JP2023106665A - Cable and cable manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cable and cable manufacturing method capable of inexpensively forming a reinforcement member which enhances bending rigidness of a cable end part.SOLUTION: A probe cable 5 comprises: a cable core 50 including signal wires 51; a sheath 8 for covering an outer periphery of the cable core 50; and a reinforcement member 9 arranged on an outer periphery of at least one end part between both end parts of the sheath 8 in a longitudinal direction. In the reinforcement member 9, an inner peripheral surface 9a has a cylindrical shape formed by adhesion to an outer peripheral surface 8a of the sheath 8. A method for manufacturing the probe cable 5 includes: a formation process for forming a tube body 90 by extruding a resin material to the outer periphery of the sheath 8; and a removal process for removing a part of the tube body 90. The left part of the tube body 90 without being removed in the removal process becomes the reinforcement member 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a cable having a cable core including signal lines and a sheath, and a method for manufacturing the same.

Conventionally, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus used by doctors and clinical technologists to diagnose a subject consists of a main unit that performs processing such as formation of an ultrasonic image, and an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from the subject. and The ultrasonic probe consists of a probe having an ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface that is pressed against the body surface of the subject, a probe connector for connection with the device main body, and a probe cable that connects the probe and the probe connector. It is configured. The body surface of the subject is coated with, for example, a gel-like substance called ultrasonic jelly, and the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface of the probe is pressed against the region coated with the gel-like substance.

The probe cable has a plurality of signal lines and a sheath as an outer covering. The sheath for the probe cable is made of highly flexible resin so that the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface of the probe can be easily pressed against the body surface of the subject at various angles. At the end of the probe cable on the probe side, there is a coating on the outer circumference of the sheath to suppress the occurrence of disconnection of the signal line and cracking of the sheath when the probe cable is bent with a small radius of curvature, and to increase bending durability. A reinforcing member made of resin is arranged. The bushing of Patent Document 1, the strain relief of Patent Document 2, and the cable boot of Patent Document 3 correspond to this reinforcing member. As such a reinforcing member, a dedicated product having a smooth outer surface without irregularities is used so that even if the gel-like substance adheres, it can be easily wiped off.

JP-A-2005-58269 JP 2009-110888 A JP-A-2017-93878

The reinforcing member provided at the end of the cable as described above increases the cost of manufacturing a mold for molding the reinforcing member. In particular, since reinforcing members for ultrasonic probes are exclusive products, the number of production is limited, and the unit price per reinforcing member is high. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cable and a method for manufacturing the cable, in which a reinforcing member can be formed at low cost.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a cable core including a signal line, a sheath covering the outer circumference of the cable core, and a cable around at least one end of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the sheath. a tubular reinforcing member provided, the reinforcing member having a uniform thickness throughout, the inner peripheral surface thereof being in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the sheath at the at least one end, and the reinforcing member to provide a cable in which the bending rigidity of the at least one end is enhanced by

Further, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing the above cable, comprising: a step of forming a tube body by extruding a resin material onto the outer circumference of the sheath; and a removal step of removing a portion, and a portion of the tube body that is not removed in the removal step and remains as the reinforcing member.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the cable and its manufacturing method which concern on this invention, it becomes possible to form the reinforcement member for improving bending rigidity at low cost.

1 is a configuration diagram showing an ultrasonic probe in which a cable according to an embodiment of the present invention is used as a probe cable, and an apparatus main body that constitutes an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus combined with this ultrasonic probe; FIG. It is a sectional view showing a probe and a probe cable. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the probe cable taken along line AA of FIG. 2; 3 is a cross-sectional view of a signal line; FIG. (a) to (c) are explanatory diagrams showing a method of manufacturing a probe cable. It is sectional drawing which shows each part of a probe cable and a probe using the reinforcement member which concerns on a 1st modification. It is sectional drawing which shows each part of a probe cable and a probe using the reinforcement member which concerns on a 2nd modification.

[Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an ultrasonic probe in which a cable according to an embodiment of the present invention is used as a probe cable, and an apparatus main body that constitutes an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus combined with this ultrasonic probe.

