Circuit system and chip for implementing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of ultrasonic imaging and chip design, and relates to a circuit system and chip for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound. The utility model directly connects together the host computer receiver and the host computer receiver and internal transducer array element through the CW channel; the array periphery can be multiplexed for transmitting the analog channel of the received signal in B mode; the MUX switch is arranged on the array unit inside and the array periphery circuit; the MUX switch of array unit inside is controlled to control the access of arbitrary transducer array element to the CW channel; arbitrary CW channel is connected to the host computer interface outside the chip through the MUX switch on the array periphery circuit. The utility model realizes the continuous wave Doppler ultrasound function under the premise of not increasing the number of additional cables and not increasing the additional power consumption; the flexibility of CW transmission and reception is guaranteed, the chip area is saved, the cable needed for ultrasonic probe integration is reduced, and the utility model can be widely applied to various ultrasonic imaging systems and ultrasonic chips.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of ultrasonic imaging technology, and in particular to a circuit system and chip for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound. Background Technology

[0002] Doppler ultrasound is an important tool in medical imaging and diagnosis, measuring velocity by analyzing the frequency shift of ultrasound signals reflected from a target object. In Doppler ultrasound, the continuous wave (CW) mode achieves high-resolution velocity measurement through continuous transmission and reception of ultrasound waves, making it particularly suitable for monitoring cardiovascular blood flow velocity and deep blood flow.

[0003] The main key technical challenge in achieving continuous Doppler ultrasound imaging on a chip is:

[0004] 1. If an additional high-efficiency mixer is designed at the front end, the mixer needs to achieve low power consumption and high precision on-chip to meet the high integration requirements of the front-end probe.

[0005] 2. If the on-chip transceiver circuit is fully reused to implement CW, the transmitting and receiving circuits will generate heat during long-term continuous operation, and the overall chip power consumption will exceed the control limit.

[0006] 3. If the continuous wave signal is provided externally, either phase flexibility will be sacrificed or a large number of additional CW channels will be added, increasing the integration complexity. Utility Model Content

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to address the problems existing in the background technology by proposing a circuit system and chip for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound.

[0008] The circuit system for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound provided by this utility model includes:

[0009] Transducer array elements are used to convert received pulse electrical signals into ultrasonic waves and transmit them, or to convert received ultrasonic echoes into echo electrical signals.

[0010] An ultrasonic transceiver array element is connected to the transducer array element, and a first switch is provided inside it.

[0011] The array peripheral circuitry contains a second switch.

[0012] The CW channel has one end connected to the transducer array element via a first switch and the other end connected to a second switch; the second switch is used to connect to an interface on the host that is connected to the host receiver.

[0013] Preferably, the ultrasonic transceiver array element includes: a transmitting circuit, a receiving circuit, and a switching switch;

[0014] The transmitting circuit is used to generate pulsed electrical signals to drive the transducer array elements to emit ultrasonic waves;

[0015] A receiving circuit is used to receive and process the echo electrical signal;

[0016] A switching switch is used to switch the transducer array element connected to or disconnected from the transmitting and receiving circuits.

[0017] Preferably, it also includes an analog channel;

[0018] The analog channel enables the receiving circuit to connect to the host's interface through it, and also enables the second switch to connect to the host's interface through it.

[0019] Preferably, the first switch is a gating switch used to select which transducer array elements are connected to CW channels of different phases;

[0020] The second switch is a gating switch, used to select any CW channel to be connected to the analog channel.

[0021] Preferably, the transmitting circuit and / or receiving circuit in the ultrasonic transceiver array element can be selectively turned off.

[0022] Preferably, the plurality of transducer array elements are at least divided into a first transducer array element group and a second transducer array element group.

[0023] The multiple CW channels are at least divided into a first CW channel group and a second CW channel group;

[0024] The first CW channel group is used to connect the first transducer array element group to the host transmitter on the host.

[0025] The second CW channel group is used to connect the second transducer array element group to the host receiver on the host.

[0026] Preferably, the plurality of transducer array elements are at least divided into a first transducer array element group and a second transducer array element group.

[0027] The CW channel is used to connect the first transducer array element to a host receiver on the host.

[0028] The second transducer array is connected to the transmitting circuit of the ultrasonic transceiver array.

[0029] Preferably, it also includes an output driver module;

[0030] The multiple CW channels are at least divided into a first CW channel group and a second CW channel group;

[0031] The other end of the first CW channel is connected to the analog channel via the second switch, and the other end of the second CW channel group is connected to the analog channel via the output drive module.

[0032] Preferably, the plurality of transducer array elements are at least divided into a first transducer array element group and a second transducer array element group.

[0033] The first transducer array is connected to the transmitting circuit of the ultrasonic transceiver array.

[0034] The second transducer array is connected to the receiving circuit of the ultrasonic transceiver array.

[0035] The Doppler ultrasound transducer chip provided by this utility model includes the circuit system for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound.

[0036] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0037] In this invention, the host receiver and internal transducer array elements are directly connected via CW channels. By adding multiplexers both inside and outside the array, any transducer array element can be connected to any CW channel through the internal gating switch, and any CW channel can be connected to an external host interface through the external gating switch. This allows for flexible and controllable transmission and reception phases of the entire array's transducer array elements. Furthermore, continuous Doppler ultrasound functionality is achieved without increasing the number of cables or power consumption. This invention maximizes the flexibility of CW transmission and reception while saving chip area, making it highly beneficial for the integration of large-scale ultrasound chips. Attached Figure Description

[0038] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort. Other features, objects, and advantages of this utility model will become more apparent by reading the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0039] Figure 1 This is a circuit diagram illustrating the implementation of on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0040] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit system's operating state in Bmode mode in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0041] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the switching structure of the circuit system in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0042] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the internal switch operation state of the circuit system in the Bmode multiplexing mode when receiving continuous waves in this embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing the internal switch operation state of the circuit system in the Bmode multiplexing mode when transmitting a continuous wave in this embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing the internal switch operation state of the circuit system in passive CW mode in this embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing the operating state of the transmitting circuit within the array element in hybrid mode in an embodiment of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments. These embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but do not limit the present invention in any way. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention. These all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0047] In the embodiments of this utility model, such as Figure 1 As shown, the circuit system for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound proposed in this utility model includes:

[0048] Transducer array elements are used to convert received pulse electrical signals into ultrasonic waves and transmit them, or to convert received ultrasonic echoes into echo electrical signals.

[0049] An ultrasonic transceiver array element is connected to the transducer array element, and a first switch is provided inside it.

[0050] The array peripheral circuitry contains a second switch.

[0051] The CW channel has one end connected to the transducer array element via a first switch and the other end connected to a second switch; the second switch is used to connect to an interface on the host that is connected to the host receiver.

[0052] The ultrasonic transceiver array element includes: a transmitting circuit, a receiving circuit, a transmitting control circuit, and a switching switch;

[0053] The transmitting circuit is used to generate pulsed electrical signals to drive the transducer array elements to emit ultrasonic waves;

[0054] A transmission control circuit is used to control the transmission circuit to generate pulse electrical signals;

[0055] A receiving circuit is used to receive and process the echo electrical signal;

[0056] A switching switch is used to switch the transducer array element connected to or disconnected from the transmitting and receiving circuits.

[0057] The analog channel enables the second switch to be connected to the interface of the host computer on one hand, and the receiving circuit to be connected to the interface of the host computer on the other hand.

[0058] In an optional embodiment of this invention, when there is no requirement for multiplexing of analog channels, a fixed output channel can be selected on the periphery of the array and connected to the CW channel via a switch, while other analog channels are used only as B mode channels.

[0059] In this embodiment of the present invention, the first switch is a gating switch, used to select the transducer array element to be connected to the CW channel of different phases;

[0060] The second switch is a gating switch used to select any CW channel to be connected to the analog channel. The switch structure is as follows: Figure 3 As shown.

[0061] In an optional embodiment of this invention, when there is no requirement for phase flexibility of the CW transmitting and receiving array elements, the first and second switches of the ultrasonic transceiver array elements are ordinary single-channel switches.

[0062] In this embodiment of the utility model, a high-voltage isolation switch may also be provided between the first switch and the transducer array element, and the high-voltage isolation switch is used to adapt to the high voltage of the transmitted signal;

[0063] The selection switch uses a medium-voltage switch to adapt to the voltage of the CW signal, thereby reducing the chip size while meeting the requirements of high voltage and high integration.

[0064] In an optional embodiment of this utility model, the high-voltage disconnect switch may be omitted, and the high-voltage isolation function and the selection switch may be integrated together to achieve the same function.

[0065] In this embodiment of the invention, the host transmitter, host receiver, and transducer array elements are connected together with the array peripheral circuit via a CW channel. Therefore, the analog channel can be multiplexed, allowing the receiving circuit to connect to the host interface through it, and also allowing the second switch to connect to the host interface through it, thereby realizing the channel multiplexing for transmitting B mode received signals.

[0066] In this embodiment of the invention, the selection switch is a MUX switch, and MUX switches are provided both inside the array unit and on the array peripheral circuit. By controlling the MUX switch inside the array unit, any transducer element can be controlled to access the CW channel; any CW channel can be connected to an external host interface via the MUX switch on the array peripheral circuit. Therefore, the transmit and receive phases of the transducer elements throughout the entire array are flexibly controllable.

[0067] In an optional embodiment of this invention, the transmitting circuit and / or receiving circuit in the ultrasonic transceiver array element may be selectively turned off.

[0068] Specifically, the transmitting and receiving circuits of the array unit can be selectively turned off in CW mode to reduce chip power consumption.

[0069] In this embodiment of the present invention, when using an ultrasound system that includes a circuit system for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound as proposed in this invention, its operating modes include at least B mode multiplexing mode, passive CW mode and hybrid mode.

[0070] In B mode multiplexing mode, the multiple transducer elements in the transducer element array are divided into a first transducer element group and a second transducer element group.

[0071] The first transducer array is connected to the transmitting circuit of the ultrasonic transceiver array.

[0072] The second transducer array is connected to the receiving circuit of the ultrasonic transceiver array.

[0073] At this time, the CW channel is closed, with some transducer elements used for continuous wave transmission and others for continuous wave reception. The selection of transducers for transmission or reception can be determined based on the physical location of the chip, or the transmission and reception states of each transducer element can be freely controlled by the control logic of the chip's internal transmission and reception circuits. The phase of the transducer's transmission and reception CW waveforms is determined by the logic control of the chip's internal transceiver circuits.

[0074] In passive CW mode, the CW channel is turned on, and the transmitting and receiving circuits of the ultrasonic transceiver array are turned off.

[0075] The multiple transducer elements in the transducer array are at least divided into a first transducer element group and a second transducer element group.

[0076] The multiple CW channels are at least divided into a first CW channel group and a second CW channel group;

[0077] The first CW channel group is used to connect the first transducer array element group to the host transmitter on the host.

[0078] The second CW channel group is used to connect the second transducer array element group to the host receiver on the host.

[0079] Specifically, the transducer elements are selected to CW channels of different phases via a MUX switch; some transducer elements are connected to the host transmitter via the first CW channel to achieve continuous wave transmission; and some transducer elements are connected to the host receiver via the second CW channel to achieve continuous wave reception. The selection of transducer elements for transmission or reception can be determined based on the physical location of the chip, or can be freely controlled by the MUX selection via the chip's internal digital logic, selectively connecting each transducer element to the CW channel used for transmission or reception. The transmission and reception phases of the transducer elements are determined by the waveform emitted by the host.

[0080] In an optional embodiment of this invention, the other end of the first CW channel is connected to the analog channel via the second switch, and the other end of the second CW channel group is connected to the analog channel via the output drive module.

[0081] When the output driver module is turned on, the cable driving capability of the output signal is enhanced. The output driver module employs a unity-gain amplifier (unit gain buffer).

[0082] A hybrid mode in which the transmitting circuit of the B mode ultrasonic transceiver array element is reused and combined with the passive CW receiving mode;

[0083] At this time, the multiple transducer elements in the transducer array are at least divided into a first transducer element group and a second transducer element group.

[0084] The CW channel is used to connect the first transducer array to the host receiver on the host; the second transducer array is connected to the transmitting circuit of the ultrasonic transceiver array.

[0085] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the internal switching operation state of the circuit system in the B mode multiplexing mode when receiving continuous waves in this embodiment of the invention. Figure 5 This is a diagram showing the internal switching operation state of the circuit system in the B mode multiplexing mode when transmitting a continuous wave in this embodiment of the invention. Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, the switching operation in B mode multiplexing mode is the same as in B mode. Compared to B mode, where the same transducer element originally operated in a transmit / receive cycle, CW transmit and receive in B mode multiplexing mode are split into different transducer elements. Some on-chip transducer elements are transmit elements used for continuous wave transmission, while other transducer elements are used for continuous wave reception.

[0086] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing the internal switching operation state of the circuit system in passive CW mode in an embodiment of this utility model. Figure 6 As shown, in passive CW mode, transducer elements are selectively connected to the CW channel used for transmitting or receiving. Figure 7 This is a diagram showing the enabled / disabled switching state of the transmitting circuit within the array element in hybrid mode, as described in this embodiment of the invention. Figure 7 As shown, the transmitting circuit inside the array element is activated.

[0087] Table 1. Power Consumption Comparison under Different CW Modes

[0088]

[0089]

[0090] In Table 1, P represents power, C represents transducer capacitance, Vdd represents transmission voltage, and f represents transmission frequency. Using the technical solution of this invention, continuous Doppler ultrasound functionality is achieved without increasing the number of additional cables or power consumption. This design maximizes the flexibility of CW transmission and reception while saving chip area, making it highly beneficial for the integration of large-scale ultrasound chips.

[0091] In this embodiment of the invention, the Doppler ultrasound transducer chip provided by the invention includes the circuit system for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound.

[0092] In this embodiment of the invention, by adding multiple selection switches inside and outside the array, any transducer element can be connected to any CW channel through the selection switch inside the array, and any CW channel can be connected to any external host interface through the selection switch outside the array.

[0093] The chip can be configured into different modes by configuring the on-chip registers on the host computer. The chip can be configured in standard B-mode for ultrasound imaging, or in CW mode for continuous wave transmission and reception. The chip's CW-mode includes the following modes for reference:

[0094] In B-mode multiplexing, the host-side configuration includes on-chip registers, with some transducer elements used for continuous wave transmission and others for continuous wave reception. By providing different delay information to different ultrasonic transducer elements, the system controls them to transmit and receive at different phases. This makes the transmission and reception phases of the entire array's transducer elements flexibly controllable.

[0095] In passive CW mode, the host is equipped with a host transmitter, and a suitable analog channel is selected as the transmission channel to transmit the required CW electrical signal generated on the host to the transducer elements. Simultaneously, a suitable analog channel is connected to the host receiver to receive the echoes generated by the continuous transducer signals on the object. The host can transmit waveforms with different phases on different transmission channels, making the transmission and reception phases of the entire transducer array elements flexibly controllable. In CW receiver mode, the output driver module can also be activated to enhance the cable driving capability of the output signal.

[0096] In hybrid mode, on-chip registers on the host enable the transmitting circuits of some ultrasonic transceiver elements in B mode. Considering different numbers of transducer elements, some B mode modules are reused and combined with passive CW mode to improve specific performance at the cost of power consumption. Alternatively, the transmitting circuits of the ultrasonic transceiver elements can be disabled, and the transducers can be driven by the internal transmitting circuits of the ultrasonic transceiver elements.

[0097] The various embodiments described in this specification are presented in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to implement or use this invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention. Therefore, this invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0098] The specific embodiments of this utility model have been described above. It should be understood that this utility model is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and those skilled in the art can make various modifications or variations within the scope of the claims, which do not affect the substantive content of this utility model.

Claims

1. A circuit system for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound, characterized in that, include: Transducer array elements are used to convert received pulse electrical signals into ultrasonic waves and transmit them, or to convert received ultrasonic echoes into echo electrical signals. An ultrasonic transceiver array element is connected to the transducer array element, and a first switch is provided inside it. The array peripheral circuitry contains a second switch. CW channel, one end of which is connected to the transducer array element via a first switch, and the other end of which is connected to a second switch; The second switch is used to connect to the interface on the host that is connected to the host receiver and the host receiver.

2. The circuit system for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ultrasonic transceiver array element includes: a transmitting circuit, a receiving circuit, and a switching switch; The transmitting circuit is used to generate pulsed electrical signals to drive the transducer array elements to emit ultrasonic waves; A receiving circuit is used to receive and process the echo electrical signal; A switching switch is used to switch the transducer array element connected to or disconnected from the transmitting and receiving circuits.

3. The circuit system for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes analog channels; The analog channel enables the receiving circuit to connect to the host's interface through it, and also enables the second switch to connect to the host's interface through it.

4. The circuit system for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first switch is a gating switch, used to select which transducer array elements are connected to CW channels of different phases; The second switch is a gating switch, used to select any CW channel to be connected to the analog channel.

5. The circuit system for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The transmitting and / or receiving circuits in the ultrasonic transceiver array element may be selectively turned off.

6. The circuit system for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound according to claim 3, characterized in that, The multiple transducer array elements are at least divided into a first transducer array element group and a second transducer array element group. The multiple CW channels are at least divided into a first CW channel group and a second CW channel group; The first CW channel group is used to connect the first transducer array element group to the host transmitter on the host. The second CW channel group is used to connect the second transducer array element group to the host receiver on the host.

7. The circuit system for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multiple transducer array elements are at least divided into a first transducer array element group and a second transducer array element group. The CW channel is used to connect the first transducer array element to a host receiver on the host. The second transducer array is connected to the transmitting circuit of the ultrasonic transceiver array.

8. The circuit system for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound according to claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes an output driver module; The other end of the first CW channel is connected to the analog channel via the second switch, and the other end of the second CW channel group is connected to the analog channel via the output drive module.

9. The circuit system for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multiple transducer array elements are at least divided into a first transducer array element group and a second transducer array element group. The first transducer array is connected to the transmitting circuit of the ultrasonic transceiver array. The second transducer array is connected to the receiving circuit of the ultrasonic transceiver array.

10. A Doppler ultrasonic transducer chip, characterized in that, The circuit system for realizing on-chip continuous wave Doppler ultrasound as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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