JP2021146007A - Ultrasonic probe suspension device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an ultrasonic probe suspension device that can prevent an ultrasonic probe from dropping and being damaged.SOLUTION: An ultrasonic probe suspension device includes a restoring body, a support body and a grip body for suspending an ultrasonic probe and prevents the ultrasonic probe from dropping by restoring upward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe suspension device that prevents the ultrasonic probe from being dropped and damaged.

8, 9, and 10 are views showing a conventional ultrasonic probe breakage prevention device.
In 8-A, in Patent Document 1, the motor 14 is driven to rotate the cam 13 through the control means by the output of the detection means for detecting that the hand has been released, which is provided in the probe main body 2, and thereby presses the cam 13. The portion 9C is moved, and the D-shaped curved surface 9b is moved downward to move the ultrasonic vibrator assembly 3 below the ultrasonic vibrator assembly 3 to prevent the ultrasonic vibrator assembly 3 from colliding with the floor surface or the like and being damaged. However, there is a difficulty that it must be dealt with in just 0.4 seconds before the drop collision, and there is a drawback that it is difficult considering the motor rotation, cam movement, and movement of the pressing part 9C from detection, and the configuration is complicated. Further, since these are installed inside the probe main body 2, there is a drawback that the probe main body 2 becomes large and heavy. In addition, since it is installed inside, there is the inconvenience that the probe cannot be retrofitted.
In 8-B, in Patent Document 2, when a drop is detected by the acceleration sensor 51, the controller 12 drives the motor 9 to move the element holder 3 of the acoustic element 2 at a position where the acoustic element is not impacted. It is something to stop. Similar to Patent Document 1, this also has a difficult drawback, a drawback that the probe is large and heavy, and a drawback that it cannot be retrofitted because it takes time from the detection of the fall to the response.
In 9-A, in Patent Document 3, by providing a means for short-circuiting the input terminal of the electromagnetic motor 6, the rotation of the electromagnetic motor 6 is stopped. If there is rotation during dropping, a large impact will be applied to the transducer 2, so avoid this. This seems to have some effect, but damage caused by external impact cannot be avoided.
In 9-B, in Patent Document 4, the ultrasonic vibrator is swingably supported, the base slidable in the longitudinal direction is held by a spring, and the impact is absorbed by the spring. The mechanism is simple, but it seems that the accuracy of shock absorption will not improve.
In 10-A, in Patent Document 5, since the transducer is directly attached to the electromagnetic motor, if the electromagnetic motor remains rotated when dropped, a large impact is applied, so that the patent document 5 has a brake mechanism for stopping the rotation of the electromagnetic motor. .. The built-in brake mechanism makes the probe larger and has the inconvenience of not being able to be retrofitted.
In 10-B, in Patent Document 6, when the piezoelectric element is integrated on the backing plate, it is covered with a protective layer as a means for imparting impact resistance due to dropping. Diamond-like carbon is used for the protective layer. In this configuration, so-called semiconductor microfabrication technology is required to integrate the piezoelectric element and the protective layer, which is extremely expensive. Furthermore, sufficient drop resistance may not be obtained.
In 10-C, in Patent Document 7, a protective cover for covering an acoustic lens is attached, but there is an inconvenience that it becomes an obstacle when used.

Patent No. 5232926 Patent No. 4718331 JP-A-2010-269079 JP 2006-6485 Patent No. 3490391 JP 2015-177537 JP-A-2009-34212

An object of the present application is to provide an ultrasonic probe suspension device capable of preventing the ultrasonic probe from falling and being damaged.

It will be described below according to the claims.
The invention according to claim 1 is an ultrasonic probe suspension device.
It is used by being attached to an ultrasonic probe, and a restored body, a first gripping means attached to one end of the restored body and connected to the ultrasonic probe or a wire connected to the ultrasonic probe, and the ultrasonic probe. The ultrasonic probe is provided with a second gripping means for connecting a support at a position higher than the working position of the restoration body and the other end of the restoration body, the support supporting the restoration body, and the ultrasonic probe via the restoration body. When the ultrasonic probe is released from the ultrasonic probe in a suspended state, the ultrasonic probe is pulled upward by the restored body to prevent the ultrasonic probe from falling. do.

The invention according to claim 2 is the ultrasonic probe suspension device according to claim 1.
The spring constant k of the restored body, the mass Mp of the ultrasonic probe including the wire, the acceleration g of gravity, and the elongation L of the restored body to the position of use are k ≧ Mpg / L. ..

The invention according to claim 3 is the ultrasonic probe suspension device according to claim 1 or 2.
It is characterized in that the other end of the restored body or the second gripping means and an intermediate portion of the wire are connected and used.

The invention according to claim 4 is the ultrasonic probe suspension device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The attachment position of the first gripping means is the position of the connection portion of the wire to the ultrasonic probe, the position of the ultrasonic probe near the connection portion, or the position of the ultrasonic probe away from the connection portion. It is characterized by being either.

The invention according to claim 5 is the ultrasonic probe suspension device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The support is the neck of the practitioner who operates the ultrasonic probe, and the second gripping means is a ring around the neck, or the support is used to operate the ultrasonic probe. The clothes are worn by a person, and the second gripping means is a clip attached to the clothes.

The invention according to claim 6 is the ultrasonic probe suspension device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The support is characterized by being a columnar support or a foldable umbrella bone-shaped support.

The invention according to claim 7 is the ultrasonic probe suspension device according to claim 6.
The columnar support is characterized in that it can be expanded and contracted or folded.

The invention according to claim 8 is the ultrasonic probe suspension device according to claim 6 or 7.
The columnar support is characterized in that it is used by being attached to the ceiling at the place of use.

The invention according to claim 9 is the ultrasonic probe suspension device according to claim 6 or 7.
The columnar support is characterized in that it is attached to a ring attached to the ceiling at the place of use so as to be movable along the ring.

Since it is configured as described above, if the ultrasonic probe suspension device according to the present invention is used by attaching it to the ultrasonic probe, it is possible to prevent drop damage.

It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe suspension device which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the ultrasonic probe suspension device which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the columnar body of the ultrasonic probe suspension device which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment attached to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus by the ultrasonic probe suspension apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the attachment and the attachment state of the ultrasonic probe suspension device which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the support different from the columnar support of the ultrasonic probe suspension device which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the state of attachment to the ultrasonic probe of the ultrasonic probe suspension device which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the conventional ultrasonic probe breakage prevention device. It is a figure which shows the conventional ultrasonic probe breakage prevention device. It is a figure which shows the conventional ultrasonic probe breakage prevention device.

1 and 2 are views for explaining the ultrasonic probe suspension device according to the present invention.
2-A is a general ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 50 regardless of the present invention, and includes a display 10, a controller 20, and an ultrasonic probe 30. A practitioner such as a doctor holds the ultrasonic probe 30 in his hand and puts it on the affected part of the patient, emits ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic probe 30, receives the ultrasonic waves reflected from the body, and displays the display 10 as an image. Display on and diagnose. In the process, if the ultrasonic probe 30 is inadvertently released, the ultrasonic probe 30 falls, the ultrasonic probe 30 hits the floor, and the ultrasonic sensor 30 is damaged via the acoustic lens. Originally, the ultrasonic sensor 30 is vulnerable to impact.
Therefore, there is a need for a means that does not fall to the floor even if the ultrasonic probe 30 is inadvertently separated.
The ultrasonic probe suspension device of the present invention is used by being attached to the ultrasonic probe 30, and is attached to the restored body and one end of the restored body and is tied to the ultrasonic probe 30 or a wire connected to the ultrasonic probe 30. The first gripping means and the second gripping means for connecting the support at a position higher than the working position of the ultrasonic probe 30 and the other end of the restoration body are provided, and the support supports the restoration body and the restoration body is provided. When the ultrasonic probe 30 is released from the ultrasonic probe 30 by suspending the ultrasonic probe 30, the ultrasonic probe 30 is pulled upward by the restoration body, so that the ultrasonic probe 30 is dropped. To prevent.

The ultrasonic probe suspension device 100 according to the present invention is attached to the restoration body 120 and the tips of the restoration body 120, and connects the first gripping means 130 connected to the ultrasonic probe 30 with other terminals of the restoration body 120 and the support 110. A second gripping means 150 is provided.
In 1-A, the ultrasonic probe suspension device 100 is attached to the restoration body 120 and the tips of the restoration body 120, and the first gripping means 130 connected to the ultrasonic probe 30 or the wire attached thereto, and the other restoration body 120. It is provided with a second gripping means 150 at the end, but in 1-A, the second gripping means 150 is a ring to be hung on the neck so that it can be conveniently used around the neck of a practitioner such as a doctor. In 1-B, the second gripping means 150 is a clip attached to the clothes worn by the practitioner. The practitioner's body acts as a support.
The ultrasonic probe 30 is attached to the first gripping means 130. For example, in the case of 1-A, it becomes 1-C. An example of a situation diagram of a diagnosis site of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus when the second gripping means 150 is hung on the practitioner's neck using the one shown in 1-C is shown in 1-D.
When the second gripping means 150 is a clip, it is easy to attach it to the practitioner's clothing, especially the chest pocket.

2-B shows the ultrasonic probe suspension device 100 according to the present invention. The ultrasonic probe suspension device 100 is installed near the ultrasonic diagnostic device, and is intended for a columnar body as the support 110A.

The first gripping means 130 attached to the columnar support 110A, the restoration body 120, and the tip of the restoration body 120 and connected to the ultrasonic probe or the wire attached thereto, and the columnar body tip 140 which is the tip of the columnar support 110A. A second gripping means 150 for connecting the other ends of the restoration body 120 is provided.
When the hand is released from the ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic probe is pulled downward by gravity, but is pulled toward the tip of the columnar body 140 by the restoring force corresponding to the elongation of the restored body 120. There is a favorable relationship between the restoring force of the restorer 120 and the weight Mp of the ultrasonic probe 30 including the connecting wire, which will be shown later. By making the restoring force larger than the force due to gravity due to the mass Mp, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from falling.

In 2-C, the ultrasonic probe 30 and the wire connected to the ultrasonic probe 30 are attached to the ultrasonic probe suspension device 100, and the ultrasonic probe suspension device 100 is attached to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 50 via the columnar support 110A. It is attached. In such an example, it is convenient that the ultrasonic probe suspension device 100 can be moved together with the movement of the ultrasonic diagnostic device 50.
The ultrasonic probe 30 is hung by its own weight.
In 2-D, in the state of use, it is shown that a practitioner such as a doctor stretches the ultrasonic probe 30 to the patient who is the subject on the bed and uses it.

In 1-E, the characteristics of the restored body 120 applied in all the examples of the present application will be described.
At the position where the restored body 120 is extended by the use of the practitioner as in 1-D and 2-D, the force f1 (= kL: k corresponds to the spring constant) corresponds to the extension L of the restored body 120. ) Is working. A force f0 (= Mpg: Mp is the mass of the ultrasonic probe including the wire, g is the acceleration of gravity) is acting on the lower side in a state where the hand of a doctor or the like is difficult. If f1 ≧ f0 at the moment when the hand is released, the fall of the ultrasonic probe escapes.
For this, k that satisfies the relationship of k ≧ Mpg / L may be used. If there is a margin, it is convenient that k is about four times the value obtained by Mpg / L.
As an example, assuming that Mp = 0.2 kg (kilogram), g = 9.8 m / s ² , L = 1 m,
Since k = 1.96 N / m, a restored body of about 2 N / m, preferably 4 N / m is used.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment in which the support for the ultrasonic probe suspension device is a columnar body.
In 3-A, the columnar support 110A has no telescopic structure, 3-B has a telescopic structure in several stages, and 3-C has a further folding structure. ..

FIG. 4 shows a diagram attached to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 50 by taking an ultrasonic probe suspension device corresponding to 3-C as an example. In 4-A, it is attached to the existing accessory box for placing the ultrasonic probe 30 and the like, and in 4-B, the housing of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 50 is provided by the attachment attached to the lower end of the columnar support 110A. It is mounted on top and is essentially the same. In such a situation, it is convenient that the ultrasonic probe suspension device can be moved together with the movement of the ultrasonic diagnostic device 50.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a fixture and a mounting state, using an ultrasonic probe suspension device corresponding to 3-C as an example. 5-A is compatible with 4-B in FIG. 4, and is provided with a fixture 510 at the lower end of the columnar support 110A. In 5-B, the leg 520 that stands stably when placed on the floor at the lower end of the columnar support 110A is provided. In 5-C, the columnar support 110A is attached to the ceiling, and it is convenient if it can slide in the lateral direction. In 5-D, in an advanced form of 5-C, the columnar support 110A is movable by being attached to a ring attached to the ceiling. Depending on the examination position of the patient lying down, the ultrasonic probe 30 can be easily moved.

FIG. 6 has a support different from the columnar support 110A of the ultrasonic probe suspension device.
In 6-A, instead of the columnar support 110A, there is a foldable umbrella bone-shaped support 110B, and a restored body 120 with the first gripping means 130 is attached to the tip of the foldable umbrella bone-shaped support 110B. It is convenient that the umbrella bone-shaped support 110B is light so that it can be folded and carried. By placing it on the bed as in 6-B, the ultrasonic probe 30 is hung and prevented from falling on the floor.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a state in which the first gripping means 130 of the ultrasonic probe suspension device is attached to the ultrasonic probe 30. In 7-A, the first gripping means 130 is attached to the base of the ultrasonic probe 30 or a wire near the base, and the acoustic lens side at the tip of the ultrasonic probe 30 tends to face downward. In 7-B, the first gripping means 130 is attached to the base of the ultrasonic probe 30 or the wire near the base away from the wire and close to the acoustic lens side, and the acoustic lens side is easy to face in the horizontal direction. There is.
In 7-C, in addition to the one in 7-B, the second gripping means 150 on the end side of the restored body 120 on the side distant from the first gripping means 130 is connected to the wire intermediate portion 710.
In this figure, one embodiment of the first gripping means 130 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and many examples can be considered.

The restoration body 120 is a general coiled metal or plastic spring, a thread wound by a restoring mechanism or a stretchable material (rubber, etc.), a string, a band, or a combination thereof (for example, a plastic coil). Is reinforced with a metal coil spring, and the spring constant is mainly handled by the metal coil spring side).

As described above, when the ultrasonic probe suspension device according to the present invention is used, even if the ultrasonic probe is separated from the hand, the fall damage can be avoided, which is extremely convenient for industrial use.

10 Display 20 Controller 30 Ultrasonic probe 50 Ultrasonic diagnostic device 100 Ultrasonic probe suspension device 110 Support 110A Columnar support 110B Umbrella-shaped support 120 Restoration body 130 First gripping means 140 Columnar tip 150 No. (Ii) Gripping means 510 Fixture 520 Leg 710 Wire middle part

Claims (9)

It is used by being attached to an ultrasonic probe, and a restored body, a first gripping means attached to one end of the restored body and connected to the ultrasonic probe or a wire connected to the ultrasonic probe, and the ultrasonic probe. The ultrasonic probe is provided with a second gripping means for connecting a support at a position higher than the working position of the restoration body and the other end of the restoration body, the support supporting the restoration body, and the ultrasonic probe via the restoration body. When the ultrasonic probe is released from the ultrasonic probe in a suspended state, the ultrasonic probe is pulled upward by the restored body to prevent the ultrasonic probe from falling. Ultrasonic probe suspension device. The spring constant k of the restored body, the mass Mp of the ultrasonic probe including the wire, the acceleration g of gravity, and the elongation L of the restored body to the position of use are set to k ≧ Mpg / L. The ultrasonic probe suspension device according to claim 1. The ultrasonic probe suspension device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the other end of the restored body or the second gripping means and an intermediate portion of the wire are connected and used. The attachment position of the first gripping means is the position of the connection portion of the wire to the ultrasonic probe, the position of the ultrasonic probe near the connection portion, or the position of the ultrasonic probe away from the connection portion. The ultrasonic probe suspension device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ultrasonic probe is suspended by any one of the above. The support is the neck of the practitioner who operates the ultrasonic probe, and the second gripping means is a ring around the neck, or the support is used to operate the ultrasonic probe. The ultrasonic probe suspension device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the clothes are worn by a person, and the second gripping means is a clip attached to the clothes. .. The ultrasonic probe suspension device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the support is a columnar support or a foldable umbrella bone-shaped support. The ultrasonic probe suspension device according to claim 6, wherein the columnar support is configured to be expandable and contractible or foldable. The ultrasonic probe suspension device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the columnar support is attached to the ceiling at the place of use. The ultrasonic probe suspension device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the columnar support is used by being movably attached to a ring attached to the ceiling of the place of use along the ring.

Images