阅读说明：本技术 一种气动三维扫描内窥探头及其扫描方法 (Pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe and scanning method thereof ) 是由 常敏 张莉娟 于 2021-08-04 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明公开了一种气动三维扫描内窥探头及其扫描方法,气动三维扫描内窥探头包括壳体、光纤、光纤轴承、气动安装头、超声换能器、准直透镜、变角度反射装置、气动机构；气动安装头上开设有安装孔；光纤穿过光纤轴承后设置于安装孔中；超声换能器套设于气动安装头上；准直透镜嵌设于气动安装头上；气动机构中空形成气室；气动机构的侧壁上开设有进气孔和排气孔；变角度反射装置通过转动轴与气动机构转动连接；转动轴上位于进气孔和排气孔处设置有气动转子；气动安装头和光纤轴承均沿壳体的轴线开设有气动孔；气动孔与气动腔室联通；变角度反射装置的反射镜一端与转动轴铰接。其在实现三维扫描的同时,降低能耗,减小驱动结构的不稳定性带来的影响。(The invention discloses a pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe and a scanning method thereof, wherein the pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe comprises a shell, an optical fiber bearing, a pneumatic mounting head, an ultrasonic transducer, a collimating lens, a variable-angle reflecting device and a pneumatic mechanism; the pneumatic mounting head is provided with a mounting hole; the optical fiber penetrates through the optical fiber bearing and is arranged in the mounting hole; the ultrasonic transducer is sleeved on the pneumatic mounting head; the collimating lens is embedded on the pneumatic mounting head; the pneumatic mechanism is hollow to form an air chamber; an air inlet and an air outlet are arranged on the side wall of the pneumatic mechanism; the variable-angle reflecting device is rotationally connected with the pneumatic mechanism through a rotating shaft; pneumatic rotors are arranged at the air inlet and the air outlet on the rotating shaft; the pneumatic mounting head and the optical fiber bearing are both provided with pneumatic holes along the axis of the shell; the pneumatic hole is communicated with the pneumatic chamber; one end of a reflector of the variable-angle reflecting device is hinged with the rotating shaft. The three-dimensional scanning is realized, the energy consumption is reduced, and the influence caused by the instability of a driving structure is reduced.)

1. A pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe is characterized by comprising a shell, an optical fiber bearing, a pneumatic mounting head, an ultrasonic transducer, a collimating lens, a variable-angle reflecting device and a pneumatic mechanism; the fiber bearing, the optical fiber, the pneumatic mounting head, the ultrasonic transducer, the collimating lens, the variable angle reflecting device and the pneumatic mechanism are all located in the housing; the optical fiber bearing and the pneumatic mounting head are coaxially arranged with the shell; the pneumatic mounting head is provided with a mounting hole; the optical fiber penetrates through the optical fiber bearing and then is arranged in the mounting hole; the ultrasonic transducer is sleeved on the pneumatic mounting head; the collimating lens is positioned on one side of the pneumatic mounting head far away from the optical fiber bearing, and the collimating lens is embedded in the pneumatic mounting head; the pneumatic mechanism is arranged at the end head of the shell, and the pneumatic mechanism is hollow to form an air chamber; an air inlet and an air outlet are formed in the side wall of the pneumatic mechanism; the variable-angle reflecting device is rotationally connected with the pneumatic mechanism through a rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft simultaneously penetrates through the air inlet hole and the air outlet hole; pneumatic rotors are arranged at the air inlet and the air outlet on the rotating shaft; the pneumatic mounting head, the housing, and the collimating lens form a pneumatic chamber; the pneumatic mounting head and the optical fiber bearing are both provided with pneumatic holes along the axis of the shell; the pneumatic hole is communicated with the pneumatic chamber; one end of a reflector of the variable-angle reflecting device is hinged with the rotating shaft.

2. The pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe according to claim 1, wherein said pneumatic mounting head comprises a fixed base, an annular convex wall, and a flange; the annular convex wall and the fixed base are coaxially arranged, and the annular convex wall is positioned on one side, far away from the optical fiber bearing, of the annular base; one end of the annular convex wall is connected with the fixed base, and the other end of the annular convex wall is connected with the flange; the fixed base, the annular convex wall, the flange and the shell form an accommodating cavity; the ultrasonic transducer is sleeved on the annular convex wall and is positioned in the accommodating cavity; the fixed base is provided with a mounting hole; a fixed ring groove is formed in the inner part of the annular convex wall around the axis; the collimating lens is embedded in the fixed ring groove; the pneumatic hole penetrates through the fixed base and the annular convex wall along the axis of the annular convex wall.

3. The pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe according to claim 1, wherein said pneumatic mechanism comprises a seat, a fixed bearing, a one-way air intake valve and a one-way exhaust valve; one end of the seat body is connected with the end head of the shell; the seat body is hollow to form an air chamber; a rotating hole and a bearing fixing hole are formed in the side wall of the seat body along the axis of the shell; the rotating shaft is arranged in the rotating hole and is in rotating connection with the seat body through a fixed bearing fixedly arranged in a bearing fixing hole; the side wall is provided with the air inlet and the air outlet; the one-way air inlet valve is arranged in the air inlet hole; the one-way exhaust valve is arranged in the exhaust hole; the air inlet and the air outlet are communicated with the rotating hole.

4. The pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe according to claim 3, wherein said variable angle reflecting means comprises a reflecting mirror, an elastic restoring mechanism, a rotating shaft and an arc-shaped guiding head; one end of the reflector is rotatably connected with the end of the rotating shaft, and the other end of the reflector is positioned on the arc-shaped guide head; an elastic restoring mechanism is arranged on one side, close to the rotating shaft, of the reflector, one end of the elastic restoring mechanism abuts against the reflector, and the other end of the elastic restoring mechanism is connected with the rotating shaft.

5. The pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe according to claim 4, wherein a ventilation threshold of said one-way air intake valve is not greater than an initial spring force of said spring return mechanism.

6. The pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe according to claim 4, wherein a ventilation threshold of said one-way exhaust valve is not less than an initial elastic force of said elastic return mechanism.

7. The pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe according to claim 4, wherein said elastic return mechanism comprises a connecting rod, a sliding block and a return spring; the rotating shaft is provided with a sliding groove; the sliding block is arranged in the sliding groove; one end of the connecting rod abuts against the reflector, and the other end of the connecting rod is hinged with the sliding block; one end of the return spring abuts against the sliding block, and the other end of the return spring abuts against the groove wall of the sliding groove.

8. The pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe according to claim 4, wherein said mirror rotates around the tip of said rotating shaft at an angle ranging from 45 degrees to 60 degrees with respect to the axis of said housing.

9. The pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe according to claim 4, wherein a ring buckle is provided on an end of said arc-shaped guide head near said housing; the inner wall of the shell is provided with a ring hook around the axis; the ring buckle is buckled with the ring hook.

10. A scanning method using the pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe of any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising the steps of:

inflating and rotating; filling gas into the pneumatic chamber through the pneumatic hole, wherein the gas enters the gas chamber through the gas inlet hole and blows the pneumatic rotor to drive the rotating shaft to rotate for scanning;

pressurizing and angle-variable scanning; increasing the air input to enable the pneumatic chamber and the interior of the variable-angle reflecting device to form pressure difference, and enabling the reflecting mirror to rotate around the hinged part to change the reflecting angle of the laser beam;

exhausting and rotating; the gas in the gas chamber is discharged into the pneumatic chamber through the exhaust hole, and the gas blows the pneumatic rotor to drive the rotating shaft to rotate for scanning;

step-down and angle-variable scanning; and the gas in the pneumatic chamber is exhausted through the pneumatic hole, so that the pressure difference between the pneumatic chamber and the interior of the variable-angle reflecting device is reduced, the reflecting mirror rotates around the hinged part, and the reflecting angle of the laser beam is changed.

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of endoscopes, in particular to a pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe and a scanning method thereof.

Background

Generally, two-dimensional imaging technology is adopted in most imaging of endoscopes, the formed imaging picture is a two-dimensional picture, the image quality is poor, and due to the fact that human vision belongs to a three-dimensional visual angle, when the two-dimensional imaging picture is seen, the two-dimensional imaging and a three-dimensional idea are needed, and effective judgment on an observation place can be formed. This often consumes user's time, reduces work efficiency to because there is the influence of human factor, also can greatly increased user's judgment ability, and then influence judgement effect and execution result.

Photoacoustic imaging is a new biomedical imaging method developed in recent years, both non-invasive and non-ionizing. At present, three-dimensional scanning imaging can be basically formed by adopting a photoacoustic imaging technology. The three-dimensional scanning imaging is realized by generally dividing the scanning direction into the circumferential direction and the direction along the axis of the probe, respectively arranging corresponding mechanical actuating structures in the two directions for control, and combining the two motions to realize the three-dimensional scanning imaging. Most mechanical structures need to support their operation by supplying energy from the outside, consume resources, and affect the size of the probe due to the large space occupied by the mechanical structures. In addition, due to instability caused by movement of a mechanical structure, the track of the laser beam is deviated, and the effect of three-dimensional scanning imaging is further influenced.

