JPH06105844A - Ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To avoid deterioration of an image caused by penetration of an outside noise from an ultrasonic transmitting and receiving aperture of an ultrasonic probe to the inside and decrease in S/N of a receiving signal. CONSTITUTION:In the inside of an aperture of a probe case 11, a backing material 14, an ultrasonic oscillator 13, a sound matching layer 15 and a sound lens 16 are laminated and stored and a cable 2 for transmitting and receiving a signal is introduced in the case 11 and the coaxial cable 21 is connected with the ultrasonic oscillator 13. A shield coating 12 is applied on the inside of the case and a shield thin film layer 17 prepd. by applying a electrically conductive coating is provided on the inner face of the case. As a noise which comes from the outside reaching the transmitting and receiving wave aperture is shielded thereby by means of a shield thin film layer 17, it is not transmitted in the case and it is possible to prevent a noise from getting on a receiving signal. It is possible thereby to improve S/N.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a probe used in an ultrasonic device, and more particularly, to prevent external noise from the surrounding environment in which the probe is placed from entering the inside of the case through the ultrasonic transmission / reception opening of the probe case. Technology.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Imaging an inside of a subject using ultrasonic waves is widely performed in ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses in the medical field and ultrasonic inspection apparatuses in the field of nondestructive inspection. By the way, conventionally, in the field of medical equipment such as an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, since there is a tendency to restrict the emission of electromagnetic waves generated by the apparatus to the outside of the apparatus, the apparatus itself cannot emit electromagnetic waves to the outside. Almost gone. However, in ultrasonic diagnostic equipment and magnetic resonance imaging equipment where the final output of the device is an image, in addition to measures against electromagnetic waves generated by the device itself, external noise from the surrounding environment such as electromagnetic waves causes the probe and received signal cable to If you don't try to get in through
/ N becomes worse.

Therefore, in the case of an ultrasonic device, a coaxial cable is used as the probe cable, and a conductive coating is applied to the probe case.

[0004]

According to the above-mentioned prior art, it is possible to prevent external noise from the side or rear side of the ultrasonic transducer in the probe portion and to prevent external noise from being received in the signal cable. However, it has been found that external noise arriving at the transmission / reception opening of the probe case is a problem to be improved in order to improve the S / N ratio of an image because no shield means is provided. .

Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, that is, provides an ultrasonic probe in which a transmitting / receiving opening of a probe cable is provided with a shield for preventing external noise, and an image with a good S / N is obtained. It is an object.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ultrasonic transducer, an acoustic matching layer, and an acoustic lens in a case having an opening for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves in the opening. Combined and housed together, while connecting a signal transmission / reception coaxial cable to the vibrator, in an ultrasonic probe formed by applying noise shield to the case, along one surface of the laminated acoustic matching layer or acoustic lens, It is characterized in that a shield thin film layer for preventing noise propagation from the opening into the case is provided.

[0007]

Since the shield thin film layer interposed in the laminate of the acoustic matching layer and the acoustic lens covers the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving opening of the probe case, external noise is prevented from propagating inside the case.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 shows the appearance of the ultrasonic probe, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an ultrasonic probe body. In FIG.
Reference numeral 1 denotes an ultrasonic probe main body, which is carried by an operator and brought into contact with a subject to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. Reference numeral 2 is a signal cable, 3 is a connector, which supplies a signal for transmitting a wave to an ultrasonic transducer provided inside the ultrasonic probe main body 1 from an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body (not shown) and receives the signal. The wave signal is sent to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body. As the signal cable 2, a large number of coaxial cables bundled with a resin coating is used.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic probe main body 1 includes a case 11, a shield coating 12 formed on the inner surface of the case 11 by conductive coating, and an ultrasonic transducer 13.
A backing material 14 provided on the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer 13, an acoustic matching layer 15 provided on the front surface of the ultrasonic transducer 13, and an acoustic lens 16 laminated on the front surface of the acoustic matching layer. Is equipped with. Then, the signal cable 2 is guided to the inside of the case 11, and the coaxial cable 21 inside the signal cable 2 is connected to the electrode of the ultrasonic transducer 13.

In contrast to the conventional ultrasonic probe described above, in this embodiment, the shield thin film layer 17 formed by applying a conductive paint to the inner surface of the acoustic lens 16 is provided. As the conductive coating material, it is possible to use copper particles of 2 to 5 μm or nickel particles of 0.6 μm for the conductive particles and acrylic resin for the binder. It is preferable that the shield thin film layer 17 is provided up to a portion of the inner surface of the case 11 that is in contact with the shield coating 12. This is because the ultrasonic transmission / reception opening of the probe case 11 is shielded without a gap.

According to this embodiment, since the transmission / reception opening of the ultrasonic probe is covered with the shield, the external noise to the opening is shielded and is not mixed in the received signal.

Although the present embodiment has been described by taking the electronic scanning type probe used in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus as an example, the present invention is not limited thereto and can be modified without departing from the scope of the invention. That is, instead of applying the conductive coating on the inner surface of the acoustic lens, it is possible to use various recently developed shield materials. However, it is necessary to pay attention to the acoustic impedance of the material and the attenuation characteristics of ultrasonic waves. Further, although the shield coating is provided on the inner surface of the acoustic lens in the above embodiment, it may be provided on the acoustic matching layer.

[0013]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the external noise from the transmitting / receiving opening of the ultrasonic probe to the inside of the probe main body is shielded, the received signal may have noise from it. Is prevented, and an image with good S / N can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an ultrasonic probe main body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of an ultrasonic probe.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Ultrasonic Probe Main Body 2 Signal Cable 11 Case 13 Ultrasonic Transducer 15 Acoustic Matching Layer 16 Acoustic Lens 17 Shield Thin Film Layer

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A coaxial cable for transmitting and receiving signals to and from an ultrasonic transducer, wherein an ultrasonic transducer, an acoustic matching layer, and an acoustic lens are stacked and housed in a case having an opening for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves in accordance with the opening. In the ultrasonic probe formed by applying a noise shield to the case, a shield thin film for preventing noise propagation from the opening into the case along one surface of the laminated acoustic matching layer or acoustic lens. An ultrasonic probe having a layer.