Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US8161815?ie=ISO-8859-1&dq=7181427
Timestamp: 2015-05-03 09:26:30
Document Index: 246010496

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 08005852', 'Application No. 11005218', 'Application No. 2007', 'Application No. 2007', 'Application No. 2007', 'Application No. 2007', 'Application No. 2007', 'Application No. 2007']

Patent US8161815 - Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsIn a transportable ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, a body to which a display unit on which an ultrasound image is displayed is integrated and an operation panel are connected by a connecting member. The body and the operation panel are supported by a body supporting stub and an operation panel supporting...http://www.google.com/patents/US8161815?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US8161815 - Ultrasound diagnostic apparatusAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS8161815 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 12/062,815Publication dateApr 24, 2012Filing dateApr 4, 2008Priority dateApr 6, 2007Also published asEP1977693A1, EP1977693B1, EP2277451A1, EP2380497A1, US20080249406Publication number062815, 12062815, US 8161815 B2, US 8161815B2, US-B2-8161815, US8161815 B2, US8161815B2InventorsNaoyuki NARUSEOriginal AssigneeHitachi Aloka Medical, Ltd.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (50), Non-Patent Citations (8), Classifications (11), Legal Events (2) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetUltrasound diagnostic apparatus
16. The transportable ultrasound diagnostic apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein a height at which the body is supported is a height greater than or equal to � of the height of the body and less than or equal to � of the height of the body.
The connecting frame 16 comprises a base portion 32 which allows placement of the apparatus on a flat surface such as a top plate of a table, and an arm portion 34 extends from the base portion 32 in an upward direction. Near a tip of the arm portion 34, a body supporting stub 36 which pivotably supports the body 12 is provided. The body 12 can pivot within a predetermined angle range around a center axis of the support stub 36. By making the body 12 pivotable, the body 12 can pivot in both a backward tilt and a forward tilt. It is also desirable to set the pivoting range so that the angle of the backward tilt, that is, a tilt at which the display screen 15 a faces upward, can be larger than the angle of the forward tilt. In the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 10, the body 12 can be tilted from a position in which the display screen 15 a is vertical to 10� forward and 30� backward. Because the body 12 can be tilted forward, reflection of illumination or the like on the display screen 15 a can be inhibited. In addition, because the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus is used in a form in which the operator views the display screen 15 a while contacting an ultrasonic probe on a subject, the viewpoint of the operator may become a low position. In this case also, the configuration to allow forward tilt of the display screen is advantageous.
The body supporting stub 36 supports the body at a position distanced in an upward direction from a position near a lower end of the body 12, and can narrow the movement range of the body 12 by the pivoting. If, however, the body is supported at a position which is too high, even when the body 12 is to be pivoted by moving the body while holding a position near an upper end of the body, the body 12 cannot be pivoted. Therefore, the height at which the body 12 is to be supported is desirably a height greater than or equal to � of the height of the body 12 and less than or equal to � of the height of the body 12.
Near a root of the arm portion of the connecting frame 16, an operation panel supporting stub 38 which pivotably supports the operation panel 14 is provided. The operation panel 14 pivots around a center axis of the operation panel supporting stub 38. The operation panel supporting stub 38 supports a rear side of the panel when the operation panel 14 is opened. In this process, the front side of the operation panel 14 can be supported by a surface such as a table and a stage on which the connecting frame 16 is placed. The operation panel 14 can pivot between a state as shown in FIG. 1 or 4 in which the operation panel 14 is tilted toward the front side and the front surface on which various operation elements are provided facing upward and a state as shown in FIG. 3 which is approximately upright. The state shown in FIG. 1 or 4 in which the operation panel 14 is tilted toward the front side is referred to as an �open state� of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 10 and a state as shown in FIG. 3 in which the operation panel 14 is set to an upright position and is closed along the body 12 is referred as a �storage state�.
As described above, the body 12 of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 10 is pivotable on the connecting frame 16 in a predetermined angle range centered at the body supporting stub 36. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the body 12 is backwardly tilted to a maximum angle (with a backward tilt angle of 30�). In this configuration, the display screen 15 a is backwardly tilted by 30� with respect to the vertical direction. When the operation panel 14 is raised from an open position such as the position shown in FIG. 1, a front panel member 90 on a front surface (a surface on which an operation switch or the like is placed) of the operation panel 14 contacts a case member 92 near a lower side of the approximate box-shaped body on a front side, at a position shown in FIG. 8. When the operation panel 14 is further raised and pivoted, the operation panel 14 pushes the body 12, to pivot the body 12 in a direction of reducing backward tilt angle of the body. FIG. 9 shows a state with a backward tilt angle of 20�. When the operation panel 14 is further pivoted to the upright state as shown in FIG. 10, the body 12 is also pivoted to an approximately upright state.
The guide channel 110 of the guide plate 108 is opened in a downward direction in the figures, and, as will be described, receives the follower projection 106 in this opening. The guide channel 110 has a symmetrical shape with respect to a vertical line 112 through the axis of the body supporting stub 36 and is widened toward the opening. The angle of widening is, for example, 5� to the left and to the right. On both sides of the opening of the follower projection 106, edges 114 each having a shape of an arc of a circle centered at the axis of the body supporting stub 36 are provided, and stoppers 116 and 118 are provided on ends of the edge 114. The follower projection 106 is constrained by the edge 114 of the arc shape from moving in the upward direction beyond the edge 114. In addition, the follower projection 106 is also constrained by the stoppers 116 and 118 from moving in a direction along the edge 114. The movement of the pivoting direction is, for example, allowed up to 30� on the side of the stopper 116 and 10� on the side of the stopper 118. This range defines the pivoting range of the body 12, and corresponds to the backward tilt of 30� and the forward tilt of 10�.
As shown in FIGS. 10, 19, and 20, the operation panel 14 can pivot between upright, a storage state (θ=0�) and an open state (θ=100�). In the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 10, the transportability is improved by setting the operation panel 14 in the storage state and, during usage, on the other hand, the operation panel 14 is set to the open state. When the operation panel 14 is pivoted and opened, a torque in a direction to open the operation panel is generated around the operation panel supporting stub 38 due to the weight of the operation panel 14 itself. When the torque due to the weight is significant, the pivoting speed of the operation panel 14 becomes large, and there may be cases in which the impact when the operation panel contacts a surface on which the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 10 is placed becomes large at the end of the opening process. The torque applying mechanism 54 of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 10 of the present embodiment generates a torque opposing the torque in the direction to open the operation panel due to the weight of the operation panel 14.
The setting of the point where the resistive torque by the elastic force starts to act (point b) is determined such that the torque due to the friction does not become large in the interval a-b and that a difference between the torque due to the weight and the resistive torque does not become large in the interval b-c. If the friction torque is large in the interval a-b, a large force would be required for the operator to pivot the operation panel 14. In addition, if the difference between the torque due to the weight and the resistive torque is large in the interval b-c, the operation panel may pivot in the closing or opening direction without an operation by the operator. In general, it is desirable that the pivot angle θ of the operation panel be set in a range of 40� to 50�. In the present embodiment, θ is set to 48�.
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Report dated Aug. 29, 2008, issued in corresponding European Patent Application No. 08005852.2.2European Search Report dated Sep. 26, 2011, issued in corresponding European Patent Application No. 11005218.0.3Japanese Office Action dated Jan. 17, 2012, issued in corresponding Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-100254.4Japanese Office Action dated Jan. 17, 2012, issued in corresponding Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-100285.5Japanese Office Action dated Jan. 17, 2012, issued in corresponding Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-100413.6Japanese Office Action dated Jan. 17, 2012, issued in corresponding Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-100420.7Notice of Allowance dated Jan. 24, 2012, issued in corresponding Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-100270. w/Partial English Translation.8Notice of Allowance dated Jan. 24, 2012, issued in corresponding Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-100300. w/Partial English Translation.Classifications U.S. Classification73/431International ClassificationG01P1/02, G01L19/14, G01D11/24Cooperative ClassificationA61B8/00, A61B8/462, A61B2560/0431, A61B8/467European ClassificationA61B8/00, A61B8/46D, A61B8/46B2Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionNov 22, 2011ASAssignmentOwner name: HITACHI ALOKA MEDICAL, LTD., JAPANEffective date: 20110401Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:ALOKA CO., LTD.;REEL/FRAME:027278/0489Apr 8, 2008ASAssignmentOwner name: ALOKA CO., LTD., JAPANFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:NARUSE, NAOYUKI;REEL/FRAME:020799/0538Effective date: 20080314RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services