JP2002248103A - Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment using ultrasonic vibrator driving motor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a diagnostic equipment with a built-in driving motor equipped with an ultrasonic vibrator in a window case. SOLUTION: The ultrasonic diagnostic equipment is obtained as a two-dimensional drive mechanism since a driving motor mounting an ultrasonic vibrator is built in an ultrasonic probe using a bearing collar 43.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a two-dimensional ultrasonic transducer drive motor for a two-dimensional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and a two-dimensional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Ultrasonic probes used in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for a living body are roughly classified into a linear scanning system and a sector scanning system. The sector scanning system is mainly composed of an electronic sector scanning system and a mechanical sector. There is a scanning method. As the mechanical sector scanning ultrasonic probe, the types and methods described in “Introduction to Ultrasound Inspection (Second Edition)”, page 54, published by Medical and Dental Drug Publishing Co., Ltd. are known. The mechanical sector scanning ultrasonic probe is also described in Table 3.11 on page 91 of "Revised Medical Ultrasound Equipment Handbook" (published by Corona Co., Ltd.), edited by Japan Electronics and Machinery Industries Association. Have been.

Conventionally, an ultrasonic probe (also referred to as an ultrasonic probe or an ultrasonic diagnostic probe) is disclosed in, for example,
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 184888/1994, 163562/1995, and 289550/1995 are known.

JP-A-7-184888, JP-A-7-2
The ultrasonic probe disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 89550 is
The ultrasonic transducer is attached to the direction of the handle axis of the ultrasonic probe, and the shaft connected to the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit provided with the acoustic mirror and the mount of the transducer is rotationally driven to face the ultrasonic transducer. Connected to drive motor.
The rotation of the drive motor causes the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit to rotate about the shaft, and the beam of the ultrasonic transducer is reflected by the acoustic mirror, so that the beam on the surface reflected with respect to the drive axis of the ultrasonic transducer It becomes a track surface. Although it depends on the tilt angle of the acoustic mirror, the beam trajectory plane is a plane perpendicular to the drive axis because it is generally a 45-degree inclined plane.

[0005] Since the drive motor is arranged on the handle portion side compared to the ultrasonic vibrator, an acoustic mirror for converting the axis with respect to the drive shaft is required to rotate the mount for the ultrasonic vibrator with the shaft. In addition, the beam trajectory plane is an ultrasonic tomographic image which is a plane perpendicular to the handle axis direction of the ultrasonic probe.

[0006] The ultrasonic motor is not directly mounted on the drive motor, the shaft of the drive motor rotates, and the shaft protruding from the drive motor is unidirectional, and the motor can be mounted from one side. . It cannot be determined that there is any special contrivance for mounting the drive motor.

In the ultrasonic probe disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-163562, the ultrasonic transducer is mounted so as to be directed radially with respect to the handle axis direction of the ultrasonic probe. The acoustic mirror described in -289550 is not required. The axis of the mount for the ultrasonic transducer is indirectly connected to the shaft of the drive motor. By the rotation of the drive motor, the ultrasonic vibrator mount rotates along the axis of the shaft, and the beam trajectory plane of the ultrasonic vibrator becomes a plane perpendicular to the drive axis. Although the mounting of the drive motor is not particularly described, the outer member of the motor is fixed because the shaft rotates as judged from the drawing.

[0008] Since the drive motor is provided on the handle portion side as compared with the ultrasonic transducer, the beam trajectory plane is set in the handle axis direction of the ultrasonic probe in order to rotate the mount of the ultrasonic transducer with the shaft. An ultrasonic tomographic image, which is a plane perpendicular to the plane, is obtained.

JP-A-7-184888, JP-A-7-184888
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus described in JP-A-163562 and JP-A-7-289550 can obtain a two-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic image, but the transmission mechanism of the handle and the drive mechanism of the distal end become complicated. However, it is not enough to improve the position accuracy of the ultrasonic image. Investigations have been made to configure the ultrasonic vibrator section and the drive section at the distal end.

The ultrasonic probe disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-33733 includes a drive motor and a gear clutch for switching the rotation direction of the drive motor and transmitting the drive motor to the vibrator side in a probe main body. A rotation drive mechanism is built in. The ultrasonic vibrator connected by the signal cable can reciprocate and rotate by automatic or manual operation within a range of at least 180 degrees in the window case. This ultrasonic probe uses a gear clutch to switch the direction of rotation of the ultrasonic vibrator, so that the tomographic image on the beam trajectory plane of the ultrasonic vibrator is mechanically restricted from moving. The range can be rocked.

However, also in this ultrasonic probe, since the ultrasonic vibrator and the driving power unit are separated from each other, the driving mechanism is complicated, and the driving power unit is increased in power loss. There is a problem that the probe becomes large, the weight of the probe increases, and the workability decreases. In addition, the sealed volume of the ultrasonic medium is increased, and a small probe is being demanded.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. Sho 61-226024 relates to a probe in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are arranged on a surface and sequentially energized. The structure is such that a central shaft of the rotor is supported, a crank mechanism is connected to a shaft protruding from the housing to the outer peripheral portion, and a motor is attached to a tip of the crank mechanism. The center axis of the rotor is supported by the housing, but the housing itself is fixed. Since there is a crank mechanism, there is a problem that it is difficult to obtain a constant rotation speed in accordance with the rotation of the motor.

The ultrasonic probe disclosed in JP-A-1-136640 and JP-A-1-293850 is a mechanism for rotating a rotor having an ultrasonic vibrator attached to the tip of the probe. Power is transmitted to the rotor of the ultrasonic vibrator via a belt or worm gear, which is a mechanism for transmitting drive, to the rotating shaft of the rotor. Since the drive motor is not directly connected to the ultrasonic vibrator rotor, the position of the ultrasonic vibrator rotor cannot be accurately grasped.

In the conventional example described above, a mechanism for rotating and driving the ultrasonic vibrator portion is formed at the distal end, and an ultrasonic probe having a complicated and long transmission path is used to transmit power to the mechanism. is there. Therefore, the rotational position of the ultrasonic transducer cannot be accurately grasped. Since the rotational position accuracy cannot be improved, the information of the image is rough, and it is becoming difficult to obtain a recent high-quality image with the conventional mechanism.

[0015]

However, the above-mentioned conventional mechanical sector scanning type ultrasonic probe can obtain a two-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic image. Because the rotor unit to which the ultrasonic transducer is attached and the drive motor unit are different, it is necessary to provide a mechanism to transmit the driving force,
It becomes mechanically complicated. Further, due to these mechanisms, the ultrasonic probe has a problem that it is generally heavy, large in size, and difficult to handle.

Further, in the conventional two-dimensional tomographic image, the beam trajectory plane of the ultrasonic transducer is a plane perpendicular to the handle axis of the ultrasonic probe and is not a beam trajectory plane parallel to the handle axis. There is a problem that scanning in the body cavity used in obstetrics and gynecology or urology cannot be sufficiently diagnosed.
Although a beam trajectory plane of the ultrasonic transducer as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-293850 is required, it is necessary to reduce the size because the size becomes large.

However, in order to make the two-dimensional mechanism compact, it is necessary to configure the ultrasonic vibrator within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor due to the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator. However, in the conventional example, since the ultrasonic vibrator is configured outside the range of the internal axis of the drive motor, it becomes a very large ultrasonic probe in order to make a mechanism for rotating the whole, and cannot be used practically. I have.

When the ultrasonic probe is dropped due to careless handling, if the weight of the motor is large, the impact load increases accordingly.
It is necessary to use a rigid support member.

In order to make the two-dimensional mechanism compact, (1) it is necessary to provide a mechanism in which the ultrasonic vibrator is configured within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor in terms of the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator. is there. (2) It is necessary to provide a column supporting the drive rotor. (3) It is necessary to take out the coil wire of the drive motor so as not to hinder the rotation drive. (4) A device for knowing the rotational position of the ultrasonic transducer is required. (5) A device must be devised to mount the drive rotor on the column. (6) A base that integrates the support and the support is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and it is possible to secure an ultrasonic scanning in a two-dimensional manner and to realize a small and lightweight ultrasonic transducer driving motor capable of scanning. It is an object of the present invention to provide a two-dimensional scanning ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the same.

[0021]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a drive shaft of a drive motor is provided on a handle shaft so that a beam trajectory surface of an ultrasonic transducer can be formed in a plane parallel to the handle shaft. It is configured so as to be perpendicular to it.

Further, an ultrasonic vibrator driving motor including a driving shaft of the driving motor, a rotation axis of the ultrasonic vibrator, and one axis is formed in the window case containing the ultrasonic wave propagation medium.

For this purpose, a beam surface is formed within the rotor range of the drive shaft of the drive motor. Attach the ultrasonic vibrator to the rotor case of the drive motor.

The support portion for supporting the bearing of the drive motor is composed of a member (base) integrated with the support portion, and supports the drive rotor with rigidity.

The base on which the drive rotor is mounted is MIM
(Metal injection mold) It is manufactured by the construction method.

The drive shaft of the drive motor is supported on a support column of the base via a bearing collar.

The bearing collar is formed by a hollow cylindrical ring.

A support for supporting the shaft of the base is formed. The support has a cylindrical portion for supporting the shaft and a parallel opening connected to the cylindrical portion. The opening is connected to the outside. ing. The width of the opening is larger than the diameter of the drive shaft and smaller than the outer diameter of the bearing collar.

In order to mount the drive motor, the drive shafts are fitted through the openings of both support portions, inserted into the cylindrical portions of the support portions, and then the bearing collar is inserted from the shaft axis. The outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion of the bearing collar is inserted into the cylindrical portion of the column so that the drive shaft does not fall out of the base.

The base of the base for supporting the drive shaft of the drive motor via a bearing collar is provided at two places on the base. A drive rotor is formed between the two pillars.

The two pillar portions of the base are arranged in parallel, the pillar portions are formed on both sides of the drive rotor, the support portions are arranged near the window case, and the pillar portions have a smaller width than the central base portion. To support the drive rotor at both ends to increase the rigidity of the ultrasonic vibrator drive motor.

The drive shaft, bearing collar and base are fixed with an adhesive or the like to increase the rigidity of the ultrasonic vibrator drive motor.

The connection lead wire from the coil of the drive motor is passed through a part of the drive shaft which is cut out, passed through the drive shaft support hole of the bearing collar, and connected to the handle.

Since the drive axis of the drive motor and the rotation axis of the ultrasonic transducer are the same axis, the position information of the drive motor becomes the position information of the ultrasonic transducer, and the accuracy of the position information of the drive motor can be improved. The position information accuracy of the ultrasonic transducer is improved. Further, since the shafts are coaxial, there is no influence of accuracy deterioration due to gear backlash, belt slippage / elongation, and the like.

Further, in order to incorporate the base in the window case, the width of the column of the base is made smaller than the dimension of the support of the base central portion due to the arrangement of the signal lines of the drive motor.

The two-dimensional scanning ultrasonic vibrator driving motor of the electro-mechanical scanning type according to the present invention includes an ultrasonic wave propagating medium, and the drive shaft of the driving motor and the rotational axis of the ultrasonic vibrator are enclosed in a window case. An ultrasonic transducer drive motor composed of the same axis is configured, the mechanism is reduced in size and weight, the sealing range of the ultrasonic propagation medium can be narrowed, and the overall weight of the ultrasonic probe can be reduced, and the drive Since the drive axis of the motor and the rotation axis of the ultrasonic vibrator are the same axis, the position information of the drive motor can be adopted as the position information of the ultrasonic vibrator. An ultrasonic tomographic image with good image quality can be obtained on the beam trajectory plane. Since the support portion and the support portion are integrally formed on the base, an ultrasonic probe having high rigidity of the base and increased support rigidity of the drive rotor can be obtained.

[0037]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is directed to a window case including an ultrasonic vibrator and an ultrasonic wave propagating medium and made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency and the ultrasonic vibration. An ultrasonic probe having a drive motor for driving the element, an ultrasonic transducer attached to an outer peripheral portion of a rotor frame of the drive motor, and a drive axis of the drive motor and a drive axis of the rotor to which the ultrasonic transducer is attached. The ultrasonic beam plane is formed on the same plane as the orbit plane of the rotated ultrasonic transducer, and the drive axis is orthogonal to the beam trajectory plane. The drive shaft is supported on a base via a bearing collar, and the base has a support portion for supporting the drive shaft on a plane perpendicular to the track plane through the drive shaft. , On its strut, There are parallel openings that led the cylindrical portion to the cylindrical portion, the opening is leading to the outside,
With the bearing collar interposed between the drive shaft and the cylindrical portion of the column,
Ultrasonic vibrator drive motor characterized in that the drive motor does not come off the base.The ultrasonic vibrator is configured within the range of the drive shaft of the drive motor according to the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator. Therefore, an ultrasonic transducer driving mechanism capable of obtaining a two-dimensional tomographic image in a compact manner can be provided. Since the beam trajectory plane of the ultrasonic transducer and the handle axis are oriented in the same direction, the drive motor axis is perpendicular to the handle axis, and the beam trajectory plane is a plane parallel to the handle axis. An ultrasonic tomographic image serving as a plane can be obtained.

Further, the support portion for supporting the shaft of the base has a cylindrical portion for supporting the shaft and an opening, and the support portion has a hollow cylindrical shape between the cylindrical portion and the drive shaft. A bearing collar is inserted so that the drive shaft does not fall out of the column. Therefore, the drive motor can be easily assembled, and can be made small and lightweight, and the drive motor can be built in the probe tip.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the base supporting portion for supporting the drive shaft of the drive motor via the bearing collar is formed at two places of the base, and is sandwiched between the two support portions. 2. The ultrasonic vibrator drive motor according to claim 1, wherein a drive rotor is provided at a position where the ultrasonic vibrator can be stably supported on the support portion of the base. This has the effect of stabilizing the beam trajectory at the same position and stabilizing the transmission and reception, so that the image becomes clearer.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the base supporting portion for supporting the drive shaft of the drive motor via the bearing collar is formed at two places of the base, and the two supporting portions are provided at the base. The ultrasonic vibrator drive motor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the base is formed by fixing a drive shaft of the drive motor, a bearing collar, and a support portion of the base. Are fixed by the drive shaft, and a closed space is formed by the fixing portion, so that the rigidity of the base is increased. In addition, since the two support portions are formed as an integrated base, there is an effect that the bearing strength of the drive motor can be sufficiently secured.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a window case including an ultrasonic vibrator and an ultrasonic wave propagation medium and made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency, and a drive motor for driving the ultrasonic vibrator. And the drive shaft of the drive motor of the ultrasonic probe with the drive shaft is mounted on a base via a bearing collar, the base supporting the drive shaft on a plane perpendicular to the track plane through the drive shaft. There is a pillar part that
The strut has a cylindrical portion and a parallel opening connected to the cylindrical portion, the opening has a structure connected to the outside, and the bearing collar has a hollow cylindrical shape, and has an opening. Is an interval of h1, the diameter of the cylindrical portion is d1, the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion of the bearing is d2, and the inner diameter of the inner cylindrical portion of the bearing is d.
In 3, the shaft diameter of the drive shaft is D, and these are the following relations.

[0042]

(Equation 2)

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a bearing collar is interposed between the drive shaft and the cylindrical portion of the column to prevent the drive rotor from falling off the base. The ultrasonic vibrator drive motor described in the above, there is a cylindrical portion and an opening formed in a column portion for supporting the shaft of the base, the drive shaft is inserted from the opening to the center of the cylindrical portion, The bearing collar is inserted from the direction of the drive shaft, and between the cylindrical part and the drive shaft on the support part, a hollow cylindrical bearing collar is used to prevent the drive shaft from falling out of the support part. I have. Therefore, assembling of the drive motor becomes easy, and the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic transducer
Since the ultrasonic vibrator is configured within the range of the internal shaft of the drive motor, a compact mechanism can be provided, and a small and lightweight drive motor can be provided.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the base of the base for supporting the drive shaft of the drive motor via the bearing collar is formed at two places of the base, and the two pillars are arranged in parallel. A support portion is formed on both sides of the drive motor, the support portion is disposed near the window case, and the drive rotor is supported at both ends by a support portion having a width smaller than a center base. Claim 1 or Claim 4
This is the ultrasonic vibrator drive motor described above, and the drive rotor can be stably supported on the support of the base, so that the rotor position does not rattle. Therefore, the position of the ultrasonic transducer is stabilized, the trajectory of the beam becomes the same position, and the image becomes clear because transmission and reception are stable. Furthermore, since the drive rotor is supported at both ends by the base, the support rigidity of the drive rotor can be sufficiently ensured. By making the width of the column of the base smaller than the width of the center portion of the base, the drive rotor can be supported in the window case.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a window case including an ultrasonic oscillator and an ultrasonic wave propagation medium and made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency, and a drive motor for driving the ultrasonic oscillator. The base of the ultrasonic probe equipped with is manufactured by MIM (Metal Injection Molding) method, the opening and the cylindrical part are formed by MIM, and the cylindrical part of the support part is machined for fitting with the bearing collar. An ultrasonic transducer drive motor according to claim 1 or claim 4, characterized in that the base is made of MIM, so that the drive motor support structure of the base is simplified and
The drive motor can be made compact. Since it is a metal, an integral base having rigidity can be formed, secondary processing can be reduced even in a complicated shape, and an inexpensive base can be obtained. The cylindrical portion and the opening of the support portion of the base can be formed by a mold, and have an effect that the secondary metal processing can be performed only on the reference surface and the fitting portion.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a window case including an ultrasonic vibrator and an ultrasonic wave propagating medium and made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency, and a drive motor for driving the ultrasonic vibrator. An ultrasonic probe comprising:
The ultrasonic vibrator is mounted on the outer peripheral portion of the rotor frame of the drive motor, and the drive shaft of the drive motor and the drive shaft of the rotor on which the ultrasonic vibrator is mounted are constituted by the same axis. The ultrasonic beam surface is formed on almost the same plane as the plane, the drive shaft is configured to be orthogonal to the beam surface, and the drive shaft of the drive motor is supported on the base via a bearing collar. The base has a column supporting the drive shaft on a plane perpendicular to the track plane through the drive shaft, and the column is connected to the cylindrical portion and the cylindrical portion. There is a parallel opening, the opening is connected to the outside, the bearing collar is a hollow cylindrical shape, and the bearing collar is interposed between the drive shaft and the cylindrical part of the support, and the drive rotor Drive module to prevent the An ultrasonic tomographic image of the orbit plane obtained by an ultrasonic transducer drive motor having a structure in which the base was mounted between the columns of the base and the base was fixed to the mounting portion at the tip of the ultrasonic probe was used. This is an ultrasonic diagnostic device, and the ultrasonic transducer is configured within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor in accordance with the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic transducer. The drive can be mechanized. The beam trajectory plane of the ultrasonic transducer points in the same direction as the handle axis, the drive motor axis is perpendicular to the handle axis, and the beam trajectory plane is the scan plane in a plane parallel to the handle axis. Thus, an ultrasonic tomographic image can be obtained. Since the drive motor of the two-dimensional drive unit can be built into the window case, a small and lightweight ultrasonic probe can be formed, and ultrasonic diagnosis using the probe can be performed, and the convenience of diagnosis can be improved. Have.

[0047]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an entire ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using a mechanical sector scanning ultrasonic probe according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment comprises an ultrasonic probe and a main body system. A drive rotor 3 of a drive motor for rotating and driving the ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 and a base 4 (also referred to as a base housing or a housing) for supporting the drive rotor 3 are built into the tip of the ultrasonic probe, and a handle of the ultrasonic probe is provided. The portion includes a relay adjustment board 5 for the position detection signal of the drive motor and a volume adjustment mechanism 6 for the ultrasonic wave propagation medium.
Are configured.

The ultrasonic vibrators 1 and 2 are attached to the outer periphery of the rotating portion of the drive rotor 3. Therefore, the rotational axes of the ultrasonic vibrators 1 and 2 and the drive shaft of the drive motor 104 are the same. Become. The beams of the ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 are radiated in the radial direction with respect to the drive shaft. The rotation of the drive rotor 3 causes the trajectory planes of the beams of the ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 to be orthogonal to the drive axis. That is, the axis perpendicular to the trajectory plane of the beam is the drive axis of the drive motor 104.

Knowing the rotational position information of the drive rotor 3 is based on the ultrasonic transducers 1, 2 attached to the drive rotor 3.
Will know the location information. The rotational position of the drive rotor 3 can be known by using the reference position means serving as a reference for one rotation and the relative position information together with the position means. Magnetic material pins 7 (also called Z-phase pins) and MR elements 8 (also called Z-phase MR elements) as reference position means
The MR element 8 is distinguished from other MR elements as a Z-phase MR element. Since the Z-phase MR element 8 has only one magnetic material pin 7, the Z-phase MR element 8 detects one pulse signal per rotation of the drive rotor. Therefore, the reference position of the drive rotor can be known. Since the Z-phase MR signal has a low signal level and is not affected by noise, the signal is amplified by the relay amplifier board 9 near the motor.

A magnetic encoder 10 is incorporated as relative position information means. The magnetic encoder 10 has an encoder magnet 11 on the drive rotor side and an MR magnet on the base 4 side.
An element 12 (also referred to as an AB phase MR element) is provided. The MR element 12 is distinguished from another MR element as an AB phase MR element. The AB-phase MR element 12 is an MR element that can obtain signals of two channels of A-phase and B-phase.
The phase difference between the phases is 90 degrees. Since the phase difference between the A phase and the B phase is 90 degrees, the rotation direction of the drive motor can be obtained from the phase difference. Encoder magnet 1
A plurality of magnetic poles are magnetized on the outer circumference of 1, and the number of signals corresponding to the number of magnetic poles is obtained from the AB phase MR element 12. For example, since the encoder magnet 11 has about 300 magnetic poles, the AB phase MR signal also has 300 pulses.
A signal with a degree of resolution accuracy is obtained. Since the encoder magnet 11 is rotationally magnetized, the angular accuracy between the magnetic poles is very high. The AB-phase signal is also amplified once by the relay amplifier board 9 near the motor, and further wired to the relay adjustment board 5 for processing the sine-wave signal into a rectangular wave. Connected.

The driving rotor 3 has a rotational speed of 300 r / mi.
The rotational driving is performed in several steps from n to 1200 r / min. For example, if the encoder magnet 11 is 30
When the number of magnetic poles is about 0, the AB phase MR signal also has 300 pulses, so that the number of pulses can be used as it is. However, in order to increase the resolution of the rotational angle positions of the ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2, A If the phase B phase is multiplied by 4, the number of pulses becomes 1200 pulses per rotation, which is four times the resolution of the original signal. Since the drive axis of the drive rotor 3 and the rotation axis of the ultrasonic vibrator are the same axis, there is no variation and the rotation angle accuracy is good, and since the signal is used as a trigger, the image quality is quite good. It becomes an ultrasonic diagnostic image.

In order to extract signals from the ultrasonic vibrators 1 and 2 to the outside of the drive motor 104, the slip ring 13
Are formed at the rotor end of the drive rotor 3. The ultrasonic wave radiated from the ultrasonic transducer 1 (or 2) advances radially to the center of the ultrasonic transducer 1 (or 2) and enters the living tissue. After a part of the ultrasonic wave incident on the tissue is reflected in the tissue, the ultrasonic wave is received by the ultrasonic transducer 1 (or 2), converted into an electric signal, and passed through the slip ring 13 to the outside of the drive motor 104. It is taken out and sent to the amplifier in the system body.

The frequency characteristics of the signals from the ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 are different from each other, and the ultrasonic transducer with the higher frequency is called the high-frequency vibrator and the one with the lower frequency is called the low-frequency vibrator. .

The base 4 supporting the drive rotor 3 is fixed to a mounting base of the probe body. Further, the base 4 is formed as an integral member, which comprises a support portion for supporting the drive rotor 3 and a support portion fixed to a mounting base of the probe body. The base rigidity is increased to increase the support rigidity of the drive motor.

The drive rotor 3, the base 4, and the relay amplifier board 9 are formed at the tip of the ultrasonic probe, and the window case 1 is entirely made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency.
4 is included in the ultrasonic wave propagation medium. The ultrasonic wave propagation medium in the window case is depressurized so as not to contain bubbles, degassed, and sealed. The ultrasonic wave propagation medium volume adjusting mechanism 6 is provided so that the pressure of the sealed ultrasonic wave propagation medium is relaxed even if the sealed ultrasonic wave propagation medium expands due to the environment. This ultrasonic wave propagation medium volume adjustment mechanism 6
Consists of a rubber-based elastic bag. The volume adjustment mechanism 6 and the relay adjustment board are formed in a handle portion 27 of the ultrasonic probe.

The drive circuit 15 for driving the drive motor is configured in the system body.

Next, a transmission / reception circuit portion in the system main body 103 (main body device) will be described. For two vibrators having different frequency characteristics of the ultrasonic vibrator, signal lines are different for high frequency and low frequency. In FIG. 1, the signal lines are shown differently, but for convenience of description of the ultrasonic vibrators 1 and 2,
It is assumed that the high-frequency vibrator is the ultrasonic vibrator 1 and the low-frequency vibrator is the ultrasonic vibrator 2.

When transmitting an ultrasonic wave into a living body, first, a pulse generator 16 outputs a rate pulse for determining a repetition period of the ultrasonic pulse, and transmits the pulse to a pulse oscillator driving circuit 17 having a fixed ultrasonic frequency. Can be In the vibrator drive circuit 17, a drive signal is supplied to the corresponding ultrasonic vibrator 1 (or 2) via the slip ring 13 corresponding to the frequency to drive the ultrasonic vibrator corresponding to the frequency. , A driving pulse is formed.
The driving pulse radiates the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic transducer 1 (or 2) into the living body.

In the case of a high-frequency transmission signal, the high-frequency vibrator 1
Therefore, in the case of the transmission signal for low frequency, the ultrasonic wave radiated into the living body from the low frequency transducer 2 is reflected by the tissue in the living body.
The reflected ultrasonic waves are called ultrasonic echoes. The received signal is received by the ultrasonic transducer 1 (or 2) used for transmission, and a weak reception signal corresponding to the reflection intensity of the ultrasonic echo is supplied to an amplifier (amplifier 18a for high frequency, amplifier 18a for low frequency) After being amplified by the amplifier 18b), it is sent to the B-mode signal processing circuit. In the B-mode signal processing circuit, the vibrator output is logarithmically compressed by a logarithmic amplifier (logarithmic amplifier 19a for high frequency, logarithmic amplifier 19b for low frequency), and a detection circuit for envelope detection (detection circuit 20a for high frequency). In the case of a low frequency, the signal is detected by a detection circuit 20b) and a gain setting device for gain correction (a gain setting device 21a for a high frequency and a gain setting device 21b for a low frequency).
Is controlled by a gain control controller 22, gain is corrected, a signal is synthesized by a synthesizing circuit 23, A / D converted by an A / D converter 100, and image processed by a high-speed image DSP 23. The seat image processed by the DSP 23 is temporarily stored in the image memory 24. A plurality of images at the time of driving are also stored in the image memory 24, subjected to signal processing using the high-speed image DSP 23, and converted into image data corresponding to a TV scanning format via a digital scan converter (DSC) 25. And the TV monitor 26
It is displayed as a two-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic image. Main unit 103
Has a host CPU 102 that controls the entire circuit of the apparatus, and comprehensively monitors image data, a memory, and a drive circuit of a drive motor, and issues processing instructions. Host CPU
Reference numeral 102 denotes input by an external input operation to the main unit.
In other words, it controls the processing as a probe.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the ultrasonic probe. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 27 denotes a handle portion, in which a relay adjustment board is built. Reference numeral 28 denotes a distal end portion of the ultrasonic probe. A window case 14 made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency is attached to the distal end, and a drive motor, an ultrasonic vibrator, and the like are built in. The ultrasonic probe is connected to the main body via a connector 30 at the end of a cable 29. The distal end portion 28 has a smooth cylindrical streamline shape so as to be easily inserted into a body cavity. This cable 29
Input / output lines (I / O lines) connecting the ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body, electric control lines for driving and controlling the drive motor, signal lines such as encoders, and signals for shock detection. Cable 2 for connecting wires etc. to the ultrasonic diagnostic equipment main body
9, protected by a coating and shielded. The cable 29 is grounded at both ends of the ultrasonic transducer side and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body side. In FIG. 2, since the cable 29 is long, it is omitted in the middle.

FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5 are structural views of the ultrasonic vibrator drive motor device in the present embodiment. 3 and 4 show the window case 14 and the handle portion 2 for explanation.
Cases such as 7 are omitted.

3, 4 and 5, reference numerals 1 and 2 denote ultrasonic vibrators, 3 denotes a driving rotor of a driving motor, 4 denotes a base,
7 is a magnetic material pin, 9 is a relay amplifier board, 10 is a magnetic encoder, 11 is an encoder magnet, and 12 is AB
The phase MR element 13 is a slip ring.

1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The rotating portion of the drive motor 104 rotates about the drive shaft 31 (also referred to as a shaft) of the drive motor, and the ultrasonic vibrators 1 and 2 are attached to the outer periphery of the rotor frame 32. The ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 are also called transducers, and are components that form the core of an ultrasonic probe. An acoustic lens 33 is provided at the tips of the ultrasonic vibrators 1 and 2.
Is attached. The acoustic lens 33 effectively utilizes the phenomenon of refraction. Since ultrasonic waves have a higher sound velocity in a solid than in a liquid, the ultrasonic beam is focused on a vibrator surface by a concave acoustic lens. I have. An ultrasonic transducer to which a flat acoustic lens or a convex acoustic lens is attached in addition to the concave acoustic lens is used.

The beams of the ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 are scanned in the radial direction orthogonal to the drive shaft 31 of the drive motor 104. The trajectory of the beam is therefore perpendicular to the drive axis. An ultrasonic tomographic image of a beam trajectory plane that is orthogonal to the drive axis of the drive motor 104 but parallel to the axis of the handle (27 in FIG. 2) is obtained. Since the ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 are rotated by the drive motor 104, the trajectory plane of the beam of the ultrasonic transducer at that time (referred to as a drive beam trajectory plane) is a plane orthogonal to the drive axis of the drive motor 104. . As can be seen from FIG. 3, the ultrasonic tomographic image acquisition area in the ultrasonic transducer array direction obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic transducer is obstructed by the base 4 instead of 360 degrees and has a certain range. Only the ultrasonic image of is obtained. In FIG. 4, the range is indicated by an angle α. The range represents an ultrasonic scannable area that can be scanned by the ultrasonic transducer. In an actual ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the angle is set slightly smaller than the geometric angle α in consideration of the problem of reflection and the like. In the case of this embodiment, it is 230 degrees.

The drive motor 104 has a magnetic material pin 7 (referred to as a Z-phase pin) attached to the outer peripheral portion of the rotor frame 32 made of a magnetic material such as SUM24L or SUY as reference position means for finding reference position information. I have. The pin 7 is attached by inserting a cylindrical portion into a cylindrical hole provided on the outer periphery of the rotor frame 32, and a cut surface 34 is provided on both sides so as to have an acute angle at the tip end with respect to the driving rotation direction. I have. The magnetic flux to this pin 7 is
From the main magnet. Z to detect pin 7
A phase MR element (not shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5) is mounted on the base 4 via a magnetic material mounting base. The signal of the Z-phase MR element is a flexible printed circuit 35
(Hereinafter, also referred to as a flexible board, FPC, or Z-phase FPC), is connected to the relay amplifier board 9, and is connected from the relay amplifier board 9 to a relay adjustment board on the handle portion of the ultrasonic probe by a flat lead wire 36 (also referred to as FFC). ), And the relay adjustment board is connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body side via a connector through a shielded cable.
The reference position means is composed of a magnetic material pin 7 and a Z-phase MR element.
The R element 8 detects one pulse signal for one rotation of the drive motor. Since the Z-phase MR signal has a small signal level, it is not affected by noise and is amplified by the relay amplifier board 9 near the motor. The amplified Z-phase signal is shown in FIG.
This is a signal (referred to as a Z-phase amplifier signal) as shown in FIG. The Z-phase amplifier signal is subjected to rectangular processing by the comparator circuit of the relay adjustment board 5. The signal subjected to the rectangle processing is shown in FIG.
(B) 0 as shown in (Z-phase comparator signal)
It is a signal of -5 V, and is hardly affected by external noise. Since the signal immediately from the Z-phase MR element is easily affected by external noise, the relay amplifier board 9 is arranged near the base 4 to amplify the signal. If the rising position of the Z-phase comparator signal is set to the reference position of the drive motor 104, it becomes the rotation reference position of the drive motor 104, and also the rotation reference position of the ultrasonic transducers 1, 2. Based on the Z-phase signal, the ultrasonic transducers 1, 2,
Is determined, the reference of the rotational position of the ultrasonic transducer can be determined without difference between the individual ultrasonic probes.

The magnetic encoder 10 serves as relative position information means for knowing the rotational position information of the drive motor 104.
Is incorporated. The magnetic encoder 10 includes an encoder magnet 11 on the drive rotor 3 side and an AB phase MR element 12 on the base 4 side. The material of the encoder magnet 11 is a plastic magnet,
A 12-nylon resin is used as the base resin.

In order not to be affected by the leakage magnetic flux of the main magnet on the encoder output, the encoder magnet 1
1 and an AB phase MR element 12 attached to the base 4 side
The gap between the two is set very narrow. Since the gap is narrow, it is necessary to reduce the influence of the encoder magnet 11 such as swelling. For this purpose, the encoder magnet 11 is a plastic magnet, and its ferrite content is 79% or more containing a magnetic material in consideration of the swelling effect because it is used in an ultrasonic wave propagation medium. .

When an oil containing an additive is used for the ultrasonic wave propagation medium, a plastic magnet other than 12 nylon, such as polyphenylene sulfide (commonly called PPS), is used.

A magnetic encoder 10 is incorporated as relative position information means, and a position detecting element of the magnetic encoder 10 is an AB phase MR element 12. The AB phase MR element 12 obtains a signal of two channels of A phase and B phase.
In the R element, the phase difference between the A phase and the B phase is 90 degrees. Since the phase difference between the A phase and the B phase is 90 degrees, the rotation direction of the drive motor can be obtained from the phase difference. Therefore, most MR elements used in the control encoder have a phase difference of 90 degrees. The AB-phase MR element 12 is arranged to face the outer periphery of the encoder magnet 11 which is rotationally magnetized in multiple poles via a gap.

The number of signals corresponding to the number of magnetic poles of the encoder magnet is obtained from the AB phase MR element 12. For example, when the encoder magnet 11 has 300 poles, the AB phase MR signal also has 300 pulses, so that a signal with a resolution of 300 pulses per rotation can be obtained as the position information of the drive motor. Since the encoder magnet 11 is rotationally magnetized, the angular accuracy between the magnetic poles is very high. A
If the phase and B phase signals are multiplied by four, 1200 per rotation
Since the signal of the resolution accuracy of the above is obtained, the angle accuracy between the magnetic poles is very high, so that even if the frequency is quadrupled, the position information with considerably high angle accuracy can be obtained.

The signal of the AB-phase MR element 12 passes through a flexible substrate 37 (also referred to as an AB-phase FPC) to drive the rotor 3.
Is once amplified by the relay amplifier board 9 near the above, and further wired to a relay adjustment board for processing a sine wave waveform signal into a rectangular wave,
From there, a long wiring process using a cable is performed and connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body.

In order to take out transmission / reception signals to and from the ultrasonic vibrators 1 and 2 to the outside of the drive rotor 3, the slip ring 13
Is configured. Since the slip ring 13 will be described later in detail, it will be briefly described here. A rotary transformer may be used instead of the slip ring. The slip ring 13 forms a required number of electrodes 38 with an insulating material such as an insulating sheet interposed on the drive motor side in the middle.
The ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 are connected to the electrode 38.
The electrodes 38 are provided with a brush 39 for contacting and electrically connecting the electrodes to the base 4 via a brush holder 40 made of an electrically insulating material such as a phenol resin material. The signal (I /
The O signal is connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body through a flexible substrate 41 (referred to as I / OFPC).

The motor wire 42 of the drive motor 104 is drawn out from the groove of the shaft, and the motor wire 42 is three since the drive motor has three phases, and each of the motor wires is a predetermined relay amplifier. It is soldered to the substrate 9. The motor wires connected to the relay amplifier board 9 are generally U-phase, V-phase.
Phase and W phase. Furthermore, the motor wire is FF
It is connected to the ultrasonic apparatus main body side through the relay adjustment board of the handle portion of the ultrasonic probe via C. Motor wire 42
Since the drive current of the motor flows, the one having a small lead wire resistance is used. That is, the conductor is thickened.

Since the both ends of the drive rotor 3 are supported by the support portions of the base 4, the drive motor is supported at both ends.
That is, the rotating body of the ultrasonic transducer is also supported at both ends. The base 4 is composed of a support part to be attached to a mounting base of the probe and a support part for supporting the drive rotor 3. The construction method and shape of the base 4 will be described later. The support at the support cannot be easily integrated because the drive rotor 3 is mounted in a recess in which the base 4 is concave. Describing in an assembled state, the outer periphery of the drive shaft 31 is covered with bearing collars 43 at both ends of the drive rotor 3, and the bearing collars 43 are engaged and inserted into holes in the support portions of the base 4. Because of the bearing collar 43, the drive shaft 3
1 does not come off. That is, since the ultrasonic vibrator is attached to the outer periphery of the rotor frame of the drive rotor 3 of the double-ended bearing, it is configured between both bearings of the drive rotor 3.
Therefore, the ultrasonic tomographic image is orthogonal to the drive shaft 31 and is not orthogonal to the handle axis.

When the drive motor is rotated, scanning is performed about the drive axis, so that an ultrasonic tomographic image is obtained on a drive beam trajectory plane perpendicular to the drive axis. The ultrasonic tomographic image is a two-dimensional image. As described above, in the present embodiment, an ultrasonic probe for two-dimensional scanning becomes possible. For example, it is possible to obtain an unprecedented wide measurement range in which an ultrasonic tomographic image in a 230-degree range can be obtained. Also, when inserting and using a two-dimensional scanning ultrasonic probe in a body cavity,
Since the ultrasonic vibrator can be arranged at the distal end of the insertion portion, there is an advantage that the insertion portion can be further reduced in size and weight.

In this embodiment, two ultrasonic transducers are used. The codes are 1 and 2. The frequency characteristics of the signals from the ultrasonic vibrators 1 and 2 are different from each other, and two types of ultrasonic vibrators, a high-frequency vibrator and a low-frequency vibrator, can be mounted. The acoustic probe can handle two different distance resolutions.
Generally, the distance resolution improves as the frequency increases, but as the frequency increases, the attenuation of the ultrasonic waves increases, so that diagnosis cannot be performed at a deep part. Because the child can be switched and used, better ultrasonic diagnosis is possible.

The ultrasonic vibrators 1 and 2 mounted on the rotor frame 32 are mounted at a position 180 degrees away from the drive shaft, and the ultrasonic waves radiated from one ultrasonic vibrator emit ultrasonic waves from the other ultrasonic vibrator. Two ultrasonic vibrators are attached in pairs of 180 degrees so that the ultrasonic wave is received by the ultrasonic vibrator and does not enter the ultrasonic reception signal as noise. The transmitted ultrasonic transducer receives its reflected signal, but when the reflected signal is received by the other ultrasonic transducer, the signal becomes noise, so when using multiple ultrasonic transducers It is necessary to perform transmission and reception using the same ultrasonic transducer, and to prevent reception signals from being transmitted to other ultrasonic transducers. In the case of a slip ring, the noise is hardly affected, but in the case of a rotary transformer or the like, crosstalk causes image noise, so that sufficient consideration is required.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a slip ring. In FIG. 7, the electrode 38 (same as the reference numeral in FIG. 3) is composed of three electrodes 38a, 38b, and 38c, each of which is a polyester insulating sheet 44.
a, 44b, 44c. The electrode 38 is formed by cutting or press-working brass by metal working and forming the protrusion 4 on the inner side.
5, and a small hole 46 for soldering a lead wire is formed in the projection 45. Further, the projection 45 has a step 47 which is thinner than the thickness of the outer peripheral ring. The step 47 is formed on one surface of the projection 45 and extends to a radius smaller than the inner diameter of the ring of the electrode. When the lead wire is soldered, the solder stays in the step portion 47 and does not flow to the ring side of the electrode, so that the electrode does not tilt due to the solder when assembling the slip ring. Brush 3
There is an effective effect that the sliding position with reference numeral 9 (reference numeral in FIG. 3) does not fluctuate with rotation.

One ultrasonic transducer has two lead wires, one is an electric ground (GND), and the other is
The book is a signal line. In the ultrasonic probe of the present embodiment, two ultrasonic vibrators are attached to the drive rotor 3, so there are four lead wires. However, since the electric ground is treated as a common, it can be processed as three lead wires. . Since the ultrasonic transducers are separated by 180 degrees, the electric ground lines cannot be easily connected to each other. Four lead wires protrude from the electrode 38. Two of them emerge from the same electrode about 180 degrees apart.

The number of electrodes is three for two ultrasonic transducers. Of these three electrodes, the electrode 38c of the electric ground is formed on the window case side, and the frequency of the ultrasonic transducer becomes lower toward the inside.

The ultrasonic transducer emits an ultrasonic wave in response to an electric signal sent from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body via the I / O line, receives the ultrasonic wave reflected from the subject, and detects a change in the charge amount. Occurs. The electrical change of the ultrasonic transducer is transmitted to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body via the I / O line. Since the electric signal flowing through the I / O line is a frequency signal in the range of 3 kHz to 8 kHz, it becomes a main noise source of unnecessary radiation. In this embodiment, a part of the I / O line is constituted by the flexible substrate 41.
Since the I / O line is shielded by using a shield line or the like, it has an effect of preventing unnecessary radiation, but the electrode portion of the slip ring cannot be shielded. The unnecessary radiation is reduced by examining the position of the electrode at the frequency to be used. That is, of the three electrodes, the electrode of the electric ground is formed on the window case side, and the frequency of the ultrasonic transducer becomes lower toward the inside.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are views for explaining the relationship between the brush 39 and the flexible substrate 41 in the brush holder 40. FIG. 8 and 9, 40 is a brush holder,
39 is a brush and 41 is a flexible substrate.

The brush holder 40 is made of an electrical insulating material such as a phenol resin material, and has a screw hole 48 so that it can be attached to the base 4. A recess 49 having a step corresponding to the thickness of the flexible substrate 41 is formed at a position where the flexible substrate 41 is bonded and fixed to the brush holder 40. The presence of the concave portion 49 allows the brush 39 to be in close contact with and fixed to the surface 50 of the brush holder. The brush holder 40 is provided with a through hole 51 that penetrates and attaches the brush 39. Brush 3
After attaching 9 to the through-hole 51, the vicinity of the through-hole 51 is sealed and fixed with an adhesive. The I / O line flexible substrate 41 has brushes at positions corresponding to the three electrodes, and the lands 52a, 52b, and 52c are brushes 39 for soldering the brush 39 with a small interval to the flexible substrate 41. Are not arranged at right angles. For this purpose, I / OF brushes with narrow spacing
It can be connected to the PC 41 by soldering. In the figure, land 5
2a, 52b, and 52c change places in the longitudinal direction of the brush, the land of 52b is connected to the central brush, and the land 52a located inside the motor is represented in FIG. The land 52c located on the outside and close to the window case is represented on the upper side of the paper in FIG. For example, if the pitch between the brushes is 0.688 mm and the brush wire diameter is 0.15 mm, the land diameter is about 0.3 mm when the lands are arranged at right angles to the brush, which makes soldering workability difficult. I will. However, if the lands are arranged in the arrangement as shown in FIG. 9, the land diameter can be reduced to about 0.6 mm, so that the soldering operation is facilitated.

The I / OFPC 41 has three pattern lines, the pattern lines on both sides are electric signal lines, and the central pattern line is an electric ground line. The central pattern line is an electric ground, and there is a land for electrically dropping the base, and the land is connected to the base with a screw or the like, so that the electric potential of the base is set to the electric ground. Since the base is an electric ground, an electric shielding effect is obtained.

Since a high voltage for driving the ultrasonic vibrator is applied to the I / OFPC 41 and its lines, unnecessary radiation is generated from the I / O signal lines. In order to prevent the generated unnecessary radiation from jumping into the signal line of the MR element (referred to as a position information signal line), immediately pass the shield cable through the probe cable from the I / OFPC 41, and connect the main unit via the connector. Connected to Also, make sure that the I / O signal line and the drive motor line are not
When the signal level was low, it was kept away from the noise source.

The position information signal line of the drive motor that is driven to rotate in the ultrasonic wave propagation medium (acoustic medium liquid) is used to know the position information from the encoder and to know the scanning position of the ultrasonic transducer. Signal line. Therefore, when noise from the I / OFPC 41 enters the MR element signal (motor position information signal), the position information becomes unstable, and the control of the drive motor becomes unstable. Since the wiring positions at the base are different, the I / OFPC is devised so that the shield is sufficient. Therefore, since the I / O lines are electrically shielded, they are not affected by noise.

The transmission and reception of electric signals between the ultrasonic vibrator and the apparatus main body are correctly performed, and an accurate ultrasonic image with less noise can be obtained.

The base 4 is made of a metal powder injection molding method (Meta
1 Injection Molding = MIM).

MIM is described in R. E. FIG. Wiech developed the Witec process, a technology that was put into practical use in 1972, and was able to produce parts with complex three-dimensional shapes with high precision. This is the fifth generation after machining, die casting, precision casting and powder metallurgy. This method is attracting attention as a metal processing method. The dimensional tolerance is about ± 0.05 mm for general tolerance of 10 mm or less and about ± 0.03 mm for special tolerance. The precision cannot be obtained by other metal die casting. The base 4 of this embodiment (reference numeral 4 in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5) has a complicated three-dimensional shape, requires a support portion for supporting the drive motor, and has a rigid support. It is also an important requirement that the position dimensions of the rotation axis of the sonic transducer be stable, and it was manufactured by MIM.

In order to manufacture the MIM, the shape of the mold and the conditions for molding the product were examined at the following points. Refer to FIGS. 10 and 11 described later for the manufactured parts. (1) Rib-shaping is frequently used so that the thickness of the component is as uniform as possible. (2) A shape having many arc shapes. (3) The base has a complicated shape in which the strut and the support are like starfish. (4) Minimize the number of secondary processing after sintering. (5) It is necessary to set the draft taper to 0 at the position relative to the drive shaft on the surface on which the AB phase base is mounted and the surface on which the brush holder is mounted. (6) Light weight.

From the above viewpoints, the product shape and the mold product shape were designed.

MIM is similar to a plastic molding method in which a heated and melted thermoplastic substance is injected into a mold at high pressure and high speed and cooled to produce a part. Powder (metal powder) is pulverized, and the metal powder is kneaded with a binder or an organic substance such as a resin or wax that imparts fluidity, and the resulting material is heated and melted, granulated, and mixed with plastic. Similarly, injection molding is performed. Thereafter, the obtained molded body is degreased by a thermal decomposition method or the like, and then sintered to produce a metal part.

The material of the base 4 is a non-magnetic material, needs strength, has stable physical properties with respect to the ultrasonic wave propagation medium, and is made of austenitic stainless steel SUS303, SUS304, SUS304L, SUS304.
316, SUS316L and other non-ferrous materials WC-Co, W
-A material that can use Cu-Ni, W-Fe-Ni, Ti or the like can be selected.

As an example, the powder particle size is 5-10.
SUS316L stainless steel powder, which is a fine powder of μm, was used.

On the other hand, examples of the binder include olefin resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, styrene resins such as acrylic resin and polystyrene, and various thermoplastic resins such as polyamide, polyimide, polyester, polyether, liquid crystal polymer, and polyphenylene sulfide. One or more kinds of resins, various waxes, paraffins and the like were used in combination.

As an example of the binder of the base 4, an acrylic resin and polystyrene were blended, and an experiment was carried out with a generally used addition amount of about 60 vol%. As a result, a decrease in dimensions was observed. It has been obtained from various experiments that the starfish shape becomes unstable in dimensions. Also, when the addition amount is about 10 vol%, the molding fluidity becomes poor,
Failure of the injection molded product occurs, and parts are missing after degreasing or when the molded product is installed in a vacuum furnace due to the influence of micro cracks and the like during mold release. The addition amount is set from the viewpoint of the molding stability of the molded body. In order to improve the dimensional accuracy of the gear portion due to shrinkage during sintering of the molded body, the addition amount is 20 to 50
It is set to about vol%.

In the kneaded product of the metal powder and the binder, since the molded body has a blank portion of the base 4 and a straight portion without a taper for the MR element mounting portion and the brush holder mounting portion, such as a plasticizer, a lubricant, etc. A small amount of additives is added.

FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a base mold product (MIM blank product) that is considered based on points for designing the product shape and the mold product shape described above. Figure 1
At 0, a base MIM blank 53 (also referred to as a base blank) is a support 56 on which cylindrical portions 54 and 55 to which a bearing for supporting a drive motor is attached are formed.
57, a cylindrical portion 54 is a cylindrical hole for bearing support on the slip ring side, and a mounting hole for fixing the brush holder (40 in FIG. 8) to the support portion 54 with a screw (58 in FIG. 5). 59 are provided. The mounting surface 60 of the base blank 53 for mounting the brush holder has no taper so that the brush holder does not tilt. For stable sliding between the brush and the electrode of the slip ring, the mounting surface 60 of the brush holder must be orthogonal to the drive shaft. The I / OFPC (41 in FIG. 9) is attached to the window 61 of the base blank 53, folded inside the base, and taken out of the base from the side. Window 61
Because the support rigidity of the support 56 is likely to be weaker in relation to
The window shape is as small as possible.

The bearing 55 on the encoder side is attached to the cylindrical portion 55 of the column 57 for mounting a bearing. The cylindrical portion 55 is a hole of the bearing bearing cylindrical portion on the encoder side,
Are provided with two mounting holes 63 for fixing the mounting base of the AB phase MR element with screws (62 in FIG. 4). The mounting surface 64 for mounting the mounting base of the AB phase MR element is also tapered without taper so that the gap between the encoder magnet (reference numeral 11 in FIG. 3) and the AB phase MR element (reference numeral 12 in FIG. 3) can be adjusted in parallel. I make molds. In order to take out the two flexible substrates connected to the AB phase MR element, one is taken out from the side of the MR element and the other is turned under the mounting base and taken out. A projection 65 is provided on the base blank 53 so that the FPC does not protrude toward the drive motor. Similarly, a protrusion 66 is provided on the base blank 53 for the protrusion of the I / OFPC.

The pair of cross-shaped ends of the central support 67 of the base blank 53 have columns 56, 57, and the other pair of supports 68, 69 for attaching probes. A hole 70 for fixing a mount for the Z-phase MR element and a hole 71 for taking out the FPC flexible substrate of the Z-phase MR element from the base are formed in the central support portion 67.

The MIM base blank 53 is used in order to reduce the shrinkage ratio when the molded body is fired to increase the dimensional accuracy and to improve the dimensional accuracy of the component by reducing the porosity of the sintered body. The thickness of 53 is made as uniform as possible. If the thickness is reduced to about 1 mm in order to reduce the weight and make the wall thickness uniform, the supporting strength is reduced.
The support portions 68 and 69 are provided with ribs to increase rigidity.

A side core of a mold was used so as to reduce the number of deleted portions in the secondary processing as much as possible.
As a place where the secondary processing can be performed, the mounting surfaces of the support parts 68 and 69 and the pillar cylindrical parts 54 and 55 for mounting the drive motor are provided.
I made it. Since a threaded portion is impossible with MIM, a blanked hole was drilled at that location and threaded. Although the pilot hole of the screw can also be manufactured with a MIM mold, it is often not adopted because the mold is complicated. FIG. 10 shows a base blank 53 in which a pilot hole is formed using a mold.

In order to stabilize the finished product, a ceramic pedestal having a support portion is provided as a method of placing components in the degreasing step and the sintering step, and the formed article is stably placed.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a secondary processed MIM product having a product shape. The secondary processing MIM product shown in FIG. 11 shows a base 4 used for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus by performing secondary processing on the MIM blank product of FIG. FIG.
The same reference numerals are used for the same parts as.

In FIG. 11, reference numerals 54 and 55 denote cylindrical portions, 5
Reference numerals 6 and 57 denote support portions, 59 a mounting hole for fixing the brush holder, 60 a mounting surface for the brush holder, 61 a window, 63 a mounting hole for mounting the MR element, 64 a mounting surface for mounting the MR element,
67 is the central support, 68 and 69 are the supports, 70 is the Z phase M
A hole 71 for fixing the R element is a hole for taking out from the base.

