Patent Description:
An ultrasonic imaging apparatus may include an apparatus that irradiates an ultrasonic signal from a body surface of an object toward a target site in the body and obtains an image of a cross-section of soft tissues or blood flow in a non-invasive manner by using information of a reflected ultrasonic signal (ultrasonic echo signal).

In general, the ultrasonic imaging apparatus may include a main body, and an ultrasonic probe for transmitting an ultrasonic signal to an object to be diagnosed and receiving a signal reflected from the object.

During diagnosis by an ultrasonic imaging apparatus, a needle biopsy may be performed on a region suspected of having a tumor or the like inside an object. The needle biopsy may be performed using a needle inserted into the inside of the object to collect tissue.

However, when the needle inserted into the object deviates from the ultrasonic image by the ultrasonic probe, a normal tissue or organ of the object may be damaged.

Therefore, a user needs to perform a procedure so that the needle inserted into the object does not deviate from the ultrasonic image by the ultrasonic probe, but there may be a great difficulty for an unskilled user.

In order to reduce the above burden on the user, in general, a needle guide configured to guide the needle when the biopsy method is performed may be attached to the ultrasonic probe and used. The needle may be moved along the needle guide by the user to collect a target from the inside of the object.

In order to guide a needle using a needle guide, a needle guide corresponding to the size of the needle to be used may be selected, and the selected needle guide may be attached to the ultrasonic probe and used.

Therefore, the user may need to have a plurality of needle guides each corresponding to sizes of a plurality of needles to be used.

In addition, when a plurality of needles having different sizes are used, a plurality of needle guides having a size corresponding to each of the plurality of needles needs to be replaced and attached to the ultrasonic probe, so that there may be great discomfort to use.

Known from the art is for example the needle biopsy guide system as disclosed in <CIT>. This system is for attachment to an endoluminal ultrasound probe or like sonographic instrument. The device includes a biopsy-guide attachment that allows for trocar catheter placement for abscess drainage or like procedures, using the transvaginal or transrectal route under sonographic control. The device has a base portion, which is attachable to an ultrasound probe. A removable retainer is provided that slides into the base unit to hold a biopsy needle in place. A physician may locate the target area in the body with the ultrasound probe, insert the biopsy needle into the target area, and then remove the insert (retainer) from the base unit and ultrasound probe, and leave the biopsy needle in place in the body.

Also known from the art is the needle guide holder as disclosed in <CIT>. This holder is used for a fixing medical puncture needle and a ultrasonic probe, comprises a holder body and a fixing device used in cooperation with the holder body. The fixing device is mounted onto the holder body and provided with a weakening portion. The needle guide holder is designed to be disposable, thereby avoiding the possibility of cross-infection caused by using the same needle guide holder on different patients. The needle guide holder can be used on one and same patient to perform a number of treatments just through the replacement of a sliding frame and without replacing the fixing device and a fixing frame. In a treatment process, the puncture needle is left in the body for a subsequent treatment, while the needle guide holder and the ultrasonic probe can be removed from the human body.

The present disclosure is directed to providing an ultrasonic probe including a needle guide to guide a plurality of needles having different sizes.

The present disclosure is directed to providing an ultrasonic probe including a needle guide having a guide part provided to correspond to different sizes of a plurality of needles.

An aspect of the present disclosure provides an ultrasonic probe according to accompanying claim <NUM>.

Because an ultrasonic probe according to the present disclosure includes a needle guide provided to guide a plurality of needles having different sizes, there is no need to have a plurality of needle guides each corresponding to the sizes of the plurality of needles, so that simplification of needle guide management can be achieved.

Further, because the ultrasonic probe according to the present disclosure includes a needle guide provided to guide a plurality of needles having different sizes, so that ease of use can be improved.

The embodiments described in the present specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only examples of preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and various modifications may be made at the time of filing of the present disclosure to replace the embodiments and drawings of the present specification.

Like reference numbers or signs in the various drawings of the application represent parts or components that perform substantially the same functions.

The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing the embodiments and are not intended to restrict and/or to limit the present disclosure. For example, the singular expressions herein may include plural expressions, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Also, the terms "comprises" and "has" are intended to indicate that there are features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish one component from another.