Therefore, designing a probe for three-dimensional scanning imaging can reduce energy consumption and reduce the influence caused by instability of a driving structure while realizing three-dimensional scanning, which is a problem to be solved urgently at present.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe, which is used for solving the technical problem.

The invention has the innovation points that the angle-changing movement and the rotation movement of the reflector do not use a mechanical driving mechanism, and the one-time process of directly filling gas into the pneumatic cavity can be realized simultaneously, so that the energy consumption is saved on the whole, and the instability influence caused by the application of the mechanical driving mechanism is avoided.

In order to achieve the purpose, the technical scheme of the invention is as follows:

a pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe comprises a shell, an optical fiber bearing, a pneumatic mounting head, an ultrasonic transducer, a collimating lens, a variable-angle reflecting device and a pneumatic mechanism; the optical fiber bearing, the optical fiber, the pneumatic mounting head, the ultrasonic transducer, the collimating lens, the variable-angle reflecting device and the pneumatic mechanism are all positioned in the shell; the optical fiber bearing and the pneumatic mounting head are coaxially arranged with the shell; the pneumatic mounting head is provided with a mounting hole; the optical fiber penetrates through the optical fiber bearing and is arranged in the mounting hole; the ultrasonic transducer is sleeved on the pneumatic mounting head; the collimating lens is positioned on one side of the pneumatic mounting head far away from the optical fiber bearing and is embedded in the pneumatic mounting head; the pneumatic mechanism is arranged at the end head of the shell and is hollow to form an air chamber; an air inlet and an air outlet are arranged on the side wall of the pneumatic mechanism; the variable-angle reflecting device is rotationally connected with the pneumatic mechanism through a rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft simultaneously penetrates through the air inlet hole and the air outlet hole; pneumatic rotors are arranged at the air inlet and the air outlet on the rotating shaft; the pneumatic mounting head, the shell and the collimating lens form a pneumatic chamber; the pneumatic mounting head and the optical fiber bearing are both provided with pneumatic holes along the axis of the shell; the pneumatic hole is communicated with the pneumatic chamber; one end of a reflector of the variable-angle reflecting device is hinged with the rotating shaft.

In the implementation process, the variable-angle reflecting device rotates around the axis of the shell to form annular scanning, and the air is filled into the pneumatic chamber, so that the air blows the pneumatic rotor on the rotating shaft through the air inlet hole of the pneumatic mechanism to drive the rotating shaft to rotate. The rotating force is generated by adopting the air pressure difference mode, the use of a mechanical driving mechanism can be reduced, the energy consumption is reduced, and meanwhile, the condition that the instability generated by the movement of the mechanical driving mechanism influences the scanning structure is avoided. The reflecting mirror is subjected to angle change by utilizing the pressure difference between the pneumatic chamber and the interior of the variable-angle reflecting device, so that the scanning along the axial direction of the shell is realized. The annular scanning and the scanning along the axial direction of the shell can establish a three-dimensional imaging mechanism to form three-dimensional imaging. The two motions of the reflector, namely angle change and rotation, do not use a mechanical driving mechanism, and the one-time process of directly filling gas into the pneumatic chamber can be realized simultaneously, so that the energy consumption is saved on the whole, and the instability influence caused by the application of the mechanical driving mechanism is avoided.

Preferably, the pneumatic mounting head comprises a fixed base, an annular convex wall and a flange; the annular convex wall and the fixed base are coaxially arranged, and the annular convex wall is positioned on one side of the annular base, which is far away from the optical fiber bearing; one end of the annular convex wall is connected with the fixed base, and the other end of the annular convex wall is connected with the flange; the fixed base, the annular convex wall, the flange and the shell form an accommodating cavity; the ultrasonic transducer is sleeved on the annular convex wall and is positioned in the accommodating cavity; the fixed base is provided with a mounting hole; a fixed ring groove is formed in the inner part of the annular convex wall around the axis; the collimating lens is embedded in the fixed ring groove; the pneumatic hole passes through the fixed base and the annular convex wall along the axis of the annular convex wall.

In the process of realizing the optical fiber laser, the fixing base plays a role in fixing the optical fiber and stabilizing the emitting angle of the laser beam. The annular convex wall forms a light emitting area between the collimating lens and the optical fiber on one hand, and forms an accommodating cavity for fixing the ultrasonic transducer by combining the flange on the other hand. The size of the annular convex wall also affects the size of the scanned area to some extent.

