Hybrid ultrasound transmitter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11874405-B2
Application number	US-202217845771-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2022
Priority date	Jan 4, 2019
Publication date	Jan 16, 2024
Grant date	Jan 16, 2024

Abstract

Systems and methods for utilizing a hybrid transmitter in an ultrasound system. A system can include a hybrid transmitter configured to transmit ultrasound waves toward a subject area. The hybrid transmitter can comprise a linear transmitter configured to generate linear transmitter output and a switching transmitter configured to generate switching transmitter output. The hybrid transmitter can also comprise a summer configured to sum the linear transmitter output and the switching transmitter output to generate hybrid transmitter output for driving a transducer load to generate the ultrasound waves transmitted towards the subject area. The ultrasound system can also comprise a receiver configured to receive one or more ultrasound waves from the subject area in response to the ultrasound waves transmitted toward the subject area for generating ultrasound images of the subject area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ultrasound system for imaging a patient comprising:
an ultrasound transducer to transmit ultrasound waves toward a subject area of the patient;
a hybrid transmitter comprising:
a controller;
a waveform memory coupled to the controller to store a representation of an output waveform sequence supplied by the controller;
a transmit/receive switch having an output coupled to drive the ultrasound transducer;
an N-bit digital-to-analog converter having an input coupled to receive N-bits of the waveform memory;
a linear transmitter having an input coupled to the N-bit digital-to-analog converter and an output coupled to a first input of the transmit/receive switch, the linear transmitter to generate linear transmitter output; and
a switching transmitter having an input coupled to receive M-bits of the waveform memory and an output coupled to a second input of the transmit/receive switch, the switching transmitter to generate switching transmitter output, wherein the transmit/receive switch is configured to switch between either the linear transmitter output or the switching transmitter output while driving the ultrasound transducer to generate hybrid transmitter output and transmit ultrasound waves toward the subject area; and

an ultrasound receiver configured to receive one or more ultrasound waves from the subject area in response to the ultrasound waves transmitted toward the subject area for generating one or more ultrasound images of the subject area.

2. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the linear transmitter generates the linear transmitter output from a waveform of N-bits that is also used by the switching transmitter to generate the switching transmitter output.

3. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the switching transmitter generates the switching transmitter output using M-bits of a waveform of N-bits that is also used by the linear transmitter to generate the linear transmitter output.

4. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the M-bits of the waveform memory used by the switching transmitter to generate the switching transmitter output is less than the N-bits of the waveform memory used by the linear transmitter to generate the linear transmitter output.

5. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the switching transmitter is a trilevel transmitter.

6. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , further comprising an oscillator coupled to the transmit/receive switch, wherein the transmit/receive switch uses the oscillator to switch between the linear transmitter output or the switching transmitter output.

7. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein:
the linear transmitter is a single-ended linear transmitter that generates single-ended linear transmitter output;
the switching transmitter is a single-ended trilevel transmitter that generates single-ended switching transmitter output; and
the transmit/receive switch, from the single-ended linear transmitter output and the single-ended switching transmitter output, produces single-ended hybrid transmitter output as part of the hybrid transmitter output for driving the ultrasound transducer.

8. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein:
the linear transmitter is a differential linear transmitter configured to generate differential linear transmitter output; and
the switching transmitter is a differential trilevel transmitter configured to generate differential switching transmitter output.

9. The ultrasound system of claim 8 , wherein the transmit/receive switch generates, from the differential linear transmitter output and the differential switching transmitter output, differential hybrid transmitter output as part of the hybrid transmitter output for driving the ultrasound transducer.

10. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is to control operation of the linear transmitter and the switching transmitter of the hybrid transmitter to generate the hybrid transmitter output using a hybrid transmitter operation model.

11. The ultrasound system of claim 10 , wherein the hybrid transmitter operation model is generated using a simulation of one or more hybrid transmitters including the hybrid transmitter.

12. The ultrasound system of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured to generate the hybrid transmitter operation model by:
empirically identifying a linear transmitter operation model of the linear transmitter based on operation of the linear transmitter to generate the linear transmitter output;
empirically identifying a switching transmitter operation model of the switching transmitter based on operation of the switching transmitter to generate the switching transmitter output; and
determining the hybrid transmitter operation model using the linear transmitter operation model and the switching transmitter operation model.

13. The ultrasound system of claim 12 , wherein the controller is further configured to identify the linear transmitter operation model by:
turning off the switching transmitter;
inputting one or more single impulse samples to the linear transmitter; and
measuring the hybrid transmitter output for driving the ultrasound transducer to generate the linear transmitter operation model.

14. The ultrasound system of claim 12 , wherein the controller is further configured to identify the switching transmitter operation model by:
turning off the linear transmitter;
inputting one or more single impulse samples to the switching transmitter; and
measuring the hybrid transmitter output for driving the ultrasound transducer to generate the switching transmitter operation model.

15. The ultrasound system of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured to apply integer linear programming based on the hybrid transmitter operation model to control operation of the linear transmitter and the switching transmitter to generate the hybrid transmitter output using the hybrid transmitter operation model.

16. The ultrasound system of claim 15 , wherein the controller is further configured to apply the integer linear programming based on the hybrid transmitter operation model to determine linear transmitter input and switching transmitter input to apply for generating a desired hybrid transmitter output of the hybrid transmitter.

17. The ultrasound system of claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to compensate for analog responses of the linear transmitter, the switching transmitter, and the ultrasound transducer to match the desired hybrid transmitter output with the hybrid transmitter output generated using the linear transmitter input and the switching transmitter input determined based on the hybrid transmitter operation model.

18. The ultrasound system of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured to control operation of the linear transmitter and the switching transmitter based on an ultrasound imaging mode of the ultrasound system.

19. A method for transmitting ultrasound waves into a subject area of a patient from an ultrasound imaging system comprising an ultrasound transducer to transmit ultrasound waves toward a subject area of a patient and a hybrid transmitter comprising: a controller; a waveform memory coupled to the controller to store a representation of an output waveform sequence supplied by the controller; a transmit/receive switch having an output coupled to drive the ultrasound transducer; an N-bit digital-to-analog converter having an input coupled to receive N bits of the waveform memory; a linear transmitter having an input co

Assignees

• Shenzhen Mindray Biomedical Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Gee Albert
• Mclaughlin Glen W

Classifications

• G01S7/5202 Primary

  for pulse systems · CPC title

• G01S15/8979

  Combined Doppler and pulse-echo imaging systems · CPC title

• G08C23/02

  using infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic waves · CPC title

• H04B1/04

  Circuits · CPC title

• A61B8/54 Primary

  Control of the diagnostic device · CPC title