Docking station for electrically charging and managing a thermal condition of an ultrasound probe
First Claim
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1. A docking station for an ultrasound probe, comprising:
- a first charging unit magnetically coupled to an induction unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to charge at least one battery in the ultrasound probe;
a first cooling unit thermally coupled to a thermal unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to dissipate heat from the ultrasound probe; and
a bay assembly comprising a plurality of collars, wherein each collar is configured to hold at least one of a replaceable thermal unit and a sleeve, and wherein the sleeve comprises at least one of a replaceable cartridge and a replaceable battery.
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Abstract
A docking station for electrically charging and managing a thermal condition of an ultrasound probe is presented. The docking station includes a first charging unit magnetically coupled to an induction unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to charge at least one battery in the ultrasound probe. Further, the docking station includes a first cooling unit thermally coupled to a thermal unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to dissipate heat from the ultrasound probe.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A docking station for an ultrasound probe, comprising:
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a first charging unit magnetically coupled to an induction unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to charge at least one battery in the ultrasound probe; a first cooling unit thermally coupled to a thermal unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to dissipate heat from the ultrasound probe; and a bay assembly comprising a plurality of collars, wherein each collar is configured to hold at least one of a replaceable thermal unit and a sleeve, and wherein the sleeve comprises at least one of a replaceable cartridge and a replaceable battery. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method, comprising:
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magnetically coupling a first charging unit of a docking station to an induction unit of an ultrasound probe to charge at least one battery in the ultrasound probe; thermally coupling a first cooling unit of the docking station to a thermal unit of the ultrasound probe to dissipate heat from the ultrasound probe; and replacing the thermal unit in the ultrasound probe with a replaceable thermal unit in a bay assembly of the docking station, and wherein the thermal unit is replaced through a port in the ultrasound probe. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. An ultrasound system, comprising:
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an ultrasound probe comprising; a housing; an induction unit coupled to at least one battery; and a thermal unit configured to absorb heat generated in the ultrasound probe; and a docking station comprising; a first charging unit magnetically coupled to the induction unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to charge the at least one battery through the induction unit; a first cooling unit thermally coupled to the thermal unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to dissipate the absorbed heat from the thermal unit of the ultrasound probe; and a bay assembly comprising a plurality of collars, wherein each collar is configured to hold at least one of a replaceable thermal unit and a sleeve, and wherein the sleeve comprises at least one of a replaceable cartridge and a replaceable battery. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A docking station for an ultrasound probe, comprising:
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a first charging unit magnetically coupled to an induction unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to charge at least one battery in the ultrasound probe; a first cooling unit thermally coupled to a thermal unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to dissipate heat from the ultrasound probe; and a bay assembly comprising a collar configured to hold a replaceable thermal unit for the ultrasound probe. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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Specification