JP2006198097A - Ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic probe capable of realizing a stable sealed structure at a low cost without dispersion and holding the sealed structure even in the case that a user erroneously drops it. <P>SOLUTION: A base 5 has an intermediate part where an annular groove 5a is formed at an outer peripheral part, one end part in an axial direction is turned to a component support part, and the other end part in the axial direction is fitted to the opening end part of a case body 6. In the state of charging a sealing member 7 in the annular groove, when the opening end part of an acoustic window member 3 provided with a subject contact part formed in a dome shape is fitted to the opening end part of the case body, the diameter of the outer peripheral part on the case body side of the annular groove of the base is made smaller than the diameter of the inner peripheral part of the opening end part of the acoustic window member, a space communicated to the annular groove is formed, the edge end part 6a of the case body is pushed into the space, and the sealing member is brought into press contact from both of a radial direction and the axial direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasound probe used in an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that obtains an image in a subject using ultrasound.

  Conventionally, electronic scanning performed in the arrangement direction (electronic scanning direction) of these ultrasonic transducers by a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged so that the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface has a convex shape (convex shape); An ultrasonic probe used in a medical ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that enables acquisition of a plurality of tomographic images and construction of a stereoscopic image by mechanical scanning that moves or rotates in a direction orthogonal to the direction of electronic scanning. It is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 1 below).

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view partially broken away in order to explain a specific configuration of a conventional ultrasonic probe that is generally widely applied by applying the above-described ultrasonic probe. FIG. In FIG. 3, the ultrasonic probe 100 is formed in a dome shape so that a base 105 is fitted to an opening end of a casing 106 formed in a cylindrical shape, and further, ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received. The opening end of the acoustic window member 103 having the subject contact portion is fitted to the outer peripheral portion of the housing 106, and the ultrasonic transducer assembly 101 is included in the space surrounded by the base 105 and the acoustic window member 103. Main components are housed in a sealed state, and further filled with a liquid acoustic propagation medium 104.

  The base 105 has a flange-shaped intermediate portion having an outer diameter substantially equal to the opening end portion of the housing 106, and one end portion in the axial direction (upper end portion in the drawing) serves as a component support portion, and the other end in the axial direction. The part (the lower end in the drawing) is fitted to the open end of the housing 106. In addition, in order to prevent bubbles from being generated in the acoustic propagation medium 104, the pressurizing member 108 that applies a predetermined pressure to the acoustic propagation medium 104 has a base 105 in a state of penetrating the medium flow end in the axial direction. It is attached to. Further, an annular groove 105a is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the intermediate portion of the base 105, and a seal member 107 is inserted into the annular groove 105a.

  The ultrasonic transducer assembly 101 includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged so that ultrasonic transmission / reception surfaces form a convex shape, and has a convex shape on the back side when viewed from the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface. A rotating shaft 102 is integrally coupled to a portion corresponding to a string. The rotary shaft 102 is rotatably supported by a component support portion of the base 105, and is further engaged with a drive portion such as a motor (not shown) via a drive transmission mechanism. By rotating the drive unit forward and backward, the ultrasonic transducer assembly 101 can be swung in the arrow X direction about the rotation shaft 102. Transmission / reception of an electrical signal to / from the ultrasonic transducer assembly 101 is performed by a flexible connecting member (not shown) penetrating the base 105.

  Accordingly, an electronic scan of a plurality of ultrasonic transducers constituting the ultrasonic transducer assembly 101 and a mechanical scan by swinging of the ultrasonic transducer assembly 101 about the rotation shaft 102 can be used to perform arbitrary scanning in the subject. A tomographic image or a stereoscopic image can be acquired.

  4 shows that the base 105 is fitted to the opening end of the casing 106 and the opening end of the acoustic window member 103 is connected to the opening end of the casing 106 in the ultrasonic probe 100 shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which expanded and showed the part to be fitted. In FIG. 4, an annular groove 105a is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the intermediate portion of the base 105 protruding in the axial direction from the housing 106, and an O-ring made of a rubber material is inserted into the annular groove 105a as a seal member 107. ing. The acoustic window member 103 includes an insert screw 103 a that is integrally formed on the inner periphery thereof, and is fastened to the base 105. The seal member 107 is compressed in the radial direction, and is sandwiched between the outer periphery of the base 105 and the inner periphery of the acoustic window member 103 with elasticity. Further, the gap between the opening end of the acoustic window member 103 and the opening end of the housing 106 is sealed with an adhesive 109 (inside the dotted line in FIG. 4) applied at the time of assembly. The inside is kept sealed.

With the configuration as described above, the leakage of the acoustic propagation medium 104 is prevented by the seal member 107, and the intrusion of liquid or the like from the outside is also prevented by applying the adhesive 109.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-38851

  However, in the structure sealed using an adhesive as described above, minute holes may occur in the adhesive application portion due to variations in the adhesive application operation. In addition, even when an adhesive is applied so that there are no holes in the assembly process and the structure is sealed, if an excessive load is applied from the outside due to impact due to dropping, etc., the adhesive strength produced by variations in the bonding work can be reduced. Cracks may occur in weak areas. For this reason, there existed a problem that a liquid permeates from the exterior or a leakage current increases. In order to take measures against this problem in advance, a test in the manufacturing process and its evaluation are necessary, and a repair process is required for a defective product.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and realizes a stable sealing structure that is low-cost and free from variation in assembly work when sealing between the acoustic window member and the housing. It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly reliable ultrasonic probe that can hold a sealed structure even when the user accidentally drops it.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 has a casing having a cylindrical opening end, an outer diameter substantially equal to the opening end of the casing, and an annular groove formed on the outer periphery thereof. Including an intermediate portion, one end in the axial direction serving as a component support portion, the other end in the axial direction being fitted to the opening end of the housing, and an ultrasonic transducer. The ultrasonic transducer assembly supported by the component support section and the dome-shaped ultrasonic transducer assembly are housed inside, and the opening end portions are the middle portion of the base and the opening end portion of the casing. An acoustic window member fitted in common to the outer periphery, a seal member inserted in the annular groove of the base, and an acoustic propagation medium filled in the acoustic window member, The diameter of the outer peripheral part on the housing side is made smaller than the diameter of the inner peripheral part of the opening end of the acoustic window member, so that a space communicating with the annular groove is formed. An ultrasonic probe is pressed against the both edges of the housing is pushed sealing member in the radial and axial directions in space.

  With this configuration, a single sealing member is shared by the sealing between the acoustic window member and the base and the sealing between the acoustic window member and the housing, thereby assembling at a low cost. It is possible to realize a stable sealed structure without variations in work, and to hold the sealed structure even when the user accidentally drops it.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the ultrasonic probe in which the casing, the acoustic window member, and the seal member are each made of an electrically insulating material.

  With this configuration, the withstand voltage can be increased, the leakage current can be reduced, and the ultrasonic diagnostic performance can be improved.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, when sealing between the acoustic window member and the housing, it is possible to realize a stable sealing structure that is low-cost and free from variation in assembly work, and It is possible to provide a highly reliable ultrasonic probe that can maintain a sealed structure even when the user accidentally drops it.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view for explaining the configuration of an embodiment of an ultrasonic probe according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, an ultrasonic probe 10 is formed in a dome shape in order to perform transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves by fitting a base 5 to an opening end of a casing 6 formed in a cylindrical shape. The opening end portion of the acoustic window member 3 having the subject contact portion is fitted to the outer peripheral portion of the housing 6 and the base 5 is fixed via the insert screw 3a, and the base 5 and the acoustic window member 3 are fixed. The main components including the ultrasonic transducer assembly 1 are housed in a hermetically sealed space, and further filled with a liquid acoustic propagation medium 4.

  The base 5 has a flange-shaped intermediate portion having an outer diameter substantially equal to the opening end of the housing 6, and one end in the axial direction (upper end in the drawing) serves as a component support portion, and the other end in the axial direction. The part (the lower end in the drawing) is fitted to the open end of the housing 6. Further, in order to prevent bubbles from being generated in the acoustic propagation medium 4, the pressurizing member 8 that applies a predetermined pressure to the acoustic propagation medium 4 has the base 5 in a state of penetrating the medium flow end in the axial direction. It is attached to. Further, an annular groove 5a is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the flange-shaped intermediate portion of the base 5, and the seal member 7 is inserted into the annular groove 5a. Thus, when the opening end of the acoustic window member 3 is fitted into the housing 6, the seal member 7 is elastic between the outer periphery of the base 5 and the inner periphery of the opening end of the acoustic window member 3. Is held. Here, a metal material is used as the base 5, and an electrical insulating material such as plastic is used as the acoustic window member 3 and the housing 6.

  The ultrasonic transducer assembly 1 includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged so that ultrasonic transmission / reception surfaces form a convex shape, and has a convex shape on the back side when viewed from the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface. The rotating shaft 2 is integrally coupled to a portion corresponding to the string. The rotary shaft 2 is rotatably supported by a component support portion of the base 5 and is further engaged with a drive portion such as a motor (not shown) via a drive transmission mechanism. The ultrasonic transducer assembly 1 can be swung in the direction of the arrow X about the rotation shaft 2 by rotating the drive unit forward and backward. Transmission / reception of electric signals to / from the ultrasonic transducer assembly 1 is performed by a flexible connecting member (not shown) that penetrates the base 5.

  Therefore, any scanning in the subject can be performed by electronic scanning of a plurality of ultrasonic transducers constituting the ultrasonic transducer assembly 1 and mechanical scanning by swinging of the ultrasonic transducer assembly 1 about the rotation axis 2. A tomographic image or a stereoscopic image can be acquired.

  FIG. 2 shows the ultrasonic probe 10 shown in FIG. 1, in which the base 5 is fitted to the opening end of the housing 6, and the opening end of the acoustic window member 3 is connected to the opening end of the housing 6. It is sectional drawing which expanded and showed the part to be fitted. In FIG. 2, the diameter of the outer peripheral portion on the housing 6 side of the annular groove 5 a of the base 5 is formed smaller than the diameter of the inner peripheral portion of the opening end portion of the acoustic window member 3 and communicates with the housing 6 side. A space is formed. The edge 6a of the housing 6 is pushed into this space.

  Here, the seal member 7 is an O-ring made of a rubber material. The seal member 7 is pressed with elasticity in the radial direction between the inner peripheral portion of the acoustic window member 3 and the outer peripheral portion of the base 5, and further in the axial direction between the base 5 and the housing 6. It is pressed with elasticity. In this manner, the space between the base 5 and the acoustic window member 3 can be sealed with the single seal member 7, and at the same time, the space between the housing 6 and the acoustic window member 3 can be sealed.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to omit the adhesive and the bonding work without adding a new part, and to realize a stable sealing structure that is low in cost and free from assembling work. In addition, it is possible to provide a highly reliable ultrasonic probe that can hold a sealed structure even when the user accidentally drops the probe.

  In the present embodiment, an O-ring made of a rubber material is used as the seal member 7. However, other than the O-ring may be used as long as it has elasticity suitable for a sealing structure and is electrically formed of an insulating material. A similar sealing member can be used. In particular, when the seal member 7 is formed of an electrically insulating material, all of the acoustic window member 3, the seal member 7, and the housing 6 are formed of an electrically insulating material. A new effect that current can be reduced and ultrasonic diagnostic performance can be improved is also obtained.

  As described above, in the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, the seal member is elastically sandwiched between the base and the acoustic window member, and the edge of the casing is positioned in the axial direction. Since it is configured to press, the inside enclosed by the acoustic window member, the seal member, and the housing can be formed without using an adhesive with respect to the outside, and the assembly work can be varied at low cost. Can be realized, and even if the user accidentally drops it, it is possible to maintain the sealed structure, so that the reliability is improved and in-vivo images are obtained using ultrasound. The present invention can be applied to a medical ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for obtaining the above.

The perspective view which fractured | ruptured and showed in part in order to demonstrate the structure of embodiment of the ultrasound probe which concerns on this invention In the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. 1, the base is fitted to the opening end of the housing, and the portion where the opening end of the acoustic window member is fitted to the opening end of the housing is enlarged. Cross section shown The perspective view which fractured and showed a part in order to explain the concrete composition of the conventional ultrasonic probe generally adopted In the ultrasonic transducer shown in FIG. 3, the base is fitted to the opening end of the housing, and the portion where the opening end of the acoustic window member is fitted to the opening end of the housing is enlarged. Cross section shown

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ultrasonic vibrator assembly 2 Rotating shaft 3 Acoustic window member 3a Insert screw 4 Acoustic propagation medium 5 Base 5a Annular groove 5b, 5c Periphery of base 6 Housing 6a Edge of housing 7 Seal member 8 Pressure Member 10 Ultrasonic probe

Claims (2)

A housing having a cylindrical opening end;
The housing has an outer diameter substantially equal to the open end of the housing, and has an intermediate portion formed with an annular groove on the outer periphery thereof. One end in the axial direction serves as a component support portion, and the other end in the axial direction A base fitted to the open end of the housing;
An ultrasonic transducer assembly including an ultrasonic transducer and supported by the component support portion of the base;
An acoustic window that is formed in a dome shape, houses the ultrasonic transducer assembly therein, and has an opening end commonly fitted to each outer peripheral portion of the intermediate portion of the base and the opening end portion of the housing Members,
A seal member inserted in the annular groove of the base;
An acoustic propagation medium filled inside the acoustic window member,
A diameter of the outer peripheral portion of the annular groove of the base on the housing side is smaller than a diameter of an inner peripheral portion of the opening end portion of the acoustic window member, and a space communicating with the annular groove is formed. An ultrasonic probe in which an edge portion of the casing is pushed in and the seal member is pressed from both the radial direction and the axial direction. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the casing, the acoustic window member, and the seal member are each made of an electrically insulating material.