Energy-efficient simplified analog phased array transducer for beam steering

Abstract

The present invention relates in a first aspect to an energy-saving simplified analog phased array transducer for ultrasonic beam control, in a second aspect to a product, such as a small wearable ultrasound device for sending signals of changes in the human or animal body (such as the volume of liquid in the human or animal body cavity), in a third aspect to a use of the device, and in a fourth aspect to a method of operating an ultrasound device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of energy-saving simplified analog phased array transducers for ultrasound beam steering, such as small wireless ultrasound devices for transmitting changes in body tissue, body vessels or body cavities (such as bladder), including transducer arrays, the use of the device for determining or monitoring the volume of fluid in the cavity, and methods of operating the device. Background Art

[0002] Ultrasound is an oscillating sound pressure wave with a frequency greater than the upper limit of the human hearing range (hence ultrasound). Ultrasonic devices can operate in a frequency range of 20kHz to several gigahertz. The wavelength of ultrasound usually refers to the length of the ultrasound wave in the medium in which the ultrasound wave propagates at the operating frequency of the ultrasonic transducer. Physics shows that the wavelength in a medium is the operating frequency divided by the speed of sound in the medium (about 1500m / s in human tissue). Ultrasound can be used in many different fields. Ultrasonic devices are used to detect objects and measure distances. Ultrasonic imaging (ultrasound) is used in veterinary and human medicine. In non-destructive testing of products and structures, ultrasound is used to detect invisible defects. In industry, ultrasound is used for cleaning, mixing and accelerating chemical processes. Ultrasound can be used in medical imaging, detection, measurement and cleaning. At higher power levels, ultrasound may help to change the chemical properties of substances.

[0003] There are already ways to improve ultrasound systems in terms of size, cost, and quality, such as transducer design, transmit and receive circuit design, and beamforming algorithms. Currently, a large portion of the size and power of an ultrasound system is used for the beamformer, which is responsible for steering and / or focusing the ultrasound beam. If design constraints such as size and power are relaxed, it is straightforward to implement a standard beamformer that includes 64 to 128 transmit / receive channels. However, as ultrasound systems become more portable, it seems that a beamformer architecture with lower power consumption than standard cart-based systems will be needed, especially for applications where image quality is less critical.

[0004] One application of ultrasound involves bladder monitoring. Many people, such as the elderly, children with urinary dysfunction or bedwetting, women after childbirth, patients with neurogenic bladder, patients with dementia and others, have difficulty controlling bladder function and having to go to the toilet on time to urinate. This (partial) urinary incontinence is very inconvenient and can lead to psychological problems and physical problems (such as infections, local skin problems). Solutions to this type of urinary incontinence are related to the use of diapers and bedwetting alarms. However, doing so actually only limits the consequences of urinary incontinence and does not provide a real solution, which is still an unpleasant odor and wet pants / wet clothes that cannot be prevented. Such solutions also cost a considerable amount of money in terms of diapers and nursing time, and the soiling of diapers after use is also very serious.

[0005] For certain ultrasound applications, such as bladder monitoring, dedicated devices are typically used. These dedicated devices may have one or more disadvantages, including the need for a wire between the transducer and the monitor, and the handheld use of the device; therefore, they are not suitable for long-term monitoring. Some prior art devices may even require a trained professional to handle the transducer and evaluate what is seen. Typically, they are used for intermittent examinations in medical institutions (such as hospitals). Using this technology, it is not possible to continuously track bladder filling and alert the user or their caregiver when the bladder is full. This is relevant to many (health) problems, including but not limited to urinary incontinence (UI) in children (hypo- or hyper-bladder, urinary dysfunction, bed-wetting); adults with neurogenic bladder dysfunction, people with temporary or permanent spinal problems, and nursing home patients. It is also relevant to the prevention of urinary retention (UR) (e.g. near and postoperative, postpartum).

[0006] Ultrasound devices are typically handheld for intermittent use, bulky, or at least too large to be worn, cannot be (semi-)permanently affixed to the body, cannot be used by patients during normal life, while sitting, standing or lying down, may require cables for power and signal transmission, and are not practical in use.

[0007] In principle, ultrasound can be used to monitor and determine the amount of fluid, such as in the human body. This is generally only possible with existing technology devices that are handheld but not wearable. One implication of this is that current ultrasound devices are used intermittently, and the patient cannot move during monitoring, so very clear situations are required. This is problematic at least in most other practical situations, such as the sequence of sitting, standing and lying down.

[0008] In its examples, US 2017 / 100092 A1 describes a system for acquiring and providing information about orthopedic features of a body using acoustic energy. The electronic devices are considered to be background prior art, neither energy-efficient nor simplified. US2018 / 092630 A lists a system comprising at least one piezoelectric transducer array having a plurality of piezoelectric transducer elements. The array is typically tilted and aimed at blood vessel measurements. EP 3 384 851A1 describes a bladder monitoring system including a wearable bladder monitoring device. US2017 / 0258386A1 describes a wearable ultrasound device for signaling changes in the human or animal body, and using such a wearable device to signal over a longer period of time. In one example, the changes occur in the bladder. Most of these documents do not address the nature of the acoustic pulse source and its timing. None of these documents mention measures to significantly simplify or limit the energy consumption of electronic devices.

[0009] For certain devices that use ultrasound to determine or monitor the volume of fluid in a cavity (e.g., the body), it may be necessary to provide the ultrasound at an angle relative to the orientation of the device. In particular, for adults, the bones of the pelvic girdle, such as the pubic bone, may obstruct the ultrasound; the device then typically needs to be placed above the pubic bone and needs to transmit and receive the ultrasound at an angle.

[0010] Generally speaking, for prolonged use, devices, especially small wearable devices such as bladder monitors, need to use minimal energy, as the power source is usually "on-board" the device and it should be recharged as little as possible. The electronic circuits of prior art ultrasound technology are dedicated to obtaining as much and as detailed information as possible, usually using complex electronics and software, for example, with dynamic focusing for high-quality imaging. However, the energy consumption of such devices is relatively large, which is not a big problem if such devices are connected to the power grid, but is a problem for stand-alone devices considering the operating time.

[0011]

[0006] Therefore, there remains a need for improved arrays that can be used in ultrasound devices that overcome one or more of the above-mentioned disadvantages without compromising the basic functionality and advantages. Summary of the invention

[0012] The present invention relates in a first aspect to an energy-saving simplified analog phased array transducer for ultrasonic beam control, in a second aspect to a product, such as a small wearable ultrasound device for sending signals of changes in the human or animal body (such as the volume of liquid in the human or animal body cavity), in a third aspect to a use of the product, and in a fourth aspect to a method of operating an ultrasound product.

[0013] Current phased arrays provide reduced energy consumption on the receive side of the transducer array, such as a reduction of more than 75%, and typically a reduction of more than 80%, such as a reduction of more than 85%. In addition, the complexity of the receive circuitry can be reduced, such as by using less than 50% or even 15% of the components in comparable prior art phased array electronics. It should be noted that for various applications, a reduction in the detail of the information obtained by the transducer array may be acceptable. For example, in combination with the above-mentioned significant reduction in components and energy consumption, non-imaging applications such as identifying the volume of a cavity and the amount of liquid in said cavity can be realized. The array comprises an array of n*m transducer elements, operating at a frequency of 20kHz-50 MHz, typically 100kHz-20 MHz, preferably 500kHz-15MHz, wherein the mutual distance of at least two adjacent transducer elements is about 0.5 wavelength (0.5λ±10%), preferably 0.5λ±5%, more preferably 0.5λ±3%, preferably comprising at least 1*m transducers, transmission control electronics for array beam control, the array comprising at least one high voltage pulse source, wherein the pulse source is connected to a low voltage timing circuit for timing at least one pulse source, simplified reception control electronics, suitable for limiting energy consumption when processing received ultrasound waves, and a power supply electrically connected to the array or an electrical connection for providing power to the array. The voltage of at least one high voltage pulse source may be greater than 12V, such as 20-200V, such as 30-50V, and the voltage of the low voltage timing circuit may be less than 5.5V, for timing of at least one high voltage pulse source, such as 0.5-3.3V. The array can be relatively small, having smaller components than those used in prior art ultrasound imaging, thereby limiting energy consumption and the number of components, and can include one or more rows n. Because the array can be relatively small, the space occupied by the array can also be relatively small. The orientation of the array rows (such as for bladder scanning) should ensure that the phased array provides beam control at an angle relative to the row (longitudinal) axis. A controller is provided to address the transducers in phase mode, and to receive and address the receive array. The controller can perform further functions. The present invention utilizes energy reduction measures to reduce energy consumption when processing received ultrasound waves.

[0014] In the present phased array transducer, the receiving control electronics are selected from (i) at least one and preferably more than 2 and at most all ultrasonic receiving transducer elements are suitable for being connected to a rectifier amplifier and a rectifier amplifier connected to an analog adder to determine that ultrasonic energy is used to increase the output of the rectifier amplifier (thereby avoiding the power consumption of all beam control electronics for receiving) (ii) <50%, preferably <20% of the n*m ​​transducer elements connected or connectable to the receiving electronics (wherein the unconnected transducer elements have no receiving electronics), thereby avoiding most of the power consumption of the receiving electronics), and (iii) combinations thereof.

[0015] In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a product comprising a phased array transducer according to the present invention, wherein the product is preferably selected from a wearable device, a portable device, a medical device, a non-destructive testing device and a combination thereof. If the product is a non-destructive testing device, it can use an energy-saving simplified phased array to achieve beam steering at any angle with low energy, low complexity and low cost. In an exemplary embodiment, the product is a small, usually wearable, wireless ultrasound device for transmitting changes in body tissue, body blood vessels or body cavities (such as bladder), preferably a stand-alone device.

[0016] In the context of the present invention, the term "small" in combination with the present product relates to the size, meaning that the present product can be worn for long periods of time without causing relevant discomfort to the user and is preferably (almost) invisible when worn inside clothing. The term "wireless" means that there are no electrical conductors connecting the present product to the outside world; the term "wearable" means that the user of the product can move freely. Since the product is small, wearable and wireless, it can be worn and is also portable and wearable, for example, without restricting the user's movement. In addition, body cavities refer to fluid (liquid / gas) filled spaces in animals or humans, rather than fluid (liquid / gas) filled spaces in vessels (such as blood vessels and lymphatic vessels). In addition, posture is regarded as a general term for human morphology, while the word posture is related to the (un)intentional or habitually assumed body posture. Typical postures are standing, sitting, squatting, squatting, kneeling, lying. Other positions, such as atypical positions and pressure positions also belong to the term. The term "semi-continuous" is used to indicate that monitoring and signaling may occur over a longer period of time; monitoring / signaling may occur at any given moment during the period; however, typically the product is in idle mode at least part of the time during the period; and active measurements are preferably made only at specific and selected moments. With regard to "calculation", it should be noted that often the exact result is questionable; in this case, the term may refer to "estimation".

[0017] This device or product can be used for permanent and semi-permanent measurement or monitoring. Others can also contact with objects in a permanent or semi-permanent mode; therefore, the contact device is preferably compatible with human skin, such as toxicity, irritation, adhesion, stable form over time, etc.

[0018] In a third aspect, the invention relates to the use of the product for determining or monitoring the volume of fluid in cavities (e.g. bladder, uterus (amniotic fluid), sinuses, pleural cavity, pericardial bladder and blood vessels (e.g. aorta), for detecting or monitoring at least one of aneurysms, infections, tumors, dehydration, pleural effusions, urine flow rate of at least one kidney, hydrocephalus, the size of a human or animal body cavity, for determining the volume of fluid in the lungs, for training, for ultrasound imaging, as a flow transducer, for (semi-)continuous monitoring over a longer period of time, for monitoring in normal life, and for monitoring inside or outside a hospital or in a (long-term) care environment, optionally in combination with another (second) transducer or product.

[0019] In a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a method of operating an ultrasound product according to the invention, comprising the step of determining the amount of liquid in the bladder, performing further action or refraining from further action based on the determined amount.

[0020] Detailed information on the product, its use and method of operation can be found in WO 2016 / 085341 A2, the description and claims of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0021] Accordingly, the present invention provides a solution to one or more of the problems set forth above.

[0022] The advantages of the present invention are detailed throughout the description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1: Schematic diagram of part of a prior art transmission device setup.

[0024] Figure 2: Schematic diagram of the receiving device part of the prior art setup.

[0025] Figure 3 : Simulate beamforming principles.

[0026] Figure 4 : Principles of digital beamforming.

[0027] Figure 5a-f : Calculated amplitude trace.

[0028] Figure 6 : Width of transmit-receive sensitivity (thick line) and maximum height of side lobes relative to the central peak (thin line).

[0029] Figure 7 : Width of transmit-receive sensitivity (thick line) and maximum height of side lobes relative to the central peak (thin line).

[0030] Figure 8a-d A possible array layout according to an exemplary embodiment is shown.

[0031] 9a-d illustrate several options for simplifying and limiting energy consumption compared to standard beam steering methods in reception according to exemplary embodiments.

[0032] Fig.10a -c shows some options for connecting only a small fraction of the available transducer elements to the receiving circuit according to various embodiments.

[0033] Figure 1: Pulse formation by phased array transmission to the focus as used in the prior art. To this end, each transducer element E is supplied with a voltage pulse having a well-defined delay D in order to form the beam focus at the desired point P.

[0034] Figure 2: A phased array used in the prior art receives reflections from a focal point. The delay of each signal makes all signals arrive at the same time when summed.

[0035] Figure 3 : Analog beamforming principle, delays are performed in the analog domain before analog summation and analog-to-digital conversion, as used in the prior art.

[0036] Figure 4 : The principle of digital beamforming, where each signal is first digitized by an analog-to-digital converter and then a delay is added during signal processing in the digital domain, as used in the prior art.

[0037] Figure 5a-f : Ultrasound beam amplitude trajectories from different directions (8(a), 16(b), 24(c), 33(d), 42(e) and 54(f) degrees, respectively) calculated by three methods to construct these data (uncorrected “interference data”, corrected “abs(data)” and negative value zero “pos(data)”) and a reference line (“conventional beam steering”) with interference and optimal reception delay, as known in the prior art.

[0038] Figure 6The receive beam steering method is extended to include four (e.g., 24) receive transducers with non-receiving transducer elements between them, where all possibilities are elaborated in detail. As can be seen from the figure, when only four transducer elements are used to receive ultrasound, three non-receiving transducer elements between the receiving elements are the optimal configuration. This forms an array consisting of 24 transducer elements, in which all 24 transducers are used to transmit ultrasound and only transducers No. 6, 10, 14 and 18 are used to receive ultrasound. It is observed that the direction angle of the first (and largest) sidelobe in transmission coincides with the angle of the first minimum sidelobe in reception, thereby greatly reducing the sidelobes in the transmit-receive sensitivity. For reference, we show a phased array with 24 transducer transmissions: the dotted line represents a single receive transducer element and the dotted line represents all 24 receive transducer elements. It should be noted that the number of 24 elements is used only as an example to illustrate the principle. Different optimizations may apply to different numbers of elements.

[0039] Figure 7 The receive beam steering method is extended with three non-receiving transducer elements between the transducers, where the number of transducer elements is varied, keeping their distance fixed. As can be seen from the figure, in this case, five receiving transducers and three non-receiving transducer elements between the receiving transducers is the best configuration. This will produce an array of 24 transducer elements, where all transducers are used for transmission and only transducers 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 are used for receiving ultrasound. For reference, we show a phased array with 24 transducers transmitting: the dotted line represents a single receiving transducer element and the dashed line represents all 24 receiving transducer elements.

[0040] Figures 8a,b show an array with one electrical contact connected at the bottom and ten electrical contacts connected at the top (top view and top view), and Figures 8c,d show an array with two electrical contacts connected at the bottom and ten electrical contacts connected at the top (top view and top view).

[0041] 9a-d show examples of standard, prior art, beam steering methods in reception ( FIG. 9a ) using a rectifying amplifier selected from circuits such as a diode, a secondary amplifier, a converter for converting a negative amplitude to a positive amplitude and for maintaining a positive amplitude, a logarithmic amplifier, and variations and combinations thereof ( Figure 9b ), beam steering method with reduced number of connected transducer elements ( Fig.9c ) and the above combination ( Figure 9d ).

[0042] Fig.10aFigure 2-c shows some concepts of operating or connecting only a small portion of the available transducer elements to the receiving circuit according to various embodiments. In this configuration of a pulse echo ultrasound system, the transducer acts as both a transmitter and a receiver. The transducer can be activated by a high voltage pulse, typically 25 to 150 volts, for a short duration, typically 100 to 500 nanoseconds, and the receiver will receive a voltage of less than 1 volt, typically in the millivolt range.

[0043] exist Fig.10a In FIG. 1 , an embodiment is shown in which a plurality of transducer elements E are connected to a transmission circuit Tx and a reception circuit Rx via respective switches S. The respective operation, i.e. transmission or reception, is set by correspondingly operating the switches S. In one embodiment, all or a relatively large number of transducer elements are switched to the transmission circuit in the transmission phase, while only a part or a relatively small number of transducer elements are switched to the reception circuit in the reception phase. In this way, an energy-saving mode can be achieved by correspondingly individually controlling the switches S, while in principle maintaining the ability to use all transducer elements in the reception phase.

[0044] Fig.10b The option shown shows an embodiment in which a reduced number of switches S are provided only for the transducer elements actually used during the reception phase. Said embodiment, besides providing advantages related to energy and power saving, in particular during reception, can also contribute to reducing the number of components and circuit complexity of the receiving electronics.

[0045] Fig.10c An embodiment is shown where the transmit and receive electronics are coupled directly to the transducer elements without any switches in between. This is possible if the output resistance of the pulse generator is high enough, e.g. >1 MΩ, so that when a receive signal comes in, no current flows (typically <1 μA). This embodiment can be avoided by Fig.10a and Fig.10b The switch S in further helps to reduce component count and circuit complexity.

[0046] While the invention has been described in a detailed illustrative context, it is best understood by referring to the accompanying examples and drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The present invention relates in a first aspect to an energy-efficient simplified phased array transducer for ultrasonic beam steering according to claim 1 .

[0048] For reference, FIG9a (same as FIG2) shows standard, prior art, analog beam steering electronics in reception. In an exemplary embodiment of the present phased array transducer rectifier amplifiers, these amplifiers are selected from circuits such as diodes, secondary amplifiers, converters for converting negative amplitudes to positive amplitudes and maintaining positive amplitudes, logarithmic amplifiers and their variations, and combinations thereof. FIG5 shows the result of adding these rectifier amplifier outputs, Figure 9b A schematic diagram of a rectifier amplifier is shown.

[0049] In an exemplary embodiment of the present phased array transducer, the receive control electronics are adapted to optimize beam control in reception of at least two (preferably not all) ultrasonic receive transducer elements, extending the width of the transducer to optimize the beam width without introducing strong grating lobes at angles where the ultrasonic transmission beam intensity is high. Fig.9c Shown is a schematic of the receive beam steering electronics, but with a reduced number of connected transducer elements.

[0050] Figure 9d An example of a combination of a reduced number of channels and a rectifier amplifier is shown in FIG.

[0051] In the case of a non-rectifying amplifier, an exemplary embodiment of the present phased array transducer may have an analog adder adapted to add the positive phase amplitude and the negative phase amplitude of the received signal, as shown in FIG. 5 .

[0052] In an exemplary embodiment, the present phased array transducer may include a high voltage pulse transmission source for each transducer, wherein the sources are preferably identical.

[0053] In an exemplary embodiment, the present phased array transducer may include a voltage controller for applying a voltage to the transducer.

[0054] In an exemplary embodiment of the present phased array transducer, the receive control electronics are connected or connectable to <50% of the receive transducer elements ( Figure 6-7 ), for example <20% of the receiving transducer elements, as shown in Figure 9C.

[0055] In an exemplary embodiment of the present phased array transducer, connected or connectable receiving transducer elements are selected such that k unconnected transducer elements are located between connected transducer elements, where k is from 1-7 ( Figure 6 ), preferably wherein k is 2-6, more preferably wherein k is 3-5, for example k is 3. For some cases where k is 3, the maximum sidelobe in the transmission directivity is compensated by the minimum sidelobe in the reception directivity, making this option preferred in some cases.

[0056] In an exemplary embodiment of the present phased array transducer, n∈[1-10] and m∈[2-1024], preferably wherein n∈[1-3] and m∈[4-128], more preferably wherein n∈[1-3] and m∈[8-48], even more preferably wherein n∈[1,2] and m∈[16-36], for example n∈[1] and m∈[24-32].

[0057] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the phased array transducer elements include MEMS (eg, CMUT and PMUT), bulk piezoelectric materials (eg, ceramic and crystalline materials), piezoelectric composites, active piezoelectric materials, ferroelectric ceramics, and combinations thereof.

[0058] In an exemplary embodiment of the present product, the transducer elements are capable of operating separately and sequentially in phase shift mode, parallel mode, spatial scanning mode, intensity mode, pulse mode, harmonic mode, variations thereof, and combinations thereof.

[0059] In an exemplary embodiment, the phased array transducer may include at least a series of m transducer elements in length, wherein each electrode on one side of all m transducer elements is electrically connected to corresponding transducer electronics, wherein the (counter) electrodes on the other side i) are all connected together (Figures 8a, b), or ii) the electrodes on the other side are divided into two halves, wherein half of the length of each electrode is connected to a first electrode connector and the other half of the electrode length is connected to a second electrode connector, (allowing the two halves to be activated separately, for example, applying two different acoustic lenses (such as prisms or focusing lenses) to the two halves of the transducer array (Figures 8c, d) or iii) the pth portion of the electrode length with p≥3 is connected to the pth electrode connector, where p is preferably ∈[3-5], perpendicular to the long transducer element, allowing even more different lenses, or iv) a combination thereof.

[0060] In an exemplary embodiment of the present product, the product is a small wireless ultrasound product for transmitting signals of changes in body tissues, body blood vessels or body cavities (such as the bladder), preferably a stand-alone product.

[0061] In an exemplary embodiment, the product may include at least one transducer controller for guiding a generation and / or detection device capable of determining whether a given transducer is placed in the correct position. Such alignment may be performed using reference points in the body, such as the sacrum, rectum, pubic bone, or cervix in females, using a directional device (e.g. using beam steering). In order to (electronically) fine-tune the calibration during use (in all postures during normal service life), the transducer may contain more than m transducer elements (m+x) in one direction, where only the upper m elements or the lower m elements, or any m elements in between, are connected to the transmission electronics, so that the beam is moved by a distance of a maximum of x transducer elements to fine-tune the alignment.

[0062] In an exemplary embodiment, the product may include a locator for holding the product in a certain position, at least one transducer preferably for determining the user's body posture, a contact device for contacting the product to the skin of the body, an energy scavenger, and an ADC for converting an analog array signal into a digitized output signal, wherein the product is wearable and substantially flat. The product can be customized, for example, a desired frequency and / or power can be obtained. The product typically includes at least one processor for controlling the product, for example, for manipulating the transducer to provide a pulse and / or for determining a reflected pulse, turning the product on / off, etc. Optionally, the processor is used to process data, generate sound signals, and communicate data. The product may include a power supply connected to the transducer, transceiver, and processor, such as a battery, a capacitor, an energy scavenger, and a combination thereof. The power supply may be flexible so that it can adjust to the curvature of the body to which the product is connected, for example, to improve the comfort of the wearer. The product includes a locator for holding the product in place. It has been found that for reliable measurements, the product should remain in place according to the contact pattern; in this respect, small deviations over time (e.g. a few millimeters relative to the original position) are acceptable; therefore, a certain tolerance exists.

[0063] In the example of the present product, the electronic product is one or more of an IC, an ASIC, a printed circuit board (PCB), and variations and combinations thereof.

[0064] In the example of this product, the transducer is one or more of MEMS (CMUT or PMUT), piezoelectric (ceramic or crystal), and a combination thereof. Considering cost, manufacturability, wearability, replaceability, etc., a very small product is preferred.

[0065] In an exemplary embodiment, the product may include motion sensors such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetic sensors.

[0066] In an exemplary embodiment of the present product, the wearable product includes an integrated package.

[0067] The present invention is further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples, which are exemplary and explanatory and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wireless wearable ultrasound device that uses a phased array transducer with ultrasound beam control to send a signal of a user's bladder volume change or to measure the volume of the user's bladder, comprising: An array of n*m transducer elements operating at frequencies between 20 kHz and 50 MHz, Transmission control electronics for array beam steering, comprising at least one high voltage pulse source, wherein the source is connected to a low voltage timing circuit for timing of the at least one pulse source, Receive control electronics, simplified to limit energy consumption in processing received ultrasound waves, wherein less than 20% of the n*m ​​transducer elements are connected or connectable to the receive control electronics, and A power source electrically connected to the array or electrical connections for providing power to the array.

2. The wireless wearable ultrasonic device according to claim 1 comprises a rectifier amplifier and an analog adder, wherein the ultrasonic receiving transducer elements are all adapted to determine ultrasonic energy connected to the rectifier amplifier and the rectifier amplifier connected to the analog adder for increasing the output of the rectifier amplifier.

3. The wireless wearable ultrasound device of claim 1 , wherein the receive control electronics are adapted to optimize beam steering in reception for at least two ultrasound receive transducer elements.

4. The wireless wearable ultrasound device of claim 2, wherein the analog adder is adapted to add the positive phase amplitude and the negative phase amplitude of the received signal.

5. The wireless wearable ultrasonic device of claim 1 , wherein each transducer element comprises a high voltage pulse transmission source.

6. The wireless wearable ultrasound device of claim 1, comprising a voltage controller for applying a voltage to the transducer element.

7. The wireless wearable ultrasound device of claim 1, wherein the connected or connectable receiving transducer elements are selected such that k unconnected transducer elements are located between connected transducer elements, wherein k is selected from 1-7.

8. The wireless wearable ultrasonic device according to claim 1, wherein n∈[1-10] and m∈[2-1024].

9. The wireless wearable ultrasonic device of claim 1, wherein the transducer element comprises MEMS, bulk piezoelectric materials, piezoelectric composites, active piezoelectric materials, ferroelectric ceramics, and combinations thereof.

10. The wireless wearable ultrasound device of claim 1, comprising at least a series of m transducer elements in length, wherein each electrode on one side of all m transducer elements is electrically connected to a corresponding transducer electronics, and wherein the electrodes i) on the other side are all connected together.

11. The wireless wearable ultrasound device of claim 1 , comprising at least a series of m transducer elements in length, wherein each electrode on one side of all m transducer elements is electrically connected to a corresponding transducer electronics device, wherein the electrode on the other side is divided into two halves, wherein half of the electrode length is connected to a first electrode connector and the other half of the electrode length is connected to a second electrode connector.

12. The wireless wearable ultrasound device of claim 1, comprising at least a series of m transducer elements in length, wherein each electrode on one side of all m transducer elements is electrically connected to a corresponding transducer electronics, and wherein a pth portion of the electrode length with p ≥ 3 is connected to a pth electrode connector, perpendicular to the long transducer element.

13. The wireless wearable ultrasonic device according to claim 1, The transducer elements are capable of operating individually or sequentially in phase-shift mode, parallel mode, spatial scanning mode, intensity mode, pulse mode, harmonic mode, variations thereof, and combinations thereof.

14. The wireless wearable ultrasound device of claim 1, wherein the transmit control electronics and the receive control electronics are both directly coupled to the transducer elements.

15. The wireless, wearable ultrasound device of claim 1, comprising at least one transducer controller for aligning the phased array transducer with a user's body during use.

16. The wireless wearable ultrasound device of claim 1, comprising one or more positioners for holding the device in position, at least one sensor for determining a user's body posture, contact means for contacting the device to the body skin, an energy scavenger, an ADC for converting an analog array signal to a digitized output signal, or wherein the device is substantially flat.

17. The wireless wearable ultrasound device of claim 1, comprising at least one of a motion sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetic sensor.

18. The wireless wearable ultrasound device of claim 1, wherein the transmission control electronics and the reception control electronics are one or more of an IC, a piezoelectric element, a printed circuit board (PCB), and combinations thereof.

19. The wireless wearable ultrasonic device of claim 1, wherein the transducer is one or more of MEMS, piezoelectric, and combinations thereof.

20. The wireless wearable ultrasound device of claim 1, wherein the wireless wearable ultrasound device comprises an integrated package.

21. Use of a wireless wearable ultrasound device according to any preceding claim for determining or monitoring the volume of a liquid in a cavity.

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