JPH04299217A - Probe - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To detect accurately the number of revolutions of a rotary scanning part which is incorporated in a fore-end probe of an ultrasonic catheter diagnos tic device. CONSTITUTION:A light-projecting part 13 held by a holder 17 is disposed in a fore-end probe 3 of a small-diameter tube and a reflecting plate 20 for reflecting and diffusing a light flux emitted from this light-projecting part 13 is provided so as to oppose the holder 17. A light-sensing part 15 sensing the total quantity of light on the front of the reflecting plate 20 is held at a position being apart from the light-projecting part 13 of the holder 17. A rotary disk 19 having a radial light-intercepting pattern is fixed at a middle position in the axial direction between the holder 17 of a rotating shaft 9 of a rotary reflector 5 and the reflecting plate 20. A fixed disk 18 having light-intercepting patterns and interrupting an optical path from a light-emission space to the light-sensing part 15 by superposition of the light-intercepting patterns is fixed on the inner peripheral surface of a liner tube 6 coaxially with the rotary disk 19. The number of times of the interruption of the optical path which corresponds to the number of revolutions of the rotary reflector 5 is measured.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a probe, and in particular to a probe that is attached to the tip of an ultrasonic catheter diagnostic device inserted into a blood vessel in the human body, and is equipped with an encoder that accurately detects the number of rotations of a built-in rotating scanning section. Regarding probes.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, in diagnosing circulatory system diseases, circulatory system X-ray diagnosis has been performed, in which a vascular catheter is inserted into a blood vessel to the diagnostic site, and a contrast medium is injected into that area to take an X-ray image. There is. This diagnostic method requires a large diagnostic equipment system equipped with an X-ray generator and an imaging device such as a TV camera that can move freely and easily around the patient, and is currently only installed in large hospitals. It is. On the other hand, ultrasonic diagnostic devices are rapidly developing in various medical institutions as small-sized diagnostic devices capable of real-time diagnosis. This ultrasonic diagnostic device irradiates ultrasonic waves generated by an ultrasonic transducer inside the device from the skin surface to the diagnosis site via a probe, and captures the reflected waves from the diagnosis site again with the probe.
The signal can be image-processed to create a tomographic image or the like of the diagnostic site. This makes it easy to visually confirm various parts of the body. Probes used for this diagnosis are available in various shapes depending on the scanning format.

By the way, recently, the convenience of this ultrasonic diagnostic device has attracted attention, and an ultrasonic transducer is incorporated into the tip of the vascular catheter used for the above-mentioned cardiovascular X-ray diagnosis and angioplasty, and the catheter is used as a probe. An ultrasonic catheter diagnostic device for use has been proposed. In a probe that uses this type of catheter, ultrasonic waves emitted from a built-in ultrasonic transducer are rotated around the central axis of the catheter at a predetermined number of rotations to scan the inner surface of a blood vessel, etc.
It is possible to capture a developed image of .

[0004] The specific dimensions of a catheter used in an ultrasonic catheter diagnostic device are that the outer diameter of the cylindrical casing is set to φ = 2 mm, and the total length is set to approximately L = 1.5 m. In addition, inside the probe formed at the tip is an ultrasonic transducer that generates ultrasonic waves, and a rotating reflector that reflects the ultrasonic waves in a predetermined direction and guides the reflected waves from the target back to the receiving part of the transducer. It has a built-in mirror. The outer diameter of this rotating reflector is approximately φ=1.5 mm, and the diameter of the rotating shaft is approximately φ=0.
The diameter is set to 8 mm or less, and the rotational driving force is applied by a torque tube extending from the mouth of the catheter. The rotational force applied to the torque tube is normally controlled in an open manner by a control unit of a driving source at the mouth of the catheter so that a predetermined rotational speed is generated in the rotating reflector at the tip of the catheter. However, in this ultrasonic catheter diagnostic device, the diagnostic catheter is guided through the intricately curved blood vessels in the body in order to reach the diagnostic site, so friction occurs between the cylindrical casing of the catheter and the torque tube in areas with small curvature. There may be contact. For this reason, the torque introduced through the torque tube is not uniformly transmitted to the tip, and the rotating reflector housed within the probe at the tip of the catheter cannot be rotated at a constant angular velocity. As a result, a phase difference occurs between the timing at which the ultrasonic transducer emits ultrasonic waves and the rotation angle of the rotating reflector.
Uniform scanning signals cannot be extracted. If this scanning signal is processed by an image processing device, the monitor TV will display a developed image with a lot of distortion, making it impossible to accurately diagnose the position and size of polyps on the surface of blood vessels, and even leading to incorrect diagnosis. be.

[0005] In this case, by introducing a closed-loop control system that grasps the rotation speed of the rotating reflector housed in the probe and constructs a developed image based on this rotation speed at the image processing stage, accurate image processing can be achieved. Images can be displayed. Incidentally, an encoder device is generally known as a device for detecting the number of rotations of a rotating body such as a rotating reflecting mirror. This encoder device is known as a position sensor for closed-loop control of motor drive systems, and it generates a fixed amount of digital code proportional to the amount of rotational movement or linear component movement of the machine axis. There is. Light is commonly used as this measurement medium,
A digital code can be generated by blocking and transmitting or blocking and reflecting the path of this light through a disc-shaped or linear-shaped code plate group. For this reason, a typical encoder device includes a light emitting part and a light receiving part to determine the optical path (optical path), a reflecting part arranged as necessary, and the above-mentioned code plate group to block the formed optical path. It consists of This encoder device is classified into two types: a type that blocks and transmits the optical path, and a type that blocks and reflects the optical path. In an encoder device of the type that interrupts and transmits an optical path and measures the number of times the optical path is interrupted, a light projector and a light receiver are arranged in a straight line so as to face each other with a group of code plates in between. On the other hand, in the type that interrupts and reflects the optical path and measures the number of interruptions, the positional relationship between the light projecting part and the light receiving part is adjusted so that the light emitted from the light projecting part reliably enters the light receiving part. In particular, in the latter case, the transmission and reception of light can be ensured by arranging the light emitter and the light receiver in parallel and close together, or by arranging the light emitter and the light receiver at an angle to the code plate. It is now possible to do this.

[0006]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, there are the following problems in mounting the encoder device on the rotating shaft of the rotating reflector in the above-mentioned probe.

First, the installation space inside the target probe is a cylindrical space with an inner diameter of approximately 1.8 mm or less, and the light source of the light projecting part cannot be provided inside, so the optical transmission system such as an optical fiber is enclosed in a casing. The catheter is inserted and extended to guide a light source external to the catheter to the light projecting section. At this time, the diameter of the optical fiber is approximately φ = 100 μm, and the bending radius r is also r
= 500 μm or more, so the above-mentioned encoder device that cuts off and transmits the optical path and makes the optical path linear cannot be used for a measurement object with a closed tip, such as a probe. In addition, in order to achieve high resolution even in the type that blocks and reflects the optical path, it is necessary to form a radial light-shielding pattern with a width of about 5 μm at the outer circumferential position on the surface of the rotating disk used as the code plate. Although it is possible to cut out this rotating disk by wire electric discharge machining or the like, it is currently difficult to perform machining while maintaining this accuracy in terms of precision control. There is also a method of chemically treating the surface by etching, but there are many problems in terms of limitations on material thickness and processability. Furthermore, since the optical fibers used have a small diameter and the amount of light transmitted to the light projecting section is small, it is necessary to assemble the arrangement of each device accurately, and precision work must be performed to handle minute parts. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the conventional technology described above, and to provide an encoder device that detects the rotation speed of a rotation scanning section by measuring the number of times the optical path is interrupted depending on the rotation speed of the rotation scanning section. The objective is to provide a probe with a built-in casing.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention rotatably drives a part of a rotary scanning section that is rotatably supported near the distal end of a small diameter flexible tube. In a probe that detects predetermined scanning information, a light emitting part held in a holder provided near the tip of the small diameter tube and a light beam emitted from the light emitting part are reflected and diffused between the light emitting part and the holder. a reflecting plate forming a light emitting space with a predetermined amount of light; a light receiving part held at a position apart from the light emitting part of the holder and sensing the light quantity of the light emitting space; A rotating disk having a radial light-shielding pattern located in the middle and fixed to the rotation axis of the rotary scanning section, and a rotating disk arranged coaxially with the rotating disk and receiving light from the light emitting space by being superimposed with the radial light-shielding pattern. a fixed disk having a radial light shielding pattern that blocks an optical path to the rotary scanning section, and detects the rotational speed of the rotary scanning section by measuring the number of times the optical path is interrupted according to the rotational speed of the rotating scanning section. It is characterized by the following.

[0009] Also, the light emitting section and the light receiving section are connected to a light emitting element and a light receiving element provided outside the narrow diameter tube, respectively, by an optical transmission system extending inside the narrow diameter tube. That is.

Further, the rotating disk and the stationary disk are made of a light-transmitting resin film, and a light-shielding pattern is formed by photo-developing a fine-grain light-sensitive emulsion layer coated on the surface of these resin films. That is.

[0011]

[Operation] According to the present invention, a light projecting section held by a holder is arranged near the tip of the small diameter tube, and a reflecting plate that reflects and diffuses the light beam emitted from the light projecting section is arranged to face the holder. A light emitting space with a predetermined amount of light is formed by entering the light from the light projecting section into this partitioned space, and the light amount of the light emitting space is sensed at a position of the holder that is remote from the light projecting section. A rotating disk having a radial light-shielding pattern is fixed to a rotating shaft of a rotating reflector that supports a light receiving part and is located at an axially intermediate position between the holder and the reflector, and the rotating disk is overlapped with the radial light-shielding pattern. A stationary disk having a radial light-blocking pattern that blocks an optical path from the light emitting space to the light receiving section is fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the narrow diameter tube coaxially with the rotating disk, and Since the number of times the optical path is interrupted is measured to detect the number of rotations of the rotating scanning unit, a spread of reflected light can be secured in front of the reflector, and the entire spread of light can be used as a light source. By capturing the light, there is no need for precise positioning of the light receiving section. Furthermore, light detection at the light receiving section can be performed by capturing not only the direct reflected light but also the total amount of light that reaches the light receiving section due to diffuse reflection from a reflector around the light receiving section. In addition, since the light emitting section and the light receiving section are respectively connected to the light emitting element and the light receiving element provided outside the narrow diameter tube by an optical transmission system extending inside the narrow diameter tube, the light emitting section and the light receiving section are long and flexible. Probes can be made from small diameter tubes.

Furthermore, the rotating disk and the stationary disk are made of a light-transmitting resin film, and the fine-grain light-sensitive emulsion layer coated on the surface of these resin films is developed by exposure to light, thereby improving microphotography technology. Through the high-resolution optical system achieved by this method, it is possible to easily create large quantities of light-shielding patterns that exhibit highly accurate microscopic shapes.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the probe according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral V indicates the inside of a blood vessel in a human tissue, and an ultrasonic catheter diagnostic device 1 is inserted into this blood vessel V. As shown in FIG. A probe 3 is integrally formed at the tip of this catheter 2. The probe 3 has an outer diameter that is approximately the same as that of the catheter 2 or has an even smaller diameter, is covered with a flexible resin casing, and has an ultrasonic transducer 4 on its tip end surface.
is fixed. This ultrasonic transducer 4 has a frequency of 2MHz ~
It consists of a transmitter that can emit high frequency waves of 10 MHz, and a receiver that can receive reflected waves from an object. At a position facing the ultrasonic transducer 4, a rotary reflecting mirror 5 is rotatably supported by a sliding bearing 7 fitted into a cylindrical liner tube 6. The reflecting surface 5a of this reflecting mirror 5 is processed to be a surface inclined at 45 degrees with respect to the axial direction of the probe 3. Therefore, the ultrasonic waves S emitted from the transducer 4 are reflected by the reflecting mirror 5 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the probe 3, and further reflected by the blood vessel wall surface V and the like. This reflected wave returns to the vibrator 4 via the same path as the incident path. Furthermore, as described above, the rotating shaft 9 of the rotating reflecting mirror 5 is rotatably supported by the slide bearing 7, and the torque tube 11 is connected to the rotating shaft 9 via the connector portion 10. This torque tube 11 extends to the mouth of the catheter 2 as in the conventional case, and its end is connected to a drive source such as an electric motor equipped with a control section (not shown). On the other hand, behind the rotating reflector 5,
An encoder device 12 for measuring the number of rotations of this rotary reflecting mirror 5 is installed. The encoder device 12 includes a light emitting optical fiber 14 that transmits light from a light source such as a light emitting element (not shown) provided at the mouth of the catheter 2 to the light emitting section 13, and a light emitting optical fiber 14 that transmits light detected by the light receiving section 15 to the catheter 2. A light-receiving optical fiber 16 is connected to transmit light to a light-receiving element (not shown) provided at the mouth. These optical fibers 1
4 and 16 are sockets 17 provided in a part of the holder 17;
a, 17b, this holder 17 has a disk shape as shown in FIG.
and a light receiving section 15 are formed at intervals. Also,
The holder 17 also serves as a light shielding wall, and prevents the light emitted from the light projecting section 13 from directly reaching the light receiving section 15. Further, a fixed disk 18 is fixed adjacent to the surface of the holder 17 on the probe tip side. This fixed disk 1
8 is formed with a light shielding pattern in which light shielding parts and light transmitting parts are alternately formed radially from the center. This light-shielding pattern is processed so that the width of the outer peripheral portion is approximately 5 μm. In this embodiment, the holder 17 and the fixed disk 18 are integrally and tightly fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the liner tube 6.

Further, a rotary disk 19 is fixed to the connector portion 10 of the rotary shaft 9 and rotates integrally with the rotary shaft 9. The rotating disk 19 and the fixed disk 18 are arranged coaxially with respect to the axis of the rotating shaft 9 of the rotating reflector 5, and the surface of the rotating disk 19 has a light-shielding pattern similar to that formed on the fixed disk 18. A light shielding pattern is formed. Further, between this rotary disk 19 and the sliding bearing 7, a truncated cone-shaped reflection plate 20 is arranged so that the reflection surface 20a is connected to the light projection part 13 of the holder 17.
and the light receiving section 15, and the liner tube 6
is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the

In the above-described configuration, the rotating reflecting mirror 5
As the rotating disk 19 rotates, the rotating disk 19 rotates at a predetermined number of rotations, and each time the pattern of the light transmitting section of the rotating disk 19 and the pattern of the light transmitting section of the fixed disk 18 match, a light is reflected from the light projecting section 13. A light path is formed to reach the plate 20. The light from the light projector 13 passes through this formed optical path and enters the reflection plate 20, and can be emitted with a predetermined amount of light in the closed space partitioned by the reflection plate 20 and the holder 17. . At this time, also on the front surface of the light receiving section 15, the light transmitting section of the rotating disk 19 and the light transmitting section of the fixed disk 18 coincide with each other at the same timing as the light projecting section 13. As a result, an optical path to the light receiving section 15 is formed, and the light receiving section 15 passes the light to the reflecting plate 2 through this optical path.
In addition to the light that enters directly from 0, it is also possible to detect light from a light emitting space with a predetermined amount of light. Therefore, this encoder device 12
The light receiving section 15 detects the total amount of light at the reflective portion. On the other hand, when the light blocking section of the rotating disk 19 blocks the light transmitting section of the fixed disk 18, the light from the light projecting section 13 to the reflecting plate 20 is blocked, and the light does not reach the light receiving section 15 or is low. Only light of the same intensity reaches the target. At this time, the light receiving section 1
Since a threshold value for detecting a light intensity equal to or higher than a predetermined light intensity is set in the mirror 5, the rotational angular velocity of the rotating reflecting mirror 5 can be determined by counting the number of times per unit time that this threshold value is crossed. At this time, the light intensity is well controlled,
If the resolution of the light-receiving element connected to the light-receiving section 15 is sufficient, by setting a plurality of thresholds, the number of crossings of the set threshold per one light-shielding pattern will increase, so the counting resolution of the rotational angular velocity can be improved. You can improve.

Next, each component constituting the above-mentioned encoder device will be explained. FIG. 2 shows an example of a holder 17 that fixes and holds the end of an optical fiber.
Reference numeral 7 has a disk shape inscribed in the liner tube, and a through hole 17c is bored in the center thereof, through which the rotating shaft 9 of the rotary reflecting mirror 5 passes. In this embodiment, the rotating shaft 9 is loosely fitted into the through hole 17c, but a bearing portion may be formed in this portion to hold the rotating shaft 9. Further, two sockets 17a and 17b are formed in this holder 17 so as to sandwich a through hole 17c therebetween. This socket 17 is adapted to insert and secure the ends of the optical fibers 14 and 16, and the end surfaces of the optical fibers 14 and 16 constitute a light projecting section 13 and a light receiving section 15. FIG. 1B shows a holder 17 that holds optical fibers 14 and 16 formed by bundling a plurality of optical fibers into an arc shape. At this time, the shapes of the sockets 17a and 17b are also formed to match the shape of the optical fiber bundle.

FIGS. 3A to 3C show examples of light shielding patterns of the rotating disk 19 and the fixed disk 18. The figure (a) shows a plurality of substantially fan-shaped slits 21 in a disc material 21.
a, 21a... are arranged radially, and the rotating disk 19 and the fixed disk 18 have an inner diameter d1 and an outer diameter d of the disk 21.
Each can be created by changing the dimensions of 2. Therefore, the slit portions can have the same shape. In addition, FIG. 6(b) shows a stationary disk 18 whose inside is hollowed out in a square tooth shape with a predetermined pitch, and FIG. be. Figures (b) and (c) can be cut by wire electric discharge machining or the like with one wire feeding operation, and have the advantage of being easy to process.

A method for forming a light-shielding pattern on the disc material 21 will now be described. As mentioned above, the outer diameter of this disc material 21 is approximately 1.5 mm, the diameter of the rotating shaft 9 is set to 0.8 mm or less, and the width of the outer peripheral portion of each light shielding pattern is approximately 5 μm. It is necessary to process it as follows. For this reason, in addition to the above-mentioned wire electric discharge machining, a method that allows precision machining is to use a transparent glass plate as the disc material, and to deposit silver salt at predetermined positions on the glass plate, or to form a thin film attached to the surface. A method can be adopted in which a part of the metal is removed by etching. Furthermore, a photographic technique using a micro camera can also be applied as a method of forming a precise light-shielding pattern. Generally, in this type of photographic technology, celluloid or the like is used as a base used as a photosensitive film, but in this embodiment, the above-mentioned rotating disk 19 and fixed disk 18 are cut out from this base. It is preferable to use film materials made of various materials such as materials that are resistant to the effects of heat and that constitute the resin film that transmits light. Further, in this microphotography technique, it is preferable to use a micro camera that can image the photographed object on the base with high resolution. At this time, a fine-grain photosensitive emulsion is coated on the base, and by photo-developing this photosensitive emulsion, a minute light-shielding pattern can be formed on the base. At this time, the problem is the mechanical strength of the base film made of a resin film, but since the base film of this size has a sufficient thickness relative to the diameter, there is no bending or deformation due to its own weight or the like. Furthermore, since almost no force other than rotational force acts on the encoder device, it can be attached to the rotating shaft 9 or the like without requiring reinforcement. Next, a means for attaching the rotating disk 19 on which the light-shielding pattern is formed as described above to the rotating shaft 9 will be explained with reference to the figures in FIG. 4.

In FIG. 1, the rotating disk 19 is held between a concave connector portion 10 formed in the rotating shaft 9, but in FIG.
In (a) to (c), a flange 9a for fixing the rotating disk 19 is formed on the rotating shaft 9. In the figure (a), the rotating disk 19 is fixed to a flange 9a of the rotating shaft 9, and a claw portion 9b for preventing the rotating disk 19 from spinning idly is formed in a part of the flange 9a. In the same figure (b), the rotary disk 19 is fixed to a support substrate 22 made of a transparent material, and a groove 22a is formed in this support substrate 22 to accommodate a key 9c for preventing phase shift protruding from a flange 9a. has been done.

