JP7403358B2 - ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to ultrasound probes.

An ultrasound probe including an ultrasound transducer is used as an ultrasound transmitter/receiver in a medical ultrasound diagnostic device. Recently, a long ultrasound probe has been loaded into a catheter, and ultrasound diagnosis has been carried out with the catheter inserted into the body.

Patent Document 1 describes an active transducer element having a top main surface and a bottom main surface, a top electrode formed on the top main surface, a bottom electrode formed on the bottom main surface, and a conductive transducer element covering the bottom electrode. An ultrasound probe is disclosed that includes a backing element, a first lead electrically connected to the top electrode, and a second lead electrically connected to the conductive backing element. The active transducer element, top electrode, bottom electrode, and conductive backing element of US Pat.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-198425

The backing element of Patent Document 1 attenuates ultrasound energy emitted by the back surface of a transducer element that forms part of an ultrasound transducer. However, the end housing described in Patent Document 1 still has room for improvement in terms of suppressing transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves that cause noise.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide an ultrasonic probe including a housing that supports an ultrasonic transducer and has a configuration that can improve the attenuation performance of ultrasonic energy.

An ultrasonic probe according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an ultrasonic transducer and a housing that supports the ultrasonic transducer, the ultrasonic transducer comprising: a flat piezoelectric body; a first electrode laminated on at least one side of the piezoelectric body in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric body; a second electrode laminated on the other side, the housing includes a cover portion that covers the ultrasonic transducer on the other side with respect to the piezoelectric body, and the cover portion is configured to transmit the ultrasonic wave A plurality of protrusion-like or ridge-like parts tapering toward the ultrasonic transducer are provided at a position facing the transducer.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cover section defines a plurality of slots that penetrate from a surface facing the ultrasonic transducer to a back surface located on the opposite side of the surface, and the cover section , a partition portion located between two adjacent slots among the plurality of slots, and the partition portion includes a ridge-shaped portion tapering toward the ultrasonic transducer on the surface side.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the partition portion includes a surface extending along an in-plane direction of the piezoelectric body on the back surface side.

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a resin member located within the slot.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the housing defines a hollow part communicating with the slot on the back side of the cover part, and an inner wall defining the hollow part faces the cover part. A plurality of protrusion-like or ridge-like portions are provided at positions that taper toward the cover portion.

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a resin member located within the hollow portion.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the hollow portion communicates with the exterior of the housing at a distal end of the housing, and the slot communicates with the exterior of the housing at a proximal end of the ultrasound transducer. It communicates with the outside.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the housing includes a support section that supports the ultrasonic transducer with a distance between the ultrasonic transducer and the cover section.

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a resin member interposed between the ultrasonic transducer and the cover part.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of protrusion-like or ridge-like parts on the cover part are protrusion-like or ridge-like parts that gradually taper from the back side to the front side of the cover part. including.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of protrusion-like or ridge-like parts on the inner wall that partitions the hollow part includes a protrusion-like or ridge-like part that gradually tapers from the base end toward the distal end.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an ultrasonic probe including a housing that supports an ultrasonic transducer and has a configuration that can improve the attenuation performance of ultrasonic energy.

1 is a diagram illustrating a state in which an image diagnosis catheter including an ultrasound probe according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is connected to an external device; FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the inside of the sheath at the distal end of the diagnostic imaging catheter shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the distal end of the ultrasound probe shown in FIG. 1 taken in a cross section parallel to the longitudinal direction. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasound probe at the position of line II in FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a housing in the imaging core of the ultrasound probe shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of an ultrasound probe according to the present disclosure will be described by way of example with reference to the drawings. Common members and parts in each figure are designated by the same reference numerals. Further, in the present disclosure, the longitudinal direction of the catheter for image diagnosis is referred to as "longitudinal direction A." Furthermore, in the present disclosure, the side of the catheter for diagnostic imaging that is inserted into a living body in the longitudinal direction A is referred to as the "distal end side", and the opposite side thereof is referred to as the "proximal end side". Further, the direction from the proximal end to the distal end of the diagnostic imaging catheter may be simply referred to as "insertion direction A1." Further, the direction from the distal end to the proximal end of the diagnostic imaging catheter may be simply referred to as "removal direction A2."

First, an example of an image diagnostic apparatus to which the ultrasound transducer according to the present disclosure can be applied will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an image diagnostic apparatus 100 including an ultrasound transducer 11 as an embodiment.

The image diagnosis apparatus 100 includes an image diagnosis catheter 110 and an external device 120. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the diagnostic imaging catheter 110 is connected to an external device 120. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the inside of the sheath 20 at the distal end of the diagnostic imaging catheter 110 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the distal end of the ultrasound probe 10 taken in a cross section parallel to the longitudinal direction A. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasound probe 10 taken along line II in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the housing 12 in the imaging core 60 of the ultrasound probe 10.

<Image diagnosis catheter 110>
The diagnostic imaging catheter 110 is applied to intravascular ultrasound (abbreviated as "IVUS"). As shown in FIG. 1, the diagnostic imaging catheter 110 is driven by being connected to an external device 120. More specifically, the diagnostic imaging catheter 110 of this embodiment is connected to a drive unit 120a of an external device 120.

As shown in FIG. 1, the diagnostic imaging catheter 110 includes an insertion section 110a and an operation section 110b. The insertion portion 110a is a part of the diagnostic imaging catheter 110 that is inserted into a living body and used. The operating section 110b is a part of the diagnostic imaging catheter 110 that is operated outside the living body while the insertion section 110a is inserted into the living body. In the diagnostic imaging catheter 110 of the present embodiment, the insertion portion 110a is a portion distal to a distal end connector 42 (see FIG. 1), which will be described later. The part shown in FIG. 1 is the operation section 110b.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the insertion section 110a includes an ultrasound probe 10 and a sheath 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the operating section 110b includes an inner tube member 30 and an outer tube member 40. The inner tube member 30 holds the proximal end of the ultrasound probe 10 . The outer tube member 40 holds the proximal end of the sheath 20. Although details will be described later, the ultrasound probe 10 can move in the longitudinal direction A within the sheath 20 by moving the inner tube member 30 in the outer tube member 40 in the central axis direction. Although the details will be described later, the drive shaft 13 and the electric signal line 14, which are part of the ultrasound probe 10, are inserted into the insertion portion 110a in the longitudinal direction A through the inside of the inner tube member 30 and the outer tube member 40. It extends not only to the region of , but also to the region of the operation section 110b. That is, the operating section 110b of this embodiment is partially configured by the ultrasound probe 10 in addition to the inner tube member 30 and the outer tube member 40.

[Ultrasonic probe 10]
As shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasound probe 10 includes an imaging core 60, a drive shaft 13, and an electric signal line 14. The imaging core 60 includes an ultrasound transducer 11, a housing 12, and first to third resin members 61 to 63.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the ultrasonic transducer 11 includes a piezoelectric element 1 and an acoustic matching member 3. Specifically, the piezoelectric element 1 includes a flat piezoelectric body 4, a first electrode 5 laminated on at least one side of the piezoelectric body 4 in the thickness direction B of the piezoelectric body 4, and a piezoelectric body 4. A second electrode 6 is laminated on at least the other side of the piezoelectric body 4 in the thickness direction B. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, one side of the piezoelectric body 4 in the thickness direction B, on which at least a part of the first electrode 5 is provided, will be referred to as the "front side". Further, for convenience of explanation, the other side of the piezoelectric body 4 in the thickness direction B, on which at least a part of the second electrode 6 is provided, will be referred to as the “back side”. The front side of the ultrasonic transducer 11 is the side that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves. Further, the back side of the ultrasonic transducer 11 is the side opposite to the side where ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received.

The piezoelectric body 4 of the piezoelectric element 1 is made of, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic sheet. Examples of the material of the piezoelectric ceramic sheet include piezoelectric ceramic materials such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and lithium niobate. The piezoelectric body 4 may be made of quartz instead of the piezoelectric ceramic material.

The first electrode 5 and the second electrode 6 of the piezoelectric element 1 are laminated as electrode layers on both sides of the piezoelectric body 4 in the thickness direction B by, for example, an ion plating method using a mask material, a vapor deposition method, or a sputtering method. It can be formed by Examples of the material for the first electrode 5 and the second electrode 6 include metals such as silver, chromium, copper, nickel, and gold, and laminates of these metals.

The second electrode 6 of this embodiment is formed only on the back side of the piezoelectric element 1.

In contrast, the first electrode 5 of this embodiment is constituted by a folded electrode. Specifically, the first electrode 5 of this embodiment includes a front electrode layer, a back electrode layer, and a connecting conductive part. The surface electrode layer is laminated on the surface side of the piezoelectric body 4. The back electrode layer is laminated on the back side of the piezoelectric body 4. The connecting conductive portion connects the front electrode layer and the back electrode layer. In other words, the first electrode 5 of this embodiment is formed from the front side to the back side of the piezoelectric element 1. By making the first electrode 5 a folded electrode, the back electrode layer of the first electrode 5 and the second electrode 6 can be placed together on the back side of the piezoelectric element 1 . As a result, compared to the case where the first electrode and the second electrode are respectively arranged only on separate surfaces of the piezoelectric element, the work of connecting the electric signal line 14 and the first electrode 5 and the second electrode 6 to the piezoelectric element is reduced. This can be done only on one side of the element 1.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the acoustic matching member 3 is laminated to cover a part of the surface side of the piezoelectric element 1. As shown in FIGS. However, the acoustic matching member 3 is not limited to this configuration, and may be laminated so as to cover the entire surface side of the piezoelectric element 1.

By providing the acoustic matching member 3, the propagation efficiency of ultrasonic waves to the subject can be increased. In other words, the acoustic matching member 3 of this embodiment constitutes an acoustic matching layer that increases the propagation efficiency of ultrasonic waves.

The acoustic matching layer as the acoustic matching member 3 can be formed by pasting a sheet material forming the acoustic matching layer onto the piezoelectric element 1, or by applying and curing a liquid acoustic matching material forming the acoustic matching layer. can be formed. Examples of the material for the acoustic matching member 3 include resin materials such as epoxy resin. Further, the acoustic matching member 3 may be formed of a laminate of resin layers made of a resin material.

The ultrasonic transducer 11 of this embodiment can absorb the ultrasonic energy of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the back surface of the piezoelectric body 4, and does not include a support member that supports the piezoelectric element 1 from the back surface side. The ultrasonic transducer 11 is not limited to this configuration, and may include a support member. The support member is a sound absorber made of, for example, rubber or epoxy resin in which metal powder such as tungsten powder is dispersed. However, it is preferable that the housing 12 be provided with a sound-absorbing wedge structure, which will be described later, so that the ultrasonic transducer 11 of this embodiment does not have a support member. The ultrasonic transducer 11 can be downsized by having a configuration that does not include a support member.

The housing 12 supports the ultrasonic transducer 11. A proximal end side of the housing 12 is connected to a drive shaft 13. Although the housing 12 of this embodiment is connected to the drive shaft 13 via the connector 15, the housing may be connected not via the connector 15.

The housing 12 can be formed by machining a metal block, MIM (metal powder injection molding), or the like. The constituent material of the housing 12 is not particularly limited, and may include metal, ceramics, resin, etc. However, the housing 12 of this embodiment includes a housing body 16a made of non-conductive ceramics, resin, etc., and a conductive member 16b embedded in the housing body 16a and partially exposed from the housing body 16a. , is provided. The conductive member 16b is made of conductive metal. The conductive member 16b is electrically connected to the first electrode 5 and the second electrode 6 of the ultrasonic transducer 11. Further, the conductive member 16b is electrically connected to the electric signal line 14. Thereby, the ultrasonic transducer 11 is electrically connected to the electric signal line 14 via the conductive member 16b.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the housing main body 16a includes a support base portion 17a that supports the back side of the ultrasonic transducer 11. As shown in FIGS. The support base portion 17a includes a first support portion 17a1 that contacts the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 at one end of the ultrasonic transducer 11 in the width direction C, and a first support portion 17a1 that contacts the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 at one end of the ultrasonic transducer 11 in the width direction C, and a first support portion 17a1 that contacts the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 at one end of the ultrasonic transducer 11 in the width direction C; A second support portion 17a2 that comes into contact with the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 is provided. "Width direction C" means a direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction A and the thickness direction B. That is, the support base portion 17a supports the ultrasonic transducer 11 by contacting the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 at one end and the other end in the width direction C of the ultrasonic transducer 11. In other words, as shown in FIG. 4, the support base portion 17a does not contact the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 between the first support portion 17a1 and the second support portion 17a2 in the width direction C.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the housing main body 16a includes a cover portion 17b that covers the ultrasonic transducer 11 on the back side of the piezoelectric body 4 (same as the back side of the ultrasonic transducer 11). As shown in FIG. 4, the cover portion 17b includes a plurality of ridge-shaped portions 17b1 that taper toward the ultrasonic transducer 11 at positions facing the ultrasonic transducer 11. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the surface of the cover portion 17b that faces the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 is not flat but has an uneven shape.

In addition to or in place of the above-mentioned ridge-like portion 17b1, the cover portion 17b may include a plurality of protrusion-like portions that taper toward the ultrasonic transducer 11 at positions facing the ultrasonic transducer 11. good. The ridge-shaped portion 17b1 will be exemplified below, but the same applies to a protruding portion unless otherwise specified.

In this way, by providing the housing 12 with the plurality of protrusion-like or ridge-like parts (the ridge-like part 17b1 in this embodiment), the ultrasonic energy attenuation performance of the housing 12 can be improved. Specifically, the ultrasonic energy of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 enters the gaps between the plurality of ridge-shaped portions 17b1 and is easily attenuated by being repeatedly reflected in the gaps. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the ultrasonic waves emitted from the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 from being reflected toward the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 by the cover portion 17b. In other words, the ultrasonic transducer 11 can be prevented from receiving ultrasonic waves that become noise on its back surface.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cover part 17b of this embodiment has a plurality of slots 18 that pass through it from the surface facing the ultrasonic transducer 11 to the back surface located on the opposite side to this surface. . The cover part 17b of this embodiment includes a partition part 19 located between two adjacent slots 18 among the plurality of slots 18. The partition portion 19 includes a ridge-shaped portion 17b1 that tapers toward the ultrasonic transducer 11 on its surface side (upper side in FIG. 4). In other words, the ridge-shaped portion 17b1 of the cover portion 17b of this embodiment is formed in a portion of the partition portion 19 that faces the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11. Therefore, the gap between the ridge-shaped portions 17b1 in this embodiment described above means the internal space of the slot 18 sandwiched between the two adjacent partitions 19. By providing a plurality of slots 18 in the cover portion 17b and providing a ridge-shaped portion 17b1 on the front side of the partition portion 19, the ultrasonic energy of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 can be transmitted through a plurality of slots 18. The light enters the internal space of the slot 18, which is the gap between the ridge-shaped portions 17b1, and is repeatedly reflected and attenuated. Further, the ultrasonic energy that cannot be completely attenuated in the internal space of the slot 18 escapes from the slot 18 to the back side of the cover part 17b. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the ultrasonic transducer 11 from receiving ultrasonic waves that become noise on its back surface.

