JP2005131128A - Ultrasonic endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic endoscope capable of preventing breaking of a signal wire with the tension force on the signal wire applied in the assembly work or when the ultrasonic endoscope is used, and preventing breaking of a signal wire fixed part with the load applied to the signal wire fixed part where an end of the signal wire and a terminal are electrically connected. <P>SOLUTION: A cable protecting part 90 consists of a wire cable 95 integrally jointed to a unit housing 33 and the cable fixed part 96. Halfway regions of a first signal cable 92 and a second signal cable 93 are integrally fixed to the cable fixed part 96 with a spool-adhesion part 98. When the halfway regions of the cables 92 and 93 are spool-fixed to the cable fixed part 96, a loosening region is formed between the spool-adhesion part 98 where the halfway regions of the first signal cable 92 and the second signal cable 93 are integrally fixed and the signal wire fixed part of signal wires 92a and 93a so that the load is not applied to the signal wire fixed part of the signal wires 92a and 93a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic endoscope in which an ultrasonic transducer is rotated by a drive motor provided at a distal end portion of an endoscope insertion portion.

  Conventionally, an ultrasonic pulse is repeatedly transmitted from an ultrasonic transducer into a living tissue, and an echo signal of the ultrasonic pulse reflected from the living tissue is received by an ultrasonic transducer provided on the same or different body. Various ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses have been proposed in which an ultrasonic tomographic image, which is a two-dimensional visible image, is displayed on a screen of a display apparatus and used for diagnosis of a lesioned part.

  Examples of equipment used in combination with this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus include an ultrasonic endoscope and an ultrasonic probe. In the case of the ultrasonic endoscope, an endoscope observation unit for obtaining an endoscopic image of the internal organ and the like, and an ultrasonic tomographic image of the internal organ and the like are provided at the distal end portion of the insertion portion inserted into the body cavity. And an ultrasonic observation unit for obtaining. As one of the ultrasonic endoscopes, there is a mechanical ultrasonic endoscope in which, for example, radial scanning is performed by mechanically rotating an ultrasonic transducer constituting the ultrasonic observation unit. In this mechanical ultrasonic endoscope, a rotational driving force of a driving motor provided in an operation unit or an ultrasonic observation apparatus is transmitted through a flexible shaft to rotate the ultrasonic vibrator.

  For example, in an ultrasonic endoscope in which a drive motor is disposed in a scope connector, the rotational driving force of this drive motor is transmitted to an ultrasonic transducer via a flexible shaft. Therefore, in the ultrasonic endoscope having this configuration, the long flexible shaft is inserted into the endoscope insertion portion, the operation portion, and the universal cord, and therefore, between the rotation of the ultrasonic transducer and the rotation of the drive motor. It is difficult to synchronize. For this reason, there arises a problem that the image quality deteriorates due to shaking or distortion in the ultrasonic tomographic image. In addition, when various external forces are applied to the flexible shaft that transmits the driving force of the driving motor, for example, if a large phase shift occurs between the rotation of the driving motor and the rotation of the ultrasonic transducer, ultrasonic observation becomes impossible. There is a risk of becoming.

  In addition, in the ultrasonic endoscope configured to transmit the rotational driving force by the flexible shaft, it is not possible to confirm the observation performance of the ultrasonic transducer until the assembly as the ultrasonic endoscope is completed. It was. That is, the operation of disposing the ultrasonic transducer at the distal end of the insertion portion, the operation of inserting and arranging the flexible shaft through which the signal line is inserted, the operation of performing watertight processing, the lubricating oil and the ultrasonic transmission medium After assembling the ultrasonic endoscope through the operation of injecting the ultrasonic transducer, the operation test was performed for the first time, and the pass / fail of the ultrasonic transducer was determined. If it is determined that the operation test has failed, the rejected ultrasonic endoscope is disassembled in the reverse order of the assembly procedure, and defective parts are found, parts are replaced or adjusted. After that, the assembly work had to be done again and re-inspected, so there was a problem that the yield was poor.

  For this reason, a drive motor, a slip ring, an encoder, and the like for rotating the ultrasonic vibrator are arranged inside the distal end body of the ultrasonic endoscope, and the ultrasonic vibrator is directly rotated by the drive motor. An ultrasonic endoscope that prevents a phase shift between the rotation of the drive motor and the rotation of the ultrasonic transducer is conceivable.

  However, when disposing the drive motor, slip ring, encoder, etc. for rotating the ultrasonic transducer inside the distal end main body constituting the ultrasonic endoscope, each part is extremely small, so the assembly work is difficult. In particular, the operation of reliably bringing the brush and the slip ring into electrical contact requires skill.

  In addition, after the arrangement of the drive motor, slip ring, encoder, and the like in the distal end portion main body is completed, various signal lines extending from the drive motor, slip ring, and encoder are connected to the elongated insertion portion of the endoscope, The work of passing through the universal cord and extending to the scope connector also requires skill, and when the signal line is pulled, the signal line breaks and the signal that is the electrical connection between the signal line and the terminal part There was a risk that the wire fixing part would be broken.

  Further, when the surgeon performs a bending operation on the bending portion, twists the insertion portion, or when a medical worker performs cleaning of the ultrasonic endoscope, the signal line is not unexpectedly used. As described above, there is a possibility that a problem such as disconnection of the signal line or destruction of the signal line fixing part may occur due to the load.

