Patent ID: 6733457
Filing Date: 2004-05-11
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
An ultrasonic endoscopic probe tip device providing signals to an imaging system for transesophageal diagnosis, said probe tip device comprising:a removable transducer tip housing adapted to be attached to the distal end of an endoscope; a mechanical rotating platform supported by said housing; a rotatable, ball-bearing-mounted phased array transducer supported by said platform, said transducer having an acoustic propagation axis and being rotatable around said axis through multiple turns, and said transducer including an associated drive gear rotatable therewith; an immersed micro-motorized drive means located adjacent to said transducer; a torque limiting gearbox coupling said drive means to said transducer; a position encoder directly mated with the drive gear of the transducer so as to provide the imaging system with transducer position information over a 360Â° range; an automatic transducer position locking/unlocking system for locking the transducer in a selected rotational position; and a removable interconnect interface disposed at an interface between the transducer tip housing and a tubular distal end of an endoscopic connection, said interconnect interface comprising electrical interconnections for controlling said transducer drive means as well as said locking/unlocking system and said position encoder.