JP3234032B2 - 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 multi-plane ultrasonic probe which is inserted into a body cavity and captures tomographic images on a large number of tomographic planes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an example of such an ultrasonic probe, a multi-plane TEE (transplane) which is orally inserted into an upper gastrointestinal tract such as an esophagus or a stomach to photograph a heart or the like is provided.
chocariography) There is an ultrasonic probe. This conventional example is described in JP-A-59-22534. Here, an ultrasonic transducer array is provided at the tip of or in the middle of the body cavity insertion section of the endoscope, and a tomographic image is taken from inside the body cavity. The transducer array can be electrically scanned in only one direction, but can be rotated about an axis passing through the center of the array and orthogonal to the transducer in order to rotate the scanning direction. Thereby, ultrasonic tomographic images of many tomographic planes in a desired direction can be taken. Further, since the image is taken from within the body cavity, a tomographic plane in any direction can be taken without being affected by bone or subcutaneous fat.

[0003] Rotation of the transducer array is performed via wires provided in the endoscope. That is, the vibrator array is connected to a pulley which is biased to rotate in one direction by a spring, a pulley is also connected to a shaft of an operation knob provided in the endoscope operation section, and an operation wire is provided between the two pulleys. Is done. Therefore, by rotating the operation knob, the vibrator array is also rotated via the operation wire. Another example of such a wire-driven type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,96.
No. 0 publication. In this patent, the pulley on the transducer array side is not rotationally biased, but pulls one of the pair of scanning wires to rotate the transducer array in both forward and reverse directions.

As another means for rotating the vibrator array at the distal end, the rotation of a shaft disposed along the axial direction of the probe is transmitted to a pulley on the vibrator side via a worm gear and vibrated. There is a so-called shaft drive type for rotating a child, an example of which is disclosed in European Patent Publication No. 509.
296.

Although such a conventional multi-plane TEE ultrasonic probe can photograph an arbitrary tomographic plane, there is a problem that the accuracy of determining the position of the tomographic plane (the angle with respect to the probe axis) is low. That is, in the case of the wire drive type, there is a disadvantage that the rotational drive force from the operation unit side is not correctly transmitted to the distal end side because the wire elongates over time. Further, although the angle of the tip of the probe can be changed in the up, down, left and right directions, there is a disadvantage that the tip moves in the angle (left, right, up, down) direction when the vibrator array is rotated. In general, the angle is also changed by the expansion and contraction of the angle operation wire. Therefore, when the operation wire for rotating the vibrator expands and contracts, the angle wire may be affected and may expand and contract. Also,
If the distal end is bent by the angle operation, there is a difference in the path length between the inside and the outside of the curve, so that there is also a problem that the driving amount of the rotary operation wire changes. As described above, the rotation angle of the operation knob is not correctly transmitted to the vibrator array, and it is difficult to accurately set the rotation angle. Further, the elongation of the wire deteriorates the response of the rotation of the vibrator array to the rotation of the operation knob. Usually, in such an ultrasonic diagnosis, the tip of the ultrasonic probe is closely attached to the wall of the digestive tract, causing pain to the patient. It is not preferable that the setting of the rotation angle and the rotation angle is difficult.

[0006] Even in the case of a shaft driven type developed to cope with such wire elongation, the shaft is not given high rigidity in order to maintain the flexibility of the probe. It is difficult to accurately adjust the rotation angle similarly to the elongation of the wire, and there is a problem that the response of the rotation of the vibrator is poor.
Further, since a gear is used, there is a problem that the rotation angle cannot be set correctly due to the backlash of the gear.

This problem is not limited to transgastrointestinal probes, but also occurs in organ puncture probes, transrectal probes, transvaginal probes, and intraoperative probes used during craniotomy and laparotomy.

[0008]

As described above, the conventional multi-plane ultrasonic probe inserted into the body cavity can accurately and precisely move the transducer to a desired angle when rotating the transducer to change the scanning cross section. There is a disadvantage that it is difficult to rotate quickly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to use a vibrator having a single scanning direction that can rotate a vibrator accurately and quickly to a desired angle. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic probe capable of capturing tomographic images in many directions from inside a body cavity.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An ultrasonic probe according to the present invention is provided at a distal end of a guiding portion inserted into a body cavity, and a transducer for scanning an ultrasonic beam in a plane and for changing an ultrasonic scanning surface. Means for rotating the transducer, a mark formed on the surface of the transducer, and a window provided at the distal end of the guiding portion for viewing the transducer.

Another ultrasonic probe according to the present invention is provided at a distal end of a guiding portion inserted into a body cavity, and a transducer for scanning an ultrasonic beam in a plane and rotating the transducer to change an ultrasonic scanning plane. A window provided at the tip of the guiding portion for viewing the transducer; a mark formed on the window or the guiding portion outside the window; and a rotation angle of the transducer formed on the surface of the transducer together with the mark. And a scale representing the following.

[0012]

According to the ultrasonic probe of the present invention, when a doctor, a technician, or a service person checks the rotation angle of the transducer, the difference between the rotation angle of the operation knob or the shaft and the actual rotation angle can be easily determined. Can be confirmed to
The operation amount can be corrected as needed. Therefore, the tomographic plane to be diagnosed can be accurately positioned, and the accuracy of diagnosis is improved.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an ultrasonic probe according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Here, an embodiment of a multi-plane TEE ultrasonic probe which is orally inserted into an upper digestive tract such as an esophagus and a stomach to image a heart and the like will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the entire first embodiment. This probe has a shape similar to an endoscope,
It has a flexible guide 10 that is inserted into the upper gastrointestinal tract, such as the stomach. The distal end portion 12 of the guiding portion 10 incorporates an ultrasonic transducer 14. The transducer 14 includes a large number of piezoelectric ceramic elements arranged one-dimensionally, and electronically scans the ultrasonic beam in a sector in a plane orthogonal to the elements. Each element is arranged such that the long sides of the rectangle are in contact with each other, and the long side of each element is gradually shortened toward the periphery of the array, resulting in a circular planar shape. In FIG. 1, the respective vibrators (boundary lines) are shown for convenience of description, but in reality, each vibrator cannot be recognized by the naked eye. The rotation of the transducer also rotates the scanning surface of the ultrasonic beam, and tomographic images at various angles can be obtained using one ultrasonic transducer without changing the direction of the tip of the probe. Thus, for example, tomographic images at all angles of the heart can be taken, and a tomographic image along the short axis and a tomographic image along the long axis, which are useful for diagnosis, can be obtained.

An angle portion 16 that can be bent up, down, left, and right is provided in the middle guiding portion 10 in front of the distal end portion 12 in order to change the direction of the distal end portion and to make the distal end portion adhere to the wall of the digestive tract. The curvature of the angle portion 16 corresponds to 2
This is done by pulling each one of a pair of wires (not shown).

An operating unit 18 that is operated by a doctor or the like without being inserted into the digestive tract is connected to the hand of the guiding unit 10. The operation unit 18 has an operation knob 20 for an angle operation and a rotation operation of the scanning surface of the transducer. The operation knob 20 includes three knobs (having different diameters) for bending up and down, bending left and right, and rotating the transducer. The operation section 18 is connected to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body (not shown) via a cable section 22 and a connector section 24.

FIG. 2 shows a sectional structure of the distal end portion 12, and FIG. 3 shows a plan structure thereof. A cylindrical backing material 30 is provided below the circular transducer 14, and the backing material 30 is fixed on a pulley 32. The pulley 32 is rotatably attached to a case 34 that accommodates components at the distal end. A groove is provided in the circumferential surface of the pulley 32, and a pair of rotation operation wires 36 are fitted into the groove, and the respective tips of the pair of wires 36 are fixed to the pulley 32 by fixing portions 38. For this reason, when one of the pair of wires 36 is pulled toward the hand (operation unit) side, the other wire is connected to the pulley 32.
And the pulley 32, the transducer 1
4 rotates.

The terminals of each piezoelectric ceramic constituting the transducer 14 are connected via a flexible printed circuit board 52 to a main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus via a signal line disposed in the central portion. As a result, the transducer 14
Is supplied with a high-voltage pulse for driving from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body, and a reception signal from the transducer 14 is transmitted to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body. A drive signal is supplied to each piezoelectric ceramic through a predetermined delay time,
The delay time is varied with time, and as a result, the direction of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the transducer changes in a fan shape,
The sector is scanned. The printed circuit board 52 is also connected to a ground terminal (not shown). The front end of the printed circuit board 52 is wound around the backing material 30 and the pulley 32 and then fixed thereto, and the rear end is fixed to the guide 54. A guide 56 is also provided between the guide 54 and the transducer 14,
The printed board 52 is disposed so as to be loose between the guides 54 and 56. By adjusting the amount of slack, the length of the printed circuit board 52 during rotation of the transducer 14 is adjusted.

A spherical or cylindrical acoustic lens 40 is disposed on the transducer 14 via an acoustic matching layer 38. The lens 40 is attached to the case 34. An acoustic window 44 is provided on the lens 40 via an acoustic propagation liquid 42. The acoustic window 44 includes a sealing ring 46,
It has a sealing 48 and is attached to the case 34.
The acoustic window 44 is formed of a highly transparent material such as plastic. Tip 1 composed of the above elements
2, ie, the case 34 is a molded member 5 made of resin.
0 for watertight coverage.

As shown in FIG. 4 (only one wire 36 is shown in FIG. 4), each hand end of a pair of rotating wires 36 for rotationally driving the transducer is extended to the operation unit 18 and The proximal ends are commonly connected, and are wound around an operation unit pulley 60 attached to a shaft of the operation knob 20. In this manner, the wire 60 is installed endlessly between the pulleys 32 and 60. Accordingly, by rotating the operation knob 20, one wire 36 is wound around the pulley 60, and the other wire 36 is extended, whereby the pulley 32 rotates, and the transducer 14 rotates.

In order to detect the rotation angle of the transducer 14, a rotary encoder 62 is connected to a gear formed around the pulley 60, and the rotation amount of the pulley 60 is detected. Based on the detected rotation amount, the rotation angle of the transducer 14, that is, the angle of the scanning plane of the ultrasonic tomographic image is displayed together with the ultrasonic tomographic image on the display unit of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body. The angle of the scanning plane is the axis of the guiding part (same as the axis of the subject)
Is displayed as an angle with respect to. Therefore, a doctor or the like turns the knob 20 while watching the angle display on the display unit. In addition, a rotation angle scale may be marked on the operation unit as a guide of the rotation of the knob 20.

A slack removing mechanism 66 is provided in the middle of the wire 36. The slack removing mechanism 66 is formed of a cylindrical member whose both ends are closed, and has a hole on an end face for inserting a wire. The wire 36 is cut, and the tip of each piece is inserted through a hole in the end face of the removing mechanism 66,
A large diameter fixing portion is fixed to the tip. This allows
When the pulley 60 rotates, it always rotates with the wire 36 under tension. This is to prevent the wire from elongating after a long period of time, and to prevent the rotation angle from being correctly controlled if the wire is driven while being extended.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a mark 70 for recognizing the amount of rotation of the transducer 14 is formed at one point on the surface of the circular transducer 14, and this mark 70 is formed through the transparent window 44. It is visible. A scale 72 indicating the rotation angle is formed on the distal end of the middle portion outside the window 44 as shown in FIG. 5A or on the window 44 as shown in FIG. The mark 70 is preferably formed by printing, and the scale 72 is preferably provided by engraving.

For this reason, whether or not the transducer 14 is correctly rotated by a desired angle when the operation knob 20 is rotated is determined by the mark 70 through the window 44 and the scale 72 formed along the moving direction of the mark. You can be sure. This confirmation is performed by the manufacturer before shipment. If the rotation angle of the operation knob 20 (detected by the rotary encoder 62 and displayed on the display unit) does not match the actual rotation angle of the transducer 14, it is not shown. Data is input according to the difference from a keyboard or the like of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body, and the detection value of the rotary encoder 62 is corrected according to the input value. With this correction,
Although the rotation angle of the knob 20 does not match the display angle, the angle displayed on the screen can match the actual rotation angle. The correction may be performed by a user or a serviceman after shipment of the product. Thus, even when the rotation angle of the transducer 14 and the rotation angle of the knob 20 do not match due to the elongation of the wire 36 or the like, it can be easily compensated by correcting the output value of the rotary encoder 62. 5, the scale may be provided on the transducer 14 and the mark may be provided on the window 44 or the tip.

Although the wire 36 is manually driven by the rotation of the operation knob 20, a motor may be built in the operation unit 18 and the pulley 60 may be rotated by this rotational force. In the case of motor drive, the operation unit 18 is provided with an operation knob 20 for angle operation, but it is not necessary to provide a knob for transducer rotation. A simple switch 74 for indicating the rotation direction of the motor is provided as shown in FIG. It only needs to be provided. Further, although not directly related to the present invention, the angle operation may be performed by a motor.

As described above, according to the first embodiment,
By providing a mark that indicates the reference position so that the amount of rotation of the transducer can be viewed and a scale for this mark, the actual amount of rotation with respect to the operation amount can be checked, and the angle of the tomographic plane to be diagnosed can be set accurately. As a result, the accuracy of diagnosis is improved and the inspection work is easy. When the mark is provided on the surface of the transducer, it is not always necessary to mark the tip of the guiding portion or the window, and the doctor may use a protractor or the like for each measurement.

Hereinafter, another embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention will be described. In the following description, portions that are the same as or correspond to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, detailed description thereof is omitted, and only different portions from the first embodiment will be described.

In the first embodiment, since the slack removing mechanism 66 is inserted in the middle of the wire 36 provided between the pulley 60 on the knob 20 and the pulley 32 on the transducer 14, the operation knob 20 rotates. However, the transducer 14 does not rotate immediately. That is, there is a dead portion in the characteristic between the rotation of the transducer and the rotation of the knob as shown by the solid line in FIG. However, this insensitive portion differs depending on the degree of wire elongation, and the actual characteristics cannot be accurately recognized. Therefore, the output (rotary angle of the knob) of the rotary encoder 62 follows the ideal characteristics shown by the broken line in FIG. Find the rotation angle of the transducer 14,
This was displayed on the screen. Therefore, it is not possible to detect and display an accurate rotation angle of the transducer.

In order to solve this problem, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, a detector, in this case, a linear encoder 76 for detecting the moving amount of the wire 36 is disposed on the distal end side of the slack removing mechanism 66. An angle is displayed on the screen based on the output of the linear encoder 76. Linear encoder 76
Consists of a potentiometer having a terminal which is slid by the movement of the wire 36. By doing so, the operation knob 2
Although the rotation angle of 0 does not match the display angle of the screen, the rotation angle of the transducer 14 matches the display angle of the screen.

Let the diameter of the pulley 32 on the transducer side be r
At time t, if the diameter of the pulley 60 on the operation unit side is rn, the amount of movement of the wire 36 in order to rotate the transducer 14 by ± 90 ° is expressed as follows. 2πrt × (± 90) / 360 = ± (1/2) πrt Here, if rt = 4 mm, the movement amount of the wire 36 is about 6.28 mm. At this time, the operation knob 20 is ± 90
It is necessary to rotate by ゜ × (rt / rn) ± α. Here, α is the dead angle due to the slack removing mechanism 66.

Therefore, if rn = 8 mm, the knob 2
The required rotation angle of 0 is ± 45 ° ± α. This angle is 1
This is a value that can be sufficiently detected by using a 3 mm stroke linear encoder.

According to the second embodiment, the rotation angle of the transducer 14 can be correctly detected without being affected by the dead zone due to the wire slack removing mechanism, and the angle of the transducer 14 can be correctly adjusted to a desired angle. For example, a tomographic image correctly along the short axis and long axis of the heart can be taken.

The two linear encoders 76 are connected to the respective wires 36. When one of the wires moves toward the near side, the other moves toward the distal end. Operation knob 20
Is determined to have been rotated, and if only one of the outputs changes, invalidating that output can prevent erroneous detection.

Next, a rotary encoder 80 is used as a detector for detecting the rotation angle of the transducer.
FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment in which the rotation of the pulley 32 (transducer 14) is directly detected. The configuration of the distal end is almost the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, except that the rotary encoder 80 is coaxially arranged below the pulley 32. Thereby, the transducer 1
4 can be directly detected, and by displaying the detected value on the screen, the angle of the transducer 14 can be correctly adjusted to a desired angle. The detector incorporated at the tip is not limited to the rotary encoder, but may be a linear encoder.

