Endoscope-attachable ultrasonic imaging device

Abstract

The present invention relates to an endoscope-attachable ultrasonic imaging device comprising: a body having a space therein; an electric motor embedded in the lower portion of the body to selectively rotate a rotary shaft in response to a driving signal applied from the outside; a first ultrasonic transducer provided in the upper portion of the body and emitting first ultrasonic waves in the corresponding frequency band to a target and then receive first ultrasonic waves reflected by the target; a second ultrasonic transducer provided inside the body and emitting second ultrasonic waves in the relevant frequency band to the target and then receiving second ultrasonic waves reflected from the target; an acoustic mirror member provided inside the body and reflecting ultrasonic waves emitted by the first and second ultrasonic transducers, in the circumferential direction; and a magnetic coupler provided between the electric motor and the acoustic mirror member to rotate the acoustic mirror member around the center of the body by means of rotational power generated by the electric motor. The endoscope-attachable ultrasonic imaging device can be attached to the end of a general endoscope probe to provide 360° ultrasonic images in addition to those of existing endoscopes, thereby providing improved accuracy in lesion diagnosis.

Description

Ultrasound imaging device for endoscope mounting

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic imaging device for use on an endoscope, and more particularly, to an ultrasonic imaging device for use on an endoscope that can be attached or detached to the tip of a general endoscope probe and that acquires ultrasonic images of different bands using a pair of single-element ultrasonic transducers.

[0002] The human digestive system is generally divided into the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. Conventionally, endoscopic devices are used to observe the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine.

[0003] Conventional endoscopic examinations using these endoscopic devices can observe the mucosal layer (outermost part) of the digestive tract, but have the problem of not being able to observe lesions below the mucosal layer (submucosa, muscle layer) or on the outside of the digestive tract.

[0004] Ultrasound systems are also used to observe the human digestive system to obtain more precise information about the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine.

[0005] An ultrasonic system is a non-destructive system that transmits an ultrasonic signal to an object to be inspected using an ultrasonic transducer, receives the ultrasonic signal that is reflected from a discontinuous surface of the object, converts the received ultrasonic signal into an electrical signal, processes the signal, creates an ultrasonic image, and outputs the image to a predetermined imaging device, thereby inspecting the internal state of the object.

[0006] That is, unlike visual observation using a general endoscope, by observing lesions using ultrasound, differential diagnosis of submucosal tumors, staging of esophageal cancer and gastric cancer, differential diagnosis of gallstones, polyps and gallbladder cancer, and differential diagnosis of bile duct stones, tumors, bile duct cancer and pancreatic diseases can be made more accurately.

[0007] In other words, in the case of an ultrasound diagnostic system, it has the advantage of being able to obtain images in real time and being almost harmless to the human body, but it is difficult to obtain images of all lesions of a patient when using only an ultrasound diagnostic device, and for each lesion, only a part of the lesion can be obtained, not the entire lesion. In addition, since it is difficult to obtain images of the lesion and its surrounding area together, it is difficult to effectively find the path to the lesion. Therefore, efforts are being made to obtain an accurate diagnosis by using an endoscopic diagnostic device and an ultrasound diagnostic device in parallel.

[0008] However, ultrasound endoscopy devices and equipment are quite expensive, and only general hospitals and higher level medical institutions have ultrasound endoscopy equipment, which reduces accessibility to medical care.

[0009] For prior art, please refer to Patent Publication No. 10-2022-0008425 (January 21, 2022).

[0010] The present invention is to be mounted on the end of a general endoscope probe, and is capable of scanning 360° ultrasound images, and thus, in addition to existing endoscopes, 360° ultrasound images are provided, thereby enabling diagnosis of a tubular object (esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine) in the depth direction (circumferential direction - submucosal layer (submucosal layer, muscle layer), etc.), thereby providing improved lesion diagnosis accuracy, and using a magnetic coupler to rotate an acoustic mirror member 360° around the axis with rotational force generated from an electric motor, thereby providing an endoscope-mounted ultrasound imaging device that is not only easy to miniaturize, but also has no possibility of gear wear, is highly durable due to being strong against external impact, and has low after-care costs, making it highly economical.

