ULTRASOUND PROBE AND CHARGING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20170179774A1
• Filed: 06/27/2016
• Published: 06/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Medison Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Medison Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: JIN, Gil-ju, HAN, Ho-san
• Granted Patent: US 10,523,065 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4245 involving determining the position of the probe, e.g. with respect to an external reference frame or to the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4438 Means for identifying the diagnostic device, e.g. barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4472 Wireless probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/56 Details of data transmission or power supply
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52096 related to power management, e.g. saving power or prolonging life of electronic components details of power supplies for ultrasonic medical diagnostic imaging devices A61B8/56
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/23 The load being a medical device, a medical implant, or a life supporting device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge

Abstract

Provided are a wireless ultrasound probe and a method of charging a battery included in the wireless ultrasound probe by receiving wireless power that is directionally transmitted toward a position of the wireless ultrasound probe and focusing received wireless power.

Claims

1. A method of charging a wireless ultrasound probe wirelessly connected to an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus, the method comprising:

providing a position information of the wireless ultrasound probe, obtained through data communication for transmitting ultrasound image data obtained from an object to the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus; and

charging a battery included in the wireless ultrasound probe by focusing wireless power directionally transmitted by the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus according to the position information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data communication is short-distance communication capable of tracking the position of the wireless ultrasound probe.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data communication comprises at least one of short-distance data communication methods including 60 GHz millimeter wave (mmWave), wireless local area network (LAN), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Wi-Fi direct (WFD), ultra wideband (UWB), infrared data association (IrDA), Bluetooth low energy (BLE), near field communication (NFC), wireless broadband Internet (Wibro), world interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), shared wireless access protocol (SWAP), wireless gigabit alliance (WiGig), and radio frequency (RF) communications.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the position information of the wireless ultrasound probe to the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus comprises determining any one of at least one short-distance communication method for obtaining the position information of the wireless ultrasound probe.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the position information of the wireless ultrasound probe to the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus comprises:

updating the position information of the wireless ultrasound probe according to a movement of a user using the wireless ultrasound probe; and

providing the updated position information to the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the charging of the battery comprises charging the battery by focusing the wireless power transmitted by the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus by using a magnetic resonance method.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the charging of the battery comprises charging the battery by focusing the wireless power transmitted by the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus by using a directional beamfocusing method.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting raw data to the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus, the raw data being obtained by transmitting an ultrasound signal to the object and receiving an echo signal reflected from the object.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing at least one of information about setting of the wireless ultrasound probe including information about identification of the wireless ultrasound probe, ultrasound preset setting information, information about a user of the wireless ultrasound probe, and information about the object, to the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

checking information about a state of the battery including a remaining amount of charge of the battery, a usage time of the battery, and a use state of the battery included in the wireless ultrasound probe; and

requesting transmission of wireless power from the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus based on the information about the state of the battery.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the checking of the information about the state of the battery comprises providing an alarm signal to a user when the remaining amount of charge of the battery is less than a predetermined value.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the requesting of the transmission of wireless power comprises requesting transmission of wireless power from the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus only when the wireless ultrasound probe is not in use.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a transmission type of wireless power received from the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dividing a capacity of the battery into a first battery capacity and a second battery capacity; and

primarily discharging the first battery capacity while the wireless ultrasound probe is in use.

33. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program, which when executed by a computer, performs the method of claim 1.

15. A wireless ultrasound probe wirelessly connected to an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus, the wireless ultrasound probe comprising:

an ultrasound transceiver transmitting an ultrasound signal to an object and receiving an echo signal reflected from the object;

a communicator transmitting ultrasound image data obtained from the echo signal to the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus;

a controller identifying a position information of the wireless ultrasound probe through data communication via which the communicator transmits the ultrasound image data to the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus, and controlling the communicator to provide the position information of the wireless ultrasound probe to the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus; and

a wireless power receiver charging a battery included in the wireless ultrasound probe by focusing wireless power directionally transmitted by the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus according to the position information.

