JP2002301080A - Ultrasonic oscillator driving motor and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a diagnostic apparatus having a driving motor equipped with ultrasonic oscillator contained in a window case. SOLUTION: This ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus has a two-dimensional driving mechanism comprising a base 4 for supporting a driving rotor 3 equipped with ultrasonic oscillators 1 and 2, which is formed by MIM(metal injection molding), and the driving motor 104 built in an ultrasonic probe.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a metal powder part in which a base of a two-dimensional ultrasonic vibrator driving motor of a two-dimensional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is formed by a metal injection molding method, and uses the base. The present invention relates to a two-dimensional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using a device in which a drive motor is incorporated at the tip of an ultrasonic probe.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to manufacture a complicated part, there has been a method such as resin molding. However, depending on the use environment such as the strength of the part, it may be necessary to use a metal part. In particular, metal parts are used for optical transmission parts and optical amplifier parts, fuel injection system parts for automobiles, medical equipment, and the like, whose market scale is expanding with the progress of optical communication.

[0003] The metal part is a metal injection molding method (metal powder injection molding method, Metal I
njection Molding (hereinafter referred to as MIM).

[0004] MIM is described in R. E. FIG. Wiech developed the Whitec process, a technology that was put into practical use in 1972, and was able to accurately produce three-dimensional parts with complex shapes. This is the fifth generation after machining, die casting, precision casting, and powder metallurgy. It is a construction method that has attracted attention as a metal processing method, and its dimensional tolerance is 10 m in general tolerance.
± 0.05mm at m or less, ± 0.0mm at special tolerance
It is about 3 mm, which is comparable to the precision of metalworking, and cannot be obtained by other metal die casting.

[0005] This MIM technology is still a new technology, has a high manufacturing cost, is used in some fields, and watches and scalpels of medical equipment are well known.

[0006] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-154269 and
As shown in JP-A-154250, a motor using MIM is configured as a method for manufacturing a motor core.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 9-154269 and 9-154250, a motor core is manufactured for each piece by MIM, and the pieces are assembled into a motor. The piece forms a portion around which the coil is wound and a salient pole portion for focusing the magnetic flux of the magnet. Since the purpose is not as a strength member but as a magnetic circuit member, the material needs to be easy to pass magnetic flux.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 6-302098 proposes that a frame of a motor is formed by MIM, a cutting portion is reduced, a tool life is extended, and a frame is manufactured at low cost. A bearing insertion portion for inserting a bearing is formed in a central cylindrical portion of the frame.

Also, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-87702, when a metal part is manufactured by MIM, the part shrinks in a molded product at the time of degreasing or sintering. Correspondence is stated. JP-A-9-87
In Japanese Patent Publication No. 702, since the density of the metal powder is partially different, the shrinkage ratio at the time of sintering is partially different, and there is no possibility that a product that does not have a desired shrinkage cannot be obtained due to the distortion. In this way, the temperature of the mold is controlled.

In order to reflect the shrinkage in the molding of the mold in consideration of the shrinkage, it is desired that the thickness is uniform and the density is uniform. It is necessary to sufficiently consider a mold and a product shape to make the density uniform at the design stage, and there is not much MIM in a complicated shape. However, with the spread of three-dimensional CAD, application examples have recently appeared.

In the medical field, it is known that metal parts manufactured by MIM are used for medical instruments such as scalpels, but medical instruments are not often used for ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses. .

A conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus will be described.

Ultrasound probes used in ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses for living bodies are roughly classified into a linear scanning system and a sector scanning system. The sector scanning system mainly includes an electronic sector scanning system and a mechanical sector scanning system. There is. As the mechanical sector scanning type ultrasonic probe, the types and methods described on page 54 of "Introduction to Ultrasound Inspection (2nd edition)" issued by Medical and Dental 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
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 184888/1994 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-163562 are known.

In the ultrasonic probe disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-184888, an ultrasonic transducer is mounted so as to face the handle axis of the ultrasonic probe, and an acoustic mirror is opposed to the ultrasonic transducer. The drive unit is connected to a drive motor that rotationally drives a shaft connected to the provided ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit and a mount for the vibrator. By the rotation of the drive motor,
The ultrasonic transmission / reception unit rotates about the shaft, and the beam of the ultrasonic transducer is reflected by the acoustic mirror, so that a beam trajectory is formed on a plane reflected on the drive axis of the ultrasonic transducer. 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.

Since the drive motor is arranged closer to the handle portion than 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.

The drive motor is not directly equipped with an ultrasonic vibrator, and the shaft of the drive motor rotates. The shaft protruding from the drive motor is unidirectional, and the motor is mounted from one side. It cannot be determined that there is any special contrivance for mounting the drive motor.

The ultrasonic probe disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-163562 has an ultrasonic vibrator mounted so as to extend radially with respect to the axial direction of the handle of the ultrasonic probe. 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,
The beam trajectory plane of the ultrasonic transducer is 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.

Since the drive motor is arranged on the handle portion side 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-163562A
Although a two-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic image can be obtained, the transmission mechanism of the handle and the driving mechanism of the distal end become complicated, and it is not sufficient to improve the positional accuracy of the ultrasonic image. Investigations have been made to configure the ultrasonic vibrator section and the drive section at the distal end.

However, also in this ultrasonic probe, since the ultrasonic vibrator and the driving power unit are separated from each other, the driving mechanism becomes complicated, and the driving power unit increases the loss for driving the power. There is a problem that the probe becomes large, the weight of the probe increases, and the workability decreases. In addition, there are many problems such as an increase in the sealed volume of the ultrasonic medium.

