JPH01291847A - Ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable the peripheral diameter of a probe to be formed into the size of only the vibrator by providing a lead-out substrate part in a squared substrate part so as to be drawn out to an outer direction from one end of the vibrator in its lengthwise direction and connecting coaxial lead wires to this leadout substrate part. CONSTITUTION:A vibrator 10 forms its vibrating element part 16 by two or more vibrating elements. A flexible substrate 24 is adhesively mounted being folded to this vibrator 10. The flexible substrate 24 comprises a squared substrate part 24a and a lead-out substrate part 24b formed being drawn out to an external direction from one end of this squared substrate part 24a in its vibrator lengthwise axial direction. A printed wire end part of the squared substrate part 24a is connected to each vibrating element of the vibrating element part 16 in a side surface of the vibrator 10, and coaxial lead wires 22 are connected to the lead-out substrate part 24b.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe, particularly a structure of an ultrasonic probe formed to a size that can be inserted into a narrow tube such as a forceps hole of an endoscope. Regarding the improvement of

[Prior Art] Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses are well known that emit ultrasonic waves into a subject such as a living body, receive the reflected echoes, and display information inside the subject such as a tomographic image.

On the other hand, an endoscope (
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 2. Description of the Related Art A fiber scope is well known and is a device for observing and diagnosing the inside of a body cavity such as the stomach or ureter by inserting a fiber applicator into the body cavity.

Then, forceps are inserted into the body cavity through this fiber applicator to collect tissue from the affected area.

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] Incidentally, in recent years, a probe has been inserted into the subject's body through the forceps hole of the endoscope, and in addition to macroscopic observation using the endoscope, the affected area within the subject's body has been inspected from inside. Observation using ultrasound images has been proposed.

However, conventional probes have a large outer diameter,
It was not possible to easily insert a probe into a narrow tube such as a forceps hole with a diameter of about 3.5 m to 4 mm provided in an endoscope.

That is, FIG. 4 shows the configuration of a conventional small probe, and the probe has a vibrator 10 made up of a plurality of vibrating elements. This vibrator 10
is composed of a reinforcing plate 12, a backing material 14 made of rubber or the like, and a vibrating element part 16 made of a piezoelectric element such as PZT, and has a wiring pattern 18 for applying a voltage to each vibrating element of the vibrating element part 16. A printed board 20 is adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the vibrator 10. Coaxial lead wires 22 are connected to the connection portions of the wiring pattern 18 in correspondence with the respective vibrating elements. Therefore, if an excitation voltage is supplied to the vibrating element section 16 via the coaxial lead wire 22, ultrasonic waves can be emitted from the vibrating element section 16 in the direction of the arrow 100.

However, as shown in FIG. 4, since the coaxial lead wires 22 are arranged on the back side of the reinforcing plate 12, the bundle of coaxial lead wires 22 is added to the thickness of the transducer 10 and the probe The outer diameter of the child is larger overall, with a diameter of 3.5a + m ~
There was a problem in that it was not possible to manufacture a probe that could be easily inserted into the forceps holes of an endoscope of about 4IIlffi.

Purpose of the Invention The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and
The purpose is to provide an ultrasonic probe in which a bundle of lead wires for voltage application does not affect the outer diameter of the probe.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, an ultrasonic probe according to the present invention includes a substantially rectangular transducer having a plurality of transducer elements arranged and elongated in the transducer element arrangement direction; This device consists of a rectangular substrate portion disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the vibrator for electrical connection to the vibrating element, and a drawer substrate portion drawn outward from one end of the rectangular substrate portion in the longitudinal direction of the vibrator. A flexible board on which a wiring pattern for each vibrating element is printed from the drawer board part to the rectangular board part, and a plurality of lead wires for applying voltage to each vibrating element are connected to the drawer board part. It is characterized by

Further, another invention is characterized in that the flexible substrates are arranged on both sides of the vibrator, and the connections to the vibrating element are alternately made from the flexible substrates on both sides.