  For this reason, the signal line inserted into the insertion part or the universal cord has been slackened in advance to prevent the occurrence of problems such as disconnection due to the pulling force. When the load due to the above is applied to the signal line fixing part which is the end of the signal line, there is a possibility that the signal line fixing part is broken or the signal line is disconnected.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances. The signal line may be disconnected due to a pulling force acting on the signal line during assembly work or use of an ultrasonic endoscope. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic endoscope that prevents a signal line fixing part from being broken by a load applied to the signal line fixing part in which the end part and the terminal part are electrically connected.

The ultrasonic endoscope of the present invention includes an ultrasonic transducer that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, a drive motor that rotates the ultrasonic transducer, a slip ring that transmits and receives signals to and from the rotated ultrasonic transducer, An encoder that detects the rotational position of the ultrasonic transducer and a distal end cap having an internal space in which the ultrasonic transducer is immersed in an ultrasonic medium are disposed in the distal end portion main body that constitutes the endoscope insertion portion. An ultrasonic endoscope,
A housing portion for integrally fixing the drive motor, the slip ring and the encoder is provided, and one end portion of the elastic deformation linear member is integrally fixed to the housing portion, while the other end of the elastic deformation linear member is provided. A middle portion of the signal line extending from the drive motor, the slip ring, and the encoder is integrally fixed to the portion.

  In addition, a signal line fixing portion configured by electrically connecting an end portion of the signal line to a terminal portion provided in each of the drive motor, the slip ring, and the encoder, and the elastic deformation linear member A cable slack portion is provided between the middle portion of the signal line fixed to the end portion.

  According to this configuration, when an external force such as a pulling force is applied after the middle portion of the signal line, the external force applied to the signal line is the elastic deformation linear member to which the middle portion of the signal line is integrally fixed. Since the signal line and the elastically deformable linear member are dispersed at the other end, the load on the signal line fixing part can be reduced.

  When an external force such as a pulling force is applied after the middle of the signal line, the external force applied to the signal line is applied at the other end of the elastically deformable linear member to which the middle part of the signal line is fixed integrally. Since it is applied only to the elastically deformable linear member without being distributed to the signal line, the load applied to the signal line fixing portion is eliminated.

  According to the present invention, a signal line is disconnected due to a pulling force acting on the signal line during assembly work or use of an ultrasonic endoscope, or the end part of the signal line and the terminal part are electrically connected. It is possible to provide an ultrasonic endoscope that prevents the signal line fixing part from being broken by a load applied to the signal line fixing part connected to the.

  The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments.

  1 to 8 relate to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including the ultrasonic endoscope according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a distal end body. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the distal end portion of the ultrasonic endoscope, FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the transducer unit, and FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the slide bearing. 6 is a view for explaining another mounting structure of the motor shaft and the narrow diameter portion, FIG. 7 is a view for explaining the cross-sectional shape of each step line in FIG. 3, and FIG. It is a figure explaining an attachment structure.

  4A is a top view of the vibrator unit, FIG. 4B is a side view of the vibrator unit, FIG. 4C is a bottom view of the vibrator unit, and FIG. 5A is a sliding resistance. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating another configuration of the sliding bearing that reduces sliding resistance, and FIG. 5C is another diagram of the sliding bearing that reduces sliding resistance. FIG. 6A is a view for explaining the configuration, FIG. 6A is a view for explaining an example of attachment of the motor shaft and the small diameter portion, FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG. 6A, and FIG. FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3, FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 7 (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 3, FIG. 7 (d) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 3, and FIG. 8 (a) is a diagram illustrating an example of mounting the motor unit to the unit housing. FIG. 8 (b) shows FIG. ) Of FIG. 8C is a sectional view taken along line FF, FIG. 8C is a diagram for explaining another example of attaching the motor unit to the unit housing, and FIG. 8D is a sectional view taken along line GG of FIG. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an ultrasonic endoscope 1 according to this embodiment includes an elongated insertion portion 2 that is inserted into a body cavity or the like, and an operation portion that is provided at a proximal end portion of the insertion portion 2 and also serves as a gripping portion. 3 and a universal cord 4 having flexibility extending from, for example, a base end side portion of the operation portion 3.

  A scope connector 5 is provided at the end of the universal cord 4. The scope connector 5 is provided with a light source connector 6, an electrical connector 7, an ultrasonic connector 8, a suction base 9 and an air / water supply base 10.

  A light source device 11 for supplying illumination light is detachably connected to the light source connector 6. A video processor 12 for performing various signal processing and the like is detachably connected to the electrical connector 7 via a predetermined signal cable (not shown). An ultrasonic observation device 14 is detachably connected to the ultrasonic connector 8 via an ultrasonic cable 13. A suction pump 15 is detachably connected to the suction base 9 via a suction tube (not shown). A water supply tank 16 is detachably connected to the air / water supply base 10 via an air / water supply tube (not shown).

  The air / water supply cap 10 is formed of a thin member. For this reason, there is a risk of damage due to an unintended impact or the like when a predetermined amount of force is applied. Therefore, in order to prevent such an accident, a projecting portion 17 having a protruding amount larger than that of the air / water feeding base 10 is provided in the vicinity of the air / water feeding base 10.

  The ultrasonic observation device 14 performs various controls of the ultrasonic endoscope 1, and for example, controls driving of an ultrasonic transducer 41 provided in a transducer unit (see reference numeral 30 described later) Then, the video signal is generated by performing signal processing of the electrical signal acquired by the drive control. The video signal generated by the ultrasonic observation apparatus 14 is output to a display device (not shown) that constitutes the ultrasonic endoscope apparatus. As a result, an ultrasonic tomographic image is displayed on the screen of the display device that has received this video signal.

  The insertion portion 2 of the ultrasonic endoscope 1 includes, in order from the distal end side, a distal end hard portion 21 formed of a rigid member, and a bending portion 22 configured to be freely bendable in the vertical direction and the left and right direction, for example. A long and flexible flexible tube portion 23 is provided continuously.

  A distal end cap 24 constituting an ultrasonic observation unit and a transducer unit 30 in which an ultrasonic transducer 41 is disposed in the distal end cap are provided on the distal end side of the distal end hard portion 21. A signal cable 91 extends from the vibrator unit 30. The signal cable 91 is inserted through the insertion portion 2, the operation portion 3, and the universal cord 4 and connected to the ultrasonic connector 8.

  On the universal cord 4 side of the operation unit 3, a bending operation knob 25 for performing the bending operation of the bending unit 22, an air supply / water supply suction button 26 for performing an air supply / water supply operation and a suction operation, respectively, are provided. A treatment instrument insertion port 27 for introducing a treatment instrument into the body cavity is provided on the insertion section 2 side of the operation section 3.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a slope portion 21b is formed on the distal end side of the distal end portion main body 21a constituting the distal end rigid portion 21. The inclined surface portion 21b has an illumination optical system arrangement hole (not shown) for arranging the illumination optical system constituting the endoscope observation unit and an opening portion of the observation optical system arrangement hole 21c for arranging the observation optical system. Is provided.

  Further, a vibrator unit arrangement hole (hereinafter abbreviated as a unit hole) 21d in which the vibrator unit 30 is arranged is formed in the tip end body 21a. A plurality of step portions are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the unit hole 21 d so as to substantially match the stepped outer shape of the vibrator unit 30. The diameters of the plurality of step portions are formed so as to gradually become smaller from the distal end side, which is the opening of the unit hole 21d, toward the proximal end side. A female screw 21e is formed in the vicinity of the opening of the unit hole 21d. The female screw 21e is screwed with a male screw provided on a ring member 81, which will be described later, for fixing the vibrator unit 30 to the tip end body 21a.

  Further, a cap disposing portion 21f in which a distal end cap 24 separate from the vibrator unit 30 is disposed on the opening side of the unit hole 21d formed in the distal end portion main body 21a. Reference numeral 21g represents a positioning surface, and the positioning surface 21g positions the vibrator unit 30 in the longitudinal axis direction. Specifically, a unit housing (to be described later) constituting the vibrator unit 30 on the positioning surface 21g, which is the surface of one step portion among the plurality of step portions formed on the inner peripheral surface of the unit hole 21d. By arranging the end face of the large diameter portion in contact, the vibrator unit 30 is arranged in a predetermined state with respect to the distal end portion main body 21a. Reference numeral 21h denotes a balloon disposing circumferential groove in which a balloon (not shown) is disposed.

  Illumination light supplied from the light source device 11 is transmitted through a light guide (not shown) that passes through the universal cord 4, the operation unit 3, and the insertion unit 2, and an illumination window (not shown) of the illumination optical system. ) To the observation region. An observation site such as an affected part in the body cavity is illuminated by the illumination light emitted from the illumination window.

  The optical image of the observation site illuminated by the illumination light passes through an observation window (not shown) and an objective lens, and images a charge coupled device (hereinafter referred to as a CCD) or the like disposed at the imaging position of the objective lens. An image is formed on an imaging surface of an element (not shown). The optical image formed on the imaging surface of the CCD is photoelectrically converted into an electric signal and transmitted to the video processor 12 through an imaging cable (not shown) extending from the CCD. The video processor 12 to which the electrical signal has been transmitted performs predetermined signal processing to generate a standard video signal, and outputs the video signal to a predetermined display device (not shown). As a result, the endoscopic observation image is displayed on the screen of the display device. The imaging cable is inserted through the insertion portion 2, the operation portion 3, and the universal cord 4 and is electrically connected to the electrical connector 7.

Here, the configuration of the vibrator unit 30 disposed in the unit hole 21d will be specifically described.
As shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 4C, the transducer unit 30 includes an ultrasonic transducer unit 40, a slip ring unit 50, an encoder unit 60, a motor unit 70, the ultrasonic transducer unit 40, The slip ring part 50, the encoder part 60, and the motor part 70 are comprised, and the unit housing 33 which is a housing | casing part which integrates is comprised. In the unit housing 33, the ultrasonic transducer section 40, the slip ring section 50, the encoder section 60, and the motor section 70 are disposed.

  The ultrasonic transducer section 40 is mainly composed of an ultrasonic transducer 41 and a transducer holding member 42 on which the ultrasonic transducer 41 is disposed. The vibrator holding member 42 is provided with a vibrator shaft 43 that is a rotating shaft composed of a large diameter portion 43a and a small diameter portion 43b. Ultrasonic waves are transmitted from the transducer surface of the ultrasonic transducer 41 toward the living body, and ultrasonic echoes reflected by the living tissue are received.