Preferably, the pneumatic mechanism comprises a seat body, a fixed bearing, a one-way air inlet valve and a one-way air outlet valve; one end of the seat body is connected with the end head of the shell; the base body is hollow to form an air chamber; a rotating hole and a bearing fixing hole are formed in the side wall of the seat body along the axis of the shell; the rotating shaft is arranged in the rotating hole and is in rotating connection with the seat body through a fixed bearing fixedly arranged in the bearing fixing hole; the side wall is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet; the one-way air inlet valve is arranged in the air inlet hole; the one-way exhaust valve is arranged in the exhaust hole; the air inlet and the air outlet are both communicated with the rotating hole.

In the process of realizing, the pneumatic mechanism is an important structure for realizing the rotation of the variable-angle reflecting device, the pneumatic rotor is simultaneously positioned in the exhaust hole and the air inlet hole, and the pneumatic rotor can be pushed to drive the rotating shaft to rotate by being pushed in two processes of enabling air to enter the air chamber through the air inlet hole and enabling air to be exhausted out of the air chamber through the exhaust hole, so that the scanning in the annular direction is realized. The process of once inflating can accomplish both sides and rotate the scanning, has guaranteed the scanning frequency, compares a scanning cycle of mechanical drive mechanism, can acquire the data of one time more, provides more data for the formation of image, improves three-dimensional imaging's effect greatly. The size of the air chamber space can also be determined according to the requirement of the scanning period, and the quality and quantity of the scanned data result can be effectively ensured.

Preferably, the variable-angle reflecting device comprises a reflecting mirror, an elastic restoring mechanism, a rotating shaft and an arc-shaped guiding head; one end of the reflector is rotatably connected with the end of the rotating shaft, and the other end of the reflector is positioned on the arc-shaped guide head; one side of the reflector close to the rotating shaft is provided with an elastic return mechanism, one end of the elastic return mechanism abuts against the reflector, and the other end of the elastic return mechanism is connected with the rotating shaft.

In the process of realizing, the angle change of the reflected light beam is realized by the reflector rotating around the hinged end, and then the scanning along the axis direction of the shell is completed, the continuity of the angle changing mode is strong, and the angle changing speed can be controlled by adjusting the gas pressure changing speed. Meeting the requirements of scanning speed and range.

Preferably, the ventilation threshold of the one-way inlet valve is not greater than the initial spring force of the resilient return mechanism.

In the implementation process, the air inlet valve is ventilated to realize rotation before the angle of the reflector changes, so that the reflector can be ensured to change the angle in the rotating process, the scanning along the axis direction of the shell in the whole annular direction is realized, and the condition that the three-dimensional imaging cannot be realized due to the loss of a fault or an area is avoided.

Preferably, the ventilation threshold of the one-way exhaust valve is not less than the initial elastic force of the elastic return mechanism.

In the implementation process, the gas enters the pneumatic chamber from the gas chamber, the rotation of the reflector can be guaranteed to be prior to the variable-angle movement of the reflector, the scanning in the axis direction of the shell in the whole annular direction is achieved, and the condition that the three-dimensional imaging cannot be achieved due to fault or area loss is avoided.

Preferably, the elastic restoring mechanism comprises a connecting rod, a sliding block and a restoring spring; the rotating shaft is provided with a chute; the sliding block is arranged in the sliding groove; one end of the connecting rod is abutted against the reflector, and the other end of the connecting rod is hinged with the sliding block; one end of the return spring abuts against the sliding block, and the other end abuts against the groove wall of the sliding groove.

In the process of realizing, the elastic restoring mechanism can ensure that the reflector can restore to the initial position, and the phenomenon that the reflector suddenly reaches the extreme value of angle change during pressurization to reduce the scanning continuity is avoided.

Preferably, the angle formed by the end of the reflector rotating around the rotating shaft and the axis of the shell ranges from 45 degrees to 60 degrees.

In the implementation process, the position of the ultrasonic transducer is considered, the scanning area with the angle less than 45 degrees is too far away from the ultrasonic transducer to well receive ultrasonic signals, and the angle greater than 60 degrees can increase the distance between the rotating mounting head and the reflector and increase the size of the probe.

Preferably, a buckle is arranged at one end of the arc-shaped guide head close to the shell; the inner wall of the shell is provided with a ring hook around the axis; the ring buckle and the ring hook are buckled with each other.

In the process of realizing, because the variable angle reflecting device rotates by the rotating shaft at one end, the variable angle reflecting device is difficult to warp in long-time work, and then the scanning area is influenced, the service life of the variable angle reflecting device is also reduced, the buckling structure is arranged at one end far away from the rotating shaft, the situation that the variable angle reflecting device warps in long-time use can be avoided, and the service life of the variable angle reflecting device is also prolonged.

In order to realize the purpose of the invention, another technical scheme is provided:

a scanning method using the pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe in the first technical proposal, which comprises the following steps:

inflating and rotating; filling gas into the pneumatic chamber through the pneumatic hole, enabling the gas to enter the gas chamber through the gas inlet hole, and blowing the pneumatic rotor to drive the rotating shaft to rotate for scanning;

pressurizing and angle-variable scanning; increasing the air input to form a pressure difference between the pneumatic chamber and the interior of the variable-angle reflecting device, and rotating the reflecting mirror around the hinged part to change the reflecting angle of the laser beam;

exhausting and rotating; the gas in the gas chamber is discharged into the pneumatic chamber through the exhaust hole, and the gas blows the pneumatic rotor to drive the rotating shaft to rotate for scanning;

step-down and angle-variable scanning; the gas in the pneumatic chamber is exhausted through the pneumatic hole, so that the pressure difference between the pneumatic chamber and the interior of the variable-angle reflecting device is reduced, the reflecting mirror rotates around the hinged part, and the reflecting angle of the laser beam is changed.

In the implementation process, the annular direction and the scanning along the axis direction of the shell can be realized by filling gas with certain pressure into the pneumatic chamber, three-dimensional imaging is formed, the operation is simple and convenient, and the scanning amount which can be completed in one scanning period is twice of the scanning amount in one scanning period of the mechanical driving mechanism. The efficiency of three-dimensional effect is improved while the resources are saved.

The invention has the beneficial effects that:

the two motions of the reflector, namely angle change and rotation, are not suitable for a mechanical driving mechanism, and the one-time process of directly filling gas into the pneumatic chamber can be realized simultaneously, so that the energy consumption is saved on the whole, and the instability influence caused by the application of the mechanical driving mechanism is avoided.

The scanning in the circumferential direction and along the axis direction of the shell can be realized by filling gas with certain pressure into the pneumatic chamber, three-dimensional imaging is formed, the operation is simple and convenient, and the scanning amount which can be completed in one scanning period is twice of the scanning amount in one scanning period of the mechanical driving mechanism. The efficiency of three-dimensional effect is improved while the resources are saved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of I in FIG. 1.

Icon: 01. a housing; 11. a pneumatic chamber; 02. an optical fiber bearing; 03. an optical fiber; 04. a pneumatic mounting head; 41. a fixed base; 411. mounting holes; 42. an annular convex wall; 43. a flange; 44. a pneumatic hole; 45. an accommodating cavity; 05. an ultrasonic transducer; 06. a collimating lens; 07. a pneumatic mechanism; 71. an air chamber; 72. an air inlet; 721. a one-way intake valve; 73. an exhaust hole; 731. a one-way exhaust valve; 74. fixing the bearing; 75. a base body; 08. a variable angle reflecting device; 81. a rotating shaft; 811. a pneumatic rotor; 82. an elastic return mechanism; 821. a connecting rod; 822. a slider; 823. a return spring; 83. a mirror; 84. an arc-shaped guide head.

Detailed Description

The technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Example 1:

referring to fig. 1 and 2, fig. 1 and 2 are schematic structural views of a pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe. The embodiment provides a pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe.

The pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe comprises a shell 01, an optical fiber 03, an optical fiber bearing 02, a pneumatic mounting head 04, an ultrasonic transducer 05, a collimating lens 06, a variable-angle reflecting device 08 and a pneumatic mechanism 07. The fiber 03 bearing 02, the fiber 03, the pneumatic mounting head 04, the ultrasonic transducer 05, the collimating lens 06, the variable angle reflecting device 08, and the pneumatic mechanism 07 are all located in the housing 01. The fiber bearing 02 and the pneumatic mounting head 04 are both arranged coaxially with the housing 01. The pneumatic mounting head 04 is provided with a mounting hole 411. The optical fiber 03 is disposed in the mounting hole 411 after passing through the optical fiber bearing 02. The ultrasonic transducer 05 is sleeved on the pneumatic mounting head 04. The collimating lens 06 is located on the pneumatic mounting head 04 at a side far away from the fiber bearing 02, and the collimating lens 06 is embedded on the pneumatic mounting head 04. The pneumatic mechanism 07 is arranged at the end of the shell 01, and the pneumatic mechanism 07 is hollow to form an air chamber 71. An air inlet 72 and an air outlet 73 are arranged on the side wall of the pneumatic mechanism 07. The variable angle reflection unit 08 is rotatably connected to the pneumatic mechanism 07 through a rotation shaft 81, and the rotation shaft 81 passes through both the air intake hole 72 and the air discharge hole 73. A pneumatic rotor 811 is provided on the rotating shaft 81 at the air intake hole 72 and the air discharge hole 73. The pneumatic mounting head 04, the housing 01 and the collimator lens 06 form a pneumatic chamber 11. The pneumatic mounting head 04 and the optical fiber bearing 02 are both provided with pneumatic holes 44 along the axis of the shell 01. The pneumatic orifice 44 communicates with the pneumatic chamber 11. One end of the reflector 83 of the variable angle reflecting device 08 is hinged with the rotating shaft 81.

