Ultrasound Inspection Robot

Abstract

To provide an ultrasonic inspection robot capable of reducing burdens of a user and a subject in ultrasonic inspection more than before.SOLUTION: An ultrasonic inspection robot 1 comprises: a lumbar tilting unit 3 for tilting a seat part 23 on which a subject S sits, toward a lateral side of the subject S; a leg tilting unit 5 for tilting a base 52 on which the legs of the subject S sitting on the seat part 23 are placed, toward the lateral side of the subject S; an upper body support part 92 for supporting the upper body being tilted forward, of the subject S sitting on the seat part 23; an upper body tilting unit 7 for tilting an arm part 72 provided with the upper body support part 92 at a tip end thereof, so as to tilt the upper body of the subject S forward; and a probe scanning unit 11 scanning the upper body of the subject S positioned in the upper body support part 92, with a probe P.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to an ultrasound robot. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, ultrasound examinations have been performed in which technicians and doctors press an ultrasound probe (hereinafter also simply referred to as a probe) that transmits and receives ultrasound waves against the surface of the patient's body and move the probe to scan the inside of the patient's body with ultrasound waves, collecting ultrasound images that show the tissue structure of the area to be examined within the body, as well as ultrasound images that show information such as blood flow in the area to be examined (see Non-Patent Literature 1). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] "Ultrasound examination," [online], Free Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, [Accessed October 31, 2021], Internet (URL: https: / / ja.wikipedia.org / wiki / %E8%B6%85%E9%9F%B3%E6%B3%A2%E6%A4%9C%E6%9F%BB) [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] In ultrasound examinations, because there may be a space between the area being examined inside the body and the body surface, other organs may be present around the area being examined, and there are individual differences in the size and location of the area being examined, it is necessary to position the probe at the optimal location on the patient in order to obtain the desired ultrasound image.

[0005] Therefore, when performing an ultrasound examination on a patient, the user of the probe must move the probe along the surface of the patient's body, pressing it against the body surface, and instruct the patient to change their position as needed, in order to ensure that the area to be examined is clearly visible in the ultrasound image. This presented a significant burden on the user.

[0006] Furthermore, when performing ultrasound examinations on patients, in order to ensure that the area to be examined is clearly visible in the ultrasound image, the patient must change their posture themselves, such as lying on their back (supine position) or on their side (lateral position), according to the user's instructions, thereby changing the position and angle of the area to be examined within their body. This presents a significant burden on the patient.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to propose an ultrasound examination robot that can reduce the burden on the user and the patient during ultrasound examinations compared to conventional methods. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The ultrasound examination robot according to the present invention includes a waist tilting unit that tilts a seat on which a subject sits toward the side of the subject, a leg tilting unit that tilts a base on which the legs of the subject sitting on the seat are placed toward the side of the subject, an upper body support unit that supports the upper body of the subject sitting on the seat which is tilted forward, an upper body tilting unit that tilts the upper body of the subject toward the front by tilting an arm provided at the tip of the upper body support unit, and provided on the upper body support unit, The system comprises a probe scanning unit that scans an ultrasound probe against the upper body of the subject positioned on the upper body support unit, and the lumbar tilting unit, the leg tilting unit, and the upper body tilting unit change the posture of the subject seated on the seat, while the probe scanning unit presses the ultrasound probe against the subject's upper body, and ultrasound is transmitted from the ultrasound probe into the subject's body, and the ultrasound reflected from the subject's body is received by the ultrasound probe. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, during an ultrasound examination, the posture of the subject can be passively changed while the subject remains seated in the seat. Therefore, the user does not need to instruct the subject to change their posture, nor does the subject need to actively change their posture. This reduces the burden on both the user and the subject during the ultrasound examination compared to conventional methods. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the state of an ultrasound examination robot according to the present invention when a subject is seated in it. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the back side of the ultrasound robot. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the ultrasound robot from the front. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram showing the patient's posture when performing an ultrasound examination using an ultrasound robot. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram showing how the upper body tilting unit, which bends the subject's upper body forward, the upper body rotation unit, which rotates the subject, and the lumbar tilting unit and leg tilting unit, which tilt the subject to the side, work in conjunction. [Figure 6] (A) is a schematic diagram showing the posture of the subject when the subject's body is tilted laterally using only the lumbar tilting unit, and (B) is a schematic diagram showing the posture of the subject when the subject's body is tilted laterally using both the lumbar tilting unit and the leg tilting unit in conjunction. [Figure 7] (A) is a schematic diagram showing the state when the subject's upper body is tilted forward by the upper body tilting unit, and (B) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the heart before the subject's upper body is tilted forward. [Figure 8](A) is a schematic diagram showing the state when the subject's upper body is tilted further forward than shown in Figure 7(A) using the upper body tilting unit, and (B) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the subject's heart in the state shown in (A). [Figure 9] (A) is a schematic diagram showing the state when the subject's upper body is rotated by the upper body rotation unit, (B) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the heart as seen from the side of the subject in (A), and (C) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the heart as seen from the front of the subject in (A). [Figure 10] This is a schematic diagram showing what happens when the upper body of a subject is rotated by the rotational compliance mechanism. [Figure 11] This is a schematic diagram showing how the subject's entire body rotates when using the lumbar tilting unit and leg tilting unit. [Figure 12] This is a schematic diagram showing the front configuration of the upper body rotation unit and the probe scanning unit. [Figure 13] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the probe's range of exploration on the subject's heart. [Figure 14] This is a schematic diagram showing how the probe is positioned on the subject's body surface. [Figure 15] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the lumbar tilting unit. [Figure 16] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the seat tilting mechanism. [Figure 17] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the interlocking mechanism. [Figure 18] (A) is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the feed mechanism, and (B) is a schematic diagram showing how the engaging member moves along the screw member in the feed mechanism. [Figure 19] (A) is a schematic diagram showing the seat before it tilts due to the seat tilting mechanism, and (B) is a schematic diagram showing the seat when it tilts due to the seat tilting mechanism. [Figure 20] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the leg tilting unit. [Figure 21] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the leg tilting unit when the base tilts. [Figure 22] (A) is a schematic diagram showing the state of the base before it tilts, and (B) is a schematic diagram showing the state of the base after it has been tilted by the base tilting mechanism. [Figure 23] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the upper body tilting unit. [Figure 24] (A) is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the arm tilting mechanism, and (B) is a schematic diagram showing how the arm tilts forward due to the arm tilting mechanism. [Figure 25] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration (1) of the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism. [Figure 26] (A) is a schematic diagram showing the configuration (2) of the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism, and (B) is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation (1) of the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism. [Figure 27] (A) is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation (2) of the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism, and (B) is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation (3) of the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism. [Figure 28] (A) is a schematic diagram showing the tilt angle due to the upper body tilting unit and the elastic displacement angle due to the anterior-posterior tilting compliance mechanism, and (B) is a schematic diagram for explaining the elastic force received by the subject from the anterior-posterior tilting compliance mechanism. [Figure 29] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the upper body rotation unit and the probe scanning unit. [Figure 30] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the upper body rotation unit. [Figure 31] (A) is a schematic diagram showing the upper body rotation unit when it is raised relative to the arm portion of the upper body tilting unit, and (B) is a schematic diagram showing the upper body rotation unit when it is lowered relative to the arm portion of the upper body tilting unit. [Figure 32] (A) is a schematic diagram showing the state of the upper body support before rotation, and (B) is a schematic diagram showing the state of the upper body support when it is rotated. [Figure 33](A) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the subject's heart when the subject's upper body is not rotated by the upper body rotation unit, (B) is a schematic diagram showing the upper body rotation unit when the subject's upper body is not rotated, (C) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the subject's heart when the subject's upper body is rotated by the upper body rotation unit, and (D) is a schematic diagram showing the upper body rotation unit when the subject's upper body is rotated. [Figure 34] (A) is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the upper body rotation unit in the reference example, and (B) is a schematic diagram showing how the upper body of the subject is rotated by the upper body rotation unit in the reference example. [Figure 35] (A) is a schematic diagram showing the state of the subject's upper body before it is rotated by the rotation compliance mechanism, (B) is a schematic diagram showing the state of the subject's upper body after it has been rotated by the rotation compliance mechanism, (C) is a schematic diagram showing the tilt angle by the upper body rotation unit, and (D) is a schematic diagram showing the tilt angle by the upper body rotation unit and the tilt angle by the rotation compliance mechanism. [Figure 36] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the probe scanning unit. [Figure 37] (A) is a schematic diagram showing the gimbal mechanism when the upper body support is slid in the left-right axis direction xu, and (B) is a schematic diagram showing the left-right sliding part when the upper body support is slid in the up-down axis direction yu. [Figure 38] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the gimbal mechanism. [Figure 39] (A) is a schematic diagram illustrating the rotational movement (1) of the gimbal mechanism in the probe roll direction pr, and (B) is a schematic diagram illustrating the rotational movement (2) of the gimbal mechanism in the probe roll direction pr. [Figure 40] (A) is a schematic diagram illustrating the rotational movement (1) of the gimbal mechanism in the probe pitch direction pp, and (B) is a schematic diagram illustrating the rotational movement (2) of the gimbal mechanism in the probe pitch direction pp. [Figure 41](A) is a schematic diagram illustrating the rotational movement (1) of the gimbal mechanism in the probe yaw direction py, and (B) is a schematic diagram illustrating the rotational movement (2) of the gimbal mechanism in the probe yaw direction py. [Figure 42] (A) is a schematic diagram illustrating the movement of the probe in the zp direction of the pressing mechanism (1), and (B) is a schematic diagram illustrating the movement of the probe in the zp direction of the pressing mechanism (2). [Figure 43] (A) is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation (1) of the imposed compliance mechanism, and (B) is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation (2) of the imposed compliance mechanism. [Figure 44] This is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the arithmetic processing unit. [Figure 45] (A) is a photograph showing an example of an ultrasound image where the desired area to be examined is unclear, and (B) is a photograph showing an example of an ultrasound image where the desired area to be examined is clear. [Figure 46] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound examination robot equipped with upper body balloon cushions and lower body balloon cushions. [Figure 47] This is a schematic diagram showing how the subject is supported by upper and lower body balloon cushions. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for identical components, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0012] (1) Overview of the ultrasonic inspection robot according to the present invention Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the state when a subject S is seated on the ultrasound examination robot 1 according to the present invention. This ultrasound examination robot 1 has a robot body 100 on which the subject S sits and a processing unit 101. The ultrasound examination robot 1 has the robot body 100 and the processing unit 101 connected via wiring, and each unit of the robot body 100 (described later) operates based on control signals from the processing unit 101. By moving each unit of the robot body 100 based on control signals from the processing unit 101, the ultrasound examination robot 1 can appropriately change the posture of the subject S seated on the robot body 100.

[0013] The robot body 100 presses the ultrasound probe (hereinafter simply referred to as the probe) P against the body surface of the subject S while appropriately changing the posture of the subject S, and transmits ultrasound waves into the body of the subject S from the probe P, receiving the ultrasound waves reflected inside the body of the subject S with the probe P. The robot body 100 sends the ultrasound waves received from inside the body of the subject S as ultrasound image data to the processing unit 101. Based on the ultrasound image data received from the robot body 100, the processing unit 101 generates a tomographic image (ultrasound image) of the inside of the body of the subject S, displays the ultrasound image on a display unit (described later), and presents the ultrasound image as an ultrasound examination result to the user, such as a technician or doctor.

[0014] This allows the user to visually confirm the area to be examined within the subject S's body as captured in the obtained ultrasound image, and to diagnose the condition of that area. The term "user" here includes, for example, a physician who performs a pathological diagnosis based on the obtained ultrasound image, as well as a technician who operates the ultrasound robot 1. In this embodiment, the heart will be used as an example of the area to be examined in the subject S undergoing ultrasound examination.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the back side of the ultrasonic inspection robot 1 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the front side of the ultrasonic inspection robot 1 shown in FIG. 1. The robot body 100 includes a base 2, a waist tilting unit 3 provided on the base 2, a leg tilting unit 5 also provided on the base 2, an upper body tilting unit 7 provided on the waist tilting unit 3 and the leg tilting unit 5, an upper body turning unit 9 provided on the upper body tilting unit 7, and a probe scanning unit 11 provided on the upper body turning unit 9.

[0016] Here, the front-rear direction of the robot body 100 is defined as the x direction (also referred to as the robot front-rear direction x), the left-right direction of the robot body 100 perpendicular to the robot front-rear direction x is defined as the y direction (also referred to as the robot left-right direction y), and the up-down direction of the robot body 100 perpendicular to the robot front-rear direction x and the robot left-right direction y is defined as the z direction (also referred to as the robot up-down direction z) for explanation. Also, the rotation direction with the robot left-right direction y as the rotation axis is defined as the robot pitch direction y s , s and the rotation direction with the robot front-rear direction x as the rotation axis is defined as the robot roll direction x r for explanation.

[0017] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the up-down direction along the body axis, which is the center axis of the body of the subject S sitting on the seat 23 provided on the robot body 100, is defined as the Y s direction (also referred to as the subject up-down direction Y s ), the left-right direction of the subject S perpendicular to the subject up-down direction Y s is defined as the X s direction (also referred to as the subject left-right direction X s ), and the front-rear direction of the subject S perpendicular to the subject up-down direction Y s and the subject left-right direction X s is defined as the Z s direction (also referred to as the subject front-rear direction Z s ) for explanation. Further, the rotation direction with the subject left-right direction X s as the rotation axis is defined as the subject pitch direction S p , and the rotation direction with the subject up-down direction Y s as the rotation axis is defined as the subject roll direction Sr This will be explained as follows.

[0018] In this case, as shown in Figure 4, when the ultrasound examination robot 1 performs an ultrasound examination on the subject S, it places the subject S on the seat 23 of the lumbar tilting unit 3 and places the subject S's legs on the base 52 of the leg tilting unit 5. The ultrasound examination robot 1 also tilts the upper body Sa forward with the subject S's arms Sc and Sd raised, thereby positioning the subject S's chest on the upper body rotation unit 9.

[0019] As a result, the ultrasound examination robot 1 can perform an ultrasound examination using the probe P by pressing the probe P against the chest of the subject S using the probe scanning unit 11 provided on the upper body rotation unit 9.

[0020] In addition, as shown in Figure 5, the ultrasound examination robot 1 operates the lumbar tilting unit 3, leg tilting unit 5, upper body tilting unit 7, and upper body rotation unit 9 of the robot body 100, thereby passively changing the posture of the subject S while the subject S remains seated on the seat 23, and performing an ultrasound examination with the probe P. As a result, when performing an ultrasound examination of the heart, which is surrounded by air-containing lungs, fat, ribs, etc., the ultrasound examination robot 1 can change the position and angle of the subject S's heart according to the situation by changing the posture of the subject S to various positions, thereby obtaining a clear ultrasound image of the heart.

[0021] In this case, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the waist tilting unit 3 comprises a support column 22 erected on the base 2, a seat portion 23 provided at the tip of the support column 22 via a rotating portion 25, and the rotating portion 25 rotates the seat portion 23 in the robot roll direction x r It has a seat tilting mechanism 31 that tilts the seat 23 in the robot roll direction x with the rotating part 25 as the pivot axis. r By tilting the seat 23, as shown in Figure 5, the lower body of the subject S, who is seated on the seat 23, is positioned to the side of the subject S. r3It can be used to influence people towards that direction.

[0022] Furthermore, the leg tilting unit 5, by means of the base tilting mechanism 51 installed on the base 2, tilts the base 52 on which the subject S's legs are resting in the robot roll direction x r By tilting it in that direction, not only the seat 23 but also the legs of the subject S seated on the seat 23 are moved to the side S of the subject S. r3 It can be used to influence people towards that direction.

[0023] In this embodiment, the leg tilting unit 5 has a lumbar tilting unit 3 and the seat 23 is tilted to the side S r3 When leaning to one side, the seat 23 tilts in conjunction with the tilt of the seat 23, and the side S of the seat 23 tilted r3 Same lateral S r3 The base 52 is configured to be tiltable. As a result, the ultrasound robot 1 uses the lumbar tilting unit 3 and the leg tilting unit 5 to tilt both the lumbar region and the legs of the subject S to one side S. r3 By tilting the subject S toward the side, the entire body of the subject S is moved to the side. r3 It can be tilted to a predetermined angle.

[0024] Incidentally, as shown in Figure 6(A), even in a reference example where only the waist tilting unit 3 is provided without the leg tilting unit 5, and the lower body Sb of the subject S is tilted using only the waist tilting unit 3, the body axis (torso central axis) SY of the subject S can be tilted at an angle θ4 with respect to the contact surface SX1 of the subject S's legs. However, since the contact surface SX1 on which the subject S's legs are placed remains horizontal, the axis S0 of the subject S's legs remains perpendicular to the contact surface SX1. As a result, an angle θ4 is created between the body axis SY of the subject S and the axis S0 of the legs, and the burden on the subject S's waist increases as the body axis SY is tilted from the waist.

[0025] In contrast, in the robot body 100, as shown in Figure 6(B), the waist tilting unit 3 and the leg tilting unit 5 work together to move the side S of the subject S. r3 The base 52 on which the legs of the subject S, who is seated on the seat 23, rest is also located to the side of the subject S.r3 By leaning in that direction, the contact surface SX2 of the subject S's leg can also be tilted.

[0026] As a result, the robot body 100 moves the subject S to the side S r3 When tilting, the body axis SY of the subject S's upper body Sa and lower body Sb can be tilted while maintaining a straight line without displacement of the body axis SY of the subject S's upper body Sa and lower body Sb with respect to the inclined ground surface SX2. Therefore, the robot body 100 can suppress displacement of the body axis SY between the subject S's upper body Sa and lower body Sb without creating an angle θ4 between the subject S's body axis SY and the axis S0 of the legs, thereby reducing the feeling of pressure and pain in the body that may arise from the displacement of the body axis SY between the subject S's upper body Sa and lower body Sb.

[0027] In addition, the robot body 100 is equipped with a waist tilting unit 3 and a leg tilting unit 5, and an upper body tilting unit 7. As shown in Figure 5, the upper body tilting unit 7 bends the torso of the subject S seated on the seat 23, causing the upper body Sa to move forward S. p1 It has a configuration that allows it to tilt. In this case, the upper body tilting unit 7 has an arm tilting mechanism 71 installed on the seat 23 and the base 52, an arm 72 extending from the arm tilting mechanism 71 to the front and above the seat 23, and a connecting part 74 provided at the tip of the arm 72 and to which the upper body rotation unit 9 is connected.

[0028] The upper body tilting unit 7 has the end of its arm portion 72 rotatably connected to the arm portion tilting mechanism 71, and the arm portion 72 is rotatably supported by a seat plate fixing member 7118 provided on the seat plate 23a of the seat portion 23. The upper body tilting unit 7 rotates the arm portion 72 around the seat plate fixing member 7118 by sliding the end of the arm portion 72 by the arm portion tilting mechanism 71, and in response the tip of the arm portion 72 moves in the robot pitch direction y p Move along the path.

[0029] The upper body tilting unit 7 has the tip of the arm section 72 facing the robot pitch direction y. pAlong the forward S p1 By moving, the upper body Sa of the subject S, which is supported by the upper body rotation unit 9 located at the tip, also moves forward S p1 It can make people inclined to become devoted to it.

[0030] Here, Figure 7(A) shows that the upper body Sa of the subject S is tilted forward by the upper body tilting unit 7. p1 This is a schematic diagram showing the state when the subject is leaning forward. Figure 8(A) shows that the upper body Sa of the subject S is moved even further forward than in the state shown in Figure 7(A) by the upper body leaning unit 7. p1 This is a schematic diagram showing what happens when someone becomes infatuated with something.

[0031] As shown in Figure 7(A), for example, the upper body tilting unit 7 moves the arm portion 72 forward S p1 By rotating it by a predetermined angle toward the upper body rotation unit 9, the upper body Sa of the subject S, which is supported by the upper body rotation unit 9, also follows the upper body rotation unit 9 and moves forward S p1 It leans towards the subject S's vertical direction Y s When tilted at a predetermined angle Y s1 This is the position. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8(A), the upper body tilting unit 7 further moves the arm portion 72 forward S p1 By rotating it by a predetermined angle toward the upper body rotation unit 9, the upper body Sa of the subject S, which is supported by the upper body rotation unit 9, also follows the upper body rotation unit 9 and moves further forward S. p1 It leans towards the subject S's vertical direction Y s Y s1 Y tilted at a predetermined angle even further than the position s2 It becomes the position.

[0032] Here, for example, before tilting the upper body Sa of subject S forward by the upper body tilting unit 7, as shown in Figure 7(B), the subject S's vertical direction Y s is vertical Y s0 As a result of the positioning, the space ER1 between the subject's heart H and the body surface S1 becomes larger. Therefore, even if the probe P is pressed against the body surface S1 that is close to the heart H, the heart H may appear unclear in the ultrasound image due to the distance between the body surface S1 and the heart H.

[0033] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 8(B), the upper body Sa of subject S is tilted forward by the upper body tilting unit 7. p1 The subject S is tilted towards the vertical direction Y. s Also forward S p1 Inclined towards, the subject's vertical Y direction s Y in its early stages before its inclination s0 Y tilted at a predetermined angle from the position s2 When the position is set, the position and angle of the heart H inside the body can be changed according to the posture of the subject S. For example, the upper body Sa of subject S can be Y s2 Move forward to position S p1 By tilting the device toward the body, gravity brings the subject S's heart H closer to the body surface S1, reducing the space ER1 between the heart H and the body surface S1. As a result, the ultrasound robot 1 can capture the heart H more clearly in the ultrasound image because it is closer to the body surface S1.

[0034] Here, the upper body rotation unit 9, which supports the upper body Sa of the subject S, is provided at the tip of the arm portion 72 and can rotate the upper body Sa of the subject S, who is seated on the seat portion 23, using the body axis SY of the subject S as the axis of rotation. In this case, the upper body rotation unit 9 comprises a support rotation mechanism 91 provided at the tip of the arm portion 72 and an upper body support portion 92 on which the probe scanning unit 11 is provided. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9(A), the support rotation mechanism 91 has a configuration that rotates the upper body support portion 92 in a pendulum-like manner using the body axis SY of the subject S, who is seated on the seat portion 23, as the axis of rotation. When the upper body rotation unit 9 rotates the upper body support portion 92 by the support rotation mechanism 91, the probe scanning unit 11 provided on the upper body support portion 92 also rotates together with the upper body support portion 92.

