JP6204840B2 - Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and display for ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly to an operation member provided in a display.

  An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is an apparatus that forms an ultrasonic image based on data obtained by transmitting / receiving ultrasonic waves to / from a living body. A general ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus has a main body constituting a cart, an operation panel provided to be movable with respect to the main body, and a display provided to be movable with respect to the main body. An indicator may be mounted on the operation panel via an arm mechanism.

  Many knobs and switches are provided on the operation panel. In some cases, a touch panel is provided as a sub-display on the back side of the operation panel. In order to improve the visibility and operability on the back side, there are also those in which the inclination angle of the back side portion of the operation panel is increased.

  Recently, a flat panel display has been used as a display device. Along with this, an increasing tendency of the display screen size is recognized. In many cases, the display is provided above the operation panel, but its position and orientation can be changed by a user (inspector). For example, a display may be provided directly above the back end of the operation panel. Alternatively, a display may be provided directly above the operation panel. It is said that it is desirable to lower the position of the display device in order to reduce the burden on the user.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an operation member (handle) that is operated to change the posture and position of a display. A handle provided on the lower side of the display screen of the display protrudes forward, and the handle can be gripped by the user's hand. The display of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 discloses a handle that is inclined obliquely downward on the front side.

JP-T-2006-501923 JP 2011-245042 A

  In the ultrasonic diagnostic equipment, when the display unit is located at a low position near the operation panel, the operation member provided on the front side of the display unit covers part of the operation panel. There is a problem that the member blocks. The problem becomes more prominent as the shape of the operation member is larger and the forward protrusion amount of the operation member is larger.

  If the operating member protrudes horizontally from the front of the lower frame of the display or protrudes diagonally downward, the operating member will collide with the operation panel and the display cannot be pulled down to a lower position. The problem that it cannot be pulled out to the near side arises. According to such a configuration of the operation member, for example, the thumb easily collides with the operation panel in the process of holding the operation member and lowering the position of the display.

  An object of the present invention is to improve the visibility of an operation panel in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Alternatively, the display position can be further lowered. Or it is to make it possible to further improve safety.

  An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention includes an operation panel operated by a user, a display surface for displaying an ultrasonic image, a frame provided around the operation panel, and a handle provided in a lower frame of the frame And the display is movably provided, and the handle has a form that rises obliquely upward toward the front side on the front surface of the lower frame.

  In the above configuration, a handle is provided on the lower frame of the display surface. The handle has a form rising obliquely upward on the front side. Here, the near side is the side on which the display surface is facing, and is the user side. The upper part is the upper part of the display. Since the handle has the above-described form, the lower front protrusion amount of the handle is smaller than the upper front protrusion amount of the handle. Therefore, when the display is located above the operation panel, when the user looks down near the handle, the area of the operation panel that is hidden behind the handle, that is, covered by the handle, can be reduced. Alternatively, it is possible to reduce the necessity of reducing the line-of-sight angle (looking down with the line-of-sight position lowered) when visually recognizing the operation panel back end. Thus, according to the said structure, the advantage that the visibility of an operation panel can be improved is acquired. Desirably, the display device is provided so as to be movable in a motion space including a space above the operation panel.

  According to the above configuration, compared to the case where the handle protrudes obliquely downward, the handle can be prevented from colliding with the operation panel, and the height of the display can be further lowered while avoiding such a collision. It becomes possible. But you may make it provide the mechanical mechanism for avoiding beforehand that a display or a handle collides with an operation panel. When the handle protrudes obliquely downward, the hand holding the handle easily collides with the operation panel. However, according to the above configuration, such a problem can be prevented or reduced. Desirably, when adjusting the position and orientation of the display unit, the positions of the fingers (especially the multiple fingertips) that grip the handle are located on the upper side of the front surface of the lower frame. You can naturally avoid the situation where your fingers get caught. Thereby, safety can be further increased.

  Desirably, the front surface of the handle is an inclined surface facing obliquely downward, and a gap into which one or more fingertips can be inserted is formed between the back surface of the handle and the front surface of the lower frame. It may be a narrow gap where the fingertip is caught. If one or more fingertips are caught on the back of the handle, it is easy to move the display to the front side. At that time, if necessary, the right frame or the left frame of the display unit may be supplementarily held with a free hand.

