Abstract:
Systems and methods are disclosed which allow for mechanically switching the electrical connections to a device to which multiple transducers are permanently physically connected. In one embodiment, two transducers are connected to the device on a semi-permanent basis and contacts within the mechanical switch are moved physically by the user to adjust the electrical connection to the desired active transducer. In the embodiment, the mechanical switch moves the entire electrical contact housing from one transducer to another.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure is related to transducer switches for medical devices and more particularly to systems and methods for simplifying the interchange of medical device transducers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Many medical devices, such as sonographic devices, allow a user to change transducers from time to time. One method for changing such transducers is to simply unplug the first transducer and plug a second transducer into the same physical socket. However, this is not practical for a variety or reasons. Thus, in some situations it is desirable to allow more than one transducer to remain physically attached concurrently to the equipment. In order to allow more than one transducer to be concurrently connected to the device it is necessary to have one or more switches that allow the user to select which of the physically connected devices is also electrically connected at any given time. 
     In one prior art system, three transducers (scan heads) are physically connected to a single medical device. Electronic relays operating under control of a user operated switch serves to electrically connect a selected one of the three scan heads to the device. These relays, and their accompanying electronics, require power to operate and are relatively expensive to both manufacture and maintain. Thus such switches become a controlling cost factor in the manufacturing of the medical device. This cost is ultimately passed along to the patient. Accordingly, it is desired to reduce the cost of connecting multiple transducers to a common medical device. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to systems and methods which allow for mechanically switching the electrical connections to a device to which multiple transducers are permanently physically connected. The costly relays and their electronic control circuitry are eliminated from the cost of the medical device by using a mechanical switch. In one embodiment, two transducers are connected to the device on a semi-permanent basis and contacts within the mechanical switch are moved physically by the user to adjust the electrical connection to the desired active transducer. In the embodiment, the mechanical switch moves the entire electrical contact housing from one transducer to another. 
     The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which: 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate an example of the prior art transducer switch; 
         FIG. 2  shows one embodiment of a transducer switch in accordance with one concept of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  shows one embodiment of the switch with two transducers attached; and 
         FIG. 4  shows one embodiment of the details of the operation of the switch shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate an example of a prior art transducer switch. As shown in  FIG. 1A , ultrasound device  100  has connector  101  positioned to accept mating connector ends of a transducer, such as transducer  105 , so that the transducer will make both physical and electrical connection to device  100  via connector  101 . As shown, scan head  104  of transducer  105  is electrically connected to connector  102  via cable  103 . In turn, connector  102  from transducer  105  is connected ultrasound device  100  via connector  101 . Often a latch mechanism (not shown) is used to prevent the mated connectors from disengaging. When a user desires to switch transducers the user would have to disconnect connector  102  from connector  101  by disengaging the latching mechanism. The connector from a different transducer would then be then put on a different transducer assembly for a different application or use. 
       FIG. 1B  illustrates prior art ultrasound device  100  having triple connector  110  plugged into connector  101 . Connector assembly  131  is used to interface between connector  100  on triple connector board  110  and device connector  101 . Assembly  131  in the embodiment shown connects to triple connector  110  via cable  130 . This arrangement expands the system&#39;s capability from having one physical transducer connection to having three physical transducer connections  111 A,  111 B and  111 C. This then allows three transducers to be semi-permanently connected to the device at the same time. 
     A set of electronic relays and other controls are positioned on triple connector  110  and serve to switch the electrical connection from one of the transducers to triple connector  101  as desired by the user from time to time. A switch, not shown, is also positioned on triple connector  110  which allows the user to make the selection among the transducers. When the user desires to switch from one transducer to another, the user operates the appropriate switch (or turns a rotary switch to the proper position which in turn operates the relays and electronically switches the wires from one transducer to another. Typically there are approximately two hundred wires that must be switched each time. Some of these wires are power wires, some are ground wires and some are bi-directional transmit/receive wires going to the transmitter elements. 
       FIG. 2  shows one embodiment  20  of transducer switch box  200  in accordance with one concept of the invention. Transducer connector  112 A serves to connect scan head  113 A to the medical device (not shown in  FIG. 2 ). Transducer connector  112 B serves to connect scan head  113 B to the medical device (not shown in  FIG. 2 ). Transducer switch box  200  houses a set of contacts moveable between a first side  200 A and a second side  200 B which, as will be discussed, engage electrical contacts in one or the other of transducers connectors  112 A or  112 B. Transducer switch  200 , in this embodiment, is connected to the medical device (as shown in  FIG. 1A ) by cable  230  and interface connector  231  which mates with device connector  101  ( FIG. 1A ). The electrical contact points of the connector set, of which there are in the range of two hundred, are arranged into a plurality of individual electrical connectors with each individual connector having, in one embodiment, duel in-line individual electrical connection points or contacts. The purpose of the movable contact set is to make electrical contact between the respective contact points substantially simultaneously. 
     In operation, when the user desires to use a particular transducer (for example, scan head  113 B) then the user operates switch  21  toward the desired transducer connector (in this example it would be rotated clockwise). This then moves a contact block  210  within transducer switch box  200  to the right such that the electrical contacts on the right side of contact block  210  mate with contacts  202  within transducer connector  112 B. This serves to make the electrical connection between scan head  113 B and medical device  100  ( FIG. 1A ) via connectors  231  and  101 . 
     Note that switch  21  is shown as a rotary switch but it can be any type of switch or lever which causes contact block  210  to move from one transducer connector to the other. In the embodiment shown, the rotary motion of the switch is translated into lateral movement of the contact set. In some embodiments it may be important to insure that the contact set electrically separates from a first transducer connector before making electrical contact with a second transducer connector. 
     Switch  21  could be a slide switch where the user slides the switch left or right causing the contact block to move in concert therewith. The switch could be connected directly to the movable contact block or it could be connected thereto by a linkage. Support  201  provides support for switch  21  as well as is a cover of switch box  200  if desired. Outer flanges  206  of support  201  flex such that they wrap around outside  203  of transducer connector  112 A in order to maintain transducer connector  112 A or connector  112 B in physical contact with the transducer switch box  200  and in a fixed relationship therewith. Proper positioning of transducer connector  112 A with transducer switch box  200  can be accommodated by lip  204  around the leading edge of transducer connector  112 A mating tightly with inner edge  205  transducer switch  200 . 
     Note that while only two transducer connectors are shown on transducer switch box  200  any number of transducers could be positioned, provided the contacts of contact block  210  could be selectively positioned manually to contact only one transducer at a time. One embodiment for accomplishing such a multi-ported arrangement would be to position a manual rotary switch on the top of the housing and to then have the contact set within the housing rotate in an arc, or even a full circle. In such an arrangement, the various transducer connectors would be positioned at ports around the circumferential periphery of the housing. In such an embodiment, the rotary switch would pivot about an axis parallel to the axis of the transducer connectors. Note also, that if desired, a neutral position could be established where the contact set would not make electrical contact with any transducer connector. 
       FIG. 3  shows one embodiment  300  of transducer switch box  200  with two transducers connectors  112 A and  112 B attached. Shown also is device connector  231  which, as discussed above, is designed to mate with the interface connector of the medical device. The design of device connector  231  is the same as the design of transducer connectors  112 A and  112 B since they all are designed to mate with the device interface connector (shown as connector  101  in  FIG. 1A ). Latch  301  operates to maintain the transducer connector physically mated with the device, or with transducer switch box  200  until released by the operator/user. Filter  302  is optionally positioned in cable  230  to enhance signal propagation as is well-known. Note that, lever  41  is similar to switch  21  ( FIG. 2 ) except that the lever  41  (switch) for selecting which transducer is electrically coupled to device connector  231  is on the top, (far right in  FIG. 3  and shown in more detail in  FIG. 4 ). 
       FIG. 4  shows one embodiment  400  of the details of the operation of a switch which could be used as a transducer switch box  200  ( FIGS. 2 and 3 ). Contact set  420  consists of two faces  421 A and  421 B, with each faces having sets of electrical contacts, such as contacts  404 , mounted into connectors, such as connectors  403 A on face  421 A and connectors  403 B on face  421 B. In the embodiment shown, the electrical contacts of face  421 A are mated with electrical contacts within transducer connector  112 B. 
     When the user turns lever (switch)  41  center rod  401  rotates within bearings  42 . This rotation causes cams  410 A and  410 B to rotate in the same direction as lever  41 . As cams  410 A and  410 B rotate they force contact set  420  to move closer to one of the transducer connectors and simultaneously away from the other of the transducer connectors. Thus, if the user were to rotate lever  41 , cams  410 A ands  410 B would force contact set  420  to move away from transducer connector  112 B and toward transducer connector  112 A. This, in turn, would cause the electrical connections between face  421 B and connector  112 B to become physically separated. At some point along the movement, connectors  403 A would electrically mate with the electrical connectors within transducer connector  112 A, thereby transferring the electrical connection of the medical device from scan head  113 B to scan head  113 A. 
     Note that while a movable contact set is shown, the concept of a mechanical switch could be implemented in many ways. For example, the concept could be implemented by having each transducer connector electrically connected at all times when it is physically connected to the switch housing. In such an embodiment, the electrical connections, (about two hundred of them) would be brought to the center of the switch by wires or buses from all of the contacts of all of the physically connected transducer connectors. At or near the center of the switch, a commutator having a plurality of individual electrical contacts positioned thereon could be arranged to rotate into selective electrical contact with the wires (or buses) from one or the other of the connected transducer connectors. The commutator would be turned, or slid into the selected position under control of a lever operated by the user. This then would serve to manually connect only one of the scan heads with the medical device at any one point in time. 
     Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.