Portable Ultrasound Active Cooling Plenum Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable ultrasound imaging systems face challenges in effectively dissipating heat generated by electronic components, which can lead to temperature issues due to their compact size and increased processing power.
Innovation Solution
A thermally conductive frame with a sealed interior plenum and active cooling system, utilizing a fan to move air through the plenum and enhance heat dissipation, while maintaining environmental protection from dust and liquids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the size of portable ultrasound imaging system is reduced to hand-held dimensions, then portability and convenience are improved, but heat dissipation capability deteriorates due to limited space
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into distinct thermal zones with separate heat dissipation pathways. High-power components (processor, GPU) are isolated in dedicated thermal zones with direct plenum access, while other components have separate cooling paths. This segmentation allows optimized cooling for each component without requiring a large overall device volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling plenum is nested within the device housing, and the fan assembly is nested within the plenum structure. The thermal interface material is nested between components and the plenum. This nested arrangement maximizes heat dissipation efficiency within the compact hand-held form factor by utilizing internal space efficiently.
2Power
If processing power is increased to provide full-featured ultrasound imaging, then imaging capability is improved, but heat generation increases beyond what passive cooling can handle
Solution Approach 1:
A pneumatic cooling system using a fan to force air flow through the plenum is implemented. The fan creates positive pressure to drive cool air over hot components and exhausts heated air through designated pathways. This active pneumatic cooling enables the device to dissipate the high heat loads generated by full-featured ultrasound processing capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
Thermal interface materials serve as intermediaries between heat-generating components and the cooling plenum. These materials facilitate efficient heat transfer from components to the plenum while maintaining electrical isolation. The plenum itself acts as an intermediary heat exchanger between components and the air flow.
3Volume of moving object
If the device is made compact with reduced space, then portability is improved, but environmental sealing becomes more difficult to maintain while allowing heat dissipation
Solution Approach 1:
Flexible thermal interface materials and sealed membranes are used to create thermal pathways while maintaining environmental seals. These flexible elements conform to component shapes and provide both thermal conduction and liquid/dust barriers, enabling compact design without compromising protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The air flow pathway is extracted as a separate sealed system (plenum) from the internal electronics housing. Intake and exhaust ports are positioned to minimize contamination risk. This extraction allows the cooling system to operate independently while maintaining the seal integrity of the main device housing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively limits maximum temperature rise to 6-8 degrees Celsius, ensuring the system operates within safe federal guidelines and maintains environmental sealing, preventing contamination of electronic components.
Implementation Method 1
a fan moves air through the interior of the plenum between the input port and the one or more output ports
Implementation Method 2
the ultrasound imaging system is built on a thermally conductive frame having a sealed interior plenum
Data Source
AI summary
An ultrasound imaging system includes a thermally conductive frame and a number of electronic components and a display that are sealed within the frame. The frame further includes a plenum extending through the frame with surfaces that are thermally coupled to the electronic components and the display. An active cooling mechanism, such as one or more fans, moves air through the plenum to remove heat generated by the electronic components and display. The plenum is environmentally sealed so that moisture, dust, air or other contaminants drawn into the plenum do not contact the sealed electronic components and display in the frame.