WO2014148660A1

WO2014148660A1 - Mixing apparatus for manufacturing passive element of ultrasonic medical machine and method for manufacturing passive element using same

Info

Publication number: WO2014148660A1
Application number: PCT/KR2013/002371
Authority: WO
Inventors: 배병국
Original assignee: 알피니언메디칼시스템 주식회사
Priority date: 2013-03-21
Filing date: 2013-03-21
Publication date: 2014-09-25
Also published as: KR20140115679A; KR101465578B1

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides a mixing apparatus for manufacturing a passive element of an ultrasonic medical machine, which is installed in an oven and mixes a mixture for manufacturing the passive element. The mixing apparatus may comprise: a frame for supporting the mixing apparatus within the oven; a mixing container rotatably installed in the frame to receive the mixture; a first motor connected to the mixing container to rotate the mixing container about a first rotational axis; and a controller for heating the interior of the oven and rotating the first motor.

Description

Agitating device for manufacturing passive elements of ultrasonic medical device and method for manufacturing passive elements using same

Embodiment of the present invention relates to a stirring device for manufacturing a passive device of the ultrasonic medical device and a passive device manufacturing method using the same, more specifically, stirring device for manufacturing a passive device of the ultrasonic medical device capable of manufacturing a passive device in which the metallic material is uniformly distributed. An apparatus and a method of manufacturing a passive device using the same.

The contents described in this section merely provide background information on the embodiments of the present invention and do not constitute a prior art.

Ultrasound medical devices used in the medical field include a plurality of active devices and passive devices. In particular, the passive element occupies a large proportion of the components of the ultrasonic medical device compared to the active element. Therefore, a technique for manufacturing high quality passive devices is important in the ultrasonic medical device industry, and thus, various researches and developments for improving the quality of passive devices are in progress.

In general, the passive element of the ultrasonic medical device is added to the metal or metal oxide additives to adjust the density appropriately. The reason for controlling the density of the passive element is to match the acoustic impedance required for the passive element in the ultrasonic medical device. That is, since the value of the acoustic impedance increases as the density of the passive element increases, the passive element has the required acoustic impedance by appropriately mixing a relatively high density metal or metal oxide.

Additives of metals or metal oxides added to the passive elements should be uniformly distributed throughout the passive elements. If the additives are unevenly distributed in the passive element, the dense and low portions of the additive form a boundary with each other, and the boundary reflects or refracts the ultrasonic waves passing through the passive element, thereby degrading the performance of the ultrasonic medical device. Let's do it. In addition, a passive element through which ultrasonic waves penetrate requires a high acoustic impedance, and if the additive is unevenly distributed in the passive element, the lower density of the additive has a lower acoustic impedance than the acoustic impedance required in the design. It is a factor that degrades the performance.

This non-uniform distribution of additives occurs because of the formation of precipitates in which the metallic additives sink below other materials due to the high specific gravity when curing the mixture containing the additives in the passive device fabrication process.

There is a need for a method of improving the performance of an ultrasonic medical device by preventing the sedimentation occurring during the passive device manufacturing process to have a uniform density distribution throughout the passive device.

An embodiment of the present invention, an object of the present invention is to provide a stirring device for manufacturing a passive device of the ultrasonic medical device capable of manufacturing a passive device in which the metallic material is uniformly distributed and a passive device manufacturing method using the same.

The technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is not limited to the technical problem mentioned above, other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. .

In one embodiment of a stirring device for manufacturing passive devices of the ultrasonic medical device according to the present invention, a stirring device for manufacturing passive devices for stirring the mixture for passive device manufacturing, comprising: a frame for supporting the stirring device in the oven; A stirring vessel rotatably installed in the frame to accommodate the mixture; A first motor connected to the stirring vessel to rotate the stirring vessel about a first rotating shaft; And a controller configured to heat the oven and rotate the first motor. At this time, the stirring device is a through hole is formed and the coupling unit for connecting the first motor to the stirring device through the through hole; And a second motor connected to the coupler and configured to rotate the coupler about a second rotary shaft different from the first rotary shaft.

In addition, the stirring device may be that the stirring vessel and the first motor rotates about the second rotation shaft together by the rotation of the coupler.

