JP2016093307A - Ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve a compact and simplified cable holding structure, while achieving protection needed to the cable, in an ultrasonic probe.SOLUTION: A holding member 20 comprises an outer sleeve 24 and an inner sleeve 26. The inner sleeve 26 has a conical shape which becomes a tapered shape toward an inner direction 100. When tension force toward an outer direction 102 is generated to a cable 12, a tapered part 26A slightly deforms toward an inside, thereby, holding force of the cable 12 on the part can be enhanced. A boundary face 104 has an adhesive introduced thereto.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe, and more particularly to a cable holding structure.

  An ultrasonic probe is used for ultrasonic diagnosis. An ultrasonic probe is generally composed of a head, a cable, and a connector. An array transducer is provided in the head. The cable accommodates a plurality of signal lines connected to a plurality of vibration elements constituting the array transducer. The cable is fixed to the head with one end of the cable inserted into the head. For this reason, a cable holding member is provided in the head. Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3 disclose conventional cable holding members (holding structures).

JP 2000-184558 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-42651 JP 2011-143134 A

  When a large and complicated structure is employed for holding the cable in the head, the head case (housing) becomes large. The weight of the head also increases. Also, the work of attaching the cable to the head becomes troublesome. It is desirable to realize a holding structure that is as small and simple as possible while sufficiently protecting the cable and satisfying basic conditions such as sealing properties.

  In the ultrasonic probe, a stress is easily generated in the cable portion held by the head during the handling, and in particular, there is a surface that a tensile force is easily exerted there. The cable holding structure disclosed in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 2 has an inner bushing that wraps the cable, and has a portion extending inward from the opening. The tip edge of the portion has a rib-like thickness.

  An object of the present invention is to realize a small and simple structure as a cable holding structure in an ultrasonic probe while providing necessary protection for a cable.

  The ultrasonic probe according to the present invention includes: a housing having an opening; a cable holding member that is attached to the opening and has a through-hole through which the cable is inserted and holds the cable; The member includes an inner sleeve extending inward from the opening toward the inside of the housing, and an outer sleeve extending outward from the opening opposite to the inner direction, and an inner surface of the through hole An adhesive is provided between the outer surface of the cable, and at least a tip portion of the inner sleeve has a conical shape in which the thickness around the cable is continuously reduced in the inward direction, It is characterized by this.

  In the above configuration, an adhesive is introduced into the interface between the inner surface of the through hole and the outer surface of the cable, preferably at least in the inner sleeve, that is, the cable holding member (particularly around the through hole) and The cables (particularly the surface layer) are integrated by bonding. At least the tip portion of the inner sleeve has a conical shape, that is, the thickness of the tip portion is continuously reduced inward. Therefore, a mode is formed in which the tip portion is easily deformed as the distance from the opening portion increases. Under such a premise, when a tensile force is generated in the outward direction on the cable, the periphery of the through hole is dragged outward by the cable surface. At that time, the tip end portion is more likely to be deformed, that is, dragged toward the tip end side. As a result, the tip portion is pulled into the inner side (cable center axis side) even though it is minute (or the inner winding is generated while being minute), that is, it tends to be deformed toward the inner side. This deformation crushes the cable and substantially reduces its diameter, which increases the holding power of the cable. Basically, the greater the tensile force on the cable, the greater the holding force of the cable. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a rational cable holding structure in which the holding force is naturally increased in accordance with the external force even though the structure is simple.

  Desirably, substantially the entire inner sleeve has a conical shape. If the stress is distributed not only at the distal end portion of the inner sleeve but also throughout the inner sleeve when the cable is pulled, local stress concentration can be avoided and the inner sleeve can be deformed more naturally. Thereby, it is possible to naturally increase the cable holding force according to the magnitude of the cable pulling force. As a result, the cable can be effectively protected.

  Desirably, substantially the entire outer sleeve has a conical shape, and the conical shape of the outer sleeve is larger in the cable axial direction and the cable radial direction than the conical shape of the inner sleeve. . According to this configuration, it is possible to avoid the stress being concentrated on a specific portion of the cable by receiving the force exclusively by the outer sleeve during the bending or swinging movement of the cable, and at the same time, The outward pulling force becomes dominant. That is, the deformation holding function can be appropriately exhibited while preventing or reducing the occurrence of excessive bending force on the inner sleeve.

  Preferably, the inner sleeve and the cable are made of a rubber material or a resin material. If adhesion is performed between rubber-based materials or resin-based materials, that is, if materials of the same quality are bonded together, the adhesive force can be increased, and partial peeling or the like on one side can be effectively prevented or reduced.

  Desirably, an adhesive filling layer is provided in the casing and at least around the root portion of the inner sleeve. According to this configuration, the root portion of the inner sleeve is structurally integrated with the housing, and the root portion is reinforced. In addition, it is possible to obtain an increase in holding force by deformation toward the inside with the tip portion as the center.

