An ultrasound imaging system comprising a multi-use electronic display device and an ultrasound imaging device. The multi-use electronic display device is capable of communicating with one or more ultrasound imaging devices and selecting which to connect with based on at least one of previously store information, user input, and information gathered from the ultrasound imaging devices. The multi-use electronic display device may communicate with the ultrasound imaging devices while they are in a low power standby state. This approach reduces the complexity of the pairing process and provides a means for quickly and easily selecting between multiple ultrasound imaging devices.

Aspects of the technology described herein relate to an ultrasound device that may has a phase-locked loop (PLL) that includes a digitally-controlled oscillator (DCO). The DCO includes a plurality of current source unit cells with respective drain switches a plurality of current source unit cells with respective source switches. The plurality of current source unit cells with respective drain switches and the plurality of current source unit cells may have different circuit topologies. Switching on one of the plurality of current source unit cells with respective drain switches may cause a voltage transition at an internal node proceeding in one voltage direction and switching on one of the plurality of current source unit cells with respective source switches may cause a voltage transition at an internal node proceeding in the opposite voltage direction.

An ultrasound imaging system comprising a multi-use electronic display device and an ultrasound imaging device. The multi-use electronic display device is capable of communicating with one or more ultrasound imaging devices and selecting which to connect with based on at least one of previously store information, user input, and information gathered from the ultrasound imaging devices. The multi-use electronic display device may communicate with the ultrasound imaging devices while they are in a low power standby state. This approach reduces the complexity of the pairing process and provides a means for quickly and easily selecting between multiple ultrasound imaging devices.

An ultrasonic imaging device includes an ultrasonic generating unit and an ultrasonic imaging processing unit. The ultrasonic generating unit repeatedly turns on N of M ultrasonic array elements of the ultrasonic probe multiple times as a group of array elements for linear scanning, and each scan is to emit an ultrasonic signal by each group of array elements and receive an echo signal of the ultrasonic signal. The ultrasonic imaging processing unit extracts a central echo signal from the echo signal in each scan to form a channel signal, and according to the arrival time of the echo signals, each central echo signal in the channel signal is delayed and summed to generate a modified channel signal. The modified channel signal is subjected to image synthesis process to obtain an ultrasonic image.

This invention is the improved methods and ultrasound apparatus with the wirelessly chargeable battery of the ultrasound probe and with the record of the ultrasound data and ultrasound images on the removable memory card. The improved methods provide the steps of the operation of the improved ultrasound apparatus, and the improved ultrasound apparatus includes the microprocessor unit and control organs unit, which provide control of an ultrasound unit, comprising piezoelectric devices, a transmission unit, a battery unit, including battery and battery wireless charging control circuitry, indication unit, and includes a card insertion registration device recognizing the presence of a removable memory card in the ultrasound probe.

An ultrasound probe (106) contains an array transducer (101) and a microbeamformer coupled to elements of the array. The microbeamformer comprises analog ASICs (102) with transmitters and amplifiers coupled to elements of the array (101). The microbeamformer also comprises analog to digital converters which convert received echo signals to digital data, and digital beamforming circuitry located in digital ASICs (103). The digital ASICs (103) are clocked at a lower core frequency than that of which the digital integrated circuit process of the digital ASICs (103) is capable, and the digital ASICs (103) are operated at a lower supply voltage than that for which the digital integrated circuit process is designed, both of which reduce power consumption by the microbeamformer.

An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes: a high voltage power source; a transmission circuit to receive power from the high voltage power source, generate a pulse generating an ultrasound wave, and apply the ultrasound wave to a probe in the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus; a power circuit to receive the power from the high voltage power source and charge a capacitor with electric energy when the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus operates in a shear wave mode, and supply, to the transmission circuit, shear wave mode power used for generating a shear wave, based on the electric energy; and a processor to control the power circuit to supply the shear wave mode power when the shear wave mode is in operation, and control the high voltage power source and the power circuit such that insufficient power of the shear wave mode power is supplied from the high voltage power source to the transmission circuit.

An ultrasound circuit comprising a multi-stage trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) is described. The TIA is coupled to an ultrasonic transducer to amplify an electrical signal generated by the ultrasonic transducer in response to receiving an ultrasound signal. The TIA may include multiple stages, at least two of which operate with different supply voltages. The TIA may be followed by further processing circuitry configured to filter, amplify, and digitize the signal produced by the TIA.

An ultrasound probe has a two dimensional matrix array transducer and a digital microbeamformer. The microbeamformer comprises a plurality of transmitters and amplifiers coupled to elements of the array transducer, a plurality of low power analog to digital converters and digital beamforming circuitry coupled to the amplifiers, a microbeamformer controller, a power supply and a USB controller which cumulatively consume three watts or less.

An ultrasound probe in which there is local amplification, time gain compensation and digitization of each transducer element output. Inverting arrangements surround the time gain compensation and digitization units, and a synchronous inversion function enables deterministic distortion to be cancelled.