JP2004237083A - Ultrasonic probe supporting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To support an ultrasonic probe stably in an arbitrary position and an arbitrary posture. <P>SOLUTION: An ultrasonic probe supporting device 10 includes an arm mechanism 12 which roughly adjust the position and the posture of the ultrasonic probe 18, a XYZ stage 14 which is attached to the arm mechanism 12 and fine-tunes the position of the ultrasonic probe 18 and a holder portion 16 which is attached to the XYZ stage 14 and removably holds the ultrasonic probe 18. Thereby the ultrasonic probe 18 can be supported stably in the arbitrary position and the arbitrary posture. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe holding device that holds an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a subject.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to diagnose a diagnostic site inside a living body, ultrasonic diagnosis that radiates ultrasonic waves from the body surface of a subject toward the body and acquires information inside the living body from a reflected signal has been frequently used. . This is performed by pressing an ultrasonic probe against a body surface near a diagnostic part to be diagnosed and transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves. In such an ultrasonic diagnosis, there is a case where observation is performed not only for a temporary state of a diagnostic part but also for a certain period of time and a temporal change of the diagnostic part is observed. The functional abnormality can be detected by observing the temporal change of the diagnostic site. For example, there is a case where a function diagnosis of the circulatory system is performed by observing the state of blood flow or the contraction of blood vessels over a long period of time from 30 minutes to 1 hour. When observing such a temporal change of the diagnostic site, the ultrasonic probe is transmitted and received while the ultrasonic probe is pressed against the body surface near the diagnostic site for a certain period of time. At this time, usually, an observer such as a doctor carries the ultrasonic probe by hand to the vicinity of the diagnosis site and holds it at the same location.

JP-A-2002-238899

  When performing such an ultrasonic diagnosis, it is necessary to hold the ultrasonic probe at the same place for a long time. This is because when the position of the ultrasonic probe is displaced, it is not possible to obtain an accurate change in the diagnostic site. Therefore, as described above, the ultrasound probe is usually held for a long time by the observer's hand. However, holding the ultrasonic probe for a long time with the observer's hand has a problem in that the burden on the observer is great.

  By the way, in the ultrasonic diagnosis, the position where the ultrasonic probe is held needs to be near the diagnosis site. In particular, when the diagnostic site is a relatively small diagnostic site such as a blood vessel, even a positional deviation of only a few millimeters causes a large error, and thus requires a minute positioning accuracy. Further, it is necessary to press the ultrasonic probe against the body surface so that no gap is formed between the ultrasonic probe and the body surface of the subject. Therefore, the observer must finely adjust the direction of the ultrasonic probe according to the posture of the subject and the like.

  Patent Literature 1 discloses an articulated robot that mechanically scans an ultrasonic probe along a body surface as a device that holds the ultrasonic probe. According to this, it is possible to hold the ultrasonic probe at an arbitrary position. However, this device does not disclose a combination of a plurality of positioning mechanisms. Further, since it is assumed that ultrasonic diagnosis is performed while the arm, which is a diagnostic part, is kept in a predetermined posture, the ultrasonic probe is always vertically downward. Therefore, the ultrasonic probe cannot be held in an arbitrary posture.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic probe holding device that can stably hold an ultrasonic probe at an arbitrary position and posture.

  An ultrasonic probe holding device according to the present invention is an ultrasonic probe holding device that holds an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a subject. A support member for supporting the ultrasonic probe, and a holder attached to the support member for detachably holding the ultrasonic probe, wherein the support member includes at least one or more arms. An arm mechanism for coarsely adjusting the position and orientation of the ultrasonic probe, and at least one fine adjustment mechanism attached to the arm mechanism for finely adjusting the position of the ultrasonic probe.

  In a preferred aspect, the fine adjustment mechanism has at least one of a fine adjustment mechanism for a distal end attached to a distal end of the arm mechanism, and a fine adjustment mechanism for a proximal end attached to a base end of the arm mechanism. In another preferred aspect, the arm mechanism is a multi-joint arm mechanism in which a plurality of arms are connected by a plurality of joints.

