transducer transmits oblique acoustic waves of an electrical signal designed for bone fracture healing. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 1, wherein said piezoelectric ultrasound transducer transmits acoustic waves at a resonant center frequency from 0.1 MHz to 10 MHz. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 2, wherein said piezoelectric ultrasound transducer transmits acoustic waves at a frequency from 0.5 MHz to 2 MHz. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 1, wherein said piezoelectric ultrasound transducer transmits acoustic waves for bone fracture healing at 1 MHz with a spatial average temporal average intensity of 30-60 mW/cm2, a pulsewidth of 0.1-10 milliseconds, a duty cycle of 10-50%, and a pulse repetition frequency equal to or less than 10 KHz. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound transducer further includes one or more of a family of piezoelectric elements. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 5, wherein the family of piezoelectric elements includes PZT-4, PZT-5H, PZT-7H and PZT-8. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 1, wherein a composition of the AMC includes a silicone rubber polymer and a thin-film silicone primer that bonds the silicone rubber polymer to non-silicone surfaces. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 7, wherein the silicone rubber polymer includes one of RTV-60, RTV-31, RTV-88, RTV-511, RTV-560, or RTV-577, and the thin-film silicone primer includes one of SS4004P or SS4155. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 7, wherein the silicone rubber polymer indicates a specific critical angle based upon the silicone rubber polymer's longitudinal and shear velocity based on Snell's Law and generates maximum shear waves in bone tissue. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 9, wherein the maximum shear waves have a beam-nonuniformity ratio (BNR) of less than or equal to 6.0 for medical ultrasound applications. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 10, wherein the maximum shear waves have a beam-nonuniformity ratio (BNR) of less than or equal to 5.0 for medical ultrasound applications. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 9, wherein the maximum shear waves have a beam-nonuniformity ratio (Rbn) of less than or equal to 4.0 for medical ultrasound applications. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 12, wherein the maximum shear waves have a beam-nonuniformity ratio (Rbn) of less than or equal to 3.0 for medical ultrasound applications. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 9, wherein the maximum shear waves produce a Mechanical Index (MI) of less than or equal to 0.5 with 24V pp input into the piezoelectric ultrasound transducer at 1 MHz frequency. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 14, wherein the maximum shear waves produce a Mechanical Index (MI) of less than or equal to 0.2 with 24V pp input into the piezoelectric ultrasound transducer at 1 MHz frequency. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric ultrasound transducer includes an elliptical electrode pattern on the front face thereof that creates a circular effective radiating area in an oblique plane at an angle based on a major and a minor axes and eccentricity of the ellipse and increases a spatial-temporal measurement accuracy at that angle. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 1, wherein the tuned circuit is part of an output stage of a high efficiency transmitter power switching amplifier. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 13, wherein the power switching amplifier includes one of a Class D, a Class E or a Class F configuration. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 1, further comprising a gel sensor that will partially reside in a micro-controller unit (MCU) and a processing circuit incorporated into the housing of the piezoelectric ultrasound transducer that samples an amplitude and phase coherence at a surface of an AMC/skin interface and senses air bubbles in a coupling of the first surface of the AMC to biological tissue that indicates a non-transmission. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The ultrasound transducer assembly of claim 1, further comprising an external test meter that integrates a sum of the spatial acoustic beam orientation of the piezoelectric ultrasound transducer with a conjugate surface of an externally applied AMC whose output is normalized and sent to a test meter to determine a total transmitted rms power.