JPH0472900A - Ultrasonic probe - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To secure the insulating property and to improve the assembling workability by combining an insulating member with a part of a conducting damping member. CONSTITUTION:A piezoelectric element 1 is provided with a side face electrode 2 and an acoustic wave radiation face-side electrode 3, and a side face electrode 4 and a damping member-side electrode 5 are provided correspondingly to them. An acoustic matching layer 6 is provided on the upper face of the acoustic wave radiation face-side electrode 3, and a damping member 7 where conducting fine particles made of a metal or the like different in acoustic impedance are mixed in a resin is provided on the surface of the damping memberside electrode 5. An insulating member 8 is provided in the part, where the damping member- side electrode 5 is not provided, on the face side to be joined to the piezoelectric element 1 of the damping member 7, and it is joined to the piezoelectric element 1. Thus, electrodes 3 and 5 are kept insulated from each other, and electric connection between the damping member 7 and the side face electrode 2 is prevented, and the assembling workability is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe that performs ultrasonic examination of deep parts of a subject by irradiating an ultrasonic beam onto the subject.

[Conventional technology]

Ultrasonic probes are used to excite a piezoelectric element, irradiate an ultrasonic beam onto a subject, receive reflected waves, convert them into electrical signals, process the signals, and conduct ultrasonic examinations deep within the subject. .

Various types of ultrasonic probes have been proposed in the past. For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-31429 (1), a piezoelectric element 71 having a folded electrode 70 has an acoustic wave generating surface. In some cases, a matching layer 72 is provided, and a damping member 73 made of rubber, epoxy resin, etc. mixed with electrically conductive particles such as tungsten or iron is provided on the back surface of the matching layer 72 for effective damping (Fig. 16). .

Further, in the device disclosed in JP-A-61-146240 (2), a lead wire 78 is connected to an ultrasonic transducer 77 having an acoustic matching layer 74, a piezoelectric element 75, and a damping member 76.
The ultrasonic transducer 77 and the element holder are fixed to the housing 79 via a stand 80. A sound lens 81 is provided on the sound wave emission surface (FIG. 17).

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, the conventional ultrasonic probe described above has the following drawbacks. First, in the conventional example (1), since the folded electrode 70 is provided on the piezoelectric element 7I, the two electrodes face each other on the same surface, and in order to provide insulation, the damping member must be an insulator. Must be. Therefore, in addition to the problem that the injection of metal particles is restricted, there is also the problem that it is difficult to electrically insulate the ground side and the positive side due to the mixture of metal particles, which tends to cause poor contact. .

On the other hand, in the conventional example (2), since the lead wire 78 is connected to the ultrasonic transducer 77 and arranged in the housing 79, troubles such as wire breakage may occur during the production process. Another problem is that it is difficult to assemble the ultrasonic transducer 77 to the housing 79, resulting in poor productivity.

The present invention is proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems.
The purpose is to provide an ultrasonic probe that is highly reliable and highly productive.

[Means and effects for solving the problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an acoustic matching layer on the sound wave emitting surface of a piezoelectric element, and a resin material mixed with conductive particles on the opposite side of the piezoelectric element. and a damping member incorporating an insulating member, and further includes four parts in which an ultrasonic transducer is disposed, and a cord for electrically connecting the piezoelectric element to an external device. An ultrasonic probe having a housing having four parts, and a damping member having a recess for arranging a cord for electrically connecting the piezoelectric element to an external device. It is.

In this way, in order to impart a damping effect to the damping member, materials with different acoustic impedances such as metal particles are mixed into the resin, making insulation treatment difficult during wiring. The insulation between the damping member side electrode and the damping member side electrode is maintained by the insulating member. Furthermore, insulation between the side electrode on the sound wave emission surface side and the damping member can be maintained.

Furthermore, if the housing or damping member is provided with recesses for assembling each component of the ultrasonic transducer, work such as assembling minute components and wiring can be done easily and reliably.

(Embodiment) Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.A piezoelectric element 1 is provided with a side electrode 2 and a sound wave emitting surface electrode 3, and the thickness of these electrodes and the piezoelectric element 1 is The side electrode 4 and the damping member side electrode 5 correspond in direction.
has been established. An acoustic matching layer 6 is provided on two sides of the acoustic radiation side electrode 4, and a damping member 7 made of resin mixed with conductive fine particles such as metal is provided on the opposite surface of the damping member side electrode 5. . An insulating member 8 is provided on the side of the damping member 7 which is to be joined to the piezoelectric element 1, where the damping-side electrode 5 is not provided, so as to be joined to the piezoelectric element 1.

With this configuration, when a current is supplied to each electrode to excite the piezoelectric element 1, the acoustic matching layers 66, -1, 7
An ultrasonic beam is emitted. Ultrasonic beams are also emitted from the opposite side of the piezoelectric element 1, but since the damping member 7 is provided on this side, the vibrations are damped.

Moreover, since this damping member 7 has metal particles having different acoustic impedances mixed into the resin, vibrations can be effectively damped and the damping effect can be improved.

In addition, since this damping member 7 itself becomes a strong conductor, if two electrodes are provided close to each other near the damping member surface, or if the ultrasonic transducer has a high frequency, the distance between the electrodes may vary depending on the distance between the electrodes. Although insulation treatment during wiring becomes difficult, the provision of the insulating member 8 maintains insulation between the electrode 3 on the sound wave emitting surface side and the electrode 5 on the damping member side.

Furthermore, since a distance equal to the thickness L of the insulating member 8 is maintained between the side electrode 2 and the damping member 7, the electrical connection between the damping member 7 and the side electrode 2 is maintained when wiring the piezoelectric element 1. This can be prevented.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and parts corresponding to those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals (the same applies to other embodiments). In this embodiment, the bonding surface of the acoustic matching layer 6 provided on the sound wave emitting surface of the piezoelectric element 1 is formed to be smaller than the area of the piezoelectric element 1. A part of the acoustic radiation flat electrode 3 provided on the joint surface of the piezoelectric element 1 is exposed on the surface of the piezoelectric element I, and a part of the surface where the piezoelectric element 1 and the acoustic matching layer 6 are joined. is defined as the non-electrode portion 11. On the opposite side of the piezoelectric element 1, a damping member 7 made of an epoxy resin mixed with metal particles at a weight ratio of 80% or more and a resin block 9 containing no metal particles are provided. The piezoelectric element 1 includes a damping member 7 and a resin block 9.
A damping member side electrode 5 is provided on the joint surface with the damping member 7, leaving an exposed surface.

Therefore, a non-electrode portion 10 is formed on the joint surface between the piezoelectric element 1 and the resin block 9.

Note that this non-electrode portion 10 is formed at a position that substantially corresponds to the non-electrode portion 11 in the width direction of the piezoelectric element 1.

With this configuration, when connecting a wire to the electrode 3.5, apply conductive adhesive, solder, etc. to the exposed electrode part of the electrode 3, as shown in Figure 3. Wire rod 13 is electrically connected via conductive member 12 . Further, with respect to the electrode 5, a wire 15 is electrically connected to the electrode 5 exposed at the end face of the piezoelectric element 1 via a conductive member 14.

Therefore, during wiring work, the conductive member 12 of the electrode 3 does not come into contact with the damping member 7 or the damping member side electrode 5 due to the resin block 9, so that insulation can be easily achieved and work efficiency can be improved.

FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a stepped portion is formed in a part of the damping member 7 on the side of the joint surface with the piezoelectric element I, and an insulating sheet 17 is adhered thereto. Then, the piezoelectric element I is connected to its non-electrode portion 10.
is fixedly bonded to the insulating sheath 1-17.

FIG. 5 shows the steps for manufacturing this ultrasonic probe. Figure A shows a damping member mold 1B made of a material such as silicon, with a protrusion 1 in the molding recess 20.
Several 9's are formed. A portion corresponding to this projection 19 is for forming a stepped portion 16 of the damping member 7.

A fluid containing epoxy resin mixed with metal powder is poured into the molding recess 20. Then, as shown in Figure B, the bottom plate 21 is placed on the damping member mold 18, sandwiched from above and below by the back plates 22 and 23, force F is applied, and after a predetermined time, the hardened damping member is taken out and molded. can. Note that, after pouring the fluid, defoaming is performed using vibration or vacuum means, so that a homogeneous damping member with high density can be formed. Furthermore, since the heavy metal sinks and hardens, the damping member can be a gradient material with high metal density, and the surface with high metal density can be used as the bonding surface with the piezoelectric element.

After molding, the stepped portion 16 is cut along one end to form a state as shown in Figure C. Then, the insulation sheet 1-17 is placed on the stepped portion 16.
are fixed by gluing or the like so that they form the same surface with no steps (Figure D).

Next, the piezoelectric element 1, acoustic matching layer 6, and damping member 7 are bonded and fixed while being positioned relative to each other. In this case, pressure bonding allows the thickness of the adhesive to be 10 μm or less. After adhesion, the ultrasonic probe can be completed by cutting it into a required size as shown in Figure E.

In this case, an array type ultrasonic probe can also be formed by forming separation grooves that do not lead to cutting.

Since such a manufacturing method can easily and reliably form an insulating layer, productivity and reliability can be improved. Also,
Since the process of forming the damping member is easy, mass production can be achieved.

FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and shows a housing into which the above-mentioned ultrasonic probe is installed. A recess 2 in which an ultrasonic transducer can be placed in the main body 24
5, and side grooves 26.2 are formed on the sides and bottom of this recess 25.
7 and the bottom groove 28 are formed to communicate with each other, and further communicate with the wiring hole 29. It goes without saying that the diameters of these grooves and holes should be made larger than the outer diameter of each wire to prevent the wire from entering the recess for the ultrasonic transducer.

FIG. 7 shows the state in which the wiring is connected to the housing. To wire in this manner, first the wire 30 is passed through the wiring hole 30, and then the wire 29 is branched into the side grooves 26, 27 and wired. Then, the ultrasonic transducer is placed in the recess 25 and electrically connected. By doing so, it is possible to easily construct a minute ultrasonic probe, thereby improving productivity.

FIG. 8 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention, in which figure A is a plan view and figure B is a side view. Cylindrical housing body 2
A cutout 31 is formed on the upper surface of the housing 4, and a cutout 31 is formed in the upper surface of the housing cylindrical axis from the front end of the cutout to the housing base 32.
A wiring groove 33 is formed in the background. Chamfered portions 34 are formed at the front and rear of the housing body 24 to avoid unnecessary contact with the subject. The housing body 24 is preferably made of an insulating material such as thermoplastic resin or thermosetting resin.

FIG. 9 shows the relationship between the housing body 24, the ultrasonic vibrator and the wire rod incorporated therein.

A recess 35 having a depth t2 for arranging an ultrasonic transducer is formed inside the notch 31. Here, an ultrasonic vibrator as shown in Figure B or Figure 0 is arranged, and this ultrasonic vibrator can control the height of the damping member 7 to
The height obtained by adding the height of the piezoelectric element 4 to this is set as tl. The relationship between these and the depth t2 of the recess 35 is to
It is designed so that ≦t2<tl. The one shown in Figure B is an ultrasonic transducer without an insulating member, and the one shown in Figure 0 has insulation between the electrodes of the ultrasound probe and between the electrode and damping member. Insulating member 8 for securing
This is an ultrasonic transducer equipped with a Therefore, when the ultrasonic transducer is embedded in the housing 24, the side electrode 2.
4 protrudes from the upper end of the recess 35 so that it can be connected to the branched wire rods 36 and 37.

With this configuration, in order to assemble the ultrasonic probe, the wire 30 is first inserted into the wiring groove 33, and the branched wires 36 and 37 are raised from the vicinity of both the front and rear ends of the recess 35, respectively. Next, an ultrasonic vibrator is placed and fixed in the fourth part 35 with a gap of about 0.5 mm maintained for adhesive application. Then, wire rods are electrically connected to each electrode, and the electrically exposed portions including these connection points are covered with resin or the like to be insulated from the outside. The adhesive in this case is solder, conductive paste,
A conductive adhesive would be used. Next, the metal coil shaft 38 is fitted to the base 32 of the housing body 24 and fixed with adhesive, and the metal coil shaft 38 and the ground side of the wire 30 are electrically connected using a conductive member. Desirable for reducing electromagnetic noise.

