Ultrasound probe connected via cable

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe configured to be operatively coupled to a cable, the cable comprising a plurality of lanes configured to carry signals between the ultrasonic probe and a data processing unit configured to process the signals, in particular to beamform the signals and reconstruct an ultrasound image of an imaging region. The ultrasonic probe comprises a transducer head comprising a plurality of transducer elements adapted to insonify the imaging region according to an irradiation plan and to receive ultrasound signals, and a controller adapted to redistribute and / or reconfigure signals carried by the faulty lane to one or more non-faulty lanes in response to faulty lane information from a fault detection module adapted to detect the integrity of each of the plurality of lanes.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasound probe configured to be connected to a data processing unit via a cable, a corresponding ultrasound system, and a method for operating an ultrasound probe. [Background technology]

[0002] Ultrasound (US) probes typically contain an array of transducer elements that transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. A beamformer is used to appropriately delay and sum the echo signals received by the elements of the transducer array. The delays are usually selected taking into account the direction and focal depth of the beam formed by the beamformer. The delayed signals are then combined to form a beam of coherent echo signals that are appropriately steered and focused.

[0003] In conventional ultrasound systems, an array transducer is placed against the patient's body during imaging and is located in an US probe, which may contain several electronic components such as switches and amplification devices. Delays and signal synthesis are typically performed by a beamformer included in the ultrasound system console, to which the probe is connected by a cable. Therefore, a large number of raw echo signals are typically transferred from the probe to the US system console via the cable. Therefore, the cable requires a sufficiently high capacity, e.g., formed by wires, to transfer the required data rate and several data paths (hereinafter referred to as lanes) to transfer the large number of signals from the large number of transducer elements.

[0004] For some US probes, cable reliability is a major driver of overall reliability. While current transducer cable reliability is generally high, some cables may still break. Some breaks are relatively benign. For example, if signals from each of 128 transducer elements are transmitted over one of the 128 cables, the loss of one cable is less likely to be clinically detectable. On the other hand, when conductors perform unique functions, such as power or programming lines, a single break can cause the entire transducer to fail. Digital US probes may be more susceptible to breaks than analog US probes because each conductor typically carries signals from two or more transducer elements. Improved reliability can generally be addressed by using larger wires, but this can negatively impact ergonomics and increase cable costs.

[0005] In some cases, fault tolerance for specific functions can be achieved by redundant wiring. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 4,306,313, which deals with optical transmission systems, proposes the use of two or more optical fibers for transmitting signals and the possibility of switching between these redundant fibers. This may be appropriate when the number of redundant fibers required is relatively small. However, US probes typically require cables with a larger number of wires to transmit the large amount of data generated by the various elements of their transducer arrays, and therefore, duplicating all of the wires in a cable is generally not practical. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasound probe, an ultrasound system and a method in which the cable connection between the probe and the processing unit of the US system maintains good ergonomics, while being fault-tolerant and in particular providing a fault-tolerant solution to signal path disconnections. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This object is met or exceeded by an ultrasound (US) probe according to claim 1, an ultrasound system according to claim 8, and a method for operating an ultrasound probe according to claim 15. Any feature, advantage, or alternative embodiment described herein in relation to the claimed ultrasound probes is also applicable to the ultrasound systems and methods, and vice versa.

[0008] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an ultrasound probe configured to be operably coupled to a cable, the cable comprising a plurality of lanes configured to carry signals between the ultrasound probe and a data processing unit, the data processing unit configured to process the signals, in particular to beamform the signals and reconstruct an ultrasound image of an imaging region.

[0009] The ultrasound probe comprises a transducer head having a plurality of transducer elements adapted to insonify an imaging region according to an ultrasound irradiation plan and receive ultrasound signals, and a controller adapted to receive information regarding the integrity of each of the plurality of lanes from a fault detection module adapted to detect the integrity or failure of each of the plurality of lanes, the controller being adapted to redistribute and / or reconfigure signals carried by the faulty lane to one or more non-faulty lanes in response to the information of the faulty lane from the fault detection module.

