JPH0723955A - Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonographic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonographic device that create an image having no artifact in a nearby area at high resolution and facilitate orientation. CONSTITUTION:An ultrasonographic device includes e.g. two oscillators 2a, 2b which can transmit and receive ultrasonic waves, an acoustic mirror 22 which can reflect the ultrasonic waves, and a rotating mechanism 23 which can rotate at least the acoustic mirror 22 about an axis, the acoustic mirror 22 reflecting the ultrasonic waves from the oscillators 2a, 2b in a direction of radiation perpendicular to the axis and reflecting the ultrasonic waves from the direction of radiation back toward the oscillators. The ultrasonographic device further includes a transmitter-receiver circuit 27 having a transmitter- receiver portion 24 connected to an ultrasonic probe 21 and controlling the ultrasonic probe 21 so that the two or more oscillators transmit and receive ultrasonic waves of different frequencies, and a receiving filter 28 which can separate input signals from the ultrasonic probe 21 according to their frequencies.

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 an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly to an ultrasonic wave type ultrasonic wave ultrasonic probe of the type which obtains an ultrasonic tomographic image by radial scanning of a transducer at the tip of the insertion portion of the ultrasonic probe. The present invention relates to a probe and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There are various scanning types of ultrasonic probes. Among them, the ultrasonic probe capable of radial scanning mechanically rotates an oscillator at the tip of an insertion portion around an axis. Thereby, an ultrasonic tomographic image in a plane orthogonal to the rotation axis is obtained.

FIG. 4 shows the tip of the ultrasonic probe in a cross section taken along a plane including the axis.

As shown in the figure, the conventional ultrasonic probe 1 surrounds a rotating body 3 provided with a transducer 2 with a housing 4 called an acoustic window, and the rotating body 3 and the housing 4 are surrounded. The space is filled with a predetermined acoustic transmission medium 5.

To obtain an ultrasonic tomographic image using such an ultrasonic probe, first, the ultrasonic probe may be inserted into the digestive tract, a blood vessel, etc., and then the transducer may be radially scanned at a predetermined position.

[0006] Here, in order to compensate for the decrease in resolution due to the reduction in the diameter of the transducer, it is necessary to increase the frequency of the ultrasonic wave to improve the resolution. However, if the frequency is increased, the ultrasonic wave can reach. On the contrary, the depth, that is, the depth of invasion, is insufficient, and the positioning operation for the affected area or the like, that is, the operability related to the orientation becomes poor.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing an ultrasonic probe 11 capable of solving such a problem.

As can be seen in the figure, the ultrasonic probe 11 is provided with two vibrators 2 back to back, and can transmit and receive low frequency and high frequency ultrasonic waves, respectively.

In such a structure, a high resolution image can be obtained by switching the frequency to the high frequency side after performing the orientation operation with the low frequency ultrasonic wave.

[0010]

However, in this method, the resolution or sensitivity is deteriorated due to the decrease of the effective area, and the saturated echo area near the transducer causes an artifact in a short distance area, resulting in a diagnostic image. There was a problem that it had an adverse effect.

Further, it is difficult to provide the two vibrators back to back from the viewpoint of manufacturing technology.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of obtaining an image with high resolution and without artifacts in a short-distance region and easily oriented. The purpose is to provide.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above object, the ultrasonic probe of the present invention has at least two or more transducers capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and ultrasonic waves as described in claim 1. An acoustic mirror capable of reflecting, and a rotating mechanism capable of rotating at least the acoustic mirror around an axis,
The acoustic mirror reflects ultrasonic waves from the vibrator in a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction and reflects ultrasonic waves from the radial direction toward the vibrator.

Further, the ultrasonic probe of the present invention is the above-mentioned 2
Two oscillators are arranged in the axial direction and face each other, and an acoustic mirror is arranged between the oscillators.

Further, the ultrasonic probe of the present invention is the above-mentioned 2
Two vibrators are arranged in the axial direction and back to back, and the acoustic mirrors are arranged at facing positions of the two vibrators.

Further, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention is described in claim 4.
As described above, at least 2 capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves
The transducer, an acoustic mirror capable of reflecting ultrasonic waves, and a rotation mechanism capable of rotating at least the acoustic mirror about an axis line, and the acoustic mirror is configured so that the ultrasonic wave from the transducer is perpendicular to the axial direction. In addition to reflecting in a different radiation direction, an ultrasonic probe configured to reflect an ultrasonic wave from a radiation direction toward the transducer, and a transmitting / receiving unit connected to the ultrasonic probe, the transmitting / receiving unit Is the above 2
The above transducer is provided with a transmission / reception circuit that controls the ultrasonic probe so as to transmit / receive ultrasonic waves of different frequencies, and a reception filter that can separate the reception signal from the ultrasonic probe for each frequency. It is a thing.

Further, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention is described in claim 5.
As described above, at least 2 capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves
The transducer, an acoustic mirror capable of reflecting ultrasonic waves, and a rotation mechanism capable of rotating at least the acoustic mirror about an axis line, and the acoustic mirror is configured so that the ultrasonic wave from the transducer is perpendicular to the axial direction. While reflecting in a different radiation direction, an ultrasonic probe adapted to reflect an ultrasonic wave from the radiation direction toward the transducer, a transceiver connected to the ultrasonic probe, and a transceiver from the transceiver. A transmitter / receiver circuit for controlling the ultrasonic probe so that the two or more transducers transmit and receive ultrasonic waves of the same frequency. The display unit displays the tomographic image with the number of scanning lines, the depth of field or the number of frames greater than the number of fields of view or the number of frames when the transducer is used alone. Those were.

[0018]

According to the ultrasonic probe of the present invention, the ultrasonic waves transmitted from, for example, two vibrators enter the rotating acoustic mirror and are reflected in the direction orthogonal to the axis of the ultrasonic probe, that is, in the radial direction. .

Next, the ultrasonic waves returned from the living body return to the vibrator through the reverse path.

Here, by disposing the acoustic mirror, a standoff is secured between the transducer and the diagnostic area, and the artifacts in the short distance area are significantly reduced.

According to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention,
Ultrasonic waves having different frequencies are transmitted from, for example, two transducers provided on the ultrasonic probe, and reflected in the radial direction by the acoustic mirror.

Next, the ultrasonic wave returned from the living body is converted into an electric signal by the vibrator, and this is separated into a low frequency component and a high frequency component by the reception filter of the transmission / reception unit.

Then, the separated signals are used to simultaneously display a low-frequency tomographic image and a high-frequency tomographic image on the monitor of the display unit, for example.

Next, an orientation operation is performed while viewing the low frequency tomographic image.

That is, attention is paid to a predetermined organ that can be easily recognized on the screen, and the diagnostic region is aligned with the focal point of ultrasonic waves while considering the positional relationship between this organ and the diagnostic region.

Then, the diagnosis region is observed while observing the high frequency image to make a diagnosis.

According to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention,
Ultrasonic waves having the same frequency are transmitted from, for example, two transducers provided in the ultrasonic probe, and reflected in the radial direction by the acoustic mirror.

Then, the ultrasonic wave returned from the living body is converted into an electric signal by a vibrator, which is sent to the wave transmitting / receiving circuit of the transmitting / receiving section and further sent to the display section.

In the display section, a tomographic image is created with a scanning line number, a visual field depth or a frame number larger than the scanning line number, visual field depth or the frame number when the transducer is used alone, and this is displayed on the monitor.

Here, if the number of scanning lines is increased, the resolution of the screen is improved. If the depth of field is increased, a deeper area can be imaged, and if the number of frames is increased, the flicker of the screen can be reduced. .

[0031]

Embodiments of the ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that parts that are substantially the same as those of the conventional technique are given the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 1A shows an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 according to this embodiment.
9 is a block diagram showing FIG.

As shown in the figure, the ultrasonic diagnostic device 29
Is the ultrasonic probe 21, the transmission / reception unit 24 connected to the ultrasonic probe 21, and the scanning timing on the ultrasonic side.
A data scan converter (hereinafter referred to as DSC) 25 that matches the scanning timing on the V side, and a display 26 as a display unit that displays a tomographic image are provided.

FIG. 1B shows the ultrasonic probe 21 in a cross section taken along a plane including the axis.

As can be seen in the figure, the ultrasonic probe 21
Is two transducers 2a and 2b capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves,
And an acoustic mirror 22 capable of reflecting ultrasonic waves.

The two vibrators 2a and 2b are arranged in the axial direction and face each other.

The acoustic mirror 22 is formed by arranging two ultrasonic wave reflecting surfaces at a position facing the transducers 2a and 2b with an inclination of 45 degrees with respect to the axis line, and transmitting the ultrasonic waves from the transducers 2a and 2b to the axis line. The ultrasonic wave from the radial direction is reflected while being reflected in the direction perpendicular to the direction, that is, the radial direction.
It is designed to be returned to a and 2b.

The vibrators 2a and 2b and the acoustic mirror 22
Is attached to a rotation mechanism 23 that is integrally rotatable around the axis.

As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the transmitting / receiving section 24 includes a transmitting / receiving circuit 27 for controlling the ultrasonic probe 21 so that the transducers 2a and 2b transmit and receive ultrasonic waves of different frequencies, respectively. A reception filter 28 capable of separating a reception signal from the sound wave probe 21 for each frequency.

Here, it is preferable that the vibrator 2a transmits / receives an ultrasonic wave of 10 MHz, and the vibrator 2b transmits / receives an ultrasonic wave of 20 MHz.

According to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of this embodiment, the ultrasonic probe 21 is inserted into a blood vessel, a digestive tract or the like through a forceps hole of an endoscope and positioned at a predetermined position.

Next, from the vibrators 2a and 2b, 1
Ultrasonic waves of 0 MHz and 20 MHz are transmitted in the axial direction and in the opposite direction, reflected by the acoustic mirror 22 in the radial direction (arrow in the figure) and radiated into the living body.

Next, the ultrasonic waves returned from the living body are returned to the vibrators 2a and 2b by the route opposite to the above.

Next, the received ultrasonic waves are transmitted to the vibrator 2a,
The electric signal is converted into an electric signal in 2b, and these are separated into a low frequency component and a high frequency component by the reception filter 28 of the transmission / reception unit 24.

Then, a low-frequency tomographic image and a high-frequency tomographic image are simultaneously displayed on the display 26 using the separated signals.

Here, first, the orientation operation is performed while watching the low-frequency tomographic image displayed on the display 26.

That is, attention is paid to a predetermined organ that can be easily recognized on the screen, and the diagnostic region is aligned with the focal point of ultrasonic waves while taking the positional relationship between this organ and the diagnostic region into consideration.

Then, the diagnosis area is observed while observing the high-frequency image simultaneously displayed on the display 26 to make a diagnosis.

By arranging that the emission directions of the ultrasonic beams intersect in the diagnostic region, a low frequency image and a high frequency image can be obtained for almost the same section.

As described above, the ultrasonic probe of the present embodiment is provided with the two transducers capable of transmitting and receiving different frequencies, while the acoustic mirror is provided between these transducers. A standoff, that is, a predetermined distance is secured between the target area and the diagnostic area, and artifacts in the near area can be significantly reduced.

Further, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of this embodiment separates the electric signals obtained by converting the ultrasonic waves received by the ultrasonic probe into signals of different frequencies, and separates the separated signals into low-frequency slices. Since the image and the high-frequency tomographic image are simultaneously displayed on the display, the orientation operation can be performed using the low-frequency image, and the ultrasonic diagnosis can be performed using the high-frequency image.

Therefore, it is possible to perform ultrasonic diagnosis without replacing the ultrasonic probe, and it is possible to shorten the diagnosis time or reduce the burden on the patient.

In the above embodiment, the number of transducers provided in the ultrasonic probe is two, but it may be any number of three or more.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the acoustic mirror and the oscillator are integrally rotated, but the acoustic mirror 22 alone or the oscillator 2a and the acoustic mirror 22 alone may be rotated.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the acoustic mirror is arranged between the vibrators, but the arrangement is not limited to this.

FIG. 2 shows a first modification of the ultrasonic probe 21. As shown in the figure, the ultrasonic probe 31 has two transducers 2a and 2b arranged axially and back-to-back, and acoustic mirrors 32a and 3b are provided at the facing positions of the two transducers 2a and 2b, respectively.
2b is arranged.

The present modified example operates and produces the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

FIG. 3 shows a second modification of the ultrasonic probe 21.

The ultrasonic probe 41 according to this modification has two
Like the ultrasonic probe 21, the two transducers 2a and 2b are arranged facing each other in the axial direction and face each other, and the acoustic mirror 42 is arranged at the facing position of the two transducers 2a and 2b. In this modification, the acoustic mirror 4
2 is formed on a flat plate so that the reflection directions of ultrasonic waves from the vibrators 2a and 2b are opposite to each other.

The structure may be such that only the acoustic mirror 42 or only the vibrator 2a and the acoustic mirror 42 are rotated.

The second modified example also operates and produces the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the reception filter is used to separate the reception signals of two frequencies so that two images can be displayed simultaneously. However, the reception filter is omitted and The transducer may be configured to transmit and receive while switching between low frequency and high frequency.

In such a configuration, first, the frequency is switched to the low frequency side to perform the radial scanning, and the orientation operation is performed using the obtained low frequency image. Then, the frequency is switched to the high frequency side to perform the radial scanning, and the high frequency image thus obtained can be used for the detailed examination diagnosis.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the ultrasonic waves of different frequencies are transmitted and received, and the ultrasonic wave is separated into two frequencies by using the reception filter. It is configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves, and is configured to display a tomographic image with the number of scanning lines, the number of scanning lines, the depth of field or the number of frames greater than the number of scanning lines when the transducer is used alone. Good.

In such a structure, ultrasonic waves having the same frequency are respectively transmitted from, for example, two transducers provided in the ultrasonic probe, and reflected by the acoustic mirror in the radial direction.

Next, the ultrasonic wave returned from the living body is converted into an electric signal by the vibrator, which is sent to the transmitting / receiving circuit of the transmitting / receiving section and further sent to the display section.

In the display unit, a tomographic image is created with the number of scanning lines, the depth of field or the number of frames larger than the number of scanning lines, the depth of field or the number of frames when the transducer is used alone, and this is displayed on the monitor.

Here, if the number of scanning lines is increased, the resolution of the screen is improved, if the depth of field is increased, it is possible to form an image in a deep area, and if the number of frames is increased, the flicker of the screen can be reduced. .

[0069]

As described above, the ultrasonic probe of the present invention has at least two or more transducers capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, an acoustic mirror capable of reflecting ultrasonic waves, and at least the acoustic mirror having an axis line. And a rotation mechanism rotatable around the acoustic mirror, wherein the acoustic mirror reflects ultrasonic waves from the oscillator in a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction and reflects ultrasonic waves from the radial direction toward the oscillator. Since this is done, it is possible to obtain an image with no artifacts in the near field.

Further, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention has at least two or more transducers capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, an acoustic mirror capable of reflecting ultrasonic waves, and at least the acoustic mirror rotatable about an axis. A rotating mechanism is provided, and the acoustic mirror reflects ultrasonic waves from the vibrator in a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and reflects ultrasonic waves from the radial direction toward the vibrator. An ultrasonic probe and a transmitting / receiving unit connected to the ultrasonic probe, and the transmitting / receiving unit controls the ultrasonic probe so that the two or more transducers transmit and receive ultrasonic waves of different frequencies. Since the transmission / reception circuit and the reception filter capable of separating the reception signal from the ultrasonic probe for each frequency are provided, in addition to the above-described effects, the resolution of the image with the higher frequency is high. Together to obtain an image, it is possible to obtain a large image of the invasion depth in the lower image frequency.

Therefore, it is possible to proceed with the orientation operation and the high-accuracy ultrasonic diagnosis at the same time without removing the ultrasonic probe.

In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention, at least two or more transducers capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, an acoustic mirror capable of reflecting ultrasonic waves, and at least the acoustic mirror rotatable about an axis. A rotating mechanism is provided, and the acoustic mirror is configured to reflect ultrasonic waves from the vibrator in a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and to reflect ultrasonic waves from the radial direction toward the vibrator. An ultrasonic probe, a transmission / reception unit connected to the ultrasonic probe, and a display unit for displaying a tomographic image using a received signal from the transmission / reception unit, wherein the transmission / reception unit includes the two or more transducers. Is equipped with a transmission / reception circuit for controlling the ultrasonic probe so as to transmit / receive ultrasonic waves of the same frequency, and the display unit is provided with the number of scanning lines, the depth of field or the number of frames when the transducer is used alone. Since the tomographic image is displayed with a large number of scanning lines, the depth of field or the number of frames, the resolution of the screen is improved by increasing the number of scanning lines and the depth of field is increased by increasing the depth of field. It is possible to reduce the flicker of the screen by imaging up to or increasing the number of frames.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is an overall block diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of this embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view taken along a plane including an axis of an ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an ultrasonic probe according to a modification.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an ultrasonic probe according to another modification.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a conventional ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a conventional ultrasonic probe.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2a, 2b Transducer 21, 31, 41 Ultrasonic probe 22, 32a, 32b, 42 Acoustic mirror 24 Transceiver unit 26 Display (display unit) 27 Transceiver circuit 28 Receive filter

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An acoustic mirror comprising at least two or more transducers capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, an acoustic mirror capable of reflecting ultrasonic waves, and a rotating mechanism capable of rotating at least the acoustic mirror around an axis. The ultrasonic probe reflects ultrasonic waves from the vibrator in a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction and reflects ultrasonic waves from the radial direction toward the vibrator. . 2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the two transducers are arranged in the axial direction and face each other, and the acoustic mirror is disposed between the transducers. 3. The two oscillators are arranged in the axial direction and back to back, and the acoustic mirrors are arranged at facing positions of the two oscillators.
The ultrasonic probe described. 4. An acoustic mirror comprising: at least two or more transducers capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves; an acoustic mirror capable of reflecting ultrasonic waves; and a rotating mechanism capable of rotating at least the acoustic mirror around an axis. Is an ultrasonic probe adapted to reflect ultrasonic waves from the vibrator in a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction and to reflect ultrasonic waves from the radial direction toward the vibrator; A transmission / reception unit connected to the probe, wherein the transmission / reception unit controls the ultrasonic probe so that the two or more transducers transmit and receive ultrasonic waves of different frequencies; and the ultrasonic probe. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising: a reception filter capable of separating a reception signal from each frequency. 5. An acoustic mirror comprising at least two or more transducers capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, an acoustic mirror capable of reflecting the ultrasonic waves, and a rotating mechanism capable of rotating at least the acoustic mirror around an axis. Is an ultrasonic probe adapted to reflect ultrasonic waves from the vibrator in a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction and to reflect ultrasonic waves from the radial direction toward the vibrator; A transmitter / receiver connected to the probe, and a display unit for displaying a tomographic image by using a received signal from the transmitter / receiver, wherein the transmitter / receiver unit transmits / receives ultrasonic waves of the same frequency. Thus, the display unit includes a transmission / reception circuit for controlling the ultrasonic probe, and the display unit has a number of scanning lines, a depth of field or a depth of field larger than the number of frames when the transducer is used alone. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is characterized in that the tomographic image is displayed by the number of frames.