JP4352517B2 - Ultrasonic vibrator drive motor device and ultrasonic diagnostic device using the same - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a three-dimensional ultrasonic transducer driving motor apparatus of a three-dimensional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and a three-dimensional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the same.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As an ultrasonic probe used in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for a living body, there are broadly divided into a linear scanning method and a sector scanning method, and the sector scanning method mainly includes an electronic sector scanning method and a mechanical sector scanning method. . As this mechanical sector scanning type ultrasonic probe, the type and method described on page 54 of “Introduction to Ultrasonic Inspection (2nd edition)” published by Ishiyaku Shuppan Publishing Co., Ltd. are known.
[0003]
Conventionally, ultrasonic probes (also referred to as ultrasonic probes and ultrasonic diagnostic probes) are described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 7-184888, 7-163562, and 7-289550. Are known.
[0004]
The ultrasonic probes disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 7-184888 and 7-289550 are attached with an ultrasonic transducer facing the handle axis direction of the ultrasonic probe and face the ultrasonic transducer. The ultrasonic transmission / reception unit provided with the acoustic mirror and the shaft connected to the mounting base of the vibrator are connected to a drive motor that rotationally drives the shaft. Due to the rotation of the drive motor, the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit rotates around the shaft, and the beam of the ultrasonic transducer is reflected by the acoustic mirror, so the beam on the surface reflected with respect to the rotation axis of the ultrasonic transducer It becomes a trajectory plane. Although it depends on the inclination angle of the acoustic mirror, the beam locus plane is generally a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis because of the inclined plane of 45 degrees.
[0005]
Since the drive motor is configured on the handle side compared to the ultrasonic transducer, an acoustic mirror that converts the axis relative to the rotation axis is required to rotate the mounting base of the ultrasonic transducer with the shaft. In addition, the beam trajectory plane is an ultrasonic tomographic image which is a plane perpendicular to the handle axis direction of the ultrasonic probe.
[0006]
Since the ultrasonic probe disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-163562 is attached so that the ultrasonic transducer is directed in the radial direction with respect to the handle axial direction of the ultrasonic probe, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-289550 is disclosed. The acoustic mirror described in the publication is not necessary. The shaft of the mounting base of the ultrasonic transducer is indirectly connected to the shaft of the drive motor. Due to the rotation of the drive motor, the ultrasonic transducer mounting base rotates in accordance with the axis of the shaft, and the beam trajectory plane of the ultrasonic transducer becomes a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis.
[0007]
Since the drive motor is configured on the handle part side compared to the ultrasonic transducer, the beam trajectory plane is perpendicular to the handle axial direction of the ultrasonic probe in order to rotate the ultrasonic transducer mount with the shaft. An ultrasonic tomographic image is obtained.
[0008]
Since the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses described in JP-A-7-184888, JP-A-7-163562, and JP-A-7-289550 do not have another axis, only a two-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic image can be obtained.
[0009]
Also, the ultrasonic probe disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-31373 is a rotational drive mechanism comprising a drive motor and a gear clutch that switches the rotational direction of the drive motor and transmits it to the vibrator side in the probe body. Is built-in. The ultrasonic transducers connected by the signal cable can be reciprocally oscillated and rotated by automatic or manual operation within a range of at least 180 degrees within the window case. This ultrasonic probe uses a gear clutch for switching the rotation direction of the ultrasonic transducer. For this reason, the tomographic image on the beam trajectory plane of the ultrasonic transducer is mechanically restricted in movement, and thus swings within a certain angle range.
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the mechanical sector scanning ultrasonic probe of the above-mentioned conventional example can obtain a two-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic image, and cannot obtain a three-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic image. Since the ultrasonic probe of the conventional example has only one axis of the drive motor axis, only a two-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic image can be obtained.
[0011]
Three-dimensionalization is possible by a method of rotating the entire components of the ultrasonic vibrator and the drive motor that drives the ultrasonic vibrator. However, in order to achieve a compact three-dimensional mechanism, it is necessary to configure the ultrasonic vibrator within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor based on the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator. Then, since the ultrasonic transducer is configured outside the range of the internal axis of the drive motor, it becomes a very large ultrasonic probe to make the whole rotation mechanism, and cannot be used practically.
[0012]
In the conventional two-dimensional tomographic image, the beam trajectory plane of the ultrasonic transducer is a plane perpendicular to the handle axis of the ultrasonic probe and is not parallel to the handle axis. There is a problem that a sufficient diagnosis cannot be made in the intra-body cavity scanning used in the department.
[0013]
In addition, when the cable is directly connected to the ultrasonic transducer, the image range of the ultrasonic transducer is limited, so the measurement range is narrowed, and the insertion direction of the ultrasonic probe is changed when diagnosing the affected area. Therefore, it is necessary to measure the image many times, and the range in which the diagnosis cannot be performed mechanically increases.
[0014]
In order to make a compact three-dimensional mechanism, it is necessary to provide a mechanism in which the ultrasonic vibrator is configured within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor due to the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator. It is necessary to review the construction method and materials of the member that supports the drive motor unit for the mechanism that swings the entire unit.
[0015]
The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described conventional problems, and is capable of ensuring three-dimensional ultrasonic scanning, and is capable of scanning an ultrasonic transducer driving motor device that is compact and lightweight and capable of scanning. It is an object of the present invention to provide a used three-dimensional scanning ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.
[0016]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured such that the rotational axis of the drive motor is perpendicular to the handle axis so that the beam trajectory plane of the ultrasonic transducer can be formed in a plane parallel to the handle axis. .
[0017]
Further, an ultrasonic transducer drive motor device is configured in which the sound wave propagation medium is contained and the rotary case of the drive motor and the swing shaft for swinging the beam surface are configured in the window case.
[0018]
For this purpose, the beam surface is formed within the motor range of the drive motor rotating shaft. Attach an ultrasonic transducer to the rotor case of the drive motor.
[0019]
The base housing that supports the bearing of the drive motor can swing on a swing plane (referred to as swing plane b) perpendicular to the track plane a through the drive shaft. This is a swing plane that goes directly to the beam trajectory plane and passes through the drive shaft.
[0020]
For this purpose, a rail having a rocking curvature radius is provided in the base housing.
[0021]
The swing shaft is configured within the range of two support points of the base housing of the drive motor.
[0022]
The chassis is formed with a guide portion for supporting the swing of the base housing on which the drive motor is mounted with a rail.
[0023]
The base housing is manufactured by the MIM (metal injection mold) method.
[0024]
The material of the base housing manufactured by the metal injection mold method is a stainless steel material such as sus316L.
[0025]
The base housing is made of fiber reinforced plastic.
[0026]
The electro-mechanical scanning type three-dimensional scanning ultrasonic transducer drive motor device according to the present invention is used to oscillate the rotation axis of the drive motor and the beam surface in the window case containing the ultrasonic propagation medium. An ultrasonic transducer drive motor device having two axes is configured, and an ultrasonic tomographic image is obtained with a beam trajectory plane parallel to the handle axis of the ultrasonic probe. By oscillating the base housing around the center, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of compositing and displaying a three-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic image becomes possible.
