JP3201722B2 - Ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tip structure of an ultrasonic probe used for performing ultrasonic image diagnosis,
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe having a feature in a tip sealing means after an ultrasonic transmission medium is sealed in a sheath constituting an ultrasonic probe.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ultrasonic probe or a mirror is rotatably provided at a distal end of an insertion portion into a body cavity, and mechanical scanning is performed while rotating them via a flexible shaft or the like extending from a rotation driving unit. Ultrasound probes are known. In this type of ultrasonic probe, an ultrasonic probe or mirror is supported via a holder, and a flexible shaft is connected to one end of the holder, and this flexible shaft is located at the rear end of the probe together with a sheath surrounding them. It extends to the connector part.

[0003] The inside of the sheath is filled with an ultrasonic transmission medium (for example, liquid paraffin) so that the ultrasonic beam can be transmitted efficiently and the operation of the flexible shaft in the sheath can be performed smoothly. Also serves as a lubricant. By the way, the ultrasonic transmission medium is sealed in the sheath from the front end side or the rear end side of the sheath, and the front end portion of the sheath is sealed by adhesively fixing a stopper. For example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-74504 (FIG. 2)
A vibrator 19 connected to the flexible shaft 15 is provided in the distal end side of the outer tube (sheath) 13, and an acoustic medium (ultrasonic transmission medium) 14 is filled between the outer tube 13 and the flexible shaft 15. Further, the contents in which a porous member (plug) 12 for sealing the liquid is provided at the tip of the outer tube 13 are shown.

[0004]

However, if an attempt is made to seal the distal end portion of the sheath while the ultrasonic transmission medium is sealed in the ultrasonic probe, the sealing member and the sheath are separated by the ultrasonic transmission medium in the sheath. May weaken or may not be able to adhere. If the adhesion of the sealing member is not sufficient, the ultrasonic transmission medium leaks from the sheath and air bubbles are generated around the ultrasonic transducer. As a result, problems such as deterioration of the image quality of the ultrasonic image and no ultrasonic image appear. Further, if the sealing portion at the distal end of the sheath is sufficiently covered with another member so that the ultrasonic transmission medium does not leak from the sheath, a problem occurs in that the diameter of the insertion portion is increased.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic probe having a tip structure capable of reliably and easily sealing an ultrasonic transmission medium in an ultrasonic probe without increasing the diameter of an insertion portion. It is intended for.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ultrasonic vibrator and a vibrator holding member for holding the ultrasonic vibrator in a flexible sheath, An ultrasonic probe which fills an ultrasonic transmission medium around the ultrasonic vibrator and obtains an ultrasonic image by performing ultrasonic scanning, wherein the ultrasonic probe has a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the flexible sheath and holds at least the vibrator. A first sealing member formed on the side facing the member with a curved surface protruding toward the vibrator holding member, and inserted at the vibrator holding member side at the distal end of the flexible sheath lumen; A second sealing member provided in the inner cavity of the flexible sheath, which is closer to the distal end than the first sealing member, and fixed to the distal end edge of the flexible sheath. is there.

[0007]

According to the present invention, as described above, the first sealing member having a curved surface protruding toward the vibrator holding member can be easily sealed, and the inside of the sheath can be cleaned or chemically treated. After performing the pre-treatment, another second sealing member is fixed.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall view of an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system incorporating an ultrasonic probe according to the present invention. The ultrasonic probe 1 has a structure detachable from the drive unit 2 via a connector.
3 is a pulsar unit, 4 is an observation device, 5 is a monitor, 6
Are support arms, which are respectively mounted on the cart 7.

FIG. 2 is an overall view of the ultrasonic probe in a state before the tip is sealed. Insertion part 9 continuing to tip part 8
Extends to the connector 10 connected to the drive unit 2.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the distal end portion 8. As shown in FIG.
A metal housing 12 is provided in the sheath 11, and a vibrator unit 13 having an electrode, an acoustic lens, a piezoelectric plate, and the like, which will be described later, is adhesively fixed to the housing 12.
The vibrator unit 13 includes a cylindrical acoustic lens 14, a GND electrode 15, a positive electrode 16, a piezoelectric plate 17,
It has a backing material 18, and the electrode of the piezoelectric plate 17 is a folded electrode. The polarity of the electrode is set to GND on the acoustic lens side.

