JP2009291268A - Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image allowing an operator of an ultrasonic probe to easily and highly precisely diagnose a region of a target site. <P>SOLUTION: This ultrasonic probe includes a transducer having oscillator groups of different types and transmitting/receiving a plurality of ultrasonic waves, and is configured to switchingly select any oscillator group out of the plurality of oscillator groups by the movement of the transducer so as to transmit/receive the ultrasonic waves without any deviation of a measuring position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe used to obtain diagnostic information of a subject by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves in contact with a subject such as a living body.

  An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus irradiates a living subject such as a human being or an animal with an ultrasonic wave, detects an echo reflected in the subject, and displays a tomographic image of the in vivo tissue on a monitor. Provide information necessary for specimen diagnosis. At this time, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic probe is used for transmitting ultrasonic waves into the subject and receiving reflected echoes from the subject.

  FIG. 10 is a partial schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a conventional ultrasonic probe.

  An ultrasonic probe 22 shown in FIG. 10 has a plurality of piezoelectric elements 24 (convex curved surfaces in the figure) arranged in a predetermined direction so as to transmit / receive ultrasonic waves to / from a subject (not shown). And a transducer 23 including one or more acoustic matching layers (not shown) and an acoustic lens (not shown) provided on the subject side of the piezoelectric element 24 as necessary. The plurality of piezoelectric elements 24 are connected to a cable 26 connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body.

  Electrodes (not shown) are respectively arranged on the front surface and the back surface of the piezoelectric element 24 to transmit and receive electrical signals to and from the piezoelectric element 24.

  The piezoelectric element 24 is formed of a piezoelectric ceramic such as a PZT system, a single crystal, a composite piezoelectric material in which the above-described material and polymer are combined, or a polymer piezoelectric material represented by PVDF or the like, and converts voltage into ultrasonic waves. Then, it is transmitted into the subject, or the echo reflected in the subject is converted into an electrical signal and received. In the illustrated example, a plurality of piezoelectric elements 24 are arranged in a convex shape. Such a plurality of arrangements of piezoelectric elements 24 can be deflected or focused by electronically scanning ultrasonic waves, enabling so-called electronic scanning.

  Such an ultrasonic probe selects and uses a transducer type in order to make a precise diagnosis according to a region to be diagnosed by a subject such as a living body. For example, the transducer type of the ultrasound probe used for the abdomen and the like uses a low frequency of 2 MHz to 4 MHz and requires a wide diagnostic range so that the diagnostic depth can be deep. As the transducer, a so-called convex type having a convex shape is used. On the other hand, when diagnosing a shallow region such as the carotid artery, a transducer having a high frequency range of 5 MHz to 10 MHz is used. As described above, the transducer is used by selecting the type according to the diagnosis area. One type of transducer is an ultrasonic probe. To change the type, remove the connector of the ultrasonic probe connected to the main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic equipment, and create a new transducer of a different type. The ultrasonic probe must be connected.

  For body cavity use, when changing the type of transducer by diagnosis, in order to reduce the burden on the subject side, a transducer of a different type (for example, frequency) is provided on the ultrasonic probe and switched. Therefore, an ultrasonic probe having a configuration that can be diagnosed as such is known. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Also, ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received while rotating transducers equipped with multiple transducers with different sound field characteristics and frequencies, and the high-resolution image from shallow to deep by complementing the sound field characteristics of each of these transducers. A technique for obtaining the above is known (for example, Patent Document 2).
JP 2007-68718 A JP 57-37442 A

  The electronic scanning type ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is configured to drive a piezoelectric element into a plurality of groups by giving a certain delay time to each piezoelectric element group, and transmitting ultrasonic waves from each piezoelectric element group into the subject. A reflection echo is received from within the subject. By giving the delay time in this way, the ultrasonic beam is converged or diffused, and an ultrasonic image having a wide field width and high resolution can be obtained.

  A system for obtaining an ultrasonic image by giving a certain delay time to a plurality of piezoelectric element groups is already known as a general system. The ultrasound probe is an ultrasound probe that uses a type of transducer tailored to each region depending on the part or region to be diagnosed by a subject such as a living body. It is necessary.

  A doctor who diagnoses using an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic probe secures many types of ultrasonic probes to be used by being connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and uses them properly depending on the diagnosis situation. Each time the ultrasonic probe is used after being attached to and removed from the ultrasonic diagnostic equipment, it is difficult to use and the cost for securing many types of ultrasonic probes is low. There are problems such as this. As one of these countermeasures, there has been proposed an intracavity type ultrasonic probe in which a plurality of transducers having different frequencies are installed and switched for use as in Patent Document 1. However, the configuration as in Patent Document 1 has a problem in terms of operability, such as the measurement site being shifted when the transducer groups are switched because the transducer groups having different frequencies are arranged side by side. In addition, the configuration in which the body cavity type transducers are arranged has a problem that it is too large to be used practically for an ultrasonic probe for a body surface used for diagnosing the abdomen and the like.

  In addition, as in Patent Document 2, in a configuration in which a plurality of vibrators having different frequencies are provided and a transducer to be used is switched by a changeover switch according to their rotation, when one transducer is used for one frequency, Although there is no problem, when a plurality of transducers are provided as a group at one frequency, there is a problem in that a change-over switch is required as many as the number of transducers, and the circuit scale increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has improved operability after solving the problems that the circuit scale is not increased, the resolution is not deteriorated, and the measurement position is not shifted. An object is to provide an ultrasonic probe.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention includes a transducer group in which a plurality of transducers are arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally as two or more transducer groups having different frequency bands. An ultrasonic probe provided with a transducer and a connection holding unit that can move the transducer, and a component that can be electrically connected to each of the plurality of transducer groups on the transducer side, A set of transducer groups on the side of the connection holding part is characterized in that an electrical contact is arranged at a position where it can be electrically connected to the transducer and the connection holding part.

  Furthermore, in the ultrasonic probe of the present invention, any one of the plurality of transducer groups is selected by the movement of the transducer.

  Furthermore, in the ultrasonic probe of the present invention, the movement of the transducer is characterized in that it is rotated, oscillated, reciprocated or moved in parallel by a machine or manually.

  Furthermore, the ultrasonic probe of the present invention is characterized in that moving means for moving the transducer is provided.

  Furthermore, the ultrasonic probe of the present invention is characterized in that a lock function capable of fixing the transducer is provided.

  Furthermore, in the ultrasonic probe of the present invention, the lock mechanism includes a convex lock portion on the transducer side and a concave lock portion on the transducer holding side, and a concave lock portion on the connection holding portion side. Alternatively, the transducer has a concave lock part on the transducer side and a convex lock part on the connection holding part side.

  Furthermore, in the ultrasonic probe of the present invention, the transducer is any one of a frequency, an aperture shape, a focus position, a shape in a plurality of arrangement directions, and an arrangement interval.

  Furthermore, in the ultrasonic probe of the present invention, the shape of the transducers in the arrangement direction is the linear shape, the convex shape, or the concave shape.

  Furthermore, in the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, the transducer and the connection holding unit include an identification unit that recognizes each type of the plurality of transducer groups.

  Furthermore, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention is characterized by including the ultrasonic probe described in claims 1 to 11.

  As described above, according to the ultrasonic probe of the present invention, it is possible to provide an ultrasonic probe that is small in size, does not deteriorate resolution, and has improved operability.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the ultrasonic probe according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part B of the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the ultrasonic probe 1 shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 is provided with a plurality of arranged piezoelectric elements 10 that transmit and receive ultrasonic waves and a back surface of the piezoelectric element 10. The back load material 11 and, if necessary, one or more acoustic matching layers 12 are provided on the front surface of the piezoelectric element 10, and an acoustic lens 13 is provided on the front surface of the acoustic matching layer 12. Hereinafter, this configuration is referred to as a transducer group. Further, although not shown, electrodes are provided on both surfaces of the piezoelectric element 10, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, electrical terminals 8 taken out from the electrodes of the piezoelectric element 10 (not shown) on the back load material 11 side are connected to the back load. The vibrator group 3-1 is configured to be taken out through the material 11 or through the side surface.

  In addition, although this Embodiment demonstrated the case where a piezoelectric element was used in order to transmit / receive an ultrasonic wave, it can transmit / receive an ultrasonic wave by the structure like the electrostatic type etc. which can transmit / receive an ultrasonic wave besides this. It may be an element and is not limited to a piezoelectric element.

  The transducer group having such a configuration is formed in a plurality of arcs, and here, three types of transducer groups 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3 are configured. These vibrator groups 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3 are provided in the housing 6, and the portions in which the vibrator group 3-1 is not covered from the housing 6 in FIGS. It is the composition installed in. The electrical terminal 8 taken out from the piezoelectric element 10 of the transducer group 3-1 is provided on the connection holding member 4 that is electrically connected to the cable 5 that is connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body via a connector or the like. The terminal 9 is in an electrically connected state. On the other hand, since the electrical terminal 9 is not provided in the region of the connection holding member 4 located in the transducer groups 3-2 and 3-3 included in the housing 6, the cable 5 is not connected. It becomes the composition of. Therefore, only the transducer group 3-1 can transmit and receive ultrasonic waves, and this transducer group 3-1 is brought into direct contact or indirect contact with a living body as a subject to obtain a diagnostic image in the living body and perform diagnosis. It will be possible.

  In the present embodiment, the selected transducer group has been described as being directly electrically connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body and a cable connected via a connector or the like. The transducer group can be configured so that ultrasonic waves can be transmitted and received, for example, a circuit such as a transmission / reception circuit or a circuit necessary for improving performance is provided between the transducer 2 and the cable. A similar effect can be obtained even with an indirect configuration provided with a circuit that can transmit and receive wirelessly.

  The vibrator groups 3-1, 3-2 and 3-3 are configured to be able to rotate and move along the circumference of the connection holding member 4, and rotate to the position of the vibrator group 3-1 shown in FIG. By doing so, the vibrator groups 3-2 and 3-3 can be moved. Note that the connection holding member 4 is fixed to the housing 6 and the like in the same manner as the connected cable 5. Although the moving means of these transducer groups 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3 are not shown, they may be mechanical or manual, or may be an electrical method via a motor or the like. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the configuration of rotating and moving has been described, but the same effect can be obtained even with a moving method that moves in a swinging, reciprocating, and parallel manner.

  The transducer groups 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3 are arranged so that a doctor or the like who is an operator can accurately and accurately diagnose the region to be diagnosed. 3 types can be selected and used. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the frequency of the transducer groups 3-1, 3-2 and 3-3 is made into three types of convex shapes at 3 MHz, 5 MHz and 7.5 MHz, the depth to be diagnosed When a deep region is desired to be diagnosed, a 3 MHz transducer group 3-1 capable of displaying an ultrasonic tomographic image up to a deep location is selected and is not covered by the casing 6 as shown in FIGS. It can be used by moving it to a position (the position of the transducer group 3-1 in FIGS. 1 and 2). When diagnosing a shallow region, a high-frequency 7.5 MHz transducer group 3-3 is selected, and the position of the transducer group 3-1 shown in FIGS. It is possible to rotate and move along the guide 7 so that it can be selected and used. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the transducer group capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is configured to be possible when moved to the position of the transducer group 3-1, and the cable 5 and the cable 5 are almost the same position. Enables electrical connection.

  In the present embodiment, the transducer 2 having the three types of transducer groups of different types (frequency here includes not only the center frequency but also the frequency characteristics) has been described. Different types of groups include aperture shapes (for example, an arrangement interval in which the piezoelectric elements 10 are arranged or a width in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the piezoelectric elements 10 are arranged), a focus position of the acoustic lens 13, and an arrangement direction of the piezoelectric elements 10. The same effect can be obtained even if a configuration in which two or more types of transducer groups in which any of the shapes of the above are changed is provided.

  In addition, the same effect can be obtained even if the shape of the piezoelectric elements 10 in the arrangement direction is a linear shape, a convex shape (convex shape), a concave shape (concave shape), or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which a plurality of vibrators are arranged one-dimensionally has been described. However, the same effect can be obtained when a plurality of vibrators are arranged two-dimensionally.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of terminal portions 14 connected to the electrical terminals 8 are provided in the portion of the back load material 11 on the opposite side where the plurality of arranged piezoelectric elements 10 are provided. The plurality of terminal portions 14 are moved to the position of the transducer group 3-1, and a plurality of terminal portions 15 connected to the cable 5 provided on the connection holding member 4 via the electric terminals 9. However, each is in contact and electrically connected. For example, a slip ring method, a brush method, or the like can be cited as a configuration in which contact and electrical connection are made.

  Here, a portion of the back load material 11 on the opposite side provided with a plurality of arranged piezoelectric elements 10 is connected via a plurality of terminal portions 14 connected to the electric terminals 8, the cable 5, and the electric terminals 9. The connection of the plurality of terminal portions 15 has been described as being configured to be in physical contact and electrically connected, but in addition, other methods that can be electrically connected, such as physically A transformer method that can be electrically connected even in a non-contact configuration may be used. The purpose is to electrically connect the electrical terminal 8 that is electrically extracted from the piezoelectric element 10 and the electrical terminal 9 that is connected to the cable 5. The method is not limited to the above method as long as the method is connected to the above.

  Also, a plurality of terminal portions 14 are arranged so that all the transducer groups can be accommodated when the transducer 2 is moved and selected so that the terminal portions 14 are arranged at substantially the same intervals as the terminal portions 15. . The arrangement may be one row, a plurality of rows, or a staggered arrangement as long as the terminal portion 14 and the terminal portion 15 can be electrically connected to each other.

  Further, when the transducer group to be used is moved to the transducer group 3-1, the transducer group 3-1 is fixed as shown in FIG. 4 so as not to move and move when the transducer group 3-1 is used. If a mechanism such as providing a lock portion 16 that can lock the transducer groups 3-1, 3-2 and 3-3 is provided in a part of the guide 7 fixed to the connection holding member 4 is stable. Thus, the ultrasonic probe 1 can be operated.

  In addition, as a method of moving the respective vibrator groups 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3 to the position of the vibrator group 3-1, and locking the vibrator groups 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3, a method that is electrically performed in addition to a mechanically provided method. However, the present invention is not limited to the above method.

  Further, by moving the vibrator group to be used from each vibrator group 3-1, 3-2, 3-3 to the position of the vibrator group 3-1, it can be used. It is necessary for the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body to recognize what type the child groups 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3 are. As a recognition method, for example, FIG. In FIG. 5, the electrical terminal 8 taken out from the piezoelectric element 10 is connected to the connection holding member 4 electrically connected to the cable 5 connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body via a connector or the like via the terminal portions 14 and 15. In the configuration in which the electrical terminals 9 are electrically connected, the vibrations of the back load material 11 of the transducer groups 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3 or other portions thereof are respectively In order to recognize the type of the child group, a plurality of terminals for recognition that are not connected to the piezoelectric element 10 are provided, and these terminals change the electrical connection pattern depending on the type of the vibrator group.

  For example, the type of the transducer group 3-1 is configured such that the left three terminals and one right end of the terminals are connected as shown in FIG. 5. These terminals are connected to the cable, and the cable 5 is connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body. So that you can recognize when. The vibrator groups 3-2 and 3-3 can be recognized by changing the connection pattern of the type recognition terminals 17. In this embodiment, the method for changing the connection pattern has been described as a method for recognizing the transducer type. However, there are other methods such as a non-contact method for recognizing with light such as a barcode, and the recognizable methods are limited to these methods. is not.

  By moving to the position of the transducer group 3-1 as described above, each type of transducer group can be selected and ultrasonic waves can be transmitted and received via the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body and the cable. The operator of the ultrasonic probe such as the above can obtain an image capable of accurately diagnosing the target region with a small number of ultrasonic probes. Conventionally, for example, each type of transducer group having a different frequency is only one type of ultrasonic probe, so the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body is replaced with a necessary ultrasonic probe each time according to the purpose of use. However, since this operation is not necessary at all in this embodiment, the ultrasonic probe has a configuration with good operability.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the ultrasonic probe according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of part B of the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG.

  In the ultrasonic probe 1 shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, as shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of piezoelectric elements 10 that transmit and receive ultrasonic waves are arranged substantially linearly. A back load material 11 provided on the back surface of the piezoelectric element 10, and if necessary, one or more acoustic matching layers 12 are provided on the front surface of the piezoelectric element 10, and an acoustic lens 13 is provided on the front surface of the acoustic matching layer 12. Further, although not shown in the figure, electrodes are provided on both surfaces of the piezoelectric element 10, and the electrical terminals 8 taken out from the electrodes (not shown) on the back load material 11 side as shown in FIGS. The vibrator group 3-4 is configured to be taken out through the side surface or through the side surface.

