Imaging system with multiplexer for controlling a multi-row ultrasonic transducer array
First Claim
1. An ultrasound imaging system comprising:
- a transducer array including first and second rows of transducer elements, each of said first and second rows comprising a respective multiplicity of said transducer elements;
a beamformer including a predetermined number of beamformer channels to form a cycle length;
switching means for multiplexing imaging data between said transducer elements of said first and second rows and said beamformer channels; and
control means for selectively configuring said switching means in response to receipt of a multiplexer state command so as to establish beamformer channel to transducer element assignments;
wherein the order and cycle length of the beamformer channel to transducer element assignments is the same for said first and second rows, and a first set of channel assignments in said first row is offset from a first set of channel assignments in said second row by one-half the cycle length.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In an ultrasound imaging system, a multiplexer connects a beamformer to a multi-row transducer array, where the array has more electrically independent transducer elements than the beamformer has channels, so as to provide dynamic selection and beamforming control of multi-row apertures. The multiplexer allows the active aperture to be scanned along at least one axis of the array and allows the shape of the active aperture to be varied electronically. The multiplexer, which supports transmit and receive apertures appropriate for synthetic aperture beamforming, is of modular construction, enabling multiplexers appropriate for transducer arrays with various numbers of rows and columns of elements to be easily assembled from a standard set of parts. The multiplexer is physically designed as a passive backplane into which various switch cards can be plugged. The card connectors are arranged in two parallel columns. Traces from system channels are distributed on the backplane; coaxial leads from transducer elements are connected to the switch cards.
109 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An ultrasound imaging system comprising:
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a transducer array including first and second rows of transducer elements, each of said first and second rows comprising a respective multiplicity of said transducer elements; a beamformer including a predetermined number of beamformer channels to form a cycle length; switching means for multiplexing imaging data between said transducer elements of said first and second rows and said beamformer channels; and control means for selectively configuring said switching means in response to receipt of a multiplexer state command so as to establish beamformer channel to transducer element assignments; wherein the order and cycle length of the beamformer channel to transducer element assignments is the same for said first and second rows, and a first set of channel assignments in said first row is offset from a first set of channel assignments in said second row by one-half the cycle length. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for operating an ultrasound imaging system having a predetermined number of beamformer channels and a two-row array of transducer elements, comprising the steps of:
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assigning each transducer element of said two rows to a respective one of said beamformer channels, each beamformer channel to transducer element assignment being provided by a respective connection including a switch selectively controllable to be open or closed, wherein the order and cycle length of the beamformer channel to transducer element assignments is the same for each of said two rows, and a first set of beamformer channel to transducer element assignments for a first of said rows is offset from a first set of beamformer channel to transducer element assignments for the second of said rows by one-half the cycle length; and selectively closing a number of switches equal to the number of beamformer channels, the switches being selected so that each beamformer channel has a respective transducer element electrically coupled thereto. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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- 17. A multiplexer motherboard comprising first, second, third and fourth quadrants, each of said quadrants including a first socket having a first multiplicity of electrical connections and a second socket having a second multiplicity of electrical connections, said first and second multiplicities of electrical connections for each quadrant being made in parallel to a respective one of four sets of channels, said first and second sockets of said first quadrant being respectively aligned with said first and second sockets of said third quadrant, and said first and second sockets of said second quadrant being respectively aligned with said first and second sockets of said fourth quadrant.
Specification