  Preferably, the gap has a wedge shape gradually narrowing from the upper side to the lower side. According to this configuration, the shape of the gap matches the fingertip shape.

  Preferably, the handle includes a bar having a shape extending in a horizontal direction, and a pair of connecting portions connected to both ends of the bar and fixing the bar to the lower frame, An opening communicating with the gap is formed between the pair of connecting portions. The handle may have a flat plate shape or a curved plate shape. By adopting the above configuration, the handle has an arch shape, so that the bar can be easily picked with a plurality of fingers. It is also possible to hold the bar by hooking an index finger or the like on the upper side of the bar and hooking a thumb on the lower side of the bar, that is, the upper edge of the opening. Alternatively, the thumb may be laid and the bar may be held.

  Preferably, the height of the upper end of the handle is not more than a height that does not substantially exceed the lower end of the lower frame. The height relationship is based on the display unit. According to the said structure, it can prevent that a handle becomes obstructive at the time of observation of a display surface. When observing the lower part of the display surface, the user's line of sight is usually obliquely downward, so that no particular problem occurs even if the upper end of the handle exceeds the upper side of the lower frame, for example, by about 2 to 3 mm.

  Desirably, the height of the lower end of the handle is not less than a height that does not substantially fall below the lower end of the lower frame. According to this configuration, basically, the position where the handle is held is not on the lower side of the display, so that a situation where the hand is caught between the display and the operation panel can be prevented or reduced. As long as it can be satisfied that the position held by the hand does not fall carelessly, even if the height of the lower end of the handle is lower than the height of the lower end of the lower frame, for example, by about 2 to 3 mm, no particular problem occurs.

  The present invention relates to a display for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the position and orientation of which can be changed by a user, provided on a display surface for displaying an ultrasonic image, around the display surface, an upper frame, a lower frame, a right frame, and A frame body having a left frame, and a handle provided on the front surface side of the lower frame, the handle has a form that rises obliquely from the lower part of the front surface of the lower frame to the upper front side, A gap into which a fingertip can be inserted is formed between the back surface of the handle and the front surface of the lower frame.

  A conventional handle has a form on the assumption that it is completely held by a hand. That is, there is a gap that allows the thumb and other fingers to be completely inserted between the grip portion of the handle and the front surface of the display. On the other hand, the handle according to the above configuration is based on the premise that the handle is picked up with a plurality of fingertips rather than grasping it (of course, if the user desires, the palm is laid down while the thumb is lying on the side. It may be picked by pressing the handle or the front of the lower frame to grasp the handle). Desirably, in the said structure, the clearance gap which penetrates a several finger | toe completely does not exist in the back side of a grip part (embodiment mentioned later), and the clearance gap is a thing into which only a fingertip enters. According to this, since the position held by a plurality of fingers is naturally relatively upward, it is possible to effectively improve the problem that the hand is pinched between the display and the operation panel.

  According to the present invention, the visibility of the operation panel can be improved in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Alternatively, the position of the display device can be further lowered. Or safety can be improved.

1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows a part of ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. It is a side view of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. It is a front view which shows a part of ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. It is a front view of a handle. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect | action of a handle. It is a figure which shows the state which the display moved to the front with respect to the operation panel. It is a figure which shows the state which the display moved to the front and the downward direction with respect to the operation panel. It is a figure which shows the state which the display inclined to the front side. It is a figure which shows the state which the display inclined to the rear side. It is a perspective view which shows the handle which concerns on other embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a perspective view thereof. This ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is an apparatus that is installed in a medical institution and forms an ultrasonic image by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from a living body. In FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a main body 10 and a movable part 12. The lower part of the main body 10 constitutes a base 14, and four casters 16 are provided on the base 14. A plurality of electronic boards are accommodated in the main body 10.

  The movable unit 12 includes an operation panel 18, a display device 20, and an arm mechanism 22. The movable portion 12 is configured to be movable up and down with respect to the main body 10. Specifically, the operation panel 18 is attached to the main body 10 via a support column. The position and posture of the operation panel 18 can be freely changed with respect to the main body 10 by the slide mechanism and the turning mechanism. These mechanisms are not shown.

  The operation panel 18 includes a front part 24 and a rear part 26, and the rear part 26 has a form that rises obliquely upward from the back side of the front part 24. A plurality of input devices are provided on the operation panel 18. These include switches and trackballs. The rear portion 26 is provided with a display device constituted by a touch screen panel. The upper side of the display is located near the upper side of the rear portion 26. As shown, various switches are provided on the rear portion 26 in addition to the display. Some of them are near the upper edge of the rear. A frame having a plurality of holders is provided around the front portion 24. A probe (not shown) is held by each holder.

  The display device 20 is configured by a flat panel display in the present embodiment. The display device 20 is held with respect to the operation panel 18 via an arm mechanism 22. With the arm mechanism 22, the position and posture of the display device 20 can be freely changed with respect to the operation panel 18. Specifically, the vertical position, turning angle, and ethylt angle of the display device 20 can be freely changed by the user. In the present embodiment, the position and orientation of the display device 20 can be freely adjusted separately from the operation panel 18.

  The display device 20 is constituted by a flat panel display as described above. For example, it is a liquid crystal display device. The display device 20 has a display surface 28 on the front surface thereof. An ultrasonic image is displayed on the display surface 28. The periphery of the display 28 is a frame body 30, and the frame body 30 is made of a member such as a resin. As will be described later, the frame 30 is composed of an upper frame, a lower frame, a right frame, and a left frame. When viewed from the front side, the frame 30 itself has a rectangular shape with a certain width. have.

  A handle 32 is provided on the frame 30 of the display 20. Specifically, a handle 32 is provided on the front surface of the lower frame in the frame body 30. This will be described in detail below with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The display 20 is provided with a handle 32. In the illustrated example, the display device 20 is positioned in the state of being close to the back end of the operation panel. The handle 32 is a handle-like member that rises obliquely upward on the front side from the lower side on the front side of the lower frame. As will be described later, the handle 32 includes a horizontal bar and a pair of connecting portions provided at both ends thereof. Between the rear surface of the handle 20 and the front surface of the lower frame, a wedge-shaped gap having a width that narrows from the upper side to the lower side when viewed from the side surface is generated. The rising angle of the handle 32 is set within a range of 30 to 60 degrees, for example, with the front surface of the lower frame as a reference (with an angle of 0 degrees). The angle in this case is an average angle of the front surface or the back surface of the handle 32. In the present embodiment, in the handle 32, the amount of horizontal protrusion from the front surface of the lower frame gradually decreases from the upper part to the lower part.

  When operating the handle 32, the tip of one or more fingers from the index finger to the little finger is inserted into the gap behind the horizontal bar in the handle 32, and the thumb is pressed against the lower side of the bar. By moving the display 20 in such a picking state, the position and orientation of the display are changed.

  The handle 32 may be picked and held by the fingertip of the thumb and a plurality of other fingertips, or the handle 32 is held by holding the palm in the horizontal direction and pressing the palm against the front side of the handle 32. It may be. In any case, since the center of the grip 32 or the position where the handle 32 is gripped is slightly above the lower frame, the problem of hand pinching between the display and the operation panel is effectively prevented, as will be described later. Or it can be mitigated. Further, as described above, since the protrusion amount of the handle 32 on the front surface of the lower frame decreases from the upper side to the lower side, it is possible to improve the visibility of the operation panel when viewed from the user side.

  FIG. 3 shows a side view of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The upper part 34 of the main body 10 has a slightly curved shape while rising obliquely rearward from the front to the rear. An upper surface 34A of the upper portion 34 forms an inclined surface that is curved obliquely rearward. The operation panel 18 and the like are located above the upper surface 34A.

  As described above, the operation panel 18 includes the front part 24 and the rear part 26, and the inclination angles thereof are different from each other. That is, the inclination angle of the upper surface of the rear portion 26 is larger than the inclination angle of the upper surface of the front portion 24. These angles are defined relative to the horizontal plane. A pedestal 36 extending in the horizontal direction is formed on the back side of the operation panel 18, and the arm mechanism 22 is mounted on the pedestal 36. The arm mechanism 22 includes a first arm 38, a support post 38A, a second arm 40, a third arm 42, and the like. The first arm 38 is turnable with respect to the pedestal 36. A support post 38A is provided at the back end of the first arm 38, and the second arm 40 is held by the support post 38A so as to be capable of swinging and turning. The second arm 40 has, for example, a parallel link mechanism, and a third arm 42 is turnably provided at the end of the second arm 40 on the display unit 20 side. A tilt axis (horizontal axis) for tilting motion is provided at the end of the third arm 42 on the display unit 20 side, and the display unit 20 is attached to the third arm 42 through the tilt axis. According to such an arm mechanism 22, the position and orientation of the display device 20 can be freely set. Incidentally, the third arm 42 extends rearward from the tilt axis, and the portion has a circular arc shape that extends obliquely upward from the lower side.

  A handle 32 is provided on the lower part on the front side of the display device 20, specifically on the front surface of the lower frame. In the state shown in FIG. 3, the lower part of the display device 20 and the handle 32 are close to the back end of the operation panel 18. As described above, the handle 32 has a form that rises diagonally upward from the lower end of the front surface of the lower frame, and in the example shown in FIG. 3, the handle 32 has a form that slightly warps upward. A gap 33 is formed on the back side of the handle 32, specifically, between the back surface of the handle 32 and the front surface of the lower frame. The gap 33 has a form in which the width becomes narrower from above to below. Even in the upper part of the gap 33, the width in the front-rear direction is narrow and the fingertip can be inserted into the gap, but the entire finger cannot be inserted. Although it is possible to hook the fingertip of the thumb on the upper side of the opening described later, the thumb cannot be inserted into the opening. The handle 32 having such a shape is grasped and held by the user's hand.

  FIG. 4 shows a part of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus as a front view. As described above, the handle 32 is provided on the lower frame of the display 20. The handle 32 includes a bar 32C extending in the horizontal direction and a pair of connecting portions 32A and 32B provided at both ends thereof. An opening 32D is formed below the bar 32C, and the opening 32D communicates with the gap described above. When gripping the bar 32C, the belly of the thumb is applied to the lower side of the bar 32C, or the fingertip of the thumb is hooked to the lower side of the bar 32C. Of course, it is also possible to operate the handle 32 using only other fingertips without using the thumb.

  FIG. 5 shows the handle as an enlarged view. In the display device 20, the periphery of the display surface 28 is a frame body 30. The frame 30 includes an upper frame (not shown), a lower frame 30A, a right frame 30B, and a left frame 30C. A handle 32 is provided on the front surface of the lower frame 30A. Reference numeral 100 represents the horizontal width of the display. A handle 32 is provided in the range of the horizontal width 102 at the center of the width 100. Reference numeral 104 indicates the vertical width of the front surface of the lower frame 30A. When the handle 32 is viewed from the front, the vertical width 106 of the handle 32 is substantially the same as the vertical width 104 of the lower frame. That is, the height of the lower end of the handle 32 matches the height of the lower end of the lower frame 30A, and the height of the upper end of the handle 32 matches the height of the upper end of the lower frame 30A. If the difference is about a few millimeters, it can be considered that the coincidence is established.

  FIG. 6 shows the operation of the handle 32. Incidentally, the handle 32 </ b> A indicated by a broken line is a comparative example, which protrudes from the display 20 in the horizontal direction.

  In FIG. 6, the lower end on the front side of the display 20 is close to the end on the back side of the operation panel 18, and the display 20 is in a substantially vertical state. As described above, the inclination angle of the handle 32 is, for example, in the range of 30 to 60 degrees with respect to the front surface of the display 20. However, this is only an example. The angle is 45 degrees, for example. According to the present embodiment, a large field of view for the operation panel 18 can be ensured, for example, as indicated by reference numeral 110. Here, the line denoted by reference numeral 108 indicates the upper limit of the visual field range. Since the handle 32 rises obliquely forward, it is possible to ensure a large visual field range.

  On the other hand, according to the handle 32A as a comparative example, when the upper limit angle 112 similar to the upper limit angle 108 is assumed, the visual field range is indicated by reference numeral 114. As a result, the rear end of the operation panel 18, that is, There is a problem that the upper edge portion 120 is covered with the handle 32A. For example, there arises a problem that the upper end portion of the display which is a sub display is hidden by the handle 32A. Alternatively, when such an upper end edge portion 120 is to be viewed, it is necessary to lower the viewpoint position so as not to be obstructed by the handle 32 </ b> A and perform observation from an angle indicated by reference numeral 116. In that case, the visual field range is indicated by reference numeral 118.

  In this embodiment, such inconvenience can be eliminated. That is, in the positional relationship shown in FIG. 6, the entire upper surface of the operation panel 18 can be easily visually recognized. In addition, since the operation position of the handle 32 can be raised upward as compared with the conventional case, it is possible to greatly improve and reduce the problem that the hand is caught between the operation panel 18 and the display device 20. It is.

  By the way, when the position and posture of the display device 20 are changed by holding the handle 32, the frame body may be supplementarily held by another free hand.

  FIG. 7 shows a state where the display device 20 is further pulled out to the near side. Even in this case, as shown by reference numeral 118, the visibility of the operation panel 18 can be improved by preventing concealment by the handle as much as possible. In the state shown in FIG. 8, the display device 20 is further pulled out to the near side, and it is pulled down downward. Even in that case, the visibility of the operation panel 18 can be improved as indicated by reference numeral 120 according to the present embodiment as compared with the case where the handle is protruded in the horizontal direction as in the comparative example. It is. In the present embodiment, since the third arm described above has a curved form that rises obliquely toward the back side, the collision with the back side end of the operation panel 18 is avoided, and the position of the tilt axis is further lowered. Is possible (see FIG. 8).

  FIG. 9 shows a state in which the display device 20 is inclined to the front side, and FIG. 10 shows a state in which the display device 20 is inclined to the rear side. In any case, the visibility of the operation panel 18 can be improved as indicated by reference numerals 122 and 124.

  FIG. 11 shows another embodiment. In this embodiment, the handle 38 has a single plate-like form. It has a form that rises obliquely upward from the lower end on the front surface of the lower frame. A wedge-shaped gap is formed on the back side of the handle 38, but there is no opening on the front side.

  Even with such a configuration, it is possible to obtain the same effects as described above. However, according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the like, since the handle has an opening, it is possible to hook the thumb on the upper side of the opening or press the palm against the upper side of the opening, and the gripping property is further improved. The advantage that can be improved.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Main body, 12 Movable part, 18 Operation panel, 20 Display, 22 Arm mechanism, 28 Display surface, 30 Frame, 32 Handle.

Claims (7)

An operation panel operated by a user;
A display surface that displays an ultrasonic image, a frame provided around the display surface, and a handle provided in a lower frame of the frame, and a display provided to be movable;
Including
The handle has a form that rises obliquely upward toward the front side on the front surface of the lower frame,
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The apparatus of claim 1.
The front surface of the handle is a diagonally downward slope;
A gap was formed between the back surface of the handle and the front surface of the lower frame so that a fingertip could be inserted,
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The apparatus of claim 2.
The gap has a wedge shape gradually narrowing from the top to the bottom,
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The apparatus of claim 2.
The handle is
A bar having a shape extending in the horizontal direction;
A pair of connecting portions connected to both ends of the bar and fixing the bar to the lower frame;
Including
An opening communicating with the gap is formed between the lower side of the bar and the pair of connecting portions.
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The apparatus of claim 1.
The height of the upper end of the handle is not more than a height that does not substantially exceed the upper end of the lower frame,
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The apparatus of claim 5.
The height of the lower end of the handle is not less than a height that does not substantially fall below the lower end of the lower frame,
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. In the display for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the position and posture of which can be changed by the user,
A display surface for displaying an ultrasound image;
A frame body provided around the display surface and having an upper frame, a lower frame, a right frame, and a left frame;
A handle provided on the front surface of the lower frame;
Including
The handle has a form that rises obliquely from the lower part of the front surface of the lower frame upward to the front side,
A gap was formed between the back surface of the handle and the front surface of the lower frame so that a fingertip could be inserted,
A display for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

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