Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Detecting nuclear – electromagnetic – or ultrasonic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-14
2003-05-27
Lateef, Marvin M. (Department: 3737)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Detecting nuclear, electromagnetic, or ultrasonic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
active
06569100
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe for and a method of acquiring a tomographic image and other graphic images to be taken from the internal organs of a human body by taking advantage of an ultrasound, and more particularly to an ultrasonic probe for and a method of acquiring a tomographic image and other graphic images to be used for the diagnosis by doctors in the hospitals.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, there have been developed and used various kinds of ultrasonic probes which are designed to probe the internal organs of the human body to assist the doctors in diagnosing the human body in the hospitals. Among those ultrasonic probes, there are two types of ultrasonic probes the first one of which is constructed to be moved on while being kept in touch with the human body's skin to probe the solid internal organs such as livers and pancreas from the outside of the human body, and the second one of which is inserted into the hollow internal organs of the human body including stomachs, rectums and vaginas to probe the hollow internal organs of the human body. Both of the forgoing ultrasonic probes are adapted to emit an ultrasonic wave to the targeted portions of the human body before receiving an ultrasonic wave echoed from the targeted portions of the human body. The ultrasonic wave is transformed by the ultrasonic probe in a conventional manner into an electric signal that is processed into a tomographic image to be displayed on a display unit.
One typical example of the ultrasonic probes is disclosed in Japanese publications such as for example Japanese laid-open publication No. 184532/1991.
The ultrasonic probes herein disclosed are each the second type of the ultrasonic probe and thus provided with a probe unit comprising a transducer for transducing an electric signal into and out of an ultrasonic wave, an electric motor for allowing the transducer to be reciprocally swung around its own axis within a predetermined rotation range, and a reduction gear intervening between the transducer and the electric motor to transmit the rotation torque of the electric motor to the transducer. The transducer is provided in and supported by the housing to be swingable with respect to the housing around the center axis thereof within a predetermined swing rotation range. The transducer is in the form of an arcuate shape and has a space within which the electric motor and the transducer are arranged. The electric motor and the reduction gear are positioned roughly in coaxial relationship with the transducer. The arrangement of the transducer, the electric motor and the reduction gear results in the fact that the transducer is obliged to have a relatively large radius. The large radius of the transducer inevitably makes considerably large its cross-section area taken along a plane perpendicular to the direction in which the transducer is inserted into the internal organ.
As will be understood from the previously mentioned fact, the conventional ultrasonic probe of this type encounters such a problem that the transducer relatively large in radius and cross-section makes the ultrasonic probe unit as a whole to be bulky in size. Further, the fact that the gear of the transducer is drivably meshed with the gear of the electric motor by way of the reduction gear leads to the other problem that these gears thus held in meshing relationship with one another inevitably cause a backlash transmitted to the transducer, thereby deteriorating the accuracy of the ultrasonic probe unit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic probe that is smaller in size than the conventional ultrasonic probe.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic probe that is higher in accuracy than the conventional ultrasonic probe.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of producing an ultrasonic probe that is smaller in size and higher in accuracy than the conventional ultrasonic probe.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ultrasonic probe, comprising: a housing; a driven shaft rotatably supported by the housing; a transducer supported by the driven shaft to be swingable on one side of the driven shaft and operative to transduce an electric signal to and from an ultrasound, the transducer having the ultrasound emitted therefrom and reflected thereto through the housing in a predetermined direction; a drive shaft rotatably supported by the housing, spaced apart from and in parallel relationship with the driven shaft in the predetermined direction; a drive motor supported on the housing and drivably connected to the drive shaft; and a drive belt intervening between the driven shaft and the drive shaft to transmit the rotation from the drive motor to the transducer.
The ultrasonic probe thus constructed can reduce the rotation radius of the transducer independently of the size of the electric motor by having the rotation axes of the drive motor spaced apart from the transducer. This makes it possible to produce an ultrasonic probe small in size. Further, the ultrasonic probe can be high in accuracy as compared with the conventional ultrasonic probe because the rotation of the drive motor is transferred into the rotational motion of the transducer without any gears intervening between the transducer and the drive motor.
The drive belt may be substantially in the form of a loop shape and has rectangular cross section.
The housing of the ultrasonic probe according to the present invention may include an outer case; and an inner case accommodated in the outer case and held stationary with respect to the outer case, the driven shaft being rotatably supported by the inner case; a driven pulley fixedly supported on the driven shaft of the transducer and rotatable together with the driven shaft; and a drive pulley fixedly supported on the drive shaft and rotatable together with the drive shaft, the drive belt being passed on the driven pulley and the drive pulley.
The ultrasonic probe according to the present invention desirably comprises synchronizing means for synchronizing the driven pulley with the drive pulley when the driven pulley is driven to rotate by the drive pulley through the drive belt.
It is desirable that the synchronizing means be constituted by a first projection formed on the driven pulley to radially project from the outer peripheral surface of the driven pulley, a second projection formed on the drive pulley to radially project from the outer peripheral surface of the drive pulley, and the drive belt respectively having first and second holes formed therein in spaced apart relationship with each other in the rotation direction of the drive belt, the first and second holes respectively having the first and second projections received therein to ensure that the drive pulley is driven to rotate in synchronism with the drive pulley.
The synchronizing means makes it possible to produce an ultrasonic probe with no slip causing between the drive belt and the driven and drive pulleys and thus highly responsive and reliable in the torque transmission between the drive and driven pulleys.
The ultrasonic probe according to the present invention may further comprise length adjusting means for adjusting the length of the drive belt with the first pulley and the second pulley to have the first projection and the second projections respectively engaged with first hole and the second hole. In this case, the drive belt has a predetermined length defined by the distance between the first hole and the second hole.
The ultrasonic probe according to the present invention may further comprise an adjusting screw, the drive belt has a first engaging portion held in engagement with the drive pulley, a second engaging portion held in engagement with the driven pulley and a third engaging portion held in engagement with the drive pulley and formed with an adjusting hole having an inner diameter
Irioka Kazuyoshi
Koizumi Jun
Okawa Eiichi
Suzuki Takashi
Lateef Marvin M.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Patel Maulin
Pearne & Gordon LLP
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