In addition, the first rotary shaft and the second rotary shaft may be perpendicular to each other.

The controller may be configured to selectively rotate at least one of the first motor and the second motor.

The passive element may be at least one of a matching layer, a sound absorbing layer, and an acoustic lens constituting the ultrasonic transducer.

One embodiment of the passive device manufacturing method of the ultrasonic medical device according to the present invention, the method for manufacturing a passive device of the ultrasonic transducer, a mixture manufacturing process for generating a mixture for the manufacture of the passive device; A curing process of placing the mixture in a stirring vessel installed inside an oven, rotating the stirring vessel about a first rotational axis using a first motor connected to the stirring vessel, and simultaneously curing the mixture by heating the stirring vessel. ; And it may include a finished product manufacturing process for manufacturing a passive device by processing the cured mixture.

At this time, the curing step, by using the second motor connected to the coupler connecting the stirring vessel and the first motor by rotating the coupler around the second rotary shaft and the second rotary shaft different from the first vessel. It may include rotating around the second axis of rotation.

In addition, the first rotary shaft and the second rotary shaft may be perpendicular to each other. In addition, the curing process may be to selectively rotate at least one of the first motor and the second motor.

In addition, after the mixture manufacturing process, using a vacuum apparatus may further include a defoaming step of removing the bubbles contained in the mixture.

According to the stirring device for manufacturing a passive device of the above-described embodiment and a passive device manufacturing method using the same, the passive device of the ultrasonic medical device having a uniform distribution of metallic materials and high acoustic impedance can be easily manufactured.

1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a stirring device for manufacturing a passive device of an ultrasonic medical device according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed in an oven.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a stirring device for manufacturing passive elements of the ultrasonic medical device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a chart showing the density distribution according to the height of the passive element of the experimental data for a typical passive element manufacturing experiment without using a stirring device.

Figure 4 is a chart showing the density distribution according to the height of the passive element of the experimental data for the passive element manufacturing experiment using the stirring device of the present invention.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a passive device manufacturing method of an ultrasonic medical device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

With reference to the accompanying drawings will be described an embodiment according to the present invention; As the inventive concept allows for various changes and numerous modifications, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific disclosed form, it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention. In describing the drawings, similar reference numerals are used for similar elements. In the accompanying drawings, the dimensions of the structure is shown to be larger than the actual size for clarity of the invention, or to reduce the actual size to understand the schematic configuration.

In addition, terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component. On the other hand, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Terms such as those defined in the commonly used dictionaries should be construed as having meanings consistent with the meanings in the context of the related art, and shall not be construed in ideal or excessively formal meanings unless expressly defined in this application. Do not.

The oven 100 cures by heating a mixture of materials of passive elements. The cured mixture is processed into a finished product and becomes a passive element of an ultrasonic medical device. The mixture includes a powder formed of a high density metal or metal oxide, a resin that is cured to form the overall shape of the passive element, a curing agent that cures the resin, and the like.

The mixing ratio of the powder, the resin and the curing agent is determined according to the use of the passive element to be manufactured and the value of the acoustic impedance. Resin and hardener may be formed of various materials. The resin may include, for example, an epoxy having excellent adhesiveness, mechanical strength, heat resistance, chemical resistance, moldability, and the like. The material of the curing agent may include, for example, a triethylene-tetramine (TETA) having a short curing time and a relatively low cost.

On the other hand, the passive element of the ultrasonic medical device manufactured by the present invention may be, for example, a matching layer, a sound absorbing layer, an acoustic lens and the like used in an ultrasonic transducer.

Before the mixture is cured, the powder having a higher density and specific gravity than the resin or the curing agent is settled down to precipitate, and thus, the density of the entire passive element is uneven. In order to solve such a density nonuniformity, the stirring apparatus 200 is used.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a stirring device for manufacturing passive elements of the ultrasonic medical device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The stirring device 200 is provided in the oven 100, the frame 210, the coupling port 220, the first motor 230, the second motor 240, the stirring vessel 250 and the control unit (not shown) ).

The frame 210 is installed inside the oven 100 and serves to support the coupler 220, the first motor 230, the second motor 240, and the stirring vessel 250. At this time, the frame 210 is preferably installed in the oven 100 to be detachable for the convenience of the passive device manufacturing operation. Therefore, a coupler 220 or the like necessary for detachment of the frame 210 may be installed in the frame 210 or the oven 100.

The coupler 220 is installed on the frame 210 and connected to the rotation shaft of the first motor 230 to rotate about the first rotation shaft, that is, the X axis in FIG. 2 according to the rotation of the first motor 230. In addition, the second motor 240, that is, the second motor 240 is located on one side in the Y-axis direction in Figure 2, the stirring vessel 250 is located on the other side. The rotating shaft of the second motor 240 and the stirring vessel 250 are interconnected through the coupling port 220, the stirring vessel 250 rotates about the Y axis in accordance with the rotation of the second motor 240.

The first motor 230 is fixed to the frame 210, the rotating shaft is connected to the coupler 220 through the frame 210, the coupler 220 as the first motor 230 rotates ) Rotates about the X-axis so that the stirring vessel 250 rotates about the X-axis.

The second motor 240 is fixedly coupled to the coupler 220 in a manner that the casing of the second motor 240 is fixed to one side of the coupler 220 in the Y-axis direction, the second motor 240 of the A rotating shaft located inside the casing is coupled to one side of the stirring vessel 250. Therefore, as the second motor 240 rotates, the stirring vessel 250 rotates about the Y axis.

The stirring vessel 250 is connected to the second motor 240 in such a manner that one side thereof is coupled to the rotation shaft of the second motor 240. When the coupler 220 and the second motor 240 rotate about the X axis according to the rotation of the first motor 230, the stirring vessel 250 also rotates around the X axis. In addition, the stirring vessel 250 is connected to the rotary shaft of the second motor 240, so that the rotation around the Y axis in accordance with the rotation of the second motor 240. Therefore, the stirring container 250 is stirred even if only the first motor 230 or only the second motor 240 rotates the mixture contained therein. In addition, when the first motor 230 and the second motor 240 are rotated at the same time for more effective stirring, the stirring vessel 250 rotates about the X axis and at the same time rotates about the Y axis, such two-dimensional With proper rotation, the mixture in the stirring vessel 250 is more smoothly stirred.

The controller is electrically connected to the oven 100, the first motor 230, and the second motor 240, respectively, and controls the heating temperature, the heating time, etc. of the oven 100, and the first motor 230 and the first motor. Controls the rotational speed, direction of rotation, and other operating conditions of the two motors 240. In this case, the controller may select and operate one of the first motor 230 and the second motor 240, and simultaneously operate the first motor 230 and the second motor 240 to stir the container 250. It may be controlled to perform two-dimensional rotation simultaneously in the X-axis and Y-axis directions.

After the stirring operation, the mixture is heated and cured in the oven 100, powder, resin and hardener, that is, the components are evenly mixed, so that the powder does not precipitate, the production of a passive device with a uniform density This is possible.

By stirring, each component of the mixture is uniformly distributed throughout the mixture in the process of heat curing, and if the content of powder in the mixture is increased, it is possible to manufacture a passive device having a uniform density and high density. In addition, as the density increases, the acoustic impedance of the passive element increases, so that a high quality passive element having a high impedance suitable for an ultrasonic medical device can be manufactured.

On the other hand, in order to prove the effect of the present invention was carried out an experiment to produce a cured mixture using the stirring apparatus 200, the density distribution of the cured mixture according to the experimental conditions and experimental results are as described later. In this experiment, for comparison, a general passive device manufacturing experiment using the stirring device 200 and a passive device manufacturing experiment using the stirring device 200 were performed in parallel. In addition, in order to prove the minimum effect according to the present invention, only the case where the stirring device 200 rotates around the Y axis was tested. If the stirring device 200 rotates about the X axis will be similar to the experimental results described later, when the stirring device 200 rotates about the X axis and at the same time rotates around the Y axis more uniform than the results of this experiment It would be apparent to one skilled in the art to have a density distribution.

The conditions of this experiment are as described in Table 1. The experimental conditions described in Table 1 are the same except for the conventional error in the experiment using the stirring device 200 and the experiment without using the stirring device 200.

