TWI792644B - Ultrasonic transducer array combination and ultrasonic imaging system thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An ultrasonic transducer array combination includes a casing and first, second, and third linear ultrasonic transducer arrays. The casing includes a first-layer housing, a second-layer housing, and a third-layer housing. The first-layer housing, the second-layer housing, and the third-layer housing are connected to each other in a stacked manner and have first, second, and third mounting surfaces in a z-shaped arrangement, respectively. The first linear transducer array is disposed corresponding to the first mounting surface in the first-layer housing. The second linear transducer array is disposed corresponding to the second mounting surface in the second-layer housing. The third linear transducer array is disposed corresponding to the third mounting surface in the third-layer housing, to make the first, second, and third linear ultrasonic transducer arrays spaced away from each other in the z-shaped arrangement.

Description

Ultrasonic transducer array combination and its ultrasonic imaging system

The present invention relates to an array combination of ultrasonic transducers and its ultrasonic imaging system, in particular to an array combination of ultrasonic transducers and its ultrasonic imaging system which can effectively expand the measurement range.

Ultrasonic waves are widely used in underwater measurements due to their characteristics of not destroying material structures and not harming living organisms. Conventional ultrasonic devices used for wide-angle measurement ranges are composed of a plurality of ultrasonic transducers, and each ultrasonic transducer independently transmits and receives ultrasonic waves. In other words, conventional ultrasonic devices use the measurement ranges of a plurality of ultrasonic transducers to form a wide-angle measurement range. However, when a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are spliced together, a large number of measurement dead angles will be generated between the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, which will affect the accuracy of the measurement results.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic transducer array combination and an ultrasonic imaging system that can effectively expand the measurement range, so as to solve the above-mentioned problems.

According to an embodiment, the ultrasonic transducer array combination of the present invention includes a housing, a first linear transducer array, a second linear transducer array, and a third linear transducer array. The outer casing includes a first-layer shell, a second-layer shell, and a third-layer shell, and the first-layer shell, the second-layer shell, and the third-layer shell are stacked and connected to each other To jointly constitute the housing and respectively have a first setting surface, a second setting surface, and a third setting surface, the first setting surface, the second setting surface, and the third setting surface are in a zipper type Z font arrangement. The first linear transducer array is arranged at a position corresponding to the first installation surface in the first layer casing. The second linear transducer array is set It is placed in the second-layer housing at a position corresponding to the second installation surface. The third linear transducer array is disposed at a position corresponding to the third installation surface in the third layer housing, so as to be separated from the first linear transducer array and the second linear transducer array. connected and together form a zippered zigzag arrangement.

According to another embodiment, the ultrasonic imaging system of the present invention includes an ultrasonic transducer array combination, an ultrasonic controller, and a display. The ultrasonic transducer array combination includes a shell, a first linear transducer array, a second linear transducer array, and a third linear transducer array. The outer casing includes a first-layer shell, a second-layer shell, and a third-layer shell, and the first-layer shell, the second-layer shell, and the third-layer shell are stacked and connected to each other To jointly constitute the housing and respectively have a first setting surface, a second setting surface, and a third setting surface, the first setting surface, the second setting surface, and the third setting surface are in a zipper type Z font arrangement. The first linear transducer array is arranged at a position corresponding to the first installation surface in the first layer casing. The second linear transducer array is arranged in the second layer housing at a position corresponding to the second installation surface. The third linear transducer array is disposed at a position corresponding to the third installation surface in the third layer housing, so as to be separated from the first linear transducer array and the second linear transducer array. connected and together form a zippered zigzag arrangement. The ultrasonic controller is electrically connected to the ultrasonic transducer array combination, and is used to control the first linear transducer array, the second linear transducer array, and the third linear transducer array to perform Ultrasonic measurement. The display is electrically connected to the ultrasonic controller, and is used to receive information from the ultrasonic controller on the first linear transducer array, the second linear transducer array, and the third linear transducer array. The ultrasonic signal transmitted after the ultrasonic measurement is performed to display an ultrasonic measurement image.

In summary, since the present invention uses the first, second and third linear transducer arrays to be respectively arranged in the first, second and third layers of shells that are stacked and connected to each other, they are separated from each other and not connected to each other. And jointly form the layered separation arrangement design of the zipper type zigzag arrangement, so as to produce the wide-angle ultrasonic measurement effect, therefore, the present invention can effectively solve the problem of multiple ultrasonic transducers mentioned in the prior art. When splicing together, there will be a measurement dead angle problem, which greatly improves the ultrasonic measurement range and Accuracy of measurement results.

The advantages and spirit of the present invention can be further understood through the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings.

10: Ultrasonic imaging system

12: Ultrasonic transducer array combination

14: Ultrasonic controller

16: Display

18: Shell

20: The first linear transducer array

22: Second linear transducer array

24: The third linear transducer array

26: The first shell

28: Second shell

30: The third shell

32: The first setting surface

34: The second setting surface

36: The third setting surface

θ1, θ2: included angle

A1: The first measuring range

A2: Second measuring range

A3: The third measuring range

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an ultrasonic imaging system proposed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the combination of ultrasonic transducer arrays in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the internal configuration of the ultrasonic transducer array combination in Fig. 2.

Please refer to Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and Fig. 3. Fig. 1 is a functional block diagram of an ultrasonic imaging system 10 proposed according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a supersonic imaging system in Fig. 1 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the ultrasonic transducer array assembly 12, and Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the internal configuration of the ultrasonic transducer array assembly 12 in Figure 2. The ultrasonic imaging system 10 can be preferably arranged under the bottom of the hull or under the rudder of the ship to measure the existence of underwater objects (such as fish schools or terrain) through ultrasonic reflection, and can also be made into an independent The element can be applied to activities such as ice fishing, but not limited thereto.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the ultrasonic imaging system 10 includes an ultrasonic transducer array assembly 12, an ultrasonic controller 14, and a display 16, and the ultrasonic transducer array assembly 12 includes a housing 18 , a first linear transducer array 20 , a second linear transducer array 22 , and a third linear transducer array 24 . The ultrasonic controller 14 is electrically connected to the ultrasonic transducer array assembly 12 for controlling the first linear transducer array 20, the second linear transducer array 22, and the third linear transducer array 24 Ultrasonic measurement is carried out, and the display 16 is electrically connected to the ultrasonic controller 14 for receiving from the ultrasonic controller 14 in the first linear transducer array 20, the second linear transducer array 22, and the second linear transducer array 22. The ultrasonic signals transmitted by the three linear transducer arrays 24 after the ultrasonic measurement are carried out, and then the relative The corresponding ultrasonic measurement images are used for subsequent ultrasonic measurement applications. It should be noted that phased array (phased array) ultrasonic transducers also belong to the linear ultrasonic transducer array described in the present invention, in addition, for the ultrasonic signal transceiver control design of the above-mentioned ultrasonic controller 14 and The relevant description of the design of the ultrasonic image display of the display 16 is common in the prior art and will not be repeated here.

In more detail, the casing 18 includes a first layer of shell 26, a second layer of shell 28, and a third layer of shell 30, the second layer of shell 28 and the third layer of shell 30 can be preferably Located on the same side of the first layer of housing 26 and stacked with the first layer of housing 26 in order to jointly form a housing 18 with a quadrilateral outline (as shown in Figure 2, but not limited thereto), and respectively It has a first setting surface 32 , a second setting surface 34 , and a third setting surface 36 , wherein the first setting surface 32 , the second setting surface 34 , and the third setting surface 36 are arranged in a zipper type zigzag. The first linear transducer array 20 is arranged in the position corresponding to the first setting surface 32 in the first layer of housing 26 (for example, by sticking on the first setting surface 32, but not limited thereto), the second The linear transducer array 22 is arranged in the position corresponding to the second setting surface 34 in the second layer housing 28 (for example, in a manner of being attached to the second setting surface 34, but not limited thereto), and the third The linear transducer array 24 is arranged in the position corresponding to the third installation surface 36 in the third layer housing 30 (for example, in the manner of being attached to the third installation surface 36, but not limited thereto), whereby, The third linear transducer array 24 can be separated from the first linear transducer array 20 and the second linear transducer array 22 and not connected to each other and jointly form a zipper type zigzag arrangement (as shown in FIG. 3 ).

Furthermore, in this embodiment, there is an angle θ1 between the first linear transducer array 20 and the second linear transducer array 22, and the second linear transducer array 22 and the third linear transducer array There is an included angle θ2 between the transducer arrays 24, and the included angle θ1 and the included angle θ2 can preferably be between 10°-30°. In addition, in this embodiment, the first linear transducer array 20, the second linear transducer array 22, and the third linear transducer array 14 can be used to emit a plurality of ultrasonic waves respectively. signals, and can be used to receive a plurality of reflected signals corresponding to the emitted ultrasonic signals, wherein the first linear transducer array 20 can preferably have at least one first measurement range A1 (in FIG. 3 show two one, but the quantity and scope are not limited thereto), the second linear transducer array 22 can preferably have at least one second measuring range A2 (showing two in the 3rd figure, but quantity and scope is not limited thereto), and the third linear transducer array 24 may preferably have at least one first measurement range A3 (two are shown in the 3rd figure, but the quantity and range are not limited to this ), thus, it can be seen from Figure 3 that the first measurement range A1, the second measurement range A2 and the third measurement range A3 can jointly form a wide-angle measurement range (such as 120°, but not limited thereto) . It should be noted that in the present invention, according to the actual application requirements of the combination of ultrasonic transducer arrays, the number of linear transducer arrays can be correspondingly increased to adjust the required wide-angle measurement range.

Through the above design, for example, the ultrasonic transducer array assembly 12 can be fixed on the hull through the shell 18, and the first setting surface 32 can be adjusted to a position parallel to the horizontal plane, so that the ultrasonic transducer array assembly 12 Underwater ultrasonic measurements can be made for organisms (eg, schools of fish) near the water surface. In practical applications, the user can place the second setting surface 34 horizontally downward, so that the ultrasonic transducer array assembly 12 can provide a symmetrical ultrasonic image range for subsequent fixed-point fishing. In addition, the ultrasonic transducer array combination 12 can be designed as a relatively rotatable structure. The general use state is to detect the underwater image downwards, and the ultrasonic transducer array can be used in the case of chasing fish. The assembly 12 is rotated upward toward the water to bring the first linear transducer array 20 closer to the water. In this way, the ultrasonic transducer array combination 12 can increase the imaging range close to the horizontal plane, so as to perform ultrasonic image measurement for the water area in front of the hull or in the direction of the hull, so as to follow up the fish school.

In summary, since the present invention uses the first, second and third linear transducer arrays to be respectively arranged in the first, second and third layers of shells that are stacked and connected to each other, they are separated from each other and not connected to each other. And jointly form the layered separation arrangement design of the zipper type zigzag arrangement, so as to produce the wide-angle ultrasonic measurement effect, therefore, the present invention can effectively solve the problem of multiple ultrasonic transducers mentioned in the prior art. When they are spliced together, there will be a measurement dead angle problem, which greatly improves the ultrasonic measurement range and the accuracy of the measurement results.

It is worth mentioning that the housing design of the ultrasonic transducer array combination is not limited to that shown in Figure 2 The second layer of casing 28 and the third layer of casing 30 are located on the same side of the first layer of casing 26 and the first installation surface 32 is the implementation of the bottom surface of the first layer of casing 26, so as to improve the linearity of the present invention. In other words, as long as the first, second and third linear transducer arrays can be layered and separated and arranged in a zipper zigzag shell design , which can be used in the present invention. For example, in another embodiment, the second-layer casing 28 and the third-layer casing 30 can be located on the front and rear sides of the first-layer casing 26 respectively, or the first installation surface 32 can be changed to It is the top surface of the first layer of housing 26, and its related description can be deduced with reference to the above-mentioned embodiments, and will not be repeated here. As for which design to adopt, it depends on the actual application of the ultrasonic transducer array combination of the present invention depends.

The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all equivalent changes and modifications made according to the scope of the patent application of the present invention shall fall within the scope of the present invention.

12: Ultrasonic transducer array combination

18: Shell

20: The first linear transducer array

22: Second linear transducer array

24: The third linear transducer array

θ1, θ2: included angle

A1: The first measuring range

A2: Second measuring range

A3: The third measuring range

Claims (20)

