WO2014207593A1

WO2014207593A1 - Cable management systems for cart-borne ultrasonic diagnostic imaging systems

Info

Publication number: WO2014207593A1
Application number: PCT/IB2014/062069
Authority: WO
Inventors: Charles Hawkins WYMAN; Glenn HITOSIS; Allison Arden DANIELS; Jean Margaret WILLIAMS; Maarten Pieter BAARS; David Nigel Roundhill
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
Priority date: 2013-06-28
Filing date: 2014-06-09
Publication date: 2014-12-31

Abstract

A wheel-mounted,cart-borne ultrasound system has a plurality of probe connector ports and multiple probe holders which permit a number of ultrasound probes to be connected to the ultrasound system at the same time. A removable cable support is connected to the ultrasound system at an attachment end and supports a probe cable with a cable clip at its other end. In one example the attachment end comprises a clip which removably clips onto the handle of the ultrasound system. In another example the attachment end comprises a magnet which magnetically attaches the cable support below the control panel of the ultrasound system. In other examples the intermediate portion of the cable support comprises an elastic or inelastic strap.

Description

CABLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS FOR CART-BORNE

ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING SYSTEMS

This invention relates to medical diagnostic ultrasound systems and, in particular, to probe cable management systems for cart-borne ultrasonic

diagnostic imaging systems.

Physicians and medical technicians use cart- borne ultrasound imaging systems in a variety of medical imaging applications. In order to perform different diagnostic exams, specialized transducer probes are available which are designed to view

different parts of the body in ways uniquely suited to the anatomy being imaged. Transducer probes are specially designed with different acoustic apertures, operating frequencies, and beam scanning sequences for both two- and three-dimensional imaging, for instance. In order to make a variety of different probes immediately available to the sonographer, a typical ultrasound system cart is equipped with multiple probe connector ports, enabling a number of probes to be plugged into the system at the same time. The connected probes are usually retained in probe holders around the control panel where a sonographer can easily select one and begin scanning a patient.

A cart-borne ultrasound system has wheels to provide mobility, enabling the imaging system to be moved and shared by physicians and technicians throughout a hospital or clinic. The transducer cables connecting the probes to their system connectors are designed to be long enough to reach from the imaging system to a patient, often two meters in length or more. When the imaging system is moved, the transducer cables can often drag on the floor and become entangled with the wheels, sometimes pulling the transducer probes from their holders or damaging the cables. An ultrasound system is moved at the beginning of virtually every ultrasound exam as the sonographer positions the system to be convenient to the bedside or exam table of the patient being examined. Probe cables can also become inter-twined with one another, causing the probes to fall to the ground, or

otherwise restricting maneuverability of a transducer probe while it is being used. This can cause the transducer probes to become damaged when dropped and probes are expensive to repair or replace.

Accordingly it is desirable to be able to manage the cables while the probes are connected to the

ultrasound system to prevent these hazards.

One approach to managing probe cables is

described in US Pat. 5,615,682 (Stratz, Sr.) This patent describes an ultrasound system with a

specially fabricated slot assembly for probe cable retaining clips on the underside of a service tray of the system. A number of retaining clips are provided in the slot assembly and can be moved to different positions along the assembly. Another approach to cable management is to locate the probe connector ports high on the ultrasound system as shown in US Pat. 6,629,927 (Mesaros et al . ) When the ports are so located, the lengthy probe cables can generally be suspended well above the floor when the probe are retained in their probe holders. This patent also shows a system with an open handle design, which allows the sonographer to hang the suspended cable over the handle. This, however, can impede the use of the handle when the control panel is being

adjusted or the system moved, times when the

sonographer needs clear access to the control panel handle. Furthermore, closed handle designs are common, which restricts or eliminates the ability to use the handle as a cable hanger. Accordingly it is desirable to be able to manage the lengthy cables in situations where the ultrasound cart has a closed handle design, and without the need for a specially fabricated assembly on the cart.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, cable management for a cart-borne

ultrasound system is provided by cable supports which are removably attached to system. In one

implementation a cable support clips onto the handle of the control panel, enabling the cable to be

supported immediately below the handle at a location on the handle which is convenient for the sonographer. In another implementation a cable support has an elastic or inelastic strap which clips onto the system handle at one end and supports one or more probe cables with removable cable attachments at the other end. In another implementation the cart handle clip is replaced with a magnetic attachment which magnetically attaches to a ferrous part of the

ultrasound system above the probe ports. All of these implementations are adjustable and removable and require no special manufacture of the cart-borne ultrasound system.

In the drawings :

FIGURE 1 illustrates a cart-borne ultrasound system with an adjustable and removable cable

support clip on the handle of the system control panel.

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the ultrasound system of FIGURE 1 showing the cable support

immediately below the control panel handle.

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the ultrasound system control panel and cable support clip of FIGURES 1 and 2.

FIGURES 4A and 4B illustrate cable support straps which clip onto an ultrasound system handle.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a cable support strap which magnetically attaches to an ultrasound system.

FIGURE 6 illustrates the cable support strap of FIGURE 4A in use with the ultrasound system of

FIGURES 1 and 2.

FIGURE 7 illustrates the cable support strap of FIGURE 5 in use and magnetically attached to an ultrasound system.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a cart-borne

ultrasound system 10 is shown in perspective. The cart includes a lower electronics compartment 12 inside of which are located printed circuit boards for electronically controlling and processing

received ultrasound signals. The ultrasound signals are processed to produce an image which is displayed on a display 16. Located on the front of the

electronics compartment 12 are four probe connector ports 24 to which four connectors for four ultrasound probes can be attached. The cart is mounted on wheels or casters 14 so that it can be rolled to a lab or a patient's bedside. In the front of the cart is a control panel 18 which contains a number of knobs, buttons, slide switches, and a trackball by which a user controls the ultrasound system. Located on either side of the control panel are a number of probe holders 22 which hold probes which are not currently in use in an exam. Probes are held with the transducer aperture facing upward and the probe cable extending from the open bottom of the probe holder. On the front of the control panel is a handle 30 which extends around the front of the control panel and ultrasound system. The handle 30 is used to pull the cart to move it from one location to another and to adjust the position of the control panel .

In accordance with a first implementation of the present invention, a cable support 20 is removably clipped onto the handle 30 of the control panel 18. The cable support 20 has an upper clip portion 20a at one end which clips onto the handle, and a lower clip portion 20b at the other end which accommodates a probe cable, as also shown in FIGURE 3. When a probe is connected to the ultrasound system 10, the probe connector is plugged into one of the probe connector ports 24, the probe is placed into one of the probe holders 22, and the probe cable is hung in the lower clip portion of the cable support 20. The probe cable is thus raised to almost the height of the underside of the control panel 18, which is generally sufficient to keep the cable well off of the floor and above the wheels 14 of the cart. Since the cable support 20 can be snapped onto the handle 30 at any point along the handle, the cable can be hung where it is out of the way of the sonographer during an exam. If the cable support 20 is not needed it can be removed from the handle and stored for later use. Several cable supports 20 can be used at the same time for multiple connected probe cables and can be positioned as convenient around the handle.

FIGURES 4A and 4B illustrate another

implementation of the present invention in which a cable support 40 supports a probe cable by a strap 48.

The strap 48 can be inelastic such as a polymer- covered stranded wire, or can be made of elastic material such as a silicone-based material with or without an anti-microbial additive. Other candidate elastomers which may be employed for the strap include natural rubber, butyl, nitrile (Buna-N) , and styrene butadiene. An elastomeric strap will stretch with movement of the probe. In the case of an elastic strap it is preferable that the strap stretch easily when pulled. With this characteristic the sonographer can move the probe and cable to a patient while the cable is supported by the cable support and can extend the strap if necessary by exertion of an imperceptible force by the sonographer. This is desirable so that the sonographer does not have to exert a noticeable force to stretch the cable, which could tire the wrist or arm of the sonographer. When released the elastic strap gently pulls the cable back to its unextended original position. The elastic strap can be detached from both plastic components by the user if necessary, allowing the user to easily clean or replace components.

Located at one end of the strap 48 (in the illustrated support, two straps are used to support two cables), is a plastic clip 42 which snaps over the handle 30 of the ultrasound system. A pin or eyebolt is located at the strap attachment end 44 of the clip 42 about which the looped end of the strap 48 is mounted to allow the strap 48 to swing freely at the end of the clip. A cable clip 46 is located at the other end of the strap 48 which is open to accommodate a probe cable. The cable clip 46 is able to swing freely at this looped end of the strap 48 also. FIGURE 4A shows an example where the cable clips 46 are oriented to face each other. FIGURE 4B shows an example where the cable clips 46 can also be oriented to face away from each other such that the insertion portion of the cable clips are oriented outward rather than inward as shown in FIGURE 4A. The geometry of the insertion section for the cable clips also allows for multiple thicknesses of

transducer cables to fit securely without subjecting them to excess force.

The cable support with strap 40 of FIGURE 4A is shown in use with the ultrasound system of FIGURE 1 in FIGURE 6. There it is seen that the clip 42 is clipped onto the handle 30 at the front of the control panel 18. The cable clip 46 at the end of the strap 48 holds a probe cable 90 above the floor. A probe cable connector 92 at the end of the cable 90 is seen plugged into one of the probe connector ports 24 on the front of the electronics compartment 12 of the ultrasound system.

FIGURE 5 shows another implementation of a probe cable support of the present invention which is a magnetically attached cable support 50. Instead of a handle clip at the end of the strap 48, a magnet assembly 52 is used to attach the cable support 50 to an ultrasound system. As in the case of the previous implementation, the strap 48 can be elastic or inelastic. One way to use the magnetic cable support 50 is illustrated in FIGURE 7. The cart in this case support a laptop-style ultrasound system 10' which mounts on a platform on top of the cart, from which it can be removed and used without the cart. In this illustration the lid of the laptop-style ultrasound system, which contains the display screen, is folded down on the bottom of system which contains the system control panel. Below the mounting platform for the ultrasound system 10' is a compartment or shelf 26 for system accessories such as a printer, video recorder, or external hard drive. The

compartment 26 of this cart is made of ferrous sheet metal and the attachment magnet 52 at the end of the cable support 50 is magnetically attached to the bottom of this compartment. The probe cable 90 is thereby supported by the cable clip 46 above the floor and beneath the compartment 26 and the

ultrasound system on top of the cart. This

illustration also shows the probe 100 at the end of the probe cable 90 being retained in the probe holder 22 and ready for use. The magnetically attached cable support is advantageous for its break-away capability. If the sonographer pulls excessively on the support cable when positioning the probe for an exam, the magnetically attached cable support will pull away from the compartment 26 and fall harmlessly to the floor.

Other variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art. For instance, the adjustable length of an elastic strap can be provided by use of a pre-tensioned reel on the strap. As the user pulls on the cable to position the probe for an exam, the strap unwinds from the reel. When the user is finished with the exam the spring-tensioned reel rewinds the strap. Instead of a magnet or handle clip, other attachment mechanisms such as hooks or tapped holes may also be employed to attach the cable support to the ultrasound system.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A probe cable support for the cable of an ultrasound probe connected to a wheel-based, cart- borne ultrasound system, the ultrasound system having a control panel and a plurality of probe connector ports located below the level of the control panel comprising :

an upper attachment end which removably attaches to the ultrasound system;

a lower cable clip end which removably supports a probe cable above the floor and below the control panel of the ultrasound system; and

an intermediate portion which connects the upper attachment end to the lower cable clip end of the probe cable support.

2. The probe cable support of Claim 1, wherein the ultrasound system control panel further comprises a handle; and

wherein the upper attachment end further

comprises a clip which clips onto the handle of the control panel.

3. The probe cable support of Claim 2, wherein the intermediate portion further comprises a strap.

4. The probe cable support of Claim 2, wherein the strap further comprises an elastic or inelastic strap .

5. The probe cable support of Claim 3, wherein the strap is swingingly connected to the handle clip.

6. The probe cable support of Claim 5, wherein the strap is swingingly connected to the lower cable clip .

7. The probe cable support of Claim 1, wherein the ultrasound system further comprises a ferrous member located above the level of the probe connector port,

wherein the upper attachment end further

comprises a magnet which magnetically attaches to the ferrous member.

8. The probe cable support of Claim 7, wherein the ferrous member is located at or below the bottom of the control panel.

9. The probe cable support of Claim 8, wherein the ferrous member further comprises an ultrasound system accessory compartment.

10. The probe cable support of Claim 7, wherein the intermediate portion further comprises an elastic or inelastic strap.

11. The probe cable support of Claim 1, wherein the intermediate portion further comprises an elastic or inelastic strap; and

further comprising a probe cable having an ultrasound probe at one end, and a probe connector at the other end which is coupled to one of the probe connector ports,

wherein the cable clip supports the probe cable intermediate the ultrasound probe and the probe connector .

The probe cable support of Claim wherein the control panel further comprises a

plurality of probe holders,

wherein the ultrasound probe is retained by one of the probe holders when the cable clip supports the probe cable.

13. The probe cable support of Claim 3, wherein the strap further comprises a plurality of straps, each having one end coupled to the handle clip and a a cable clip located at the other end.

14. The probe cable support of Claim 11, wherein the strap is made of a silicone-based

material with or without an anti-microbial additive, natural rubber, butyl, nitrile (Buna-N) , or styrene butadiene .

15. The probe cable support of Claim 11, wherein the elastic strap can be stretched with minimal exertion so as not to be noticeable by a during an ultrasound exam.