  The slip ring portion 50 is mainly composed of a brush holder 51 having a through hole, a pair of ring members 52a and 52b, and brush members 53a and 53b that are in electrical contact with the ring members 52a and 52b, respectively. Yes. Protrusions 51a and 51b are formed on the front end surface and the base end surface of the brush holder 51, respectively. Extending from the slip ring portion 50 is a first signal cable 92 having one end of a signal line connected to the brush members 53a and 53b. Reference numeral 59 denotes an insulating resin member for sealing a signal line fixing portion which is a joint portion between the signal line 92a and a terminal (not shown).

  The encoder unit 60 is disposed so as to face a coupling 61 that is a shaft coupling, an encoder magnetizing drum (hereinafter abbreviated as a magnetizing drum) 62 that constitutes the encoder, and the magnetizing drum 62. It is mainly composed of an encoder sensor 63 to be described later. Reference numeral 63a denotes a substrate on which an encoder sensor (hereinafter abbreviated as a sensor) 63 is provided. The substrate 63a is provided with a signal line fixing portion to which a plurality of signal lines 93a are joined. The plurality of signal lines 93 a are collected and extended as a second signal cable 93. A motor drive line extending from the motor body (see reference numeral 74 in FIG. 6C) is inserted into the second signal cable 93.

  The coupling 61 connects and fixes a small diameter portion 43b of the vibrator shaft 43 and a motor shaft 71 described later of the motor portion 70. The magnetizing drum 62 is made of resin and has a magnetized portion at a predetermined portion, and is fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the coupling 61. On the outer peripheral surfaces of the magnetizing drum 62 and the coupling 61, a magnetized part notifying part (for example, a marking line) serving as a mark for arranging the magnetized part provided in the magnetizing drum 62 in a predetermined state ( (See reference numeral 99 in FIG. 12 described later).

  The motor unit 70 includes a motor main body 72 that is integral with an exterior member that is a drive motor having a motor shaft 71 that is integrally fixed to the coupling 61, and is integrally disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the tip end of the motor main body 72. It is mainly comprised by the elastic sheet member 73 formed in the sheet form provided. The elastic sheet member 73 is formed with a predetermined thickness by a flexible and deformable material such as a rubber member.

  A large-diameter portion 34, an intermediate-diameter portion 35, and a small-diameter portion 36 are formed in the unit housing 33 in order from the distal end side. The large diameter portion 34 is formed with a brush holder hole 34a in which the brush holder 51 is disposed. One end surface of the brush holder 51 is disposed in contact with the bottom surface of the brush holder hole 34a. A motor arrangement hole 36 a in which an elastic sheet member 73 provided in a motor main body 72 constituting the motor unit 70 is arranged is formed inside the small diameter portion 36. The intermediate diameter portion 35 is formed with a communication hole 35a that allows the brush holder hole 34a of the large diameter portion 34 and the motor arrangement hole 36a of the small diameter portion 36 to communicate with each other. In the communication hole 35a, the coupling 61, the magnetizing drum 62, and the like are arranged.

  Circumferential grooves 34 b and 35 b are formed at predetermined positions on the side peripheral surfaces of the large diameter portion 34 and the intermediate diameter portion 35. In these circumferential grooves 34b and 35b, an insulating tape 37 is wound so as to insulate between the various signal line fixing portions provided in the unit housing 33 and the tip body 21a. The depth dimensions of the circumferential grooves 34b and 35b are set in advance so that the insulating tape 37 does not protrude from the circumferential surface when the insulating tape 37 is wound by a predetermined amount.

  The fixing ring member 81 is a member for integrally fixing the vibrator unit 30 arranged in the unit hole 21d to the distal end hard portion 21. A male screw 81 a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the fixing ring member 81. The fixing ring member 81 is rotatably disposed on a protrusion 51 a formed on the brush holder 51.

  Reference numeral 90 denotes a cable protector, which is composed of, for example, a flexible wire cable 95 that is an elastically deformable linear member, and a cable fixing portion 96 provided on one end side of the wire cable 95. The other end of the wire cable 95 is integrally fixed by providing, for example, a joining portion 97 made of solder or the like to the small-diameter portion 36 of the unit housing 33.

Here, the detail of each part 40, 50, 60, 70, 90 is demonstrated.
A relay substrate 44 is disposed on the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 41 constituting the ultrasonic transducer section 40. The relay substrate 44 is provided with electrode patterns 44a and 44b. The end portions of the signal lines 45a and 45b of the ultrasonic cable 45 extending from the ultrasonic transducer 41 are electrically connected to the electrode patterns 44a and 44b, respectively, and one end portion is connected to the ring members 52a and 52b. The other ends of the signal lines 46a and 46b of the electrically connected slip ring cable 46 are electrically connected. The signal lines 46 a and 46 b of these slip ring cables are inserted through cable insertion holes 43 c formed in the vibrator shaft 43.

  The large-diameter portion 43a has an O-ring arrangement groove 43d in which an O-ring 47 is arranged. Reference numeral 48 denotes a sealing resin. The sealing resin 48 is composed of the electrodes 44a and 44b of the relay substrate 44, the ultrasonic cable 45 having the signal lines 45a and 45b, and the slip ring cable 46 having the signal lines 46a and 46b. 24 is prevented from touching the ultrasonic transmission medium filled in 24, and the opening of the cable insertion hole 43c is closed to prevent the ultrasonic transmission medium from entering the cable insertion hole 43c. It is to be applied to.

  A through hole is formed in the brush holder 51 of the slip ring portion 50. This through hole is a hole 54 in which the large-diameter portion 43a of the vibrator shaft 43 and the ring members 52a and 52b are disposed, and a communication hole 55 that connects the bottom surface of the hole portion 54 and the outside at the center portion. It consists of and. The communication hole 55 is arranged with a distal end portion 61 a of a coupling 61 that connects the small diameter portion 43 b and the motor shaft 71.

  On the other hand, the outer peripheral surface of the O-ring 47 arranged in the O-ring arrangement groove 43d formed in the large-diameter portion 43a is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the hole portion 54. As a result, water tightness between the hole 54 and the large diameter portion 43a is maintained, and the ultrasonic transmission medium in the tip cap 24 is prevented from flowing into the ring members 52a and 52b. Yes.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, the sliding bearing portion configured such that the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion 43a is in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the hole portion 54 of the brush holder 51, and the communication Provided on the inner peripheral surface of the hole 55 is a sliding bearing portion configured such that the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion 61a of the coupling 61 is in sliding contact, and rotates the ultrasonic transducer 41 disposed on the transducer holding member. It is configured.

A modification will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 (a) to 5 (c).
When the vibrator shaft 43 of the vibrator holding member 42 on which the ultrasonic vibrator 41 is disposed is rotatably supported by two sliding bearing portions, for example, one side indicated by an arrow A in FIG. The sliding bearing portion may be configured as follows. That is, only the outer peripheral surface 43e arranged on the rear side of the O-ring 47 of the large diameter portion 43a is brought into sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface 54a of the hole portion 54 of the brush holder 51. As a result, the sliding resistance of the vibrator shaft 43 can be reduced.

  Further, in addition to FIG. 5A, a counterbore-shaped hole 51c may be formed in the protrusion 51b that constitutes the sliding bearing portion on the other side, as indicated by an arrow B in FIG. 5B. . As a result, the sliding area between the inner peripheral surface 55a of the communication hole 55 and the outer peripheral surface of the tip end portion of the coupling 61 can be reduced, and the sliding resistance can be further reduced.

  Further, the vibrator shaft 43 is rotatably supported by one sliding bearing portion. In that case, a gap is formed on the arrow A side in FIG. 5C, and the coupling 61 disposed on the inner peripheral surface 55a of the communication hole 55 on the arrow B side so as to cover the small diameter portion 43b. The outer peripheral surface of the tip part is brought into sliding contact to form a sliding bearing. As a result, the sliding resistance can be further reduced.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the small diameter portion 43 b of the vibrator shaft 43 and the motor shaft 71 of the motor portion 70 are connected by the coupling 61. The vibrator shaft 43 is integrally fixed to the coupling 61 by a fastening member 65 such as a screw that is screwed into a female screw portion formed at a predetermined position on the outer peripheral surface of the coupling 61. On the other hand, the motor shaft 71 is integrally fixed to the coupling 61 with an adhesive (not shown).

  6A and 6B, the motor shaft 71a has a D-shaped cross section, and a hole in the coupling 61 in which the motor shaft 71a is disposed. 61a is also formed in a D shape. In this configuration, the outer shape of the hole 61a is formed larger than the outer shape of the motor shaft 71a to provide a gap. As a result, when the motor shaft 71a is rotating, the plane portion slides by this gap, so that the deviation of the rotation center between the motor shaft 71a and the coupling 61 is absorbed and the rotational load applied to the motor unit 70. On the other hand, the rotation of the motor shaft 71 is transmitted to the coupling 61 when the planar portion of the motor shaft 71a hits the planar portion of the hole 61a.

  Further, as shown in the modification of FIG. 6 (c), the small-diameter portion 43b and the motor are configured by a three-member coupling mechanism 61A configured to be separated into three bodies and absorbing the center misalignment by sliding. The shaft 71 may be connected. The three-member coupling mechanism 61A includes a first tubular member 66 having a first hole 66a in which the small diameter portion 43b is disposed, and a second hole 67a in which the motor shaft 71 is disposed. 2 tubular members 67, and a connecting member 68 having shaft portions 68a and 68b disposed in the hole portion 67a and the hole portion 66a.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the brush holder 51 has a substantially D-shaped cross section, and a brush mounting plane 51d is formed at a predetermined position. The brush holder 51 is formed with notches 51e for disposing the brush members 53a and 53b on the brush mounting plane 51d.

  Therefore, the brush members 53a and 53b can be disposed on the brush mounting plane 51d through the notch 51e. The brush members 53a and 53b are formed of an elastic conductive member, and are configured to be in electrical contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the ring members 52a and 52b by a biasing force. Specifically, the initial bent shape of the brush members 53a and 53b is formed such that the bending angle θ is an acute angle as shown by the broken line, and the brush members 53a and 53b are in urging contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the ring members 52a and 52b. In this state, the angle θ is set to be substantially a right angle.

