Portable phased array test instrument

Abstract

Inventive features of a portable ultrasonic phased array test instrument are disclosed. The instrument has a battery rack that can be repurposed to host a re-programming module for testing and re-programming electronic components.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An instrument comprising:
 an outer casing having a top outer casing surface;   a handle assembly further comprising:
 a left arm having a left casing end and a left captured end; 
 a right arm having a right casing end and a right captured end; 
 an upper handle part having an upper left end and an upper right end; and, 
 a lower handle part having a lower left end and a lower right end; and, 
   
       wherein the upper handle part and the lower handle part are connected with fasteners thereby capturing the right captured end between the upper right end and the lower right end, and capturing the left captured end between the upper left end and the lower left end; and, 
       wherein the left casing end and the right casing end are connected with fasteners to the top outer casing surface. 
     
     
         2 . The instrument of  claim 1 , wherein the left arm and the right arm are made of a flexible polyurethane material. 
     
     
         3 . The instrument of  claim 1 , wherein the upper handle part and the lower handle part are made of a rigid plastic material. 
     
     
         4 . The instrument of  claim 1  wherein the left arm, the right arm, the upper handle part and the lower handle part are molded plastic parts. 
     
     
         5 . An instrument comprising a casing assembly and a dongle mounting assembly, wherein the dongle mounting assembly further comprises:
 a dongle having a dongle connector;   a printed circuit board (PCB) having a connector port interfacing with the dongle connector; and,   a sliding support configured to slide within the casing assembly between an outer position and an inner position; and,   
       wherein the PCB is mounted on the sliding support, the dongle is insertable into and removable from the connector port without using a tool when the sliding support is in the outer position, and the dongle is concealed within the casing assembly when the sliding support is in the inner position. 
     
     
         6 . The instrument of  claim 5  wherein the dongle connector is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector. 
     
     
         7 . The instrument of  claim 5  wherein the dongle is interchangeably a Wi-Fi® or a Bluetooth® dongle. 
     
     
         8 . The instrument of  claim 5  wherein the sliding support comprises a post configured to be inserted into a slot in the casing assembly, wherein motion of the sliding support between the inner position and the outer position is guided by the post sliding within the slot. 
     
     
         9 . The instrument of  claim 8  wherein the slot has an inner position hole at a first slot end and an outer position hole at a second slot end, and wherein the sliding support is in the inner position when the post is in the inner position hole and the sliding support is in the outer position when the post is in the outer position hole. 
     
     
         10 . The instrument of  claim 5  further comprising a spring exerting a spring force on the sliding support, wherein the spring force is effective to facilitate motion of the sliding support between the inner and outer position, and to retain the sliding support in either the inner position or the outer position.