[0011] An endoscope-mounted ultrasonic imaging device according to the present invention comprises: a body having a space inside; an electric motor built into a lower portion of the body and selectively rotating a rotation axis by a driving signal applied from the outside; a first ultrasonic transducer provided in an upper portion of the body, irradiating a first ultrasonic wave of a corresponding frequency band to a target and receiving the first ultrasonic wave reflected from the target; a second ultrasonic transducer provided inside the body, irradiating a second ultrasonic wave of a corresponding frequency band to a target and receiving the second ultrasonic wave reflected from the target; an acoustic mirror member provided inside the body, reflecting ultrasonic waves irradiated from each of the first ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer in a circumferential direction; and a magnetic coupler provided between the electric motor and the acoustic mirror member, and rotating the acoustic mirror member about the center of the body with a rotational force generated by the electric motor.

[0012] At this time, the internal space of the body according to the present invention can be filled with a liquid penetrating medium that transmits ultrasonic waves.

[0013] And, according to the present invention, a connecting portion is formed extending on the lower side of the body into which the end of the endoscope probe is inserted and connected.

[0014] In addition, the acoustic mirror member according to the present invention includes a rotation unit that rotates about an axis in the vertical direction at the center of the internal space of the body, a support formed to extend upward from one side of the rotation unit, and an acoustic mirror that reflects ultrasonic waves irradiated from the first ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer at the upper end of the support.

[0015] Here, it is preferable that the acoustic mirror according to the present invention is provided at an angle of 45°.

[0016] And the magnetic coupler according to the present invention includes a first magnetic gear provided on the rotational axis of the electric motor, and a second magnetic gear provided on the lower portion of the acoustic mirror member.

[0017] At this time, it is preferable that the first magnet gear and the second magnet gear according to the present invention are spaced apart from each other at a certain distance.

[0018] Here, it is preferable that the plurality of magnets provided in each of the first and second magnet gears according to the present invention are provided radially with the center as the axis, and that the magnetic polarities of the faces facing each other are arranged such that an attractive force (a force that pulls each other) is applied.

[0019] In addition, it is preferable that the plurality of magnets radially arranged in the first magnet gear and the second magnet gear according to the present invention are arranged with the N pole and the S pole alternately.

[0020] The endoscope-mounted ultrasonic imaging device according to the present invention has the following effects.

[0021] By mounting it on the end of a general endoscope probe, it is possible to scan 360° ultrasound images, and since it provides 360° ultrasound images in addition to the existing endoscope, it is possible to diagnose the target object (esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine) in the depth direction (circumferential direction - submucosal layer (submucosal layer, muscle layer), etc.) of the coronal object, thereby providing improved lesion diagnosis accuracy.

[0022] And, by using a magnetic coupler, the acoustic mirror member is rotated 360° on the axis by the rotational force generated from the electric motor, so it is not only a drive method that is easy to miniaturize, but also has no possibility of gear wear, is resistant to external impacts, has high durability, and has low after-sales maintenance costs.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an ultrasonic imaging device for mounting on an endoscope according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram showing a state in which torque is transmitted from an electric motor to an acoustic mirror member by a magnetic coupler according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram showing a process of obtaining a high-resolution ultrasound image in an image processing unit based on an artificial intelligence network of an endoscope-mounted ultrasound imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] The present invention provides an endoscope-mounted ultrasonic imaging device, comprising: a body having a space inside; an electric motor built into a lower portion of the body and selectively rotating a rotation axis by a driving signal applied from the outside; a first ultrasonic transducer provided in an upper portion of the body and irradiating a first ultrasonic wave of a corresponding frequency band to a target and receiving the first ultrasonic wave reflected from the target; a second ultrasonic transducer provided inside the body and irradiating a second ultrasonic wave of a corresponding frequency band to a target and receiving the second ultrasonic wave reflected from the target; an acoustic mirror member provided inside the body and circumferentially reflecting ultrasonic waves irradiated from each of the first ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer; and a magnetic coupler provided between the electric motor and the acoustic mirror member and rotating the acoustic mirror member about the center of the body with a rotational force generated by the electric motor.

[0027] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Prior to this, it should be noted that the terms and words used in this specification and claims should not be construed as limited to their conventional or dictionary meanings. Based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of a term to best explain his or her invention, the terms and concepts should be interpreted in a way that conforms to the technical spirit of the present invention.

[0028] Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that there may be equivalent modified examples that can replace them at the time of this application.

[0029] The present invention relates to an endoscope-mounted ultrasonic imaging device having improved operational integrity and durability, easy miniaturization, and high economic efficiency, by forming a coupling part so as to be detachably attached to an endoscope probe, and by performing rotation of an acoustic mirror that reflects ultrasonic waves by a magnetic coupler based on magnetism so that ultrasonic waves of different bands irradiated from a pair of ultrasonic transducers are irradiated along a circumference, and the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as follows.

[0030] An endoscope-mounted ultrasonic imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a body (100), an electric motor (200), a first ultrasonic transducer (310), a second ultrasonic transducer (320), an acoustic mirror member (400), and a magnetic coupler (500). First, the body (100) has an overall cylindrical shape, and a space of a predetermined shape that is sealed from the outside is formed inside the body. The space is formed by combining a base (110) forming a lower portion of the body (100) and a cover (120) forming an upper portion of the body (100).

[0031] At this time, the base (110) is formed as a cylindrical block, and a support (111) is formed to extend upward at a certain height at the center of the upper surface thereof, and a second ultrasonic converter (320) is provided at the upper end of the support (111).

[0032] In addition, the support (111) is provided with an acoustic mirror member (400) that can rotate about the vertical center of the support (111).

[0033] And, on one side of the base (110), a connecting portion (130) into which the end of the endoscope probe (10) is inserted and connected is formed extending laterally. It is preferable that the connecting portion (130) be tubular so that the end of the endoscope probe (10) can be inserted, and a stopper (131) may be formed on the upper end of the connecting portion (130) having a tubular shape to prevent the end of the endoscope probe (10) inserted into the connecting portion (130) from being inserted beyond a certain length.

[0034] Therefore, the endoscope-mounted ultrasonic imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention can be used by selectively attaching and detaching to an existing endoscope probe by forming an extended connection portion (130) into which an endoscope probe (10) is inserted on one side of the base (110) forming the lower part of the body (100).

[0035] Additionally, a joining step (112) is formed along the upper outer periphery of the base (110) to which the lower end of the cover (120) is joined.

[0036] The lower part of the cover (120) is joined to the above-mentioned joining step (112), so that the base (110) and the cover (120) form one body (100), and the internal space of the cover (120) is sealed.

[0037] Here, the cover (120) has a cylindrical shape with an open bottom and a space inside, and the cover (120) is made of a transparent material so that the inside can be seen from the outside.

[0038] At this time, the cover (120) may be made of any one material having a small difference in acoustic impedance, such as silicone, PDMS, PEBAX, or TPX.

[0039] Additionally, the internal space of the cover (120) may be filled with a liquid penetrating medium, such as water, through which ultrasonic waves are transmitted.

[0040] And, a first ultrasonic transducer (310) is provided on the upper side of the cover (120). The first ultrasonic transducer (310) is located at the upper side of the body (100), irradiates the first ultrasonic wave of the corresponding frequency band to the target, and receives the first ultrasonic wave reflected from the target.

[0041] The second ultrasonic converter (320) provided on the upper part of the support (111) of the above base (110) also irradiates the second ultrasonic wave of the corresponding frequency band to the target and receives the second ultrasonic wave reflected from the target.

[0042] At this time, it is preferable that the first ultrasonic transducer (310) and the second ultrasonic transducer (320) are single-element ultrasonic transducers that irradiate / receive ultrasonic waves of different bands.

[0043] For example, the first ultrasonic transducer (310) can obtain a high-resolution ultrasound image by irradiating / receiving high-frequency ultrasound, which is an ultrasound with a relatively high bandwidth compared to the second ultrasonic transducer (320), and the second ultrasonic transducer (320) can obtain a low-resolution ultrasound image by irradiating / receiving low-frequency ultrasound, which is an ultrasound with a relatively low bandwidth compared to the first ultrasonic transducer (310).

[0044] And the first ultrasonic transducer (310) irradiates the first ultrasonic wave toward the second ultrasonic transducer (320) provided on the upper side of the support (111) of the base (110), and the second ultrasonic transducer (320) is spaced apart from the first ultrasonic transducer (310) by a certain distance inside the body (100) and irradiates the second ultrasonic wave toward the first ultrasonic transducer (310).

[0045] At this time, the first ultrasonic wave and the second ultrasonic wave irradiated from each of the first ultrasonic converter (310) and the second ultrasonic converter (320) are irradiated in the circumferential direction by the acoustic mirror member (400).

[0046] The above acoustic mirror member (400) is provided in the internal space of the body (100) and reflects the first ultrasonic wave and the second ultrasonic wave irradiated to the first ultrasonic transducer (310) and the second ultrasonic transducer (320) in the circumferential direction.

[0047] At this time, the acoustic mirror member (400) includes a rotation unit (410) and an acoustic mirror (420) to reflect the first ultrasonic wave and the second ultrasonic wave irradiated to the first ultrasonic converter (310) and the second ultrasonic converter (320) in the circumferential direction.

[0048] The above rotation unit (410) has a ring shape as its overall shape, is centered on the support (111) of the base (110), and is rotatably connected to the support (111) by a bearing.

[0049] Therefore, the above rotation unit (410) rotates about the vertical longitudinal center of the support (111).

[0050] And the above acoustic mirror (420) is connected to the upper end of a support (411) that extends upward from one side of the above rotation unit (410).

[0051] At this time, the acoustic mirror (420) is connected at an angle of 45° so that the first ultrasonic converter (310) and the second ultrasonic converter (320) have different fields of view with a phase of 180°, and the center of the acoustic mirror (420) overlaps with the vertical center of the support (111).

[0052] The first ultrasonic wave and the second ultrasonic wave irradiated from the first ultrasonic transducer (310) and the second ultrasonic transducer (320), respectively, are reflected at an angle of 45° by the acoustic mirror (420) and irradiated in the circumferential direction.

[0053] Accordingly, the first ultrasonic transducer (310) and the second ultrasonic transducer (320) can scan 360° ultrasonic images along the circumference by rotating the first ultrasonic transducer (310) and the second ultrasonic transducer (320) about the center of the support (111) while the acoustic mirror (420) is tilted at an angle of 45° by the rotation of the rotation unit (410).

[0054] And, an electric motor (200) is built into the lower part of the body (100), and the electric motor (200) selectively rotates the rotation shaft by a driving signal applied from the outside to generate rotational force.

[0055] The rotational force of the electric motor (200) generated at this time rotates the acoustic mirror member (400).

[0056] Here, the rotational power of the electric motor (200) is transmitted to the acoustic mirror member (400) through the magnetic coupler (500), causing the acoustic mirror member (400) to rotate.

[0057] At this time, the magnetic coupler (500) includes a first magnetic gear (510) provided on the rotation shaft of the electric motor (200) and a second magnetic gear (520) integrally coupled to the lower side of the rotation unit (410) of the acoustic mirror member (400).

[0058] The first magnet gear (510) and the second magnet gear (520) are provided with magnets of the N pole and the S pole alternately arranged radially on the faces facing each other, and the second magnet gear (520) rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the first magnet gear (510) by the attractive force acting on the magnets of opposite magnetic polarity.

[0059] At this time, the magnets provided in the first magnet gear (510) and the second magnet gear (520) respectively can be rotated at the same speed by arranging magnets of the same magnetic force in the same position, and even if the first magnet gear (510) and the second magnet gear (520) are spaced apart from each other by a certain distance without mechanical connection, the second magnet gear (520) rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the first magnet gear (510) by magnetic force.

[0060] Accordingly, when the rotation axis of the electric motor (200) rotates, the first magnet gear (510) provided on the rotation axis of the electric motor (200) rotates, and when the first magnet gear (510) rotates, the second magnet gear (520) rotates due to the magnetic force acting between the first magnet gear (510) and the second magnet gear (520), thereby causing the acoustic mirror member (400) to rotate.

[0061] An endoscope-mounted ultrasonic imaging device according to one embodiment of the present invention rotates an acoustic mirror member (400) spaced a certain distance apart by a rotational force generated from an electric motor (200) by a magnetic coupler (500) that transmits rotational force by magnetism for 360° ultrasonic image scanning, so that no additional space is required for a power transmission gear, which is advantageous for miniaturization, is robust against external impacts, eliminates durability concerns due to gear wear, and has no concerns about operational integrity.

[0062] In addition, it is preferable to have a built-in battery that supplies power to the body (100) of the endoscope-mounted ultrasonic imaging device according to one embodiment of the present invention so that components such as an electric motor (200), a first ultrasonic transducer (310), and a second ultrasonic transducer (320) can operate, and a communication means for transmitting ultrasonic signals (first and second ultrasonic waves reflected from an object and received) received from the first ultrasonic transducer (310) and the second ultrasonic transducer (320) to an image processing unit may also be built-in.

[0063] The image processing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is based on an artificial intelligence network, and the artificial intelligence network includes a generation unit, a learning unit, a measurement unit, and an output unit, which will be examined in more detail as follows.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 3, first, the generating unit receives data (ultrasonic signal) received through communication with a communication means and generates an ultrasonic image. The generating unit receives first ultrasonic data received through communication with the communication means and generates a high-resolution ultrasonic image, and receives second ultrasonic signals received through communication with the communication means and generates a low-resolution ultrasonic image.

[0065] Meanwhile, when creating an ultrasound image based on ultrasound data, the higher the frequency of the ultrasound data, the higher the resolution of the ultrasound image created based on the ultrasound data, but the depth of the tissue from which the ultrasound image can be acquired becomes shallower.

[0066] And the lower the frequency of the ultrasound data, the lower the resolution of the ultrasound image generated based on the ultrasound data, but the deeper the tissue depth from which the ultrasound image can be obtained becomes.

[0067] Accordingly, the high-resolution ultrasound image generated by the above-mentioned generating unit has a higher resolution than the low-resolution ultrasound image, but cannot provide information on a predetermined tissue located at a deeper depth than that of the low-resolution ultrasound image, and the low-resolution ultrasound image generated by the above-mentioned generating unit has a lower resolution than the high-resolution ultrasound image, but can provide information on a predetermined tissue located at a deeper depth than that of the high-resolution ultrasound image.

[0068] In contrast, high-resolution ultrasound images have higher resolution than low-resolution ultrasound images, but they cannot obtain information on certain tissues located at a deeper depth than low-resolution ultrasound images can.

[0069] And the above learning unit can receive and learn high-resolution ultrasound images and low-resolution ultrasound images, and can generate a transformed ultrasound image with improved resolution based on the input low-resolution ultrasound images.

[0070] In addition, the measuring unit can extract features of the converted ultrasound image and features of the high-resolution ultrasound image, and measure the similarity between the converted ultrasound image and the high-resolution ultrasound image based on the features of the converted ultrasound image and the features of the high-resolution ultrasound image.

[0071] For example, the measuring unit can measure the similarity between the converted ultrasound image and the high-resolution ultrasound image by comparing the speckle pattern of the converted ultrasound image and the speckle pattern of the high-resolution ultrasound image.

[0072] And the above artificial intelligence network can train the generation unit using the error backpropagation method to increase the similarity between the converted ultrasound image measured by the measurement unit and the high-resolution ultrasound image.

[0073] And the above output unit can output an ultrasound image based on a converted ultrasound image and a high-resolution ultrasound image.

[0074] Specifically, among the ultrasound images output by the output unit, an image of a predetermined tissue located at a relatively deep location may be output based on a converted ultrasound image, and among the ultrasound images output by the output unit, an image of a predetermined tissue located at a relatively shallow location may be output based on a high-resolution ultrasound image.

[0075] Therefore, the ultrasound image output by the output unit can provide information about a shallow tissue as a high-resolution image, and at the same time, can provide information about a deep tissue as a high-resolution image.

[0076] In addition, in order to improve the performance of the artificial intelligence decoding network for converting a low-frequency ultrasound image into a high-frequency ultrasound image, the image processing unit operating based on the artificial intelligence network according to an embodiment of the present invention can learn a network that can divide a low-frequency ultrasound image into images of a certain bandwidth within the ultrasound bandwidth of the corresponding ultrasound transducer during network learning, and sequentially generate high-frequency ultrasound data from the divided ultrasound data.

[0077] By using this, the frequency can be sequentially increased in the low-frequency data through the self-highfrequency reference technique to match the segmented low-frequency ultrasound data within the bandwidth of the high-frequency ultrasound transducer, thereby generating a higher-quality, high-resolution ultrasound image.

[0078] Additionally, by performing fine tuning of network parameters using the acquired high-resolution and low-resolution images, high-quality high-resolution images can always be generated regardless of the domain.

[0079] While the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, these are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and equivalent alternative embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true scope of technical protection of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A body having space inside; An electric motor built into the lower part of the body and selectively rotating the rotation axis by a driving signal applied from the outside; A first ultrasonic transducer provided on the upper part of the body, which irradiates a first ultrasonic wave of a corresponding frequency band to a target and receives a first ultrasonic wave reflected from the target; A second ultrasonic transducer provided inside the body, which irradiates a second ultrasonic wave of a corresponding frequency band to a target and receives a second ultrasonic wave reflected from the target; An acoustic mirror member provided inside the body and reflecting the ultrasonic waves irradiated from each of the first ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer in a circumferential direction; and An endoscope-mounted ultrasonic imaging device including a magnetic coupler that is provided between the electric motor and the acoustic mirror member and rotates the acoustic mirror member about the center of the body with the rotational force generated from the electric motor.

2. In claim 1, In the internal space of the above body An ultrasonic imaging device for use on an endoscope, characterized in that it is filled with a liquid penetrating medium that transmits ultrasonic waves.

3. In claim 1, On the lower side of the above body An endoscope-mounted ultrasound imaging device characterized by having an extended joint formed into which the end of the endoscope probe is inserted.

4. In claim 1, The above acoustic mirror member A rotating unit that rotates about an axis extending vertically from the center of the internal space of the above body, A support formed by extending upward from one side of the above rotating unit, An endoscope-mounted ultrasonic imaging device including an acoustic mirror that reflects ultrasonic waves emitted from the first ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer at the top of the support.

5. In claim 4, The above acoustic mirror An endoscope-mounted ultrasound imaging device that is inclined at a 45° angle.

6. In claim 1, The above magnetic coupler A first magnetic gear provided on the rotation shaft of the above electric motor, An endoscope-mounted ultrasonic imaging device including a second magnetic gear provided at the lower portion of the above-mentioned acoustic mirror member.

7. In claim 6, The above first magnet gear and the second magnet gear Endoscope-mounted ultrasound imaging devices spaced apart from each other at a certain distance.

8. In claim 6, An endoscope-mounted ultrasound imaging device in which a plurality of magnets provided in each of the first and second magnet gears are arranged radially with the center as the axis, and the magnetic polarities of the faces facing each other are arranged such that an attractive force (a force that attracts each other) is applied.

9. In claim 8, An endoscope-mounted ultrasonic imaging device in which a plurality of magnets radially arranged on the first and second magnet gears are arranged with their N and S poles alternately arranged.

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