JPH1142228A - Control device for ultrasonic probe, and ultrasonic diagnosis device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely perform a rotation-positioning for an ultrasonic oscillator while keeping the diameter of an ultrasonic probe small. SOLUTION: An ultrasonic oscillator 7 is rotated by a motor 12 through a wire 13, and a computer 21, when detected that the ultrasonic oscillator 7 becomes a target position, provides a stop signal Sc to a driving circuit 25 based on pulse signals Pa, Pb from an encoder 10 which detects the rotating position of the ultrasonic oscillator 7, and performs a control in a manner to stop the application of a driving voltage to the motor 12. In this case, the computer 21 performs a control in a manner to reduce the driving voltage for the motor 12 when a timer for starting which is started at the start of the motor 12, becomes a set value.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe control apparatus for obtaining cross-sectional image data of a diagnosis target by ultrasonic waves emitted from an ultrasonic transducer, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a medical ultrasonic probe, a distal end provided with an ultrasonic vibrator is inserted into the body of a person to be diagnosed and arranged near a diagnostic part to be diagnosed. The ultrasonic wave is radiated, the reflected wave reflected by the diagnostic unit is received by the ultrasonic transducer, and the data of the received reflected wave is transmitted to the diagnostic device and processed to obtain a cross-sectional image of the diagnostic unit. Further, a plurality of cross-sectional images of the diagnostic unit can be obtained by rotating the ultrasonic transducer.

Conventionally, a medical ultrasonic probe for obtaining a plurality of ultrasonic images has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-206450.
Is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 9-203 (1995). This is a configuration in which the ultrasonic transducer is rotated via a wire by manually rotating the dial provided at the base end, and the rotational position of the ultrasonic transducer can be known by the operation amount of the dial. it can.

However, in such a configuration, when the wire is stretched or loosened, the rotation amount of the ultrasonic vibrator with respect to the dial operation amount changes, so that the rotation position cannot be accurately known. Moreover, in the manual dial operation method, it is difficult to stop the ultrasonic vibrator at regular intervals, and there is a problem that image data varies in three-dimensional imaging, which is highly demanded in the medical field.

In view of the above, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 5-161
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 653, a motor-driven system has appeared. In this configuration, the ultrasonic transducer is rotated via a torque tube (flexible drive shaft) by a motor provided at the base end of the ultrasonic probe, and the rotational position of the ultrasonic transducer is interlocked with the rotation of the motor. It is designed to be detected by a potentiometer.

[0006]

In the conventional motor drive system configuration, a relatively large diameter torque tube must be used, so that there is a problem that the diameter becomes large as a whole, and the detection signal of the potentiometer is Since it varies depending on the ambient temperature, there is a problem that an error is generated between the ultrasonic transducer and the rotational position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic transducer capable of reliably performing rotational positioning of an ultrasonic transducer while keeping the ultrasonic probe small in diameter. An object of the present invention is to provide a probe control device and an ultrasonic diagnostic device using the same.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
An ultrasonic probe that includes an ultrasonic transducer inserted into a diagnosis target and obtains a plurality of ultrasonic images by rotating the ultrasonic transducer is provided with a motor that rotates the ultrasonic transducer, and the motor is driven. A driving circuit for applying voltage or current; an encoder for detecting the rotational position of the ultrasonic transducer; a timer for starting; a start signal for starting the motor; And the start timer is started, and when the start timer reaches a set value, the drive voltage or current applied to the motor is reduced to detect the rotational position from the encoder. When detecting that the ultrasonic transducer has reached the target position based on the signal, the stop signal is given to the drive circuit to drive the motor to the motor. Characterized by the configuration in which the control means for controlling to stop the application of the driving voltage or current.

According to such a configuration, the control means supplies a stop signal to the drive circuit when detecting that the ultrasonic vibrator has reached the target position based on the rotational position detection signal from the encoder. Is controlled so as to stop the application of the drive voltage or current to the ultrasonic transducer, so that the ultrasonic transducer can be reliably stopped at the target position. In this case, the control means controls the motor drive voltage or current to be reduced when the start-up timer started at the time of start-up of the motor reaches a set value. Alternatively, a current is applied to start the motor smoothly, and thereafter, the drive voltage or current becomes small to prevent the ultrasonic transducer from overrunning from the target position.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operation timer, wherein the control means starts the operation timer when the motor is not activated and the activation timer reaches a set value. It is characterized in that the driving voltage or current applied to the motor is controlled so as to increase each time the operation timer reaches a predetermined value. According to such a configuration, the starting failure of the motor can be prevented as much as possible.

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the control means is configured to prevent the drive voltage or current of the motor from increasing further after reaching the upper limit value.
According to such a configuration, problems such as heat generation of the motor can be prevented as much as possible.

The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the control means is configured to display on the display means when the driving voltage or the current of the motor reaches the upper limit value. According to such a configuration, at the time of starting failure of the motor, the operator can easily know the starting failure by looking at the display means.