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 is used by doctors and clinical laboratory technologists for diagnosing subjects, and includes an apparatus main body 10 and an ultrasonic probe 2 . The apparatus main body 10 performs ultrasonic image forming processing and displays the ultrasonic image on the display 100 . The ultrasonic probe 2 includes a probe 3 having an ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface 3a, a probe connector 4 fitted to a body-side connector 101 provided on the device body 10, and the probe 3 and the probe connector 4. It has a probe cable 5 to be connected.

Gel-like ultrasonic jelly is applied to the body surface of the subject, and the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface 3a of the probe 3 is pressed against the part coated with the ultrasonic jelly. The ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface 3a is reflected inside the subject's body and received by the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface 3a. The received ultrasonic waves are converted into electrical signals and sent to the device main body 10 via the probe cable 5 and the probe connector 4 . The device body 10 forms an ultrasonic image based on this electrical signal and displays it on the display 100 .

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a part of the probe 3 and the probe cable 5. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the probe cable 5 along line AA in FIG. The probe cable 5 includes a cable core 50 including a plurality of signal lines 51, a pressure winding tape 6 wrapped around the outer periphery of the cable core 50, a braided shield 7 covering the outer periphery of the pressure winding tape 6, and a braided shield 7. It has a sheath 8 covering the outer periphery and a cylindrical reinforcing member 9 . As the material of the sheath 8, for example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or silicone rubber can be suitably used, and soft polyvinyl chloride whose flexibility is enhanced by adding a plasticizer can be more suitably used.

The probe 3 has a probe case 31 , and part of the probe cable 5 is introduced into the probe case 31 through a through hole 30 formed in the probe case 31 . Inside the probe case 31 , a plurality of signal lines 51 , a pressing tape 6 , a braided shield 7 , and a sheath 8 are fixed by fixing metal fittings 32 and bolts 33 . The signal line 51 is led out from the pressing tape 6 inside the probe case 31 and connected to the ultrasonic sensor.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing one signal line 51. As shown in FIG. The signal line 51 is a coaxial line having an inner conductor 511 and an outer conductor 512 , an insulator 513 between the inner conductor 511 and the outer conductor 512 , and a jacket 514 covering the outer circumference of the outer conductor 512 . The frequency of the electrical signal transmitted by the signal line 51 is, for example, about several MHz to several tens of MHz. The cable core 50 includes a large number of signal lines 51, for example 100 or more, and these signal lines 51 are bundled with the pressing tape 6. As shown in FIG. The pressure winding tape 6 is a belt-shaped body made of resin such as polyimide, and is spirally wound so that a part of the width direction overlaps. The braided shield 7 is constructed by braiding a plurality of strands 71 made of, for example, tinned copper wires in a grid pattern.

A length L ₁ (see FIG. 1) of the probe cable 5 between the probe 3 and the probe connector 4 is, for example, 2-3 m. Moreover, the outer diameter of the sheath 8 of the probe cable 5 is, for example, 5 mm or more and 11 mm or less. In the present embodiment, reinforcing members 9 are provided on the outer periphery of both ends of the sheath 8 in the longitudinal direction, respectively, and these reinforcing members 9 increase the bending rigidity of both ends of the probe cable 5 . For example, the reinforcement member 9 may not be provided on the outer circumference of the sheath 8 on the probe connector 4 side. That is, it is sufficient that the sheath 8 is provided on the outer circumference of at least one of the longitudinal ends of the sheath 8 .

The reinforcing member 9 has a cylindrical shape whose inner peripheral surface 9a is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface 8a at the end of the sheath 8, and the inner diameter _D9 is constant throughout. In this embodiment, the reinforcing member 9 integrally has a main body portion 91 and a reduced diameter portion 92, and the reduced diameter portion 92 is located on the central side of the main body portion 91 in the cable longitudinal direction (on the side opposite to the probe 3). ). The main body portion 91 has a constant outer diameter D ₉₁ over its entirety. The reduced-diameter portion 92 has an outer diameter D ₉₂ smaller than the outer diameter D ₉₁ of the body portion 91 , and the outer diameter D ₉₂ gradually decreases with distance from the body portion 91 . As the material of the reinforcing member 9, similar to the sheath 8, for example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or silicone rubber can be preferably used, and soft polyvinyl chloride whose flexibility is enhanced by adding a plasticizer is more preferably used. can be used.

The thickness T ₉ of the body portion 91 of the reinforcing member 9 is greater than the thickness T ₈ of the sheath 8 and even greater than the outer diameter D ₈ of the sheath 8 . The outer diameter D ₉₁ of the body portion 91 is three times or more and five times or less the outer diameter D ₈ of the sheath 8 . An end surface 92a of the reduced-diameter portion 92 opposite to the body portion 91 is entirely inclined at a predetermined inclination angle θ with respect to the axial direction and is formed in a tapered shape. This inclination angle θ is, for example, 10° or more and 45° or less, and is 45° in the illustrated example of FIG. The length L ₂ (see FIG. 2) of the reinforcing member 9 is four times or more and eight times or less the thickness T ₉ of the body portion 91 .

An end portion on the inner diameter side of the end surface 92 a of the reduced diameter portion 92 of the reinforcing member 9 is adhered to the outer peripheral surface 8 a of the sheath 8 with an adhesive 21 . The end of the reinforcing member 9 on the side of the probe 3 is adhered to the outer surface 31 a of the probe case 31 with an adhesive 22 . As these adhesives 21 and 22, silicone rubber-based adhesives having excellent water resistance and chemical resistance and having elasticity can be suitably used. Intrusion of water or the like into the probe case 31 is suppressed by the adhesives 21 and 22 .

Next, a method of manufacturing the probe cable 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5(a) to 5(c). In the manufacturing process of the probe cable 5, a plurality of signal wires 51 are bundled with a pressure winding tape 6 and covered with a braided shield 7, a sheath 8 is extruded around the outer circumference of the braided shield 7, and a heat is applied to the outer circumference of the sheath 8 by tube extrusion. A tube body 90 made of plastic resin is formed to form a cable material 500 shown in FIG. 5(a). The outer peripheral surface 90a of the tube body 90 is a smooth surface without irregularities.

In the tube extrusion for forming the tube body 90, a tubular resin material that has been made semi-solid by heating is extruded onto the outer periphery of the sheath 8 passing through the inside of the core bar called a nipple. The tube body 90 is brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface 8a of the sheath 8 by pulling it down. However, the sheath 8 and the tube body 90 are not fused together and integrated, and the sheath 8 and the tube body 90 can be separated. For example, the sheath 8 and tube body 90 can be made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Further, the tube body 90 may be formed by using a resin material having a lower melting point than the resin material used for the sheath 8 and extruding the tube at a temperature at which the sheath 8 does not melt.

Next, according to the length of the probe cable 5 to be manufactured, the cable material 500 is cut at the cutting position _P0 shown in FIG. 5(a). At two positions P ₁ and P ₂ separated by a distance corresponding to the length of the reinforcing member 9 , only the tube body 90 is cut along the entire circumference, and cuts 901 and 902 are made in the tube body 90 along the longitudinal direction of the cable. Form. The cuts 901 and 902 are formed over the entire portion except between the two positions P ₁ and P ₂ by using a cutting tool such as a cutter so as not to damage the sheath 8 .

Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the portion of the tube body 90 where the notches 901 and 902 are formed is removed. Thereafter, one end portion 90b of the tube body 90 remaining without being removed is cut off to form a reinforcing member 9 integrally having a main body portion 91 and a reduced diameter portion 92 as shown in FIG. 5(c). . After that, the braided shield 7 and the presser tape 6 exposed from the sheath 8 are stripped off in stages to expose a plurality of signal lines 51, thereby carrying out terminal processing. In this embodiment, since the reinforcing members 9 are formed on both ends of the probe cable 5, the above processing is performed on both ends of the probe cable 5 respectively.

At one end of the probe cable 5 in the cable longitudinal direction, the inner conductor 511 and the outer conductor 512 of the plurality of signal lines 51 are connected to the ultrasonic sensor, and the reinforcing member 9 is attached to the outer surface 31a of the probe case 31 with an adhesive. 22. At the other end of the probe cable 5 in the cable longitudinal direction, the inner conductors 511 and the outer conductors 512 of the plurality of signal lines 51 are connected to connector pins of the probe connector 4 . Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the reinforcing member 9 is adhered to the outer surface 41a of the housing 41 of the probe connector 4 with an adhesive 23, and is adhered to the outer peripheral surface 8a of the sheath 8 with an adhesive 24. As shown in FIG.

Thus, the method of manufacturing the probe cable 5 includes a forming step of extruding a resin material onto the outer periphery of the sheath 8 to form the tube body 90, a removal step of removing a part of the tube body 90, and a terminal treatment. A portion of the tube body 90 that remains without being removed in the removing step becomes the reinforcing member 9 .

(Actions and effects of the embodiment)
According to the embodiment described above, the bending rigidity of the end portion of the probe cable 5 is enhanced by the cylindrical reinforcing member 9 formed so that the inner peripheral surface 9a is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface 8a of the sheath 8. Since the reinforcing member 9 can be easily formed, the reinforcing member 9 can be formed at low cost.

[Modification]
6 and 7 are sectional views showing parts of probe cables 5A and 5B and probes 3 using reinforcing members 9A and 9B according to modifications. In these modified examples, the reinforcing members 9A and 9B are folded to form multiple layers. The reinforcing members 9A and 9B have a cylindrical shape with constant thicknesses Ta and Tb throughout, and the bending rigidity of the ends of the probe cables 5A and 5B is enhanced by the reinforcing members 9A and 9B. The length _L3 of the reinforcement member 9A in the longitudinal direction of the probe cable 5A is four times or more and eight times or less the thickness Ta of the reinforcement member 9A. Further, the length _L4 of the reinforcement member 9B in the longitudinal direction of the probe cable 5B is four times or more and eight times or less the thickness Tb of the reinforcement member 9B.

Thicknesses Ta and Tb of the reinforcing members 9A and 9B are thicker than the thickness T8 of the sheath 8, but thinner than the thickness _T9 of the main body portion 91 of the reinforcing member ₉ according to the above embodiment. The strength of the reinforcing members 9A and 9B is increased by being folded back, and the effect of improving the bending rigidity is the same as that of the reinforcing member 9 according to the above-described embodiment.

In the first modification shown in FIG. 6, a reinforcing member 9A is folded back from the central portion of the probe cable 5A in the cable longitudinal direction toward the tip portion (probe 3 side). The reinforcing member 9A has a folded portion 91A adhered to the outer peripheral surface 8a of the sheath 8 with an adhesive 25, and a distal end portion 92A folded at the folded portion 91A is adhered to the outer surface 31a of the probe case 31 with an adhesive 26. there is

In a second modification shown in FIG. 7, a reinforcing member 9B is folded back from the distal end side of the probe cable 5B in the cable longitudinal direction toward the central portion. The reinforcing member 9B has a folded portion 91B that is adhered to the outer surface 31a of the probe case 31 with an adhesive 27, and a base end portion 92B that is not folded back is adhered to the outer peripheral surface 8a of the sheath 8 with an adhesive 28. It is Further, the distal end portion 93B of the reinforcing member 9B folded back at the folded portion 91B is adhered to the outer peripheral surface 8a of the sheath 8 with an adhesive 29 on the central portion side in the cable longitudinal direction from the base end portion 92B. That is, the reinforcement member 9B is partially folded back in the cable longitudinal direction to form a multi-layered structure, and the peripheral portion of the tip portion 93B is not multi-layered.

The reinforcing members 9A and 9B are formed by a folding step of folding back the reinforcing members 9A and 9B in addition to the forming step, removing step, and terminal processing step similar to those of the reinforcing member 9 according to the above-described embodiment. The thickness of the tube body formed in the forming process is the same as the thicknesses Ta and Tb of the reinforcing members 9A and 9B. In addition, in the folding process, folding may be performed not only once but also a plurality of times.

These modifications also enable the reinforcing members 9A and 9B to be formed at low cost, as in the above embodiment. Moreover, since the thickness of the tube body formed in the forming process can be made thinner than in the above embodiment, it is possible to reduce the amount of resin material used for forming the tube body. In addition, the reinforcing member 9B according to the second modification has a truncated cone shape in the side view of the probe cable 5B at the folded portion, and has a higher effect of improving the bending rigidity than the reinforcing member 9A according to the first modification. can get.

(Summary of embodiment)
Next, technical ideas understood from the embodiments described above will be described with reference to the reference numerals and the like in the embodiments. However, each reference numeral in the following description does not limit the constituent elements in the claims to the members and the like specifically shown in the embodiment.

[1] A cable core (50) including a signal line (51), a sheath (8) covering the outer periphery of the cable core (51), and at least one end of both longitudinal ends of the sheath (8) and a cylindrical reinforcing member (9) provided on the outer periphery of the sheath (8), the reinforcing member (9) being formed such that the inner peripheral surface (9a) is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface (8a) of the sheath (8). a cable (5, 5A, 5B) having a curved cylindrical shape and having an increased bending stiffness at said at least one end by said reinforcing member (9).

[2] _{The cable} ( 5, 5A, 5B).

[3] The reinforcing member (9) includes a body portion ( ₉₁ ) having a constant outer diameter (D91) and an outer diameter ( _D92 ) smaller than the outer diameter (D91) of the body portion ( ₉₁ ). The reduced-diameter portion (92) is integrally provided, and the reduced-diameter portion (92) is aligned with the central portion of the main body (91) in the longitudinal direction of the cable, and the further away from the main body (91), the outer Cable (5) according to the above [1] or [2], wherein the diameter (D ₉₂ ) is gradually reduced.

[4] The cable (5A, 5B) according to [1] or [2] above, wherein the reinforcing member (9A, 9B) is folded back at the at least one end to form a multilayer structure.

[5] The reinforcing member (9B) is folded back toward the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the cable, and the tip (93B) of the folded reinforcing member (9B) extends from the outer peripheral surface (8a) of the sheath (8). ), the cable (5B) according to [4] above.

[6] A method for manufacturing a cable (5, 5A, 5B) according to any one of [1] to [5] above, wherein a resin material is extruded around the outer circumference of the sheath (8) to form a tubular body ( 90) and a removing step of removing a part of the tube body (90), wherein the part of the tube body (90) left without being removed in the removing step is the reinforcing A method for manufacturing a cable (5, 5A, 5B) that becomes a member (9).

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments described above do not limit the invention according to the scope of claims. Also, it should be noted that not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention.

Moreover, the present invention can be modified appropriately without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in the above embodiment, the outer circumference of the pressure winding tape 6 wound around the cable core 50 is covered with the braided shield 7, but the pressure winding tape 6 and the braided shield 7 may be omitted. . Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the signal line 51 is a coaxial line has been described, but the signal line 51 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a simple line formed by covering a conductor with an insulator. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the cable of the present invention is used as the probe cable 5 for the ultrasonic probe 2 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1, but the use of the cable of the present invention is not limited to this.

5, 5A, 5B... Probe cable 50... Cable core 51... Signal wire 8... Sheath 9, 9A, 9B... Reinforcing member 90... Tube body 91... Body part 92... Diameter reduction part 93B... Tip part

Claims (6)

a cable core containing signal lines;
a sheath covering the outer periphery of the cable core;
a reinforcing member provided on the outer circumference of at least one end of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the sheath,
The reinforcing member has a cylindrical shape with an inner peripheral surface that is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the sheath,
bending rigidity of the at least one end is increased by the reinforcing member;
cable. the thickness of the reinforcing member is thicker than the thickness of the sheath;
Cable according to claim 1. The reinforcing member integrally has a body portion having a constant outer diameter and a reduced diameter portion having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the body portion,
The reduced-diameter portion is arranged on the side of the central portion in the cable longitudinal direction of the main body portion, and has an outer diameter that gradually decreases as the distance from the main body portion increases.
Cable according to claim 1 or 2. The reinforcing member is folded back to form a multilayer structure at the at least one end,
Cable according to claim 1 or 2. The reinforcing member is folded back toward the center in the longitudinal direction of the cable, and the tip of the folded reinforcing member is adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the sheath.
Cable according to claim 4. A method for manufacturing a cable according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A forming step of extruding a resin material to the outer periphery of the sheath to form a tubular body, and a removing step of removing a part of the tubular body,
A portion of the tube body that remains without being removed in the removing step becomes the reinforcing member,
Cable manufacturing method.

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