JP5860090B2 - Ultrasound bone evaluation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a foot and evaluates a bone state.

  An ultrasonic bone evaluation device that evaluates the state of bone tissue by radiating ultrasonic waves to the tarsal bone, for example, the ribs, and measuring the speed of sound and the degree of attenuation of the ultrasonic waves propagating through the bone tissue is put to practical use. Has been. This type of ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus has a pair of ultrasonic transducers arranged facing each other. The bone to be evaluated is positioned between these ultrasonic transducers, ultrasonic waves are transmitted from one ultrasonic transducer in the pair, and ultrasonic waves that have passed through the bone tissue are received by the other ultrasonic transducer. Then, the state of the target bone tissue is evaluated based on these transmission / reception signals.

  The following Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose devices for evaluating bones by sandwiching a foot placed on a footrest (14) from the left and right with a measurement unit (16). Further, in Patent Document 1, the footrest (14) is moved along a plane orthogonal to the ultrasonic wave transmission / reception direction to correspond to the size of the target foot (see summary). Further, in Patent Document 2, a spacer (68) is placed on a footrest (14) to accommodate a smaller foot than a normal adult such as a child (paragraph 0026). In addition, the code | symbol in () is a code | symbol used by a prior art document, and is not related with the code | symbol used in embodiment of this application.

JP 2001-276073 A JP 2011-240009 A

  In order to cope with subjects having different physiques, when the footrest is moved as in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to equip a mechanism for movement, and the structure of the apparatus becomes complicated. The device outline becomes large. When the spacer is used as in Patent Document 2, a place for storing the spacer is required when the spacer is not used. If the spacer is used, the storage place may become unknown later by storing it in another place. There is also sex.

  An object of this invention is to enable it to respond | correspond to a physique of a subject with a simple mechanism.

  An ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus according to the present invention includes a device body having a footrest surface on which a subject's foot is placed, and a pair of vibrations facing each other so as to sandwich a foot foot placed on the footrest surface from the left and right. A child unit and at least one adjustment plate rotatably attached to the apparatus main body. The adjustment plate can take a use position disposed in the foot placement region where the foot of the footrest surface is placed and a non-use position retracted from the foot placement region by rotating. Further, the adjustment plate has a mounting plate on which the foot is placed and a contact plate on which the rear portion of the heel is applied. By adjusting the presence / absence of an adjusting plate in the foot placement region or the number of adjusting plates, the position of the foot relative to the vibrator unit is adjusted.

  The footrest surface can be flattened at the foot placement region and behind it. If all the adjusting plates are retracted from the foot placement region, there is no contact plate for applying the back of the heel, and the feet of the subject who is lying can be inserted between the transducer units from the back.

  The adjustment plate can be removable from the apparatus body.

  When a plurality of adjustment plates are provided, each adjustment plate can be arranged in an overlapping manner in the foot placement region. The adjustment plates stacked in the foot placement region can be rotated around the common rotation axis one by one from the top and retracted to the non-use position. By rotating the adjusting plates independently one by one, the thickness of the stacked adjusting plates is adjusted, and the position of the foot base relative to the vibrator unit can be adjusted.

The plurality of adjusting plates can be coupled to a common shaft so as to be rotatable with respect to each other. Of the adjustment plates, the adjustment plate closest to the footrest surface when disposed in the foot placement region can be detachably attached to the apparatus main body on the rotation axis of the adjustment plate. By connecting each adjustment plate to a common shaft, a plurality of adjustment plates can be integrally removed from the apparatus main body.

  Further, the ultrasonic bone evaluation device is provided with an identification piece provided on each adjustment plate and a corresponding one for each identification piece. By detecting the presence or absence of the identification piece, the adjustment plate provided with the identification piece is provided. An adjustment plate detecting element for detecting that the foot is placed in the foot placement region can be provided. With the adjustment plate detection element, it is possible to grasp which adjustment plate is located in the foot placement region.

  By attaching an adjustment plate that rotates and retracts to the main body of the device, it can correspond to the physique of the subject depending on the presence or absence of the adjustment plate or the number of adjustment plates, and the adjustment plate is stored integrally with the main body of the device. Can be transported.

It is a perspective view of the ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus of an embodiment, and (a) is a figure showing the state where three adjustment boards are in a use position, and (b) is the three adjustment boards in a non-use position. It is a figure which shows a state. It is a perspective view of the ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus of an embodiment, and is a figure showing the state where only one adjustment board is in a use position. It is the perspective view seen from another angle of the ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus of embodiment. It is a side view which shows the example of the usage condition of the ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus of embodiment. It is a side view which shows the other example of the usage condition of the ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus of embodiment. It is a sectional side view of the ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus of an embodiment, and is a figure showing the state where the 1st, 2nd and 3rd adjustment boards 28A, 28B, and 28C were used. It is a sectional side view of the ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus of an embodiment, and is a figure showing the state where the 1st adjustment board 28A was made into the non-use position, and the 2nd and 3rd adjustment boards 28B and 28C were made into the use position. It is a sectional side view of the ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus of an embodiment, and is a figure showing the state where the 1st and 2nd adjustment boards 28A and 28B were made into a non-use position, and the 3rd adjustment board 28C was made into a use position. It is a sectional side view of the ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus of an embodiment, and is a figure showing the state where the 1st, 2nd and 3rd adjustment boards 28A, 28B, and 28C were made into a non-use position. It is a figure shown in the state which accumulated 1st and 2nd adjustment board 28A, 28B. It is a figure which shows the state before attaching the 3rd adjustment board 28C to 1st and 2nd adjustment board 28A, 28B. It is a figure which shows the structure around the shaft pin 36 which couple | bonds the three adjustment plates 28. As shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the shaft support part. It is a figure which shows the shaft support part. It is a figure which shows the structure of the adjustment board detection apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the claims, unless otherwise specified, the phrase indicating the orientation is defined with reference to the orientation of the foot (indicated by the symbol F in FIG. 4) including the foot to be measured. In other words, when the sole of the foot is placed in close contact with the horizontal plane, the toe direction is `` front '', the opposite direction is `` rear '', the direction parallel to the horizontal plane and orthogonal to the front and rear direction is `` left '' and “Right”, and directions perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the left-right direction are “upper” and “lower”.

  1-3 is a perspective view of the ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus 10, and FIG. 4 is a side view. The ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus 10 includes an apparatus main body 12 and a pair of transducer units 14 and 16 accommodated in two raised portions provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 12. The vibrator units 14 and 16 have contacts 18 and 20 that come into contact with the measurement target foot. At the time of inspection, a foot F is placed between the vibrator units 14 and 16 on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 12 as shown in FIG. The upper surface of the apparatus main body 12 is a footrest surface on which the foot F is placed.

  The contacts 18, 20 are driven in the left-right direction by a contact drive mechanism (not shown) mounted in the apparatus main body 12, and can be brought into close contact with the root of the foot F of the target foot from the left and right. . In the apparatus main body 12, in addition to the contactor driving mechanism, a control unit for controlling transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves and a battery serving as a power source can be mounted. An opening 22 is provided in front of the apparatus main body 12, and a portion on the front side of the portion surrounding the opening 22 functions as a handle 24. When carrying the ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus 10, a finger can be put into the opening 22 and the handle 24 can be held and held.

  On the upper surface of the apparatus main body 12, the foot of the measurement object is placed on a portion between the transducer units 14 and 16 and a flat portion which is a front portion thereof. A region where the foot is placed is referred to as a foot placement region 26 (see FIG. 1B). Three adjustment plates are rotatably mounted on the upper surface of the apparatus body 12. With respect to the three adjustment plates, the first adjustment plate 28A, the second adjustment plate 28B, and the third adjustment from the top in the state of being superimposed on the foot placement region 26, that is, the state shown in FIG. This will be described as a plate 28C. When there is no need to distinguish between the individual adjustment plates 28A, 28B, and 28C, the adjustment plates 28 will be described as the adjustment plate 28 for the sake of simplicity. The adjustment plate 28 is used to adjust the position of the foot to be measured. The function of the adjustment plate 28 will be described in detail later. The number of adjusting plates can be other than three.

