JP4282129B2 - Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus equipped with a so-called multi-plane type ultrasonic endoscope probe capable of arbitrarily changing the cross-sectional position by rotating a vibrator built in the distal end of the middle of the road with a motor. is there.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a so-called multi-plane ultrasonic endoscope probe that can rotate an ultrasonic transducer with a motor and perform ultrasonic scanning at an arbitrary angle, when the voltage for driving the motor is constant,
(1) The motor does not drive due to insufficient torque,
(2) Positioning of the vibrator does not converge due to torque over,
Problems occur.
[0003]
In order to solve these problems, as shown in FIG. 9, if the initial value of the motor drive voltage is set low and the vibrator does not rotate even if the vibrator rotation command is given, the motor drive voltage is It is considered to increase it step by step.
[0004]
However, in a state where the tip portion is bent (a state where an angle is applied), in order to rotate the vibrator, a motor torque larger than a straight state where the tip portion is not bent (a state where no angle is applied) is required. Therefore, there is a problem that the time until the vibrator starts rotating becomes long.
[0005]
There are also the following problems. In order to detect the rotation angle of the ultrasonic vibrator, a magnetic body is applied in a zebra pattern at a constant width and a constant interval to a pulley integrated with the vibrator. A magnetic sensor (MR element) is disposed in the vicinity of the magnetic material, and a pulse is output every time the magnetic material passes through the magnetized portion. The pulses are counted from the initial position, and the direction (rotation angle) of the vibrator is detected from the counted value (number of pulses). Therefore, if the number of pulses is not accurately counted, the vibrator may be set in the wrong direction.
[0006]
However, it does not know if there is a situation in which no pulse is generated at all due to a failure of the MR element, for example, when a situation occurs in which there is no partial occurrence of a pulse in which a certain magnetic material is peeled off. Since this could not be done, it may happen that the transducer is actually set at a position different from the operator's expectation and the diagnosis is performed at the wrong position. For example, even if the operator wants to move the transducer to a position where the pulse is the 11th pulse counted from the reference position (origin) and perform image diagnosis at that position, the 10th magnetic body is actually peeled off. When it has fallen, the vibrator is actually set at a position where the pulse becomes the 12th pulse.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including an ultrasonic endoscope probe that can detect a rotation angle error of a vibrator.
[0008]
A second object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic endoscope probe and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can detect a rotation angle error of a transducer.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention transmits a power of a motor provided in a hand operation unit to a vibrator at a distal end of a guiding part through a wire, and rotates the vibrator. An ultrasonic endoscope probe equipped with a function for realizing plane scanning and a function for generating a pulse every time the vibrator rotates by a predetermined angle, and a subject via the vibrator of the ultrasonic endoscope probe Means for scanning the inside with ultrasonic waves, means for generating a tomographic image based on a signal obtained by the scanning, and repeatedly inputting the pulse while the transducer rotates from an initial position to a maximum angle, Means for obtaining an average time of a pulse period and outputting an error message when the average time is longer than a predetermined time.
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention transmits a power of a motor provided in a hand operation unit to a vibrator at a distal end of a guiding part through a wire, and rotates the vibrator. An ultrasonic endoscope probe equipped with a function for realizing plane scanning and a function for generating a pulse every time the vibrator rotates by a predetermined angle, and a subject via the vibrator of the ultrasonic endoscope probe Means for scanning the inside with ultrasonic waves, means for generating a tomographic image based on the signal obtained by the scanning, and input while the transducer rotates from the first reference position to the second reference position And means for counting the number of pulses and outputting an error message when the counted number of pulses does not match a predetermined number.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an ultrasonic endoscope probe and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings according to preferred embodiments. FIG. 1 is an external view showing the structure of an ultrasonic endoscope probe according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 shows the internal structure of the tip of FIG. The ultrasonic endoscope probe is composed of a hand operating part 14, a midway part 13, a bent part 12, and a tip part 11 in appearance. A vibrator 17 in which a plurality of piezoelectric elements are arranged is housed in the distal end portion 11 in a state of being attached to a pulley 18. The pulley 18 and the drive shaft of the motor in the hand operation section 14 are connected by a wire 22. When the operator presses the vibrator rotation switch 16 attached to the hand operation section 14, the motor rotates, and the pulley 18 rotates with the vibrator 17 according to the rotation of the motor. Here, it is assumed that the pulley 18 and the vibrator 17 are rotatable up to about 180 ° at the maximum with the origin as 0 °.
[0012]
As shown in FIG. 3A, a magnetic body 19 is applied to the outer periphery of the pulley 18 in a zebra pattern with a constant width and a constant interval. In the vicinity of the magnetic body 19, an MR (magnetoresistive) element 20, which is a sensor for detecting magnetism, is held by a holder 21. When the pulley 18 rotates, pulses are output from the MR element 20 in a line according to the coating pattern of the magnetic body 19. For example, it is assumed that the magnetic body 19 is coated so that 10 pulses are generated from the MR element 20 when the pulley 18 rotates by 5 °.
[0013]
The hand operation unit 14 is provided with a dial-shaped angle knob 15. When the operator turns the angle knob 15, the bent portion 12 bends as shown in FIG. 4A according to the operation amount (rotation angle). The angle of the axis of the bent part 12 with respect to the axis of the middle part 13 is called a bending angle, where 0 ° is a state where the axis of the middle part 13 and the axis of the bent part 12 are aligned. A potentiometer 23 is attached to the shaft of the angle knob 15 to detect the operation amount (rotation angle) of the angle knob 15, that is, the bending angle of the bent portion 12.
[0014]
FIG. 5 shows a configuration of main parts related to the rotation of the vibrator of the present embodiment. While the transducer rotation switch 16 is being pressed, a control signal is continuously supplied from the transducer rotation controller 30 to the transducer rotation power source 32, and the transducer rotation power source 32 vibrates in accordance with this control signal. A driving voltage is continuously applied to the child rotating motor 34, whereby the pulley 18 and the vibrator 17 are continuously rotated.
[0015]
While the pulley 18 and the vibrator 17 are continuously rotated, pulses are successively supplied from the MR element 20 to the vibrator rotation controller 30. The transducer rotation controller 30 counts the pulses and calculates the current position (current rotation angle) based on the number of pulses from the initial positions (origin) of the pulley 18 and the transducer 17. Then, the transducer rotation controller 30 outputs a signal necessary for displaying the calculated current rotation angle on the display 33.
[0016]
Note that the rotation of the pulley 18 and the vibrator 17 may not start despite the application of voltage. This is mainly due to an increase in the frictional resistance of the wire 22 due to the bending of the bent portion 12. In order to deal with such a problem, the vibrator rotation controller 30 does not start the rotation of the pulley 18 and the vibrator 17 even though the voltage is applied, and as a result, a pulse is output from the MR element 20. When no input is made, the function of controlling the vibrator rotation power supply 32 so as to increase the drive voltage from the vibrator rotation power supply 32 to the vibrator rotation motor 34 by a predetermined level until the rotation is started and the rotation is stabilized. have.
[0017]
Further, the voltage required for the pulley 18 and the vibrator 17 to rotate stably differs depending on the bending angle of the bending portion 12. For this reason, the time required until the angular velocity is stabilized after the rotation of the pulley 18 and the vibrator 17 is started may vary depending on the bending angle of the bending portion 12. In response to such a problem, as shown in FIG. 6, the time required for the angular velocity to stabilize after the rotation of the pulley 18 and the vibrator 17 is started is made substantially constant regardless of the bending angle of the bending portion 12. Therefore, the vibrator rotation controller 30 changes the initial value of the drive voltage applied from the vibrator rotation power supply 32 to the vibrator rotation motor 34 according to the output of the potentiometer 23, that is, the bending angle of the bending portion 12. As described above, it also has a function of controlling the vibrator rotating power source 32. A correspondence table (FIG. 7) of the output of the potentiometer 23, that is, the bending angle of the bent portion 12 and the initial value of the driving voltage applied to the vibrator rotating motor 34 from the vibrator rotating power supply 32 is shown for the initial voltage. Stored in the memory 31 in advance.
[0018]
Further, as described above, the rotation angles from the origins of the pulley 18 and the vibrator 17 are displayed on the display 33 under the vibrator rotation controller 30. This rotation angle is very important in terms of diagnostic reliability. That is, if the displayed rotation angle is different from the actual rotation angle, the diagnosis is made by looking at a place different from the place assumed by the operator (observer). As shown in FIG. 8 (a), the main cause of such a problem is that the magnetic body 19 that should have been applied to the outer periphery of the pulley 18 in a zebra pattern with a constant width and a constant interval. As shown in FIG. 8B, it is considered that the pulse is not normally generated due to a defect such as being not partially applied for some reason or being peeled off.
[0019]
In the present embodiment, the vibrator rotation controller 30 is equipped with a function for alerting the operator by detecting such an error situation and displaying an error message on the display 33. Yes. There are various error detection methods, but the following method, which is considered to have the highest reliability, is adopted in the present embodiment. This detection operation may be performed whenever the device is started up, or may be performed periodically according to the total operation time from installation to the present, or at the time when the operator instructs You may make it implement, Furthermore, you may make it combine these arbitrarily.
[0020]
As described above, the pulley 18 and the vibrator 17 can be rotated up to about 180 ° at the maximum with the origin as 0 °. First, the vibrator rotation controller 30 returns the pulley 18 and the vibrator 17 to the origin, and rotates the pulley 18 and the vibrator 17 to a maximum rotation angle of 180 °. During this time, pulses are successively supplied from the MR element 20 to the transducer rotation controller 30. The total number N of pulses during this period is counted, the time T required for 180 ° rotation is measured, and the average time of the pulse period is calculated by (T / N). The average time of the pulse period is compared with a threshold value. If the average time of the pulse period is longer than the threshold value, it is determined that at least one magnetic body 19 is missing and an error message is output. .
[0021]
In addition, two reference points are provided within this range without rotating from the origin to the maximum angle of 180 °, and the total number of pulses emitted while rotating between these reference points is counted. May be compared with a threshold value, and when the total number of pulses does not match the threshold value, it may be determined that at least one magnetic body 19 is missing and an error message may be output.
[0022]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the initial value of the driving voltage of the motor is adjusted according to the bending angle of the bending portion 12, so that the vibrator rotation is started in a certain time regardless of the bending angle, and stable. Can reach up to rotation. In addition, since it is possible to detect that the magnetic body 19 is missing, an error that the calculated rotation angle of the vibrator 17 is different from the actual one is detected and an error message is output. Can be prevented.
[0023]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented with various modifications.
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
In the present invention, since the initial value of the motor drive voltage is adjusted according to the bending angle, the vibrator rotation can be started in a certain time regardless of the bending angle.
[0025]
Further, in the present invention, since it is possible to detect the absence of the magnetic pulse, it is possible to detect a rotation angle error of the vibrator and prevent a misdiagnosis caused by the error.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external view of an ultrasonic endoscope probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view showing an internal structure of a tip portion of FIG.
FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a magnetization pattern of a magnetic material, and FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a pulse train from an MR element corresponding to FIG.
4A is a diagram showing a bending angle of the bent portion of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4B is a structural diagram of the angle knob of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part related to vibrator rotation according to the present embodiment.
6 is a diagram showing a time change of a motor drive voltage by the vibrator rotation controller of FIG. 5;
7 is a diagram showing a relationship between a bending angle of a bent portion and an initial value of a motor driving voltage stored in an initial voltage memory in FIG. 5;
8A is a diagram showing a magnetic defect, and FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a pulse train from an MR element corresponding to FIG. 8A.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a time change of a conventional motor driving voltage.
[Explanation of symbols]
11 ... the tip,
12 ... bent portion,
13 ...
14: Hand control unit,
15 ... Knob for angle,
16 ... vibrator rotation switch,
17 ... vibrator,
18 ... pulley,
19 ... Magnetic material,
20 ... MR element,
21 ... Holder,
22 ... Wire,
23: Potentiometer.

Claims (2)

The function of realizing multi-plane scanning by transmitting the power of the motor provided in the hand control section to the vibrator at the leading end of the guiding section through a wire and rotating the vibrator, and the vibrator rotates by a predetermined angle An ultrasonic endoscope probe equipped with a function of generating a pulse each time,
Means for scanning the inside of the subject with ultrasonic waves via the transducer of the ultrasonic endoscope probe;
Means for generating a tomographic image based on a signal obtained by the scanning;
Means for repeatedly inputting the pulse while the vibrator rotates from the initial position to the maximum angle, obtaining an average time of the period of the pulse, and outputting an error message when the average time is longer than a predetermined time; An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: The function of realizing multi-plane scanning by transmitting the power of the motor provided in the hand control section to the vibrator at the leading end of the guiding section through a wire and rotating the vibrator, and the vibrator rotates by a predetermined angle An ultrasonic endoscope probe equipped with a function of generating a pulse each time,
Means for scanning the inside of the subject with ultrasonic waves via the transducer of the ultrasonic endoscope probe;
Means for generating a tomographic image based on a signal obtained by the scanning;
Means for counting the number of pulses input while the vibrator rotates from the first reference position to the second reference position, and outputting an error message when the counted number of pulses does not match a predetermined number; An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

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