JP3033480B2 - Ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe used for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, in order to obtain continuous-wave Doppler information or so-called B-mode information, various excitation methods are employed for a piezoelectric vibrating element of an ultrasonic probe. A conventional example of such an ultrasonic probe will be described with reference to FIG.

[0003] Reference numeral 21 denotes a piezoelectric vibrating element in which piezoelectric ceramics are cut and arranged in an array at a predetermined cutting pitch,
22 is a first layer acoustic matching layer for efficiently transmitting ultrasonic waves, 23 is a second layer acoustic matching layer, 24 is an acoustic lens for converging ultrasonic waves, and 25 is a rear surface of the piezoelectric vibrating element 21. A back load member for absorbing and attenuating the emitted ultrasonic waves, 26 is a base block for holding the entire probe, and 27 is the piezoelectric vibrating element 21 for supplying an electric signal for exciting the piezoelectric vibrating element 21. A wiring board 28 taken out from one side of the piezoelectric vibrating element 21 is a ground plate taken out from the other side of the piezoelectric vibrating element 21, and these components are housed in a case (not shown).

In an ultrasonic probe having such a configuration,
For example, each element 21a, 21b,.
The following problem arises when 21n is divided into group A and elements 21n + 1..., 212n are divided into group B to obtain continuous wave Doppler information. That is, each element 2 belonging to the group A
1a, 21b,... 21n are excited by continuous waves to transmit continuous ultrasonic waves.
Assuming that the reflected signal of the ultrasonic wave is received at 1n + 1,..., 212n, for example, crosstalk occurs between the adjacent piezoelectric vibrating elements 21n, 21n + 1 of the group A and the group B, and
The resolution of the continuous wave Doppler information obtained by the group decreases.

The cause of the crosstalk is that each element 21
a, 21b,..., and 212 n are several tens of μm, the lines of electric force from the element 21n affect the element 21n + 1, and the elements 21a, 21b,.・ ・
The effect of the leakage of the excitation signal from the ground caused by the excitation of 21n can be increased.

Such crosstalk occurs not only between the two elements 21n and 21n + 1, but also between the other elements of the group A and the group B, and in the same group A and the same group B. It also occurs between elements.

Also, crosstalk occurs due to the fine pattern pitch of the wiring board and the proximity of wiring (not shown) connected from the wiring board.

Further, the leakage of the lines of electric force from the piezoelectric vibrating element is a cause of unnecessary radiation.

[0009]

As described above, the conventional ultrasonic probe has a problem that the resolution is reduced due to crosstalk between elements and a problem that unnecessary radiation occurs. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an excellent ultrasonic probe that prevents the occurrence of crosstalk and unnecessary radiation without lowering the resolution.

[0010]

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a piezoelectric vibrating element for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, an acoustic matching layer for efficiently transmitting ultrasonic waves, and the acoustic matching layer. On both sides of the piezoelectric vibrating element, a side plate connected along the direction in which the piezoelectric vibrating elements are arranged, the acoustic matching layer and the side plate being made of a conductive material, and also serving as a ground electrode of the piezoelectric vibrating element. doing.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention according to claim 1 of the present invention provides a piezoelectric vibrating element for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, an acoustic matching layer for efficiently transmitting ultrasonic waves, and the acoustic matching layer. Has a side plate connected along the arrangement direction of the piezoelectric vibrating element, the acoustic matching layer and the side plate are made of a conductive material, and also serves as a ground electrode of the piezoelectric vibrating element. In addition, there is an effect that generation of crosstalk and unnecessary radiation can be prevented without lowering the resolution.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the side plate is electrically and physically divided at a boundary position between the transmitting element and the receiving element in the piezoelectric vibrating element. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of crosstalk and unnecessary radiation without causing a decrease in the noise.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a piezoelectric vibrating element for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and a wiring board including a conductor formed corresponding to the element arrangement of the piezoelectric vibrating element, wherein the conductors of the wiring board are connected to each element alternately in one element every from both sides of the piezoelectric vibrating element
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 ,
This has the effect of preventing generation of crosstalk and unnecessary radiation without lowering the resolution.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a piezoelectric vibrating element for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and a piezoelectric vibrating element connected to a transmitting signal element and a receiving signal element of the piezoelectric vibrating element. A wiring board including a first conductor and a second conductor; a first connector connected to the first and second conductors;
2 and first and second connectors connected to the first and second connectors for separately transmitting a transmission signal and a reception signal.
And a shielding plate made of a conductive material disposed at a position where the first and second connectors and the first and second unit cables are separated for a transmission signal and a reception signal. This has the effect that the occurrence of crosstalk and unnecessary radiation can be prevented without lowering the resolution.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a piezoelectric vibrating element for transmitting / receiving ultrasonic waves, a signal line having a coaxial cable structure for transmitting / receiving a transmitting / receiving signal of each element of the piezoelectric vibrating element, One having a unit cable in which the signal lines are bundled separately for a transmission signal and a reception signal and covered with an external conductor and a protective coating, and a multi-core cable in which the unit cables are bundled and covered with an external conductor and a protective coating This has the effect that the occurrence of crosstalk and unnecessary radiation can be prevented without lowering the resolution.

[0016]

【Example】

Embodiment 1 Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a piezoelectric vibrating element made of, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave, and 2 denotes a conductive material, such as carbon, for efficiently transmitting the ultrasonic wave. The first acoustic matching layer 3 is a second acoustic matching layer for efficiently transmitting ultrasonic waves using a material having a smaller acoustic impedance than the first acoustic matching layer 1, for example, epoxy resin. The piezoelectric vibration element 1, the first acoustic matching layer 2, and the second acoustic matching layer 3 are divided by a cutting groove 9 formed by a cutting device such as a dicer. Reference numeral 4 denotes an acoustic lens made of, for example, silicone rubber for converging an ultrasonic beam;
For example, iron powder is mixed into a rubber material to apply acoustic braking to the transmission signal and the reception signal from the piezoelectric vibrating element 1 and to absorb and attenuate ultrasonic waves emitted from the back surface of the piezoelectric vibrating element 1. The back load member 6 is a base block made of, for example, an aluminum block for holding the entire ultrasonic probe. Further, 7 is made of a conductive material which is connected to both sides of the first acoustic matching layer 2 along the arrangement direction of the piezoelectric vibrating elements 1 and has a size which covers at least the entire thickness of the piezoelectric vibrating elements 1. An insulating sheet (not shown) is provided between the wiring board 8 and the piezoelectric vibrating element 1 and the side plate 7 to avoid a short circuit between the wiring board 8 and the piezoelectric vibrating element 1. Reference numeral 8 denotes a wiring board connected to the piezoelectric vibration element 1. These components are housed in a case (not shown).

The method of manufacturing the ultrasonic probe having the above configuration will be described below. The first acoustic matching layer 2 and the second acoustic matching layer 3 are joined to the upper surface of, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic constituting the piezoelectric vibration element 1. At this time, the first
Since the layer acoustic matching layer 2 and the second layer acoustic matching layer 3 join the side plates 7 on both sides, the lateral width is as large as that of the piezoelectric ceramic by two side plates. A metal thin film is formed as an electrode on the upper and lower surfaces of the piezoelectric ceramic in advance, and the first acoustic matching layer 2 and the piezoelectric ceramic are
For example, by using a conductive adhesive, bonding is performed while ensuring conductivity. Further, a wiring substrate 8 is attached to the lower surface of, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic constituting the piezoelectric vibration element 1, and the back load member 5 and the base block 6 are sequentially joined. Next, the first acoustic matching layer 2 and the side plate 7 are joined while ensuring conductivity using, for example, a conductive adhesive. At this time, an insulating sheet (not shown) is interposed between the wiring board 8 and the side plate 7 in order to avoid conduction due to contact. After joining to the side plate 7, a cutting groove 9 is formed at a predetermined pitch using a cutting device such as a dicer, and the piezoelectric ceramic is divided together with the second layer matching layer 3, the first layer matching layer 2, and the side plate 7. Thus, an array of the piezoelectric vibrating elements 1 is created. Thereafter, the acoustic lens 4 is joined and stored in a case (not shown).

The operation of the ultrasonic probe configured as described above will be described below. When obtaining the B-mode information, each element of the piezoelectric vibrating element 1 is excited by a pulse from an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (not shown) given a predetermined delay time via the wiring board 8 and a cable (not shown), and the first layer. Acoustic matching layer 2, second layer acoustic matching layer 3, acoustic lens 4
, An ultrasonic beam having a predetermined direction and a predetermined focus is transmitted into a subject (not shown). The ultrasonic wave transmitted into the subject is reflected by the difference in acoustic impedance of the tissue inside the subject, and the reflected echo is transmitted through the acoustic lens 4, the second acoustic matching layer 3, and the first acoustic matching layer 2. Then, the wave is received by the piezoelectric vibration element 1. The received reflected echo is converted into an electric signal, sent to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (not shown) via the wiring board 8 and a cable (not shown), and processed into a B-mode image.

At this time, the piezoelectric vibration element 1 is covered by the first acoustic matching layer 2 and the side plate 6 connected to the first acoustic matching layer 2. The first acoustic matching layer 2 and the side plate 6 are made of a conductive material and also serve as a ground electrode. For this reason, the lines of electric force based on the electric field applied to the piezoelectric vibrating element 1 are shielded by the first acoustic matching layer 2 and the side plate 6, and as a result, the influence of the leakage of the lines of electric force does not affect the conventional ultrasonic wave. The occurrence of crosstalk as in the case of a probe can be reduced. In addition, since leakage of electric lines of force to the outside can be prevented, unnecessary radiation can be prevented.

In this embodiment, the width of the first acoustic matching layer 2 is widened and the side plate 7 is joined to the margin thereof. However, the first acoustic matching layer 2 is connected to the piezoelectric vibration element 1. Even if the width is the same as that of the first acoustic matching layer 2 and the side surfaces of the first acoustic matching layer 2 are sandwiched between the side plates 7, the effect of the present invention is clear and does not deviate from the present invention.

(Embodiment 2) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 2, components having the same functions as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The side plate 6 is physically divided by a side plate dividing groove 10 cut by a cutting device such as a dicer at the same position as the cutting groove 9 located at the boundary between the group A and the group B of the piezoelectric vibrating element 1. It is electrically disconnected.

In the above configuration, the operation will be described below in the case of obtaining continuous wave Doppler information.

Each element of the group A in the piezoelectric vibrating element 1 is excited by a continuous wave, and an ultrasonic wave is continuously transmitted to a subject (not shown). It is assumed that each element receives waves. At this time, similarly to the first embodiment, the crosstalk between the respective elements of the piezoelectric vibrating element 1 and the unnecessary radiation to the outside due to the influence of the lines of electric force are made of a conductive material, and the first layer also serves as a ground electrode. Acoustic matching layer 2 and side plate 6
Can be prevented by electromagnetic shielding. Further, the side plate 6 is divided by the side plate dividing groove 10 provided at the same position as the cutting groove 9 located at the boundary between the group A and the group B, so that the group A in the piezoelectric vibrating element 1 which transmits continuous ultrasonic waves. And the ground of group B in the piezoelectric vibrating element 1 that receives the reflected echo is also electrically separated. Therefore, the excitation signal supplied to each element of the group A does not leak to each element of the group B through the ground electrode, and crosstalk caused by this is prevented. At the same time, group A or B of the piezoelectric vibrating element 1
When the ultrasonic wave transmitted and received by each element of the group leaks to the side plate 6, the ultrasonic wave is physically separated by the side plate dividing groove 10.
The signal does not propagate from the group to the group B or from the group B to the group A, so that acoustic crosstalk due to the influence of the leaky wave can be prevented.

In the first and second embodiments, the first acoustic matching layer 2 and the second acoustic matching layer 3 are used as acoustic matching layers.
Although a layer structure is used, only the first layer matching layer 2 may be used.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, the base block 6 and the back load member 5 are separate components, but the back load member 5 may play the role of the base block 6.

In the second embodiment, the side plate 6 is divided by the side plate dividing groove 10. However, for example, a material such as a tetron film having an acoustic impedance different from that of the side plate 6 and an insulator is used. May be used. Further, in the second embodiment, the case where the piezoelectric vibrating element 1 is divided into two groups in each of the transmitting and receiving element groups in the vicinity of the center is divided. Is possible and is not excluded from the present invention.

(Embodiment 3) Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 shows the wiring substrate 8 viewed from the acoustic lens 4 side. Components having the same functions as those shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. . In FIG. 3, a wiring board 8 is formed corresponding to an element array of the piezoelectric vibration element 1 and a base film 11 made of, for example, polyimide having an insulating property. It is composed of a conductor 12 for exchanging signals, for example, formed on the base film 11 by a rolled copper foil or the like. The difference between the wiring board shown in FIG. 3 and the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is that the conductors 12 formed corresponding to the element arrangement of the piezoelectric vibration element 1 can be alternately taken out from both sides of the piezoelectric vibration element 1 for each element. This is the point that is configured. Therefore, for example, for the conductor 12b connected to the piezoelectric vibrating element 1b,
The conductors 12a and 12c connected to the adjacent piezoelectric vibrating elements 1a and 1c, respectively, are taken out from the opposite sides.
2 are not adjacent to each other on the wiring board 8, and the pattern pitch of the conductors 12 taken out from one side surface is twice the element interval, thereby suppressing the occurrence of crosstalk between the conductors 12 on the wiring board 8. be able to.

(Embodiment 4) A fourth embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4 shows an ultrasonic probe connected to the base block 6.
Components viewed from the side and having the same functions as those shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. Reference numeral 13 denotes a connector for connecting each of the conductors 12 on the wiring board 8 and the unit cable 14 via the wiring 15, and reference numeral 14 denotes a unit cable connected to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (not shown) for transmitting a transmission / reception signal.
Reference numeral 5 denotes wiring for connecting the connector 13 and the unit cable 14. Reference numeral 16 denotes a shielding plate connected to the base block and made of a conductive material.

In the above configuration, the operation will be described below by taking a case where continuous wave Doppler information is obtained.

Each element of the group A in the piezoelectric vibrating element 1 is excited by a continuous wave, and an ultrasonic wave is continuously transmitted to a subject (not shown). It is assumed that each element receives waves. At this time, the continuous transmission signal from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (not shown)
4a, 14b, the wiring 15, the connector 13
The signals are sent from the conductors 12 on the wiring board 8 connected through a and 13b to the elements of the group A in the piezoelectric vibrating element 1, and the elements of the group A are continuously excited. The continuous ultrasonic wave transmitted from each element of the group A propagates in a subject (not shown) and is reflected by a difference in acoustic impedance. The reflected echo continuously returned from the subject (not shown) is received by the group B in the piezoelectric vibrating element 1, and the received signal is transmitted to the wiring board 8.
The signals are sent from the upper connectors 13c and 13d to the unit cables 14c and 14d via the wiring 15, and supplied to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (not shown). At this time, the unit cables 14a and 14b for transmitting the transmission signal, the wiring 15, and the connector 1
Connectors 13c, 13d for transmitting the transmission route of the 3a, 13b and the received signal, wiring 15, unit cables 14c,
4d transmission route is made of conductive material such as metal,
It is separated by a shielding plate 16 connected to the base block 6, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of crosstalk between a transmitted signal and a received signal due to the influence of lines of electric force generated in the fine wiring 15, in particular.

Although the fourth embodiment has been described with reference to the case where the connector 13 and the unit cable 14 are separated into two systems each for a transmission signal and a reception signal, one system or a plurality of systems are used. Even if it does, it is clear that the effect of the present invention is not hindered.

Further, in the fourth embodiment, the case where the connector 13 is connected to the unit cable 14 via the wiring 15 has been described. Connection methods are possible and not excluded from the present invention.

Further, the effect of the present invention is clear even if the shielding plate 16 of the fourth embodiment has a different shape or number of sheets, and does not deviate from the present invention.

Further, in the fourth embodiment, the base block 6 and the back load member 5 are separate components.
The back load member 5 may play the role of the base block 6.

(Embodiment 5) Next, a fifth embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 5, components having the same functions as those shown in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the multi-core cable 17,
Reference numeral 17 denotes a multi-core cable for connecting an ultrasonic diagnostic device (not shown) and an ultrasonic probe (not shown), 18 is a protective coating made of, for example, nylon, 19 is a device that prevents external noise and reduces external noise. Outer conductor for shielding, 2
Reference numeral 0 denotes a signal line which is connected to each of the piezoelectric vibration elements (not shown) and has a coaxial cable structure for transmitting an ultrasonic wave transmission / reception signal. The operation of the above configuration will be described below. Each unit cable 14 has a signal line 20 having a coaxial cable structure equal to the number of piezoelectric vibrating elements to be connected therein, and a shield for shielding high-frequency components made of, for example, aluminum foil as an external conductor 19a. It is covered with a coating 18a. Further, when obtaining continuous wave Doppler information, four unit cables 14c and 14d for transmitting a reception signal as well as unit cables 14a and 14b for transmitting a transmission signal are braided, for example, by crossing a soft copper wire. It is mainly covered with an outer conductor 19b for shielding low-frequency components, and its outside is covered with a protective coating 18b made of, for example, nylon.

For this reason, when obtaining continuous wave Doppler information, the unit cable 14 for transmitting the transmission signal is used.
The signal lines 20 in the a and 14b and the signal lines 20 in the unit cables 14c and 14d for transmitting the received signal do not come into direct contact with each other, and the transmission path between the ultrasonic probe and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Crosstalk between a transmitted signal and a received signal in the inside can be prevented.

In the fifth embodiment, the unit cables 14a and 14b for transmitting the transmission signal and the unit cables 14c and 14d for transmitting the reception signal are both two, and the configuration has been described as a total of four. The effect of the present invention is clear if at least two units, one unit cable transmitting a transmission signal and one unit cable transmitting a reception signal, are used.

Further, even if the number of unit cables is equal to or greater than that of the fifth embodiment, it does not deviate from the present invention at all.

[0043]

As described above, the present invention provides a piezoelectric vibrating element for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, an acoustic matching layer for efficiently transmitting ultrasonic waves, and the piezoelectric vibrating element on both sides of the acoustic matching layer. Having side plates connected along the arrangement direction of the elements,
The configuration in which the acoustic matching layer and the side plate are made of a conductive material, and also serve as a ground electrode of the piezoelectric vibrating element, and the side plate is located at a boundary position between a transmitting element and a receiving element in the piezoelectric vibrating element. A configuration in which the conductors of the wiring board are electrically and physically divided by side plate dividing grooves, a configuration in which conductors of the wiring board are alternately taken out from both sides of the piezoelectric vibration element one by one, a connector and a unit cable connected to the wiring board A shield plate made of a conductive material placed at a position where it is divided into a transmission signal and a reception signal, and a unit cable that is divided into a transmission signal and a reception signal and bundled to form an outer conductor and protective coating By providing the multi-core cable covered by the above, it is possible to realize an excellent ultrasonic probe capable of preventing generation of crosstalk and unnecessary radiation without lowering the resolution.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an ultrasonic probe according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an ultrasonic probe according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a wiring board of an ultrasonic probe according to a third embodiment of the present invention as viewed from an acoustic lens side.

FIG. 4 is a view of an ultrasonic probe according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a base block side.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a multicore cable of an ultrasonic probe according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a conventional ultrasonic probe.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Piezoelectric vibration element 2 1st layer acoustic matching layer 3 2nd layer acoustic matching layer 4 Acoustic lens 5 Back load material 6 Base block 7 Side plate 8 Wiring board 9 Cutting groove 10 Side plate dividing groove 11 Base film 12 Conductor 13 Connector 14 Unit cable REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 15 wiring 16 shield plate 17 multi-core cable 18 protective coating 19 outer conductor 20 signal line 21 piezoelectric vibration element 22 first layer acoustic matching layer 23 second layer acoustic matching layer 24 acoustic lens 25 back load material 26 base block 27 wiring board 28 Ground plate

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Akihisa Adachi 3-10-1, Higashi-Mita, Tama-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Matsushita Giken Co., Ltd. (72) Keisaku Yamaguchi 3-10, Higashi-Mita, Tama-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture No. 1 Inside Matsushita Giken Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuki Irioka 4-3-1 Tsunashima, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Wataru Tokunaga Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Tsunashima 4-3-1 Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-63-212299 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04R 17/00 330 A61B 8/00 G01N 29/24 G01S 7/521

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A piezoelectric vibrating element for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, an acoustic matching layer for efficiently transmitting ultrasonic waves,
On both sides of the acoustic matching layer, there is a side plate connected along the arrangement direction of the piezoelectric vibrating elements, wherein the acoustic matching layer and the side plate are made of a conductive material, and also serve as a ground electrode of the piezoelectric vibrating element. An ultrasonic probe characterized in that: 2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the side plate is electrically and physically divided at a boundary position between the transmitting element and the receiving element in the piezoelectric vibrating element. . 3. A piezoelectric vibrating element for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and a wiring board having a conductor formed corresponding to the element arrangement of the piezoelectric vibrating element, wherein the conductor of the wiring board is the piezoelectric vibrating element. 2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic probe is alternately connected to every other element from both sides of the ultrasonic probe. 4. A piezoelectric vibrating element for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave, and a first conductor and a second conductor connected to the transmitting signal element and the receiving signal element of the piezoelectric vibrating element, respectively. A wiring board, a first connector and a second connector connected to the first and second conductors, and a transmission signal and a reception signal separately connected to the first and second connectors. First and second unit cables for transmitting the first and second unit cables;
An ultrasonic probe, comprising: a second connector and a shielding plate made of a conductive material disposed at a position where the first and second unit cables are divided into a transmission signal and a reception signal. 5. A piezoelectric vibrating element for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, a signal line having a coaxial cable structure for transmitting a transmitting and receiving signal of each element of the piezoelectric vibrating element, and receiving the signal line for transmitting and receiving signals. An ultrasonic probe comprising: a unit cable bundled separately for a wave signal and covered with an external conductor and a protective coating; and a multi-core cable bundled with the unit cable and covered with an external conductor and a protective coating.