  The axis of rotation of the adjustment plate 28 is in front of the foot placement region 26 and extends in the left-right direction. The adjustment plate 28 can take a state of being disposed in the foot placement region 26 and a state of being retracted from the foot placement region 26 by rotating. The three adjustment plates 28 can be configured such that they can be overlapped without any gap. In FIG. 1, (a) shows a state in which three adjustment plates 28 are arranged to overlap each other in the foot placement region 26, and (b) is in a position retracted from the foot placement region 26. Indicates the state. In this ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus 10, the upper surface of the apparatus main body is in the same plane as the foot placement area 26 in front of the foot placement area 26, and the retracted adjustment plate 28 is placed on this portion. Can do. The adjustment plate 28 is used to adjust the position of the foot when in the foot placement region 26, and the position of the adjustment plate at this time is referred to as a “use position”. Further, the retracted position shown in FIG. 1B is referred to as “non-use position”.

  The adjustment plates 28 stacked in the foot placement region 26 can be rotated one by one from the top, and can be rotated and moved to a non-use position. Conversely, it is possible to move from the non-use position to the use position one by one from the top. It is also possible to move two sheets together and move three more simultaneously. FIG. 1A shows a state in which all the adjustment plates 28 are in the use position, and FIG. 1B shows a state in which all the adjustment plates are in the non-use position. FIG. 2 shows a state in which only the third adjustment plate 28 </ b> C is in the use position, that is, disposed in the foot placement region 26. The first and second adjustment plates 28A and 28B are in a non-use position. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the first, second and third adjustment plates 28A, 28B, 28C are in the use position.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first adjustment plate 28A includes a placement plate 30A on which the foot is placed and an abutment plate 32A on which the rear portion of the heel is applied, which are arranged substantially at right angles, and the first adjustment plate 28A. As a whole, it has a substantially L-shaped shape in a central section perpendicular to the left-right direction. The mounting plate 30A can be widened at a portion farther from a portion near the contact plate 32A. When the adjustment plate 28A is in the non-use position, the vicinity of the base of the toe is placed on the back surface of the placement plate 30A. Since the foot width is wide near the base of the finger, the mounting plate 30A can be widened so that this portion can be accommodated. Further, when the first adjustment plate 28 </ b> A is in the non-use position, the contact plate 32 </ b> A enters the opening 22. Thereby, the mounting plate 30A can be substantially parallel to the upper surface (footrest surface) of the apparatus. The second and third adjustment plates 28B and 28C have the same shape as the first adjustment plate 28A, and include mounting plates 30B and 30C and contact plates 32B and 32C. When there is no need to distinguish between the individual placement plates and the contact plates, description will be made using reference numerals 30 and 32 for simplicity.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, when the first, second, and third adjustment plates 28A, 28B, and 28C are retracted, the foot placement region 26 is erected corresponding to the contact plate. There is nothing, and the footrest surface in this area is flat. In particular, since the portion between the transducer units 14 and 16 and the rear portion thereof are flat, the foot F can be inserted between the transducer units 14 and 16 from the rear as shown in FIG. This mode of use enables measurements relating to bone evaluation of a subject in a supine state, for example. If such a use mode is not taken into consideration, a contact plate similar to the contact plate 32C of the third adjustment plate 28C can be fixedly provided in the apparatus main body 12, and the first and second adjustments can be made. Only the plates 28A and 28B can be turned.

  6 to 9 show the respective states in which the arrangement of the first, second and third adjustment plates 28A, 28B and 28C is changed. The position of the tarsal is adjusted according to the physique of the subject so that the tarsal bone to be measured is positioned between the contacts 18 and 20 that make a pair. The tarsal bone to be measured is, for example, a rib.

  FIG. 6 shows a state in which the first, second, and third adjustment plates 28A, 28B, and 28C are all overlaid on the foot placement region 26 to be used. This state corresponds to the foot Fc of a small subject such as a child. The subject sits on a chair or the like and places the foot Fc on the mounting plate 30A of the uppermost first adjustment plate 28A, and further contacts the heel with the contact plate 32A, thereby removing the heel of the foot Fc. It can be adjusted to the position of the contacts 18 and 20.

  FIG. 7 shows a state where the first adjustment plate 28A is rotated from the state shown in FIG. 6 to a non-use position. Further, the contact plate 32A of the adjustment plate 28A at the non-use position enters the opening 22 of the apparatus main body 12, whereby the placement plate 30A is placed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 12, and is arranged substantially in parallel. The state in which the two adjustment plates 28B and C are in the use position corresponds to the foot Ff of a small physique adult, for example, an adult female subject. The subject places the foot Ff on the placement plate 30B of the uppermost second adjustment plate 28B in the foot placement region 26 while sitting on a chair or the like, and further makes the heel contact the contact plate 32B. . Compared with before retracting the first adjusting plate 28A, the surface on which the foot is placed (the upper surface of the mounting plate) is lowered, and the surface with which the rear portion of the heel contacts (the front surface of the contacting plate) retreats. Thereby, the rib of the foot Ff of an adult with a small physique can be adjusted to the position of the contacts 18 and 20.

  FIG. 8 shows a state where the second adjustment plate 28B is further rotated from the state shown in FIG. 7 to a non-use position. Further, the contact plate 32B of the second adjustment plate 28B that has reached the non-use position enters the opening 22 of the apparatus main body 12, whereby the placement board 30B is placed on the placement board 30A that is already in the non-use position. Arranged in layers. The state where only the third adjustment plate 28C is used corresponds to the foot Fm of an adult having a large physique, for example, an adult male subject. The subject places the foot Fm on the placement plate 30C of the third adjustment plate 28C in the foot placement region 26 while sitting on a chair or the like, and further causes the heel to contact the contact plate 32B. The surface on which the foot is placed (the upper surface of the mounting plate) is lower than before the third adjustment plate 28B is retracted, and the surface with which the rear portion of the heel contacts (the front surface of the contacting plate) retreats. Accordingly, the ribs of the adult foot Fm having a large physique can be aligned with the positions of the contacts 18 and 20.

  FIG. 9 shows a state in which the third adjustment plate 28C is further rotated from the state shown in FIG. 8 to place the first, second and third adjustment plates 28 in the non-use position. Further, the contact plate 32C of the third adjustment plate 28C that has reached the non-use position enters the opening 22 of the apparatus body 12, whereby the placement board 30C is already placed at the non-use position. Placed on top of the other. The state in which the first, second, and third adjustment plates 28A, 28B, and 28C are in the non-use positions corresponds to the measurement of the subject in the supine posture. For a subject who cannot sit down on a chair or the like, bone evaluation may be required, and as shown in FIG. Measurement is performed by entering between the units 14 and 16. As shown in FIG. 9, there is no abutment plate in the rear part of the foot placement region 26, allowing the foot to enter from behind.

  The thickness of each adjustment plate 28 can be determined individually corresponding to the physique of the subject to which the adjustment plate 28 corresponds (in the above example, children, adult women, and adult men). The mounting plate 30 and the contact plate 32 belonging to one adjustment plate 28 may have different thicknesses.

  10 to 13 are explanatory views of the support structure of the adjustment plate 28. FIG. In the first adjustment plate 28A, a pair of first bearing portions 34A is provided on the edge of the mounting plate 30A on the side opposite to the contact plate 32A. Similarly, the second and third adjustment plates 28B and 28C are provided with a pair of second and third bearing portions 34B and 34C, respectively. The first, second, and third bearing portions 34A, 34B, and 34C of each adjustment plate 28 will be described as bearing portions 34 for simplicity when it is not necessary to distinguish them. Moreover, the two bearing parts 34 which make a pair have a left-right symmetric structure, and one side is demonstrated.