[0027]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a window case made of a window material containing an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic propagation medium and having ultrasonic transmission properties, and a drive motor for driving the ultrasonic transducer. In the ultrasonic probe equipped with the ultrasonic transducer, the ultrasonic transducer is attached to the outer periphery of the rotor frame of the drive motor and formed on the orbital plane (referred to as the orbital plane a) of the ultrasonic transducer rotated by the rotation axis of the drive motor. Further, the base housing that supports the bearing of the drive motor can swing on the base housing so that the base housing can swing on a plane perpendicular to the track plane a through the drive shaft. An ultrasonic vibrator having a structure in which a rail having a radius is provided and which is received by a chassis in which a guide portion of the rail is formed while supporting a swing of a base housing on which a drive motor is mounted. This is a dynamic motor device, and since the ultrasonic vibrator is configured within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor due to the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator, a compact three-dimensional mechanism is realized. be able to. Since the handle axis and chassis axis of the ultrasonic transducer are in the same direction, the drive motor axis is perpendicular to the handle axis, and the beam path plane is parallel to the handle axis. An ultrasonic tomographic image that becomes a certain scanning plane can be obtained. In addition, the swing axis is orthogonal to the drive axis, and the swing surface is orthogonal to the beam trajectory plane, and swinging causes the beam trajectory plane to traverse about the swing axis. be able to. In addition, since the base housing on which the swing motor is mounted has a rail for swinging, and the guide portion of the rail is received by the chassis, the strength of the swing portion of the base housing can be sufficiently secured. Have
[0028]
The invention described in claim 2 includes a window case made of a window material that includes an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic propagation medium and has ultrasonic permeability, and a drive motor that drives the ultrasonic transducer. In an ultrasonic probe, an ultrasonic transducer capable of obtaining an ultrasonic tomographic image by attaching an ultrasonic transducer to the outer periphery of a rotor frame of a drive motor and scanning the human body using the ultrasonic transducer Are attached to the rotor frame, and the ultrasonic transducers are arranged at a position of 180 degrees with respect to the drive rotation axis, and the drive shaft is arranged with respect to two orbital planes formed by the two ultrasonic transducers. The ultrasonic vibrator drive motor device according to claim 1, wherein the base housing can swing on a vertical plane that passes through the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator. In location relation, since within the inner shaft of the drive motor the ultrasonic vibrator has a mechanism constituting capable of three-dimensional mechanism compactly. Since the handle axis and chassis axis of the ultrasonic transducer are in the same direction, the drive motor axis is perpendicular to the handle axis, and the beam path plane is parallel to the handle axis. An ultrasonic tomographic image that becomes a certain scanning plane can be obtained. In addition, the swing axis is orthogonal to the drive axis, and the swing surface is orthogonal to the beam trajectory plane, and swinging causes the beam trajectory plane to traverse about the swing axis. be able to. Furthermore, since the base housing on which the swing motor is mounted has a rail for swinging and the guide portion of the rail is received by the chassis, the strength of the swing portion of the base housing can be sufficiently secured. Furthermore, since there are two ultrasonic transducers, ultrasonic transducers with different frequencies can be configured in the same ultrasonic probe, and the ultrasonic transducers used for diagnosis can be switched and used. Can do. Since the two ultrasonic transducers are arranged at a position of 180 degrees, the image of each ultrasonic transducer is not affected by multiple reflections.
[0029]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a window case made of a window material that includes an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic propagation medium and has ultrasonic permeability, and a drive motor that drives the ultrasonic transducer. In the ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic transducer is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the rotor frame of the drive motor, and is formed on the orbit plane (orbit plane a) of the ultrasonic transducer rotated by the rotation shaft of the drive motor. An ultrasonic tomographic image of the human body on the orbital plane can be obtained, and a base housing that supports the bearing of the drive motor is perpendicular to the orbital plane a through the drive axis (the oscillating plane b and In order to allow the base housing to swing, a rail with a swing radius of curvature is provided on the left and right sides of the swing plane b on the base housing, and a drive motor is mounted. The ultrasonic transducer drive motor device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a chassis formed with a guide portion for supporting the swinging of the base housing by two rails is divided into two chassis forming respective rails. Therefore, since the ultrasonic vibrator is configured within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor based on the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator, a compact three-dimensional mechanism can be realized. Since the handle axis and chassis axis of the ultrasonic transducer are in the same direction, the drive motor axis is perpendicular to the handle axis, and the beam path plane is parallel to the handle axis. An ultrasonic tomographic image that becomes a certain scanning plane can be obtained. In addition, the swing axis is orthogonal to the drive axis, and the swing surface is orthogonal to the beam trajectory plane, and swinging causes the beam trajectory plane to traverse about the swing axis. be able to. Furthermore, since the base housing on which the swing motor is mounted has a rail for swinging, and the rail is configured on both sides of the base housing, the rail guide portion is divided into two rails. Attach it with the chassis from both sides so that it can be engaged. Therefore, since it is supported by the two rails of the housing, it swings stably and the area of the engagement of the rail increases, so that the strength of the swinging portion of the base housing can be sufficiently secured.
[0030]
The invention described in claim 4 includes a window case made of a window material that includes an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic propagation medium and has ultrasonic permeability, and a drive motor that drives the ultrasonic transducer. In the ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic transducer is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the rotor frame of the drive motor, and is formed on the orbital plane (referred to as the orbit plane a) of the ultrasonic transducer rotated by the rotation axis of the drive motor. A rail having a swinging radius of curvature on the base housing so that the base housing that supports the bearing of the drive motor can swing on a plane perpendicular to the track plane a through the drive shaft. The base housing is equipped with a drive motor, and the base housing is manufactured by the MIM (Metal Injection Mold) method. The ultrasonic vibrator drive motor apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3 is provided, and the base housing must be configured to have a compact mechanism for supporting and swinging the drive motor. In addition to being complicated, it is a drive mechanism part that is inserted into the body cavity, so it becomes a small part and impossible in general turning, etc., so the rotating base is manufactured by the MIM method, In addition to having sufficient strength, the rotating base having a stable shape can be easily manufactured.
[0031]
The invention according to claim 5 is the ultrasonic vibrator driving motor device according to claim 4, wherein the material of the base housing manufactured by the metal injection mold method is a stainless steel material. When used in an ultrasonic wave propagation medium, it has oil and chemical resistance, and has the effect of preventing the occurrence of rust.
[0032]
The invention described in claim 6 includes a window case made of a window material that includes an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic propagation medium and has ultrasonic permeability, and a drive motor that drives the ultrasonic transducer. In the ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic transducer is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the rotor frame of the drive motor, and is formed on the orbital plane (referred to as the orbit plane a) of the ultrasonic transducer rotated by the rotation axis of the drive motor. A rail having a swinging radius of curvature on the base housing so that the base housing that supports the bearing of the drive motor can swing on a plane perpendicular to the track plane a through the drive shaft. The base housing is provided with a drive motor mounted thereon, and the base housing is made of fiber reinforced plastic. The ultrasonic transducer drive motor device described above is used, and the base housing must have a compact mechanism for supporting and swinging the drive motor. Because it is a drive mechanism part inserted into the metal, it becomes a small part and becomes a shape impossible by general turning, etc., so the drive motor part is configured at the tip of the ultrasonic probe compared to a metal molded product For this reason, since the tip is felt heavy due to the weight balance of the entire ultrasonic probe, the rotating base of the metal member is made of fiber reinforced plastic in order to reduce the weight of the member at the tip. Has a function of obtaining a sufficient and lightweight rotating base.
[0033]
The invention described in claim 7 includes a window case made of a window material that includes an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic propagation medium and has ultrasonic permeability, and a drive motor that drives the ultrasonic transducer. In the ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic transducer is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the rotor frame of the drive motor, and is formed on the orbit plane (orbit plane a) of the ultrasonic transducer rotated by the rotation shaft of the drive motor. An ultrasonic tomographic image of the human body on the orbital plane can be obtained, and a base housing that supports the bearing of the drive motor is perpendicular to the orbital plane a through the drive axis (the oscillating plane b and The base housing is provided with a rail having a swing radius of curvature so that the base housing can swing, and the base housing on which the drive motor is mounted can be swung with the rail. Three-dimensional display capable of three-dimensional display by synthesizing ultrasonic tomographic images of orbital planes at arbitrary swing angles with an ultrasonic transducer drive motor device composed of a chassis formed with a guide section to be received This is an ultrasonic diagnostic device, and because the position of the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator is such that the ultrasonic vibrator is configured within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor, a compact three-dimensional mechanism is realized. can do. Since the handle axis and chassis axis of the ultrasonic transducer are in the same direction, the drive motor axis is perpendicular to the handle axis, and the beam path plane is parallel to the handle axis. An ultrasonic tomographic image that becomes a certain scanning plane can be obtained. In addition, the swing axis is orthogonal to the drive axis, and the swing surface is orthogonal to the beam trajectory plane, and swinging causes the beam trajectory plane to traverse about the swing axis. be able to. Therefore, ultrasonic tomographic images of a plurality of beam trajectory planes can be obtained, and these tomographic images can be combined and displayed as a three-dimensional image, so that the convenience of diagnosis can be improved.
[0034]
The invention according to claim 8 can be displayed three-dimensionally by synthesizing the ultrasonic tomographic image of the orbital plane at an arbitrary swing angle with each of the ultrasonic transducer driving motor devices of claims 1 to 6. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein an ultrasonic tomographic image of a plurality of beam trajectory planes can be obtained by traversing the beam trajectory plane with the oscillation axis as a center. An image can be displayed after being synthesized with a three-dimensional image, and the convenience of diagnosis can be improved.
[0035]
【Example】
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0036]
(Example 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an entire ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using a mechanical sector scanning ultrasonic probe in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0037]
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment includes an ultrasonic probe and a main body system unit. A drive motor 3 that rotates and drives the ultrasonic vibrators 1 and 2 and a base housing 4 that supports the drive motor 3 are built in at the tip of the ultrasonic probe, and the base housing 4 is swung at the handle portion of the ultrasonic probe. A swing motor 5 and a handle shaft 6 are configured.