[0035] Note that in Figure 9(A), x u , y u , z u This is a three-dimensional coordinate system for describing the rotation direction of the upper body support part 92, which is rotatably mounted on the support part rotation mechanism 91, and y u This indicates the vertical axis direction of the upper body support part 92, and xu The vertical axis is y u The left-right axis direction of the upper body support part 92 is shown perpendicular to z. u The vertical axis is y u and the left-right axis x u This shows the front-to-back axis direction of the upper body support part 92, which is perpendicular to the given direction. Then, if necessary, the vertical axis direction y u The rotation direction with the pivot axis is the direction of the support roll U r This will be explained as follows.

[0036] In this case, the upper body Sa of the subject S is in close contact with the upper body support part 92, and when the upper body Sa is supported by the upper body support part 92, the vertical axis y of the upper body support part 92 u This is the vertical direction of subject S in the Y direction. s This is in the same direction, and the left-right axis x of the upper body support part 92 u This is the X direction of the subject S from left to right. s This is in the same direction, and the front-rear axis z of the upper body support part 92 u This is the Z direction in the anterior-posterior direction of subject S. s This is in the same direction. Also, the support roll direction U indicates the rotation direction of the upper body support part 92. r This indicates the subject roll direction S, which is the rotation direction of the subject S. r This is in the same direction.

[0037] In Figure 9(A), the upper body Sa of subject S is tilted forward by the upper body tilting unit 7, while the upper body rotation unit 9 rotates the upper body Sa of subject S laterally around the body axis SY as the axis of rotation. r1 It is rotated toward the front. As a result, as shown in Figure 9(B), gravity brings the heart H of the subject S closer to the anterior body surface S1, reducing the space ER1 between the heart H and the body surface S1 in the anterior direction. Additionally, as shown in Figure 9(C), gravity also brings the heart H of the subject S closer to the lateral body surface S2, reducing the space ER2 between the heart H and the body surface S2 in the lateral direction. Therefore, in the ultrasound examination robot 1, because the heart H is close not only to the anterior body surface S1 but also to the lateral body surface S2, when ultrasound is transmitted and received to the subject S by the probe P, the heart H can be clearly captured in the ultrasound image.

[0038] In addition to the above configuration, the upper body support section 92 according to this embodiment includes an upper body support substrate 921 installed on the support section rotation mechanism 91, and a plate-shaped upper body positioning plate 922 positioned opposite the upper body support substrate 921 via a rotation compliance mechanism 94. A probe scanning unit 11 is installed on the upper body support substrate 921. The upper body positioning plate 922 is positioned so that the upper body Sa of the subject S seated on the seat 23 is in close contact with its surface, and an opening 93 is formed in the positioned upper body Sa that allows ultrasonic waves to be sent and received from the probe P. The upper body positioning plate 922 is provided with a wall-shaped upper body lateral support plate 93a on one side, and the upper body lateral support plate 93a is in contact with the side of the upper body Sa of the subject S, and the side of the upper body Sa of the subject S can be supported by the upper body lateral support plate 93a.

[0039] Furthermore, the upper body support section 92 is provided with a rotational compliance mechanism 94 (see Figures 3 and 4) that rotatably connects the upper body positioning plate 922 to the upper body support substrate 921. The rotational compliance mechanism 94 comprises a rotating section 923 that rotatably connects the upper body positioning plate 922 to one side of the upper body support substrate 921, and an elastic member 924 provided between the upper body support substrate 921 and the upper body positioning plate 922 on the other side of the upper body support substrate 921, and elastically supports the upper body positioning plate 922 on the surface of the upper body support substrate 921 via the elastic member 924.

[0040] As shown in Figure 10, when the upper body Sa of the subject S is pressed against the upper body positioning plate 922, and a force against the elastic force of the rotation compliance mechanism 94 is applied to the upper body positioning plate 922 by the subject S, the upper body positioning plate 922 tilts toward the upper body support base plate 921 via the rotating part 923. As a result, the rotation compliance mechanism 94 moves the upper body Sa of the subject S to the side S by the upper body rotation unit 9. r1 When rotated, the subject S pushes against the upper body positioning plate 922 against the elastic force, causing the upper body Sa supported by the upper body positioning plate 922 to move in the opposite lateral direction S.r2 It can be rotated by a predetermined angle toward a specific direction.

[0041] Thus, when the upper body Sa of subject S is forcibly rotated by the upper body rotation unit 9, if subject S feels pressure or other discomfort in the upper body Sa, subject S can make minor adjustments to reduce the rotation angle themselves, thereby correcting their posture to alleviate the pressure or discomfort.

[0042] Then, as shown in Figure 11, the upper body tilting unit 7 tilts the upper body Sa of the subject S forward, and the upper body rotation unit 9 rotates the upper body Sa of the subject S to the side. While the upper body Sa of the subject S is in this state, the lumbar tilting unit 3 and the leg tilting unit 5 work together to rotate both the lumbar region and the legs of the subject S to the side. r3 By tilting the subject S toward the side, the entire body of the subject S is further moved laterally. r3 It can also be tilted in that direction.

[0043] As shown in Figure 12, the upper body tilting unit 7 has a probe scanning unit 11 mounted on an upper body support base plate 921, and the probe P provided on the probe scanning unit 11 is exposed to the outside through an opening 93 formed in the upper body positioning plate 922. The probe scanning unit 11 can move the probe P within the range of the opening 93, thereby positioning the probe P opposite to a predetermined position on the chest of the subject S, which is positioned opposite the opening 93.

[0044] In this case, the probe scanning unit 11 includes a gimbal mechanism 113 on which the probe P is provided, and the gimbal mechanism 113 is positioned in the left-right axis x of the upper body support unit 92. u A left-right sliding section 114 slides in the direction of the upper body support section 92, and a gimbal mechanism 113 moves in the vertical axis direction y u It has a vertical sliding part 115 that slides in that direction.

[0045] Here, when supporting the subject S with the upper body positioning plate 922, the gimbal mechanism 113 is slid by the left-right sliding part 114 of the probe scanning unit 11 in the left-right axis direction xu As shown in Figure 13, the X direction is in the upper body Sa of subject S, in the left-right direction. s This is in the same direction, and the vertical sliding part 115 of the probe scanning unit 11 slides the gimbal mechanism 113 in the vertical axis direction y u In the upper body Sa of subject S, the vertical direction Y of the subject s This is in the same direction.

[0046] The probe scanning unit 11, for example, sets the area where the heart H, which is the area to be examined, is located in the chest of the subject S, which is positioned opposite the opening 93 of the upper body positioning plate 922, as the search range ER3, and moves the gimbal mechanism 113 in the left-right axis x direction by the left-right sliding part 114 and the up-down sliding part 115 within this search range ER3, and u and vertical axis y u The probe is slid to this position. In this way, the probe scanning unit 11 moves the gimbal mechanism 113 within the search range ER3, transmits ultrasound from the probe P to the heart H, which is the site to be examined, and receives the ultrasound reflected within the body of the subject S with the probe P.

[0047] Furthermore, the probe scanning unit 11 is controlled by the gimbal mechanism 113 in the z-axis direction of the upper body support unit 92. u The gimbal mechanism 113 is configured to move the probe P and press it against the body surface of the subject S. In addition, as shown in Figure 14, the gimbal mechanism 113 is configured to rotate the probe P in the vertical and horizontal directions relative to the body surface S1 of the subject S, thereby changing the angle of the probe P relative to the subject S. Furthermore, the gimbal mechanism 113 is configured to rotate the probe P on the body surface S1 of the subject S, with the body surface S1 as the center point O3, without changing the angle of the probe P relative to the body surface S1 of the subject S.

[0048] In this way, the probe scanning unit 11 is configured to allow the angle of the probe P to be freely changed so that the heart H, which is the area to be examined, is clearly visible in the ultrasound image.

[0049] In this embodiment, ultrasound image data obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasound from probe P to subject S is sent to the arithmetic processing unit 101, where the unit control processing described later is executed. The arithmetic processing unit 101 analyzes the ultrasound image through the unit control processing and generates a control signal to operate the probe scanning unit 11 based on the obtained analysis results, and sends this signal to the robot body 100. As a result, the probe scanning unit 11 can move probe P to a position where the heart H, which is the target area for examination, is presumed to be clearly visible in the ultrasound image, based on the control signal received from the arithmetic processing unit 101.

[0050] Next, the detailed configurations of the lumbar tilting unit 3, leg tilting unit 5, upper body tilting unit 7, upper body rotation unit 9, probe scanning unit 11, and arithmetic processing unit 101 described above will be explained in order.

[0051] (2) Configuration of the lumbar tilting unit First, let's describe the lumbar tilting unit 3. As shown in Figure 15, the lumbar tilting unit 3 is connected to the tip of the support column 22 and the seat 23 via a rotating part 25, and the side of the support column 22 and the seat 23 are connected via a seat tilting mechanism 31. The lumbar tilting unit 3 tilts the seat 23 to the side by pushing one side of the seat plate 23a upward with the seat tilting mechanism 31, causing the other side of the seat plate 23a to rotate downward with the rotating part 25 as the pivot axis.

[0052] In this case, a fixing member 322, which is fixed to the back surface of the seat plate 23a, is rotatably mounted on the shaft portion 323 of the rotating portion 25 at the tip of the support column 22. In addition, a seat tilting mechanism 31 is installed on the side of the support column 22 by a fixing plate 310. As shown in Figures 15 and 16, the fixing plate 310 has a plate-shaped mounting plate 311 at the bottom, and a feed mechanism fixing member 315 is provided above and opposite the mounting plate 311.

[0053] The mounting plate 311 is fixed to the side of the support column 22 via a fixing plate 310 and has a configuration that includes a drive unit 312, an interlocking mechanism 313, and one end of a feed mechanism 200. In this case, the mounting plate 311 has the drive unit 312, which is made of a stepping motor or the like, on its front surface 311a, and the interlocking mechanism 313 on its back surface 311b.

[0054] The feed mechanism 200 has a rod-shaped outer form, and its pivot shaft is arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction of the support column 22. One end of the feed mechanism 200 is connected to the interlocking mechanism 313 by passing through the mounting plate 311, and the other end is rotatably mounted on the feed mechanism fixing member 315. Here, Figure 17 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the interlocking mechanism 313. The interlocking mechanism 313 includes a drive pulley 313a connected to the drive unit 312, and a driven pulley 313b connected to the drive pulley 313a via an endless belt B. The rotational force of the drive unit 312 is transmitted to the driven pulley 313b via the drive pulley 313a and the endless belt B. The interlocking mechanism 313 is also provided with an idler pulley 313c for tensioning or loosening the endless belt B.

[0055] The interlocking mechanism 313 has a feed mechanism 200 connected to a driven pulley 313b, and the rotational force of the driven pulley 313b is transmitted to the feed mechanism 200. The feed mechanism 200 receives the rotational force of the drive unit 312 via the interlocking mechanism 313 to one end, and can rotate around a pivot axis between the mounting plate 311 and the feed mechanism fixing member 315. As shown in Figures 18(A) and (B), the feed mechanism 200 has an outer cylinder portion 201, a screw member 203 rotatably provided inside the outer cylinder portion 201, and an engaging member 205 that engages with the screw member 203, and as the screw member 203 rotates, the engaging member 205 moves along the pivot axis of the screw member 203.

