Scanning mechanism and equipment for ultrasonic scanning of thyroid gland

Abstract

The utility model discloses a scanning mechanism and equipment for ultrasonic scanning of thyroid gland, and aims to solve the problems that the conventional auxiliary scanning equipment lacks reliable physical limit, is low in sensor integration level and is inflexible to adjust. The scanning mechanism comprises a man-machine holding assembly, a driving module, a probe transducer assembly and a limiting adjusting assembly which are integrally arranged; the probe transducer assembly comprises a mounting base, an ultrasonic detection piece and a scanning auxiliary element, the mounting base and an adjusting base of the limiting adjusting assembly are each provided with a distance measuring element, and the parallel state of the ultrasonic detection piece and a scanned object is judged through the parameter difference value of the distance measuring elements; the adjusting seat can be locked in a sliding mode along the guiding piece, and a non-contact limiting structure is formed by a laser indicating piece, a magnetic induction trigger and a magnetic element. The device is compact in structure, adapts to patients with different neck sizes, avoids mechanical collision risks, improves scanning accuracy and consistency, and is high in practicability.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to medical image equipment technical field especially, relate to a kind of scanning mechanism and equipment for thyroid ultrasonic scanning. BACKGROUND

[0002] As the core means of screening and diagnosing thyroid diseases in clinic, thyroid ultrasonic examination has the advantages of non-invasiveness, convenience and real-time imaging, and is widely used in scenarios such as detection, size measurement and property evaluation of thyroid nodules. Currently, the mainstream operation mode of thyroid ultrasonic examination still relies on doctors holding ultrasonic probes to complete scanning by manually controlling the moving track, angle and pressure of the probe (as shown in FIG. Figure 1 The operation experience and hand stability of doctors are required to be very high, and long-time operation is easy to cause fatigue, and the consistency of scanning track is difficult to guarantee, which may affect the accuracy of diagnosis results. Although some thyroid ultrasonic auxiliary scanning devices have appeared on the market, the movement of the probe is driven by mechanical structure instead of manual driving, which improves the standardization and efficiency of scanning. However, the existing auxiliary scanning devices still have obvious defects in structural design, which are difficult to meet the actual clinical needs:

[0003] 1. Lack of reliable physical limiting structure: the existing devices rely on soft limiting control of motor encoders to limit the moving range of the probe, without setting physical termination structure in the mechanical level. Such design is easy to cause limiting failure due to signal interference, mechanical wear and other factors during the operation of the device, which further causes mechanical collision between the probe and other components, not only damaging the device, but also causing extrusion or collision risk to the neck of the patient, affecting the safety of examination.

[0004] 2. Low integration of sensors: thyroid ultrasonic scanning needs to combine real-time monitoring of parameters such as distance and angle to ensure the accuracy of scanning depth and angle. However, the existing probe clamping mechanism does not design special mounting position for distance sensors, angle sensors and other components, so that these sensors are mostly fixed in external mounting mode, which not only makes the cable layout of the device messy and easy to be tangled and pulled during operation, but also cannot guarantee the constant relative position between the sensors and the ultrasonic probe, which needs to be calibrated repeatedly, increasing the operation complexity, and the position offset may affect the accuracy of monitoring data.

[0005] 3. Insufficient flexibility of adjusting mechanism: there are significant individual differences in the neck size and thyroid shape of different patients, which requires the scanning device to have adjustable scanning range adaptation capability. The existing auxiliary scanning device lacks a sliding mechanism that can physically adjust the scanning endpoint position, and the scanning range is fixed, which cannot be adjusted according to the specific neck characteristics of the patient, resulting in that the thyroid region of some patients cannot be completely scanned, or the scanning range exceeds the required region, affecting the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the examination.

[0006] Therefore, developing a thyroid ultrasound scanning mechanism and device with compact structure, high integration, adjustable physical limiting function and adaptability to different neck characteristics of patients has become a technical problem to be solved in the field. Utility model content

[0007] The utility model discloses a scanning mechanism for thyroid ultrasound scanning, which aims to solve the problems of safety, accuracy and adaptability of the existing thyroid ultrasound auxiliary scanning device.

[0008] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the utility model provides a scanning mechanism for thyroid ultrasound scanning, which comprises an integrated man-machine holding assembly, a driving module, a probe transducer assembly and a limiting adjustment assembly.

[0009] The man-machine holding assembly is provided with a holding handle,

[0010] The driving module is used for carrying and driving the probe transducer assembly to move along a set route,

[0011] The probe transducer assembly comprises a mounting seat, at least one ultrasonic detection element and a scanning auxiliary element, the mounting seat is connected with the driving module and moves directionally, the ultrasonic detection element is movably connected with the mounting seat and can be adjusted in detection angle relative to the mounting seat, the mounting seat is provided with a first distance measuring element, the first distance measuring element is used for detecting the distance between the ultrasonic detection element and the skin of a scanning object, and the scanning auxiliary element is used for acquiring the detection angle of the ultrasonic detection element and / or sensing the working condition state of the ultrasonic detection element.

[0012] The limiting adjustment assembly comprises a guide and an adjustment seat movable along the guide, the adjustment seat is provided with a second distance measuring element and a limiting trigger, the second distance measuring element is used for detecting the distance between the adjustment seat and the skin of a scanning object, and the limiting trigger is used for limiting the movement range of the mounting seat.

[0013] During scanning, the angle of the ultrasonic detection element is adjusted, and when the difference between the parameters obtained by the first distance measuring element and the parameters obtained by the second distance measuring element is less than a set threshold value, the ultrasonic detection element and the scanning object are in a parallel state.

[0014] Preferably, the driving module comprises a power source, a transmission structure and a linear guide, the power source drives the movement of the mounting seat through the transmission structure, the mounting seat is connected with the linear guide and can move directionally along the linear guide.

[0015] Preferably, the mounting seat is provided with elastic elements to realize up-and-down travel, and the ultrasonic detection element is connected with the mounting seat through a damping connection structure, so that the ultrasonic detection element can be adjusted in detection angle.

[0016] Preferably, the scanning auxiliary element comprises an angle detection element for detecting the rotation angle of the ultrasonic probe in real time and a working condition detection element for detecting the working condition of the ultrasonic probe.

[0017] Preferably, the adjusting seat is in damping fit with the guide, and the adjusting seat can be locked at any position of the guide by manual dialing.

[0018] Preferably, the adjusting seat is further provided with a laser indicating element, the laser indicating element comprises an integrated long laser line projector and a short laser line projector, and the two are vertically arranged, the long laser line projector is used for indicating the center line of the neck of the scanning object, and the short laser line projector is used for indicating the scanning end point.

[0019] Preferably, the limiting trigger element comprises a magnetic induction trigger arranged on the adjusting seat and a magnetic element arranged on the mounting seat, and the magnetic induction trigger and the magnetic element are in non-contact limiting triggering.

[0020] Preferably, the mounting seat is provided with a groove, and the magnetic element is fixed in the groove.

[0021] Preferably, the magnetic induction trigger is a Hall sensor, and the magnetic element is a magnet.

[0022] Preferably, the scanning device comprises the scanning mechanism for thyroid ultrasonic scanning.

[0023] The utility model discloses the beneficial effects:

[0024] 1. The utility model discloses a man-machine holding assembly, drive module, probe transducer assembly and limit adjusting assembly are integrated and designed as a whole, so that the overall structure is more compact, and the problems of loose structure and cable disorder of the existing equipment are solved. At the same time, by arranging distance measuring elements on the mounting seat and the adjusting seat respectively, the parallelism of the ultrasonic probe and the surface of the scanning object is judged by the difference between the two measured values, and the dependence on the experience of the operator is eliminated, so that the accuracy and consistency of the scanning angle are improved.

[0025] 2. The position-limiting adjusting assembly of the utility model realizes the physical adjustment of the scanning end position through the adjusting seat which can slide along the guide piece. The operator can manually adjust the position of the adjusting seat according to the neck length and the thyroid size of different patients, thereby flexibly setting the scanning range, solving the defects that the scanning range of the existing equipment is fixed and cannot adapt to individual differences, ensuring the complete coverage of the target area and improving the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the examination. Meanwhile, through the setting of the position-limiting trigger piece, the physical limitation of the movement of the probe transducer assembly is realized, through the non-contact physical trigger mechanism, the mechanical impact risk caused by the limitation failure is fundamentally avoided, and the safety of the equipment and the patient is greatly improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly introduced below.

[0027] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the doctor holding the ultrasonic probe to perform thyroid scanning in the prior art.

[0028] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the scanning mechanism of the utility model.

[0029] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the driving module of the utility model.

[0030] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the probe transducer assembly of the utility model.

[0031] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the position-limiting adjusting assembly of the utility model.

[0032] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the position-limiting trigger piece of the utility model.

[0033] In the figure: man-machine holding assembly 1; driving module 2; power source 21; transmission structure 22; linear guide 23; probe transducer assembly 3; mounting seat 31; ultrasonic detection piece 32; first distance measuring element 33; position-limiting adjusting assembly 4; guide piece 41; adjusting seat 42; second distance measuring element 43; position-limiting trigger piece 44; magnetic induction trigger 441; magnetic element 442; laser indicating piece 45. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The embodiments of the utility model will be described in detail below, examples of the embodiments are shown in the drawings, the embodiments described below by referring to the drawings are exemplary and are intended to explain the utility model, and cannot be understood as limiting the utility model.

[0035] The utility model provides a kind of for thyroid ultrasonic scanning scanning mechanism, its core is in the independent rotation of probe head relative to insertion tube.

[0036] Referring to Figures 2 to 5 The utility model provides a kind of for thyroid ultrasonic scanning scanning mechanism, to solve the physical limit loss of existing auxiliary scanning equipment, low sensor integration and inflexible adjustment etc. The scanning mechanism includes integrated human-computer holding assembly 1, drive module 2, probe transducer component 3 and limit adjustment component 4.

[0037] Specifically, the human-computer holding assembly 1 is designed with ergonomic holding handle, which is convenient for the operator to hold with both hands, and ensures the stability of the operation process. The handle can be integrated with control keys for starting, stopping scanning and other operations, and provides an open view space for the operator to observe the relative position of the device and the patient's neck.

[0038] Referring to Figure 3 The drive module 2 is used to carry and drive the probe transducer component 3 to move along the preset linear path. Specifically, the drive module 2 includes a power source 21, a transmission structure 22 and a linear guide 23. The power source 21 can be a stepper motor or a servo motor, which provides accurate driving force. The power source 21 transmits power to the probe transducer component 3 through the transmission structure 22. The transmission structure 22 can adopt synchronous belt, screw rod and other forms to realize smooth and accurate linear transmission. The mounting seat 31 of the probe transducer component 3 is connected with the linear guide 23 (such as linear slide rail) in sliding mode, which ensures that it can move strictly along the axial direction of the linear guide 23 under the driving of the transmission structure 22. The drive system composed of the power source 21, the transmission structure 22 and the linear guide 23 ensures the high linearity and repeatability of the scanning trajectory, provides a mechanical basis for obtaining uniform and distortion-free ultrasonic images, and avoids the problem of scanning trajectory deviation caused by unstable driving.

[0039] Further, as Figure 4As shown, the probe transducer assembly 3 comprises a mounting base 31, at least one ultrasonic probe 32 and a scanning auxiliary element. In this embodiment, the ultrasonic probe 32 can be two sets of independent linear probes symmetrically mounted (such as commonly used linear ultrasonic probes on the market) to cover a wider scanning range. The mounting base 31 is connected to the linear guide 23 of the driving module 2 through a slider or the like structure, thereby realizing the overall linear movement. The ultrasonic probe 32 is movably connected to the mounting base 31. Specifically, an elastic member (such as a spring) can be arranged inside the mounting base 31, so that the ultrasonic probe 32 can realize a certain range of up-and-down travel, so that the probe can automatically adapt to the ups and downs of the patient's neck skin surface during scanning, and always maintain good adhesion with the skin, avoiding image artifacts or signal loss caused by local suspension. At the same time, the ultrasonic probe 32 is connected to the mounting base 31 through a damping connection structure (such as a damping shaft), and the damping structure allows the operator to manually adjust the detection angle of the ultrasonic probe 32 to adapt to the curvature of the neck of different patients, and after adjustment, the angle can be kept stable by using damping force, and will not deviate during movement.

[0040] Further, the mounting base 31 also integrates a first distance measuring element 33 and a scanning auxiliary element. The first distance measuring element 33, preferably a TOF (Time-of-Flight) laser ranging sensor, is installed on the side of the mounting base 31, and is used to detect the vertical distance between the detection surface of the ultrasonic probe 32 and the scanning object (i.e. the patient's neck skin) in real time. The scanning auxiliary element further comprises an angle detection element and a perception detection element. The angle detection element, such as a gyroscope or an inclination sensor built into the ultrasonic probe 32, is used to detect the rotation angle of the ultrasonic probe 32 itself, i.e. the detection angle, in real time. The perception detection element, for example, a pressure sensor, can be used to perceive the contact pressure between the ultrasonic probe 32 and the skin to prevent excessive or insufficient pressure; or for example, the magnetic element 442 provided in this embodiment, which is used to cooperate with the limit adjustment assembly 4 to realize the perception of the working condition state (reaching the end point). By integrating all these sensor devices on the probe transducer assembly 3, the relative positions of them and the ultrasonic probe 32 are kept constant, avoiding the cable mess, signal interference and repeated calibration troubles caused by external mounting, significantly improving the operation convenience and data reliability.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 1, the probe transducer assembly 3 is connected to the driving module 2 through a linear guide 23, and the linear guide 23 is connected to the linear motor 21 of the driving module 2 through a slider or the like structure, thereby realizing the overall linear movement of the probe transducer assembly 3. Figure 3 、 Figure 5As shown, the position-limiting adjustment assembly 4 comprises a separate guide 41 (such as another linear guide rail) and an adjustment seat 42 axially movable along the guide 41. The adjustment seat 42 and the guide 41 preferably adopt a damping fit, so that the operator can smoothly slide the adjustment seat 42 at any position of the guide 41 by manual dialing, and rely on the damping force to reliably stay at the position after stopping the force, without the need for additional locking devices, intuitive and convenient operation.

[0042] Further, the adjustment seat 42 is provided with a second distance measuring element 43 and a position-limiting trigger 44. The second distance measuring element 43, also preferably a TOF laser ranging sensor, is used to detect the distance between the adjustment seat 42 itself and the skin of the scanning object. In the preparation stage before scanning, the operator can adjust the detection angle of the ultrasonic detection element 32 while observing the measurement values of the first distance measuring element 33 and the second distance measuring element 43 displayed by the control system. Since the probe transducer assembly 3 and the position-limiting adjustment assembly 4 are both placed above the patient's neck, when the detection surface of the ultrasonic detection element 32 is parallel to the surface of the neck skin, the distances of the first distance measuring element 33 and the second distance measuring element 43 to the skin should be equal or close to the height difference between the two. Therefore, by adjusting the angle of the ultrasonic detection element 32 until the difference between the two measurement values is less than a preset threshold (height difference), the parallelism calibration of the probe and the scanning plane can be objectively and accurately completed.

[0043] In one embodiment, the position-limiting trigger 44 is used to physically limit the movement range of the mounting seat 31, using a non-contact triggering method, including a magnetic induction trigger 441 provided on the adjustment seat 42 and a magnetic element 442 provided on the mounting seat 31.

[0044] Preferably, as Figure 6 As shown, the magnetic induction trigger 441 is a Hall sensor, which is small in size, sensitive in response, and accurate in triggering. The magnetic element 442 is a permanent magnet. In order to ensure the stability of installation and the compactness of structure, a groove can be formed on the top of the mounting seat 31 to securely fix the magnetic element 442 in the groove. When the driving module 2 drives the mounting seat 31 to move, the magnetic element 442 on it also moves. When the mounting seat 31 moves to the preset scanning endpoint position, the magnetic element 442 on it just moves to the top of or within the effective sensing range of the Hall sensor (magnetic induction trigger 441) fixed on the adjustment seat 42, and the Hall sensor is triggered and generates a level signal. The signal is sent to the control system as a hardware interrupt signal, instructing the driving module 2 to immediately stop moving and return, thereby achieving a precise and reliable physical limit. This "magnet-Hall" non-contact limiting method completely avoids the risk of mechanical impact, greatly improving the safety and service life of the equipment.

[0045] To make the adjustment of the scanning range more intuitive, the adjustment seat 42 can be further provided with a laser indicator 45. The laser indicator 45 includes an integrated long laser line projector and a short laser line projector, and the projection directions of the two are perpendicular to each other. The long laser line projector can be used to project a long line through the neck to help the operator align the center line of the patient's neck; and the short laser line projector projects a short line to accurately indicate the end position of the scan. When the operator manually adjusts the adjustment seat 42, the position of the short laser line also moves. The operator only needs to align the short laser line with the lower edge of the patient's thyroid or other anatomical landmarks to complete the visual setting of the end of the scan. This design makes the abstract scanning range adjustment process intuitive and simple, and reduces the dependence on the operator's experience.

[0046] In one embodiment, the utility model provides a kind of scanning equipment, including any one described above for thyroid ultrasound scanning scanning mechanism. The equipment is integrated with the above scanning mechanism, and has its technical advantages comprehensively, and can realize safe, accurate, efficient automatic thyroid ultrasound scanning.

[0047] The scanning equipment uses as follows:

[0048] (1) preparation stage: install the commercially available general ultrasonic probe (i.e. ultrasonic detection member 32) into the mounting seat 31 of the probe transducer assembly 3. Place the entire scanning equipment above the patient's neck.

[0049] (2) range setting: the operator manually adjusts the adjustment seat 42 on the limiting adjustment assembly 4 according to the length of the patient's neck and the anatomical position of the thyroid. Adjust the long laser line projected by the laser indicator 45 on it to be in the middle position of the patient's neck, and adjust the short laser line to irradiate on the preset scan end point. At this time, the adjustment seat 42 is locked due to the damping action, and the position of the Hall sensor (magnetic induction trigger 441) on it is also physically fixed, so that the setting of the scanning range is completed.

[0050] (3) angle calibration: adjust the angle of the ultrasonic detection member 32, and observe the real-time distance data from the first distance measuring element 33 and the second distance measuring element 43 on the control system interface at the same time. When the difference between the two data is less than the set threshold, it indicates that the probe is parallel to the scanning plane, and the adjustment is stopped.

[0051] (4) Execution of scanning: press the start button on the man-machine holding assembly 1. The driving module 2 starts to work, and drives the probe transducer assembly 3 to move at a constant speed from the starting position along the linear guide 23 to the set end position, while the ultrasonic detection member 32 collects images. When the magnetic element 442 on the mounting seat 31 moves to the opposite of the Hall sensor on the adjusting seat 42, the hardware limit signal is triggered, and the control system immediately instructs the driving module 2 to stop advancing and return to the starting point. Thus, a complete scanning process is completed.

[0052] The above disclosure is only one or more preferred embodiments of the present application, which cannot limit the scope of the rights of the present application. Those skilled in the art can understand that the implementation of all or part of the above-mentioned embodiments, and the equivalent changes made according to the claims of the present application, still belong to the scope covered by the present application.

Claims

1. A scanning mechanism for thyroid ultrasound scanning, characterized in that, The human-machine holding assembly, the driving module, the probe transducer assembly and the limiting adjustment assembly are integrated; The human-machine holding assembly is provided with a holding handle, The driving module is used for carrying and driving the probe transducer assembly to move along a set route, The probe transducer assembly comprises a mounting seat, at least one ultrasonic detection element and a scanning auxiliary element, the mounting seat is connected with the driving module and moves in a directional manner, the ultrasonic detection element is movably connected with the mounting seat and can be adjusted in a detection angle relative to the mounting seat, the mounting seat is provided with a first distance measuring element, the first distance measuring element is used for detecting the distance between the ultrasonic detection element and the skin of a scanning object, and the scanning auxiliary element is used for acquiring the detection angle of the ultrasonic detection element and / or sensing the working condition state of the ultrasonic detection element, The limiting adjustment assembly comprises a guide element and an adjustment seat which can move along the guide element, the adjustment seat is provided with a second distance measuring element and a limiting trigger, the second distance measuring element is used for detecting the distance between the adjustment seat and the skin of a scanning object, and the limiting trigger is used for limiting the movement range of the mounting seat, During scanning, the angle of the ultrasonic detection element is adjusted, and when the difference between the parameters obtained by the first distance measuring element and the parameters obtained by the second distance measuring element is less than a set threshold value, the ultrasonic detection element and the scanning object are in a parallel state.

2. A scanning mechanism for thyroid ultrasound scanning as defined in claim 1, wherein, The driving module comprises a power source, a transmission structure and a linear guide, the power source drives the mounting seat to move through the transmission structure, and the mounting seat is connected with the linear guide and can move in a directional manner along the linear guide.

3. A scanning mechanism for thyroid ultrasound scanning as defined in claim 1, wherein, The mounting seat is provided with an elastic element to realize up-and-down travel, and is connected with the ultrasonic detection element through a damping connection structure, so that the ultrasonic detection element can be adjusted in a detection angle.

4. A scanning mechanism for thyroid ultrasound scanning as defined in claim 1, wherein, The scanning auxiliary element comprises an angle detection element and a sensing detection element, the angle detection element is used for detecting the rotation angle of the ultrasonic detection element in real time, and the sensing detection element is used for detecting the working condition state of the ultrasonic detection element.

5. A scanning mechanism for thyroid ultrasound scanning as defined in claim 1, wherein, The adjustment seat and the guide element are matched through damping, and the adjustment seat can be locked at any position of the guide element by manual dialing.

6. A scanning mechanism for thyroid ultrasound scanning as defined in claim 5, wherein, The adjustment seat is further provided with a laser indicating element, the laser indicating element comprises an integrated long laser line projector and a short laser line projector, and the two are arranged vertically, the long laser line projector is used for indicating the center line of the neck of a scanning object, and the short laser line projector is used for indicating the scanning end point.

7. A scanning mechanism for thyroid ultrasound scanning as defined in claim 5, wherein, The limiting trigger comprises a magnetic induction trigger arranged on the adjustment seat and a magnetic element arranged on the mounting seat, the magnetic induction trigger and the magnetic element are in contactless limiting triggering.

8. A scanning mechanism for thyroid ultrasound scanning as defined in claim 7, wherein, The mounting seat is provided with a groove, and the magnetic element is fixed in the groove.

9. A scanning mechanism for thyroid ultrasound scanning as defined in claim 7, wherein, The magnetic induction trigger is a Hall sensor, and the magnetic element is a magnet.

10. A scanning device, characterized by A scanning mechanism for thyroid ultrasound scanning, comprising the scanning mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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