ULTRASOUND BEAMFORMER WITH INDIVIDUAL ARRAY ELEMENT MULTIPLEXERS

摘要

An ultrasound beamformer may include an array of ultrasound transducer elements. Multiple signal transmitters may each generate an ultrasound signal that is different from the ultrasound signal generated by each of the others. The number of ultrasound transmitters may be no more than half the number of ultrasound transducer elements. Each multiplexer may have multiple signal inputs, each connected to a different one of the ultrasound signals; an output that drives the ultrasound transducer element; and a control input that controls which of the ultrasound signals at the signal inputs to the multiplexer is delivered to the output of the multiplexer based on a control signal. The controller may generate the control signals with a collective configuration that causes the array of ultrasound transducer elements to steer an/or focus a beam of ultrasound energy in one or more different ways at one or more different times.

主权项

1. An ultrasound beamformer comprising:
an array of ultrasound transducer elements; multiple ultrasound signal transmitters, each having a configuration that generates an ultrasound signal that is different from the ultrasound signal generated by each of the other ultrasound signal transmitters, the number of ultrasound transmitters being no more than half the number of ultrasound transducer elements; for each ultrasound transducer element, a multiplexer having:
multiple signal inputs, each connected to a different one of the ultrasound signals;an output that drives the ultrasound transducer element; anda control input that controls which of the ultrasound signals at the signal inputs to the multiplexer is delivered to the output of the multiplexer based on a control signal; and a controller that has a configuration that generates the control signals with a collective configuration that causes the array of ultrasound transducer elements to steer or focus a beam of ultrasound energy.