Ultrasonic probe
According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic probe includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers, an electronic circuit, an insulative heat conductive spacer and an electrical heat supporting element. The electronic circuit is electrically connected to a plurality of transducers on one side. The insulative heat conductive spacer contacts with another side of the electronic circuit. The electrical heat supporting element has a contact region that makes contact, in a first surface, with the insulative heat conductive spacer, and a supporting structure that supports the insulative heat conductive spacer to have a predetermined thickness, and diffuses heat generated by the electronic circuit from the contact region.
1. An ultrasonic probe comprising:
a plurality of ultrasonic transducers which generate an ultrasonic wave based on a drive signal supplied, and generate an electric signal based on the received ultrasonic wave;
an electronic circuit which is electrically connected to the plurality of transducers on one side to execute at least one of control relating to the drive signal, and processing relating to the electric signal;
an insulative heat conductive spacer which contacts with another side of the electronic circuit; and
an electrical heat supporting element which has a contact region that makes contact, in a first surface, with the insulative heat conductive spacer, and a supporting structure that supports the insulative heat conductive spacer to have a predetermined thickness, and which diffuses heat generated by the electronic circuit from the contact region,
wherein the electronic circuit is mounted by a bare chip implementation.
2. The probe according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of ultrasonic transducers are arrayed in a two-dimensional matrix form.
3. The probe according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of ultrasonic transducers are classified into a plurality of groups, and
the electronic circuit executes at least one of control relating to the drive signal for the ultrasonic transducers included in a corresponding group of the plurality of groups, and control associated with the electric signal.
4. The probe according to claim 1 , wherein the supporting structure comprises at least one of (a) poles and (b) walls at at least three portions on the first surface.
5. The probe according to claim 1 , wherein the first surface has a rectangular shape, and the supporting structure comprises poles provided at four corners of the first surface.
6. The probe according to claim 5 , further comprising a flexible print board that is connected to the electronic circuit and is drawn between the poles provided at the four corners.
7. The probe according to claim 1 , wherein the first surface has a rectangular shape, and the supporting structure comprises walls provided on four sides of the first surface.
8. The probe according to claim 1 , wherein in a first state before the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, a plurality of electronic circuits and the insulative heat conductive spacer, and the electrical heat supporting element are laminated, a sum of a height of the plurality of electronic circuits in a laminated direction and a height of the insulative heat conductive spacer in the laminated direction is greater than a height of the supporting structure in the laminated direction; and
in a second state after the electrical heat supporting element has been laminated, the sum is substantially the same as the height of the supporting structure in the laminated direction.
9. An ultrasonic probe comprising:
a plurality of ultrasonic transducers which generate an ultrasonic wave based on a drive signal supplied, and generate an electric signal based on the received ultrasonic wave;
an electronic circuit which is electrically connected to the plurality of transducers on one side to execute at least one of control relating to the drive signal, and processing relating to the electric signal;
an insulative heat conductive spacer which contacts with another side of the electronic circuit; and
an electrical heat supporting element which has a contact region that makes contact, in a first surface, with the insulative heat conductive spacer, and a supporting structure that supports the insulative heat conductive spacer to have a predetermined thickness, and which diffuses heat generated by the electronic circuit from the contact region, wherein the supporting structure comprises at least one of (a) poles and (b) walls at at least three portions on the first surface.
10. The ultrasonic probe as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the first surface has a rectangular shape, and the supporting structure comprises walls provided on four sides of the first surface.
11. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 9 , wherein the first surface has a rectangular shape, and the supporting structure comprises poles provided at four corners of the first surface, the ultrasonic probe further comprising a flexible print board that is connected to the electronic circuit and is drawn between the poles provided at the four corners.