US 11,937,982 B2
2D array ultrasound probe with 3 watt digital microbeamformer
Bernard Joseph Savord, Andover, MA (US); Antonia Cornelia Van Rens, Nuenen (NL); Sotir Filipov Ouzounov, Eindhoven (NL); McKee Dunn Poland, Andover, MA (US); and Nik Ledoux, Merrimack, NH (US)
Assigned to KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V., Eindhoven (NL)
Filed by KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V., Eindhoven (NL)
Filed on Apr. 5, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/713,423.
Application 17/713,423 is a continuation of application No. 15/681,546, filed on Aug. 21, 2017, granted, now 11,317,893.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/382,849, filed on Sep. 2, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2022/0225962 A1, Jul. 21, 2022
Int. Cl. A61B 8/00 (2006.01); G01S 7/52 (2006.01); G01S 15/89 (2006.01); G10K 11/34 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 8/4494 (2013.01) [A61B 8/56 (2013.01); G01S 7/52023 (2013.01); G01S 7/5208 (2013.01); G01S 7/52085 (2013.01); G01S 7/52095 (2013.01); G01S 7/52096 (2013.01); G01S 15/8925 (2013.01); G10K 11/341 (2013.01); G10K 11/346 (2013.01); A61B 8/4461 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An ultrasound probe for digital microbeamforming, comprising: a two-dimensional array transducer; a digital microbeamformer comprising: a plurality of transmitters coupled to the array; a plurality of amplifiers coupled to the a rray a nd configured to receive analog echo signals from transducer elements of the array during a receive period; a plurality of low-power delta-sigma or successive approximation analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) coupled to the amplifiers and configured to receive amplified analog echo signals and convert them to digital echo data; a microbeamformer controller; a power supply; and a digital output circuit configured to provide the digital echo data to a system beamformer, the system beamformer disposed in an ultrasound system external to the ultrasound probe, wherein the digital microbeamformer is configured to consume three watts or less during operation.