JPH0425014B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an ultrasonic deep probe used in an ultrasonic inspection apparatus that inspects the inside of a subject by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals.

Problems with the configuration of the conventional example There are few conventional ultrasonic depth probes that can be used particularly in the oral cavity. For intraoral use, the present applicant has previously proposed an ultrasonic depth probe shown in FIG.
In FIG. 1, an ultrasonic transducer 1 is housed in an ultrasonic cell 3 filled with a sound wave propagation medium 2, and the ultrasonic transducer 1 is connected to a motion transmission shaft 5 coupled to a driver 4. 4 to perform fan-shaped scanning. Reference numeral 6 indicates a sealing material that seals the sound wave propagation medium 2. A signal line is connected to a transmitter/receiver (not shown) from the ultrasonic transducer 1 through the inside of the motion transmission shaft 5, and ultrasonic waves are transmitted into the subject 8 from the acoustic window 7 in the front of the ultrasonic cell 3. 9 is transmitted, the reflected signals from the eight subjects are received again by the ultrasound transducer 1, and after the signals are processed by the receiving section, an ultrasonic tomographic image is displayed and the subjects 8 are examined. Since such an oral ultrasound probe inspects the inside of the oral cavity when inspecting the inside of the subject 8, it is necessary to disinfect and clean the outer periphery. Further, since the thin membrane 10 is attached to the acoustic window 7, it may be damaged and damaged. Furthermore, depending on the position and shape of the subject 8, the ultrasonic cell 3
needs to be replaced. However, in such a case, it is necessary to attach and detach the ultrasonic cell 3, but the conventional method has the drawback that it is necessary to remove the drive unit cover 11, cut the signal line, and disassemble the attachment part of the motion transmission shaft 5. , which cannot be easily replaced and is very inconvenient for the user. Further, when injecting the sound wave propagation medium 2 into the ultrasonic cell 3, the injection port 12,
It is necessary to provide an air vent 13, which increases the size and makes it difficult to inspect a narrow space such as the inside of the oral cavity. Furthermore, unless the membrane 10 is projected beyond the acoustic window 7, it cannot be reliably applied to the subject. In this case, the volume of the protrusion is determined by the injection amount of the sound wave propagation medium 2, but it is difficult to make this amount constant.

Purpose of the Invention The present invention has been made in order to solve the conventional problems as described above, and provides an ultrasonic probe that can easily attach and detach an ultrasonic cell when replacing and attaching an ultrasonic cell. Another object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic probe in which the amount of a sound wave propagation medium enclosed can be made constant.

Structure of the Invention In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes an ultrasonic transducer that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, and an ultrasonic transducer that contains the ultrasonic transducer, houses a sound wave propagation medium, and transmits the ultrasonic wave emitted from the ultrasonic transducer. The ultrasonic cell is equipped with an acoustic window equipped with a membrane, and a drive unit cover that wraps the drive unit that mechanically scans the ultrasonic transducer. In addition, the acoustic window is covered with a stretchable membrane, and one end of the drive unit cover is inserted into the ultrasonic cell in a fluid-tight manner, so that a sound wave propagation medium is inserted into the membrane. The present invention provides an ultrasonic deep probe characterized by being filled with.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing an ultrasonic probe in one embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasonic transducer 1 is installed in an ultrasonic cell 3 filled with a sound wave propagation medium 2, and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves 9 into a subject 8. Ultrasonic waves 9 transmitted by the ultrasound transducer 1 are transmitted within the subject 8 via a stretchable membrane 10 provided in the acoustic window 7 . 4 is a driver, and 5 is a motion transmission shaft. A protrusion 14 is formed at one end of the ultrasonic cell 3 , and a recess 15 is formed at one end of the drive section cover 11 . The ultrasonic cell 3 is removably coupled to the drive unit cover 11 by this. Further, a seal 6' is installed at the tip of the drive unit cover 11, and the seal 6' protrudes from the recess 15 into the ultrasonic cell 3 by a volume A. As a result, when the ultrasonic cell 3 is attached, by filling the ultrasonic cell 3 with the sound wave propagation medium 2 and inserting the drive unit cover 11, extra sound wave propagation is allowed until the seal 6' comes into contact with the ultrasonic cell 3. When the medium 2 is removed and the drive unit cover 11 is inserted thereafter, the membrane 10 is made to protrude from the ultrasound cell 3 by the volume A.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the ultrasonic cell 3
The drive unit cover 11, the ultrasonic transducer 1, and the concave and convex portions 14 and 15 make it easy to attach and detach, making it possible to replace only the ultrasonic cell 3 when replacing the membrane 10 when it is damaged. Further, since the amount of protrusion of the membrane 10 can be defined by the volume A when the ultrasound cell 3 is attached, it is possible to maintain the adhesion of the membrane 10 to the subject 8 at an optimal state at all times.

Further, although the present embodiment has been described using the uneven portions 14 and 15, screws or bands may be used instead of the uneven portions.

Effects of the Invention In summary, the present invention consists of an ultrasonic transducer that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, an operation transmission shaft that drives the ultrasonic transducer, a drive section cover, and an ultrasonic cell that encloses a sound wave propagation medium. A portion of the drive unit cover is inserted into the ultrasonic cell, and the drive unit cover is removable via the provided protrusion. It is easy to replace only the cell, and there is no need to provide an inlet for the sound wave propagation medium, so it can be applied to narrow spaces such as the oral cavity.Also, since the amount of membrane protrusion can be kept constant, it can be easily applied to the subject. This made it possible to always maintain the same adhesion.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a conventional ultrasound probe, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of an ultrasound probe according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1... Ultrasonic vibrator, 2... Sound wave propagation medium, 3
...Ultrasonic cell, 4...Driver, 5...Motion transmission shaft, 6, 6'...Seal, 7...Acoustic window, 8...
Subject, 9...Ultrasound, 10...Membrane, 1
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Drive part cover, 14... Convex part, 15... Concave part.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Equipped with an ultrasonic transducer that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, and an acoustic window that includes the ultrasonic transducer, houses a sound wave propagation medium, and is equipped with a membrane that transmits the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic transducer. an ultrasonic cell, a drive unit that mechanically scans the ultrasonic transducer, and a drive unit cover that encloses the drive unit, and the ultrasonic cell is removable from the drive unit cover and the ultrasonic transducer. and the acoustic window is covered with a stretchable membrane, and by inserting one end of the drive unit cover into the ultrasonic cell in a fluid-tight manner, the membrane is filled with a sound wave propagation medium. An ultrasonic depth probe that is characterized by the ability to