For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component.

The term "and/or" includes any combination of a plurality of related items or any one of a plurality of related items.

In this specification, the terms "front end," "rear end," "upper portion," "lower portion," "upper end" and "lower end" used in the following description are defined with reference to the drawings, and the shape and position of each component are not limited by these terms.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<FIG> is a view illustrating an ultrasonic imaging apparatus including an ultrasonic probe according to the present disclosure.

As illustrated in <FIG>, an ultrasonic imaging apparatus <NUM> is a main body <NUM>, and an ultrasonic probe <NUM> configured to transmit an ultrasonic signal to an object to be diagnosed and receive a signal reflected from the object.

In order to obtain an ultrasonic image of an object, the ultrasonic probe <NUM> may transmit an ultrasonic signal to the object and may receive an ultrasonic signal reflected from the object and transmit the reflected ultrasonic signal to a controller (not shown). The ultrasonic probe <NUM> may be connected to the main body <NUM> by a cable.

The main body <NUM> may be provided with a display <NUM> to display a diagnosis result obtained through the received ultrasonic signal. An application related to the operation of the ultrasonic imaging apparatus <NUM> may be displayed on the display <NUM>.

For example, the display <NUM> may display an ultrasonic image obtained during an ultrasonic diagnosis process or matters related to the operation of the ultrasonic imaging apparatus <NUM>.

The display <NUM> may be implemented as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), or the like. A plurality of the displays <NUM> may be provided. When the plurality of displays <NUM> is provided, the displays <NUM> may include a main display and a sub-display.

For example, an ultrasonic image obtained during the ultrasonic diagnosis process may be displayed on the main display, and matters related to the operation of the ultrasonic imaging apparatus <NUM> may be displayed on the sub-display.

The main body <NUM> may be provided with an input device <NUM>. The input device <NUM> may be provided in the form of a keyboard, a foot switch, or a foot pedal.

When the input device <NUM> is a keyboard, the keyboard may be provided at an upper portion of the main body <NUM>. When the input device <NUM> is a foot switch or a foot pedal, the foot switch or the foot pedal may be provided at a lower portion of the main body <NUM>. A user may control the operation of the ultrasonic imaging apparatus <NUM> through the input device <NUM>.

The ultrasonic probe <NUM> may be placed on the main body <NUM> by a holder <NUM>. When the ultrasonic imaging apparatus <NUM> is not used, the user may place and store the ultrasonic probe <NUM> on the holder <NUM>.

The main body <NUM> may be provided with a moving device <NUM> to move the ultrasonic imaging apparatus <NUM>. The moving device <NUM> may be a plurality of casters provided on a bottom surface of the main body <NUM>.

The plurality of casters may be aligned to allow the main body <NUM> to travel in a specific direction, may be arranged to allow the main body <NUM> to freely move, or may be locked to allow the main body <NUM> to stop at a specific position.

<FIG> is a view schematically illustrating the inside of the ultrasonic probe according to the present disclosure. <FIG> is an enlarged view illustrating a part of section A-A' of the ultrasonic probe according to the present disclosure illustrated in <FIG>.

As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the ultrasonic probe <NUM> according to the present disclosure may include a transducer <NUM> to generate an ultrasonic signal.

The ultrasonic probe <NUM> may include a lens <NUM> provided to transmit an ultrasonic signal generated from the transducer <NUM> to the outside. The lens <NUM> may focus an ultrasonic signal.

The lens <NUM> may be made of a material such as silicone and rubber having an acoustic impedance value similar to that of the object. The lens <NUM> may be provided in a convex type in which a central portion has a convex curved surface, or may be provided in a linear type having a flat surface.

The ultrasonic probe <NUM> may include a case <NUM> in which the transducer <NUM> is accommodated and having an opening 21a on one side such that the lens <NUM> is in contact with an external object, and a handle <NUM> mounted on the other side of the case <NUM>.

The transducer <NUM> may include a transducer layer <NUM>, a matching layer <NUM> disposed in the front of the transducer layer <NUM>, and a sound-absorbing layer <NUM> disposed in the rear of the transducer layer <NUM>.

In general, the transducer <NUM> may include a magnetostrictive ultrasonic transducer using the magnetostrictive effect of a magnetic body, a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves using vibrations of hundreds or thousands of finely processed thin films, or a piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer using the piezoelectric effect of a piezoelectric material.

Hereinafter, the piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer will be described as an example of the transducer <NUM> according to the present disclosure.

Effects of generating a voltage when a mechanical pressure is applied to a predetermined material and causing a mechanical deformation when a voltage is applied are referred to as a piezoelectric effect and an inverse piezoelectric effect, respectively, and a material having these effects may be referred to as a piezoelectric material.

That is, the piezoelectric material may include a material that converts electrical energy into mechanical vibration energy and mechanical vibration energy into electrical energy.

The transducer layer <NUM> according to the present disclosure may include a piezoelectric layer <NUM> made of a piezoelectric material generating ultrasonic waves by converting an electrical signal into mechanical vibration, and an acoustic layer <NUM> disposed in the rear of the piezoelectric layer <NUM>.

The piezoelectric layer <NUM>, which is configured to generate ultrasonic waves using a resonance phenomenon, may be formed of a ceramic of lead zirconate titanate (PZT), a PZNT single crystal made of a solid solution of lead zinc niobate and lead titanate, a PZMT single crystal made of a solid solution of lead magnesium niobate and lead titanate, or the like.

The acoustic layer <NUM> may be provided to have an acoustic impedance higher than that of the piezoelectric layer <NUM>. The acoustic layer <NUM> may be made of a material having electrical conductivity. A thickness of the acoustic layer <NUM> may be provided as <NUM>/<NUM>, <NUM>/<NUM>, <NUM>/<NUM> or <NUM>/<NUM> of the wavelength of the piezoelectric material constituting the piezoelectric layer <NUM>.

The acoustic layer <NUM> may include an acoustic reflector. The acoustic reflector may be disposed in the front of the sound-absorbing layer <NUM>. The acoustic reflector may totally reflect ultrasonic waves traveling to the sound-absorbing layer <NUM>. Through this configuration, a bandwidth of the ultrasonic probe <NUM> may be increased and the sensitivity thereof may be increased.

The acoustic reflector may be made of a material having a very high acoustic impedance to totally reflect ultrasonic waves. For example, the acoustic layer <NUM> may be formed of at least one of tungsten carbide and graphite composite materials.

Electrodes <NUM> to which an electrical signal may be applied may be formed on front and rear surfaces of the transducer layer <NUM>, respectively. The electrodes <NUM> may correspond to an anode and a cathode, respectively, and may be made of a highly conductive metal such as gold, silver and copper.

A ground electrode <NUM> may be formed in the front of the transducer layer <NUM>. A signal electrode <NUM> may be formed in the rear of the transducer layer <NUM>. Each of the ground electrode <NUM> and the signal electrode <NUM> may be formed of a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).

The transducer <NUM> may include the matching layer <NUM>. The matching layer <NUM> may serve to reduce a difference in acoustic impedance between the piezoelectric layer <NUM> and an object so that ultrasonic waves generated from the piezoelectric layer <NUM> are maximally transmitted to the object.

The matching layer <NUM> may reduce the difference in acoustic impedance between the piezoelectric layer <NUM> and the object to match the acoustic impedances of the piezoelectric layer <NUM> and the object so that the ultrasonic waves generated in the piezoelectric layer <NUM> may be efficiently transmitted to the object.

The matching layer <NUM> may be disposed adjacent to the piezoelectric layer <NUM>. The matching layer <NUM> may be located in the front of the piezoelectric layer <NUM>. The matching layer <NUM> may be provided to have an intermediate value between the acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric layer <NUM> and the acoustic impedance of the object and may be formed of a glass or resin material.

A plurality of the matching layers <NUM> having different materials may be provided to be stacked such that the acoustic impedance of the matching layer <NUM> may gradually change from the piezoelectric layer <NUM> toward the object. The plurality of matching layers <NUM> may be formed of different materials.

The transducer <NUM> may include the sound-absorbing layer <NUM>. The sound-absorbing layer <NUM> may be disposed adjacent to the piezoelectric layer <NUM>. The sound-absorbing layer <NUM> may be located in the rear of the piezoelectric layer <NUM>.

The sound-absorbing layer <NUM> can reduce pulse widths of ultrasonic waves by suppressing free vibrations of the piezoelectric layer <NUM> and may prevent ultrasonic images from being distorted by blocking unnecessary propagation of the ultrasonic waves to the rear of the piezoelectric layer <NUM>.

The sound-absorbing layer <NUM> may be formed of a material including rubber to which an epoxy resin, tungsten powder, and the like are added.

<FIG> is a view illustrating a needle guide coupled to the ultrasonic probe according to the present disclosure. <FIG> is a view illustrating the needle guide separated from the ultrasonic probe according to the present disclosure. <FIG> is a view illustrating a guide part provided on a base in an ultrasonic probe according to the present disclosure. <FIG> is a view illustrating a cross section of the base including the guide part in the ultrasonic probe according to the present disclosure.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the ultrasonic probe <NUM> according to the present disclosure may include a needle <NUM> inserted into an object in the vicinity of the case <NUM>, and a needle guide <NUM> detachably mounted on the case <NUM> to guide the needle <NUM>.

However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the needle guide <NUM> may be detachably mounted to the handle <NUM> or may be detachably mounted to the case <NUM> and the handle <NUM>.

The needle guide <NUM> may include a mounting member <NUM> provided to be detachably mounted to the case <NUM> or the handle <NUM>. The mounting member <NUM> may include a rubber band having an elastic material. The mounting member <NUM> may surround the case <NUM> or the handle <NUM>.

However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the mounting member <NUM> may be configured to be flexible, such as a bracket made of plastic or the like, and may be variously provided within a limit in which the mounting member <NUM> may be firmly fastened to the ultrasonic probe <NUM> having various sizes and shapes.

The needle guide <NUM> may include a base <NUM> detachably coupled to the mounting member <NUM>. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the base <NUM> may be integrally formed with the mounting member <NUM>.

The base <NUM> includes a base body <NUM> having one side coupled to the case <NUM> and a guide part <NUM> provided such that the needle <NUM> is inserted. The guide part <NUM> is provided on the other side of the base body <NUM>.

The base body <NUM> may have a substantially trapezoidal shape. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The guide part <NUM> includes a guide groove 122a (see <FIG>) provided on the other side of the base body <NUM> along a direction in which the needle <NUM> is inserted. The guide groove 122a may be depressed inward from the other side of the base body <NUM>.

The guide groove 122a is configured to have a different depth along the direction in which the needle <NUM> is inserted. The guide groove 122a may be configured to have a different width along the direction in which the needle <NUM> is inserted.

The depth of the guide groove 122a may decrease along the direction in which the needle <NUM> is inserted, and the width of the guide groove 122a may decrease along the direction in which the needle <NUM> is inserted.

A cross section of the guide part <NUM> may include a triangular shape. The guide part <NUM> may include a slope. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The guide part <NUM> may include an inlet <NUM> provided at one end thereof such that the needle <NUM> is inserted into the guide part <NUM>, and an outlet <NUM> provided at the other end thereof such that the needle <NUM> is supported by the guide part <NUM>.

One side of the inlet <NUM> may be open such that the needle <NUM> is inserted into the guide part <NUM>, and one side of the outlet <NUM> may be closed such that the needle <NUM> is supported by the guide part <NUM>.

The guide part <NUM> may include an inclined portion <NUM> provided to be inclined between the inlet <NUM> and the outlet <NUM>. The inclined portion <NUM> may be inclined downward from the inlet <NUM> toward the outlet <NUM>. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The needle <NUM> may enter the inlet <NUM>, move while being guided along the inclined portion <NUM>, and protrude to the outside of the guide part <NUM> through the outlet <NUM>.

A plurality of the needles <NUM> having different diameters may be provided. The needle <NUM> may include a first needle <NUM> (see <FIG>) and a second needle <NUM> (see <FIG>) having a diameter larger than that of the first needle <NUM>.

As the needle guide <NUM> according to the present disclosure includes a guide part <NUM> configured to have a slope and vary in depth and width along the direction in which the needle <NUM> is inserted, the needle guide <NUM> may guide the plurality of needles <NUM> having different diameters including the first needle <NUM> or the second needle <NUM>.

That is, without the need to use a plurality of the needle guides <NUM> corresponding to respective diameters of the plurality of needles <NUM>, only one of the needle guide <NUM> may guide all of the plurality of needles <NUM> having different diameters.

The needle guide <NUM> includes a support member <NUM> provided to support movement of the needle <NUM>. The support member <NUM> may be configured to be movable along the guide part <NUM>.

The support member <NUM> may move along the guide part <NUM> in the same direction as the movement direction of the needle <NUM> that is inserted into the guide part <NUM>.

That is, the needle guide <NUM> according to the present disclosure may guide the needle <NUM> with one of the guide part <NUM> and movably fix the support member <NUM>. Therefore, a separate fixing structure for fixing the support member <NUM> may be omitted.

The support member <NUM> may be seated on the upper side of the base <NUM>. The support member <NUM> may be detachably coupled to the upper side of the guide part <NUM>.

A size of the support member <NUM> may be smaller than a size of the base <NUM>. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The support member <NUM> may be detachably fixed to the base <NUM>. The support member <NUM> is fixed to the guide part <NUM>. The support member <NUM> may be forcibly fitted into the guide part <NUM>. The support member <NUM> may include an elastic material.

As support member <NUM> includes an elastic material, the support member <NUM> may be fixed to the inlet <NUM> having a relatively high height and a wide width, and may also be fixed in the vicinity of the outlet <NUM> having a relatively low height and a narrow width.

That is, the support member <NUM> may be fixed at an arbitrary position of the guide part <NUM> along the inclined portion <NUM> from the inlet <NUM> to the outlet <NUM>.

The support member <NUM> may include a support member body <NUM> seated on the base body <NUM>, and a guide protrusion <NUM> protruding from the support member body <NUM> to be inserted into the guide part <NUM>.

The support member body <NUM> may have a substantially trapezoidal shape. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The guide protrusion <NUM> may protrude downward from the support member body <NUM>. The guide protrusion <NUM> may protrude from the support member body <NUM> toward the guide part <NUM>.

The guide protrusion <NUM> may be detachably fixed to the guide part <NUM>. The guide protrusion <NUM> may be forcibly fitted into the guide groove 122a. The guide protrusion <NUM> may include an elastic material.

That is, the support member body <NUM> may be made of a material that does not have elasticity, and the guide protrusion <NUM> may be made of a material having elasticity.

The guide protrusion <NUM> may be detachably coupled from the support member body <NUM>. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the guide protrusion <NUM> may be formed integrally with the support member body <NUM>.

The needle <NUM> may be movably supported between the guide protrusion <NUM> and the guide groove 122a. The needle <NUM> may be movably guided between the base <NUM> and the support member <NUM> fixed to the base <NUM> by the guide protrusion <NUM> and the guide part <NUM>.

As the ultrasonic probe <NUM> according to the present disclosure includes the base <NUM> including the guide part <NUM> and the support member <NUM> including the guide protrusion <NUM>, and the guide protrusion <NUM> is movably fixed along the guide part <NUM>, the ultrasonic probe <NUM> may guide the plurality of needles <NUM> having different diameters including the first needle <NUM> or the second needle <NUM>.

<FIG> is a view illustrating a state in which a first needle is supported on the needle guide in the ultrasonic probe according to the present disclosure. <FIG> is a view illustrating a state in which a second needle is supported on the needle guide in the ultrasonic probe according to the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, a structure in which the needle guide <NUM> according to the present disclosure guides the plurality of needles <NUM> having different diameters will be described in detail.

As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the support member <NUM> according to the present disclosure is configured such that a position at which the support member <NUM> is fixed to the guide part <NUM> varies depending on the diameter of the needle <NUM>. The needle <NUM> may include the first needle <NUM> and the second needle <NUM> having a diameter larger than that of the first needle <NUM>.

The support member <NUM> may be fixed at a position adjacent to the outlet <NUM> to guide the first needle <NUM>. The support member <NUM> may be fixed at a position adjacent to the inlet <NUM> to guide the second needle <NUM>.

That is, when the needle <NUM> is not inserted into the guide part <NUM>, the guide protrusion <NUM> of the support member <NUM> may be fitted and fixed to the guide part <NUM> at a position closest to the outlet <NUM> of the guide part <NUM>. The size of the guide protrusion <NUM> may be larger than the size of the guide groove 122a.

However, when the needle <NUM> is inserted into the guide part <NUM>, the position at which the guide protrusion <NUM> is fitted and fixed to the guide part <NUM> may vary depending on the diameter of the needle <NUM>.

Because the guide part <NUM> is configured to decrease in depth and width from the inlet <NUM> toward the outlet <NUM>, the diameter of the second needle <NUM>, which is any one of the plurality of needles <NUM>, may be larger than the depth or width of an arbitrary position of the guide part <NUM>.

The guide protrusion <NUM> may be fitted and fixed to the guide part <NUM> to be spaced apart from the needle <NUM> such that the needle <NUM> is inserted into the guide part <NUM> and the needle <NUM> inserted in the guide part <NUM> is movable.

The guide part <NUM> may constitute a guide pipe <NUM>, which is provided to have a different size depending on the diameter of any one of the plurality of needles <NUM> inserted into the guide part <NUM>, together with the support member <NUM>.

The guide pipe <NUM> may include a space between the guide part <NUM> and the guide protrusion <NUM> fitted to the guide part <NUM>. The guide pipe <NUM> may include a space between the guide protrusion <NUM> and the inclined portion <NUM> of the guide part <NUM>.

The guide pipe <NUM> may be larger than the diameter of the needle <NUM> so that the needle <NUM> may be moved inside the guide pipe <NUM>. The guide part <NUM> may include an insertion part 122b through which the needle <NUM> is inserted into the guide part <NUM>, and a fixing part 122c through which the guide protrusion <NUM> is fixed to the guide part <NUM>.

The guide groove 122a may include the insertion part 122b into which the needle <NUM> is inserted into the guide groove 122a, and the fixing part 122c on which the guide protrusion <NUM> is fixed to the guide groove 122a.

The guide pipe <NUM> may be larger than the insertion part 122b. The guide pipe <NUM> may include the insertion part 122b and a space in which the needle <NUM> inserted into the guide part <NUM> and the guide protrusion <NUM> are spaced apart. The guide part <NUM> may include the guide pipe <NUM> and the fixing part 122c.

A size of the inlet <NUM> may be larger than the diameter of the needle <NUM> inserted into the guide part <NUM>. Therefore, the needle guide <NUM> according to the present disclosure may guide the plurality of needles <NUM> having a diameter less than or equal to the size of the inlet <NUM>.

While the present disclosure has been particularly described with reference to a specific embodiment, but the scope of rights of the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments.

Claim 1:
An ultrasonic probe (<NUM>) comprising:
a case (<NUM>);
a needle (<NUM>) inserted into an object in the vicinity of the case (<NUM>); and
a needle guide (<NUM>) detachably mounted on the case (<NUM>) to guide the needle (<NUM>), and
wherein the needle guide (<NUM>) comprises:
a base (<NUM>) comprising a guide part (<NUM>) configured such that the needle (<NUM>) is inserted therein and a base body (<NUM>) having one side coupled to the case (<NUM>); and
a support member (<NUM>) configured to be movable along the guide part (<NUM>) to support movement of the needle (<NUM>), and
wherein the guide part (<NUM>) comprises a guide groove (122a) provided on the other side of the base body (<NUM>) along a direction in which the needle (<NUM>) is inserted and configured to have a different depth along the direction in which the needle (<NUM>) is inserted, and
the support member (<NUM>) is fixed to the guide part (<NUM>) and configured such that a position at which the support member (<NUM>) is fixed to the guide part (<NUM>) varies depending on a diameter of the needle (<NUM>).