  The brush members 53a and 53b provided on the brush mounting plane 51d are sealed by the insulating resin member 59, and an insulating tape 37 is wound on the outer side thereof. As a result, the insulation between the tip end main body 21a is made more reliable without increasing the diameter.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the encoder 63 is provided with the sensor 63 so as to face the magnetized drum 62. The sensor 63 detects a magnetized portion provided on the magnetizing drum 62. The sensor 63 is mounted on a substrate 63a, and the substrate 63a is mounted and fixed on a sensor installation block 64 disposed at a predetermined position of the unit housing 33, whereby the magnetized drum 62 is shown in the drawing. Are arranged close to each other. A predetermined amount of insulating tape 37 is wound for the purpose of insulation between the signal line fixing portion to which the signal line 93a provided on the substrate 63a is joined and the tip end body 21a.

  As shown in FIG. 7C, the elastic sheet member 73 disposed at the distal end portion of the motor main body 72 constituting the motor portion 70 is disposed on the proximal end side inner peripheral surface of the unit housing 33. For example, three female screw portions are provided at predetermined positions on the outer peripheral surface of the unit housing 33, and are arranged in the motor main body 72 by a fastening force of a fixing member 75 such as a screw that is screwed into the female screw portion. The elastic sheet member 73 is pressed and fixed so as to prevent the motor body 72 from rotating. Note that the pressing force of the fixing member 75 may be an amount of force that prevents the motor main body 72 from rotating when the motor is driven.

  The motor main body 72 disposed in the unit housing 33 can be adjusted in the arrangement position in the unit housing 33 by the amount of deformation of the elastic sheet member 73.

  Note that the fixing of the motor unit 70 to the unit housing 33 is not limited to the pressing and fixing by the fixing member 75 described above, but the unit housing as shown in FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b). A circumferential cutout 36b communicating with the motor arrangement hole 36a may be provided in the small diameter portion 36 of 33, and a bobbin winding fixing portion 76 may be provided and fixed to the cutout 36b. At this time, when the motor is driven, the bobbin is fixed with a pressing force that prevents the motor main body 72 from rotating.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 8C and 8D, the outer diameter of the motor main body 72 is slightly narrower than the inner diameter of the unit housing 33, and the outer peripheral surface side of the motor main body 72 is formed. A locking member 74 having a through hole 74a having a diameter larger than the outer dimension of a screw member 38, which will be described later, serving as a locking portion is fixed by, for example, bonding. In addition, instead of forming the circumferential cutout portion 36b at a predetermined position of the unit housing 33, a female screw portion 36c is formed, and a screw member 38 is screwed into the female screw portion 36c. In this screwed state, the tip of the screw member 38 protrudes a predetermined amount from the inner peripheral surface of the motor arrangement hole 36a. As a result, the tip of the screw member 38 is loosely fitted into a through hole 74 a formed in the locking member 74 fixed to the motor main body 72.

  According to this configuration, in the state where the motor unit 70 is disposed in the motor arrangement hole 36a, a slight backlash occurs in the motor unit 70. However, in the state where the motor shaft 71 is rotated, the motor main body 72 is rotated and moved by the amount of rattling, and then is caught in the through hole 74a, that is, the screw member 38 is attached to the motor main body 72. The fixed locking member 74 comes into contact. Then, the rotational movement of the motor main body 72 is stopped, and the motor main body 72 is held with respect to the unit housing 33. At this time, the central axis of the vibrator shaft 43 connected by the coupling 61 and the central axis of the motor shaft 71 are in alignment.

  As shown in FIG. 7D, midway portions of the first signal cable 92 and the second signal cable 93 are integrally fixed to the cable fixing portion 96 of the cable protection portion 90 by, for example, a bobbin adhering portion 98. At least the first signal cable 92 and the second signal so that no load is applied to the signal line fixing portions of the signal lines 92a and 93a when the middle portions of the cables 92 and 93 are fixed to the cable fixing portion 96 by bobbin winding. A slack portion is provided between the bobbin adhering portion 98 in which the middle portion of the cable 93 is integrally fixed and the signal line fixing portions of the signal lines 92a and 93a.

  As described above, the flexible cable, which is an elastically deformable linear member, is provided with a cable fixing portion at one end portion of the wire cable, for example, and the other end portion of the wire cable is integrally joined to the unit housing. When the middle part of the 1 signal cable and the second signal cable is fixed integrally to the bobbin adhering part or the like, by providing a slack part between the bobbin adhering part and the signal line fixing part, When a tensile force or the like is applied, the tensile force can be transmitted to the wire cable to reliably prevent a load from being applied to the signal line side.

  Accordingly, for example, when assembling the ultrasonic endoscope 1, the signal cables 92 and 93 are inserted into the insertion portion 2, the operation portion 3, and the universal cord 4, or the ultrasonic endoscope 1 When a bending force is applied to the cables 92 and 93 closer to the hand than the cable fixing portion 96 when the bending portion 22 is bent or the flexible tube portion 23 is twisted, the pulling force is The signal is transmitted to the cable fixing portion 96 where the middle portions of the cables 92 and 93 are fixed, and then transmitted only to the wire cable 95 without being transmitted to the signal lines 92a and 93a having the slack portions. Accordingly, a load is applied to the signal lines 92a and 93a inserted through the cables 92 and 93 to damage the signal line fixing portion, and the load is directly applied to components such as the board 63a and the brush members 53a and 53b. Failures that occur due to the occurrence of this are reliably prevented.

  When the vibrator unit 30 configured as described above is disposed in the unit hole 21d of the tip body 21a, first, the vibrator unit 30 is substantially disposed in the unit hole 21d. Thereafter, the fixing ring member 81 is rotated using, for example, a square wrench, and the male screw 81a of the fixing ring member 81 is screwed into the female screw 21e formed in the unit hole 21d. Then, as the fixing ring member 81 is rotationally moved, the large-diameter end face of the large-diameter portion 34 provided in the unit housing 33 constituting the vibrator unit 30 is formed in the unit hole 21d. It will be in the state contact | abutted to the positioning surface 21g. This completes the fixing of the vibrator unit 30 to the tip end body 21a. At this time, the ultrasonic transducer 41 protrudes from the distal end surface of the distal end main body 21a by a predetermined amount.

  Thereafter, the tip cap 24 is disposed on the cap placement portion 21f of the tip portion main body 21a so as to cover the ultrasonic transducer 41, and in this state, a ring-shaped attachment member 82 formed of, for example, stainless steel (see FIG. 3). Is engaged and arranged in the cap arrangement portion 21f. As a result, the fixing of the distal end cap 24a to the distal end main body 21a is completed in a state where the distal end cap 24 is prevented from expanding. Thereafter, the ultrasonic transmission medium 28 is filled in the tip cap 24.

  Examples of the ultrasonic transmission medium 28 include liquid paraffin, water, carboxymethyl cellulose aqueous solution, and the like. And this ultrasonic transmission medium 28 is inject | poured from the front-end | tip opening 24a formed in the front-end | tip part of the front-end | tip cap 24, for example, as shown in FIG. The tip opening 24 a is water-tightly closed by the sealing member 29. The tip cap 24 is made of an ultrasonically transparent material such as low density polyethylene or polymethylpentene.

  The ultrasonic endoscope 1 assembled in this way is used in combination with the ultrasonic observation apparatus 14.

  That is, when a current is supplied to the motor unit 70 of the transducer unit 30 via the ultrasonic observation device 14, the motor shaft 71 of the motor unit 70 is rotated, and the rotation of the motor shaft 71 is coupled to the coupling 61. Is transmitted to the small-diameter portion 43b of the vibrator shaft 43. Then, the ultrasonic transducer 41 disposed on the transducer holding member 42 having the transducer shaft 43 is rotated and starts radial scanning.

Here, with reference to FIG. 9 thru | or FIG. 13, the assembly | attachment of the process etc. which attach the said brush members 53a and 53b to the said brush holder 51 are demonstrated.
A process of attaching the brush members 53a and 53b to the brush holder 51 will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a hoop material on which a brush member is formed, FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the brush unit set and the vibrator unit unit set with signal lines, and FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a state of attachment, FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a state in which attachment of the brush member is completed by cutting off the hoop portion, and FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the configuration and operation of the divided block arranged on the tip body. .
9 (a) is a front view of the hoop material, FIG. 9 (b) is a side view of the hoop material, FIG. 10 (a) is a diagram for explaining the brush part assembly in which signal lines are joined, and FIG. 10 (b). FIG. 11A is a view for explaining a state in which the vibrator unit portion set and the brush portion set are arranged on a jig, and FIG. 11B is a view for explaining FIG. 11A. Fig. 13 (a) is a diagram for explaining the dividing member, Fig. 13 (b) is a diagram showing the tip body provided with the dividing member, and Fig. 13 (c) is Fig. 14 (b). It is a GG line sectional view of).
As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the brush members 53a and 53b attached to the brush holder 51 are formed in a predetermined shape at a predetermined pitch by, for example, pressing a band-shaped hoop material 101. . By cutting the hoop material 101 along a cutting line 102 indicated by a broken line, a brush unit set 102 having a pair of brush members 53a and 53b is formed. This brush assembly 102 is supplied to the assembly process. A cutting portion 105 is provided between the brush members 53 a and 53 b provided in the brush portion set 102 and the hoop portion 104. For this reason, the hoop part 104 and the brush members 53a and 53b are relatively bent, whereby the brush members 53a and 53b and the hoop part 104 can be separated and cut.
Reference numeral 106 denotes a feed hole for moving the hoop material 101 at a predetermined pitch during press working.

  Before performing the work of attaching the brush members 53a and 53b to the brush holder 51, the first signal cables are connected to the brush members 53a and 53b provided in the brush set 103 as shown in FIG. The 92 signal lines 91a and 91b are electrically connected by a conductive adhesive or solder. On the other hand, a vibrator unit section set 110 shown in FIG. 10B to which the brush members 53a and 53b to which the signal lines 91a and 91b are connected is assembled is prepared.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, a brush assembling jig (hereinafter abbreviated as a jig) 111 is prepared. Then, the vibrator unit part set 110 is disposed in the unit groove 112 formed in the jig 111. At this time, the brush mounting surface 51d of the brush holder 51 provided in the vibrator unit section set 110 is substantially aligned with the upper surface of the jig.

  Next, the feed hole 106 formed in the brush part set 103 is engaged with the pair of positioning pins 113 provided so as to protrude from the upper surface of the jig 111, and the brush members 53a and 53b and the slip ring are arranged. Alignment with 52a and 52b is performed. This alignment can be easily performed while moving the brush part set 103 in the longitudinal direction because the feed hole 106 of the brush part set 103 is formed in a long hole.