Another invention is characterized in that a plurality of vibrating elements are provided for each group of divided vibrating elements on the flexible substrate, and the lead-out substrate portion of the flexible substrate is attached so that the connecting portions of the lead wires are shifted and aligned. .

[Function] According to the above configuration, the rectangular substrate portion of the flexible substrate is bonded to the outer peripheral surface of the vibrator, but for example, the rectangular substrate portion connected to each vibrating element on the side surface of the vibrator can be The back side (reinforcing plate side) is bent and glued.

Since a plurality of lead wires for voltage application are connected to the lead-out board portion of the flexible board, the lead wires are connected to one end surface of the vibrator in the longitudinal axis direction. Therefore, since the coaxial lead wire is not connected to the back side of the reinforcing plate of the vibrator as in the conventional case, the probe can be made smaller by the amount of the bundle of lead wires.

Further, according to another invention, since the flexible substrates disposed on both sides of the vibrator are connected to each vibrating element alternately, the wiring work to each vibrating element can be easily performed.

Furthermore, according to another invention, a plurality of flexible substrates are provided for each divided vibrating element group so that the drawer substrate parts do not overlap, so that the present invention can be applied to a probe with an increased number of vibrating elements. becomes possible.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an outline of the configuration of an ultrasonic probe according to a first embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows a printed wiring pattern of a flexible board in the first embodiment.

In FIG. 1, the vibrating element section 16 of the vibrator 10 is formed of a plurality of vibrating elements, and in this case, ultrasonic waves are radiated upward in the figure. A flexible substrate 24 is bent and bonded to this vibrator 10 as shown in the figure.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the flexible substrate 24 includes a rectangular substrate portion 24a and a rectangular substrate portion 24a.
and a drawer board part 24b drawn outward from one end in the longitudinal axis direction of the vibrator 10, and a wiring pattern as shown in the figure is printed from the rectangular board part 24a to the drawer board part 24b. For example, one flexible group! The size of 1i224 is width 4ff1llll
s length is approximately 20ffll+1.

The ends of the printed wires on the rectangular substrate section 24a become vibrator-side connection sections A, and these connection sections A are connected to each vibrating element of the vibrating element section 16 by soldering or the like on the side surface of the vibrator 10. In this state, the rectangular substrate portion 24a is bent and bonded to the back side of the vibrator 10. When the rectangular substrate section 24a is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the vibrator 10 in this manner, the drawer substrate section 24b is provided to protrude outward from the end surface in the longitudinal axis direction of the vibrator 10 as shown in the figure, and the drawer substrate section 24b
The connection portion B of the lead wire in 4b is arranged along the longitudinal axis.

In the embodiment, two flexible substrates 24 are used, and wires are connected from both sides of the vibrator 10 to each vibrating element.

That is, the printed lines are formed at intervals of every other vibrating element, and the vibrating elements are alternately connected to the flexible substrates 24 arranged on both sides by soldering or the like.

According to this, it becomes possible to set a wide interval between the printed lines of the vibrator side connection part A, and it becomes easier to perform the wiring work to each vibrator element.

Since the respective lead-out board parts 24b overlap, in the embodiment, one of the lead-out board parts 24b is formed long in order to shift the positions of the lead wire side connection parts B from each other, so that the coaxial lead wire 22 can be connected. Even if the connection portions B are connected to each other, it is possible to prevent the connection portions B from overlapping each other.

In this way, the coaxial lead wire 22 is connected to the lead-out board section 24.
When connected to b, the exterior is applied, but the drawer board part 24
b and the coaxial lead wire 22 will be manufactured as a probe cable.

In this case, since the flexible substrate 24 is flexible, it can be used as a flexible probe cable, and the direction of the probe can be changed when the probe is inserted into the subject. becomes possible.

The probe formed as described above can have a smaller outer diameter due to the absence of the bundle of coaxial lead wires 22. When this probe is actually used, it will be inserted into the forceps hole of the endoscope in the direction shown by arrow 300 in FIG. Since the diameter of the forceps is small, it can be easily inserted into a small forceps hole with a diameter of about 3.5 m to 4 mm.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration and manufacturing process of a second embodiment of the present invention, and this second embodiment has a plurality of flexible substrates 24 provided for each vibrating element group divided into predetermined areas. Features.

That is, in the embodiment, the vibrator 10 is divided into two groups of vibrating elements, and the connections to each vibrating element of this group of vibrators are made from both sides of the vibrator 10, so that a total of four flexible substrates are used. 24-1゜24-2.24-3.24
-4 is provided, and the length of these drawer board portions 24b is set to 24b.
-1, 24b-2, 24b-3, 24b-4 and so on.

When manufacturing, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the drawer board parts 24b of the four flexible boards 24 are
Lay them on top of each other and place them so that each lead wire connection part B is exposed. Then, place the vibrator 10 thereon as shown in Figure (b), first connect the flexible substrate 24-1 to each vibrating element, and then
2.24-3.24-4 are connected in order, and all the flexible small substrates 24 are bonded to the vibrator 10.

Next, in the manufactured state as shown in FIG. 3(C), the coaxial lead wire 22 is connected to the lead-out board part 24b of each flexible board 24, and the probe is manufactured by applying an exterior to this. be done.

゛According to the second embodiment, it is possible to apply the present invention favorably even to a probe with a large number of vibrating elements. Divided into three or more vibrating element groups, the corresponding number of flexible J! 11i224 can also be provided, which has the advantage that a probe with a small outer diameter can be obtained depending on the intended use of the probe.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, a drawer board part is provided in the rectangular board part so as to be drawn outward from one end in the longitudinal direction of the vibrator, and a coaxial lead wire is connected to the drawer board part. As a result, the outer diameter of the probe can be reduced to the size of only the vibrator, and compared to conventional probes, the outer diameter can be made smaller due to the lack of a bundle of coaxial lead wires. Become.

Therefore, it is possible to obtain a probe that can be inserted into a narrow tube such as a forceps hole of an endoscope device.

In addition, in another invention, the flexible substrates arranged on both sides of the vibrator are connected to the vibrating elements alternately, so that the wiring work to each vibrating element can be done easily, and the vibration It is also possible to cope with the subdivision of elements.

Furthermore, in another invention, a flexible substrate is provided for each vibrating element group in which the vibrator is divided into a plurality of parts, so that it is possible to provide a probe with a small outer circumferential diameter consisting of a long vibrator with an increased number of vibrating elements. becomes possible.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the first embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the wiring pattern of the flexible board of the first embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration and manufacturing process of a probe according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a conventional probe. 10... Vibrator 12... Reinforcement plate 14... Backing material 16... Vibration element section 18... Wiring pattern 20... Printed circuit board 22... Coaxial lead wire 24... Flexible board 24a... Rectangular board part 24b... Drawer board part.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A substantially rectangular parallelepiped vibrator in which a plurality of vibrating elements are arranged and elongated in the vibrating element arrangement direction, a rectangular substrate portion disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the vibrator for electrical connection to the vibrating elements, and a flexible board consisting of a drawer board part drawn outward from one end of the rectangular board part in the longitudinal direction of the vibrator, and on which a wiring pattern to each vibrating element is printed from the drawer board part to the rectangular board part; 1. An ultrasonic probe comprising: a plurality of lead wires for applying voltage to each vibrating element and connected to a lead-out substrate portion. (2) The apparatus according to claim (1), wherein the flexible substrates are arranged on both sides of the vibrator, and the connection to the vibrating element is alternately made from the flexible substrates on both sides. Tentacles. (3) In the device according to claim (1), a plurality of vibrating elements are provided for each divided vibrating element group of the flexible substrate, and the lead-out substrate portion of the flexible substrate is attached so that the connecting portions of the lead wires are shifted and overlapped. An ultrasonic probe featuring: