JP4749530B2 - Biological tissue evaluation device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a biological tissue evaluation apparatus such as a bone evaluation apparatus, and particularly to movement control of a contact portion.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a biological tissue evaluation apparatus, a bone evaluation apparatus using ultrasonic waves, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a radiation (such as X-ray) diagnostic apparatus, and the like are known.
[0003]
In a conventional bone evaluation apparatus, generally, a pair of transducer units are provided on both sides of a biological tissue (for example, a heel), and at the time of bone evaluation, the biological tissue is sandwiched between the pair of transducer units, and in that state, On the other hand, ultrasonic waves are emitted, and ultrasonic waves that have passed through the living tissue are received. Based on the received signal, the sound speed, attenuation, spectrum change, waveform change and the like of the ultrasonic wave are analyzed, and the soundness of the bone is evaluated from the analysis result.
[0004]
For example, in the apparatus described in Japanese Patent No. 2840040, a pair of vibrator units are brought into contact with a living tissue by a motor driving force, and the contact pressure at that time is a torque limiter provided in a mechanism for transmitting the motor driving force. Set by That is, when a constant contact pressure (drive torque) is generated, the torque limiter slips and the transmission of the motor drive force to the moving mechanism of the vibrator unit is interrupted. According to this method, the bone can be evaluated with a constant contact pressure at all times, so that the reproducibility of the measurement is good, and the measurement accuracy and the reliability of the measurement can be improved.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, although the torque limiter method has a sufficient track record in itself, the possibility that the operating point varies slightly is not zero. Such a problem is pointed out not only in a bone evaluation apparatus using ultrasonic waves but also in other apparatuses. In addition, in this type of apparatus, there is a demand for further improving operational safety.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to improve the accuracy and reliability of tissue evaluation.
[0007]
Another object of the present invention is to realize a new method for generating a constant contact pressure of a contact portion.
[0008]
Another object of the present invention is to further increase the operational safety of the apparatus.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
(1) An apparatus according to the present invention is configured to move a contact portion that is in contact with a living tissue and the contact portion with respect to the living tissue to evaluate the living tissue, and the contact portion is brought into contact with the living tissue. is includes a moving mechanism, the causes, the moving mechanism including a mechanism for converting the contact portion potential energy of the weight into kinetic energy for contacting the biological tissue.
[0010]
According to the said structure, the potential energy of a weight is converted into the kinetic energy of a contact part, ie, reproducibility can be improved about the contact pressure of a contact part using constant positional energy. Here, the living tissue is preferably a sputum. The contact portion is preferably a transducer unit for ultrasonic diagnosis, but the contact portion may be an X-ray measurement unit. The present invention can also be applied to measurement using other measurement waves.
[0011]
(2) An apparatus according to the present invention is configured to move a contact portion that is brought into contact with a living tissue and the contact portion with respect to the living tissue for the evaluation of the living tissue, and the contact portion is brought into contact with the living tissue. A moving mechanism that causes a weight, a driving source that generates a driving force, a pulling mechanism that pulls up the weight by the driving force of the driving source, and abuts the contact portion on the living tissue. In this case, a drop control mechanism for dropping the weight, and a mechanism for moving the contact portion to the living tissue side when the weight is dropped are included.
[0012]
According to the above configuration, the weight is lifted by the action of the drive source, the weight is dropped from the lifted state, the kinetic energy of the contact portion is generated, and the contact pressure of the contact portion on the living body can be always constant. For example, the contact pressure may be switched by selecting the weight of the weight. According to the said structure, since electrical energy is not utilized for the contact operation of a contact part, safety | security is also improved. The lifting height of the weight is generally constant.
[0013]
Desirably, the fall control mechanism holds the weight pulled up and releases the hold when the contact portion is brought into contact with the living tissue to drop the weight. As a mechanism for maintaining the holding state, for example, an electromagnetic brake can be used. As the electromagnetic brake, an electromagnetic brake whose releasing force is released by generation of electromagnetic force may be used.
[0014]
Preferably, a mechanism for retracting the contact portion from the living tissue side as the weight is pulled up by the driving force of the driving source is included.
[0015]
(3) In a bone evaluation device for evaluating the bone by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, it is provided on both sides of the heel of the biological tissue including bone, vibration of the pair of performing ultrasonic wave transmission and reception includes a child unit, and a moving mechanism for advancing and retracting with respect to the heel of the pair of transducer units as the biological tissue, the moving mechanism utilizes the gravity by the weight, the pair of the said biological tissue And a mechanism for pulling up the weight by a driving force .
[0016]
Since the gravity acting on the weight is constant, the force exerted by it is always constant on the earth, and as a result, the contact pressure of the transducer (ie, a pair of transducer units) is always constant and measured. Increases accuracy. Each vibration Doko unit is constituted by an ultrasonic transducer with a coupling member provided on the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving surface (rubber water bag, etc.).
[0017]
Desirably, a pair of the transducers are provided on both sides of the living tissue, the moving mechanism is provided for each of the transducers, or the moving mechanism shared for the respective transducers is provided. That is, a weight may be provided for each transducer, but a pair of transducers may be driven using one weight.
[0018]
Preferably, the living tissue is a heel and has a footrest for positioning the heel.
[0020]
( 4 ) An apparatus according to the present invention is configured to move a contact portion that is in contact with a living tissue and the contact portion with respect to the living tissue for the evaluation of the living tissue, and the contact portion is brought into contact with the living tissue. A moving mechanism that uses electrical energy when the contact portion is moved backward from the living tissue, and uses non-electric energy when the contact portion is moved forward to the living tissue. The safety of the contact portion is enhanced when the contact portion moves forward. Preferably, potential energy is used as non-electrical energy.
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0022]
FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a biological tissue evaluation apparatus according to the present invention. The biological tissue evaluation apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a bone evaluation apparatus that evaluates bone using ultrasonic waves in this embodiment.
[0023]
In FIG. 1, the bone evaluation apparatus 10 has a footrest 12 on which a foot of a subject sitting on a chair or the like is placed, for example, and a pair of vibrator units 14 and 16 are arranged on both sides of the footrest 12. Has been. As shown, the footrest 12 has an L-shaped cross section, and various sizes of footrests 12 can be attached as necessary. Moreover, you may comprise so that the position of the footrest 12 can be changed to a horizontal direction and a vertical direction. The transducer units 14 and 16 are arranged to face each other, and the distance between them can be changed. For example, in a state in which both are relatively retracted, a heel is placed on the footrest 12 and the distance between the pair of vibrator units 14 and 16 is reduced in that state. The units 14 and 16 are brought into contact with each other with a predetermined pressure. In this state, ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received, and thereby, a bone diagnosis using ultrasonic waves is performed on the ribs included in the ribs.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 1, the vibrator unit 14 is housed inside the left-hand raised solid 20, while the vibrator unit 16 is housed inside the right-hand raised solid 18. The transducer units 14 and 16 are composed of, for example, an ultrasonic transducer and a coupling body provided on the transmission / reception surface thereof. The coupling body is constituted by, for example, a dome-shaped water bag containing physiological saline or the like. Of course, it is also possible to configure the coupling body with rubber or the like. Various types of transducer units 14 and 16 can be used.
[0025]
The bone evaluation apparatus 10 is provided with a display 24, and the display 24 can change its posture from a horizontal state to a standing state. The display 24 displays an operation screen, measurement results, and the like. The printer 22 is a unit for printing measurement results and the like. The measurement start switch 26 functions as a start operation button for bone diagnosis. The bone evaluation apparatus 10 is installed on a horizontal floor surface, for example.
[0026]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the components of the bone evaluation apparatus shown in FIG. The control unit 31 is constituted by a CPU, a predetermined program, and the like, and particularly controls the moving mechanism 30 in the present embodiment. The control unit 31 controls transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves, a transmission signal is supplied from the control unit 31 to the transmission unit 32, and a transmission pulse is supplied from the transmission unit 32 to the transducer unit 14. As a result, an ultrasonic pulse is transmitted from the transducer unit 14, and the ultrasonic pulse passes through the ridge 100 and is received by the transducer unit 16. The reception signal output from the transducer unit 16 is received by the reception unit 34, and after undergoing predetermined reception signal processing, the reception signal is output to the control unit 31. Based on the received signal, the calculation unit 36 calculates the sound speed, attenuation, and the like of the ultrasonic wave when passing through the heel 100, and calculates an evaluation value indicating the bone health based on such a calculation result.
[0027]
Data representing the calculation result is sent from the control unit 31 to the display 24 via the display driver 38, and the calculation result is displayed on the display 24. In addition, data sent from the control unit 31 is sent to the printer 22 via the printer driver 40, and the printer 22 prints measurement results on the paper. The power supply unit 42 generates power to be supplied to each component.
