Ultrasound probe

• US 9,173,636 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2013
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Irie, Kei
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Unsu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akar, Serkan
• Application Number:
  US13/768,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20130204140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0011 Manufacturing of endoscope parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00114 Electrical cables in or with an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4444 related to the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/445 Details of catheter construction

Abstract

An ultrasound probe including: an ultrasound transmission/reception portion; a cable; a housing; a hole portion of the housing; an insulation pipe having a proximal end side exposed outside the housing; an insulation tube covering an outer circumference of an exposed region of the insulation pipe and an outer circumference of the cable; an adhesive located between the outer circumference of the exposed region and a distal end side region of the insulation tube and configured to adhere the insulation pipe and the insulation tube to each other; and a sticky member disposed between the exposed region and the distal end side region together with the adhesive.

Claims

1. An ultrasound probe comprising:

an ultrasound transmission/reception portion having an ultrasound transmission/reception surface for transmitting and receiving ultrasound;

a cable having a distal end electrically connected to the ultrasound transmission/reception portion;

a housing configured to hold the ultrasound transmission/reception portion such that the ultrasound transmission/reception surface is exposed;

a hole portion provided to the housing and configured to lead out the cable from inside of the housing;

an insulation pipe through which the cable is inserted, the insulation pipe having a distal end side fixed to the hole portion in a state of contacting an inner circumference of the hole portion, and a proximal end side exposed outside the housing;

an insulation tube configured to cover an outer circumference of an exposed region of the insulation pipe which is exposed from the hole portion and an outer circumference of the cable led out from a proximal end of the insulation pipe;

an adhesive disposing area located from a distal end of the insulation tube for a predetermined distance between the outer circumference of the exposed region of the insulation pipe and an inner circumference of a distal end side region of the insulation tube covering the outer circumference of the exposed region;

an adhesive permeation preventing area located between the outer circumference of the exposed region of the insulation pipe and the inner circumference of the distal end side region of the insulation tube covering the outer circumference of the exposed region, at least a part of the adhesive permeation preventing area being located on a proximal end side with respect to the adhesive disposing area;

an adhesive located in the adhesive disposing area and configured to adhere the insulation pipe and the insulation tube to each other; and

a liquid dripping prevention portion disposed in the adhesive permeation preventing area between the outer circumference of the exposed region of the insulation pipe and the inner circumference of the distal end side region of the insulation tube, the liquid dripping prevention portion being configured to prevent the adhesive from flowing out from the proximal end of the insulation pipe and contacting the cable.

2. The ultrasound probe according to claim 1, wherein the liquid dripping prevention portion is a sticky member having a higher viscosity than the adhesive, the sticky member being configured to cling to the distal end side region of the insulation tube together with the adhesive, and located on a proximal end side with respect to the adhesive between the outer circumference of the exposed region of the insulation pipe and the inner circumference of the distal end side region of the insulation tube.

3. The ultrasound probe according to claim 1, wherein the liquid dripping prevention portion is a projection portion provided along an outer circumference of the proximal end of the insulation pipe and configured to block the adhesive flown out toward the proximal end side, the projection portion being located on a proximal end side with respect to the adhesive between the outer circumference of the exposed region of the insulation pipe and the inner circumference of the distal end side region of the insulation tube.

4. The ultrasound probe according to claim 3, wherein the projection portion is formed integrally with the insulation pipe by causing the outer circumference of the proximal end of the insulation pipe to be bulged.

5. The ultrasound probe according to claim 1, wherein the liquid dripping prevention portion is an absorbing member for absorbing the adhesive flown out toward the proximal end side, the absorbing member being located on a proximal end side with respect to the adhesive between the outer circumference of the exposed region of the insulation pipe and the inner circumference of the distal end side region of the insulation tube.

6. The ultrasound probe according to claim 1, wherein the liquid dripping prevention portion is a groove portion in which the adhesive is injected, the groove portion being formed on the outer circumference of the exposed region of the insulation pipe by causing the outer circumference to be dented.

7. The ultrasound probe according to claim 6, wherein the groove portion is formed in a circumferential shape on the outer circumference of the exposed region of the insulation pipe.

8. The ultrasound probe according to claim 1, wherein the liquid dripping prevention portion has a diameter larger than a diameter of the adhesive disposing area.

9. The ultrasound probe according to claim 8, wherein the liquid dripping prevention portion is extended to a proximal end of the insulation pipe.