Ultrasound transducer array with separated acoustic and electric module

US10905398B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• General Electric Company · US

Inventors

• Reinhold Bruestle · Zipf, AT
• David A. Chartrand · Mesa, US
• Thomas Rittenschober · Zipf, AT
• Scott William Easterbrook · Bainbridge Island, US
• Manuel Schoenauer · Zipf, AT
• Andreas Kremsl · Rußbach, AT

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 4, 2016
• Grant date: Feb 2, 2021
• Expiry date: Oct 29, 2038

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61B8/4427
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Systems are provided for the arrangement of decoupled electric and acoustic modules for a transducer array of an ultrasound probe. In one embodiment, the decoupled modules are independently coupled to a flex interconnect, apart from one another, allowing for electric communication between all modules through the flex interconnect. As one example, an ultrasound transducer array for an ultrasound probe comprises an acoustic backing, a flex interconnect coupled to the backing at a first surface of the flex interconnect, a matrix acoustic array coupled to a second surface of the flex interconnect, the second surface opposite the first surface, and an electric module coupled to the second surface of the flex interconnect at a location spaced away from where the matrix acoustic array is coupled to the flex interconnect.