Docking station for electrically charging and managing a thermal condition of an ultrasound probe

• US 10,206,658 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Lee, Warren, Thiagarajan, Naveenan
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Application Number:
  US14/973,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20170172542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 320107, 320108, 320114, 320115, 361676, 361678, 36167901, 700300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4433 involving a docking unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/546 involving monitoring or regulation of device temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/56 Details of data transmission or power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/23 The load being a medical device, a medical implant, or a life supporting device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

A docking station for electrically charging and managing a thermal condition of an ultrasound probe is presented. The docking station includes a first charging unit magnetically coupled to an induction unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to charge at least one battery in the ultrasound probe. Further, the docking station includes a first cooling unit thermally coupled to a thermal unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to dissipate heat from the ultrasound probe.

Claims

1. A docking station for an ultrasound probe, comprising:

a first charging unit magnetically coupled to an induction unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to charge at least one battery in the ultrasound probe;

a first cooling unit thermally coupled to a thermal unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to dissipate heat from the ultrasound probe; and

a bay assembly comprising a plurality of collars, wherein each collar is configured to hold at least one of a replaceable thermal unit and a sleeve, and wherein the sleeve comprises at least one of a replaceable cartridge and a replaceable battery.

2. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the first cooling unit is configured to dissipate the heat from the ultrasound probe, and wherein the first charging unit is configured to concurrently electrically charge the at least one battery in the ultrasound probe.

3. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the first cooling unit comprises a first thermoelectric cooler having a first surface and a second surface, and wherein the first surface is coupled to the thermal unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to absorb the heat from the ultrasound probe.

4. The docking station of claim 3, wherein the first cooling unit further comprises:

a first heat sink coupled to the second surface of the first thermoelectric cooler and configured to receive the absorbed heat from the first thermoelectric cooler; and

a first fan operatively coupled to the first heat sink and configured to dissipate the absorbed heat from the first heat sink.

5. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the replaceable thermal unit is used to replace the thermal unit in the ultrasound probe.

6. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the sleeve is used to replace the thermal unit and the at least one battery in the ultrasound probe.

7. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the bay assembly further comprises a second cooling unit operatively coupled to the plurality of collars and configured to dissipate heat from at least one of the replaceable thermal unit and the sleeve.

8. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the bay assembly further comprises a second charging unit operatively coupled to the sleeve and configured to charge the replaceable battery in the sleeve.

9. A method, comprising:

magnetically coupling a first charging unit of a docking station to an induction unit of an ultrasound probe to charge at least one battery in the ultrasound probe;

thermally coupling a first cooling unit of the docking station to a thermal unit of the ultrasound probe to dissipate heat from the ultrasound probe; and

replacing the thermal unit in the ultrasound probe with a replaceable thermal unit in a bay assembly of the docking station, and wherein the thermal unit is replaced through a port in the ultrasound probe.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

absorbing, by a first thermoelectric cooler, the heat from the ultrasound probe;

receiving, by a first heat sink, the absorbed heat from the first thermoelectric cooler; and

dissipating, by a first fan, the absorbed heat from the first heat sink.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising transferring the heat from at least one thermal management unit in the ultrasound probe to the first cooling unit.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising replacing the thermal unit and the at least one battery in the ultrasound probe with a sleeve in the docking station, wherein the sleeve comprises at least one of a replaceable cartridge and a replaceable battery.

13. An ultrasound system, comprising:

an ultrasound probe comprising;

a housing;

an induction unit coupled to at least one battery; and

a thermal unit configured to absorb heat generated in the ultrasound probe; and

a docking station comprising;

a first charging unit magnetically coupled to the induction unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to charge the at least one battery through the induction unit;

a first cooling unit thermally coupled to the thermal unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to dissipate the absorbed heat from the thermal unit of the ultrasound probe; and

a bay assembly comprising a plurality of collars, wherein each collar is configured to hold at least one of a replaceable thermal unit and a sleeve, and wherein the sleeve comprises at least one of a replaceable cartridge and a replaceable battery.

14. The ultrasound system of claim 13, wherein the induction unit comprises a first wireless induction charging ring, and wherein the first charging unit comprises a second wireless induction charging ring.

15. The ultrasound system of claim 14, wherein the second wireless induction charging ring is magnetically coupled to the first wireless induction charging ring and configured to electrically charge the at least one battery.

16. The ultrasound system of claim 13, wherein the housing comprises at least one port for replacing one of:

the thermal unit with the replaceable thermal unit in the bay assembly of the docking station; and

the thermal unit and the at least one battery with the sleeve in the bay assembly of the docking station.

17. The ultrasound system of claim 13, wherein the thermal unit of the ultrasound probe is thermally coupled to at least one thermal management unit in the ultrasound probe and configured to transfer the heat from the at least one thermal management unit to the first cooling unit.

18. The ultrasound system of claim 17, wherein the at least one thermal management unit comprises at least one of a heat spreader and a heat pipe in the ultrasound probe.

19. The ultrasound system of claim 13, wherein the thermal unit comprises at least one phase change material cartridge configured to absorb the heat generated in the ultrasound probe.

20. The ultrasound system of claim 19, wherein the at least one phase change material cartridge is replaceable with a new phase change material cartridge in the ultrasound probe.

21. A docking station for an ultrasound probe, comprising:

a first charging unit magnetically coupled to an induction unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to charge at least one battery in the ultrasound probe;

a first cooling unit thermally coupled to a thermal unit of the ultrasound probe and configured to dissipate heat from the ultrasound probe; and

a bay assembly comprising a collar configured to hold a replaceable thermal unit for the ultrasound probe.

22. The docking station of claim 21, wherein the collar is further configured to hold a replaceable sleeve comprising a replaceable battery and the replaceable thermal unit.