Ultrasound probe

Abstract

The present invention provides an ultrasonic probe that can prevent contamination of the ultrasonic emission surface of the transducer array and malfunction of its functional elements when placed on a mounting surface. [Solution] The device comprises a housing (12) having a front end and a rear end (12B), and a transducer array having an ultrasonic emission surface disposed inside the front end of the housing and exposed from the housing. The rear end of the housing has a peripheral wall portion (64) that surrounds a center line (C1) extending from the front end to the rear end of the housing and extends along a plane perpendicular to the center line, and a recess (65) on the inside of the peripheral wall portion that is recessed in the direction toward the front end along the center line, with an operation button (24) located in the recess.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe, and more particularly to a wireless connection type ultrasonic probe.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in the medical field, ultrasonic diagnostic devices using ultrasonic images have been put into practical use. Generally, this type of ultrasonic diagnostic device includes an ultrasonic probe incorporating a transducer array and a device main body connected to the ultrasonic probe. An ultrasonic beam is transmitted from the ultrasonic probe toward a subject, and an ultrasonic echo from the subject is received by the ultrasonic probe. For example, an ultrasonic image is generated by electrically processing the received signal in the device main body.

[0003] In recent years, as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, ultrasonic diagnostic devices have been developed in which a battery is incorporated in an ultrasonic probe and the ultrasonic probe and the device main body are wirelessly connected by wireless communication. In such an ultrasonic diagnostic device, since a cable for connecting the ultrasonic probe and the device main body is unnecessary, the operability and mobility of the ultrasonic probe by the user when performing ultrasonic diagnosis can be improved.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, since the wireless ultrasonic probe described above does not have a cable connecting it to the main unit of the device, the ultrasonic probe that is not performing a scan can be freely placed in any location convenient to the user.

[0006] As a result, when performing an ultrasound diagnosis, the ultrasonic emission surface of the transducer array of the ultrasound probe, which scans along the surface of the subject's body, may come into contact with or become contaminated by objects on or around the mounting surface. In addition, freely placing the ultrasound probe on the mounting surface may cause malfunctions in functional elements such as operating switches located on the outer surface of the ultrasound probe.

[0007] The present invention was made to solve these conventional problems, and aims to provide an ultrasonic probe that can prevent contamination of the ultrasonic emission surface of the transducer array and malfunction of its functional elements when placed on a mounting surface. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The above objective can be achieved with the following configuration. [1] A wireless ultrasonic probe, A housing having a front end and a rear end, A transducer array having an ultrasonic emission surface that is located inside the front end of the housing and is exposed from the housing, Equipped with, The rear end of the housing has a peripheral wall portion that surrounds the center line extending from the front end to the rear end of the housing and extends along a plane perpendicular to the center line, and a recess on the inside of the peripheral wall portion that is recessed in the direction toward the front end along the center line. An ultrasound probe in which functional elements are located within recesses. [2] The ultrasonic probe described in [1], wherein the functional element is an operating button located within the recess without protruding from the peripheral wall to the outside of the recess. [3] The ultrasonic probe described in [1], wherein the functional element is a communication hole that connects the inside and outside of the housing by penetrating the bottom surface of the recess. [4] The ultrasonic probe described in [1], wherein the peripheral wall portion continuously surrounds the center line without interruption. [5] The ultrasonic probe according to [1], wherein the circumferential wall portion has at least one groove formed to cross the circumferential wall portion. [6] The outer circumferential surface of the rear end of the housing has a first curved surface portion and a second curved surface portion that are arranged on both sides of a reference surface that extends in the direction of the transducer arrangement of the transducer array and passes through the rear end along the center line of the housing, The ultrasonic probe according to [1], wherein the first curved portion and the second curved portion have asymmetrical curved shapes. [7] The ultrasonic probe according to [6], wherein the first curved surface and the second curved surface have different curvatures. [8] When the ultrasonic probe is placed on a horizontal mounting surface such that the front end of the housing faces upward and the rear end of the housing faces downward, the vertical line passing through the center of gravity of the ultrasonic probe passes inside the peripheral wall portion, as described in any of [1] to [7]. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The device comprises a housing having a front end and a rear end, and a transducer array having an ultrasonic emission surface disposed inside the front end of the housing and exposed from the housing. The rear end of the housing has a peripheral wall portion that surrounds a center line extending from the front end to the rear end of the housing and extends along a plane perpendicular to the center line, and a recess on the inside of the peripheral wall portion that is recessed in the direction toward the front end along the center line, and functional elements are arranged in the recess, so that when placed on a mounting surface, contamination of the ultrasonic emission surface of the transducer array and malfunction of the functional elements can be prevented. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing an ultrasonic probe according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a plan view showing an ultrasonic probe according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a side view showing an ultrasonic probe according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the ultrasonic probe according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 5] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus provided with the ultrasonic probe according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 6] It is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the transmission / reception circuit of the ultrasonic probe in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 7] It is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the image generation unit of the ultrasonic probe in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 8] It is a side view showing the vicinity of the rear end portion of the housing of the ultrasonic probe according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 9] It is a view of the rear end portion of the housing of the ultrasonic probe according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention as seen from the direction along the center line. [Figure 10] It is a cross-sectional view showing the rear end portion of the housing of the ultrasonic probe according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 11] It is a view showing the ultrasonic probe according to Embodiment 1 disposed on a horizontal placement surface such that the front end portion of the housing faces upward and the rear end portion of the housing faces downward. [Figure 12] It is a view of the rear end portion of the housing of the ultrasonic probe according to a modification of Embodiment 1 as seen from the direction along the center line. [Figure 13] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus provided with the ultrasonic probe according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of this invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings. The description of the constituent elements described below is made based on typical embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. In this specification, a numerical range represented by "~" means a range including the numerical values described before and after "~" as the lower limit value and the upper limit value. In this specification, “identical” and “same” include a margin of error that is generally accepted in the art.

[0012] Embodiment 1 Figures 1-3 show an ultrasonic probe 11 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The ultrasonic probe 11 comprises a housing 12, which extends in a defined direction and has a wide, flat shape. The housing 12 has a front end 12A located at one end in the direction of extension, a rear end 12B located at the other end, and a grip portion 12C located between the front end 12A and the rear end 12B. The grip portion 12C is the part that is grasped by the user when performing an ultrasonic diagnosis using the ultrasonic probe 11.

[0013] For convenience, we will refer to the direction from the front end 12A to the rear end 12B as the +Y direction, the width direction of the wide, flat housing 12 which is perpendicular to the Y direction as the X direction, and the direction perpendicular to both the X and Y directions as the Z direction.

[0014] The housing 12 is formed from, for example, an insulating resin, and the grip portion 12C has a cylindrical shape surrounded by four side plate portions that extend along a center line C1, each extending from the front end 12A to the rear end 12B. The four side plate portions consist of a first side plate portion S1 oriented in the -Z direction, a second side plate portion S2 oriented in the +Z direction on the opposite side of the first side plate portion S1, a third side plate portion S3 connecting the first side plate portion S1 and the second side plate portion S2 and oriented in the +X direction, and a fourth side plate portion S4 connecting the first side plate portion S1 and the second side plate portion S2 and oriented in the -X direction.

[0015] As shown in Figure 3, when viewed from the X direction, the housing 12 has an external shape in which, although there are some undulating parts, the thickness in the Z direction gradually decreases from near the center in the Y direction towards the front end 12A along the center line C1. Furthermore, a projection 13 is formed on the +X direction side of the front end portion 12A to indicate the orientation of the ultrasonic probe 11, and a light-emitting portion 14 extending in the Y direction along the center line C1 is arranged on the outer surface of the third side plate portion S3.

[0016] Figure 4 shows the internal structure of the ultrasonic probe 11. A transducer array 15 is positioned inside the front end portion 12A of the ultrasonic probe 11, at a location through which the center line C1 passes. The transducer array 15 has multiple transducers arranged in the X direction, and the ultrasonic emission surface 15A of the transducer array 15 is exposed from the housing 12 and oriented in the -Y direction.

[0017] Inside the housing 12, a flat-shaped battery 16 is positioned along the inner surface of the housing 12, offset from the grip portion 12C towards the front end portion 12A. The battery 16 is positioned offset from the center line C1 in the -Z direction. As described above, the housing 12 has an external shape in which the thickness in the Z direction gradually decreases from near the center in the Y direction towards the front end 12A along the center line C1. Therefore, by positioning the battery 16 at a location biased toward the front end 12A side from the grip portion 12C and along the inner surface of the housing 12, the battery 16 is in an inclined state with respect to the center line C1.

[0018] The power receiving coil 17 is positioned on the +Y side of the battery 16 at a location offset to the -Z direction from the center line C1. The power receiving coil 17 has a flat plate shape that is thinner than the battery 16 and is positioned along the inner surface of the first side plate portion S1 of the grip portion 12C. Here, at least the region of the first side plate portion S1 in which the power receiving coil 17 is positioned has a planar inner surface and a planar outer surface, and the power receiving coil 17 is positioned in contact with the inner surface of the first side plate portion S1, or in very close proximity to the inner surface of the first side plate portion S1.

[0019] Furthermore, inside the housing 12, the circuit board 18 is positioned offset from the center line C1 to the side opposite to the battery 16 and the power receiving coil 17, that is, inside the second side plate portion S2 of the grip portion 12C. The circuit board 18 extends along the XY plane from the grip portion 12C to the vicinity of the oscillator array 15 at the front end portion 12A, and two integrated circuits 19 and 20 and a wireless communication circuit 21 are sequentially mounted on the surface of the circuit board 18 on the +Z side along the center line C1 in the +Y direction.

[0020] Furthermore, two temperature sensors 22, each connected to a circuit board 18, are located inside the housing 12. One of the two temperature sensors 22 is located between the two integrated circuits 19 and 20, and the other temperature sensor 22 is located between the integrated circuit 20 and the wireless communication circuit 21, both positioned close to the inner surface of the second side plate portion S2 of the grip portion 12C.

[0021] Furthermore, a sheet-like heat dissipation member 23 is placed between the circuit board 18 and the inner surface of the second side plate portion S2 of the grip portion 12C, and the two integrated circuits 19 and 20 and the wireless communication circuit 21 mounted on the circuit board 18 are covered by the heat dissipation member 23. The heat dissipation member 23 is made of a resin sheet whose thermal conductivity has been improved by incorporating a highly thermally conductive filler, for example, and efficiently absorbs heat from the integrated circuits 19 and 20 and the wireless communication circuit 21, which become heat sources during operation, thereby preventing malfunctions and failures of the integrated circuits 19 and 20 and the wireless communication circuit 21. However, the heat dissipation member 23 has two openings 23A formed corresponding to the positions of the two temperature sensors 22, and the two temperature sensors 22 each face the inner surface of the second side plate portion S2 through the corresponding openings 23A of the heat dissipation member 23.

[0022] Next, Figure 5 shows the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic device equipped with an ultrasound probe 11 according to Embodiment 1. The ultrasound diagnostic device comprises an ultrasound probe 11 according to Embodiment 1 and a device body 41, and the ultrasound probe 11 and the device body 41 are connected by wireless communication.

[0023] The ultrasonic probe 11 has a transmitting / receiving circuit 31 connected to a transducer array 15, to which an image generation unit 32 and a wireless communication circuit 21 are sequentially connected. An ultrasonic transmitting / receiving control unit 33 is also connected to the transmitting / receiving circuit 31. Furthermore, a communication control unit 34 is connected to the wireless communication circuit 21, a light emission control unit 35 is connected to the light emission unit 14, and a charging control unit 36 ​​is connected to the power receiving coil 17. In addition, a probe control unit 37 is connected to the temperature sensor 22, the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving control unit 33, the communication control unit 34, the light emission control unit 35, and the charging control unit 36. The power receiving coil 17 is connected to a battery 16. Here, the wireless communication circuit 21 and the probe control unit 37 are connected in a way that allows for bidirectional information exchange. Furthermore, the processor 38 on the ultrasonic probe 11 side is formed by the transmitting / receiving circuit 31, image generation unit 32, ultrasonic transmitting / receiving control unit 33, communication control unit 34, light emission control unit 35, charging control unit 36, and probe control unit 37.

[0024] The main unit 41 of the device is equipped with a wireless communication circuit 42, to which a display control unit 43 and a monitor 44 are sequentially connected. A communication control unit 45 is also connected to the wireless communication circuit 42, and the main unit control unit 46 is connected to the wireless communication circuit 42, the display control unit 43, and the communication control unit 45. An input device 47 is also connected to the main unit control unit 46. Here, the wireless communication circuit 42 and the main unit control unit 46 are connected in a way that allows for bidirectional information exchange.

[0025] Furthermore, the display control unit 43, the communication control unit 45, and the main unit control unit 46 form the processor 48 on the main unit 41 side of the device. Furthermore, the wireless communication circuit 21 of the ultrasonic probe 11 and the wireless communication circuit 42 of the device body 41 are connected in a way that allows for bidirectional information exchange, thereby connecting the ultrasonic probe 11 and the device body 41 via wireless communication.

[0026] The transducer array 15 of the ultrasonic probe 11 has multiple transducers arranged in one or two dimensions. Each of these transducers transmits ultrasound according to a drive signal supplied from the transmitting / receiving circuit 31 and receives ultrasound echoes from the subject and outputs a received signal. Each transducer is constructed by forming electrodes at both ends of a piezoelectric body made of, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic represented by PZT (Lead Zirconate Titanate), a polymer piezoelectric element represented by PVDF (Poly Vinylidene Di Fluoride), or a piezoelectric single crystal represented by PMN-PT (Lead Magnesium Niobate-Lead Titanate).

[0027] The ultrasonic transmission / reception control unit 33 transmits an ultrasonic beam and receives an ultrasonic echo based on instructions from the probe control unit 37 by controlling the transmission / reception circuit 31.

[0028] The transmitting and receiving circuit 31 transmits ultrasonic waves from the transducer array 15 and generates a sound line signal based on the received signal acquired by the transducer array 15, under the control of the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving control unit 33. As shown in Figure 6, the transmitting and receiving circuit 31 has a pulser 51 connected to the transducer array 15, and an amplifier 52, an AD (Analog Digital) converter 53, and a beamformer 54 connected sequentially in series to the transducer array 15.

[0029] The pulser 51 includes, for example, multiple pulse generators and supplies drive signals to multiple transducers of the transducer array 15, adjusting the delay amount, so that the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the transducers form an ultrasonic beam, based on a transmission delay pattern selected according to a control signal from the ultrasonic transmission / reception control unit 33. In this way, when a pulsed or continuous wave voltage is applied to the electrodes of the transducers of the transducer array 15, the piezoelectric material expands and contracts, generating pulsed or continuous wave ultrasonic waves from each transducer, and an ultrasonic beam is formed from the combined wave of these ultrasonic waves.

[0030] The transmitted ultrasonic beam is reflected by an object, such as a part of the subject, and the ultrasonic echo propagates toward the transducer array 15 of the ultrasonic probe 11. The ultrasonic echo propagating toward the transducer array 15 is received by each transducer that makes up the transducer array 15. At this time, each transducer that makes up the transducer array 15 expands and contracts upon receiving the propagating ultrasonic echo, generating a received signal which is an electrical signal, and these received signals are output to the amplification unit 52.

[0031] The amplification unit 52 amplifies the signals input from each transducer constituting the transducer array 15 and transmits the amplified signals to the AD conversion unit 53. The AD conversion unit 53 converts the signals transmitted from the amplification unit 52 into digital received data and transmits this received data to the beamformer 54. The beamformer 54 performs so-called receive focus processing by adding each received data converted by the AD conversion unit 53 with a corresponding delay, according to the sound velocity or sound velocity distribution set based on the reception delay pattern selected according to the control signal from the ultrasonic transmission / reception control unit 33. This receive focus processing generates a sound ray signal in which each received data converted by the AD conversion unit 53 is added in phase and the focus of the ultrasonic echo is narrowed. The sound ray signal thus generated is sent to the image generation unit 32.

[0032] As shown in Figure 7, the image generation unit 32 has a configuration in which a signal processing unit 55, a DSC (Digital Scan Converter) 56, and an image processing unit 57 are connected in series in sequence. The signal processing unit 55 applies distance-dependent attenuation correction to the sound line signal transmitted from the transmitting / receiving circuit 31 according to the depth of the ultrasonic reflection position, and then performs envelope detection processing to generate an image signal (B-mode image signal), which is tomographic image information about the tissue within the subject.

[0033] The DSC56 converts the image signal generated by the signal processing unit 55 into an image signal that follows the scanning method of a normal television signal (raster conversion). The image processing unit 57 generates an ultrasonic image signal by applying various necessary image processing, such as brightness correction, gradation correction, sharpness correction, and color correction, to the image signal input from the DSC 56. The ultrasonic image signal generated in this way by the image generation unit 32 is sent to the wireless communication circuit 21.

[0034] The wireless communication circuit 21 includes an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves and communicates wirelessly with the wireless communication circuit 42 of the main unit 41. In this process, the wireless communication circuit 21 modulates a carrier based on the image signal sent from the image generation unit 32 to generate a transmission signal, and wirelessly transmits the generated transmission signal to the wireless communication circuit 42 of the main unit 41. Examples of carrier modulation methods include ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying), PSK (Phase Shift Keying), QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying), and 16QAM (16 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation).

[0035] The communication control unit 34 controls the wireless communication circuit 21 so that the ultrasonic image signal is transmitted at the transmission radio wave intensity set by the probe control unit 37. The light emission control unit 35 controls the light emission of the light emission unit 14, which is located on the outer surface of the third side plate portion S3 of the housing 12, under the control of the probe control unit 37, to represent various states of the ultrasonic probe 11. When the ultrasonic probe 11 is placed in the charger described later, the charging control unit 36 ​​controls the charging of the battery 16 via the charging coil 17, which is built into the housing 12.

[0036] The temperature sensor 22, located inside the housing 12, detects the temperature inside the housing 12, particularly the temperature near the inner surface of the second side plate portion S2 of the grip portion 12C, and sends this information to the probe control unit 37. The battery 16 supplies power to various parts within the ultrasonic probe 11. The probe control unit 37 controls each part of the ultrasonic probe 11 based on a program or other data stored in advance.

[0037] The wireless communication circuit 42 of the main unit 41 includes an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves, and communicates wirelessly with the wireless communication circuit 21 of the ultrasonic probe 11. In this process, the wireless communication circuit 42 of the main unit 41 receives, for example, a transmission signal wirelessly transmitted from the wireless communication circuit 21 of the ultrasonic probe 11 via the antenna, and outputs an ultrasonic image signal by demodulating the received transmission signal. The wireless communication circuit 42 of the main unit 41 then sends the ultrasonic image signal output in this manner to the display control unit 43.

[0038] The display control unit 43, under the control of the main unit control unit 46, performs predetermined processing on the ultrasonic image signal transmitted from the wireless communication circuit 42 and displays the ultrasonic image on the monitor 44. The monitor 44 displays the ultrasound image under the control of the display control unit 43 and has a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL display (Organic Electroluminescence Display).

[0039] The communication control unit 45 controls the wireless communication circuit 42 of the main unit 41 so that it receives the transmission signal from the wireless communication circuit 21 of the ultrasonic probe 11. The main control unit 46 controls each part of the main body 41 of the device based on a pre-stored program and user operations via the input device 47. The input device 47 is for the user to perform input operations and consists of devices such as a keyboard, mouse, trackball, touchpad, and touch sensor placed on top of the monitor 44.

[0040] Here, the processor 38 on the ultrasonic probe 11 side, which has a transmitting / receiving circuit 31, an image generation unit 32, an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving control unit 33, a communication control unit 34, a light emission control unit 35, a charging control unit 36, and a probe control unit 37, and the processor 48 on the device body 41 side, which has a display control unit 43, a communication control unit 45, and a main unit control unit 46, may each be composed of one or more hardware components, and the type of hardware is not limited. For example, the processor can be composed of hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), an FPGA (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a dedicated circuit for executing specific processing, a GPU (Graphic Processing Unit), or an NPU (Neural Processing Unit). The processor also has various units or means that execute the various processing in this embodiment. Furthermore, the type of hardware may be a combination of different types of hardware. When multiple hardware components are configured to execute one or more processing of a certain processor, these multiple hardware components may be located in physically separate devices or in the same device. Furthermore, in any embodiment, the order of each process performed by the processor is not limited to the order described above and may be changed as appropriate. The hardware is composed of electrical circuits and the like, which are made up of circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0041] In this embodiment 1, the processor 38 on the ultrasonic probe 11 side is composed of two integrated circuits 19 and 20 shown in Figure 4.

[0042] Furthermore, this embodiment may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, microcode, or a combination thereof. The software, firmware, and microcode are composed of a program. The program may also be, for example, a group of program modules, each of which may be implemented by a processor configured to perform its respective function. The program may be program code or multiple code segments stored on one or more non-temporary computer-readable media (e.g., storage media or other storage). The program may be divided and stored on multiple non-temporary computer-readable media located on devices that are physically separated from each other. The program code, or code segment, can represent any combination of procedures, functions, subprograms, routines, subroutines, modules, software packages, classes, or instructions, data structures, or program statements. The program code, or code segment, may be connected to other code segments or hardware circuits by sending and receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents.

[0043] When performing an ultrasound diagnosis using the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus shown in Figure 5, first, under the control of the ultrasound transmission / reception control unit 33 of the ultrasound probe 11, an ultrasound beam is transmitted into the subject from multiple transducers of the transducer array 15 according to a drive signal from the transmission / reception circuit 31. The ultrasound echo from the subject is received by multiple transducers of the transducer array 15, and the received signal, which is an analog signal, is output from the multiple transducers to the transmission / reception circuit 31. The received signal is amplified by the amplification unit 52 of the transmission / reception circuit 31, converted to AD by the AD conversion unit 53, and then subjected to reception focus processing in the beamformer 54 to generate an acoustic ray signal, which is sent from the transmission / reception circuit 31 to the image generation unit 32.

[0044] Furthermore, the signal processing unit 55 of the image generation unit 32 applies attenuation correction due to distance corresponding to the depth of the ultrasonic reflection position and envelope detection processing to the sound line signal, thereby generating an image signal which is tomographic image information of the tissue within the subject. This is then converted into an image signal following the scanning method of a normal television signal by the DSC 56, and further, various necessary image processing such as gradation processing is performed by the image processing unit 57 to generate an ultrasonic image signal. The ultrasonic image signal generated in this manner is wirelessly transmitted from the wireless communication circuit 21 of the ultrasonic probe 11 to the main unit 41 of the device, received by the wireless communication circuit 42 of the main unit 41, and then the ultrasonic image is displayed on the monitor 44 via the display control unit 43.

[0045] Here, the housing 12 of the ultrasonic probe 11 has a front end 12A, a rear end 12B, and a grip portion 12C positioned between the front end 12A and the rear end 12B. As shown in Figure 8, at the rear end 12B, the outer surface of the housing 12 has an asymmetrical shape on the +Z direction side and the -Z direction side.

[0046] In other words, the outer circumferential surface 61 of the rear end portion 12B extends in the X direction, which is the direction of the transducer array 15, and has a first curved surface portion 62 and a second curved surface portion 63 that are located on both the +Z direction side and the -Z direction side of the reference surface P1, which passes through the rear end portion 12B along the center line C1 of the housing 12, and these first curved surface portion 62 and second curved surface portion 63 have asymmetrical curved shapes. Note that the outer circumferential surface 61 of the rear end portion 12B refers to the outer surface of the housing 12 in the region of a distance L1 in the Y direction from the +Y direction end of the cylindrical grip portion 12C to the +Y direction end of the housing 12.

[0047] The first curved portion 62 is entirely composed of a curved surface, while the second curved portion 63 has a flat portion 63A connected to the +Y direction end of the grip portion 12C and a curved portion 63B connected to the flat portion 63A. The flat portion 63A of the second curved portion 63 has a planar shape along the XY plane so as to form a plane with the planar outer surface of the first side plate portion S1 of the grip portion 12C. The inner surface of the flat portion 63A forms a plane with the planar inner surface of the first side plate portion S1, and as shown in Figure 4, the +Y direction portion of the flat plate-shaped power receiving coil 17 housed in the housing 12 is arranged along the inner surface of the flat portion 63A. Since the second curved portion 63 has a planar portion 63A and a curved portion 63B, the curved portion 63B of the second curved portion 63 has a curvature smaller than that of the first curved portion 62.

[0048] Figure 9 shows a view of the rear end portion 12B of the housing 12 of the ultrasonic probe 11 as seen from a direction along the center line C1, and Figure 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the rear end portion 12B. In Figure 9, it is also shown that the first curved portion 62 and the second curved portion 63 of the outer peripheral surface 61 of the rear end portion 12B have asymmetrical curved shapes. The rear end portion 12B of the housing 12 has a peripheral wall portion 64 that surrounds the center line C1 and extends along the XZ plane perpendicular to the center line C1. The peripheral wall portion 64 continuously surrounds the center line C1 without interruption, and a recess 65 is formed inside the peripheral wall portion 64, recessed in the -Y direction toward the front end portion 12A along the center line C1.

[0049] An operation button 24 is located within the recess 65. The operation button 24 constitutes a functional element for executing predetermined functions of the ultrasound probe 11 when operated by the user. For example, the power switch of the ultrasound probe 11 can be used as the operation button 24, and by pressing the operation button 24, power is supplied from the battery 16 to various parts of the ultrasound probe 11. In addition, for example, a changeover switch for switching ultrasound imaging modes can also be used as the operation button 24.

[0050] Furthermore, within the recess 65, as another functional element, a communication hole 25 is formed, which connects the inside and outside of the housing 12 by penetrating the bottom surface of the recess 65 in the Y direction along the center line C1. The communication hole 25 also constitutes a functional element, and its presence allows for pressure adjustment between the inside and outside of the housing 12, that is, equalization of the pressure.

[0051] As shown in Figure 10, these operational buttons 24 and communication holes 25, which constitute the functional elements, are housed inside the recess 65 without protruding outwards from the peripheral wall 64 in the +Y direction. Furthermore, as a functional element, only one of the operation button 24 or the communication hole 25 may be located within the recess 65.

[0052] The ultrasonic probe 11 according to Embodiment 1 is a probe that is wirelessly connected to the main body 41 of the device, and unlike a wired probe, it does not have a cable that extends from, for example, the rear end 12B of the housing 12 to the main body 41 of the device. The rear end 12B has a peripheral wall portion 64 that extends along the XZ plane, and the operation button 24 and communication hole 25, which are located in a recess 65 formed on the inside of the peripheral wall portion 64, are housed inside the recess 65 without protruding to the outside of the recess 65. Because the ultrasonic probe 11 has such a configuration, as shown in Figure 11, the ultrasonic probe 11 can be placed upright on the mounting surface PS with the peripheral wall portion 64 extending along the XZ plane in contact with the horizontal mounting surface PS, so that the front end portion 12A faces upward and the rear end portion 12B faces downward.

[0053] Thus, when the ultrasonic probe 11 is placed upright on a horizontal mounting surface PS, the center line C1 of the housing 12 extends along the vertical direction. Furthermore, in this case, the vertical line passing through the center of gravity G of the ultrasonic probe 11 is configured to pass inside the peripheral wall portion 64 that extends along the XZ plane, allowing the ultrasonic probe 11 to be stably placed on the mounting surface PS with its front end portion 12A facing upward and its rear end portion 12B facing downward.

[0054] Therefore, when the transducer array 15 is placed on the mounting surface PS, contamination by contact with objects in the vicinity of the mounting surface PS is prevented. Furthermore, since the operation button 24 and the communication hole 25 are housed inside the recess 65, when the ultrasonic probe 11 is freely placed in any location close to the user, the operation button 24 is prevented from malfunctioning regardless of the orientation of the ultrasonic probe 11, and the communication hole 25 is prevented from coming into contact with and being blocked by objects in the vicinity of the placement location.

[0055] Furthermore, the outer surface of the second side plate portion S2, which is located on the opposite side of the first side plate portion S1 from the first side plate portion S1 across the center line C1 among the first to fourth side plate portions S4 surrounding the grip portion 12C, has at least a part of its curved shape, thus realizing an ultrasonic probe 11 that is easy for the user to grasp the grip portion 12C of the housing 12. In addition, the housing 12 has an external shape in which the thickness in the Z direction gradually decreases from near the center in the Y direction along the center line C1 towards the front end portion 12A where the transducer array 15 is located, so that the user can easily scan the ultrasonic emission surface 15A of the transducer array 15 along the body surface of the subject while grasping the grip portion 12C with one hand, and the ultrasonic probe 11 has excellent operability.

[0056] Furthermore, since the projection 13 is formed on the +X side of the front end 12A of the ultrasonic probe 11, when the user grasps the grip portion 12C, the presence of the projection 13 makes it easy to grasp the orientation of the ultrasonic probe 11, thereby improving operability.

[0057] Furthermore, since the ultrasonic probe 11 has a light-emitting part 14 located on the outer surface of the third side plate portion S3 of the grip portion 12C, various states of the ultrasonic probe 11 can be indicated by changing the way light is emitted from the light-emitting part 14 under the control of the light emission control unit 35. for example, • Startup status of the ultrasonic probe 11 • Wireless connection status between the ultrasonic probe 11 and the main unit 41 of the device • Battery level 16 • Battery 16 charge status Error state • Software update status of the ultrasound probe 11 However, the notification is given by changing the color and pattern of the light emission.

[0058] Furthermore, the temperature near the inner surface of the second side plate portion S2 of the grip portion 12C, detected by the two temperature sensors 22, is sent to the probe control unit 37, and under the control of the light emission control unit 35, the heating state of the ultrasonic probe 11 can be indicated by light emission from the light emission unit 14. Generally, the surface temperature of an ultrasonic probe is limited to a temperature specified by safety standards. However, by changing the way the light-emitting part 14 emits light according to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 22, the user can easily and intuitively grasp the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe 11. Furthermore, the user can use the way the light-emitting part 14 emits light to determine if the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe 11 has exceeded a predetermined temperature, and use this as a guideline to temporarily suspend the use of the ultrasonic probe 11.

[0059] Furthermore, if the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 22 reaches a predetermined threshold, the ultrasonic transmission / reception control unit 33 can adjust the drive signal supplied from the transmission / reception circuit 31 to the transducer array 15 to reduce the frame rate of the ultrasonic imaging, stop the ultrasonic imaging, or take other measures to lower the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe 11.

[0060] In the above embodiment 1, the projection 13 is formed to protrude from the front end 12A of the ultrasonic probe 11 on the +X side, but this is not the only possible configuration. The projection 13 can also be formed to protrude from the front end 12A of the ultrasonic probe 11 on the -X side. Similarly, in the above embodiment 1, the light-emitting part 14 is arranged on the outer surface of the third side plate portion S3 of the grip portion 12C facing the +X direction, but it is not limited to this, and the light-emitting part 14 may also be arranged on the outer surface of the fourth side plate portion S4 of the grip portion 12C facing the -X direction.

[0061] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment 1, the peripheral wall portion 64 extending along the XZ plane at the rear end portion 12B of the housing 12 continuously surrounds the center line C1 without interruption. However, the invention is not limited to this, and as shown in Figure 12, the peripheral wall portion 64 may have at least one groove 66 formed to cross the peripheral wall portion 64. Due to the presence of the groove 66 formed in this manner, even when the ultrasonic probe 11 is placed upright on a horizontal mounting surface PS, the inside of the recess 65 and the outside of the ultrasonic probe 11 are connected through the groove 66, and the communication hole 25 formed in the recess 65 allows for pressure adjustment between the inside and outside of the housing 12.

[0062] Embodiment 2 The ultrasonic probe 11 according to Embodiment 1 has an image generation unit 32, as shown in Figure 5, and the ultrasonic image signal generated by the image generation unit 32 is wirelessly transmitted from the wireless communication circuit 21 of the ultrasonic probe 11 to the main body of the device 41, but is not limited to this. Figure 13 shows the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic device equipped with an ultrasound probe 11A according to Embodiment 3. The ultrasound diagnostic device comprises the ultrasound probe 11A according to Embodiment 3 and a device body 41A, and the ultrasound probe 11A and the device body 41A are connected by wireless communication.

[0063] The ultrasonic probe 11A is the same as the ultrasonic probe 11 of Embodiment 1 shown in Figure 5, but with the image generation unit 32 removed and the wireless communication circuit 21 directly connected to the transmitting / receiving circuit 31, and a probe control unit 37A used instead of the probe control unit 37. The other configurations are the same as the ultrasonic probe 11 of Embodiment 1. Furthermore, the ultrasonic probe 11A has the same housing 12 as the ultrasonic probe 11 of Embodiment 1. The main unit 41A is the same as the main unit 41 in Embodiment 1 shown in Figure 5, but with an image generation unit 32 newly connected between the wireless communication circuit 42 and the display control unit 43, and a main unit control unit 46A connected to the display control unit 43, the communication control unit 45 and the image generation unit 32 instead of the main unit control unit 46. The other configurations are the same as the main unit 41 in Embodiment 1.

[0064] In the ultrasonic probe 11A, the ultrasonic probe 11A-side processor 38A is formed by the transmitting / receiving circuit 31, ultrasonic transmitting / receiving control unit 33, communication control unit 34, light emission control unit 35, charging control unit 36, and probe control unit 37A. Furthermore, in the main body 41A of the device, the image generation unit 32, the display control unit 43, the communication control unit 45, and the main body control unit 46A form the processor 48A on the main body 41A side.

[0065] The sound line signal generated by the transmitting / receiving circuit 31 of the ultrasonic probe 11A is wirelessly transmitted from the wireless communication circuit 21 to the main unit 41A of the device. The wireless communication circuit 42 of the main unit 41A receives the sound line signal, and the image generation unit 32 performs attenuation correction and envelope detection processing on it to generate an ultrasonic image signal. The ultrasonic image is then displayed on the monitor 44 via the display control unit 43. In this way, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus equipped with the ultrasound probe 11A according to Embodiment 3 can also display ultrasound images on the monitor 44, just as the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus equipped with the ultrasound probe 11 according to Embodiment 1.

[0066] Furthermore, the ultrasonic probe 11A has the same housing 12 as the ultrasonic probe 11 of Embodiment 1, and inside the housing 12, the battery 16 is positioned off-center from the grip portion 12C towards the front end portion 12A and is inclined with respect to the center line C1. Therefore, the ultrasonic probe 11A according to Embodiment 3 can be miniaturized while housing a large number of components inside the housing 12, similar to the ultrasonic probe 11 of Embodiment 1. Furthermore, since at least a portion of the outer surface of the grip portion 12C of the housing 12 has a curved shape, it is easier for the user to grasp the grip portion 12C of the housing 12, resulting in an ultrasonic probe 11A with excellent operability.

[0067] In Embodiment 1, the main unit 41 of the device, and in Embodiment 2, the main unit 41A of the device, can be, for example, a portable, thin computer known as a tablet, or a stationary computer. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0068] 11,11A Ultrasonic probe, 12 Housing, 12A Front end, 12B Rear end, 12C Grip section, 13 Protrusion, 14 Light-emitting section, 15 Transducer array, 15A Ultrasonic emission surface, 16 Battery, 17 Power receiving coil, 18 Circuit board, 19,20 Integrated circuit, 21,42 Wireless communication circuit, 22 Temperature sensor, 23 Heat dissipation member, 23A Opening, 24 Operation button, 25 Communication hole, 31 Transmit / receive circuit, 32 Image generation unit, 33 Ultrasonic transmit / receive control unit, 34, 45 Communication control unit, 35 Light emission control unit, 36 Charging control unit, 37, 37A Probe control unit, 38, 38A, 48, 48A Processor, 41, 41A Main unit, 43 Display control unit, 44 Monitor, 46, 46A Main unit control unit, 47 Input device, 51 Pulsar, 52 Amplifier unit, 53 AD conversion unit, 54 Beamformer, 55 Signal processing unit, 56 DSC, 57 Image processing unit, 61 Outer surface, 62 First curved surface, 63 Second curved surface, 63A Flat part, 63B Curved surface, 64 Peripheral wall, 65 Recess, 66 Groove, C1 Center line, S1 First side plate, S2 Second side plate, S3 Third side plate, S4 Fourth side plate section, P1 reference plane, L1 distance, PS mounting surface, G center of gravity.

Claims

1. A wireless ultrasound probe, A housing having a front end and a rear end, A transducer array having an ultrasonic emission surface that is disposed inside the front end of the housing and exposed from the housing, Equipped with, The rear end of the housing has a peripheral wall portion that surrounds a center line extending from the front end to the rear end of the housing and extends along a plane perpendicular to the center line, and a recess on the inside of the peripheral wall portion that is recessed in a direction toward the front end along the center line. An ultrasonic probe in which a functional element is arranged within the aforementioned recess.

2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the functional element is an operating button located within the recess without protruding from the peripheral wall portion to the outside of the recess.

3. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the functional element is a communication hole that connects the inside and outside of the housing by penetrating the bottom surface of the recess.

4. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral wall portion continuously surrounds the center line without interruption.

5. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral wall portion has at least one groove formed to cross the peripheral wall portion.

6. The outer surface of the rear end of the housing has a first curved portion and a second curved portion that extend in the direction of the transducer arrangement of the transducer array and are arranged on both sides of a reference plane that passes through the rear end along the center line of the housing, with the reference plane in between. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the first curved portion and the second curved portion have asymmetrical curved shapes.

7. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 6, wherein the first curved portion and the second curved portion have different curvatures.

8. The ultrasonic probe according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein when the ultrasonic probe is placed on a horizontal mounting surface such that the front end of the housing faces upward and the rear end of the housing faces downward, the vertical line passing through the center of gravity of the ultrasonic probe passes inside the peripheral wall portion.

Images