16. The wireless ultrasound probe of claim 15, wherein the controller controls the communicator to perform data communication with the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus by using short-distance communication to track a position of the wireless ultrasound probe.

17. The wireless ultrasound probe of claim 15, wherein the communicator uses at least one of short-distance data communication methods including 60 GHz millimeter wave (mmWave), wireless local area network (LAN), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Wi-Fi direct (WFD), ultra wideband (UWB), infrared data association (IrDA), Bluetooth low energy (BLE), near field communication (NFC), wireless broadband Internet (Wibro), world interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), shared wireless access protocol (SWAP), wireless gigabit alliance (WiGig), and radio frequency (RF) communications, and

the controller identifies the position information of the wireless ultrasound probe by using at least one of the short-distance data communication methods.

18. The wireless ultrasound probe of claim 15, wherein the controller determines any one of at least one short-distance communication method for obtaining the position information of the wireless ultrasound probe.

19. The wireless ultrasound probe of claim 15, wherein the controller updates the position information of the wireless ultrasound probe according to a movement of a user using the wireless ultrasound probe;

and

the communicator transmits the updated position information to the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus.

20. The wireless ultrasound probe of claim 15, wherein the wireless power receiver charges the battery by focusing the wireless power transmitted by the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus by using a magnetic resonance method.

21. The wireless ultrasound probe of claim 15, wherein the wireless power receiver charges the battery by focusing the wireless power transmitted by the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus by using a directional beamfocusing method.

22. The wireless ultrasound probe of claim 15, wherein the communicator transmits raw data obtained from the echo signal to the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus.

23. The wireless ultrasound probe of claim 15, wherein the communicator transmits at least one of information about setting of the wireless ultrasound probe including information about identification of the wireless ultrasound probe, ultrasound preset setting information, information about a user of the wireless ultrasound probe, and information about the object, to the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus.

24. The wireless ultrasound probe of claim 15, wherein the controller checks information about a state of the battery including a remaining amount of charge of the battery, a usage time of the battery, and a use state of the battery, and requests transmission of wireless power from the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus based on the information about the state of the battery.

25. The wireless ultrasound probe of claim 24, further comprising an alarm display unit that provides an alarm signal to a user when the remaining amount of charge of the battery is less than a predetermined value.

26. The wireless ultrasound probe of claim 24, wherein the controller requests transmission of wireless power from the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus only when the wireless ultrasound probe is not in use.

27. The wireless ultrasound probe of claim 15, further comprising a display that displays a transmission type of wireless power received from the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus

28. The wireless ultrasound probe of claim 15, wherein the controller divides a capacity of the battery into a first battery capacity and a second battery capacity and primarily discharges the first battery capacity while the wireless ultrasound probe is in use.

29. An ultrasound system comprising:

an ultrasound probe obtaining ultrasound image data by transmitting an ultrasound signal to an object and receiving an echo signal reflected from the object; and

an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus wirelessly connected to the ultrasound probe and wirelessly transmitting power to the ultrasound probe,

wherein the ultrasound probe identifies position information of the wireless ultrasound probe through data communication for transceiving the ultrasound image data with respect to the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus, and

the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus charges a battery included in the wireless ultrasound probe by directionally transmitting wireless power to the wireless ultrasound probe based on the position information of the ultrasound probe.

30. The ultrasound system of claim 29, wherein the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus comprises a wireless power transmitter that directionally transmits the wireless power toward the position of the ultrasound probe by controlling a delay time of a wireless power signal in a particular order.

31. The ultrasound system of claim 30, wherein the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus further comprises a direction controller that is connected to the wireless power transmitter and changes a transmission direction of the wireless power transmitter to at least one of a first direction, a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a third direction perpendicular to each of the first direction and the second direction.

32. The ultrasound system of claim 31, wherein the direction controller rotates the transmission direction of the wireless power transmitter to at least one of the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction.