KR20250136495A - Multi-focus ultrasonic generator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multi-focus type ultrasonic generator, comprising: an ultrasonic generating casing; an ultrasonic transducer mounted on the ultrasonic generating casing and irradiating ultrasonic waves toward one surface of the ultrasonic generating casing; and a multi-focus lens mounted on one surface of the ultrasonic generating casing and forming at least two ultrasonic foci having different arrival locations within the skin from the ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic transducer, thereby irradiating the skin with a plurality of ultrasonic foci having different arrival locations within the skin, thereby significantly shortening the treatment time and improving the treatment efficiency and effect.

Description

Multi-focus ultrasonic generator {MULTI-FOCUS ULTRASONIC GENERATOR}

The present invention relates to a multi-focus type ultrasonic generator, and more specifically, to a multi-focus type ultrasonic generator that irradiates a plurality of ultrasonic waves with different focus depths onto the skin.

Just as when sunlight is focused on one spot with a convex lens, heat is generated at the focal point, when high-intensity ultrasonic energy is focused on one spot, high heat of about 65 to 100℃ is generated at the focal point.

The device that uses the heat generated by focused ultrasound to burn and remove (coagulative necrosis) specific subcutaneous tissues such as tumors within the skin is a high-intensity focused ultrasound surgical device, and the device that uses the heat generated by focused ultrasound to induce degeneration and regeneration of skin tissues to produce skin beauty or cosmetic effects such as wrinkle improvement is a miniaturized high-intensity focused ultrasound device known as "Ulthera."

This high-intensity focused ultrasound device includes a main body that supplies power for generating ultrasound and generates a control signal according to the operator's operation, and a handpiece that is connected to the main body via a connection cable and is held by the operator's hand and comes into contact with the skin to generate ultrasound.

Meanwhile, a handpiece for generating ultrasound using high-intensity focused ultrasound is configured to include an ultrasound generating cartridge including an ultrasound generating unit and a main body casing in which the ultrasound generating cartridge is detachably mounted and connected to a control main body.

Ultrasonic cartridges are replaced periodically because the ultrasonic generator has a limited number of uses.

The ultrasonic cartridge is filled with a liquid medium, an ultrasonic generator is positioned within the liquid medium, and a window for transmitting ultrasonic waves is provided at the bottom.

The handpiece for generating ultrasound using high-intensity focused ultrasound performs treatment by generating high-intensity focused ultrasound while moving the ultrasound generating unit with a mobile device within the ultrasound generating cartridge.

That is, the practitioner operates the ultrasound generator while placing the window of the ultrasound generating cartridge in contact with the patient's skin and simultaneously moves the ultrasound generator back and forth with a moving device to perform the ultrasound treatment.

In addition, the ultrasonic transducer of the conventional ultrasonic generating cartridge is formed with a piezoelectric element (PZT) in a hemispherical shape, so that the center of the hemisphere becomes the physical focus area, and with this structure, the location of the focus is limited to the center of the hemisphere.

Conventional cartridges for generating ultrasound simply move the ultrasound generator back and forth in a straight line, but they only position the focus of the ultrasound at a certain depth, which has the problem of not being able to adjust the depth of focus according to the patient's skin.

That is, since conventional ultrasound generating cartridges perform treatment by positioning the focus of ultrasound only at a fixed depth, there is a problem in that, in the case of patients who do not have an average skin layer thickness, the focus of ultrasound cannot be positioned at the skin layer where the treatment should be performed, making it difficult to obtain the treatment effect.

In addition, conventional ultrasound generating cartridges transmit ultrasound to the skin only with a single focus having a single ultrasound intensity, so when a treatment is required by irradiating a focus at a different depth within the skin, the ultrasound generating cartridge must be replaced, which takes a long time to perform the treatment, and thus there was a problem of low efficiency during the treatment.

In addition, conventional ultrasound generating cartridges only transmit ultrasound to the skin with a single focus having a single ultrasound intensity, which makes it impossible to perform various treatments depending on the patient's skin condition and the body part being treated, and there is a problem in that the treatment effect is limited.

Korean Patent Registration No. 1307551, "Handpiece for Ultrasonic Device" (registered on September 5, 2013)

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a multi-focus type ultrasound generator that can significantly shorten the treatment time by irradiating the skin with multiple ultrasound foci having different arrival locations within the skin using a multi-focus lens through which ultrasound passes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-focus type ultrasound generator that can perform various treatments depending on the patient's skin condition and the body part to be treated by irradiating the skin with multiple ultrasound waves having different focal depths and ultrasound intensities.

In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of a multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention is characterized by including an ultrasonic generating casing, an ultrasonic transducer mounted on the ultrasonic generating casing and irradiating ultrasonic waves toward one surface of the ultrasonic generating casing, and a multi-focus lens mounted on one surface of the ultrasonic generating casing and forming at least two ultrasonic foci having different arrival locations within the skin when ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic transducer pass through the ultrasonic waves.

In the present invention, the ultrasonic transducer unit may include a first transducer having a preset first frequency characteristic and a second transducer having a second frequency characteristic different from the first frequency characteristic.

In the present invention, the multi-focus lens unit may include a first lens unit having a hollow portion and a second lens unit positioned in the hollow portion of the first lens unit.

In the present invention, the ultrasonic transducer unit may include a first transducer having a preset first frequency characteristic and positioned facing the first lens unit to irradiate ultrasonic waves to the first lens unit, and a second transducer having a second frequency characteristic different from the first frequency characteristic and positioned facing the second lens unit to irradiate ultrasonic waves to the second lens unit.

One embodiment of the multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention may further include a lens cover part that covers the ultrasonic irradiation surface of the multi-focus lens part and comes into contact with the skin.

In the present invention, the multi-focus lens part includes a groove part in which an irradiation surface to which ultrasound is irradiated is positioned inside, and the lens cover part may have a flat or curved contact surface that is filled in the groove part and comes into contact with the skin.

One embodiment of the multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention may further include a matching layer portion positioned between the multi-focus lens portion and the ultrasonic transducer portion.

One embodiment of the multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention may further include a cooling block unit that is in close contact with the ultrasonic transducer unit and cools the ultrasonic transducer unit.

One embodiment of a multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention may further include a fluid circulation unit that circulates fluid within the cooling block unit, including a fluid supply line unit that supplies a cooling fluid into the cooling block unit and a fluid discharge line unit that discharges the fluid within the cooling block unit.

In the present invention, the casing part for generating ultrasonic waves includes a cartridge casing provided on one side where the ultrasonic transducer part and the multi-focus lens part come into contact with the skin, and a handpiece body casing in which the cartridge casing is detachably coupled and which is held and used by a practitioner, and may further include a control body part connected to the handpiece body casing via a control cable to control the operation of the ultrasonic transducer part.

The present invention has the effect of significantly shortening the treatment time and improving the treatment efficiency and effect by irradiating the skin with multiple ultrasound foci at different arrival locations within the skin using a multi-focus lens through which ultrasound passes.

The present invention can perform a treatment suitable for the patient's skin condition and the body part to be treated by irradiating the skin with multiple ultrasound waves having different focal depths and ultrasound intensities, and has the effect of improving the treatment effect through appropriate treatment for various patients with different skin layers.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part A of Fig. 1.
Figure 3 is a drawing showing an example of operation of a multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments introduced herein are provided to ensure that the disclosed content is thorough and complete and to sufficiently convey the spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

In this specification, when a component is referred to as being on another component, it means that it can be formed directly on the other component, or a third component can be interposed between them. Furthermore, in the drawings, the shapes and thicknesses of regions are exaggerated for the purpose of effectively explaining the technical content.

Additionally, although terms such as first, second, and third have been used to describe various components in various embodiments of this specification, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. Thus, what is referred to as a first component in one embodiment may be referred to as a second component in another embodiment. Each embodiment described and illustrated herein also includes its complementary embodiments. Additionally, the term "and/or" has been used herein to mean including at least one of the components listed before and after.

In the specification, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In addition, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, component, or combination thereof described in the specification, and should not be construed as excluding the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, components, or combinations thereof. In addition, in the present specification, "connection" is used to mean both indirectly connecting a plurality of components and directly connecting them.

In addition, when describing the present invention below, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part A of Fig. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, one embodiment of a multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention is described in detail below.

One embodiment of a multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention includes an ultrasonic generating casing part (100), an ultrasonic transducer part (200) mounted on the ultrasonic generating casing part (100) and irradiating ultrasonic waves toward one surface of the ultrasonic generating casing part (100).

The ultrasonic transducer unit (200) is, for example, an ultrasonic transducer that generates high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) that generates heat by applying it to the skin muscle layer to induce degeneration and regeneration of skin tissue, thereby improving skin wrinkles and increasing skin elasticity.

The ultrasonic transducer unit (200) is a known transducer structure that includes a piezoelectric ceramic element (PZT; Lead Zirconate Titanate) to generate ultrasonic waves that are irradiated into the skin, and can be implemented in various ways, so a more detailed description is omitted.

In addition, the casing part (100) for generating ultrasonic waves includes a cartridge casing (110) provided on one side of the ultrasonic transducer part (200) that comes into contact with the skin, and a handpiece body casing (120) to which the cartridge casing (110) is detachably coupled and which is held and used by the operator.

The cartridge casing (110) is a consumable that cannot be used for skin treatment and is replaced when the ultrasonic transducer unit (200) is used for a preset treatment time or number of treatments, and is detachably connected to the handpiece main body casing (120).

The cartridge casing (110) is partially inserted into the interior of the handpiece body casing (120) from the front end side, and is then locked by the cartridge locking part (130) at the final combined position to complete the combination.

The cartridge locking part (130) is a button-type locking part located on both sides of the handpiece body casing (120). It uses a known configuration in which a wedge part is located to hook and support the cartridge casing (110) on an elastically supported button part, and the lock is released when the button part is pressed. A more detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, one embodiment of the multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention further includes a control main body (400) connected to the handpiece main body casing (120) via a control cable (410) to control the operation of the ultrasonic transducer unit (200).

The handpiece main body casing (120) may be provided with an LED lamp (121) for indicating the operating status, an operation button (122) for turning the ultrasonic transducer unit (200) on/off, and a handpiece control board (123) for supplying or cutting off power to the ultrasonic transducer unit (200) when the operation button (122) is turned on/off, and for lighting the LED lamp (121) according to the operating status to indicate the operating status.

The control main body (400) can be implemented in various ways with a known configuration that controls the operation of the handpiece in a known ultrasonic generator for skin treatment, including a handpiece control board (123) provided in the handpiece main body casing (120), and a more detailed description thereof is omitted.

One side of the casing (100) for generating ultrasonic waves, that is, one side of the cartridge casing (110), is a contact surface that comes into contact with the skin, and a multi-focus lens section (300) through which ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic transducer section (200) pass is positioned.

The multi-focus lens unit (300) forms multiple ultrasound foci with different arrival locations within the skin from the passing ultrasound.

The multi-focus lens unit (300) is manufactured using a meta material as an example. The meta material is known as a material capable of forming a multi-focus hologram, and a more detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The multi-focus lens unit (300) can be selectively manufactured as a lens capable of multi-array focusing, such as 2 × 2, 3 × 3, or 4 × 4, using a meta material.

The multi-focus lens unit (300) can be manufactured from a known material capable of forming multiple ultrasonic foci when ultrasonic waves pass through it, other than a meta material.

The multi-focus lens unit (300) can adjust the number of foci, the location of the foci, and the depth of the foci arranged according to the shape of the hologram, and accordingly, at least one of the multiple foci with different arrival locations within the skin can have a different arrival depth.

A plurality of ultrasound foci formed by the multi-focus lens unit (300) are positioned spaced apart from each other within the skin, but may be positioned spaced apart at the same depth or spaced apart at different depths.

In addition, the ultrasonic transducer unit (200) can further diversify the characteristics of the ultrasonic waves irradiated onto the skin through the multi-focus lens unit by including a first transducer (210) having a preset first frequency characteristic and a second transducer (220) having a second frequency characteristic different from the first frequency characteristic.

The ultrasonic transducer unit (200) includes a plurality of transducers having different frequency intensities and focal depths, and the ultrasonic waves generated from each transducer pass through the multi-focus lens unit (300) to form a plurality of foci that reach different locations within the skin, and by reaching a plurality of ultrasonic foci with different characteristics within the skin at different locations, a more diverse treatment effect can be obtained and the treatment effect can be shortened to a greater extent.

In more detail, the multi-focus lens unit (300) includes a first lens unit (310) having a hollow portion, and a second lens unit (320) positioned in the hollow portion of the first lens unit, and the first lens unit (310) and the second lens unit (320) have different characteristics so that multiple ultrasound foci can reach different locations within the skin, but can reach them in more diverse forms.

As an example, the first lens unit (310) passes ultrasonic waves generated from a plurality of first transducers (210), and the second lens unit (320) passes ultrasonic waves generated from a plurality of second transducers (220).

That is, the ultrasonic transducer unit (200) includes a plurality of first transducers (210) positioned facing each other on the inner surface of the first lens unit (310) and irradiating ultrasonic waves to the first lens unit (310), and a plurality of second transducers (220) positioned facing each other on the inner surface of the second lens unit (320) and irradiating ultrasonic waves to the second lens unit (320).

In addition, the first lens unit (310) and the second lens unit (320) have different characteristics, so that the ultrasound generated from the plurality of first transducers (210) and the plurality of second transducers (220) can pass through them, thereby allowing multiple ultrasound foci to reach different locations within the skin.

In addition, one embodiment of a multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention further includes a lens cover part (500) that covers the ultrasonic irradiation surface of the multi-focus lens part (300) and comes into contact with the skin, and the lens cover part (500) is made of a material that transmits ultrasonic waves and is made of a dielectric material for smoothly transmitting the transmitted ultrasonic waves to the skin.

The multi-focus lens section (300) includes a groove section in which an irradiation surface to which ultrasonic waves are irradiated is positioned inside.

For example, the lens cover part (500) is formed to have a flat or curved surface that can be in close contact with the skin by filling the groove and making contact with the skin.

As an example, the home portion is formed as a cone-shaped groove in which the irradiation surface on which ultrasonic waves are irradiated is inclined toward the center and a hologram pattern is formed on the inclined surface, thereby forming a structure in which multiple ultrasonic foci are formed that reach different locations from the passing ultrasonic waves.

The home section may be formed as a flat surface on which ultrasonic waves are irradiated, and the multi-focus lens section (300) may be formed as a curved surface or other various shapes on which ultrasonic waves are irradiated.

The lens cover part (500) is made of a transparent or translucent film material and is made of a known material through which ultrasound can pass, so a more detailed description is omitted. It covers the irradiation surface where ultrasound is irradiated from the multi-focus lens part (300) and can be formed in various shapes that can adhere to the skin during the procedure.

In addition, one embodiment of the multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention further includes a matching layer unit (600) positioned between the multi-focus lens unit (300) and the ultrasonic transducer unit.

The matching layer (600) is used to reduce energy loss due to reflection of ultrasonic signals due to the impedance difference between the piezoelectric ceramic element (PZT; Lead Zirconate Titanate) of the ultrasonic transducer (200) and the multi-focus lens (300).

The matching layer section (600) is formed of a material having an acoustic impedance corresponding to a range between the acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric ceramic element and the meta material of the multi-focus lens section (300), and is composed of a plurality of acoustic matching layers having an acoustic impedance that gradually decreases from the acoustic matching layer adjacent to the piezoelectric ceramic element, thereby minimizing energy loss of the ultrasonic signal.

The matching layer (600) is manufactured using an epoxy resin containing powders such as tungsten and alumina, for example. In addition, it can be manufactured using various known materials for manufacturing a known acoustic matching layer that minimizes energy loss of ultrasonic signals due to differences in acoustic impedance, and a more detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, one embodiment of the multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention further includes a cooling block (700) that is in close contact with the ultrasonic transducer (200) and cools the ultrasonic transducer (200).

The cooling block unit (700) is in close contact with the ceramic piezoelectric element of the ultrasonic transducer unit (200) and cools the heat generated during operation of the ceramic piezoelectric element.

The irradiation surface of the ceramic piezoelectric element, i.e., the irradiation surface where ultrasonic waves are generated, is in close contact with the matching layer part (600), and the opposite side of the irradiation surface of the ceramic piezoelectric element is in close contact with the cooling block part (700).

The cooling block unit (700) has a flow path for cooling fluid to flow inside or a fluid storage space for storing cooling fluid, and one embodiment of the multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention includes a fluid circulation unit (800) that circulates fluid within the cooling block unit (700) to maintain the cooling efficiency of the cooling block unit (700) constant.

The fluid circulation unit (800) includes a fluid supply line unit (810) for supplying a cooling fluid into the cooling block unit (700), a fluid discharge line unit (820) for discharging the fluid within the cooling block unit (700), and a fluid pump (not shown) connected to the fluid supply line unit (810) and the fluid discharge line unit (820), thereby circulating the fluid within the cooling block unit (700) to effectively cool the ultrasonic transducer unit (200), as an example.

In addition, although not shown, the control body (400) may further include a fluid storage tank for storing a cooling fluid and a fluid cooling unit for cooling the circulated cooling fluid.

The fluid cooling unit includes a known cooling device such as a radiator or chiller, so a detailed description thereof is omitted.

And, as an example, the fluid supply line section (810) and the fluid discharge line section (820) are separated into a first line located within the cartridge casing (110) and connected to the cooling block section (700), and a second line located within the handpiece body casing (120) and connected to the fluid pump and fluid storage tank within the control body section (400).

The first line and the second line are connected when the cartridge casing (110) and the handpiece body casing (120) are combined, and are separated when the cartridge casing (110) and the handpiece body casing (120) are separated. The structure connecting the first line and the second line can be implemented in various ways by modifying it into a known pipe connection structure or hose connection structure.

One embodiment of a multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention cools the heat generated during the operation of the ultrasonic transducer unit (200) by a cooling block unit (700) that is in direct contact with one surface of a piezoelectric ceramic element of the ultrasonic transducer unit (200), thereby maintaining the temperature of the handpiece constant, and prevents the patient's skin from being burned or the patient from feeling discomfort due to high heat during the procedure.

FIG. 3 is a drawing showing an example of operation of a multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention, and as shown in FIG. 3, in one embodiment of the multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention, a practitioner holds a handpiece main body casing (120), places a multi-focus lens unit (300) in close contact with the patient's skin, and then operates an ultrasonic transducer unit (200) to irradiate ultrasonic waves into the skin to perform a procedure.

In one embodiment of the multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention, ultrasonic waves generated from an ultrasonic transducer unit (200) pass through a multi-focus lens unit (300) to form multiple ultrasonic foci (C) with different arrival locations to treat the skin.

In addition, one embodiment of the multi-focus type ultrasonic generator according to the present invention is capable of performing treatment in a more diverse manner by differentiating the intensity, i.e., frequency characteristics, for a plurality of ultrasonic foci (C) having different arrival locations.

The present invention can significantly shorten the treatment time and improve the treatment efficiency and effect by irradiating the skin with multiple ultrasound foci (C) having different arrival locations within the skin using a multi-focus lens through which ultrasound passes.

The present invention can perform a treatment suitable for the patient's skin condition and the body part to be treated by irradiating the skin with multiple ultrasound waves having different focal depths and ultrasound intensities, and improves the treatment effect through appropriate treatment for various patients with different skin layers.

While the present invention has been described in detail using preferred embodiments, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and should be interpreted in accordance with the appended claims. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

100: Casing for ultrasonic generation 110: Cartridge casing
120: Handpiece body casing 121: LED lamp
122: Operation button 123: Handpiece control board
130: Cartridge locking part 200: Ultrasonic transducer part
210: First transducer 220: Second transducer
300: Multi-focus lens section 310: First lens section
320: Second lens section 400: Control body section
500: Lens cover part 600: Matching layer part
700: Cooling block section 800: Fluid circulation section
810: Fluid supply line section 820: Fluid discharge line section

Claims (10)

Casing for ultrasonic generation;
An ultrasonic transducer unit mounted on the ultrasonic generating casing unit and irradiating ultrasonic waves toward one surface of the ultrasonic generating casing unit; and
A multi-focus type ultrasonic generator, characterized by including a multi-focus lens section mounted on one side of the casing section for generating the ultrasonic waves and forming at least two ultrasonic foci having different arrival locations within the skin from the ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic transducer section passing through the multi-focus lens section. In claim 1,
The above ultrasonic transducer unit,
A first transducer having a preset first frequency characteristic; and
A multi-focus type ultrasonic generator characterized by including a second transducer having second frequency characteristics different from the first frequency characteristics. In claim 1,
The above multi-focus lens part,
A first lens unit having a hollow portion; and
A multi-focus type ultrasonic generator characterized by including a second lens unit positioned in the hollow portion of the first lens unit. In claim 3,
The above ultrasonic transducer unit,
A first transducer having a preset first frequency characteristic and positioned facing the first lens unit to irradiate ultrasonic waves to the first lens unit; and
A multi-focus type ultrasonic generator characterized by including a second transducer having a second frequency characteristic different from the first frequency characteristic and positioned facing the second lens unit to irradiate ultrasonic waves to the second lens unit. In claim 1,
A multi-focus type ultrasonic generator characterized by further including a lens cover part that covers the ultrasonic irradiation surface of the multi-focus lens part and comes into contact with the skin. In claim 5,
The above multi-focus lens part includes a groove part in which an irradiation surface to which ultrasonic waves are irradiated is positioned inside,
A multi-focus type ultrasonic generator characterized in that the lens cover part is filled in a groove part and has a flat or curved contact surface that comes into contact with the skin. In claim 1,
A multi-focus type ultrasonic generator further comprising a matching layer portion positioned between the multi-focus lens portion and the ultrasonic transducer portion. In claim 1,
A multi-focus type ultrasonic generator further comprising a cooling block unit that is in close contact with the ultrasonic transducer unit and cools the ultrasonic transducer unit. In claim 8,
A multi-focus type ultrasonic generator further comprising a fluid circulation unit that circulates fluid within the cooling block unit, including a fluid supply line unit that supplies cooling fluid into the cooling block unit and a fluid discharge line unit that discharges fluid within the cooling block unit. In claim 1,
The casing part for generating the above ultrasonic waves is,
A cartridge casing provided on one side of the ultrasonic transducer unit and the multi-focus lens unit that comes into contact with the skin; and
The above cartridge casing is detachably coupled and includes a handpiece body casing that is held and used by the operator.
A multi-focus type ultrasonic generator further comprising a control main body unit connected to the handpiece main body casing via a control cable to control the operation of the ultrasonic transducer unit.