Method of generating ultrasound and ultrasound generator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11799563-B2
Application number	US-202117209548-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2021
Priority date	Mar 24, 2020
Publication date	Oct 24, 2023
Grant date	Oct 24, 2023

Abstract

A method of generating ultrasound by driving an array of ultrasonic transducers comprises a charge transfer procedure. The charge transfer procedure comprises switching a terminal of a first ultrasonic transducer of the array, at a first electric potential, to a charge distribution bus; switching a terminal of a second ultrasonic transducer of the array, at a second electric potential different than the first potential, to the charge distribution bus; and allowing charge to flow between the first ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer through the charge distribution bus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of generating ultrasound by driving an array of ultrasonic transducers, the method comprising a charge transfer procedure comprising:
switching, by way of a first switch, a terminal of a first ultrasonic transducer of the array, at a first electric potential, to a charge distribution bus, thereby charging the first ultrasonic transducer through the charge distribution bus;
switching, by way of a second switch, a terminal of a second ultrasonic transducer of the array, at a second electric potential different than the first electric potential, to the charge distribution bus, thereby discharging the second ultrasonic transducer through the charge distribution bus; and
allowing charge to flow between the first ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer through the charge distribution bus.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first ultrasonic transducer is steered to follow a first waveform and the second ultrasonic transducer is steered to follow a second waveform, different from the first waveform.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the second waveform is a phase-shifted version of the first waveform.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein, during the switching of the terminal of the first ultrasonic transducer and of the terminal of the second ultrasonic transducer to the charge distribution bus, one of the first waveform and the second waveform is at a rising edge and the other of the first waveform and the second waveform is at a falling edge.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the charge transfer procedure further comprises:
after allowing charge to flow between the first ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer through the charge distribution bus, connecting at least one of the terminal of the first ultrasonic transducer, by way of the first switch, and the terminal of the second ultrasonic transducer, by way of the second switch, to a voltage source or to ground.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein, during the charge transfer procedure, more than two ultrasonic transducers of the array are connected to the charge distribution bus.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein a plurality of charge transfer procedures, each according to the charge transfer procedure, are performed simultaneously, each using a different charge distribution bus.

8. The method of claim 7 , performed during ultrasonic beamforming.

9. The method of claim 3 , wherein the charge transfer procedure further comprises:
after allowing charge to flow between the first ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer through the charge distribution bus, connecting at least one of the terminal of the first ultrasonic transducer, by way of the first switch, and the terminal of the second ultrasonic transducer, by way of the second switch, to a voltage source or to ground.

10. The method of claim 3 , wherein, during the charge transfer procedure, more than two ultrasonic transducers of the array are connected, by way of a plurality of individual switches, to the charge distribution bus.

11. The method of claim 2 , wherein the charge transfer procedure further comprises:
after allowing charge to flow between the first ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer through the charge distribution bus, connecting at least one of the terminal of the first ultrasonic transducer, by way of the first switch, and the terminal of the second ultrasonic transducer, by way of the second switch, to a voltage source or to ground.

12. The method of claim 2 , wherein, during the switching of the terminal of the first ultrasonic transducer, by way of the first switch, and of the terminal of the second ultrasonic transducer, by way of the second switch, to the charge distribution bus, one of the first waveform and the second waveform is at a rising edge and the other of the first waveform and the second waveform is at a falling edge.

13. The method of claim 1 , performed during ultrasonic beamforming.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of charge transfer procedures, each according to the charge transfer procedure, are performed simultaneously, by way of a plurality of individual switches, each using a different charge distribution bus.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein, during the charge transfer procedure, more than two ultrasonic transducers of the array are connected to the charge distribution bus, by way of a plurality of individual switches.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the charge transfer procedure further comprises:
after allowing charge to flow between the first ultrasonic transducer and the second ultrasonic transducer through the charge distribution bus, connecting at least one of the terminal of the first ultrasonic transducer, by way of the first switch, and the terminal of the second ultrasonic transducer, by way of the second switch, to a voltage source or to ground.

17. An ultrasound generator comprising:
an array comprising a plurality of ultrasonic transducers; and
at least one charge distribution bus,
wherein at least a subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is switchably connectable, by way of a plurality of individual switches, to the at least one charge distribution bus, and wherein the plurality of individual switches includes at least a first switch and a second switch, wherein the first switch is connectable to the charge distribution bus to charge a first ultrasonic transducer of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, wherein the second switch is connectable to the charge distribution bus to discharge a second ultrasonic transducer of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers.

18. The ultrasound generator of claim 17 , further comprising a plurality of charge distribution buses.

19. The ultrasound generator of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of ultrasonic transducers comprises one or more piezoelectric micro-machined ultrasonic transducers, PMUT, one or more bulk piezoelectric transducers, BPE, or one or more capacitive micro-machined ultrasonic transducers, CMUT.

20. The ultrasound generator of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of ultrasonic transducers comprises one or more piezoelectric micro-machined ultrasonic transducers, PMUT, one or more bulk piezoelectric transducers, BPE, or one or more capacitive micro-machined ultrasonic transducers, CMUT.

Assignees

• Imec Vzw
• Katholieke Univ Leuven Ku Leuven R & D
• Univ Leuven Kath

Inventors

• Pelgrims Jonas
• Myny Kris
• Dehaene Wim

Classifications

• H04B11/00 Primary

  Transmission systems employing ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves · CPC title

• B06B1/023 Primary

  and stepped in amplitude, e.g. square wave, 2-level signal · CPC title

• B06B1/0622

  on one surface · CPC title

• G10K11/345

  using energy switching from one active element to another · CPC title