Damper for medical ultrasonic probe

• US 10,292,686 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2013
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Birglehner, Erich, Rittenschober, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoffa, Angla M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ho, Don N
• Application Number:
  US14/143,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20150182200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,968 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4444 related to the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/546 involving monitoring or regulation of device temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52079 Constructional features constructional features of transducers B06B; mounting transducers G10K11/00; constructional features of ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices A61B8/44
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/004 Mounting transducers, e.g. provided with mechanical moving or orienting device mountings specially adapted to a particular sound-producing device, see the preceding groups G10K1/00 - G10K9/00, e.g. G10K1/26, G10K1/28, G10K9/22; arrangements of sonic watch equipment on submarines B63G8/39; buoys B63B22/00

Abstract

A medical ultrasonic probe includes an ultrasonic probe having a probe head and a connector. The connector includes a fluid cooling system comprising a pump configured to pump a cooling fluid between the connector and the probe head. A damper including a housing has a first portion defining a cavity receiving the cooling fluid and a second portion including a gas that is separated from the first portion by a membrane.

Claims

1. A medical ultrasonic probe:

an ultrasonic probe having a probe head;

a connector including;

a fluid cooling system comprising;

a pump configured to pump a cooling fluid between the connector and the probe head; and

a damper including a housing comprising a first portion and a second portion and a membrane comprising a first surface and a second surface, wherein the membrane is an elastomeric material, where the first portion of the housing and the first surface of the membrane define a first cavity configured to receive the cooling fluid, where the second portion of the housing and the second surface of the membrane define a second cavity configured to contain a gas, where the membrane provides a fluid tight seal separating the cooling fluid in the first cavity from the gas in the second cavity, and where the gas is adapted to remove vibrations in the cooling fluid as the cooling fluid is pumped, wherein the first portion of the housing includes an inlet for receiving the cooling fluid and a separate outlet for the cooling fluid to exit the housing, the inlet and outlet being non-collinear,

wherein the pump pumps the cooling fluid having a laminar flow into the inlet, the first portion causing the flow of the cooling fluid to become turbulent within the first portion, the cooling fluid having a laminar flow as it exits the outlet.

2. A vibration damper for an ultrasonic probe comprising:

a damper located within a connector of a portable medical ultrasonic probe, the damper forming an interior chamber;

an elastomeric membrane mounted in the chamber separating the chamber into a first compartment having a sealed air compartment and a second compartment having a fluid inlet port and a fluid outlet port for respectively receiving and releasing a cooling fluid, where the elastomeric membrane prevents the fluid from contacting the air in the sealed air compartment, wherein the first compartment of the chamber is designed to accept laminar flow cooling fluid at its inlet, cause the flow to become turbulent in the interior of the chamber and then to become laminar again at its outlet, and wherein the membrane and second compartment absorbs vibrations within the cooling fluid as it passes through the first compartment.

3. A process for providing fluid cooling to a medical ultrasonic probe comprising:

providing a medical ultrasonic probe having a probe head with a first heat exchanger;

providing a connector containing a cooling system connected to the medical ultrasonic probe by fluid lines and comprising;

a second heat exchanger;

a pump;

a damper including a housing comprising a first cavity separated from a second cavity by a membrane providing a fluid tight seal between the first cavity and the second cavity, where the damper absorbs vibrations induced in a cooling fluid by the operation of the pump;

operating the pump to drive the cooling fluid through the first cavity of the damper, the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger through the fluid lines; and

pumping the cooling fluid with a laminar flow from the pump into the first cavity through a fluid inlet, circulating the cooling fluid within the first cavity in a turbulent flow, absorbing the vibrations in the cooling fluid by the membrane and discharging the cooling fluid in a laminar flow from the first cavity to the first heat exchanger.