Power connections and interface for compact illuminator assembly

• US 7,758,203 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Inventors: Saddlemire, Dale C., McMahon, Michael T., Slawson, Steven R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Jong-Suk (James)
• Assistant Examiner(s): Crowe; David R
• Application Number:
  US11/731,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20070230167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 362/183, 362/190, 362/191, 362/647, 362/652, 362655-659, 362/208, 362/253, 362/85, 362/86, 362/88, 362/119, 362/200, 362/572, 362/573, 362/574, 320/114, 320/115, 320/107, 320/111, 439/224, 439/217, 439/218
• US Class Current: 362/183
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00032 internally powered
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00105 characterised by modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0669 at proximal end of an endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0684 using light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/303 for the vagina, i.e. vaginoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/32 Devices for opening or enlarging the visual field, e.g. of a tube of the body dilators A61M29/00

Abstract

A portable illuminator includes a contained power source and an integrally contained light source that is selectively inserted into the handle portion of a vaginal speculum. The portable illuminator includes an electrical interface that permits selective connection to at least two electrical devices for purposes of at least one of supplementing, replacing and recharging the contained power source.

Claims

1. An illuminator assembly for a medical device having a receiving cavity, the illuminator assembly comprising:

a portable illuminator containing a light source and a portable power source acting as a primary power source, said illuminator further including a housing having an upper portion and a lower base portion,

said lower base portion of said portable illuminator further including a single end interface that is selectively engageable with at least two electrical devices wherein said single end interface axially engages one of said at least two electrical devices in a direction which extends along a primary axis of said illuminator, said primary axis being co-extensive with said upper and lower base portions of said illuminator and the other of said at least two electrical devices slidingly engages said single end interface of said illuminator in a direction which is nonaxial and substantially orthogonal to said axial direction, said interface including a set of contact pins extending from a recessed surface portion of said lower base portion that are commonly engaged by either of said electrical devices,

said upper portion of said illuminator further including a lens element and a retention pin, the retention in biased outwardly from the upper portion by a spring to provide a bearing force against the cavity when the upper portion is engaged with the cavity.

2. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the lower base portion is engaged with one of said at least two electrical devices and wherein one of said at least two electrical devices is an auxiliary power source.

3. An illuminator assembly for a medical device having a receiving cavity, the illuminator assembly comprising:

a portable illuminator containing a light source and a portable power source acting as a primary power source, said illuminator further including a housing having an upper portion and a lower base portion,

said lower base portion of said portable illuminator further including a single end interface that is engageable with a charging station wherein said single end interface axially engages said charging station in a direction which extends along a primary axis of said illuminator, said primary axis being co-extensive with said upper and lower base portions of said illuminator, said interface including a set of contact pins extending from a recessed surface portion of said lower base portion that are engaged by said charging station,

said upper portion of said illuminator further including a lens element and a retention pin, the retention pin biased outwardly from the upper portion by a spring to provide a bearing force against the cavity when the upper portion is engaged with the cavity.

4. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 3, wherein said charging station includes a receiving port sized to receive said lower base portion.

5. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 4, wherein said receiving port includes at least one engagement member, said at least one engagement member being biasedly disposed into said receiving port and engageable with the lower base portion of said portable illuminator to provide a retaining fit when said portable illuminator is placed into the receiving port.

6. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 5, wherein said at least one engagement member includes a contoured surface that creates a camming action with said illuminator to move said at least one engagement member from a first position toward a second position as said illuminator is inserted into said receiving port.

7. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 6, wherein each of said at least one engagement members is spring biased into a first position laterally extending into said receiving port.

8. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 7, including at least one tube into which springs for biasing said at least one engagement member are disposed.

9. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 8, wherein said tube is made from a noise suppressing material.

10. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 6, wherein said portable illuminator is retained in said charging station when said at least one engagement member moves from the second position toward the first position.

11. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 5, including a pair of engagement members, each of said pair of engagement members extending from opposite facing internal sides of said charging station.

12. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 4, wherein said charging station includes a mechanism for selectively releasing said portable illuminator from said receiving port.

13. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 3, wherein said electrical device interface is included in said charging station and wherein said charging station includes circuitry for charging said portable primary power source of said portable illuminator when said illuminator is connected to said receiving port.

14. An illuminator assembly for a medical device having a receiving cavity, the illuminator assembly comprising:

a portable illuminator containing a light source and a portable power source acting as a primary power source, said illuminator further including a housing having an upper portion and a lower base portion,

said lower base portion of said portable illuminator further including a single end interface that is engageable with a plug wherein said single end interface slidingly engages said single end interface of said illuminator in a direction which is nonaxial and substantially orthogonal to said axial direction, said interface including a set of contact pins extending from a recessed surface portion of said lower base portion that are engaged by said plug,

said upper portion of said illuminator further including a lens element and a retention pin, the retention pin biased outwardly from the upper portion by a spring to provide a bearing force against the cavity when the upper portion is engaged with the cavity.

15. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 14, wherein said plug includes at least one lateral protrusion and a bottom surface of said illuminator interface includes a grooved portion sized to slidingly receive said at least one lateral protrusion.

16. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 15, wherein said grooved portion includes an end wall to permit engagement between said interfaces in only one lateral direction.

17. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 14, wherein one of said bottom surface of said portable illuminator and said plug includes a pair of axially projecting areas and the other of said interfaces includes a pair of recesses sized to receive said axially projecting areas when slidingly engaged therewith.

18. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 17, wherein said interfaces include at least one pair of ways disposed at lateral edges of said axially projecting areas and said recesses.

19. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 18, wherein said at least one pair of ways are angled.

20. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 19, wherein said at least one pair of ways include oppositely oriented angled surfaces situated about a centerline of said interfaces.

21. An illuminator assembly for a medical device having a receiving cavity, the illuminator assembly comprising:

a portable illuminator including a housing including an upper portion and a lower base portion, said housing retaining an integrally contained light source and a portable primary power source, said upper portion of said illuminator further having a lens element and a retention pin, the retention pin biased outwardly from the upper portion by a spring to provide a bearing force against the cavity when the upper portion is engaged with the cavity;

a first electrical device; and

a second electrical device, wherein each of said first and second electrical devices are selectively engageable with said illuminator wherein in which one of said first and second electrical devices recharges said portable primary power source and the other of said first and second electrical devices at least one of supplements and replaces said portable primary power source wherein each of said first and said second electrical devices includes an electrical interface for selectively engaging an electrical interface of said portable illuminator defined by said lower base portion, said electrical interface of said portable illuminator having a set of electrical contacts extending from a recessed portion of said illuminator, each of said first and second electrical devices including different interfaces that are each commonly and selectively connected to said set of electrical contacts of the electrical interface of said illuminator wherein one of said electrical interfaces of one of said first and second electrical devices axially engages receives the electrical interface lower base portion of said illuminator and the other of said electrical interfaces of said first and second electrical devices nonaxially engages the bottom surface of said illuminator electrical interface, each of said interfaces being engageable with the set of electrical contacts extending from the bottom surface of said illuminator.

22. An illuminator assembly as recited in claim 21, wherein said first electrical device is a charging station and said second electrical device is an auxiliary power source.

23. An auxiliary power module with a portable illuminator, said portable illuminator including a primary power source, an upper portion having a lens element and a retention pin, the retention pin biased outwardly from the upper portion by a spring to provide a bearing force against a receiving cavity of a medical device when the upper portion is engaged with the cavity, a portable light source disposed in a housing and an electrical interface defined at a bottom surface of said illuminator, said auxiliary power module including a plug that is releasably and slidingly connectable to the bottom surface of said illuminator to at least one of replace and supplement said primary power source, said bottom surface having at least one recessed electrical contact that is engaged when connected to corresponding electrical contacts of said plug, wherein said auxiliary power module includes at least one lateral protrusion and the bottom surface includes a grooved portion sized to slidingly receive said at least one lateral protrusion, the direction of sliding being orthogonal to that of a primary axis of said illuminator wherein said interface is further selectively axially engageable with at least one other electrical device without modification thereto.

24. The auxiliary power module as recited in claim 23, wherein the grooved portion is sized to receive a center transverse rib of the engaged interface, said grooved portion having an end wall to permit engagement between the interfaces in only one lateral direction relative to the interface having said end wall.

25. The auxiliary power module as recited in claim 23, wherein said plug of said auxiliary power module includes a strain relief.

26. An illuminator assembly for a medical device having a receiving cavity, the illuminator assembly comprising:

a portable illuminator including an upper portion having a lens element and a retention pin, the retention pin biased outwardly from the upper portion by a spring to provide a bearing force against the cavity when the upper portion is engaged with the cavity, an integrally contained light source and a primary power source each disposed within a housing, said housing further including an electrical interface defined by a lower base portion of said housing and having at least one common electrical contact, said electrical lower portion including a bottom surface that is axially engageable with a first electrical device interface and slidingly engageable with a second electrical device interface, wherein the direction of slidable engagement is substantially orthogonal to the direction of axial engagement, each engagement commonly engaging a set of electrical contacts disposed on said bottom surface of said illuminator.

27. An assembly as recited in claim 26, wherein one of said electrical devices is used to recharge said primary power source of said illuminator and the other of said electrical devices is used to at least one of supplement and replace said primary power source.

28. An assembly as recited in claim 27, wherein said illuminator includes means for preventing said primary power source from being charged while the light source is enabled.

29. An assembly as recited in claim 28, wherein said recharge preventing means includes a current charge limiting circuit disposed in said illuminator.

30. An assembly as recited in claim 27, wherein said primary power source is a rechargeable battery, said illuminator including means for converting power to said light source over a range of useful battery voltages between that of a fully charged battery and that of a nearly depleted battery.

31. An assembly as recited in claim 30, wherein said power conversion means includes a buck and boost circuit to maintain a substantially constant current to said light source over said range of useful battery voltages.

32. An assembly as recited in claim 26, including a flexible circuit assembly electrically interconnecting said light source and said primary power source, said flexible circuit assembly including at least one contact.

33. An assembly as recited in claim 32, wherein said at least one contact is integral to said flexible circuit assembly and extends from said electrical interface of said illuminator.