For wiring to the vibrator unit 13, the core plug 19a of the coaxial cable 19 is connected to the + electrode 16 with paste solder or a conductive adhesive, and the connection to the GND electrode 15 is a shielded wire of the coaxial cable. 19b is connected to the metal housing 12 by soldering, a conductive adhesive, or the like.
2 by connecting a flexible shaft 20 through which a coaxial cable 19 is inserted.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the details of the connector section 10 and a sectional view taken along line XX in this sectional view. The rear end of the flexible shaft 20 is connected to a hard shaft 22 supported by a bearing 21, and the sheath 11 containing the flexible shaft 20 is connected to a base 23.

The hard shaft 22 is further connected to a connector unit 24. This connector unit 2
Reference numeral 4 has a function of transmitting torque from the drive unit 2, transmitting and receiving signals from the ultrasonic transducer to the drive unit 2, and performing electrical matching of the transducer unit 13. The electrical matching is performed by a matching coil 25 provided in the connector unit 24. The connector unit 24 is connected to the metal pipe 2.
6, the shielding property is enhanced. The metal pipe 26 also has a function of preventing a rubber stopper 28 for sealing an opening 27 for injecting an ultrasonic transmission medium provided on a base 23 supporting the bearing 21.

The plastic ring 29 (for example, polyacetal, Teflon, etc.) provided on the connector unit 24 holds the pipe 2 when the connector unit 24 rotates.
6 reduces the sliding resistance with the inner surface. Further, in order to stabilize the sealing effect of the connector unit 24, a coil spring 30 supported by the pipe 26 so as to slide with the connector unit 24 is provided.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration provided with an ultrasonic transmission medium sealing member. As shown in the figure, a first sealing member (ultrasonic transmission medium sealing member) 31 is provided in series on the housing (vibrator holding member) 12 side, and a second sealing member 33 is provided in series on the distal end side. The first sealing member 31 is a rubber ball having an outer diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the sheath 11. The second sealing member 33 is a rivet made of substantially the same material as that of the sheath 11, and the stem end face 3 of the rivet is used.
3a is recessed into a spherical shape, and the first sealing member 3 is a rubber ball.
It is formed so as to conform to the surface of No. 1. The rivet is ultrasonically welded to the tip of the sheath 11.

Next, a case where an ultrasonic transmission medium is sealed in the ultrasonic probe 1 configured as described above will be described. First, the ultrasonic transmission medium is filled into the sheath 11 from the distal end of the sheath 11 or the opening 27 of the base 23 (FIGS. 3 and 4). After that, the array-shaped first sealing member 31 is pushed from the tip of the sheath 11 to a position several millimeters away from the housing 12 to be sealed and fixed. In this case, the first sealing member 31 has a sufficient sealing effect unless the ultrasonic transmission medium 32 temporarily leaks to the foremost side of the sheath 11 (until a second sealing member described later is fixed). It is. Thereafter, the distal end side of the sheath is sufficiently washed and dried, and after inserting the second sealing member 33, the second sealing member 33 is ultrasonically welded to the forefront of the sheath via a horn 38 having a hole 38a having a U-shaped cross section. I do.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the first sealing member 31 and the second sealing member are fixed in this manner.

After the sheath 11 is filled with the ultrasonic transmission medium 32 in this manner, the sealing member is provided in two stages. Pretreatment (washing, chemical treatment, etc.) can be sufficiently performed, and the ultrasonic transmission medium 32 does not adhere in the process, so that the second sealing member 33 can be securely bonded and fixed. Further, it is possible to prevent air bubbles from being mixed into the ultrasonic transmission medium 11 due to the leakage of the ultrasonic transmission medium 32 outside the seal 11. In addition, the diameter of the insertion portion is not increased.

Further, since the first sealing member 31 is a rubber ball slightly larger than the inner diameter of the sheath, the operation of inserting the first sealing member 31 into the sheath 11 can be easily performed, and the workability can be improved. Further, since the second sealing member 33 is fixed by ultrasonic welding, the hole 38 of the horn 38 used at that time is used.
The outer diameter of the distal end portion can be controlled by the size a, and the outer diameter of the probe distal end can be stably completed as compared with a method of simply bonding and fixing the second sealing member by the conventional method, and the second sealing member can be fixed. Work is also easier. In addition, although the means called ultrasonic welding was used, welding can also be performed via a U-shaped heater. In addition, the second sealing member 33 is the sheath 11
It is possible to use a completely different material, a blend of different materials, or a blend of a contrast agent or the like as long as there is no problem in terms of weldability.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and many modifications and variations are possible. For example,
The ultrasonic probe is not limited to the one that rotates the ultrasonic vibrator by the rotational force from the drive unit, and may be a mirror rotating type ultrasonic probe that performs ultrasonic scanning by rotating a mirror. Further, the number of sealing members is not limited to two as described above, and it goes without saying that more than two sealing members may be used.

