Magnetostrictive actuator of a medical ultrasound transducer assembly, and a medical ultrasound handpiece and a medical ultrasound system having such actuator

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:

• 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.

A medical ultrasound system comprising;

• 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.