Table 1

Heating temperature inside the oven 100	50 ℃
Heating time in oven 100 for curing	8 hours
Pressure inside oven 100	Normal pressure (approx. 1 atmosphere)
The speed at which the stirring vessel 250 rotates about the Y axis	500 rpm
Ingredients of mixtures1	Resin (Epoxy)
Ingredients of mixtures2	Hardener (TETA)
Composition of mixtures3	Tungsten powder

T1 to T6 represent each coupon divided from the upper layer to the lower layer of the passive element. Coupon means a piece cut to a certain thickness. T1 coupon is the uppermost part of the upper and lower sections selected as a sample of the cured mixture, and becomes the coupon of the lower part toward T6. Each coupon is cut to a thickness of about 3 mm to 6 mm.

As can be seen in Figure 3, the mixture is cured without using the stirring apparatus 200, the density gradually increases from the upper layer to the lower layer. This is because the higher density of the component 3, that is, the powder of tungsten, is precipitated to the bottom of the container containing the mixture during curing, resulting in a higher density of the bottom of the container. Therefore, when the passive device is manufactured without using the stirring device 200, it can be clearly seen that the density of the passive device is uneven. The passive device manufactured through this process reduces the performance of the ultrasonic medical device by reflecting or refracting incident ultrasonic waves.

A to E represent each coupon divided from the lower layer to the upper layer of the passive element. At this time, the A coupon is the lowermost part of the upper and lower sections selected as a sample of the cured mixture, and the coupon becomes the upper part toward the E side. Each coupon was cut to a thickness of 0.5 mm, and the selected specimens had a total thickness of 2.5 mm.

As can be seen in FIG. 4, the mixture cured by the present invention using the stirring device 200 has a uniform density of each layer. In this experiment, the density of each coupon is very uniform enough to match up to one decimal place. Therefore, when the passive device is manufactured using the stirring device 200, it is apparent that the passive device can be manufactured more uniformly than when the stirring device 200 is not used. Therefore, when manufacturing the passive device according to the present invention including the stirring device 200, it is possible to manufacture a high quality passive device with a uniform density. In addition, by increasing the content of the metallic powder it is possible to manufacture a passive device having a uniform density and a high acoustic impedance value, such a passive device is suitable as a component of an ultrasonic medical device that requires a high quality and high impedance value.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a passive device manufacturing method of an ultrasonic medical device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The passive element manufacturing method according to the present invention includes a mixture manufacturing process (S510), a defoaming process (S520), a curing process (S530) and a finished product manufacturing process (S540).

In the mixture manufacturing process (S510), each component, such as a powder of a metal or metal oxide, a resin that is cured to form the overall shape of the passive element, and a curing agent that cures the resin, is mixed at an appropriate ratio. At this time, the mixing ratio of each component is determined according to the use of the passive element to be manufactured, the value of the acoustic impedance and the like.

In the defoaming step (S520), bubbles mixed into the mixture are removed during the mixing of each component in the mixture manufacturing step (S510). At this time, the bubble is removed by absorbing the bubbles using a vacuum device. Any vacuum device can be used as long as it can remove bubbles from the mixture.

In the curing step (S530), the mixture is put into the stirring vessel 250 installed inside the oven. In this case, the mixture passed through the defoaming step (S520) in a separate container may be transferred back to the stirring vessel 250, but when the mixture is moved to the stirring vessel 250, bubbles may be mixed again into the mixture. Therefore, the mixture is prepared by putting each component in the stirring vessel 250 in the mixture manufacturing process (S510), and after removing the air bubbles by using a vacuum device directly to the stirring vessel 250 in the defoaming step (S520), the mixture is contained It may be more appropriate to mount the stirring vessel 250 to the stirring apparatus. After the mixture was put in the stirring vessel 250, the stirring apparatus 200 was operated to rotate the stirring vessel 250 about the X-axis or the Y-axis, or stirred while rotating two-dimensionally about the X-axis and the Y-axis. While stirring the mixture contained in the vessel 250, the oven 100 is operated to heat and cure the mixture. The liquid mixture is heated at the same time as stirring to become a solid cured to a uniform density.

In this case, the heating temperature of the oven 100 may vary depending on the heating time, the type of each component of the mixture, the ratio of each component of the mixture, and the like, and about 40 ° C. to 70 ° C. is appropriate. In addition, the rotational speed of the stirring vessel 250 may vary depending on the viscosity, the type of each component of the mixture, the ratio of each component of the mixture, etc., 400rpm to 600rpm or so is appropriate. At this time, the heating time of the oven 100 may also vary depending on the heating temperature, the speed of operation, the type of the components of the mixture, the ratio of each component of the mixture, and the like, but 6 to 10 hours are suitable.

In the finished product manufacturing process (S540), the mixture heat-cured in the oven 100 is machined or trimmed by other processing methods to be processed into a finished passive device. On the other hand, when the inside of the stirring vessel 250 is formed as a mold of the finished product, a separate machining to form the appearance of the finished product is unnecessary and can make the finished passive device only by simple finishing processing.

Although only a few of the above has been described in connection with the embodiment of the present invention, various forms of implementation are possible. The technical contents of the above-described embodiments may be combined in various forms as long as they are not incompatible with each other, and thus may be implemented in a new embodiment.

(Explanation of the sign)

100: oven

200: stirring device

210: frame

220: coupler

230: first motor

240: second motor

250: stirring vessel

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application claims priority under Patent Application No. 10-2013-0030554, filed in Korea on March 21, 2013, pursuant to Article 119 (a) (35 USC § 119 (a)). All content is incorporated by reference in this patent application. In addition, if this patent application claims priority for the same reason for countries other than the United States, all its contents are incorporated into this patent application by reference.

Claims

In the stirring device for manufacturing a passive device is installed in the oven to stir the mixture for passive device manufacturing,

A frame for supporting the stirring device in the oven;

A stirring vessel rotatably installed in the frame to accommodate the mixture;

A first motor connected to the stirring vessel to rotate the stirring vessel about a first rotating shaft; And

A control unit for heating the inside of the oven and rotating the first motor

Agitation device for manufacturing a passive element comprising a.
The method of claim 1,

A coupling hole formed with a through hole and connecting the first motor to the stirring device through the through hole; And

A second motor connected to the coupler and rotating the coupler about a second rotary shaft different from the first rotary shaft;

Agitation device for manufacturing a passive element comprising a.
The method of claim 2,

The stirring device and the stirring device for manufacturing a passive device, characterized in that by rotating the coupling sphere the stirring vessel and the first motor together rotates around the second rotation shaft.
The method of claim 2,

The first rotary shaft and the second rotary shaft is a stirring device for manufacturing a passive element, characterized in that orthogonal to each other.
The method of claim 2,

The control unit,

Passive device agitation device, characterized in that for controlling to selectively rotate at least one of the first motor and the second motor.
The method of claim 1,

The passive element,

Passive device agitating device, characterized in that at least one of the matching layer, the sound absorbing layer and the acoustic lens constituting the ultrasonic transducer.
In the method of manufacturing a passive element of the ultrasonic transducer,

A mixture manufacturing process of generating a mixture for manufacturing the passive element;

A curing process of placing the mixture in a stirring vessel installed inside an oven, rotating the stirring vessel about a first rotational axis using a first motor connected to the stirring vessel, and simultaneously curing the mixture by heating the stirring vessel. ; And

Finished product manufacturing process for manufacturing passive devices by processing hardened mixture

Passive device manufacturing method comprising a.
The method of claim 7, wherein

The curing step,

The stirring vessel is rotated about a second rotation shaft different from the first rotation shaft by using a second motor connected to the coupling tool connecting the stirring vessel and the first motor. Passive device manufacturing method comprising rotating
The method of claim 7, wherein

The first rotary shaft and the second rotary shaft manufacturing method of the passive element, characterized in that orthogonal to each other.
The method of claim 7, wherein

The curing step,

And selectively rotating at least one of the first motor and the second motor.
The method of claim 7, wherein

After the mixture manufacturing process,

Degassing process to remove bubbles contained in the mixture using a vacuum device

Passive device manufacturing method characterized in that it further comprises.