# US 10,863,973 B2 · Thermal shunt for transferring heat from a portable medical device to a stand > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,863,973 B2 - Document ID: US10863973B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/688,771 - Filed: 2017-08-28 - Published: 2019-02-28 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2017-08-28 - Assignees: Fujifilm Sonosite, Inc. - Applicants: FUJIFILM SonoSite, Inc. - Inventors: Michael Pinch - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10863973B2 ## CPC - A61B 8/546: {involving monitoring or regulation of device temperature} - A61B 8/4405: {Device being mounted on a trolley} - A61B 8/4427: {Device being portable or laptop-like} - A61B 8/4433: {involving a docking unit} - A61B 8/46: {Ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic devices with special arrangements for interfacing with the operator or the patient} - A61B 50/13: Trolleys{, e.g. carts} - A61B 50/15: Mayo stands; Tables - A61B 2560/0456: Apparatus provided with a docking unit - G01S 15/899: {Combination of imaging systems with ancillary equipment} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES ## Abstract A portable medical device, such as an ultrasound imaging system, is configured to connect to a stand, and transfer heat from the device to the stand. The device includes a heat-generating source, a hot plate that is thermally coupled to the heat-generating source, and a barrier plate that is biased away from the hot plate and moveable between a first position, wherein the device is not docked to the stand, and a second position, wherein the device is docked to the stand. In the first position, the barrier plate is not in thermally conductive contact with the hot plate, and in the second position, the barrier plate is in thermally conductive contact with the hot plate. When moved from the first position to the second position, a cold plate on the stand pushes the barrier plate into the second position such that heat generated by the imaging system is transferred through the barrier plate to the hot plate and into a cold plate of the stand. As such, in the second position, the device is configured to transfer heat from the imaging system to the stand via a conductive pathway including at least the hot plate, the barrier plate, and the cold plate. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A portable imaging ultrasound system configured to be mounted to a stand, the system comprising: heat-generating electronics that process ultrasound signals; a hot plate for spreading heat collected by the heat-generating electronics; and a barrier plate adjacent to the hot plate and moveable between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position, the barrier plate is spaced apart from the hot plate, and in the second position, the barrier plate is in thermal conductive contact with the hot plate, wherein a planar outer surface forming one side of the hot plate and a planar outer surface forming one side of the barrier plate interfaces with each other for the thermal conductive contact when in the second position and wherein the barrier plate interfaces a cold plate of the stand when in the second position. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising a heat pipe thermally coupled to the heat-generating electronics and the hot plate. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising a heat pipe having a hot end thermally coupled to the heat-generating electronics, and a cold end thermally coupled to a heat exchanger on the ultrasound system, wherein the heat pipe is configured to transfer heat away from the heat-generating electronics using a working fluid contained within the heat pipe. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3 wherein the working fluid undergoes at least a partial phase transition between (a) a vapor phase at the hot end of the heat pipe and (b) a liquid phase the cold end of the heat pipe. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein, in the second position, the system is in a docked position. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein, in the first position, the system is in an undocked position and the barrier plate is separated from the hot plate by an air gap approximately less than one tenth inch. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein, in the second position, a conductive path exists between the heat-generating electronics and the stand via at least the hot plate, and the barrier plate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the barrier plate is biased away from the hot plate by a spring. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the heat-generating electronics includes a processor. ### Claim 10 A portable ultrasound device configured to be mounted to a stand, the device comprising: a heat-generating source; a hot plate proximate and thermally coupled to the heat-generating source; and a barrier plate biased away from the hot plate and moveable from a first undocked position to a second docked position, wherein in the first position, the barrier plate is spaced apart from the hot plate, and in the second position, a first planar outer surface forming one side of the barrier plate is in contact with a first planar outer surface forming one side of the hot plate and the barrier plate is in contact with a cold plate of the stand. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The device of claim 10 wherein, in the second position, the barrier plate is in contact with the stand and between the hot plate and the stand. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The device of claim 10 wherein, in the second position, a conductive path exists between the heat-generating source and the stand via at least the hot plate and the barrier plate. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The device of claim 10, further comprising a hot pipe thermally coupled to the heat-generating source and the hot plate. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13 wherein the hot pipe includes a working fluid configured to transfer heat energy from the heat-generating source to the hot plate at least in part by transitioning between a first phase and a second phase within the hot pipe. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10 wherein the device includes a bottom surface and the barrier plate includes a second planar outer surface, and wherein, in the first position, the bottom surface of the device is generally co-planar with at least a portion of the second planar outer surface of the barrier plate. ### Claim 16 A method for docking a medical device to a stand head configured to receive the device, the method comprising: moving the device to a docked position on the stand head, thereby causing a first planar surface that forms one side of a barrier plate of the medical device to contact a first planar surface that forms one side of a hot plate of the medical device; and transferring heat from a heat-generating source of the device to the stand head via a conductive pathway including the hot plate, the barrier plate, and a cold plate of the stand. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein causing a barrier plate to contact a hot plate includes pushing the barrier plate with a portion of the stand to move the barrier plate toward the hot plate. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the portion of the stand moving the barrier plate is the cold plate of the stand. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein moving the medical device on the stand head to a docked position causes a portion of the stand to contact the barrier plate. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein transferring heat includes transferring heat to the hot plate via a working fluid contained within a heat pipe thermally coupled to the heat-generating source. ### Claim 21 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein the conductive pathway further includes a cold plate of the stand. ### Claim 22 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein causing a first planar surface of a barrier plate to a first planar surface of a contact a hot plate includes compressing one or more springs that bias the barrier plate away from the hot plate prior to when the barrier plate contacts the hot plate. ### Claim 23 A system configured to receive an ultrasound portable device having heat-generating electronics, a hot plate thermally coupled to the heat-generating source, and a barrier plate, the stand comprising: a base portion; a support structure attached to the base portion; and a stand head attached to the support structure, wherein the stand head includes a cold plate and a cold pipe thermally coupled to the cold plate, wherein the cold pipe is configured to transfer heat away from the cold plate, and wherein the stand head is configured to receive the portable device in at least one of an undocked position or a docked position such that in the undocked position, the cold plate is separated from a barrier plate of the device, and in the docked position, a planar outer surface of the cold plate is in contact with a planar outer surface of the barrier plate of the device and the barrier plate is in contact with the hot plate of the device. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The system of claim 23 wherein the cold plate includes a first portion that extends at least partially below a surface of the stand head and a second portion that extends above an upper surface of the stand head. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The system of claim 24 wherein the second portion of the cold plate extends above an upper surface of the stand head by a first distance, and wherein, in the undocked position, the barrier plate is spaced apart from the hot plate by the first distance. ### Claim 26 A portable ultrasound imaging system, comprising: one or more heat-generating electronics for receiving one or more signals related to ultrasound; a hot plate for spreading heat collected from the one or more heat-generating electronics; and a barrier plate for spreading heat collected by the hot plate, wherein in a first position, the barrier plate is spaced apart from the hot plate, and in a second position, a planar outer surface forming one side of the barrier plate is in thermal contact with a planar outer surface forming one side of the hot plate and the barrier plate is in contact with a cold plate of a stand. ### Claim 27 An ultrasound imaging system, comprising: a housing; electronics in the housing that process ultrasound signals to produce ultrasound images; a heat dissipating surface in the housing that dissipates heat from the electronics; and a thermally conductive barrier plate adjacent the heat dissipating surface that is movable from (a) a first position where there is an airgap between the barrier plate and the heat dissipating surface and (b) a second position where a planar outer surface of the barrier plate is in thermal contact with a planar outer surface of the heat dissipating surface such that when in the second position, heat is transferred to the barrier plate by conduction and the barrier plate is in contact with a cold plate of a stand. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 27 wherein the barrier plate is positioned between the heat dissipating surface and an exterior of the housing to prevent user contact with the heat dissipating surface. ### Claim 29 A stand for a medical device of the type having a thermal spreader and a barrier plate positioned on a housing of the medical device between the thermal spreader and an exterior of the housing, the stand comprising: a base; a stand head supported by the base and including a surface onto which a medical device can be docked; and a cold plate in the stand head for at least partially absorbing heat generated in the medical device, wherein a planar outer portion of the cold plate extends above the surface of the stand head and engages with a planar outer surface of the barrier plate on the medical device configured to complete a conductive thermal path from the cold plate to the barrier plate, to the heat spreader in the medical device. ### Claim 30 (depends on 1) The portable imaging ultrasound system of claim 1 further comprising a housing, wherein the heat-generating electronics are contained in the housing and the barrier plate has a second planar outer surface, the second planar outer surface being co-planar with a bottom surface of housing when the barrier plate is in the first position, the planar outer surface of the barrier plate and the second planar outer surface being on opposite sides of the barrier plate. ### Claim 31 (depends on 30) The portable imaging ultrasound system of claim 30 wherein the barrier plate is movable to the second position in response to a planar outer surface of a cold plate having pushed the second planar outer surface of the barrier plate towards the hot plate to a point where the cold plate protrudes into the housing and the hot plate, the barrier plate and the cold plate are in thermal conductive contact with each other.