JPS63117735A - Ultrasonic probe apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

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

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an ultrasound probe device that can obtain high-quality ultrasound images without artifacts regarding a target region of a subject.

(Prior Art) As an example of this type of ultrasonic probe device, there is an ultrasonic probe equipped with an ultrasonic coupler, which is an acoustic medium container.

This ultrasonic coupler is designed to connect the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving wave surface of the ultrasonic probe to the body, taking into account that ultrasonic waves hardly pass through the air when the ultrasonic probe is used at a position far from the body surface of the subject. Used to increase the efficiency of ultrasonic propagation between the table and the table.

An outline of a conventional example of an ultrasonic probe device using this type of ultrasonic coupler will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

An ultrasonic probe 21 having the function of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves as shown in FIG. 6, and a mounting section 23 for this ultrasonic probe 21.
and an ultrasonic coupler 22 which includes a contact surface 24 for contacting the body surface of the subject and houses an acoustic medium such as water inside. The ultrasonic coupler 22 is constructed using, for example, a soft silicone rubber membrane containing an ice bag, a flexible colloidal substance, or the like.

However, as schematically shown in FIG. 7, in the above-mentioned ultrasonic probe device, when the ultrasonic beam BM from the ultrasonic probe 21 reaches the contact surface 24 on the body surface of the subject, a part of it is reflected. Wall surface 2 of ultrasonic coupler 22
It is reflected again by 2a and 22b.

At this time, the wall surface shape of this ultrasonic coupler 22 is symmetrical with respect to the center line BMc of the ultrasonic beam BM (for example, the wall surface has an equal trapezoidal length in the direction along the ultrasonic beam 8M).
As shown in FIG. 7, a part of the re-reflected ultrasound beam BM returns to the ultrasound probe 21 from points TB and A shown in FIG. 7 along the same path as the original path. It ends up.

As a result, as shown by the dotted line below the ultrasonic coupler 22 in the figure, a mirror image 22 of the wall surfaces 22a and 22b is generated.
There is a problem in that a' and 22b' appear on the ultrasound image and become artifacts. Incidentally, such a problem also occurs in the case of an apparatus using an ice bag as a storage body.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) As mentioned above, in the conventional ultrasonic probe device,
There is a problem in that artifacts occur due to the symmetry of the shape of the ultrasound coupler.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasound probe device that can obtain ultrasound images without or with reduced artifacts.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides an ultrasonic probe device having a storage body in which an ultrasound probe and an acoustic medium are stored. are formed so as to intersect obliquely with respect to the plane in the scanning direction of the ultrasonic beam.

(for production) The ultrasonic probe device having the above configuration operates as follows.

That is, a part of the ultrasonic beam transmitted from the ultrasonic probe is reflected by the contact surface of the storage body, reaches the wall surface along the ultrasonic beam scanning direction, and is reflected again. At this time, since this wall surface diagonally intersects the scanning surface of the ultrasound beam, the reflected component of the ultrasound beam on the contact surface or wall surface deviates laterally from the scanning surface of the ultrasound beam. As a result, this reflected component does not return to the ultrasound probe, and a mirror image does not occur as in conventional devices.

(Example) The present invention will be explained in detail below.

In the ultrasonic probe device 1 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1, those having the same functions as those of the conventional device shown in FIG. 3 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

The difference between the ultrasonic probe device 1 shown in FIG. 1 and the one shown in FIG.
Wall surfaces 2a, 2b along the ultrasound beam BM in
One surface of 2c and 2d, that is, the wall surface 2a, is formed to obliquely intersect with the scanning plane connecting the ultrasound beam BM and the center line BMc. That is, this ultrasonic coupler 2 has an opening 3 for attaching an ultrasonic probe at its upper end, as shown in FIG. 2e, and four wall surfaces 2a, 2b surrounding the contact surface 2e and the opening 3 portion from all sides.

Of the walls 2G and 2d, the wall surfaces 2b and 2d are arranged parallel to each other with respect to the scanning direction of the ultrasound beam BM. Further, the wall surface 2a is formed to obliquely intersect with the scanning plane of the ultrasonic beam BM.

Next, the operation of the ultrasonic probe device 1 having the above configuration will be explained with reference to the operation explanatory diagram shown in FIG.

The ultrasonic beam BM transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 21 is partially reflected at point 0 on the contact surface 2e, as shown in FIG. 3, and the reflected beam BMI reaches point D on the wall surface 2a.

Then, the reflected beam BM2 from point D leaves the original scanning plane of the ultrasonic beam BM according to the slope of the wall surface 2a and deviates toward the wall surface 2d as shown in the figure.

Therefore, unlike in the case of conventional equipment, the ultrasonic beam Bl
'vh, the ultrasonic beam component returning to the scanning plane of the ultrasonic beam along the path of the BM is drastically reduced or eliminated, and as a result,
Artifacts hardly occur on ultrasound images.

Note that even if the foul beam BM2 is reflected by the wall surface 2d or the like and returns to the ultrasonic probe 21, in this case, the number of reflections is large and the attenuation of its energy is large, so this also does not cause artifacts.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above,
Various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist.

For example, in the above embodiment, one wall surface 2a is formed so as to intersect with the ultrasonic beam scanning plane, but as shown in FIG. It can also be implemented by forming it so as to intersect diagonally with respect to the scanning plane.

Further, even when an ice bag is used as the storage body, if the shape of the ice bag is formed in the same manner as the ultrasonic coupler 2, the same effects as described above can be expected.

Furthermore, in addition to the case where the ultrasonic coupler is configured separately from the ultrasonic probe as described above, the present invention can be similarly implemented in the case of an acoustic medium storage body that is integrated with the ultrasonic probe.

Roughly speaking, the contact surface 12e with respect to the body surface of the subject shown in FIG.
The ultrasonic coupler 12 is made asymmetric with respect to the center line BMc of the ultrasonic beam 8M so that the imager surface hits the subject body surface obliquely, and the ultrasonic coupler 12 is formed to have a predetermined curved surface. Even in cases where the sonic coupler 12 is attached to the ultrasound probe 21 to enable the detection of Doppler information of the vascular system parallel to the body surface, such as the carotid artery of the subject, the contact of the ultrasound coupler 12 Since the angle θ between the surface 12e and one wall surface 12a is small, the contact surface 12e
The reflected waves from the wall surface 12a may be shifted laterally from the scanning plane of the ultrasound beam BM, and artifacts due to the mirror image of the wall surface may appear on the ultrasound screen.

Therefore, the wall surface 12a of such an ultrasonic coupler 12
If the present invention is applied to such cases, the effect of reducing artifacts will be more significant.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention described in detail above, the wall surface of the storage body in the ultrasound beam scanning direction is formed so as to cross diagonally with respect to the ultrasound beam scanning plane. It is possible to provide an ultrasonic probe device that can suppress artifacts caused by mirror image effects.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the device of the present invention, and FIG.
> is a perspective view showing the ultrasonic coupler of the same device, Fig. 2(b)
is a plan view of the same ultrasonic coupler, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the same embodiment device, FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a modification of the same ultrasonic coupler, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of the same embodiment device of the present invention. 6 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a conventional device, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the conventional device. 1... Ultrasonic probe device, 2... Ultrasonic coupler,
2a to 2d...wall surface, 2e...contact surface. (G) Figure 2

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) In an ultrasonic probe device having an ultrasonic probe having the function of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from a subject, and an acoustic medium storage body disposed facing the ultrasonic wave transmitting and receiving surface of the ultrasonic probe, An ultrasonic probe device characterized in that a wall surface of the storage body along the ultrasonic beam scanning direction is formed to obliquely intersect with a surface in the ultrasonic beam scanning direction. (2) The ultrasonic probe device according to claim 1, wherein the storage body stores water or other liquid as an acoustic medium. (3) The ultrasonic probe device according to claim 1, wherein the storage body stores a colloidal substance as an acoustic medium. (4) The ultrasonic probe device according to claim 1, wherein the storage body is configured to be detachable from the ultrasonic probe. (5) The ultrasonic probe device according to claim 1, wherein the storage body is integrated into an ultrasonic probe.