In the third embodiment, the detector is built in the tip of the wire-driven probe. However, the third embodiment can be applied to a shaft-driven probe. FIG. 10 shows a fourth embodiment in which a rotary encoder 80 is incorporated at the tip in a shaft-driven probe. As in the third embodiment, the rotary encoder 80 is disposed coaxially below the pulley 32 and directly detects the amount of rotation of the transducer 14. 9 is different from the third embodiment shown in FIG. 9 in that a shaft 84 is provided in the guide portion instead of the wire 36, and the rotation of an operation knob (not shown) is transmitted to the shaft 84 via a worm gear, and the rotation of the shaft 84 is transmitted. The transmission is to the pulley 32 via the cylindrical worm 86, the worm wheel 88, and the gear 90. The shaft 84 may be driven to rotate by a motor built in the operation unit.

According to the third and fourth embodiments, the rotary encoder 80 is built in the distal end portion, and the rotation of the pulley 32 is directly detected, thereby being affected by wire elongation, gear backlash and the like. Without transducer 1
4 can be accurately detected. As a result, positioning can be performed quickly, and the time required for diagnosis is shortened.

In the above embodiment, the rotary drive force is applied to the transducer 14 from the operation section side via a wire, a shaft, or the like. An embodiment for driving the motor will be described.

FIG. 11 shows a fifth embodiment in which a motor 100 is provided coaxially with a pulley 32 attached to the transducer 14 at the distal end. Here, the rotary encoder 102 for detecting the rotation angle of the transducer 14 is also provided coaxially with the pulley 32. That is, the pulley 3
2. The motor 100 and the rotary encoder 102 are coaxially stacked. Other configurations are the same as those of the above-described embodiment. Although not shown, the pulley 32 and the motor 1
A bearing is interposed between the case No. 00 and the case No. 00.
The thermistor 104 is attached to the backing material 30. The tip of the thermistor 104 becomes hot due to the heat generated by the high pressure pulse driving of the transducer 14,
This is a temperature sensor for preventing a patient from suffering or burning. When it is detected that the surface temperature has reached a predetermined temperature or higher, the transducer 14
Is prohibited and a warning message is displayed on the display screen.

According to the fifth embodiment, since the transducer is directly driven to rotate by the motor provided at the distal end, the transducer can always be quickly rotated without being affected by the angle operation, and the tomographic plane to be diagnosed can be detected. High-precision positioning is possible. In addition, since the durability is improved as compared with the driving method using a wire or a shaft, the reliability of the probe is improved. Further, a wire or a shaft for transmitting the rotational force is not required, and only the angle wires and the signal cables are provided in the middle portion, so that the configuration in the middle portion is simplified, the diameter is reduced, and the pain on the patient is reduced. .

FIG. 12 is a view showing the structure of the probe tip of the sixth embodiment. The sixth embodiment differs from the fifth embodiment in the arrangement of the motor and the rotary encoder. The motor 110 and the rotary encoder 112 are arranged so that their axes are orthogonal to the rotation axis of the pulley 32. Therefore, the motor 110
Of the pulley 32 through the bevel gears 114 and 116
Is transmitted to In FIG. 12, the motor 100 and the rotary encoder 102 are arranged coaxially, but they may be separated from each other and connected to each other via a gear.

FIG. 13 is a view showing the structure of the probe tip of the seventh embodiment. The seventh embodiment also differs from the fifth embodiment in the arrangement of the motor and the rotary encoder, and the motor 120 and the rotary encoder 122 are arranged such that their axes are not coaxial with the rotation axis of the pulley 32 but are parallel. Therefore, the rotational force of the motor 120 is transmitted to the pulley 32 via the gear 124 and also transmitted to the rotary encoder 122 via the gear 126.

According to the sixth and seventh embodiments,
As in the fifth embodiment, the transducer can be quickly rotated at all times without being affected by the angle operation, and highly accurate positioning of the tomographic plane to be diagnosed is possible, and the reliability of the probe is improved. The configuration inside the guiding portion is simplified and the diameter is reduced, so that pain for the patient can be reduced.
In the fifth to seventh embodiments, the positions of the motor and the rotary encoder may be reversed.

FIG. 14 shows an eighth embodiment obtained by combining the fifth embodiment and the sixth embodiment. In the eighth embodiment, the motor 13
0, one of the encoders 132 is arranged coaxially with the pulley 32, and the other is arranged so that the axial direction is shifted by 90 °. Both are connected by bevel gears 134 and 136.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but can be implemented with various modifications. For example, in the above description,
Although the ultrasonic probe has been described as a single unit, an ultrasonic transducer may be built in the distal end of the endoscope, and the system may be used as an endoscope. Further, the mechanism for rotation and the mechanism for detecting the rotation angle are not limited to the specific examples described above. For example, in the case of a wire drive type, instead of providing a pair of operation wires, a pulley on the transducer side is rotationally biased in one direction, and only a wire that rotates the pulley in a direction opposite to the biasing direction is provided. Is also good. Although the rotary encoder and the linear encoder have been described as the rotation angle detector, other detectors may be used. Although the transgastrointestinal probe has been described, a probe for organ puncture, a transrectal probe, a transvaginal probe, or an intraoperative probe used at the time of craniotomy or laparotomy may be used.

Further, it has been described that the transducer performs the sector scan electronically. However, the transducer is not limited to the sector scan, but may be a linear scan or another electronic scan. The sector scanning is not limited to the electronic scanning system, but may be a mechanical scanning system in which the transducer itself is rotated to rotate the ultrasonic beam irradiation direction.

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a doctor, a technician, or a service person checks the rotation angle of the vibrator, the operation knob or the rotation angle of the shaft and the actual rotation angle are checked. An ultrasonic probe capable of easily confirming the difference and correcting the operation amount as required is provided. Therefore, the tomographic plane to be diagnosed can be accurately positioned, and the accuracy of diagnosis is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of a first embodiment of an ultrasonic probe according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of a distal end portion of the ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a planar structure of a distal end portion of the ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of an operation unit of the ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a rotation angle scale and a mark provided at the tip of the ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an operation unit according to a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a relationship between a knob rotation angle and a transducer rotation angle in the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing details of the vicinity of an operation unit of a second embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing details of the vicinity of the distal end of a third embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing details of the vicinity of a distal end portion of a fourth embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing details of the vicinity of the distal end portion of a fifth embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing details of the vicinity of a distal end portion of a sixth embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing details of the vicinity of the distal end of an ultrasonic probe according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing details of the vicinity of the distal end of an eighth embodiment of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... middle part, 12 ... front-end | tip part, 14 ... ultrasonic transducer, 16 ... angle part, 18 ... operation part, 20 ... operation knob, 22 ... cable part, 24 ... connector part.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A61B 8/12

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] A transducer for scanning an ultrasonic beam in a plane provided at a distal end of a guiding portion inserted into a body cavity; a means for rotating the transducer to change an ultrasonic scanning plane; and the transducer. An ultrasonic probe, comprising: a mark formed on a surface of the ultrasonic probe; and a window provided at the distal end of the middle portion for viewing the transducer. 2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, further comprising a scale provided at the window or at a leading end of the center of the window outside the window, the scale indicating the rotation angle of the transducer together with the mark. 3. A transducer provided at a distal end of a guiding portion inserted into a body cavity, for scanning an ultrasonic beam in a plane, means for rotating the transducer to change a scanning surface of the ultrasonic wave, A window provided at the center end, for viewing the transducer; a mark formed at the center, or a tip of the window or outside the window; and a rotation angle of the transducer together with the mark formed on the surface of the transducer. An ultrasonic probe comprising: a scale indicating the following. 4. A means for detecting a rotation angle of the transducer by the rotation means, a means for displaying the rotation angle detected by the detection means, a means for inputting an actual rotation angle read from the scale, 4. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 2, further comprising a correction unit that corrects a detection result of the detection unit based on an input value of the input unit and supplies the result to a display unit. 5. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 2, wherein the mark is formed by printing, and the scale is provided by engraving.