Since the base formed by MIM is a metal material, the dimensional accuracy is improved by machining the portions requiring higher accuracy than the molding alone. This machining will be described.

In order to attach the bearing collars (43 in FIG. 4) to the base pillars 56, 57, the cylindrical parts 54, 55 into which the bearing collars are inserted are provided with a small machining allowance. The cylindrical portions 54, 5
Finish the inside diameter of 5.

The probe is mounted on the support 6 of the base 4.
A reference surface obtained by secondary processing of 8, 69 is also attached. Make sure that the mounting surface of the base is not inclined with respect to the drive shaft of the drive motor.
Next processing is performed.

In order to incorporate the drive motor in the window case, the base at the center must be wide but narrow toward the outer periphery. The base 4 has a cross shape. For example, the width of the pillar portion is smaller than the width of the center portion of the support portion of the base. Further, since the front end of the window case is thin, the width of the support portion is reduced as the support portion also moves toward the front end. By doing so, the drive rotor can be housed in the window case, and the drive motor can be built in the tip of the ultrasonic probe.

Although the base 4 has a three-dimensionally irregular shape, by examining the mold shape and the like, it is possible to obtain the required dimensional accuracy with the accuracy of the MIM mold molded product without performing any secondary processing. .

FIG. 12 shows the bearing collar 43. The bearing collar 43 in FIG. 12 has a basically cylindrical shape. A central cylindrical portion 72 and end cylindrical portions 73 at both ends thereof are hollow cylindrical bodies. Since the end of the end cylindrical portion 73 is incorporated in contact with the inner race of the ball bearing of the drive motor, it has a size corresponding to the outer diameter of the inner race. Central cylindrical part 72
Engages with a cylindrical portion provided on the column of the base. The end cylindrical portions 73 are formed at both ends of the central cylindrical portion 72 because if the bearing is small and if it is directional, it is easy to make a mistake at the time of assembly work. did. That is, either end cylindrical portion may be applied to the bearing. In order to attach the drive rotor to the base, the diameter of the central cylindrical portion needs to be made to a predetermined size. The dimensions will be described later in the description of the insertion method.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory view for inserting and engaging the bearing collar 43 with the cylindrical portion 54 (or 55) provided on the support 56 (or 57) of the base 4. The drive rotor is not shown in detail but is represented by a cylindrical rotor whose drive shaft 31 protrudes. The simplified rotor has the same reference numeral as the drive rotor, and the simple rotor is described as the drive rotor. The code is 3.

Since the bearing rollers 43 are provided on both sides of the drive rotor 3, there are two bearing rollers 43. The bearing collar 43 has an encoder-side bearing collar and a slip ring-side bearing collar. However, since the insertion engagement method is the same, the description will be made based on the support 56.

Inserting the bearing collar means determining the rotational position of the ultrasonic transducer. The insertion method will be described briefly with reference to FIG. A support 56 for supporting the shaft on the base 4 is formed.
1 and a parallel opening 74 connected to the cylindrical portion 54, and the opening 74 is connected to the outside. The drive shaft 31 is inserted into the narrow portion of the opening 74 from the open side to the cylindrical portion 54 of the column in the insertion direction 75, and the drive rotor 3 is inserted into the recess of the base 4.
Insert Subsequently, the bearing collar 43 is inserted as follows from the insertion direction 76 which is the drive shaft direction. While the inner diameter cylindrical portion of the hollow cylindrical bearing collar 43 is engaged and inserted into the drive shaft 31, the central outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion of the bearing collar 43 (see 7 in FIG. 12).
2) is engaged with and inserted into the cylindrical portion 54 of the column 56, and the end cylindrical portion of the bearing collar 43 is inserted into the bearing end surface of the drive rotor 3 (FIG. 12).
73) to determine the position of the drive rotor 3,
The backlash of the drive rotor 3 in the base 4 is prevented. A bearing collar 4 is provided between the cylindrical portion 54 and the drive shaft 31.
3, the drive rotor 3 can be easily assembled so as not to come off the base 4 because the bearing collar 43 does not come off from the opening 74 of the base 4.

Furthermore, for this insertion, the dimensions of the parts need to be in a certain relationship, which will be described below as a supplementary explanation of the insertion method.

The circular cylindrical portion 54 provided on the support 56 of the base 4 has an opening 7 parallel to the opposite side of the central support.
4 is provided up to the outside of the support. Its opening 74
Is a portion connecting the outside and the cylindrical portion 54. The opening 74 of the support 56 is formed of parallel surfaces, and the interval between the openings 74 (referred to as a distance h1) is larger than the outer diameter of the drive shaft of the drive motor. The interval h1 between the openings 74 is the diameter d of the cylindrical portion 54.
It is smaller than 1. Ie

[0120]

(Equation 3)

Is as follows.

In order for the bearing collar 43 to be inserted into and engaged with the cylindrical part of the column, the outer diameter d2 of the central cylindrical part of the bearing collar 43 is required.
Is the same as the diameter d1 of the cylindrical portion. That is,

[0123]

(Equation 4)

Is as follows.

From the relationship of (Equation 3) and (Equation 4), the bearing collar 4
No. 3 cannot pass through the opening.

Since both ends of the drive rotor 3 are supported by the support portions of the base 4, since the base support portions are provided on both sides of the drive rotor 3, the support portions are required to attach the drive rotor 3 to the base. Although it is an obstacle, in the case of the present invention, the drive rotor 3 can be easily mounted since the support portion has the opening. The drive shafts of the drive motors are inserted through the openings of both support portions, and then the bearing collar 43 is inserted from the axial direction. At this time, the outer peripheral portion of the central cylindrical portion of the bearing collar 43 is inserted into the cylindrical portion of the support column while the inner cylindrical portion of the bearing collar 43 is engaged and inserted into the drive shaft 31 (shaft diameter is D). That is, to be able to insert the drive shaft through the opening,

[0127]

(Equation 5)

In order for the drive shaft 31 to be fitted into the inner cylindrical portion of the bearing collar 43,

[0129]

(Equation 6)

Is as follows. Here, d3 represents the inner diameter of the inner cylindrical portion of the bearing collar 43.

Assuming that the outer diameter of the central cylindrical portion of the bearing collar 43 is d2, the bearing collar 43 is inserted in close contact with the cylindrical portion of the column.

Thus, the drive shaft 31 can be prevented from coming off the base 4. Since the drive rotor 3 supports the base at both ends, the rotating body of the ultrasonic vibrator is also supported at both ends. Drive shaft 31 of drive motor
Are supported by two pillars of the base 4 via bearing collars 43.

In the above relationship, the bearing collar 43
, The drive rotor 3 can be mounted on the integrated base 4. By moving the bearing collar 43 in the axial direction, the position of the drive rotor 3 can be shifted, so that the positional relationship between the brush and the slip ring can be adjusted. When the position of the bearing collar 43 is determined, the base 4, the bearing collar 43, and the drive shaft 31 are quickly fixed with an adhesive.

As described above, the two-dimensional scanning ultrasonic probe according to the present embodiment is lightweight and small, and the main mechanism of the drive unit is built in the probe tip. According to the ultrasonic transducer, an ultrasonic tomographic image in a wide angle range can be obtained. Also, 2
When the ultrasonic probe for dimensional scanning is used by inserting it into the body cavity, the ultrasonic transducer can be arranged at the distal end of the insertion section, and therefore, there is an advantage that the insertion section can be further reduced in size.

The two-dimensional scanning by the two-dimensional scanning ultrasonic probe of this embodiment is possible, and the rotation angle signal is transmitted from the encoder on the driving motor side with the rotation of the driving motor on which the ultrasonic transducer is fixed. The data is transmitted to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and a two-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic image is obtained. By firmly attaching the base supporting the drive rotor to the attachment portion of the probe, impact resistance is improved.

[0136]

As is clear from the description of the above embodiment,
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the ultrasonic vibrator is configured within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor in the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator.
It can be dimensionalized. Since the handle axis and the chassis axis of the beam trajectory plane of the ultrasonic transducer are oriented in the same direction, the drive axis of the drive motor is perpendicular to the handle axis, and the beam trajectory plane is parallel to the handle axis. It is possible to obtain an ultrasonic tomographic image serving as a scanning plane that is a plane.

Further, the support portion for supporting the shaft of the base has a cylindrical portion for supporting the shaft and an opening, and the support portion has a hollow cylindrical shape between the cylindrical portion and the drive shaft. A bearing collar is inserted so that the drive shaft does not fall out of the column. Therefore, the drive motor can be easily assembled, and the drive motor can be manufactured to be small and lightweight, and the advantageous effect that the drive motor can be built in the probe tip can be obtained.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the drive motor can be stably supported on the support of the base, the position of the ultrasonic vibrator is stabilized, the trajectory of the beam becomes the same, and transmission and reception are performed. The result is that the image becomes sharper for stability.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by fixing the drive shaft of the drive motor, the bearing collar and the support of the base, the support of the base is fixed by the drive shaft. Since a closed space is formed in the portion, the rigidity of the base increases. Also, because the two pillars are an integrated base,
Since the drive motor is supported at both ends by the base, the support strength of the drive motor can be sufficiently ensured.

Further, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is a cylindrical portion and an opening formed in a column for supporting the shaft of the base, and the drive shaft is inserted from the opening to the center of the cylindrical portion. By inserting the bearing collar from the drive shaft direction, and by forming a hollow cylindrical bearing collar between the cylindrical portion and the drive shaft on the support portion, the drive shaft does not fall out of the support portion. Has become. As a result, the assembly of the drive motor is facilitated, and the ultrasonic transducer is configured within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor due to the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic transducer. A lightweight drive motor can be provided.

Further, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the drive rotor can be stably supported on the column of the base, so that the rotor position does not rattle. Therefore, the position of the ultrasonic transducer is stabilized, the trajectory of the beam becomes the same position, and the image becomes clear because transmission and reception are stable. Furthermore, since the drive rotor is supported at both ends by the base, the support rigidity of the drive rotor can be sufficiently ensured. By making the width of the column portion of the base smaller than the width of the center portion of the base, the drive rotor can be supported in the window case.

According to the invention described in claim 6, the base is M
By using IM, the drive motor support structure of the base is simplified, and a complicated base can be accurately manufactured with the dimensions as it is molded. Only the reference surface and the holes to be fitted are subjected to secondary metal processing. Thus, a complex base can be manufactured at low cost. Further, since the cylindrical portion and the opening of the support portion of the base can be formed by a mold, the drive shaft of the drive motor, the bearing collar, and the support portion of the base can be easily assembled and fixed. In addition, since the base is made of an integral metal material, the rigidity of the base is increased, so that the bearing strength of the drive motor can be sufficiently secured.

Since the mechanical mechanism is complicated and the drive mechanism is inserted into the body cavity, it becomes a small part and has a shape that cannot be obtained by general turning or the like. The present invention has an effect that it can be manufactured, has sufficient strength, and can easily manufacture a rotating base having a stable shape.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the ultrasonic vibrator is formed within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor in the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator, the structure is compact. In addition, a scanning mechanism for two-dimensional ultrasonic images that can be configured in a window case can be incorporated.
A drive motor for scanning ultrasonic waves can be made small and lightweight, and an ultrasonic probe having a drive motor built in a window case can be provided. Ultrasonic diagnosis can be performed using the probe, thereby improving the convenience of diagnosis. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of performing the above can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an entire ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using a mechanical sector scanning ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of an ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a structural diagram of an ultrasonic transducer driving motor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a structural diagram of an ultrasonic transducer driving motor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a structural diagram of an ultrasonic transducer driving motor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an output signal diagram of a Z-phase MR element (a) Z after an amplifier
(B) A diagram showing a waveform of a Z-phase comparator signal after a comparator

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a slip ring.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a relationship between a brush and a flexible substrate in the brush holder according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a view for explaining a relationship between a brush and a flexible substrate in the brush holder according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a base MIM blank according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a MIM base after secondary processing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a bearing collar according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory view for engaging a bearing collar according to an embodiment of the present invention with a cylindrical portion provided on a support portion of a base.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2 Ultrasonic vibrator 3 Drive rotor 4 Base 5 Relay adjustment board 6 Volume adjustment mechanism of ultrasonic propagation medium 7 Pin of magnetic material 8 MR element (Z phase) 9 Relay amplifier board 10 Magnetic encoder 11 Encoder magnet 12 MR Element (AB phase) 13 Slip ring 14 Window case 15 Drive motor drive circuit 16 Pulse generator 17 Transducer drive circuit 18a, 18b Amplifier 19a, 19b Logarithmic amplifier 20a, 20b Detection circuit 21a, 21b Gain setting unit 22 Gain control controller Reference Signs List 23 synthesis circuit 24 image memory 25 DSC 26 television monitor 27 handle portion 28 tip portion 29 cable 30 connector 31 drive shaft 32 rotor frame 33 acoustic lens 34 cut surface 35 flexible substrate (Z-phase FPC) 36 flat lead wire (FFC) 37 Flexible substrate (AB phase FPC) 38, 38a, 38b, 38c Electrode 39 Brush 40 Brush holder 41 Flexible substrate (IOFPC) 42 Motor wire 43 Bearing collar 44, 44a, 44b, 44c Insulating sheet 45 Projection 46 51 hole 47 step portion 48 screw hole 49 recess 50 brush holder surface 52a, 52b, 52c land 53 base blank 54, 55 cylindrical portion 56, 57 pillar portion 58, 62 screw 59 mounting hole for fixing brush holder 60 brush holder Mounting surface 61 Window 63 Mounting hole for mounting MR element 64 Mounting surface for mounting MR element 65, 66 Convex part 67 Center support part 68, 69 Support part 70 Hole for fixing Z-phase MR element 71 Hole for taking out from base 72 Central cylindrical part 73 End cylindrical part 74 Opening part 75, 76 Insertion direction 1 0 A / D 101 DSP 102 host CPU 103 main unit 104 the inner diameter of the inner cylindrical portion of the shaft diameter d3 bearing collar of the outer diameter D a drive shaft of the central cylindrical portion of the distance d2 bearing collar diameter h1 opening of the drive motor d1 cylindrical portion

Claims (7)

[Claims] An ultrasonic vibrator is mounted on an outer peripheral portion of a rotor frame of a drive motor, and a drive shaft of the drive motor and a drive shaft of a rotor to which the ultrasonic vibrator is mounted have the same axis and are rotated. An ultrasonic beam surface is formed on substantially the same plane as the orbital plane of the ultrasonic transducer, the drive shaft is orthogonal to the beam surface, and the drive shaft of the drive motor is supported on a base via a bearing collar. , The base includes:
On a plane perpendicular to the track plane passing through the drive shaft, there is a column supporting the drive shaft, and the column has a cylindrical portion and a parallel opening connected to the cylindrical portion. The opening is connected to the outside, and the bearing collar is interposed between the drive shaft and the cylindrical portion of the support so that the drive motor does not fall out of the base. Ultrasonic vibrator drive motor. 2. A base support portion for supporting a drive shaft of a drive motor via a bearing collar is provided at two locations on the base.
2. The ultrasonic vibrator drive motor according to claim 1, wherein a drive rotor is formed at a position sandwiched between the two support portions. 3. A base support portion for supporting a drive shaft of a drive motor via a bearing collar is provided at two locations on the base.
The ultrasonic vibrator drive motor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the two support portions are formed integrally with a base. 4. A drive shaft of a drive motor is supported on a base via a bearing collar, and the base supports the drive shaft on a plane perpendicular to the track plane through the drive shaft. There is a support portion, the support portion has a cylindrical portion and a parallel opening connected to the cylindrical portion, the opening is connected to the outside, the bearing collar is a hollow cylindrical shape, The interval between the parts is h1, the diameter of the cylindrical part is d1,
The outer diameter of the cylindrical portion of the bearing collar is d2, the inner diameter of the inner cylindrical portion of the bearing collar is d3, and the shaft diameter of the drive shaft is D. Wherein the bearing collar is interposed between the drive shaft and the cylindrical portion of the column to prevent the drive rotor from falling out of the base. The ultrasonic vibrator drive motor according to the paragraph. 5. A base supporting portion for supporting a driving shaft of a drive motor via a bearing collar is provided at two places of the base, and the two support portions are arranged in parallel with each other on both sides of the drive motor. 5. The driving rotor is supported on both sides of the supporting portion, the supporting portion being disposed near a window case, and the supporting portion having a smaller width than a base at a central portion. The ultrasonic vibrator drive motor as described in the above. 6. The base is manufactured by metal injection molding, the opening and the cylindrical portion are formed only by metal injection molding, and the pillar cylindrical portion is machined for fitting with the bearing collar. The ultrasonic transducer drive motor according to claim 1 or 4. 7. An ultrasonic probe which includes an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic propagation medium, and includes a window case made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency and a drive motor for driving the ultrasonic transducer. The ultrasonic vibrator is attached to an outer peripheral portion of a rotor frame of a drive motor, and the drive shaft of the drive motor and the drive shaft of the rotor to which the ultrasonic vibrator is attached have the same axis. The ultrasonic beam plane is formed on the same plane as the orbit plane of the ultrasonic transducer,
The drive shaft is orthogonal to the beam plane, the drive shaft of the drive motor is supported on a base via a bearing collar, and the base has a plane perpendicular to the track plane through the drive shaft. On the upper side, there is a column supporting the drive shaft, and the column has a cylindrical portion and a parallel opening connected to the cylindrical portion, and the opening is connected to the outside,
Further, the bearing collar is a hollow cylindrical shape, and the bearing collar is interposed between the drive shaft and the cylindrical portion of the support portion,
An ultrasonic vibrator drive motor having a structure in which the drive motor that prevents the drive rotor from falling off the base is mounted between the support portions of the base, and the base is fixed to the mounting portion at the tip of the ultrasonic probe. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the obtained ultrasonic tomographic image of the orbit plane.