Ultrasonic endoscope

Abstract

To provide an ultrasonic endoscope capable of solving a problem of damage to a light guide fiber attributed to a bracket.SOLUTION: An ultrasonic endoscope includes a pressing part 130 disposed on an inner peripheral surface 54B of a base member 54 having a pressing surface 132 by which a pressed part 70E of a light guide fiber 70 is pressed, and by having the pressed part 70E pressed by the pressing surface 132, a body part 70C of the light guide fiber 70 is disposed at a position separated in a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal axis A direction from a cable support part 82.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic endoscope, and more particularly to an ultrasonic endoscope having a radial ultrasonic transducer provided at the tip of an insertion section. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, ultrasonic endoscopes have been used in the medical field. The ultrasonic endoscope is equipped with an ultrasonic transducer that irradiates ultrasonic waves into the body of a subject and receives the reflected waves to visualize them. As such an ultrasonic endoscope, Patent Document 1 discloses an ultrasonic endoscope having a radial ultrasonic transducer at the tip of the insertion section. According to this ultrasonic endoscope, the ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic cable are electrically connected inside the insertion section.

[0003] Moreover, the ultrasonic endoscope of Patent Document 1 has a pressing member that supports the distal end portion of the ultrasonic cable. This pressing member is provided on the proximal end side of the ultrasonic transducer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-124502 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The ultrasonic endoscope has a plurality of components inserted into the insertion portion, such as the ultrasonic cable, a light guide fiber, a forceps channel, and an air / water supply channel.

[0006] When determining the placement positions of each of the contents to be inserted inside the insertion section in order to reduce the diameter of the insertion section, it may be necessary to first determine the position of the forceps channel having the largest outer diameter among those contents, and then determine the positions for placing contents such as an ultrasound cable and a light guide fiber in the remaining empty space.

[0007] However, since the internal space of the insertion part is very narrow, the contents may interfere with each other inside the insertion part. In such a case, one of the interfering contents must be offset (shifted) relative to the other. As a configuration for offsetting the contents (hereinafter referred to as an offset configuration), for example, when a light guide fiber and an ultrasonic cable interfere with each other, it is possible to offset the light guide fiber by abutting a part of the light guide fiber against the tip of a pressing member (hereinafter referred to as a bracket) disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0008] However, when such an offset configuration is adopted, a part of the light guide fiber rubs against the tip of the bracket, which may damage the light guide fiber.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic endoscope that can solve the problem of damage to the light guide fiber caused by the bracket. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the ultrasonic endoscope of the present invention comprises: a radial type ultrasonic transducer provided at the tip of an elongated insertion section to be inserted into a subject; an illumination window provided on the tip surface of the tip; a light guide fiber inserted inside the insertion section and guiding illumination light to the illumination window; an ultrasonic cable inserted inside the insertion section and connected to the ultrasonic transducer; and a bracket disposed inside the insertion section and having a bracket main body portion supporting a tip portion of the ultrasonic cable, wherein the tip portion of the ultrasonic cable or the bracket main body portion is disposed at a position overlapping or adjacent to at least a portion of the tip portion of the light guide fiber when projected onto a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis direction of the insertion section; and a pressing portion disposed inside the insertion section and having a pressing surface against which a pressed portion that is a part of the light guide fiber is pressed, and by pressing the pressed portion against the pressing surface, a main body portion disposed on the base end side relative to the tip portion of the light guide fiber is disposed at a position spaced from the bracket main body portion in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis direction.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, when projected onto a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis direction, the distal end portion of the light guide fiber and the distal end portion of the ultrasonic cable are preferably positioned so as to at least partially overlap each other.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, a cylindrical base member having an outer peripheral surface and an inner peripheral surface is provided, the base member supporting an ultrasonic transducer on its outer peripheral surface, and it is preferable that the base member has a pressing portion on its inner peripheral surface.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, the pressing surface is preferably tapered with respect to the longitudinal axis direction.

[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, the bracket preferably has a pressing portion.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the pressing portion is a protruding portion that protrudes from the tip side of the bracket main body, and it is preferable that the protruding portion has a shape that is curved or bent in a direction away from the bracket main body.

[0016] According to one aspect of the present invention, the pressing surface preferably has a rounded surface that is convex toward the pressed portion of the light guide fiber.

[0017] According to one aspect of the present invention, the pressing portion is preferably disposed inside the tip end of the insertion portion. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to solve the problem of damage to the light guide fiber caused by the bracket. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic inspection system using an ultrasonic endoscope. [Diagram 2] 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the external appearance of the tip portion of the ultrasonic endoscope shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view of a rigid tip portion of the ultrasonic endoscope shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view showing the appearance of a bracket. [Diagram 5] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement positions of light guide fibers and the like when projected onto a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis direction of the insertion portion. FIG. [Figure 6] 3A to 3C are diagrams illustrating the respective regions of the tip portion and main body portion of the light guide fiber. [Figure 7] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of an offset configuration for shifting the position of a main body portion of a light guide fiber. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for easily explaining the offset configuration of the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for easily explaining the offset configuration of the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an overall perspective view showing the appearance of the bracket shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 11] 13A and 13B are explanatory diagrams showing modified examples of a pressing surface provided on the base member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an ultrasonic endoscope according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an ultrasonic inspection system 10 using an ultrasonic endoscope 12 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the external appearance of the tip of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 shown in Fig. 1.