An ultrasonic transducer array combination, which includes: a casing, which includes a first-layer casing, a second-layer casing, and a third-layer casing, the first-layer casing, the second-layer casing The casing and the third layer of casing are stacked and connected to each other to jointly constitute the casing and have a first setting surface, a second setting surface, and a third setting surface respectively, the first setting surface, the first setting surface Two setting surfaces, and the third setting surface are arranged in a zipper type zigzag; a first linear transducer array, which is arranged in the first layer of the housing at a position corresponding to the first setting surface; a second linear transducer array A transducer array, which is arranged in the second layer housing at a position corresponding to the second installation surface; and a third linear transducer array, which is arranged in the third layer housing at a position corresponding to the third installation surface , so that the first linear transducer array and the second linear transducer array are separated from each other and not connected to each other, and jointly form a zipper type zigzag arrangement. The ultrasonic transducer array combination as described in Claim 1, wherein the first layer of casing, the second layer of casing, and the third layer of casing are stacked and connected to each other to jointly form the quadrangular outline case. The ultrasonic transducer array combination as described in Claim 1, wherein there is an included angle between the first linear transducer array and the second linear transducer array, and the included angle is between 10° and 30° between. The ultrasonic transducer array combination as described in claim 1, wherein there is an included angle between the second linear transducer array and the third linear transducer array, and the included angle is between 10°~ between 30°. The ultrasonic transducer array combination according to claim 1, wherein the first installation plane is parallel to a horizontal plane. The ultrasonic transducer array combination as claimed in item 1, wherein the second-layer housing and the third-layer housing are located on the same side of the first-layer housing and stacked sequentially with the first-layer housing set up. The ultrasonic transducer array assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second shell and the third shell are respectively located on both sides of the first shell. The ultrasonic transducer array assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first installation surface is a top surface or a bottom surface of the first layer casing. The ultrasonic transducer array combination as described in Claim 1, wherein the first linear transducer array has at least one first measurement range, and the second linear transducer array has at least one second measurement range , the third linear transducer array has at least one third measurement range, and the at least one first measurement range, the at least one second measurement range and the at least one third measurement range jointly form a wide-angle Measurement range. The ultrasonic transducer array combination as described in Claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic transducer array combination is fixed to a ship hull through the casing for underwater ultrasonic measurement. An ultrasonic imaging system, which includes: an ultrasonic transducer array combination, which includes: a shell, which includes a first shell, a second shell, and a third shell, the first The one-layer casing, the second-layer casing, and the third-layer casing are stacked together to form the casing together and have a first setting surface, a second setting surface, and a third setting surface respectively. , the first setting surface, the second setting surface, and the third setting surface are arranged in a zipper type zigzag; a first linear transducer array is arranged in the first layer of the housing corresponding to the first setting surface position; a second linear transducer array, which is arranged in the position corresponding to the second installation surface in the second layer housing; and a third linear transducer array, which is arranged in the third layer shell The position corresponding to the third installation surface in the body is separated from the first linear transducer array and the second linear transducer array and is not connected to each other and jointly forms a zipper type zigzag arrangement; an ultrasonic controller, It is electrically connected to the combination of ultrasonic transducer arrays, and is used to control the first linear transducer array, the second linear transducer array, and the third linear transducer array for ultrasonic measurement ; and a display, which is electrically connected to the ultrasonic controller, and is used to receive data from the ultrasonic controller on the first linear transducer array, the second linear transducer array, and the third linear transducer array. The ultrasonic signal transmitted by the transducer array after the ultrasonic measurement is used to display an ultrasonic measurement image. The ultrasonic imaging system as claimed in item 11, wherein the first shell, the second shell, and the third shell are stacked and connected to each other to jointly form a quadrangular outline the shell. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 11, wherein there is an included angle between the first linear transducer array and the second linear transducer array, and the included angle is between 10° and 30°. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 11, wherein there is an included angle between the second linear transducer array and the third linear transducer array, and the included angle is between 10° and 30°. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 11, wherein the first installation plane is parallel to a horizontal plane. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 11, wherein the second layer casing and the third layer casing are located on the same side of the first layer casing and are stacked sequentially with the first layer casing. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 11, wherein the second shell and the third shell are respectively located on two sides of the first shell. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 11, wherein the first installation surface is a top surface or a bottom surface of the first layer of casing. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 11, wherein the first linear transducer array has at least one first measurement range, the second linear transducer array has at least one second measurement range, and the first linear transducer array has at least one second measurement range. The three linear transducer arrays have at least one third measurement range, and the at least one first measurement range is jointly formed with the at least one second measurement range and the at least one third measurement range into a wide-angle measurement range. The ultrasonic imaging system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the ultrasonic transducer array assembly is fixed on a hull through the casing for underwater ultrasonic measurement.

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