JP2000232979A - Ultrasonic wave probe - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic wave probe reduced in the number of components and the number of manufacture processes and improved in the reliability of the complete separation of a vibrator array side and a testee body side. SOLUTION: A front surface panel 38 disposed on the front surface of the vibrator surface of a vibrator array part 32 and an ultrasonic wave transmission film 50 are arranged with a fine gap and the gap is filled with an acoustic matching material. The ultrasonic wave transmission film 50 is molded integrally with a vibrator case 52 for surrounding the side periphery of the vibrator array part 32. Thus, a joint between both is eliminated, the rotatable vibrator array part 32 is surely and completely separated from the outside of a tip part 30, the fault of this probe is prevented and the liquid acoustic matching material is surely prevented from exuding to the outside.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe used in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for obtaining an ultrasonic image by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an ultrasonic probe which is inserted into a body cavity of a subject to obtain an ultrasonic image of a portion to be tested. The ultrasonic probe inserted into such a body cavity is divided into a distal end portion having a built-in vibrator array and inserted to a test site, and an operation unit for operating the direction of the distal end portion from outside the body cavity. Be composed. Between them, for example, they are connected by a bendable shaft, and a signal line or a wire passing through the shaft transmits a signal or a mechanical movement between the distal end portion and the operation portion.

FIG. 3 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a distal end portion of a conventional ultrasonic probe of a body cavity insertion type. At the tip 2
The vibrator array 4 is built in. The transducer array 4 is arranged with the transducer face facing outward. The holder 6 to which the vibrator array 4 is attached has a circular cross section, and the holder support 8 rotatably supports the holder 6 in a cavity having the circular cross section. The holder 6 is rotated by receiving a torque from an operation unit (not shown) by a wire 12 passing through a shaft 10.

On the front surface of the vibrator array 4, an ultrasonic transmission film 1 is provided.
The ultrasonic wave emitted from the transducer array 4 enables observation of a test site in front of the ultrasonic transmission film 14. The ultrasonic transmission film 14 is attached to a transducer case 16 that houses the transducer array 4. Specifically, the vibrator case 16 surrounds the periphery of the vibrator array 4, has an opening in the vibrator surface, and the ultrasonic transmission film 14 is fitted into the opening, and is attached by bonding or the like. The gap between the ultrasonic transmission film 14 and the transducer surface is filled with a grease or a jelly-like acoustic matching material to maintain acoustic matching at this boundary portion, and at the same time, maintain the acoustic matching between the transducer array 4 and the ultrasonic transmission. Membrane 14
And relative rotation is possible.

The vibrator array 4 and the electric circuit on the operation unit side are connected by a signal wire bundle 18 passing through the shaft 10. An encoder (not shown) is provided at the tip, for example, and an electric pulse train corresponding to the rotation angle of the vibrator array 4 is generated. This electric pulse is also a signal bundle 18
Is transmitted to the operation unit via the controller, and the operation unit detects the rotation angle by counting the pulses.

[0006]

The above conventional ultrasonic probe uses at least a vibrator case and an ultrasonic transmission film to separate the inside of the distal end in which the vibrator array is stored from the outside. The number of parts increases, the process of assembling them becomes necessary and the number of manufacturing processes increases, and the boundary between the vibrator case and the ultrasonic transmission film deteriorates, and the deterioration causes a gap between the inside of the tip and the subject side. There was a problem that the seal was incomplete.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has an ultrasonic probe in which the number of parts and the number of manufacturing steps are reduced, and the reliability of isolation between the transducer array side and the subject side is improved. The purpose is to provide children.

[0008]

According to the present invention, there is provided an ultrasonic probe having an ultrasonic transmission film provided with a small gap filled with an acoustic matching material in front of the transducer surface of a transducer array. And a vibrator case surrounding at least the side periphery of the vibrator array are integrally formed.

According to the structure of the present invention, there is no boundary between the ultrasonic transmission film and the vibrator case, so that the inside of the housing where the vibrator array is arranged is kept airtight. Further, since the ultrasonic transmission film and the vibrator case are one component, the number of components is reduced, and the number of manufacturing steps is also reduced.

[0010] A preferred aspect of the present invention is that the ultrasonic transmission film and the vibrator case, which are integrally formed, and the vibrator array are included, and a tip inserted into a body cavity, a shaft, And an operation unit connected to the distal end portion for operating the distal end portion outside the body cavity. This is because airtightness inside the distal end portion is particularly required in the body cavity.

Another ultrasonic probe according to the present invention is characterized in that the ultrasonic transmission film and the transducer case are made of the same material.

According to the present invention, since the ultrasonic transmission film and the vibrator case are not integrally formed of different materials but are integrally formed of the same material, manufacturing is facilitated and manufacturing cost is reduced. .

Another ultrasonic probe according to the present invention is characterized in that the ultrasonic transmission film protrudes beyond the periphery of the ultrasonic transmission film on the side opposite to the transducer array. is there.

According to the present invention, even if the body cavity portion facing the vibrator array is depressed, the ultrasonic transmission film can easily adhere to the body cavity portion.

[0015]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall view of an ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasonic probe is to be inserted into a body cavity of a subject to obtain an ultrasonic image of a test site. In the figure, the distal end portion 30 inserted into the body cavity is viewed from the transducer surface side of the transducer array section 32. The transducer array section 32 is formed in a circular shape. The vibrator array unit 32 can be configured by making the vibrator array itself circular, or by attaching or embedding a general rectangular vibrator array to a circular substrate to form the circular vibrator array unit 32. You can also.

An operation unit 3 for operating the distal end portion 30 from outside the body cavity
4 is connected to the tip 30 by a shaft 36.
A signal line or a wire is passed through the shaft, and thereby a signal or a mechanical movement is transmitted between the distal end portion 30 and the operation portion 34. Since the shaft 36 is flexible and can be bent along a body cavity such as an esophagus to be inserted, physical and mental discomfort of the subject at the time of insertion of the distal end portion can be reduced. Also, for example, the shaft is the tip 30
Is bent up and down, left and right by the operation of the operation unit 34 in the vicinity of the device, so that the vibrator array can be appropriately directed to the test site.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the distal end portion 30 and is a longitudinal sectional view showing a structure along a plane perpendicular to the transducer array surface. A front panel 38 that functions as an acoustic matching layer, an acoustic lens, and the like is adhered to the front surface of the vibrator array section 32.

The vibrator array section 32 is mounted on a holder 40 having a circular cross section. Specifically, the holder 40 has a circular concave portion capable of storing the vibrator array portion 32, and the circumferential end of the front panel 38 fixed to the vibrator array portion 32 is fitted into the concave end of the holder 40. As a result, the transducer array section 32 is sealed and fixed in the holder 40.

A signal line connected to each piezoelectric vibrator of the vibrator array section 32 is taken out on the back side of the vibrator array section 32. These signal lines are drawn out to the shaft 36 via the upper opening of the holder 40 and the upper opening of the holder support 42. The signal line bundle 44 is these signal lines. The signal wire bundle 44 is connected to the operation unit 34 through the inside of the shaft 36.

The holder support 42 rotatably supports the holder 40 in a cavity having a circular cross section. Holder 4
At 0, torque is transmitted from the operation unit 34 by the driving wire 46 passed through the shaft 36, and the oscillator array unit 32 rotates together with the front panel 38.
An angle detecting wire 48 is attached to the holder 40 separately from the driving wire 46. The angle detecting wire 48 is, similarly to the driving wire 46, connected to the shaft 36.
Through the operation unit 34. Note that both the driving wire 46 and the angle detecting wire 48 are provided with the respective holders 40 so as to cope with the rotation of the holder 40 in both directions.
And the operation unit 34. That is, for example, by pulling one end of the driving wire 46 from the operation unit 34, the holder 40 rotates clockwise, and accordingly, tension is generated at one end of the angle detecting wire 48 toward the distal end portion 30.
Further, when the other end of the driving wire 46 is pulled, the holder 40 rotates counterclockwise, and accordingly, a tension is generated at the other end of the angle detecting wire 48 toward the distal end portion 30.

The movement of the angle detecting wire 48 accompanying the rotation of the vibrator array section 32 is transmitted to a potentiometer (not shown) provided in the operation section 34, and the potentiometer is operated based on the movement. An electric signal is generated according to the rotation angle of the unit 32. That is, in the present probe, a mechanism for detecting the rotation angle of the transducer array section 32 such as an encoder is not built in the distal end section 30 but is provided in the operation section 34. With this configuration, the size of the distal end portion 30 can be suppressed.

Since the rotation of the vibrator array section 32 and the movement of the drive wire 46 are linked, the vibrator array section 3
The second rotation angle may be detected based on the movement of the driving wire 46. However, in this probe, the angle is detected by the drive wire 46 and the separately provided angle detection wire 48 because the drive wire 46 has a torque for rotating the vibrator array unit 32. This is because there is a possibility that elongation may occur due to the application of the pressure. That is, when the rotation angle of the vibrator array unit 32 is detected using the driving wire 46, the accuracy of the measured angle may be poor. Therefore, in the present probe, the angle detecting wire 48 is less susceptible to the torque when the vibrator array unit 32 rotates, and thus has a small extension.
Are used to improve the measurement accuracy of the rotation angle.

The above-mentioned rotatable portion including the vibrator array portion 32 is designed to prevent the infiltration of bodily fluids and the like from a gap with the surrounding non-movable portion from the viewpoint of preventing failure and facilitating cleaning after use. Covered by. Specifically, a portion facing the vibrator array portion 32 disposed toward the bottom surface of the distal end portion 30 is covered with an ultrasonic transmission film 50 that can transmit ultrasonic waves emitted from the vibrator array portion 32, The periphery of the vibrator array section 32 is shielded from the outside by a case 52 or the like that houses a movable portion including the vibrator array section 32.

The transducer array provided in the transducer array section 32 is excited by the drive pulse transmitted from the operation section 34 by the signal wire bundle 44 to generate ultrasonic waves, and the ultrasonic waves pass through the ultrasonic transmission film 50. The radiation is radiated to the site to be examined.
The echo from the test site reaches the vibrator array via the ultrasonic transmission film 50, and the vibrator array receives the ultrasonic wave and converts it into an electric signal. 34. In this way, the present probe generates a signal for obtaining an echo image of the test site.

Here, the front panel 38 rotates together with the transducer array section 32, and thus the front panel 38 rotates relative to the ultrasonic transmission film 50, so that they cannot be fixed to each other. On the other hand, as described above, transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves between the front panel 38 and the ultrasonic transmission film 50 are reduced in order to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves between the transducer and the test site well. There is a need to. Therefore, in this probe, the minute gap between the front panel 38 and the ultrasonic transmission film 50 is filled with oil as an acoustic matching material. This oil has the property of reducing the above-described acoustic loss at this boundary, and has a lower viscosity than grease or a jelly-like acoustic matching material.

By using such an acoustic matching material having a low viscosity, it is possible to reduce the resistance between the front panel 38 and the ultrasonic transmission film 50 generated when the vibrator array section 32 is rotated. The vibrator array section 32 can be easily rotated with a small torque.

One of the features of this probe is that the ultrasonic transmission film 5
0 and the vibrator case 52 are formed seamlessly, that is, integrally formed. As described above, the ultrasonic transmission film 5
0 is in contact with the low-viscosity oil, which is an acoustic matching material, but in this probe, the end of the ultrasonic transmission film 50 and the vibrator case 5
Since the boundary between the two is seamless, oil does not seep outside. In addition, penetration from the outside to the inside is reliably prevented.

The upper opening of the vibrator case 52 is closed by a holder supporting portion 42 holding the holder 40. The boundary between the case 52 and the holder supporting portion 42 and the boundary between the holder 40 and the holder supporting portion 42 The oil which is sealed by the O-ring 54 so that the sound matching material is
And a space surrounded by the ultrasonic transmission film 50.

Incidentally, the thickness of the ultrasonic transmission film 50 is, for example, as thin as about 0.6 mm. Ultrasonic transmission membrane 5
0 is basically flat so as not to have a lens effect on ultrasonic waves. As shown in the figure, the ultrasonic transmission film 50 facing the vibrator array section 32 protrudes from an outer portion thereof due to a gentle step 56 around the ultrasonic transmission film 50. For example, this step is about 0.5 mm, but due to the protrusion, the degree of adhesion of the portion of the bottom surface of the tip portion 30 where ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received to the test site is improved, and a good echo image is formed. Obtainable.

[0031]

According to the ultrasonic probe of the present invention, by integrating the transducer case and the ultrasonic permeable membrane, the inside of the probe having a movable portion is isolated from the body cavity side of the subject. As a result, the failure of the device and the leakage of the acoustic matching material are prevented, and the effect of improving the durability of the device and the safety of the inspection is obtained. Also, the integration of the transducer case and the ultrasonic permeable membrane
This leads to a reduction in the number of parts and a simplification of the manufacturing process, resulting in an effect of reducing the manufacturing cost and facilitating the manufacturing.

In addition, since the ultrasonic transmission film and the vibrator case are integrally formed of the same material, the effects of further simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing the manufacturing cost can be obtained.

Also, by protruding the ultrasonic transmission film portion on the side opposite to the transducer array, a good degree of adhesion to the test site can be obtained irrespective of the unevenness of the test site, and an echo image of stable image quality can be obtained. The effect is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of an ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a distal end portion of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a distal end portion of a conventional body cavity insertion type ultrasonic probe.

[Explanation of symbols]

30 tip part, 32 transducer array part, 34 operation part,
36 shaft, 38 front panel, 40 holder, 42
Holder support part, 44 signal wire bundle, 46 drive wire, 48 angle detection wire, 50 ultrasonic transmission film, 5
2 Transducer case.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A rotary transducer array for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and an ultrasonic transmission film provided on a front surface of a transducer surface of the transducer array with a minute gap filled with an acoustic matching material. An ultrasonic probe having a vibrator case surrounding at least a side periphery of the vibrator array, wherein the ultrasonic transmission film and the vibrator case are integrally formed. Tentacles. 2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic probe includes said integrally formed ultrasonic transmission film and said transducer case, and said transducer array, and is inserted into a body cavity. An ultrasonic probe, comprising: a distal end portion connected to the distal end portion by a shaft, and an operation portion for operating the distal end portion outside the body cavity. 3. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic transmission film and the vibrator case are made of the same material. Child. 4. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic transmission film protrudes from a periphery of the ultrasonic transmission film on a side opposite to the transducer array. An ultrasonic probe characterized in that: