Ultrasonic probe

Abstract

The invention discloses an ultrasonic probe. The ultrasonic probe comprises a disposable use end, an ultrasonic probe head and an ultrasonic probe head, wherein the disposable use end comprises a handle part and an insertion part; the handle part comprises a handle shell and a manual brake component for controlling the bending section at the far end of the insertion part and the probe to do bending motion; the reuse end is detachably connected to the connector shell at the near end of the handle shell. The manual brake component for controlling the bending section and the probe to perform bending motion is arranged on the handle part of the disposable end, and the mechanical motion of the manual brake component can be directly transmitted to the bending section and the probe at the far end of the insertion part; the transmission process of the mechanical movement of the manual brake component between the reusable end and the disposable end is omitted, and the influence of looseness or a gap between the handle part and the connector part on the transmission of the mechanical movement is avoided; the problem of transmission lag or transmission failure does not exist in the process of transmitting the mechanical motion to the bending section and the probe through the manual braking piece, and the control accuracy and reliability of the bending section and the probe are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical devices, and particularly to an ultrasonic probe. Background Art

[0002] For ultrasonic examinations of a patient's heart, currently in the medical field, doctors can perform external ultrasonic scans and internal ultrasonic scans. Among them, ultrasonic probes can be used in internal ultrasonic scans, such as transesophageal probes and intracardiac ultrasonic probes.

[0003] Transesophageal probes can be divided into two categories. One category is reusable probes, and the other is disposable probes. Here, "disposable" means that the part inserted into the patient's esophagus is disposable. A disposable transesophageal probe usually consists of an insertion part inserted into the human esophagus, a connector, and an operation handle part remaining outside the human body. The insertion part usually includes a hard part at the front end, a curved section connected thereto, a slender flexible hose connected to the curved section, and a part of the connector connected to the slender flexible hose. The operation handle is usually located at the reusable end. Mechanical movement can be generated by holding the operation handle with the hand and rotating the actuator on the handle with the fingers. When using a disposable transesophageal probe, the connector part at the tail end of the insertion part is docked with the connector part at the head end of the reusable part, so as to realize the connection between the insertion part and the part outside the human body. The mechanical movement is transmitted from the reusable end to the disposable end at the connector docking part, and is used to control the bending movement of the curved section and the probe at the front end of the disposable part.

[0004] In the prior art, the operation handle part of a disposable transesophageal probe is as follows Figure 1 As shown, the operation handle part is located at the reusable end and includes a connector part 1 at the head and an operation handle part 2 connected thereto.

[0005] Figure 1 The connector part 1 in includes a housing 90, a circuit board 94, and an active rotating member 92. The operation handle part 2 includes an overall operation handle 80 and an actuator lever 82. Figure 1The detachable connection part at the lower middle part is the disposable end, and the slender hose at the front end is connected to the front end curved section of the part inserted into the human body, which is used to connect the front end ultrasonic probe to insert into the human body for ultrasonic examination. When the connector of the disposable end is snapped onto the corresponding connector part 1 of the reusable end, it will dock with the conductive circuit board 94 of the reusable end to transmit the ultrasonic signal from the operating handle to the disposable end and then to the ultrasonic transducer; the active rotating member 92 of the reusable end will be squeezed together with the corresponding rotary motion transmission cushion of the disposable end, thereby transmitting the rotary motion of the active rotating member 92 to the rotary motion transmission cushion. The rotary motion transmission cushion is connected to a slender rope and extends along the slender hose to the curved section, so that the mechanical motion of the operating handle of the reusable end can be transmitted to the curved section of the disposable end, and the bending motion of the curved section is controlled by the operating handle to realize the bending of the ultrasonic transducer in the human body.

[0006] The transmission of rotational motion is achieved by the rotational motion transmission cushion 72 of the connector part of the disposable end and the active rotation member 92 of the connector part of the reusable end being buckled and squeezed together by a snap-fit ​​structure, and then the actuator lever 82 on the operating handle of the reusable end is manually moved to generate mechanical motion, which is then converted into rotational motion by the active rotation member 92 and transmitted to the rotational motion transmission cushion 72 of the disposable end.

[0007] In the prior art, since the connector part of the reusable end and the connector part of the disposable end are connected by a snap-fit ​​structure, there is inevitably a docking gap at the docking point of the connectors, which may reduce the squeezing force between the sawtooth on the active rotating member and the rotational motion transmission cushion, and the connection between the active rotating member and the rotational motion transmission cushion will become loose, so that there is a delay in the transmission of mechanical rotational motion from the reusable end to the disposable end; if the looseness is too large, it may even cause the active rotating member and the rotational motion transmission cushion to separate, so that the mechanical rotational motion cannot be transmitted, and then the operating handle cannot control the bending section inserted into the human body and the bending of the probe. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the defect that there is a butt gap between the connector part of the reusable end and the connector part of the disposable end of the ultrasound probe in the prior art, which causes a delay in the transmission of mechanical rotational motion from the reusable end to the disposable end, or even the inability to transmit the mechanical rotational motion, thereby providing an ultrasound probe.

[0009] To solve the above technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0010] An ultrasonic probe, comprising:

[0011] Disposable end, including a handle portion and an insertion portion; the handle portion includes a handle housing with the insertion portion fixedly connected to the distal end, a manual brake member provided on the handle housing for controlling the bending section at the distal end of the insertion portion and the probe to perform a bending movement, and a signal transmission circuit board fixedly connected to the proximal end of the handle housing and electrically connected to the probe.

[0012] Reusable end, including a connector portion, the connector portion includes a connector housing detachably connected to the proximal end of the handle housing, and a signal receiving circuit board provided at the distal end of the connector housing and in electrical contact with the signal transmission circuit board.

[0013] Further, the insertion portion includes an insertion tube with a cavity inside, a force transmission rope is threaded through the inner cavity of the insertion tube, one end of the force transmission rope is connected to the manual brake member, and the other end of the force transmission rope is connected to the bending section at the distal end of the insertion tube.

[0014] Further, the manual brake member includes a rotary connector rotatably disposed about its own axis inside the handle housing, and a rotating wheel fixedly connected to the rotary connector and partially extending outside the handle housing; one end of the force transmission rope is fixedly connected to the rotary connector.

[0015] Further, the rotating wheel is fixed to one end of the rotary connector by a plurality of first threaded connectors.

[0016] Further, a rotary connector groove is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the rotary connector, and the position where the force transmission rope is connected to the rotary connector is located inside the rotary connector groove.

[0017] Further, the rotary connector includes a shaft portion and a rotating portion, the force transmission rope and the rotating wheel are connected to the rotating portion, and the shaft portion is connected to the handle housing by a fastener and can rotate about the axis of the connector.

[0018] Further, positioning posts are provided on the inner wall of the handle housing on the outer periphery of the shaft portion, and a damping piece is sleeved on the outer periphery of the shaft portion and disposed between the positioning posts and the rotating portion.

[0019] Further, the fastener is threadedly connected to the handle housing.

[0020] Further, there are two force transmission ropes, and the two force transmission ropes are respectively connected to different positions on the outer wall of the rotary connector.

[0021] Further, the handle housing includes a first housing body and a second housing body that are connected to each other and enclose to form a receiving cavity; the rotary connector is connected to the first housing body, and the first housing body and the first housing body are fixedly connected by a second threaded connector.

[0022] Further, a plurality of threaded posts with threaded holes inside are provided on the first housing body, and connection holes corresponding to the positions of the threaded posts are provided on the second housing body; the second threaded connector is a screw that passes through the connection hole and is threadedly connected in the threaded hole.

[0023] Further, the signal receiving circuit board and the signal transmitting circuit board are in plug-in fit; a threaded screwing member for helically squeezing and connecting the two together is provided between the proximal end of the handle housing and the distal end of the connector housing.

[0024] Further, an external thread structure is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the proximal end of the handle housing, the threaded screwing member is movably sleeved on the outer periphery of the proximal end of the connector housing along the radial direction of the connector housing, and an internal thread structure that is threadedly engaged with the external thread structure is provided on the inner peripheral wall of the threaded screwing member.

[0025] Further, a limiting groove is provided on the inner wall of the threaded screwing member, and a limiting protrusion that protrudes outward and extends into the limiting groove is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the distal end of the connector housing.

[0026] Further, a card slot structure is provided at the proximal end of the handle housing, and the signal transmitting circuit board is embedded and fixed in the card slot structure.

[0027] Further, a support member is provided in the inner cavity of the connector housing, and the signal receiving circuit board is fixedly connected to the support member by a third threaded connector.

[0028] Further, a convex structure is provided on the inner wall of the connector housing, and a groove that cooperates with the convex structure is provided on the outer wall of the support member.

[0029] Further, a plurality of conductive terminals are provided on one side surface of the signal receiving circuit board facing the signal transmitting circuit board, a circuit board protection member is fixedly connected to one end of the support member facing the handle housing, and a plurality of through holes for the conductive terminals to pass through are provided on the circuit board protection member.

[0030] Further, a positioning groove is provided at one end of the connector housing facing the handle housing, and a positioning convex block that cooperates with the positioning groove is provided at one end of the handle housing facing the connector housing.

[0031] Further, a soft rubber housing is sleeved on the outer periphery of the connector housing.

[0032] The technical solution of the present invention has the following advantages:

[0033] 1. For the ultrasonic probe provided by the present invention, the manual brake for controlling the bending section at the distal end of the insertion part and the probe to perform bending movement is arranged on the handle part, and the handle part is changed from the reusable end to the disposable end, and only the connector part is set as the reusable end; with such a setting, the mechanical movement of the manual brake can be directly transmitted to the bending section at the distal end of the insertion part and the probe, eliminating the transmission process of the mechanical movement of the manual brake between the reusable end and the disposable end. This not only simplifies the internal structure of the handle part, but also avoids the influence of looseness or gaps between the handle part and the connector part on the transmission of mechanical movement. There are no problems of transmission lag or transmission failure in the process of the mechanical movement being transmitted from the manual brake to the bending section and the probe, improving the control accuracy and reliability of the bending section and the probe.

[0034] 2. For the ultrasonic probe provided by the present invention, since the threaded connection method has better connection tightness than the snap connection method, the way of fixing the rotating wheel on the rotating connector through several first threaded connectors can reduce the fitting gap between the rotating wheel and the rotating connector, avoiding the influence of the fitting gap or looseness between the rotating wheel and the rotating connector on the transmission of mechanical movement. There are no problems of transmission lag or transmission failure in the process of the mechanical movement being transmitted from the rotating wheel to the rotating connector.

[0035] 3. For the ultrasonic probe provided by the present invention, the groove of the rotating connector plays a role in limiting the movement direction of the force transmission rope, which can prevent the force transmission rope from deflecting during movement and affecting the control accuracy of the bending section and the probe.

[0036] 4. For the ultrasonic probe provided by the present invention, by padding a damping sheet between the positioning post and the rotating part, the damping sheet can increase a certain damping force on the rotational movement of the rotating connector and the rotating wheel. After manually adjusting the bending angles of the bending section and the probe, even if the hand is released from the rotating wheel, the bending section and the probe can be fixed in position due to the damping force, making the operation more convenient.

[0037] 5. For the ultrasonic probe provided by the present invention, the fastener is threadedly connected to the handle housing, and the damping force between the damping sheet and the rotating connector can be adjusted by adjusting the tightness of the fastener.

[0038] 6. For the ultrasonic probe provided by the present invention, the two force transmission ropes are respectively connected to different positions on the outer wall of the rotating connector, facilitating the rotation of the rotating wheel in the forward and reverse directions to accurately control the bending angles of the bending section and the probe.

[0039] 7. The ultrasonic probe provided by the present invention. Since the threaded connection method has better connection tightness than the snap connection method, the first housing body of the handle housing and the first housing body are fixedly connected by the second threaded connecting member, which can reduce the fitting gap between the first housing body and the first housing body, and avoid the influence on the mechanical motion transmission due to the existence of fitting gap or looseness between the first housing body and the first housing body.

[0040] 8. For the ultrasonic probe provided by the present invention, for the signal receiving circuit board and the signal transmission circuit board to achieve electrical contact through plug-in cooperation, it is only necessary to set standard metal terminals with better versatility in the market on the signal receiving circuit board or the signal transmission circuit board. Compared with the way that two parts of the connector in the prior art achieve electrical contact through metal elastic pieces, there is no need to manufacture a profiling mold for producing metal elastic pieces with a specific shape, nor to consider how to firmly fix the metal elastic pieces on the circuit board, which is beneficial to reducing the processing difficulty and cost of the connector. In addition, the method of using a threaded screw member to screw and squeeze the proximal end of the handle housing and the distal end of the connector housing together has a high reliability of the connection structure. There is no fitting gap or looseness between the handle housing and the connector housing, reducing the risk of contact disconnection between the signal receiving circuit board and the signal transmission circuit board, and improving the stability and reliability of ultrasonic signal conduction.

[0041] 9. For the ultrasonic probe provided by the present invention, a limiting groove is provided on the inner wall of the threaded screw member, and a limiting protrusion that protrudes outward and extends into the limiting groove is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the distal end of the connector housing. When the threaded screw member rotates in place, the limiting surface of the limiting protrusion fits with the groove side wall of the limiting groove, and the limiting protrusion limits the movement of the threaded screw member to prevent the threaded screw member from having an excessive rotation stroke.

[0042] 10. For the ultrasonic probe provided by the present invention, the card slot structure at the proximal end of the handle housing plays a role in limiting and fixing the signal transmission circuit board, and can position the signal transmission circuit board from multiple directions to prevent the signal transmission circuit board from loosening.

[0043] 11. For the ultrasonic probe provided by the present invention, the signal receiving circuit board is fixedly connected to the support member by the third threaded connecting member in a threaded manner, which can prevent the signal receiving circuit board from loosening.

[0044] 12. For the ultrasonic probe provided by the present invention, a convex structure is provided on the inner wall of the connector housing, and a groove that cooperates with the convex structure is provided on the outer wall of the support member. The groove plays a role in positioning the convex structure, can fix the installation direction of the support member and the signal receiving circuit board, and is beneficial to the alignment of the signal receiving circuit board and the signal transmission circuit board.

[0045] 13. The ultrasonic probe provided by the present invention, the circuit board protection member protects the conductive terminals on the signal transmission circuit board, preventing the conductive terminals from being bent during the docking process.

[0046] 14. The ultrasonic probe provided by the present invention is provided with a positioning groove at one end of the connector housing facing the handle housing, and a positioning protrusion cooperating with the positioning groove is provided at one end of the handle housing facing the connector housing, which can provide a definite and unique installation orientation for the docking of the handle housing and the connector housing. Description of the Drawings

[0047] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0048] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the operation handle part of a disposable transesophageal probe in the prior art;

[0049] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the overall composition structure of the ultrasonic probe in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 3 It is a schematic structure before docking of the handle part and the connector part in the embodiment of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0051] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the handle part in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the handle housing and the manual brake in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 6 It is a cross-sectional view of the first housing body and the manual brake in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 7 It is a schematic structure before docking of the handle part and the connector part in the embodiment of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0055] Figure 8 It is an exploded view of the connector part in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0056] Figure 9 It is a cross-sectional view of the connector part in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] Figure 2 The reference numerals in Figures 1 - 9 are described as follows:

[0058] 1. Handle part; 11. Handle housing; 11a. First housing body; 11b. Second housing body; 111. Threaded post; 112. Connecting hole; 113. Positioning post; 114. External thread structure; 115. Card slot structure; 116. Positioning bump; 12. Manual braking part; 121. Rotating connecting piece; 121a. Rotating shaft part; 121b. Rotating part; 1211. Rotating connecting piece groove; 122. Rotating wheel; 1221. Positioning pin; 123. First threaded connecting piece; 124. Fastening piece; 125. Damping piece; 13. Signal transmission circuit board; 14. Second threaded connecting piece; 2. Connector part; 21. Connector housing; 211. Limiting projection; 212. Projection structure; 213. Positioning groove; 22. Signal receiving circuit board; 221. Conductive terminal; 23. Threaded screwing piece; 231. Internal thread structure; 232. Limiting groove; 24. Support piece; 241. Groove; 25. Third threaded connecting piece; 26. Circuit board protection piece; 27. Soft rubber housing; 3. Insertion tube; 31. Bending section; 4. Probe; 5. Force transmission rope. Detailed implementation manner

[0059] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0060] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. The term "distal end" refers to the end far from the operator, and the term "proximal end" refers to the end close to the operator.

[0061] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "coupled" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations.

[0062] As Figure 2 shown, an ultrasonic probe, specifically a transesophageal probe or an intracardiac ultrasonic probe that can be used for in-vivo ultrasonic scanning. The ultrasonic probe includes a disposable end and a reusable end, and the disposable end and the reusable end are detachably connected. Among them, the disposable end means that the ultrasonic probe can only be used once, and the reusable end means the part of the ultrasonic probe that can be reused. The disposable end and the reusable end are detachably connected.

[0063] In this embodiment, the disposable end includes an insertion part inserted into the patient's esophagus and a handle part 1 left outside the human body, and the reusable end includes a connector part 2 left outside the human body. As Figure 2 shown, the handle part 1 is the part held and operated by hand, and the connector part 2 is connected to the proximal end of the handle part 1. The insertion part includes an insertion tube 3 connected to the distal end of the handle part 1, a bending section 31 located at the distal end of the insertion tube 3, and a probe 4 connected to the distal end of the bending section 31. The probe 4 is a hard structure, and an ultrasonic transducer for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals is provided inside the probe 4.

[0064] As Figure 3 shown in FIGS. -7, the handle part 1 includes a handle housing 11 whose distal end is connected to the proximal end of the insertion tube 3, a manual brake 12 provided on the handle housing 11 and used to control the bending movement of the bending section 31 at the distal end of the insertion tube 3 and the probe 4, and a signal transmission circuit board 13 fixed to the proximal end of the handle housing 11 and electrically connected to the probe 4. The connector part 2 includes a connector housing 21 detachably connected to the proximal end of the handle housing 11, and a signal receiving circuit board 22 provided at the distal end of the connector housing 21 and in electrical contact with the signal transmission circuit board 13. The inside of the insertion tube 3 has a cavity, and a force transmission rope 5 and a signal line are passed through the inner cavity of the insertion tube 3. One end of the force transmission rope 5 is connected to the manual brake 12, and the other end of the force transmission rope 5 is connected to the bending section 31 at the distal end of the insertion tube 3. One end of the signal line is electrically connected to the probe 4, and the other end of the signal line is electrically connected to the signal transmission circuit board 13.

[0065] This ultrasonic probe sets the manual brake 12 for controlling the bending section 31 at the distal end of the insertion tube 3 and the bending movement of the probe 4 on the handle portion 1, and changes the handle portion 1 from the reusable end to the disposable end, and only sets the connector portion 2 as the reusable end; with such a setting, the mechanical movement of the manual brake 12 can be directly transmitted to the bending section 31 at the distal end of the insertion tube 3 and the probe 4, eliminating the transmission process of the mechanical movement of the manual brake 12 between the reusable end and the disposable end, not only simplifying the internal structure of the handle portion 1, but also avoiding the influence of looseness or gaps between the handle portion 1 and the connector portion 2 on the transmission of mechanical movement. There are no problems of transmission lag or transmission failure in the process of the mechanical movement being transmitted from the manual brake 12 to the bending section 31 and the probe 4, improving the control accuracy and reliability of the bending section 31 and the probe 4.

[0066] In some embodiments, the handle housing 11 includes a first housing body 11a and a second housing body 11b that are connected to each other and enclose to form a receiving cavity. The manual brake 12 includes a rotary connector 121 that is located in the receiving cavity of the handle housing 11 and is rotatably arranged about its own axis, and a rotating wheel 122 that is fixedly connected to the rotary connector 121 and partially extends outside the handle housing 11; the rotary connector 121 is connected to the first housing body 11a. One end of the transmission rope 5 is fixedly connected to the rotary connector 121. During operation, the rotating wheel 122 can be toggled with a finger to drive the rotary connector 121 and the transmission rope 5 to move, so as to control the bending movement of the bending section 31 at the distal end of the insertion tube 3 and the probe 4. Specifically, there are two transmission ropes 5, and the two transmission ropes 5 are respectively connected to different positions on the outer wall of the rotary connector 121; with such a setting, it is convenient to rotate the rotating wheel 122 in the forward and reverse directions to accurately control the bending angles of the bending section 31 and the probe 4. In some alternative embodiments, the manual brake 12 can also be a lever structure with one end extending outside the handle housing 11 and the other end connected to the transmission rope 5 in the receiving cavity of the handle housing 11. By means of the lever structure, the transmission rope 5 can be driven to move, and thus the control of the bending movement of the bending section 31 and the probe 4 can be realized.

[0067] In some embodiments, the rotating wheel 122 is fixed to one end of the rotating connector 121 by two sets of first threaded connectors 123. Specifically, two sets of thread connection holes 112 are provided on the rotating wheel 122 and the rotating connector 121 in corresponding positions. The first threaded connector 123 is specifically a standard screw with a threaded structure, and each standard screw is threadedly fixed between a set of corresponding thread connection holes 112. Since the threaded connection method has better connection tightness than the snap connection method, the rotating wheel 122 is fixed to the rotating connector 121 by two sets of first threaded connectors 123, which can reduce the fitting clearance between the rotating wheel 122 and the rotating connector 121, and avoid the influence of the fitting clearance or looseness between the rotating wheel 122 and the rotating connector 121 on the mechanical motion transmission. There is no problem of transmission lag or transmission failure in the process of mechanical motion being transmitted from the rotating wheel 122 to the rotating connector 121. Further, a positioning concave hole is provided on the end face of the rotating connector 121 facing the rotating wheel 122, and a positioning pin 1221 is provided on the rotating wheel 122 and extends into the positioning concave hole.

[0068] In some embodiments, a rotating connector groove 1211 is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the rotating connector 121, and the position where the force transmission rope 5 is connected to the rotating connector 121 is located in the rotating connector groove 1211. The rotating connector groove 1211 plays a role in limiting the movement direction of the force transmission rope 5, and can prevent the force transmission rope 5 from deflecting during movement and affecting the control accuracy of the bending section 31 and the probe 4.

[0069] In some embodiments, the rotating connector 121 includes an integrally connected rotating shaft portion 121a and a rotating portion 121b, and the outer diameter of the rotating portion 121b is larger than the outer diameter of the rotating shaft portion 121a; the force transmission rope 5 and the rotating wheel 122 are fixedly connected to the rotating portion 121b, and the rotating shaft portion 121a is connected to the handle housing 11 by a fastener 124 and can rotate around the axial direction of the connector. Specifically, the fastener 124 is threadedly connected to the first housing body 11a of the handle housing 11, and the fastener 124 is specifically a standard screw with a thread.

[0070] In some embodiments, a positioning post 113 located on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft portion 121a is integrally formed on the inner wall of the first housing body 11a of the handle housing 11. The rotating shaft portion 121a rotates inside the positioning post 113, and a damping piece 125 is sleeved on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft portion 121a and is disposed between the positioning post 113 and the rotating portion 121b. The damping piece 125 is specifically an elastic rubber or foam soft pad. By disposing the damping piece 125 between the positioning post 113 and the rotating portion 121b, the damping piece 125 can increase a certain damping force on the rotational movement of the rotating connector 121 and the rotating wheel 122. After manually adjusting the bending angle of the bending section 31 and the probe 4, even if the hand is released from the rotating wheel 122, the bending section 31 and the probe 4 can be fixed in position due to the damping force, making the operation more convenient. Moreover, the fastening member 124 is threadedly connected to the handle housing 11, and the magnitude of the damping force between the damping piece 125 and the rotating portion 121b can be adjusted by adjusting the tightness of the fastening member 124.

[0071] In some embodiments, the first housing body 11a and the first housing body 11a are fixedly connected by a second threaded connector 14. Four threaded posts 111 having threaded holes inside are provided on the first housing body 11a, and connection holes 112 corresponding to the positions of the threaded posts 111 are provided on the second housing body 11b; the second threaded connector 14 is specifically a screw that passes through the connection hole 112 and is threadedly connected into the threaded hole. Since the threaded connection method has better connection tightness than the snap connection method, the first housing body 11a and the first housing body 11a of the handle housing 11 are fixedly connected by four groups of second threaded connectors 14, which can reduce the fitting gap between the first housing body 11a and the first housing body 11a and avoid the influence on the mechanical motion transmission due to the existence of fitting gaps or looseness between the first housing body 11a and the first housing body 11a.

[0072] As Figure 8 and Figure 9 shown, the signal receiving circuit board 22 and the signal transmitting circuit board 13 are inserted and mated along the docking direction of the connector housing 21 and the handle housing 11; for this way of realizing the electrical contact between the two parts of the connector, standard metal terminals with better universality in the market can be provided on the signal receiving circuit board 22 or the signal transmitting circuit board 13. Compared with the way that the two parts of the connector in the prior art realize electrical contact through metal elastic pieces, it is not necessary to manufacture a profiling mold for producing metal elastic pieces with a specific shape, nor to consider how to firmly fix the metal elastic pieces on the circuit board, which is beneficial to reducing the processing difficulty and cost of the connector.

[0073] A threaded fitting 23 for helically squeezing and connecting the proximal end of the handle housing 11 and the distal end of the connector housing 21 together is provided therebetween. Specifically, an external thread structure 114 is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the proximal end of the handle housing 11. The threaded fitting 23 is movably sleeved on the outer periphery of the proximal end of the connector housing 21 along the radial direction of the connector housing 21. An internal thread structure 231 that is in threaded cooperation with the external thread structure 114 is provided on the inner peripheral wall of the threaded fitting 23. This way of realizing the mechanical connection of the two parts of the connector by using the threaded fitting 23 has a higher reliability of the connection structure compared with the way of snap connection between the handle housing 11 and the connector housing 21 in the prior art. There is no fit clearance or looseness between the handle housing 11 and the connector housing 21, reducing the risk of contact disconnection between the signal receiving circuit board 22 and the signal transmission circuit board 13, and improving the stability and reliability of ultrasonic signal conduction. In an alternative embodiment, the installation positions of the external thread structure 114 and the threaded fitting 23 can be interchanged. The external thread structure 114 can also be provided on the outer peripheral wall of the distal end of the connector housing 21, and the threaded fitting 23 with the internal thread structure 231 is connected to the proximal end of the handle housing 11.

[0074] In some embodiments, an annular limiting groove 232 is provided on the inner wall of the threaded fitting 23, and a plurality of outwardly protruding limiting protrusions 211 that extend into the limiting groove 232 are provided on the outer peripheral wall of the distal end of the connector housing 21. When the threaded fitting 23 rotates into place, the limiting surface of the limiting protrusion 211 fits against the groove side wall of the limiting groove 232, and the limiting protrusion 211 limits the movement of the threaded fitting 23 to prevent the threaded fitting 23 from having an excessive rotation stroke.

[0075] In some embodiments, a slot structure 115 is provided at the proximal end of the handle housing 11, and the signal transmission circuit board 13 is embedded and fixed in the slot structure 115. A support member 24 is provided in the inner cavity of the connector housing 21, and the signal receiving circuit board 22 is fixedly connected to the support member 24 through a third threaded connector 25. The slot structure 115 plays a role of limiting and fixing the signal transmission circuit board 13, and can position the signal transmission circuit board 13 from multiple directions to prevent the signal transmission circuit board 13 from loosening. The third threaded connector 25 can threadedly and fixedly connect the signal receiving circuit board 22 to the support member 24 to prevent the signal receiving circuit board 22 from loosening.

[0076] In some embodiments, a protruding structure 212 is provided on the inner wall of the connector housing 21, and a groove 241 that cooperates with the protruding structure 212 is provided on the outer wall of the support member 24. The groove 241 plays a role of positioning the protruding structure 212, can fix the installation direction of the support member 24 and the signal receiving circuit board 22, and is beneficial to the alignment of the signal receiving circuit board 22 and the signal transmission circuit board 13.

[0077] In some embodiments, a plurality of conductive terminals 221 are provided on one side of the signal receiving circuit board 22 facing the signal transmitting circuit board 13. One end of the support member 24 facing the handle housing 11 is fixedly connected with a circuit board protection member 26, and a plurality of through holes for the conductive terminals 221 to pass through are provided on the circuit board protection member 26. The circuit board protection member 26 protects the conductive terminals 221 on the signal transmitting circuit board 13 and prevents the conductive terminals 221 from being bent during the docking process.

[0078] In some embodiments, a positioning groove 213 is provided at one end of the connector housing 21 facing the handle housing 11, and a positioning protrusion 116 cooperating with the positioning groove 213 is provided at one end of the handle housing 11 facing the connector housing 21. With such a setting, a unique installation orientation can be provided for the docking of the handle housing 11 and the connector housing 21.

[0079] In some embodiments, an installation cavity is provided inside the support member 24, and relatively valuable components such as an ultrasonic signal control chip, a communication chip, and a power supply can be installed in the installation cavity. These components are electrically connected to the signal receiving circuit board 22 and are used to control the probe 4 to generate ultrasonic waves and analyze and process the recovered ultrasonic signals. A soft rubber housing 27 is also provided at the proximal end of the housing, and the soft rubber housing 27 is convenient for protecting the cable connected to the proximal end of the connector housing 21.

[0080] In summary, for the ultrasonic probe provided by the embodiment of the present invention, the manual brake 12 for controlling the bending section 31 at the distal end of the insertion part and the probe 4 to perform bending movement is arranged on the handle part 1, and the handle part 1 is changed from the reusable end to the disposable end, and only the connector part 2 is set as the reusable end; with such a setting, the mechanical movement of the manual brake 12 can be directly transmitted to the bending section 31 at the distal end of the insertion part and the probe 4, eliminating the transmission process of the mechanical movement of the manual brake 12 between the reusable end and the disposable end. This not only simplifies the internal structure of the handle part 1, but also avoids the influence of looseness or gaps between the handle part 1 and the connector part 2 on the transmission of mechanical movement. There are no problems of transmission lag or transmission failure in the process of the mechanical movement being transmitted from the manual brake 12 to the bending section 31 and the probe 4, improving the control accuracy and reliability of the bending section 31 and the probe 4.

[0081] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely examples given for clear illustration and are not limitations on the embodiments. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other different forms of changes or variations can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to enumerate all the embodiments here. And the obvious changes or variations derived therefrom still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic probe, characterized in that: include: The disposable end comprises a handle portion (1) and an insertion portion; the handle portion (1) comprises a handle housing (11) with the insertion portion fixedly connected at the distal end, a manual brake (12) provided on the handle housing (11) and used to control the bending section (31) at the distal end of the insertion portion and the probe (4) to perform bending movements, and a signal transmission circuit board (13) fixed at the proximal end of the handle housing (11) and electrically connected to the probe (4); The reusable end comprises a connector portion (2), wherein the connector portion (2) comprises a connector housing (21) detachably connected to the proximal end of the handle housing (11), and a signal receiving circuit board (22) disposed at the distal end of the connector housing (21) and electrically contacting the signal transmission circuit board (13).

2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, characterized in that: The insertion part comprises an insertion tube (3) having a cavity therein, a force transmission rope (5) passing through the inner cavity of the insertion tube (3), one end of the force transmission rope (5) being connected to the manual brake component (12), and the other end of the force transmission rope (5) being connected to a curved section (31) at the distal end of the insertion tube (3).

3. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 2, characterized in that: The manual brake component (12) comprises a rotating connecting component (121) located in the handle housing (11) and rotatable around its own axis, and a rotating wheel (122) fixedly connected to the rotating connecting component (121) and partially extending outside the handle housing (11); one end of the force transmission rope (5) is connected to the rotating connecting component (121).

4. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, characterized in that: The rotating wheel (122) is fixed to one end of the rotating connecting member (121) via a plurality of first threaded connecting members (123).

5. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, characterized in that: A rotating connector groove (1211) is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the rotating connector (121), and the position where the force transmission rope (5) is connected to the rotating connector (121) is located in the rotating connector groove (1211).

6. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, characterized in that: The rotating connecting member (121) comprises a rotating shaft portion (121a) and a rotating portion (121b), the force transmission rope (5) and the rotating wheel (122) are connected to the rotating portion (121b), and the rotating shaft portion (121a) is connected to the handle housing (11) via a fastener (124) and can rotate around the axial direction of the connecting member.

7. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 6, characterized in that: The inner wall of the handle housing (11) is provided with a positioning column (113) located at the periphery of the rotating shaft portion (121a), and the periphery of the rotating shaft portion (121a) is sleeved with a damping sheet (125) cushioned between the positioning column (113) and the rotating portion (121b).

8. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 7, characterized in that: The fastener (124) is threadedly connected to the handle housing (11).

9. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, characterized in that: There are two force transmission ropes (5), and the two force transmission ropes (5) are respectively connected to different positions of the outer wall of the rotating connecting member (121).

10. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, characterized in that: The handle housing (11) comprises a first shell body (11a) and a second shell body (11b) which are connected to each other and enclose a receiving cavity; the rotating connecting member (121) is connected to the first shell body (11a), and the first shell body (11a) and the second shell body (11a) are fixedly connected via a second threaded connecting member (14).

11. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signal receiving circuit board (22) and the signal transmitting circuit board (13) are plugged into each other; a threaded screw-on component (23) is provided between the proximal end of the handle housing (11) and the distal end of the connector housing (21) to connect the two together by means of spiral extrusion.

12. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 11, characterized in that: The outer peripheral wall of the proximal end of the handle housing (11) is provided with an external thread structure (114), the threaded screw-on component (23) is movably sleeved on the outer periphery of the proximal end of the connector housing (21) along the radial direction of the connector housing (21), and the inner peripheral wall of the threaded screw-on component (23) is provided with an internal thread structure (231) threadably matched with the external thread structure (114).

13. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 11, characterized in that: A limiting groove (232) is provided on the inner wall of the threaded screw-on component (23), and a limiting protrusion (211) protruding outwards and extending into the limiting groove (232) is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the distal end of the connector housing (21).

14. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 11, characterized in that: A slot structure (115) is provided at the proximal end of the handle housing (11), and the signal transmission circuit board (13) is embedded and fixed in the slot structure (115).

15. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 11, characterized in that: A support member (24) is provided in the inner cavity of the connector housing (21), and the signal receiving circuit board (22) is fixedly connected to the support member (24) via a third threaded connection member (25).

16. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 15, characterized in that: The inner wall of the connector housing (21) is provided with a protruding structure (212), and the outer wall of the support member (24) is provided with a groove (241) that matches the protruding structure (212).

17. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 16, characterized in that: A plurality of conductive terminals (221) are provided on a side surface of the signal receiving circuit board (22) facing the signal transmitting circuit board (13); a circuit board protection member (26) is fixedly connected to one end of the support member (24) facing the handle housing (11); and a plurality of through holes are provided on the circuit board protection member (26) for the conductive terminals (221) to pass through.

18. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 11, characterized in that: One end of the connector housing (21) facing the handle housing (11) is provided with a positioning groove (213), and one end of the handle housing (11) facing the connector housing (21) is provided with a positioning protrusion (116) that cooperates with the positioning groove (213).

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