JP5454855B2 - Cart for diagnostic imaging equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a carriage on which an image diagnostic apparatus typified by, for example, an ultrasonic apparatus is mounted, and more particularly to a carriage that facilitates electrical and mechanical contact and separation between the image diagnostic apparatus and the carriage.

  The current diagnostic imaging apparatus has a tendency toward miniaturization as compared with the conventional diagnostic imaging apparatus. The size of such a miniaturized diagnostic imaging apparatus (for example, a portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus) is about the same as that of a notebook computer. If necessary, the diagnostic imaging apparatus can be used as it is or in a cart. Use in the mounted state can be selected, and its convenience is high.

  An operator (for example, a doctor or an engineer) of the portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus needs to make an electrical and mechanical connection when connecting the main body of the portable ultrasonic apparatus and the carriage.

  That is, in order to expand the functions of the portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, it is necessary to use the apparatus main body and the carriage integrally connected to each other, and to make a double connection between electricity and machine. The electrical connection serves to communicate the main body with the circuit portion of the carriage and other extended function modules. The mechanical connection serves to connect the main body and the cart firmly and securely. Usually, the main body of a portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is heavy. For this reason, it is difficult to fix and electrically connect to the carriage while holding the portable ultrasonic device by hand. On the other hand, installation of a portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus on a carriage is usually performed by a single person rather than by a plurality of persons. In this installation work, for example, first, mechanical connection is realized, and then electrical connection is performed (or executed in the reverse order).

  By the way, the connection between the conventional portable ultrasonic device and the cart requires a lot of cables, and the mechanical connection and the electrical connection are performed independently, which is very complicated. That is, the conventional connection structure needs to perform mechanical connection and electrical connection independently. In addition, the conventional connection structure needs to be accurately inserted by adjusting the positions of the main body and the connector. If the diagnostic imaging apparatus is heavy, the operation becomes inconvenient.

  The present invention does not require position adjustment between the main body and the connector at the time of mounting, and is automatically aligned, and the apparatus is adjusted so as to allow a certain error. An object of the present invention is to provide a cart for an image diagnostic apparatus that simultaneously realizes multiple connections.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following measures.

The invention according to claim 1 is a mounting unit for mounting a diagnostic imaging apparatus that can be carried by hand,
A leg part joined to the mounting part, a connector that can be inserted into and removed from a predetermined part of the diagnostic imaging apparatus, and that transmits and receives signals to and from the diagnostic imaging apparatus, and a predetermined position of the mounting part. In conjunction with the operation of the connector moving mechanism for moving the connector in the insertion / extraction direction with respect to the placed diagnostic imaging apparatus, the movement of the diagnostic imaging apparatus is restricted when the connector is inserted. And a restricting mechanism for releasing the restriction of the movement when the connector is pulled out.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mounting portion for mounting the image diagnostic device that can be carried by hand on the mounting surface, a leg portion joined to the mounting portion, and a predetermined portion of the image diagnostic device. And the connector for transmitting / receiving signals to / from the diagnostic imaging apparatus, and the diagnostic imaging apparatus placed at a predetermined position on the mounting unit, the connector is moved in the insertion / extraction direction. A connector moving mechanism for performing the operation, and when the connector is inserted into the predetermined part of the diagnostic imaging apparatus, the lower surface of the diagnostic imaging apparatus is interlocked with the operation of the connector moving mechanism. When the connector is removed from the predetermined portion of the diagnostic imaging apparatus, the fitting with the lower surface is released in conjunction with the operation of the connector moving mechanism. To the predetermined position A diagnostic imaging apparatus carriage, characterized by comprising: a limiting mechanism which is location, the.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mounting unit for mounting a diagnostic imaging device that can be carried by hand, a leg joined to the mounting unit, and a predetermined part of the diagnostic imaging device. A connector for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the diagnostic imaging apparatus, and a connector for moving the connector in the insertion / extraction direction with respect to the diagnostic imaging apparatus placed at a predetermined position of the mounting unit In conjunction with the operation of the connector moving mechanism, the moving mechanism includes a restriction mechanism that restricts movement of the diagnostic imaging apparatus when the connector is inserted and releases the restriction of movement when the connector is pulled out, The sliding member includes a plate-like portion and a concave groove that passes through the plate-like portion, and the limiting mechanism is coupled to the connector moving mechanism, and the operation of the connector moving mechanism accompanying the movement of the connector Sliding movement A sliding member; a hook portion; and a support plate, wherein the hook portion is rotatably mounted on the support plate. When the connector is inserted, the hook portion is slid Contact with the edge of the groove of the member, when pulling out the connector, contact with the edge of the groove opposite to the insertion, the hook portion has a fitting portion, and when the connector is inserted, the fitting The portion is fitted with a fitting portion provided in the diagnostic imaging apparatus by pressing on the edge of the concave groove to limit the movement of the diagnostic imaging apparatus. An image diagnostic apparatus cart characterized in that the fitting of the fitting part and the fitting part is released by pressing the edge to release the movement of the diagnostic imaging apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be given only when necessary.

  The cart for the diagnostic imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment is provided with a structure on which the diagnostic imaging apparatus and the carriage can be electrically and mechanically connected, and on which the diagnostic imaging apparatus is placed. . FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a cart and an image diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a diagnostic imaging apparatus body, and 20 denotes a carriage. The carriage 20 has a mounting table 21 on which the diagnostic imaging apparatus 20 is mounted. Further, in the lower half portion 22 of the carriage 20, an expansion device that extends the functions of the diagnostic imaging apparatus main body is provided. Furthermore, a caster (castor) for freely moving the cart 20 is provided at the lowermost end of the cart 20.

  The mounting table 20 is provided with a handle 23 and a fixed connector 24, and the fixed connector 24 is provided with a protruding plug 25 for electrical connection with the diagnostic imaging apparatus 10.

  FIG. 2A is a plan view of the carriage and the diagnostic imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2B is a side view of the diagnostic imaging apparatus. The mounting table 21 of the carriage 20 is provided with two (but not limited to two) protruding rails 210 and four (but not limited to four) positioning recesses 211. . At the corresponding position of the diagnostic imaging apparatus 10, two concave grooves 100 that fit into the rail 210 and four protruding legs 101 that fit into the positioning recess 211 are provided.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific structure of the carriage mounting table 21 according to the present embodiment. The carriage 10 includes a handle 23, an L-shaped hook portion 26, a sliding plate 27, a support plate 28, a position limiting block 29, and a fixed connector 24.

  The handle 23 is used for human operation, and its end is pivotally attached to one side of the mounting table and connected to the fixed connector 24. When the handle 40 rotates around the end, the fixed connector 24 is driven. Can be moved. As shown in FIG. 2, the hook portion 26 is fixed to the support plate 28 by a fixing mechanism such as a bolt 30. The number of hook portions 26 may be one or two or more. The sliding plate 27 moves with respect to the support plate 28 according to the movement of the handle 40, and controls the rotation of the hook portion by the movement of the sliding plate 27 in the front-rear direction. A specific control process will be described later. The sliding plate 27 is provided with a sliding groove through which the sliding plate 27 is inserted. As a result, the sliding plate 27 can slide with respect to the support plate 28. A position limiting block 29 is provided in the sliding groove. This block 29 prevents the sliding plate from jumping up and limits the range of forward and backward movement. The fixed connector 24 and other electrical components are fixed in one rectangular parallelepiped case.

  4A and 4B are side views of the carriage. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the hook portion 26 of FIGS. 4A and 4B. The diagnostic imaging apparatus 10 does not have to be in direct contact with the sliding plate 27 and the support plate 28 when placed on the mounting table 21 of the carriage 20. On the bottom surface of the diagnostic imaging apparatus, there are provided step portions 32 that are recessed inward corresponding to the number and size of the hook portions 26. At one end of the stepped portion 32, a hook fitting portion 33 that fits into the hook portion 26 is provided. As a result, the hook portion 26 is hooked on the hook fitting portion 33 at the same time as the fixed connector 24 and the diagnostic imaging apparatus 10 are connected. As one preferred embodiment, when the hook portion 26 is hooked on the hook fitting portion 33, the tip end portion of the hook portion 26 is inserted into the hole portion 34 to make the connection between the diagnostic imaging apparatus 10 and the carriage 20 more robust. As described above, the hook fitting portion 33 is preferably provided with a hole portion 34.

  An intermediate portion of the hook portion 26 is rotatably fixed to the support plate 28, one end of which is an L-shaped hook body 36, and the other end is a rod-shaped protrusion 37. The sliding plate 27 is provided with an insertion groove 35. The insertion groove 35 has a width that allows the rod-shaped protrusion 37 of the hook portion 26 to move into the insertion groove 35. As shown in FIG. 5, when the handle 40 is pushed forward, the end B of the sliding plate on the right side of the insertion groove 35 moves according to the movement of the handle 40 and hits the rod-shaped protrusion 37 of the hook portion 26. . At this time, the rod-shaped protrusion 37 of the hook part 26 rotates to the left (A end), and the hook body of the hook part 26 catches the hook fitting part 33 of the diagnostic imaging apparatus. Conversely, when the handle 40 is pulled backward, the end B of the sliding plate on the left side of the insertion groove 35 moves according to the movement of the handle 40 and hits the rod-shaped protrusion 37 of the hook portion 26. At this time, the rod-shaped protrusion 37 of the hook portion 26 rotates to the right (B end), and the fitting between the hook body of the hook portion 26 and the hook fitting portion 33 of the diagnostic imaging apparatus is released.

  6A and 6B are diagrams showing another embodiment of the hook portion 26. FIG. Compared to FIG. 5, the hook portion 26 in FIGS. 6A and 6B is provided with a side arm 38 at the side edge between the hook body 36 and the rod-shaped protrusion 37. As shown in FIGS. 6B and 4, the advantages of increasing the side arms are as follows. That is, the hook portion 26 can be in a horizontal state according to the movement collision of the sliding plate 27. For this reason, the hook part 26 can be prevented from protruding from the surface of the mounting table 21 when the diagnostic imaging apparatus is not mounted on the carriage.

  Hereinafter, the process of connecting the diagnostic imaging apparatus 10 and the carriage 20 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2A, when performing electrical and mechanical connection between the cart 20 and the diagnostic imaging apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, first, the cart is slid while maintaining an inclined state, and due to restrictions by the rails. The main body is automatically aligned in the left-right direction and placed at a predetermined position. Next, the main body is lowered, and the four protruding legs 101 (indicated by solid circles) of the main body are dropped into a recess 211 (indicated by a dashed circle) on the carriage 20, and the main body is formed by the rail 210 and the protruding legs 101. Positioning. Next, the handle 40 is pulled forward. As a result, the handle 40 moves backward by driving the sliding plate 27 and the connector 24 (see FIG. 4A). Thereby, the plug 25 of the connector 24 is inserted into the main body. In addition, this causes the sliding plate 27 to move forward and hit the hook portion 26, and the hook portion rotates 90 degrees clockwise (see the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5A), and the hook of the diagnostic imaging apparatus 10 is fitted. The joint portion 33 is firmly locked (see FIG. 4B). FIG. 4 shows an example in which the carriage 20 has a total of four hook portions 26. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and two or three or more may be installed as necessary.

  When the handle 40 is pushed backward (right side in FIG. 4) during separation, the handle 40 moves the sliding plate 27 and the connector 24 backward to separate them from the connector 24. The sliding plate 27 contacts the hook portion 26 after moving backward. The diagnostic imaging apparatus 10 is fixed to the carriage 20 by fitting the four projecting legs 101. Therefore, there is no movement in the rearward direction of the diagnostic imaging apparatus 10 even when the force for extracting the connector 24 is large. Further, after the connector 24 is completely extracted, the sliding plate 27 (the left sliding plate 27 in FIG. 5) hits the hook portion 26, and the hook portion 26 rotates 90 degrees counterclockwise. Will be released. The rotation process of the hook portion 26 is as shown in FIGS.

  The embodiment described above is merely an example given for easier understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. Therefore, within the scope of the present invention, each member and part disclosed in the above embodiment can be replaced with ones having the same role, and can be newly designed or improved. In addition, any possible combination of these members or parts is included within the scope of the present invention, so that it may have advantages similar to the embodiments of the present invention anyway.

  Further, according to the above description, various improvements and changes of the present invention are possible. Accordingly, it should be understood that the present invention may be implemented in other ways within the protection scope of the present invention, except as specified herein.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to adjust the position of the main body and the connector at the time of mounting, the alignment is performed automatically, and the apparatus is adjusted so as to allow a certain error. It is possible to realize a cart that realizes a double connection with the same.

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of the carriage and diagnostic imaging apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a plan view of the cart and the diagnostic imaging apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2B is a side view of the diagnostic imaging apparatus. FIG. 3 is a view showing a specific structure of the mounting table 21 of the carriage of the present invention. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a process of movement restriction and restriction release of the diagnostic imaging apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a process of movement restriction and restriction release of the diagnostic imaging apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the hook portion of FIG. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing another embodiment of the hook portion 26 of the present invention. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing another embodiment of the hook portion 26 of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Diagnostic imaging apparatus, 20 ... Cart, 21, 22 ... Mounting stand, 23 ... Handle, 24 ... Fixed connector, 25 ... Plug, 26 ... Hook part, 27 ... Sliding plate, 28 ... Support plate, Position restriction block, 30 ... bolt, 33 ... fitting part, 40 ... handle, 101 ... protruding leg, 201 ... rail, 210 ... rail, 211 ... hollow

Claims (10)

A placement unit for placing a hand-held transportable diagnostic imaging device on the placement surface;
A leg joined to the mounting part,
A connector that can be inserted into and removed from a predetermined part of the diagnostic imaging apparatus, and that transmits and receives signals to and from the diagnostic imaging apparatus,
A connector moving mechanism for moving the connector in the insertion / extraction direction with respect to the diagnostic imaging apparatus placed at a predetermined position of the placement unit;
When the connector is inserted into the predetermined part of the diagnostic imaging apparatus, the connector projects from a predetermined position below the lower surface of the diagnostic imaging apparatus in conjunction with the operation of the connector moving mechanism. When the connector is fitted to the lower surface and the connector is removed from the predetermined part of the diagnostic imaging apparatus, the connector is disengaged from the lower surface in conjunction with the operation of the connector moving mechanism and arranged at the predetermined position. A limiting mechanism,
A cart for diagnostic imaging apparatus, comprising: The restriction mechanism is connected to a hook portion that fits with a lower surface of the diagnostic imaging apparatus, and is connected to the hook portion and the connector moving mechanism, and is slidably moved along with the operation of the connector moving mechanism accompanying the movement of the connector. The cart for an image diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sliding member. The sliding member includes a plate-like portion and a concave groove that passes through the plate-like portion,
The restriction mechanism further includes a support plate, and the hook portion is installed on the support plate so as to be rotatable with respect to the support plate. When the connector is inserted, the hook portion is an edge of a concave groove of the sliding member. In contact with the edge of the groove facing the insertion when the connector is pulled out,
The hook portion has a fitting portion, when the connector insertion, the engaging portion is engaged with the fitting portion provided in the image diagnostic apparatus by the pressure of the edge of the groove, the image limiting the movement of the diagnostic device, the connector at the time of extraction, to release the engagement between the engaging portion and the engaging portion by the pressing of the opposite edges of the groove, the movement of the imaging apparatus Releasing,
The cart for an image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2. A placement unit for placing a hand-held and portable diagnostic imaging device;
A leg joined to the mounting part,
A connector that can be inserted into and removed from a predetermined part of the diagnostic imaging apparatus, and that transmits and receives signals to and from the diagnostic imaging apparatus,
A connector moving mechanism for moving the connector in the insertion / extraction direction with respect to the diagnostic imaging apparatus placed at a predetermined position of the placement unit;
In conjunction with the operation of the connector movement mechanism, a restriction mechanism that restricts movement of the diagnostic imaging apparatus when the connector is inserted, and releases the restriction of movement when the connector is pulled out;
Comprising
The sliding member includes a plate-like portion and a concave groove that passes through the plate-like portion,
The limiting mechanism is
A sliding member coupled to the connector moving mechanism and slidingly moved in accordance with the operation of the connector moving mechanism accompanying the movement of the connector; a hook portion; and a support plate.
The hook portion is installed on the support plate so as to be rotatable with respect to the support plate. When the connector is inserted, the hook portion is in contact with an edge of the groove of the sliding member, and is inserted when the connector is pulled out. Contact the edge of the groove opposite the time,
The hook portion has a fitting portion, and when the connector is inserted, the fitting portion is fitted with a fitting portion provided in the diagnostic imaging apparatus by pressing against an edge of the concave groove, and the image The movement of the diagnostic apparatus is restricted, and when the connector is pulled out, the fitting between the fitting part and the fitting part is released by pressing the opposing edges of the concave groove, and the diagnostic imaging apparatus is moved. Releasing,
A cart for diagnostic imaging apparatus. The cart for an image diagnosis apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the hook portion is an L-shaped member. The cart for an image diagnosis apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a side arm extending to one side is provided at a side edge between both ends of the hook portion. On the bottom surface of the diagnostic imaging apparatus, a stepped portion corresponding to the size of the hook portion and recessed inward is provided. The stepped portion is provided with a hook fitting portion that fits into the hook portion, and the connector and the diagnostic imaging device. The cart for an image diagnosis apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the hook part is fitted to the hook fitting part when connected to the apparatus. The hook engaging portion has a hole portion, when the hook portion is hooked on the hook fitting part according to claim 7, wherein the tip portion of the hook portion is characterized in that it is inserted into the hole Cart for diagnostic imaging equipment. The mounting portion of the carriage is provided with at least one projection rail and at least one positioning recess, and a corresponding groove of the diagnostic imaging apparatus is fitted with the rail and the recess respectively. The cart for an image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a protruding leg.   The cart for an image diagnosis apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the insertion / extraction direction and the direction in which the restriction mechanism restricts movement oppose each other.

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