[0038]
The ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 are attached to the outer peripheral portion of the rotating portion of the drive motor 3, and the beams of the ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 are radiated in the radial direction with respect to the rotation axis. When the drive motor 3 rotates, the trajectory plane of the beams of the ultrasonic vibrators 1 and 2 is a plane orthogonal to the rotation axis. That is, the axis perpendicular to the trajectory plane of the beam is the rotation axis of the drive motor 3. Knowing the rotational position information of the drive motor 3 knows the position information of the ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 attached to the drive motor 3. The rotational position of the drive motor 3 can be obtained by using the reference position means as a reference for one rotation and the relative position information together with the position means. The reference position means is composed of a magnetic pin (37 in FIG. 3) and an MR element (not shown). An encoder 7 is incorporated as relative position information means, and the encoder 7 includes an encoder magnet (40 in FIG. 4) on the drive motor side and an MR element (41 in FIG. 4) on the base housing 4 side. This drive motor 3 is driven to rotate by switching in several steps from 5 Hz to 17 Hz. In order to extract the signals from the ultrasonic vibrators 1 and 2 to the outside of the drive motor 3, a slip ring is formed in the rotor portion of the drive motor. The ultrasonic waves radiated from the ultrasonic transducer 1 (or 2) travel radially to the center of the ultrasonic transducer 1 (or 2) and enter the living tissue. A part of the ultrasonic wave incident on the tissue is reflected in the tissue, then received by the ultrasonic transducer 1 (or 2) and converted into an electric signal, and passes through the slip ring 8 to the outside of the drive motor 3. It is taken out and sent to the amplifier in the system body.
[0039]
In the conventional two-dimensional case, there is one shaft, but in the present embodiment, there are two shafts, which are a drive rotation shaft and a swing shaft.
[0040]
The base housing 4 that supports the drive motor 3 includes a swingable mechanism portion, and the swing surface is a surface that is perpendicular to the beam locus plane and that passes through the drive shaft. The swing angle can swing about 55 degrees to the left and right.
[0041]
The drive motor 3, the base housing 4, and the rocking mechanism on the base housing side are formed at the tip of the ultrasonic probe, and the ultrasonic propagation medium in the window case 9, which consists entirely of a window material having ultrasonic transmission properties. Is included.
[0042]
Torque can be transmitted using the handle shaft 6 in a state where the ultrasonic propagation medium is sealed. The handle shaft 6 is a torque transmission shaft for swinging the base housing 4 and is connected to the swing motor 5 on the handle portion side. The swing motor 5 is provided with an encoder 10 using an MR element having reference position information means and position information means so that the swing angle can be known.
[0043]
A drive circuit 11 for driving the drive motor and a drive circuit 12 for driving the swing motor are configured in the system main body.
[0044]
Next, the transmission / reception circuit portion in the system main body will be described. When transmitting ultrasonic waves into the living body, first, the pulse generator 13 outputs a rate pulse for determining the repetition period of the ultrasonic pulses and sends it to the transducer drive circuit 14. In this transducer drive circuit 14, drive pulses are formed to drive the ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 and generate ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic wave radiated from the ultrasonic transducer 1 (or 2) into the living body is reflected by the tissue in the living body, and is received by the ultrasonic transducer 1 (or 2) used at the time of transmission. After being amplified by the amplifier 15, it is sent to the B-mode signal processing circuit. In the B-mode signal processing circuit, the transducer output is logarithmically compressed by the logarithmic amplifier 16, detected by the detection circuit 17, and A / D converted by the A / D converter 18 and stored in the image memory 19. A plurality of images obtained by the swinging are also stored in the image memory 19, and a three-dimensional image composition process is performed using the high-speed image DSP 20. It is displayed as a sonic tomographic image.
[0045]
FIG. 2 shows an external perspective view of the ultrasonic probe. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 22 denotes a handle portion, which incorporates a relay electronic circuit board such as a swing motor. Reference numeral 23 denotes a distal end portion of the ultrasonic probe, and a window case 9 made of a window material having ultrasonic transmission is attached to the distal end, and a drive motor and an ultrasonic vibrator are incorporated therein. The ultrasonic probe is connected to the main body by a cable 24. The distal end has a smooth cylindrical streamline shape so that it can be easily inserted into a body cavity. The cable 24 includes an input / output line (I / O line) for connecting the ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body, an electric control line for driving and controlling the drive motor and the swing motor, an encoder, and the like. The cable connecting the signal line and the shock detection signal line to the ultrasonic diagnostic equipment body, protected by the cable sheath, and the input / output lines are shielded, and the ultrasonic transducer side Grounded at both ends of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body.
[0046]
3 and 4 are structural diagrams on the drive motor side of the ultrasonic transducer drive motor apparatus in the present embodiment. For the sake of explanation, casings such as a window case and a handle are omitted in FIGS.
[0047]
3 and 4, 3 is a drive motor, 4 is a base housing, 25 is a chassis body, 26 is a side chassis, 27 is a screw, 28 is an electronic circuit board, 29 is a gear shaft, 30 is a bevel gear, 31 is a flat gear. , 32 is a bevel gear, 6 is a handle shaft, 33 is a gear provided in the base housing 4, and 34 is a drive shaft of the drive motor 3. The same reference numerals are used for the same components as those in FIGS.
[0048]
The rotating portion of the drive motor 3 rotates around the shaft 34 of the drive motor, and the ultrasonic vibrators 1 and 2 are attached to the outer peripheral portion of the rotor frame 35. The ultrasonic transducer is also called a transducer and is a component that forms the core of an ultrasonic probe. An acoustic lens 36 is attached to the tip of the ultrasonic transducer. The acoustic lens 36 effectively uses the phenomenon of refraction, and since the ultrasonic wave has a higher speed of sound in the solid than in the liquid, the ultrasonic beam is focused on the transducer surface by a concave acoustic lens. Yes. In addition to the concave acoustic lens, an ultrasonic transducer to which a planar acoustic lens or a convex acoustic lens is attached is used.
[0049]
The beams of the ultrasonic vibrators 1 and 2 are orthogonal to the rotational axis (shaft 34) of the drive motor 3 in the radial direction. Therefore, the beam trajectory plane is orthogonal to the rotation axis. An ultrasonic tomographic image of a beam trajectory plane which is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the drive motor 3 but is parallel to the handle axis when considered as a swing center is obtained. The ultrasonic tomographic image is a tomographic image of a plane parallel to the handle axis when positioned at the center of the swing range.
[0050]
A magnetic material pin 37 is attached to the outer periphery of a rotor frame made of a magnetic material such as SUM24L or SUY as a reference position means for knowing the reference position information. The pin 37 has a cylindrical portion attached to the rotor frame, and is provided with cut surfaces 38 on both ends so as to be at an acute angle with respect to the driving rotation direction. The magnetic flux to the pin 37 is obtained from the main magnet of the drive motor 3. A Z-phase MR element (not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) for detecting the pin 37 is attached to the base housing 4. The Z-phase MR element signal passes through a flexible printed circuit 39 (hereinafter referred to as a flexible substrate) and is connected to the electronic circuit board 28. From the electronic circuit board 28 to the handle portion of the ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body side Connected to.
[0051]
An encoder 7 is incorporated as relative position information means for knowing the rotational position information of the drive motor 3. The encoder 7 has an encoder magnet 40 on the drive motor 3 side. The material of the encoder magnet 40 is a plastic magnet, and 12 nylon is used as the base resin.
[0052]
In order not to be affected by the leakage flux of the main magnet on the encoder output, the gap between the encoder magnet 40 and the AB phase MR element 41 attached to the base housing 4 side is set very narrow. Since the gap is narrow, it is necessary to reduce the influence such as swelling of the encoder magnet 40. For this reason, the ferrite content of the plastic magnet of the encoder magnet 40 is used in an ultrasonic wave propagation medium, so that a material containing 79% or more of a magnetic material is used in consideration of the swelling effect.
[0053]
When oil containing an additive is used for the ultrasonic propagation medium, a plastic magnet made of polyphenylene sulfide (commonly called PPS) is used as a plastic material other than 12 nylon.
[0054]
The signal of the AB phase MR element 41 is connected to the electronic circuit board 28 through the flexible substrate 45, and is further connected from the electronic circuit board to the handle portion of the ultrasonic probe and further to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body side.
[0055]
In order to take out transmission / reception signals to / from the ultrasonic vibrators 1 and 2 to the outside of the drive motor 3, a slip ring 8 is provided. A rotary transformer may be used instead of the slip ring. The slip ring 8 comprises an insulating material such as an insulating sheet in the middle of the drive motor side to form a required quantity of electrodes 42 to which the ultrasonic vibrators 1 and 2 are connected. The electrode 42 is attached to the base housing 4 via a brush holder 44 made of an electrical insulating material such as a phenol resin material, and a brush 43 for contacting and electrically connecting each electrode. A signal (I / O signal) from the brush 43 is connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body through the flexible substrate 46.
[0056]
The motor wire 82 of the drive motor 3 is also connected to the electronic circuit board 28 through the flexible board 47, and is further connected from the electronic circuit board 28 to the handle portion of the ultrasonic probe and further to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body side.
[0057]
The base housing 4 supported so that the drive motor 3 can swing and rotate supports the bearings on both sides of the drive motor, has a U-shape, and the base housing 4 has rails for swinging on both sides. The rail is supported by the chassis body 25 and the side chassis 26 so as to be rotatable. A gear 33 is integrally provided to transmit the swinging torque to the base housing 4. The gear 33 is partially configured with respect to the swing axis of the base housing 4 instead of the entire circumference.
[0058]
Torque from the oscillating motor is transmitted to the handle shaft 6, and the bevel gear 32 attached to the tip of the handle shaft 6 is rotated and transmitted to the bevel gear 30 on the other side of the bevel gear 32. The bevel gear 30 is fixed to the gear shaft 29 by press fitting or the like, and a flat gear 31 is also fastened to the gear shaft 29 by press fitting or the like. The gear shaft 29 is rotatably supported by a ball bearing attached to the chassis body 25 and a ball bearing attached to the side chassis 26. Therefore, the torque transmitted to the bevel gear 30 is transmitted to the mating gear 33 of the flat gear 31 via the flat gear 31, whereby the base housing 4 can be swung by the swing motor.
[0059]
The spur gear 31, the bevel gear 30, and the bevel gear 32 are gear-processed with a copper-based material, and are subjected to electroless nickel plating from the viewpoint of gear wear in a swinging motion.
[0060]
Further, in order to reduce the sliding resistance, there is a case where the flat gear 31, the bevel gear 30, the bevel gear 32, or the like, which is an oscillating gear, is subjected to electroless nickel plating treatment containing Teflon with an electrolyte solution composited with Teflon. Further, an electroless nickel plating process containing boron may be applied to the spur gear 31, the bevel gear 30, and the bevel gear 32.
[0061]
Gear wear powder enters between the electrode of the slip ring and the brush and enters the signal of the ultrasonic vibrator as noise, so even if it is not surface treated, pay attention such as burrs so that it will not occur as much as possible. Yes. In the case of copper-based materials, processing burrs are removed by pickling.
[0062]
The base housing 4 swings on the base housing 4 so that the rail is rotatably supported by the rail guide grooves of the chassis body 25 and the side chassis 26, and the chassis body 25 and the side chassis 26 are fixed by screws 27. Act as a united chassis.
[0063]
The chassis body and side chassis may be integrated.
[0064]
The chassis body 25 is fixed with a bearing member on which the handle shaft 6 is pivotally supported. Since the handle shaft 6 is longer than the drive motor shaft 34 and the gear shaft 29, the handle shaft 6 is rotatably supported by two bearings. The two bearings are used without preloading so that alignment is possible. One of the bearings is configured near the center of the chassis main body 25, and the other bearing is configured on the handle unit side.
[0065]
Since the ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 are rotated by the drive motor 3, the beam trajectory plane of the ultrasonic transducer at that time (referred to as the drive beam trajectory plane) is a plane orthogonal to the rotation axis of the drive motor. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the ultrasonic tomographic image acquisition region in the ultrasonic transducer array direction obtained by transmitting / receiving ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic transducer is not obstructed by the chassis main body 25 and the side chassis 26, but the entire circumference of 360 degrees. To a certain range. In FIG. 3, the range is indicated by the angle α. In this range, an ultrasonic scanable area that can be scanned by the ultrasonic transducer is represented. In an actual ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the setting is a little smaller than the geometric angle α in consideration of the problem of reflection. In this embodiment, the angle is 230 degrees.
[0066]
Since the ultrasonic vibrator is attached to the outer periphery of the rotor frame of the drive motor 3 of the double-supported bearing, it is formed between the both bearings of the drive motor 3. Therefore, the ultrasonic tomographic image is orthogonal to the drive motor axis with respect to the drive rotation axis, and is not orthogonal to the handle axis.
[0067]
Assuming that the swing range is the entire circumference, the range in which the tomographic image can be scanned in the beam trajectory plane of the ultrasonic transducer due to the swing (referred to as the swing beam trajectory plane) is as shown in FIG. A wide angle is possible because the space for the parts such as the flexible substrate is open in the central portion of the side chassis 26 and the side chassis 26. However, in practice, there is a restriction due to the range of gears formed in the base housing. The swing angle is set to the same angle on both sides with the handle shaft as the center, and the swing angle β shown in FIG. 4 is an angle distributed at the handle shaft center. In this embodiment, the angle is 100 degrees. This rocking beam trajectory plane is a plane orthogonal to the drive beam trajectory plane and passing through the drive axis. The rocking beam trajectory plane is parallel to the handle axis.
[0068]
By rotating the drive motor and taking an ultrasonic tomographic image on the drive beam trajectory plane, and rotating it, the drive beam surface can be scanned around the oscillation axis while being orthogonal to the oscillation beam surface. Can be obtained in a three-dimensional region.
[0069]
Thus, in this embodiment, an ultrasonic probe for three-dimensional scanning is possible. For example, it is possible to obtain an unprecedented wide measurement range in which an ultrasonic tomographic image in a range obtained by swinging a 230-degree region by 100 degrees can be obtained. Further, when the ultrasonic probe for three-dimensional scanning is inserted into a body cavity and used, an ultrasonic transducer can be disposed at the distal end of the insertion portion, and therefore, the advantage that the insertion portion can be further reduced in size. Have
[0070]
In this embodiment, two ultrasonic transducers are used. The reference numerals are 1 and 2.
[0071]
Furthermore, since two types of ultrasonic transducers can be mounted, one ultrasonic probe can be handled as two different distance resolutions.
[0072]
In general, the distance resolution improves at higher frequencies. However, since the attenuation of ultrasonic waves increases as the frequency increases, diagnostics cannot be performed at deeper depths. Since the child can be switched and used, a better ultrasonic diagnosis becomes possible.
[0073]
Further, the ultrasonic vibrators 1 and 2 attached to the rotor frame 35 are attached at a position 180 degrees away from the drive rotation shaft, and the ultrasonic wave radiated from one ultrasonic vibrator is the other ultrasonic vibrator. However, two ultrasonic transducers are attached in pairs of 180 degrees so as not to be received and enter into the ultrasonic reception signal as noise. In the case of a slip ring, there is almost no influence, but in the case of a rotary transformer or the like, image noise is caused as crosstalk, so sufficient consideration is required.
[0074]
FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the slip ring. In FIG. 5, an electrode 42 (same as the reference in FIG. 4) is composed of three electrodes 42a, 42b and 43c, and the electrodes are insulated by polyester insulating sheets 48a, 48b and 48c, respectively. The electrode 42 is formed by cutting or pressing brass by metal processing into a ring having a protrusion 49 inside, and the protrusion 49 has a small hole 83 for soldering a lead wire. Further, the protrusion 49 is a stepped portion 50 that is thinner than the thickness of the outer peripheral ring portion. The stepped portion 50 is formed on one surface of the protruding portion 49, and is formed in a range up to a radius smaller than the inner diameter of the ring of the electrode. When the lead wire is soldered, the solder stays at the stepped portion and does not flow to the ring side of the electrode. Therefore, when the slip ring is assembled, the electrode does not cause a stacking inclination due to the solder. There are effective effects such as not shaking with rotation.
[0075]
The ultrasonic transducer has two lead wires, one is an electrical ground (GND), and the other is a signal line. In the ultrasonic probe of this embodiment, since two ultrasonic transducers are attached to the drive motor 3, there are four lead wires, but since the electric ground is handled in common, it can be processed as three lead wires. . Since the ultrasonic vibrators are 180 degrees apart, the lines of the electric ground cannot be easily connected to each other and are connected via the electrode 42. Four lead wires protrude from the electrode 42. Two of them come from the same electrode about 180 degrees apart.
[0076]
Three electrodes are required for two ultrasonic transducers. Of the three electrodes, the electrode 42c of the electric ground is formed on the window case side, and the frequency of the ultrasonic transducer is increased toward the inside.
[0077]
The ultrasonic transducer emits an ultrasonic wave by an electrical signal sent from the main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus via the I / O line, receives the ultrasonic wave reflected from the subject, and causes a change in the charge amount. This electrical change of the ultrasonic transducer is transmitted to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body via the I / O line. Since the electric signal flowing through the I / O line is a frequency signal in the range of 3 kHz to 8 kHz, it becomes a main noise source of unnecessary radiation. In this embodiment, a part of the I / O line is constituted by the flexible substrate 46. Since the I / O line is shielded by using a shield line or the like, it has an effect of preventing unwanted radiation, but the electrode part of the slip ring cannot be shielded. Unnecessary radiation is reduced by examining the position of the electrode of the frequency to be used. That is, of the three electrodes, the electrode of the electric ground is formed on the window case side, and the frequency of the ultrasonic transducer becomes higher toward the inside.
[0078]
6 and 7 are diagrams for explaining the relationship between the brush and the flexible substrate in the brush holder. 6 and 7, 44 is a brush holder, 43 is a brush, and 46 is a flexible substrate.
[0079]
The brush holder 44 is made of an electrically insulating material such as a phenol resin material, and a screw hole 84 is processed so that the brush holder 44 can be attached to the base housing 4. The brush holder 44 is provided with a recess 51 having a step corresponding to the thickness of the flexible substrate 46 at a position where the flexible substrate 46 is bonded and fixed. The presence of the recess 51 allows the brush 43 to be fixed in close contact with the surface 52 of the brush holder. The brush holder 44 is provided with a hole 53 through which the brush 43 is attached. After the brush 43 is attached to the hole 53, the hole 53 is fixed with an adhesive. The flexible substrate 46 for I / O lines has a brush at a position corresponding to the electrode, and the lands 85a, 85b, 85c are perpendicular to the brush for soldering the flexible substrate of the brush 43. Not arranged. In the drawing, the lands 85a, 85b, and 85c change places in the longitudinal direction of the brush, and the land 85a located inside the motor around the land of 85b is configured on the left side in FIG. 7 and located outside the motor. The land 85c close to the window case is configured on the right side in FIG. For example, the pitch between the brushes is 0.688 mm and the brush wire diameter is 0.15 mm, and disposing them at right angles to the brush results in a land diameter of about 0.3 mm, which makes soldering workability difficult.
[0080]
Further, the flexible substrate 46 is a double-sided through-hole substrate, and an electric ground line is provided at a position slightly away from the brush holder, and the signal line is configured on the opposite side. By configuring this electrical ground on one surface, the effect of electrical shielding is obtained.
[0081]
The motor flexible board 47 and MR element signal line flexible boards 39 and 45 are connected to the electronic circuit board 28, while the I / O line flexible board 46 has three flexibility. It goes out of the drive motor in a state of being stacked with the substrates 47, 39, 45. Therefore, the electric ground surface of the flexible substrate 46 is placed on the position information signal line so that unnecessary radiation generated from the flexible substrate 46 of the I / O line does not jump into the signal line (referred to as position information signal line) of the MR element. It is arranged in the direction.
[0082]
The position information signal line of the drive motor that is rotationally driven in the ultrasonic propagation medium (acoustic medium liquid) is a signal line for knowing the scanning position of the ultrasonic transducer from the encoder, and is an I / O flexible substrate. If the noise enters from the position, the position information becomes unstable and the control of the drive motor becomes unstable. However, since the flexible board 46 of the I / O is electrically shielded, it is not affected by the noise.
[0083]
The swing motor 5 uses a brushless motor so as not to be affected by brush noise or the like generated by a motor with a brush.
[0084]
Electric signals are correctly transmitted and received between the ultrasonic transducer and the apparatus main body, and an accurate ultrasonic image with less noise can be obtained.
[0085]
The base housing 4 is formed from a metal sintered metal by a metal powder injection molding method (Metal Injection Molding = MIM).
[0086]
MIM is an R.I. E. Wiech has developed the Witech process, and with the technology put into practical use in 1972, it is possible to accurately produce parts with complex three-dimensional shapes. This is the fifth generation after machining, die casting, precision casting, and powder metallurgy. This is a method that is attracting attention as a metal processing method, and in terms of dimensional tolerance, the general tolerance is 10 mm or less and ± 0.05 mm, and the special tolerance is ± 0.03 mm, which is comparable to the metal processing accuracy. The accuracy cannot be obtained by other metal die castings. Since the base housing 4 (reference numeral 4 in FIGS. 3 and 4) of the present embodiment has a three-dimensional complicated shape and a gear part is partially formed, stability of dimensional accuracy is important. Yes, I made it at MIM.
[0087]
In order to manufacture with MIM, the mold shape and product molding conditions were examined at the following points. See Fig. 8 to Fig. 11 below for the production parts.
(1) Unnecessary portions were removed so that the thickness of the parts was as uniform as possible.
(2) The gear portion is a flat gear, and the resistance at the time of mold release is reduced in order to make the taper zero, so that it is allowed with accuracy and is taper about once at a dimension.
(3) Since the base housing 4 has a large arc shape, in order to keep the molded product stable at the time of sintering, a portion having a shape that can be deleted by secondary processing is formed.
(4) The gear part is a mold that is difficult to be affected by the reduction of the gear part because the product dimension is reduced with respect to the mold release dimension in the process of mold release, degreasing, sintering, etc. Make the product shape.
(5) The rail portion of the base housing is not deformed.
(6) A part having a shape that can be deleted by secondary processing is added to the product shape, and the additional part is provided on the gear side.
(7) Assuming secondary processing, the rail portion has a shape that can be deleted by a secondary processing of the rail portion.
(8) To reduce the number of secondary processing points as much as possible.
[0088]
From the above viewpoint, the product shape and the mold product shape were designed.
[0089]
MIM is similar to a plastic molding method that produces parts by injecting and cooling a heated and melted thermoplastic material into a mold at high pressure and high speed. Pulverized into a powder), kneading the metal powder and an organic substance that imparts fluidity such as a binder resin or wax, the resulting material is heated and melted, granulated, and injected in the same manner as plastic. Mold. Thereafter, the obtained molded body is degreased by a thermal decomposition method or the like, and then sintered to produce a metal part.
[0090]
The material of the base housing 4 is a non-magnetic material, needs strength, has stable physical properties with respect to the ultrasonic propagation medium, and is made of SUS303, SUS304, SUS304L, SUS316, which are austenitic stainless steels. Materials that can use non-ferrous materials such as SUS316L, such as WC-Co, W-Cu-Ni, W-Fe-Ni, and Ti can be selected.
[0091]
As an example, SUS316L stainless steel powder, which is a fine powder having a powder particle diameter of 5 to 10 μm, was used.
[0092]
On the other hand, as the binder, for example, olefin resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, acrylic resins, styrene resins such as polystyrene, polyamide, polyimide, polyester, polyether, liquid crystal polymer, various thermoplastic resins such as polyphenylene sulfide, One or two or more of various waxes and paraffins can be mixed and used.
[0093]
As an example of the binder of the base housing 4, acrylic resin, polystyrene, and the like were blended, and as a result of an experiment with a commonly used addition amount of about 40 vol%, a reduction in size was observed. If the amount added is about 1 vol%, molding fluidity will be poor, injection molded parts will be defective, and parts will be removed after degreasing due to the effects of microcracks during mold release or when the molded body is installed in a vacuum furnace. Missing occurs. The addition amount is set from the viewpoint of molding stability of the molded body. In order to improve the dimensional accuracy of the gear part by shrinkage when the molded body is sintered, the addition amount is set to about 3 to 30 vol%.
[0094]
In the mixture of metal powder and binder, the gear teeth surface, MR element mounting part and brush holder mounting part in the base housing 4 have a straight part with no taper. A small amount of product is added.
[0095]
FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are perspective views of the mold product (MIM blank product) of the base housing that is considered based on points in order to design the product shape and the mold product shape described above. 8 is a perspective view from the gear 33 side, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view from the opposite side of the gear 33. 8 and 9, the MIM blank 55 of the base housing has support portions 58 and 59 in which holes 56 and 57 to which a bearing portion for supporting a drive motor is attached are formed. The hole 56 is a bearing support on the slip ring side. Two mounting holes 60 for fixing the brush holder with screws are provided in the support column 58. The brush holder mounting portion surface 61 is manufactured without a taper so that the brush holder can be mounted so as not to tilt, in order to stabilize sliding between the brush and the electrode of the slip ring. In order to take out the flexible substrate 46 (FIG. 7) of the I / O outside the base housing 55 (the reference numeral 55 is used for explanation in FIGS. 8 and 9 even in the same meaning as the base housing 4 in FIG. 2). In addition, a hole 63 is opened to allow an I / O flexible substrate having a shape similar to a rectangle to pass through the boundary between the support column 58 and the swing support portion 62. Since the connection strength of the support portion 58 tends to be weak due to the hole 63, the thickness of the base housing 55 is made as thick as possible so as not to contact the brush at the connection portion of the swing support portion 62 and the support portion 58. An inclined portion 64 is provided. The impact strength of the support column 58 is improved by the inclined portions 64 formed on both sides of the hole 63.
[0096]
Further, the bearing mounting hole 57 of the support column 59 is installed with a bearing on the encoder side. The hole 57 is a bearing support hole on the encoder side, and the support portion 59 is provided with two mounting holes 65 for fixing the AB phase MR element mounting base with screws. The mounting surface of the AB phase MR element mounting base is also a die without a taper so that the gap between the encoder magnet (reference numeral 40 in FIG. 4) and the AB phase MR element (reference numeral 41 in FIG. 4) can be adjusted in parallel. Is made. In order to take out the flexible substrate connected to the AB phase MR element, the hook 66 is integrally formed with MIM on both sides of the support column 59.
[0097]
Rail portions are formed on both sides of the swing support portion 62 of the base housing 55 for swinging. The swing support part 62 is formed with a hole 67 for fixing the mounting base for the Z-phase MR element and a hole 68 for taking out the flexible substrate of the Z-phase MR element from the base housing.
[0098]
The rail of the base housing is manufactured by adding a machining allowance in order to obtain dimensional accuracy by secondary processing with respect to the MIM blank 55.
[0099]
In order to improve the dimensional accuracy of the MIM blank 55 by reducing the shrinkage ratio when the molded body is fired and increasing the dimensional accuracy, and by reducing the porosity of the sintered body, the thickness of the MIM blank 55 can be as small as possible. The inner flesh such as the swing support portion 62 is adjusted so as to be uniform.
[0100]
The tooth surface of the gear 33 is provided with a knock pin in the vicinity of the gear 33 at the time of mold release in order to make the punch taper zero.
[0101]
The connection to the part 72 having a shape that can be deleted by the secondary processing is made up of a part 69 connected to the tip part of the support part 58, a part 70 connected to the tip part of the support part 59, and a part 71 connected to the gear 33 side rail. Connected at three locations. Spaces 73 and 74 are provided in a portion 72 having a shape that can be deleted by secondary processing because of the releasability of the gear 33 and the ease of setting a processing tool in the secondary processing.
[0102]
Since the surface of the portion 72 of the shape that can be deleted by the secondary processing is configured to be large, the molded body can be placed stably, so that the work efficiency of the parts in the degreasing process and the sintering process is improved. The finished product is stable.
[0103]
10 and 11 are perspective views of a product-shaped secondary processed MIM product. FIG. 10 is a perspective view from the gear portion, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view from the opposite side of the gear. The secondary processed MIM product shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 shows the base housing 4 used in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus by performing secondary processing on the MIM blank product shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The same reference numerals are used for the same parts as in FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 12 shows a bearing collar.
[0104]
10 and 11, 33 is a gear, 56 and 57 are holes for supporting a bearing, 58 and 59 are support portions, 60 is a mounting hole for fixing a brush holder, 62 is a swing support portion, and 63 is an I / O. Hole for flexible substrate of O, 64 is an inclined portion, 65 is a mounting hole for attaching an MR element of AB phase, 66 is a hook, 67 is a hole for fixing a Z phase MR element, and 68 is a flexible of Z phase This is a hole for removing the conductive substrate from the base housing.
[0105]
Secondary processing will be described.
[0106]
In order to attach the bearing collar 75 to the support columns 58 and 59, the holes 56 and 57 into which the bearing collar is inserted are provided with a slight machining allowance. The inner diameters of the holes 56 and 57 are finished so that they can be engaged and rotated with a slight gap.
[0107]
In addition, in order to mount the drive motor assembled to the distance between the bearing collars according to the dimensions, secondary processing is performed so that the inner sides of the support columns 58 and 59 are not inclined surfaces according to the distance between the bearing collars. Apply. The inside of the support columns 58 and 59 has a taper of about 1 degree in the MIM blank of the base housing. In order to assemble the drive motor, if the inner sides of the support columns 58 and 59 are tapered, the motor assembly will be hindered. The secondary processing surfaces of the support columns 58 and 59 are 76 and 77, respectively. The surface 77 can not be expressed as a surface in FIGS. 10 and 11, and a ridge line of a step can be seen with processing. Since the axial preload stably acts on the bearing, a reliable drive motor can be obtained.
[0108]
The parts 69 to 72 are deleted by secondary processing as a large part of the secondary processing deletion part. The base housing swinging races 86 and 87 are finished during the same chucking as that of the deletion operation. The swinging race 86 indicates a race on the gear side of the base housing 4, and the swinging race 87 indicates a race on the opposite side of the gear of the base housing 4.
[0109]
Although the base housing has a three-dimensional irregular shape, by examining the mold shape, etc., the required dimensional accuracy can be achieved with the accuracy of the MIM mold product with little secondary processing.
[0110]
The bearing collar 75 shown in FIG. 12 includes a flange 78, cylindrical portions 79 and 80, and a notch portion 81. The flange 78 is disposed so as to face the inner side surface of the support portion of the base housing, and prevents the drive motor from falling off or moving from the base housing. Cylindrical portions 79 and 80 are provided on both sides of the flange 78, and the cylindrical portion 79 is assembled in contact with the inner ring of the ball bearing of the drive motor. The cylindrical portion 80 engages with a hole provided in the support portion of the base housing. The cylindrical portion 80 is provided with notches 81 at two locations on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 80 in order to insert a drive motor.
[0111]
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for engaging the bearing collar with a hole provided in a support column of the base housing. Two bearing collars 75 exist on both sides of the drive motor. The bearing collar 75 is distinguished by setting the bearing collar on the encoder side as 75a and the bearing collar on the slip ring side as 75b. When referring to both of the bearing collars, the reference numeral 75 is used for explanation. In FIG. 13, the bearing collar is 75a for the purpose of explaining the hole 57 of the encoder side supporting column 59. The 75b bearing collar is not shown. FIG. 13A is an explanatory diagram of an insertion method for engaging the bearing collar 75 a with the hole 57. The circular hole 57 provided in the support column portion 59 of the base housing 4 is configured with an insertion notch portion 88 in which a notch parallel to the side opposite to the swing support portion 62 is provided to the outside of the support column portion. Yes. The bearing collar 75 a is inserted from above the support portion 59 so that the notch portion 81 of the bearing collar 75 a is parallel to the notch portion 88 of the support portion 59. Actually, since the drive motor having bearing collars mounted on both sides is inserted into the base housing, the bearing collar is not inserted only as a single bearing collar, but will be described with a bearing collar for explanation. If the bearing collar can be inserted, the drive motor can be inserted, and the drive motor is incorporated into the base housing.
[0112]
Further, the bearing collar 75a is inserted so that the center of the bearing collar 75a and the center of the hole 57 of the support column 59 are matched. With the axes aligned, the bearing collar 75a is rotated 90 degrees so that the surface of the notch 81 of the bearing collar 75a is orthogonal to the surface of the notch 88 of the support column 59. In this state, the bearing collar 75a does not fall off. That is, the drive motor is completely assembled into the base housing.
[0113]
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the chassis main body. The chassis body 25 is provided with a rail groove 89 that guides and swings the swing rail of the base housing. The guide rail groove is designed to be as wide as possible. A hole 90 is formed in the side surface side of the chassis body in order to mount a gear shaft bearing for transmitting a swinging torque to the base housing 25. The central portion of the chassis body 25 is also a connecting portion with the side chassis, and the mating surface 91 with the side chassis affects the swing performance, so that the rail groove 89 is not inclined so as not to tilt with respect to the swing shaft. Processing is performed with the processing of the mating surface 91 being the same chuck. The mating surface has a screw hole 92 for attaching the side chassis, and further, a positioning parallel guide groove 93 for positioning with the side chassis is formed.
[0114]
The chassis main body 25 has a guide hole 94 for mounting a bevel gear for transmitting torque on the swing side. This guide hole 94 penetrates. The chassis body 25 is formed with a screw hole 95 for attaching an electronic circuit board.
