JP4356972B2 - Intracavity ultrasound probe - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an intrabody cavity ultrasound probe that is inserted into a body cavity of a subject and scans an ultrasound beam, and an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus using the same.

  The body cavity ultrasound probe is inserted into the human body through the mouth or anus of the human body and observed from inside the esophageal wall, intestinal wall, and the like. For this reason, a flexible substrate (hereinafter referred to as FPC) is used to draw signal lines from the electrodes of an ultrasonic transducer group composed of piezoelectric elements and the like arranged in a plurality of arrays by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves. Here, the flexible substrate is an electronic circuit substrate that can be bent easily and is named “flexible” because it can be bent freely.

For example, the FPC is divided into eight parts, and two of them are overlapped to be integrated into four parts as a whole. On the other hand, there is an ultrasonic endoscope arranged in a state perpendicular to a line forming 45 °. For example, Patent Document 1.
JP 2002-153465 JP

  However, in the past, in the body cavity ultrasound probe, which has a particularly curved head part, there is a tendency to reduce the diameter of the head part and increase the number of channels due to market demands. It became very difficult to pull out the signal line. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-153465, since the FPC is made of a single substrate, the portion located in the curved portion is overlapped by shifting the adjacent FPCs obliquely when overlapping, and the terminal portion becomes long. As a result, the length of the hard portion of the head portion is increased. Therefore, when inserting into a body cavity, the burden on the patient was great.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, wiring by FPC can be realized in a space-saving manner in the head portion, and the head portion can be made small. Further, as a measure for preventing disconnection of the pattern on the FPC, an object is to provide wiring that does not apply stress to the FPC when the head portion is bent in the vertical and horizontal directions.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is configured as follows.
That is, a vibrator unit (2), which is a vibrator arranged in a plurality of channels, is formed in a cylindrical shape without overlapping adjacent vibrators, and has a structure capable of scanning ultrasonic waves by 360 °; Connected to each channel of the transducer unit (2), has a function of supplying a transmission signal to the transducer and extracting a reception signal from the transducer, and communicating the transmission / reception signal to the transducer unit (2) A body-cavity ultrasonic probe comprising: a flexible substrate (1) that has a wind-flow-like portion and that is divided into at least two pieces; and the divided flexible substrate (1) ) Is configured to be folded and overlapped by 180 ° at the crank-shaped arm portion together with the wind-down portion.

  In addition, a transducer unit composed of transducers arranged in a plurality of channels for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and connected to each channel of these transducers to supply transmission signals to the transducers and to extract reception signals from the transducers An ultrasonic probe provided with a flexible substrate, comprising: a flexible substrate having a stream shape and a crank shape that communicates the transmission / reception signal to the transducer portion, and the flexible substrate is divided into at least two or more pieces. . Then, the divided flexible substrate is bent in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction in the body cavity and overlapped in the insertion direction in the body cavity. The flexible substrate is shielded using a conductive tape.

  As described above, according to the present invention, wiring by FPC in the head portion can be realized in a space-saving manner, and the burden on the patient can be reduced.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention, wherein 101 is a radial-shaped intracavity ultrasonic probe, 102 is a probe cable, 103 is a probe connector portion, 104 Is a transducer element, 105 is a connection changeover switch, 106 is a connection control means, and 107 is an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body. However, in the following description, the case where the number of channels of the transmission phasing means and the receiving phasing means is 32 and the number of transducer elements 104 is 256 will be described. However, the transmission phasing means and the receiving phasing means are described. The number of channels of the phase means and the number of transducer elements are not limited to this.

  As shown in FIG. 1, this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, for example, is inserted into a subject (not shown) and transmits an ultrasonic wave to the subject, and receives a reflected wave of the transmitted ultrasonic wave to receive an electrical signal. (Hereinafter referred to as “received signal”) Radial-shaped intracavity ultrasonic probe 101 including transducer element 104, and a well-known display for displaying measurement conditions and the obtained ultrasonic image (Not shown), a well-known console (not shown) for inputting measurement conditions, a transmission phasing means (not shown) for generating a transmission signal based on the measurement conditions, and a received signal from the transducer element 104. Ultrasound diagnosis comprising a wave phasing means (not shown) for generating a sound beam and a control signal generation means (not shown) for generating a signal (switching control signal) for controlling the connection changeover switch 105 in synchronization with ultrasonic wave transmission / reception. The apparatus main body 107 is comprised. The control signal generation means also generates ultrasonic scanning position information (transmission / reception direction address) that is information indicating the transducer element 104 that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves.

  The radial body cavity ultrasound probe 101 is a body cavity ultrasound probe formed of a hand portion and an insertion portion (hereinafter referred to as an insertion portion), and a transducer element 104 is provided at the distal end of the insertion portion. It becomes the structure arranged. In particular, in the ultrasonic probe 101 in the radial body cavity, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of transducer elements are arranged in parallel in the central axis direction of the insertion portion to form a transducer group. Is arranged around the central axis of the insertion portion, that is, 360 degrees around the central axis.

  Each transducer element 104 is connected to a probe cable 102 which is a signal line for supplying a driving power and outputting a received signal generated according to the ultrasonic wave received by the transducer element 104. . The probe cable 102 passes through an insertion portion (not shown), and the other end is connected to the connection changeover switch 105.

  The connection changeover switch 105 is configured to be supplied with a transmission signal from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 107. The connection changeover switch 105 is supplied with a changeover signal that is a signal from the connection control means 106. Therefore, at the time of wave transmission, the connection switch 105 is configured to switch the transducer element 104 that supplies the wave transmission signal from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 107 based on the switching signal. Similarly, at the time of wave reception, the connection changeover switch 105 switches the channel of the wave receiving phasing means that supplies the wave receiving signal from the transducer element 104 based on the switching signal. However, the connection control means 106 switches the connection changeover switch 105 based on the ultrasonic scanning position information from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 107.

  FIG. 2 shows the tip of the radial shaped intracavity ultrasonic probe. The transducer unit 2 is composed of transducers that can scan 360 °, and FPC1 is connected to the transducer channel of the transducer unit 2 at one end, and the other end is cabled so that it can be connected to a cable that transmits and receives signal lines. Is provided. In the case of the transducer element N channel (N ≧ 2), the M channel (M ≧ 1) is one block, and a total of N / M FPCs are used. For example, when it is desired to configure the probe tip with a transducer element having 128 channels, four FPCs are used if a 32-channel block is used. Then, the FPCs are connected so as to scan 360 °, and the transducer is formed into a cylindrical shape to constitute a probe. Here, the FPC may be divided evenly or may be divided unevenly.

  In FIGS. 2 (a), (c) and (e), ultrasonic signals are extracted by superimposing FPCs. 2B, 2D, and 2F, the ultrasonic signals are extracted by twisting the FPCs overlapped as shown in FIGS. 2A, 2C, and 2E. By twisting the FPC as shown in FIGS. 2 (b), (d), and (f), the restriction of the bendable range in which the FPC is plate-like is released, and the degree of bending can be secured appropriately, and the coil spring Therefore, it is possible to cope with a smaller diameter and a larger number of channels.

  In addition, as shown in FIGS. 2 (e) and 2 (f), the FPC 1 used for the intracavity ultrasonic probe may be covered with a resin tube 5 or the like to improve the shielding performance of the ultrasonic head. In this way, when extracting signals from the transducer to the ultrasound probe, the spiral FPC2 is shielded using a material with a shielding effect so that it can be used simultaneously with other electronic and medical devices. In such a case, it is possible to provide a clear ultrasonic image because the electromagnetic wave noise generated by these devices, which has an influence on the ultrasonic image, can be blocked. It is preferable to arrange the ground so as to sandwich the signal pattern 4 because crosstalk during signal transmission can be prevented.

  Details of the tip 100 are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the surface of the tip portion is composed of an acoustic lens 9, and the lower portion of the acoustic lens 9 is composed of a transducer portion 2 for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves and a backing material 6, and the transducer portion. The ultrasonic signal received in 2 is transmitted to the FPC 1 and sent to the signal processing unit. A balun mounting groove for mounting a balun for inflating the body cavity to increase the degree of adhesion and transmitting and receiving a clear ultrasonic signal may be attached. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the distal end portion 100. The distal end portion 100 is provided with an insertion hole for inserting the FPC 1, and the overlapped FPC 1 is inserted therefrom.

As a first embodiment, shown in FIG. 4 to the FPC1 to be connected to the transducer unit 2 that the blown-out flow like a and a crank shape. The four crank-shaped FPCs 1 shown in FIG. 4 (a) have a transducer signal line lead-out unit, and receive an ultrasonic signal from the transducer unit 2 from the transducer signal line lead-out unit. Adjacent vibrator parts 2 are joined so that the vibrator parts 2 do not overlap, and the joined four vibrator parts 2 are formed in a cylindrical shape so that there is no gap. In this way, a probe that performs 360 ° scanning is formed. The length of the crank portion of the adjacent FPC 1 is arbitrarily set, for example, by setting the length of the blow portion to be shorter or longer, thereby overlapping the blow portions of the adjacent FPC 1. The superimposed FPC1 is shown in FIG. 4 (b). The blowing flow portion by overlapping by adjusting the length of the crank portions, it is possible to realize space saving of the blowing flow position. Further, the length from the vibrator signal line lead-out portion to the crank portion can be shortened, and the tip portion can be shortened by forming these four FPCs in a cylindrical shape.

  Here, in order to configure a probe that performs 360 ° scanning, it is necessary to make at least the widths of the blowout portions gathered to be shorter than the width of the transducer lead-out portion when forming a cylindrical shape. This is because, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), a fixing portion that fixes the space between the insertion holes must be provided. In the first embodiment, the second embodiment described later, the third embodiment, and the fourth embodiment, this can be realized. Further, since the length from the transducer signal line lead-out portion to the arm portion of the crank can be shortened, as a result, the hard portion can be shortened in the axial direction.

FIG. 4C shows a second embodiment applied to two crank-shaped FPCs 1. Figure 4 is FPC1 two crank shape shown in (c) are linked in the vicinity of transducer lead wire portion, and a slit is opened from the front of the arm portion of the crank toward the cable connecting portion, substantially in the blowing flow point There are four FPC1s.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4 (d), the crank-shaped FPC 1 is folded by 180 ° at the arm portion of the crank so that the two FPCs 1 sandwiching the slit are overlapped. Adjacent vibrator parts 2 are joined so that the vibrator parts 2 do not overlap, and the joined two vibrator parts 2 are formed in a cylindrical shape so that there is no gap. In this way, a probe that performs 360 ° scanning is formed. Further, since the length from the transducer signal line lead-out portion to the arm portion of the crank can be shortened, as a result, the hard portion can be shortened in the axial direction.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment applied to four crank-shaped FPCs 1.
One FPC1 as shown in FIGS. 5 (a) is configured in the shape of four blowing flow portion where open uniform distance from one another, by connecting the four transducer unit as shown in FIG. 5 (b) , by overlapping each FPC 1, superimposing respective blow sink locations. Adjacent transducer units 2 are joined so that transducer units 2 do not overlap, and the four transducer units 2 joined together are formed into a cylindrical shape with no gaps, and a probe that performs 360 ° scanning It is formed, but in light of the formation into a tubular shape, to adjust the spacing of the blow flow position. Thus, since the length from the vibrator signal line lead-out portion to the arm portion of the crank can be shortened, the rigid portion can be shortened in the axial direction as a result. By adjusting the spacing width of the blow flow point, it goes without saying that it is possible to adjust the degree of freedom of the superposition of FPC 1.

FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment applied to three crank-shaped FPCs 1.
Some of FPC1 connected to the vibrator portion at both ends, superimposed respectively FPC1 connected to the vibrator of the central and blow flow unit distance in light of the FPC1 each other at both ends also in a cylindrical shape Alternatively, the shape is adjusted. Adjacent transducer units 2 are joined so that the transducer units 2 do not overlap, and the three transducer units 2 joined are formed in a cylindrical shape with no gaps, and a probe that performs 360 ° scanning Forming.

  In the above embodiment, the crank-shaped FPC 1 bent at 90 ° is shown, but the FPC 1 is not limited to the crank shape, and may be bent at 45 °, 60 °, or the like. Also, the FPC1 overlay may have a slight deviation.

  As described above, the wiring of the FPC is facilitated in the housing case storing the vibrator and the FPC, the length of the rigid portion can be shortened, and the pain to the patient can be reduced. Furthermore, disconnection of the FPC-like signal pattern can be prevented even when the head portion is bent in the vertical and horizontal directions.

  When the FPC is mounted in the housing case at the time of manufacture of the probe, the FPC is regularly arranged. Therefore, when assembling, the FPC can be mounted without applying excessive force, and the assembly becomes easy. The rigid part length can be shortened by making the FPC have the following structure. In addition, since the FPC can be pulled out freely in any direction of the housing case, it can be placed away from the place where stress is applied to the FPC when bending, thus preventing disconnection of the pattern on the FPC .

1 is an overall view of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using an intracavity ultrasonic probe. The figure of the front-end | tip part of the ultrasonic probe applied by this invention. The figure of the front-end | tip part of the ultrasonic probe applied by this invention. FIG. 1 is a first configuration diagram of a flexible substrate applied in the present invention. The 2nd block diagram of the flexible substrate applied by this invention. FIG. 4 is a third configuration diagram of a flexible substrate applied in the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 FPC (flexible substrate)
2 Vibrator 3 Flexible tube 4 Shielding material 5 Resin tube 6 Backing material 7 Resin filling 9 Lens 11 FPC insertion hole

Claims (1)

A vibrator unit (2) which is a vibrator arranged in a plurality of channels, which is formed in a cylindrical shape without overlapping adjacent vibrators, and has a structure capable of scanning ultrasonic waves by 360 ° ;
The transducer unit (2) is connected to each channel and has a function of supplying a transmission signal to the transducer and extracting a reception signal from the transducer, and transmitting and receiving the transmission / reception signal to the transducer unit (2). A body-cavity ultrasonic probe comprising a flexible substrate (1) having a crank shape having a stream-like portion to be communicated and divided into at least two pieces,
The intra - body-cavity ultrasonic probe characterized in that the divided flexible substrate (1) is configured to be folded and overlapped by 180 ° at the crank-shaped arm portion together with the stream-like portion .

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