Design and Implementation of complete wearable Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound Therapeutic Device

Ultrasound has been used for diagnostics conventionally, but recently, ultrasound has been used for therapy and showed promising effects, especially for fracture bone, pain relief and soft tissue injury therapy. Ultrasound devices used for therapeutic use are classified into two categories: High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) and Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound System (LIPUS). However, commercially available HIFUS and LIPUS systems are too bulky and not so portable for daily usage. In this paper, the design and implementation of low-power, completely wearable small size LIPUS system is presented. The system consists of high density PCB with AVR micro-controller, efficient amplifier design, matching circuit. The system is battery powered and can be held at different lesion area with adjustable belts. The primary focus of the implementation is on portability, power efficiency and simplicity of operation. LIPUS system was tested and verified to function as designed and capable of producing ultrasound power of 30, 60 and 90mW/cm
²
(SATA) at a resonant frequency of 1MHz, with total weight less than 80g. The complete power efficiency of circuitry, including the power module and all sub system, is estimated at 80%. The device was tested by Korea Test Laboratory for medical devices and approved by Korean FDA certification for medical use.