Tool for opening and closing a transducer housing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9743907-B2
Application number	US-201314432495-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2013
Priority date	Oct 2, 2012
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

The present invention relates to transducer housing and a tool for opening and closing the transducer housing ( 20 ). The transducer housing comprises a base body ( 22 ) and a lid ( 24 ) which are releasable coupled with a rotational coupling ( 26 ). The lid ( 24 ) comprises a contact area ( 42 ) formed to be engaged by a driving pin ( 64 ) of the tool ( 10 ) in order to open or close the transducer housing ( 20 ) upon a rotation of the lid ( 24 ) relative to the base body ( 22 ). The tool ( 10 ) comprises a base portion ( 12 ) and an upper portion ( 14 ) that are coupleable wherein the upper portion can be rotated relative to the base portion. When coupled the upper portion and base portion may enclose the transducer housing such that upon a rotational movement of the upper portion ( 14 ) relative to the base portion ( 12 ) the driving pin ( 64 ) of the upper portion ( 14 ) engages with the contact area ( 42 ) of the lid ( 24 ) causing the lid ( 24 ) of the transducer housing ( 20 ) to move relative to the base body ( 22 ) of the transducer housing ( 20 ) resulting in an opening or closing of the transducer housing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tool for opening and closing a transducer housing having two housing parts, a base body and a lid, that are coupleable with each other via a rotational coupling, wherein the tool comprises:
a base portion forming a bowl for receiving the transducer housing and preventing a rotation of the base body of the transducer housing relative to the base portion of the tool around an axial direction of the tool; and
an upper portion that is separate from the base portion and may be attached to the base portion, wherein a movement of the upper portion relative to the base portion in a radial direction, which is perpendicular to the axial direction, is mechanically prevented when the upper portion is attached to the base portion;
wherein the base portion comprises a first engagement member and wherein the upper portion comprises a second engagement member which engages with the first engagement member when the upper portion is attached to the base portion,
wherein the upper portion further comprises a driving pin having a driving area for contacting a corresponding contact area of the lid of the transducer housing for causing the lid of the transducer housing to move relative to the base body of the transducer housing in order to open or close the rotational coupling upon a rotational movement of the upper portion relative to the base portion around the axial direction; and
wherein an engagement of the second engagement member with the first engagement member prevents a movement of the upper portion including the driving pin relative to the base portion along the axial direction during a contact between the driving area of the driving pin and the contact area of the lid of the transducer housing.

2. A tool according to claim 1 , wherein the base portion comprises an inner wall and the upper portion comprises an outer wall that faces the inner wall of the base portion when the upper portion and the base portion are coupled with each other.

3. A tool according to claim 2 , wherein at least a part of said inner wall of the base portion forms a form fit with at least a part of the outer wall of the upper portion, when the upper portion and the base portion coupled with each other, for preventing a movement of the upper portion relative to the base portion in the radial direction.

4. A tool according to claim 2 , wherein a rotation of the base body of the transducer housing relative to the base portion of the tool around the axial direction is prevented through a form fit between the inner wall of the base portion of the tool and an outer surface of the transducer housing.

5. A tool according to claim 2 , wherein the inner wall of the base portion has a cylindrically curved surface area, wherein parts of said inner wall deviate from the cylindrical shape and comprise a planar contact surface for contacting a corresponding contact surface of the transducer housing and preventing a rotation of the base body of the transducer housing relative to the base portion of the tool around the axial direction.

6. A tool according to claim 1 , wherein the second engagement member is a recess in the upper portion, and wherein the first engagement member is a guiding pin which engages with said recess when the upper portion and the base portion are coupled with each other.

7. A tool according to claim 6 , wherein the recess comprises an insertion section and an adjacent locking section, wherein the insertion section is larger than the locking section, wherein the guiding pin may be inserted into the insertion section, and wherein the guiding pin may be guided into the locking section upon a rotational movement of the upper portion relative to the base portion around the axial direction for clamping the guiding pin in axial direction.

8. A tool according to claim 1 , wherein the base portion comprises a third engagement member and wherein the upper portion comprises a fourth engagement member which engages with the third engagement member when the upper portion and the base portion are coupled with each other.

9. A tool according to claim 1 , wherein the driving area of the driving pin has a concave shape.

10. A tool according to claim 1 , wherein the driving area of the driving pin is configured to establish a form fit with the contact area of the lid of the transducer housing upon contacting said contact area during the rotational movement of the upper portion relative to the base portion around the axial direction.

11. A tool according to claim 1 , wherein the upper portion comprises two driving pins, a first driving pin with a first driving area for opening the rotational coupling of the transducer housing upon a rotational movement of the upper portion relative to the base portion around the axial direction, and a second driving pin with a second driving area for closing the rotational coupling of the transducer housing upon an oppositely oriented rotational movement of the upper portion relative to the base portion around the axial direction.

12. A tool according to claim 11 , wherein the first driving pin and the second driving pin are arranged on opposite sides of the upper portion, and wherein the first driving area and the second driving area face in opposite directions.

13. A kit comprising:
a tool according to claim 1 , and
a transducer housing having two housing parts, a base body and lid, that are coupleable with each other via a rotational coupling, wherein the lid comprises a contact area that is adapted to be contacted by a driving pin of the tool in order to open or close the transducer housing.

14. A transducer housing comprising:
a base body, and
a lid,
wherein the base body and the lid are coupleable with each other via a rotational coupling,
wherein the lid comprises a contact area that is adapted to be contacted by a driving pin of a tool in order to open or close the transducer housing upon a rotation of the lid relative to the base body around an axial direction, while a movement of the lid along the axial direction is prevented during said rotation, and
wherein the base body has a shape that is adapted to a base portion of said tool for preventing a rotation of the base body relative to the base portion of the tool around the axial direction.

15. A transducer housing according to claim 14 , wherein the rotational coupling is a releasable bayonet mount.

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv
• Philips Deutschland Gmbh

Inventors

• Mailaender Siegfried
• Schmitz Oliver

Classifications

• A61B8/4444

  related to the probe · CPC title

• A61B8/0866 Primary

  involving foetal diagnosis; pre-natal or peri-natal diagnosis of the baby · CPC title

• A61B8/4455

  Features of the external shape of the probe, e.g. ergonomic aspects · CPC title

• A61B8/4411

  Device being modular · CPC title