[0022] [About the Ultrasound Inspection System] 1, an ultrasonic examination system 10 includes an ultrasonic endoscope 12, an ultrasonic processor 14 that generates ultrasonic images, an endoscope processor 16 that generates endoscopic images, a light source device 18 that supplies illumination light for illuminating the inside of the body cavity to the ultrasonic endoscope 12, and a monitor 20 that displays ultrasonic images and endoscopic images. The ultrasonic examination system 10 also includes a water tank 21a that stores cleaning water and the like, and a suction pump 21b that suctions the aspirated material from the body cavity.

[0023] The ultrasonic processor 14 generates and supplies ultrasonic signals for generating ultrasonic waves to the ultrasonic observation section 36 of the ultrasonic endoscope 12. The ultrasonic processor 14 also receives and acquires echo signals reflected from the observation target area to which the ultrasonic waves are radiated at the ultrasonic observation section 36, and performs various signal processing on the acquired echo signals to generate an ultrasonic image.

[0024] The endoscope processor device 16 receives an image signal acquired from an observation target site illuminated with illumination light from the light source device 18 in the endoscopic observation section 38 of the ultrasonic endoscope 12. Then, various types of signal processing and image processing are performed on the acquired image signal to generate an endoscopic image.

[0025] In this example, the ultrasonic processor 14 and the endoscope processor 16 are configured by two devices (computers) that are provided separately. However, this is not limited to this, and both the ultrasonic processor 14 and the endoscope processor 16 may be configured by one device.

[0026] The light source device 18 generates illumination light such as white light or light of a specific wavelength composed of three primary colors such as red light, green light, and blue light. The illumination light propagates through the ultrasonic endoscope 12 and is emitted from the endoscopic observation section 38 to illuminate an observation target site within a body cavity.

[0027] The monitor 20 displays an ultrasonic image and an endoscopic image upon receiving the video signals generated by the ultrasonic processor 14 and the endoscope processor 16. The monitor 20 can be switched to display only one of the ultrasonic images and the endoscopic image, or can display both images simultaneously.

[0028] In this example, the ultrasound image and the endoscopic image are displayed on one monitor 20, but a monitor for displaying ultrasound images and a monitor for displaying endoscopic images may be provided separately. Furthermore, the ultrasound image and the endoscopic image may be displayed in a display format other than that of the monitor 20, for example, on the display of a terminal carried by the surgeon.

[0029] [About ultrasound endoscopes] As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic endoscope 12 has an elongated insertion section 22 that is inserted into the subject, an operation section 24 that is connected to the base end of the insertion section 22 and allows the surgeon to operate it, and a universal cord 26 having one end connected to the operation section 24.

[0030] An air / water supply button 28a for opening and closing an air / water supply pipe (not shown) from the water supply tank 21a, and a suction button 28b for opening and closing a suction pipe (not shown) from the suction pump 21b are arranged in parallel on the operation unit 24. The operation unit 24 is also provided with a pair of angle knobs 29 and a treatment tool insertion port 30.

[0031] The other end of the universal cord 26 is provided with an ultrasonic connector 32a connected to the ultrasonic processor 14, an endoscope connector 32b connected to the endoscope processor 16, and a light source connector 32c connected to the light source 18. The ultrasonic endoscope 12 is detachably connected to the ultrasonic processor 14, the endoscope processor 16, and the light source 18 via these connectors 32a, 32b, and 32c, respectively. The connector 32c is provided with an air / water supply tube 34a connected to the water tank 21a, and a suction tube 34b connected to the suction pump 21b.

[0032] The insertion section 22 has, in order from the tip side, a tip hard section 40 (see FIG. 2) having an endoscopic observation section 38 and an ultrasonic observation section 36, a bending section 42 connected to the base end side of the tip hard section 40, and a soft section 44 connecting between the base end side of the bending section 42 and the tip side of the operation section 24. The tip hard section 40, the bending section 42 and the soft section 44 are provided along the longitudinal axis A direction of the insertion section 22. The bending section 42 is formed by connecting multiple bending pieces 43 (see FIG. 3) and is configured to be freely bendable. The soft section 44 is elongated, long and flexible.

[0033] The bending portion 42 is remotely bent by rotating a pair of angle knobs 29 provided on the operation portion 24. This allows the distal end rigid portion 40 to be oriented in a desired direction.

[0034] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the distal end rigid portion 40. Fig. 3 shows a plurality of bending pieces 43 constituting the bending portion 42, and a plurality of bending operation wires 45 (two in Fig. 3) whose distal end sides are connected to the bending portion 42 and whose proximal end sides are connected to a pair of angle knobs 29 (see Fig. 1).

[0035] Next, the configuration of the tip hard section 40 and the multiple contents inserted into the insertion section 22 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. As shown in Figure 2, the tip hard section 40 is provided with an endoscopic observation section 38 for acquiring endoscopic images on the tip side, and a radial ultrasonic observation section 36 for acquiring ultrasonic images on the base end side. The tip hard section 40 is an example of the tip of the insertion section of the present invention.

[0036] The tip hard section 40 has a cap-shaped tip part 50 that is placed on the tip side of the endoscopic observation section 38, and a base end side ring (also called a balloon ring) 52 that is arranged on the base end side of the ultrasonic observation section 36. The tip part 50 and the base end side ring 52 are made of an insulating member such as a hard resin, and serve as exterior members.

[0037] 3, a cylindrical base member 54 (also called a shield ring) is connected to the base end side of the tip part 50. The ultrasonic transducer 46 constituting the ultrasonic observation section 36 is disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the base member 54. The base member 54 has a function of supporting the ultrasonic transducer 46, as well as a function of shielding electromagnetic waves emitted from the ultrasonic vibrator 48 of the ultrasonic transducer 46. In addition, a light guide fiber 70 is disposed inside the base member 54.

[0038] 2, the endoscopic observation section 38 includes a treatment tool outlet 60 opened in the distal end surface 51 of the distal end component 50, an observation window 62, an illumination window 64, and a cleaning nozzle 66. Two illumination windows 64 are provided, one on each side of the observation window 62.

[0039] The distal end side of a forceps channel (not shown) is connected to the treatment tool outlet 60. The forceps channel is inserted into the inside of the insertion section 22 shown in FIG. 1, and the proximal end side of the forceps channel is connected to the treatment tool insertion port 30 of the operation section 24. A treatment tool such as forceps is inserted into the forceps channel from the treatment tool insertion port 30 and is led out from the treatment tool outlet 60 of FIG. 2. In this way, the subject is treated with the treatment tool. The forceps channel is one of multiple contents inserted into the inside of the insertion section 22.

[0040] An observation system unit (not shown) is connected to the observation window 62 shown in Fig. 2. The observation system unit includes an objective lens, a prism, an imaging element, a substrate, a cable, and the like.

[0041] The reflected light from the observation target site entering through the observation window 62 is captured by the objective lens. The optical path of the captured reflected light is bent at a right angle by the prism, and an image is formed on the imaging surface of the imaging element. The imaging element photoelectrically converts the reflected light from the observation target site imaged on the imaging surface, and outputs an image signal. Examples of imaging elements include a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) and a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor).

[0042] The imaging element is mounted on a substrate. A circuit pattern electrically connected to the imaging element is formed on the substrate. The circuit pattern has a plurality of electrodes at its end, and a plurality of signal lines are respectively connected to the plurality of electrodes. The signal lines are inserted into the operation unit 24 from the bending portion 42 shown in FIG. 1 via the flexible portion 44 in the form of a shielded cable including the plurality of signal lines. The plurality of signal lines are then inserted from the operation unit 24 into the universal cord 26 and connected to the connector 32b for the endoscope. The connector 32b for the endoscope is connected to the processor device 16 for the endoscope. The above shielded cable is one of a plurality of contents inserted into the inside of the insertion portion 22.

[0043] A tip (emission end) 71 of a light guide fiber 70 shown in FIG. 3 is connected to the illumination window 64 shown in FIG. 2. The light guide fiber 70 in this example includes a fiber body 72, a tube 74 covering the fiber body 72, and a connection tube 76 connected to the tip of the tube 74, and a tip 76A of the connection tube 76 is connected to the illumination window 64. The light guide fiber 70 extends from the insertion section 22 shown in FIG. 1 to the operation section 24, and is inserted from the operation section 24 into the universal cord 26, and a base end (incident end) of the light guide fiber 70 is connected to the connector 32c for the light source. The connector 32c for the light source is connected to the light source device 18. The illumination light emitted by the light source device 18 propagates through the light guide fiber 70 and is irradiated to the observation site from the illumination window 64 in FIG. 2. Two light guide fibers 70 are provided corresponding to the two illumination windows 64, 64. The light guide fiber 70 is one of a plurality of components inserted into the inside of the insertion portion 22, and is an example of the light guide fiber of the present invention.

[0044] The tip of an air / water supply channel (not shown) is connected to the cleaning nozzle 66 shown in FIG. 2. The air / water supply channel extends from the insertion section 22 shown in FIG. 1 to the operation section 24, and is inserted from the operation section 24 into the universal cord 26. The base end of the air / water supply channel is connected to the light source connector 32c, and is connected to the water supply tank 21a via the air / water supply tube 34a. The cleaning nozzle 66 sprays air or cleaning water supplied from the water supply tank 21a through the air / water supply channel toward the observation window 62 and the illumination window 64 in order to clean the surfaces of the observation window 62 and the illumination window 64. The air / water supply channel is one of a plurality of contents inserted inside the insertion section 22.

[0045] The ultrasonic observation section 36 shown in Fig. 2 is composed of an ultrasonic transducer 46. The ultrasonic transducer 46 is configured as a radial type ultrasonic transducer, and is configured by arranging a plurality of ultrasonic vibrators 48 in the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface of the base member 54 shown in Fig. 3.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonic transducer 46 is a multi-channel (CH) array consisting of a plurality of, for example, 48 to 192 rectangular parallelepiped ultrasonic vibrators 48 arranged in a cylindrical shape. In the ultrasonic transducer 46, the ultrasonic vibrators 48 are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction as shown in the figure, for example. In this way, the ultrasonic vibrators 48 constituting the ultrasonic transducer 46 are arranged at equal intervals on a circumference centered on the central axis of the tip rigid portion 40 (the longitudinal axis A of the insertion portion 22). Furthermore, the ultrasonic vibrators 48 are sequentially driven based on a drive signal input from the ultrasonic processor device 14 (see FIG. 1). As a result, radial electronic scanning is performed with the range in which the ultrasonic vibrators 48 are arranged as the scanning range.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 3, the ultrasonic transducer 46 includes an electrode section 104 having a plurality of individual electrodes 100 corresponding to the plurality of ultrasonic vibrators 48 and a common electrode 102 common to the plurality of ultrasonic vibrators 48, a flexible printed circuit board 106 to which the plurality of individual electrodes 100 are respectively connected, and a base member 54 that supports the plurality of ultrasonic vibrators 48 on its outer circumferential surface.

[0048] Furthermore, the ultrasonic transducer 46 has an acoustic matching layer 108 laminated on the outer peripheral surface side of the ultrasonic vibrator 48, an acoustic lens 110 laminated on the outer peripheral surface side of the acoustic matching layer 108, and a backing material layer 112 laminated on the inner peripheral surface side of the ultrasonic vibrator 48. Thus, the ultrasonic transducer 46 is made up of a laminate of the acoustic lens 110, the acoustic matching layer 108, the ultrasonic vibrator 48, and the backing material layer 112. This laminate is supported by the outer peripheral surface of the base member 54 by a method such as fitting.

[0049] The acoustic matching layer 108 is for achieving acoustic impedance matching between a subject such as a human body and the ultrasonic transducer 48 .

[0050] The acoustic lens 110 is for converging the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic transducer 48 toward the observation target area. The acoustic lens 110 is made of, for example, a silicone resin (such as millable silicone rubber or liquid silicone rubber), a butadiene resin, or a polyurethane resin. In addition, powder of titanium oxide, alumina, silica, or the like is mixed into the acoustic lens 110 as necessary to increase the transmittance of ultrasonic waves.

[0051] A flexible printed circuit board 106 is attached to the side surface of the base end side of the backing material layer 112. One end of the flexible printed circuit board 106 is electrically connected to the multiple individual electrodes 100 of the electrode section 104, and the other end is connected to multiple signal lines 122. The multiple signal lines 122 are housed in the ultrasonic cable 120 inside the tip hard section 40, and in this housed state, are inserted into the operation section 24 through the curved section 42 shown in FIG. 1 and the soft section 44. The signal line 122 is then inserted from the operation section 24 into the universal cord 26 and connected to the ultrasonic connector 32a. The ultrasonic connector 32a is connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14. The ultrasonic cable 120 may be composed of one cable, but in this example, it is composed of two cables. The ultrasonic cable 120 is one of the multiple contents inserted into the inside of the insertion section 22, and is an example of the ultrasonic cable of the present invention.

[0052] A balloon (not shown) filled with an ultrasonic transmission medium (e.g., water, oil, etc.) covering the ultrasonic observation section 36 may be detachably attached to the tip rigid section 40 shown in FIG. 2. Ultrasonic waves and echo signals attenuate in air. Therefore, by injecting an ultrasonic transmission medium into the balloon, expanding the balloon, and abutting the balloon against the observation target site, air can be removed from between the ultrasonic transducer 46 of the ultrasonic observation section 36 and the observation target site, thereby preventing attenuation of ultrasonic waves and echo signals. When this configuration is adopted, a medium injection tube for injecting the ultrasonic transmission medium is inserted and disposed inside the insertion section 22. In this case, the medium injection tube is one of the multiple contents inserted inside the insertion section 22.

[0053] [About brackets] 3 shows a bracket 80 for supporting the distal end portion 120A of the ultrasonic cable 120. As an example, the bracket 80 is provided inside the distal end hard portion 40, and more specifically, is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the base end side ring 52 constituting the distal end hard portion 40. The bracket 80 stably supports the distal end portion 120A of the ultrasonic cable 120 on the distal end hard portion 40. Note that examples of means for attaching the bracket 80 to the base end side ring 52 include adhesives, fastening members such as screws or bolts, and fitting structures.

[0054] Fig. 4 is an overall perspective view showing the appearance of the bracket 80. In addition, in Fig. 4, two light guide fibers 70 and two ultrasonic cables 120 are respectively shown by two-dot chain lines. As shown in Fig. 4, the bracket 80 of this example has two cable support parts 82 and a connecting part 84.

[0055] The connecting part 84 is configured in a substantially semi-cylindrical shape having an axis B. The connecting part 84 is disposed inside the tip rigid part 40 so that the axis B is parallel to the longitudinal axis A. A groove 88 for inserting contents is defined by a wall part 86 constituting the connecting part 84 on the inside thereof. A shielded cable for an imaging element, for example, is inserted into this groove 88.

[0056] The cable support parts 82, 82 are parts that support the tip side parts 120A, 120A (see FIG. 3) of the two ultrasonic cables 120, 120, and are configured integrally with the connecting part 84. The cable support parts 82, 82 are provided protruding from both side surfaces of the connecting part 84 in directions away from each other in a direction C perpendicular to the axis B. Furthermore, the cable support parts 82, 82 have support surfaces 90, 90 that support the ultrasonic cables 120, 120 configured in an arc shape along the outer circumferential surface of the ultrasonic cable 120. As a result, the two ultrasonic cables 120, 120 are stably supported by the bracket 80 on the tip rigid part 40 in a state where they are supported by the cable support parts 82, 82 configured in an arc shape. The bracket 80 is an example of the bracket of the present invention, and the cable support part 82 is an example of the bracket main body of the present invention. The tip side part 120A of the ultrasonic cable 120 supported by the cable support part 82 corresponds to the tip side part of the ultrasonic cable of the present invention.

[0057] Here, the ultrasonic endoscope 12 shown in Fig. 1 has an ultrasonic cable 120 (see Fig. 3) and therefore has more contents than other endoscopes (e.g., colonoscopes), and the insertion section 22 tends to have a larger diameter. On the other hand, the distal end surface 51 of the distal end hard section 40 shown in Fig. 2 has the treatment tool outlet 60, observation window 62, illumination window 64, and cleaning nozzle 66 each disposed at an appropriate position in order to reduce the diameter of the insertion section 22. However, if multiple contents are placed in the insertion section 22 while remaining in such positions, the following problems arise.

[0058] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the respective positions of the tip portion 70A of the light guide fiber 70, the tip portion 120A of the ultrasonic cable 120, and the cable support portions 82, 82 when projected onto a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A of the insertion portion 22.

[0059] 5 shows that the distal end portion 120A of the ultrasonic cable 120 and the cable support portion 82 are disposed at a position overlapping at least a portion 70B of the distal end portion 70A of the light guide fiber 70. In other words, when projected onto a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A, the distal end portion 70A of the light guide fiber 70 and the distal end portion 120A of the ultrasonic cable 120 are disposed at a position where at least a portion of them overlap each other. When such an arrangement is adopted, the light guide fiber 70 may be damaged for the following reasons.

[0060] That is, when determining the placement positions of each content in the internal space of the insertion section 22, the position of the forceps channel having the largest outer diameter among the contents may be determined first, and then the positions for placing the contents such as the ultrasonic cable 120 and the light guide fiber 70 in the remaining empty space may be determined. In this case, the ultrasonic cable 120 is placed in a position close to the inner peripheral surface of the tip hard part 40 in order to facilitate connection with the ultrasonic transducer 46, since the ultrasonic transducer 46 is placed on the outer peripheral surface of the tip hard part 40. Then, the light guide fiber 70 is placed in a position closer to the central axis (longitudinal axis A) side of the tip hard part 40 than the placement position of the ultrasonic cable 120, taking into consideration the light distribution.

[0061] When the above-mentioned arrangement is adopted, the arrangement is as shown in Fig. 5. In this case, it is necessary to offset the position of the body portion 70C of the light guide fiber 70 (see Fig. 6; a portion arranged on the base end side of the tip portion 70A of the light guide fiber 70) described later. Note that even when only a part of the tip portion 120A of the ultrasonic cable 120 is arranged at a position overlapping at least a part of the tip portion 70A of the light guide fiber 70, or even when only a part of the cable support part 82 is arranged, the body portion 70C of the light guide fiber 70 needs to be offset.

[0062] Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating each region of the tip portion 70A and the main body portion 70C of the light guide fiber 70. In this specification, as shown in Fig. 6, with the tip 82A of the cable support part 82 of the bracket 80 as a reference, a part of the light guide fiber 70 arranged from the tip 82A to the tip side (left side in Fig. 6) is referred to as the tip portion 70A, and a part of the light guide fiber 70 arranged from the tip 82A to the base end side (right side in Fig. 6) is referred to as the main body portion 70C.

[0063] Fig. 7 shows an example of an offset configuration for offsetting the arrangement position of the main body portion 70C of the light guide fiber 70. The offset configuration shown in Fig. 7 is a comparative example for comparison with the offset configurations of first and second embodiments described later.

[0064] 7, the tip portion 70A of the light guide fiber 70 is curved with a large curvature, and an intermediate portion 70D between the tip portion 70A of the light guide fiber 70 and the main body portion 70C is abutted against the tip 82A of the cable support portion (bracket main body portion) 82 of the bracket 80, thereby offsetting the position of the main body portion 70C. Note that the above "tip 82A" is not limited to the strict tip 82A of the cable support portion 82, but includes an area from the tip 82A to a position some distance away in the length direction (longitudinal axis A direction) of the cable support portion 82.

[0065] However, when the offset configuration shown in FIG. 7 is adopted, the intermediate portion 70D, which is a part of the light guide fiber 70, rubs against the tip 82A of the cable support part 82, which may damage the light guide fiber 70 as described above.

[0066] Therefore, in order to solve the problem of damage to the light guide fiber 70 caused by the bracket 80, the ultrasonic endoscope 12 of the embodiment employs the offset configurations of the first and second forms described below.

[0067] First, before describing the details of the offset configuration, an outline of the offset configuration will be described. The offset configuration includes a pressing part disposed inside the insertion part 22, and the pressing part has a pressing surface against which a pressed part, which is a part of the light guide fiber 70, is pressed. Then, by pressing the pressed part of the light guide fiber 70 against the pressing surface of the pressing part, the main body part 70C of the light guide fiber 70 is disposed at a position spaced apart from the cable support part 82 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A direction. With such an offset configuration, it is possible to solve the problem of damage to the light guide fiber 70 caused by the bracket 80. Hereinafter, the offset configuration of the first embodiment will be described in detail.

[0068] [Regarding the offset configuration of the first form] As shown in Fig. 3, in the offset configuration of the first embodiment, the base member 54 has the above-mentioned pressing portion. According to Fig. 3, a pressing portion 130 corresponding to the above-mentioned pressing portion is provided on an inner peripheral surface 54B of the base member 54 (see Fig. 8).

[0069] Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram in which the base member 54, the light guide fiber 70, and the ultrasonic cable 120 are extracted from the multiple members constituting the tip rigid portion 40 in Fig. 3 in order to explain the offset configuration of the first form in detail. As shown in Fig. 8, the base member 54 is configured in a cylindrical shape having an outer peripheral surface 54A and an inner peripheral surface 54B, supports the ultrasonic transducer 46 (see Fig. 3) on the outer peripheral surface 54A, and has a pressing portion 130 on the inner peripheral surface 54B. The base member 54 is an example of a base member of the present invention.

[0070] The pressing portion 130 has a pressing surface 132 against which a pressed portion 70E, which is a part of the light guide fiber 70, is pressed. The pressing surface 132 is formed in a tapered shape inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis A direction, for example. To be more specific, the pressing surface 132 is formed in a tapered shape inclined in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A direction (direction D in FIG. 8) from the midpoint 54E toward the base end 54D from the tip 54C of the base member 54 as a starting point. In addition, the inclination angle θ of the tapered pressing surface 132 with respect to the longitudinal axis A is set, for example, to an angle at which, when an extension line E (a virtual line in FIG. 8) of the pressing surface 132 along the inclined surface of the pressing surface 132 is extended toward the base end side of the base member 54, the extension line E passes through a position separated in the direction D from the tip 82A of the cable support portion 82.

[0071] The pressed portion 70E pressed against the pressing surface 132 is pressed against the pressing surface 132 when the light guide fiber 70 is inserted and assembled from the tip rigid portion 40 toward the curved portion 42. As a result, the pressed portion 70E of the light guide fiber 70 is gently curved with a small curvature along the tapered pressing surface 132, and the main body portion 70C of the light guide fiber 70 is disposed at a position spaced apart from the cable support portion 82 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A direction (hereinafter also referred to as the D direction). As a result, by adopting the offset configuration of the first embodiment, the problem of damage to the light guide fiber 70 caused by the bracket 80 can be solved. The pressing portion 130 is an example of the pressing portion of the present invention, and the pressing surface 132 is an example of the pressing surface of the present invention. The pressed portion 70E of the light guide fiber 70 is also an example of the pressed portion of the present invention.

[0072] As described above, according to the offset configuration of the first form, the pressing portion 130 is arranged on the inner surface 54B of the base member 54, and has a pressing surface 132 against which the pressed portion 74D of the light guide fiber 70 is pressed, and the pressed portion 70E is pressed against the pressing surface 132, thereby positioning the main body portion 70C of the light guide fiber 70 at a position spaced apart from the cable support portion 82 in the direction D perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A direction. This can solve the problem of damage to the light guide fiber 70 caused by the bracket 80.

[0073] [Other effects] When the offset configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is adopted, the stress generated in the light guide fiber 70 can be reduced more than when the offset configuration of the comparative example shown in FIG. 7 is adopted, for example.

[0074] That is, in the offset configuration of the comparative example shown in Fig. 7, a part of the light guide fiber 70 (a part arranged on the distal end side with respect to the bracket 80) is curved steeply with a large curvature on the distal end side of the bracket 80, which may cause excessive stress to be generated in the light guide fiber 70. In contrast, in the offset configuration of the first form shown in Fig. 8, the pressed portion 70E which is a part of the light guide fiber 70 is curved gently with a small curvature inside the distal end rigid portion 40, so that the above-mentioned stress generated in the light guide fiber 70 can be reduced.

[0075] In addition, when the offset configuration of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 8 is adopted, the length of the tip rigid portion 40 in the longitudinal axis A direction (hereinafter referred to as tip rigid length) can be made shorter than when the offset configuration of the comparative example shown in Fig. 7 is adopted. This will be explained in detail below.

[0076] 1 has a longer tip rigidity length than a normal endoscope (e.g., a colonoscope) due to the presence of the ultrasonic observation section 36. As the tip rigidity length increases, the maneuverability (rotation performance) when inserting the insertion section 22 into the subject tends to decrease. Therefore, it is preferable that the tip rigidity length is as short as possible.

[0077] The distal end rigid length is determined by the length in the longitudinal axis A direction of the proximal side ring 52 (balloon ring) shown in Fig. 3. The above length of the proximal side ring 52 is also determined by the arrangement position of the bracket 80 in the longitudinal axis A direction. In other words, by arranging the bracket 80 as close as possible to the distal end surface 51 of the distal end rigid portion 40, the above length of the proximal side ring 52 can be shortened, and as a result, the distal end rigid length can be shortened.

[0078] 7 is adopted, when the bracket 80 is brought closer to the distal end surface 51, an already curved portion of the light guide fiber 70 (a portion disposed on the distal end side relative to the bracket 80) is curved with an even larger curvature, causing bending damage to the light guide fiber 70. For this reason, the bracket 80 cannot be placed closer to the distal end surface 51, and as a result, the distal end rigidity length cannot be shortened.

[0079] In contrast, when the offset configuration of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 8 is adopted, the main body portion 70C of the light guide fiber 70 is disposed at a position spaced from the bracket 80 in the direction D perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A direction, so that the bracket 80 can be disposed on the distal end side up to a position immediately before the bracket 80 abuts against the light guide fiber 70. In other words, the bracket 80 can be disposed at a position close to the distal end surface 51 without causing bending damage to the light guide fiber 70. As a result, the rigidity length of the distal end portion can be shortened.

[0080] [Regarding the offset configuration of the second form] Next, the offset configuration of the second embodiment will be described. Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the main parts of the offset configuration of the second embodiment. In Fig. 9, in order to easily explain the offset configuration of the second embodiment, the base member 54, the light guide fiber 70, the bracket 80, and the ultrasonic cable 120 are extracted and shown from the multiple members constituting the tip rigid portion 40 (see Fig. 1). In the offset configuration of the second embodiment, the base member 54 does not have a pressing portion, and is shown as being configured in a cylindrical shape having an outer peripheral surface 54A and an inner peripheral surface 54B.

[0081] Fig. 10 is an overall perspective view of a bracket 80 applied to the offset configuration of the second embodiment. The bracket 80 shown in Fig. 10 is slightly different in shape from the bracket 80 shown in Fig. 4. However, both have two cable support parts 82 (bracket main bodies) and a connecting part 84. Therefore, in explaining the bracket 80 shown in Fig. 10, the same members as those in the bracket 80 shown in Fig. 4 are given the same reference numerals, and parts with different shapes are given new reference numerals.

[0082] 9 and 10, in the offset configuration of the second form, the bracket 80 has a pressing portion 140. This pressing portion 140 is disposed inside the tip rigid portion 40, similar to the pressing portion 130 in the offset configuration of the first form.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 10, the pressing portion 140 is configured as a protruding portion 142 that protrudes from the tip 82A, indicated by the dotted line, of the cable support portion 82, and in this example, the protruding portion 142 has a curved shape in a direction away from the cable support portion 82.

[0084] Specifically, the protruding portion 142 has an extending portion 144 extending from the tip 82A of the cable support portion 82 in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis A, a first curved surface portion 146 curved in the D direction from the tip 144A of the extending portion 144, and a second curved surface portion 148 curved from the tip 146A of the first curved surface portion 146 toward the base end side. The surface of the second curved surface portion 148 on the D direction side is formed as the pressing surface 150. With this configuration, the protruding portion 142 of this example is configured in a shape curved in a direction away from the cable support portion 82 in the D direction. Note that, in this example, the shape of the protruding portion 142 is exemplified as a shape curved in a direction away from the cable support portion 82, but is not limited thereto, and may be a shape bent in a direction away from the cable support portion 82. Specifically, instead of the above-mentioned first curved surface portion 146, a first curved surface portion bent in the D direction from the tip 144A of the extension portion 144 may be adopted, and instead of the above-mentioned second curved surface portion 148, a second curved surface portion bent from the tip 146A of the first curved surface portion 146 toward the base end may be adopted.

[0085] 9, the pressing surface 150 has a rounded surface that is convex toward the pressed portion 70E of the light guide fiber 70. Note that the above "convex" does not only mean a strictly convex shape, but also includes a roughly convex shape within a range in which the effects of this embodiment are achieved.

[0086] The pressed portion 70E of the light guide fiber 70 is pressed against the pressing surface 150 shown in FIG. 9 when the light guide fiber 70 is inserted and assembled from the tip rigid portion 40 toward the curved portion 42 shown in FIG. 1. As a result, the pressed portion 70E, which is a part of the light guide fiber 70, is gently curved with a small curvature inside the base member 54, and the main body portion 70C of the light guide fiber 70 is disposed at a position spaced apart from the cable support portion 82 in the direction D perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A direction. As a result, by adopting the offset configuration of the second embodiment, the problem of damage to the light guide fiber 70 caused by the bracket 80 can be solved. The pressing portion 140 is an example of a pressing portion of the present invention, and the pressing surface 150 is an example of a pressing surface of the present invention.

[0087] As described above, according to the offset configuration of the second form, the bracket 80 has a pressing portion 140 which has a pressing surface 150 against which the pressed portion 74E of the light guide fiber 70 is pressed, and the pressed portion 70E is pressed against the pressing surface 150, thereby positioning the main body portion 70C of the light guide fiber 70 at a position spaced apart from the cable support portion 82 in the direction D perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A direction. This can solve the problem of damage to the light guide fiber 70 caused by the bracket 80.

[0088] Furthermore, by adopting the offset configuration of the second form shown in FIG. 9, the pressed portion 70E, which is a part of the light guide fiber 70, is curved gently with a small curvature inside the tip rigid portion 40, so that, similarly to the offset configuration of the first form, the problem of damage to the light guide fiber 70 can also be solved in this respect.

[0089] Next, some variations of the present invention will be described.

[0090] In this example, a configuration in which pressing portions 130, 140 are provided on the base member 54 and the bracket 80 has been described, but this is not limited to this, and a configuration in which pressing portions are provided on a member other than the base member 54 and the bracket 80 (for example, the base end side ring 52) may also be adopted.

[0091] In this example, the configuration in which the pressing parts 130 and 140 are arranged inside the tip hard part 40 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which the pressing parts are arranged inside a member other than the tip hard part 40 (for example, the curved part 42) may be adopted. However, by adopting a configuration in which the pressing parts 130 and 140 are arranged inside the tip hard part 40, the light guide fiber 70 and the ultrasonic cable 120 can be arranged in different positions from each other before entering the curved part 42 from the tip hard part 40 during assembly. As a result, mutual interference due to the curve of the curved part 42 can be reduced. Therefore, it is preferable that the pressing parts are arranged inside the tip hard part 40.

[0092] In this example, the shape of the pressing surface 132 of the offset configuration of the first embodiment has been described as being tapered in the direction of the longitudinal axis A, but is not limited to this shape. For example, as shown in the explanatory diagram of Fig. 11, the pressing surface 132A of the pressing portion 130 provided on the inner peripheral surface 54B of the base member 54 may have an arc-shaped surface that is convex toward the pressed portion 70E of the light guide fiber 70.

[0093] Although the ultrasonic endoscope according to the embodiment has been described above, the present invention may be improved or modified in several ways without departing from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 10 Ultrasonic Inspection System 12 Ultrasound Endoscope 14 Ultrasonic processor 16 Endoscope processor 18 Light source device 20 Monitor 21a Water tank 21b Suction pump 22 Insertion section 24 Control section 26 Universal Code 28a Air / water supply button 28b Suction button 29 Angle knob 30 Treatment tool insertion port 32a Connector 32b Connector 32c Connector 34a Air and water supply tube 34b Suction tube 36 Ultrasound Observation Department 38 Endoscopic observation section 40 Hard tip 42 Curved section 43 Curved piece 44 Soft part 45 Curved operation wire 46 Ultrasonic Transducer 48 Ultrasonic transducer 50 Advanced parts 51 Tip surface 52 Base end ring 54 Base material 54A Outer surface 54B Inner surface 54C tip 54D proximal end 54E Midway position 60 Treatment tool outlet 62 Observation window 64 Lighting window 66 Cleaning nozzle 70 Light guide fiber 71 Tip 70A tip side part 70B At least a part of the tip side portion 70C main body part 70D middle part 70E Pressed part 72 Fiber body 74 Tube 76 Connecting Pipe 76A Tip 80 Bracket 82 Cable support part 82A Tip 84 Connecting part 86 Wall 88 Groove 90 Support surface 100 individual electrodes 102 Common electrode 104 Electrode section 106 Flexible Printed Circuit Board 108 Acoustic matching layer 110 Acoustic Lens 112 Backing material layer 122 Signal Line 120 Ultrasonic Cable 120A Tip side 130 Pressing part 132 Pressing surface 132A Pressing surface 140 Pressing part 142 Overhang 144 Extension 144A Tip 146 1st curved surface part 146A Tip 148 Second curved surface part 150 Pressing surface

Claims

1. a radial ultrasonic transducer provided at a tip of an elongated insertion portion to be inserted into a subject; An illumination window provided on a tip surface of the tip portion; a light guide fiber that is inserted into the insertion portion and guides illumination light to the illumination window; an ultrasonic cable that is inserted into the insertion portion and connected to the ultrasonic transducer; a bracket having a bracket main body portion disposed inside the insertion portion and supporting a tip portion of the ultrasonic cable; Equipped with When projected onto a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis direction of the insertion portion, a distal end portion of the ultrasonic cable or the bracket main body is disposed at a position overlapping or adjacent to at least a portion of a distal end portion of the light guide fiber, a pressing portion disposed inside the insertion portion, the pressing portion having a pressing surface against which a pressed portion that is a part of the light guide fiber is pressed, and the pressing portion is pressed against the pressing surface to place a main body portion that is disposed on the base end side relative to a tip end portion of the light guide fiber at a position spaced apart from the bracket main body in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis direction; Ultrasound endoscope.

2. When projected onto a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis direction, the distal end portion of the light guide fiber and the distal end portion of the ultrasonic cable are disposed at a position where they at least partially overlap each other. The ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 1 .

3. a cylindrical base member having an outer circumferential surface and an inner circumferential surface, the base member supporting the ultrasonic transducer on the outer circumferential surface; The base member has the pressing portion on the inner circumferential surface.

3. The ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 1.

4. The pressing surface is tapered with respect to the longitudinal axis direction. The ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 3 .

5. The bracket has the pressing portion.

3. The ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 1.

6. The pressing portion is a protruding portion protruding from a tip side of the bracket main body, The protruding portion has a curved or bent shape in a direction away from the bracket main body. The ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 5 .

7. the pressing surface has a convex R-shaped surface facing the pressed portion of the light guide fiber, The ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 6.

8. The pressing portion is disposed inside the tip end portion of the insertion portion. The ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 3 .

9. The pressing portion is disposed inside the tip end portion of the insertion portion. The ultrasonic endoscope according to claim 5 .

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