The ridge-shaped portion 17b1 of this embodiment tapers from the proximal end (lower side in FIG. 4) to the distal end (upper side in FIG. 4) in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction A shown in FIG. The tilt angle changes. Specifically, in the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 4, the ridge-shaped portion 17b1 of this embodiment includes a first slope portion 51 that slopes at a predetermined slope angle θ1 with respect to the thickness direction B, and this first slope portion 51. The second slope portion 52 extends continuously from the front end side to the front end and is sloped at a larger slope angle θ2 with respect to the thickness direction B than the first slope portion 51. These two inclination angles θ1 and θ2 are not particularly limited, and may be appropriately set depending on the attenuation efficiency of ultrasonic energy.

The plurality of ridge-shaped portions 17b1 in the cover portion 17b include at least one ridge-shaped portion 17b1 that gradually tapers from the back side to the front side of the cover portion 17b. More specifically, all of the plurality of ridge-shaped portions 17b1 of the cover portion 17b of this embodiment gradually taper from the back side to the front side of the cover portion 17b. With such a gradually tapering configuration, the ultrasonic waves emitted from the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 can be transmitted to the surface of the cover part 17b facing the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11. Reflection toward the back surface can be further suppressed. Therefore, as in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the ridge-shaped portion 17b1 has a sharp tip formed by the ridge line where the two second slope portions 52 intersect.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the ultrasonic transducer 11 and the cover part 17b are separated from each other with the support base part 17a supporting the ultrasonic transducer 11. In other words, the support base portion 17a supports the ultrasonic vibrator 11 with a distance between the ultrasonic vibrator 11 and the cover portion 17b. That is, the ultrasonic transducer 11 is not supported by the tip of the ridge-shaped portion 17b1 provided on the surface of the cover portion 17b facing the ultrasonic transducer 11. By doing so, the support base part 17a can support the ultrasonic transducer 11 regardless of the dimensional accuracy of the uneven shape provided on the surface of the cover part 17b facing the ultrasonic transducer 11. Therefore, the positioning accuracy of the ultrasonic transducer 11 in the housing 12 can be improved.

The plurality of slots 18 of the cover portion 17b of this embodiment are divided in the width direction C at predetermined intervals. Further, the plurality of slots 18 and partition portions 19 of the cover portion 17b of this embodiment extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction A. In the width direction C, the plurality of slots 18 and the plurality of partitions 19 of this embodiment cover the entire area between the first support part 17a1 and the second support part 17a2 of the support base part 17a, and the ultrasonic transducer 11 It is placed on the back side of the . By doing so, it is possible to prevent the ultrasonic waves emitted from the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 from being reflected toward the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 over a wide range in the width direction C. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the ultrasonic transducer 11 from receiving ultrasonic waves that become noise on its back surface.

Furthermore, the plurality of slots 18 and the plurality of partitions 19 of this embodiment are arranged on the back side of the ultrasonic transducer 11 over the entire area where the ultrasonic transducer 11 is located in the longitudinal direction A. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the ultrasonic waves emitted from the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 from being reflected toward the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 over a wide range in the longitudinal direction A. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the ultrasonic transducer 11 from receiving ultrasonic waves that become noise on its back surface.

Further, the back surface of the cover portion 17b is constituted by a flat portion 53 as a surface extending along the in-plane direction of the piezoelectric body 4. More specifically, the back surface of the cover portion 17b of this embodiment is constituted by the back surfaces of the plurality of partition portions 19. The partition portion 19 of this embodiment includes a flat portion 53 extending along the in-plane direction of the piezoelectric body 4 on the back surface side. By doing so, the ultrasonic waves emitted from the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 and passed through the slot 18 are likely to be reflected by the flat portion 53 even if they are reflected again toward the cover portion 17b. In other words, the ultrasonic waves emitted from the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 and passing through the slot 18 can be prevented from being received again at the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 through the slot 18 . However, the back surface of the cover portion 17b may have any configuration as long as it includes a surface extending along the in-plane direction of the piezoelectric body 4, and the surface is not limited to the flat portion 53 of this embodiment. "A surface extending along the in-plane direction of the piezoelectric body" is not limited to a plane parallel to the in-plane direction of the piezoelectric body, but any surface extending along the in-plane direction of the piezoelectric body may include a convex surface, This meaning also includes curved surfaces such as concave surfaces. Therefore, if the back surface of the partition part 19 constituting the back surface of the cover part 17b is a surface extending along the in-plane direction of the piezoelectric body 4, for example, the back surface of the partition part 19 has a ridge-like shape having a blunt tip than the ridge-like part 17b1. The convex surface portion may be configured as a convex portion. Further, the back surface of the partition portion 19 may be formed of, for example, a concave portion recessed toward the front surface as long as it is a surface extending along the in-plane direction of the piezoelectric body 4 . From the viewpoint of the above-mentioned effects, it is preferable that the back surface of the partition portion 19 is constituted by a flat portion 53 rather than a convex portion or a concave portion.

As shown in FIG. 4, the housing main body 16a defines a hollow portion 54 communicating with the slot 18 on the back side of the cover portion 17b. The inner wall of the housing body 16a that defines the hollow portion 54 includes a plurality of ridge-shaped portions 17b2 that taper toward the cover portion 17b, at positions facing the cover portion 17b.

In addition to or instead of the above-mentioned ridge-shaped portion 17b2, the inner wall that partitions the hollow portion 54 of the housing body 16a has a plurality of protrusions tapering toward the cover portion 17b at a position facing the cover portion 17b. It may also include a portion. Hereinafter, the ridge-shaped portion 17b2 will be exemplified, but the same applies to the protruding portion unless otherwise specified.

In this way, by providing the housing 12 with the plurality of protrusion-like or ridge-like portions (ridge-like portions 17b2 in this embodiment), the ultrasonic energy attenuation performance of the housing 12 can be further improved. can. Specifically, even if the ultrasonic waves emitted from the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 11 pass through the slot 18 and enter the hollow portion 54, they can be reflected so as to be dispersed by the convex surfaces of the plurality of ridge-shaped portions 17b2. can. This allows the ultrasonic energy to be attenuated within the hollow portion 54. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the amount of ultrasonic waves reflected from the plurality of ridge-shaped portions 17b2 toward the cover portion 17b. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ultrasonic transducer 11 from receiving ultrasonic waves that return as noise through the slot 18 on the back surface thereof.

More specifically, the housing main body 16a of this embodiment has a hollow portion 54 defined by a semi-cylindrical portion and a cover portion 17b. Further, in this embodiment, a ridge-shaped portion 17b2 is provided on the inner wall of the semi-cylindrical portion that partitions the hollow portion 54. The plurality of ridge-shaped portions 17b2 of this embodiment are rib-shaped convex portions extending in the longitudinal direction A. A plurality of ridge-shaped portions 17b2 are provided at different positions in the circumferential direction. The two ridge-shaped portions 17b2 adjacent in the circumferential direction may be arranged continuously as in this embodiment, or may be arranged apart from each other. This distance may be appropriately set according to desired sound absorption performance.

As shown in FIG. 4, it is preferable that the ridge-shaped portion 17b2 provided on the inner wall that partitions the hollow portion 54 gradually taper from the base end toward the distal end. In particular, it is preferable that the ridge-shaped portion 17b2 be formed by a curved surface that curves convexly in the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. By doing so, the ridge-shaped portion 17b2 disperses and reflects the ultrasonic waves easily.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the hollow portion 54 of this embodiment communicates with the outside of the housing 12 at the distal end of the housing body 16a, which is the distal end of the housing 12. Further, the slot 18 in this embodiment communicates with the outside of the housing 12 on the proximal end side of the ultrasonic transducer 11. Therefore, if the hollow part 54 is filled with a resin adhesive from the distal end of the housing 12, the adhesive will pass through not only the hollow part 54 but also the slot 18 and connect the ultrasonic transducer 11 and the cover part 17b. The gap between the two is filled. Since the slot 18 communicates with the outside of the housing 12 on the proximal end side of the ultrasonic transducer 11, air pushed out by the adhesive is discharged to the outside of the housing 12. Therefore, the inside of the hollow part 54, the inside of the slot 18, and the gap between the ultrasonic transducer 11 and the cover part 17b can all be filled with the adhesive. In this way, first to third resin members 61 to 63, which will be described later, can be easily formed from the same material.

The housing main body 16a includes a side wall portion 17c that covers the end surface of the ultrasonic vibrator 11 in the width direction C while the ultrasonic vibrator 11 is supported on the support base portion 17a. The side wall portion 17c includes a first side surface portion 17c1 rising from the first support portion 17a1 of the support base portion 17a, and a second side surface portion 17c2 rising from the second support portion 17a2 of the support base portion 17a. By providing the first side surface portion 17c1 and the second side surface portion 17c2, when attaching the ultrasonic transducer 11 to the housing body 16a, it is easy to position the ultrasonic transducer 11 at the attachment position of the housing body 16a. Further, by providing the first side surface portion 17c1 and the second side surface portion 17c2, it is possible to suppress reception of ultrasonic waves that become noise at the end face of the ultrasonic transducer 11 in the width direction C.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the imaging core 60 of this embodiment includes a first resin member 61. As shown in FIGS. The first resin member 61 is located within the slot 18 . The acoustic impedance difference between the piezoelectric body 4 and the first resin member 61 is smaller than the acoustic impedance difference between the piezoelectric body 4 and air.

The imaging core 60 of this embodiment includes a second resin member 62. The second resin member 62 is located within the hollow portion 54. The acoustic impedance difference between the piezoelectric body 4 and the second resin member 62 is smaller than the acoustic impedance difference between the piezoelectric body 4 and air.

Furthermore, the imaging core 60 of this embodiment includes a third resin member 63. The third resin member 63 is interposed between the ultrasonic transducer 11 and the cover portion 17b. The acoustic impedance difference between the piezoelectric body 4 and the third resin member 63 is smaller than the acoustic impedance difference between the piezoelectric body 4 and air.

The first resin member 61, the second resin member 62, and the third resin member 63 may be made of the same material. The first resin member 61, the second resin member 62, and the third resin member 63 are made of resin as a main component, for example, and can be constructed of a silicone rubber adhesive, an epoxy resin adhesive, or the like. As described above, by filling and solidifying the inside of the hollow part 54, the inside of the slot 18, and the gap between the ultrasonic transducer 11 and the cover part 17b with the resin adhesive, the first to first The three resin members 61 to 63 can be easily formed from the same material.

The drive shaft 13 is made of a flexible tube. An electric signal line 14 connected to the ultrasonic transducer 11 is arranged inside the drive shaft 13 . The drive shaft 13 is composed of, for example, a multilayer coil having different winding directions around the axis. Examples of the material of the coil include stainless steel and Ni-Ti (nickel-titanium) alloy. By using such a drive shaft 13, even if the two electrical signal lines 14 are configured with a double spiral twisted pair cable, the shielding performance is improved and the influence of noise generated from the electrical signal lines 14 is reduced. be able to.

The drive shaft 13 extends through the interior of the inner tube member 30 and the outer tube member 40 to a hub 32, which will be described below, located at the proximal end of the inner tube member 30. That is, the drive shaft 13 extends in the longitudinal direction A from the distal end of the insertion section 110a to the proximal end of the operating section 110b.

As shown in FIG. 2, the electric signal line 14 extends within the drive shaft 13 and electrically connects the ultrasonic transducer 11 and the external device 120. That is, like the drive shaft 13, the electric signal line 14 extends in the longitudinal direction A from the distal end of the insertion section 110a to the proximal end of the operating section 110b. A plurality of electrical signal lines 14 (two in this embodiment) are provided, and each electrical signal line 14 connects to the first one of the piezoelectric element 1 through the connector 15 and the conductive member 16b of the housing 12. It is connected to the electrode 5 or the second electrode 6. The plurality of electrical signal lines 14 are configured, for example, by twisted pair cables in which two electrical signal lines 14 are twisted together. Each electric signal line 14 can be a flexible thin wire member with an outer diameter of greater than 0 mm and less than or equal to 0.1 mm. Each electrical signal line 14 can be constructed of, for example, a conductive wire with a diameter greater than 0 mm and less than or equal to 0.05 mm, and a covering material made of an insulating material and covering the periphery of the conductive wire.

[Sheath 20]
As shown in FIG. 2, the sheath 20 defines a first hollow section 21a and a second hollow section 21b. The ultrasonic probe 10 is accommodated in the first hollow part 21a. The ultrasound probe 10 can move forward and backward in the longitudinal direction A within the first hollow portion 21a. A guide wire W can be inserted into the second hollow portion 21b. In this embodiment, the tubular guide wire insertion part 20b that partitions the second hollow part 21b is parallel to the distal end of the tubular main body part 20a that partitions the first hollow part 21a. It is located so that The main body portion 20a and the guide wire insertion portion 20b can be formed by joining different tube members by heat fusion or the like, but the formation method is not limited to this method.

The main body portion 20a is provided with an X-ray contrast marker 22 made of a material that is opaque to X-rays. Further, a marker 23 having X-ray contrast properties is also provided in the guide wire insertion portion 20b. The markers 22 and 23 can be constructed of metal coils with high X-ray opacity, such as platinum, gold, iridium, tungsten, or the like.

A window portion 24 is formed in the range in which the ultrasonic transducer 11 moves in the longitudinal direction A of the sheath 20, and the window portion 24 is formed to have higher ultrasound transmittance than other portions. More specifically, the window portion 24 of this embodiment is formed in the main body portion 20a of the sheath 20.

The window portion 24 of the main body portion 20a and the guide wire insertion portion 20b are formed of a flexible material, and the material is not particularly limited. Examples of the constituent materials include various thermoplastic elastomers such as polyethylene, styrene, polyolefin, polyurethane, polyester, polyamide, polyimide, polybutadiene, transpolyisoprene, fluororubber, and chlorinated polyethylene. Alternatively, polymer alloys, polymer blends, laminates, etc. in which two or more types are combined can also be used.

The proximal end side of the main body portion 20a with respect to the window portion 24 has a reinforcing portion reinforced with a material having higher rigidity than the window portion 24. The reinforcing portion is formed by, for example, disposing a reinforcing material in which metal wires made of stainless steel or the like are braided into a mesh shape in a flexible tubular member such as resin. The tubular member is made of the same material as the window 24.

Preferably, a hydrophilic lubricating coating layer that exhibits lubricity when wet is disposed on the outer surface of the sheath 20.

A communication hole 25 is formed in the distal end portion of the main body portion 20a of the sheath 20, which communicates the inside and outside of the first hollow portion 21a. During priming, the gas inside the main body portion 20a can be exhausted through the communication hole 25.

[Inner tube member 30 and outer tube member 40]
As shown in FIG. 1, the inner tube member 30 includes an inner tube 31 and a hub 32. The inner tube 31 is inserted into the outer tube member 40 so as to be movable forward and backward. The hub 32 is provided on the proximal end side of the inner tube 31.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outer tube member 40 includes an outer tube 41, a distal end connector 42, and a proximal end connector 43. The outer tube 41 is located outside the inner tube 31 in the radial direction, and the inner tube 31 moves forward and backward within the outer tube 41. The distal end connector 42 connects the proximal end of the main body 20a of the sheath 20 and the distal end of the outer tube 41. The proximal end connector 43 is provided at the proximal end of the outer tube 41 and is configured to receive the inner tube 31 into the outer tube 41 .

The drive shaft 13 and electric signal line 14 of the ultrasonic probe 10 described above are connected to the main body 20a of the sheath 20, the outer tube member 40 connected to the proximal end of the main body 20a, and the outer tube member. 40 extends to the hub 32 located at the proximal end of the inner tube member 30, which is partially inserted into the tube member 40.

The ultrasonic probe 10 and the inner tube member 30 described above are connected to each other so as to move forward and backward in the longitudinal direction A, respectively. Therefore, for example, when the inner tube member 30 is pushed in the insertion direction A1, the inner tube member 30 is pushed into the outer tube member 40 in the insertion direction A1. When the inner tube member 30 is pushed into the outer tube member 40 in the insertion direction A1, the ultrasound probe 10 connected to the inner tube member 30 moves within the main body 20a of the sheath 20 in the insertion direction A1. do. Conversely, when the inner tube member 30 is pulled in the removal direction A2, the inner tube member 30 is pulled out from the outer tube member 40 in the removal direction A2. When the inner tube member 30 is pulled out from within the outer tube member 40 in the withdrawal direction A2, the ultrasound probe 10 connected to the inner tube member 30 moves within the main body portion 20a of the sheath 20 in the withdrawal direction A2.

When the inner tube member 30 is pushed in farthest in the insertion direction A1, the distal end portion of the inner tube member 30 reaches near the distal end connector 42 of the outer tube member 40. At this time, the ultrasonic transducer 11 of the ultrasonic probe 10 is located near the distal end of the main body 20a of the sheath 20.

At the distal end of the inner tube member 30, there is a groove that prevents the inner tube member 30 from protruding further to the distal end side than the outer tube member 40, and when the inner tube member 30 is pulled to the most proximal end side. A stopper portion is provided on the proximal end side of the outer tube member 40 to prevent it from falling off. The stopper portion is not particularly limited as long as it has a configuration that can realize the above function, and may be configured by, for example, a wall portion that abuts the outer tube member 40 in the longitudinal direction A at a predetermined position.

The proximal end of the hub 32 of the inner tube member 30 is provided with a connector portion that is mechanically and electrically connected to the external device 120 . That is, the diagnostic imaging catheter 110 is mechanically and electrically connected to the external device 120 by the connector section provided on the hub 32 of the inner tube member 30. More specifically, the electrical signal line 14 of the ultrasound probe 10 extends from the ultrasound transducer 11 to the connector part of the hub 32, and the connector part of the hub 32 is connected to the external device 120. Then, the ultrasonic transducer 11 and the external device 120 are electrically connected. The received signal at the ultrasound transducer 11 is transmitted to the external device 120 via the connector section of the hub 32, subjected to predetermined processing, and displayed as an image.

<External device 120>
As shown in FIG. 1, the external device 120 includes a motor 121 that is a power source for rotating the drive shaft 13, and a motor 122 that is a power source for moving the drive shaft 13 in the longitudinal direction A. . The rotational motion of the motor 122 is converted into axial motion by a ball screw 123 connected to the motor 122.

More specifically, the external device 120 of this embodiment includes a drive unit 120a, a control device 120b electrically connected to the drive unit 120a by wire or wirelessly, and this control device 120b connected to the image diagnosis catheter 110. and a monitor 120c capable of displaying an image generated based on the received signal received from the monitor 120c. The above-described motor 121, motor 122, and ball screw 123 of this embodiment are provided in the drive unit 120a. The operation of this drive unit 120a is controlled by a control device 120b. The control device 120b can be configured by a processor including a CPU and memory.

The external device 120 is not limited to the configuration shown in this embodiment, and may have a configuration that further includes an external input unit such as a keyboard, for example.

The ultrasonic probe according to the present disclosure is not limited to the specific configuration specified in the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention described in the claims. be. The imaging core 60 of the ultrasound probe 10 of the embodiment described above has a configuration that includes only the ultrasound transducer 11 that enables intravascular ultrasound diagnosis, but is not limited to this configuration, and for example, optical coherence tomography The configuration may further include an optical transmitter/receiver that enables diagnosis (Optical Coherence Tomography, abbreviated as "OCT").

The present disclosure relates to ultrasound probes.

1: Piezoelectric element 3: Acoustic matching member 4: Piezoelectric body 5: First electrode 6: Second electrode 10: Ultrasonic probe 11: Ultrasonic transducer 12: Housing 13: Drive shaft 14: Electric signal line 15: Connector 16a: Housing main body 16b: Conductive member 17a: Support part 17a1: First support part 17a2: Second support part 17b: Cover part 17b1: Ridge-like part 17b2: Ridge-like part 17c: Side wall part 17c1: First Side surface portion 17c2: Second side surface portion 18: Slot 19: Partition portion 20: Sheath 20a: Main body portion 20b: Guide wire insertion portion 21a: First hollow portion 21b: Second hollow portions 22, 23: Marker 24: Window portion 25 : Communication hole 30: Inner tube member 31: Inner tube 32: Hub 40: Outer tube member 41: Outer tube 42: Distal end connector 43: Proximal end connector 51: First slope portion 52: Second slope portion 53: Planar part 54: Hollow part 60: Imaging core 61: First resin member 62: Second resin member 63: Third resin member 100: Diagnostic imaging device 110: Diagnostic imaging catheter 110a: Insertion part 110b: Operation part 120 : External device 120a: Drive unit 120b: Control device 120c: Monitor 121: Motor 122: Motor 123: Ball screw θ1: Inclination angle θ2 of first sloped portion: Inclination angle A of second sloped portion: Longitudinal direction A1: Insertion direction A2 : Removal direction B: Thickness direction C: Width direction W: Guide wire

Claims (11)

An ultrasonic probe comprising an ultrasonic transducer and a housing that supports the ultrasonic transducer,
The ultrasonic transducer includes:
A flat piezoelectric body,
a first electrode laminated on at least one side of the piezoelectric body in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric body;
a second electrode laminated on at least the other side of the piezoelectric body in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric body;
The housing includes:
a first support part and a second support part that support the ultrasonic transducer by contacting the second electrode;
a cover part that covers the ultrasonic vibrator in a state separated from the second electrode between the first support part and the second support part on the other side with respect to the piezoelectric body,
The cover part includes a plurality of protrusion-like or ridge-like parts that taper toward the ultrasonic transducer at a position facing the ultrasonic transducer ,
The cover section defines a plurality of slots that penetrate from the surface facing the ultrasonic transducer to the back surface located on the opposite side to the front surface,
The cover part includes a partition part located between two adjacent slots among the plurality of slots,
The said partition part is an ultrasonic probe, and the said partition part is equipped with the ridge-shaped part which tapers toward the said ultrasonic transducer on the said surface side . The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 , wherein the partition portion includes a surface extending along an in-plane direction of the piezoelectric body on the back surface side. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 or 2 , comprising a resin member located within the slot. The housing defines a hollow part communicating with the slot on the back side of the cover part,
According to any one of claims 1 to 3 , the inner wall that partitions the hollow part includes a plurality of protrusion-like or ridge-like parts that taper toward the cover part at a position facing the cover part. ultrasonic probe. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 4 , further comprising a resin member located within the hollow portion. the hollow portion communicates with the exterior of the housing at a distal end of the housing;
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 5 , wherein the slot communicates with the outside of the housing on the proximal end side of the ultrasonic transducer. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1 , further comprising a resin member interposed between the ultrasonic transducer and the cover portion. The ultrasonic generator according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the ridge -shaped portion in the partition part of the cover part gradually tapers from the back side to the front side of the cover part. probe. Any one of claims 4 to 6 , wherein the plurality of protrusion-like or ridge-like parts on the inner wall that partitions the hollow part include protrusion-like or ridge-like parts that gradually taper from the base end toward the distal end. Ultrasonic probe described in. An ultrasonic probe comprising an ultrasonic transducer and a housing that supports the ultrasonic transducer,
The ultrasonic transducer includes:
A flat piezoelectric body,
a first electrode laminated on at least one side of the piezoelectric body in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric body;
a second electrode laminated on at least the other side of the piezoelectric body in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric body;
The housing includes a cover portion that covers the ultrasonic transducer on the other side with respect to the piezoelectric body,
The cover part includes a plurality of protrusion-like or ridge-like parts that taper toward the ultrasonic transducer at a position facing the ultrasonic transducer,
The cover section defines a plurality of slots that penetrate from the surface facing the ultrasonic transducer to the back surface located on the opposite side to the front surface,
The cover part includes a partition part located between two adjacent slots among the plurality of slots,
The partition portion includes a ridge-shaped portion on the surface side that tapers toward the ultrasonic transducer,
The housing defines a hollow part communicating with the slot on the back side of the cover part,
An ultrasonic probe, wherein an inner wall that partitions the hollow portion includes a plurality of protrusion-like or ridge-like portions that taper toward the cover portion at positions facing the cover portion. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of protrusion-like or ridge-like parts on the inner wall that partitions the hollow part include protrusion-like or ridge-like parts that gradually taper from the proximal end toward the distal end. Tentacles.

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