JP4036382B2 - Connector, ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic imaging device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector case, an ultrasonic probe, and an ultrasonic imaging apparatus, and more particularly to a connector case that accommodates an electrical contact assembly, an ultrasonic probe including the connector case, and an ultrasonic probe. It is related with the ultrasonic imaging device provided with.

  The ultrasonic imaging apparatus scans the inside of an imaging target with a pulse ultrasonic beam (beam), receives an echo, obtains image data (data) corresponding to the intensity of the echo, and thereby A so-called B-mode image is generated. This is also called B-mode shooting.

  Further, a Doppler shift of the echo of the pulse ultrasonic wave is obtained, and a color image representing the dynamics of blood flow or the like, that is, a so-called color Doppler image is generated based on the Doppler shift. This is also called color Doppler photography.

  Further, a Doppler signal of continuous wave (CW: continuous wave) ultrasonic echoes is obtained and displayed as a frequency spectrum (spectra) image and also displayed as sound (Doppler sound). This is also called continuous wave Doppler measurement.

  In any imaging or measurement, an ultrasonic probe is used for transmitting an ultrasonic wave and receiving an echo. The ultrasonic probe is connected to the imaging apparatus main body by a flexible cable. The user holds the ultrasonic probe in his / her hand and uses it in contact with a desired location to be imaged.

A plurality of types of ultrasonic probes are prepared for each application, and an appropriate probe is selected according to the purpose and connected to the imaging apparatus main body for use. The connection between the ultrasonic probe and the imaging apparatus main body is made by a connector. The user connects the ultrasonic probe to the imaging apparatus body by inserting the connector provided at the cable end of the ultrasonic probe into the connector receiver on the imaging apparatus body side, and pulls out the connector from the connector receiver to remove the ultrasonic probe. Remove from the main unit.
JP 2002-301073 A

  The orientation of the connector that can be inserted into the connector receptacle is fixed, and the connector cannot be inserted in any other orientation. However, if the connector or connector receptacle is destroyed due to an error in the wrong orientation due to mistakes, etc. There is.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector case that makes it easy to recognize the correct orientation of a connector, an ultrasonic probe that includes such a connector case, and an ultrasonic imaging apparatus that includes such an ultrasonic probe. Is to realize.

  (1) The invention according to one aspect for solving the above-described problem is a connector case that has a front part inserted into a connector receiver and a rear part from which a cable is pulled out and accommodates an electrical contact assembly inside. The connector case is characterized by comprising an insertion preventing member that retracts from the insertion preventing position to the release position by gravity when the front portion is in a posture capable of being correctly inserted in the connector receiver in the horizontal direction.

  (2) In another aspect of the invention for solving the above problems, a probe body, a cable having one end connected to the probe body, and an electrical contact assembly connected to the other end of the cable, A connector case having a front part to be inserted into the connector receiver and a rear part from which the cable is drawn out and housing the electrical contact assembly therein, the front part being correctly inserted in the connector receiver in the horizontal direction An ultrasonic probe comprising: a connector case having an insertion prevention member that retracts from an insertion prevention position to a release position by gravity when the posture is reached.

  (3) In another aspect of the invention for solving the above problems, an imaging apparatus main body having a connector receiver, a probe main body, a cable having one end connected to the probe main body, and the other end of the cable A connector case having a connected electrical contact assembly, a front portion inserted into the connector receiver and a rear portion from which the cable is pulled out, and housing the electrical contact assembly therein, the front portion being An ultrasonic imaging apparatus comprising: a connector case having an insertion prevention member that retracts from an insertion prevention position to a release position by gravity when the connector receiver is placed in a position that allows correct insertion in the horizontal direction.

  In the invention according to each aspect described in (1) to (3), the insertion preventing member that retracts from the insertion preventing position to the release position by gravity when the front portion is in a posture in which the front portion can be correctly inserted in the horizontal direction. Since the connector case has a connector case, even if it is inserted in the opposite direction, it is blocked by the insertion blocking member and immediately notices an error.

The insertion preventing member preferably has a blocking plate at one end of an arm rotatably supported and a weight at the other end in terms of simplifying the configuration.
The photographing apparatus main body has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape whose height dimension is smaller than the vertical and horizontal dimensions, and has a housing in which the connector receiver is provided on a surface other than the bottom surface and the top surface. However, this is preferable in that it forms a flat ultrasonic imaging apparatus.

  In that case, the imaging apparatus main body has a substantially flat display unit that can be tilted around a hinge on the upper surface of the housing, so that a flat ultrasonic imaging apparatus including the display unit is configured. preferable.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a connector case that makes it easy to recognize the correct orientation of the connector, an ultrasonic probe including such a connector case, and such an ultrasonic probe are provided. An ultrasonic imaging apparatus can be realized.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment. FIG. 1 schematically shows the physical configuration of an ultrasonic imaging apparatus. This apparatus is an example of an embodiment of the present invention. An example of an embodiment relating to the apparatus of the present invention is shown by the configuration of the apparatus. With respect to this apparatus, the front and rear, left and right and up and down directions are defined as shown by the arrows in the figure.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus includes an imaging apparatus main body 100 and an ultrasonic probe 2. The ultrasonic probe 2 includes a probe main body 20, a cable 22 and a connector 24. The probe body 20 is connected to one end of a cable 22 and is detachably connected to the imaging apparatus body 100 by a connector 24 provided at the other end.

  FIG. 2 shows the imaging apparatus main body 100 with the ultrasonic probe 2 removed. As shown in the figure, the photographing apparatus main body 100 is configured by connecting a generally flat panel 300 to a generally box-shaped body 200 by a hinge 400. The hinge 400 is provided between the upper portion of the rear end of the body 200 and the lower end portion of the panel 300.

  Panel 300 is relatively rotatable with respect to body 200 about hinge 400. The hinge 400 has an appropriate frictional resistance, and the panel 300 can be kept at an arbitrary rotation angle.

  In the state where the panel 300 is rotated to the maximum in the counterclockwise direction in the figure, the panel 300 can be laid on the upper surface of the body 200 as shown in FIG. Hereinafter, this state is also referred to as a folded state of the photographing apparatus main body 100. That is, the panel 300 can be tilted with respect to the body 200. In the folded body, the photographing apparatus main body 100 has a so-called thin, substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape whose dimensions in the vertical direction are smaller than those in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction.

  The upper surface of the body 200 is an operation unit 210 of the present apparatus. The operation unit 210 includes a keyboard 212 and an input pad 214. A pair of click buttons 216 are attached to the input pad 214. The input pad 214 is used as a pointing device.

  A connector receiver 500 for connecting the connector 24 of the ultrasonic probe 2 is provided on the right side surface of the body 200. The position where the connector receiver 500 is provided is not limited to the right side surface, and may be provided on the left side surface, the rear surface, or the front surface. The connector receiver 500 is an example of an embodiment of the connector receiver in the present invention.

  The front surface of the panel 300 is a display unit 310. The display unit 310 includes an image display device 312 and a pair of sound output devices 314. As the image display device 312, for example, a flat panel display such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is used. As the sound output device 314, for example, a speaker or the like is used.

  FIG. 4 shows the ultrasonic probe 2 in a state removed from the imaging apparatus main body 100. The ultrasonic probe 2 is an example of an embodiment of the ultrasonic probe of the present invention. The configuration of this probe shows an example of an embodiment relating to the ultrasonic probe of the present invention.

  One end of a cable 22 is connected to the probe main body 20, and a connector 24 is connected to the other end of the cable 22. The probe body 20 is an example of an embodiment of the probe body in the present invention. The cable 22 is an example of an embodiment of a cable in the present invention.

  FIG. 5 shows a configuration of the connector 24 by a four-view drawing. (A) of the figure is a front view, (b) is a top view, (c) is a rear view, and (d) is a lateral view. As shown in the figure, the connector 24 has an electrical contact assembly 240 accommodated in a connector case 250. The connector case 250 has an opening 252 on the front surface. The electrical contact assembly 240 protrudes toward the opening 252 in the connector case 250.

  The connector case 250 is an example of an embodiment of the connector case of the present invention. An example of an embodiment related to the connector case of the present invention is shown by the configuration of the case. Connector case 250 is also an example of an embodiment of a connector case in the present invention. The electrical contact assembly 240 is an example of an embodiment of the electrical contact assembly in the present invention.

  The electrical contact assembly 240 includes a plurality of pin-shaped electrical contacts 242. In addition, the code | symbol to an electric contactor is represented by one place. The plurality of electrical contacts 242 are implanted in parallel to each other on a substrate (not shown) facing the front. The plurality of electrical contacts 242 are surrounded by a sleeve 244. The length of the sleeve 244 is slightly longer than the length of the electrical contact 242.

  The cable 22 is pulled out from the rear surface of the connector case 250 through the cylindrical portion 254. The plurality of electric wires constituting the cable 22 are connected to the plurality of electrical contacts 242 inside the connector case 250, respectively.

  The lower surface of the rear portion of the connector case 250 has an elevation angle α with respect to the extending direction of the lowermost surface of the connector case 250, that is, the bottom surface. As a result, the cylindrical portion 254 and the cable 22 drawn therefrom have the same elevation angle α. Although the figure shows an example in which the upper surface of the rear part has the same elevation angle, the upper surface does not necessarily have an elevation angle, and at least the lower surface may have an elevation angle α. The connector 24 configured in this way is inserted into the connector receiver 500 of the photographing apparatus main body 100.

  FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the connector 24 and the connector receiver 500. As shown in the figure, the connector receiver 500 includes a recess having an opening 502 into which the front portion of the connector 24 can be inserted and an electrical contact assembly 240 '. The electrical contact assembly 240 'is provided in the recess. The electrical contact assembly 240 ′ protrudes in the direction of the opening 502 of the connector receiver 500.

  The electrical contact assembly 240 ′ is a contact partner of the electrical contact assembly 240 of the connector 24, and the outer periphery thereof has a shape and size that conforms to the inner method of the sleeve 244 of the electrical contact assembly 240. And a plurality of holes (not shown) that match the plurality of electrical contacts (pins) 242 in the electrical contact assembly 240. Each hole has an electrical contact piece on the inner surface. Each electric contact piece is connected to an electric circuit inside the photographing apparatus main body 100. By inserting the connector 24 into the connector receptacle 500, the electrical contact assembly 240 and the electrical contact assembly 240 'are fitted to form an electrical connection.

  Since the photographing apparatus main body 100 is thin, the height of the lower side of the connector receiver 500 from the mounting surface 600 of the photographing apparatus main body 100 is considerably low, but the connector 24 has an elevation angle on the lower surface of the rear portion, so The clearance of the lower surface of the rear portion of the connector 24 is sufficiently large, and the connector 24 can be easily inserted and removed by the user's hand.

  On the other hand, when an attempt is made to insert the connector 24 into the connector receiver 500 upside down by mistake or the like, the rear elevation angle structure acts in the opposite direction, so that the rear portion of the connector 24 and the cylindrical portion 254 protruding therefrom. Since the cable 22 interferes with the mounting surface 600, the insertion of the connector 24 is impossible or extremely difficult. That is, since correct insertion is easy and illegal insertion is impossible or extremely difficult, proper connector insertion is performed by itself.

  In order to facilitate the correct insertion of the connector, the color tone of the connector case may be used instead of increasing the elevation angle at the rear part of the connector case as described above. An example of such a case is shown in FIG. (A), (b), and (c) of the figure are the top view, the side view, and the bottom view of the connector 24, respectively. As shown in the figure, the connector case 250 exhibits a color tone A when it is correctly inserted into the upper half, that is, the connector case 500, and has a color tone B when it is the lower half, that is, when it is correctly inserted into the connector case 500. It is supposed to present.

  The color tones A and B are different from each other. For example, the color tone A is a calm color or a color with little stimulation, and the color tone B is a flashy color or a color with strong stimulation. By doing so, when trying to insert the connector upside down by mistake, for example, a strong tone B is in the eyes, so the user can easily recognize the mistake. Such coloring may be performed in combination with the above-described elevation angle.

  Prevention of erroneous insertion of the connector may be performed by mechanical blocking means. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, insertion preventing mechanisms 260 are provided at both ends of the upper portion of the sleeve 244 of the electrical contact assembly 240, thereby preventing unauthorized insertion.

  9 and 10 are enlarged views of a portion where the insertion prevention mechanism 260 is provided. The figure shows the right end portion. The left end part is symmetrical to this. 9 is a front view, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA.

  As shown in both figures, the insertion prevention mechanism 260 has a shaft 268 that is rotatably supported by a bearing 270 provided on the outer periphery of the sleeve 244. An arm 264 is attached to the tip of the shaft 268. The direction of the arm 264 is perpendicular to the axis 268. The arm 264 is bent in a dogleg shape in a plane perpendicular to the shaft 268.

  The arm 264 has a blocking plate 262 and a weight 266 at both ends. The blocking plate 262 is parallel to the axis 268. The blocking plate 262 is an example of an embodiment of an insertion blocking portion seat in the present invention. The blocking plate 262, the arm 264, and the weight 266 are rotating bodies that can rotate about the shaft 268. Hereinafter, a portion of the arm 264 from the shaft 268 to the blocking plate 262 is also referred to as an upper arm, and a portion from the shaft 268 to the weight 266 is also referred to as a lower arm.

  The moment of rotation of the lower arm having the weight 266 is greater than the moment of rotation of the upper arm having the blocking plate 262. For this reason, the rotating body tries to rotate to a position where the lower arm becomes vertical due to gravity acting on the weight 266, but the upper arm is prevented from rotating by contacting the stopper 272, and the upper arm is Stand still, facing up. In this state, the blocking plate 262 rises away from the front surface of the sleeve 244. Hereinafter, the position of the blocking plate 262 at this time is also referred to as a release position.

  When the blocking plate 262 is in the release position, the connector 24 can be inserted into the connector receiver 500 and the electrical contact assembly 240 can be fitted to the electrical contact assembly 240 ′ on the connector receiver 500 side.

  On the other hand, when the connector 24 is turned upside down and inserted into the connector receiver 500, the vertical relationship in FIGS. 9 and 10 is reversed, so that the arm 264 is moved by the gravity acting on the weight 266. , Counterclockwise and stops when the blocking plate 262 contacts the sleeve 244. The position of the blocking plate 262 at this time is also referred to as a blocking position.

  In the blocking position, the blocking plate 262 covers the front surface of the sleeve 244, as indicated by a constant chain line in the drawing. For this reason, even if it is going to insert the connector 24 in the connector receptacle 500, it becomes impossible to make the electrical contact assembly 240 fit to the electrical contact assembly 240 ', thereby preventing erroneous insertion.

Such an insertion prevention mechanism may be provided in the above-described angled connector or color-coded connector. Thereby, it is possible to prevent erroneous insertion more reliably.
Prevention of erroneous insertion may be performed by a warning by sound or automatic voice. For this purpose, the connector 24 and the connector receiver 500 are configured as shown in FIG. 11, for example. As shown in the figure, a light emitting element 504 and a light receiving element 506 are provided inside the connector receiver 500, and a reflector 508 is provided inside the connector 24.

  The light emitting element 504 and the light receiving element 506 are installed on the upper part of the inner surface of the connector receiver 500 toward the opening 502 of the connector receiver 500. The reflector 508 is provided in the lower part of the inner surface of the connector case 250.

  In this way, when the connector 24 is inserted into the connector receptacle 500 in the correct orientation, the light emitting element 504 and the reflector 508 do not face each other, so that the light receiving element 506 receives less light, but is inserted upside down. When trying to do so, since the light emitting element 504 and the reflector 508 face each other, the amount of light received by the light receiving element 506 increases. Accordingly, whether the connector 24 is inserted or not can be determined based on the amount of light received by the light receiving element 506.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, the warning unit 510 provided on the photographing apparatus main body 100 side determines whether or not there is an erroneous insertion based on the amount of light received by the light receiving element 506. Warning by sound or voice message. Voice messages are preferably in multiple languages. A portion including the light receiving element 506, the warning unit 510, and the audio output device 314 is an example of an embodiment of the warning means in the present invention.

  The present invention has been described above based on the preferred embodiments. However, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains have the technical scope of the present invention with respect to the above embodiments. Various changes and substitutions can be made without departing. Accordingly, the technical scope of the present invention includes not only the above-described embodiments but also all the embodiments belonging to the scope of the claims.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a physical configuration of an apparatus according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a physical structure of a photographing apparatus main body. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a physical structure of a photographing apparatus main body. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a physical configuration of an ultrasonic probe. It is a figure which shows the structure of a connector. It is the schematic which shows the relationship between a connector and a connector receptacle. It is a figure which shows the structure of a connector. It is a figure which shows the front surface of a connector. It is a figure which shows the structure of an insertion prevention mechanism. It is a figure which shows the structure of an insertion prevention mechanism. It is the schematic which shows the relationship between a connector and a connector receptacle. It is a block diagram of the means to warn of incorrect insertion.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Image pick-up device main body 200 Body 210 Operation part 300 Panel 310 Display part 500 Connector receptacle 2 Ultrasonic probe 20 Probe main body 22 Cable 24 Connector 240,240 'Electric contact assembly 250 Connector case 260 Insertion prevention mechanism 504 Light emitting element 506 Light receiving element 508 Reflector 510 Warning unit

Claims (6)

A connector case having a front part to be inserted into the connector receptacle and a rear part from which the cable is pulled out;
An electrical contact assembly which is disposed inside the connector case and fits with the connector receiver;
A blocking plate that is located at the edge of the rectangular opposing surface of the electrical contact assembly that faces the connector receiver during the insertion and prevents the mating of the opposing surface, the insertion direction An insertion blocking member that rotates about an axis orthogonal to the connector case and moves between the connector case and the electrical contact assembly and the gap between the gap and the opposing surface;
With connector.   2. The insertion preventing member includes an arm rotatably supported around the shaft, and the arm includes a blocking plate at one end of the arm and a weight at the other end sandwiching the shaft. Connector described in. A probe body;
A cable having one end connected to the probe body;
A connector connected to the other end of the cable;
An ultrasonic probe comprising:
The connector includes a connector case having a front portion to be inserted into the connector receiver and a rear portion from which the cable is drawn out, and an electrical contact that is disposed inside the connector case and engages with the connector receiver. And a blocking plate that is positioned at the edge of the rectangular opposing surface of the electrical assembly and the electrical contact assembly that faces the connector receiver at the time of insertion, and prevents the mating of the opposing surface An insertion blocking member that rotates about an axis orthogonal to the direction of insertion and moves between the gap between the connector case and the electrical contact assembly and the opposing surface;
An ultrasonic probe comprising: An imaging apparatus body having a connector receptacle;
A probe body;
A cable having one end connected to the probe body;
A connector connected to the other end of the cable;
An ultrasonic imaging apparatus comprising:
The connector includes a connector case having a front portion to be inserted into the connector receiver and a rear portion from which the cable is drawn out, and an electrical contact that is disposed inside the connector case and engages with the connector receiver. And a blocking plate that is positioned at the edge of the rectangular opposing surface of the electrical assembly and the electrical contact assembly that faces the connector receiver at the time of insertion, and prevents the mating of the opposing surface An insertion blocking member that rotates about an axis orthogonal to the direction of insertion and moves between the gap between the connector case and the electrical contact assembly and the opposing surface;
An ultrasonic imaging apparatus comprising:   The photographing apparatus main body has a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape whose height dimension is smaller than the vertical and horizontal dimensions, and includes a housing in which the connector receiver is provided on a surface other than the bottom surface and the top surface. The ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to claim 4.   The ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the imaging apparatus body includes a flat plate-like display unit that can be tilted about a hinge on an upper surface of the housing.

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