[0028]
The moving mechanism 30 includes a motor 48 as a drive source for lifting a weight, which will be described later, an electromagnetic clutch 50, an electromagnetic brake 52, and a weight mechanism 54 having a weight. That is, the mechanism (first transmission mechanism) that transmits the driving force from the motor 48 as a driving source to the weight mechanism 54 and controls the fall of the weight includes the electromagnetic clutch 50 and the electromagnetic brake 52. A driving force based on the potential energy of the weight generated by the weight mechanism 54 is transmitted to the vibrator units 14 and 16, and moves the vibrator units 14 and 16 in a direction to approach each other. That is, the second transmission mechanism is provided between the weight mechanism 54 and the vibrator units 14 and 16. On the other hand, the driving force generated by the motor 48 is used as a driving force for pulling the two transducer units 14 and 16 apart from each other, that is, for retracting, and as a driving force for lifting the weight upward. The motor 48 is controlled by the control unit 31 via the motor driver 46.
[0029]
The moving mechanism 30 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the moving mechanism 30 as a perspective view. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 71 represents a base plate, and each component is fixedly arranged on the base plate 71.
[0030]
An electromagnetic clutch 50 is connected to the rotating shaft 48 </ b> A of the motor 48, and an electromagnetic brake 52 is connected to the output side shaft 50 </ b> A of the electromagnetic clutch 50. A pulley 56 is connected to the output shaft 52A of the electromagnetic brake 52, and a pulley 58 is further connected to the shaft 52A. These pulleys 56 and 58 and pulleys 62 and 82 described later are constituted by, for example, geared pulleys, and the timing belts 60 and 80 wound around them are prevented from slipping.
[0031]
The rotational force of the pulley 58 is transmitted to the pulley 62 by the timing belt 60. When the pulley 62 rotates, the feed screw 64 rotates accordingly. A feed nut 76 is engaged with the feed screw 64. A guide 74 is placed on the rail 72, and the guide 74 slides on the rail 72. The vibrator unit 14 is provided on the guide 74 via a support 70. Therefore, when the feed screw 64 rotates, the guide 74 slides on the rail 72 by the meshing action of the feed screw 64 and the feed nut 76 according to the rotation direction. The pulley 58 to the feed screw 64 correspond to the second transmission mechanism.
[0032]
FIG. 3 shows a moving mechanism relating to one vibrator unit 14, but a similar mechanism is provided for the other vibrator unit 16. In that case, the weight mechanism 54 may also be used, and each mechanism such as the weight mechanism 54 and the motor 48 may be provided for each of the vibrator units 14 and 16. In the weight mechanism 54, the rotational force of the pulley 56 is transmitted to the pulley 82 via the timing belt 80. A pulley 84 for pulling up the linear member 88 is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft 82A of the pulley 82. In other words, the weight mechanism 54 includes the pulley 56 to the linear member 88. For example, when the electromagnetic brake 52 is released in a state where the weight 86 is located at a certain rising end as shown in FIG. 3, that is, in a state where the linear member 88 is wound around the pulley 84, the pulley 84 is dropped along with the fall of the weight 86. The pulley 82 rotates, and the rotational force is transmitted to the pulley 56 via the timing belt 80, and the rotational force is converted to the rotation of the feed screw 64 via the pulley 58 and the pulley 62. As a result, the transducer unit 14 moves in the forward direction in the drawing, that is, in the direction of contact with the subject.
[0033]
On the other hand, when the weight 86 is dropped and the electromagnetic brake 52 is kept off and the electromagnetic clutch 50 is turned on and the motor 48 is operated in this state, the vibrator unit 14 moves backward by the driving force of the motor 48, At the same time, the weight 86 is pulled upward by the mechanism.
[0034]
The above operation will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
[0035]
First, when the routine shown in FIG. 4 is executed in the state of being placed on the footrest 12 shown in FIG. 1, it is determined in S101 whether or not the weight 86 is at the rising end. Here, if not at the rising end, each step after S108 described later is executed, and the weight 86 is pulled up to the rising end.
[0036]
On the other hand, if it is determined in S101 that the weight 86 is at the rising end, the operation of the measurement start switch 26 is detected in S102, the electromagnetic clutch 50 is turned off in S103 and S104, and the electromagnetic brake 52 is turned off at the same time. The That is, when viewed from the electromagnetic brake 52 such as the pulley 56, the rotation on the vibrator unit 14 side is set to a free state. As a result, in S105, the weight 86 falls from above, and the falling motion is converted to the rotational motion of the feed screw 64 by using the weight mechanism 54 described above. Then, the vibrator unit 14 starts to move forward, and the drop movement of the weight 86 stops in a state where the vibrator unit 14 is in contact with the surface of the heel with a predetermined pressure. That is, in that case, the contact force of the vibrator unit 14 against the heel follows the gravity of the weight 86. Therefore, since a constant contact pressure can always be exhibited, there is an advantage that the reproducibility of measurement can be made extremely good.
[0037]
The measurement, which is the process of S106, is performed after a predetermined time has passed since the process of S105 has been performed and a sufficient amount of contact can be ensured. Incidentally, the process of S106 may be executed after the fall of the weight is detected or the movement stop of the vibrator unit 14 is detected.
[0038]
In S106, an ultrasonic pulse is transmitted from the transducer unit 14, the ultrasonic wave that has passed through the eyelid is detected by the transducer unit 16, and a bone evaluation value is calculated based on a received signal based on the detection.
[0039]
On the other hand, after the measurement is completed, the electromagnetic clutch 50 is turned on in S107, and the operation of the motor 48 is started in S108. Then, the rotational motion of the motor 48 is transmitted to each mechanism that moves the weight mechanism 54 and the vibrator unit 14 via the electromagnetic clutch 50, and as a result, the vibrator unit 14 performs the backward movement. Also. The weight 86 is lifted upward.
[0040]
If it is determined in S109 that the weight 86 has reached the ascending end, the operation of the motor 48 is turned off, and the electromagnetic brake 52 is turned on in S111. As a result, the potential energy of the weight 86 pulled up to the rising end by the action of the electromagnetic brake is held as it is. In S112, it is determined whether or not the measurement operation is to be executed. If the measurement operation is to be continued, each process from S102 is repeatedly executed.
[0041]
According to the above embodiment, since the kinetic energy of the vibrator unit is generated by the potential energy of the weight, there is an advantage that a constant contact pressure can always be exhibited and safety can be improved.
[0042]
A guide member that allows only the vertical movement of the weight 86 may be provided. Further, by preparing weights 86 having various weights and selecting a weight having a desired weight, the same operation as described above can be exhibited. For example, the weight may be different between the measurement of the adult and the measurement of the dwarf.
[0043]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the accuracy and reliability of the tissue evaluation can be further improved. Further, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that the contact pressure of the contact portion can be always constant.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external appearance of a bone evaluation apparatus according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing each configuration of a bone evaluation apparatus according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a specific configuration example of a moving mechanism.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a moving mechanism.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 bone evaluation device, 12 footrest, 14, 16 vibrator unit, 22 printer, 24 display, 26 measurement start switch, 30 moving mechanism, 48 motor, 50 electromagnetic clutch, 52 electromagnetic brake, 54 weight mechanism.

Claims (3)

In order to evaluate a living tissue by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, a contact portion that comes into contact with the living tissue;
A moving mechanism for moving the contact portion relative to the biological tissue and bringing the contact portion into contact with the biological tissue;
Including
The moving mechanism is
Weight,
A driving source for generating a driving force;
A weight mechanism for lifting the weight;
A mechanism for transmitting a driving force from the driving source to the weight mechanism and controlling an operation of the weight mechanism, which is provided between the driving source and the weight mechanism and is turned on when the weight is lifted. A clutch that transmits the driving force and is turned off when the weight is dropped, and is turned on when the weight is located at the rising end provided between the clutch and the weight mechanism and is turned off when the weight is lifted. A first transmission mechanism having a brake that maintains its state and operates to turn off when the weight falls,
A second transmission mechanism that is provided between the weight mechanism and the contact portion, and transmits the potential energy generated by dropping the weight as kinetic energy for moving the contact portion toward the living tissue;
A biological tissue evaluation apparatus comprising: The apparatus of claim 1.
The biological tissue evaluation apparatus, wherein the second transmission mechanism retracts the contact portion from the biological tissue side by the driving force as the weight is pulled up by the driving force of the driving source. In a bone evaluation device that evaluates bone by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves,
A pair of transducer units that are provided on both sides of the heel as a biological tissue including bone, and transmit and receive ultrasonic waves;
A moving mechanism for advancing and retracting the pair of transducer units relative to the fold as the living tissue;
Including
The moving mechanism is
Weight,
A driving source for generating a driving force;
A weight mechanism for lifting the weight;
A mechanism for transmitting a driving force from the driving source to the weight mechanism and controlling an operation of the weight mechanism, which is provided between the driving source and the weight mechanism and is turned on when the weight is lifted. A clutch that transmits the driving force and is turned off when the weight is dropped, and is turned on when the weight is located at the rising end provided between the clutch and the weight mechanism and is turned off when the weight is lifted. A first transmission mechanism having a brake that maintains its state and operates to turn off when the weight falls,
The second mechanism is provided between the weight mechanism and the pair of transducer units, and transmits the potential energy generated by dropping the weight as kinetic energy for moving the pair of transducer units to the living tissue side. A transmission mechanism;
The bone evaluation apparatus characterized by having.

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