The ultrasonic probe disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 1-136640 and 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 above-mentioned conventional example, a mechanism for rotating and driving the ultrasonic vibrator portion is formed at the distal end portion, and in order to transmit power to the mechanism, an ultrasonic probe having a complicated and long transmission path is used. 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.

Further, since the driving motor mechanism is complicated and large, the size and weight of the tip of the ultrasonic probe cannot be reduced.

[0025]

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 a two-dimensional mechanism compact, (1) it is necessary to provide a mechanism that constitutes an 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. is there. (2) It is necessary to provide a column supporting the drive rotor. (3) It is necessary to take out the motor 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.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems. Further, there are the following problems in using the MIM to manufacture a base in which the support portion and the support portion are integrated.

(A) MIM is a metal injection molding method capable of obtaining a complicated tertiary shape by mixing metal powder and an organic binder and performing injection molding.
IM requires a large amount of organic binders for injection molding of metal powder, and a large shrinkage rate in the degreasing and sintering steps after molding. In order to make the product isotropically shrunk, a product having good dimensional accuracy is created.

(B) Since the support has a cross-shaped shape with a support at the tip, a deforming and sintering process after molding does not cause abnormal deformation.

(C) In the case of a U-shaped member having no symmetrical member structure as in the present invention, the interval between the pillar portions is not always stable. For this reason, it is necessary to prepare in advance a shape that allows a method of forcibly regulating.

As described above, there is a problem to be solved in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using a metal part made by MIM. However, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus has a complicated three-dimensional shape and is compactly integrated into a window case. In order to incorporate the drive motor into the base, it is necessary to manufacture the base by a method with good dimensional accuracy. An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic transducer drive motor provided with an MIM and a ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the same.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a small and lightweight ultrasonic transducer driving motor capable of ensuring two-dimensional ultrasonic scanning and capable of scanning, and a two-dimensional scanning ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the same. Aim.

[0036]

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 rotating shaft of the ultrasonic vibrator, and one shaft is formed in the window case and including the ultrasonic wave propagating medium. (1) A beam trajectory plane is formed within the rotor range of the drive shaft of the drive motor. (2) Attach the ultrasonic vibrator to the rotor case of the drive motor. (3) The support portion for supporting the bearing of the drive motor is formed of a member (base) integrated with the support portion, and supports the drive rotor with rigidity. (4) The base on which the drive rotor is mounted is manufactured by the MIM (Metal Injection Mold) method. (5) The drive shaft of the drive motor is supported on the support of the base via the bearing collar. (6) The bearing collar is formed of a hollow cylindrical ring. (7) There are two support portions of the base for supporting the drive shaft of the drive motor via the bearing collar. A drive rotor is formed between the two pillars. (8) 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 portion is arranged near the window case, and the pillar portion has a smaller width than the center portion of the base portion. To support the drive rotor at both ends to increase the rigidity of the ultrasonic vibrator drive motor. (9) The drive shaft, the bearing collar and the base are fixed with an adhesive or the like to increase the rigidity of the ultrasonic vibrator drive motor. (10) A connection lead wire from a coil of the drive motor is passed through a part of the drive shaft cut out, and is passed through a drive shaft support hole of a bearing collar, and is connected to the handle portion side. (11) Since the drive shaft 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. (12) The position detection of the drive rotor is performed by an encoder, the encoder magnet is attached to the drive rotor side, and the position detection element is attached to the support of the base via a mounting base. (13) The reference position of the drive rotor is detected by the magnetized pin and MR.
The drive rotor is provided with magnetic material pins, and the Z-phase MR element is mounted on the center support of the base via a mount. (14) A slip ring is used for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the ultrasonic element in which the drive rotor is incorporated. A slip ring electrode is attached to the drive rotor, and a brush is attached to the base support via a brush holder. (15) A flexible substrate (hereinafter referred to as I / OFPC) having an input / output function is attached to the brush holder, and the I / OF
It is soldered to the land of the PC and the I / OFPC is fixed to the base with screws. (16) Connect the electric ground to the base with the screw fixing the I / OFPC to the base. (17) Due to the arrangement of the signal lines of the drive motor and the like, the width of the column portion of the base is made smaller than the dimension of the support portion of the base central portion. (18) A support portion for supporting the base shaft is configured,
The column has a cylindrical portion for supporting the shaft and a parallel opening connected to the cylindrical portion, and the opening is connected to the outside. 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, then the bearing collar is inserted from the shaft axis, and the inner cylindrical portion of the bearing collar is inserted into the shaft. 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. (19) The size and size of the mechanism can be reduced, the sealing range of the ultrasonic wave propagation medium can be narrowed, the weight of the entire ultrasonic probe can be reduced, and the drive shaft of the drive motor and the rotational axis of the ultrasonic transducer can be reduced. Are the same axis. (20) An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is manufactured using an ultrasonic vibrator motor device using a MIM base. (21) The material of the base is a stainless steel material. (22) The cylindrical holes at the tips of the two pillars are for mounting the drive shaft of the motor. (23) A notch is provided in a part of the cylindrical hole at the tip of the two pillars. (24) The base is at the tip of the cross of the cross-shaped support,
The support part and the support part are integrally made of a metal powder part. (25) The base support section is made thin and uniform in thickness, and the rigidity of the base is secured by ribs. (26) A window case that includes an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic propagation medium and is made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency, and a drive motor that drives the ultrasonic transducer. (27) A mechanism in which an ultrasonic vibrator is attached to an outer peripheral portion of a rotor frame of a drive motor, and is formed on a track plane of the ultrasonic vibrator rotated by a rotation shaft of the drive motor. (28) The two-dimensional scanning ultrasonic vibrator drive motor for electro-mechanical scanning according to the present invention includes an ultrasonic wave propagation medium, and a drive shaft of the drive motor and a rotational axis of the ultrasonic vibrator are provided in a window case. An ultrasonic vibrator drive motor constituted by the same axis is constituted. (29) The mechanism is reduced in size and weight, and the sealing range of the ultrasonic wave propagation medium is set at the tip of the probe. (30) A beam trajectory plane parallel to the handle axis. (31) 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.

