JP2746022B2 - Probe connection mechanism of ultrasonic inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic inspection apparatus which is inserted into a human body or the like to perform ultrasonic diagnosis and inspection.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ultrasonic inspection apparatus has an ultrasonic transducer and an observation apparatus for the ultrasonic transducer. The ultrasonic observation apparatus includes a transmission circuit and a reception circuit for an ultrasonic signal, a processing circuit for an ultrasonic reflection echo signal, and It is roughly composed of an ultrasonic image monitoring device. Then, ultrasonic waves are transmitted toward the body by the ultrasonic vibrator, the reflected echoes are received, the received signals are transmitted to the ultrasonic observation device, and signal processing is performed to obtain information on the state of the body tissue and the like. It is acquired and displayed on a monitor device as an ultrasonic image, and is widely used in the field of medicine and the like.

In recent years, in order to improve the accuracy and function of ultrasonic inspection and diagnosis, recently, an ultrasonic transducer has been inserted into the body to reach a position near a part to be inspected and diagnosed. A device that is guided to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves is used. Further, in addition to the examination and diagnosis by the endoscope, information on the tissue in the body cavity wall of the inspection target site is also acquired, and the ultrasonic probe is inserted into the body cavity to perform a three-dimensional examination. There has also been developed a configuration in which a treatment tool insertion channel provided for inserting a catheter having a diameter, forceps of an endoscope, or other treatment tools is inserted into a body as a guide.

In order to obtain an ultrasonic image by scanning an ultrasonic transducer, there are two types of scanning methods: an electronic scanning type, a mechanical scanning type, and a mechanical scanning type. Typical examples are a linear scanning type in which the ultrasonic transducer is linearly displaced and a radial scanning type in which the ultrasonic transducer is displaced in the rotating direction. As described above, in the case of the type in which the endoscope is inserted as a guide, the one configured to operate by a mechanical scanning system from the viewpoint of miniaturization of the ultrasonic transducer is generally used.

[0005] Here, in the case of mechanically performing linear scanning, an ultrasonic transducer provided at the tip of an ultrasonic probe is brought into close contact with a cavity wall such as a body cavity or an ultrasonic wave propagating member such as water. Intervening, facing the body cavity wall, by pushing or pulling the ultrasonic probe manually or by a suitable driving means such as a motor, to linearly move the ultrasonic transducer,
This linear movement amount is detected by position detecting means such as an encoder, and based on the position signal, an ultrasonic pulse is made incident at predetermined intervals and the reflected echo is received. Transmit to the ultrasonic observation device. Then, an ultrasonic image can be displayed on the ultrasonic observation device based on the ultrasonic reception signal and the position signal of the ultrasonic transducer. In addition, radial mechanical scanning type ultrasonic inspection equipment,
The ultrasonic probe is connected to a rotation driving means such as a motor, and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves while rotating the ultrasonic vibrator by the rotation driving means. In this method, the rotation angle of the ultrasonic vibrator is changed. Detected, an ultrasonic pulse is incident at every predetermined angle, an ultrasonic reception signal is acquired, and an ultrasonic image is displayed.

[0006] Of these scanning methods, depending on the part where the ultrasonic inspection is to be performed, the type of inspection, etc., it may be more convenient to perform linear scanning, and the radial scanning method may be more advantageous. . Further, acquiring a tomographic image in the vertical direction by linear scanning and a tomographic image in the horizontal direction by radial scanning are extremely advantageous in performing inspection and diagnosis. However, the mechanical scanning type ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to the prior art has a structure that can take only one of the linear scanning method and the radial scanning method, and accordingly, according to the requirements of the ultrasonic inspection. It has never been possible to select a scanning method or perform operations such as three-dimensionally grasping the internal tissue of a body cavity by using both scanning methods.

Accordingly, the present applicant provides an operating unit for operating the ultrasonic probe with linear operating means for moving the ultrasonic transducer in a linear direction to perform linear scanning, and rotating means for driving means such as a motor. A radial operation means for performing radial scanning by displacing in the direction is mounted, a scanning mode switching means is provided in this operation unit, and by operating the scanning mode switching means, the ultrasonic vibrator is operated in a linear scanning mode. Japanese Patent Application No. 3-322401 proposes a configuration that switches between operation and operation in a radial scanning mode.

[0008] By adopting the configuration of the prior application,
If the scanning mode switching means is set to the linear operation mode, the linear operation means is operated to displace the ultrasonic vibrator in a linear direction, so that the ultrasonic vibrator is linearly scanned, and the ultrasonic vibrator is moved in a linear direction. Acquisition of sound wave image information.
Further, when the scanning mode switching means is switched to the radial scanning mode side, a radial operation becomes possible, and the ultrasonic transducer is displaced in the radial direction, so that ultrasonic information in the body or the like in this direction can be obtained. As described above, linear scanning can be performed and radial scanning can be performed by an extremely simple operation of switching the operation mode by operating the scanning mode switching unit.

[0009]

By the way, even when linear scanning is performed, it is necessary to adjust the direction of the ultrasonic transducer, so that the ultrasonic transducer can be rotated manually. Must. For this,
A manual rotation operation unit is provided at a portion of the operation unit that rotates at a connection portion with the ultrasonic probe.

When performing radial scanning, the ultrasonic vibrator is rotated at a considerably high speed. At this time, the manual rotation operation unit naturally follows. For this reason, it is necessary to prevent the fingers from touching the manual rotation operation unit when performing the operation while holding the operation unit. For this reason, in the above-described prior application, when a linear cover is provided by providing a cover for covering the manual rotation operation unit, the cover is opened, and when performing the radial scan, the manual rotation operation unit is opened by the cover. To cover. Moreover, as the scanning mode switching means, a means for detecting the displacement is provided on the cover, and when the displacement detecting means covers the periphery of the manual operation unit, the mode is switched to the radial scanning mode. The drive means of the radial operation means is operated.

With this configuration, safety can be ensured during radial scanning. However, this prior application is not without its problems. That is, the cover is rotated or slid so that the cover can be operated with one hand, so that the cover is displaced between a position for covering the manual rotation operation unit and a position for opening it. Since the ultrasonic probe is connected to the manual rotation operation unit, there is a problem that the entire circumference of the manual rotation operation unit cannot be completely covered.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to completely cover the entire circumference of a manual rotary operation unit when performing radial scanning. It is in.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, a rotation transmitting means is inserted into a flexible sleeve, and an ultrasonic vibrator is provided at a tip of the rotation transmitting means. An ultrasonic probe, and an operation unit to which a base end of the ultrasonic probe is detachably mounted, and to which a linear operation means and a radial operation means are mounted, and a rotation transmission means is provided at the base end of the ultrasonic probe. A rotary connector provided with a rotary connector connected to the sleeve and a fixed connector connected to the sleeve, and the operation unit further includes a rotary body connected to the rotary connector of the connector and having a manual rotary operating unit; A connector receiver comprising an inner cover cylinder and an outer cover cylinder surrounding the rotating body and having an opening having a predetermined width on a side surface is provided. By enabling the movement, the two openings become the same position and a part of the manual rotation operation unit is exposed to the outside in a manual operation enabled state, and the positions of both the openings are shifted by a predetermined amount to cover the entire circumference of the manual rotation operation unit. It is characterized in that it is configured to be displaceable between a state in which manual operation is disabled.

[0014]

As described above, by providing double cover cylinders each having an opening, if the openings provided on the side surfaces of both cover portions are made to coincide with each other, the manual rotation operation portion is externally moved by an interval corresponding to the width of the opening. By rotating this manual rotation operation unit with a finger, the direction of the ultrasonic transducer can be adjusted. Also, when performing radial scanning, the opening of the inner cover can be completely covered by the wall surface of the outer cover by rotating either the outer cover or the inner cover. The rotation operation unit is in a state in which the entire circumference is completely covered, and the safety for the surgeon and the like is further improved.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following, the description will be made assuming that the ultrasonic inspection apparatus is configured to be guided into the body through a treatment tool insertion channel C provided for inserting forceps and other treatment tools of the endoscope S into the body. The ultrasonic probe in the ultrasonic inspection apparatus may be configured to be inserted directly into the body.

FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the ultrasonic inspection apparatus. In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes an ultrasonic probe. The ultrasonic probe 1 has a distal end body 3 made of a hard member provided at the distal end of an insertion member 2 made of a soft member, and a concave portion 3a is formed in the distal end body 3. An ultrasonic vibrator 4 composed of a single-plate vibrator is mounted in the recess 3a. The tip body 3 is rotatable, and the transmitting / receiving surface 4a of the ultrasonic vibrator 4 attached to the tip body 3 is fixed to a flat portion formed on one side of the tip body 3. The ultrasonic transducer 4 is configured to scan in a linear direction or a radial direction, thereby acquiring an ultrasonic image of a tomographic tissue tomogram in the scanning range.

Since the insertion member 2 is inserted through the treatment instrument insertion channel C of the endoscope S, the insertion member 2 has a small diameter that can be inserted into the treatment instrument insertion channel C, as shown in FIG. In addition, rotation transmission in which a thin metal wire is wound in multiple or multiple, or multiple and multiple close-wound coils in a flexible sleeve 2a made of a flexible tube material such as fluororesin or the like having good slippage. The control cable is formed by inserting the shaft 2b. In addition, this sleeve 2
A second sleeve 2c, which is stiffer, is connected to a portion on the base end side of a. The insertion member 2 has a function of rotating the distal end main body 3 to which the ultrasonic vibrator 4 is mounted by remote control. In addition, a transmission / reception line 5 of an ultrasonic signal made of a coaxial cable is inserted into the rotation transmission shaft 2b of the insertion member 2. The distal end portion of the rotation transmission shaft 2b is fixed to the distal end body 3, and the rotation transmission shaft 2b is configured to transmit the thrust of the rotation operation of the ultrasonic vibrator 4. When the ultrasonic transducer 4 rotates, the transmission / reception line 5 is also rotated integrally with the rotation transmission shaft 2b.

The base end of the ultrasonic probe 1 is a connection connector 6 detachably connected to an operation unit 10 for performing a scanning operation of the ultrasonic probe 1. The connection connector 6 includes a rotary connection 7 and a fixed connection 8. The rotary connection part 7 includes an electrode pin 7a to which the wiring 5a of the transmission / reception line 5 is connected, and a connecting cylinder 7b provided to surround the electrode pin 7a and to which the wiring 5b of the transmission / reception line 5 is connected. , And an insulating member 7c is interposed between the electrode pin 7a and the connecting cylinder 7b.
The rotation connection portion 7 is connected to the rotation transmission shaft 2b of the insertion member 2, and the fixed connection portion 8 is connected to the sleeve 2a.

As shown in FIG. 3, the operating unit 10 includes a linear operating means for displacing the ultrasonic vibrator 4 in the main body casing 11 in a linear direction, and rotating the ultrasonic vibrator 4, Radial operation means for acquiring ultrasonic information in the radial direction.

As is apparent from FIG. 1, the operation unit 10 is detachably mounted on the introduction portion CE of the treatment instrument insertion channel C of the endoscope S. For this purpose, the main body casing 11 of the operation unit 10 includes
Attachment mount part 12 detachably attached to introduction part CE
Are connected. The insertion member 2 of the ultrasonic probe 1 is inserted through the mounting mount 12, and the connection connector 6 is detachably connected to the connector receiver 13 of the main body casing 11. The connector receiver 13 includes a rotating body 14, which is connected to a rotary connector 15 built in the main casing 11. The rotary connector 15 includes a rotating part 15a and a fixed part 15b,
The rotator 14 is connected to the rotator 15a or is formed integrally therewith. One end of the rotating body 14 is led out from the main body casing 11 by a predetermined length, and
The rotary connection part 7 of the connection connector 6 is fitted.

