Patent ID: 11903762
Assignee: FUJIFILM CORPORATION
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. An ultrasound probe comprising:
a transducer array in which a plurality of transducers are arranged; and
a housing in which the transducer array is accommodated,
wherein the housing has
a grip portion that extends in an extension direction,
a transducer array accommodation portion that is connected to one end portion of the grip portion in the extension direction and accommodates the transducer array, a probe support surface that is defined in a surface on the other end portion side of the grip portion in the extension direction, extends along the extension direction and has a flat shape, and
a probe operating surface that is defined in a surface of another end portion of the grip portion and is directed in a direction opposite to the probe support surface,
wherein a probe reference surface that passes through a center of the arrangement of the plurality of transducers in the transducer array and extends in an arrangement direction of the plurality of transducers and the extension direction of the grip portion is positioned between the probe support surface and the probe operating surface,
a distance between the probe reference surface and the probe support surface is greater than a distance between the probe reference surface and the probe operating surface,
a center of gravity of the ultrasound probe is positioned on the other end portion side of the grip portion in the extension direction of the grip portion, and is positioned between the probe support surface and the probe reference surface,
in a case where the ultrasound probe is placed on a flat placing surface with the probe support surface being brought into contact with the flat placing surface, the ultrasound probe is in such a posture that a surface of the housing in a portion positioned on the transducer array accommodation portion side with respect to the probe support surface is separated from the flat placing surface, and
the distance between the probe reference surface and the probe support surface being greater than the distance between the probe reference surface and the probe operating surface forms an asymmetric shape of the grip portion about the probe reference surface and results in an advantage of separating the transducer array accommodation portion from the flat placing surface when the ultrasound probe is placed on the flat placing surface while also improving a user's grip on the grip portion.