JP2016165410A - Ultrasonic observation system, and ultrasonic probe type determination method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic observation system capable of accurately recognizing a type of an ultrasonic probe, and a type determination method of the ultrasonic probe.SOLUTION: An ultrasonic probe 11 includes an ultrasonic transducer 15. A rotation drive part 32 rotates the ultrasonic transducer 15. A photosensor 62 reads an identification code 60 provided to the ultrasonic probe 11. A rotation encoder 44 detects the number of rotations of a rotation mechanism 34 for rotating the ultrasonic transducer 15. A type determination part 66 determines the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 based on the identification code 60 detected by the photosensor 62, and the number of rotations of the rotation mechanism 34 detected by the rotation encoder 44.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic observation system using an ultrasonic probe having a micro ultrasonic transducer mounted on a tip portion and a method for determining the type of an ultrasonic probe.

  In the medical field, ultrasonic observation systems that radiate ultrasonic pulses from an ultrasonic transducer into a living body and obtain various biological information from echoes emitted from the living body are widely used. In recent years, an ultrasonic diagnosis for respiratory organs such as digestive organs and lungs has been performed by using an ultrasonic observation system and an endoscope system in combination. Specifically, an ultrasonic probe having a micro ultrasonic transducer mounted on the distal end portion is inserted into a forceps channel of the endoscope, and the ultrasonic transducer is protruded from the distal end portion of the endoscope. In this state, an ultrasonic transducer is brought into contact with an observation target such as a digestive organ or respiratory system to emit an ultrasonic wave, and an echo signal is received from the observation target, thereby obtaining a tomographic image of the observation target. ing.

  In the diagnosis using the ultrasonic probe as described above, an ultrasonic probe having a different frequency or the like is used depending on the observation object and the purpose of the diagnosis. For example, when examining the depth of the lesion in the stomach, a high-frequency ultrasonic probe with an ultrasonic frequency of 20.30 MHz is used to observe the gastric mucosa with high resolution. On the other hand, when observing the pancreas, gallbladder, etc., since it is necessary to observe through the stomach wall, a low-frequency ultrasonic probe having a deep depth such as 7.5 MHz is used.

  Therefore, when performing a depth-of-depth diagnosis of a lesion using an ultrasonic probe, it is necessary to attach an ultrasonic probe suitable for the observation target and the purpose of diagnosis. In this regard, as in Patent Document 1, by identifying the type of the ultrasonic probe with the identification code provided on the ultrasonic probe, whether the mounted ultrasonic probe is suitable for the observation target or the purpose of diagnosis. A method of confirming this can be considered.

JP 2001-137246 A

  In Patent Document 1, an identification code provided on an ultrasonic probe is read by an optical means such as a photosensor. However, there are cases where the identification code cannot be read accurately due to various factors such as contamination of the identification code. In this case, the diagnosis is performed with the ultrasonic probe that is not suitable for the object to be observed or the purpose of diagnosis, causing a problem. Therefore, when the ultrasonic probe is attached to the ultrasonic processor device, it is required that the ultrasonic processor device side accurately recognizes the type of the attached ultrasonic probe.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic observation system and an ultrasonic probe type determination method capable of accurately recognizing the type of an ultrasonic probe.

  An ultrasonic observation system of the present invention includes an ultrasonic probe having an ultrasonic transducer, a rotation driving unit that rotates the ultrasonic transducer, a first detection unit that detects identification information provided in the ultrasonic probe, A second detection unit that detects at least one of a driving state of the ultrasonic transducer or a driving state of the rotation driving unit, identification information detected by the first detection unit, and a driving state of the ultrasonic transducer detected by the second detection unit Alternatively, a type determining unit that determines the type of the ultrasonic probe based on the driving state of the rotation driving unit is provided.

  The type determination unit determines the type of the ultrasonic probe from the identification information detected by the first detection unit, and detects the ultrasonic wave from the driving state of the ultrasonic transducer or the driving state of the rotation driving unit detected by the second detection unit. The type of the probe is determined, and an indication regarding the type of the ultrasonic probe is displayed on the display unit based on the type determination result of the ultrasonic probe based on the first detection unit and the type determination result of the ultrasonic probe based on the second detection unit. Control is preferably performed. The type determination unit controls to display a warning display on the display unit when the type determination result of the ultrasonic probe based on the first detection unit and the type determination result of the ultrasonic probe based on the second detection unit do not match. It is preferable to do.