By using a base made of MIM, a lightweight and small ultrasonic probe can be made, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the ultrasonic probe can be made.

[0040]

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. In the ultrasonic probe having a drive motor for driving the element, the ultrasonic transducer is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the rotor frame of the drive motor, and the drive shaft of the drive motor and the ultrasonic transducer are formed on the same axis and rotated. There is an ultrasonic beam trajectory plane on the trajectory plane of the ultrasonic transducer, and the drive axis is orthogonal to this ultrasonic beam trajectory plane, and the drive shaft of the drive motor is supported on the base via a bearing collar. In this configuration, the base has two support columns for supporting the drive shaft.
Therefore, this support has a cylindrical part and a parallel opening connected to the cylindrical part, and this opening is connected to the outside, and the bearing collar is connected between the drive shaft and the cylindrical part of the support. Interposed to prevent the drive rotor from falling out of the base, the base is a metal powder part formed by a metal injection molding method, and a support portion for supporting the drive rotor and a support portion for attaching to the probe body. It is an ultrasonic vibrator drive motor characterized by using a base that is made of a metal powder part having a positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator, within a range of a drive shaft of the drive motor. Since the mechanism constitutes the ultrasonic transducer, the ultrasonic transducer driving mechanism can obtain a two-dimensional tomographic image in a compact manner. Since the beam trajectory plane of the ultrasonic transducer is oriented in the same direction as the handle axis, the drive motor axis is perpendicular to the handle axis, and the beam trajectory plane is a plane parallel to the handle axis. Thus, an ultrasonic tomographic image 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, assembling of the drive motor is facilitated, and the drive motor can be manufactured to be small and lightweight, and the drive motor can be built in the probe tip. Further, although the base has a complicated shape, it has an effect that it can be rationally manufactured with a metal powder molding die.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the ultrasonic vibrator drive motor according to the first aspect, wherein the base material manufactured by the metal injection molding method is a stainless steel material. When used in an ultrasonic wave propagation medium, it has an oil and chemical resistance, and has the effect of not causing rust or the like.