FIG. 3(c) shows an example in which the disk shown in FIG. 2(b) is further sandwiched between support substrates 22 made of another transparent material. The figure (d) shows a joint part 23 having a transparent disc-shaped rotating flange 23a between the rotating shaft 9 and the torque tube 11.
The figure shows an example in which a is formed. Shaft portion 2 of this joint portion 23
3a is adhesively bonded to the end face of the rotating shaft 9 and the end face of the torque tube 11. In this case as well, the rotating flange 23a
A key 23b is formed in a part of the flange 23a to prevent the rotating disk 19 held between the two from spinning idly. Same figure (
e) shows an example in which the key 23b is provided on a part of the outer periphery of the flange.

Furthermore, FIG. 5 shows an example in which a base plate 24 consisting of radial spokes 24a and a circular rim 24b is attached to a flange portion that sandwiches the rotating disk 19. In this case, it is preferable to apply the encoder device to a relatively large diameter encoder device from the viewpoint of workability.

On the other hand, FIG. 6 shows a fixing means for fixing the fixing disk 18 inside the liner tube 6. In FIG. 1, the fixed disk 18 is fixed integrally with the holder 17 fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the liner tube 6, but in FIG. board 25,
25 is installed. Further, since no rotational force is transmitted to the fixed disk 18, it is unlikely to shift from a predetermined fixed position, but a key 25a is provided on a part of the support plate,
It is also possible to prevent the fixed disc 18 from rotating idly. In the figure (b), the fixed disk 18 is held between two retainer rings 26, 26 fitted to the inner circumference of the liner tube 6.

Next, the reflecting plate 20 attached to change the optical path will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 shows an example in which a pyramid-shaped polygon mirror is used as a reflecting plate. The material of this reflecting plate 20 is aluminum, but various materials can be used as long as it reflects incident light with a high reflectance. Further, this reflective surface 20a has fine irregularities formed thereon to form a diffuse reflective surface. This diffuse reflection surface allows the incident light to be diffused within the space surrounded by the reflection surface. FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the reflection plate 20. Figure (a) shows a truncated cone-shaped mirror reflector, figure (b) shows a flat mirror reflector formed by bending a flat plate, and figure (c) shows a mirror reflector made from a transparent resin such as acrylic resin. The prism type reflector is a solid conical shape, and has a through hole 20b through which the rotating shaft 9 of the rotating reflecting mirror 5 passes.
is drilled. In order to increase the reflectance of this reflector, the conical surface may be mirror-finished. FIG. 3(d) shows a cylindrical reflecting plate, and FIG. 1(e) shows a solid cylindrical reflector made of a resin body made of the same material as that shown in FIG. 4(c). Furthermore, a mirror plate 27 can be attached to this solid cylindrical reflector as shown in FIG. 2(f). By forming a reflective surface with fine irregularities on its surface, the plate-shaped reflector described above can appropriately diffuse the incident light, and combined with the reflection effect from the reflective surface, a sufficient amount of light can be transmitted through the reflective surface. Can be secured in front. Furthermore, although a through hole into which the rotating shaft 9 is loosely fitted is formed in the center of the solid reflector, a bearing may be provided in this portion to add a rotation holding function.

Next, as another embodiment of the reflector, an example in which the reflector is integrated with the transparent substrate 22 of the rotating disk 19 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 9, a rotating disk 19 is sandwiched between two transparent substrates 22, 22. Further, a mirror plate 27 is integrally attached to the transparent substrate 22 on the side opposite to the fixed disk 18. As a result, the light passing through the rotating disk 19 is reflected by the mirror surface 27a, and the rotating disk 19 itself can constitute a reflecting section. At this time, the light projecting section 13 is attached to the holder 17 holding the fixed disk 18.
Even if the light receiving section 15 and the light receiving section 15 are arranged adjacent to each other, the light receiving section 15 can directly receive the reflected light. Therefore, in this case the space for the reflector can be minimized,
The two optical fibers 14 and 16 can also be placed together on the same side.

As an example in which the arrangement of the encoder device within the probe 3 can be changed in the axial direction, the encoder device shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 can be considered. In FIG. 10, the position of the rotating disk 19 and the position of the fixed disk 18 are reversed in the axial direction. In this arrangement, since the optical path is blocked by overlapping the light shielding parts formed on the disk, it is clear that the order does not matter at all. FIG. 11 shows an example in which the rotating disk 19 is attached to the rotating shaft 9 integrally with a reflecting plate. In this example, the reflecting plate rotates together with the rotating disk 19, but this also makes it possible to increase the diffusing effect on the reflecting surface.

[0027] As mentioned above, it is also possible to directly rotate the ultrasonic transducer itself by a rotating shaft connected to a torque tube instead of the rotating reflector that constitutes the scanning section. It is possible to measure the rotational speed of a sound wave vibrator.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, light from an external light-emitting element is transmitted through the optical fiber 14, but the front surface of the reflector plate 20 is filled with a chemiluminescent substance that does not require a power source, etc. It can also be used as a light source by causing a luminescent reaction.

[0029]

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the light emitted from the light receiving section can be reflected by the reflector, and the reflected light can be spread out in front of the reflector. The entire spread of this light can be regarded as a light source, and the light can be easily detected by the light receiving section.Also, since the light emitting section and the light receiving section are connected to the light emitting element and the light receiving element respectively by the above optical transmission system, it can be used for a long time. A flexible small-diameter tube probe can be realized, and the rotating disk and fixed disk are made of a light-transmitting resin film, and a fine-grain photosensitive emulsion layer coated on the surface of these resin films is photosensitively developed. This brings about effects such as the ability to easily produce high-resolution light-shielding patterns in large quantities using microphotography technology.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of a probe according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a modification of the holder of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing an example of a rotating disk and a fixed disk of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a modification of the rotating disk mounting means of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a modification of the rotating disk mounting means of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a modification of the fixing disk attachment means of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of a reflector of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a modification of the reflector of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a rotating disk integrated with a reflecting plate as another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing another embodiment in which the axial positions of the rotating disk and the fixed disk of the present invention are interchanged.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another embodiment in which a rotating disk and a reflecting plate of the present invention are integrated.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Catheter 3. Probe 4 Ultrasonic transducer 5 Rotating reflector 7 Sliding bearing 9 Rotation axis 11 Torque tube 13　Light projection part 14,16 Optical fiber 15 Light receiving part 17 Holder 18 Fixed disc 19 Rotating disk 20 Reflector plate

Claims (3)

[Claims] Claims: 1. A probe that detects predetermined scanning information by rotating a part of a rotary scanning section rotatably supported near the tip of a flexible narrow tube, wherein A light emitting part held in a holder provided near the tip, a reflecting plate that reflects and diffuses the light beam emitted from the light emitting part and forms a light emitting space with a predetermined amount of light between the light emitting part and the holder, and the holder. a light receiving section that is held at a position separate from the light emitting section and detects the amount of light in the light emitting space; and a light receiving section that is located axially intermediate between the holder and the reflecting plate and is fixed to the rotating shaft of the rotating scanning section. a rotating disk having a radial light-shielding pattern; and a stationary disk having a radial light-shielding pattern that is arranged coaxially with the rotating disk and blocks an optical path from the light emitting space to the light receiving section by overlapping with the radial light-shielding pattern. A probe characterized in that the rotation speed of the rotation scanning section is detected by measuring the number of times the optical path is interrupted depending on the rotation speed of the rotation scanning section. 2. The light emitting section and the light receiving section are connected to a light emitting element and a light receiving element provided outside the narrow diameter tube, respectively, by an optical transmission system extending within the narrow diameter tube. The probe according to claim 1, characterized in that: 3. The rotating disk and the stationary disk are made of a light-transmitting resin film, and a light-shielding pattern is formed by photo-developing a fine-grain light-sensitive emulsion layer coated on the surface of the resin film. The probe according to claim 1.