着座式心エコーロボットの開発

―体表凹凸検知機能/ジェル塗布機能を兼備したばね内蔵型三層式リングデバイスの設計―

抄録

In this study, we developed an automatic gel application mechanism that can maintain the clarity of ultrasound (US) images by detecting body surface irregularities and applying an appropriate amount of gel during echocardiographic examinations using a robot. The gel application mechanism consists of two parts: (i) a gel ejection part and (ii) a body surface detection part. In (i), two injection ports are provided to apply gel in the direction the probe travels. In (ii), a three-layered linkage device with a built-in spring that expands and contracts according to the unevenness of the body surface is mounted to detect the unevenness of the body surface. Evaluation tests were conducted using a phantom with the proposed mechanism. The results suggest that the proposed mechanism can detect irregularities and apply an appropriate amount of gel according to the detection results to ensure the sharpness of the US images.