The invention described in the above embodiment can be considered as the following invention. 1. By providing an ultrasonic transducer and a transducer holding member for holding the ultrasonic transducer in a flexible sheath, filling an ultrasonic transmission medium around the ultrasonic transducer, and performing ultrasonic scanning. In an ultrasonic probe for obtaining an ultrasonic image, an ultrasonic transmission medium having a curved surface protruding from a distal end portion of the flexible sheath lumen toward the transducer holding member located closer to the sheath axial direction than the distal end portion. An ultrasonic probe provided with a sealing member. According to the first aspect, since the ultrasonic transmission medium sealing member has a curved surface, the operation of inserting the sealing member into the sheath can be easily performed, and the workability can be improved. In addition, by providing a plurality of sealing members in series at the distal end portion of the sheath, the distal end of the ultrasonic probe can be easily and reliably sealed without increasing the diameter of the insertion portion, and leakage of the ultrasonic transmission medium can be achieved. Also, the generation of bubbles near the ultrasonic vibrator due to leakage can be prevented. Therefore, proper ultrasonic diagnosis can be performed by obtaining a clear ultrasonic image.

2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic transmission medium sealing member is a rubber ball slightly larger than the inner diameter of the sheath. According to the second term,
The operation of inserting the ultrasonic transmission medium sealing member into the sheath can be easily performed, and the workability can be improved.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, the first sealing member and the second sealing member as described in claim 1 are provided, and the first sealing member and the second sealing member are used for the first sealing member. It is possible to easily seal the distal end of the flexible sheath and then seal the distal end of the flexible sheath with its second sealing member, and thus also the flexible sheath with the first sealing member. Since the side closer to the hand than the tip side of can be sealed,
When fixing the second sealing member to the distal end of the flexible sheath,
The tip of the flexible sheath can be washed beforehand. Therefore, as described at the beginning of the specification, if the sealing of the distal end portion of the sheath is to be performed in a state where the ultrasonic transmission medium is sealed in the ultrasonic probe, the sealing member and the sheath are formed by the ultrasonic transmission medium in the sheath. The adhesive effect of the adhesive may be weakened or may not be able to be adhered in some cases, and if the sealing is not sufficient, this also causes the problem as described at the beginning of the specification, but this is also avoided. The fixing of the second sealing member can also be ensured, and the tip of the ultrasonic probe can be reliably sealed. According to the second aspect, since the first sealing member is a rubber ball, the first sealing member is a rubber ball.
The work of inserting the sealing member into the sheath can be easily performed, and the workability can be improved. Further, since the second sealing member is fixed by ultrasonic welding, the outer diameter of the tip can be controlled by the hole size of the horn used at that time, so that the outer diameter of the probe tip can be stably completed, and the second sealing member can be formed. The fixing work of the stop member is also facilitated. This may also be in terms of weldability if the sheath is made of substantially the same material. In addition, by providing a plurality of sealing members in series at the distal end portion of the sheath, the distal end of the ultrasonic probe can be easily and reliably sealed without increasing the diameter of the insertion portion, and leakage of the ultrasonic transmission medium can be achieved. Also, the generation of bubbles near the ultrasonic vibrator due to leakage can be prevented. Therefore, proper ultrasonic diagnosis can be performed by obtaining a clear ultrasonic image.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic system.

FIG. 2 is an overall view of an ultrasonic probe according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the distal end.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the connector part, and a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in this cross-sectional view.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the tip of the ultrasonic probe.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Sheath 12 Housing 13 Transducer unit 31 1st sealing member 32 Ultrasonic transmission medium 33 2nd sealing member 33a Stem end face 38 Horn 38a Hole

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An ultrasonic transducer and a transducer holding member for holding the ultrasonic transducer are provided in a flexible sheath, and an ultrasonic transmission medium is filled around the ultrasonic transducer, In an ultrasonic probe for obtaining an ultrasonic image by scanning with an ultrasonic wave, a diameter of the flexible sheath is larger than an inner diameter of the flexible sheath, and at least a side facing the vibrator holding member is formed by a curved surface protruding toward the vibrator holding member. A first sealing member inserted into the distal end of the flexible sheath at the side of the vibrator holding member, and the flexible sheath lumen further distal than the first sealing member. And a second sealing member fixed to a leading edge of the flexible sheath. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first sealing member is a rubber ball, the second sealing member is made of substantially the same material as the flexible sheath, and the fixing is performed by ultrasonic welding. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic probe is characterized in that: