JP3217023B2 - Ultrasound diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly, to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having an ultrasonic probe inserted into a body cavity such as a blood vessel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A small-diameter probe inserted into a blood vessel is known as one of ultrasonic probes inserted into a body cavity. Such a small-diameter probe is roughly composed of an insertion section (insertion tube) and an operation section. The insertion section includes a sheath tube, a drive wire inserted therein, and an ultrasonic vibrator provided at a distal end of the drive wire. The operation unit includes a motor for driving the drive wire to rotate, and has a mounting mechanism for detachably mounting the insertion unit. The insertion part is generally used as a disposable type, and is replaced at each ultrasonic diagnosis. In addition, various insertion portions having different diameters and ultrasonic frequencies are used.

[0003]

Conventionally, various types of information (type, frequency, etc.) indicating the type of the insertion section have been input by the user to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body. Therefore, the input operation is complicated, and a problem of an input error has been pointed out. It is conceivable to transmit the above information from the insertion section to the operation section via an electrical contact. However, in this case, there is a problem that the operation section becomes large and a contact failure or the like is feared. A related application is Japanese Patent Application No. 8-260682.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having an ultrasonic probe inserted into a body cavity so that the type of an insertion section can be automatically recognized. It is to make.

[0005]

To achieve the above object of the Invention The present invention provides an ultrasonic transducer for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is housed in the distal end portion, met the pipe-like member is inserted into the body cavity hand,
An insertion portion having a rotary shaft that rotates Sea scan and therein,
The insertion part is detachably connected, and a motor having a motor shaft is provided.
And an operation unit having
When detachably connected to the part, the base end side of the rotating shaft
An inner cylinder is detachably connected to the motor shaft , and
It said outer cylinder forming the base end of the sheath is <br/> detachably connected to the connecting portion of the operating section, identification labels on the surface of the inner cylinder is
A label reader that optically reads the content of the identification label is provided in the operation unit ,
Is the content of the identification label by the label reader.
Window with optical transparency for optically reading
The rotation of the inner cylinder with respect to the outer cylinder.
Bell identification of the identification label through the window
The content is read .

[0006] According to the above configuration, the contents of the identification label provided on the inner cylinder on the base end side of the rotating shaft are read by the label reader. In this case, if reading is performed by rotating the rotation axis, it is not necessary to scan the light beam from the label reader. That is, there is an advantage that the rotation mechanism can be used as it is for reading the identification label. Further, the identification label is protected by the outer cylinder, which can prevent the identification label from being damaged or soiled.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the window is formed of a transparent member, or the window is an opening . According to the former, the protection of the identification label can be more thorough, and according to the latter, the number of parts can be reduced.

[0008] In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the identification label is a barcode, and the barcode is arranged such that each line constituting the barcode is parallel to the rotation axis direction .
It is provided on the surface of the cylinder .

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the contents of the identification label are read by the label reader when the rotation shaft is driven to rotate. That is, the rotation drive motor can be used for scanning for reading the identification label.

[0010] In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the identification label includes information indicating the type of the ultrasonic probe, and a control unit for controlling the apparatus main body in accordance with the information is provided.
The information includes, for example, the length and diameter of the insertion tube, the frequency of the ultrasonic wave, the serial number of the probe, and the like.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, by rotating the rotary shaft at a first rotational speed when mounting the said insertion tube, the rotation control unit for rotating the rotary shaft at a second rotational speed when the ultrasonic diagnostic Having. According to this configuration, it is possible to cope with a case where the label reader cannot follow high-speed rotation when transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and it is possible to reduce the required performance of the label reader.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the appearance of an ultrasonic probe inserted into a body cavity according to the present invention. This ultrasonic probe
It transmits and receives ultrasonic waves in blood vessels.

The ultrasonic probe includes an insertion section 10 and an operation section 12.
It is composed of The insertion section 10 has an elongated insertion tube inserted into a blood vessel. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 2, the insertion tube 14 includes a sheath tube 26 and a rotating wire 22 rotating therein.

A motor 19 for driving a rotating wire is built in the operation unit 12. The connecting portion 18 of the insertion tube 14 and the connecting portion 16 of the operation unit 12 are detachably connected to each other. When the connecting portions 16 and 18 are connected, the rotational driving force of the motor 19 is transmitted to the rotating wire inside the insertion tube 14. Of course, the sheath tube 26 forming the outer cylinder of the insertion tube 14 is not rotated. A connector 21 is connected to the operation unit 12 via a cable 20, and an ultrasonic probe is electrically connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body via the connector 21.

FIG. 2 shows a specific example of the configuration of the insertion tube 14 and the connecting portion 18. Insertion tube 1 as described above
4 is composed of a sheath tube 26 having flexibility and a rotating wire 22 rotating therein.
A vibrator 24 for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is provided at the tip of the second. If the rotating wire 22 is rotated while the insertion tube 14 is inserted into the blood vessel, the ultrasonic beam formed by the vibrator 24 is rotated, and so-called radial scanning is performed.

The connecting portion 18 is roughly divided into an outer cylinder 30 and an inner cylinder 3.
And 2. The outer cylinder 30 is intended to be consolidated in respect operating section 12 side of the connecting portion 16, the sheath tube 26 is connected to the distal end portion of the outer tube 30. A projection 34 is provided on the surface of the outer cylinder 30, and the projection is
Engages the spiral groove inside. Such a configuration itself is similar to a conventional probe.

At the base end of the inner cylinder 32, there is provided a connecting portion 32A which is connected to the rotating shaft of the motor.
An identification label 38 is provided on the base end surface.
The identification label 38 is constituted by a so-called bar code label in the present embodiment, and indicates various conditions such as the length and diameter of the insertion tube or the frequency of the ultrasonic wave as a code. The outer cylinder 30 is provided with a window 40 corresponding to the position where the identification label 38 is attached.
The window 40 is provided with a transparent member in the present embodiment, and the identification label 38 on the inner cylinder 32 can be observed from outside through such a window 40. Of course, since the identification label 38 rotates with the rotation of the inner cylinder 32, the window 4
The position of the identification label 38 exposed through the
Depends on the rotation angle of

FIG. 3 shows a section taken along the line AA ′ shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, a motor 19 is arranged in a casing of the connection portion 16, and a rotation shaft of the motor 19 is connected to the inner cylinder 32. The identification label 38 is attached on the surface of the base end of the inner cylinder 32 as described above. A window 40 is provided at the base end of the outer cylinder 30, and the window 4
0 by the label reader 43 via the identification label 38
Can be optically read. The label reader 43 is fixed in the connection section 16. Incidentally, electrodes 41 and 42 that are electrically connected to the vibrator 24 are provided in the inner cylinder 32.

Therefore, according to the above embodiment, the identification label 38 is provided on the inner cylinder 32, that is, the outer cylinder 3
Since the identification label 38 is covered and protected by 0, it is possible to prevent a problem that the identification label 38 is damaged or becomes dirty when the insertion section 10 is attached to the operation section 12, for example. . Here, window 4
Although 0 may be an opening, in the present embodiment, since the transparent member is fitted in the window 40, the above advantages can be further enhanced.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the identification label 38 is provided on the inner cylinder 32 as a rotating member, the optical beam formed by the label reader 43 is not scanned at all. There is an advantage that the identification label 38 can be read using the rotation of 32. Therefore, there is no need to provide a separate optical reading drive unit other than the motor 19.

Here, when the identification label 38 is read by the label reader 43, the rotation speed can be reduced from the normal high-speed rotation to a low-speed rotation if necessary. According to such a configuration, even when the reading ability of the label reader 43 is not so high,
The content of the identification label 38 can be read without error. In this case, switching between high-speed rotation and low-speed rotation can be performed by the control unit 46 as described below.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment. As described above, the ultrasonic wave is transmitted and received by the vibrator 24. A transmission signal is supplied to the vibrator 24 from the transmission / reception unit 52.
The received signal from the vibrator 24 is sent to an image processing unit (not shown) via the transmitting / receiving unit 52. The control unit 46 controls the entire ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The signal output from the label reader 43 is input to a code interpretation unit 44, which interprets the contents of the identification label. The interpretation result is output to the control unit 46, and the control unit 46 transmits and receives the transmission / reception unit 52 based on the interpretation result.
And the motor drive unit 48 is controlled.

Here, the motor 19 has a motor driving section 48.
Is supplied with a drive signal. The motor drive unit 48
Is controlled by the control unit 46.

As shown in FIG.
And a mounting sensor 50 for detecting the connection between the control unit 46 and the control unit 18. When mounting is detected by the mounting sensor 50, the control unit 46 controls the motor driving unit 48 to drive the motor 19 and reduce the rotation speed thereof. Can also be set. After the reading of the contents of the identification label by the label reader 42 is completed, the control unit 46 may switch the rotation speed of the motor 19 to the rotation speed for ultrasonic diagnosis, that is, the high-speed rotation. As the mounting sensor 50, for example, a mechanical or electrical switch can be used.

As the label reader 43 shown in FIG. 3, for example, a label reader having an LED or the like can be used. Alternatively, a label reader that reads the contents of a label using laser light can be used. The label reader 43 is provided at a position facing the window 40 formed in the outer cylinder in a state where the connection portions 16 and 18 are connected. The identification label 38 on the inner cylinder 32 is read optically via the.

In the above description, the number of revolutions is switched between the time of ultrasonic diagnosis and the time of label reading.
Of course, the label may be read at the same rotational speed immediately before performing the ultrasonic diagnosis. In any case, by reading the performance, the serial number, and the like of the insertion section 10, there is an advantage that the trouble of inputting by the user can be eliminated and the ultrasonic diagnosis can be automatically executed under appropriate conditions. .

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus provided with an ultrasonic probe inserted into a body cavity, identification of an insertion portion can be automatically recognized. In particular, there is an advantage that the identification label can be protected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of an ultrasonic probe inserted into a body cavity according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a specific example of an insertion tube and a connecting portion.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an AA ′ section shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 insertion part, 12 operation part, 14 insertion tube, 16, 1
8 connections, 20 cables, 22 rotating wires, 24
Vibrator, 26 sheath tube, 30 outer cylinder, 32
Inner cylinder, 38 identification label, 40 windows.

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. A accommodated in the distal end portion of the ultrasonic transducer for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, a tube-shaped member which is inserted into a body cavity,
An insertion portion having a rotary shaft that rotates Sea scan and therein, the insertion portion is detachably connected, mode having a motor shaft
An operation unit having a data, and when the insertion unit is detachably connected to the operation unit,
An inner cylinder forming the proximal end of the rotating shaft is detachably connected to the motor shaft , and an outer cylinder forming the proximal end of the sheath is provided.
The operation unit is detachable connected to the connection portion, on the surface of the inner cylinder is provided identification label, the said operation portion is provided a label reader for reading the contents of the identification label optically, the outer The identification label is attached to the cylinder by the label reader.
Light transmissive for reading the contents of the bell optically
A window is provided, and the label is formed by utilizing rotation of the inner cylinder with respect to the outer cylinder.
The content of the identification label through the window by a reader
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus characterized in that an image is read . 2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said window is formed of a transparent member. 3. A device according to claim 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wherein the window is open. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification label is a barcode, and the barcode is provided on a surface of the inner cylinder such that each line constituting the barcode is parallel to a rotation axis direction. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus characterized by being performed. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inner cylinder is moved relative to the outer cylinder when the rotation shaft is driven to rotate.
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus , wherein the content of the identification label is read by the label reader using the rotation of the label. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification label includes information indicating a type of the ultrasonic probe, and a control unit that controls the apparatus main body according to the information is provided. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rotating the first rotates the rotary shaft in rotation number, rotating the rotary shaft at a second rotational speed during ultrasonic diagnosis when mounting the said insertion portion An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having a control unit.