  According to the above configuration, the position of the ultrasonic probe can be roughly adjusted by the arm mechanism, and the fine adjustment unit can be finely adjusted. Therefore, for example, even when observing a minute diagnostic site such as a blood vessel, the positioning can be easily performed by performing a fine adjustment by the fine adjustment unit after roughly positioning by the arm mechanism. Further, the arm mechanism can adjust the position and orientation of the ultrasonic probe, and the fine adjustment unit can adjust the position of the ultrasonic probe. Therefore, the accuracy of the position of the ultrasonic probe can be improved. With these configurations, the position and orientation of the ultrasonic probe can be easily and accurately adjusted, and the ultrasonic probe can be stably held in that state. Therefore, a desired diagnostic site can be observed for a long time, and the temporal change of the diagnostic site can be seen.

  Here, the fixed object only needs to be stationary with respect to the subject. For example, it may be a dedicated support member provided for the present apparatus, or a part of a bed where a subject is sleeping. The arm mechanism is preferably an articulated arm having a plurality of arms, but may be an arm mechanism having a single arm. For example, a single arm mechanism in which the shape of the arm freely changes may be used. The coarse adjustment by the arm mechanism may be performed either automatically or manually. The fine adjustment by the fine adjustment mechanism may be performed either automatically or manually.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while being able to adjust the position and attitude | position of an ultrasonic probe easily and accurately, the ultrasonic probe can be stably hold | maintained in the state. Therefore, it is possible to observe a desired diagnostic site for a long time and see a temporal change of the diagnostic site.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an ultrasonic probe holding device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This apparatus is roughly classified into a support member 11 for supporting the ultrasonic probe and a holder section 16 for detachably attaching the ultrasonic probe. The support member 11 includes an arm mechanism 12 for coarsely adjusting the position and orientation of the ultrasonic probe 18 and an XYZ stage 14 for finely adjusting the position.

  As will be described in detail later, when holding the ultrasonic probe 18, first, the ultrasonic probe 18 is attached to the holder portion 16. Then, the posture of the arm mechanism 12 is manually adjusted, and the position and the posture of the ultrasonic probe 18 are roughly adjusted so that the body surface near the diagnosis site can be pressed. Next, the position of the ultrasonic probe 18 is finely adjusted by adjusting the XYZ stage 14.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the position and orientation of the ultrasonic probe 18 can be roughly adjusted by the arm mechanism 12, and the position of the ultrasonic probe 18 can be finely adjusted by the XYZ stage 14. The ultrasonic probe 18 can be easily and accurately positioned.

  Next, the arm mechanism 12 will be described in detail. The arm mechanism 12 includes a base end portion 22 connected to the support plate 20 for fixing, a first joint 24, a second joint 28, a third joint 34, and a first arm 26, a second arm 32, And a third arm 36.

  The base end 22 is fastened to the support plate 20 by fastening means such as screws on the bottom surface. The support plate 20 is a steel plate attached to a diagnostic bed, and is stationary with respect to the subject. A spherical body 22 a connected to the first joint 24 is formed at the upper end of the base end 22. At the lower end of the first joint 24, a concave spherical concave portion corresponding to the spherical body 22a is formed. By combining with the spherical body 22a, a ball joint mechanism is configured. Thus, the first joint 24 is three-dimensionally swingable with respect to the base end portion 22 and can move in polar coordinates. Further, the upper end of the first joint 24 is connected to the first arm 26.

  The first arm 26 is made of a steel pipe having a predetermined length, and has an upper end connected to the second joint 28. The second joint 28 is further connected to the second arm 32. The second joint 28 is rotatable in one direction, so that the angle between the first arm 26 and the second arm 32 can be freely adjusted. The second arm 32 is a steel pipe having a predetermined length, similarly to the first arm 26, and an end opposite to the second joint 28 is connected to the third joint 34. The third joint 34 has a spherical concave portion like the first joint 24, and forms a ball joint mechanism by being combined with a spherical body 36a formed on the third arm 36.

  The third arm 36 is three-dimensionally swingable with respect to the second arm 32 by the ball joint mechanism. At the end of the third arm 36 on the XYZ stage side 14, a screw for fastening to the XYZ stage 14, which will be described later, is provided.

  As described above, the posture of the arm mechanism 12 can be freely adjusted by the joints of the two ball joint mechanisms and the one rotatable joint. Therefore, the position of the distal end of the third arm 36 can be freely adjusted, and the direction thereof can also be freely adjusted.

  Next, a method of fixing the posture of the arm mechanism 12 adjusted to the desired posture as described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view of the arm mechanism 12. The second joint 28 is provided with a locking handle 30. A screw portion 44 is provided at the tip of the locking handle 30. A first shaft 46 extends coaxially at the tip of the screw portion 44. Further, a second shaft 48 having a smaller diameter than the first shaft 46 is coaxially provided at the tip of the first shaft 46. Therefore, when the lock handle 30 is rotated, the screw portion 44, the first shaft 46, and the second shaft 48 move horizontally in the drawing.

  A first fixing shaft 52 and a second fixing shaft 50 are inserted into the first arm 26 and the second arm 32, respectively. The first fixing shaft 52 is movable in the axial direction, and the distal end portion has a wedge shape having a distal end surface 52a as a slope. The other end extends to the vicinity of the spherical body 22a of the base end 22. Similarly, the second fixing shaft 50 is also movable in the axial direction, and the distal end of the second joint 34 has a wedge shape having a distal end surface 50a as a slope. The other end extends to the vicinity of the spherical body 38a of the third arm 38.

  When the locking handle 30 is turned, the first shaft 46 and the second shaft 48 move together with the screw portion 44 in the horizontal direction in the drawing. At this time, the distal end surface 46a of the first shaft 46 pushes the distal end surface 52a of the first fixing shaft 52 in the axial direction, and the first fixing shaft 52 is moved to the first joint 24 side. At this time, the spherical body 22a of the base end 22 is pressed down by the lower end of the first fixing shaft 52. Thereby, the movement of the first joint 24 is fixed.

  Further, the distal end portion 48a of the second shaft 48 comes into contact with the distal end surface 50a of the second fixing shaft 50, and the second fixing shaft 50 is moved to the third joint 34 side. Then, similarly to the first fixing shaft 52, the movement of the third joint 34 is fixed by pressing the spherical body 38 a of the third arm 38 at the end of the second fixing shaft 50. Further, the movement of the second joint 28 is fixed by tightening the screw portion 44. Therefore, by turning the lock handle 30, the movements of the first joint 24, the second joint 28, and the third joint 34 can be simultaneously fixed, and the posture of the arm mechanism 12 can be fixed by one operation. it can. That is, a plurality of joints can be collectively locked. Thereby, the posture of the arm mechanism 12 can be easily determined.

  As described above, since the posture can be easily adjusted and fixed by the articulated arm mechanism 12 having the ball joint mechanism, the position and the posture of the distal end of the third arm 36 can be easily adjusted. In addition, because of the ball joint mechanism, each arm can be moved in the polar coordinate system, and the position and orientation can be more easily adjusted.

  In the present embodiment, an articulated arm having three joints is used, but the articulated arm mechanism may not be used. For example, a single flexible arm mechanism that can freely change the shape of the arm and maintain the shape may be used. In addition, although a ball joint mechanism is used for the joint, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. Further, in the present embodiment, steel is used as the material of the arm, but other materials may be used as long as they satisfy a certain strength. In the present embodiment, the arm uses a tube having a hollow inside in relation to the lock mechanism. However, other lock mechanisms may be used, and a solid cylinder or the like may be used as the arm. Good.

  In the present apparatus, the support plate is a steel plate disposed on the diagnostic bed, but is not limited to this. The material, the location, and the like are not limited as long as it is relatively stationary with respect to the subject. Further, the base end does not need to be a plate material in particular, and the base end may be attached to a part of the constituent member of the bed.

  Next, the XYZ stage 14 for finely adjusting the position of the ultrasonic probe 18 will be described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the XYZ stage 14. The XYZ stage 14 includes a fixed block 66 for X, a fixed block 60 for Y, a fixed block 54 for Z, and a corresponding moving block 68 for X, a moving block 62 for Y, and a moving block 56 for Z. .

  The Z fixing block 54 is provided with a connection screw hole 54a for connection with the arm mechanism 12, and is connected to the distal end of the third arm 36 by screwing. A trapezoidal dovetail is provided on the side surface of the Z fixed block 54 in the Z direction, and is fitted in a dovetail groove provided in the Z moving block 56. The Z moving block 56 has the dovetail groove in the Z direction as described above, and is fitted into the dovetail of the Z fixed block 54. Further, the Z moving block 56 and the Z fixed block 54 are connected by a Z feed screw 58. By turning the Z feed screw 58, the Z moving block 56 can be moved in the Z direction. The pitch per rotation of the Z feed screw 58 is 0.5 mm, and the Z moving block 56 can be minutely moved. This pitch is preferably the same for the feed screws in the X and Y directions, but may be different for each direction. Also, of course, the value is not limited to 0.5 mm.

  Further, a fixed block 60 for Y is fixed to the bottom surface of the moving block 56 for Z. The Y moving block 60 is also provided with a dovetail in the Y direction, and is fitted in a dovetail groove provided in the Y moving block 62. The Y moving block 62 can move in the Y direction by turning the Y feed screw 64. Further, a fixed block 66 for X is fixed to the bottom surface of the moving block 62 for Y. The X fixed block 66 and the X moving block 68 are also provided with a dovetail and a dovetail groove in the X direction. Then, the X moving block 68 can be moved in the X direction by the rotation of the X feed screw (not shown). The holder 16 described below is connected to the lower end of the X moving block 68 by a connecting screw 72.

  As described above, each moving block can be minutely moved by adjusting the feed screw in each direction. Then, since each moving block is fixed to the fixed block in the other direction and is finally connected to the holder 16, the movement of each moving block is transmitted to the holder 16. Therefore, the position of the holder portion 16 in the XYZ directions can be finely adjusted by adjusting the feed screw in each direction. Thereby, even when observing a minute diagnostic site such as a blood vessel, the ultrasonic probe can be accurately positioned.

  The mechanism for finely adjusting the position of the ultrasonic probe is not limited to the moving stage as in the present embodiment. Further, in the present embodiment, fine adjustment is performed by manually turning the feed screw, but fine adjustment may be performed automatically. For example, fine adjustment may be automatically performed by using a small moving object that is electrically controlled by a combination of a motor and a ball screw.

  Next, the holder 16 for holding the ultrasonic probe 18 will be described. FIG. 4 shows an enlarged perspective view of the holder section 16. The holder section 16 includes a base member 74 connected to the XYZ stage 14, a first holding plate 78 provided at the tip of the base member 74, and a second holding plate 80 combined with the first holding plate 78.

  The base member 74 is an L-shaped steel material (see FIG. 1), and is connected to the XYZ stage 14 as described above. A first holding plate 78 is provided at the tip. The first holding plate 78 is formed in a C-shape so as to wrap the holding portion of the ultrasonic probe 18. The second holding plate 80 is a C-shaped member corresponding to the first holding plate 78, and is detachably attached to the first holding plate 78 by the holding screw 76. When holding the ultrasonic probe 18, the holding screw 76 is loosened, the second holding plate 80 is removed from the first holding plate 78, and the ultrasonic probe 18 is arranged on the first holding plate 78. Then, in this state, the second holding plate 80 is attached to the first holding plate 78 by the holding screws 76. Further, by tightening the holding screw 76, the ultrasonic probe 18 can be tightened by the first holding plate 78 and the second holding plate 80, and the ultrasonic probe 18 can be held.

  As described above, the ultrasonic probe 18 can be detachably held by the second holding plate 80 that can be loosely fastened to the first holding plate 78. Therefore, the ultrasonic probe can be replaced with an ultrasonic probe suitable for a diagnostic site and a diagnostic method.

  The configuration of the holder is not limited to the present embodiment. Other forms may be used as long as the ultrasonic probe can be detachably held.

  A case where ultrasonic diagnosis is performed using the ultrasonic probe holding device 10 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the description will be made on the assumption that the blood flow of the carotid artery is diagnosed.

  First, a subject (not shown) is laid on his / her back on a diagnostic bed (not shown) and its head is fixed so as not to move. The fixing of the head may be a simple one such as placing the head on a donut-shaped pillow. Further, the support plate 20 is attached to the bed by a fixing means such as a screw. It is assumed that the base end 22 of the arm mechanism 12 is attached to the support plate 20 in advance.

  Next, the ultrasonic probe 18 is attached to the holder 16. A probe cable for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic signal is drawn out from the rear end of the ultrasonic probe 18, and is connected to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (not shown). The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus outputs a transmission signal for emitting ultrasonic waves to the ultrasonic probe 18 and forms an ultrasonic image based on a reception signal sent from the ultrasonic probe 18.

  Next, the posture of the arm mechanism 12 is manually changed to adjust the position and the posture of the ultrasonic probe 18. At this time, the position of the ultrasonic probe 18 is near the carotid artery, which is a diagnosis site, and its direction is set so that its scanning plane is substantially perpendicular to the blood vessel. When the arm mechanism 12 can be adjusted to a desired posture, the posture of the arm mechanism 12 is fixed by turning the lock handle 30.

  Next, the position of the ultrasonic probe 18 is finely adjusted by manually turning the feed screws of the XYZ stage 14 in each direction. At this time, if the adjustment is made while referring to the ultrasonic image displayed on the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the positioning can be performed more accurately. That is, in the ultrasonic image, fine adjustment is performed while confirming the ultrasonic image so that the tomographic image of the blood vessel is located near the center of the ultrasonic visual field. At this time, the fine adjustment is performed while paying attention not to deform the blood vessel by the contact pressure of the ultrasonic probe 18. If the ultrasonic probe 18 can be adjusted to a position and orientation suitable for observing the carotid artery, ultrasonic diagnosis is performed for 30 minutes to 1 hour in that state.

  As described above, the combination of the arm mechanism that can coarsely adjust the position and the attitude of the ultrasonic probe, the XYZ stage that can finely adjust the position, and the holder that can hold the ultrasonic probe can be easily applied to the ultrasonic probe. The position and posture can be adjusted. Further, since the ultrasonic probe can be fixed at a predetermined position and posture, the burden on the observer can be reduced even for a long-term diagnosis.

  Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an ultrasonic probe holding device 10 according to another embodiment. The ultrasonic probe holding device 10 is provided as a supporting member 11 on both sides of a distal end and a proximal end of the arm mechanism 12 for roughly adjusting the position and the posture of the ultrasonic probe 16. It is composed of two XYZ stages 14a and 14b. Further, the arm mechanism 12 is provided with springs 27 and 33 along the first arm 26 and the second arm 32.

  The basic configuration of the base XYZ stage 14a provided at the base of the arm mechanism 12 is the same as that of the XYZ stage (see FIG. 3) in the first embodiment. However, a screw portion for attaching to the support plate 20 is provided on the bottom surface of the base end XYZ stage 14a, that is, on the bottom surface of the X moving block 68. The upper surface of the base XYZ stage 14a, that is, the fixed block 54 for Z, is provided with a threaded portion connected to the base 22 of the arm mechanism 12. The XYZ stage 14b for the distal end provided at the distal end of the arm mechanism 12 is the same as the XYZ stage (see FIG. 3) in the first embodiment, and the description is omitted here.

  By providing the XYZ stages for fine adjustment at the distal end and the proximal end of the arm mechanism 12, the position of the ultrasonic probe can be adjusted more easily. That is, the observer can make fine adjustment using the XYZ stage, which is easier to adjust, of the distal end or the proximal end of the arm mechanism 12. Therefore, for example, the position and posture adjustment of the first ultrasonic probe is performed by adjusting the fine adjustment mechanism and the arm mechanism at the tip, and further, during the ultrasonic diagnosis, the obtained ultrasonic image is obtained. The fine adjustment of the position may be performed by a fine adjustment mechanism at the base end based on the above. When the ultrasonic diagnosis is temporarily interrupted and the ultrasonic probe is separated from the subject's body surface, the ultrasonic probe is moved by these XYZ stages without changing the posture of the arm mechanism as much as possible. It is desirable to change only the position of. By changing only the position, when restarting the ultrasonic diagnosis, there is no need to readjust the posture, and the ultrasonic probe can be held at an arbitrary position and posture very easily.

  The basic structure of the arm mechanism 12 is the same as that of the arm mechanism 12 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) in the first embodiment. However, the arm mechanism 12 in the present embodiment is provided with springs 27 and 33 along the first arm 26 and the second arm 32. The springs 27, 33 function as urging members for urging the distal ends of the arms 26, 32 in a direction to reduce the load applied to the distal ends (the direction of the arrow in FIG. 5). That is, the first spring 27 arranged along the first arm 26 is connected to the first joint 24 and the second joint 28. At this time, an elastic restoring force acts on the first spring 27 in the direction of the first joint 24. Thereby, the load applied to the tip of the first arm 27 is reduced. In addition, a second spring 33 arranged along the second arm 32 is connected to the second joint 28 and the third joint 34. At this time, an elastic restoring force acts on the second spring 33 in the direction of the second joint 28. Thereby, the load applied to the tip of the second arm 32 is reduced.

  Therefore, by providing these springs 27 and 33, the load applied to the tips of the arms 26 and 32 is reduced, and the fall of the arm mechanism 12 can be prevented. And the whole arm mechanism 12 can be stabilized more.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the position of the ultrasonic probe can be finely adjusted more easily by providing the fine adjustment mechanism also at the base end of the arm mechanism. Further, by providing a spring for biasing the tip of the arm, the entire arm mechanism can be further stabilized.

  Note that the XYZ stage may be provided only at the base end without attaching the fine adjustment mechanism to the end of the arm mechanism. Even in this case, the coarse adjustment of the position and orientation of the ultrasonic probe can be performed by the arm mechanism, and the fine adjustment of the position can be performed on the XYZ stage, so that the position and position of the ultrasonic probe can be more easily adjusted. The posture can be adjusted.

  Further, in the present embodiment, a spring arranged along the arm is used to reduce the load on the tip of the arm. However, if the member biases the tip of the arm in the load reducing direction, the arrangement and The member does not matter.

1 is a perspective view of an ultrasonic probe holding device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of the arm mechanism of the ultrasonic probe holding device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an XYZ stage of the ultrasonic probe holding device according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the holder part of the ultrasonic probe holding device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of an ultrasonic probe holding device concerning other embodiments.

Explanation of reference numerals

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ultrasonic probe holding device, 12 arm mechanism, 14 XYZ stage, 16 holder part, 18 ultrasonic probe, 20 support plate, 30 locking handle.

Claims (9)

In an ultrasonic probe holding device that holds an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a subject,
A support member attached to a fixed object and supporting the ultrasonic probe,
A holder attached to the support member, for detachably holding the ultrasonic probe,
Has,
The support member,
An arm mechanism comprising at least one or more arms, and roughly adjusting the position and orientation of the ultrasonic probe,
At least one or more fine adjustment mechanisms attached to the arm mechanism and finely adjusting the position of the ultrasonic probe,
An ultrasonic probe holding device, comprising: The ultrasonic probe holding device according to claim 1,
The ultrasonic probe holding device, wherein the fine adjustment mechanism has a tip fine adjustment mechanism attached to a tip of the arm mechanism. The ultrasonic probe holding device according to claim 1 or 2,
The ultrasonic probe holding device, wherein the fine adjustment mechanism has a base fine adjustment mechanism attached to a base end of the arm mechanism. The ultrasonic probe holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The ultrasonic probe holding device, wherein the arm mechanism is a multi-joint arm mechanism in which a plurality of arms are connected by a plurality of joints. The ultrasonic probe holding device according to claim 4,
The ultrasonic probe holding device, wherein the multi-joint arm mechanism has a collective lock mechanism for simultaneously locking the plurality of joints. The ultrasonic probe holding device according to claim 4 or 5,
The ultrasonic probe holding device, wherein at least one of the plurality of joints is a ball joint mechanism. The ultrasonic probe holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The ultrasonic probe holding device, wherein the fine adjustment mechanism can finely adjust the position of the ultrasonic probe in three directions of XYZ. The ultrasonic probe holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The ultrasonic probe holding device, wherein the arm mechanism includes an urging member for urging the distal end of the arm in a direction to reduce a load applied to the distal end of the arm. The ultrasonic probe holding device according to claim 7,
The ultrasonic probe holding device, wherein the urging member is a spring disposed along the arm.

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