[0115]
The chassis body 25 is cast by brass die casting, and the cast product is metal-finished to a desired dimensional accuracy. Moreover, since there is a part which requires sliding performance, the electroless nickel plating process containing Teflon is given to the surface. In order to reduce sliding resistance, the chassis main body 25 may be subjected to electroless nickel plating treatment containing Teflon with an electrolyte solution composited with Teflon. In addition, an electroless nickel plating process containing boron may be applied to the chassis body 25.
[0116]
Since the rail groove 89 of the chassis main body 25 is immersed and used in an ultrasonic propagation medium, and the electronic circuit board portion is in the air, the chassis main body 25 is also used as a sealing member. This chassis body uses the brass die-casting method used for watches and so on.
[0117]
For light weight purposes, the chassis should be made of aluminum die cast or magnesium alloy.
[0118]
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the side chassis. The side chassis body 26 is provided with a rail groove 95 that guides and swings a swing rail of the base housing. The rail groove of the guide is designed to be as wide as possible so that it is larger than the rail range of the base housing. By making the rail angle range of the rail groove 95 larger than the angle range of the rail of the base housing, the stability of the swing is increased. This is because the sliding resistance of the swing is stabilized.
[0119]
Since the mating surface 96 with the chassis main body affects the rocking performance, the rail groove 95 and the mating surface 96 are machined in the same chuck state so as not to be inclined with respect to the rocking shaft. The mating surface has a screw hole 97 for attaching the side chassis 26 to the chassis main body, and further, a convex portion 98 having a parallel portion engaging with a positioning parallel guide groove of the chassis main body for positioning with the chassis main body. Is formed.
[0120]
Similarly to the chassis body 25, the side chassis 26 is also cast by brass die casting, and the cast product is metal-finished to a desired dimensional accuracy. Moreover, since there is a part which requires sliding performance, the electroless nickel plating process containing Teflon is given to the surface. In order to reduce sliding resistance, an electroless nickel plating treatment containing Teflon with an electrolyte solution composited with Teflon may be applied to the side chassis 26 as well. Further, an electroless nickel plating process containing boron may be applied to the side chassis 26.
[0121]
Since the rail groove 95 of the side chassis 26 is immersed and used in an ultrasonic propagation medium, and the ultrasonic probe can be formed so that the convex portion 98 side is in the air, the side chassis 26 is used as a sealing member. Because there is a purpose, airtightness of the side chassis is necessary, so the brass die-casting method was used.
[0122]
For the purpose of light weight, it may be a side chassis using aluminum die-cast or magnesium alloy.
[0123]
(Example 2)
In Example 1, the base housing is manufactured from MIM. In Example 2, the base housing is manufactured from a non-metal fiber reinforced plastic.
[0124]
The ultrasonic probe needs to be light in weight in order to be inserted into a body cavity, and a component is made of a metal having a small specific gravity or a material other than metal. Among them, an example will be described in which the base housing manufactured by MIM with the ultrasonic probe of Example 1 is made of resin. Since this is a material change, it will be described without being shown, so see Example 1.
[0125]
In a medical instrument, high rigidity is required as in the base housing, but in addition, vibration damping is high and cost is low. Among them, it is made of fiber reinforced plastic that satisfies the requirements, is lightweight and has good chemical resistance, and can be 3D complicated. If fiber reinforced plastic is used, a desired shape can be manufactured at a low manufacturing cost.
[0126]
As the fiber reinforced plastic used for the base housing, a plastic having carbon, aramid or glass fiber is particularly suitable.
[0127]
As described above, the ultrasonic probes for three-dimensional scanning according to the first and second embodiments are light and small, and the main mechanisms of the swinging unit and the driving unit are built in the probe tip. According to the ultrasonic transducer, an ultrasonic tomographic image in a wide angle range can be obtained. Further, when the ultrasonic probe for three-dimensional scanning is inserted into a body cavity and used, an ultrasonic transducer can be disposed at the distal end of the insertion portion, and therefore, the advantage that the insertion portion can be further reduced in size. Have
[0128]
The three-dimensional scanning can be performed by the three-dimensional scanning ultrasonic probe of the present embodiment, and the rotation angle signal is transmitted from the encoder on the drive motor side as the drive motor to which the ultrasonic transducer is fixed. And a two-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic image is obtained. A rotation angle signal is transmitted to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus from the encoder attached to the swing motor side as the swing motor rotates in order to swing the base housing that supports the drive motor. By performing electronic scanning of the child, a plurality of ultrasonic tomographic images can be obtained. A three-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic image can be obtained from the obtained plural ultrasonic tomographic images.
[0129]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the description of the above embodiment, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the mechanism in which the ultrasonic vibrator is configured within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor in accordance with the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator. Thus, a compact three-dimensional mechanism can be realized. Since the handle axis and chassis axis of the ultrasonic transducer are in the same direction, the drive motor axis is perpendicular to the handle axis, and the beam path plane is parallel to the handle axis. An ultrasonic tomographic image that becomes a certain scanning plane can be obtained. In addition, the swing axis is orthogonal to the drive axis, and the swing surface is orthogonal to the beam trajectory plane, and swinging causes the beam trajectory plane to traverse about the swing axis. be able to. Further, since the base housing on which the swing motor is mounted has a rail for swinging and the guide portion of the rail is received by the chassis, the strength of the swing portion of the base housing can be sufficiently secured. Effects can be obtained.
[0130]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the ultrasonic vibrator is configured within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor based on the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator, it is compactly three-dimensional. Can be mechanized. Since the handle axis and chassis axis of the ultrasonic transducer are in the same direction, the drive motor axis is perpendicular to the handle axis, and the beam path plane is parallel to the handle axis. An ultrasonic tomographic image that becomes a certain scanning plane can be obtained. In addition, the swing axis is orthogonal to the drive axis, and the swing surface is orthogonal to the beam trajectory plane, and swinging causes the beam trajectory plane to traverse about the swing axis. be able to. Furthermore, since the base housing on which the swing motor is mounted has a rail for swinging and the guide portion of the rail is received by the chassis, the strength of the swing portion of the base housing can be sufficiently secured. Furthermore, since there are two ultrasonic transducers, ultrasonic transducers with different frequencies can be configured in the same ultrasonic probe, and the ultrasonic transducers used for diagnosis can be switched and used. And so on. Since the two ultrasonic transducers are arranged at a position of 180 degrees, it is possible to obtain that the image of each ultrasonic transducer is not affected by multiple reflections.
[0131]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the ultrasonic vibrator is configured within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor based on the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator, it is compactly three-dimensional. Can be mechanized. Since the handle axis and chassis axis of the ultrasonic transducer are in the same direction, the drive motor axis is perpendicular to the handle axis, and the beam path plane is parallel to the handle axis. An ultrasonic tomographic image that becomes a certain scanning plane can be obtained. In addition, the swing axis is orthogonal to the drive axis, and the swing surface is orthogonal to the beam trajectory plane, and swinging causes the beam trajectory plane to traverse about the swing axis. be able to. Furthermore, since the base housing on which the swing motor is mounted has a rail for swinging, and the rail is configured on both sides of the base housing, the rail guide portion is divided into two rails. Attach it with the chassis from both sides so that it can be engaged. Therefore, since it is supported by the two rails of the housing, the area of the rail is increased and the engagement of the rail is increased, so that the strength of the swinging portion of the base housing can be sufficiently secured.
[0132]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the base housing must be configured to have a compact mechanism for supporting and swinging the drive motor, and the mechanism is complicated and inserted into the body cavity. Because it is a drive mechanism part, it becomes a small part and becomes a shape impossible with general turning, etc., so the rotating base is manufactured by the MIM method, sufficient strength, and a stable shaped rotating base Can be easily manufactured.
[0133]
The invention according to claim 5 is the ultrasonic vibrator drive motor device according to claim 4, characterized in that the material of the base housing manufactured by the metal injection mold method is a stainless steel material. When used in a sound wave propagation medium, it has oil resistance and chemical resistance, and also has an effect that there is no fear of occurrence of rust and the like.
[0134]
Further, according to the invention described in claim 5, it is possible to obtain oil and chemical resistance while using it in an ultrasonic propagation medium, and there is no fear of occurrence of rust.
[0135]
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the base housing must have a compact mechanism for supporting and swinging the drive motor, which is complicated in terms of mechanism and inserted into the body cavity. Because it is a small part, it becomes a small part and becomes a shape impossible by general turning, etc., so in order to configure the drive motor part at the tip of the ultrasonic probe compared to metal molded products, ultrasonic waves Because the tip part feels heavy due to the weight balance of the entire probe, the rotating base of the metal member is made of fiber reinforced plastic to reduce the weight of the member at the tip part. The advantageous effect of obtaining a rotating base is obtained.
