JPH07163564A - Ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the infection among patients, the degradation in the accuracy of transmission of rotation when a probe is curved and the generation of image distortions by having a protecting means for freely attachably and detachably covering a torque transmitting means and an ultrasonic wave emitting means. CONSTITUTION:A vibrator head 1 is arranged at the front end of the insertion part of the ultrasonic probe disposed at the end on one side of a flexible shaft. A rotational driving section and this vibrator head 1 are connected by a torque transmission shaft 7 constituting the flexible shaft. The part of the vibrator head 1 is covered by a cap 27. A tube 21 and the cap 27 are connected and integrated by a connector 25 and the other end of the tube 21 is made into a structure of a screwing type or fitting type, etc., to the rotational driving section of an operator side operation section and is thus freely attachably and detachably connected. The tube is sealed by using an O-ring, etc., so as to prevent the outflow of an acoustic transmission medium 5.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe, and more particularly to an ultrasonic probe used in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in a body cavity and suitable for insertion into a body cavity.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses are rapidly becoming popular in recent years because they can easily display an image of the inside of the subject in real time without causing any pain to the subject and perform the examination. This ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is capable of, for example, injecting an ultrasonic wave having a frequency of several to several tens of MHz into a subject and obtaining an image in real time mainly by using a reflected wave of the incident ultrasonic wave. .

Further, the intracorporeal ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus uses a forceps hole of an endoscope to insert a small-diameter ultrasonic probe (probe) into the coelom and emit ultrasonic waves from the coelom for digestion. It is an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for performing a tube diagnosis or inserting a small-diameter ultrasonic probe directly into a blood vessel to perform an intravascular diagnosis. This small-diameter ultrasonic probe mechanically and radially scans an ultrasonic transducer provided at the tip of the insertion portion to obtain an ultrasonic image.

An example of a conventional ultrasonic probe will be described with reference to the structural diagram of the small-diameter ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. The small-diameter ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. 2 has an acoustic window 3 formed around a transducer head 1 containing an ultrasonic transducer, and an acoustic transmission medium 5 is provided between the acoustic window 3 and the transducer head 1. For example, it is filled with water. As a result, the transducer head 1 can be freely rotated in the probe for radial scanning, and ultrasonic waves can be emitted toward the subject to perform ultrasonic diagnosis.

Further, in order to realize a small diameter of the ultrasonic probe,
The rotation drive unit that rotationally drives the vibrator head 1 and the position detector that detects the rotation position are installed in the hand operation unit outside the insertion unit (not shown), and the vibrator head 1 at the distal end is a flexible tubular shape. Are connected by the torque transmission shaft 7, and the rotational force is supplied to the vibrator head 1 via the torque transmission shaft 7.

Further, the circumference of the torque transmission shaft 7 is covered with a highly flexible rotary bearing tube 9,
While preventing contact between the torque transmission shaft 7 that is a rotating portion and the subject, the tube 9 and the torque transmission shaft 7 are filled with the acoustic transmission medium 5 to prevent friction of the torque transmission shaft 7 against rotation. I am trying to reduce it.

The tube 9 covers the transducer head 1 and the torque transmission shaft 7 at the tip of the ultrasonic probe, and the opening end is a hand-operated portion and is sealed so that the acoustic transmission medium 5 (for example, water) does not flow out. It was stopped and fixed.

[0008]

However, since the ultrasonic probe comes into contact with the body fluid and blood of the subject when it is used, it is necessary to prevent infection of the subject with bacteria and the like. The effects of sterilization and disinfection are insufficient, and there is a problem that it takes too much time, and there is a problem that the disposable specification becomes too expensive.

As a solution to this problem, as shown in FIG.
A method of covering the outside of the tube 9 with a tube sheath made of a polymer such as urethane and replacing the tube sheath is used. However, since the tube sheath does not have elasticity, the tube sheath is bent when it is bent. There is a problem that the sheath is crushed, friction between the sheath and the torque transmission shaft 7 is increased, the accuracy of rotation transmission is reduced, and image distortion occurs. Further, this tube sheath has inferior characteristics as an acoustic window, and since the acoustic window is doubled, it causes reflection and attenuation of ultrasonic waves, causes artifacts in ultrasonic images, and deteriorates image quality. there were.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic probe capable of preventing infection between patients, preventing deterioration of rotation transmission accuracy when curved, and preventing occurrence of image distortion. And

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the ultrasonic probe of the first invention of the present application has a flexible torque transmitting means for transmitting the rotational force from the driving portion to the tip portion, and the ultrasonic transmitting means of the torque transmitting means. It is provided that an ultrasonic wave emitting means is provided at a tip end portion and has an ultrasonic wave oscillator to emit an ultrasonic wave in a predetermined direction, and a protective means that detachably covers the torque transmitting means and the ultrasonic wave emitting means. And

In the ultrasonic probe of the second invention of the present application, the protection means according to claim 1 is made of a material whose acoustic impedance is substantially equal to that of the subject at the ultrasonic wave emitting portion of the ultrasonic wave emitting means. Is the gist.

In the ultrasonic probe of the third invention of the present application, the protection means according to claim 1 is such that the inner wall portion is supported by a spiral wire tube in the torque transmitting means portion, and The gist of the present invention is to have a gap between which the torque transmission means can rotate.

In the ultrasonic probe of the fourth invention of the present application, the acoustic transmission medium filled in the protection means does not flow out at the connecting portion between the protection means and the drive section described in claims 1, 2 and 3. The gist is that a detachable sealing means is provided.

[0015]

The ultrasonic probe of the first invention of the present application comprises a flexible torque transmitting means for transmitting the rotational force from the driving portion to the tip portion, and an ultrasonic transducer provided at the tip portion of the torque transmitting means. The protective means can be easily replaced by detachably covering the ultrasonic wave emitting means for emitting ultrasonic waves in a predetermined direction with the protective means.

That is, of the tube portion and the cap portion forming the protection means, the tube portion covering the torque transmitting means is detachably connected to the drive portion, and the tube portion is connected to the ultrasonic wave emitting means via the connecting portion. It is possible to prevent infection between patients by connecting the cap portion for covering and integrating the cap portion and exchanging the cap portion together with the tube portion.

In the ultrasonic probe of the second invention of the present application, the protective means is a material whose acoustic impedance is substantially equal to the acoustic impedance of the subject at the ultrasonic wave emitting portion of the ultrasonic wave emitting means, that is, a material having good ultrasonic wave transmission characteristics. By selecting and using, it is possible to reduce reflection and attenuation of ultrasonic waves, and improve the quality of ultrasonic images.

In the ultrasonic probe of the third invention of the present application, the protection means comprises the inner wall portion supported by the spiral wire tube in the torque transmission means portion, and the torque transmission means is connected to the torque transmission means. Since the means has a gap that allows it to rotate, it is possible to provide expansion and contraction characteristics, to prevent the occurrence of crushing that occurs when it is bent, and to prevent deterioration of the rotation transmission accuracy of the torque transmission shaft. Is possible.

In the ultrasonic probe of the fourth invention of the present application, a detachable sealing means is provided at the connecting portion between the protecting means and the driving section, and the acoustic transmitting medium filled in the protecting means is sealed so as not to flow out. At the tube portion, friction against rotation of the torque transmission shaft is reduced to prevent deterioration of rotation transmission accuracy, and ultrasonic transmission is improved at the cap portion to improve ultrasonic image quality. It becomes possible to do.

[0020]

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

FIG. 1 is a sectional structural view showing an embodiment of an ultrasonic probe used in an intracorporeal ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those shown in FIG. ,
They are indicated by the same symbols.

First, the structure of an ultrasonic probe including a flexible shaft will be described with reference to FIG. At the tip of the insertion portion of the ultrasonic probe provided at one end of the flexible shaft which is flexible and flexible, the transducer head 1 is placed so that the ultrasonic wave irradiation direction is substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction. The rotary drive unit and the position detector are provided in a hand operation unit (not shown) near the other end of the flexible shaft. The rotary drive unit and the vibrator head 1 are connected by a torque transmission shaft 7 that constitutes the flexible shaft, and the rotary drive unit transmits a rotational force to the vibrator head 1 via the torque transmission shaft 7. As a result, the vibrator head 1 is rotated so that mechanical radial scanning can be performed, and the position detector can detect the rotational direction of the vibrator head 1.

An ultrasonic output signal is output to the vibrator attached to the vibrator head 1 through the signal line 13 by the operation of the hand-held operation unit, and the vibrator is vibrated to generate ultrasonic waves, and the acoustic window Ultrasonic waves are emitted toward the subject through 3. The reflected wave from the subject follows a reverse path, is received by the vibrator attached to the vibrator head 1, is converted into an electric signal by the vibrator, and is transmitted to the hand operation unit to obtain an ultrasonic image. To be At this time, the acoustic window 3 and the transducer head 1
The space is filled with the acoustic transmission medium 5 (for example, water or the like) so that the transmission of ultrasonic waves is improved.

As the torque transmission shaft 7 as the torque transmission means, a spiral wire tube closely wound in a cylindrical shape is used, which allows it to have a flexible characteristic and be freely bent.

Further, the torque transmission shaft 7 which is a rotating portion.
In order to prevent contact between the living body and the living body, a cylindrical tube 21 is used to cover the periphery of the torque transmission shaft 7 with a gap so that the torque transmission shaft 7 can rotate, and a vibrator that is also a rotating portion. In order to prevent contact between the head 1 and the living body, the transducer head 1 part is covered with a cap 27, the tube 21 and the cap 27 are connected and integrated by a connector 25, and the other end of the tube 21 is a hand operation part. It is detachably connected to the rotary drive.

As the material of the cap 27, a material having a small permeability and a small amount of reflection and attenuation of ultrasonic waves is selected because it also serves as the acoustic window 3 for inputting and outputting ultrasonic waves. It is preferable to appropriately select and use one having a range of about 0.2 to 1.8.

A tube made of a highly flexible material such as urethane is used as the tube 21, and the tube 21 is prevented from being crushed even when the inner wall portion is supported by the spiral wire tube 23 so as to be curved, and is rotated by the torque transmission shaft 7. The transmission accuracy is prevented from lowering and the image distortion is prevented from occurring. Alternatively, the inner wall of the tube 21 may be used with the spiral wire tube 23 embedded therein.

The spiral wire tube 23 is formed by spirally winding a flat metal wire, supports the inner wall of the tube 21 and has a flexible characteristic, and prevents the tube 21 from being crushed even when bent. I have to.

The acoustic transmission medium 5 is filled between the tube 21 and the torque transmission shaft 7 to reduce the friction of the torque transmission shaft 7 against rotation. further,
In order to reduce friction with respect to rotation of the torque transmission shaft 7, the spiral windings of the spiral wire tube and the spiral wire tube 23 used in the torque transmission shaft 7 are reversely wound to each other so that the windings do not interfere with each other. good.

The tube 21 has a screw-type or fitting-type structure at its connecting portion with the rotary drive portion so that the sound transmitting medium 5 does not flow out.
Use an (Oh) ring to seal.

Therefore, the tube 27 is integrated with the cap 27 that covers the transducer head 1 and the portion that covers the torque transmission shaft 7 via the connector 25 so that the tube 21 can be detached and attached to the rotary drive unit of the hand operation unit. If the tube 21 is replaced for each patient, infection between patients can be easily prevented, and the labor of disinfecting and reusing the tube 21 can be saved, thus improving patient throughput. You can

Further, for the portion covering the cap 27 and the torque transmission shaft 7, it is possible to select and use a material suitable for each portion, so that the cap 27 has a small reflection and attenuation of ultrasonic waves. If a material having good transparency is selected, reflection and attenuation of ultrasonic waves can be reduced, the image quality of ultrasonic images can be improved, and the acoustic window 3 does not need to have a double structure. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of artifacts due to multiple reflection of the acoustic window 3.

Further, for the portion of the tube 21 that covers the torque transmission shaft 7, a tube made of a highly flexible material is selected, and the inner wall portion of the tube 21 is supported by the spiral wire tube. It is possible to prevent the rotation transmission accuracy of the torque transmission shaft from being deteriorated when it is bent, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of image distortion and the deterioration of the lateral resolution.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the portion covering the vibrator head and the portion covering the torque transmission shaft are integrated via the connecting portion to form the protective tube,
The tube can be exchanged by making it detachable and attached to the hand operation part, so that infection between patients can be prevented. In addition, the material suitable for each part can be selected and used, and the structure of the part that covers the torque transmission shaft is a spiral wire tube to prevent deterioration of rotation transmission accuracy when curved, and It is possible to prevent the occurrence of distortion.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the protection means for covering the torque transmission means and the ultrasonic wave emission means is detachable, the infection between patients can be easily and surely prevented by exchanging the protection means. It becomes possible to do.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional structure diagram showing a configuration of a conventional ultrasonic probe.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Transducer Head 3 Acoustic Window 5 Acoustic Transmission Medium 7 Torque Transmission Shaft 9 Tube 11 Bearing Part 13 Signal Line 21 Tube 23 Spiral Wire Tube 25 Connector 27 Cap Part

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A flexible torque transmitting means for transmitting a rotational force from a driving portion to a tip portion, and an ultrasonic transducer provided at the tip portion of the torque transmitting means and emitting an ultrasonic wave in a predetermined direction. An ultrasonic probe, comprising: an ultrasonic wave emission means; and a protection means that detachably covers the torque transmission means and the ultrasonic wave emission means. 2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the protection means is made of a material whose acoustic impedance is substantially equal to that of the subject at the ultrasonic wave emitting portion of the ultrasonic wave emitting means. 3. The protection means comprises a torque transmission means portion having an inner wall portion supported by a spiral wire tube, and a gap between the protection means and the torque transmission means so that the torque transmission means is rotatable. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, further comprising: 4. The connecting means between the protection means and the drive portion is provided with a detachable sealing means for preventing the acoustic transmission medium filled in the protection means from flowing out. , 2 and 3 ultrasonic probe.