US 12,220,727 B2
Flexible ultrasound array
David Cheyns, Heffen (BE); Yongbin Jeong, Heverlee (BE); and Xavier Rottenberg, Kessel-Lo (BE)
Assigned to IMEC VZW, Leuven (BE); and KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN, Leuven (BE)
Appl. No. 17/438,705
Filed by IMEC VZW, Leuven (BE); and KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN, Leuven (BE)
PCT Filed Mar. 12, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/056587
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 13, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/182926, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 17, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 19162702 (EP), filed on Mar. 14, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0152654 A1, May 19, 2022
Int. Cl. B06B 1/06 (2006.01); B06B 1/02 (2006.01); A61B 8/00 (2006.01)
CPC B06B 1/0629 (2013.01) [B06B 1/0207 (2013.01); B06B 1/0685 (2013.01); A61B 8/4488 (2013.01); B06B 2201/76 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A flexible ultrasound transducer for an ultrasound monitoring system for examining a curved object, wherein said flexible ultrasound transducer comprises an integrated circuit structure and a multi-layered structure, said multi-layered structure comprising:
an array of ultrasound transducing elements arranged in a first layer structure and configured for generating ultrasonic energy propagating along a main transducer axis Z; and
an array of control circuits arranged in a second layer structure,
wherein the array of control circuits and the integrated circuit structure are configured for operating the array of ultrasound transducing elements in said first layer structure;
at least one flexible layer arranged so that the bending flexibility of the multi-layered structure permits the flexible ultrasound transducer to form a continuous contact with said curved object during operation; and
an acoustic backing layer arranged axially below said first layer structure for reducing the acoustic transmission directed away from said curved object during operation,
wherein the acoustic backing layer is an acoustic damping layer or an acoustic reflection layer in the form of a Bragg stack, wherein said Bragg stack comprises multiple layers of alternating high and low acoustic impedance materials.