JPH048887Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention is an ultrasonic probe body in which a function for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is housed at the tip of the insertion section, and a bending operation knob or the like is attached to the operating section on the hand side. Ultrasonic tomography with an excellent signal-to-noise ratio is achieved by arranging at least one of an amplifier that amplifies the received signal, an amplifier that amplifies the transmission signal pulse, and a pulse generator that generates the transmission pulse nearby. The present invention relates to an intrabody cavity ultrasound diagnostic device that can obtain images.

In recent years, by inserting the insertion part into the body cavity,
In addition to endoscopes that can optically observe the inside of a body cavity or perform medical treatment using forceps, ultrasound diagnostic equipment that transmits ultrasound to provide acoustic information inside the body cavity is used for diagnosis. be. This ultrasonic diagnostic device emits ultrasonic pulses from the body surface to a target object, and when the emitted ultrasonic waves propagate, the acoustic impedance, which is expressed as the product of the density of the medium and the speed of sound, increases. Since it is reflected at a discontinuous boundary surface, the reflected ultrasonic pulse wave is received and acoustic information such as its reflection intensity is used for diagnosis.

Compared to X-ray devices, such ultrasonic diagnostic equipment has the following advantages: it can easily obtain information about living soft tissue without using a shaping agent, it does not destroy living tissue with radiation, it is easy to handle, and it is not dangerous. It has many advantages such as the fact that it is small in size, and furthermore, as technology related to ultrasound has advanced in recent years, the quality and quantity of information obtained has improved, so it is becoming popular as a clinical diagnostic device in the medical field.

In contrast to the above-mentioned diagnosis that transmits and receives ultrasound pulses from the body surface, the intrabody cavity ultrasound diagnostic method that transmits and receives ultrasound pulses from a position close to the living organ within the body cavity has a (relatively) large amount of attenuation as it propagates. It is possible to transmit and receive high frequency ultrasonic waves, thus obtaining information with high resolution and precision, and it is not affected by the subcutaneous fat layer interposed between the objects, etc. Since it has many advantages, it is likely to be used more and more in the future. This intrabody cavity ultrasound diagnostic device, which is inserted into a body cavity, is used either as an integrated unit with an endoscope as a means of optical observation, or with a removable endoscope (optical viewing tube) attached. It is common that

In the above-mentioned conventional intrabody cavity ultrasound diagnostic device,
An ultrasound transducer is housed in the (ultrasonic) probe head on the distal end of the insertion section of the ultrasound probe that is inserted into the body cavity, and a driving pulse signal is supplied to this ultrasound transducer to sequentially generate ultrasound waves. A pulse is excited, and the excited ultrasonic waves are transmitted to an ultrasonic mirror attached to a rotating shaft (in some cases, an ultrasonic transducer is attached directly to the rotating shaft).
The ultrasonic wave is reflected by the probe head and transmitted radially to an object such as an organ in a body cavity through an ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving window formed in the probe head.

On the other hand, the transmitted ultrasound is reflected at the discontinuous boundary surface of the acoustic impedance, and the ultrasound echo signal is received and converted into an electrical signal by the ultrasound transducer, which is then transmitted to the outside from the operating section at the rear end of the insertion tube. The signal is transmitted to an external (observation) display device via an extended signal transmission cable and displayed as an ultrasonic tomographic image of the object. The cable for transmitting signals between the ultrasonic probe and the display device generally needs to be quite long because if it is too short, it will not be able to be operated freely when operating the ultrasonic probe.

In addition, if the above-mentioned cable has a motor for rotation drive stored in the hand-side operation unit, the line that supplies power to it is also unified for operation, so the noise generated when the motor rotation is driven becomes a signal. The quality of ultrasonic tomographic images was significantly degraded due to contamination on the line side. In addition, the signal is attenuated at a high rate in the long cable extending from the operating section to the outside, and even if the observation display device is sufficiently amplified, the signal-to-noise ratio (SN ratio) inevitably decreases.
It was not possible to obtain clear ultrasound tomographic images.

The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and it is possible to obtain ultrasonic tomographic images by mechanical scanning without increasing the diameter of the insertion section inserted into the body cavity, and improves operability and insertion. In addition, there are no objects inside the insertion tube that cause noise, and high-level signals are transmitted from the operation section to the observation display device side, where noise is likely to be mixed in. It is an object of the present invention to provide an intrabody cavity ultrasonic diagnostic device that can flow and improve the S/N ratio.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention accommodates an ultrasonic scanning means for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves on the distal end side of an insertion section inserted into a body cavity, and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves from a proximal operation section connected to the rear side of the insertion section. In an intrabody cavity ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus connected to an external observation display device that displays an ultrasonic tomographic image obtained by the ultrasonic scanning means by extending a cable to the outside via the cable, a motor that drives the ultrasonic scanning means; and a driving force transmission member that is inserted from the operating section to the distal end side of the insertion section and transmits the driving force of the motor to the ultrasonic scanning means;
Further, at least one of a transmitting pulse generator, an amplifier for amplifying the transmitting pulse, and an amplifier for amplifying the received signal is disposed at or near the operating section.

The present invention will be explained in detail below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 17 show an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is an overall front view of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus;
Figure 2 is a plan view showing the operation section on the hand side of the ultrasound probe body, Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the tip of the ultrasound probe body in Figure 1, and Figure 4 is the curved part in Figure 1. and an enlarged vertical sectional view showing the vicinity of the tip of the insertion part, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 8 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the operating section of the ultrasound probe body, FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of the optical viewing tube attaching/detaching mechanism portion of FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view of FIG. 8. FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line D-D in FIG. 8, FIG. 12 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the operating section of the ultrasound probe body on the electric cable side, and FIG. 13 is a side view of the cap locking piece inside. FIG. 14 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the bending mechanism in the operation section; FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the wire drum system of the bending mechanism; FIG.
The figure is a side view showing the curved knob side of the operating section, FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the usage state of this embodiment, and FIG. 17 is an explanatory view showing the field of view of the optical viewing tube in the usage state of FIG. 16. .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ultrasound probe main body 1 includes an elongated insertion section 2 inserted into a body cavity.
An ultrasonic probe head 3 and a curved section 4, which accommodate a function of transmitting and receiving ultrasound from the front in sequence, are connected to the distal end of the probe. is provided, and the insertion section 2
A perspective type optical viewing tube 6 whose field of view is obliquely forward (for example, 45 degrees) from the rear end to this notched window portion 5.
An optical viewing tube guide tube is provided for inserting and removably inserting the A flexible electric cable 8 is connected and extended, and a liquid-tight connector 9 is attached to the rear end of the electric cable 8, so that the entire structure is liquid-tight.

The electric cable 8 connects the pulse generating unit 1
0 (generates pulses to be supplied to an ultrasonic transducer described later in the ultrasonic probe head 3) and is connected to a second electric cable 12 having a connector 11 at its tip. . Further, the pulse generating unit 10 is connected to a third electric cable 13.
is extended and connected to a power source and an ultrasonic display device (not shown) via a connector 14.
In this embodiment, the ultrasound probe body 1
The reason why the electric cable 8 extending from the ultrasonic probe body 1, including the electric cable 8, is not directly connected to the pulse generating unit 10 is because the entire ultrasound probe body 1, including the electric cable 8, can be immersed in a disinfectant solution to sterilize it. This is because it is necessary to separate it from the pulse generating unit 10. Further, as described above, the electrical cable 8 is not connected to the pulse generating unit 10 detachably, but is connected via the second electrical cable 12 extending from the pulse generating unit 10. This is because the electric cable 8 is a component of the ultrasound probe body 1 that comes into direct contact with the patient, and it is inconvenient to make it long since the entire cable must be immersed in a disinfectant solution for sterilization. Further, the pulse generating unit 10 has a hook 15 for hanging, and is used by being hung from an object as appropriate, so that the electric cable 8 does not touch the floor or the like. Furthermore, a light guide base 16 is protruded from the proximal side of the optical viewing tube 6, and a flexible light guide cable 18 connected to a light source device 17 is detachably connected thereto. There is.

The ultrasound probe head 3 and the curved portion 4 are the third
It is configured as shown in the figure. The tip side of the ultrasonic probe head 3 is covered with a soft, tubular outer cover 19 made of polyethylene or the like.
The open end on the rear end side is located near the boundary between the outer periphery of the curved portion 4 and the covering tube 20, which will be described later.
The thread-like member 23 and adhesive 24 wound around the concave stepped portion of the ring-shaped connecting and fixing member 22 interposed on the outer periphery maintain the internal liquid tightness, and prevent the outer cover 19 from coming off from the stepped portion. It is designed to be firmly fixed. That is, the inner diameter around the rear end of the mantle cover 19 is made narrower in the form of a stepped portion, and this narrower stepped portion is made smaller in diameter than the connecting fixing member 22 in which the elastic soft tube 25 is encircled. The end of the outer mantle cover 19 that is fitted into the step is firmly fixed by the thread-like member 23 wound at the position of the recess-like step, and the wound thread-like member 23 is Adhesive 2 is applied to the outer peripheral recess of the member 23.
4 was applied, and an improvement in the liquid-tight mechanism was achieved.
A concave step is also formed near the end of the soft covering tube 20 adjacent to the connecting and fixing member 22, a thread-like member 26 is wound around this step, and an adhesive 27 is applied to the outer circumference of the concave portion. is applied to ensure liquid tightness. In this way, the soft mantle cover 19 on the distal end side and the soft covering tube 20 on the outer periphery of the curved portion 4 are not directly connected, but the ring-shaped connecting fixing member 22 having sufficient strength is interposed, so that the mantle cover 19 and the covering tube 20, and when repeated insertion and removal, the outer cover 19 on the tip side or the covering tube 20 on the outer periphery of the curved part 4
When the thread-like members 23, 26 are worn out or damaged, only that part can be replaced by unwinding the wound thread-like members 23, 26.

The hollow tip block 21 whose outer periphery is covered by the tube members 19 and 20 has a storage chamber 28 formed therein, and an ultrasonic transducer 29 for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves. A hard first shaft 31 is fixed to the tip block 21 with screws or the like, and is rotatably driven at an angle of, for example, 45 degrees with the ultrasound transmitting/receiving surface 30 of the ultrasound transducer 29. A rotatable and detachable ultrasonic mirror 32 is housed and attached to the tip. In the storage chamber 28, an ultrasonic transmission medium 33 is provided.
is filled. If a sucrose aqueous solution with a concentration of approximately 5 to 15% is used as the transmission medium 33, rusting of each member can be prevented compared to the case of salt water, etc., and the acoustic impedance can be made approximately equal to that of a living body. Ultrasonic waves can be transmitted efficiently, and since the aqueous solution has less loss component in the propagation of ultrasonic waves than oil or the like, it is possible to prevent the intensity of the ultrasonic beam from decreasing during propagation.

A guide groove 34 is formed on the base side of the mirror 32 so that the mirror 32 can be inserted and removed from the first shaft 31 in a direction perpendicular to the shaft 31. It is configured to be removably latched to the shaft 31.

A signal cable 35 for transmitting signals for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is connected to the ultrasonic transducer 29, and this cable 35 is inserted through the bending section 4 and the insertion section 2 to the operation section 7, and is operated. The unit 7 is configured to be ultimately connected to an external ultrasonic display device via an electric cable 8 from the side thereof.

A part of the side wall of the storage chamber 28 formed by the tip block 21 around the mirror 32 is provided with an opening to form an ultrasonic transmission/reception window 36, which is a transmission/reception surface for the ultrasonic transducer 29. The ultrasonic beam emitted from the ultrasonic beam 30 is reflected by the rotationally driven mirror 32 and is emitted to the outside through the opening of the surrounding tip block 21, that is, the transmission/reception window 36, through the mantle cover 19. A part of the ultrasonic waves reflected at the discontinuous boundary surface of the acoustic impedance enters the storage chamber 28 through the window 36, is reflected by the mirror 32, and enters the ultrasonic transducer 29. has been done.

The sending/receiving window 36 also serves as an opening for removing and removing the mirror, and the mirror 32 can be removed or attached through this opening.

The mirror 32 is attached to the tip of a first rigid shaft 31, and this shaft 31 is screwed to a second rigid shaft 37 that follows, and this second rigid shaft 37 is rotated by a bearing 38. It is freely supported. The rear end side of this bearing 38 comes into contact with a locking part protruding inside the tip block 21 and a recess formed in the second shaft 37, and the other end contacts a ring-shaped lock screw 3.
9 so as not to move back and forth.

The annular space between the outer peripheral surface of the hard first shaft 31 and the inner wall surface of the tip block 21 has a cross section of approximately U.
Seal members 40, 40 in the shape of a letter are installed in a ring, and an elastic member (not shown) is housed in the U-shaped recess of each of the seal members 40, 40, and both U-shaped ends are attached to the inside and outside in the radial direction. The U-shaped ends are in contact with the inner and outer peripheral surfaces, and one U-shaped end is in contact with the inner and outer circumferential surfaces, and
The transmission medium 33 is filled with grease such as molycoat grease filled in the grease filling chamber 41 formed between the letter-shaped recess and the other seal member 40, 40.
The sealing member 4
The shaft 31 is configured so that the frictional resistance during rotation of the shaft 31 in contact with the shafts 0 and 40 is suppressed as much as possible, and the shaft 31 can rotate smoothly.

Inside the curved portion 4 covered with the covering tube 20, a large number of joint pieces 42, 42... are accommodated, in which the pivot joints on both sides of the joints are rotatably connected back and forth. The piece 42 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the rear end of the tip block 21. The tips of a pair of operating wires, which will be described later, inserted from the proximal side are fixed to both sides of the joint piece 42 located at the tip, and by pulling and loosening these operating wires, the notched window can be opened. The bending portion 4 is configured to be able to bend in the left-right direction when the bending portion 5 is positioned at the top. On the other hand, the front end is connected to the hard second shaft 37 in the inner hollow part of the curved part 4,
A soft drive shaft 44 whose rear end is connected to a hard drive shaft 43 (described later) is inserted through a soft tube 45 made of, for example, Teflon, which has a low coefficient of friction.

The flexible drive shaft 44 is formed of a close-wound coil wound in two layers, an inner layer and an outer layer, and these inner and outer coils are wound in opposite directions. The flexible drive shaft 44 and the hard second shaft 37 are connected by a connecting pin 46. This coupling means is as follows. That is, the tip of the flexible drive shaft 44 is solidified by welding or the like, and a pin insertion hole 47 into which the pin 46 is inserted is bored in the radial direction. The rear end of the hard second shaft 37 is formed to have a small diameter so that it can be inserted into the tip of the soft drive shaft 44, and the hard second shaft 37 A pin-fitting hole 48 is bored in the rear end of the flexible drive shaft 44 and communicates with a pin-fitting hole 47 drilled in the flexible drive shaft 44 . Both pin insertion holes 4 are drilled in the soft and hard second shafts 44 and 37.
By fitting and fixing the pin 46 in communication with 7 and 48, both the soft and hard drive shafts 44, 3
It is combined with 7.

The curved portion 4 and the insertion portion 2 following the curved portion 4 are connected to each other via a connecting member 49 at the tip of the insertion portion, as shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, a stepped portion 50 with an enlarged diameter is formed at the rear of the joint piece 42 located at the rearmost position of the curved portion 4, and this stepped portion 50 has radial openings at, for example, three locations in the circumferential direction. A screw insertion hole 51 is bored into the stepped portion 50, and a nut 52 communicating with the screw insertion hole 51 is inserted and fixed.
This nut 52 is formed in an arc shape so as to be in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the stepped portion 50, and is completely dropped into the stepped portion 50, thereby preventing the rear portion of the curved portion 4 from being narrowed. are doing.

On the other hand, behind the joint piece 42, the stepped portion 5
The distal end of the subsequent connecting member 49 is fitted so as to cover the outer periphery of the connection member 4, and this distal end is provided with, for example, three screw insertion holes 53 that communicate with the screw insertion holes 51. . The screw insertion hole 53 at the tip of this connecting member 49 and the joint piece 4
2. By screwing in the screw 54 with the rear screw insertion hole 51 and the nut 52 communicating,
The curved portion 4 and the insertion portion 2 are connected via a connecting member 49 at the tip of the insertion portion 2. A drive shaft insertion hole 55 is provided in the connecting member 49 in the longitudinal direction, and the rear part of the flexible drive shaft 44 inserted into the flexible tube is inserted from the front side. The hole 55 is connected to the subsequent hard drive shaft 43 halfway through the hole 55 . The flexible drive shaft 44 and the hard drive shaft 43 are connected to a connecting pin 56.
are connected by. This coupling means is as follows. That is, the rear end portion of the flexible drive shaft 44 is solidified by welding or the like, and a pin insertion hole 57 into which the pin 56 is inserted is bored in the radial direction.
The tip of the hard drive shaft 43 is formed to have a small diameter so that it can be inserted into the rear end of the soft drive shaft 44. A pin-fitting hole 58 is drilled that communicates with a pin-fitting hole 57 drilled in the flexible drive shaft 44 . Both the soft and hard drive shafts 44, 43 are inserted and fixed in communication with the pin insertion holes 57, 58 drilled in the soft and hard drive shafts 44, 43. is combined with. Further, this hard drive shaft 43 is rotatably supported by a bearing 59.

Further, the hard drive shaft 43 is covered with an outer skin 60 made of, for example, Teflon, which has a low coefficient of friction.

The connecting member 49 is formed with the cutout window 5 that exposes the distal end of the optical viewing tube 6 that is inserted through the optical viewing tube guide tube 61 from the rear proximal side of the insertion section 2, as described above. This notch window 5
is notched in a fan shape having left and right downward inclined surfaces 62, 62 in the upper outer circumferential axis direction of the connecting member 49, and at the rear of this notched window portion 5 is a communication tube communicating with the optical viewing tube guide tube 61. A hole 63 is formed. The communication hole 63 of the connecting member 49 and the optical tube guide tube 61 inserted into the insertion section 2 are located above the axial center of the insertion section 2 and from the proximal side (operator side). It is located eccentrically to the right when viewed. The optical viewing tube 6 is inserted into the insertion section 2.
It is inserted from the proximal side through the guide tube 61 in the insertion section 2 to the cutout window 5, and the inclined tip portion having the illumination window and the observation window is oriented rightward or leftward, and is angled upward by about 20 degrees from the horizontal position. It is now being inserted. As mentioned above, the reason why the optical viewing tube 6 is positioned above the axial center of the insertion section 2 is because the optical viewing tube 6 is located at the distal end of the insertion section or exposed when inserted into a body cavity and observed. This is because the visual field of the optical viewing tube is not obstructed even if tissues such as organs get into the distal end of the optical viewing tube 6, and the optical viewing tube 6 can be placed facing right or left so that observation can be performed in both directions. be. Furthermore, the reason why the optical viewing tube 6 is arranged eccentrically to the right side when viewed from the operator side with respect to the axial center of the insertion section 2 is that the field of view in the right direction in particular is obstructed by the insertion section 2. This is because it prevents In this way, from the surgeon's point of view, securing a field of view, especially in the right direction, is necessary for diagnosis of intra-abdominal organs, such as which part of the skin has many blood vessels and where the organs are located. The position and direction of insertion are determined automatically, and therefore, the insertion position and insertion direction are determined medically. Therefore, if the field of view is to the right in normal use and the field of view is curved in this direction, it is possible to observe organs and to This is because the ultrasonic probe head 3 is suitable for intraperitoneal operation and observation such as close contact. In addition, in this embodiment, the inclined tip of the optical viewing tube 6 can be set to the left, and the ultrasound probe head 3 can be bent to the left, so that the oblique tip of the optical tube 6 can be set to the left, and the ultrasound probe head 3 can be bent to the left. This is because a blind spot may occur in a part of the field when viewing only in the right direction, and it is necessary to include this blind spot in the observation field of view. Therefore, when used for ultrasonic diagnosis of organs other than intra-abdominal organs, the observation field of view and the direction of curvature do not need to be in the right or left direction as described above. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the slanted tip of the optical viewing tube 6 can be moved from the rightward or leftward direction.
The reason why the angle is set upward by about 20 degrees is to prevent the lower side of the field of view from being bent by the insertion portion 2 or the tissue inserted from the lower side.

The outer periphery of the rear end of the connecting member 49 is covered with a mantle tube 64 that constitutes the insertion section 2, and is fixed by soldering, brazing, or the like. This insertion part 2
As shown in FIG. 7, there is an optical viewing tube guide tube 61 communicating with the communicating hole 63 for passing through the optical viewing tube of the connecting member 49, a hard drive shaft 43 covered with an outer skin, and this drive shaft 43. A pair of wires 65, 6
5 and a signal cable 35 are respectively inserted therethrough.

An operating section 7 is connected to the rear end of the insertion section 2 as shown in FIG. This operation section 7
The gripping portion 68 includes a drive system 67, the bending mechanism 69 disposed on the side of the gripping portion 68, and the gripping portion 6.
8 and an optical viewing tube attaching/detaching mechanism 70 disposed at the rear.

The gripping portion 68 includes a lower case 71 and a middle case 7.
2, and an upper case 73 formed relatively large to accommodate the drive system 67 and the bending mechanism 69. Each case 71, 72, 73 is fitted into the fitting part, and an O-ring 74 is fitted to the fitting part. , 75 are interposed to ensure liquid tightness, and are screwed together by screws 76, 77. The insertion portion outer tube 64 is connected to the inner case 72 of this grip portion 68 by a connecting member 78. This connecting member 78
A hole 79 through which the optical viewing tube guide tube 61 communicates, a hole 80 through which the drive shaft 43 is inserted, a wire insertion hole (not shown), and a signal cable insertion hole (not shown) are respectively bored in the connecting member 78. The flange 78a is brought into contact with the inner wall of the connecting member opening 81 formed in the inner case 72, and an O-ring 82 is interposed between the two to ensure liquid tightness, and the two are fixed by screws 83, 83. . The insertion portion outer tube 64 is fitted onto the outer periphery of the connecting member 78 and fixed by soldering, brazing, or the like. Inside the gripping part 68, from the front, the optical viewing tube guide tube 61, the rigid drive shaft 43, the pair of wires 65, 65, and the signal cable 3 are arranged.
5 is extended and inserted. The hard drive shaft 43
is supported by a connecting member 78 via a bearing.
The drive system 67 includes the drive shafts 44, 43, 37, 3
1 to rotate the ultrasonic mirror 32 for ultrasonic scanning, and is screwed to the upper end side of the middle case 72 and extends upward.
A motor 85 connected to a power source via an external electric cable 8 is disposed on a bearing plate 84 housed in the bearing plate 3 , and a pulley 87 is attached to an output shaft 86 of the motor 85 . A reduction pulley 89 is attached to a hard drive shaft 88 which is supported by a hard drive shaft 88, and a belt 90 is installed between both pulleys 87 and 89.

Further, a rotation detector 91 is disposed on the bearing plate 84 at a position facing the side surface of the reduction pulley 89. This rotation detector 91 is connected to the scanning mirror 32.
This is to measure the directivity angle of the ultrasonic waves, that is, the radiation direction of the ultrasonic waves, and the rotation angle of the deceleration pulley 89 which is pivotally attached to the drive shaft 88. This rotation detector 91 is composed of a detector main body 92 that transmits and receives light and a linear light reflecting plate 93 fixed to a non-reflective part on the side surface of the pulley, so that light is emitted from the detector main body 92. On the other hand, the light reflecting plate 93 is fixed to an appropriate position on the side surface of the deceleration pulley 89 facing the light reflecting plate 93, and the light emitted from the rotation detector main body 92 as described above is reflected to this reflecting plate 93. By reflecting the reflected light and receiving the reflected light again by the detector main body 92, the rotational position of the reflecting plate 93, that is, the drive shaft 8 is determined.
By measuring the rotation angle of 8, the radiation direction of the ultrasonic waves at that time is transmitted to a separate display position via the external electric cable 8 mentioned above.

The rigid drive shaft 88 of the drive system 67 and the insertion section 2
The hard drive shaft 43 extending into the grip portion 68 is the soft drive shaft 9 inserted through a soft tube 94 made of Teflon, for example, with a low coefficient of friction.
5. The hard drive shaft 88 of the drive system that intersects in the right angle direction and the hard drive shaft 43 from inside the insertion section 2 are connected by a soft drive shaft 95 instead of by a bevel gear. The gripping part 68 is small, and an optical viewing tube guide tube 61 is inserted into the connection point between the two.
In addition, since the optical viewing tube attaching/detaching mechanism 70 is provided, the space can be reduced.

This flexible drive shaft 95 is formed by rotating double-wound coils in opposite directions, and joints 96, 96 are provided at both front and rear ends of the flexible drive shaft 95. A hard drive shaft 88 to which the hard drive shaft 43 in the insertion portion 2 and the deceleration pulley 89 are attached by the joints 96, 96.
They are now connected to each other. Said joint 9
6 and 96 are attached to both ends of the flexible drive shaft 95 as follows. That is, the flexible drive shaft 9
Both ends of 5 are solidified by welding such as soldering, brazing, welding, adhesive, etc., and one pin fitting hole 97, 97 is bored in each of the solidified parts in the radial direction. Pin fitting holes 98, 9 communicating with pin fitting holes 97, 97 of the flexible drive shaft 95
8 is radially perforated.
are inserted into both solidified ends of the flexible drive shaft 95 to form the communicating pin fitting holes 97, 97, 98, 98.
It is attached by engaging and fixing pins 99, 99. In addition, the joint 9 attached to the flexible drive shaft 95
A male screw is engraved on the outer periphery of the other end of the hard drive shaft 88 from inside the insertion portion 2 to which the rear end of the hard shaft 43 and the pulley 89 are attached. A screw hole is formed, and these joints 9
6, 96 and a hard drive shaft 43 from inside the insertion portion 2 and a hard drive shaft 88 to which a pulley 89 is attached are screwed together. In addition, the joints 96, 96 of the flexible drive shaft 95 and both drive shafts 43, 8
8 can be connected not only by screwing as described above, but also by various methods such as a key or a pin.

Further, by operating the bending mechanism 69, one wire 65 is pulled and the other wire 65 is relaxed, and the bending section 4 is bent to bend the probe head 3 at the tip of the insertion section 2. It is designed to be directed either to the right or to the left. This bending mechanism 6
9 is a wire drum system 10 as shown in FIG.
0 and a rotating operation system 101, making assembly and disassembly and repair easy. This wire drum system 100 is arranged inside the right side of the upper case 73 of the gripping part 68. That is, this wire drum system 101 has a fixed shaft 102 fixed to the side surface of a bearing plate 84 supporting the motor 85.
A wire winding drum 10 is rotatably supported on the fixed shaft 102 and winds the wire 65.
3, and gear 1 which is pivotally attached to this drum 103.
04 and a pressing member 105.
As shown in FIG. 14, the rear ends of a pair of wires 65, 65 are fixed to this drum 103.
In the figure, reference numerals 106 and 106 are a pair of regulating plates provided on the drum 103, and the drum 10
3 rotates by a predetermined angle, the presser member 105
This prevents excessive rotation of the drum 103 and regulates the degree of curvature of the curved portion 4 and the distance to which the wires 65, 65 are pulled.

Further, the rotation system 101 has its distal end side connected to the upper case 7 from the opening 108 of the upper case 73 of the gripping portion 68.
3 Insert the main body side into the upper case 7 while inserting it inside.
3 through the support member 109, screw 11
It is designed to be attached by 0. This support member 109 has a plate shape, and a hole 111 is bored in the center.
is installed. Further, this support member 109 and the upper case 73 are made liquid-tight by an O-ring 113. Then, the rotation operation system 101
is as follows. That is, the above upper case 7
A gear 114 that meshes with the gear 104 of the wire drum system 100 is rotatably supported at the tip of the fixed shaft 115 inserted into the wire drum system 100. The tip of this fixed shaft 115 is formed into an angular shape, and is fitted and fixed into a fixed member 117 having an engagement hole 116 of the same shape.
The gears 104 and 114 mesh with each other at the same time as the distal end of the fixing member 117 is inserted into the fixing member 117.
The formation position of 11 is provided at a position where this condition is satisfied. This fixing member 117 is the bearing plate 8
4 by screws 118, 118. Further, the fixed shaft 115 has a rotating cylinder 119.
is fitted, and the rotating cylinder 119 fixes the gear 114. This rotating cylinder 119 has a transmission disk 120 located behind the support member 109.
is fixed. This transmission disk 120 has a cross section L
It is shaped like a letter, with the outer periphery extending rearward.
An O-ring 121 is disposed between the transmission disk 120 and the rotating cylinder 119 to ensure liquid tightness. An annular angle knob 122 is fixed to the outer periphery of the transmission disk 120, and when the angle knob 122 is rotated, the wire drum system 120
The drum 103 on the 0 side rotates to the right or left, pulling or relaxing the pair of wires 65, 65, and bending the bending portion 4. A groove 123 is formed on the inner periphery of the angle knob 122, into which the screw 110 for fixing the support member 109 to the upper case 73 is inserted. Further, the rotation operation system 101 is provided with a lock mechanism 124 for locking the rotation of the angle knob 122. This locking mechanism 124 consists of a spring member 12 fixed to the back surface of the transmission disk 120 and applying elastic force in the rearward direction.
5, and a sliding contact member 1 that slides into contact with this spring member 125.
26, a pressing member 127 that presses this sliding member 126 forward, a movable member 128 that advances this pressing member 127, and an engagement member that fixes this movable member 128 and is disposed behind the angle knob 122. 129, the movable member 12
A spiral is formed on the contact surface between 8 and the fixed shaft 115, and by rotating the engage 129, the movable member 128 moves forward along the fixed shaft.
moves the pressing member 127 forward, and the pressing member 127 presses the sliding member 126 against the leaf spring 125, and the frictional force generated there causes the transmission disk 12 to move forward.
0 and prevents the curved portion 4 that has curved to the right or left from returning.
The lock mechanism 124 also includes a stopper mechanism 1.
30 is attached, and this stopper mechanism 13
0 prevents excessive locking.
This is because, if the curved section 4 remains curved during an operation such as removing the ultrasound probe body from the body cavity, and is strongly locked in that state, the curved section 4 will cause the ultrasound probe to move into the body cavity. By adjusting the degree of engagement of the lock, the curved portion 4 is returned to a straight line by the force of impact with the body wall, etc. This stopper mechanism 130 fixes the first bevel gear 131 to the fixed shaft 115, while fixing the movable member 131 to the fixed shaft 115.
28 is provided with a protruding pin 132, and a second bevel gear 133 having a protrusion that abuts against the pin 132 is meshed with the first bevel gear 131. When the engager 129 is rotated by a predetermined angle, the pin 132 of the movable member 128 hits the protrusion of the second bevel gear 133, causing the engager 129 to be turned too much, that is, to be locked too much. is prevented. Note that since the second bevel gear 133 is only detachably attached to the fixed shaft 115, both bevel gears 13
The rotation angle of the engagement 129 can be set appropriately by resetting the engagement position of the engagement 129 at any time.

A space 135 is formed in the inner peripheral surface of the angle knob 122 of the rotation operation system 101, and a scale plate 136 is rotatably fitted into this space 135.
It is removably screwed onto 2. This screw 137
is inserted through a radial threaded hole 138 opened on the outer circumferential side of the angle knob 122. The tip of this screw 132 is connected to the scale plate 1.
It is adapted to be locked and fixed in a circumferential groove 139 carved in the contact surface with the angle knob 122 of 36. A neutral indicator 140 is displayed on the scale plate 136 as shown in FIG. 15, while a fixed indicator 141 is displayed near the outer periphery of the angle knob 122 of the upper case 73. The scale plate 136 is fixed to the angle knob 122 by moving the indicators 140 and 141 in a state where the curved portion 4 is directly extended, and in this matched state.

On the other hand, an optical viewing tube attaching/detaching mechanism 70 is disposed at the rear of the grip portion 68, as shown in FIG. The optical viewing tube attaching/detaching mechanism 70 includes a cover member 142 fitted to the outer periphery of the rear end portion of the optical viewing tube guide tube 61.
The device is designed to be removably inserted into the interior of the device. This cover member 142 has a substantially funnel shape, and the small diameter side of this cover member 142 is fitted onto the outer periphery of the rear end portion of the optical tube guide tube 61, while the large diameter side has a flange 143. The flange 143 contacts the outer surface of the inner case 72 through the opening 144 for attaching the cover member, and an O-ring 145 is arranged between the two to ensure liquid tightness. It is fixed by.

A tube body 147 through which the optical viewing tube 6 is inserted is disposed at the center of the optical viewing tube attaching/detaching mechanism 70. On both sides of this pipe body 147, there are 140
As shown in FIG. 9, base insertion portions 148, 148, into which the light guide base 16 of the optical viewing tube 6 is inserted, are cut out in the axial direction at symmetrical positions separated by degrees. These cap insertion portions 148, 148 are connected to the pipe body 147.
It is open at the rear end, and a base 16 is inserted from the rear to fix the optical viewing tube 6 therein. A leaf spring 149 which is given an outward elastic force is attached to the outer periphery of the tubular body 147, and a protrusion 150 projects from the tip of the leaf spring 149. A rotating member 151 is fitted onto the outer periphery of the tubular body 147. This rotating member 151 is rotatably fitted into the tubular body 147. A threaded hole 152 is bored in the rear part of the rotating member 151 in the radial direction, and a pin 153 is fitted into this hole 152 with its tip portion protruding slightly inward. The tip of this pin 153 is attached to the tube body 14
It is engaged in a circumferential elongated hole 154 drilled in the rear part of 7. Therefore, this rotating member 151 can rotate with respect to the tube body 147 by the width of this elongated hole 154, for example, 15 degrees left and right, and at the same time, the optical viewing tube 6 can also rotate in the same manner while being supported by this tube body 147. It can be rotated to change the field of view of the optical viewing tube 6. Moreover, on the inner periphery of this rotating member 147,
A groove 155 is formed in which the upper part of the protrusion 150 of the leaf spring 149 is engaged, and when the protrusion 150 engages in this groove 155, the optical viewing tube 6 is set to be oriented 20 degrees upward from the straight side. This state is maintained at all times. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, cap insertion portions 156, 156 communicating with the cap insertion portion 148 of the tubular body 147 are cut out in the axial direction at both ends of the rotating member 151. The cap insertion portions 156, 156 are opened at the rear end surface of the rotating member 151, and are formed in a substantially U-shape with a cap insertion opening 158 so that the light guide cap 16 of the optical viewing tube 6 is inserted from the rear. It is becoming more and more common. A cap locking piece 157 shown in FIG. 10 is attached to the cap inserting portions 156, 156. As shown in FIG. This cap locking piece 157 is formed in a substantially U-shape with a cap insertion opening 158 into which the light guide cap 16 of the optical viewing tube 6 is inserted. An elastic force is provided to narrow the cap insertion opening 158 so as to support the cap 16 of the optical viewing tube 6, and the cap is protruded inside the cap insertion opening 158 so as to support the optical viewing tube 6 more securely. A pair of protrusions 159, 159 that are engaged with the back surface of the holder 16 are provided.

A substantially L-shaped rotation ring 160 is rotatably fitted to the outer periphery of the tip of the tube body 147. The tip of this rotary ring 160 extends forward, and a female screw 161 is carved on the inner circumference thereof. Female screw 161 of this ring 160
is adapted to be screwed into a male screw 162 carved on the outer periphery of the rear end of the cover member 142, and is configured to be screwed onto the rear end of the cover member 142.

In front of this rotary ring 162 and inside the cover member 142, a pressing member 163 is arranged to press the tube body 1.
47 is fitted to the tip. This pressing member 16
A female screw is carved on the inner periphery of the distal end of No. 3, and a circumferential protrusion 164 protrudes radially inward.
is provided. Further, an O-ring 165 is provided between the pressing member 163 and the cover member 142 to ensure liquid tightness. A mounting member 167 having an optical viewing tube insertion hole 166 is disposed in front of the pressing member 163.
A male thread is carved on the outer periphery of the rear part of the pressing member 167, into which a female thread on the inner periphery of the tip of the pressing member 163 is screwed.
It is designed to be screwed onto the tip of the A stepped portion 1 is provided inside the rear part of this mounting member 167.
68 is formed, and this step portion 168 and the pressing member 16
A gasket 169 is disposed between the protrusion 164 of No. 3 and the protrusion 164 of No. 3. This gasket 169 has an optical viewing tube insertion hole 170 with a slightly smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the optical viewing tube 6, and when inserting the optical viewing tube 6, the gasket 169 is designed to be in close contact with the outer periphery of the optical viewing tube 6. It's summery. A valve seat 172 is formed in this packing 169 and is in contact with a valve body 171, which will be described later.

The valve body 171 is provided on the mounting member 167 with a biasing force applied by a spring 173 to bring it into close contact with the valve seat 172 of the gasket 162. That is,
The valve body 171 is always connected to the valve seat 17 of the packing 169.
2 to close the optical viewing tube insertion hole 170. This is done when the insertion section 2 of the ultrasound probe body 1 is inserted into a body cavity for observation or diagnosis, and if blood, mucus, etc. adhere to the tip of the optical viewing tube 6 and obstruct the field of view, the optical viewing It is necessary to once remove the tube 6 from the insertion section 2 and wipe off dirt on the distal end surface, and also insert the optical tube 6 in order to change the field of view of the optical tube 6 from the right or left direction to the left or right direction. Due to the necessity of removing and reinserting the optical viewing tube 6 from the section 2,
This is to prevent, for example, gas previously supplied into the abdominal cavity from leaking when the patient is removed from the insertion section 2.

Optical viewing tube attaching/detaching mechanism 70 configured in this way
is configured so that by rotating the rotating ring 160 to remove it from the cover member 142, not only the gasket 169 but also the entire body can be removed from the cover member 142 for cleaning or sterilization.

Further, the signal cable 35 is screwed to the upper end side of the lower case 71 and extends upward.
After the signal from the ultrasonic probe head 3 is amplified, it is connected to a head amplifier 174 housed within the handle 68, and then connected to a separate display via the electric cable 8 protruding from the side of the grip 68. It is supplied to a device to display an ultrasound image. This head amplifier 174 is connected to the middle case 72.
The motor is suspended below or inside the lower case 71, that is, on the lower surface of the substrate 175 at a position opposite to the motor 85 and rotation detector 91, with the flexible drive shaft 95 and the optical tube guide tube 61 in between. 8
The influence of high frequencies from 5 is minimized as much as possible.

In such a configuration, first, the optical viewing tube 6 is moved from the optical viewing tube attaching/detaching mechanism 70 provided at the rear of the operating section 7 of the ultrasound probe head body 1 to the right or left facing state and at an angle of about 20 degrees from the true side. The light guide cap 16 of the optical viewing tube 6 is inserted into the cap insertion portions 148 and 156 in an upward direction. At this time, the gasket 169 in the optical viewing tube attaching/detaching mechanism 70 is in close contact with the outer periphery of the optical viewing tube 6, and the base 16 is in close contact with the U-shaped base locking piece 157 attached to the optical viewing tube attaching/detaching mechanism 70. It is firmly supported by the clamping force of the cap locking piece 157 and the pair of protrusions 159, 159 provided on the cap locking piece 157.

After that, as shown in FIG. 16, the operator grasps the grip part 68 with one hand (right hand) and presses the angle knob 12 disposed on the side of the grip part 68.
2, insert the insertion section 2 into a body cavity, for example, the abdominal cavity, through the trocar 176. At this time, insert the insertion section 2 into the right or left direction using the oblique optical viewing tube 6. While observing the diagonally forward direction and visually checking the ultrasound probe head 3 by bending the curved part 4 to the right or left, select the desired organ 177.
The organ 177 is guided into close contact with the organ 177, and ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received in a sector-like manner, and an ultrasonic tomographic image of the organ 177 is displayed on an external display device for observation and diagnosis.

Further, in this embodiment, the rotation operation system 101 of the bending mechanism 69 is attached to the right side of the upper case 73 from the outside. Upper case 7
3 into the upper case 73 through the opening 108 of
to fit. As a result, the gear 114 supported at the tip of the fixed shaft 115 meshes with the gear 104 of the wire drum system 100.
Thereafter, the support member 107 is fixed to the upper case 73 in a liquid-tight manner.

On the other hand, after using the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the optical tube attachment/detachment mechanism 70 is removed from the grip part 68 by loosening the rotating ring 160 of the optical tube attachment/detachment mechanism 70, and then attached to the pressing member 163. By unscrewing the member 167, the gasket 169 can be removed and cleaned or replaced.

