JP2007175081A - Ultrasonic probe device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that an ultrasound examination includes burdensome work caused by alternating applications of a jelly agent on a subject and on an ultrasonic probe and diagnostic work. <P>SOLUTION: Containers 3, 4 provided on both side parts of an insertion opening 2 where the ultrasonic probe 1 is inserted have low side walls 3a, 4a on the side of the ultrasonic probe 1 and high outer walls 3b, 4b, and the jelly agent 5 is inserted in the containers 3, 4 respectively. Rollers 6, 7 are mounted to make contact with the jelly agent 5, and a sponge material is attached to the surfaces of the rollers 6, 7 so that the jelly agent 5 permeates the surfaces of the rollers 6, 7 to be easily applied on the ultrasonic probe 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe apparatus capable of easily applying a jelly agent to the tip of an ultrasonic probe and a subject.

  Conventionally, when diagnosing a subject with an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic probe with a built-in ultrasonic transducer is brought into contact with the subject, and the subject is diagnosed with ultrasonic waves transmitted and received by the ultrasonic probe. In order to improve the transmission, a jelly agent is applied to the contact portion of the ultrasonic probe and the subject.

  However, in such a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, when diagnosing a large number of places, it is necessary to alternately perform application of the jelly agent to the subject, application to the ultrasonic probe, and diagnostic work. For this reason, there is a problem that the work time becomes long and the work is troublesome.

  The problem to be solved is that in the conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the application of the jelly agent to the subject, the application to the ultrasonic probe, and the diagnostic work are alternately performed, so that the work is troublesome.

  In the present invention, the ultrasonic probe is brought into contact with the subject to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves, and the container in which the jelly agent is placed has an insertion hole into which the ultrasonic probe is inserted, and the ultrasonic probe side on both sides of the insertion hole. The side wall is formed low, and is attached to the container so that a part contacts the vicinity of the tip of the ultrasonic probe, and the roller is configured to contact the jelly agent collected at the bottom of the container. The jelly agent is applied to the tip of the ultrasonic probe and the subject from between the container and the ultrasonic probe by moving the roller up and down and rotating the roller in contact with the ultrasonic probe.

  In the ultrasonic probe apparatus of the present invention, when the ultrasonic probe is moved up and down, the roller attached to the container formed on the side of the ultrasonic probe rotates, and the jelly agent adhering to the roller is superposed on the container. There is an advantage that the jelly agent flows between the acoustic probes and is attached to the tip of the ultrasonic probe and the subject.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of an ultrasonic probe apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the ultrasonic probe apparatus of FIG. 1, provided on both sides of an insertion hole 2 into which the ultrasonic probe 1 is inserted. The containers 3, 4 are formed such that the side walls 3 a, 4 a on the ultrasonic probe 1 side are low and the outer walls 3 b, 4 b are high, and a jelly agent 5 is inserted into each of these containers 3, 4. The rollers 6 and 7 are mounted so as to come into contact with each other, and these rollers 6 and 7 are configured to rotate by rotating shafts 6a and 7a, respectively. Further, the surface of these rollers 6 and 7 has a jelly agent. A sponge material is attached to the surfaces of the rollers 6 and 7 so that 5 can penetrate and be easily applied to the ultrasonic probe 1.

  In the ultrasonic probe apparatus of the present embodiment configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 3, the containers 3 and 4 are placed on the subject 8 so as to be in contact with each other, and the ultrasonic probe 1 is inserted into the insertion hole 2. The rollers 6 and 7 are rotated by the rotary shafts 6a and 6b due to friction caused by the vertical movement of the ultrasonic probe 1, and the jelly agent 5 applied by penetrating the sponge on the surfaces of the rollers 6 and 7 is applied to the rollers. 6 and 7 and the ultrasonic probe 1 is dropped onto the surface of the subject 8, so that the surface of the subject 8 and the contact surface of the ultrasonic probe 1 are moved by moving the ultrasonic probe device to the left and right in the figure. Applicable to 1a by an appropriate amount.

  In this embodiment, the surface of the subject 8 and the contact surface 1a of the ultrasonic probe 1 are simply applied to the contact surface 1a of the ultrasonic probe 1 and the surface of the subject 8 without being applied by hand. Therefore, there is an advantage that work efficiency is greatly improved.

  In the above embodiment, the sponge material is mounted on the surfaces of the rollers 6 and 7, but a non-woven fabric, a cloth material, or a brush-like member may be mounted instead of the sponge material.

It is a front view of the ultrasonic probe apparatus of the Example of this invention. FIG. 2 is a partial side sectional view of the ultrasonic probe apparatus of FIG. 1. It is the figure which showed the operation | movement of the ultrasonic probe apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Ultrasonic probe 2 Insertion hole 3, 4 Container 5 Jelly agent 6, 7 Roller 8 Subject

Claims (5)

  An ultrasonic probe for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves in contact with a subject, an insertion hole into which the ultrasonic probe is inserted, and a jelly agent in which the side wall on the ultrasonic probe side is formed low on both sides of the insertion hole And a roller that is attached to the container so that a part of the container is in contact with the vicinity of the tip of the ultrasonic probe and contacts the jelly agent accumulated at the bottom of the container. The jelly agent is applied to the tip of the ultrasonic probe and the subject from between the container and the ultrasonic probe by moving up and down at the insertion hole and rotating the roller with the ultrasonic probe. A characteristic ultrasonic probe device.   The ultrasonic probe apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a sponge is attached to the surface of the roller.   The ultrasonic probe apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a nonwoven fabric is attached to a surface of the roller.   The ultrasonic probe apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cloth material is attached to a surface of the roller.   The ultrasonic probe apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a brush-like member is mounted on the surface of the roller.

Images