According to a third 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. In the ultrasonic probe having
The ultrasonic vibrator is attached to the outer periphery of the rotor frame of the drive motor, and the drive shaft of the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator have the same axis, and the ultrasonic beam trajectory plane is on the orbit plane of the rotated ultrasonic vibrator. The drive shaft is orthogonal to the beam trajectory surface, and the drive rotor is rotatably supported on a base via a bearing collar. The base is formed of a cross-shaped support. Of this support
On the tip side of the support portion corresponding to the position of 0 degree, a mounting support portion for mounting the ultrasonic probe body and the motor is configured,
On the distal end side of the support portion other than the mounting support portion, a support portion for supporting the drive rotor is configured in a direction perpendicular to the cross-shaped support portion, and the base is a metal powder component formed by a metal injection molding method. An ultrasonic vibrator drive motor characterized by using a base consisting of a base, and by fixing the drive shaft of the drive motor, the bearing collar and the support of the base, the support of the base are connected to each other by the drive shaft. As a result, the closed space is formed in the fixing portion, and the rigidity of the base increases. 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, the base for supporting the drive rotor is a metal powder component formed by a metal injection molding method, and one of the two pillars is provided with a brush holder of a slip ring. The ultrasonic vibrator drive motor according to claim 1 or 3, wherein a rotational position detecting element can be mounted on the other support portion. Yes, the drive motor can be compactly assembled. In addition, since the functional part is configured on the column of the base, the rigidity is provided because of the integral base, so the slip ring and the rotational position detecting element can be securely attached, and the function by external force and impact force Has the effect of no degradation.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the base for supporting the drive rotor is a metal powder part formed by a metal injection molding method, and the rotation of the drive rotor is provided at the center of the cross-shaped base support. The ultrasonic transducer drive motor according to claim 1 or 3, wherein a reference position detecting element can be mounted thereon, wherein the base on which the drive rotor can be stably supported is provided. Since it can be made in one piece with metal powder, it has high rigidity and the positional relationship of each part is firm, and the element that detects the reference position of the rotor is configured at the center of the cross-shaped support part of the base, A motor that drives a good ultrasonic element is obtained, and the trajectory of the beam is stabilized, and the transmission and reception are stabilized, so that the image becomes clear.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the base for supporting the drive rotor is a metal powder part formed by a metal injection molding method, and the signal of the ultrasonic vibrator mounted on the drive rotor is transmitted to the rotating part. A slip ring is taken out of the I / OFPC, and the slip ring electrode of the slip ring is fixed to the drive rotor side, and the brush of the slip ring is fixed to the brush holder.
4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the I / OFPC is fixed to the base with a screw, and an electric ground can be connected to the base from the screw. It is a sonic transducer drive motor, and since there is a slip ring electrode on the rotation side of the drive rotor, the base brush can stably contact and slide, and the transmission and reception signals of the ultrasonic element, The connection from the brush using the FPC can be made, and the FPC can be fixed to the base of the motor to reduce the noise of the ultrasonic image. Further, by using the fixing screw of the FPC to drop the electric ground to the base, it is possible to obtain a transmission / reception signal of the ultrasonic element having strong noise.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the base for supporting the drive rotor is a metal powder part formed by a metal injection molding method, and the drive rotor detects the signal of the rotation position detection element and the rotation reference position detection element. 4. A relay amplifier board on which an electronic component to be amplified in the vicinity of the base is mounted is fixed to a base with a screw, and a signal line of a drive motor is taken out from the relay amplifier board. This is an ultrasonic transducer drive motor, which amplifies the signals of the rotation position detection element and the rotation reference position detection element near the drive rotor to shorten the section of the weak signal level and reduce the influence of external noise. Can be smaller. Furthermore, because the amplification amplifier board is fixed to the base of the drive motor, the board does not move due to external force such as impact force applied to the ultrasonic probe, so it does not contact metal parts around the board. Has an action.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, 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 ultrasonic vibrator are formed on the same axis, and the ultrasonic vibrator is rotated. The ultrasonic beam trajectory plane is on the trajectory plane of the transducer, and the drive axis is perpendicular to this beam trajectory plane. The base supporting the drive rotor is a metal powder part formed by metal injection molding. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the drive motor having the drive rotor rotatably supported and the relay amplifier board for amplifying a signal are placed in an ultrasonic wave propagation medium in a window case. This is an ultrasonic transducer drive motor, and a relay amplifier board is mounted near the drive rotor to amplify the signals of the rotation position detection element and the rotation reference position detection element. , Weak signal level of the interval is short, it is possible to reduce the influence of noise from the outside. Further, by providing the relay amplifier substrate together with the drive rotor in the ultrasonic propagation medium in the window case, the ultrasonic probe can be reduced in size and weight.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, 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 ultrasonic vibrator are constituted by the same axis, and are rotated. There is an ultrasonic beam trajectory plane in the trajectory plane of the ultrasonic transducer, and the drive shaft is orthogonal to the beam trajectory plane, and the drive rotor is rotatably supported on the base via a bearing collar. In the configuration, the base is formed of a cross-shaped support portion, and a mounting support portion for mounting the ultrasonic probe main body and the motor is formed on a tip side of the support portion corresponding to a position of 180 degrees of the support portion. On the distal end side of the support portion other than the mounting support portion, a support portion for supporting the drive rotor is formed in a direction perpendicular to the cross-shaped support portion, and the base is formed by a metal injection molding method, and the cross-shaped The ultrasonic vibrator according to claim 3, wherein the holding portion is provided with ribs on both sides thereof, and the ribs are made of a base metal powder part. This is a drive motor. By using ribs for the base support, the thickness of the MIM base can be made uniform, so that the accuracy of parts in the MIM is stabilized, and the rigidity of the base is increased. It has the effect of ensuring sufficient strength.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, an ultrasonic oscillator and an ultrasonic wave propagation medium are included, and a window case made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency and the ultrasonic oscillator are driven. In an ultrasonic probe equipped with a drive motor, the drive shaft of the drive motor is
The base is supported on the base. The base has two support portions for supporting the drive shaft. The support portion has a cylindrical portion and a parallel opening connected to the cylindrical portion. The bearing portion is connected to the outside, the bearing collar has a hollow cylindrical shape, the interval between the openings is h1, the diameter of the cylindrical portion of the support portion is d1, and the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion of the bearing collar is d2, The inner diameter of the hollow cylindrical portion of the hollow is d3, the shaft diameter of the drive shaft is D, and the following relationship is satisfied.

[0051]

(Equation 2)

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a bearing collar is interposed between the drive shaft and the cylindrical portion of the column so that the drive rotor does not fall out of the base. There is a cylindrical portion and an opening formed in a column portion for supporting the shaft of the base, and the drive shaft is inserted from the opening portion to the center of the cylindrical portion. Then, the bearing collar is inserted from the drive shaft direction, and between this cylindrical part and the drive shaft is formed by a hollow cylindrical bearing collar so that the drive shaft does not fall out of the pillar part. Has become. As a result, the drive motor can be easily assembled, and because of the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator, the ultrasonic vibrator can be configured within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor. This has the function of providing a lightweight drive motor.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the ultrasonic vibrator driving motor according to any one of the first to tenth aspects. Due to the positional relationship of the ultrasonic vibrator, the ultrasonic vibrator is configured within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor, so that the two-dimensional ultrasonic drive can be compactly structured. 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 a scanning plane that is 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.

[0054]

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 system unit. A drive rotor 3 of a drive motor for rotating the ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 and a base 4 (also referred to as a base or a housing) for supporting the drive rotor 3 are built into the tip of the ultrasonic probe, and a handle portion of the ultrasonic probe is provided. Are provided with 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.

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 small signal level, it is not affected by noise and 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 transducers 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 vibrators 1 and 2 are different from each other, and the ultrasonic vibrator 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, the 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, the high-frequency vibrator is referred to as the ultrasonic vibrator 1 and the low-frequency vibrator is referred to as the ultrasonic vibrator 2. I do.

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 101. The seat image processed by the DSP 101 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 101, and converted into image data corresponding to a TV scanning format via a digital scan converter (DSC) 25. TV monitor 26
Is displayed as a two-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic image. The main device 103 includes a host CPU 1 that controls the entire circuit of the device.
02, which comprehensively monitors image data, a memory, and a drive circuit of a drive motor, and issues a processing instruction. The host CPU 102 supervises the processing as a probe by the input according to the external input operation to the main unit.

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 cylindrical, smooth streamline shape so as to be easily inserted into a body cavity. This cable 29
Are input / output lines (I / O lines) connecting the ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body, electric control lines for driving and controlling the drive motor, signal lines such as encoders, and shock detection. Cable 29 for connecting the signal line or the like to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body, which is 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.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show structural diagrams of the ultrasonic vibrator drive motor device in this 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.

The same components as those in FIGS. 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 vibrator to which a flat acoustic lens or a convex acoustic lens other than the concave acoustic lens is attached 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 not obstructed by the 360-degree entire circumference but by the base 4 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 (also 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 any difference between the individual ultrasonic probes.

The magnetic encoder 10 is used 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 to avoid the influence of the leakage 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 made of polyphenylene sulfide (commonly called PPS) is used as a plastic material other than nylon 12.

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, if the encoder magnet 11 has 300 poles,
Since the AB phase MR signal also has 300 pulses, a signal having a resolution accuracy 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. If the A-phase and B-phase signals are multiplied by four, 1 per rotation
Since a signal having a resolution accuracy of 200 can be obtained, the angular accuracy between the magnetic poles is very high, so that even if the frequency is quadrupled, position information with considerably high angular accuracy can be obtained.

The signal of the AB-phase MR element 12 passes through a flexible substrate 37 (also called 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 extract transmission / reception signals to / 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 of the groove of the shaft, and the motor wire 42 is three because 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 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 this embodiment, a two-dimensional scanning ultrasonic probe can be realized. For example, it is possible to obtain an unprecedented wide measurement range in which an ultrasonic tomographic image in a range of 230 degrees is obtained. In addition, when the ultrasonic probe for two-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, so that the insertion section can be made smaller and lighter. It has the advantage of being able to.

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 are transmitted to the other ultrasonic vibrator. Two ultrasonic vibrators are attached in pairs of 180 degrees so that they are also received by the vibrator and do not enter the received ultrasonic 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 phase reception with the same ultrasonic transducer, and to prevent reception signals from being applied 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. Since there is no stacking inclination, there is an effective effect that the sliding position with the brush 39 (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 the three electrodes, the electrode 38c of the electric ground is formed on the window case side, and the frequency of the ultrasonic transducer is increased toward the inside.

The ultrasonic transducer emits an ultrasonic wave in response to an electric signal transmitted from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body via the I / O line, receives the ultrasonic wave reflected from the subject, and changes the electric charge. 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 formed of a flexible substrate. I /
Since the 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 is increased 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 electrically 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 center pattern line is an electric ground, and there is a land 105 for electrically dropping the base to the base. The land 105 is connected to the base with a screw (106 in FIG. 5), so that the potential of the base is changed to an electric potential. On the ground. Since the base is an electric ground, an electric shielding effect is obtained.

By dropping the electric ground to the base I / O land 105 with a screw, the transmission / reception signals of the ultrasonic element are connected from the brush using the FPC, and the FPC is fixed to the motor base. Noise of the sound wave image can be reduced. Also, using the fixing screw of FPC,
By dropping the electric ground to the base, a transmission / reception signal of the ultrasonic element having strong noise can be obtained. Further, since the board is once connected to the motor section, a shield wire can be used from there to the main body, so that the influence of noise can be further reduced.

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 little noise can be obtained.

The base 4 is made of metal powder injection molding (MIM).
Is formed from a sintered metal.

MIM is described in R.M. 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 forming 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, requires strength, is stable in physical properties with respect to the ultrasonic wave propagation medium, and is made of austenitic stainless steel SUS303, SUS304, SUS304L, SU
Non-ferrous materials WC-Co, such as S316, SUS316L,
Materials that can use W-Cu-Ni, W-Fe-Ni, Ti, and the like can be selected.

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

Since the material of the base of the MIM is a stainless steel material, since it is used in an ultrasonic wave propagation medium driven by an ultrasonic vibrator, it can be used as a material having no environmental change and has oil resistance and chemical resistance. In addition, stainless steel materials are used for medical equipment because there is no fear of rust or the like.

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 thermoplastics 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 commonly 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 and a lubricant. A small amount of additives is added.

FIG. 10 is 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. FIG.
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.
The cylindrical portion 54 is a cylindrical hole for bearing support on the slip ring side, and the support portion 56 has a mounting hole for fixing the brush holder (40 in FIG. 8) with a screw (58 in FIG. 3). 59 are provided. The mounting surface 60 of the base blank 53 on which the brush holder is mounted 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 placed in the window 61 of the base blank 53, folded inside the base, and taken out from the base on the side. Window 6
Since the support rigidity of the column portion 56 tends to be weak due to the relationship of 1, the window shape is made as small as possible. A screw hole 107 for fixing the I / OFPC is formed in the base blank 53.
Is made of metal mold. The screw hole 107 is tapped, and a screw for connecting to the base at the land of the I / OFPC is tightened. A screw hole 108 is open near the screw hole 107. This screw hole 108 is a screw hole for mounting the relay amplifier board. The screw can be tightened by tapping the screw hole 108 of the MIM base.

Further, a bearing 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 center support 67 of the base blank 53 has columns 56 and 57 at a pair of cross-shaped ends, and supports 68 and 69 at the other end for attaching a probe.
There is. A hole 70 for fixing the mounting base of the Z-phase MR element and a hole 71 for removing the FPC flexible substrate of the Z-phase MR element from the base are formed in the central support portion 67.

Since the center support portion of the base is formed in a cross shape, the base on which the drive rotor can be stably supported can be integrally formed of metal powder, so that the rigidity is high and the positional relationship between the portions is firm. be able to. Further, the element for detecting the reference position of the rotor is formed at the center of the cross-shaped support portion of the base, so that a motor for driving the ultrasonic element with high accuracy can be obtained, and the trajectory of the beam can be stabilized. Is effective in that the transmission and reception are stabilized and the image becomes clear.

The MIM base blank 53 is used in order to reduce the shrinkage ratio when the compact is fired and 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. When 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. Therefore, the center supporting portion 67 and the supporting portions 68 and 69 are provided with ribs 109. To increase rigidity. By using the rib 109 for the support portions 68 and 69 of the base, the thickness of the MIM base can be made uniform.
In addition to stabilizing the component accuracy in the IM, the rigidity of the base is increased, and the bearing strength of the drive motor can be sufficiently ensured.

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 portion that can be subjected to the secondary processing, the mounting surface of the support portions 68 and 69 and the support portion cylindrical portion 54 for mounting the drive motor,
55. 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. 109 is a rib.

Since the base formed by MIM is a metal material, a portion requiring higher accuracy than the forming alone is machined to improve the dimensional accuracy. The machining will be described.

In order to attach the bearing collars (43 in FIG. 4) to the base pillars 56 and 57, the cylindrical parts 54 and 55 into which the bearing collars are inserted are provided with a slight 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 a 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 tip end of the window case is thin, the width of the strut is also reduced as the strut moves toward the tip. 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 with almost no 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. If the bearings are small and if they are directional, they are easy to make mistakes during the 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 into 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 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.

[0127] 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 cylindrical portion of the hollow hollow cylindrical bearing collar 43 is engaged and inserted into the drive shaft 31, the central cylindrical portion (7 in FIG.
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.

Further, this insertion is a supplementary explanation of the insertion method due to the relation of the dimensions of the parts, which will be described below.

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

[0130]

(Equation 3)

Is as follows.

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

[0133]

(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, the support portions of the base are provided on both sides of the drive rotor 3. 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,

[0137]

(Equation 5)

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

[0139]

(Equation 6)

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

Assuming that the 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 reeling 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.

FIG. 14 shows an assembly in which the base 77 (assembled base) is divided into parts of the support portion 78 and the support portion 79 and assembled. In order to fix the support portion 78 to the support portion 79 with screws 80, the base 77 is assembled. Due to the screw 80, the thickness of the support portion 79 is increased, so that the base of the lightweight MIM as shown in FIG. In the case of the assembly base 77, if the plate thickness of the support portion 79 is reduced for weight reduction, the support portion 78
Will be small. When the screw 80 is made smaller, the fastening strength is reduced, and the problem that the screw 80 is broken by an impact or the like easily occurs.
Even if the fracture does not occur, problems such as displacement of the fastened support portion 78 are likely to occur. In order to increase the rigidity of the base, it is necessary to use a base that does not fasten with screws. In the case of the present invention, an integrated base was created by MIM. Since the base is manufactured integrally, the position accuracy of the drive rotor is improved, and the drive rotor can be stably supported on the support column of the base, so that the position of the ultrasonic transducer is stable and the beam trajectory is at the same position. And the image becomes clear because transmission and reception are stable. In addition, since the two support portions are formed as an integral base, the drive motor is supported at both ends by the base, so that the support strength of the drive motor can be sufficiently secured.

Since the drive rotor can be stably supported on the MIM-based support, the rotor position does not rattle. 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.

By using the MIM as the base, the structure for supporting the drive motor of the base is simplified, and a complicated base can be manufactured with high precision as it is molded. Complex base can be manufactured at low cost by performing effective metal processing. Further, since the cylindrical portion and the opening of the support portion of the base can be molded 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. When it is manufactured, it has sufficient strength,
There is an effect that a rotation base having a stable shape can be easily manufactured.

In the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic transducer,
Since the mechanism is such that the ultrasonic vibrator is configured within the range of the internal shaft of the drive motor, a mechanism for scanning for a two-dimensional ultrasonic image that can be configured compactly in the window case can be built in. 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.

As described above, the two-dimensional scanning ultrasonic probe according to the present embodiment is lightweight and small, and the main mechanism of the driving 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 output 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.

[0151]

As is clear from the description of the above embodiment,
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the ultrasonic transducer is configured within the range of the drive shaft of the drive motor based on the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic transducer. An ultrasonic transducer driving mechanism capable of obtaining an image can be provided. Since the beam trajectory plane of the ultrasonic transducer is oriented in the same direction as the handle axis, the drive motor axis is perpendicular to the handle axis, and the beam trajectory plane is a plane parallel to the handle axis. Thus, an ultrasonic tomographic image 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 a hollow cylindrical shape is provided between the cylindrical portion of the support portion and the drive shaft. A bearing collar is inserted so that the drive shaft does not fall out of the column. Therefore, assembling of the drive motor is facilitated, and the drive motor can be manufactured to be small and lightweight, and the drive motor can be built in the probe tip. In addition, the base has a complicated shape, but has an advantageous effect that it can be rationally manufactured with a metal powder molding die.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, it is found that, when used in an ultrasonic wave propagation medium, it has oil resistance and chemical resistance, and has no fear of rust or the like. It is something that can be done.

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,
It is obtained that the bearing strength of the drive motor can be sufficiently ensured.

Further, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the drive motor can be compactly assembled. Also,
By forming the functional part on the base column, the rigidity is achieved because of the integral base, so the slip ring and the rotational position detecting element can be securely attached, and the functional deterioration due to external force and impact force is reduced. It is obtained that there is no.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the base on which the drive rotor can be stably supported can be integrally formed of metal powder, so that the rigidity is high and the positional relationship between the parts is firm. Since the element for detecting the reference position of the rotor is configured at the center of the cross-shaped support portion of the base, a motor for driving the ultrasonic element with high accuracy can be formed, and the beam trajectory is stable, and the transmission and reception are stable. The image becomes clearer.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the slip ring electrode is provided on the rotating side of the driving rotor, the brush of the base can stably contact and slide.
The transmission / reception signals of the ultrasonic element are connected from the brush using the FPC, and the FPC is fixed to the base of the motor, so that the noise of the ultrasonic image can be reduced. Also, FP
By dropping the electric ground to the base using the fixing screw of C, a transmission / reception signal of the ultrasonic element having strong noise can be obtained.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, by amplifying the signals of the rotational position detecting element and the rotational reference position detecting element in the vicinity of the driving rotor, the section of the weak signal level is short, and noise from the outside is reduced. Influence can be reduced. In addition, since the amplification relay amplifier board is fixed to the drive motor base, the board does not move due to external force such as impact force applied to the ultrasonic probe, so that it does not contact metal parts around the board. Effective but effective.

Further, according to the present invention, a relay amplifier board is attached near the drive rotor to amplify the signals of the rotational position detecting element and the rotational reference position detecting element, and the section of the weak signal level is shortened. The effect of external noise can be reduced. Further, the ultrasonic probe can be reduced in size and weight by forming the relay amplifier substrate together with the drive rotor in the ultrasonic propagation medium in the window case.

Furthermore, according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the ribs are used for the support portions of the base, so that the thickness of the MIM base can be made uniform, so that the accuracy of the components in the MIM is stabilized, and the rigidity of the base is improved. And the bearing strength of the drive motor can be sufficiently ensured.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided 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. Then, the bearing collar is inserted from the drive shaft direction, and a hollow cylindrical bearing collar is formed between the cylindrical part of the support part and the drive shaft so that the drive shaft does not fall out of the support part. Has become. As a result, the drive motor can be easily assembled, and because of the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator, the ultrasonic vibrator can be configured within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor. A lightweight drive motor can be provided.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention,
Due to the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic transducer, the mechanism constitutes the ultrasonic transducer within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor, so that the two-dimensional ultrasonic drive can be made compact and mechanical. 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 a scanning plane that is 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 in 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. effective.

[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) A waveform diagram of a Z-phase amplifier signal after amplification. (B) A waveform diagram of a Z-phase comparator signal after 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.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory view of an example of an assembly base.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2 Ultrasonic vibrator 3 Drive rotor 4, 77 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 Vibrator drive circuit 18a, 18b Amplifier 19a, 19b Logarithmic amplifier 20a, 20b Detection circuit 21a, 21b Gain setting unit 22 Gain control Controller 23 Synthetic circuit 24 Image memory 25 DSC 26 Television monitor 27 Handle part 28 Tip part 29 Cable 30 Connector 31 Drive shaft 32 Rotor frame 33 Acoustic lens 34 Cut surface 35 Flexible board (Z-phase FPC) 36 Flat lead wire ( FC) 37 Flexible board (AB phase FPC) 38, 38a, 38b, 38c Electrode 39 Brush 40 Brush holder 41 Flexible board (I / OFPC) 42 Motor wire 43 Bearing collar 44, 44a, 44b, 44c Insulation sheet 45 Projection part 46, 51 Hole 47 Step part 48, 107, 108 Screw hole 49 Depression 50 Brush holder surface 52a, 52b, 52c, 105 Land 53 Base blank 54, 55 Cylindrical part 56, 57, 78 Prop part 58, 62 , 106 Screw 59 Mounting hole for fixing brush holder 60 Mounting surface for brush holder 61 Window 63 Mounting hole for mounting MR element 64 Mounting surface for mounting MR element 65, 66 Convex part 67 Central support parts 68, 69, 79 Support part 70Z Hole for fixing phase MR element 71 Hole for taking out from base 72 Central circle Part 73 End cylindrical part 74 Opening 75, 76 Insertion direction 80 Screw 100 A / D 101 DSP 102 Host CPU 103 System main body (main body device) 104 Drive motor 109 Rib d1 Diameter of cylindrical part h1 Distance between openings d2 Bearing collar Outer diameter of center cylindrical part of D D Shaft diameter of drive shaft d3 Diameter of inner cylindrical part of bearing collar

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page F term (reference) 4C301 AA02 BB03 CC02 EE11 EE15 EE16 EE20 FF01 GA07 GA12 GB29 GC01 GC15 GC22 GC24 GC28 GD16 HH04 HH47 HH49 HH52 JA12 JA16 JB03 JB11 JC14 LL03 LL04 5D04 A05A05 CCB CC02 CC03 DD01 DD09 EA05

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic probe including a window case including an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic wave propagation medium, made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency, and a drive motor for driving the ultrasonic transducer. The ultrasonic vibrator is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the rotor frame of the drive motor, and the drive shaft of the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator are constituted by the same axis. There is a beam trajectory surface, the drive shaft is orthogonal to the ultrasonic beam trajectory surface, and further, the drive shaft of the drive motor is supported on a base via a bearing collar, and the base has There are two support portions that support the drive shaft, and the support portion has a cylindrical portion and a parallel opening connected to the cylindrical portion, and the opening is connected to the outside, and the bearing collar is connected to the outside. The drive shaft and front The drive rotor is interposed between the cylindrical portions of the support columns so that the drive rotor does not come off from the base, and the base is a metal powder part formed by a metal injection molding method and supports the drive rotor. An ultrasonic vibrator drive motor using a base made of a metal powder component having the support portion and a support portion to be attached to a probe body. 2. The ultrasonic vibrator drive motor according to claim 1, wherein the base material is a stainless steel material. 3. An ultrasonic probe comprising a window case including an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic wave propagation medium and made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency, and a drive motor for driving the ultrasonic transducer. The ultrasonic vibrator is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the rotor frame of the drive motor, and the drive shaft of the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator are constituted by the same axis. There is a beam trajectory surface, the drive shaft is orthogonal to the ultrasonic beam trajectory surface, and the drive rotor is rotatably supported on a base via a bearing collar, and the base has a cross shape. A mounting support for mounting the ultrasonic probe main body and the motor is formed on the distal end side of the support corresponding to the position of 180 degrees of the support, and supports other than the mounting support. On the tip side of the holding portion, the support portion for supporting the drive rotor is configured in a direction perpendicular to the cross-shaped support portion, and the base is a base made of a metal powder component formed by a metal injection molding method. An ultrasonic vibrator drive motor characterized in that it is used. 4. A base for supporting the drive rotor is a metal powder component formed by a metal injection molding method, and a brush holder of a slip ring can be attached to one of the two support portions, and the other is provided. The ultrasonic vibrator drive motor according to claim 1 or 3, wherein a rotation position detecting element can be attached to the support portion. 5. A base for supporting the driving rotor is a metal powder component formed by a metal injection molding method, and a rotation reference position detecting element of the driving rotor is attached to a central portion of a cross-shaped base supporting portion. 4. The ultrasonic vibrator drive motor according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic vibrator drive motor is configured to perform the following. 6. A base for supporting the drive rotor is a metal powder part formed by a metal injection molding method, and comprises a slip ring for extracting a signal of an ultrasonic vibrator mounted on the drive rotor from a rotating part. The slip ring electrode of the slip ring is fixed to the drive rotor side, the brush of the slip ring is connected by soldering to a flexible substrate fixed to a brush holder, and the flexible substrate is screwed on the base. 4. The ultrasonic vibrator drive motor according to claim 1, wherein the motor is fixed, and the electric ground can be connected to the base from the screw. 7. A base for supporting the drive rotor is a metal powder component formed by a metal injection molding method, and an electronic component for amplifying a signal of a rotational position detecting element or a rotational reference position detecting element near the drive rotor. 4. The ultrasonic vibrator driving device according to claim 1, wherein a relay amplifier board on which is mounted is fixed to the base with a screw, and a signal line of a driving motor is taken out from the relay amplifier board. motor. 8. An ultrasonic vibrator is attached to an outer peripheral portion of a rotor frame of a drive motor, and a drive shaft of the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator are formed on the same axis, and a track plane of the rotated ultrasonic vibrator. There is an ultrasonic beam trajectory surface, the drive axis is orthogonal to the ultrasonic beam trajectory surface, the base supporting the drive rotor is a metal powder component formed by a metal injection molding method, the drive rotor 7. The ultrasonic vibrator drive according to claim 1, wherein the rotationally supported drive motor and a relay amplifier board for amplifying a signal are placed in an ultrasonic wave propagation medium in a window case. motor. 9. An ultrasonic vibrator is attached to an outer peripheral portion of a rotor frame of a drive motor, and a drive shaft of the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator are constituted by the same axis, and a track plane of the rotated ultrasonic vibrator. There is an ultrasonic beam trajectory surface, the drive axis is orthogonal to the ultrasonic beam trajectory surface, and further, the drive rotor is rotatably supported on the base via a bearing collar, the base is A mounting support for mounting the ultrasonic probe main body and the motor is formed on the distal end side of the support corresponding to the position of 180 degrees of the support, and a support other than the mounting support. The support portion for supporting the drive rotor is formed on the tip end side in a direction perpendicular to a cross-shaped support portion. The base is formed by a metal injection molding method, and the cross-shaped support portion is formed. The ultrasonic vibrator drive motor according to claim 3, wherein ribs are provided on both sides, and the ribs are made of metal powder parts of the base. . 10. An ultrasonic probe which includes an ultrasonic oscillator and an ultrasonic wave propagation medium, and includes a window case made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency and a drive motor for driving the ultrasonic oscillator. The drive shaft of the drive motor is supported on a base via a bearing collar. This base has two support portions for supporting the drive shaft,
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 has a hollow cylindrical shape, and the interval between the openings is h1.
The diameter of the cylindrical portion of the support portion is d1, the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion of the bearing collar is d2, the inner diameter of the hollow cylindrical portion of the bearing collar is d3, and the shaft diameter of the drive shaft is D. And these have the following relationship: The bearing according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bearing collar is interposed between the drive shaft and a cylindrical portion of the support portion so that the drive rotor does not fall out of the base. The ultrasonic vibrator drive motor according to any one of the preceding claims. 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the ultrasonic vibrator drive motor described in the above section.