JP2008253591A - Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transportable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which can be easily carried and whose display screen can be pivoted. <P>SOLUTION: A body 12 to which a display unit 15 is integrated and an operation panel 14 are connected by a connecting frame 16. The body 12 and the operation panel 14 are pivotally supported a body supporting stub 36 and an operation panel supporting stub 38, which are separate supporting stubs, on the connecting member. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus is used in an open state in which the operation panel 14 is pulled down to the front side. The operation panel 14 is pivoted to close with the body 12, resulting in a storage state. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus is carried in the compact storage state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and particularly to a portable portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art A portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that is easy to carry and can be used at a destination is known. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that has a keyboard unit that is rotatably supported with respect to a main body that is integrally provided with a display unit, and that is opened and closed by rotating the keyboard unit. It is disclosed. More specifically, the keyboard unit is supported so as to be rotatable in the vicinity of the front lower end of the main body, and the keyboard unit that extends to the front side from the front of the main body is rotated upward to provide a front surface with a display unit. It is possible to close it so as to face it and put it in the retracted state. In this state, carry it with the handle located on the top of the main unit.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-5221

  In the device described in the above publication, the display unit is fixed, and the orientation of the display unit cannot be changed according to the operator's request, and operability is difficult.

  An object of this invention is to provide the ultrasonic diagnosing device with favorable operativity and conveyance property.

  The portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention includes a main body with an integrated display unit, an operation panel for operating the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and the main body and the operation panel can be rotated about different axes. A coupling member coupled and coupling these,

  The connecting member can be placed on a flat surface while supporting the main body panel and the operation panel.

  The main body and the operation panel are rotated around the axis, and the storage state is closed with the display surface of the display unit and the operation surface of the operation panel inside, and the display unit is expanded to face the front side. The unfolded state in which the operation surface of the operation panel faces upward can be taken.

  The main body and the operation panel can be erected, and when both are erected, the storage state can be obtained. The main body and the operation panel can be expanded from an upright state so that the display unit faces the front side and the operation surface faces upward. This state is the expanded state. In the unfolded state, the operator has a very general arrangement in which the operation panel is positioned in front of the display unit, and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can be operated in this state.

  In addition, a carrying handle can be arranged on the upper surface of the main body in the retracted state.

  The portable ultrasonic device of the present invention can change the orientation of the display surface of the display unit integrated with the main body by rotating the main body. In addition, the connecting member can be placed on a flat surface, and in this state, the main body and the operation panel can be rotated, so that they can be set in a retracted state in which they are in an upright state. . In this stored state, the exclusive area becomes small and can be stored in a narrow place.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 are perspective views illustrating an appearance of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. 1 is a front perspective view, FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view, FIG. 3 is a front perspective view showing a state in which an operation panel is stored, and FIG. 4 is a front perspective view showing a state in which a probe holder is removed. It is.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 includes a main body 12 containing electrical circuit components such as an image processing circuit and a power supply circuit, an operation panel 14 for operating the apparatus, and the main body 12 and the operation panel 14 around separate axes. The connecting frame 16 is rotatably supported and connected. The general shape of the main body 12 is a substantially box shape in which the corners of a rectangular parallelepiped are greatly rounded, and a flat panel type display unit 15 such as a liquid crystal display device is integrally provided, and the display screen 15a is one of the box shape. Placed on the surface. The surface on which this display screen is provided is referred to as the front surface, and the surface on the opposite side is referred to as the back surface. Two receptacles 18 for connecting the connector of the ultrasonic probe are arranged on the back surface, and a hook 20 is provided for hooking and fixing the cable of the ultrasonic probe. Further, a pair of cable winding protrusions 22 for winding and storing the power cable when not in use are provided in a portion near the lower side of the back side. An outside air introduction port 24 is provided near the upper side of the back surface, and an exhaust port 26 is provided in the central portion near the lower side. A fan is disposed inside the exhaust port 26. When the fan is operated, air sucked from the outside air introduction port 24 passes through the inside of the main body and is discharged from the exhaust port 26. On the upper surface side of the main body 12, a handle 28 used for carrying is disposed. The handle 28 can be lifted from the illustrated state, and is used in the lifted state when being carried.

  The table of the operation panel 14 includes a keyboard for inputting letters such as alphabets and numbers, a slide switch for selecting and adjusting various functions for ultrasonic diagnosis, a push button type switch, a dial, a trackball, and other operators. Has been placed. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 is operated by operating these operators. A light emitting unit 30 is disposed on the back of the operation panel 14 shown in FIG. 3, that is, the surface facing outward when the main body 12 and the operation panel 14 are closed together. The light emitting unit 30 includes a surface panel made of a transparent, translucent or translucent material that is flush with the operation panel 14 and a light source such as an LED disposed on the back side thereof. The front panel may be provided with a light blocking portion so that light from the light source is appropriately blocked so that predetermined characters, figures, and the like are raised. The light source is turned on when the power of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 is on, and turned off when the power is off. Thereby, the light emission part 30 functions as an indicator which shows ON / OFF of a power supply. As shown in FIG. 3, even when the operation panel 14 is closed, it can be seen that the power is turned on, and forgetting to turn off the power can be prevented.

  The connection frame 16 has a pedestal portion 32 that can be placed on a flat surface such as a table top, and an arm portion 34 extends upward from the pedestal portion 32. A main body support shaft 36 that rotatably supports the main body 12 is provided near the tip of the arm portion 34. The main body 12 is rotatable around the support shaft 36 within a predetermined angle range. By making the main body 12 pivotable, it can be pivoted both backwardly and forwardly. It is also preferable to determine the rotation range so that the backward tilt, that is, the tilt angle at which the display screen 15a is directed upward can be made larger than the forward tilt angle. In this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10, the main body 12 can be tilted from a position where the display screen 15a is vertical to a forward tilt side of 10 ° and a rearward tilt side of 30 °. Since the main body 12 can be tilted forward, it is possible to suppress reflection of illumination or the like on the display screen 15a. Further, since the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is used in such a manner that the operator views the display screen 15a while placing the ultrasonic probe on the subject, the viewpoint of the operator may be low. Even in such a case, it is advantageous that the display screen can be tilted forward.

  Further, the main body support shaft 36 supports the main body at a position away from the vicinity of the lower end of the main body 12 and can narrow the range of movement of the main body 12 by turning. However, if it is supported at a very high position, in this case, when the main body 12 is rotated, even if it is moved while holding the vicinity of the upper end of the main body, it cannot be rotated well. The height at which the main body 12 is supported is preferably supported at a position that is not less than one quarter and not more than one half of the height of the main body 12.

  An operation panel support shaft 38 that rotatably supports the operation panel 16 is provided near the base of the arm portion of the connection frame 16. The operation panel support shaft 38 supports the back side of the panel when the operation panel 14 is opened. At this time, the front side of the operation panel 14 can be supported by a surface such as a desk or a table on which the connection frame 16 is placed. As shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 4, the operation panel 14 is tilted to the near side and has a state in which a table provided with various controls is faced up, and a substantially upright state as shown in FIG. It is possible to rotate between. The state in which the operation panel 14 shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 4 is tilted forward is stored in a deployed state of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10, and the operation panel 14 shown in FIG. Stated as state.

  In the retracted state, the main body 12 and the operation panel 14 are substantially upright so that the surface of the main body 12 provided with the display screen 15a and the surface of the operation panel 14 provided with various operation elements face each other. Become. With this posture, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 can be placed on a flat surface such as a desk. The projected area into the horizontal plane in the retracted state is reduced, and can accommodate a narrow storage space.

  The connection frame 16 can be used only for mechanically connecting the main body 12 and the operation panel 14. That is, an electrical signal, more specifically, a cable or the like for transmitting a signal related to an operation transmitted / received between the operation panel 14 and the main body 12 is not incorporated. This signal is sent by an independent cable connecting the main body 12 and the operation panel 14, and functions as an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in the main body 12 and the operation panel 14 without the connection frame 16.

  A probe holder 40 can be attached to the connection frame 16. The illustrated probe holder 40 has a probe receiving portion 42 corresponding to two types of ultrasonic probes and a jelly container receiving portion 44 for receiving a jelly container to be applied to the surface of the subject in order to match impedance. . Since the probe holder 40 is attached to the connection frame 16, even if the main body 12 and the operation panel 14 are rotated, the probe holder 40 can stably hold the ultrasonic probe and the jelly container. Also, the probe holder can be mounted on the left side of the main body 12. Furthermore, a holder having a receiving part for only an ultrasonic probe can be mounted on the right side, and a holder for holding a jelly container can be mounted on the left side.

  FIGS. 5-7 is explanatory drawing regarding storage of the power cable 46. FIG. On the back surface of the main body 12, a power cable receiving portion 48 is provided on which pins that are electrically connected to the power cable are arranged. Further, a pair of cable winding protrusions 22 for winding and storing the power cable 46 is provided on the back surface. The cable winding protrusion 22 has a columnar portion 50 protruding from the back surface of the main body 12 and a flange portion 52 fixed to the tip of the columnar portion. The flange portion 52 protrudes outward from the tip of the columnar portion 50, and holds the wound power cable by the step formed thereby. As shown in FIG. 5, the columnar portion 50 on the side close to the power cable receiving portion 48 is provided with a groove 54 for sandwiching the cable from its tip. After the power cable 46 is sandwiched between the grooves as shown in FIG. 5, the flange portion 52 is coupled to the columnar portion 50 as shown in FIG. 6. This prevents the power cable 46 from being pulled out of the receiving portion 48 even when the power cable is pulled carelessly. The cable winding protrusion 22 on the opposite side may not have a groove. As shown in FIG. 7, the power cable 46 is wound between the two cable winding protrusions 22 and stored.

It is a front side perspective view of the deployment state of the ultrasonic diagnostic equipment of this embodiment. It is a back side perspective view of the deployment state of the ultrasonic diagnostic equipment of this embodiment. It is a front side perspective view of the storage state of the ultrasound diagnosing device of this embodiment. It is a front side perspective view in the state where the probe holder of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of this embodiment was removed. It is explanatory drawing regarding storage of a power cable. It is explanatory drawing regarding storage of a power cable. It is explanatory drawing regarding storage of a power cable.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, 12 Main body, 14 Operation panel, 16 Connection frame, 22 Cable winding protrusion, 30 Light emission part, 32 Base part, 34 Arm part, 36 Main body support shaft, 38 Operation panel support shaft, 46 Power cable, 48 Power cable receptacle.

Claims (5)

A portable ultrasound diagnostic device,
A main body with an integrated display,
An operation panel for operating the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus;
The main body and the operation panel are coupled to each other so as to be rotatable around different axes, and a connecting member for connecting them,
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member can be placed on a flat surface and can support the main body and the operation panel in the placed state. . The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
The main body and the operation panel rotate around the axis, and the storage state is closed with the display screen of the display unit and the operation surface of the operation panel inside, and the display screen is directed to the front side when unfolded. The expanded state with the operation surface of the panel facing upward can be taken,
Ultrasound diagnostic equipment.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the main body and the operation panel are in an upright state in the retracted state.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a carrying handle is disposed on a surface of the main body which is an upper side in the retracted state.