The first, second, and third bearing portions 34A, 34B, and 34C are adjacent to each other in the order of the first bearing portion 34A, the second bearing portion 34B, and the third bearing portion 34C from the inside when the adjustment plate 28 is stacked. Arranged. Furthermore, a common shaft pin 36 passes through one of the first, second, and third bearing portions 34A, 34B, and 34C that form a pair. As shown in FIG. 12, the pair of bearing portions 34A, 34B, and 34C includes first and third bearing portions 34A, 34C arranged at both ends of the three bearing portions 34. 2 The surface opposite to the bearing portion 34B is blocked. An inner shaft stub 38 projects from the covered surface of the first bearing portion 34A. Even surface that occupied the third bearing portion 34 C, the outer shaft stub 40 is provided so as to protrude. The inner and outer shaft stubs 38, 40 and the shaft pin 36 are coaxially arranged. The first, second, and third adjustment plates 28A, 28B, 28C rotate about the common axis of the shaft stubs 38, 40 and the shaft pin 36. This common axis is hereinafter referred to as a rotation axis 42. The three adjustment plates 28 are integrated by engaging with a common shaft pin 26, and can be rotated around the shaft pin 26.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus main body 12 is provided with two shaft support portions 44 and 46 that receive the outer shaft stub 40 and rotatably support the three adjustment plates 28. Stub receiving holes 48 and 50 for receiving the outer shaft stubs 40 are formed in the mutually opposing surfaces of the shaft support portions 44 and 46, respectively. FIG. 13 shows one shaft support 44 and FIG. 14 shows the other shaft support 46. The two stub receiving holes 48 and 50 have the same shape, and have a substantially circular cross-section of the support hole 52 and an opening for opening the support hole 52 to the side by cutting out the wall surface of the support hole 52. 54. The width of the opening 54 is smaller than the diameter of the support hole 52.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the cross-sectional shape of the outer shaft stub 40 has a shape obtained by cutting two arcuate portions from a circle. In other words, the shape of the side surface of the outer shaft stub 40 is composed of two substantially parallel planes and a part of a cylindrical side surface connecting between the planes. As a result, the outer shaft stub 40 has a shape in which the radial dimension varies depending on the direction. The radial dimension (hereinafter referred to as the width of two faces) in the direction perpendicular to the two planes on the side surface of the outer shaft stub 40 (left and right direction in FIG. 13) is short and in the direction perpendicular to this (up and down direction in FIG. 13). The radial dimension (hereinafter referred to as stub diameter) is longer. The two-surface width is smaller than the width of the opening 54 of the stub receiving holes 48 and 50, and the stub diameter is larger than the width of the opening 54. As a result, the outer shaft stub 40 enters and exits from the support hole 52 when the direction orthogonal to the two planes forming the two-plane width matches the width direction of the opening 54. Evacuation is possible. In this ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus 10, when the outer shaft stub 40 can enter and retreat with respect to the support hole 52, the adjustment plate 28 </ b> C extends upward in FIG. 13. That is, when the adjustment plate 28C is in this direction, the three adjustment plates 28A, 28B, and 28C can be attached and detached. In directions other than this direction, the outer shaft stub 40 cannot pass through the opening 54, and therefore the adjustment plate 28 cannot be attached or detached. The direction to be detachable can be changed to a direction other than the upper direction in FIG. 13 by changing the direction of the opening 54.

  The shape of the outer shaft stub 40 has anisotropy in the radial dimension. In the direction in which the radial dimension is short, the shape is smaller than the width of the opening 54 of the stub receiving hole, and in the direction in which the radial dimension is long, Any shape larger than the width of the opening 54 may be used. In addition to the case where the above-described cross-sectional shape is constituted by two straight lines and two arcs connecting them, it is also possible to form, for example, a rectangle or an ellipse.

  Further, the attachment / detachment of the adjusting plate 28 can also be achieved by making at least one of the shaft support portions 44, 46 slidable along the rotation axis 42. In this structure, it is not necessary to insert / remove the outer shaft stub from the side surface of the stub receiving hole, so the stub receiving hole can be a hole having a circular cross section without an opening or notch on the side surface, The stub can also be cylindrical. By engaging these, the adjustment plate 28 is rotatably supported. By sliding one or both of the shaft support portions 44 and 46 along the rotation axis 42 in a direction away from the outer shaft stub, the engagement with the outer shaft stub can be released. Conversely, one or both of the shaft support portions 44 and 46 are slid along the rotation axis 42 toward the outer shaft stub, and can be engaged with the outer shaft stub. In this way, the adjustment plate 28 can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 12.

  The inner shaft stub 38 is provided when a new adjustment plate is added. The additional adjustment plate may have substantially the same shape as the other adjustment plates, and may have a pair of bearing portions on the edge of the mounting plate. These bearing portions are located adjacent to the inner side of the bearing portion 34A of the first adjustment plate. The inner shaft stub 38 engages with a bearing portion of the additional adjusting plate and rotatably supports the additional adjusting plate.

  The assembly of the first, second and third adjustment plates 28A, 28B, 28C will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 10, the positions of the bearing portion 34A of the first adjustment plate 28A and the bearing portion 34B of the second adjustment plate 28B are aligned, and the shaft pin 36 is inserted into the holes provided in these bearing portions 34A, 34B. insert. The state after insertion of the shaft pin 36 is shown in FIG. The first and second adjustment plates 28A and 28B shown in FIG. 11 are shown in an inverted state from the state of FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the outer end of the inserted shaft pin 36 protrudes from the bearing portion 34B.

  Next, the bearing portion 34C of the third adjustment plate 28C is engaged with the end of the protruding shaft pin 36. At this time, the paired bearing portions 34C are bent outward so that they are fitted to the ends of the shaft pins 36 in holes provided in the bearing portions 34C. FIG. 12 shows the configuration around the shaft pin 36 when the first, second and third adjusting plates 28A, 28B, 28C are coupled. The first, second, and third adjustment plates 28A, 28B, and 28C are attached to the apparatus main body 12 in a state where they are integrated. As described above, the attachment to the apparatus main body 12 is performed by aligning the direction of the third adjustment plate 28C provided with the outer shaft stub 40 in a predetermined direction. Also, when removing the third adjustment plate 28C, the direction can be removed by adjusting the direction of the third adjustment plate 28C to a predetermined direction.

  In this ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus 10, the three adjustment plates 28 are integrated by engaging with a common shaft pin 36, and are attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 12 in an integrated state. However, the adjustment plate 28 may be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 12 one by one.

  The ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus 10 includes an adjustment plate detection device 56 that is configured to detect the presence or absence of each adjustment plate 28 in the foot placement region 26. The adjustment plate detection device 56 is based on the identification piece 58 provided on each adjustment plate 28, the detection element 60 that detects the identification piece provided on the apparatus body 12, and the output signal of the detection element 60. Including a detection control unit 62 for determining the position of.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating each configuration of the adjustment plate detection device 56. Respective identification pieces of the first, second and third adjustment plates 28A, 28B and 28C are indicated by reference numerals 58A, 58B and 58C. As with the adjustment plate, reference numeral 58 is used for simplicity when it is not necessary to distinguish between individual identification pieces. As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, each identification piece 58 is provided on one side edge of the adjustment plate 28 in the left-right direction so as to have a substantially crank shape by the placement plate 30 of the adjustment plate and the identification piece 58. , Extending from the side edge. When the three adjustment plates 28 overlap each other, the tip portions of the identification pieces 58 are adjacent to each other and aligned in one plane as shown in FIG.

  The top surfaces of the three identification pieces 58 arranged in alignment in FIG. 10 are higher than the top surface of the mounting plate 30A of the first adjustment plate 28A, and a step is formed. In order to adjust this difference in height, a height adjustment protrusion 64 is provided on the upper surface of the first adjustment plate 28A. The height of the height adjustment protrusion 64 (the amount of protrusion from the mounting plate 30) is the same as or higher than the height of the identification piece 58A. When the adjustment plate 28A is set to the non-use position, the height adjustment protrusion 64 comes into contact with the upper surface of the apparatus main body 12, whereby the adjustment plate 28A is stabilized. The height adjustment protrusions 64 can be arranged one by one on the left and right side edges of the adjustment plate 28A as in the ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus 10. Further, the height adjusting protrusion 64 can be provided only on the side edge opposite to the side edge on which the identification piece 58A is provided so that the identification piece 58A functions as a height adjusting protrusion.

  On the upper surface of the apparatus main body 12, an element housing portion 66 that houses the detection element 60 is provided (see FIG. 1B). The element accommodating portion 66 is provided at a position facing the identification piece 58 when each adjustment plate 28 is disposed in the foot placement region 26. The element accommodating portion 66 can be provided integrally with one of the shaft support portions 44, but can also be provided separately. The detection elements 60A, 60B, and 60C are arranged so as to face the identification pieces 58A, 58B, and 58C when the adjustment plates 28 are arranged in the foot placement region 26, respectively. The detection elements are also described using reference numeral 60 for simplicity when it is not necessary to distinguish each of the detection elements. The specific configuration of the adjustment plate detection device 56 is not limited to the above. For example, the identification piece may extend upward from the side edge of the adjustment plate and face the detection element in the left-right direction. Further, each identification piece may be located in the same plane as the mounting plate of the adjustment plate. Further, a part of the adjustment plate may be cut out, and the presence or absence of the adjustment plate may be detected based on the cutout.

  Each detection element 60 outputs an ON signal to the control unit 62 when the identification piece 58 faces each other. Based on the received signal, the control unit 62 specifies the adjustment plate 28 located in the foot placement region 26. At the time of measurement for bone evaluation, the control unit 62 can output information on which adjustment plate 28 is used (which adjustment plate is used) in association with the measurement result. By associating the measurement result with the information of the adjustment plate used at that time, the same adjustment plate 28 can be used in the next measurement.

  A configuration for holding the adjustment plate 28 in the use position can be provided. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, a steel plate 68 is attached to the lower surface of the third adjustment plate 28 </ b> C, and a magnet 70 is disposed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 12. When the third adjustment plate 28C is in the foot placement region 26, these are arranged so that the steel plate 68 and the magnet 70 face each other, and the position of the third adjustment plate 28C is held by the magnetic force of the magnet 70. To.

  In this ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus 10, the adjustment plate 28 rotates around the rotation axis 42 extending in the left-right direction, but other configurations are possible. For example, the adjustment plate 28 may be rotated around an axis extending in the front-rear direction along the side edge.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus, 12 Apparatus main body, 14, 16 Vibrator unit, 18, 20 Contact, 22 Opening, 26 Foot mounting region, 28 (28A, 28B, 28C) Adjustment board, 30 (30A, 30B) , 30C) Mounting plate, 32 (32A, 32B, 32C) Contact plate, 34 Bearing portion, 36 shaft pin, 38 Inner shaft stub, 40 Outer shaft stub, 42 Rotating axis, 44, 46 Shaft support, 48 , 50 Stub receiving hole, 52 Support hole part, 54 Opening part, 56 Adjustment plate detection device, 58 Identification piece, 60 Detection element, 62 Control part.

Claims (6)

An ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from the foot and evaluates bones,
An apparatus body having a footrest surface on which the foot is placed;
A pair of vibrator units facing each other so as to sandwich the foot sole of the foot placed on the footrest surface from the left and right;
It is mounted on the main body of the apparatus so as to be rotatable, and by use of the rotation, a use position arranged in the foot placement area where the footrest of the footrest surface is placed and a non-use position retracted from the foot placement area. At least one adjustment plate that can be taken, including a placement plate on which the foot is placed and an abutment plate against which the back of the heel is applied, and an adjustment plate that adjusts the position of the foot relative to the vibrator unit;
An ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus.   The ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the footrest surface is flat in the foot placement region and in the rear thereof.   The ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the adjustment plate is removable.   The ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of adjustment plates are provided, and the plurality of adjustment plates can be arranged to overlap each other in the foot placement region. Ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus that can be rotated one by one around a common rotation axis and retracted to a non-use position. 5. The ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each of the adjustment plates is coupled to a common shaft so as to be rotatable relative to each other, and is closest to the footrest surface when disposed in the foot placement region. An ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus in which an adjustment plate is detachably attached to the apparatus main body on the rotation axis of the adjustment plate. The ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 5,
An identification piece provided on each adjustment plate;
An adjustment plate detecting element that is provided corresponding to each identification piece and detects that the adjustment plate provided with the identification piece is in the foot placement region by detecting the presence or absence of the identification piece,
An ultrasonic bone evaluation apparatus.

Images