KR20070006311A - Ultrasonic probes with adjustable compression device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe having an angle adjustable compression device to obtain accurate ELASTOGRAPHY data by imparting uniform stress distribution to various diagnostic sites. The ultrasonic probe has an oscillator element assembly which transmits an ultrasonic wave to a subject and receives reflection echo, and an ultrasonic transceiving surface on which the vibrator element assembly is disposed and in contact with the subject. At least one side of the probe is provided with a pressure plate that pivots between a first position that is coplanar with the ultrasonic transceiver face and a second position that is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the ultrasonic transceiver face. The probe is equipped with a cover that pivotally supports the pressure plate and provides a space between the probe. A pressing portion having a pressing protrusion for pressing the pressing plate in the direction toward the second position during the upward movement in the space between the cover and the probe is provided to be movable. An outer side of the cover is provided with an operating wheel, and the eccentric wheel is eccentrically coupled to the center of the operating wheel in the space between the cover and the probe. An incision that surrounds the eccentric wheel is formed in the pressing portion.

Description

ULTRASONIC PROBE HAVING PRESSING DEVICE WITH PIVOTABLE PRESSING PLATES}

1 is a perspective view showing an ultrasonic probe equipped with a conventional pressure plate,

Figure 2 is a front view showing an ultrasonic probe having an adjustable pressure device according to the present invention,

3 is a cross-sectional view along the line III-III of FIG.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 2;

5 is a front view showing an operating state of the ultrasonic probe having an adjustable pressure device according to the present invention,

6 is a cross-sectional view along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a sectional view along the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 5; FIG.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings>

1: ultrasonic probe

2: ultrasonic transceiver

10: pressure device

40: wing

44: pressure plate

50: cover

56: control wheel

58: eccentric wheel

59: bolts

60: pressurization

62: pressing projection

64: slot

66: incision

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe, and more particularly, to an ultrasonic probe having an angle adjustable compression device for obtaining accurate ELASTOGRAPHY data by giving uniform stress distribution to various diagnostic sites. .

A general ultrasound diagnostic apparatus uses an ultrasound probe for transmitting and receiving ultrasound to and from a subject, and a tomography image obtained by repeating tomogram image data in a subject including an exercise tissue using a reflected echo signal from the ultrasound transmitter and receiver at predetermined intervals. And display means for displaying time-series tomographic image data obtained by the scanning means and the tomography scanning means.

However, the conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can display the structure of the biological tissue inside the subject, but cannot measure and display whether the biological tissue is hard or soft. On the other hand, an external force (compression) is applied to the surface of the subject, assuming a damping curve of the external force inside the living body, the pressure and displacement at each point are calculated from the assumed damping curve, and the elastic modulus is measured. The method of obtaining elastic images is described in "Ulatrasonic Imaging", Volume 13, No. 2. It is proposed in the "ELASTOGRAPHY" section by J. Ophier.

1 is a perspective view showing a conventional ultrasonic probe (probe) having a pressing function for obtaining elastic image data. As shown in the drawing, an oscillator element assembly is formed on the ultrasonic transceiving surface 2 of the ultrasonic probe 1 for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from a subject under test. The pressure which forms the same plane as the ultrasonic transceiving surface 2 on the ultrasonic probe 1 for the purpose of effectively providing stress distribution in the body cavity of the diagnostic region of the subject while performing ultrasonic transceiving with the ultrasonic probe 1. The pressing member 4 having the plate 6 is mounted, and the pressing surface composed of the transceiving surface 2 of the ultrasonic probe 1 and the pressing plate 6 is brought into contact with the surface of the subject to press the subject. Done.

However, since the conventional pressure plate is fixed to be coplanar with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe, when the diagnosis site of the subject is not flat but curved, such as a breast, neck, or arm, the pressure plate is a diagnosis site. Since the uniform stress distribution cannot be imparted to the body cavity of the diagnosis site because it is not evenly contacted, there is a problem that accurate elastic image data for the diagnosis site cannot be obtained.

The present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art, the object of the present invention is provided with a compression device having a compression plate that can be rotated at various angles with respect to the ultrasonic transmission and reception surface of the ultrasonic probe to various diagnostic sites of the subject It is possible to provide an ultrasonic probe that can be applied to give a uniform stress distribution to the device to obtain accurate elastic image data.

The present invention for achieving the above object is an ultrasonic probe having an oscillator element assembly for transmitting ultrasonic waves to the subject and receiving the reflected echo, and the ultrasonic probe having an oscillator element assembly disposed and in contact with the subject, at least one of the probes A pressing plate which is installed on one side and pivots between a first position that is coplanar with the ultrasonic transceiver face and a second position that is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the ultrasonic transceiver face; And an actuating means for actuating the pressing plate to pivot between the first position and the second position.

The actuating means provides a space between the probe and a cover mounted on the probe and rotatably supporting the pressure plate, and a pressurizing force provided in the space so as to be movable and pressing the pressure plate in the direction toward the second position during the upward movement. And a pressurizing portion having protrusions, and operation means for moving the pressurizing portion.

The operation means includes an operation wheel provided on the outside of the cover, an eccentric wheel which is located in the space between the cover and the probe and is eccentrically coupled to the center of the operation wheel, an incision formed to surround the eccentric wheel in the pressing portion, and a cover A bolt is fastened toward the pressing portion from the outside of the, and the pressing portion is formed long in the vertical direction and the slot is inserted into the bolt.

Preferably, the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention further includes an elastic member for biasing the pressure plate in a direction from the second position to the first position.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a front view showing an ultrasonic probe having an adjustable pressure device according to the present invention, Figure 3 and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view along the line III-III and IV-IV of Fig. 2, respectively.

As shown therein, an ultrasonic probe having an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving surface (hereinafter referred to as " transmission / receiving surface ") on which an oscillator element assembly is arranged for generating ultrasonic waves and receiving reflected echoes. In (1), the pressing device 10 according to the present invention is provided. The pressing device 10 includes an attachment portion 20 detachably mounted to the body of the probe 1, a pair of wing portions 40 rotatably installed on both sides of the attachment portion 20, and wings. It consists of an actuating means 30 for pivoting the part 40. Attachment portion 20 may be coupled to the body of the ultrasonic probe 1 by a coupling method using an interference fit method or a hook member.

The actuating means 30 pivotally supports the wing portion 40 and provides a space of a predetermined size between the attachment portion 20 and the cover 50 mounted on the attachment portion 20, and the cover 50. And a pressing unit 60 which is provided in the space between the attachment unit 20 and the movable unit 20 to apply pressure to the wing unit 40, and operation means for operating the pressing unit 60 to move.

The wing 40 has a rotation shaft 42 provided with a length corresponding to the size of the transceiving surface 2 of the ultrasonic probe 1, and extends integrally with a predetermined width over the entire length of the rotation shaft 42. It includes a pressure plate 44 and a rotation protrusion 46 protruding from both ends of the rotation shaft 42 and hinged to the cover 50.

The cover 50 has a substantially "L" shaped cross section, and both ends thereof are provided with a support portion 52 in close contact with the side surface of the attachment portion 20. The support 52 is formed with an insertion hole 53 into which the rotation protrusion 46 of the wing 40 is inserted. The upper portion of the cover 50 is opened so that the pressing plate 44 of the wing 40 is exposed to the outside, and the upper portion of the cover 50 is horizontal, that is, the transceiving surface 2 of the ultrasonic probe 1 and It is formed at the height which can be supported so that it may be located in the same plane position (henceforth a "first position").

The pressing portion 60 is provided in contact with them in the space between the cover 50 and the attachment portion 20 so as to be movable. One or more pressing protrusions 62 contacting the bottom surface of the pressing plate 44 protrude upward from the upper end of the pressing part 60. When the pressing portion 60 is placed in the lowermost position, the upper end of the pressing protrusion 62 is positioned to coincide with the upper end of the cover 50 and the bottom surface of the pressing plate 44 of the wing portion 40 placed in the first position. Keep in contact with.

In order to ensure accurate movement of the pressing portion 60, a plurality of bolts 59 are fastened to the cover 50 from the outside of the cover 50 toward the pressing portion 60 side, and the pressing portion 60 is fastened to the pressing portion 60. A plurality of slots 64 into which the bolts 59 fastened to the cover 50 are inserted are formed long in the vertical direction. Preferably, the width of the slot 64 is made to substantially match the diameter of the threaded side of the bolt 59, so that the play in the left and right directions at the same time in the vertical direction of the pressing portion 60 does not occur.

The operation means for operating the shanghaidong of the pressing unit 60 from the outside is a disk-shaped operation wheel 56 located in the outer center of the cover 50, the cover 50 and the attachment portion 20 In the space between the eccentric wheel 58 and the eccentric wheel 58 and the pressurizing section 60 and the eccentric wheel 58 rotated together by being coupled to the center (C) of the operation wheel 56 by means such as bolts 54, The eccentric wheel 58 includes a rectangular cutout 66 formed to be fitted therein. The vertical length of the cutout 66 is equal to the diameter of the eccentric wheel 58 (the length between the point A and the point B in FIG. 2), and the left and right lengths are the eccentric wheel (at the center C of the operation wheel 56). 58) or more than the maximum distance to the edge (the length between point C and B in FIG. 2), the operation of which will be described later.

Hereinafter, the operation and effects of the ultrasonic pro part having an angle adjustable compression device according to the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7.

As shown in Figs. 2 to 4, in the state where the pressing plate 44 is placed in the first position forming the same plane as the transceiving surface 2 of the ultrasonic probe 1, the A point of the eccentric wheel 58 (The point closest to the center C of the operating wheel 56) is in contact with the upper edge of the cutout 66 of the pressing portion 60, while the B point of the eccentric wheel 58 (of the operating wheel 56) The maximum distance from the center C) is in contact with the lower edge of the cutout 66. In addition, the pressing portion 60 is located at the upper end of the slot 64, the bolt 59 fastened toward the pressing portion 60 side from the outermost position, that is, the cover 50, the pressing projection 62 The upper end is kept in the same horizontal position as the upper end of the cover 50.

As described above, the pressure plate 44 maintaining the first position state is effective for a relatively wide and flat diagnosis site such as the abdomen or the chest of the subject during the diagnosis operation using the ultrasonic probe 1. That is, the pressure surface composed of the transceiving surface 2 of the ultrasonic probe 1 and the pressing plate 44 constituting the same plane is pressed in contact with a relatively wide and flat diagnosis site to effectively stress the body cavity of the diagnosis site. Distribution can be given.

On the other hand, when the diagnosis site of the subject is not flat, such as a breast, neck, or arm, and there is a bend, the pressure plate 44 placed in the first position does not evenly contact the bent diagnosis site, so that Since it is impossible to impart a uniform stress distribution in the body cavity, there is a problem in that accurate ELASTOGRAPHY data for the diagnosis site cannot be obtained.

To solve this, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5, when the user rotates the operation wheel 56 counterclockwise (or clockwise), the bolt 54 is attached to the center C of the operation wheel 56. The eccentric wheel 58, which is coupled by it, also rotates together. Therefore, the point A of the eccentric wheel 58 is rotated toward the lower edge away from the upper edge of the cutout 66 of the pressing portion 60, while the point B of the eccentric wheel 58 is cut off 66 It is spaced apart from the lower edge of and rotates toward the upper edge. That is, the distance increases from the point A of the eccentric wheel 58 closest to the center C of the operation wheel 56 until the maximum spaced B point reaches the upper edge of the cutout 66. The pressing portion 60 is gradually raised from the lowest position to the best position. At this time, the length of the cutout 66 must be formed to be greater than or equal to the maximum distance (length between the point C and the point B) from the center C of the control wheel 56 to the edge of the eccentric wheel 58. The left and right movement of the press part 60 by rotation of the eccentric wheel 58 in 66 is not generated.

Ascending movement of the pressing unit 60 by the interaction of the operation wheel 56, the eccentric wheel 58, and the incision 66 as described above is the slot 64 and the cover 50 of the pressing unit 60, Can be made precisely by bolts 59 fastened to pass through the slot 64 from the outside. The pressing plate 62 is formed at the upper end of the pressing unit 60 by the upward movement of the pressing unit 60 by pushing up the pressure of the bottom surface of the pressing plate 44 so that the pressing plate 44 rotates. Is rotated so as to be inclined by a predetermined angle to the front of the transmission / reception surface 2 (upper side with reference to FIG. 6) on the axis (the position at this time is defined as the "second position"). 6 and 7 show that the pressure plate 44 is rotated at the maximum angle θ with respect to the transceiving surface 2 of the ultrasonic probe 1. At this time, the point A of the eccentric wheel 58 is in contact with the lower edge of the cutout 66 of the pressing portion 60, while the point B is in contact with the upper edge of the cutout 66. In addition, the bolt 59 fastened so as to pass through the slot 64 of the pressing portion 60 from the outside of the cover 50 is in a state located at the lower end of the slot 64. In this embodiment, the maximum turning angle θ of the pressing plate 44 is set to approximately 30 °, but this can be variously changed by changing the size of the eccentric wheel 58 or the pressing protrusion 62.

Therefore, when the diagnosis site is curved, such as a breast, neck, or arm, the pressure plate 44 is rotated so as to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the transmission / reception surface 2 of the ultrasonic probe 1 in accordance with the degree of bending. By uniformly compressing the entire area, the stress distribution is effectively applied in the body cavity of the diagnosis site, so that accurate elastic image data of the diagnosis site can be obtained.

On the other hand, although not shown in the drawings, the elastic member (for example, torsional) for biasing the pressing plate 44 in the direction from the second position to the first position on the engaging portion of the wing portion 40 and the cover 50 Coil springs) may be installed. That is, when the user rotates the operation wheel 56 to return the pressing plate 44 placed in the second position to the first position, the pressing unit 60 and the pressing protrusion 62 are lowered by the same mechanism as described above. The pressing force applied to the pressing plate 44 while moving is released, and at the same time, the pressing plate 44 can be returned to the first position more quickly and accurately by the elastic force of the elastic member.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims.

As described in detail above, the ultrasonic probe having an angle-adjustable compression device according to the present invention, as well as relatively wide and flat diagnostic sites such as the abdomen or chest, as well as curved diagnostic sites such as the breast, neck or arm, etc. By turning the pressure plate to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe according to the degree of bending, the pressure is evenly applied to the entire diagnosis site, thereby effectively providing a stress distribution in the body cavity of the diagnosis site, thereby providing accurate elasticity to the diagnosis site. There is an effect that the image data can be obtained so that precise diagnosis can be made.

Claims (6)

An ultrasonic probe having an oscillator element assembly for transmitting ultrasonic waves to a subject and receiving reflection echo, and an ultrasonic transceiving surface on which the vibrator element assembly is disposed and in contact with the subject, A pressing plate provided on at least one side of the probe and pivoting between a first position that is coplanar with the ultrasonic transceiving surface and a second position inclined with respect to the ultrasonic transceiving surface; And an actuating means for actuating the pressing plate to pivot between the first position and the second position. The pressure plate of claim 1, wherein the actuating means includes a cover that provides a space between the probe and is mounted to the probe and pivotally supports the pressure plate, and is provided in the space so as to be movable and moves up and down. Ultrasonic probe having a pressing device capable of adjusting the angle, characterized in that it comprises a pressing portion having a pressing projection for pressing in the direction toward the second position, and the operation means for moving the pressing portion. The method of claim 2, wherein the operation means is an operation wheel provided on the outside of the cover, an eccentric wheel located in the space and eccentrically coupled to the center of the operation wheel and formed to surround the eccentric wheel in the pressing portion Ultrasonic probe having an adjustable angle pressing device characterized in that it comprises an incision to be. The method of claim 3, wherein the cut is made of a rectangle, The upper and lower lengths of the cutouts are equal to the diameter of the eccentric wheel, and the left and right lengths are ultrasonic probes having an adjustable pressure device, characterized in that the distance from the center of the operation wheel to the rim of the eccentric wheel that is spaced apart the maximum. . The angle adjustment method of claim 3, wherein the operation means further comprises a bolt which is fastened from the outside of the cover toward the pressing part, and a slot in which the bolt is inserted in the vertical direction and formed to be elongated in the vertical direction. Ultrasonic probes with this possible compression device. The pressure adjusting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising an elastic member for biasing the pressure plate in a direction from the second position to the first position. Eggplant ultrasonic probe.

Images