[0136]
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the ultrasonic vibrator is configured within the range of the internal axis of the drive motor based on the positional relationship between the drive motor and the ultrasonic vibrator. Can be mechanized. Since the handle axis and chassis axis of the ultrasonic transducer are in the same direction, the drive motor axis is perpendicular to the handle axis, and the beam path plane is parallel to the handle axis. An ultrasonic tomographic image that becomes a certain scanning plane can be obtained. In addition, the swing axis is orthogonal to the drive axis, and the swing surface is orthogonal to the beam trajectory plane, and swinging causes the beam trajectory plane to traverse about the swing axis. be able to. Therefore, ultrasonic tomographic images of a plurality of beam trajectory planes can be obtained, and these tomographic images can be combined and displayed as a three-dimensional image, so that the convenience of diagnosis can be improved. is there.
[0137]
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain ultrasonic tomographic images of a plurality of beam trajectory planes by traversing the beam trajectory plane with the oscillation axis as the center. An image can be synthesized and displayed, and the convenience of diagnosis can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an entire ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using a mechanical sector scanning ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of an ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a structural diagram of a drive motor side of an ultrasonic transducer drive motor apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a structural diagram of a drive motor side of an ultrasonic transducer drive motor apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a slip ring according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the relationship between the brush and the flexible substrate in the brush holder according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a view for explaining the relationship between the brush and the flexible substrate in the brush holder according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view from the gear side of the MIM blank of the base housing according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view from the opposite side of the gear of the MIM blank product of the base housing according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view from the gear side of the MIM product of the secondary processing of the base housing according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view from the opposite side of the gear of the secondary processed MIM product of the base housing according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a bearing collar according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for engaging the bearing collar according to the embodiment of the present invention with a hole provided in a support portion of the base housing.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a chassis main body according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a side chassis according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1, 2 Ultrasonic transducer
3 Drive motor
4 Base housing
5 Oscillating motor
6 Handle shaft
7, 10 Encoder
8 Slip ring
9 Window case
11 Drive motor drive circuit
12 Oscillating motor drive circuit
13 Pulse generator
14 vibrator drive circuit
15 Amplifier
16 logarithmic amplifier
17 Detection circuit
18 A / D converter
19 Image memory
20 Image DSP
21 TV monitor
22 Handle
23 Tip
24 cable
25 Chassis body
26 Side chassis
27 screw
28 Electronic circuit board
29 Gear shaft
30, 32 Bevel gear
31 Spur gear
33 Gears provided in the base housing
34 Shaft of drive motor
35 Rotor frame
36 Acoustic lens
37 pins
38 Cut surface
39 Flexible substrate
40 Encoder magnet
41 MR element
42, 42a, 42b, 42c Electrode
43 Brush
44 Brush holder
45, 46, 47 Flexible substrate
48a, 48b, 48c Insulation sheet
49 Projection
50 steps
51, 54 recess
52 The surface of the brush holder
53, 56, 57, 83, 90 holes
55 MIM blank
58, 59 Prop
60 Mounting holes for fixing the brush holder
61 Brush holder mounting surface
62 Swing support
63 I / O flexible board hole
64 slope
65 MR element mounting holes
66 hook
67 Hole for fixing the Z-phase MR element
68 Hole from base housing
69 Parts connected to the tip
70 Part connected to the tip of the support part 59
71 Parts connected to the gear side rail
72 Parts that can be deleted by secondary processing
73, 74 space
75 Bearing collar
75a Bearing collar on the encoder side
75b Bearing collar on the slip ring side
76, 77 Secondary surface
78 Flange
79, 80 Cylindrical part
81, 88 Notch
82 Motor wire
84, 92, 97 Screw hole
85a, 85b, 85c land
86,87 Swing race
89, 95 Rail groove
91, 96 mating surface
93 Guide groove
94 Guide hole
98 Convex

Claims (8)

An ultrasonic transducer comprising: a window case including an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic propagation medium, and comprising a window case made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency; and a drive motor for driving the ultrasonic transducer. Is attached to the outer periphery of the rotor frame of the drive motor, and is formed on the track plane (track plane a) of the ultrasonic transducer rotated by the rotation shaft of the drive motor, and further supports the bearing of the drive motor The base housing is provided with a rail having a rocking curvature radius and mounted with a drive motor so that the base housing can rock on a plane perpendicular to the track plane a through the drive shaft. An ultrasonic transducer drive motor device having a structure that is received by a chassis in which the guide portion of the rail is formed while supporting the swinging of the base housing. An ultrasonic transducer comprising: a window case including an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic propagation medium, and comprising a window case made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency; and a drive motor for driving the ultrasonic transducer. Are attached to the outer periphery of the rotor frame of the drive motor, and two ultrasonic transducers capable of obtaining an ultrasonic tomographic image by scanning the human body using the ultrasonic transducer are attached to the rotor frame, The ultrasonic vibrator is arranged at a position of 180 degrees with respect to the drive rotation axis, and the base is formed on a plane perpendicular to the two orbital planes formed by the two ultrasonic vibrators through the drive axis. The ultrasonic transducer driving motor device according to claim 1, wherein the housing can swing. An ultrasonic transducer comprising: a window case including an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic propagation medium, and comprising a window case made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency; and a drive motor for driving the ultrasonic transducer. Is formed on the orbital plane (referred to as the orbital plane a) of the ultrasonic transducer rotated on the rotation axis of the drive motor and attached to the outer periphery of the rotor frame of the drive motor, and the ultrasonic slice of the human body on the orbital plane An image can be obtained, and the base housing that supports the bearing of the drive motor passes on the swing plane (referred to as swing plane b) perpendicular to the track plane a through the drive shaft. In order to be able to oscillate, the base housing is provided with rails having a radius of curvature of oscillating on both sides of the oscillating plane b, and the base housing is mounted with a drive motor. Two rails chassis forming a guide portion for supporting at the ultrasonic transducer driving motor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the structure that is divided into two chassis forming a respective rail. An ultrasonic transducer comprising: a window case including an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic propagation medium, and comprising a window case made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency; and a drive motor for driving the ultrasonic transducer. Is attached to the outer periphery of the rotor frame of the drive motor and is formed on the orbital plane (referred to as the orbital plane a) of the ultrasonic transducer rotated by the rotation shaft of the drive motor, and further supports the bearing of the drive motor The base housing is provided with a rail having a rocking curvature radius and mounted with a drive motor so that the base housing can rock on a plane perpendicular to the track plane a through the drive shaft. The structure of the base housing, wherein the base housing is manufactured by a MIM (metal injection mold) method. Ultrasonic transducer driving motor device according. 5. The ultrasonic vibrator driving motor device according to claim 4, wherein the material of the base housing manufactured by the metal injection mold method is a stainless steel material. An ultrasonic transducer comprising: a window case including an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic propagation medium, and comprising a window case made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency; and a drive motor for driving the ultrasonic transducer. Is attached to the outer periphery of the rotor frame of the drive motor, and is formed on the track plane (track plane a) of the ultrasonic transducer rotated by the rotation shaft of the drive motor, and further supports the bearing of the drive motor The base housing is provided with a rail having a rocking curvature radius and mounted with a drive motor so that the base housing can rock on a plane perpendicular to the track plane a through the drive shaft. 4. The ultrasonic vibrator drive according to claim 1, wherein the base housing is made of fiber reinforced plastic. Over the other apparatus. An ultrasonic transducer comprising: a window case including an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic propagation medium, and comprising a window case made of a window material having ultrasonic transparency; and a drive motor for driving the ultrasonic transducer. Is formed on the orbital plane (referred to as the orbital plane a) of the ultrasonic transducer rotated on the rotation axis of the drive motor and attached to the outer periphery of the rotor frame of the drive motor, and the ultrasonic slice of the human body on the orbital plane An image can be obtained, and the base housing that supports the bearing of the drive motor passes on the swing plane (referred to as swing plane b) perpendicular to the track plane a through the drive shaft. The base housing is provided with a rail with a swing radius of curvature so that it can swing, and a guide portion for supporting the base housing swing with the drive motor mounted on the rail is formed. Each optional to the image synthesizing an ultrasonic tomographic image of the orbital plane three-dimensionally viewable 3D ultrasound apparatus in oscillation angle ultrasonic transducer driving motor device constructed in Yashi. 8. The ultrasonic diagnosis according to claim 7, wherein the ultrasonic transducer driving motor device according to claim 1 can be displayed three-dimensionally by synthesizing ultrasonic tomographic images of the orbital plane at arbitrary swing angles. apparatus.

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