Portable ultrasound system with efficient shutdown and startup
First Claim
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1. An ultrasound system with rapid startup capability comprising:
- an ultrasound signal path;
a processor, coupled to the ultrasound signal path and responsive to an operator controlled system ON or OFF signal; and
control software running on the processor which controls the state of the ultrasound signal path, wherein the control software runs when the ultrasound signal path is turned off, and wherein the control software is running prior to actuation of the system ON signal by a system operator, and is responsive to the system ON signal to turn the ultrasound signal path on.
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Abstract
An ultrasound system is described which can be turned off quickly and restarted to be ready for scanning in a matter of seconds. This is accomplished by allowing a processor and/or memory within the system to remain active even when the system is “turned off.” When the system is turned off the state of the system is minimally preserved in either volatile or nonvolatile memory so that the system can quickly restart without having to sequence through an entire bootup procedure.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. An ultrasound system with rapid startup capability comprising:
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an ultrasound signal path;
a processor, coupled to the ultrasound signal path and responsive to an operator controlled system ON or OFF signal; and
control software running on the processor which controls the state of the ultrasound signal path, wherein the control software runs when the ultrasound signal path is turned off, and wherein the control software is running prior to actuation of the system ON signal by a system operator, and is responsive to the system ON signal to turn the ultrasound signal path on. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A method for powering-down an ultrasound system comprising:
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turning off at least a portion-of an ultrasound signal path in response to a user command; and
maintaining power to a processor which is responsive to a user command to restore the ultrasound signal path to an operational state. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for powering down and restarting an ultrasound system comprising:
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responding to an operator command to turn off the system by;
a) turning off at least a portion of an ultrasound signal path;
b) storing context data in a volatile memory; and
c) maintaining power to the volatile memory while at least a portion of the ultrasound signal path is turned off; and
responding to an operator command to turn on the system by;
d) restoring system operation by use of the context data; and
e) restoring the ultrasound signal path to an operational state. - View Dependent Claims (14)
wherein restoring comprises using the context data to reset the operating state of the processor.
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15. A method for powering down and restarting an ultrasound system comprising:
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responding to an operator command to turn off the system by;
a) turning off at least a portion of an ultrasound signal path;
b) storing system context data in a nonvolatile storage device; and
responding to an operator command to turn on the system by;
c) accessing the system context data stored in the nonvolatile storage device; and
d) restoring the ultrasound signal path to an operational state. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
wherein the processor acts to store context data of the volatile memory in the nonvolatile memory.
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18. The method of claim 17, wherein the processor and volatile memory are powered down after the context data is stored in the nonvolatile memory.
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19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
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setting the nonvolatile storage device to a suspend state after storing system context data; and
resetting the nonvolatile storage device to an active state in response to the command to turn on the system.
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20. A method for turning off an ultrasound system comprising:
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turning off at least a portion of an ultrasound signal path in response to a user command;
reducing the clock speed of a processor; and
maintaining power to a volatile memory coupled to the processor.
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21. A method for powering down and restarting an ultrasound system comprising:
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responding to an operator command to turn off the system by;
a) turning off at least a portion of an ultrasound signal path;
b) reducing the clock speed of a processor; and
c)maintaining power to a volatile memory coupled to the processor; and
responding to an operator command to turn on the system by;
e) increasing the clock speed of the processor; and
f) restoring the ultrasound signal path to an operational state.
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22. An ultrasound system with rapid startup comprising:
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an ultrasound signal path;
a processor, coupled to the ultrasound signal path and responsive to an operator controlled system ON or OFF signal; and
an operating system running on the processor which controls the state of the ultrasound signal path, wherein the operating system operates while the ultrasound signal path is turned off, and wherein the operating system operates prior to actuation of the system ON signal by a system operator, and is responsive to the system ON signal to turn the ultrasound signal path on.
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23. A method for powering down an ultrasound system comprising:
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turning off at least a portion of an ultrasound signal path in response to a user command; and
maintaining power to a volatile memory which retains system context data while at least a portion of the ultrasound signal path is turned off.
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24. A method for powering down an ultrasound system having an ultrasound signal path and a volatile storage device connected thereto which stores data used by the ultrasound signal path comprising:
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turning off at least a portion of the ultrasound signal path in response to a user command; and
maintaining power to the volatile storage device to retain the data therein for use when the ultrasound signal path is turned on. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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Specification