JPH0698135B2 - Ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe which is inserted into an inner space of a human body cavity or a machine tube and ultrasonically inspects the surroundings thereof. The present invention relates to an assembling structure for realizing a compact and firm assembling of an ultrasonic head in a so-called electronic radial scanning type ultrasonic probe in which ultrasonic transducers are annularly arranged.

[Prior Art] There has been an ultrasonic probe for incorporating an ultrasonic transducer into a rigid rod-shaped body, inserting the ultrasonic transducer into the inner cavity of a human body cavity or a machine tube, and ultrasonically inspecting the surrounding area. The so-called radial scanning type, in which ultrasonic scanning is performed while transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves perpendicularly to the insertion axis direction, is widely used because it can scan the entire circumference in a wide range. Further, among the radial scanning type, the so-called electronic radial scanning type in which a large number of ultrasonic transducers are arranged in a ring shape has progressed in transducer manufacturing technology, and a larger number of ultrasonic transducers can be made smaller. It has become possible to make a device arranged in a diameter, and since there is no need for a mechanism as compared with a mechanical scanning type device, it is possible to make it compact with few failures, so there is great expectation.

In recent years, this ultrasonic probe was developed by incorporating an ultrasonic transducer into a catheter or endoscope with a flexible insertion section.
By the fact that it has become possible to insert deep inside a bent tube,
In order to further improve the insertability, how to compactly insert an ultrasonic head incorporating an ultrasonic transducer into the insertion part has become a problem. Further, particularly in an ultrasonic probe for medical use, the falling of the ultrasonic head inside the body cavity is a very serious problem for safety, and therefore, there is a problem of how to compactly and firmly mount the ultrasonic head.

As a conventional technique in a so-called electronic radial scanning type ultrasonic probe in which a large number of ultrasonic transducers are annularly arranged, there is Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 57-17532. As shown in FIG. 4, a large number (30 to 40) of ultrasonic transducers 38 are circularly arranged on the outer periphery of a cylindrical insulator 37 having a conductive layer on the surface thereof. The power supply line connected to the vibrator 38 is divided into a power supply line 39 connected to the common electrode and a power supply line 40 connected to each electrode of each ultrasonic vibrator, and one of them is connected to the inner space of the insulator 37. An ultrasonic head 41 having a structure that is inserted and guided is formed into a cylindrical insulator on a connecting member 42 that is a base of the ultrasonic head 41.
The structure is such that 37 is fitted and connected. Although the connection method is not described in detail in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-17532, it is generally fixed with an adhesive, which can be easily inferred from the figure.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above structure, if the number of ultrasonic transducers at the level of 30 to 40 is sufficient, in order to obtain a good ultrasonic tomographic image, for example, 256 or more such as 40 or more In the case of an ultrasonic probe with a number of ultrasonic transducers, the common electrode side may have one to several cables (feeding lines), while several ultrasonic transducers are connected to individual electrodes. Since there are ten to several hundreds, there is a problem that the connecting portion becomes complicated and huge, and the ultrasonic head becomes large. In addition, the method of adhesively fixing the ultrasonic head to the base is that a strong external force is applied when pushing it in a strong lumen such as a machine tube or digestive tract such as stomach, and the inside of the cavity is exposed to water etc. In many cases, it is necessary to prevent water leakage that occurs due to insufficient strength of the adhesive surface and to ensure water tightness, so in order to ensure sufficient adhesive strength,
The fitting margin for adhering the ultrasonic head and the base has to be long, and this has also been a cause of enlarging the periphery of the ultrasonic head. In addition, in order to avoid the size increase as much as possible, the fitting margin of the adhesive is kept to the minimum necessary, so that there is a risk that the adhesive strength will deteriorate due to the deterioration of the adhesive layer, and the ultrasonic head will fall out. I didn't get it.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and realizes a compact and firm assembly of an ultrasonic head in a so-called electronic radial scanning ultrasonic probe in which a large number of ultrasonic transducers are annularly arranged. The purpose is to provide a mounting structure for the purpose.

Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a structure in which the compact and firm assembly of the ultrasonic head is realized, and the ultrasonic probe can be provided with a function other than the ultrasonic inspection.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The ultrasonic probe of the present invention is characterized by a circular ultrasonic probe in which a large number of ultrasonic transducers are annularly arranged on the outer periphery of a cylindrical insulator, A first signal line group that passes through the inside of a ring-shaped insulator and is connected to one electrode of each ultrasonic transducer from one end face of the annular ultrasonic probe, the other of the annular ultrasonic probe An ultrasonic head including a second signal line group connected from the end face to each electrode of each ultrasonic transducer, a core member provided inside the cylindrical insulator, and a base to which the ultrasonic head is attached. And a base, and at least the core member and the base are connected by a connecting portion having a space through which the signal line groups are inserted.

Further, the core member is cylindrical and penetrates the inside of the ultrasonic head.

[Operation] In the ultrasonic probe of the present invention, a plurality of signal lines connected to the individual electrodes of each ultrasonic transducer are passed through the inside of the cylindrical insulator to form a circular ultrasonic probe. A first signal line group connected from the end surface to each electrode of each ultrasonic transducer and a second signal line group connected from the other end surface of the annular ultrasonic probe to each electrode of each ultrasonic transducer By dividing into two parts, the connection part is divided into two parts to simplify and compactly connect, and the core member provided inside the cylindrical insulator and the base to which the ultrasonic head is attached are By connecting with a connecting portion having a space through which both the signal line groups are inserted, a firm connection can be made compact without fear of the ultrasonic head and the base falling off.

Furthermore, by making the core member cylindrical and penetrating the inside of the ultrasonic head, it is possible to provide a function other than ultrasonic inspection such as an endoscope function in the internal space.

[Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is an overall configuration diagram of the present invention.
The insertion portion 4 including the bending portion 2 and the flexible tube portion 3, the bending operation portion 5, the air / water / suction operation portion 6, the operation portion 8 having an endoscope function such as the channel opening 7, and the signal line It consists of a cord 9 to pass through, and a connector portion 10 for connecting the present device and an observation device (not shown).

The structure of the tip portion 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1 which is a detailed side sectional view of the tip portion 1 and FIG. 2 which is an AA sectional view of FIG. A cylindrical insulator 11 is provided on the tip portion 1, and a large number of ultrasonic transducers 12 are annularly arranged on the outer periphery of the insulator 11 to form an ultrasonic probe. .
The insulator 11 serves as a damper layer of the ultrasonic vibrator 12, and is made of a rubber-like body mixed with fine powder of metal such as tungsten, iron, or the like or other solid powder, or a resin material. When a polymer oscillator is used as the ultrasonic oscillator, the insulator 11 may be made of a resin material that is merely an insulator.

A conductive layer 13 that is individually connected to each electrode of each ultrasonic vibrator 12 is provided between the ultrasonic vibrator 12 and the insulator 11.
The conductive layer 13 is divided into one corresponding to every other one of the arrayed ultrasonic transducers 12, and the other one is divided into the other, and the width of the ultrasonic transducers 12 It is led to the outside and connected to the signal cable 14 there. This conductive layer
A signal line to the ultrasonic transducer 12 is formed by 13 and the signal cable 14.

Of the two signal cable groups divided into two, the one that comes out from the tip end side of the ultrasonic probe is guided to the operation portion 8 side through the hole portion 15 penetrating the inside of the insulator 11. On the outer circumference of the ultrasonic transducer 12, an acoustic lens 16 made of silicon rubber or the like having a convex cross section
Is provided all around. The ultrasonic transducer 12, the insulator 11, the conductive layer 13, and the periphery of the connection portion between the signal cable 14 and the conductive layer 13 are enclosed by an insulating material 17.

In the hole portion 15 penetrating the inside of the insulator 11, in addition to the signal cable 14, a probe supporting member 18 as a core member is provided,
The ultrasonic head 36 is composed of 11 to 18 and 23 and 24 described later. The probe supporting member 18 is made of metal or hard plastic, and the rear end side of the probe supporting member 18 is separable to a base 19 as a member for holding an ultrasonic head.
Are linked in. Base 19 at this connecting portion 20
An insertion hole 21 for guiding the signal cable 14 to the operation portion 8 side is formed in the meat portion of the. The insertion hole 21 may be formed in the meat portion of the probe supporting member 18 after the rear end of the probe supporting member 18 is widened in a flange shape and abutted against the base 19. Further, although the probe supporting member 18 and the base 19 are connected by screws as shown in FIG. 1, the connecting method is not limited to this. Furthermore, the probe support member and the base may be integrally formed by welding so that they cannot be disassembled.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a seal portion for preventing water or the like from entering from the outside at the joint portion between the base 19 and the ultrasonic head, and is sealed with a sealant such as a silicone compound or an adhesive. Incidentally, this sealing may be performed by an O-ring. Reference numeral 23 denotes a ring for maintaining good contact with the base 19 because the surface of the insulator 17 has many irregularities, and is integrally bonded when molding the insulating material. When using an O-ring for the seal, it is also effective to provide an O-ring insertion groove in this ring.

The probe supporting member 18 has a cylindrical shape, and an inner space 24 thereof penetrates through, and in the inner space 24, a signal cable 25 of an observation optical system, an illumination optical system 26, a suction pipe 27, an air / water supply pipe 28. , Etc. are inserted, and the objective lens section 29, which is the functional element of the tip of the endoscope provided on the tip surface, and the CCD image sensor 30, the illumination lens section 31, the suction port 32, and the air / water supply nozzle connected to the objective lens section 29. 33,
Connected to. Reference numeral 34 is an endoscope tip block for holding the functional components of the endoscope tip.

Reference numeral 35 denotes a tip protection cap, which is adhered to the ultrasonic head and connected to the probe support member 18 by a screw, and the ultrasonic head is fixed so as to be sandwiched between the base 19 and the tip protection cap 35.

In the present ultrasonic probe configured as described above, a large number of signal lines connected to the individual electrodes of each ultrasonic transducer are divided into two, one on the front side and the other on the rear side of the ultrasonic probe, and are systematically arranged. Connected compactly. Moreover, the ultrasonic head and the base are compactly and firmly connected by the probe supporting member without requiring a long adhesive fitting margin in the adhesive structure.

In this embodiment, the observation optical system, the illumination optical system, the suction pipe line,
Although the air and water supply pipes, etc. are inserted into the internal space of the probe support member and guided to the distal end surface and connected to the endoscope distal end functional component, it is possible to perform an endoscopic optical observation in the insertion direction forward. The endoscope leading end functional component may be opened on the outer peripheral surface of the base to enable endoscopic optical observation lateral to the insertion direction. In this case, the probe support member does not need to have a cylindrical shape, and may be a solid one. Further, it is not necessary to penetrate the ultrasonic head, and if it is provided in the hole penetrating the inside of the insulator, it may be solid and halfway through the hole.

Furthermore, the functional element of the endoscope tip is not an essential element of the present ultrasonic probe, and it may be one in which the ultrasonic head is simply connected to the base. It may be one that penetrates the sound wave head, one that penetrates solid, or one that is solid and halfway through the hole. In the case of a cylindrical object that penetrates the ultrasonic head, connect a tube to this and form a conduit extending from the tip to the operation part,
It is also effective to allow the water in the lumen to be drained or poured, or to be able to insert another probe, treatment tool, or the like.

Further, in the present embodiment, the insertion hole 21 for guiding the signal cable 14 to the operation portion 8 side is provided in the meat portion of the base 19 in the connecting portion 20, but the signal cable 14 is provided on the cylindrical wall of the probe supporting member 18. It goes without saying that it may be allowed to pass through to the inner space 24 of the probe supporting member 18 and the inner space 24 and the inner space of the base 19 connected to the middle space 24 may be used as insertion holes for signal cables.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, in the ultrasonic probe of the present invention, a plurality of signal lines connected to individual electrodes of each ultrasonic transducer are passed through the inside of the cylindrical insulator. A first signal line group connected from one end surface of the annular ultrasonic probe to each electrode of each ultrasonic transducer, and an electrode of each ultrasonic transducer from the other end surface of the annular ultrasonic probe By connecting the second signal line group to the second signal line group, the connection portion is divided into two, which is simplified and compactly connected, and the ultrasonic head unit can be compactly assembled.

Further, a core member is provided inside the cylindrical insulator, and the base and the base on which the ultrasonic head is mounted are connected by a connecting portion having a space through which both the signal line groups are inserted. It is possible to provide a strong connection that does not come off and to make a compact connection, and to provide an assembly structure for realizing a compact and firm assembly of the ultrasonic head.

Furthermore, by making the core member cylindrical and penetrating the inside of the ultrasonic head, it is possible to additionally provide a function other than ultrasonic inspection such as an endoscope function in the internal space.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a detailed side sectional view of a tip portion in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. FIG. 3 is an overall configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a tip portion of a conventional ultrasonic probe. 11 …… Insulator, 19 …… Base 12 …… Ultrasonic transducer, 20 …… Coupling section 14 …… Signal cable, 21 …… Insertion hole 15 …… Hole section, 24 …… Internal space 17 …… Insulation Material, 36 ... Ultrasonic head 18 ... Probe support member

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An annular ultrasonic probe in which a large number of ultrasonic transducers are annularly arranged on the outer periphery of a cylindrical insulator, and the annular ultrasonic wave passes through the inside of the cylindrical insulator. A first signal line group connected to one electrode of each ultrasonic transducer from one end surface of the probe, and one electrode of each ultrasonic transducer connected from the other end surface of the annular ultrasonic probe. An ultrasonic head including a second signal line group and a core member provided inside the cylindrical insulator, and a base to which the ultrasonic head is attached, and at least the core member and the base. An ultrasonic probe, characterized in that the above are connected by a connecting portion having a space through which both the signal line groups are inserted. 2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the core member has a cylindrical shape and penetrates the inside of the ultrasonic head.