  There are a plurality of second detection units, the type determination unit determines the type of the ultrasonic probe from the identification information detected by the first detection unit, and the driving state or rotation of the ultrasonic transducer detected by the second detection unit The type of the ultrasonic probe is determined from the driving state of the driving unit, and the type of the ultrasonic probe type determination result based on the first detection unit and the plurality of ultrasonic probe type determination results based on the plurality of second detection units are specified. If the number determined to be the same type is greater than the number determined to be another type different from the specific type, a confirmation display that prompts you to check whether the specific type matches is displayed It is preferable to control the display so as to be displayed. The type determination unit includes two or more specific types or other types, or the type determination result of the ultrasonic probe based on the first detection unit and the type determination of the plurality of ultrasonic probes based on the plurality of second detection units. When there are three types of results, it is preferable to perform control so as to display a warning.

  The type determination unit performs the first detection when all the type detection results based on the second detection unit match and the type detection result based on the first detection unit is different from the type detection result based on the first detection unit. It is preferable to perform control so that guidance for prompting cleaning of the part is displayed on the display part.

  It is preferable to have a deterioration determination unit that determines the deterioration state of the ultrasonic probe from the drive state of the rotation drive unit detected by the second detection unit. The second detection unit preferably includes a rotation number detection unit that detects the rotation number of a rotation mechanism for rotating the ultrasonic transducer. The second detection unit preferably includes a rotation drive current value detection unit that detects a current value of a rotation drive current for rotating the ultrasonic transducer. The second detection unit preferably includes a transducer current value detection unit that detects a current value of a transducer current for driving the ultrasonic transducer.

  In the ultrasonic probe type determining method of the present invention, the first detection unit detects the identification information provided in the ultrasonic probe, and the second detection unit is an ultrasonic transducer provided in the ultrasonic probe. Detecting at least one of the driving state of the first rotation state or the driving state of the rotation driving unit that rotates the ultrasonic transducer, and the identification information detected by the first detection unit and the ultrasonic wave detected by the second detection unit by the type determination unit And determining the type of the ultrasonic probe based on the driving state of the vibrator or the driving state of the rotation driving unit.

  According to the present invention, the type of ultrasonic probe can be accurately recognized.

It is an external view which shows an ultrasonic observation system and an endoscope system. It is a block diagram which shows the function of the ultrasonic observation system of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows a series of flows of the ultrasonic probe type determination in 1st Embodiment. It is a table | surface which shows the type determination result in the type determination part in 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the function of the ultrasonic observation system of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows a series of flows of the ultrasonic probe type determination in 2nd Embodiment. It is a table | surface which shows the type determination result in the type determination part in 2nd Embodiment. It is an image figure of the monitor which shows the guidance which urges cleaning. It is an image figure of the monitor which shows the warning display showing the reading error of an identification code. It is a block diagram which shows the function of an ultrasonic observation system provided with a degradation determination part.

[First Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasound observation system 10 according to the first embodiment includes an ultrasound probe 11, a scanner 12, an ultrasound processor device 13, a monitor 18, and a keyboard 19. The ultrasonic observation system 10 is used in combination with the endoscope system 21. The endoscope system 21 includes an endoscope 22, an endoscope light source device 24 that emits light to be irradiated on an observation target, an endoscope processor device 26 that generates an endoscope image, and an endoscope processor device 26. And a monitor 18 used in common with the ultrasound observation system 10.

  The ultrasonic probe 11 is a probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves by a mechanical radial scanning method. An ultrasonic transducer 15 is provided at the distal end portion 11 a of the ultrasonic probe 11, and a connector 16 is provided at the other proximal end portion. The connector 16 is detachably attached to the scanner 12 that relays between the ultrasonic processor device 13. When the ultrasonic probe 11 is used, the ultrasonic probe 11 is inserted into the treatment instrument channel 22 a provided in the endoscope 22 and protrudes from the distal end of the endoscope 22. In this state, the distal end portion 11a of the ultrasonic probe 11 is brought into contact with the observation target, and ultrasonic waves are emitted from the ultrasonic transducer 15 provided at the distal end portion 11a to the observation target. The echo from the observation target from which the ultrasonic wave is radiated is received by the ultrasonic transducer 15 as an echo signal.

  The ultrasonic probe 11 and the insertion portion 22b of the endoscope are flexible. Therefore, the ultrasonic probe 11 is also bent in accordance with the bending of the insertion portion 22b of the endoscope. Further, when the orientation of the distal end of the insertion portion 22b is changed by operating the angle knob 22c, the orientation of the distal end portion 11a of the ultrasonic probe 11 protruding from the distal end of the insertion portion 22b also changes.

  The ultrasonic processor device 13 performs various kinds of image processing on the echo signal from the ultrasonic probe 11 to generate an ultrasonic image. The generated ultrasonic image is displayed on a monitor 18 connected to the ultrasonic processor device 13. In addition to the ultrasonic image, the monitor 18 displays in parallel the endoscope image generated by the endoscope processor device 26 by a PinP (Picture In Picture) function. In addition, a keyboard 19 is connected to the ultrasonic processor device 13, and the keyboard 19 is used as a user interface for performing function settings for the ultrasonic processor device 13.

  Next, driving of the ultrasonic transducer 15, transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves by the ultrasonic transducer 15, and type determination of the ultrasonic probe 11 will be described. First, driving of the ultrasonic transducer 15 will be described below. As shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonic transducer 15 rotates at the distal end portion 11 a of the ultrasonic probe 11. The ultrasonic transducer 15 is attached to the flexible shaft 30 via a base (not shown). The flexible shaft 30 has flexibility and is formed in a coil spring shape. The flexible shaft 30 is attached to a rotation driving unit 32 provided in the scanner 12, and the rotation driving unit 32 rotates the ultrasonic transducer 15 by rotating the flexible shaft 30.

  The rotation drive unit 32 includes a rotation mechanism 34 attached to the flexible shaft 30 and a motor 36 that applies a rotation driving force to the rotation mechanism 34. The motor 36 is connected to a central control circuit 40 provided in the ultrasonic processor device 13. The central control circuit 40 causes a current of a predetermined value to flow from the motor current output unit 42 to the motor 36 in order to cause the motor 36 to generate a rotational driving force. The rotation mechanism 34 is attached with a rotation encoder 44 (corresponding to the “rotation number detection unit” of the present invention) for measuring the rotation number of the rotation mechanism 34, that is, the rotation number of the ultrasonic transducer. The rotational speed measured by the rotary encoder 44 is input to the rotational speed input unit 46 of the central control circuit 40. The rotary encoder 44 may measure a rotational position, a rotational speed, etc. in addition to the rotational speed.

  Next, transmission / reception of the ultrasonic transducer 15 will be described below. The ultrasonic transducer 15 is connected to a pulse signal output unit 48 and an echo signal receiving unit 54 in the ultrasonic processor device 13 via an ultrasonic video transformer 52 provided in the scanner 12. In the ultrasonic processor device 13, a switching unit 50 is provided between the ultrasonic video transformer 52 and the pulse signal output unit 48, and a switching unit is provided between the ultrasonic video transformer 52 and the echo signal receiving unit 54. 51 is provided.

  When the switching unit 50 is turned on, the pulse signal output unit 48 and the ultrasonic video transformer 52 are connected, and when the switching unit 50 is turned off, the pulse signal output unit 48 and the ultrasonic video transformer 52 are not connected. Put it in a state. Similarly, when the switching unit 51 is turned on, the echo signal receiving unit 54 and the ultrasonic video transformer 52 are connected to each other, and when the switching unit 51 is turned off, the switching between the echo signal receiving unit 54 and the ultrasonic video transformer 52 is performed. The connection between them is disconnected. The ON / OFF control of these switching units 50 and 51 is controlled by the central control circuit 40.

  When the ultrasonic wave is emitted from the ultrasonic transducer 15 toward the observation target, the switching unit 50 is turned on to bring the pulse signal output unit 48 and the ultrasonic video transformer 52 into a connected state. The switching unit 51 is turned OFF, and the echo signal receiving unit 54 and the ultrasonic video transformer 52 are disconnected. In this state, the pulse signal output unit 48 transmits a pulse signal of several tens of nanoseconds to several hundreds of nanoseconds to the ultrasonic transducer 15. Immediately after the transmission of the pulse signal, the switching unit 51 is switched OFF while the switching unit 51 is switched ON.

  By switching the switching units 50 and 51 between ON and OFF, the pulse signal output unit 48 and the ultrasonic video transformer 52 are switched to a non-connected state, and the echo signal receiving unit 54 and the ultrasonic video transformer 52 are switched to each other. Switches to a connected state. In this state, the ultrasonic video transformer 52 receives the echo signal from the ultrasonic transducer 15. The ultrasonic video transformer 52 performs noise removal processing on the echo signal received from the ultrasonic transducer 15. The echo signal from which noise has been removed is received by the echo signal receiver 54. An ultrasound image is displayed on the monitor 18 based on the echo signal received by the echo signal receiving unit 54.

  Next, the type determination of the ultrasonic probe 11 will be described below. The type determination of the ultrasonic probe 11 is automatically performed when the ultrasonic probe 11 is attached to the scanner 12. In the first embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 3, an identification code 60 (corresponding to “identification information” of the present invention) provided on the connector 16 of the ultrasonic probe 11 is attached to a photosensor 62 (of the present invention). (Corresponding to “first detector”). The identification code 60 represents the type with 4 bits, such as white and black marks. The result of reading by the photosensor 62 is sent to the type determination unit 66 via the sensor signal input unit 64. The type determination unit 66 determines the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 based on the identification code 60.

  If the identification code 60 is “0000”, the type determination unit 66 determines “no probe”. When the identification code 60 is “0001”, it is determined as “probe A”. When the identification code 60 is “0010”, it is determined as “probe B”. When the identification code 60 is “1111”, it is determined as “error”.

  In the first embodiment, in addition to the type determination based on the identification code 60, the type determination is performed from the number of rotations of the rotating mechanism 34 that rotates the ultrasonic transducer 15. For this type determination, a motor test operation for driving the motor 36 is performed for a short time. The rotational speed of the rotating mechanism 34 rotated during the motor test operation is detected by the rotary encoder 44, and the type determination unit 66 determines the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 from the detected rotational speed of the rotating mechanism 34.

  Here, when the number of rotations detected by the rotary encoder 44 is greater than X1, it is determined that the probe 11 is not attached without the ultrasonic probe 11. This is because the rotation mechanism 34 is not loaded unless the ultrasonic probe 11 is attached. If the rotation speed detected by the rotary encoder 44 is between X1 and X2 (<X1), the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 is determined as “probe A”. Further, when the rotational speed detected by the rotary encoder 44 is between X2 and X3 (<X2), the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 is “probe A” whose frequency is different from “probe A”. Is determined. And when the rotation speed detected by the rotary encoder 44 is lower than X3, it is determined as “error”. The rotation speed is represented by “rpm (rotation per minute)”, for example, X1 is 1800 rpm, X2 is 1700 rpm, and X3 is 1600 rpm.

  If the type determination result based on the identification code 60 matches the type determination result based on the rotation speed, the type determination unit 66 determines the matching type as the type of the ultrasound probe 11. The determined type is displayed on the monitor 18. On the other hand, if the type determination result based on the identification code 60 does not match the type determination result based on the rotation speed, the type determination unit 66 determines “error” and stops driving the ultrasonic probe 11. Further, a warning display for notifying that the type detection error has occurred is displayed on the monitor 18. If it is determined as “error”, the user may confirm the type sticker attached to the ultrasonic probe 11 and then input the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 using the keyboard 19 or the like. preferable.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the type detection result of the photosensor 62 (shown as “sensor detection” in FIG. 4) is “no probe”, and the type detection result based on the rotation speed (“rotation speed” in FIG. 4). If “detection” is also “no probe”, it is determined as “no probe”. Similarly, when the sensor detection is “probe A” and the rotation speed detection is “probe A”, the determination is made with “probe A”. When the sensor detection is “probe B” and the rotation speed detection is “probe B”, the determination is made with “probe B”. If the sensor detection is “error” and the rotation speed detection is “error”, the determination is made with “error”.

  On the other hand, when the sensor detection is “probe A” and the rotation speed detection is “probe B”, it is determined as “error”. On the contrary, when the sensor detection is “probe B” and the rotation speed detection is “probe A”, it is also determined as “error”. When the type determination is performed only by the photosensor 62, if the type is erroneously determined due to dirt on the identification code 60, the diagnosis is performed with the wrong ultrasonic probe 11 as it is. End up. On the other hand, not only the photosensor 62 but also the type determination is performed based on the number of rotations, and if the type determination results are different from each other, it is temporarily detected by the photosensor 62 by determining “error”. If the selected type is wrong, the diagnosis with the wrong ultrasonic probe 11 is not performed.

[Second Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, for the type determination of the ultrasonic probe 11, in addition to the type determination by the photosensor 62 and the type determination based on the rotation speed, the type determination is performed based on the motor current value applied to the motor 36, and the ultrasonic wave The type is determined based on the ultrasonic current value for driving the transducer 15.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the second embodiment, a motor current that detects a motor current value (corresponding to “current value of rotational drive current” of the present invention) between the motor 36 and the motor current output unit 42. A detection unit 70 (corresponding to the “rotation drive current value detection unit” of the present invention) is provided. The motor current value detected by the motor current detection unit 70 is input to the type determination unit 66 via the motor current input unit 71. The type determination unit 66 determines the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 based on the input motor current value. Further, between the ultrasonic video transformer 52 and the echo signal receiving unit 54, an ultrasonic current value (corresponding to the “current value of the current for the transducer”) of the ultrasonic transducer 15 is detected. The ultrasonic current detecting unit 72 (corresponding to the “vibrator current value detecting unit” of the present invention) is provided. The ultrasonic current value detected by the ultrasonic current detection unit 72 is analog-digital converted by an A / D (Analog / Digital) 73 and then input to the type determination unit 66. The type determination unit 66 determines the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 based on the input ultrasonic current value.

  In the second embodiment, the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 is determined along the flow shown in FIG. First, as in the first embodiment, when the ultrasonic probe 11 is attached to the scanner 12, the type determination based on the identification code 60 is performed, and the motor test operation is performed to perform the type determination based on the rotation speed of the rotation mechanism 34. Do. Next, the motor current detection unit 70 detects the motor current value flowing through the motor 36 during the motor test operation. The type determination unit 66 determines the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 based on the detected motor current value. When the motor current value is approximately “0”, it is determined that “no probe”. This is because the motor current value is related to the load applied to the motor 36, and when the ultrasonic probe 11 is not attached, the motor 36 has almost no load.

  When the motor current value is between Y1 and Y2 (> Y1), the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 is determined as “probe A”. When the motor current value is between Y2 and Y3 (> Y2), the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 is determined as “probe B”. When the motor current value is Y4 (> Y3) or more, it is determined as “error”. The motor current value is represented by A (ampere). For example, Y1 is 0.1A, Y2 is 0.3A, Y3 is 0.5A, and Y4 is 0.6A.

  Next, for a short time, a pulse signal is sent to the ultrasonic transducer 15 to perform an ultrasonic test operation for driving the ultrasonic transducer 15. The ultrasonic current detector 72 detects the ultrasonic current value that has flowed to the ultrasonic transducer 15 during the ultrasonic test operation. The type determination unit 66 determines the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 based on the detected ultrasonic current value. When the ultrasonic current value is approximately “0”, it is determined that “no probe”. When the ultrasonic current value is between Z1 and Z2 (> Z1), the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 is determined as “probe A”. When the ultrasonic current value is between Z2 and Z3 (> Z2), the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 is determined as “probe B”. If the ultrasonic current value is equal to or greater than Z4 (> Z3), it is determined as “error”. The ultrasonic current value is represented by A (ampere). For example, Z1 is 0.1 A, Z2 is 0.3 A, Z3 is 0.5 A, and Z4 is 0.6 A.

  If the type determination result based on the identification code, the type determination result based on the rotation speed, the type determination result based on the motor current value, and the type determination result based on the ultrasonic current value all match, the type determination unit 66 The matched type is determined as the type of the ultrasonic probe 11. The determined type is displayed on the monitor 18.

  On the other hand, the type determination unit 66 is a specific type among the type determination result based on the identification code, the type determination result based on the rotation speed, the type determination result based on the motor current value, and the type determination result based on the ultrasonic current value. If the number determined to be three is one and the number determined to be other than the specific type is one, it is determined that “confirmation is necessary”, and whether the specific type matches A confirmation display that prompts the user to confirm whether or not is displayed on the monitor 18. By performing such confirmation display, the user can notice that the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 may be wrong. As a result, the user does not make a diagnosis with the wrong ultrasonic probe 11 as it is. When it is determined that “confirmation is necessary”, it is preferable that the user visually confirms the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 and the user inputs the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 as in the first embodiment.

  When there are two specific types or two other types, the type determination unit determines “error” and stops driving the ultrasonic probe 11. Further, a warning display indicating a type determination error is displayed on the monitor 18. If there are three types of type determination results, it is determined as “error” and the driving of the ultrasonic probe 11 is stopped. Also in this case, a warning display indicating a type determination error is displayed on the monitor 18. By performing the warning display as described above, the user can notice that the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 may be wrong. As a result, the user does not make a diagnosis with the wrong ultrasonic probe 11 as it is. When it is determined as “error”, it is preferable that the user inputs the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 as in the first embodiment.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the type detection result of the photo sensor 62 (displayed as “sensor detection” in FIG. 7), the type detection result based on the motor current value (displayed as “motor current detection” in FIG. 7), The type detection result based on the rotational speed (displayed as “rotational speed detection” in FIG. 7) and the type detection result based on the ultrasonic current value (displayed as “ultrasonic current detection” in FIG. 7) are all “no probe”. In this case, it is determined as “no probe”. Similarly, sensor detection, motor current detection, rotation speed detection, and ultrasonic current detection are all determined as “probe A” if “probe A”, and “probe B” if “probe B”. If it is “error”, it is confirmed with “error”.

  When the sensor detection, the motor current value detection, and the rotation speed detection are determined to be “probe A”, but only the ultrasonic detection is determined to be “probe B”, the type determination unit 66 performs “confirmation”. It is determined as “necessary”, and a confirmation display for prompting to confirm whether or not the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 is “probe A” is displayed. In addition, when the motor current value detection, the rotation speed detection, and the ultrasonic detection are determined to be “probe A”, but only the sensor detection is determined to be “probe B”, the type determination unit 66 performs “confirmation”. It is determined as “necessary”, and a confirmation display for prompting to confirm whether or not the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 matches “probe B” is displayed.

  If the sensor detection and motor current detection are determined as “probe A” and the rotation speed detection and ultrasonic current detection are determined as “probe B”, the type determination unit 66 determines “error”. When the sensor detection and the motor current detection are determined as “probe B” and the rotation speed detection and the ultrasonic current detection are determined as “probe A”, the type determination unit 66 determines “error”. Furthermore, when the sensor detection and ultrasonic detection are determined as “probe A”, the motor current detection is determined as “probe B”, and the rotation speed detection is determined as “error”, the type determination unit determines “error”. Is determined.

  In the second embodiment, the type determination result based on the motor current value, the type determination result based on the rotation speed, and the type determination result based on the ultrasonic current value all match, while these three types of type determination result. Is different from the type determination result based on the photosensor 62, the reading of the identification code 60 by the photosensor 62 is considered to be defective. Therefore, as shown in FIG. It is preferable that guidance for prompting cleaning is displayed on the monitor 18.

  In the first or second embodiment, when the type determination result based on the photosensor 62 is “error”, the monitor 18 indicates that the reading of the identification code 60 is defective as shown in FIG. Is preferably displayed. Similarly, when the type determination result based on the motor current value or the type determination result based on the rotation speed is “error”, it is preferable to display on the monitor 18 that the rotation drive unit 32 is defective. Further, when the type determination result based on the ultrasonic current value is “error”, it is preferable to display on the monitor 18 that the driving of the ultrasonic transducer 15 is defective.

  In the first and second embodiments, the deterioration determination of the ultrasonic probe 11 may be performed based on the rotation speed of the rotation mechanism 34 detected by the rotary encoder 44. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, the central control circuit 40 is provided with a deterioration determination unit 80 for determining deterioration of the ultrasonic probe 11. The deterioration determination unit 80 sets an initial value for the rotation speed of the rotation mechanism 34 in advance, and determines whether the rotation speed detected by the rotary encoder 44 is within a certain range from the initial value. When it is within a certain range from the initial value, it is determined that the ultrasound probe 11 is normal, and when it is not within the certain range, it is determined that the ultrasound probe 11 is deteriorated. The result of the deterioration determination is displayed on the monitor 18.

  In the first and second embodiments, the identification code 60 is read by the photo sensor 62 and the type of the ultrasonic probe 11 is determined. Instead, the connector 16 of the ultrasonic probe 11 is identified. An identification unit (corresponding to “identification information” of the present invention) corresponding to the code is provided, and when the ultrasonic probe 11 is attached to the scanner 12, the identification unit of the ultrasonic probe 11 is connected to the micro The type of the ultrasonic probe may be determined by detecting with a switch (corresponding to the “first detection unit” of the present invention).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ultrasonic observation system 11 Ultrasonic probe 15 Ultrasonic transducer 32 Rotation drive part 34 Rotation mechanism 44 Rotation encoder (2nd detection part)
60 Identification code (identification information)
62 Photosensor (first detector)
66 Type determination unit 70 Motor current detection unit (second detection unit)
72 Ultrasonic current detector (second detector)
80 Degradation judgment unit

Claims (11)

An ultrasonic probe having an ultrasonic transducer;
A rotation drive unit for rotating the ultrasonic transducer;
A first detector for detecting identification information provided in the ultrasonic probe;
A second detection unit for detecting at least one of a driving state of the ultrasonic transducer or a driving state of the rotation driving unit;
Type determination for determining the type of the ultrasonic probe based on the identification information detected by the first detection unit and the driving state of the ultrasonic transducer or the driving state of the rotation driving unit detected by the second detection unit Ultrasound observation system comprising a unit. The type determination unit
The type of the ultrasonic probe is determined from the identification information detected by the first detection unit, and the supersonic wave is detected from the driving state of the ultrasonic transducer or the driving state of the rotation driving unit detected by the second detection unit. Determine the type of acoustic probe,
Based on the ultrasonic probe type determination result based on the first detection unit and the ultrasonic probe type determination result based on the second detection unit, display related to the ultrasonic probe type is performed on the display unit. The ultrasonic observation system according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic observation system is controlled.   The type determination unit displays a warning display on the display unit when the type determination result of the ultrasonic probe based on the first detection unit and the type determination result of the ultrasonic probe based on the second detection unit do not match. The ultrasonic observation system according to claim 2, wherein the ultrasonic observation system is controlled to display. There are a plurality of the second detection units,
The type determination unit
The type of the ultrasonic probe is determined from the identification information detected by the first detection unit, and the supersonic wave is detected from the driving state of the ultrasonic transducer or the driving state of the rotation driving unit detected by the second detection unit. Determine the type of acoustic probe,
Among the ultrasonic probe type determination result based on the first detection unit and the plurality of ultrasonic probe type determination results based on the plurality of second detection units, the number determined to be a specific type is The control is performed so that a confirmation display for prompting confirmation of whether or not the specific type is correct is displayed on the display unit when the number is determined to be another type different from the specific type. 1. The ultrasonic observation system according to 1.   When there are two or more of the specific type or the other type, the type determination unit, or a plurality of types of the ultrasonic probe type determination result based on the first detection unit and a plurality of the second detection units The ultrasonic observation system according to claim 4, wherein when there are three types of ultrasonic probe type determination results, control is performed so as to display a warning.   In the case where the type detection results based on the second detection unit all match, and the type detection result based on the first detection unit is different from the type detection result based on the first detection unit The ultrasonic observation system according to claim 4, wherein guidance for prompting cleaning of the first detection unit is controlled to be displayed on the display unit.   The ultrasonic observation system according to claim 1, further comprising a deterioration determination unit that determines a deterioration state of the ultrasonic probe from a driving state of the rotation driving unit detected by the second detection unit.   The ultrasound observation system according to claim 1, wherein the second detection unit includes a rotation number detection unit that detects a rotation number of a rotation mechanism for rotating the ultrasonic transducer.   The ultrasonic observation according to claim 1, wherein the second detection unit includes a rotation drive current value detection unit that detects a current value of a rotation drive current for rotating the ultrasonic transducer. system.   The ultrasonic observation according to claim 1, wherein the second detection unit includes a transducer current value detection unit that detects a current value of a transducer current for driving the ultrasonic transducer. system. A first detection unit detecting identification information provided on the ultrasonic probe;
A second detecting unit detecting at least one of a driving state of an ultrasonic transducer provided in the ultrasonic probe or a driving state of a rotation driving unit that rotates the ultrasonic transducer;
The type of the ultrasonic probe based on the identification information detected by the first detection unit and the driving state of the ultrasonic transducer or the driving state of the rotation driving unit detected by the second detection unit. And determining the type of ultrasonic probe.

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