JPS59144443A - Ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe that obtains sector-shaped tomographic images by mechanical scanning.

Conventional configuration and problems There are known ultrasound diagnostic devices that emit an ultrasonic pulse beam toward a living body, receive reflected waves caused by differences in acoustic impedance within the living body, and display a desired tomographic image of the living body. be. Among these devices, there is a device that scans an ultrasound beam mechanically or purely electronically in a fan shape to obtain a fan-shaped ultrasound tomographic image.

To mechanically fan-scan an ultrasonic beam, a piezoelectric vibrator is vibrated back and forth around an arbitrary point in a container filled with an ultrasonic propagation medium liquid, or the piezoelectric vibrator is moved to a rotating support. by rotating this rotary support.
A method is known in which an ultrasonic beam is mechanically scanned in a fan shape.

As a mechanical fan-scanning ultrasonic probe that scans an ultrasonic beam in a fan-shape by rotating a piezoelectric vibrator, the ones shown in FIGS. 1A to 1D are known.

Here, FIG. 1A is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional mechanical fan-shaped scanning type ultrasound/& probe, and FIG. 1IJ is a rotating support portion 41!
4. Figure 1 C is a schematic diagram of the same 11Ql+ type rotary transformer, and Figure 1 is a circuit diagram showing the general operating principle of the DC1 probe. ．． In FIGS. 1A to 1D, 1r, rotating support, 2a, 2b, 2cd, piezoelectric vibrator, 3a, 3b,
3c is a beam, 4 is a bearing, 5 is a container filled with ultrasonic propagation medium liquid, 6a and 6b are fixed coils and rotating coils that make up the same 1111 type mouth to tally transformer, 7 and 9 are pulleys, 8 is a belt , 10 is the motor, 11 is the rotation of the motor 10 ff? 12 is a connection cable with the main unit, 13 is a probe case, 14 is a permanent magnet, and 16 is a rotating shaft.

In the conventional mechanical fan-shaped scanning ultrasonic probe shown in FIGS. Reed switch 3a for switching and selecting piezoelectric vibrators 2a, 2b, 2c
, 3b, 3c, and rotating support 10 rotations + Iqt + 1
Generally speaking, the tank 5 is made up of a rotating coil 6b that is provided at the rotary coil 6 and constitutes a coaxial rotary transformer. Rotating support 1
is motor 10° pulley 7 and 9. It is rotated by belt 8.

On the other hand, the rotation of the motor 1o is controlled based on the rotation control detector 11 so as to maintain it at a constant rotation speed. Note that the coaxial rotary transformer consisting of a pair of rotating coil eb and fixed coil 6a is used to couple electrical signals with the rotating piezoelectric vibrator without contact.

The operation of transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic pulse beam by this mechanical fan-shaped scanning ultrasonic probe is clear from the first diagram. For example, in order to perform fan-shaped scanning of the ultrasonic pulse beam by the piezoelectric vibrator 2a, the reed switch 3a is closed depending on the relative position of the permanent magnet 14 and the reed switch 3a, which rotates as the rotary support 10 rotates. Needless to say, at this time, the piezoelectric vibrator 2a needs to be located at a desired position relative to the living body. Next, an electric pulse signal for energizing the piezoelectric vibrator 2a is transmitted to the fixed coil 6 for the coaxial rotary transformer through the connection cable 12 connected to the main unit.
Apply to a. The signal is immediately induced by electromagnetic induction in the 1111 coil etc.
a=j forces.

And super from piezoelectric vibrator 2a? A four-wave beam is generated, which passes through the container 6 filled with the ultrasonic propagation medium liquid]
~ is emitted towards living organisms. On the other hand, reflected waves from the living body due to the difference in acoustic impedance are received by the piezoelectric vibrator 2a via the opposite path. The received signal is immediately transferred to the fixed coil 6 by electromagnetic induction via the rotating coil 6b.
A, the signal is transmitted to the main unit through the connection cable 12, and after being subjected to appropriate signal processing, the intensity is displayed on a cathode ray tube as one scanning line segment.

As described above, the piezoelectric vibrator 2a is continuously rotated together with the rotating support 1, and the ultrasonic beam is then scanned in a fan shape, thereby obtaining a fan-shaped ultrasound tomographic image of the living body. Here, the reed switch 3a needs to be closed until the piezoelectric vibrator 2a completes the fan-shaped scanning at a predetermined angle, and this is done by appropriately selecting the shape, strength, etc. of the permanent magnet 14. Based on the same principle below,
When performing fan-shaped scanning by the piezoelectric vibrator 2b, the reed switch 3b is closed, and when performing fan-shaped scanning by the piezoelectric vibrator 2C, it is performed by closing the reed switch 3C. Therefore, each piezoelectric vibrator 2a.

2b, 2c, permanent magnet 14 and reed switch 3a.

The relative positions of 3b and 3c are determined. Normally, 1.0 piezoelectric vibrators perform a fan-shaped scan of 9o, and every time the rotating support 1 rotates, three piezoelectric vibrators 2a
, 2b, 2c in order, reed switches 3a, 3b, 3
Switching selection is used by opening and closing 0.

However, the scanning position and scanning angle of this probe are determined by the permanent magnet 14 as described above.
, 3b, 3c are closed, the scanning position and scanning angle are limited depending on the position and shape of the permanent magnet 14.

In order to widen the scanning angle, increasing the shape, especially the length, of the permanent magnet 14 will increase the magnetic force.
'# It is extremely difficult to make two pieces at once,
Two problems occur: the notch closes. It is the permanent magnet 14 that determines the scanning position.

You have to be very careful when assembling it.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a simple method for controlling the scanning angle and scanning position without being affected by switch control means such as permanent magnets. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic probe that can be accurately fixed with a simple configuration.

Structure of the Invention In order to achieve the object described in 1-1, the present invention provides a switch control means that rotates with the rotation of the switch means, and further provides an opening side of the switch means between the switch means and the switch control element 1. 1, a control ffl+position regulating means is provided to determine the position to be set.

Description of examples Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the ultrasonic probe of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a rotating support, 2a to 2C
1 is a piezoelectric sensor, and 3a is a reed switch. Components that are the same as those in FIG. 1 are given the same numbers. 14 is a permanent magnet, and the same number of piezoelectric vibrators 2a to 2C are arranged to face the piezoelectric vibrators 2a to 2c, respectively. 16 is a permanent magnet 14
The rotary plate 17 is a shield plate that magnetically shields the permanent magnet 14, and has a notch 191i1a formed corresponding to the acoustic wave scanning surface. A piezoelectric sensor 2a fixed to a rotating support 1 is rotated by a motor 1o via a belt 8. Further, the rotating plate 16 to which the permanent magnet 14 is attached also rotates in the same manner as the rotating support 1. The reed switches 38 mounted on the rotary support 1 rotate while facing the permanent magnet 14, but normally they are magnetically shielded by the shield plate 17 and therefore do not operate. And this reed switch 3a and permanent magnet 14
When the permanent magnet 1 rotates and comes to the position of the notch 18 of the lead plate 17, a magnetic field acts through the notch 18, and the permanent magnet 1
4, the reed switch 3a is activated, and the piezoelectric vibrator 2a corresponding to the reed switch 3a is connected to the transmitting/receiving circuit.1 As a result, the transmitting/receiving wave surface of the ultrasonic wave, that is, the scanning fi'f, lI', j, and the scanning angle /- to the notch 18 of the root plate 17. 1. In Figures 3A and 3H (L'JHj-, which does not show the vicinity of the shield plate in the embodiment), the rotary support 1 and the permanent magnet 14 are shown. /ζ The reed switch 3a and the permanent magnet 14, which rotate at the same time as the rotary plate 16, are attached to face each other.The shield plate 17 is fixed,
As shown in FIG. 3B, a notch 18 is formed corresponding to the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving surface, that is, a notch 1 with
8, the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 14 is transmitted to the rotary support 1 to the reed switch 3a. 2 Therefore, the rotating support 1 and the rotating plate 1
6 rotates 11 times, the reed switch 3a will only touch the permanent magnet 1 when passing through the notch 18 of the lead plate 17.
4 to connect the vibrator to the transmitter/receiver circuit. In this manner, the ζ oscillators that come to the notch 18 of the shield plate 17 are selected while sequentially rotating. Therefore, the selection of the vibrators 2a, 2b, and 2c is determined by the position of the notch 18 of the shield plate 17, regardless of the shape of the permanent magnet 14, etc.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As described above, the present invention provides a switch control means that rotates as the switch means rotates, and further includes a control position regulation between the switch means and the switch control means that determines the position at which the switch means is controlled. Since the means is provided, the scan angle and the scan position can be easily and precisely determined only by the shape of the control position regulating means without being influenced by the switch control means.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1A is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional mechanical scanning sector scanning probe, Figure 1B is a side view of the rotary support of the same probe, Figure 1C is
is a schematic diagram of the coaxial rotary transformer of the same probe,
A wiring diagram showing the operating principle of the two Dd probes, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the ultrasonic probe of the present invention, and FIG.
B is a city view and a second view showing the main parts of the same embodiment. 1...N rolling support, 2a, 2b, 2c...
・Piezoelectric IJ, e actuator, 3a, 3b, 3c...
Reed switch, 4...101 receiver, 5...container, 6a...identification coil, 6b-...rotation (
Coil, end, 9...B IJ, B...
Belt, 10...Motor, 11...Synchronous leg detector, 12...Cable, 13...
-...Case, 14...Permanent magnet, 15...
... Rotating shaft, 16... Rotating plate, 17...
・Shield plate. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person No. 1
Figure (A) /ρ/ノ (B) (c) 2 to 36 (ρon3 Figure (A> (F3)

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A rotary support body provided with a piezoelectric vibrator, a drive means for rotating the rotary support body, a switch means provided on the rotary support body in the same number as the piezoelectric vibrators, and the rotary support body. A rotary plate that rotates at 4° C., switch control means provided on the rotary plate in the same number as the switch means for controlling opening and closing of the switch means, and provided between the switch means and the switch control means, an ultrasonic probe comprising: first control position regulating means for determining the position at which the switch means is controlled; (b)) The ultrasonic wave according to claim 1, wherein the switch means is a reed switch, the switch control means is a magnetic body, and the control position regulating means is a magnetic shielding body in which a notch of a predetermined shape is formed. probe.