In this embodiment, the housing main body 24 can be formed by a simple plate type, so it can be mass-produced with high precision and at low cost. Furthermore, since the work of assembling the ultrasonic transducer is easy, quality and productivity can be improved.

FIG. 10 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention, and in this embodiment, the wiring groove 33 is formed narrow at required locations. Such a holding part may be located at a position where the wire (A) can be stably positioned when wiring the wire.
Point 39 where the wire rod inserted into the housing 24 stands up
．． 40. Select fixing positions 41 and 42 on the housing base side of the inserted wire to narrow the width of the wiring groove 33,
The wire is elastically deformed so that it can be inserted. The holding portion 4 is larger than the outer diameter d1 of the bundle portion of the wire rod 30 (not shown in Figure B).
1.42, h2 is formed narrower, and the width h3, h4 of the holding part 39.40 is made narrower than the outer diameter d2 of the branched wire.
is formed narrowly. Since it is configured like this, 0
When wiring is done as shown in the figure (A-A sectional view), the wire rod 30 is stably fixed at key points, making it possible to maintain a stable wiring condition and making it easier to assemble the ultrasonic transducer. It becomes possible.

Figure D is a sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure A, and the gap between the width W of the ultrasonic transducer and the width iyo of the hole 35 is provided as room for the adhesive to enter. In this case, WOW≦0.5
It is better to set it as mm. The distance between the outer circumferential point of a circle drawn through the center X of the cylindrical axis of the housing body 24 and the bottom surface of the recess 35! is the distance L3 between the corner of the ultrasonic transducer and the outer circumference of the housing
Shift so that the distance is 0.1 mm or more. With this configuration, even if the ultrasonic transducer rotates together with the housing body 24, the outer periphery of the housing 24 serves as a protector for the ultrasonic transducer.

FIG. 11 shows a seventh embodiment of the present invention, in which the housing 24 is made of metal and an insulating member recess 43 is formed on the housing base side of the recess 35. The wiring groove 33 is
It is bent in the thickness direction of the housing at the connection point between the housing base and the housing body, and the hole formed by this bending is used as the wiring fixing hole 44.

FIG. B is a sectional view, and an insulating member 46 as shown in FIG. 12 is disposed in the insulating member recess 43. Since the stepped portion 45 is formed in the insulating member recess 43, when the insulating member 46 is pushed in, it will be locked and fixed in the stepped portion 45.

The insulating member 46, as shown in the front view in FIG. 12A,
A slit 47 for inserting the wire and a recess 48 for gripping the wire at the top.
and is formed. FIG. 11C shows the housing body 24.
This figure shows the state in which the ultrasonic vibrator is installed.The wire rod 30 is pushed into the wiring groove 33, and the branched wire rod on the ground side is guided into the wire fixing hole 44 and soldered, brazed, conductive adhesive 49, etc. It is fixed so that it does not protrude from the wire fixing hole 44. The 11th diagram shows a state in which an ultrasonic transducer is embedded in the housing body 24, which is provided with an insulating member 8 for ensuring insulation between the electrodes of the ultrasonic probe and between the electrodes and the damping member. The wiring of the wire 30 and the like are the same as in the case of Figure 0. The other wire is passed through the slit 47 of the insulating member 46 and the outer diameter (d2) of the wire is
It is gripped and fixed in the recess 48 having a smaller diameter (D), and fixed with a conductive adhesive 49 or the like. In the case of such work, it goes without saying that both the wire rod and the insulating member undergo elastic deformation.

To connect the piezoelectric element 1 and the wires + and I'30, connect the electrode and the wire on the →- side with conductive adhesive and low melting point solder, etc. On the ground side, connect the electrode and the metal housing with conductive adhesive. Connect electrically with low melting point solder etc. Furthermore, the connection points and the like are covered with resin 50 for insulation protection. Note that the eastern part of the wire 30 is fixed to the housing base 32 with adhesive or the like, and the housing base 32 and the metal coil shaft 38 are connected to each other.
It is desirable to fix them with adhesive or the like.

In this example, a metal housing is used, which improves shape accuracy, and the piezoelectric element is enclosed, so it is resistant to electromagnetic noise. Also, since it is easy to ground the flexible shaft, etc., it is resistant to noise. It is also strong, and can be fixed to the flexible shaft by brazing, etc., which improves the strength.Furthermore, it is suitable for small quantity production, so it has the effect of reducing production costs. Further, by using the insulating member, wiring problems can be easily solved, and the wire can be easily fixed during wiring, thereby improving productivity.

FIG. 13 shows an eighth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the joint surface of the damping member 7 with the piezoelectric element 1 is made larger than the area of the piezoelectric element 1, as shown in FIG. in the length direction! Only ■ is sticking out. As shown in Figure B, side grooves 62, 63 and bottom grooves 64 are formed in this overhanging portion so as to communicate with each other.

With this structure, in order to assemble the ultrasonic probe as shown in Fig.
2.63, and electrically connect with each electrode of the piezoelectric element 1 using the conductive adhesive 49. Then the housing body 24
It is installed and fixed in the holder, and is insulated by covering the exposed electrode portion with a conductive adhesive 49 and a resin 50 or the like. therefore,
Since wiring can be connected to the damping member 7, the structure of the housing body 24 can be simplified, and since the wiring is connected before the ultrasonic transducer is incorporated into the housing body 24,
Electrical performance can be measured and reliability can be improved. The 13th diagram shows an ultrasonic transducer having an insulating member 8 to ensure insulation between the electrodes of the ultrasonic probe and between the electrodes and the damping member. FIG. 13E shows the state in which the device is assembled into 24 and electrically connected.

When storing the probe equipped with the above ultrasonic probe, it is separated from the drive unit. FIG. 14A shows a state in which the probe 58 separated from the drive unit via the connector 54 is housed in the housing case 53.

This storage case 53 has a disinfectant storage section 5 as shown in Figure B.
A disinfection roller 56 for receiving the disinfectant from 5 and a disinfectant wiping roller 57 are provided, and a probe 58 is housed therein.
Disinfection is performed by taking it out.

FIG. 15 shows another embodiment, in which a disinfecting sponge 60 is provided near the opening for inserting and removing the miniature probe 59 in the storage case 53. By supplying the disinfectant from the disinfectant inlet 61, the disinfectant sponge 60 can be disinfected when the miniature probe 59 is inserted or removed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, by combining an insulating member with a part of the conductive damping member, insulation is ensured between the electrodes of the ultrasonic probe and between the electrode and the damping member, thereby improving assembly workability. I can figure it out. In addition, a recess for fixing the ultrasonic transducer in the housing or damping member,
By forming grooves for wiring, assembly of the ultrasonic probe can be facilitated and optimized. Therefore, the reliability of the ultrasonic probe can be improved, and productivity can also be improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the same wire in a connected state, and FIG. is a sectional view of the third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the same manufacturing process, FIG. 6 is a perspective view and a sectional view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a plan view and a side view of the fifth embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the assembled state; FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing the wiring state;
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the sixth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the same member, and FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the eighth embodiment of the present invention. An explanatory diagram, Fig. 14,
FIG. 15 shows the implementation side opening of the probe storage case, and FIGS. 16 and 17 show conventional examples. ■Piezoelectric element 3.5 Electrode 6 Sound matching layer 7 Damping member 24 Housing 25 Recess 26.27 Side groove 28 Bottom groove Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 16 Figure 17

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic probe characterized in that an acoustic matching layer is provided on the sound wave emitting surface side of the piezoelectric element, and a damping member made of a resin material mixed with conductive particles and incorporating an insulating member is provided on the opposite side of the piezoelectric element. Tentacles. 2. An ultrasonic probe having a housing having a recess in which an ultrasonic transducer is disposed, and a recess in which a cord for electrically connecting the piezoelectric element to an external device is disposed. 3. An ultrasonic probe having a damping member in which a recess is formed in which a cord for electrically connecting a piezoelectric element to an external device is disposed.