Ultrasonic micro probe and ultrasonic endoscope equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses an ultrasonic micro-probe and an ultrasonic endoscope device, the ultrasonic micro-probe comprises a transducer base fixedly connected with a driving shaft and used for synchronously rotating with the driving shaft to drive an ultrasonic transducer on the transducer base to synchronously rotate; the ultrasonic transducer is arranged on the transducer base; the ultrasonic transducer comprises a preset number of transducer array elements, and at least part of the transducer array elements have different working frequencies; wherein the transducer array elements are electrically connected with the power supply circuit through cables, and the power supply circuit is used for adjusting on and off of a controllable switch in the power supply circuit and supplying power to a target array element in the transducer array elements; the number of the target array elements is less than or equal to N. The ultrasonic micro probe disclosed by the utility model has a plurality of working frequencies, so that the frequency selectivity of the ultrasonic micro probe is improved; not only can a preset number of transducer array elements be switched to work independently, but also at least two transducer array elements can be started to work simultaneously, so that multi-frequency fusion imaging is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of medical devices, and particularly relates to an ultrasonic microprobe and an ultrasonic endoscope device. Background Art

[0002] A medical ultrasonic endoscope device is a medical device that combines an endoscope and an ultrasonic microprobe. It enters the human body cavity through the endoscope, passes the ultrasonic microprobe through the endoscope forceps channel, and performs ultrasonic scanning on the digestive tract wall (such as the esophagus, stomach or colon, etc.) or adjacent organs (such as the pancreas, bile duct, gallbladder or liver, etc.); it can perform ultrasonic imaging on the diseased part in the digestive tract to obtain ultrasonic images of the diseased part, and assist doctors in judging the condition. Among them, the ultrasonic microprobe is a device for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves.

[0003] For the current ultrasonic microprobe, there is a problem of difficulty in selecting the depth and resolution for some lesions to be observed. Therefore, how to improve the frequency selectivity of the ultrasonic microprobe and enhance the usability of ultrasonic images is an urgent problem to be solved nowadays. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] The purpose of the utility model is to provide an ultrasonic microprobe and an ultrasonic endoscope device to improve the frequency selectivity of the ultrasonic microprobe and enhance the usability of ultrasonic images.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, the utility model provides an ultrasonic microprobe, comprising:

[0006] A transducer base fixedly connected to a drive shaft, which is used to rotate synchronously with the drive shaft and drive the ultrasonic transducer on the transducer base to rotate synchronously;

[0007] The ultrasonic transducer arranged on the transducer base; the ultrasonic transducer includes a preset number of transducer array elements, and at least part of the transducer array elements have different operating frequencies. The preset number is 2N, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2; among them, the transducer array elements are electrically connected to a power supply circuit through a cable, and the power supply circuit is used to adjust the on and off of a controllable switch in the power supply circuit to supply power to a target array element in the transducer array elements; the number of the target array elements is less than or equal to N.

[0008] Exemplarily, the ultrasonic transducer is a multi-prism structure, one bottom surface of the ultrasonic transducer is fixedly connected to the transducer base, the number of side surfaces of the ultrasonic transducer is the preset number, and each side surface of the ultrasonic transducer is provided with one transducer array element.

[0009] Exemplarily, the ultrasonic transducer is a regular quadrangular prism structure.

[0010] Exemplarily, the ultrasonic transducer further includes a support column unit and a shielding unit; wherein, the support column unit is arranged on the side edge of the ultrasonic transducer and is used to support the transducer elements on adjacent sides; the shielding unit is arranged in the area surrounded by the transducer elements and the support column unit and is used to shield the acoustic signal interference between at least two target elements when at least two of the target elements work simultaneously.

[0011] Exemplarily, the ultrasonic transducer is an arc-shaped multi-prism structure, the support column unit is a sector-shaped column structure, the transducer element is a cuboid structure, and the sector radius of the support column unit is equal to the width of the transducer element; the shielding unit is a regular multi-prism structure, the bottom side length of the shielding unit is equal to the length of the transducer element, and the side edge length of the shielding unit is equal to the height of the support column unit and the transducer element.

[0012] Exemplarily, the target surface of the transducer base is circular, and the target surface is the surface where the ultrasonic transducer is arranged; the ultrasonic transducer is an arc-shaped regular quadrangular prism structure, and the diameter of the target surface is a is the width of the transducer element, and b is the length of the transducer element.

[0013] Exemplarily, the transducer element is communicatively connected to a processor; wherein, when the target element includes two groups of elements, namely a high-frequency element and a low-frequency element, the power supply circuit conducts the power supply to the two groups of elements and simultaneously triggers the two groups of elements to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals; wherein, the high-frequency element is used to collect ultrasonic signals in the shallow layer, and the low-frequency element is used to collect ultrasonic signals in the deep layer; the two groups of elements send the two collected ultrasonic signals to the connected processor for fusion imaging.

[0014] Exemplarily, the transducer base and the ultrasonic transducer are arranged in a sheath tube, and the sheath tube is filled with an ultrasonic conductive liquid.

[0015] Exemplarily, the power supply circuit includes the preset number of first controllable switches; wherein, each first controllable switch is respectively connected to a corresponding transducer element and is used to supply power to the connected transducer element when turned on.

[0016] Exemplarily, the preset number of transducer elements have different operating frequencies, and the power supply circuit further includes N second controllable switches; wherein, each second controllable switch is respectively connected to two transducer elements through two first controllable switches.

[0017] Exemplarily, the operating frequency of the high-frequency array elements connected to any one of the second controllable switches is greater than the operating frequency of the low-frequency array elements connected to the other second controllable switches. The high-frequency array element is the transducer array element with a higher operating frequency among the two transducer array elements connected by one second controllable switch, and the low-frequency array element is the transducer array element with a lower operating frequency among the two transducer array elements connected by one second controllable switch.

[0018] In addition, the present invention also provides an ultrasonic endoscope device, including: the ultrasonic microprobe as described in any one of the above.

[0019] The ultrasonic microprobe provided by the present invention includes: a transducer base fixedly connected to a drive shaft, which is used to rotate synchronously with the drive shaft and drive the ultrasonic transducers on the transducer base to rotate synchronously; ultrasonic transducers arranged on the transducer base; the ultrasonic transducers include a preset number of transducer array elements, and at least some of the transducer array elements have different operating frequencies. The preset number is 2N, and N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. Among them, the transducer array elements are electrically connected to a power supply circuit through a cable, and the power supply circuit is used to adjust the conduction and cut-off of the controllable switch in the power supply circuit to supply power to the target array element in the transducer array elements.

[0020] It can be seen that through the setting of the preset number of transducer array elements, the ultrasonic microprobe has multiple operating frequencies, improving the frequency selectivity of the ultrasonic microprobe; through the switch control of the power supply circuit, not only can the preset number of transducer array elements be switched to work alone, but also at least two transducer array elements can be started to work simultaneously to achieve multi-frequency fusion imaging, so that the imaging between frequencies is superimposed and complementary, obtaining images with high resolution at different depths, improving the usability of ultrasonic images, and meeting the usage requirements of doctors. Description of the Drawings

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only the embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained according to the provided drawings.

[0022] Figure 1 It is a structural block diagram of an ultrasonic microprobe provided by the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of another ultrasonic microprobe provided by the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 It is a circuit structural schematic diagram of the power supply circuit of another ultrasonic microprobe provided by the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 Side view of the front-end structure of another ultrasonic microprobe provided by the present utility model;

[0026] Figure 5 is Figure 4 Top view of the front-end structure of the ultrasonic microprobe shown;

[0027] Figure 6 is Figure 4 Element separation display diagram of the front-end structure of the ultrasonic microprobe shown;

[0028] Figure 7 is Figure 4 Top view of the element separation of the front-end structure of the ultrasonic microprobe shown;

[0029] Figure 8 Display diagram of the scanning imaging of the low-frequency element and the high-frequency element provided by the present utility model respectively;

[0030] Figure 9 Display diagram of the scanning fusion imaging of the low-frequency element and the high-frequency element provided by the present utility model. Detailed implementation manners

[0031] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present utility model clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present utility model. Apparently, the described embodiments are some but not all of the embodiments of the present utility model. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present utility model without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0032] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 which is a structural block diagram of an ultrasonic microprobe provided by the present utility model. The ultrasonic microprobe may include:

[0033] A transducer base 10 fixedly connected to a drive shaft, which is used to rotate synchronously with the drive shaft and drive the ultrasonic transducer 20 on the transducer base 10 to rotate synchronously;

[0034] An ultrasonic transducer 20 disposed on the transducer base 10; the ultrasonic transducer 20 includes a preset number of transducer elements 21, and at least some of the transducer elements 21 have different operating frequencies. The preset number is 2N, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. Among them, the transducer elements 21 are electrically connected to a power supply circuit through a cable, and the power supply circuit is used to adjust the conduction and cut-off of a controllable switch in the power supply circuit to supply power to a target element among the transducer elements 21. The number of target elements is less than or equal to N.

[0035] Exemplarily, the target array element may include at least two groups of array elements. The operating frequencies of each group of array elements may be different, and each group of array elements may include at least one transducer array element. Among them, different transducer array elements in each group of array elements may have different operating frequencies or the same operating frequency. In this way, ultrasonic signals corresponding to different frequencies can be collected by array elements of different frequencies, and ultrasonic signals at different depths can be collected to achieve multi-frequency fusion imaging, so that the imaging between frequencies is superimposed and complementary, and images with high resolution at different depths can be obtained, improving the usability of ultrasonic images and meeting the usage requirements of doctors.

[0036] Exemplarily, when the number of target array elements is greater than or equal to 2, the operating frequencies of all target array elements are different. In this way, ultrasonic signals corresponding to different frequencies can also be collected by array elements of different frequencies to collect ultrasonic signals at different depths.

[0037] It can be understood that the transducer base 10 in this embodiment can be a base for arranging the ultrasonic transducer 20, which plays a role in fixing and supporting the ultrasonic transducer 20, and can drive the ultrasonic transducer 20 to rotate synchronously with the rotation of the drive shaft, so that the transducer array element 21 on the ultrasonic transducer 20 can perform rotational scanning. For example, the powered transducer array element 21 can perform a 360-degree mechanical rotation to obtain a corresponding scanned image, realizing a 360-degree circumferential scan of the ultrasonic transducer 20.

[0038] Correspondingly, as Figure 2 shown, the transducer base 10 in this embodiment can be fixedly connected to the drive shaft, so that the transducer base 10 and the ultrasonic transducer 20 arranged on the transducer base 10 can rotate synchronously with the rotation of the drive shaft. For example, when the ultrasonic microprobe works, the drive shaft can perform mechanical rotation at a required rotational speed, and then drive the transducer array element 21 on the transducer base 10 to perform a 360-degree mechanical rotation to scan the image, and a circumferential scanned image of the cavity can be obtained to comprehensively observe and analyze the state of lesions in the cavity.

[0039] Correspondingly, for the specific structure of the transducer base 10 in this embodiment, it can be set by the designer according to the usage scenario and user requirements. For example, the surface (i.e., the target surface) of the transducer base 10 where the ultrasonic transducer 20 is arranged can be circular to facilitate the configuration of the ultrasonic transducer 20. For example, the transducer base 10 can be a cylindrical structure (such as Figures 4 - 7In item ⑩), the target surface of the ultrasonic transducer 20 can be set as one of the bottom surfaces, so that through the setting of the transducer base 10 with a cylindrical structure, the cross-sectional area of the ultrasonic microprobe can be made as small as possible, facilitating entry into the cavity and operation control. Correspondingly, the transducer base 10 can be fixedly connected to the drive shaft on the other side opposite to the target surface to facilitate the rotation of the transducer base 10 and avoid affecting the cross-sectional area of the ultrasonic microprobe.

[0040] As Figure 2 shown, the cable can be connected to the transducer array element 21 of the ultrasonic transducer 20 through the transducer base 10 to supply power to the transducer array element 21; further, the cable can be arranged in the cavity of the drive shaft to facilitate the rotation of the transducer base 10 and avoid the influence of the rotation of the drive shaft and the transducer base 10 on the cable. For example, the drive shaft can adopt a tubular structure and the cable can be arranged in the hollow cavity of the drive shaft. The transducer base 10 can also be fixedly connected to the drive shaft on the target surface, such as being fixedly connected to the drive shaft in the area where the ultrasonic transducer 20 is not arranged on the target surface, as long as the rotation of the drive shaft can drive the transducer array element 21 on the transducer base 10 to rotate for the required scanning. The specific structure of the transducer base 10 is not limited in this embodiment.

[0041] Correspondingly, the surface of the transducer base 10 where the ultrasonic transducer 20 is arranged can also be of other shapes, such as the same shape as the cross-section of the ultrasonic transducer 20. As Figures 4 - 7 shown, when the ultrasonic transducer 20 is a regular quadrangular prism structure with an arc-shaped vertex, the target surface can be a square with an arc-shaped vertex. Correspondingly, the transducer base 10 can also be set as a regular quadrangular prism structure with an arc-shaped vertex.

[0042] It should be noted that in this embodiment, through the control of the on and off of the controllable switch in the power supply circuit, power is supplied to less than or equal to N transducer array elements 21 (i.e., target array elements) in the ultrasonic transducer 20. This can not only realize the operation of a single transducer array element 21 at a time, but also realize the simultaneous operation of multiple transducer array elements 21 at a time for scanning and image acquisition. As a result, the backend processor can perform fusion processing on the ultrasonic signals scanned by the transducer array elements 21 with multiple working frequencies to achieve multi-frequency fusion imaging, making the imaging superposition and complementarity between frequencies and improving the usability of the ultrasonic image.

[0043] Correspondingly, for the specific setting of the preset number of transducer elements 21 in the ultrasonic transducer 20 in this embodiment and the selection of the target elements, it can be set by the designer himself. For example, in this embodiment, at least some of the transducer elements 21 can be set to have different operating frequencies, so that multiple simultaneously operating transducer elements 21 (i.e., target elements) can transmit and receive corresponding ultrasonic signals at different operating frequencies to collect ultrasonic signals at different depths. For example, in some embodiments, the operating frequencies of the preset number of transducer elements 21 can all be different to avoid setting transducer elements 21 with the same operating frequency and reduce the configuration cost of the transducer elements.

[0044] Exemplarily, the transducer element is communicatively connected to the processor. When the target element includes two groups of elements, namely a high-frequency element group and a low-frequency element group, the power supply circuit turns on the power supply to the two groups of elements and simultaneously triggers the two groups of elements to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals. The high-frequency element is used to collect ultrasonic signals in the shallow layer, and the low-frequency element is used to collect ultrasonic signals in the deep layer. The two groups of elements send the two collected ultrasonic signals to the connected processor for fusion imaging.

[0045] Correspondingly, in some embodiments, the number of target elements can be less than or equal to 2, that is, the power supply circuit can supply power to at most 2 transducer elements 21 (i.e., target elements) simultaneously each time. When the power supply circuit supplies power to 2 target elements simultaneously, the subsequent processor can receive the ultrasonic signals in the shallow layer and the deep layer collected by these two target elements and use these two ultrasonic signals for fusion imaging to achieve dual-frequency fusion imaging. That is to say, the preset number of transducer elements 21 can be communicatively connected to the processor respectively. When the number of target elements is 2, the power supply circuit turns on the power supply to the two target elements and simultaneously triggers the two target elements to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals. The high-frequency element in the two target elements is used to collect ultrasonic signals in the shallow layer, and the low-frequency element in the two target elements is used to collect ultrasonic signals in the deep layer. The two target elements send the two collected ultrasonic signals to the connected processor for fusion imaging. In other embodiments, when N>2, the number of target elements can also be less than or equal to M, where M is a positive integer greater than 2 and less than or equal to N, to achieve the fusion imaging of ultrasonic signals at more depths. For example, M can be 3 to achieve triple-frequency fusion imaging.

[0046] Among them, the power supply circuit in this embodiment can be the circuit on the driver to switch the power supply of a preset number of transducer elements 21 on the ultrasonic microprobe, so that the target element can perform the scanning work; that is to say, the ultrasonic microprobe can be used in cooperation with the corresponding driver, relying on the switching function of the power supply circuit on the driver to switch the ultrasonic signal circuits of various working frequencies. The power supply circuit can also be arranged on the ultrasonic microprobe, that is, the ultrasonic microprobe can also include a power supply circuit to switch the power supply of a preset number of transducer elements 21 on the ultrasonic microprobe according to the control of the controllable switch in the circuit by the connected controller. The controller can be arranged on the ultrasonic host and control the power supply to the target element by sending trigger signals or drive signals to the power supply circuit, so that the target element starts to send ultrasonic waves (i.e., ultrasonic signals).

[0047] Correspondingly, for the specific circuit structure of the power supply circuit in this embodiment, it can be set by the designer according to the practical scenario and user requirements. For example, the power supply circuit can include a preset number of first controllable switches; among them, each first controllable switch is respectively connected to a corresponding transducer element 21 and is used to supply power to the connected transducer element 21 when it is turned on. That is to say, the controllable switches in the power supply circuit can include first controllable switches respectively connected to a corresponding transducer element 21, so as to use a preset number of first controllable switches to respectively control the power supply of a preset number of transducer elements 21, enabling the preset number of transducer elements 21 to be powered separately, and two or more transducer elements 21 to be powered simultaneously, realizing the selective power supply of the target element.

[0048] It should be noted that for the specific selection of the target element in this embodiment, it can be set by the designer or the user. Taking the number of target elements less than or equal to 2 as an example, when the number of target elements is 1, the target element can be any transducer element 21. When the number of target elements is 2, the target elements can be any two transducer elements 21 with different working frequencies to realize the flexible selection of transducer elements 21 during dual-frequency fusion imaging; it can also be any preset element pair to facilitate user selection; among them, the preset element pair can include two transducer elements 21, and the preset number (2N) of transducer elements 21 can be divided into N preset element pairs, and the working frequencies of the transducer elements 21 in different preset element pairs are different; that is to say, in this embodiment, through the setting of the preset element pair, when the ultrasonic microprobe needs to work in dual frequency, it can select one from N preset element pairs for work, facilitating the user's selection of different dual-frequency working modes.

[0049] Correspondingly, the power supply circuit can also include N second controllable switches (such as Figure 3 the switches 1 and 2); among them, each second controllable switch is respectively connected through two first controllable switches (such as Figure 3The switches 3 and 4 or switches 5 and 6) in it are connected to two transducer elements 21; that is, each second controllable switch can be connected to a respective preset pair of elements, so that the transducer elements 21 in the corresponding preset pair of elements can be powered only when the second controllable switch is turned on. Further, in this embodiment, the N second controllable switches can be switched on, that is, at most 1 second controllable switch is turned on at the same time to ensure the correct switching of the preset pair of elements.

[0050] As Figure 3 shown, when the preset quantity is 4, the power supply circuit can include 2 second controllable switches (switches 1 and 2) and 4 first controllable switches (switches 3 - 6), which can realize the single - time single transducer element 21 working, and can also realize the two transducer elements 21 working simultaneously for image acquisition. The specific control process can be: turn on switches 1 and 3, and the No. 1 transducer element 21 starts the working mode; turn off switches 1 and 4, and the No. 2 transducer element 21 starts the working mode; turn off switches 1, 3 and 4, and the No. 1 and No. 2 transducer elements 21 work simultaneously; turn off switches 2 and 5, and the No. 3 transducer element 21 starts the working mode; turn off switches 2 and 6, and the No. 4 transducer element 21 starts the working mode; turn off switches 2, 5 and 6, and the No. 3 and No. 4 transducer elements 21 work simultaneously.

[0051] Further, for the specific selection of the preset pair of elements in this embodiment, that is, the specific selection of the two transducer elements 21 connected by each second controllable switch, it can be set by the designer himself. For example, the working frequency of the high - frequency element connected by any second controllable switch is greater than the working frequency of the low - frequency element connected by other second controllable switches. The high - frequency element is the transducer element 21 with a higher working frequency among the two transducer elements 21 connected by a second controllable switch, and the low - frequency element is the transducer element 21 with a lower working frequency among the two transducer elements 21 connected by a second controllable switch. That is to say, the working frequency of the high - frequency element in any preset pair of elements can be greater than the working frequency of the low - frequency element in other preset pairs of elements to ensure that ultrasonic signals in both shallow and deep layers can be collected in each dual - frequency working mode.

[0052] It should be noted that for the specific structure of the ultrasonic transducer 20 in this embodiment, it can be set by the designer according to the use scenario and user requirements. For example, the ultrasonic transducer 20 can adopt a multi - prism structure. One bottom surface of one side of the ultrasonic transducer 20 is fixedly connected to the transducer base 10. The number of side surfaces of the ultrasonic transducer 20 is the preset quantity, and each side surface of the ultrasonic transducer 20 is provided with a transducer element 21. For example, when the preset quantity is 4, the ultrasonic transducer 20 can adopt a quadrangular prism structure, such as a regular quadrangular prism structure, for example, a regular quadrangular prism structure with an arc - shaped vertex; when the preset quantity is 6, the ultrasonic transducer 20 can adopt a hexagonal prism structure.

[0053] Among them, the ultrasonic transducer 20 further includes a support column unit and a shielding unit; the support column unit can play a supporting role and also has a certain shielding function; the shielding unit can play a shielding role to shield the mutual interference between the acoustic wave signals of the two transducer elements 21 (i.e., the target elements) during dual-frequency operation. When the ultrasonic transducer 20 adopts a multi-prism structure, the support column unit can be arranged on the side edges of the ultrasonic transducer 20 to support the transducer elements 21 on adjacent side surfaces; the shielding unit can be arranged in the area surrounded by the transducer element 21 and the support column unit to shield the mutual acoustic wave signal interference between the two target elements when the two target elements work simultaneously.

[0054] Correspondingly, when the ultrasonic transducer 20 can adopt a multi-prism structure, the two transducer elements 21 in the preset element pair can be arranged on two opposite side surfaces. Such a selection makes the distance between the two working transducer elements 2 as far as possible to improve the shielding effect of the shielding unit on the mutual acoustic wave signal interference when the preset element pair works simultaneously.

[0055] Accordingly, when the ultrasonic transducer 20 adopts a multi-prism structure with an arc-shaped vertex (i.e., an arc-shaped multi-prism structure), the support column unit can be a fan-shaped column structure (such as Figures 4 - 7 ①, ③, ⑤, and ⑦ in); when the transducer element 21 is a cuboid structure, the fan-shaped radius of the support column unit can be equal to the width of the transducer element 21, and the shielding unit can be a regular multi-prism structure with the bottom side length equal to the length of the transducer element 21, and the side edge length of the shielding unit can be equal to the height of the support column unit and the transducer element 21. As Figures 4 - 7 shown, when the preset quantity is 4, the ultrasonic transducer 20 can adopt a regular quadrangular prism structure with an arc-shaped vertex (i.e., an arc-shaped regular quadrangular prism structure), the 4 transducer elements 21 (②, ④, ⑥, and ⑧) can be cuboid structures with the same size, the 4 support column units (①, ③, ⑤, and ⑦) can be fan-shaped column structures with the same size, and the shielding unit (⑨) can be a quadrangular prism structure with a square bottom; correspondingly, when the surface (i.e., the target surface) of the transducer base 10 where the ultrasonic transducer 20 is arranged is circular, the diameter of the target surface can be a is the width of the transducer element 21, b can be the length of the transducer element 21. This setting method can make the outer side surface of the target surface and the outermost side of the transducer be on the same side surface, that is, the circular bottom surface can just place the ultrasonic transducer with an arc-shaped regular quadrangular prism structure to minimize the cross-sectional area of the ultrasonic microprobe as much as possible, which is convenient for entering the cavity and operation control.

[0056] Furthermore, as Figure 2As shown in the figure, the transducer base 10 and the ultrasonic transducer 20 at the front end of the ultrasonic microprobe in this embodiment can be arranged in the sheath tube, and the sheath tube can also be filled with an ultrasonic conduction fluid (such as glycerol); due to the conductivity and viscosity of the ultrasonic conduction fluid, it can help the ultrasonic signal to be better transmitted to the organs or tissues under the skin, eliminate air isolation and reduce reflection, improve the quality and clarity of the ultrasonic wave, so that the doctor can better observe and diagnose the internal structure of the scanning position.

[0057] It can be understood that the transducer elements 21 in the ultrasonic transducer 20 of this embodiment can be communicatively connected to the processor, so that when the number of target elements is 2, the processor can calculate the spatial position of the ultrasonic signals scanned by the corresponding target elements according to the phase difference position of the two target elements, and complete the fusion imaging of the ultrasonic signals scanned by the target elements at two working frequencies based on this spatial position. The processor can be arranged on the ultrasonic main machine. A controller can also be arranged on the ultrasonic main machine, and the controller controls the power supply circuit to supply power to the target elements by sending trigger signals or drive signals to the power supply circuit, so that the target elements start to send ultrasonic waves (i.e., ultrasonic signals).

[0058] For example, when the preset number is 4, the structures of the transducer base 10 and the ultrasonic transducer 20 at the front end of the four-frequency ultrasonic microprobe can be as Figures 4 - 7 shown. Four support column units (①, ③, ⑤, and ⑦) can use elastic hoses to play a structural support role; four transducer elements 21 (②, ④, ⑥, and ⑧) can be elements with working frequencies of 10, 15, 20, and 30 MHz respectively; the shielding unit (⑨) can play a role in coaxial ultrasonic signal shielding; the transducer base 10 (⑩) can play a role in supporting rotation. Among the four transducer elements 21, the elements with working frequencies of 10 and 15 MHz can be divided into a low-frequency element group, and the scanning imaging of the transducer elements 21 in the group can be as Figure 8 shown in (a) below. The near-field resolution is relatively low, and the detection depth is relatively deep; among the four transducer elements 21, the elements with working frequencies of 20 and 30 MHz can be divided into a high-frequency element group, and the scanning imaging of the transducer elements 21 in the group can be as Figure 8As shown in Fig. (b), the near-field resolution is relatively high and the detection depth is relatively shallow. The four transducer elements 21 can be divided into two preset element pairs. For example, two transducer elements 21 with operating frequencies of 10 and 20 MHz form a preset element pair, and two transducer elements 21 with operating frequencies of 15 and 30 MHz form another preset element pair. When using a certain preset element pair for dual-frequency simultaneous operation, such as simultaneous scanning at 10 and 20 MHz or 15 and 30 MHz, fusion imaging of the superficial ultrasonic signals collected by the high-frequency element and the deep ultrasonic signals collected by the low-frequency element in the preset element pair can be achieved through setting the respective weight coefficients corresponding to the high-frequency and low-frequency elements in the preset element pair or other fusion methods; for example, setting the weight coefficients of the parts with high near-field resolution of the high-frequency element (i.e., near-field weight coefficients) to a relatively high value (such as 0.8), and setting the near-field weight coefficients of the low-frequency element to a relatively low value (such as 0.2) for near-field fusion; in addition, setting the weight coefficients of the parts with high far-field depth of the low-frequency element (i.e., far-field weight coefficients) to a relatively high value (such as 0.8), and setting the far-field weight coefficients of the high-frequency element to a relatively low value (such as 0.2) for far-field fusion. The image after fusion frequency imaging can be as shown in Figure 9 to achieve fusion imaging of the two operating frequencies.

[0059] In this embodiment, by setting a preset number of transducer elements 21, the ultrasonic microprobe of the present utility model has multiple operating frequencies, improving the frequency selectivity of the ultrasonic microprobe; through the switch control of the power supply circuit, not only can the preset number of transducer elements 21 be switched to work independently, but also at least two transducer elements 21 can be started to work simultaneously to achieve multi-frequency fusion imaging, enabling the imaging superposition and complementarity between frequencies, obtaining images with high resolution at different depths, improving the usability of ultrasonic images, and meeting the usage requirements of doctors.

[0060] Corresponding to the above ultrasonic microprobe embodiment, the embodiment of the present utility model also provides an ultrasonic endoscope device. The ultrasonic endoscope device described below can be correspondingly referred to with the ultrasonic microprobe described above.

[0061] An ultrasonic endoscope device includes: the ultrasonic microprobe provided in the above embodiment.

[0062] Exemplarily, the ultrasonic endoscope device may further include an endoscope device, and the endoscope device may include an endoscope body. The ultrasonic microprobe can be disposed on the endoscope body. In addition, the ultrasonic microprobe may not be directly disposed on the endoscope body, and the endoscope body may include a forceps channel for the ultrasonic microprobe to enter. In this way, only one channel needs to be opened to achieve the acquisition of ultrasonic images and endoscope images, so as to simultaneously view the states of superficial and deep tissues and achieve a more comprehensive diagnosis and treatment effect.

[0063] The above has introduced in detail an ultrasonic microprobe and an ultrasonic endoscope device provided by the present utility model. Specific examples are used in this article to elaborate on the principle and implementation manner of the present utility model. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and its core idea of the present utility model. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the principle of the present utility model, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present utility model, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic microprobe, characterized in that, Including: A transducer base fixedly connected to a drive shaft, which is used to rotate synchronously with the drive shaft and drive an ultrasonic transducer on the transducer base to rotate synchronously; The ultrasonic transducer disposed on the transducer base; the ultrasonic transducer includes a preset number of transducer elements, at least some of the transducer elements have different operating frequencies, and the preset number is 2N, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2; wherein, the transducer elements are electrically connected to a power supply circuit through a cable, and the power supply circuit is used to adjust the conduction and turn-off of a controllable switch in the power supply circuit to supply power to a target element among the transducer elements; the number of the target elements is less than or equal to N; The transducer elements are communicatively connected to a processor; wherein, when the target elements include two groups of elements, namely high-frequency elements and low-frequency elements, the power supply circuit conducts the power supply to the two groups of elements, and the two groups of elements that work simultaneously transmit and receive corresponding ultrasonic signals; wherein, the high-frequency elements are used to collect ultrasonic signals in the shallow layer, and the low-frequency elements are used to collect ultrasonic signals in the deep layer; the two groups of elements send the two collected ultrasonic signals to the connected processor for fusion imaging.

2. The ultrasonic microprobe according to claim 1, wherein The ultrasonic transducer is a multi-prism structure, one bottom surface of the ultrasonic transducer is fixedly connected to the transducer base, the number of side surfaces of the ultrasonic transducer is the preset number, and one transducer element is disposed on each side surface of the ultrasonic transducer.

3. The ultrasonic microprobe according to claim 2, wherein The ultrasonic transducer is a regular quadrangular prism structure.

4. The ultrasonic microprobe according to claim 2, wherein The ultrasonic transducer further includes a support column unit and a shielding unit; wherein, the support column unit is disposed on the side edge of the ultrasonic transducer and is used to support the transducer elements on adjacent side surfaces; the shielding unit is disposed in the area surrounded by the transducer elements and the support column unit and is used to shield the acoustic signal interference between at least two target elements when at least two target elements work simultaneously.

5. The ultrasonic microprobe according to claim 4, wherein, The ultrasonic transducer is an arc-shaped multi-prism structure, the support column unit is a fan-shaped column structure, the transducer element is a cuboid structure, and the fan radius of the support column unit is equal to the width of the transducer element; the shielding unit is a regular multi-prism structure, the bottom side length of the shielding unit is equal to the length of the transducer element, and the side edge length of the shielding unit is equal to the height of the support column unit and the transducer element.

6. The ultrasonic microprobe according to claim 5, characterized in that, The target surface of the transducer base is circular, and the target surface is the surface where the ultrasonic transducer is disposed; the ultrasonic transducer is an arc-shaped regular quadrangular prism structure, and the diameter of the target surface is a is the width of the transducer element, and b is the length of the transducer element.

7. The ultrasonic microprobe according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The transducer base and the ultrasonic transducer are disposed in a sheath tube, and the sheath tube is filled with an ultrasonic conduction liquid.

8. The ultrasonic microprobe according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, It further includes the power supply circuit; wherein, the power supply circuit includes the preset number of first controllable switches; wherein, each first controllable switch is respectively connected to a corresponding transducer element and is used to supply power to the connected transducer element when conducting.

9. The ultrasonic microprobe according to claim 8, characterized in that, The operating frequencies of the preset number of transducer elements are different, and the power supply circuit further includes N second controllable switches; wherein, each second controllable switch is respectively connected to two transducer elements through two first controllable switches.

10. The ultrasonic microprobe according to claim 9, wherein, The operating frequency of the high-frequency array elements connected to any of the second controllable switches is greater than that of the low-frequency array elements connected to the other second controllable switches. The high-frequency array element is the transducer array element with a higher operating frequency among the two transducer array elements connected by one of the second controllable switches, and the low-frequency array element is the transducer array element with a lower operating frequency among the two transducer array elements connected by one of the second controllable switches.

11. An endoscopic ultrasound device, characterized in that, Comprising: The ultrasonic microprobe according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

Images