JP4199646B2 - Ultrasonic probe holder and ultrasonic probe holding device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe holder attached to a support member that supports an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic probe holding apparatus using the same.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, ultrasonic diagnosis that uses ultrasonic waves to acquire information on a diagnostic part inside a living body and makes a diagnosis based on the information has been widely used. In this ultrasonic diagnosis, an ultrasonic wave is transmitted to a diagnostic site, and an ultrasonic image is formed based on the reflected signal. Therefore, when performing an ultrasonic diagnosis, it is necessary to hold an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves in the vicinity of the diagnostic site and transmit and receive ultrasonic waves to and from the diagnostic site. At that time, the ultrasonic probe is usually held by an observer such as a doctor by hand.

  In such an ultrasonic diagnosis, there is a case where a diagnosis site is observed for a certain period of time and the temporal change is observed. This is because the functional abnormality can be detected by observing the temporal change of the diagnostic site. For example, the function of the circulatory system may be diagnosed by observing the flow rate of blood or the state of blood vessel contraction over a long period of 30 minutes to 1 hour.

  When performing such ultrasonic diagnosis, it is necessary to hold the ultrasonic probe at the same place for a long time. This is because when the position and orientation (orientation) of the ultrasonic probe is deviated, it is impossible to obtain an accurate change in the diagnostic region. However, in the holding method in which the ultrasonic probe is held by the observer's hand, it is extremely difficult to hold the ultrasonic probe at the same position for a long time.

  Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses an ultrasonic probe device that can hold an ultrasonic probe in an arbitrary posture for a long time. This includes a holding part that holds the ultrasonic probe so that it can rotate about its central axis and that can swing freely, and a holding leg that is attached to the body surface of the subject. The holding legs are provided on the outer periphery of the holding portion, and can be freely deformed according to the body surface shape of the subject. And when performing an ultrasonic diagnosis, this holding leg is stuck on the body surface of the subject. Further, the ultrasonic probe is rotated and swung in the holding portion to obtain a desired posture. As a result, the ultrasonic probe can be held in a desired posture.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an articulated robot that mechanically scans an ultrasonic probe along a body surface. According to this, the ultrasonic probe can be held at an arbitrary position.

Japanese Patent No. 2664562 JP 2002-238899 A

  However, the ultrasonic probe device described in Patent Document 1 holds the ultrasonic probe by attaching holding legs to the body surface. Therefore, it is not suitable for ultrasonic diagnosis of a part where the holding leg is difficult to stick, for example, a part near a part having a small body surface area such as an arm or a neck. Therefore, with this ultrasonic probe device, it is difficult to ultrasonically diagnose various parts, and the versatility is poor. In addition, with the fixing means of attaching the holding legs, it is difficult to adjust the minute position of the ultrasonic probe after the attachment.

  On the other hand, according to the apparatus described in Patent Document 2, it is possible to hold the ultrasonic probe at various places. However, since this apparatus is premised on performing an ultrasonic diagnosis while keeping an arm as a diagnostic part in a predetermined posture, the ultrasonic probe is always vertically downward. Therefore, there has been a problem that the ultrasonic probe cannot be held in an arbitrary posture.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic probe holder that can be used more generally and can hold an ultrasonic probe in an arbitrary posture.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic probe apparatus that can be used more generally and holds an ultrasonic probe at an arbitrary position and posture.

An ultrasonic probe holder of the present invention is a holder that detachably holds an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to a subject, and an internal holder having a convex spherical outer peripheral surface; the mounted to a support member for supporting the ultrasonic probe, anda external holder with a cavity for accommodating the inner holder, said inner holder has a hole through the central point of the convex sphere And having a hole for holding the ultrasonic probe, and the cavity portion of the outer holder has a concave spherical side surface corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the inner holder, and inside the cavity portion. The posture of the ultrasonic probe is changed by sliding the inner holder.

According to a preferred aspect, there is provided a stopper that regulates a movable range of the inner holder with respect to the outer holder by contacting at least a part of the inner holder. In another preferable aspect, the posture of the inner holder accommodated in the outer holder is changed by deforming the shape of the cavity of the outer holder so that play between the inner holder and the cavity is reduced. It has a posture lock mechanism for locking. In another preferred aspect, the internal holder is provided at a position that contacts the outer surface of the ultrasonic probe when the ultrasonic probe is held, and depends on the outer surface shape. It has an elastic holding part for holding the ultrasonic probe while being elastically deformed . Preferably, a plurality of types of elastic holding members corresponding to a plurality of types of ultrasonic probes are provided as the elastic holding unit, and these elastic holding members are selectively used.

Another ultrasonic probe holding apparatus according to the present invention is an ultrasonic probe holding apparatus that holds an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a subject. A support member having a coarse adjustment mechanism for coarsely adjusting the position of the ultrasonic probe, and holding the ultrasonic probe and being detachable from the support member An ultrasonic probe holder, wherein the ultrasonic probe holder is a holder for detachably holding the ultrasonic probe, and an internal holder having a convex spherical outer peripheral surface; has an external holder with a cavity for accommodating the inner holder, the inner holder is a hole passing through the central point of the convex sphere, a hole for holding the ultrasound probe And the cavity of the outer holder has a concave spherical side surface corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the inner holder.

  In a preferred aspect, the coarse adjustment mechanism is an arm mechanism attached to a fixed object. In this case, the arm mechanism is preferably a multi-joint arm mechanism in which a plurality of arms are connected by a plurality of joints. Further, it is desirable that the support member has a fine adjustment mechanism that is connected to a base end portion of the arm mechanism and finely adjusts a distal end position of the arm mechanism.

  Here, the shape, function, etc. of the ultrasonic probe are not limited as long as it transmits and receives ultrasonic waves. The scanning method may be either a mechanical scanning type or an electronic scanning type.

  The ultrasonic probe holder of the present invention can be attached to various support members. Further, the posture of the ultrasonic probe held by the internal holder can be changed by sliding the internal holder within the cavity of the external holder. Therefore, according to the ultrasonic probe holder of the present invention, it can be used more universally, and the ultrasonic probe can be held in an arbitrary posture.

  In another ultrasonic probe holding device of the present invention, an ultrasonic probe holder is mounted on a support member having a coarse adjustment mechanism for the position of the ultrasonic probe. Moreover, the attitude | position can be changed by sliding the internal holder of an ultrasonic probe holder within the cavity part of an external holder. Therefore, the ultrasonic probe can be held at an arbitrary position and posture.

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

  FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an ultrasonic probe holding apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasonic probe holding device 10 is roughly classified into an ultrasonic probe holder 12 that holds the ultrasonic probe 14 and a support member 16 that supports the ultrasonic probe holder 12 in the air.

  The ultrasonic probe holder 12 can hold the ultrasonic probe 14 in an arbitrary posture. Further, it can be connected to various support members. The support member 16 includes an arm mechanism 18 that roughly adjusts the position and orientation of the ultrasound probe 14 and an XYZ table 20 for fine adjustment. The arm mechanism 18 can have its tip at an arbitrary position and orientation by changing its posture. The XYZ table 20 is connected to a support plate 21 that is a fixed object and a base end portion 22 of the arm mechanism 18. The XYZ table 20 can be moved minutely in three directions of XYZ.

  Hereinafter, each of these members will be described in detail.

  First, the arm mechanism 18 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a side view of the arm mechanism 18. The arm mechanism 18 includes a first joint 24, a second joint 28, a third joint 34, a first arm 26, a second arm 32, a third arm 36, and a base connected to the XYZ table 20. It is comprised from the edge part 22. FIG.

  The base end portion 22 is fastened to the XYZ table 20 by fastening means such as screws on the bottom surface. A first joint 24 is provided above the base end portion 22. The first joint 24 includes a spherical body 24a and a container 24b. The spherical body 24 a is a substantially spherical member connected to the upper end of the base end portion 22, and is fixed to the base end portion 22. On the other hand, the container 24b is configured separately from the spherical body 24a, and a concave spherical recess corresponding to the spherical body 24a is formed therein. The spherical body 24a and the accommodating body 24b that accommodates the spherical body 24a can move so as to swing and rotate with respect to the spherical body 24a. That is, the first joint 24 is configured as a so-called ball joint mechanism. As a result, the first joint 24 can swing and rotate three-dimensionally with respect to the base end portion 22 and can move in a polar coordinate manner.

  The upper end of the first joint 24 is connected to the first arm 26. The first arm 26 is made of a steel pipe having a predetermined length, and the upper end is connected to the second joint 28. The second joint 28 is further connected to the second arm 32. Further, the second joint 28 is rotatable in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1, whereby the angle between the first arm 26 and the second arm 32 can be freely adjusted. Similar to the first arm 26, the second arm 32 is a steel pipe having a predetermined length and is connected to the third joint 34. Similar to the first joint 24, the third joint 34 is a ball joint mechanism including a spherical body 34a and a container 34b.

  The third arm 38 is swingable with respect to the second arm 32 by this ball joint mechanism. A female screw portion 38 a for connecting to the ultrasonic probe holder 12 described later is formed at the distal end portion of the third arm 38, that is, the distal end portion of the arm mechanism 18.

  As described above, the arm mechanism 18 can freely adjust its posture by the joints of two ball joint mechanisms and one rotatable joint. Therefore, the position and orientation of the tip of the third arm 36 can be freely changed.

  Next, a method for fixing the posture of the arm mechanism 18 adjusted to a desired posture in this way will be described. The second joint 28 is provided with a locking handle 30. A screw portion 44 is provided at the tip of the locking handle 30. A first shaft 46 extends coaxially at the tip of the screw portion 44. Further, a second shaft 48 having a smaller diameter than the first shaft 46 extends coaxially at the tip of the first shaft 46. Therefore, when the locking handle 30 is rotated, the screw portion 44, the first shaft 46, and the second shaft 48 move in the horizontal direction (X direction in FIG. 2).

  A first fixing shaft 52 and a second fixing shaft 50 are inserted into the first arm 26 and the second arm 32, respectively. The first fixing shaft 52 is movable in the axial direction, and the tip portion thereof has a wedge shape having a tip surface 52a that is an inclined surface. The other end extends to the vicinity of the spherical state 24 a of the base end portion 22. Similarly, the second fixing shaft 50 is movable in the axial direction, and the distal end portion on the second joint 34 side has a wedge shape having a distal end surface 50a which is an inclined surface. The other end extends to the vicinity of the spherical body 38 a of the third joint 38.

  When the locking handle 30 is turned, the first shaft 46 and the second shaft 48 move in the horizontal direction together with the screw portion 44. At that time, the tip end surface 52a of the first fixing shaft 52 is pushed in the axial direction by the tip end portion 46a of the first shaft 46, and the first fixing shaft 52 is moved to the first joint 24 side. At that time, the spherical body 24 a of the first joint is pressed by the lower end portion of the first fixing shaft 52. Thereby, the movement of the first joint 24 is fixed.

  Further, the distal end portion 48a of the second shaft 48 abuts on the distal end surface 50a of the second fixing shaft 50, and the second fixing shaft 50 is moved toward the third joint 34 side. Similarly to the first fixing shaft 52, the spherical body 34a of the third joint 34 is pressed by the end portion of the second fixing shaft 50, so that the movement of the third joint 34 is fixed. Further, the movement of the second joint 28 is fixed by tightening the screw portion 44. Therefore, by turning the locking handle 30, the movements of the first joint 24, the second joint 28, and the third joint 34 can be fixed simultaneously, and the posture of the arm mechanism 18 can be fixed by one operation. it can. That is, a plurality of joints can be locked together. Thereby, the posture of the arm mechanism 18 can be easily determined.

  Thus, since the posture can be easily adjusted and fixed by the multi-joint arm mechanism 18 having the ball joint mechanism, the position and posture of the tip portion of the third arm 38 can be easily adjusted. In addition, since it has a joint of a ball joint mechanism, it is possible to move the arm connected to this in a polar coordinate system, and the position and orientation of the ultrasound probe can be roughly adjusted more easily.

  In the present embodiment, an articulated arm having three joints is used, but other supporting members may be used as long as they can hold the ultrasonic probe. For example, it may be a single flexible arm mechanism capable of freely changing the shape of the arm and holding the shape, or a support post fixed to a predetermined object.

  As shown in FIG. 6, springs 27 and 33 may be provided on the arms 26 and 32 of the arm mechanism 18. This is for reducing the load applied to the tips of the arms 26 and 32, and the springs 27 and 33 are arranged along the arms 26 and 32. Each of the springs 27 and 33 is subjected to an elastic restoring force in a direction (arrow direction in FIG. 6) that reduces the load applied to the tips of the arms 26 and 32. In other words, the first spring 27 disposed along the first arm 26 is connected to the first joint 24 and the second joint 28. An elastic restoring force acts on the first spring 27 in the direction of the first joint 24. Thereby, the load applied to the distal end portion of the first arm 26 is reduced. The second spring 33 disposed along the second arm 32 is connected to the second joint 28 and the third joint 38. An elastic restoring force in the direction of the second joint 28 acts on the second spring 33. Thereby, the load concerning the front-end | tip part of the 2nd arm 32 is reduced.

  That is, by providing these springs, the load applied to the tip of the arm is reduced, and the arm mechanism is prevented from falling. And the whole arm mechanism can be stabilized more. In addition, as long as the arm tip is urged in a direction to reduce the load applied to the arm tip, the member is not limited to the spring but may be another member.

  Next, the XYZ table 20 for finely adjusting the position of the ultrasonic probe 14 will be described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the XYZ table 20. The XYZ table 20 includes an X moving body 66, a Y moving body 60, a Z moving body 54, and an X fixing body 68, a Y fixing body 62, and a Z fixing body 56 corresponding to the X moving body 66, the Y moving body 60, and the Z moving body 54, respectively. .

  The Z moving body 54 has a mounting table 54a to which the base end portion 22 of the arm mechanism 18 is fixed, and is connected to the base end portion 22 of the arm mechanism 18 by screwing. Further, a trapezoidal dovetail is provided in the Z direction on the side surface of the Z moving body 54 and is fitted into a dovetail groove provided in the Z fixing body 56. As described above, the Z fixing body 56 is provided with a dovetail groove in the Z direction, and is fitted into the dovetail of the Z moving body 54. Further, the Z fixing body 56 and the Z moving body 54 are connected by a Z feed screw 58, and the Z moving body 54 can be moved in the Z direction by turning the Z feed screw 58. Then, by setting the pitch per rotation of the Z feed screw 58 to a minute value such as 0.5 mm, the Z moving body 54 can be moved minutely. This pitch is preferably the same for the feed screws in the XY directions, but may be different in each direction. Of course, the value is not limited to 0.5 mm.

  The Y moving body 60 is fixed to the bottom surface of the Z fixing body 56. The Y moving body 60 is also provided with a dovetail in the Y direction, and is fitted in a dovetail groove provided in the Y fixing body 62. The Y moving body 60 can move in the Y direction by turning the Y feed screw 64. Further, an X moving body 66 is fixed to the bottom surface of the Y fixing body 62. The X moving body 66 and the X fixing body 68 are also provided with a dovetail and a dovetail groove in the X direction. Then, the X moving body 66 can be moved in the X direction by rotation of the X feed screw (not shown). A support plate 21 (see FIG. 1), which is a fixed object, is connected to the lower end of the X fixing body 68 by a connecting screw. By this connection, the XYZ table 20 and the arm mechanism 18 connected thereto are fixed to the fixed object.

  As described above, in the XYZ table 20, each moving body can be moved minutely by adjusting the feed screw in each direction. Each moving body is fixed to a fixed body in the other direction and is finally connected to the arm mechanism 18. Therefore, the movement of each moving body is transmitted to the arm mechanism 18 and the ultrasonic probe holder 12 (see FIG. 1) connected thereto. Therefore, the position of the ultrasonic probe holder 12 in the XYZ directions can be finely adjusted by adjusting the feed screw in each direction. Thereby, even when observing a minute diagnostic site such as a blood vessel, the ultrasonic probe can be accurately positioned.

  Note that the fine adjustment mechanism of the position of the ultrasonic probe is not limited to the moving table as in the present embodiment, but may be another form. In the present embodiment, fine adjustment is performed by manually turning the feed screw. However, fine adjustment may be performed automatically. For example, fine adjustment may be automatically performed using a minute moving body that is electrically controlled by a combination of a motor and a ball screw.

  Next, the ultrasonic probe holder 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic probe holder 12, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the ultrasonic probe holder 12. As shown in FIG.

  The ultrasonic probe holder 12 includes an internal holder 70 that holds the ultrasonic probe 14 and an external holder 80 that accommodates the internal holder 70.

  The inner holder 70 is a substantially disc body having a convex spherical outer peripheral surface 71. In other words, it can be said that the inner holder 70 is an incomplete sphere obtained by horizontally cutting a part of the upper side and the lower side of the sphere. The internal holder 70 is made of a lightweight metal such as aluminum and is housed in a cavity 82 of an external holder 80 described later.

  A hole 74 for holding the ultrasonic probe 14 is provided at the center of the internal holder 70. An elastic holding portion 72 is provided on the side surface of the hole portion 74, that is, on the inner peripheral surface of the internal holder 70. The elastic holding portion 72 is made of an elastic material such as rubber. The elastic holding portion 72 can be appropriately replaced according to the shape and size of the ultrasonic probe.

  By the way, this internal holder 70 is configured as an assembly of a pair of internal holder pieces 70a and 70b arranged in the horizontal direction. The inner holder pieces 70a and 70b have a shape obtained by vertically dividing the inner holder 70 at substantially the center thereof, and the inner holder 70 is configured by combining with each other. The ultrasonic probe 14 is held between the pair of internal holder pieces 70a and 70b.

  The clamping surface that comes into contact with the ultrasonic probe 14 at the time of clamping is the side surface of the elastic holding portion 72. Since the elastic holding part 72 is made of an elastic member, the elastic holding part 72 can be in close contact with the ultrasonic probe 14 and can obtain a high holding force. In addition, when the ultrasonic probe 14 is replaced and used, a slight difference in shape of each ultrasonic probe can be absorbed.

  The external holder 80 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is made of a lightweight metal such as aluminum. A hollow portion 82 for accommodating the inner holder 70 is formed in the approximate center of the outer holder 80. Further, on the upper surface, a connection screwing portion 88 for screwing with the male screw portion 38a of the arm mechanism 18 is formed. The ultrasonic probe holder 12 and the arm mechanism 18 are connected by this screwing. On the opposite side of the coupling screw portion 88, a posture lock female screw portion 86 to be screwed with the posture lock handle 90 is provided.

  The hollow portion 82 includes a concave spherical side surface 82 a corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the inner holder 70. In other words, the diameter of the concave spherical surface of the cavity 82 is substantially the same as or slightly larger than the diameter of the concave spherical surface of the internal holder 70. The height is higher than that of the inner holder 70. Therefore, the cavity 82 can completely accommodate the inner holder 70. The upper and lower ends of the cavity portion 82 are opened so that the ultrasonic probe 14 held by the internal holder 70 can project. Projections 83 are formed at the upper and lower ends of the cavity 82. The protrusion 83 functions as a stopper that regulates the movable range of the internal holder 70 accommodated in the cavity 82. That is, the movable range of the internal holder 70 that slides in the hollow portion 82 is limited by interfering with the protruding portion 83. Therefore, a collision between the ultrasonic probe 14 and the external holder 80 due to excessive movement is prevented.

  The external holder 80 is formed with a slit 84 extending in the horizontal direction and a posture locking female thread portion 86 straddling the slit 84. A male screw portion 90 b provided on the posture locking handle 90 is screwed into the posture locking female screw portion 86. These provide a posture lock function for locking the posture of the ultrasonic probe 14 held by the internal holder 70. That is, in a state where the posture locking handle 90 is loosened, there is an appropriate play between the inner holder 70 and the cavity 82, and the inner holder 70 can move freely. On the other hand, when the posture locking handle 90 is tightened, the width of the slit 84 becomes narrow, and the movement of the internal holder 70 in the cavity 82 is stopped. Thereby, the attitude | position of the ultrasonic probe 14 hold | maintained at the internal holder 70 can be fixed.

  The external holder 80 is also composed of a pair of external holder pieces 80a and 80b arranged in the vertical direction. In other words, the external holder 80 is divided in the horizontal direction. The internal holder 70 is accommodated by sandwiching the internal holder 70 from above and below by the pair of external holder pieces 80a and 80b. The reason why the inner holder 70 is divided vertically and the outer holder 80 is divided horizontally is to make the structure strong against both vertical and horizontal forces. For example, if both the inner holder 70 and the outer holder 80 are divided vertically, the ultrasonic probe holder 12 as a whole has a structure that is weak against force in the vertical direction. However, by dividing each of them in different directions, it is possible to provide a structure that is strong against forces in either direction. Further, by configuring both the inner holder 70 and the outer holder 80 as an assembly of divided members, maintenance such as cleaning of the ultrasonic probe holder 12 can be easily performed. Therefore, the ultrasonic probe holder 12 and by extension the ultrasonic probe 14 can be kept clean.

  Next, the movement of the ultrasonic probe holder 12 will be described.

  The internal holder 70 holds the ultrasonic probe 14 by sandwiching the ultrasonic probe 14 with a pair of internal holder pieces 70a and 70b. At this time, the sandwiching surface in contact with the ultrasonic probe 14 is the side surface of the elastic holding portion 72. Therefore, even if there are irregularities on the surface of the ultrasonic probe 14, it can be held tightly. Thereby, the contact area of a clamping surface and the ultrasonic probe 14 can be increased, and a retention strength can be improved. Then, by improving the holding force, the ultrasonic probe holder 12 can be reduced in size and weight. Even when different ultrasonic probes 14 are used, a slight difference in shape can be absorbed by the elastic holding portion 72, so that the elastic holding portion 72 is replaced every time the ultrasonic probe is changed. do not have to.

  When exchanging the ultrasonic probe 14 with a considerably different shape and size, the elastic holding portion 72 is exchanged. As a result, ultrasonic probes having different shapes and sizes can be handled with the same ultrasonic probe holder. And this ultrasonic probe holder can be used for various ultrasonic diagnosis, and versatility can be improved more. Of course, the entire inner holder may be exchanged.

  Thus, the ultrasonic probe holder 12 holding the ultrasonic probe 14 is attached to a support member such as an arm mechanism. This is achieved by screwing a connecting screw 88 provided on the upper surface of the external holder 80 and a male screw 38 a at the tip of the arm mechanism 18. In the present embodiment, it is attached to the arm mechanism 18, but may be attached to another support member as appropriate according to the diagnosis site, diagnosis environment, and the like. Further, although screwing is used as the connecting means, other connecting means may be used. As described above, the ultrasonic probe holder 12 can be connected to various support members in accordance with the diagnostic region, the diagnostic environment, and the like, so that it can be used for ultrasonic diagnosis of various regions. Therefore, it can be used more generally.

  After the ultrasonic probe holder 12 and the arm mechanism 18 are connected, the ultrasonic probe 14 is adjusted so as to have an appropriate posture. Since the ultrasonic probe 14 is held by the internal holder 70 that can move in the cavity 82, the posture can be adjusted by manually moving the ultrasonic probe 14. The center point of the movement of the inner holder 70 is the center point of the inner holder 70 (the center point of the spherical surface constituting the outer peripheral surface). Therefore, the ultrasonic probe 14 held at the center of the inner holder 70 can rotate around the central axis and swing the central axis. This movement is close to the movement when adjusting the posture of the ultrasonic probe 14 held by a human hand. Therefore, the observer can adjust the posture of the ultrasonic probe 14 with a feeling close to that of holding the ultrasonic probe 14 by hand. Therefore, the posture adjustment of the ultrasonic probe 14 can be easily performed.

  Further, at the time of this posture adjustment, the movable range of the inner holder 70 is restricted by a stopper which is a protrusion 83. Therefore, the ultrasonic probe 14 is not moved too much and hits the external holder 80 or the like. Therefore, the observer can adjust the posture of the ultrasonic probe 14 with peace of mind.

  If the ultrasonic probe 14 can be adjusted to an appropriate posture, the posture is fixed by tightening the posture locking handle 90. Thereby, the ultrasound probe 14 is fixed in a desired posture, and ultrasound diagnosis can be performed in a stable state.

  As described above, the ultrasonic probe holder can be attached to various support members. Further, by sliding the inner holder within the cavity of the outer holder, the posture of the ultrasonic probe held by the inner holder can be changed. Therefore, according to this ultrasonic probe holder, it can be used more universally and can hold the ultrasonic probe in an arbitrary posture.

  In the present embodiment, the posture adjustment of the ultrasonic probe is manually performed. However, the posture adjustment may be automatically performed using a motor or the like. Further, in the present embodiment, the entire outer peripheral surface of the inner holder and the entire side surface of the cavity of the outer holder are spherical, but if the inner holder can slide within the cavity of the outer holder, A recess may be formed in part. Further, in the present embodiment, the inner holder is completely accommodated in the cavity for light weight and downsizing, but a part of the inner holder may protrude from the cavity. Further, the stopper (protrusion at the end of the cavity) and the posture lock mechanism are not limited to the above configuration, and may have other configurations.

  Next, a case where ultrasonic diagnosis is performed using the ultrasonic probe holding apparatus 10 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

  When performing the ultrasonic diagnosis, the ultrasonic probe 14 is attached to the ultrasonic probe holder 12 in advance. Then, the ultrasonic probe holder 12 is attached to a support member 16 including an arm mechanism 18 and an XYZ table 20. At this time, the ultrasonic probe 14 is allowed to move freely within the ultrasonic probe holder 12. That is, the posture locking handle 90 is loosened. The ultrasonic cable drawn from the rear end of the ultrasonic probe 14 is connected to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (not shown).

  A subject is arranged in the vicinity of the support member 16, and the diagnostic site (the upper arm blood vessel in FIG. 1) is kept in a stable state. Then, the posture of the arm mechanism 18 is manually changed, and the position and posture of the ultrasonic probe holder 12 connected to the tip of the arm mechanism 18 and, consequently, the ultrasonic probe 14 are adjusted. If the ultrasonic probe 14 can be adjusted to a state close to a desired position and posture, the locking handle 30 of the arm mechanism 18 is tightened to fix the posture of the arm mechanism 18.

  Next, the screw in each direction of the XYZ table 20 is turned to finely adjust the position of the ultrasonic probe 14. At this time, more accurate positioning can be performed by adjusting the ultrasound image displayed on the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus.

  Similarly, the posture of the ultrasonic probe 14 is adjusted while referring to the ultrasonic image displayed on the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. This posture adjustment is performed by moving the ultrasonic probe 14 held by the ultrasonic probe holder 12 by hand. As described above, this attitude adjustment can be performed more easily because it can be performed with a feeling close to that when the ultrasonic probe 14 is held by hand. If the posture can be adjusted to an appropriate posture, the posture is locked by tightening the posture locking handle 90. In this state, ultrasonic diagnosis is started.

  As described above, since the ultrasonic probe holder according to the present embodiment can be connected to various support members, it can be used in various situations. Therefore, it can be used more generally. In addition, if the ultrasonic probe holding device of the present embodiment is used, the position and orientation of the ultrasonic probe can be easily adjusted.

1 is a perspective view of an ultrasonic probe holding device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of an arm mechanism. It is a perspective view of an XYZ table. It is sectional drawing of an ultrasonic probe holder. It is a disassembled perspective view of an ultrasonic probe holder. It is a perspective view of the ultrasonic probe holding | maintenance apparatus which is other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ultrasonic probe holding device, 12 Ultrasonic probe holder, 14 Ultrasonic probe, 16 Support member, 18 Arm mechanism, 20 XYZ table, 70 Internal holder, 80 External holder, 82 Cavity part.

Claims (11)

A holder for detachably holding an ultrasonic probe for transmitting / receiving ultrasonic waves to / from a subject, an internal holder having a convex spherical outer surface;
An external holder that is attached to a support member that supports the ultrasonic probe, and that has a hollow portion that houses the internal holder;
Have
The inner holder is a hole passing through the central point of the convex sphere, has a hole for holding the ultrasonic probe,
The cavity of the outer holder has a concave spherical side surface corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the inner holder,
An ultrasonic probe holder, wherein the attitude of the ultrasonic probe is changed by sliding the internal holder inside the hollow portion. The ultrasonic probe holder according to claim 1, further comprising:
An ultrasonic probe holder having a stopper for restricting a movable range of the internal holder relative to the external holder by contacting at least a part of the internal holder. The ultrasonic probe holder according to claim 1, further comprising:
A posture locking mechanism that locks the posture of the internal holder accommodated in the external holder by deforming the shape of the cavity of the external holder so that play between the internal holder and the hollow portion is reduced; An ultrasonic probe holder characterized by that. The ultrasonic probe holder according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The internal holder is provided at a position where it comes into contact with the outer surface of the ultrasonic probe when the ultrasonic probe is held, and the ultrasonic wave is elastically deformed according to the outer surface shape. An ultrasonic probe holder having an elastic holding part for holding a probe. The ultrasonic probe holder according to claim 4,
The ultrasonic probe holder, wherein the elastic holding part is detachably attached to the internal holder. The ultrasonic probe holder according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The inner holder is configured as an assembly of a plurality of divided members that are disposed in a first direction and sandwich the ultrasonic probe;
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the external holder is arranged in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, and is configured as an assembly of a plurality of divided members that sandwich the internal holder. Child holder. An ultrasonic probe holding device that holds an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to a subject,
A support member for supporting the ultrasonic probe, the support member having a coarse adjustment mechanism for coarsely adjusting the position of the ultrasonic probe;
Holding the ultrasonic probe, and an ultrasonic probe holder attached to the support member;
Have
The ultrasonic probe holder is
A holder for detachably holding an ultrasonic probe, an internal holder having a convex spherical outer peripheral surface;
An external holder having a cavity for accommodating the internal holder;
Have
The inner holder is a hole passing through the central point of the convex sphere, has a hole for holding the ultrasonic probe,
The ultrasonic probe holding device, wherein the cavity of the external holder has a concave spherical side surface corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the internal holder. The ultrasonic probe holding device according to claim 7,
2. The ultrasonic probe holding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coarse adjustment mechanism is an arm mechanism attached to a fixed object. The ultrasonic probe holding device according to claim 8,
The ultrasonic probe holding device, wherein the arm mechanism is a multi-joint arm mechanism in which a plurality of arms are connected by a plurality of joints. The ultrasonic probe holding device according to claim 8, wherein:
The ultrasonic probe holding device, wherein the support member includes a fine adjustment mechanism that is connected to a base end portion of the arm mechanism and finely adjusts a position of the ultrasonic probe. The ultrasonic probe holding device according to any one of claims 8 to 10,
The ultrasonic probe holding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the arm mechanism includes a biasing member that biases the tip of the arm in a direction that reduces a load applied to the tip of the arm.

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