The variable angle reflecting device 08 rotates around the axis of the shell 01 to form annular scanning, and is realized by filling gas into the pneumatic chamber 11, so that the gas blows a pneumatic rotor 811 on the rotating shaft 81 through a gas inlet hole 72 of the pneumatic mechanism 07 to drive the rotating shaft 81 to rotate. The rotating force is generated by adopting the air pressure difference mode, the use of a mechanical driving mechanism can be reduced, the energy consumption is reduced, and meanwhile, the condition that the instability generated by the movement of the mechanical driving mechanism influences the scanning structure is avoided. The mirror 83 is angularly varied by means of a pressure difference between the pneumatic chamber 11 and the interior of the variable angle reflecting device 08, thereby achieving scanning along the axis of the housing 01. The annular scanning and the scanning along the axial direction of the shell 01 can establish a three-dimensional imaging mechanism to form three-dimensional imaging. The two motions of the reflector, namely angle change and rotation, do not use a mechanical driving mechanism, and the one-time process of directly filling gas into the pneumatic cavity 11 can be realized simultaneously, so that the energy consumption is saved on the whole, and the instability influence caused by the application of the mechanical driving mechanism is avoided.

The specific structure of each substructure is described below:

the pneumatic mounting head 04 is mainly used for mounting the optical fiber 03 head, the ultrasonic transducer 05 and the collimating lens 06. And seals the chamber at the end of the housing 01 to form the pneumatic chamber 11. The structure and the form of the pneumatic mounting head 04 are various, and in this embodiment, the pneumatic mounting head 04 includes a fixed base 41, an annular convex wall 42, and a flange 43. The annular convex wall 42 is arranged coaxially with the fixed base 41, and the annular convex wall 42 is located on the side of the annular base away from the optical fiber bearing 02. One end of the annular convex wall 42 is connected to the fixed base 41, and the other end is connected to the flange 43. The fixed base 41, the annular convex wall 42, the flange 43 and the housing 01 form an accommodation chamber 45. The ultrasonic transducer 05 is sleeved on the annular convex wall 42 and is located in the accommodating cavity 45. The fixing base 41 is provided with a mounting hole 411. The annular wall 42 has a fixing ring groove formed therein around the axis. The collimating lens 06 is embedded in the fixing ring groove. The pneumatic hole 44 passes through the stationary base 41 and the annular projecting wall 42 along the axis of the annular projecting wall 42.

It can be understood that the accommodating cavity 45 is used for arranging the ultrasonic transducer 05, and the accommodating cavity 45 is sealed, so that a coupling fluid, which can be water, oil, or the like, can be filled between the ultrasonic transducer 05 and the housing 01 to improve the photoacoustic coupling effect. In addition, the ultrasonic transducers 05 can also be arranged in an annular array around the axis of the accommodating cavity 45, so that acoustic signals can be received and collected better.

Of course, the number and position of the pneumatic holes 44 may be set as required, and may be an annular array around the axis of the housing 01, an annular opening directly opened around the axis of the housing 01, or the like.

The fixing base 41 functions to fix the optical fiber 03 and stabilize the emission angle of the laser beam. The annular convex wall 42 forms, on the one hand, a light-emitting region between the collimating lens 06 and the optical fiber 03 and, on the other hand, forms, in combination with the flange 43, a receiving chamber 45 for fixing the ultrasonic transducer 05. The size of annular raised wall 42 also affects the size of the scanned area to some extent.

The pneumatic mechanism 07 is an important structure for converting air pressure difference into mechanical energy on the probe, and the structure and the form are also various. In this embodiment, the pneumatic mechanism 07 includes a seat 75, a fixed bearing 74, a one-way intake valve 721, and a one-way exhaust valve 731. One end of the seat body 75 is connected to the end of the housing 01. The seat body 75 is hollow to form an air chamber 71. The side wall of the seat body 75 is provided with a rotation hole and a bearing fixing hole along the axis of the housing 01. The rotating shaft 81 is disposed in the rotating hole, and is rotatably coupled to the housing 75 by a fixing bearing 74 fixedly disposed in the bearing fixing hole. The side wall is provided with an air inlet 72 and an air outlet 73. A one-way intake valve 721 is provided in the intake hole 72. A one-way exhaust valve 731 is disposed in the exhaust hole 73. The intake hole 72 and the exhaust hole 73 are both communicated with the rotation hole.

The fixed bearing 74 can stabilize the central axis of the rotating shaft 81, ensure the coaxiality of the rotating shaft 81 and the axis of the shell 01 and improve the stability of rotational positioning. When the pneumatic chamber 11 is filled with gas, the gas pressure reaches the threshold value of the unidirectional air inlet valve 721 in the air inlet hole 72, the air inlet hole 72 is opened, the gas enters the air chamber 71 through the air inlet hole 72, and when the gas flows through the air inlet hole 72, the gas blows the pneumatic rotor 811 on the rotating shaft 81, so that the rotating shaft 81 is driven to rotate, and the 360-degree all-directional scanning in the annular direction is realized. When the gas pressure in the pneumatic chamber 11 is lower than the gas pressure in the gas chamber 71, the one-way exhaust valve 731 in the exhaust hole 73 is opened, the gas in the gas chamber 71 is exhausted into the pneumatic chamber 11 through the exhaust hole 73, and the gas blows the pneumatic rotor 811 when passing through the exhaust hole 73, so as to drive the rotating shaft 81 to rotate. Thus, the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the pneumatic mechanism 07 is converted into mechanical energy for rotating the rotating shaft 81.

The process of once inflating can accomplish both sides and rotate the scanning, has guaranteed the scanning frequency, compares a scanning cycle of mechanical drive mechanism, can acquire the data of one time more, provides more data for the formation of image, improves three-dimensional imaging's effect greatly. The size of the air chamber 71 can be determined according to the requirement of the scanning period, and the quality and quantity of the scanned data result can be effectively ensured.

In this embodiment, the variable angle reflection device 08 includes a mirror 83, an elastic restoring mechanism 82, a rotation shaft 81, and an arc-shaped guide head 84. One end of the reflector 83 is rotatably connected to the end of the rotating shaft 81, and the other end is located on the arc-shaped guiding head 84. An elastic restoring mechanism 82 is disposed on one side of the reflector 83 close to the rotating shaft 81, and one end of the elastic restoring mechanism 82 abuts against the reflector 83 and the other end is connected to the rotating shaft 81.

The angle change of the reflector 83 is realized by the pressure difference between the pneumatic chamber 11 and the variable angle reflecting device 08, so that the scanning in the annular direction and the scanning in the axial direction of the shell 01 can be finished by filling gas into the pneumatic chamber 11 once, and the tight combination of the movement in the two directions is realized.

It should be noted that, because the movement in two directions is completed by one inflation, it is necessary to ensure that the variable-angle movement of the reflector 83 is performed after the gas drives the rotating shaft 81 to rotate through the gas inlet hole 72, so as to realize the omnidirectional three-dimensional scanning, and if the variable-angle movement of the reflector 83 is performed before the rotation, a part of the scanned area is lost, which affects the three-dimensional imaging. Similarly, when the gas passes through the gas discharge hole 73, the pneumatic rotating shaft 81 needs to be rotated first, and then the mirror 83 needs to be moved angularly.

Therefore, the ventilation threshold of the one-way intake valve 721 is not greater than the initial elastic force of the elastic restoring mechanism 82, so that the intake hole 72 ventilates before the angle of the reflector 83 changes to rotate the rotating shaft 81, and the ventilation threshold of the one-way exhaust valve 731 is not less than the initial elastic force of the elastic restoring mechanism 82, so that the exhaust hole 73 drives the rotating shaft 81 to rotate before the angle of the reflector 83 changes.

In addition, the mirror 83 performs angle change of the reflected light beam by rotating around the hinged end, thereby completing scanning in the axial direction of the housing 01, the angle change mode is continuous, and the angle change rate can be controlled by adjusting the change rate of the gas pressure. Meeting the requirements of scanning speed and range.

The elastic restoring mechanism 82 has various structures and forms, and in the present embodiment, the elastic restoring mechanism 82 includes a connecting rod 821, a sliding block 822, and a restoring spring 823. The rotating shaft 81 is provided with a chute. The sliding block 822 is disposed in the sliding groove. One end of the connecting rod 821 abuts against the reflecting mirror 83, and the other end is hinged with the sliding block 822. One end of the return spring 823 abuts against the sliding block 822, and the other end abuts against the groove wall of the sliding groove. The elastic restoring mechanism 82 can ensure that the reflector 83 can restore to the initial position, and also avoid that the reflector 83 suddenly reaches the extreme value of angle change during pressurization so as to reduce the scanning continuity.

Regarding the inclination angle of the mirror 83, since the mirror 83 reflects a parallel light beam, it is necessary to consider the area after reflection and the influence on the probe size. In this embodiment, the angle formed by the rotation of the reflector 83 around the end of the rotation shaft 81 and the axis of the housing 01 ranges from 45 degrees to 60 degrees. Because, when the angle is less than 45 degrees, the scanning area is too far from the ultrasonic transducer 05 to receive the ultrasonic signal well. When the angle is larger than 60 degrees, the distance between the rotation mounting head and the mirror 83 is increased, increasing the size of the probe.

The variable angle reflecting device 08 only depends on the rotating shaft 81 to realize rotation, and most of the mass of the variable angle reflecting device 08 is close to the arc-shaped guide head 84, so that the variable angle reflecting device 08 is difficult to warp after long-time work, the scanning area is affected, and the service life of the variable angle reflecting device 08 is also shortened. In this embodiment, a buckle is disposed at one end of the arc-shaped guide head 84 close to the housing 01. An annular hook is arranged on the inner wall of the shell 01 around the axis. The ring buckle and the ring hook are buckled with each other. In this way, the engagement structure is provided at the end far from the rotating shaft 81, so that the variable-angle reflecting device 08 can be prevented from warping after long-term use, and the service life of the variable-angle reflecting device 08 can be prolonged.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a scanning method, which uses the pneumatic three-dimensional scanning endoscopic probe provided by the embodiment, and mainly comprises the following steps:

the first step is as follows: inflating and rotating; the pneumatic chamber 11 is filled with gas through the pneumatic hole 44, the gas enters the air chamber 71 through the air inlet hole 72, and blows the pneumatic rotor 811 to drive the rotating shaft 81 to rotate for scanning.

The pneumatic chamber 11 is filled with gas through the pneumatic hole 44, and the pressure of the filled gas is greater than or equal to the threshold value of the one-way air inlet valve 721 at the beginning, so that the variable-angle reflecting device 08 rotates firstly, and the scanning in the circumferential direction is realized.

The second step is that: pressurizing and angle-variable scanning; the air input is increased, so that a pressure difference is formed between the pneumatic chamber 11 and the interior of the variable-angle reflecting device 08, the reflecting mirror 83 rotates around the hinged part, and the reflecting angle of the laser beam is changed.

The gas pressure is gradually increased to enable the reflector 83 to realize variable-angle motion, so that the three-dimensional scanning of the biological tissues in the surrounding area of the probe is completed, and the ultrasonic transducer 05 receives ultrasonic waves and transfers the ultrasonic waves to a computer for three-dimensional imaging processing.

The third step: exhausting and rotating; the air in the air chamber 71 is discharged into the pneumatic chamber 11 through the air outlet 73, and the air blows the pneumatic rotor 811 to rotate the rotating shaft 81 for scanning.

The air pressure is reduced, the air in the pneumatic chamber 11 is pumped out, the threshold value of the one-way exhaust valve 731 is not less than the initial elastic force of the elastic restoring mechanism 82, so that the exhaust of the exhaust hole 73 pushes the angle-variable reflecting device 08 to rotate before the angle-variable movement of the reflector, and circumferential scanning is carried out on the surrounding biological tissues.

The fourth step: step-down and angle-variable scanning; the pressure difference between the pneumatic chamber 11 and the interior of the variable angle reflecting device 08 is reduced, and the mirror 83 rotates around the hinge to change the reflecting angle of the laser beam.

And (3) continuing to reduce the pressure, wherein under the action of the restoring force of the spring, the reflector 83 reversely moves along the original motion track, so that the angle of the reflector 83 is changed, the reflector 83 moves along the axis direction of the shell 01, the three-dimensional scanning of the biological tissues of the area around the probe is further completed, and the ultrasonic transducer 05 receives ultrasonic waves and hands the ultrasonic waves to a computer for three-dimensional imaging processing.

The scanning in the circumferential direction and along the axis direction of the shell 01 can be realized by filling gas with certain pressure into the pneumatic chamber 11, three-dimensional imaging is formed, the operation is simple and convenient, and the scanning amount which can be completed in one scanning period is twice of the scanning amount in one scanning period of the mechanical driving mechanism. The efficiency of three-dimensional effect is improved while the resources are saved.

The described embodiments are only some embodiments of the invention, not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.