Furthermore, the grip portion 68 is attached to the lower case 7 as described above.
1. Divided into a middle case 72 and an upper case 73,
O-rings 74 and 75 connect the joints of these cases.
It is constructed by fitting and screwing with the two interposed. Also, a bearing plate 8 is provided on the upper end side of the middle case 72.
4 is screwed and extends toward the upper case 73, and a drive system 67 is attached to this bearing plate 84. Therefore, the upper case 73 is assembled to the middle case 72 after the drive system 67 is installed. With this configuration, it is easy to install and assemble the drive system 67, and the drive system 67 can be repaired by the upper case 73.
This is easy because it can be done only by removing the . Further, the upper end side of the lower case 71 has a board 17
The head amplifier 174 is attached to the middle case 72 by screwing the lower case 71 to the middle case 72.
It is housed in the lower case 71 or below. Therefore, assembly and repair of the head amplifier 174 are facilitated.

In the above embodiment, the optical viewing tube 6 is configured to be inserted into and removed from the insertion section 2, but the optical viewing tube 6 may be installed inside the insertion section 2 integrally. . In addition, in the description of the embodiment, the optical viewing tube 6 is inserted from the horizontal position upward by about 20 degrees to the right or left, and in this state it can be rotated up and down by about 15 degrees. tube 6
It can be rotated 180 degrees to 360 degrees, and is configured so that it can be locked at an appropriate angular position. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the mirror 32 inside the ultrasound probe head 3
The ultrasonic waves are scanned by rotating the transducer 2.
9 may be directly rotated for ultrasonic scanning. The mirror or the vibrator may be oscillating rather than rotating. In the present invention, the configuration of the above embodiment is an example and does not limit the present invention in any way, and is limited only to the elements specified in the claims of the present invention.

According to the above embodiment, the head amplifier 1 which amplifies with low noise is housed in the lower case 71 which is sufficiently shielded on the side opposite to the motor 85 disposed on the upper side of the operation unit 7.
74 is housed in the head amplifier 174, and the received ultrasound echo signal is sufficiently amplified by the head amplifier 174, thereby preventing the adverse effect of attenuating the signal component in the electric cable 8 and resulting in an unclear ultrasound tomographic image. At the same time, even if noise is mixed in from the motor 85 and other sources, most of it will be mixed in after amplification, so that a sufficient SN ratio can be maintained.

Further, a connector 9 is attached to the end of an electric cable 8 extending outside from the operating section 7 of the ultrasound probe body 1, and electric cables 12, 13 having a connector 11 connected to the connector 9 are attached.
A pulse generating unit 10 for exciting and transmitting ultrasonic waves is provided in the middle of the ultrasonic wave.
Compared to the case where it is provided in a display device (not shown), the amount of attenuation in the relatively long cables 12 and 13 on the way is reduced, so the received signal component can be increased and the SN ratio can be increased.

Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, a clear ultrasonic tomographic image with an excellent signal-to-noise ratio can be obtained.

In the above description, the head amplifier 174 that amplifies the received signal is housed in the lower case 71 of the operation unit 7 at a location separated from the motor 85.
Alternatively, the SN ratio can be increased by accommodating an amplifier that amplifies the transmission pulse, and even by accommodating both, it contributes to increasing the SN ratio.

The above transmitting pulse and the amplifying amplifier are connected to the operating section 7.
Alternatively, if a storage case attached to the operating section 7 is provided around the operating section, the pulse generating unit 10 in the above embodiment may be housed on the display device side.

As described above, according to the present invention, an ultrasonic tomographic image can be obtained by mechanical scanning without increasing the diameter of the insertion section inserted into a body cavity, and operability and insertability are good. , the pain to the patient can be reduced, and there is nothing inside the insertion tube that causes noise, and a high-level signal flows from the operation section, which is prone to noise, to the signal line on the observation display device side. This has the effect of improving the N ratio.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 17 show an embodiment of the present invention, with Figure 1 being a front view of an intracorporeal ultrasound diagnostic device, and Figure 2 being a plan view of the operating section on the proximal side of the ultrasound probe body. , FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the tip of the ultrasound probe main body in FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 4,
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line C-C in FIG. 4, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the operating section of the ultrasound probe body.
9 is a cross-sectional view of the optical viewing tube attaching/detaching mechanism part in FIG. 8, FIG. 10 is a side view of the base locking piece in FIG. 8, and FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line D-D in FIG. 8. Fig. 12 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the part of the operating section of the ultrasound probe body to which the electric cable is attached, Fig. 13 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the bending mechanism section of the operating section, and Fig. 14 is the wire drum of the bending mechanism. A sectional view showing the system, FIG. 15 is a side view showing the curved knob side of the operating section, FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the usage state of one embodiment, and FIG. 17 is an optical viewing tube in the usage state shown in FIG. 16. FIG. 1... Ultrasonic probe body, 2... Insertion section, 3
... Ultrasonic probe head, 4 ... Curved part, 5 ...
Notch window portion, 6... Optical viewing tube, 8, 12, 13...
...electrical cable, 9,11,14...connector,
10...Pulse generation unit, 35...Signal cable, 71...Lower case, 85...Motor, 17
4...Head amplifier.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] An ultrasonic scanning means for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is housed at the distal end of an insertion section inserted into a body cavity, and a cable is extended to the outside from a proximal operation section connected to the rear side of the insertion section. In an intrabody cavity ultrasound diagnostic apparatus connected to an external observation display device that displays an ultrasound tomographic image obtained by the ultrasound scanning means via a The apparatus includes a motor and a driving force transmission member that is inserted from the operating section to the distal end side of the insertion section and transmits the driving force of the motor to the ultrasonic scanning means, and an amplifier that amplifies the received signal is provided in the operating section. What is claimed is: 1. An intrabody cavity ultrasonic diagnostic device, characterized in that the ultrasonic diagnostic device is arranged closer to the ultrasonic scanning means than the motor.