Multi-stage trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) for an ultrasound device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11324484-B2
Application number	US-201816011715-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2018
Priority date	Jun 20, 2017
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

An ultrasound circuit comprising a multi-stage trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) is described. The TIA is coupled to an ultrasonic transducer to amplify an electrical signal generated by the ultrasonic transducer in response to receiving an ultrasound signal. The TIA may include multiple stages, at least two of which operate with different supply voltages. The TIA may be followed by further processing circuitry configured to filter, amplify, and digitize the signal produced by the TIA.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ultrasound apparatus, comprising:
an ultrasonic transducer; and
a multi-stage trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) having an input terminal coupled directly or through one or more components to the ultrasonic transducer and configured to receive and amplify an analog electrical signal from the ultrasonic transducer, the multi-stage TIA comprising multiple stages configured to receive different supply voltages;
wherein the multi-stage TIA includes an upstream stage and a downstream stage, the upstream stage is configured to operate at a first suplly voltage, the downstream stage is configured to operate at a second supply voltage, and the first supply voltage is less than half the second supply voltage.

2. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic transducer and the multi-stage TIA are integrated on a same substrate.

3. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a switch coupling the multi-stage TIA with the ultrasonic transducer.

4. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a feedback impedance coupling the downstream stage with the upstream stage.

5. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising filtering and time gain compensation circuitry coupled to the multi-stage TIA.

6. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the multi-stage TIA comprises a first multi-stage TIA; and
the ultrasound apparatus further comprises:
a second multi-stage TIA; and
an averaging circuit having an input coupled to outputs of the first multi-stage TIA and the second multi-stage TIA.

7. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first supply voltage is less than one-quarter the second supply voltage.

8. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the upstream stage is a first stage of the multi-stage TIA.

9. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the downstream stage is a last stage of the multi-stage amplifier.

10. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the multi-stage TIA is a two-stage TIA with the upstream stage representing a first stage of the two-stage TIA and the downstream stage representing a second stage of the two-stage TIA, wherein the upstream stage configured to operate at a first supply voltage and the downstream stage configured to operate at a second supply voltage are directly coupled to each other, and wherein the ultrasound apparatus further comprises a feedback impedance coupled between an output of the downstream stage and an input of the upstream stage.

11. A method of operating an ultrasound circuit, comprising:
receiving, directly or through one or more components, an electrical signal output by an ultrasonic transducer; and
amplifying, with a multi-stage trans-impedance amplifer (TIA), the electrical signal output by the ultrasonic transducer,
wherein the multi-stage TIA includes an upstream stage and a downstream stage, the upstream stage being configured to operate at a first supply voltage and the downstream stage being configured to operate at a second supply voltage; and
wherein the first supply voltage is less than half the second supply voltage.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising providing a feedback signal from the downstream stage to the upstream stage.

13. The method of claim 11 , further filtering and time gain compensating an output signal of the multi-stage TIA.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the upstream stage is a first stage of the multi-stage TIA.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the downstream stage is a last stage of the multi-stage TIA.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the ultrasonic transducer and the multi-stage TIA are integrated on a same substrate.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein receiving the electrical signal output by the ultrasonic transducer comprises receiving the electrical signal through a switch coupling the multi-stage TIA with the ultrasonic transducer.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the multi-stage TIA is a two-stage TIA with the upstream stage representing a first stage of the two-stage TIA and the downstream stage representing a second stage of the two-stage TIA, wherein the upstream stage configured to operate at a first supply voltage and the downstream stage configured to operate at a second supply voltage are directly coupled to each other, and wherein the method further comprises providing a feedback signal through a feedback path coupled between an output of the downstream stage and an input of the upstream stage.

19. An ultrasound apparatus, comprising:
an ultrasonic transducer; and
a multi-stage trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) having an input terminal coupled directly or through one or more components to the ultrasonic transducer and configured to receive and amplify an analog electrical signal from the ultrasonic transducer, the multi-stage TIA comprising multiple stages configured to receive different, respective supply voltages;
wherein the multi-stage TIA includes an upstream stage and a downstream stage, the upstream stage is configured to operate at a first respective supply voltage, the downstream stage is configured to operate at a second respective supply voltage, and
wherein the first respective supply voltage is between 25%-50% of the second respective supply voltage.

20. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the multi-stage TIA is a two-stage TIA with the upstream stage representing a first stage of the two-stage TIA and the downstream stage representing a second stage of the two stage TIA, wherein the upstream stage configured to operate at a first respective supply voltage and the downstream stage configured to operate at a second respective supply voltage are directly coupled to each other, and wherein the ultrasound apparatus further comprises a feedback impedance coupled between an output of the downstream stage and the input terminal of the multi-stage TIA.

Assignees

• Bfly Operations Inc

Inventors

• Singh Amandeep
• Chen Kailiang
• Ralston Tyler S

Classifications

• H03F2203/45512

  the FBC comprising one or more capacitors, not being switched capacitors, and being coupled between the LC and the IC · CPC title

• G01S7/52096

  related to power management, e.g. saving power or prolonging life of electronic components (details of power supplies for ultrasonic medical diagnostic imaging devices A61B8/56) · CPC title

• A61B8/5269

  involving detection or reduction of artifacts · CPC title

• G01S15/8915

  using a transducer array · CPC title

• H03F3/45475

  using IC blocks as the active amplifying circuit · CPC title