Docking station with hierarchal battery management for use with portable medical equipment
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A portable medical diagnostic device comprising:
- at least one internal battery for powering said diagnostic device when said device is operating in a portable mode;
means for accepting power from at least one battery contained in a docking station to which said diagnostic device becomes attached; and
means for isolating said internal battery from the circuit providing power to the components of said diagnostic device and switching in an ordered manner through a plurality of batteries external to said diagnostic device, said power being accepted whether said diagnostic device is in a quiescent state or whether said diagnostic device is being used for performing diagnostic functions on a patient while mated with said docking station.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
When portable diagnostic medical equipment is placed into a dock, or docking station, the batteries of the docking station are used in a hierarchical manner to insure that the batteries in the portable equipment become charged and that any power needed to run the portable device is provided from a power source local to the docking station. In one embodiment, the docking station has a plurality of batteries and the system is designed so that when a portable diagnostic device is docked, the power from the docking station batteries will be used in a predetermined usage pattern so as to preserve (and charge) the batteries in the portable diagnostic tool.
78 Citations
18 Claims
-
1. A portable medical diagnostic device comprising:
-
at least one internal battery for powering said diagnostic device when said device is operating in a portable mode; means for accepting power from at least one battery contained in a docking station to which said diagnostic device becomes attached; and means for isolating said internal battery from the circuit providing power to the components of said diagnostic device and switching in an ordered manner through a plurality of batteries external to said diagnostic device, said power being accepted whether said diagnostic device is in a quiescent state or whether said diagnostic device is being used for performing diagnostic functions on a patient while mated with said docking station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 15, 16)
-
-
4. A method of maintaining the batteries of a portable medical diagnostic device charged, said method comprising:
-
when said diagnostic device is being operated from batteries internal to said device, substituting operation of said device from said internal batteries to at least one battery external to said device, said substituting being triggered by said device becoming positioned in a support; and charging said batteries internal to said device via a secondary circuit isolated from the components of said diagnostic device, wherein said substituting further comprises switching in an ordered manner through a plurality of batteries external to said diagnostic device. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 17)
-
-
8. A method for using a hand-held portable diagnostic test device, said method comprising:
-
performing diagnostic testing on patients using said diagnostic test tool while said diagnostic test device is operable from power supplied by at least one battery internal to said diagnostic test tool, placing said diagnostic test tool in a portable support; continuing to perform diagnostic testing on patients while said diagnostic test device is supported by said portable support; automatically switching said diagnostic test device to operate from at least one battery contained within said support; and substituting operation of said device from said at least one battery within said support to said at least one battery internal to said diagnostic test tool, after said at least one battery within said support have been depleted, and lowering power consumption of said at least one battery internal to said diagnostic test tool. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 18)
-
-
12. A hand-held ultrasound system operable for performing diagnostic testing on patients, said system comprising;
-
a portable support separate from a hand-held ultrasound device, said support having contained therein at least one source of power; means for displaying graphics of a diagnostic test being performed; means internal to said device for providing said displaying means when said device becomes unplugged from an external source of power; and means for supplying power to said displaying means exclusively from said source of power within said portable support when said device is mated with said support, wherein said support power source comprises a plurality of batteries arranged to provide power to said displaying means in an hierarchical manner. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
-
Specification