  According to the present invention, in the ultrasonic probe, a small and simple holding structure is realized while protecting the cable as necessary.

It is sectional drawing which shows the principal part structure of the ultrasonic probe which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view of a holding member. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the effect | action of a holding member.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of an ultrasonic probe (ultrasonic probe) according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part thereof. This ultrasonic probe is connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body, and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves at the time of ultrasonic diagnosis to acquire a received signal. An ultrasonic diagnostic system including an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is usually installed in a medical institution.

  The ultrasonic probe is roughly divided into a head (probe head) 10, a cable (probe cable) 12, and a connector. In FIG. 1, a part (end part) of the cable 12 on the head 10 side is shown, and the connector is not shown. The head 10 has a case 14. The case 14 is a casing as a hollow member, and includes a case main body 14A and a cover 14B. The electronic components and the like in the case 14 are not shown. The case 14 is made of, for example, resin. One side of the case body 14A, that is, the vibrator unit 16 side forms an opening, and a cover 14B is attached thereto. The cover 14B has a central opening, into which the vibrator unit 16 is fitted.

  The transducer unit 16 includes an array transducer, a plurality of matching layers, an acoustic lens, and the like. The structure of the vibrator unit 16 is not shown. The array transducer is composed of a plurality of vibration elements arranged on a straight line. In response to this, a plurality of transmission signals are supplied, whereby a transmission beam is formed. At the time of reception, the reflected sound from the living body is received by the plurality of vibration elements, thereby generating a plurality of reception signals. In this embodiment, an electronic linear scanning method is applied as an ultrasonic beam electronic scanning method. Other electronic scanning methods such as an electronic sector scanning method may be applied. It is also possible to form a convex probe by arranging a plurality of vibration elements in an arc shape.

  An opening 18 through which the cable is inserted is formed at the other end of the case body 14A. With reference to the opening 18, reference numeral 100 indicates an inner direction, and reference numeral 102 indicates an outer direction. The opening 18 is provided at the end of the case main body 14A on the outer direction 102 side. As shown in FIG. 1, the opening 18 is composed of a small diameter portion 18B and a large diameter portion 18A. That is, the opening 18 has a step structure.

  A holding member 20 is provided in the opening 18 so as to penetrate therethrough. The holding member 20 is made of, for example, a silicone material or a resin material. The holding member 20 has a through hole 20 </ b> A through which the end of the cable 12 is inserted. The interface 104 is between the inner surface of the through hole 20A and the outer surface of the cable 12, and an adhesive is introduced there. That is, the adhesive action is exhibited over substantially the entire interface 104. The surface layer (outer skin) of the cable 12 is made of, for example, a silicone material or a resin material, and the adhesive is made of, for example, a silicone adhesive. Thus, by forming the surface layer of the cable 12, the holding member 20, and the adhesive with the same material, it is possible to increase the adhesive force between them.

  The holding member 20 is roughly divided into an intermediate portion 22, an outer sleeve 24, and an inner sleeve 26. The intermediate portion 22 has a step shape that matches the step structure of the opening 18. An adhesive is introduced between the opening 18 and the intermediate portion 22 so that they are integrally coupled. The outer sleeve 24 has a configuration extending in the outer direction 102, which has a generally conical configuration that tapers toward the outer direction 102. That is, the thickness of the outer sleeve 24 around the cable 12 gradually decreases as the outer direction 102 increases. The inner sleeve 26 also has a generally conical shape that tapers in the inward direction 100. That is, the thickness of the inner sleeve 26 is continuously reduced as it moves away from the opening 18 in the inward direction 100. In particular, the tip portion 26A has a substantially conical shape. The conical shape is formed around the through hole 20A. Reference numeral 26B denotes a proximal end portion of the inner sleeve. In the inner sleeve 26, a conical shape is formed over the entire portion from the distal end portion 26A to the proximal end portion 26B.

  When the holding member 20 and the cable 12 are arranged with respect to the case 14, for example, an adhesive may be introduced into a portion indicated by reference numeral 106. That is, a mold layer may be formed on a part of the case 14 on the outer direction 102 side. If the mold layer is formed, the periphery of the base end portion 26B is maintained, and the portion can be structurally strengthened. Even when the mold layer is formed, at least the tip portion 26A is exposed, and deformation (described later) in that portion is not hindered. Since the inner sleeve 26 is continuously thinned from the proximal end side to the distal end thereof as described above, the inner sleeve 26 is more easily deformed as it gets closer to the distal end.

  In the present embodiment, the holding member 20 is configured as an integral member. That is, the whole from the inner sleeve 26 to the outer sleeve 24 is constituted by a single member. However, it may be configured by a plurality of parts, that is, a plurality of members. However, it is desirable that at least the inner sleeve 26 is formed of a single member. It is desirable to be composed of a flexible or elastic silicone-based material or resin-based material, whereby the inner sleeve 26, particularly the tip portion 26A, can be deformed naturally and smoothly. If necessary, a metal fitting for fixing the cable 12 can be provided inside the case 14. In the present embodiment, such a metal fitting is not provided, and the cable 12 is securely and firmly held by the action of the holding member 20.

  FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the head 10, that is, a perspective view of the holding member 20. As described above, the holding member 20 includes the intermediate portion 22, the outer sleeve 24 provided on one side thereof, and the inner sleeve 26 provided on the other side of the intermediate portion 22. The holding member 20 has a through hole, and the cable 20 is inserted therethrough.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows the operation of the holding member 20. In FIG. 3, the tensile force 107 is exerted on the cable 12, and the deformation of the inner sleeve 26 resulting therefrom is shown exaggeratedly. This will be specifically described below.

  When the tensile force 107 is generated on the cable 12, the tensile force is applied to the holding member 20 integrated with the cable 12 through the adhesive, and the holding member 20, particularly the portion around the through-hole, is external. Attempts to deform toward the direction 102 side. At that time, the distal end portion 26A of the inner sleeve 26 is particularly easily deformed. Since the inner sleeve 26 is bonded to the surface of the cable 12 and the thickness thereof is thinner, the inner sleeve 26 is more easily deformed. Therefore, the portion on the distal end side of the distal end portion 26A is more easily deformed. As the cable 12 is pulled, the tip portion 26A tends to be crushed to the inner side (cable center axis side) even though it is very small. It can also be understood as a buckling phenomenon or an internal entanglement deformation phenomenon. Such an inward deformation is indicated at 108. Due to such deformation, a part of the cable 12 is locally crushed, that is, a state in which the diameter is locally reduced is formed. It is considered that as the tensile force 107 is increased, the deformation is increased, that is, the force for locally pressing and holding the cable 12 is increased. Accordingly, it is possible to exert a sufficient holding action against such a tensile force 107 while having a simple configuration. The through hole itself has the same diameter along the cable axial direction in its original shape, but as described above, when a tensile force acts on the cable, in the inner sleeve 26 having a conical shape, A deforming action for narrowing the lumen is developed, thereby increasing the holding force. Note that the outer sleeve 24 expands and deforms with respect to such a tensile force, and the holding member 20 as a whole exhibits an action of absorbing the tensile force.

  Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the need for fixing the cable with the metal fitting. Incidentally, the force generated by the bending movement or the swinging movement of the cable 12 is sufficiently absorbed by the outer sleeve 24. That is, local stress is prevented from occurring in the cable 12. Further, it is possible to prevent the force due to such a bending motion or the like from being applied directly to the inner sleeve 26. As a result, it is considered that the tensile force 107 is dominant as the force acting on the inner sleeve 26. Therefore, if the outer sleeve 24 is formed in a large size with respect to the inner sleeve 26, the inner sleeve 26 can reliably exhibit its original action against the tensile force 107.

  As described above, according to the ultrasonic probe according to the present embodiment, a small and simple holding structure can be realized while protecting the cable as necessary. In particular, it is possible to realize a rational structure that can increase the holding force according to the tensile force of the cable.

10 heads, 12 cables, 14 cases, 18 openings, 20 holding members, 22 intermediate parts, 24 outer sleeves, 26 inner sleeves, 26A distal end parts, 26B proximal end parts.

Claims (6)

A housing having an opening;
A cable holding member that is attached to the opening and has a through-hole through which the cable is inserted, and holds the cable;
Including
The cable holding member is
An inner sleeve extending inward from the opening into the housing;
An outer sleeve extending in an outward direction opposite to the inward direction from the opening;
With
An adhesive is provided between the inner surface of the through hole and the outer surface of the cable,
At least the tip portion of the inner sleeve has a conical shape in which the thickness around the cable is continuously reduced in the inward direction,
An ultrasonic probe characterized by that. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1,
When a tensile force in the outward direction is generated with respect to the cable, as a result of the tip portion being dragged by the cable inside the cable and trying to deform toward the inside, the holding force there increases. The inner sleeve is formed,
An ultrasonic probe characterized by that. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 2,
Substantially the entire inner sleeve has a conical shape;
An ultrasonic probe characterized by that. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3,
A substantial entirety of the outer sleeve has a conical configuration facing the outward direction;
The conical shape of the outer sleeve is larger in the cable axial direction and the cable radial direction than the conical shape of the inner sleeve,
An ultrasonic probe characterized by that. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1,
The inner sleeve and the surface layer of the cable are made of rubber material or resin material,
An ultrasonic probe characterized by that. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1,
An adhesive filling layer is formed in the housing and around at least a root portion of the inner sleeve,
An ultrasonic probe characterized by that.

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