The operating unit 10 is provided with operating means for linearly scanning the ultrasonic transducer 4 and operating means for performing radial scanning. The linear operation means is for making the ultrasonic transducer 4 scan in a linear direction over a predetermined range by pushing and pulling the insertion member 2. For this purpose, the main casing 1
An operation rod 20 is attached to 1 so as to be slidable in the axial direction. A finger hook 21 is connected to a distal end of the operation rod 20 which is led out of the main casing 11. A probe gripping member 22 is connected to the operating rod 20, and a second sleeve 2 c is provided at a position near the base end of the insertion member 2 led out from the mounting mount 12. It is detachably connected to. Then, the connection connector 6 provided at the base end portion is curved so as to draw a loop by a predetermined length from the connection position to the probe gripping member 22, and the operation unit 1
0 is detachably connected. Therefore, with the insertion member 2 connected to the probe holding member 22,
When the operating rod 20 is pushed and pulled in the axial direction by putting a finger on the distal end body 3, the distal end body 3 is pushed and pulled along with the insertion portion 2 via the probe gripping member 22, and the distal end body 3 is moved. The ultrasonic transducer 4 mounted on 3 is linearly displaced to perform linear scanning.

As described above, the ultrasonic transducer 4 is operated, the received signal is transmitted to the ultrasonic observation apparatus T, the signal is processed, and the ultrasonic image is displayed on the ultrasonic image monitor M. However, at this time, it is necessary to acquire not only a signal relating to the echo reflected by the ultrasonic transducer 4 but also a signal relating to the position of the ultrasonic transducer 4 in the linear direction. For this purpose, a rack 23 is formed in a portion of the operating rod 20 inside the main body casing 11, and a pinion 24 meshes with the rack 23, and the rotation shaft 2 of the pinion 24
4a is connected to the encoder 25. Thus, the position of the operation lever 20 is detected based on the output signal from the encoder 25. The position signal from the encoder 25 is transmitted to the ultrasonic observation device T.

The operating rod 20 is constantly urged to a position protruding from the main body casing 11 by a return spring 26. After being pushed into the main body casing 11 against the urging force of the return spring 26, it is pulled out. When operated in the direction, the ultrasonic vibrator 4 provided at the distal end portion of the insertion member 2 moves in the direction of being drawn into the endoscope S, and scans by this range. Here, since the portion of the insertion member 2 from the connection position to the probe gripping member 22 to the connection portion of the connection connector 6 to the connector receiver 13 has a loop shape and has an extra length, During scanning, no force acts in the direction of separating the connection connector 6 from the connector receiver 13. An optical sensor 27 for detecting the end position of the pushing stroke of the operating rod 20 is provided inside the main body casing 11, and a light-shielding plate 20 a is continuously provided at the tip of the operating rod 20. The position where 20a is detected by the optical sensor 27 is set as a reference position which is a display end of an ultrasonic image displayed on the monitor M in the ultrasonic observation apparatus T. The reference position signal from the optical sensor 27 is transmitted to the ultrasonic observation apparatus T together with the signal from the encoder 25.

Next, the radial operating means drives the rotating body 14 to rotate, and causes the rotating connecting section 7 of the connection connector 6 fitted to the rotating body 14 to follow and rotate, thereby being fixed to the rotating connecting section 7. The rotation transmission shaft 2b provided in this manner is rotated in a twisted manner to rotationally drive the distal end body 3 attached to the distal end thereof and having the ultrasonic vibrator 4 mounted thereon. For this reason, the main body casing 1 of the rotating body 14
A gear 30 is attached to a position inside the gear 1, and a driving gear 32 connected to an output shaft 31a of a rotation driving motor 31 meshes with the gear 30. Therefore, when the motor 31 is operated, its rotational force is transmitted to the rotating body 14. Further, the rotating body 14 is provided with an encoder 33 for detecting the rotational angle position.

Thus, when the motor 31 is operated, the ultrasonic transducer 4 can be driven to rotate. During this time, an ultrasonic pulse is directed toward the body, and the reflected echo is received. An ultrasonic image in the radial direction can be obtained based on the signal output from the encoder 33 and related to the rotation angle of the ultrasonic transducer 4.