[0056] The screw member 203 has shaft portions 210 at both ends that protrude from the outer cylinder portion 201 and are rotatably mounted on the outer cylinder portion 201, and these shaft portions 210 are connected to the interlocking mechanism 313 and the feed mechanism fixing member 315, respectively. The engaging member 205 is fixed to the outer circumference of the screw member 203 by a fixing portion 204. The outer cylinder portion 201 has an opening 202 formed in a part of its peripheral wall along the screw member 203, and the tip of the engaging member 205 protrudes to the outside from this opening 202.

[0057] A movable body 314, as shown in Figure 16, is fixed to the engaging member 205. As a result, the feed mechanism 200 causes the engaging member 205 to move along the rotation axis of the screw member 203 as the screw member 203 rotates, thereby causing the movable body 314 fixed to the engaging member 205 to also move along the rotation axis of the screw member 203.

[0058] Here, as shown in Figure 16, the connecting member 320 fixed to the seat plate 23a and the movable body 314 are connected by a pair of strip-shaped connecting links 317. One end of the connecting link 317 is rotatably mounted on the movable body 314, and the other end of the connecting link 317 is rotatably mounted on the connecting member 320. As shown in Figure 19(A), when the movable body 314 is positioned below the feed mechanism 200, the seat tilting mechanism 31 causes the seat plate 23a, which is connected to the movable body 314 via the connecting links 317 and the connecting member 320, to be in a horizontal position.

[0059] Then, the seat tilting mechanism 31 is driven by the drive unit 312, and the rotational force of the drive unit 312 is transmitted to the feed mechanism 200 via the interlocking mechanism 313. When the internal screw member 203 rotates, as shown in Figure 19(B), the movable body 314 rises along the feed mechanism 200 in accordance with the rotation of the screw member 203. As the movable body 314 rises, the connecting link 317 also rises in the seat tilting mechanism 31, and the connecting link 317 pushes up the connecting member 320. As a result, the seat plate 23a is pushed up by the connecting member 320, and the seat 23 rotates with the rotating part 25 connected to the support column 22 as the axis of rotation in the robot roll direction x r To be devoted to.

[0060] Furthermore, when the seat tilting mechanism 31 is tilted with the movable body 314 positioned above the feed mechanism 200, the drive unit 312 is driven, and the reverse rotational force of the drive unit 312 is transmitted to the feed mechanism 200 via the interlocking mechanism 313. As the internal screw member 203 rotates in the reverse direction, the movable body 314 descends along the feed mechanism 200 in accordance with the rotation of the screw member 203, as shown in Figure 19(A). As the movable body 314 descends, the connecting link 317 also descends, and the connecting link 317 pulls down the connecting member 320. As a result, the seat plate 23a of the seat 23 is lowered by the connecting member 320, and the seat plate 23a returns to a horizontal position with the rotating part 25, which is connected to the support column 22, as the axis of rotation.

[0061] In this way, the lumbar tilting unit 3 can tilt the horizontal seat plate 23a in conjunction with the reciprocating motion of the horizontal seat plate 23a, or return the tilted seat plate 23a to a horizontal position, by causing the movable body 314 to reciprocate along the feeding mechanism 200 using the drive unit 312.

[0062] The seat portion 23 is provided with a backrest 23b and a lower body lateral support plate 23c on the seat plate 23a. The backrest 23b is positioned like a wall on the rear edge of the seat plate 23a and supports the back of the subject S when seated on the seat plate 23a. The lower body lateral support plate 23c is positioned like a wall on one side of the seat plate 23a and supports the side of the lower body Sb, such as the waist, of the subject S when seated on the seat plate 23a. Figures 1 and 2 show 23e, which is a cushion that supports the body of the subject S.

[0063] (3) Configuration of the leg tilting unit Next, the leg tilting unit 5 will be described. Figure 20 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the leg tilting unit 5, and Figure 21 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the leg tilting unit 5 when the base 52 is tilted. As shown in Figures 20 and 21, the leg tilting unit 5 is configured to allow the base 52 to be tilted by a base tilting mechanism 51 installed on the base 2. The base tilting mechanism 51 according to this embodiment has roller mechanisms 53a, 53b, and 53c that guide the bottom 522a of the arc-shaped base 52 to trace an arc-shaped trajectory, and a base sliding mechanism 54 that slides the base 52, and the base 52 is configured to swing like a pendulum by the roller mechanisms 53a, 53b, and 53c and the base sliding mechanism 54.

[0064] In this embodiment, the roller mechanisms 53a, 53b, and 53c are provided in pairs, with two roller mechanisms 53a, two roller mechanisms 53b, and two roller mechanisms 53c arranged opposite each other in the robot's front-rear direction x. Roller mechanism 53a supports one side of the bottom 522a of the base 52 in the robot's left-right direction y. Roller mechanism 53b supports the central part of the bottom 522a of the base 52 in the robot's left-right direction y. Roller mechanism 53c supports the other side of the bottom 522a of the base 52 in the robot's left-right direction y. Since these roller mechanisms 53a, 53b, and 53c have the same configuration, the following explanation will focus on roller mechanism 53a, and the explanation of the configurations of the remaining roller mechanisms 53b and 53c will be omitted.

[0065] The roller mechanism 53a includes a roller 512 that contacts and rotates against the bottom 522a of the base 52, and a roller support portion 511 that rotatably supports the roller 512. The height of the roller support portion 511 and the diameter of the roller 512 are selected so as to support the arc-shaped bottom 522a of the base 52 when the base 52 is in a horizontal position. In this embodiment, the heights of the roller mechanisms 53a and 53c that support one and the other bottom of the base 52 in a horizontal position are formed to be higher than the height of the roller mechanism 53b that supports the central bottom of the base 52 in a horizontal position.

[0066] The base slide mechanism 54 includes a rotating support part 531 fixed to the base 2, and a tilting slide mechanism 533 rotatably mounted on the rotating support part 531 and having a longitudinal direction in the robot's left-right direction y. The tilting slide mechanism 533 slides the base 52 in the robot's left-right direction y. The rotating support part 531 is fixed to one side of the base 2, adjacent to the roller mechanism 53c.

[0067] The tilting slide mechanism 533 has an arm member 5333 whose end portion is rotatably mounted on the rotation support portion 531 and whose longitudinal direction is in the left-right direction y of the robot. The arm member 5333 extends from the rotation support portion 531 in the left-right direction y of the robot, and its tip portion is positioned on the other side of the base 2. The arm member 5333 rotates in the robot roll direction x with the robot front-rear direction x as the axis of rotation relative to the rotation support portion 531. r It is rotatably mounted so that its longitudinal direction is either horizontal or tilted at a predetermined angle.

[0068] In this embodiment, a pivot support portion 531 is positioned in the central region between the roller mechanisms 53a, 53b, and 53c arranged in a row on the front side and the roller mechanisms 53a, 53b, and 53c arranged in a row on the rear side, and an arm member 5333 is provided so as to be tiltable in the central region with the pivot support portion 531 as the pivot point.

[0069] Furthermore, the arm member 5333 is equipped with a drive unit 534, such as a spindle motor, on its end portion, which is rotatably mounted on the pivot support portion 531. A feed mechanism 200, connected to the drive unit 534, extends toward the tip portion. Since the drive unit 534 and the feed mechanism 200 are mounted on the arm member 5333, they can be tilted together with the arm member 5333. The detailed configuration of the feed mechanism 200 is explained in Figure 18, so its explanation is omitted here.

[0070] Furthermore, the arm member 5333 is provided with a U-shaped feed mechanism support portion 5335, and the feed mechanism 200 is supported between the opposing walls of the feed mechanism support portion 5335. One end of the feed mechanism 200 is connected to a drive unit 534, and rotational power is transmitted from the drive unit 534, allowing it to rotate between the opposing walls of the feed mechanism support portion 5335.

[0071] A movable body 537 is fixed to an engaging member 205 (Figure 18) in the feed mechanism 200. The movable body 537 is also rotatably connected to the base 52 via a rotating part 537a.

[0072] Here, the base slide mechanism 54 is driven by the drive unit 534, and the rotational force from the drive unit 534 is transmitted to the feed mechanism 200, causing the internal screw member 203 to rotate. As shown in Figure 21, the moving body 537 moves along the feed mechanism 200 in the left-right direction y of the robot in accordance with the rotation of the screw member 203 (Figure 18).

[0073] As a result, the base slide mechanism 54 also moves the base 52, which is connected to the mobile body 537 via the rotating part 537a, in the left-right direction y of the robot. At this time, as the base 52 moves in the left-right direction y of the robot with its arc-shaped bottom 522a supported by the roller mechanisms 53a, 53b, and 53c, the bottom 522a of the base 52 is pushed up by the roller mechanisms 53a, 53b, and 53c while the rotating part 537a of the mobile body 537 rotates, causing the bottom 522a of the base 52 to swing like a pendulum, tracing an arc-shaped movement trajectory.

[0074] Figure 22(A) shows the state of the base 52 before tilting, and Figure 22(B) shows the state when the base 52 is tilted by the base sliding mechanism 54. The leg tilting unit 5 slides the base 52 along the feed mechanism 200 in the left-right direction y of the robot by the drive unit 534 of the base sliding mechanism 54, causing the bottom 522a of the base 52 to swing like a pendulum, tracing an arc-shaped movement trajectory C1.

[0075] Furthermore, it is desirable that the pivot point (pivot point) O5 of the arc-shaped movement trajectory C1 when the base 52 swings like a pendulum coincides with the pivot point 25 of the rotating part that tilts the seat 23 of the lumbar tilting unit 3 described above. This allows the entire body of the subject S, from the waist to the legs, to rotate as a single unit while seated on the seat 23, and tilts the entire body of the subject S.

[0076] As shown in Figures 20 and 21, the base 52 has a flat leg support plate 521b, a stepped portion 521a provided on the upper surface of the leg support plate 521b, and an arc-shaped guide portion 522 provided on the lower surface of the leg support plate 521b. The legs of the subject S seated on the seat portion 23 are placed on the upper surfaces of the leg support plate 521b and the stepped portion 521a. The arc-shaped guide portion 522 is a flat plate with thickness and its bottom portion 522a is formed in an arc shape. A pair of arc-shaped guide portions 522 are provided parallel to each other on the lower surface of the leg support plate 521b, and a gap 523 is formed between the pair of arc-shaped guide portions 522.

[0077] The base 52 can prevent the arm member 5333 from colliding with the arc-shaped guide portion 522 when the arm member 5333 tilts in the base sliding mechanism 54 and the tip of the arm member 5333 rises, by positioning the arm member 5333 within the gap 523.

[0078] (4) Configuration of the upper body tilting unit Next, the upper body tilting unit 7 will be described. As shown in Figure 23, the upper body tilting unit 7 is provided with an arm tilting mechanism 71 to which the end portion of the arm portion 72 is rotatably connected. This arm tilting mechanism 71 includes a support base 7111 having a longitudinal direction in the robot's front-rear direction x, a feed mechanism 200 having a longitudinal direction in the robot's front-rear direction x, a front-rear tilting compliance mechanism 715 that moves along the feed mechanism 200, a drive unit 712 that rotates the feed mechanism 200, a drive unit fixing member 7113 that fixes the drive unit 712 to the support base 7111, and a suspension holding part 713 that suspends and holds the support base 7111 on the seat portion 23.

[0079] The support base 7111 has wall portions 7112 and 7114 at one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction, and a drive unit fixing member 7113 is provided between these wall portions 7112 and 7114. Furthermore, a feed mechanism 200 extends from the support base 7111 between the wall portion 7114 at one end and the drive unit fixing member 7113. The detailed configuration of the feed mechanism 200 is explained in Figure 18, so its explanation is omitted here.

[0080] The feed mechanism 200 has one end that passes through the drive unit fixing member 7113 and is connected to the interlocking mechanism 313 provided on the back of the drive unit fixing member 7113, and the other end is rotatably mounted on one wall portion 7114 of the support base 7111. The drive unit 712 is provided on the front of the drive unit fixing member 7113, and the interlocking mechanism 313 is provided on the back. The detailed configuration of the interlocking mechanism 313 is explained in Figure 17, so its explanation is omitted here.

[0081] The rotational force of the drive unit 712 is transmitted to one end of the feed mechanism 200 via the interlocking mechanism 313. As a result, when the drive unit 712 is driven and the rotational force of the drive unit 712 is transmitted via the interlocking mechanism 313, the internal screw member 203 (Figure 18) rotates, and in response to the rotation of the screw member 203, the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715 (described later) moves along the longitudinal direction of the feed mechanism 200.

[0082] The suspension and holding section 713 has a seat plate fixing member 7118 fixed to the seat plate 23a, and a rotating part 7117 of a connecting member 7116 provided on the rear side of the seat plate fixing member 7118 in the robot's front-rear direction x is rotatably connected to the other wall part 7112 of the support base 7111. The suspension and holding section 713 also has a rotating part 7119 on the front side in the robot's front-rear direction x, and this rotating part 7119 rotatably supports the bent part 72a of the arm part 72. The end part of the arm part 72 is rotatably provided via a rotating part 721 to a front-rear tilt compliance mechanism 715 (described later) which is slidably provided along the feed mechanism 200.

[0083] For example, as shown in Fig. 24(A), when the front and rear tilting compliance mechanism 715 is at a predetermined position of the feeding mechanism 200, as shown in Fig. 24(B), when the driving unit 712 is driven to slide the front and rear tilting compliance mechanism 715 along the feeding mechanism 200 to the rear side in the front and rear direction x of the robot, as the front and rear tilting compliance mechanism 715 slides backward, the end portion of the arm portion 72 connected to the front and rear tilting compliance mechanism 715 via the rotating portion 721 moves backward. As a result, the arm tilting mechanism 71 rotates the tip of the arm portion 72 forward (in the robot pitch direction y p ), and the arm portion 72 can be tilted forward.

[0084] Also, when the arm portion 72 rotates at the rotating portion 7119 of the seat plate fixing member 7118, although a force is applied in the front and rear direction x of the robot to the support base 7111 by the end portion of the arm portion 72, since the support base 7111 rotates with respect to the connecting member 7116 provided on the seat plate fixing member 7118 via the rotating portion 7117, the support base 7111 can be moved according to the external force generated when the arm portion 72 tilts. As a result, the arm tilting mechanism 71 can tilt the arm portion 72 in the robot pitch direction y with the rotating portion 7119 of the seat plate fixing member 7118 as the base point without the movement of the arm portion 72 being hindered by the support base 7111. p and tilt the arm portion 72.

[0085] Similarly, as shown in Figure 24(B), when the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715 is in a position behind the feed mechanism 200, as shown in Figure 24(A), when the drive unit 712 is driven to slide the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715 forward in the robot's front-to-back direction x along the feed mechanism 200, the end portion of the arm portion 72 connected to the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715 also moves forward as the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715 slides forward. As a result, the arm portion tilt mechanism 71 rotates the tip portion of the arm portion 72 backward with the support base 7111 as the pivot point of the seat plate fixing member 7118, and the arm portion 72 can be tilted backward.

[0086] Next, the arm portion 72 will be described. As shown in Figure 23, the arm portion 72 has a configuration in which the lower arm portion 722 and the upper arm portion 723 are integrally formed via a bent portion 72a. In this embodiment, the extending direction of the lower arm portion 722 and the extending direction of the upper arm portion 723 are changed by the bent portion 72a, and the entire arm portion is formed in a V-shape. In this embodiment, the protruding corner side of the bent portion 72a is positioned on the seat portion 23 side, and the bent portion 72a is rotatably supported by the rotating portion 7119 of the seat plate fixing member 7118 of the arm portion tilting mechanism 71.

[0087] The arm section 72 has one end of the lower arm section 722 that is rotatably mounted on the rotating section 721 of the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715, and a bent section 72a provided between the other end of the lower arm section 722 and one end of the upper arm section 723 that is rotatably mounted on the rotating section 7119 of the seat plate fixing member 7118. The arm section 72 also has a connecting section 74 at the other end of the upper arm section 723. The connecting section 74 is provided with a sliding member 742 that is slidably connected to the upper body rotation unit 9, and a sliding support section 741 that moves the sliding member 742 in the left-right direction y of the robot. Note that 743 in Figure 23 is a constant-load spring.

[0088] Next, the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715 provided in the upper body tilt unit 7 will be described. As shown in Figure 25, the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715 is rotatably connected to the end of the arm portion 72 via a rotating portion 721 and has a box-shaped outer casing 7151 that slides by the feed mechanism 200.

[0089] A rotatable support member 7151a is provided on the upper part of the outer casing 7151, and the end portion of the arm portion 72 is rotatably mounted on the rotatable support member 7151a. Inside the outer casing 7151, there is a movable body 7152 fixed to the engaging member 205 (Figure 18) of the feeding mechanism 200, and an elastic member 7162 positioned between one inner wall of the outer casing 7151 and the movable body 7152. In this front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715, a gap G2 is provided between one inner wall of the outer casing 7151 and the movable body 7152, and the distance of the gap G2 is maintained by the elastic force of the elastic member 7162 positioned in the gap G2.

[0090] In this embodiment, a shaft portion 7154 is provided in the outer casing 7151 so as to run parallel to the longitudinal direction of the feed mechanism 200 and penetrate the inside of the movable body 7152 and the outer casing 7151. An elastic member 7162 made of a helical spring is inserted through the shaft portion 7154, which passes between one inner wall of the outer casing 7151 and the movable body 7152.

[0091] When no external force is applied to the outer casing 7151 via the arm portion 72, as shown in Figure 26(A), the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715 has one inner wall of the outer casing 7151 pushed away from the mobile body 7152 by the elastic force of the elastic member 7162. On the other hand, when an external force pushing the outer casing 7151 towards the rear in the robot's front-to-back direction x is applied to the outer casing 7151 via the arm portion 72, as shown in Figure 26(B), the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715, since the mobile body 7152 is stationary, causes the outer casing 7151 to move towards the rear against the elastic force of the elastic member 7162, and one inner wall of the outer casing 7151 moves closer to the mobile body 7152.

[0092] Thus, even when the mobile body 7152 is stationary on the feed mechanism 200, the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715 allows the outer casing 7151 to slide against the elastic force of the elastic member 7162 by the amount of the gap G2 provided inside the outer casing 7151. Therefore, as the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715 slides backward along the feed mechanism 200 by the amount of the gap G2 provided inside the outer casing 7151, the arm 72 connected to the outer casing 7151 can tilt forward by the amount the outer casing 7151 of the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715 slides.

[0093] As shown in Figure 27(A), the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715 drives the drive unit 712 to slide the mobile body 7152 forward in the robot's front-to-back direction x along the feed mechanism 200, causing the outer casing 7151 to slide forward along the feed mechanism 200 in accordance with the mobile body 7152. Then, as shown in Figure 27(B), after the mobile body 7152 has been stationary in a predetermined position, the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715 can similarly apply an external force via the arm unit 72 to push the outer casing 7151 backward against the elastic force of the elastic member 7162, causing the elastic member 7162 to elastically displace and the outer casing 7151 to slide backward.

[0094] Here, Figure 28(A) is a schematic diagram showing the tilt angle φ1 of the arm portion 72 and the elastic displacement angle θ1 of the elastic member 7162 of the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715 when the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715 is slid along the feed mechanism 200 in the upper body tilt unit 7.

[0095] The tilt angle φ1 represents the maximum displacement angle of the arm portion 72, from the state in which the arm portion 72 is upright to its maximum vertical position by sliding the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715 along the longitudinal direction of the feed mechanism 200 to the furthest forward position in the robot's front-to-back direction x by the drive unit 712, to the state in which the arm portion 72 is tilted to its maximum extent by sliding the front-to-back tilt compliance mechanism 715 along the longitudinal direction of the feed mechanism 200 to the furthest rear position in the robot's front-to-back direction x by the drive unit 712.

[0096] The elastic displacement angle θ1 indicates the maximum displacement angle of the arm portion 72 when the arm portion 72 is tilted to its maximum extent by the elastic displacement of the elastic member 7162 provided in the gap G2 of the arm portion 715, in a state where the arm portion 72 is tilted to its maximum extent by sliding the front-rear tilt compliance mechanism 715 to the rearmost position in the front-rear direction x of the robot along the feed mechanism 200 by the drive unit 712.

[0097] In this way, the upper body tilting unit 7 can tilt the arm portion 72 forward by rotating the feed mechanism 200 with the drive unit 712 and moving the front-to-back tilting compliance mechanism 715 along the longitudinal direction of the feed mechanism 200, and the elastic member 7162 of the front-to-back tilting compliance mechanism 715 can displace the arm portion 72 in the front-to-back direction.

[0098] In this way, the upper body tilting unit 7 is constantly subjected to an elastic force by the elastic member 7162 provided in the front-to-back tilting compliance mechanism 715, which causes the tip of the arm portion 72 to tilt backward. As a result, as shown in Figure 28(B), when the subject S presses their upper body Sa against the upper body positioning plate 922 during an ultrasound examination, the upper body tilting unit 7 can support the subject S's upper body Sa with an elastic force Fapp (Fapp = W × sinθ7, w: the weight of the subject S in the direction of gravity, θ7: the angle between the direction of gravity and the upper body positioning plate 922) corresponding to the pressing force of the subject S.

[0099] (5) Configuration of the upper body rotation unit Next, the upper body rotation unit 9 will be described. As shown in Figure 29, the upper body rotation unit 9 has a support rotation mechanism 91 provided at the tip of the arm portion 72 and an upper body support portion 92 that is rotated in a pendulum-like manner by the support rotation mechanism 91, and the probe scanning unit 11 is attached to the upper body support portion 92 that rotates in a pendulum-like manner. Figure 30 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the upper body rotation unit 9 when the probe scanning unit 11 is removed, in order to explain the configuration of the upper body rotation unit 9.

[0100] As shown in Figures 29 and 30, the support rotation mechanism 91 includes a flat support base plate 911, a slide guide mechanism 912 that connects the lower end of the support base plate 911 to the lower end of the upper body support portion 92, and a rotation drive mechanism 914 that connects the upper end of the support base plate 911 to the upper end of the upper body support portion 92. Thus, the support base plate 911 is provided with an upper body support portion 92 that rotates in a pendulum-like motion via the slide guide mechanism 912 and the rotation drive mechanism 914.

[0101] As shown in Figure 31(A), a sliding member 742, which is provided on the connecting portion 74 at the tip of the arm portion 72, is slidably mounted on the back surface 911a of the support substrate 911. In this case, a guide groove 9115 is formed on the back surface 911a of the support substrate 911 in the vertical direction z of the robot, and the sliding member is configured to slide along the guide groove 9115.

[0102] As a result, the upper body rotation unit 9 can slide in the vertical direction z of the robot along the guide groove 9115, using the sliding member 742 of the upper body tilting unit 7 as a pivot point, as shown in Figures 31(A) and (B). In this way, the upper body rotation unit 9 is configured to adjust its installation height relative to the arm portion 72 according to the height of the upper body Sa of the subject S seated on the seat portion 23, and the upper body Sa of the subject S can be reliably positioned on the upper body positioning plate 922.

[0103] Next, the slide guide mechanism 912 (Figures 29 and 30) that connects the lower end of the support base plate 911 and the lower end of the upper body support section 92 will be described. The slide guide mechanism 912 includes a first guide plate 9120 provided at the lower end of the support base plate 911 and a second guide plate 9211 provided at the lower end of the upper body support base plate 921 in the upper body support section 92. A pair of rollers 9212 are provided on the second guide plate 9211 that sandwich the arc-shaped rail 9121 of the first guide plate 9120 from both sides.

[0104] When power is transmitted in the sliding direction from the drive unit 9141 (described later) to the upper body support unit 92 of the slide guide mechanism 912, as shown in Figures 32(A) and (B), the roller 9212 in contact with the arc-shaped rail 9121 of the first guide plate 9120 rotates, the second guide plate 9211 is guided along the arc-shaped rail 9121, and the upper body support unit 92 swings in an arc.

[0105] Next, the rotational drive mechanism 914 connecting the upper end of the support substrate 911 and the upper end of the upper body support portion 92 will be described. As shown in Figures 29, 30, 32(A) and (B), the rotational drive mechanism 914 includes a drive unit fixing member 9140 on which a drive unit 9141 and a feed mechanism 200 are provided, a slide rotation portion 915 that rotatably connects the drive unit fixing member 9140 and the upper body support substrate 921, and a rotational connecting portion 913 (Figure 32(B)) that rotatably connects the drive unit fixing member 9140 and the support substrate 911.

[0106] The drive unit fixing member 9140 is provided with an interlocking mechanism 313 that transmits the rotational force of the drive unit 9141, such as a spindle motor, to the feed mechanism 200. The configuration of the feed mechanism 200 is the same as that shown in Figure 18 above, and the configuration of the interlocking mechanism 313 is the same as that shown in Figure 17 above. The configuration in which the rotational force of the drive unit 9141 is transmitted to the feed mechanism 200 via the interlocking mechanism 313 to rotate the feed mechanism 200 is the same, so a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0107] The sliding rotating part 915 has an engaging member 205 (Figure 18) of the feed mechanism 200 fixed to it, and as the feed mechanism 200 is rotated by the drive unit 9141, the sliding rotating part 915 slides along the longitudinal direction of the feed mechanism 200 in accordance with the rotation of the feed mechanism 200. The sliding rotating part 915 is also fixed to the back surface of the upper body support base plate 921 via the rotating part 9144.

[0108] The rotating connecting portion 913 has one end fixed to the drive unit fixing member 9140 and the other end fixed to the surface of the support base plate 911, and rotates in conjunction with the drive unit fixing member 9140, which moves in accordance with the upper body support portion 92 when the upper body support portion 92 rotates.

[0109] The support rotation mechanism 91, by means of the drive unit fixing member 9140, applies a force to the support substrate 911 via the slide rotation part 915 that slides along the feed mechanism 200 toward the outward direction of one side of the support substrate 911, thereby moving the support substrate 911 along the arc-shaped rail 9121 provided on the slide guide mechanism 912 and causing the support substrate 911 to swing like a pendulum.

[0110] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 32(A) and (B), the curve of the arc-shaped rail 9121 is selected so that the slide rotation part 915 slides along the feed mechanism 200 by the drive unit 9141, causing the slide guide mechanism 912 to rotate the upper body support part 92 in a pendulum-like manner along a predetermined movement trajectory C3.

[0111] The curve of the arc-shaped rail 9121 is selected so that when the upper body support part 92, on which the upper body Sa of the subject S is positioned, rotates in a pendulum-like manner, the body axis SY of the upper body Sa is located near the rotation center point O6.

[0112] Here, Figure 33(B) is a schematic diagram showing the state before the upper body Sa of the subject S, positioned on the upper body support 92, is rotated by the upper body rotation unit 9, and Figure 33(D) is a schematic diagram showing the state after the upper body Sa of the subject S, positioned on the upper body support 92, is rotated by the upper body rotation unit 9. Furthermore, Figure 33(A) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the subject S's heart H before the upper body support 92 is rotated, as shown in Figure 33(B), and Figure 33(C) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the subject S's heart H after the upper body support 92 is rotated, as shown in Figure 33(D).

[0113] As shown in Figures 33(B) and (D), the upper body rotation unit 9 can suppress the displacement of the body axis SY of the upper body Sa on the upper body support unit 92 when the upper body Sa of the subject S is rotated, by positioning the body axis SY of the upper body Sa of the subject S near the rotation center point O6 when the upper body support unit 92 rotates in a pendulum-like manner.

[0114] This suppresses the displacement of the body axis SY of the upper body Sa on the upper body support part 92 when the upper body Sa of the subject S is rotated. As shown in Figures 33(A) and (C), without shifting the body axis SY of the subject S, gravity brings the heart H of the subject S closer to the lateral body surface S2 of the subject S, thereby reducing the space ER2 between the heart H and the body surface S2 on the lateral side of the subject S, and consequently, the heart H can be clearly visualized in the ultrasound image.

[0115] This point will be further explained using the upper body rotation unit 951 of the reference example, in which the rotation center point O7 is located on the unit body 951a, as shown in Figures 34(A) and (B). As shown in Figures 34(A) and (B), in the upper body rotation unit 951 of the reference example, the rotation center point O7 is provided on the unit body 951a, to which the upper body Sa of the subject S is positioned.

[0116] As a result, in the upper body rotation unit 951 of the reference example, the unit body 951a rotates around the rotation center point O7, causing the upper body Sa of the subject S on the unit body 951a to shift significantly compared to before rotation. Therefore, there is a problem that the body axis of the upper body Sa of the subject S is significantly shifted while seated on the seat, which places a heavy burden on the subject S while seated on the seat.

[0117] In contrast, the upper body rotation unit 9 according to this embodiment positions the body axis SY of the upper body Sa of the subject S near the rotation center point O6 when the upper body support part 92 rotates in a pendulum-like manner. This suppresses the displacement of the body axis SY of the subject S even when the upper body Sa of the subject S is rotated, thereby reducing the burden on the subject S compared to the upper body rotation unit 951 of the reference example.

[0118] Next, the rotation compliance mechanism 94 provided in the upper body rotation unit 9 will be explained using Figure 35. As shown in Figure 35(A), the rotation compliance mechanism 94 includes an elastic member 924 that supports the upper body positioning plate 922 on the upper body support substrate 921, and a rotating part 923 that rotatably connects the upper body positioning plate 922 and the upper body support substrate 921.

[0119] Multiple elastic members 924 are provided on one side of the upper body support base plate 921 and are positioned between the upper body positioning plate 922 and the upper body support base plate 921. The rotating part 923 is provided on the other side of the upper body support base plate 921. As shown in Figure 35(B), the rotation compliance mechanism 94 works when a subject S, whose upper body Sa is positioned on the upper body positioning plate 922, pushes the upper body positioning plate 922 from the surface against the elastic force of the elastic members 924, causing the elastic members 924 to elastically deform and the upper body positioning plate 922 to tilt with the rotating part 923 as the axis of rotation.

[0120] Here, as shown in Figures 33(C) and (D), in this embodiment, the rotation compliance mechanism 94 has an elastic member 924 on one side of the upper body support base plate 921 that is on the upward side of the upper body Sa when the upper body support portion 92 is rotated by the support portion rotation mechanism 91, and a rotating portion 923 is provided on the other side of the upper body support base plate 921 that is on the downward side of the upper body Sa.

[0121] As a result, when the upper body support 92 is rotated by the support rotation mechanism 91 and the upper body support 92 is tilted at a rotation angle of φ2, the subject S can push the upper body positioning plate 922 from the surface, thereby reducing the tilt angle of the upper body positioning plate 922, which is tilted at a rotation angle of φ2, by an angle θ2, and mitigating the tilt angle to an angle of (φ2-θ2). Therefore, when the subject S feels discomfort in the upper body Sa, etc., due to the upper body rotation unit 9 forcibly rotating the upper body Sa, etc., the rotation compliance mechanism 94 can be used to reverse the rotation of the upper body Sa and fine-tune the rotation angle of the upper body Sa, thereby mitigating discomfort in the body.

[0122] (6) Configuration of the probe scanning unit Next, the probe scanning unit 11 will be described. As shown in Figure 36, the probe scanning unit 11 has a gimbal mechanism 113 on which the probe P is provided, which is slidably mounted on a left-right sliding section 114 via a sliding member 1131, and the left-right sliding section 114 is slidably mounted on a vertical sliding section 115 via another sliding member 1153.

[0123] In this case, the left-right sliding part 114 has the left-right axis x of the upper body support part 92. u A rail 1152 is provided that extends along the rail, and a sliding member 1131 to which the gimbal mechanism 113 is fixed is slidably mounted on the rail 1152. In addition, a drive unit 1151 is provided for the left-right sliding part 114, and by driving the drive unit 1151, as shown in Figure 37(A), the left-right axis x of the upper body support part 92 moves along the rail 1152.u Slide the gimbal mechanism 113 into place.

[0124] The vertical sliding section 115 has a vertical axis direction y of the upper body support section 92. u A rail 1142 is provided that extends in the direction of the upper body support 92, and a sliding member 1153 to which a left-right sliding portion 114 is fixed is slidably mounted on the rail 1142. In addition, a drive unit 1141 is provided for the up-down sliding portion 115, and by driving the drive unit 1141, as shown in Figure 37(B), the upper body support portion 92 moves along the rail 1142 in the vertical axis direction y u The left-right sliding part 114 is then slid.

[0125] Next, the gimbal mechanism 113 will be described. As shown in Figure 38, the gimbal mechanism 113 includes a fixing member 117, a first drive unit 1161, a first arm member 118, a second drive unit 1162, a second arm member 119, and a pressing mechanism 120 on which a probe P is provided.

[0126] The fixing member 117 has a strip-shaped bottom plate portion 1172 fixed to the slide member 1131 of the left-right sliding portion 114 (Figure 36), and a strip-shaped inclined plate portion 1171 that slopes diagonally upward from the bottom plate portion 1172, and is formed in a V-shape. The inclined plate portion 1171 has a first drive unit 1161 on its lower inclined surface and a first arm member 118 rotatably mounted on its upper inclined surface.

[0127] The first arm member 118 has a strip-shaped central plate portion 1183 and a first plate portion 1181 and a second plate portion 1184 integrally formed at the ends of the central plate portion 1183, respectively. The first plate portion 1181 has an obtuse internal angle with respect to the central plate portion 1183, extends outward from one end of the central plate portion 1183, and is in surface contact with the inclined plate portion 1171 of the fixing member 117, connecting to the first drive unit 1161 with the inclined plate portion 1171 interposed. The second plate portion 1184 also has an obtuse internal angle with respect to the central plate portion 1183, extends outward from the other end of the central plate portion 1183, and the second drive unit 1162 is fixed to its end.

[0128] The first arm member 118 is rotated by the rotational force of the first drive unit 1161 at the rotating portion 1182 of the first plate portion 1181, with the surface normal of the inclined plate portion 1171 of the fixed member 117 in surface contact with the inclined plate portion 1171 by the rotational force of the first drive unit 1161.

[0129] The second arm member 119 is connected to the first arm member 118 via a second drive unit 1162 and is configured to be rotatable by the rotational force of the second drive unit 1162. The second arm member 119 has a strip-shaped central plate portion 1193 and a first plate portion 1191 and a second plate portion 1194 integrally formed at the ends of the central plate portion 1193, respectively. The first plate portion 1191 has an obtuse internal angle with respect to the central plate portion 1193 and extends outward from one end of the central plate portion 1193, and is connected to the second drive unit 1162 at the rotational portion 1192. In this case, the first plate portion 1191 of the second arm member 119 rotates with the surface normal of the second plate portion 1184 of the first arm member 118 as the axis of rotation due to the rotational force of the second drive unit 1162.

[0130] Furthermore, the second plate portion 1194 of the second arm member 119 has an obtuse internal angle with respect to the central plate portion 1193 and extends outward from the other end of the central plate portion 1193. A pressing mechanism 120 is rotatably provided with the surface normal of the second plate portion 1194 as the pivot axis. The pressing mechanism 120 is positioned on the second plate portion 1194 so as to face the central plate portion 1193, the first plate portion 1191, and the second plate portion 1194 of the second arm member 119.

[0131] Next, the pressing mechanism 120 will be described. The pressing mechanism 120 includes a lower plate portion 1201 that is rotatably mounted on the second plate portion 1194 of the second arm member 119, with the surface normal of the second plate portion 1194 as the pivot axis. The lower plate portion 1201 is provided with a third drive unit (ultrasonic probe rotation drive unit) 1163 and a pressing drive unit 1164. The third drive unit 1163 is for rotating the pressing mechanism 120 on the second plate portion 1194 of the second arm member 119.

[0132] Further, in the pressing mechanism 120, a first intermediate plate portion 1203 is provided on a lower plate portion 1201 via a support column 1202, and a second intermediate plate portion 1206 and an upper plate portion 1214 are sequentially arranged on the first intermediate plate portion 1203. Also, in the pressing mechanism 120, a feeding mechanism 200 extends from a pressing drive portion 1164 provided on the lower plate portion 1201 toward the upper plate portion 1214. The feeding mechanism 200 is shown in FIG. 18, and an engaging member 205 that moves in the axial direction when a screw member 203 rotates is fixed to the second intermediate plate portion 1206.

[0133] When the rotational force of the pressing drive portion 1164 is transmitted to the feeding mechanism 200 and the internal screw member 203 (FIG. 18) rotates, the second intermediate plate portion 1206 moves toward the upper plate portion 1214 side in response to the rotation of the screw member 203 and moves away from the first intermediate plate portion 1203. Also, a guide support column 1225 is erected between the first intermediate plate portion 1203 and the second intermediate plate portion 1206, and the second intermediate plate portion 1206 moves along the guide support column 1225 when moving away from the first intermediate plate portion 1203 by the pressing drive portion 1164.

[0134] The upper plate portion 1214 is connected by the second intermediate plate portion 1206 and a pressing compliance mechanism 1210, and when the second intermediate plate portion 1206 is moved away from the first intermediate plate portion 1203 by the pressing drive portion 1164, it moves away from the first intermediate plate portion 1203 integrally with the second intermediate plate portion 1206. The pressing compliance mechanism 1210 will be described later in FIG. 43. Also, a holder 1221 for holding the main body portion P1 of the probe P is provided on the upper plate portion 1214, and the probe P is fixed by the holder 1221.

[0135] As shown in FIGS. 39(A) and (B), the direction in which the probe P is pressed against the subject S is defined as the z p direction of the gimbal mechanism 113, and the rotational direction with the z p direction as the rotation axis is defined as the probe roll direction p rIn this case, the gimbal mechanism 113 drives the third drive unit 1163 to press the pressing mechanism 120 on the second plate portion 1194 of the second arm member 119 in the probe roll direction p r It can be rotated.

[0136] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 40(A) and (B), the rotation axis of the rotating part 1192, which rotates with the second drive unit 1162, is perpendicular to the z-direction of the gimbal mechanism 113 and is equipped with a pressing mechanism 120, and is perpendicular to the z-direction of the second arm member 119. p Let x be the direction. p The direction of rotation with the axis of rotation is the probe pitch direction p p In this case, the gimbal mechanism 113 drives the second drive unit 1162 to move the pressing mechanism 120 in the probe pitch direction p p It can be rotated.

[0137] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 41(A) and (B), the first plate portion 1181 of the first arm member 118 rotates with the first drive unit 1161 provided on the inclined plate portion 1171 of the fixing member 117, and the rotation axis of the rotating part is y p As a direction, y p The direction of rotation with the axis of rotation is the probe yaw direction p y In this case, the gimbal mechanism 113 drives the first drive unit 1161 to move the pressing mechanism 120 in the probe yaw direction p y It can be rotated.

[0138] Note that in order to simplify the configuration, the holder 1221 (Figure 38) that holds the probe P is not shown in Figures 39, 40, and 41.

[0139] In this way, the gimbal mechanism 130 can change the angle of the probe P relative to the subject S by adjusting the rotational directions of the first arm member 118 and the second arm member 119, thereby guiding and / or rotating the probe P in the vertical and / or left and right directions relative to the upper body Sa of the subject S.

[0140] Then, as shown in Figures 42(A) and (B), the pressing mechanism 120 drives the pressing drive unit 1164, transmitting the rotational force of the pressing drive unit 1164 to the feeding mechanism 200, and in response to the rotation of the internal screw member 203, the second intermediate plate portion 1206, the upper plate portion 1214 and the probe P move along the feeding mechanism 200 and the guide column 1225 z p It moves in the direction. In this way, the pressing mechanism 120 can press the probe P against the body surface S1 of the subject S. As shown in Figures 42(A) and (B), an insertion member 1226 inserted through the guide column 1225 is fixed to the second intermediate plate portion 1206, and since the guide column 1225 moves within the insertion member 1226, it can reliably move along the guide column 1225.

[0141] Next, the press compliance mechanism 1210 will be explained using Figures 43(A) and (B). Note that, in order to simplify the configuration, the holder 1221 (Figure 38) that holds the probe P is not shown in Figures 43(A) and (B).

[0142] As shown in Figure 43(A), the pressing compliance mechanism 1210 is provided between the second intermediate plate portion 1206 and the upper plate portion 1214, and the elastic force of the elastic member 1211 placed between the second intermediate plate portion 1206 and the upper plate portion 1214 maintains the distance between them.

[0143] In this case, the pressing compliance mechanism 1210 has a support column 1210b erected on the second intermediate plate portion 1206, and the support column 1210b is inserted through a through hole in the upper plate portion 1214. An elastic member 1211, such as a helical spring, is provided on the support column 1210b positioned between the second intermediate plate portion 1206 and the upper plate portion 1214, and the upper plate portion 1214 is supported by the elastic force of the elastic member 1211.

[0144] As a result, when the probe P is pressed against the body surface S1 of the subject S by the pressing mechanism 120 with a force exceeding a predetermined amount, the pressing compliance mechanism 1210 causes the elastic member 1211 to change elastically, as shown in Figure 43(B), and the probe P retracts. Therefore, the pressing compliance mechanism 1210 can mitigate the pressing force applied from the probe P to the body surface S1 of the subject S, thereby suppressing discomfort to the subject S.

[0145] (7) Configuration of the arithmetic processing unit Next, the arithmetic processing unit 101 will be described. As shown in Figure 44, the arithmetic processing unit 101 includes an image acquisition unit 1001, an image analysis unit 1002, a unit control unit 1003, an operation unit 1004, a display unit 1005, and a storage unit 1007. The arithmetic processing unit 101 is a microcomputer configuration including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), and RAM (Random Access Memory), and controls the operation of each circuit unit according to various programs such as the image processing program stored in the storage unit 1007 and the unit control program described later.

[0146] The arithmetic processing unit 101 generates control signals in the unit control unit 1003 in response to operation commands input by the user via the operation unit 1004, and operates each unit of the robot body 100 based on these control signals, pressing the probe P against the body surface of the subject S while appropriately changing the subject S's posture, and transmitting ultrasound from the probe P into the subject S's body. The arithmetic processing unit 101 acquires ultrasound image data obtained by receiving the ultrasound reflected inside the subject S's body with the probe P using the image acquisition unit 1001.

[0147] The processing unit 101 sends the obtained ultrasound image data to the display unit 1005 to display the ultrasound image on the display unit 1005, and presents the ultrasound examination image as an examination result to the user, such as a technician or doctor.

[0148] In addition, the arithmetic processing unit 1010 executes unit control processing according to the unit control program, analyzes the acquired ultrasound image data with the image analysis unit 1002, and evaluates the clarity of the area to be examined in the ultrasound image data. Specifically, the image analysis unit 1002 measures the brightness value in the ultrasound examination image and sends the obtained measurement results to the unit control unit 1003.

[0149] Here, when the brightness value in the ultrasound image is below a certain value, for example, as shown in Figure 45(A), it can be inferred that the area being examined in the ultrasound image is unclear, and that the degree to which the probe P is pressed against the patient S needs to be adjusted. On the other hand, when the brightness value in the ultrasound image is above a certain value, for example, as shown in Figure 45(B), it can be inferred that the area being examined in the ultrasound image is clearly visible, and that the degree to which the probe P is pressed against the patient S is in an optimal state.

[0150] Therefore, the unit control unit 1003 determines whether the measured brightness value in the ultrasound image is above a certain value. If the measured brightness value is below a certain value, it infers that the obtained ultrasound image is unclear and generates a control signal to move the probe P so that a clear ultrasound image can be obtained, and sends this signal to the robot body 100. As a result, the robot body 100 adjusts the pressure of the probe P against the subject S, for example, by operating the pressing mechanism 120 of the probe scanning unit 11 to bring the probe P closer to the subject S by a predetermined distance.

[0151] Furthermore, regarding the relationship between the measurement results of brightness values ​​in the ultrasound examination image and the degree of pressure applied by the probe P in the probe scanning unit 11, it is desirable to investigate the relationship between brightness values ​​in the ultrasound examination image and the degree of pressure applied by the probe P, obtained from past operational results or user experience, and to store information in the storage unit 1007 that pre-determines the pressing force according to the brightness value.

[0152] It is desirable that this unit control processing by the arithmetic processing unit 101 be performed in real time based on the video footage capturing the ultrasound image.

[0153] (8) Action and Effects In the above configuration, the ultrasound examination robot 1 is provided with a lumbar tilting unit 3 that tilts the seat 23 on which the subject S sits toward the side of the subject S, a leg tilting unit 5 that tilts the base 52 on which the legs of the subject S seated on the seat 23 are placed toward the side of the subject S, an upper body support 92 that supports the upper body Sa of the subject S seated on the seat 23 as it is tilted forward, an upper body tilting unit 7 that bends the subject S forward and tilts the upper body Sa of the subject S toward the side by tilting the arm 72 provided at the tip of the upper body support 92, and a probe scanning unit 11 that scans the probe P with respect to the upper body Sa of the subject S positioned on the upper body support 92.

[0154] Then, the ultrasound examination robot 1 changes the posture of the subject S, who is seated on the seat 23, using the lumbar tilting unit 3, the leg tilting unit 5, and the upper body tilting unit 7, while pressing the probe P against the upper body Sa of the subject S with the probe scanning unit 11, and by transmitting ultrasound waves from the probe P into the body of the subject S, the ultrasound waves reflected inside the body of the subject S are received by the probe P.

[0155] Thus, with the ultrasound examination robot 1, the posture of the subject S can be passively changed while the subject S remains seated on the seat 23 during an ultrasound examination. Therefore, the user of the ultrasound examination robot 1 does not need to instruct the subject S to change their posture, nor does the subject S need to actively change their posture. This reduces the burden on both the user and the subject during the ultrasound examination compared to conventional methods.

[0156] Furthermore, in the ultrasound examination robot 1, when the lumbar tilting unit 3 tilts laterally toward the subject S, the leg tilting unit 5 also tilts in the same direction as the lumbar tilting unit 3, so that both the upper body Sa and lower body Sb of the subject S, who is seated on the seat 23, are tilted in the same direction. As a result, the ultrasound examination robot 1 can suppress the misalignment of the body axis SY between the upper body Sa and lower body Sb of the subject S, even when the subject S is tilted laterally during ultrasound examination, and can reduce the feeling of pressure and pain in the body that may arise from the misalignment of the body axis SY between the upper body Sa and lower body Sb of the subject S.

[0157] Furthermore, in the ultrasound examination robot 1, the upper body tilting unit 7 is connected to the seat 23 by a seat plate fixing member 7118, and when the seat 23 is tilted laterally by the lumbar tilting unit 3, the upper body tilting unit 7 tilts together with the seat 23 toward the side of the subject S. As a result, the ultrasound examination robot 1 can tilt the subject S laterally by the lumbar tilting unit 3 while the upper body Sa of the subject S is tilted forward by the upper body tilting unit 7.

[0158] Furthermore, the ultrasound examination robot 1 is equipped with a processing unit 101 that analyzes the ultrasound image obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasound to and from the subject S with the probe P, and generates a control signal to operate the pressing mechanism 120 of the probe scanning unit 11 based on the obtained analysis results, and moves the probe P to a predetermined position based on the control signal.

[0159] As a result, the ultrasound examination robot 1 eliminates the need for the user to manually operate the probe scanning unit 11 to determine the appropriate pressure of the probe P while performing the ultrasound examination, thereby reducing the burden on the user.

[0160] (9) Other embodiments (9-1) Ultrasound examination robot equipped with an upper body balloon cushion and / or a lower body balloon cushion For example, other embodiments of the ultrasound robot include, as shown in Figure 46, an ultrasound robot 1 in which an upper body balloon cushion 2001 is provided on the upper body lateral support plate 93a of the upper body positioning plate 922, an ultrasound robot 1 in which a lower body balloon cushion 2002 is provided on the lower body lateral support plate 23c of the seat 23, or an ultrasound robot 1 in which both the upper body balloon cushion 2001 and the lower body balloon cushion 2002 are provided.

[0161] In another embodiment, two upper body lateral support plates 93a may be provided opposite the upper body positioning plate 922, and upper body balloon cushions 2001 may be provided on both of these pairs of upper body lateral support plates 93a. Furthermore, two lower body lateral support plates 23c may be provided opposite the seat portion 23, and lower body balloon cushions 2002 may be provided on both of these pairs of lower body lateral support plates 23c.

[0162] For example, in an ultrasound examination robot 1 equipped with an upper body balloon cushion 2001, as shown in Figure 47, during an ultrasound examination, the upper body balloon cushion 2001 can be inflated to elastically support the sides of the upper body Sa of the subject S when it is tilted forward or to the side. This can alleviate discomfort caused by the upper body balloon cushion 2001 directly contacting the upper body lateral support plate 93a, thereby reducing the burden on the subject S.

[0163] Furthermore, in the ultrasound examination robot 1 equipped with the lower body balloon cushion 2002, as shown in Figure 47, during ultrasound examination, the lower body balloon cushion 2002 can be inflated to elastically support the side of the lower body Sb (e.g., the waist) of the subject S when it is tilted forward or to the side. This reduces discomfort caused by the lower body balloon cushion 2002 directly contacting the lower body lateral support plate 23c, thereby reducing the burden on the subject S.

[0164] Furthermore, by adjusting the inflation state, these upper body balloon cushions 2001 and lower body balloon cushions 2002 can maintain a straight body axis SY of the subject S even when the subject S leans to the side, thereby reducing the feeling of pressure and pain in the body that may arise from misalignment of the body axis SY between the upper and lower body.

[0165] (9-2) Others The present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications can be implemented within the scope of the gist of the invention. For example, in the embodiment described above, a case was described in which an upper body rotation unit 9 is applied in which the upper body support part 92 is rotated in a pendulum-like manner by a support part rotation mechanism 91. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which only the upper body support part 92 is provided without a support part rotation mechanism 91, and the upper body support part 92 does not rotate, is also possible.

[0166] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a case was described in which an arithmetic processing unit 101 is provided that analyzes the ultrasound image obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasound to the subject S with the probe P, and operates the pressing mechanism 120 of the probe scanning unit 11 to generate a control signal to adjust the degree of pressure of the probe P on the subject S based on the obtained analysis results. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an arithmetic processing unit 101 may be provided that analyzes the ultrasound image obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasound to the subject S with the probe P, and operates the gimbal mechanism 130, waist tilt unit 3, leg tilt unit 5, upper body tilt unit 7, or upper body rotation unit 9 of the probe scanning unit 11 to generate a control signal to adjust the degree of pressure of the probe P on the subject S based on the obtained analysis results.

[0167] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case was described in which the lumbar tilting unit 3 and the leg tilting unit 5 are linked and tilted in the same direction, so that both the upper body Sa and lower body Sb of the subject S seated on the seat 23 are tilted in the same direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the lumbar tilting unit 3 and the leg tilting unit 5 may be made unlinked, and the lumbar tilting unit 3 and the leg tilting unit 5 may be tilted individually. Also, the configuration may be made without any of the anterior-posterior tilting compliance mechanism 715, the rotation compliance mechanism 94, and the pressing compliance mechanism 1210. In addition, the configuration of the gimbal mechanism 130 may be changed by combining multiple L-shaped arm parts, for example, to propel and / or rotate the probe P in the vertical and / or left-right directions relative to the upper body Sa of the subject S, thereby changing the angle of the probe P relative to the subject S. Furthermore, while the gimbal mechanism 130 was described as an example of a mechanism for inciting the probe P relative to the upper body Sa, the present invention is not limited to this, and various mechanisms such as a parallel link mechanism, a spherical parallel link mechanism, a vertical linear motion parallel mechanism, a Stewart platform mechanism, a ball joint mechanism, etc., may be applied. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0168] 1. Ultrasound examination robot 2 bases 3. Lumbar tilting unit 5. Leg tilting unit 7 Upper body tilting unit 9. Upper body rotation unit 11 Probe scanning unit 23 Seat area 52 Base 72 Arm section 92 Upper body support part P Ultrasound probe S Subject

Claims

1. a waist tilting unit that tilts a seat on which a subject sits toward the side of the subject; a leg tilting unit that tilts a base on which the legs of the subject seated on the seat are placed toward the side of the subject; an upper body support section that supports the upper body of the subject seated on the seat section when the upper body is tilted forward; an upper body tilting unit that tilts an arm portion having the upper body support portion at its tip end, thereby tilting the upper body of the subject forward; a probe scanning unit that is provided on the upper body support and that scans the upper body of the subject positioned on the upper body support with an ultrasound probe; Equipped with An ultrasound examination robot in which the waist tilting unit, the leg tilting unit, and the upper body tilting unit change the posture of the subject seated on the seat, while the probe scanning unit presses the ultrasound probe against the upper body of the subject, and ultrasound is transmitted from the ultrasound probe into the body of the subject, and the ultrasound reflected from inside the body of the subject is received by the ultrasound probe.

2. The leg tilting unit is 2. The ultrasound examination robot of claim 1, wherein when the waist tilting unit tilts toward the side of the subject, the waist tilting unit tilts in the same direction as the waist tilting unit, thereby tilting both the upper and lower bodies of the subject seated on the seat in the same direction.

3. The leg tilting unit is The base; a base tilting mechanism that swings the base in a pendulum-like manner toward the side of the subject; The ultrasonic inspection robot according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:

4. The upper body tilt unit includes: The ultrasound examination robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is connected to the seat portion and tilts to the side of the subject together with the seat portion when the seat portion is tilted to the side by the waist tilting unit.

5. The upper body tilt unit includes:

5. The ultrasound inspection robot according to claim 1, further comprising a forward / backward tilting compliance mechanism that applies an elastic force to the arm portion that returns the upper body of the subject seated on the seat portion backward when the upper body of the subject is pressed against the upper body support portion and the arm portion tilts.

6. an upper body rotation unit that rotates the upper body of the subject seated on the seat, The upper body rotation unit includes: The upper body support portion; a support unit rotation mechanism that rotates the upper body support unit in a pendulum-like manner; The ultrasonic inspection robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising:

7. The upper body support portion is an upper body support base on which the probe scanning unit is provided; an upper body positioning plate disposed opposite the upper body support base and adapted to be positioned against the upper body of the subject; a rotational compliance mechanism; Equipped with The rotational compliance mechanism includes: a rotation unit that rotatably connects the upper body positioning plate to one side of the upper body support base; an elastic member provided between the upper body support base plate and the upper body positioning plate on the other side of the upper body support base plate; Equipped with 7. The ultrasound examination robot according to claim 6, wherein when the upper body of the subject seated on the seat is pressed against the upper body positioning plate, the angle of the upper body positioning plate that tilts via the rotating part is adjusted by the elastic force of the elastic member.

8. The probe scanning unit 8. The ultrasound inspection robot according to claim 1, further comprising a vertical sliding unit that slides the ultrasound probe vertically relative to the upper body of the subject.

9. The probe scanning unit 9. The ultrasound inspection robot according to claim 1, further comprising a left-right sliding unit that slides the ultrasound probe left and right relative to the upper body of the subject.

10. The probe scanning unit The ultrasound inspection robot according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the ultrasound probe is moved and / or rotated relative to the upper body of the subject to change the angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the subject.

11. The probe scanning unit 11. The ultrasound inspection robot according to claim 1, further comprising an ultrasound probe rotation drive unit that rotates the ultrasound probe on the body surface of the subject around the body surface of the upper body of the subject without changing the angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the subject.

12. The probe scanning unit 12. The ultrasonic inspection robot according to claim 1, further comprising a pressing mechanism for pressing the ultrasonic probe against the upper body of the subject.

13. The pressing mechanism includes:

13. The ultrasonic inspection robot according to claim 12, further comprising a pressing compliance mechanism in which an elastic member is elastically deformed by a force received from the subject when the ultrasonic probe is pressed against the upper body of the subject.

14. a lower body balloon cushion provided on the seat and supporting the lower back of the subject seated on the seat; an upper body balloon cushion provided on the upper body support portion, the upper body balloon cushion being tilted forward of the subject and supporting the side of the upper body that is in contact with the upper body support portion; The ultrasonic inspection robot according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising at least one of the following:

15. a processor that analyzes an ultrasound image obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves to and from the subject using the ultrasound probe, and generates a control signal for operating the probe scanning unit based on the analysis result; 15. The ultrasonic inspection robot according to claim 1, wherein the probe scanning unit moves the ultrasonic probe to a predetermined position based on the control signal.

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