  Next, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 11B, the inner surfaces of the brush members 53a and 53b formed to be bent at an acute angle are urged and arranged on the outer peripheral surfaces of the slip rings 52a and 52b, respectively. The brush assembly 103 is placed on the jig plane while adjusting the position.

  Thereafter, an adhesive (see reference numeral 56 in FIGS. 4B and 7A) is applied to the brush members 53a and 53b, and the brush holder 51 is bonded and fixed to a predetermined position of the brush mounting surface 51d. When the adhesive fixing is completed, the hoop portion 104 of the brush portion set 103 is bent, and the brush portion set 103 is separated into the hoop portion 104 and the brush members 53a and 53b as shown in FIG. Thus, the brush members 53a and 53b are attached to predetermined positions of the brush holder 51.

  In this way, a pair of brush members is configured as a brush unit set arranged side by side, and the vibrator unit unit set and the brush unit set are arranged in a jig, whereby the brush member is placed at a predetermined position of the brush holder. It can be mounted and arranged from one direction. As a result, although not shown in the drawings, the brush holder for the brush member can be obtained in a shorter time and with higher accuracy than the assembly process in which it is mounted and disposed so as to be sandwiched one by one in the direction facing the slip ring. Can be attached to.

  Further, in the vibrator unit section set 110 formed as shown in FIG. 12, the vibrator holding member 42 and the coupling 61 are provided with a magnetized location notification part 99 by, for example, a marking line, and the brush holder 51 For example, a magnetizing portion auxiliary line 99a is provided by a marking line. Therefore, when the magnetizing drum 62 is disposed on the coupling 61, the magnetizing portion of the magnetizing drum 62 and the magnetizing location notifying unit 99 of the coupling 61 are made to coincide with each other. Thereafter, when the small-diameter portion 43b of the vibrator holding member 42 is fastened to the coupling 61, the magnetized part notifying part 99 of the vibrator holding member 42 and the magnetized part notifying part 99 of the coupling 61 are Is performed in a state in which. At this time, the vibrator holding member 42 and the coupling 61 can be easily aligned by using the magnetized portion auxiliary line 99a as a guide. Thus, for example, the upward adjustment of the ultrasonic transducer can be performed with high accuracy during the process of assembling the transducer unit.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the tip end main body 21a has a small diameter. For this reason, although not shown, the light guide insertion hole is formed in communication with the unit hole 21d. Therefore, a divided block 120 having a light guide arrangement surface 120a and a vibrator unit arrangement concave portion 120b having a shape as shown in FIG. 13A is formed, and the divided block 120 is formed as shown in FIG. 13B. The light guide 121 is disposed after being disposed in the distal end portion main body 21a.

  As a result, as shown in FIGS. 13B and 13C, the light guide 121 and the transducer unit 30 or the signal lines 92 a and 93 a extending from the transducer unit 30 are divided by the divided block 120. Can be reliably prevented. Reference numeral 122 denotes an adhesive for fixing the light guide 121.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The figure explaining the structure of the ultrasound diagnosing device containing the ultrasound endoscope of this embodiment Sectional drawing explaining the structure of the front-end | tip part main body The figure explaining the structure of the front-end | tip part of an ultrasonic endoscope The figure explaining the composition of a vibrator unit The figure explaining the other structural example of a slide bearing The figure explaining the other attachment structure of a motor shaft and a thin diameter part The figure explaining the cross-sectional shape in each cross-sectional line of FIG. The figure explaining the other attachment structure to the unit housing of a motor part The figure which shows the hoop material in which the brush member is formed The figure explaining the relationship between the brush part group which joined the signal line, and the vibrator unit part group The figure explaining attachment of a brush member The figure explaining the state which cut off the hoop part and completed attachment of a brush member The figure explaining the structure and effect | action of a division block arrange | positioned at a front-end | tip part main body.

Explanation of symbols

30 ... Vibrator unit 90 ... Cable protection part 92 ... First signal cable 93 ... Second signal cable 95 ... Wire cable 96 ... Cable fixing part 98 ... Spool wound adhesion part Agent Ito Susumu

Claims (2)

An ultrasonic transducer that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, a drive motor that rotates the ultrasonic transducer, a slip ring that transmits and receives signals to and from the rotating ultrasonic transducer, and a rotational position of the ultrasonic transducer An ultrasonic endoscope in which an encoder and a tip cap having an internal space for immersing and placing the ultrasonic transducer in an ultrasonic medium are disposed in a distal end portion body constituting an endoscope insertion portion,
Provided with a housing unit that integrally fixes the drive motor, the slip ring and the encoder,
One end portion of the elastically deformable linear member is integrally fixed to the casing portion, and the other end portion of the elastically deformable linear member is provided with a middle portion of the signal line extending from the drive motor, the slip ring, and the encoder. Ultrasound endoscope characterized by being integrally fixed A signal line fixing portion configured by electrically connecting an end portion of the signal line to a terminal portion provided in each of the drive motor, the slip ring, and the encoder, and the other end portion of the elastically deformable linear member The ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 1, wherein a cable slack portion is provided between the signal line and the middle portion of the signal line fixed to the wire.

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