JP2023023139A - Probe cover body and ultrasound diagnostic apparatus with cover - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a probe cover body for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus which has high adhesion to a probe or a flat body surface and is capable of improving measurement accuracy, and an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus with a cover.SOLUTION: A probe cover body 22 covering a probe 12 in an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 2 provided with a casing 11 and the probe 12 includes: a bracket 23 which is installed to the casing 11 and has an opening 31a facing the probe 12 in the state that the same is installed to the casing 11; and a flexible cover film 24 supported by the bracket 23 and covering an opening 31a. In the cover film 24, 50% modulus value in a longitudinal direction in a test piece whose thickness is between 60 μm and 10 μm, whose width is 15 mm and whose length is 40 mm is 10 MPa or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a probe cover body that covers a probe of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and a covered ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that is covered with the probe cover.

2. Description of the Related Art As an apparatus for visualizing the inside of a patient's body, for example, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a casing that accommodates a probe and a monitor capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves. This ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is used by applying a probe to the epidermis of a portion to be visualized (that is, a portion to be inspected), and ultrasonic waves are oscillated from the probe. The oscillated ultrasonic waves are reflected by the subject, and the reflected waves are received by the probe. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus performs image processing based on the received reflected waves, and an image obtained by the image processing, that is, a cross section of the subject is displayed on a monitor.

JP 2018-175548 A

In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of Patent Document 1, the probe is covered with an elastic gel-like cover. Since such a gel-like cover has a relatively large thickness dimension and flexibility in the thickness direction, it not only has good adhesion to the probe, but also has good adhesion to the uneven body surface. It has the advantage of being On the other hand, when the subject is imaged through a flat body surface, if the force with which the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is pressed against the body surface is not constant during measurement, the thickness of the gel-like cover will change, and the probe and the subject will be separated from each other. distance will change. Therefore, there is still room for improvement in measurement accuracy.

Therefore, the present invention provides a probe cover body for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus with a cover, which have high adhesion to a probe and a flat body surface and can improve measurement accuracy. With the goal.

The probe cover body according to the present invention is an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising a casing, and a probe having a sensor arranged at one end of the casing in a predetermined direction and receiving ultrasonic waves reflected by a part to be inspected. A probe cover body to be put on the probe, the bracket being attached to the casing and having an opening facing the probe while attached to the casing, and a flexible member supported by the bracket and covering the opening The cover film has a thickness of 60 μm or less and 10 μm or more and a 50% modulus value of 10 MPa or less.

According to such a configuration, since the thickness dimension is 60 μm or less and 10 μm or more, the variation width of the thickness dimension of the cover film during measurement is small, and the measurement accuracy can be improved. In addition, since the cover film has a 50% modulus value of 10 MPa or less, it can be greatly elongated with a relatively small force, and high adhesion to the probe can be realized. Furthermore, since the cover film covers the probe in close contact without wrinkles or the like, the adhesion to the body surface is enhanced during measurement.

According to the probe cover body and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus with the cover according to the present invention, the adhesion between the probe and the flat body surface is high, and the measurement accuracy can be improved.

1 is a front view showing a cover-equipped ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in which a probe cover body according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus; FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state when the probe cover body is attached to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus; It is a top view of a probe cover body. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the probe cover body of FIG. 3 taken along line IV-IV; FIG. 4 is a side view of the probe cover body of FIG. 3; FIG. 4 is an exploded sectional view of the probe cover body of FIG. 3;

Hereinafter, a probe cover body and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus with a cover according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the concept of direction used in the following description is used for convenience of explanation, and does not limit the orientation of the configuration of the invention to that direction. Also, the probe cover body and the cover-equipped ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus described below are merely an embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and additions, deletions, and changes in configuration can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

The cover-equipped ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is used when puncturing a needle or the like while visualizing a subcutaneous blood vessel or the like, for example, when a catheter is placed in a blood vessel in dialysis treatment. The covered ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 having such functions includes an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus cover 3 that is put thereon. An example of the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus cover 3 will be described below.

<Ultrasound diagnostic equipment>
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 oscillates ultrasonic waves to a test site (i.e., subcutaneous tissue) while being applied to the body surface, and receives ultrasonic waves reflected from the test site (i.e., reflected waves). . Further, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 performs image processing based on the received reflected waves, and displays a cross section of the subject. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 having such functions has a casing 11 , a probe 12 and a monitor 13 .

The casing 11 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin such as polycarbonate, ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) resin, SAS (silicon-acrylonitrile-styrene) resin, or polypropylene. It is a box with a flat cross section. A lower portion 11a of the casing 11 is formed in a trapezoidal shape that tapers downward, and a probe 12 is arranged at a tip portion 11b that is a lower end portion (one end portion in a predetermined direction) of the lower portion 11a. Further, the casing 11 has a curved portion in the middle in the vertical direction, and the upper portion is curved so that the upper portion is bent rearward with respect to the lower portion with respect to the curved portion. Furthermore, a monitor 13 is arranged on the front face 11c of the casing 11, and the monitor 13 displays an image.

The probe 12 is configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves and has a sensor 12a. The sensor 12a is composed of, for example, an acoustic lens, an acoustic matching layer, a vibrator, and a backing material. As shown in FIG. 2, the sensor 12a configured in this manner is accommodated in the lower portion 11a of the casing 11 so that the lower end surface of the sensor 12a and the tip portion 11b of the casing 11 are flush with each other. ing. Further, the sensor 12a is connected to a control device (not shown) housed in the casing 11, and oscillates ultrasonic waves according to commands from the control device. The sensor 12a receives a reflected wave reflected by the part to be inspected and outputs a signal corresponding to the received ultrasonic wave to the control device. That is, the vibrator of the sensor 12a vibrates due to the reflected wave reflected by the part to be inspected, and outputs a signal corresponding to the vibration to the control device. The control device has an image processing function, performs image processing based on the received signal, and outputs image data to the monitor 13 .

The monitor 13 is an example of an image display section, and can employ, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, and displays an image according to image data. Therefore, the monitor 13 can display an image created based on the reflected wave received by the sensor 12a, for example, a cross section of the subject. The monitor 13 is arranged on the front surface 11c of the casing 11 as described above, and more specifically, is arranged on the front surface 11c of the casing 11 above the curved portion.

Such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 is used by scanning the body surface of the subject with the probe 12 . Therefore, when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 is not sterilized, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 is covered with the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus cover 3 .

<Cover for ultrasonic diagnostic equipment>
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus cover 3 covers the entire ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 to prevent blood or the like from adhering to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 . Such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus cover 3 includes a tubular body 21 and a probe cover body 22, and the probe cover body 22 further has a guide-equipped bracket (bracket) 23 and a cover film 24. .

The cylindrical body 21 is a sterile soft body that has been sterilized, and is composed of a low-elasticity film. The cylindrical body 21 has a flattened cross section, the lower portion 21a is formed in a trapezoidal shape that tapers downward, and the upper portion 21b is formed in a trapezoidal shape that widens upward. The tubular body 21 is a highly transparent flexible body made of a material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyvinyl chloride. Since the cylindrical body 21 is a soft body, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 can be easily accommodated inside, and since the tubular body 21 is highly transparent, the monitor 13 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 accommodated inside can be seen from the outside. Easier to see.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 is inserted into the cylindrical body 21 with its upper portion 21b folded. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 from contacting the outer surface of the cylindrical body 21 and contaminating the outer surface during insertion. In addition, even after insertion, the opening of the upper portion 21b can be closed without the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 coming into contact with the outer surface of the tubular body 21 .

The guide-equipped bracket 23 included in the probe cover body 22 has a bracket body 31 and a guide portion 32 . The bracket body 31 is made of a relatively hard material such as polycarbonate, ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) resin, SAS (silicon-acrylonitrile-styrene) resin, and synthetic resin such as polypropylene. As shown in FIG. 1, the bracket main body 31 is formed in a substantially plate shape when viewed from the front, and as shown in FIG. Note that the guide portion 32 is not illustrated in FIG. 3 for convenience of explanation. The same applies to FIG. 5, which will be described later.

The bracket body 31 has an opening 31a, and an inner peripheral surface 31b that defines the opening 31a is tapered so that the diameter of the opening decreases downward as shown in FIG. In addition, the opening 31a is horizontally long like the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the lower portion 11a of the casing 11, and the opening 31a has a tapered shape at the tip side of the lower portion 11a (tip portion 11b). ) can be inserted. The inner peripheral surface 31b described above has a shape that is substantially parallel to (opposes to) the outer peripheral surface of the lower portion 11a of the casing 11 when the lower portion 11a of the casing 11 is inserted into the bracket body 31. As shown in FIG. A pair of locking pieces 33 are provided on the bracket body 31 in order to maintain the state in which the lower portion 11 a of the casing 11 is inserted through the bracket body 31 .

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the pair of locking pieces 33 are plate-like members extending vertically, and are integrally provided on the upper surface of the bracket body 31 . The pair of locking pieces 33 are arranged apart from each other in the left and right direction so that their main surfaces face each other. Also, the pair of locking pieces 33 extend so as to incline outward and away from each other in accordance with the shape of the side surface of the lower portion 11a of the casing 11. It is adapted to receive the lower part 11a. Engagement holes 33a are formed in the main surfaces of each of the pair of engagement pieces 33, and fitting protrusions 11d are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the lower portion of the casing 11 corresponding to the engagement holes 33a. (see FIG. 2) are formed. Therefore, when the casing 11 is inserted into the bracket body 31 to a predetermined position, the locking holes 33a are fitted to the fitting protrusions 11d. Thereby, the bracket body 31 is held and fixed to the casing 11 . At this time, the lower portion 11a of the casing 11 protrudes downward from the lower surface of the bracket body 31 by a predetermined dimension.

Such a bracket main body 31 is provided at the lower end opening 21c of the lower portion 21a of the cylindrical body 21, as shown in FIGS. More specifically, the inner peripheral surface of the lower end opening 21c of the cylindrical body 21 is welded to the outer peripheral surface of the bracket main body 31 so that the entire periphery is liquid-tightly connected. Further, a cover film 24 is supported by the bracket body 31, and the cover film 24 covers the opening 31a.

The cover film 24 has a generally horizontally long rectangular shape in plan view, has dimensions slightly larger than the opening 31a of the bracket body 31, and has flexibility (the cover film 24 will be further described later). In order to support the cover film 24, the bracket body 31 is composed of two upper and lower members, that is, a first bracket portion 34 and a second bracket portion 35, as shown in FIG.

The first bracket portion 34 and the second bracket portion 35 are both horizontally elongated, flat and ring-shaped in plan view, and are formed in substantially the same shape. The pair of locking pieces 33 described above are formed on the upper surface of the first bracket portion 34, and the first bracket portion 34 is positioned so that the lower surface thereof abuts against the upper surface of the second bracket portion 35. 2 is overlaid on the bracket portion 35 . A plurality of engaging portions are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the first bracket portion 35 at intervals in the circumferential direction, and an engaging hole 34a is formed in each engaging portion. A plurality of engaging protrusions 35a are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the second bracket portion 35 so as to correspond to the respective engaging holes 34a. Therefore, when the first bracket portion 34 and the second bracket portion 35 are superimposed on each other, the engagement protrusion 35a is fitted into the engagement hole 34a, and the two bracket portions 34 and 35 are engaged with each other (Fig. 4).

The upper surface of the second bracket portion 35 is formed with a concave portion 35b along its inner peripheral edge. The recessed portion 35b is formed along the entire circumference of the inner peripheral edge of the second bracket portion 35 and is recessed downward from the remaining portion. Therefore, when the first bracket portion 34 and the second bracket portion 35 are overlapped, the recessed portion 35b forms an accommodation space 31d extending over the entire circumference in the inner peripheral surface 31b of the bracket body 31 . The accommodation space 31d is a space that is recessed outward from the inner peripheral surface 31b, and the outer peripheral edge of the cover film 24 can be accommodated therein. That is, by placing the outer peripheral edge of the cover film 24 on the concave portion 35b and mounting the first bracket portion 34 on the second bracket portion 35, the outer peripheral edge of the cover film 24 is sandwiched between the two bracket portions 34 and 35. be. In this manner, the cover film 24 is fixed to the bracket body 31 and closes the opening 31a in the fixed state. As a result, the cover film 24 is provided on the tubular body 21 via the bracket main body 31 so as to close the lower opening 21c of the tubular body 21 .

In addition, a lower protruding portion 35c is formed along the entire circumference of the recessed portion 35b. The lower protruding portion 35c is formed in a ring shape that surrounds the opening 31a in a plan view according to the shape of the recessed portion 35b, and protrudes upward toward the lower surface of the first bracket portion 34. As shown in FIG. An upper protrusion 34c is also formed on the lower surface of the first bracket portion 34 so as to correspond to the lower protrusion 35c. The upper protrusion 34 c is formed in a ring shape in a plan view in accordance with the shape of the lower protrusion 35 c and protrudes downward toward the upper surface of the second bracket portion 35 . These two projecting portions 34c and 35c are formed so that their tip portions are substantially in contact with each other, and the outer peripheral edge of the cover film 24 is sandwiched between the projecting portions 34c and 35c to firmly hold and hold the cover film 24. It is possible.

The bracket body 31 is provided with a guide portion 32 as shown in FIG. The guide part 32 guides the needle 41 (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) of a needle assembly such as an indwelling needle to determine the puncture direction when the needle 41 is punctured into the subcutaneous tissue. is formed in a roughly trapezoidal block shape. The guide portion 32 is provided on the front side of the cylindrical body 21 (that is, on the monitor 13 side when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 is accommodated in the cylindrical body 21). Therefore, it is possible to perform puncturing while looking at the monitor 13 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 . Moreover, since the distance from the guide part 32 to the sensor 12a is short, the puncture length can be shortened, and the stability of the puncture operation can be improved and the burden on the patient can be reduced.

The guide portion 32 has a front end face 32a inclined forward, and a guide hole forming portion 32b is formed in the center portion in the left-right direction of the front end face 32a. The guide hole forming portion 32b protrudes from the front end face 32a in a direction orthogonal thereto and extends vertically along the front end face 32a. A cross section of the guide hole forming portion 32b (that is, a cross section orthogonal to the front end face 32a) is formed in a substantially semicircular shape, and a guide hole 32c is formed along the axis of the guide hole forming portion 32b. . As a result, the guide portion 32 is formed with a guide hole 32c extending obliquely forward and upward. In other words, the guide hole 32c penetrates the guide portion 32 obliquely forward and upward, and the needle 41 can be inserted from the upper side and the needle tip 41a can be protruded from the lower side. An extraction opening 32d extending along the axial direction of the guide hole 32c is formed in the front surface of the guide hole forming portion 32b, through which the needle 41 can be pulled out by tilting it forward.

<Installation work>
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus cover 3 is placed in a bag such as an aseptic pack (not shown) in order to maintain a sterile condition, and is taken out of the aseptic pack at the time of use. 2, the upper portion 21b of the cylindrical body 21 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus cover 3 that has been taken out is folded in advance, and the user can place a finger on the valley portion of the folded upper portion 21b from below. to open the tubular body 21 . The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 is inserted into this opening from the distal end.

Next, when the ultrasonic diagnostic device 2 is pushed into the cylindrical body 21 , the tip of the ultrasonic diagnostic device 2 enters the opening 31 a of the bracket body 31 and further contacts the cover film 24 . When the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 is further pushed in from this state, the cover film 24 is stretched according to the shape of the tip of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 , and the tip of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 protrudes downward from the bracket body 31 . As the pressing is continued, the pair of fitting protrusions 11d hit the corresponding locking pieces 33 and are fitted into the locking holes 33a, and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 is attached to the bracket main body 31 (see FIG. 1).

<Cover film>
By the way, in order to measure a part to be inspected by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2, high adhesion of the probe 12 to the body surface is required. Further, as described above, since the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 is used while being accommodated in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus cover 3 , high adhesion is similarly required between the cover 3 and the probe 12 . Furthermore, it is preferable that the distance from the probe 12 to the subject is small in order to suppress the attenuation of ultrasonic waves during use and improve the measurement accuracy.

From this point of view, the cover film 24 covering the probe 12 in this embodiment has a thickness of 60 μm or less and 10 μm or more and a 50% modulus value of 10 MPa or less.

Here, by setting the thickness dimension of the cover film 24 to 60 μm or less and 10 μm or more, the distance from the probe 12 to the part to be inspected can be reduced, and the measurement accuracy can be improved. Further, even when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 is pressed against the body surface during use, the thickness of the cover film 24 has a small range of variation, so that the measurement accuracy can be further improved. In addition, since the cover film 24 has a 50% modulus value of 10 MPa or less, it can be stretched greatly with a relatively small force, so that high adhesion to the probe 12 can be realized. Furthermore, since the cover film 24 closely covers the probe 12 without wrinkles or the like, the adhesion to the body surface is enhanced during measurement.

Moreover, the 50% modulus value of the cover film 24 is more preferably 6 MPa or less. As a result, it is possible to follow the outer surface shape of the probe 12 so that it fits well and achieve high adhesion. In addition, the above-mentioned "50% modulus value" is the unit width of the test piece required to stretch the film of the test piece by 50% in the longitudinal direction (i.e., stretched to 1.5 times the original length) This is the measured value (maximum value) when measuring the stress per dimension.

Examples of such a cover film 24 include POLYGRACE NEO (trade name “PG-NEO”), which is a polyolefin-based film manufactured by Takeda Sangyo Co., Ltd., or POLYGRACE-V (trade name “PG-V ”) (“POLYGRACE” is a registered trademark).

In addition, the material of the cover film 24 is not limited to a polyolefin-based material. Films of other materials can also be used, provided that the thickness dimensions and 50% modulus values described above can be achieved. On the other hand, considering the workability when attaching the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus cover 3 and preventing the cover film 24 from wrinkling during attachment, the cover film 24 is A lower tackiness (adhesiveness) is more preferable. From this point of view, more specifically, the adhesiveness of the surface of the cover film 24 is preferably 0.02 N/25 mm or less.

In the above description, the cylindrical body 21 and the cover film 24 are made of different materials, but they may be made of the same material. Furthermore, the cover film 24 is not limited to being sandwiched and supported by the bracket main body 31, and may be supported in other manners, for example, may be welded and connected to the outer peripheral surface or inner peripheral surface of the bracket main body 31.

1 Ultrasonic diagnostic device with cover 2 Ultrasonic diagnostic device 3 Ultrasonic diagnostic device cover 11 Casing 12 Probe 12a Sensor 21 Cylindrical body 22 Probe cover body 23 Bracket with guide 24 Cover film 31 Bracket main body 31a Opening

Claims (3)

A probe cover covering the probe in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising a casing, and a probe arranged at one end of the casing in a predetermined direction and having a sensor for receiving ultrasonic waves reflected by a part to be inspected. hand,
a bracket attached to the casing and having an opening facing the probe when attached to the casing;
a flexible cover film supported by the bracket and covering the opening;
The cover film has a thickness dimension of 60 μm or less and 10 μm or more and a 50% modulus value of 10 MPa or less.
probe cover body; 2. The probe cover body according to claim 1, wherein the 50% modulus value of said cover film is more preferably 6 MPa or less. A cover-equipped ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising: the probe cover body according to claim 1 or 2; and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

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