WO2019026691A1

WO2019026691A1 - Ultrasonic endoscope

Info

Publication number: WO2019026691A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/027704
Authority: WO
Inventors: 圭入江
Original assignee: オリンパス株式会社
Priority date: 2017-08-03
Filing date: 2018-07-24
Publication date: 2019-02-07
Also published as: JP6952533B2; JP2019025241A

Abstract

This ultrasonic endoscope comprises: a plurality of piezoelectric elements arrayed so as to form a curved surface along the longitudinal direction; a plurality of conducting wires of which one end is electrically connected to one of the piezoelectric elements, respectively; a board having a plurality of first wiring pads to which the other ends of the conducting wires are respectively electrically connected, and a plurality of second wiring pads that are respectively electrically connected to the first wiring pads; a flexible substrate having a plurality of wirings that are respectively electrically connected to the plurality of second wiring pads; and a plurality of coaxial cables that are respectively electrically connected to the plurality of wirings. There is thereby provided an ultrasonic endoscope of which a distal-end part is small in size.

Description

Ultrasound endoscope

The present invention relates to an ultrasound endoscope.

Ultrasound may be applied to observe the characteristics of the biological tissue or material to be observed. Specifically, the ultrasonic observation apparatus can obtain information on the characteristics of the observation target by performing predetermined signal processing on ultrasonic echoes received from ultrasonic transducers that transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. .

The ultrasonic transducer converts an electrical pulse signal into an ultrasonic pulse (acoustic pulse) and irradiates the observation target, and converts an ultrasonic echo reflected by the observation target into an electrical echo signal and outputs And a plurality of piezoelectric elements. For example, ultrasonic echoes are acquired from the observation target by arranging a plurality of piezoelectric elements along a predetermined direction and electronically switching elements involved in transmission and reception.

As a type of ultrasonic transducer, there is known a convex ultrasonic transducer in which a plurality of piezoelectric elements are arranged in a curved surface and each emits an ultrasonic beam toward the outer peripheral direction of the curved surface (for example, See Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2014/034191

In the conventional convex ultrasonic transducer, a substrate for electrically connecting the piezoelectric element and the flexible substrate is provided perpendicularly to the arrangement direction of the plurality of piezoelectric elements. Since this substrate is rigid, there is a problem that the miniaturization of the tip portion of the ultrasonic endoscope is hindered by this substrate.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic endoscope having a compact tip.

In order to solve the problems described above and to achieve the object, an ultrasonic endoscope according to an aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of piezoelectric elements arranged in a curved surface with their longitudinal directions aligned, and the piezoelectric element A plurality of conducting wires whose one end is electrically connected to one end, a plurality of first wiring pads whose other ends are electrically connected, and the first wiring pad, respectively. In a board having a plurality of second wiring pads electrically connected, a flexible substrate having a plurality of wirings electrically connected to the plurality of second wiring pads, and a plurality of wirings And a plurality of coaxial cables electrically connected to each other.

In the ultrasonic endoscope according to one aspect of the present invention, the board has the plurality of first wiring pads disposed on one surface, and the other surface has the plurality of second wiring pads. Are arranged.

The ultrasonic endoscope according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the plurality of piezoelectric elements are disposed between the two boards disposed to face each other.

Further, in the ultrasonic endoscope according to one aspect of the present invention, the flexible substrate has a shape connected to one sheet, and the plurality of second wiring pads respectively located on the outside of the two boards. Are electrically connected to each other.

In the ultrasonic endoscope according to one aspect of the present invention, the plurality of piezoelectric elements, the plurality of conductive wires, and the board are accommodated in a housing in which a space is formed inside, The coaxial cable is electrically connected to the flexible substrate at the outside of the housing.

In the ultrasonic endoscope according to one aspect of the present invention, the plurality of piezoelectric elements, the plurality of conductive wires, and the board are accommodated in a housing in which a space is formed inside, The coaxial cable is electrically connected to the flexible substrate inside the housing.

In the ultrasonic endoscope according to one aspect of the present invention, a resin is filled between the housing and the board.

In the ultrasonic endoscope according to one aspect of the present invention, an acoustic lens is formed on the opposite side of the surface of the plurality of piezoelectric elements to which the conducting wire is connected, and the acoustic lens It is characterized in that it is made of the same material as the resin.

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize an ultrasonic endoscope having a small tip.

FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing an endoscope system provided with an ultrasonic endoscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal end of the ultrasonic endoscope shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the line AA of FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the board shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal end portion of the ultrasonic endoscope according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an ultrasound endoscope according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The present invention can be applied to ultrasound endoscopes in general provided with a convex-type ultrasound transducer.

Further, in the description of the drawings, the same or corresponding elements are given the same reference numerals as appropriate. In addition, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the relationship between dimensions of each element, the ratio of each element, and the like may differ from reality. Even between the drawings, there may be a case where the dimensional relationships and ratios differ from one another.

Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing an endoscope system provided with an ultrasonic endoscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope system 1 includes an ultrasonic endoscope 2, an ultrasonic observation device 3, an endoscopic observation device 4, a display device 5, and a light source device 6. .

The ultrasonic endoscope 2 converts an electrical pulse signal received from the ultrasonic observation device 3 into an ultrasonic pulse (acoustic pulse) by an ultrasonic transducer, which will be described later, provided at the tip end of the ultrasonic endoscope 2 to be an object And converts the ultrasonic echo reflected by the object into an electrical echo signal represented by a voltage change and outputs it.

The ultrasound endoscope 2 usually has an imaging optical system and an imaging element, and is inserted into the digestive tract (esophagus, stomach, duodenum, large intestine) or respiratory organ (trachea, bronchi) of a subject and digested It is possible to perform imaging of the tube and the respiratory system. Moreover, it is possible to image the surrounding organs (pancreas, gallbladder, bile duct, biliary tract, lymph nodes, mediastinal organs, blood vessels, etc.) using ultrasound. In addition, the ultrasound endoscope 2 has a light guide for guiding illumination light to be irradiated to the subject at the time of optical imaging. The light guide has a distal end portion reaching the distal end of the insertion portion of the ultrasonic endoscope 2 into the subject, while the proximal end portion is connected to the light source device 6 that generates illumination light.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasound endoscope 2 includes an insertion unit 21, an operation unit 22, a universal cord 23, and a connector 24. The insertion unit 21 is a portion to be inserted into the subject. The insertion portion 21 is provided on the distal end side, and has a rigid distal end portion 211 for holding the ultrasonic transducer 7, a bending portion 212 connected to the base end side of the distal end portion 211 and being bendable, And a flexible tube portion 213 connected to the proximal end side and having flexibility. Here, although not specifically illustrated, a light guide for transmitting illumination light supplied from the light source device 6 and a plurality of signal cables for transmitting various signals are drawn inside the insertion portion 21. At the same time, a treatment instrument insertion path or the like for inserting the treatment instrument is formed.

The ultrasonic transducer 7 is a convex-type ultrasonic transducer. Specifically, the ultrasonic endoscope 2 provides a plurality of piezoelectric elements as an array of ultrasonic transducers 7 in an array, electronically switches the piezoelectric elements involved in transmission and reception, and delays transmission and reception of each piezoelectric element It is a convex-type ultrasonic transducer that can be scanned electronically by The configuration of the ultrasonic transducer 7 will be described later.

The operation unit 22 is connected to the proximal end side of the insertion unit 21 and is a portion that receives various operations from a doctor or the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the operation unit 22 includes a bending knob 221 for bending the bending portion 212 and a plurality of operation members 222 for performing various operations. Further, a treatment tool insertion port 223 is formed in the operation portion 22 so as to communicate with the treatment tool insertion path and for inserting the treatment tool in the treatment tool insertion path.

The universal cord 23 is a cable which extends from the operation unit 22 and is provided with a plurality of signal cables for transmitting various signals, and an optical fiber for transmitting illumination light supplied from the light source device 6.

The connector 24 is provided at the tip of the universal cord 23. The connector 24 has first to third connector portions 241 to 243 to which the ultrasonic cable 31, the video cable 41, and the optical fiber cable 61 are respectively connected.

The ultrasound observation apparatus 3 is electrically connected to the ultrasound endoscope 2 via the ultrasound cable 31, and outputs a pulse signal to the ultrasound endoscope 2 via the ultrasound cable 31. An echo signal is input from the sound wave endoscope 2. Then, the ultrasonic observation device 3 performs predetermined processing on the echo signal to generate an ultrasonic image.

The endoscope observation apparatus 4 is electrically connected to the ultrasound endoscope 2 via the video cable 41, and receives an image signal from the ultrasound endoscope 2 via the video cable 41. Then, the endoscope observation device 4 performs a predetermined process on the image signal to generate an endoscope image.

The display device 5 is configured using a liquid crystal or organic EL (Electro Luminescence), a projector, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), or the like, and an ultrasound image generated by the ultrasound observation device 3 or the endoscope observation device 4 The endoscopic image etc. which were produced | generated by are displayed.

The light source device 6 is connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 2 via the optical fiber cable 61 and supplies illumination light for illuminating the inside of the subject via the optical fiber cable 61 to the ultrasonic endoscope 2.

Subsequently, the configuration of the ultrasonic transducer 7 provided at the distal end of the insertion portion 21 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal end of the ultrasonic endoscope shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the line AA of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonic transducer 7 is a convex-type ultrasonic vibration having a plurality of piezoelectric elements 71 arranged in a curved surface with their longitudinal directions (directions perpendicular to the sheet of FIG. 2) aligned. It is a child.

The ultrasonic transducer 7 has a prismatic shape, and one end of one of the piezoelectric element 71 and the piezoelectric element 71 whose longitudinal direction is disposed orthogonal to the extending direction of the insertion portion 21 is electrically And the boards 73 (see FIG. 3) to which the other ends of the leads 72 are electrically connected, and the flexible lines electrically connected to the board 73. A substrate 74 and a plurality of coaxial cables 75 (see FIG. 2) electrically connected to the flexible substrate 74 are provided. The distal end (the plurality of piezoelectric elements 71, the plurality of conducting wires 72, and the board 73) of the ultrasonic transducer 7 is accommodated in a housing 2111 in which a space is formed. Further, an acoustic lens 76 is formed on the opposite side of the surface of the plurality of piezoelectric elements 71 to which the conducting wire 72 is connected. In addition, resin 77 is filled between the housing 2111 and the board 73. Similarly, the inside of the board 73 is filled with a resin 78.

The housing 2111 is made of a hard material such as resin, and a space for housing the tip of the ultrasonic transducer 7 is formed inside.

The piezoelectric element 71 is disposed between two boards 73 disposed to face each other. The piezoelectric element 71 converts an electrical pulse signal into an ultrasonic pulse (acoustic pulse) and irradiates the subject with an electrical echo signal that expresses an ultrasound echo reflected by the subject by a voltage change. Convert and output. On the outer surface side of the piezoelectric element 71, in order to efficiently transmit sound (ultrasound) between the piezoelectric element 71 and the observation target, an acoustic matching layer for matching the acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric element 71 with the observation target is provided. It may be provided.

The conducting wire 72 is a conductor made of metal or alloy, and one end thereof is electrically connected to the piezoelectric element 71 by soldering or the like, and the other end is soldered to a first wiring pad of the board 73 described later. Are electrically connected.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the board shown in FIG. As shown in (a) of FIG. 4, the two boards 73 disposed on both sides of the piezoelectric element 71 have sides having the same curvature as the curved surface formed by arranging the plurality of piezoelectric elements 71 (upper side in FIG. A plate-like member having a side of (B) of FIG. 4 is a view of (a) of FIG. 4 as viewed from the side (the left side of (a) of FIG. 4). As shown in (b) of FIG. 4, the board 73 includes a hard plate-like substrate 731, a plurality of first wiring pads 732 formed on one surface of the substrate 731, and the other of the substrate 731. And a plurality of second wiring pads 733 formed on the surface.

The substrate 731 is made of hard resin or the like and is disposed on both sides of the piezoelectric element 71. Furthermore, two boards are disposed at the end of the front end side and the rear end side of the piezoelectric element 71 (ends on the right side and the left side in FIG. 2), and a box-like space is formed by these four boards. Is formed. The resin 78 is filled in this space.

The two boards 73 are arranged with the first wiring pads 732 facing each other. The first wiring pad 732 is electrically connected to one end of the conducting wire 72 (the end opposite to the end electrically connected to the piezoelectric element 71). The first wiring pad 732 and the second wiring pad 733 are electrically connected to each other by a conductor disposed through the substrate 731.

The flexible substrate 74 has a plurality of wires electrically connected to the plurality of second wiring pads 733, respectively. The flexible substrate 74 has a shape of being connected to one sheet, and is electrically connected to a plurality of second wiring pads 733 respectively positioned on the outside of the two boards 73 disposed opposite to each other. The flexible substrate 74 is made of a flexible material, and is accommodated inside the housing 2111 in a curved or bent state. FIG. 3 shows a configuration in which the flexible substrate 74 is arranged in a state of being curved in an arc shape. In addition, the flexible substrate 74 may be disposed so as to be bent in a bellows shape, or may be disposed in a rectangular shape along the board 73. Although FIG. 2 shows a configuration in which the flexible substrate 74 is connected to one sheet, the present invention is not limited to this. The flexible substrates 74 may be connected to, for example, two boards 73 one by one. In addition, the flexible substrate 74 may be divided into a plurality of pieces in the arrangement direction of the piezoelectric elements 71.

The coaxial cable 75 is electrically connected to the flexible substrate 74 outside the housing 2111.

The acoustic lens 76 is formed using silicone, polymethyl pentene, epoxy resin, polyether imide, or the like, and has a function of squeezing an ultrasonic wave by forming a convex or concave shape on one side. The acoustic lens 76 emits the ultrasonic wave emitted from the piezoelectric element 71 to the outside, or takes in an ultrasonic echo from the outside. The acoustic lens 76 can be optionally provided, and the acoustic lens 76 may not be provided.

The resin 77 is made of, for example, the same material as that of the acoustic lens 76, but may be made of a material different from that of the acoustic lens 76.

The resin 78 functions as a backing material that attenuates unnecessary ultrasonic vibrations generated by the operation of the piezoelectric element 71. The resin 78 is formed using a material having a large damping rate, for example, an epoxy resin in which a filler such as alumina or zirconia is dispersed, or a rubber in which the filler described above is dispersed.

The ultrasonic transducer 7 having the above configuration vibrates the piezoelectric element 71 by the input of the pulse signal, and propagates through the acoustic lens 76 to irradiate the ultrasonic wave to the observation target. At this time, on the side opposite to the side where the acoustic lens 76 of the piezoelectric element 71 is disposed, the unnecessary vibration from the piezoelectric element 71 is attenuated by the resin 78. Further, the ultrasonic wave reflected from the observation target propagates through the acoustic lens 76 and is transmitted to the piezoelectric element 71. The piezoelectric element 71 vibrates by the transmitted ultrasonic wave, and the piezoelectric element 71 converts the vibration into an electrical echo signal, and as the echo signal, the conducting wire 72, the first wiring pad 732, the second wiring pad 733, The signal is output to the ultrasonic observation apparatus 3 via the flexible substrate 74 and the coaxial cable 75.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the flexible substrate 74 having flexibility is connected to the outside of the board 73 accommodating the resin 78. As a result, it is not necessary to provide a substrate orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the plurality of piezoelectric elements 71, and an ultrasonic endoscope with a small tip can be realized.

Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, since the flexible substrate 74 and the coaxial cable 75 are connected outside the housing 2111, the flexible substrate and the coaxial cable are connected inside the housing. It is possible to realize an ultrasonic endoscope having a smaller tip portion than the configuration.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal end portion of the ultrasonic endoscope according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, in the distal end portion 211A of the ultrasonic endoscope according to the second embodiment, the flexible substrate 74A of the ultrasonic transducer 7A and the coaxial cable 75A are electrically connected in the inside of the housing 2111. It is done. As described above, the flexible substrate 74A and the coaxial cable 75A may be connected in the housing 2111. Also in this case, as in the first embodiment, the flexible substrate 74A having flexibility is connected to the outside of the board 73 accommodating the resin 78. As a result, it is not necessary to provide a substrate orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the plurality of piezoelectric elements 71, and an ultrasonic endoscope with a small tip can be realized.

In the above-described embodiment, the first wiring pad is disposed on one side of the board and the second wiring pad is disposed on the other side of the board. I can not. For example, the first wiring pad may be disposed on one side of the board, and the second wiring pad may be disposed on the side of the board (for example, the lower side of FIG. 3).

Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Thus, the broader aspects of the invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments presented and described above. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 endoscope system 2 ultrasound endoscope 3 ultrasound observation apparatus 4 endoscope observation apparatus 5 display apparatus 6

light source apparatus

7 and 7A ultrasound transducer 21 insertion part 22 operation part 23 universal cord 24 connector 31 ultrasound cable DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 41 Video cable 61 Optical fiber cable 71 Piezoelectric element 72 Conducted wire 73

Board

74,

74A Flexible board

75, 75A Coaxial cable 76

Acoustic lens

77, 78

Resin

211, 211A Tip part 212 Curved part 213 Flexible tube part 221 Curved knob 222 Operation member 223 treatment tool insertion port 241 to 243 first to third connector portions 731 substrate 732 first wiring pad 733 second wiring pad 2111 housing

Claims

A plurality of piezoelectric elements aligned in a longitudinal direction and arranged in a curved surface;
A plurality of conducting wires each having one end electrically connected to one of the piezoelectric elements;
A board having a plurality of first wiring pads to which the other ends of the conductors are respectively electrically connected, and a plurality of second wiring pads to which the first wiring pads are respectively electrically connected;
A flexible substrate having a plurality of wires electrically connected to the plurality of second wiring pads;
A plurality of coaxial cables each electrically connected to the plurality of wires;
An ultrasound endoscope comprising:
The board is
The plurality of first wiring pads are disposed on one side,
The ultrasound endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of second wiring pads are disposed on the other surface.
The ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of piezoelectric elements are disposed between two of the boards disposed to face each other.
The flexible substrate has a shape connected to one sheet, and is electrically connected to the plurality of second wiring pads respectively located on the outside of the two boards. The ultrasound endoscope described in.
The plurality of piezoelectric elements, the plurality of conductive wires, and the board are housed in a housing in which a space is formed therein,
The ultrasonic endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of coaxial cables are electrically connected to the flexible substrate at the outside of the housing.
The plurality of piezoelectric elements, the plurality of conductive wires, and the board are housed in a housing in which a space is formed therein,
5. The ultrasonic endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of coaxial cables are electrically connected to the flexible substrate in the inside of the housing.
The ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 5 or 6, wherein a resin is filled between the housing and the board.
An acoustic lens is formed on the opposite side of the surface of the plurality of piezoelectric elements to which the conducting wire is connected, and the acoustic lens is made of the same material as the resin. Ultrasound endoscope.