Here, in order to perform radial scanning, when the motor 31 is operated, its rotation is smoothly and reliably transmitted from the rotation transmitting shaft 2b to the distal end main body 3 provided with the ultrasonic vibrator 4. For this purpose, the sleeve 2a and the second sleeve 2c fitted on the rotation transmission shaft 2b need to be fixed in the rotation direction. In addition, since the rotation transmitting shaft 2b vibrates violently during its rotation, a stable connection is made so that the rotation connecting portion 7 of the connection connector 6 does not separate from the rotating body 14 of the connector receiver 13 due to the influence of the vibration and the like. Must be kept in a state.

On the other hand, when performing the linear scanning, the transmitting / receiving surface 4a of the ultrasonic transducer 4 must be oriented in a predetermined direction with respect to the inner wall of the body cavity, and therefore, when the ultrasonic transducer 4 faces the inner wall of the body cavity. Need to adjust its direction. For this purpose, the main body casing 1 is attached to the rotating body 14.
1. Increase the diameter of the part near the tip located outside 1
A manual rotation operation unit 14a having a one-character knurling process on the outer periphery is provided. When the rotating body 14 rotates during the radial scanning, the manual rotating operation section 14a rotates following the rotating body. Therefore, in order to ensure safety, when performing the radial scanning without having to manually operate the manual rotation operation unit 14a, at least the outer peripheral portion thereof must be covered.

The main unit casing 11 of the operation unit 10 has three functions to prevent the connection connector 6 from coming off, fix the fixed connection unit 8, and cover the manual rotation operation unit 14a during radial scanning. In
The inner cover cylinder 1 surrounds the protruding portion of the rotating body 14.
6 and an outer cover cylinder 17 are provided. These two cover cylinders 16 and 17 are formed of cylindrical members, and a pair of openings 16a, 16a and 17 are provided at positions shifted by 180 °.
a, 17b are formed. Each of these openings 16a, 1
7a is an angle range slightly narrower than 90 °, and covers almost the entire length of the cover cylinders 16a and 17a in the height direction. Therefore, the portions of both the cover cylinders 16 and 17 facing the manual rotation operation portion 14a of the rotating body 14 are approximately 90 °.
The wall surface and the opening are alternately formed every time, and the wall surface is slightly wider than the opening. Further, the outer cover cylinder 17 is longer than the inner cover cylinder 16, and a locking wall 17b is continuously provided inward at an upper end thereof.

On the other hand, the fixed connecting portion 8 of the connecting connector 6 has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the inner cover cylinder 16 and a pair of laterally projecting locking projections on its side surface. 8a are formed. This locking projection 8a
Has a width slightly smaller than the width of the openings 16a and 17a of the cover tubes 16 and 17, and the thickness thereof is
Has a thickness slightly smaller than the distance between the upper end surface of the first member and the lower surface of the locking wall 17b.

The inner cover cylinder 16 is fixedly provided on the main body casing 11, while the outer cover cylinder 17 can rotate around the inner cover cylinder 16. A lever 18 is integrally connected to the outer cover tube 17 so that the rotation operation of the outer cover tube 17 can be performed by a finger of the hand holding the operation unit 10. Therefore, when the lever 18 is rotated,
The opening 17a of the outer cover cylinder 17 can be displaced between a state coinciding with the opening 16a of the inner cover cylinder 16 and a position where the wall of the outer cover cylinder 17 faces the position of the opening 16a. To enable the outer cover cylinder 17 to be positioned and held at these two positions, a click mechanism 1 is provided between the inner surface of the outer cover cylinder 17 and the outer surface of the inner cover cylinder 16.
9 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the openings 16a, 17a of the inner cover cylinder 16 and the outer cover cylinder 17 are made to coincide with each other, the locking projection 8a of the fixed connecting portion 8 is provided at the corresponding portion.
Through the connector 6
Can be connected to the connector receiver 7. Then, as shown in FIG.
Is fitted to the rotating body 14 of the connector receiver 13 to connect the ultrasonic probe 1 and the operation unit 10. When the outer cover cylinder 17 is rotated by operating the lever 18 from the state shown in FIG. 5, as shown in FIG.
Is located outside the opening 16a.

Further, reference numeral 40 denotes a magnet provided inside the lever 18, reference numeral 41 denotes a switch for controlling ON / OFF of the motor 31, and switch 41 denotes the lever 18 respectively.
In the movement trajectory of the magnet 40 when the rotary operation is performed, the magnets 40 are disposed at positions facing each other when the openings 16a and 17a of the two cover cylinders 16 and 17 coincide with each other. The switch 41 is turned on when the magnet 40 approaches or separates from the
N, which is a magnet switch that turns off. When the lever 19 is disposed at a position where the opening 17a of the outer cover cylinder 17 coincides with the opening 16a of the inner cover cylinder 16, the switch is turned off.
And the motor 31 is kept stopped. When the lever 18 is rotated and the wall of the outer cover cylinder 17 is displaced to a position facing the opening 16a of the inner cover cylinder 16, the switch 41 is turned on and the motor 31 starts operating. Therefore, this magnet 40 and switch 41
These form the scanning mode switching means.

With the above configuration, in a state where the ultrasonic probe 1 is connected to the operation unit 10, as shown in FIG.
When the positions a and 17a are matched, a part of the manual rotation operation unit 14a is exposed to the outside, and by rotating it with a finger, a manual operation is enabled in which the direction of the ultrasonic transducer 4 can be adjusted. . In this state, the switch 41 is
The motor 31 stops as an FF, and the operating rod 20 is pushed and pulled to perform linear scanning. In the case of performing this linear scanning, since the rotating body 14 is stationary, there is no particular inconvenience even if the manual rotation operation unit 14a is exposed to the outside.
The force for maintaining the connection state between the connector 6 and the connector receiver 13 is based only on the fitting force between the rotary connection portion 7 and the rotating body 14. Is long enough to prevent the connecting connector 6 from being subjected to a pulling force or the like during scanning, and no vibration or the like from occurring on the rotation transmitting shaft 2b during scanning. There is no risk of deviating from 13.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, when the outer cover cylinder 17 is rotated, the manual rotation operation portion 14a is completely covered by the outer cover cylinder 17 and the inner cover cylinder 16 so as to completely cover the entire circumference. The manual operation is disabled. The switch 41 is turned on by the rotational displacement of the lever 18.
N, the motor 31 operates, the ultrasonic transducer 4 is driven to rotate, and radial scanning is performed.

Here, when performing this radial scanning,
The fixed connection portion 8 of the connection connector 6 needs to be kept in a non-rotating state. However, the locking projection 8 a connected to the fixed connection portion 8 is restricted by the wall of the opening 16 a of the inner cover tube 16. Therefore, it is almost completely fixed in the rotation direction.
Therefore, when the motor 31 operates and the rotating body 14 rotates, the rotational force is transmitted to the distal end main body 3 via the rotation transmitting shaft 2b, and the ultrasonic vibrator 4 provided on the distal end main body 3 is smoothly moved. Can be rotated.

When radial scanning is performed, no force acts on the connector 6 in the pulling direction.
The rotation transmitting shaft 2b rotates at a high speed and vibrates, and there is a possibility that the rotation connecting portion 7 and the rotating body 14 are separated by the influence of the vibration. However, since the locking projection 8a of the fixed connecting portion 8 is regulated by the locking wall 17b of the outer cover portion 17, there is no possibility that the rotary connecting portion 7 and the rotating body 14 are separated.

In addition, during the radial scanning, if the knurled manual rotary operation portion 14a is exposed, the fingers holding the operation unit 10 may be damaged. However, in order to perform the radial scanning, the switch 41 must be turned on to operate the motor 31. The switch 41 is turned on only when the lever 18 connected to the outer cover cylinder 17 is operated to This is a time when the cover cylinder 17 is in a state where manual operation cannot be performed.
7, it is very preferable from the viewpoint of ensuring safety.

In the above embodiment, the outer cover cylinder is rotated, but the inner cover cylinder may be rotated. Although a magnet is used as the switch operating means, it is essential that a switch other than a magnet be used as long as the switch ON / OFF control can be performed in a non-contact manner with the main unit casing of the operation unit interposed therebetween. It is also possible to use.

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention, an inner cover cylinder and an outer cover cylinder are provided so as to surround a rotating body having a manual rotation operating portion, and openings are formed in each of these cover cylinders. By allowing the inner cover cylinder and the outer cover cylinder to be relatively rotatable, both openings become the same position, and a manual operable state in which a part of the manual rotation operation unit is exposed to the outside,
By displacing the positions of the two openings by a predetermined amount, it can be displaced between a manual operation disabled state that covers the entire circumference of the manual rotation operation unit, so when performing radial scanning, the outer cover cylinder or the inner cover An extremely simple operation of rotating the cylinder can completely cover the entire circumference of the manual rotation operation portion, and has effects such as further improving the safety of the operation performed by gripping the operation unit.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an ultrasonic inspection apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the insertion member showing the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the operation unit.

FIG. 4 is an external view showing a coupling mechanism between an operation unit and an ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 5 is an external view showing an operation state of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an external view showing another operation state of FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ultrasonic probe 2 Insertion member 2a Sleeve 2b Rotation transmission shaft 2c 2nd sleeve 3 Tip main body 4 Ultrasonic transducer 6 Connector 7 Rotation connection part 8 Fixed connection part 8a Locking projection 10 Operation unit 11 Main body casing 13 Connector Receiver 14 Rotating body 15 Rotary connector 16 Inner cover tube 16a Opening 17 Outer cover tube 17a Opening 17b Locking wall 18 Lever 20 Operating rod 31 Motor 40 Magnet 41 Switch

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. An ultrasonic probe in which a rotation transmitting means is inserted into a flexible sleeve, and an ultrasonic transducer is provided at a tip of the rotation transmitting means, and a base end of the ultrasonic probe is detachable. In an ultrasonic inspection apparatus equipped with an operation unit mounted with linear operation means and radial operation means, a rotation connection portion connected to the rotation transmission means is provided at a base end of the ultrasonic probe, A connection connector comprising a fixed connection portion connected to a sleeve is provided, and the operation unit is connected to a rotation connection portion of the connection connector, and surrounds the rotation member having a manual rotation operation portion, and the rotation member. A connector receiver comprising an inner cover cylinder and an outer cover cylinder each having an opening having a predetermined width on the side surface, and the inner cover cylinder and the outer cover cylinder can be relatively rotated. By doing so, both openings are in the same position and a part of the manual rotation operation part is exposed to the outside.Manual operation is possible, and by displacing the positions of both openings by a predetermined amount, manual operation that covers the entire circumference of the manual rotation operation part is impossible. A probe coupling mechanism for an ultrasonic inspection apparatus, wherein the probe coupling mechanism is configured to be displaceable between a state and a state. 2. The non-contact type of the outer cover cylinder, wherein, when the outer cover cylinder is in a manually operable state, the radial operation means is kept in an operation stop state, and when the outer cover cylinder is displaced to a manual operation impossible state, the radial operation means is in an operative state. 2. The probe connecting mechanism for an ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a switching means is provided. 3. The non-contact switching means is a magnet provided on the outer cover cylinder, and the magnet is provided in accordance with the proximity or separation of the magnet.
3. The probe connection mechanism for an ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a switch for controlling the operation of said radial operation means for turning off the N is provided in said operation unit. 4. A locking portion is connected to the fixed connecting portion,
When the connection connector is connected to the connector receiver, the locking portion engages with the opening of the inner cover cylinder to prevent the fixed block from rotating, and the outer cover cylinder is in a state where it cannot be manually operated. 2. The probe connecting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a restricting wall is provided to prevent the connecting connector from being separated from the connector receiving part when the connecting part is engaged.