  In addition, although this Embodiment demonstrated the case where a piezoelectric element was used in order to transmit / receive an ultrasonic wave, it can transmit / receive an ultrasonic wave by the structure like the electrostatic type etc. which can transmit / receive an ultrasonic wave besides this. It may be an element and is not limited to a piezoelectric element.

  Here, two transducer groups 3-4 and 3-5 of different types are configured. These vibrator groups 3-4 and 3-5 are provided in the housing 6. In FIGS. 6 and 7, the vibrator group 3-4 is installed in a portion not covered from the housing 6. It is the composition which is. The electrical terminal 8 taken out from the piezoelectric element 10 of the transducer group 3-4 is provided on the connection holding member 4 that is electrically connected to the cable 5 connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body via a connector or the like. The terminal 9 is in an electrically connected state. On the other hand, since the electrical terminal 9 is not provided in the region of the connection holding member 4 located in the vibrator group 3-5 included in the housing 6, the electrical connection 9 is not connected to the cable 5. ing. For this reason, only the transducer group 3-4 can transmit and receive ultrasonic waves, and this transducer group 3-4 is brought into direct contact or indirect contact with a living body as a subject to obtain a diagnostic image in the living body and perform diagnosis. It will be possible.

  In the present embodiment, the selected transducer group has been described as being directly electrically connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body and a cable connected via a connector or the like. The transducer group can be configured so that ultrasonic waves can be transmitted and received, for example, a circuit such as a transmission / reception circuit or a circuit necessary for improving performance is provided between the transducer 2 and the cable. A similar effect can be obtained even with an indirect configuration provided with a circuit that can transmit and receive wirelessly.

  The transducer groups 3-4 and 3-5 are configured to be able to rotate and move along the connection holding member 4. In the configuration of the first embodiment, the transducer groups 3-4 and 3-5 are arranged along the direction of the plurality of arranged piezoelectric elements 10. Although it is configured to be able to rotate and move, in the present embodiment, it is configured to rotate and move in a direction orthogonal to the direction of a plurality of piezoelectric elements 10 arranged. Since the plurality of arranged piezoelectric elements 10 are substantially linear, the problem is that the ultrasonic probe 1 becomes larger in the rotating direction and the operability is lowered in order to rotate the piezoelectric elements 10 in the arranging direction. Therefore, by rotating and moving in the direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the piezoelectric elements 10 as in the present embodiment, there is a feature that the ultrasonic probe 1 is reduced in size and operability is improved. .

  Further, when another type of transducer group 3-5 is selected and used, the configuration is made possible by rotating the transducer group 3-4 to the position of the transducer group 3-4. The connection holding member 4 is fixed in the same manner as the connected cable 5. Although this movement is not shown, it may be mechanical or manual, or an electric method via a motor or the like, and is not limited to this.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the configuration of rotating and moving has been described, but the same effect can be obtained even with a moving means that moves in a swinging, reciprocating, and parallel manner.

  The transducer groups 3-4 and 3-5 can be used by a doctor who is an operator by selecting the type of the transducer group in order to accurately and accurately diagnose the region to be diagnosed. . For example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the vibrator groups 3-4 and 3-5 have frequencies of 5 MHz and 7.5 MHz, respectively, and the arrangement intervals of the piezoelectric elements 10 are 0.3 mm and 0.2 mm, respectively. In the ultrasonic probe 1 having two types arranged in a straight line with a number of 192, when the subject's carotid artery or the like is to be diagnosed with an ultrasound image, the subject's body shape is relatively large and the neck is thick When the frequency of the carotid artery is 7.5 MHz, it is difficult to obtain an ultrasonic image of the carotid artery that is highly attenuated, and therefore a 5 MHz transducer group 3-4 having a low frequency is used. For a subject having a slim, narrow neck and carotid artery, a 7.5 MHz transducer group 3-5 having a high frequency is shown in FIGS. Manually at the position of transducer group 3-4 Rui selected and used to move electrically rotated along the guide 7 by a motor.

  In such a case, by using the ultrasonic probe 1 provided with a plurality of types of transducer groups as in the present embodiment, the selection can be made easily and the diagnosis can be made efficiently. Therefore, the transducer 2 capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is configured to be enabled when moved to the transducer group 3-4 as shown in FIG. 6, and is electrically connected to the cable 5 at substantially the same position. It is possible.

  Further, the width (width) of the ultrasonic image is the product of the interval between the piezoelectric elements 10 and the number of channels, that is, the interval between the piezoelectric elements 10 is 0.3 mm and 0.2 mm as in the above embodiment, and 192 channels. At this time, the width (width) of the ultrasonic image is 57.6 mm and 38.4 mm. Thus, the transducer 2 may be of a type in which the arrangement interval of the piezoelectric elements 10 and the number of channels are changed.

  In the present embodiment, the transducer 2 having two types of transducer groups of different types (frequency here includes not only the center frequency but also the frequency characteristics) has been described. As vibrator groups having different sizes, aperture shapes (for example, an arrangement interval in which the piezoelectric elements 10 are arranged or a width in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the piezoelectric elements 10 are arranged), a focus position of the acoustic lens, and an arrangement direction of the piezoelectric elements 10 The same effect can be obtained even when three or more types of transducer groups of different types such as the shape of are provided.

  In addition, the same effect can be obtained even if the shape of the piezoelectric elements 10 in the arrangement direction is a linear shape, a convex shape (convex shape), a concave shape (concave shape), or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which a plurality of vibrators are arranged one-dimensionally has been described. However, the same effect can be obtained when a plurality of vibrators are arranged two-dimensionally.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of terminal portions 14 connected to the electrical terminals 8 are provided in the portion of the back load material 11 on the opposite side where the plurality of arranged piezoelectric elements 10 are provided. The plurality of terminal portions 14 are connected to the cable 5 provided on the connection holding member 4 via the electrical terminals 9 by moving to the position of the transducer group 3-1. Are in contact with each other and electrically connected. For example, a slip ring method, a brush method, etc. are mentioned as a structure which contacts and electrically connects.

  Here, a plurality of terminal portions 14 connected to the electric terminal 8, the cable 5, and the electric terminal 9 are connected to the portion of the opposite side load material 11 provided with the plurality of arranged piezoelectric elements 10. The connection of the plurality of terminal portions 15 has been described as being configured to be physically contacted and electrically connected. However, other methods that can be electrically connected are, for example, physically A transformer method that can be electrically connected even in a non-contact configuration may be used. The purpose is to electrically connect the electrical terminal 8 that is electrically taken out from the piezoelectric element 10 and the electrical terminal 9 that is connected to the cable 5. The method is not limited to the above method as long as the method is connected to the above.

  The plurality of arranged terminal portions 14 are arranged at almost the same intervals as the terminal portions 15 so that all the transducer groups can correspond when the transducer groups are moved and selected. . The arrangement may be one row, a plurality of rows, or a staggered arrangement as long as the terminal portion 14 and the terminal portion 15 can be electrically connected to each other.

Further, when the vibrator group to be used is moved to the position of the vibrator group 3-4 and used, the connection holding member fixed so as not to move and move when the vibrator group 3-4 is set and used. If the lock mechanism that can lock the transducer groups 3-4 and 3-5 is provided in a part of the guide 7 fixed to 4, the ultrasonic probe 1 can be operated stably. .
In addition, as a method of moving and locking each of the transducer groups 3-4 and 3-5 to the position of the transducer group 3-4, there is a method of electrically performing other than the method of providing mechanically, It is not limited to such a method.

  Further, the transducer group selected for use from the respective transducer groups 3-4 and 3-5 can be used by moving the transducer group to the transducer group 3-4. It is necessary for the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body to recognize what types 3-4 and 3-5 are. As a recognition method, for example, as described in the first embodiment, the electric terminal 8 taken out from the piezoelectric element 10 is connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body via the terminal portions 14 and 15 via a connector or the like. What is necessary is just to set it as the state which has been in the state electrically connected with the electrical terminal 9 provided in the connection holding member 4 electrically connected to 5. Although the method of changing the connection pattern has been described as a method of recognizing the transducer group type, there is a non-contact method of recognizing with light such as a barcode, and the recognizable method is not limited to these.

By moving to the position of the transducer group 3-4 as described above, each type of transducer group can be selected and ultrasonic waves can be transmitted / received via the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body and the cable. Can be obtained and diagnosed. Conventionally, for example, each type of transducer group having a different frequency is only one type of ultrasonic probe, so the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body is replaced with a necessary ultrasonic probe each time according to the purpose of use. However, since the operation is not necessary at all in the present embodiment, the ultrasonic probe has a configuration with good operability.
(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

  The ultrasonic probe 1 shown in FIG. 9 has a plurality of piezoelectric elements 10 that transmit and receive ultrasonic waves as shown in FIGS. A back load material 11 provided on the back surface of the piezoelectric element 10, and if necessary, one or more acoustic matching layers 12 are provided on the front surface of the piezoelectric element 10, and an acoustic lens 13 is provided on the front surface of the acoustic matching layer 12. . Further, although not shown in the figure, electrodes are provided on both surfaces of the piezoelectric element 10, and the electrical terminals 8 taken out from the electrodes (not shown) on the back load material 11 side as shown in FIGS. The vibrator groups 3-4 and 3-5 are configured to be taken out through the side or through the side surface, and the vibrator groups 3-4 and 3-5 are connected by the motor 19 and the connecting body 20, The transducer groups 3-4 and 3-5 are rotationally moved corresponding to 19 rotations.

  In addition, although this Embodiment demonstrated the case where a piezoelectric element was used in order to transmit / receive an ultrasonic wave, it can transmit / receive an ultrasonic wave by the structure like the electrostatic type etc. which can transmit / receive an ultrasonic wave besides this. It may be an element and is not limited to a piezoelectric element.

  Although not shown, the motor 19 is provided with a function capable of recognizing a position such as an encoder so that the vibrator groups 3-4 and 3-5 to be used can be selected and moved to the positions to be used. It has become. In order to control the motor 19, a control line is bundled with the cable 5 and is connected to the instruction means 21 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 18. The instruction means 21 does not need to be mounted on the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body 18 and may be provided in the ultrasonic probe 1. On the other hand, for example, the plurality of electrical terminals 8 of the selected vibrator group 3-4 are connected to the cable 5 via the electrical terminal 9 via the terminal 14 and the terminal 15 provided on the connection holding member 4 as shown in FIG. The cable 5 is connected electrically to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 18.

    In the present embodiment, the selected transducer group has been described as being directly electrically connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body and a cable connected via a connector or the like. The transducer group can be configured so that ultrasonic waves can be transmitted and received, for example, a circuit such as a transmission / reception circuit or a circuit necessary for improving performance is provided between the transducer 2 and the cable. A similar effect can be obtained even with an indirect configuration provided with a circuit that can transmit and receive wirelessly.

  In such a configuration, when the operator selects the type of the transducer group 3-4 of the ultrasound probe 1 connected to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 18 and uses it, the transducer group is added to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 18. 3-4 is provided with an operation key to be selected. By operating this key, the transducer group 3-4 at the position recognized by the encoder by operating the motor 19 of the ultrasonic probe 1 is used. Move to the position you want. By moving, the transducer group 3-4 is transmitted from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 18 to the plurality of piezoelectric elements 10 via the cable 5, and is transmitted from the acoustic matching layer 12 and the acoustic lens 13 to the subject (not shown). Sound waves are transmitted. Then, the ultrasonic wave reflected from the subject is received again through a path opposite to the transmission, and the signal received by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 18 via the cable 5 is processed and displayed as a diagnostic image.

  When the operator wants to make a diagnosis using the transducer group 3-5, when the operator selects and operates again with the operation key of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the motor 19 operates and the transducer group as described above. 3-5 is set to a position to be rotated and used (the position of the transducer group 3-4 in the figure). Once set, the operator can use it immediately. In this way, the transducer group to be used can be selected and used easily by simply operating the operation keys of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 18. This is because the conventional ultrasonic probe 1 itself is disconnected from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 18 and the ultrasonic probe 1 to be newly used is connected again and used, which is cumbersome and not easy to operate. With respect to the problem, this embodiment can be switched very easily with the operation key of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 18 while being connected to the ultrasonic probe 1, and the burden on the operator is reduced. In addition, since a transducer group suitable for the diagnostic area can be selected and used with a single ultrasonic probe, a highly accurate ultrasonic image can be easily obtained.

  In the present embodiment, the method of selecting the transducer groups 3-4 and 3-5 of the ultrasonic probe 1 has been described by using the operation keys of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 18. The same effect can be obtained by selecting a transducer group by operating a key or changeover switch to be operated on a part of the ultrasound probe 1.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the transducer 2 having two types of transducer groups having different frequencies has been described. However, as another type of other transducer groups, an aperture shape (for example, an arrangement interval or an arrangement interval of piezoelectric elements 10) There are provided three or more types of transducer groups in which any one of the widths in the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the piezoelectric elements 10 are arranged, the focus position of the acoustic lens 13, and the shape in the arrangement direction of the piezoelectric elements 10 is changed. Even when configured, the same effect can be obtained.

  In addition, the same effect can be obtained even if the shape of the piezoelectric elements 10 in the arrangement direction is a linear shape, a convex shape (convex shape), a concave shape (concave shape), or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which a plurality of vibrators are arranged one-dimensionally has been described. However, the same effect can be obtained when a plurality of vibrators are arranged two-dimensionally.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the configuration of rotating and moving has been described, but the same effect can be obtained even with a moving means that moves in a swinging, reciprocating, and parallel manner.

  As described above, an ultrasonic probe provided with a plurality of types of transducer groups by operating an operation key of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 18 or an operation key or switch provided on a part of the ultrasonic probe. Since the transducer group selected by the operator can be moved to a position to be used and used, conventionally, for example, only one type of transducer group of a different frequency is used as an ultrasonic probe. Therefore, although the ultrasonic probe was attached to and detached from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body according to the purpose of use, since this operation is not necessary at all in the present embodiment, the ultrasonic probe having a good operability configuration and It is an ultrasound diagnostic device.

  The ultrasonic probe and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention can be easily operated and can obtain a target ultrasonic image at a site to be diagnosed, and various medical treatments for performing ultrasonic diagnosis of a subject such as a human body. It is suitable for the field, and can be used in the industrial field for the purpose of internal flaw detection of materials and structures.

Partial schematic sectional drawing which shows the structure of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention Sectional drawing which follows the ultrasonic probe A-A 'plane shown in FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the ultrasound probe B shown in FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the ultrasonic probe C shown in FIG. 1 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the ultrasonic probe B shown in FIG. Partial schematic sectional drawing which shows the example of a change of the ultrasound probe which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention Sectional drawing which follows the ultrasonic probe A-A 'plane shown in FIG. Ultrasonic probe B enlarged sectional view shown in FIG. Partial schematic sectional drawing which shows the ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which concern on Embodiment 3 of this invention Schematic diagram of a conventional ultrasonic probe

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ultrasonic probe 2 Transducer 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-4, 3-5 Vibrator group 4 Connection holding member 5 Cable 6 Case 7 Guide 8, 9 Electrical terminal 10 Piezoelectric element 11 Back load material 12 Acoustic matching layer 13 Acoustic lens 14, 15 Terminal portion 16 Lock portion 17 Type recognition terminal 18 Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 19 Motor 20 Connector 21 Instruction means

Claims (12)

A transducer in which a plurality of transducers arranged in one or two dimensions are provided as two or more transducer groups of different types;
An ultrasonic probe comprising a connection holding part for holding the transducer so as to be movable;
The transducer side is electrically connected to a component corresponding to each of the plurality of transducer groups,
An ultrasonic probe characterized in that, on the side of the connection holding part, a constituent part that can electrically connect a set of transducer groups is arranged at a position where it can be electrically connected to the transducer and the connection holding part. . The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of transducer groups is selected by the movement of the transducer. 3. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 2, wherein the transducer is moved by rotation or swing, reciprocation, and parallel by a machine or manually. 4. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, further comprising moving means for moving the transducer. 5. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 4, further comprising instruction means for moving the transducer. 6. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 5, wherein the instruction means is provided on an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body or an ultrasonic probe. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein a lock function capable of fixing the transducer is provided. The locking mechanism includes a convex locking portion on the transducer side and a concave locking portion on the connection holding portion side, or a concave locking portion on the transducer side and the connection on a part of the transducer and the connection holding portion. 8. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 7, further comprising a convex lock portion on the holding portion side. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the transducer has any one of a frequency, an aperture shape, a focus position, a shape in a plurality of arrangement directions, and an arrangement interval. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 9, wherein the shape of the transducers in the arrangement direction is the linear shape, the convex shape, or the concave shape. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein an identification unit that recognizes a type of each of the plurality of transducer groups is provided in a part of the transducer and the connection holding unit. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising the ultrasonic probe according to claim 1.

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