The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the control means is configured to lower the drive voltage or current of the motor and re-drive the ultrasonic transducer when the ultrasonic transducer does not stop at the target position. According to such a configuration, when the ultrasonic transducer does not stop at the target position, the motor is re-driven at a lower drive voltage or current than before, so that
The ultrasonic transducer can be stopped more reliably at the target position.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ultrasonic probe comprising an ultrasonic vibrator inserted into a subject to be diagnosed and rotating the ultrasonic vibrator to obtain a plurality of ultrasonic images. A driving circuit for applying a driving voltage or current to the motor; an encoder for detecting a rotational position of the ultrasonic vibrator; and a start signal for starting the motor. The drive voltage and the like applied to the motor to apply a current, a stop signal to the drive circuit when detecting that the ultrasonic transducer has reached the target position based on the rotational position detection signal from the encoder. Control means for controlling the application of the drive voltage or current to the motor to stop the application of the drive voltage or current to the motor. The moving distance of the ultrasonic vibrator up to the time when the ultrasonic vibrator is stopped is stored in the storage means, and a stop signal is output before the target position by the stored moving distance from the target position at the time of rotational driving after the ultrasonic vibrator. It has features in its configuration.

According to this structure, the drive circuit of the motor is provided with a stop signal just before the moving distance of the ultrasonic vibrator overrunning from the target position in the previous time, so that the drive voltage or the current of the motor is controlled. Since the application is stopped, the ultrasonic transducer can be more reliably stopped at the target position.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an angle adjusting mechanism for adjusting the rotation angle of the ultrasonic vibrator, and the control means controls the initial drive voltage or current of the motor in accordance with the angle adjusted by the angle adjusting mechanism. The feature is that it is configured to be set. According to such a configuration, the motor can be reliably started no matter what angle the ultrasonic transducer is adjusted.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the control means sets the motor's voltage command value or current command value to an initial drive voltage or current when the ultrasonic transducer stops at the target position. It has features in its configuration. According to such a configuration, the next start of the motor can be smoothly performed.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an encoder comprising:
It is characterized in that it is configured to generate a signal having a phase of 90 degrees and the control means is configured to assign an absolute position to a combination of the signals. According to such a configuration, the control unit does not need to count the signals from the encoder one by one, thereby facilitating the counting process.

The invention according to claim 10 is the invention according to claims 1 to 9
Provide a control device of the ultrasonic probe according to any of
The present invention is characterized in that an image processing device for processing an ultrasonic image obtained by the ultrasonic probe is provided. According to such a configuration, it is possible to accurately obtain target image data.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
This will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 2 showing the entire configuration of the ultrasonic probe and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic probe 1 has a distal end portion 2 inserted into the body of a person to be diagnosed, an operation section 3 operated by a diagnostician who is an operator, and It is constituted by an insertion tube 4 connecting the two. And this insertion tube 4 has moderate flexibility. The operation unit 3
An operation dial 3a rotatable in forward and reverse directions is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the tip 2 is
The main body case 5 includes a main body case 5 and a cylindrical ultrasonic vibrator (hereinafter referred to as a vibrator) 7 is mounted inside the main body case 5 so as to be rotatable about a shaft 7a. The vibrator 7 is configured by arranging a large number of piezoelectric elements that are electrically scanned on the upper surface of the cylindrical frame. The many piezoelectric elements oscillate and transmit (emit) ultrasonic waves
In addition, the apparatus receives a reflected wave obtained by reflecting the transmitted ultrasonic wave on the object to be diagnosed. An acoustic window 8 made of a dielectric material such as glass or resin is attached to the upper part of the frame on which the piezoelectric element is arranged.
Are sealed to the outside. The space between the acoustic window 8 and the vibrator 7 is filled with a mixed solution of ethylene glycol and glycerin or an acoustic medium 9 made of castor oil.

An encoder 10 is attached to the shaft 7a of the vibrator 7. When the encoder 10 is rotated, as shown in FIG. , B-phase, and 90-degree pulse signals Pa and Pb are output.

Then, the base case 6 of the ultrasonic probe 1
Inside, an angle adjusting mechanism 11 is provided.
Reference numeral 1a is connected to the side wall 5a of the main body case 5 so as to adjust the angle of the vibrator 7.

As shown in FIG. 1, a motor (a stepping motor, a brushless motor, a DC motor, or an AC motor may be provided with a speed reducer 12a) inside the operation unit 3 of the ultrasonic probe 1. A wire 13 is inserted between the speed reducer 12a and the vibrator 7 through the insertion tube 4 so that the motor 12 rotates forward and backward. The rotation causes the vibrator 7 to rotate forward and backward through the wire 13. A potentiometer 14 for detecting the amount of rotation of the operation dial 3a is provided inside the operation unit 3, and a shaft 14a of the potentiometer 14 is provided.
A wire 15 passing through the insertion tube 4 is laid between the angle adjusting mechanism 11 and the angle adjusting mechanism 11, and drives the angle adjusting mechanism 11 in accordance with the amount of rotation of the operation dial 3a. , That is, the angle of the vibrator 7 is adjusted.

The vibrator 7 is connected to an image processing device 17 via a plurality of (only one shown) signal lines 16 for each piezoelectric element via the insertion tube 4 and the operation unit 3.
The encoder 10 is also connected to the image processing device 17 by a signal line 18. Further, the motor 12 and the potentiometer 14 of the operation unit 3 are connected to the image processing device 17 by the power supply line 19 and the signal line 20 in the same manner. The power required for the components of the distal end portion 2 and the operation unit 3 is supplied from the image processing device 17.

FIG. 1 also shows the electrical configuration of the ultrasonic probe 1 and the image processing device 17 as a block diagram for each function. The image processing apparatus 17 mainly includes a computer 21 serving as a control unit. The computer 21 includes a ROM 22 and a RAM 23. Further, although not shown, a timer as a start-up timer 1 and an operation timer A barrel timer 2 and a counter are provided. The computer 21 has an output terminal and an input terminal connected to an input terminal and a main terminal of the vibrator 7, and transmits a transmission signal (drive signal) with the vibrator 7.
The transmission and reception of Ss and the reception signal Sr are performed. The input terminal of the computer 21 is connected to the output terminal of the encoder 10 and receives the A- and B-phase pulse signals Pa and Pb from the encoder 10. Further, the input terminal of the computer 21 is connected to the output terminal of the potentiometer 14, so that an angle signal Sa corresponding to the rotation operation of the operation dial 3a is given.

In the voltage changing circuit 24 as a voltage changing means, its input terminal is connected to the power supply terminal 24a to which the DC power supply voltage Vd is applied, its output terminal is connected to the input terminal of the drive circuit 25, and its control terminal is It is connected to the output terminal of the computer 21. In the drive circuit 25, the output terminal is connected to the input terminal of the motor 12,
The control terminal is connected to the output terminal of the computer t21. In this case, the voltage changing circuit 24
Is generated based on the DC power supply voltage Vd and supplied to the drive circuit 25. The drive circuit 25 changes the voltage when a start signal Sb is supplied from the computer 21. The voltage from the circuit 24 is applied to the motor 12 as a drive voltage.

The encoder 10, the angle adjusting mechanism 11, the motor 12, the potentiometer 14, the computer 21, the voltage changing circuit 24 and the drive circuit 25 constitute a control device according to the present invention. .

In the computer 21, a large number of output terminals are grounded via a key switch group 26a of a keyboard 26 (see FIG. 2). The key switch group 26a includes a start key switch, a stop key switch, and a desired key switch. And a function key switch for setting the target position. Further, in the computer 21, a plurality of output terminals are connected to a display 27, and one output terminal is grounded via a failure display LED 28 which is a display means.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. First, when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 17 is turned on, the computer 21 starts operating ("start" in FIG. 7). Here, assuming that the vibrator 7 of the ultrasonic probe 1 is in an initial state (original position), the distal end portion 2 of the ultrasonic probe 1 is inserted into the body of a subject to be diagnosed (not shown). Therefore, when the diagnostician operates the operation dial 3a of the operation unit 3 from the original position, for example, in the forward rotation direction, the potentiometer 14 of the operation unit 3 outputs a forward rotation angle signal Sa to the computer 21. or,
The rotation of the shaft 14a accompanying the rotation of the operation dial 3a causes the shaft 11a of the angle adjusting mechanism 11 to rotate forward through the wire 15 to move the vibrator 7 together with the main body case 5 of the tip 2 in, for example, the arrow X direction (see FIG. 2). To rotate. By looking at the scale around the operation dial 13a, when the angle of the vibrator 7 becomes a desired angle, the operation dial 3
The operation of a is stopped. When rotating the vibrator 7 at an angle opposite to the direction of the arrow X, the operation dial 3a is used.
May be reversed.

Further, when the diagnostician selects and turns on a mode key switch corresponding to a desired rotational position (target position) in the key switch group 26a and then turns on a start key switch, the computer 21 proceeds to the next step. Such operation is performed. Hereinafter, description will be made with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

FIG. 7A shows a main routine. When the operation is started ("start"), the computer 21 performs a "initialization" processing step S1 and performs a predetermined initialization operation. The process proceeds to the next "initial voltage setting" processing step S2. And the computer 21
In this processing step S2, the potentiometer 14
The angle of the vibrator 7 is determined based on the angle signal Sa from the controller, the voltage command value Vs of the initial drive voltage of the motor 12 is set as Vsb in accordance with the angle, and the process proceeds to the determination step “Start?” . In this determination step S3, the computer 21 determines whether or not the start key in the key switch group 26a has been turned on.
If "O", this determination step S3 is repeated.

As described above, when the start key switch is turned on, the computer 21 determines "YES" in the determination step S3, and proceeds to the processing step S4 of "start timer 1, motor, etc." , The voltage command value Vsb of the initial drive voltage set in the processing step S2 is given to the voltage change circuit 24, the output voltage of the voltage change circuit 24 is set to the initial drive voltage, and the forward rotation command signal is sent to the drive circuit 25. Is supplied to start the drive circuit 25 (time t0 in FIG. 6). As a result, the drive circuit 25 applies the initial drive voltage to the motor 12, and the motor 12 starts operating (starts). Further, the computer 21 starts a clocking operation of a set time T1, which is a set value of the timer 1 (not shown).

In the following, description will be made with reference also to the time chart of FIG. 6, but FIG. 6 shows an extreme control example of the ultrasonic probe 1, and it is assumed that there are few examples in reality. Although it is conceivable, this is also an example in which the flowchart of FIG.

Thereafter, the computer 21 proceeds to the judgment step S5 of "timer 1 ended?"
It is determined whether or not the timer 1 has completed the time counting operation for the set time T1. At first, the determination is "NO", and the process proceeds to the determination step S7 of "Motor is operating?". In this control example, the starting failure of the motor 12 is assumed, and accordingly,
In this determination step S7, the computer 21 sets "N
"O" is determined, and the process proceeds to the determination step S8 similar to the determination step S5. Accordingly, the computer 21 determines “NO” in the determination step S8 and returns to the determination step S7. Hereinafter, the computer 21
Repeats the judgment steps S7 and S8.

When the timer 1 completes the time counting operation for the set time T1, the computer 21 is interrupted, and the computer 21 shifts to the "timer 1 ended" interrupt routine shown in FIG. 7B. In this interrupt routine, the computer 21 first sets the voltage command value Vs to a voltage command value Vsa lower than the initial voltage command value Vsb in the processing step 101 of “decrease voltage”, and sets the voltage change circuit 24 Give to. As a result, the voltage changing circuit 24 outputs a low driving voltage corresponding to the voltage command value Vsa and applies it to the motor 12 via the driving circuit 25 (time t1 in FIG. 6).

The computer 21 then proceeds to “Timer 1
After stopping the timing operation of the timer 1 in the processing step 102 of "stop", the process proceeds to the processing step S103 of "start of the timer 2", where a predetermined time T2 (for example, 0.2 seconds) which is a predetermined value of the timer 2 is used. , And returns to the main routine shown in FIG. 7A ("return"). When the computer 21 returns to the main routine and goes to the determination step S8, it determines “YES” here and shifts to the determination step S9 of “timer 2 ended?”, And if it determines “NO” here, it determines The process returns to step S7.

When the motor 12 is not started properly, the computer 21 always determines "NO" in the determination step S7. Therefore, the determination steps S7, S8 and S9 are performed until the timer 2 finishes the clocking operation for the predetermined time T2. Repeat. Then, when the timer 2 finishes the time counting operation, the computer 21 determines “YES” in the determination step S9, and proceeds to a determination step S10 of “voltage upper limit value?”. In this case, an upper limit value is set for the voltage applied to the motor 12, and the computer 21 outputs the voltage command value V
s, it is determined whether or not the drive voltage has reached the upper limit value.
If "O", the process step of "increase the voltage" S11
Move to The computer 21 executes this processing step S
In step 11, the voltage command value Vs is increased by a fixed value from Vsa, whereby the voltage changing circuit 24
Drive voltage for 2 is constant voltage (for example, 0.2 volt)
(Time t2 in FIG. 6).

Thereafter, the computer 21 returns to the judgment step S5, judges "YES" here, and shifts to the processing step S6 of "start timer 2". In this processing step S6, the computer 21 sets the timer 2
Then, the timer operation of the set time T2 is restarted, and the process goes to the judgment step S7. When the motor 12 is not started properly, the computer 21 determines “NO” in the determination step S7 and determines in the determination steps S8, S9, S9
10, the processing step S11, the determination step S5, the processing step S6 and the determination step S7 are repeated. Therefore, the computer 21 determines the predetermined time T2
, The speed command value Vs is sequentially increased by a constant value, and the voltage applied to the motor 21 is sequentially increased by a constant voltage (for example, 0.2 volt).

Assuming that the motor 12 is started when the applied voltage reaches a certain applied voltage (time t3 in FIG. 6), the computer 21 determines "YE
S ", and shifts to the processing step S12 of" motor control ". Note that the computer 21 determines the activation of the motor 12 based on changes in the pulse signals Pa and Pb from the encoder 10.

The computer 21 executes processing step S12
Operates as follows. When the motor 12 rotates forward, the vibrator 7 also rotates forward from the original position via the wire 13, and accordingly, the encoder 10 also rotates forward. As a result, the encoder 10 generates the pulse signals Pa and Pb of the phase in the normal rotation direction shown in FIG. 4, and the combination of these two-phase pulse signals Pa and Pb of the A and B phases is as shown in FIG. "11", "10", "0"
0 "and" 01 ". Note that the pulse signal P
In a and Pb, the logic signal “1” indicates a high level, and the logic signal “0” indicates a low level. Then, when the vibrator 7 rotates in the normal direction, the computer 21 increments a counter (not shown) when the combination of the pulse signals Pa and Pb changes from “01” to “11”.

When the motor 12 rotates in the reverse direction, the wire 1
The vibrator 7 is also rotated in the reverse direction via 3, and the encoder 10 is also rotated in the reverse direction. Thereby, the encoder 10
Are pulse signals Pa and P having phases in the reverse rotation direction shown in FIG.
b, and the combination of these two-phase pulse signals Pa and Pb of the A and B phases is "01", "00", "10", and "11", as is apparent from FIG. It changes like When the vibrator 7 rotates in the reverse direction, the computer 21 decrements the counter (not shown) when the combination of the pulse signals Pa and Pb changes from “11” to “01”.

Here, the count value of the counter in the computer 21 indicates the rotational position (rotation angle) of the vibrator 7 from the original position, and the count value "1" is 1 degree. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, an absolute position (absolute angle position) is assigned to the combination of the pulse signals Pa and Pb.
That is, in the combination of the pulse signals Pa and Pb, “1”
"1" is 0 to 0.25 degrees, "10" is 0.25 to 0.5 degrees
Degrees, "00" is 0.5 to 0.75 degrees, "01" is 0.7
It is set to 5 to 1 degree. Therefore, the computer 21
Can determine the rotation position in units of one degree based on the count value of the counter, and can determine 1 by the combination of pulse signals Pa and Pb
It becomes possible to determine the rotational position with an accuracy of 1/4 of the degree. When the vibrator 7 is rotated from the original position, the vibrator 7 is set to be always in the forward rotation direction.

The computer 21 executes processing step S12
In the above, the rotational position of the vibrator 7 is detected as described above, and when the detected rotational position reaches the set target position, the stop signal Sc is output to drive. The drive circuit 25 stops applying the drive voltage to the motor 12. As a result, the motor 12 is cut off and stopped, but because the vibrator 7 has inertia, it does not necessarily stop at the target position. In the following, it is assumed that the vibrator 7 has overrun from the target position.

When the computer 21 supplies the stop signal Sc to the drive circuit 25, the process proceeds to the next step S13 of "stop at the target position?", Where the combination of the count value of the counter and the pulse signals Pa and Pb is used. It is determined whether or not the vibrator 7 has stopped at the target position from the position. When the vibrator 7 overruns from the target position as described above, the computer 21 proceeds to the judgment step S1.
In step S3, the determination is "NO", and the process proceeds to the next step S14 of "lower voltage". In this processing step S14, the computer 21 outputs the voltage command value Vs as a value reduced by a predetermined value from the previous command value and gives it to the voltage changing circuit 24 (time t4 in FIG. 6). As a result, the voltage changing circuit 24 changes the voltage applied to the motor 12 so as to be lower by a predetermined voltage than before. After that, the computer 21 proceeds to the next “motor start” processing step S 15, in which the computer 21 outputs a start signal Sb including a reverse rotation command signal and gives it to the drive circuit 25.

When the start signal Sb including the reverse rotation command signal is supplied to the drive circuit 25, the voltage from the voltage change circuit 24 is supplied to the motor 12 as the drive voltage, and the motor 12 rotates reversely this time. To rotate the vibrator 7 in the reverse direction.
Returning to step S5, "YES" is determined here and the processing step S
6 and the judgment step S7 is carried out.
S "and returns to the processing step S12 of" motor control ". In this processing step S12, the computer 21 decrements the counter based on the pulse signals Pa and Pb, and outputs and outputs a stop signal Sc when the detected rotational position in the opposite direction reaches the target position. The power is supplied to the circuit 25, and the motor 12 is cut off and stopped.

The computer 21 then proceeds to a decision step S
In step S13, it is determined whether the vibrator 7 has stopped at the target position. In this control example, when the vibrator 7 overruns in the opposite direction from the target position, that is, when the vibrator 7 is short-circuited to the target position. Is assumed. Therefore, the computer 21 determines “NO” in the determination step S13, shifts to the processing step S14, further reduces the voltage command value Vs by a predetermined value, and outputs the start signal Sb including the forward rotation command signal in the processing step S15. I do. Therefore, the motor 12
Rotates forward again. In FIG. 6, the vibrator 7
The example in which the overrun and the short are repeated is shown.

When the vibrator 7 repeats the overrun and the short circuit, the voltage applied to the motor 12 decreases by a predetermined voltage, so that the motor 12 may not restart. An example is shown at time t5 in FIG. Therefore, the computer 21 determines “NO” when the process proceeds to the determination step S7 through the determination step 5 and the processing step 6.
And the process returns to the determination step S7. Accordingly, the same operation as the operation after the time t2 is performed, and the voltage applied to the motor 12 is increased by a constant voltage every time the predetermined time T2 elapses. Become. Subsequent time t
The operation after 6 is the same as the operation after time t3, and the vibrator 7 repeats overrun and short circuit.

As described above, when the vibrator 7 has stopped at the target position (time t7 in FIG. 6), the computer 21
Is determined to be "YES" when the process proceeds to the determination step S13, and proceeds to the processing step S16 of "end processing".
Here, the predetermined end processing is performed, and the initial voltage command value Vs for the next operation is set to the voltage command value Vsb set in the processing step S2.

When the computer 21 repeats the routine of the judgment steps S7, S8, S9, S10, the processing step S11, the judgment step S5 and the processing step S6 as described above (after time t2 in FIG. 6), If "YES" is determined when the process proceeds to the determination step S10 of "voltage upper limit value?", The process proceeds to the next "failure display" processing step S17, and the failure display LED 28
Is turned on to emit light. Therefore, the diagnostician can know the starting failure of the motor 12 by observing the light emission of the failure display LED 28.

Thereafter, the computer 21 proceeds to step S19 for determining "failure released?", Where it determines whether the cause of the starting failure of the failed motor 12 has been removed, and returns "NO". When it is determined, this determination step S19 is repeated. Assuming that the diagnostician knows that the motor 12 has failed to start due to the emission of the failure display LED 28 and removes the cause, the computer 21 proceeds to the judgment step S19.
Is determined as "YES", and the process step of "stop display" is performed.
Then, the process returns to step S2 after the power supply to the failure display LED 28 is stopped.

The above is an example of an extreme control of the ultrasonic probe 1, but in the following, an example of a control that can be normally performed will be described. (1) When the computer 21 repeats the determination step S7 of “Motor is operating?” And the determination step S8 of “Timer 1 is ended?” During the clocking operation of the set time T1 of the timer 1, the motor 12 is started. At this time, the computer 21 determines “YES” in the determination step S7, and proceeds to the processing step S12 of “motor control”.
Thereafter, when the timer 1 finishes the time counting operation for the set time T1, the computer 21 sets the voltage command value Vs to Vsa. Therefore, the control after time t2 in FIG. 6 is not performed.

(2) During the time counting operation of the timer 2 for the predetermined time T2, the computer 21 determines whether the motor is operating?
When the step S9 of “Timer 2 end?” Is repeated, and the motor 12 is started,
The computer 21 determines “YES” in the determination step S7, and proceeds to the processing step S12 of “motor control”.

(3) The computer 21 first moves to the processing step S12 of “motor control” and
Is stopped, the process proceeds to the processing step of “stop at target position?”, And if “YES” is determined here,
This is the processing step S16 of “end processing”. Therefore, the control after time t4 in FIG. 6 is not performed.

As described above, after the vibrator 7 stops rotating at the target position, when the diagnostician operates the key switch assigned to obtain the cross-sectional data of the part to be diagnosed in the key switch group 26a, the computer 21 for tip 2
The transmission signal (driving signal) Ss is given to the vibrator 7 of the vibrator 7, and the vibrator 7 oscillates ultrasonic waves and radiates them to the part to be diagnosed.
The radiated ultrasonic wave is reflected by the diagnosis target portion to become a reflected wave, and is received by the vibrator 7. The reflected wave received by the vibrator 7 is provided to the computer 21 via the signal line 16 as a reception signal Sr.

When the computer 21 obtains the cross-sectional data of the part to be diagnosed from the received signal Sr, the computer 21 performs image processing by calculation to create the cross-sectional image data. The data is output to and displayed on the display 27 together with (target position) data, and is written and stored in the RAM 23. The diagnostician looks at the cross-sectional image data on the display 27 and diagnoses the diagnosis target site. In addition, the computer 21 can generate cross-sectional image data in which a part for which details need to be viewed is enlarged by performing appropriate arithmetic processing.

If the diagnostician wants to see the cross section indicated by the different rotational positions of the diagnosis target part, the different rotational positions (target positions) in the key switch group 26a are selected.
When the start key is operated after operating the mode key switch corresponding to, the vibrator 7 is automatically stopped at the target position in the same manner as described above. When the diagnostician operates the key switch assigned to obtain the cross-sectional data of the part to be diagnosed in the key switch group 26a, the cross-sectional image data becomes the angle data and the rotational position (target position) data of the vibrator 7. Is output to the display 27 for display, and is also written and stored in the RAM 23.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the vibrator 7 is rotated by the motor 12 via the wire 13, and the computer 21 detects the pulse signal Pa from the encoder 10 for detecting the rotational position of the vibrator 7. , Pb, the stop signal Sc is given to the drive circuit 25 to detect that the vibrator 7 has reached the target position.
Since the application of the drive voltage to the second probe 2 is controlled, the vibrator 7 can be reliably stopped at the target position. Therefore, the vibrator 7 can be stopped while the diameter of the ultrasonic probe 1 is kept small. 7 can be reliably positioned. In this case, the computer 21
When the timer 1 started at the time of starting the motor 12 controls the drive voltage of the motor 12 to decrease when the timer operation of the set time T1 is completed, a large drive voltage is applied until the motor 12 is completely started. As a result, the motor 12 is started smoothly, and thereafter, the driving voltage becomes small, so that the overrun of the vibrator 7 from the target position can be prevented. Therefore, the rotational positioning of the vibrator 7 is more reliably performed. Can do it. Therefore, it is easy to stop the vibrator 7 at regular intervals, and it is possible to perform three-dimensional imaging that is highly desired in the medical field.

According to the present embodiment, the computer 21
Is controlled so that the voltage applied to the motor 12 is increased every time the timer 2 ends the time measurement operation for the predetermined time T2 when the motor 12 is not started.
Can be prevented as much as possible. In this case, after the drive voltage of the motor 12 reaches the upper limit value, the computer 21 does not increase the drive voltage any more, and causes the failure display LED 28 to emit light.
2 can be prevented as much as possible, and a diagnosis failure of the motor 12 can be notified to a diagnostician.

Further, according to this embodiment, the computer 2
1 is when the vibrator 7 has not stopped at the target position.
Since the drive voltage for the motor 12 is reduced and the motor 12 is re-driven, when the vibrator 7 does not stop at the target position, the motor 12 is re-driven at a lower drive voltage than before. In addition, the vibrator 7 can be reliably stopped at the target position.

Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, even if the angle adjusting mechanism 11 for adjusting the angle of the vibrator 7 is provided, the computer 21 can control the angle adjusting mechanism 1
Since the initial drive voltage Vsb of the motor 12 is set according to the adjustment angle of 1, the motor 12 can be reliably started no matter what angle the vibrator 7 is adjusted.

According to the present embodiment, the computer 21
When the vibrator 7 stops at the target position, the motor 12
Since the voltage command value Vs is set to be the initial drive voltage, the motor 12 can be started smoothly when the vibrator 7 is next rotated to a different target position.

According to this embodiment, the encoder 1
0, a pulse signal P having two phases of A and B and a phase of 90 degrees
a, Pb is used, and the computer 21
Since an absolute position (absolute rotational position) is assigned to the combination of the pulse signals Pa and Pb (see FIG. 5), the computer 21 can determine the rotational position in units of one degree based on the count value of the counter, and The rotation position with an accuracy of 1/4 of one degree can be determined by the combination of Pa and Pb, so that it is not necessary to count pulse signals Pa and Pb from the encoder 10 one by one, and count processing is performed. Is easier.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and shown in the drawings, and the following modifications and extensions are possible. When the motor 12 is started, the start signal Sb
To the drive circuit 25 to apply a drive voltage to the motor 12, and when it is detected that the vibrator 7 has reached the target position based on the pulse signals Pa and Pb from the encoder 10, a stop signal is sent to the drive circuit 25. Motor 1 with Sc
2. A computer is provided as control means for controlling the application of the drive voltage to 2 to be stopped.
The moving distance (overrun distance) of the vibrator 7 from the time when the stop signal is output to the time when the motor 12 actually stops is stored in a storage means such as a RAM, for example. The stop signal Sc is output before the stored moving distance.

With this configuration, the drive circuit 25 of the motor 12 receives the stop signal Sc before the travel distance of the vibrator 7 that overruns from the target position in the previous time, and the drive circuit 25 of the drive voltage of the motor 12 Since the application is stopped, the vibrator 7 can be more reliably stopped at the target position.

The driving of the motor can be performed not by voltage but by current. That is, in each of the above embodiments, the voltage command value is replaced with the current command value, and the drive voltage is replaced with the drive current.

[0067]

As apparent from the above description, the present invention has the following effects. According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the motor rotates the ultrasonic vibrator, and the control unit detects that the ultrasonic vibrator has reached the target position based on the rotational position detection signal from the encoder. The stop signal is given to the drive circuit to control the application of the drive voltage or current to the motor so that the application of the drive voltage or current to the motor is stopped. be able to. In this case, the control means controls the drive voltage or current of the motor to decrease when the start timer started at the time of start of the motor reaches a set value. Since the current is applied, the motor is started smoothly, and thereafter, the drive voltage or the current becomes small, so that the overrun of the ultrasonic transducer from the target position can be prevented.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the motor is not started, the control means controls so as to increase the voltage or current applied to the motor each time the operation timer reaches a predetermined value. Can be prevented as much as possible. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the control means controls the motor drive voltage or current so that it does not increase after reaching the upper limit value. .

According to the invention described in claim 4, the control means includes:
When the drive voltage or the current of the motor reaches the upper limit value, the display is displayed on the display means, so that when the motor is not started properly, the operator can easily know the start failure by looking at the display means. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the ultrasonic vibrator does not stop at the target position, the control means performs control so as to lower the drive voltage or current of the motor and re-drive the ultrasonic vibrator. It can be stopped reliably depending on the position.

According to the invention described in claim 6, the control means includes:
The moving distance of the ultrasonic vibrator from the time when the stop signal is output to the time when the motor is actually stopped is stored in the storage means, and the rotational driving after the ultrasonic vibrator is performed by the stored moving distance from the target position by the stored distance. Since the stop signal is controlled before the stop signal is output, the drive circuit of the motor receives the stop signal just before the moving distance of the ultrasonic vibrator overrun from the target position in the previous time, and the drive voltage to the motor or Since the application of the current is stopped, the ultrasonic vibrator can be more reliably stopped at the target position.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an angle adjusting mechanism for adjusting the rotation angle of the ultrasonic vibrator, and the control means controls the initial drive of the motor in accordance with the adjustment angle by the angle adjusting mechanism. Since the control is performed so as to set the voltage or the current, the motor can be reliably started no matter what angle the ultrasonic transducer is adjusted.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the control means includes:
When the ultrasonic transducer stops at the target position, control is performed so that the voltage command value or current command value of the motor is set to the initial drive voltage or current, so that the next start of the motor is performed smoothly. Can be. According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the encoder generates two-phase and 90-degree phase signals and assigns an absolute position to a combination of the signals. It is not necessary to perform the counting process one by one, and the counting process becomes easy. According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, since the image processing device for processing the ultrasonic image obtained by the ultrasonic probe is provided, it is possible to accurately obtain the target image data.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram including a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the tip of the ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 4 is a signal waveform diagram of an encoder.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a relationship between a combination of encoder signals and an absolute position;

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing a change in a specified voltage value.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing control contents of a computer.

[Explanation of symbols]

In the drawings, 1 is an ultrasonic probe, 7 is an ultrasonic transducer, 10
Is an encoder, 11 is an angle adjusting mechanism, 12 is a motor, 1
3 is a wire, 14 is a potentiometer, 17 is an image processing device, 21 is a computer, 24 is a voltage change circuit, 25
Is a drive circuit, 23 is a RAM, 28 is a failure display LED
(Display means).

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic probe comprising an ultrasonic transducer inserted into a diagnosis target and rotating the ultrasonic transducer to obtain a plurality of ultrasonic images, a motor for rotating the ultrasonic transducer, A drive circuit for applying a drive voltage or current to the motor, an encoder for detecting a rotational position of the ultrasonic transducer, a start-up timer, and a start signal given to the drive circuit when the motor is started. The drive voltage or current is applied to the motor and the start-up timer is started, and when the start-up timer reaches a set value, the drive voltage or current applied to the motor is reduced, and rotation from the encoder is performed. When detecting that the ultrasonic transducer has reached the target position based on the position detection signal, a stop signal is given to the drive circuit to control the motor. Controller of the ultrasound probe, characterized by comprising and a control means for controlling to stop the application of the driving voltage or current that. 2. An operation timer is provided, wherein the control means starts the operation timer when the motor does not start and the activation timer reaches a set value, and the operation timer is set to a predetermined value. 2. The ultrasonic probe control device according to claim 1, wherein the control is performed such that the drive voltage or current applied to the motor is increased every time the value becomes a value. 3. The control device for an ultrasonic probe according to claim 2, wherein the control means does not increase the driving voltage or current of the motor any more after reaching the upper limit value. 4. The ultrasonic probe control device according to claim 3, wherein the control means causes the display means to display when the drive voltage or the current of the motor reaches the upper limit value. 5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control means reduces the drive voltage or current of the motor and restarts the drive when the ultrasonic transducer does not stop at the target position. A control device for the ultrasonic probe according to any one of the above. 6. An ultrasonic probe comprising an ultrasonic transducer inserted into a diagnosis target and rotating the ultrasonic transducer to obtain a plurality of ultrasonic images, a motor for rotating the ultrasonic transducer, A drive circuit for applying a drive voltage or current to the motor; an encoder for detecting a rotational position of the ultrasonic vibrator; a start signal provided to the drive circuit when the motor is started; And applying a stop signal to the drive circuit when detecting that the ultrasonic transducer has reached the target position based on the rotational position detection signal from the encoder to apply a drive voltage or current to the motor. And control means for controlling the motor to stop. The control means controls the time from when the stop signal is output to when the motor actually stops. The moving distance of the ultrasonic vibrator is stored in the storage means, and a stop signal is output by the stored moving distance before the target position at the time of rotational driving after the ultrasonic vibrator, Ultrasonic probe control device. 7. An angle adjusting mechanism for adjusting a rotation angle of the ultrasonic vibrator, wherein the control means sets an initial drive voltage or current of the motor in accordance with the angle adjusted by the angle adjusting mechanism. The control device for an ultrasonic probe according to claim 1. 8. The controller according to claim 7, wherein when the ultrasonic transducer stops at the target position, the motor command voltage or current command value is set to an initial drive voltage or current. The control device of the ultrasonic probe according to the above. 9. The encoder according to claim 1, wherein the encoder is configured to generate a two-phase, 90-degree phase signal, and the control means assigns an absolute position to the combination of the signals. The control device for an ultrasonic probe according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein 10. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: the ultrasonic probe control device according to claim 1; and an image processing device that processes an ultrasonic image obtained by the ultrasonic probe.