Ultrasound probe with improved thermal management
AssigneeEsaote S.p.A.
InventorsFrancesco Bertocci, Michele Bassani, Ramona De Luca
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Abstract
A transducer assembly operable to transmit ultrasonic energy in a desired direction towards a zone adapted to be acoustically coupled to an object or area of interest is provided that has: a transducer layer; a backing layer disposed behind said transducer layer with respect to the desired direction; a back-matching layer disposed between the transducer layer and the backing layer to reflect towards said transducer layer part of the ultrasonic energy directed from the transducer layer to the backing layer; and a heat transfer layer disposed between the back-matching layer and the backing layer to drain heat from the transducer assembly. A process for manufacturing a transducer assembly is also disclosed.
Claims14
A transducer assembly operable to transmit ultrasonic energy in a desired direction towards a zone adapted to be acoustically coupled to an object or area of interest, the transducer assembly comprising:
- a) a transducer layer;
- b) a backing layer disposed behind said transducer layer with respect to the desired direction;
- c) a back-matching layer disposed between the transducer layer and the backing layer to reflect towards said transducer layer part of the ultrasonic energy directed from the transducer layer to the backing layer;
- d) a heat transfer layer disposed between the back-matching layer and the backing layer to drain heat from the transducer assembly;
- e) wherein the heat transfer layer is bonded or casted on the back-matching layer, or the back-matching layer is bonded or casted on the heat transfer layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.