JPH0626243Y2 - Ultrasonic endoscopic scanning device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic endoscope scanning apparatus in which an ultrasonic probe is provided in an insertion portion and mechanically scans using a driving means.

[Conventional technology]

An ultrasonic endoscope in a mechanical scanning type intracorporeal ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is one in which an ultrasonic probe is arranged at the tip of an insertion portion and mechanical ultrasonic scanning is performed by a driving unit.

For example, in JP-A-61-64240 and JP-A-62-82944, ultrasonic scanning is performed by rotating an ultrasonic probe fixed to a rotating member by a driving means and a drive transmitting member. The contents to be done are described. In these cases, the drive and received signals of the ultrasonic probe are processed in the hand operation unit and the observation device via the signal cable.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, in the conventional ultrasonic endoscope operating device, there is a limit in reducing the diameter of the rigid tip portion. That is, in the ultrasonic endoscope, reducing the diameter of the distal end hard portion that is a part of the insertion portion reduces the pain of the subject and improves the insertion operability. However, in the conventional type, as shown in FIG.
It is linearly drawn out from the back surface in the direction of the rotation axis Y and is guided to the hollow shaft hole 28a of the rotor 28 as it is. The insulating layer 27 provided on the back surface side of the ultrasonic probe is almost the ultrasonic probe. Therefore, the diameter of the tip hard part must be increased.

For this reason, there is a method of reducing the diameter of the tip rigid portion by reducing the opening diameter of the ultrasonic probe, but if the opening diameter is reduced, the lateral resolution is lowered and the sound pressure level of ultrasonic waves is lowered. Therefore, there is a problem that the ultrasonic diagnostic function is deteriorated.

The present invention is proposed to solve the above problems,
The purpose is to improve the insertion operability by reducing the outer diameter of the insertion portion provided with the ultrasonic probe.

[Means and Actions for Solving Problems]

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic endoscope scanning apparatus that obtains a tomographic image by scanning an ultrasonic wave at the tip of an elongated insertion portion, and an ultrasonic vibrator for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves and a back surface of the ultrasonic vibrator. An ultrasonic probe formed to have a predetermined thickness by providing a vibration absorbing damper member in a layered form, and the ultrasonic probe provided at the tip, and the thickness of the ultrasonic probe A rotor that rotates about a substantially center in the direction of rotation, a signal cable that is electrically connected to the ultrasonic transducer and that is derived from the rear side from the center in the thickness direction of the ultrasonic probe, and the rotor. And a hollow shaft hole portion through which a signal cable derived from the rear side from the center in the thickness direction is inserted, the ultrasonic endoscope scanning device. As a result, it is not necessary to make a useless space on the back surface of the ultrasonic probe, so that the outer diameter of the insertion portion can be reduced.

〔Example〕

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention,
Among them, FIG. 1 shows the whole ultrasonic endoscope apparatus. This device comprises a tip rigid portion 1, an insertion portion 3 including a curved portion 2, an auxiliary operation portion 4, and an operation portion 5. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the tip rigid portion 1, which is an image guide fiber 6
(The image sensor may be used), the objective optical system including the light guide fiber 7, the suction port 8 and the cleaning nozzle 9 and the rotation extended in the tip cap 12 made of the hard polyethylene filled with the flow paraffin. It has a free rotor 10 and an ultrasonic probe 11 fixed to the rotor 10.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the ultrasonic probe 11 in the tip rigid portion 1. Signal cable on both sides of ultrasonic transducer 13
The core wire 16 of 15 and the ground wire 17 are connected. The back surface of the ultrasonic vibrator 13 is filled with a vibration absorbing damper material 14, and the back surface of the ultrasonic wave vibrator 13 is provided with a signal cable 15 together with an insulating layer 18.
All of these are covered with a housing 19 leaving the ultrasonic wave emitting / incident window. A rotor 10 is provided at the rear of the ultrasonic probe 11, and the ultrasonic probe 11 is rotationally driven via the rotor 10 that receives a driving force. The ultrasonic probe 11 is provided on the rotation axis X which is the axis of the rotor 10. The signal cable 15 is provided in parallel with the rotation axis X while being displaced from the rotation axis X toward the rear surface of the ultrasonic transducer 13, and the rotor 10 is provided via the meandering portion 15a.
Of the hollow shaft hole 10a. Further, it extends to the sub operation portion via the rotary drive transmission member. 20 is the signal cable 15
This is a cutout portion of the rotor 10 for confirming the arrangement state of. The ultrasonic oscillator 13 is a piezoelectric body made of PZT (lead zirconate titanate) with silver electrodes baked on both sides, and the core wire 16 and the ground wire 17 are electrically connected to the silver electrodes.
The outer periphery of the signal cable 15 is surrounded by an insulating layer of epoxy adhesive so that the core wire and the ground wire are not short-circuited in the ultrasonic probe.

Since the signal cable is configured as described above, it is not necessary to make the direction in which the signal cable exits from the back surface of the ultrasonic transducer linear in the rotation axis direction, and it is not necessary to create a wasteful space on the back surface side of the signal cable. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the thickness of the ultrasonic probe is changed from the state of FIG. 5B to the state of A, so that the rotation diameter at the time of ultrasonic scanning shown by the dotted line becomes small, and the tip cap system of the hard tip portion. Can be made smaller.

4 and 6 show a second embodiment of the present invention, in which parts corresponding to those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals. The ultrasonic vibrator 13 is a PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) piezoelectric material with electrodes deposited on both sides, and the core wire of the signal cable 15 and the ground wire are electrically connected. The signal cable 15 extends from the center of the rear surface of the ultrasonic probe to the outside of the housing, extends along the outside of the housing, and further extends through the notch 20 of the rotor 10 to extend the hollow shaft hole 10a. Also in this case, the ultrasonic probe is provided on the rotation axis X, and is provided on the signal cable 15 so as to be shifted in the rear direction of the ultrasonic transducer. Therefore, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, B indicating the case of the second embodiment can be the rotation diameter at the time of ultrasonic scanning similar to A indicating the case of the first embodiment.

[Effect of device]

As described above, according to the present invention, the rear side space of the signal cable on the rear side of the ultrasonic transducer can be minimized,
The rotation diameter during ultrasonic scanning can be reduced. Therefore, the diameter of the distal end cap of the rigid tip portion can be reduced, and the operability of inserting the insertion portion of the ultrasonic endoscope into the body cavity is improved. Furthermore, the weight of the ultrasonic probe is lightened, and the load on the drive source for rotating the ultrasonic probe can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of an ultrasonic endoscope apparatus including the ultrasonic scanning device of the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the tip rigid portion, and FIG. 3 is the tip rigid portion. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a second embodiment, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are explanatory views showing rotation diameters during ultrasonic scanning, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a conventional example. It is a figure. 10 ... Rotor, 10a ... Hollow shaft hole, 11 ... Ultrasonic probe, 15 ... Signal cable, X ... Rotation axis

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An ultrasonic endoscope scanning apparatus for obtaining a tomographic image by scanning an ultrasonic wave at the tip of an elongated insertion portion, wherein an ultrasonic vibrator for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves and a back surface of the ultrasonic vibrator. An ultrasonic probe formed with a predetermined thickness by providing a vibration absorbing damper member in a layered manner, and this ultrasonic probe is provided at the tip end of the ultrasonic probe. A rotor that rotates about a center in the thickness direction as a rotation center, a signal cable that is electrically connected to the ultrasonic transducer and that is derived from the back side from the center in the thickness direction of the ultrasonic probe, and the rotation. An ultrasonic endoscope scanning device, comprising: a hollow shaft hole formed in a child and through which a signal cable derived from the back side from the center in the thickness direction is inserted.