Method of manufacturing an ultrasound system

Abstract

An ultrasound therapy system is provided that can include any number of features. In some embodiments, the custom transducer housings can be manufactured using a rapid-prototyping method to arrange a plurality of single-element, substantially flat transducers to share a common focal point. The rapid-prototyping method can include, for example, fused-deposition modeling, 3D printing, and stereolithography. In some embodiments, the therapy system can include a plurality of transducer modules insertable into the openings of the transducer housing. Methods of manufacture are also described, including designing a transducer housing shell to a desired geometry and a plurality of acoustic focusing lenses integral to the transducer housing shell in a 3D computer aided design software, and constructing the transducer housing shell and the plurality of acoustic focusing lenses integral to the transducer housing shell using a rapid-prototyping method.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An ultrasound therapy system, comprising:
 a housing including a plurality of openings;   a plurality of transducer modules adapted to be inserted into the plurality of openings of the housing, each of the plurality of transducer modules comprising:
 a transducer element; 
 an acoustic lens; and 
 a matching layer disposed between the transducer element and the acoustic lens; 
   wherein the plurality of openings of the housing are arranged so as to align the transducer elements to share a common focal point, wherein the transducer elements are configured to apply therapeutic ultrasound energy to tissue positioned at the common focal point.   
     
     
         2 . The ultrasound therapy system of  claim 1  wherein each of the transducer elements comprise spherical single-element transducers. 
     
     
         3 . The ultrasound therapy system of  claim 1  wherein each of the transducer elements comprise piezoelectric transducer elements. 
     
     
         4 . The ultrasound therapy system of  claim 3  wherein the piezoelectric transducer elements comprise Lead-Zirconate Titanate (PZT) Ceramic. 
     
     
         5 . The ultrasound therapy system of  claim 1  wherein each of the acoustic lenses is integral to its corresponding transducer module. 
     
     
         6 . The ultrasound therapy system of  claim 1  wherein each of the matching layers is configured to acoustically couple its corresponding transducer element to its corresponding acoustic lens. 
     
     
         7 . The ultrasound therapy system of  claim 1  wherein each matching layer comprises a tapered matching layer. 
     
     
         8 . The ultrasound therapy system of  claim 1  wherein each transducer module further comprises a plurality of matching layer standoffs that define a space for each matching layer between each acoustic lens and transducer element. 
     
     
         9 . The ultrasound therapy system of  claim 8 , further comprising at least one overflow slit disposed in each transducer module and configured to allow excess matching layer material to flow out of the transducer module in the event that excess matching layer material is applied. 
     
     
         10 . The ultrasound therapy system of  claim 1  wherein the housing is manufactured from a process selected from the group consisting of fused-deposition modeling, 3D printing, and stereolithography. 
     
     
         11 . The ultrasound therapy system of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of transducer modules are manufactured from a process selected from the group consisting of fused-deposition modeling, 3D printing, and stereolithography. 
     
     
         12 . The ultrasound therapy system of  claim 1  wherein the transducer modules comprise threads and are configured to screw into the openings of the housing. 
     
     
         13 . The ultrasound therapy system of  claim 12  wherein the openings of the housing comprise grooves adapted to mate with the threads of the transducer modules. 
     
     
         14 . A method of designing and manufacturing an ultrasound system, comprising:
 constructing a transducer housing shell with a rapid-prototyping method, the transducer housing shell having a plurality of openings arranged so as to share a common focal point;   constructing a plurality of transducer modules with the rapid-prototyping method, the transducer modules adapted to fit inside the plurality of openings of the transducer housing shell.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising constructing an integral acoustic focusing lens in each of the plurality of transducer modules with the rapid-prototyping method. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising inserting a transducer element into each of the plurality of transducer modules. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising inserting one of the plurality of transducer modules into each of the plurality of openings. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising injecting a matching layer between the transducer element and the integral acoustic focusing lens for each of the plurality of transducer modules. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising constructing standoffs inside each transducer module, the standoffs defining a space between a front surface of a transducer element and a rear surface of the integral acoustic focusing lens. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the rapid-prototyping method is selected from the group consisting of fused-deposition modeling, 3D printing, and stereolithography.