US 12,203,894 B2
Methods and circuitry for built-in self-testing of circuitry and/or transducers in ultrasound devices
Chao Chen, Madison, CT (US); Youn-Jae Kook, Winchester, MA (US); Jihee Lee, Seoul (KR); Kailiang Chen, Branford, CT (US); Leung Kin Chiu, Branford, CT (US); Joseph Lutsky, Los Altos, CA (US); Nevada J. Sanchez, Guilford, CT (US); Sebastian Schaetz, Leipzig (DE); and Hamid Soleimani, Guilford, CT (US)
Assigned to BFLY OPERATIONS, INC., Burlington, MA (US)
Filed by BFLY OPERATIONS, INC., Burlington, MA (US)
Filed on Nov. 13, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/507,509.
Application 18/507,509 is a continuation of application No. 17/232,100, filed on Apr. 15, 2021, granted, now 11,815,492, issued on Nov. 14, 2023.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/087,558, filed on Oct. 5, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/046,624, filed on Jun. 30, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/011,214, filed on Apr. 16, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2024/0159714 A1, May 16, 2024
Int. Cl. G01N 29/24 (2006.01); A61B 8/00 (2006.01); B06B 1/02 (2006.01); G01N 29/30 (2006.01); G01S 7/52 (2006.01); G01S 15/89 (2006.01); H03F 1/32 (2006.01); H03F 3/45 (2006.01); H03K 5/24 (2006.01); H03M 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 29/2406 (2013.01) [A61B 8/58 (2013.01); G01N 29/30 (2013.01); G01S 7/5205 (2013.01); H03F 1/3211 (2013.01); H03F 3/45475 (2013.01); H03K 5/24 (2013.01); H03M 3/458 (2013.01); B06B 1/0292 (2013.01); G01N 2291/02475 (2013.01); G01S 15/8915 (2013.01); H03F 2200/129 (2013.01); H03F 2203/45116 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An ultrasound device operable in testing and imaging modes, the ultrasound device comprising:
a pulser configured to generate voltage pulses;
receive circuitry;
a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) couplable to the receive circuitry; and
a built-in self-test (BIST) circuit including a transconductance amplifier coupled between the pulser and the receive circuitry,
wherein during the testing mode, the transconductance amplifier is turned on and is configured to convert the voltage pulses to a current signal and the receive circuitry is configured to convert to current signal to a voltage signal for verifying operation of the pulser, and
wherein during the imaging mode, the transconductance amplifier is turned off and the voltage pulses are provided to the CMUT to output ultrasonic waves.