[0010] The present invention provides fault tolerance to at least one lane disruption / failure, and in some embodiments even tolerating two or more disrupted conductors or failed lanes. Some embodiments do not impact performance, while other embodiments require a performance compromise.

[0011] The US probe of the present invention comprises a transducer head and a transducer handle and / or housing, which generally includes some electronics (e.g., including a controller) but no cable. The US probe is also referred to as a transducer sensor assembly. In a preferred embodiment, the ultrasound probe is a digital US probe, also referred to as a digital transducer. Digital US probes generally have more conductor lanes performing unique functions, and are therefore more prone to breakage than analog US probes, particularly because signals from several transducer elements are often transferred over a single lane. Furthermore, digital signals are easier to reconstruct than analog signals. Digital US probes preferably include an in-probe analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to convert analog echo signals received by the probe to digital signals. Preferably, in a digital US probe, some electronics are available at both ends of the cable, and the transducer end preferably has sufficient electronics to support the signal redistribution and / or reconstruction described herein upon detection of a faulty lane. However, the US probe of the present invention may also be an analog US probe. The US probe is preferably adapted for medical US imaging. However, the concept of the present invention primarily relates to cable faults and, therefore, can be applied to any type of US probe connected via a cable. US probes for the inspection of technical structures or underwater US probes are also within the scope of the present invention. The US probe is particularly configured to be connected to a cable via a connector, preferably an electrical connector, which is part of the US probe. In this sense, the cable may be removably connected to the probe. However, it is also conceivable that the cable is permanently connected to the probe.

[0012] Preferably, a lane should be understood as a signal path in a cable, particularly a digital or analog signal path. The lane carries echo signals (also called ultrasound signals) received by the transducer elements to a data processing unit, and in most embodiments also carries control signals, such as configuration information, e.g., information about the transmission method, from the console (e.g., data processing unit) to the electronics in the US probe, particularly the transducer handle. The lane may carry control signals, ultrasound signals, or both. The lanes are preferably implemented as conductors, but may also be optical signal lanes, e.g., optical fibers. If the lanes are electrical signal paths, they may be implemented, for example, as coaxial lines or twisted pairs. The present invention is generally applicable to both single-ended signal paths, i.e., signal paths with one ground potential or reference wire and one signal wire, and differential signal paths, i.e., signal paths with two complementary signals and dependent on the electrical difference between the signals. In the case of an electrical cable, the lane may be formed, for example, by an assembly of wires and / or conductors arranged side by side or bundled together. In one example, a cable may contain several thin coaxial wires, for example 128 thin coaxial wires, particularly analog coaxial wires. However, it may be beneficial to have a digital signal path, for example, each lane formed by a twisted pair, which may provide a high-speed data connection. A transfer rate (stream) of about 5 Gb / s or more is generally required for each lane. When implemented electrically, the data rate on a single lane may be in the range of 4 to 8 Gb / s.

[0013] Preferably, a lane is used to carry digital signals / data (only). However, the present invention is also applicable to transducer / cable configurations where a given set of conductors is used to carry multiple types of signals, such as power carried over twisted pairs, which may be digital lanes. Thus, the fault detection module may include a current sensor that monitors the current on each conductor carrying power, and if the current is zero, power is switched to a spare conductor. In this embodiment, a "lane" may be a conductor carrying power. The current sensor may be realized by a current-sensing resistor included in the voltage regulator.

[0014] In other embodiments, power is supplied to the US probe via separate conductors (not the lanes) or by a (rechargeable) battery, particularly a battery included within the US probe. The lanes may be made of wires made of a conductive material such as Cu, Al, or a metal alloy. Furthermore, the wires of the lanes may be plated with a thin layer of another metal, for example, Zn, Au, or Ag, to provide protection from oxidation. To provide protection from cross-interference, the lanes may be shielded from each other and / or from the environment; for example, the lanes may be arranged in a coaxial and / or twisted pair geometry. The lanes are not limited to being made of electrical wires. It is also conceivable that the lanes may be adapted to carry signals in a different way; for example, optical signals may be carried by optical fibers. In this case, the lanes may be optical paths.

[0015] The term multiple lanes refers to the presence of two or more lanes. For example, the cable may include a total of 4 to 128 lanes, preferably 8 to 40 lanes, and more preferably 16 to 32 lanes. The lanes are adapted to carry signals, which may be, for example, digital or analog signals. The signals may be in the form of current or optical signals. Most signals coming from the probe are generated by the transducer elements from received echo signals and may optionally be converted by an ADC. Preferably, signals from multiple transducer elements are transmitted in each lane; for example, echo signals from 4 to 60 transducer elements may be transmitted per lane.

[0016] The data processing unit is preferably part of the US system console. It may also be part of a smaller device, such as a computer or laptop, or a tablet, PDA, or smartphone, such as, for example, provided with the Philips Lumify® App. Therefore, the data processing unit is preferably not part of the US probe itself, but is connected to the US probe via a cable. However, in some cases, particularly when the system console has limited processing power, such as the Lumify® App on a tablet, it may be preferable to provide the data processing unit within the US probe. The data processing unit preferably comprises a system interface, particularly a digital system interface, with a data connection for one or several lanes. The data processing unit is adapted to receive and further process signals transferred from the US probe via the cable, particularly to at least partially beamform echo signals and / or perform signal and image processing, and possibly digitally store US images. In some embodiments, beamforming may be partially performed within the US probe, and partial beam sums are sent to the data processing unit to complete beamforming, signal processing, and image processing. The data processing unit is preferably connected to a user interface and adapted to display the US images to the user and may allow the user to change or adjust the image or measurement parameters and / or the ultrasound irradiation plan and / or switch between different modes such as B-mode or Doppler imaging. If the US probe is used for medical applications, the imaging region may for example be within an anatomical structure such as an organ, head or limb or part thereof of a human or animal body.

[0017] The transducer head preferably comprises an array of transducer elements (array transducer). It may be, for example, a 1D array with a fixed mechanical focus for electronic steering and focusing in azimuth for two-dimensional imaging. In this case, there are preferably at least 64, more preferably 128 or more, especially 128 to 960, transducer elements. The transducer elements may also be arranged in a 2D array, which allows for electronic steering and focusing of the beam in both azimuth and elevation over a volumetric region, thus enabling three-dimensional imaging. In this case, the number of transducer elements is typically higher, preferably greater than 2500 and up to 100,000, more preferably up to 60,000.

[0018] The transducer elements of the transducer head are adapted to insonify the imaging region and receive ultrasound signals, particularly in the form of echo signals reflected from the imaging region. Inserting an imaging region can be understood as emitting US pulses controlled by multiple transducer elements into the imaging region. In this context, the insonification plan may be the transmission and reception scheme of the transducer head, including various parameters, such as temporal resolution (i.e., the time interval between transmission events, frame rate, sampling frequency), focusing scheme, depth range, penetration depth, spatial resolution, size of the imaging region, contrast, and / or field of view. Furthermore, different beamforming modes can be applied, such as multiline acquisition (MLA), multiline transmission (MLT), plane wave, diverging wave, and / or synthetic aperture beamforming.

[0019] The fault detection module may be located at either end of the cable, i.e., it may be part of the US probe, or it may be part of the ultrasound console to which the probe is connected via the cable, e.g., it may be part of the data processing unit. The response to detected faults may be coordinated between the console and the US probe (transducer) to maintain correct operation of the entire ultrasound system, but the detection and management of the fault response may be at either end (console or US probe). Because more space and power are available in the console, the fault detection module is preferably part of the console, and information about lane integrity is transferred to the controller on the US probe through one or several of the lanes. On the other hand, locating the fault detection module in the US probe has the advantage that information about lane integrity cannot be lost due to a failure of the lane that transmits this information. The fault detection module may be a separate part in the probe or part of the controller.

[0020] The fault detection module is adapted to detect information about the integrity or failure of each of the multiple lanes. This can be achieved by a self-check of the ultrasonic probe via the fault detection module, particularly when starting operation of the ultrasonic probe or after connecting to the data processing unit. This can verify the correct functioning of cables that have not yet been tested. Damage, such as breaks that may have occurred during storage or transportation of the cable, can be detected, and their possible effect on the measurement values ​​can be analyzed within the self-check or by the user, who can be notified of any cable faults. Lane checks can be performed repeatedly, for example, by periodically transmitting test signals onto lanes that can be detected at the distal end and analyzing the results. For example, the fault detection module on the US probe can send test signals to the data processing unit, or vice versa, i.e., as a "handshake." Information about whether this signal arrived can then be sent back to the sender of the test signal. Continuous testing, for example, at predetermined intervals, allows for more or less immediate detection of faulty lanes that occur during operation, for example, when the cable is excessively bent or when pressure is applied to the cable. In the case of digital lanes, for example, fault detection is also possible by detecting errors in the transmitted digital signal, since the signal (i.e., the transmitted data) is encoded in a predetermined manner. The encoded data (transmitted digital signal) has certain characteristics, such as including a comma code, and follows a specific protocol. The data of a faulty lane either does not exhibit these characteristics or contains a relatively large number of anomalies.

[0021] The fault detection module detects connection irregularities via the cable or is notified of connection irregularities, i.e., it can receive information about a faulty lane, for example, from a data processing unit. Irregularities can be, for example, missing or invalid signals. For example, test signals can be transmitted through different lanes of the connected cable. In this case, the data processing unit can respond to the received test signals and note any unresponsive or invalid signals. The present invention is generally applicable in this sense when there are electronic devices on both ends of the cable. Alternatively, the test signal can be reflected from the faulty location within the faulty lane. For example, the fault detection module can measure the travel time of the test signal to determine the fault and, possibly, its location. This allows the fault detection module to determine the faulty lane without having to communicate with another device, such as a data processing unit, for this purpose. It is also conceivable that the cable test is performed by the data processing unit (thus incorporating the fault detection module), and in the case of a faulty lane, a notification is sent to the controller. The data processing unit or the fault detection module can detect errors with the help of a checksum or specific encoding transmitted along with the signal, which can reveal the absence of data or individual signals. The checksum may, for example, be transmitted on an additional lane reserved for the transmission of the checksum. The data processing unit or fault detection module in the console can also determine the presence of a faulty lane from a degradation in performance, for example, a reduction in data rate or a reduction in image quality. Another measure can be to add redundancy to the data distributed over several lanes, i.e., an additional lane with some information of all signals from all other lanes. Thus, if some data does not reach the data processing unit due to a faulty lane, it can be immediately noticed by comparing it with the data from the additional lane. This redundancy can therefore simplify the detection of missing data.Detection of a faulty lane by the data processing unit (including the fault detection module) may have the advantage that the data processing unit does not need to be notified in order to adapt to changed conditions associated with the faulty lane. The power connections or analog signals may be monitored by observing the current through their respective lanes, for example, by a voltage regulator with a current-sensing resistor. In this case, if the current is zero when it should be, the fault detection module will notice that the power lane has failed.

[0022] The controller is preferably connected to the fault detection module and may also be directly or indirectly connected to the transducer head. The controller is part of the electronics within the US probe and may, in particular, be part of the ultrasound probe's application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In one embodiment, both the controller and the fault detection module may be part of the ASIC. The controller may comprise a processor that may be adapted to process information received from the fault detection module and / or the data processing unit via the cable. Furthermore, the controller may comprise data storage devices such as RAM, ROM, a disk drive, or flash memory. The controller may include pre-programmed rules and / or decisions and / or algorithms regarding how to operate the transducer head and / or how to distribute data from the transducer head to different lanes of the cable, particularly in the case of detection of a faulty lane. This allows the controller to operate automatically without additional input from the user and / or the data processing unit. The controller is adapted to respond to faulty lane information and to operate in response to the detection of a faulty lane. For example, the US probe can identify the number of available / operating lanes upon power-up via the fault detection module, and the controller can configure communication over the cable accordingly. Preferably, the controller is configured to coordinate the redirection and / or reconfiguration of signals to and from the console, in particular the data processing unit, for example by sending to the data processing unit a respective message regarding a selected response to the fault detection. It is conceivable that the controller is configured to receive commands from the data processing unit. For example, the controller may be adapted to be controlled at will and / or in part by a user via a user interface connected to the data processing unit. The controller may be configured to send messages and / or information to the user via a cable and a user interface connected to the data processing unit.The controller may also be configured to send a warning to the user via a user interface or via notification means, such as a warning indicator or alarm light, in the ultrasound probe. This allows the US probe to be independent of the US system console or data processing unit in terms of notifying the user. Alternatively, the controller may be configured to notify the user via a user interface connected to the cable and data processing unit. Thus, the user can see the warning directly in the user interface that the user operates and observes during operation of the US probe and analysis of US images. Preferably, the controller can convey information about the cable and / or lane capacity, i.e., the data rate, and / or the actual current usage of the capacity at the moment. That is, the controller can convey information about how much data can be transferred through each lane of the cable, how many (operational) lanes the cable has, and what the currently required data rate is for each signal transmitted through the cable.

[0023] When a faulty lane is detected and after being notified of such a case, the controller is adapted to redistribute and / or reconfigure signals carried by the faulty lane to one or more of the non-faulty lanes. The signals to be redistributed and / or reconfigured are control signals and / or echo signals, preferably both; echo signals transferred from the probe to the data processing system typically contain more data and therefore require more redistribution and / or reconfiguration. Preferably, this is done automatically, i.e., the user does not need to actively select an appropriate reaction to the faulty lane, at least initially. In particular, signal redistribution can be understood as redirecting and / or rerouting signals to one or more other (non-faulty) lanes. This can mean rerouting a signal from the faulty lane to another (e.g., redundant) lane. It can also mean that the controller is adapted to combine signals from several lanes to be transferred on one (or several) other lanes. For example, the controller can be adapted to add a signal from the faulty lane to another signal to be transferred by the other lanes. This allows for flexible adaptation to current situations depending on the cable condition, measurement requirements, and specifications. The controller may also be adapted to transfer signals from a faulty lane to another lane, for example, periodically according to measurements and / or ultrasonic irradiation schedules, during time intervals when the original signals of the other lanes do not generate data rates. This option is described in more detail below, as it requires digitization of the signals and the use of memory to temporarily store the digital data. This allows optimal use of the available data rate capacity of the cable's lanes. In particular, if the capacity of the non-faulty lanes is not sufficient to carry all signals, including the signal from the faulty lane, the controller may be adapted to reconfigure the signal from the faulty lane and / or one or several signals from one or several non-faulty lanes. Reconfiguring a signal may be understood to mean modifying the signal in some way, including buffering the signal.Thus, the controller can adapt to situations where the available capacity of a lane is insufficient to transfer all data due to a faulty lane. For example, the controller may be configured to prevent some data from being transferred, if necessary. This data may be the data initially transferred on the faulty lane, but if the data on the faulty lane is more relevant to a particular non-event, it is also possible to transmit the data on the faulty lane over the non-faulty lane and skip the original data on the non-faulty lane. While such data omission may lead to a decrease in image quality in some cases, it may be a valid option when the omitted data is not essential to the measurement, for example, when signals from one or several transducer elements are not essential for the required beamforming process, or when a particular beam is directed to a peripheral region of the imaging area, while an important part of the observed structure is located more centrally in the imaging area. It is also conceivable that the controller may be configured to distribute signals, particularly signals from a faulty lane, from one lane to two or more different lanes, i.e., split the signals. The controller may also be adapted to automatically reduce the sampling rate of signals, for example, signals from a faulty lane. This may be an option when the sampling rate does not need to be as high as that initially set for a particular ultrasound irradiation plan selected by the user. The controller may also be adapted to modify the time that individual signals are transferred over the cable. For example, the controller may be adapted to start buffering data, possibly buffering data from a faulty lane and arranging it to be transmitted during the dead time of the lane's original signal. Dead time may particularly refer to the time between the end of one receive event and the start of the next transmit event. The dead time in each transmit / receive cycle may range from 1 s to 50 s, preferably 4 s to 25 s. Transmitting data during the dead time optimally uses the available data rate and serves as an effective means of redistributing information from a faulty lane, possibly with no or little loss in image quality or frame rate.It is also possible to reduce the pulse repetition rate (and thereby the frame rate) of the ultrasound regimen to increase the available "dead time."

[0024] If the US probe includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), the controller may be adapted to reduce the resolution of the ADC as needed. It is also possible to reduce the resolution of the ADC only during certain sections of the acquisition cycle, for example, when examining deep tissue where the dynamic range of the data is already reduced. Preferably, the US probe is configured to transmit corresponding information to the data processing unit when the data format is changed or the signal is reconfigured or redistributed. This ensures that the data processing unit can adapt to and process the changed signal. It is also conceivable that the controller receives instructions from the data processing unit. In particular, the controller may receive instructions regarding signal redistribution and / or reconfiguration. Thus, algorithms and decision patterns in the case of a failed lane can be stored in the data processing unit and transmitted to the controller when applicable. Alternatively or additionally, instructions can be entered by a user at a user interface connected to the data processing unit. This allows the user to adapt the measurements according to their own requirements to best overcome any drawbacks that may accompany a reduced data rate due to a failed lane.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the controller is adapted to redistribute signals by rerouting signals carried by a failed lane to a redundant lane of the multiple lanes, or, if a redundant lane is not available, modifying signals carried by one or more non-faulty lanes to include information about the signal originally carried by the failed lane. In this context, a redundant lane can be understood as a functional, available lane, i.e., a lane that provides a connection between the US probe and the data processing unit but is not actually required for the operation of the US probe and the transmission of signals. For example, an extra / redundant coax or twisted pair may be present. This may be the case, for example, when a standardized cable compatible with different systems is used, but not all systems and / or US probes require all available lanes for their standard operation. In other words, it may be useful to have a standard cable that can be used on several different US probes, and the capacity of this cable may need to be sufficient to meet the requirements of the most demanding US probe, i.e., the US probe generating the highest data rate. Therefore, the data rate or number of lanes may be greater than that required for many or most US probes. For example, among n US probes using standard cables, n-1 US probes, or a number of US probes between n-1 and 1, will have some excess capacity when using standard cables. On the other hand, it is also possible that the amount of data, and therefore the number of lanes required, may vary depending on the measurement mode and / or ultrasound exposure plan used for the current measurement. Therefore, during a particular measurement, there may be redundant lanes that are not required for this particular measurement. Rerouting to redundant lanes has the advantage that there is no need to compromise on image quality or frame rate, since the redundant lanes can simply replace the failed lanes.In other words, if a redundant lane is available, the controller can reroute the signal carried by the failed lane to such a redundant lane without significantly affecting performance, particularly without reducing the data rate and therefore the image quality and frame rate. Intentionally planning redundant lanes can also be beneficial. While this can increase costs and the size of the cable, it may still be preferable compared to increasing the size of all lanes to achieve a desired or required level of cable reliability. Even a single redundant lane, e.g., 25 lanes instead of 24 lanes, can significantly improve cable reliability. However, more additional / redundant lanes may be more beneficial than the original cable, e.g., a cable with 24 lanes, to open up new uses for the cable being modified in this way.

[0026] However, if a redundant lane is not available, the information from the failed lane can be partially or completely included in the signal carried by the non-failed lane. This may be an option, especially if the non-failed lanes still have sufficient capacity to increase the data rate. Therefore, the data rate of one, some, or all remaining lanes can be increased. Information from the failed lane can also be split and added to the signal from a different non-failed lane, for example, if the data rate of one lane is not sufficient to carry its original information and the complete information added from the failed lane. If necessary, the information from the failed lane can be modified, particularly reduced, to reduce the data rate before adding one or several other signal rates. Preferably, such data reduction leads to the omission of non-essential data. Preferably, such omission can lead to an inconspicuous or slight reduction in the image quality of the US image. Depending on how important the measurements and the information for their analysis are, even completely omitting data from the faulty lane may be an option. Such omission may result in a reduction in image quality and / or refresh rate. On the other hand, redistributing the complete information from the failed lane may also be an option. In this case, image quality may be maintained, but the refresh rate may be reduced, i.e., the rate at which ultrasound signal data is processed and US images are reconstructed by the data processing system and displayed to the user. The refresh rate may relate to the complete image (frame) or individual lines therein; i.e., some lines in the image may be refreshed less frequently than others. Such a reduction in refresh rate may occur automatically if signals are transmitted over a cable at a slower data rate. A frame rate reduction can also be achieved by modifying the irradiation plan, typically initiated by the data processing unit. In some cases, a reduction in frame rate or refresh rate may be partially or completely counteracted by buffering at least some of the data and optimizing the time schedule when signals are transmitted through the lanes, e.g., by minimizing dead times during which data is temporarily not transmitted.In the case of digital signals, it may be possible to reduce the resolution or sampling frequency of the ADC, for example, to align the number of samples with the number of remaining lanes and the desired frame rate. Any of these reconfiguration or correction methods, as well as any of the variations described below, may be applied individually or in any combination with each other. The exact nature of the combination may depend on the current measurement needs. It is also possible to combine rerouting to redundant lanes with redistribution / correction, for example, if the data rate capacity of the redundant lanes is lower than the data rate of the signal originally routed through the failed lane and / or if there are several failed lanes and the number of failed lanes is greater than the number of redundant lanes.

[0027] Preferably, the controller is adapted to perform the reconstruction and / or redistribution while maintaining the quality and / or refresh rate of the ultrasound image above a predetermined threshold. Accordingly, the controller may store these predetermined thresholds for maintaining a predetermined image quality and / or refresh rate (or frame rate). In this way, it is possible to ensure that the prioritization of different reconstruction schemes, such as omission or reduction of signal data, is performed in a predetermined manner that minimizes the impact on the diagnostic value of the US measurement, particularly the US image. For example, if a certain refresh rate (or frame rate) is essential for the measurement, for example, because part of the observed organ moves at a certain speed, it is ensured that the refresh rate remains high enough to still allow observation of this movement. In this case, once the refresh rate threshold is reached, the refresh rate will not be further reduced, but instead, other parameters related to image quality may be reduced. At the same time, it is also possible to ensure, for example, that the resolution remains high enough to distinguish different essential features within the imaged area.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the US probe includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to convert signals received by the transducer elements into digital signals. In response to information about the faulty lane from the fault detection module, the analog-to-digital converter is configured to reduce its bit depth or sampling frequency. The controller is configured to redistribute the signals carried by the faulty lane to at least some of the non-faulty lanes and modify the signals carried by the non-faulty lanes to include the digital signal originally carried by the faulty lane. Preferably, the ADCs are arranged as an array of ADCs that can correspond to the array arrangement of the transducer elements. For example, if 12-bit precision is initially used, the converter can be adapted to reduce the bit depth to 8-bit precision. Advantageously, the rate at which signal data is generated can be reduced due to the lower bit depth or sampling frequency, thus compensating for the reduction in available lanes when one or more lanes are faulty. The lower data rate can then enable signals from different lanes, e.g., from a faulty lane and a non-faulty lane, to be combined into one single lane.

[0029] According to another embodiment, in response to the faulty lane information from the fault detection module, the controller is configured to modify the signals carried by the non-faulty lanes to include the digital signal originally carried by the faulty lane, the modification including suppressing the least significant bit or bits of each digitized signal sample. The least significant bit is the least power (2 1 or 2 0 ) bits. The least significant bit is usually the bit that carries the least important information and the most random measurement noise. Therefore, its omission allows a reduction in the data rate while at the same time having little impact on image quality and measurement accuracy.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the US probe includes an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert signals received by the transducer elements into digital signals and an in-probe memory configured to buffer the digital signals. In response to information about a faulty lane from the fault detection module, the controller is configured to redistribute signals carried by the faulty lane to at least some of the non-faulty lanes by modifying signals carried by the non-faulty lanes. The in-probe memory is configured to buffer at least a portion of the digital signals received from the analog-to-digital converter during a receive event of the transducer element. The controller is also configured to stream out the buffered digital signals during a dead time of the transducer element, particularly during the dead time between the end of a receive event and the start of a subsequent transmit event. Thus, a portion of the data can be streamed out through the lane immediately after the corresponding echo signal is received by the transducer element and processed by the ADC, while another portion of the data can be buffered and streamed out through the lane during the dead time. Using the dead time allows for more efficient use of the available data rate, minimizing degradation of image quality and refresh rate.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the in-probe memory is adapted to buffer a portion of the digital signal from some or all of the transducer elements and stream it out during the dead time. Thus, all signals (or signal channels) can be buffered equally. According to another embodiment, the in-probe memory is adapted to buffer the digital signal carried first by the faulty lane while the transducer elements are receiving the ultrasonic signal, and the controller is adapted to stream out the buffered digital signal carried first by the faulty lane during the dead time of the transducer elements. Thus, data from the faulty lane is buffered and sent out when maximum capacity is available within the lane of the cable. This allows as much information as possible to be transmitted from the signal that would otherwise be transmitted via the faulty lane.

[0032] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ultrasound system comprising an ultrasound probe, a data processing unit adapted to process signals received from the ultrasound probe, in particular beamforming the signals and reconstructing an ultrasound image of an imaging region, a fault detection module adapted to detect information regarding the integrity of each of the plurality of lanes, and a cable operably coupled to the ultrasound probe, the cable comprising a plurality of lanes adapted to carry signals between the ultrasound probe and the data processing unit. The US system also comprises the fault detection module as described herein, which may be located in the US probe or in the console of the US system. All advantages and features described for the US probe are also applicable to the US system, and vice versa. The US system is preferably a medical imaging system and may further comprise a user interface including a display and a user input device such as a touchpad, keyboard, mouse, and / or trackball.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the controller's response to detecting a failed lane may be to increase the data rate on the non-faulty (functional) lanes to include the data of the failed lane. This is particularly applicable when signals are transferred as digital data over high-speed links. According to one embodiment, if the quality of the ultrasound image and / or refresh rate cannot be maintained above a predetermined threshold by signal reconstruction and / or redistribution after detection of a faulty lane, the system is adapted to modify the irradiation plan so that the predetermined threshold is met. Thus, some parameters may be lowered to allow important parameters to remain above the required threshold. The change in the irradiation plan may be initiated by a controller, i.e., in the US probe, or by a console, e.g., a data processing unit.

[0034] The system may be adapted to modify the exposure plan by one or more of reducing the frame rate, reducing the sampling frequency, reducing the spatial resolution, or reducing the size of the imaging region. In this context, the system may be adapted to modify the ultrasound exposure plan while taking into account a predetermined threshold, or alternatively, independently of the predetermined threshold. In particular, the system may be adapted to take any of these measures after the occurrence of a faulty lane if the capacity of the cable lane is not sufficient for the required data rate, i.e., to reduce the data rate. If a predetermined threshold of one parameter needs to be maintained above the threshold, it may be advantageous to reduce or decrease another parameter to accommodate the reduced capacity of the cable when the lane is faulty. For example, if the quality of the ultrasound image cannot be maintained above the predetermined threshold due to reduced data rate capacity in the cable, it may be an option to reduce the frame rate to allow the threshold to be maintained, or vice versa. This may be done automatically, for example, when an ultrasound exposure plan that is not typically used for fast-moving organs such as the heart is selected by the user. In other applications, for example, when the heart is being imaged, the system may reduce the size of the imaging region, perhaps by "zooming in" on the center of the imaging region where the object of interest is located. Thus, it may be possible to flexibly accommodate measurement requirements and adapt various parameters to ensure that all minimum requirements for measurements are met.

[0035] In one embodiment, such adjustments to the sonication plan are made automatically according to a predetermined decision tree (e.g., for each sonication plan, the parameters to be reduced first are predetermined). According to another embodiment, the system is adapted to allow the user, in response to the detection of a faulty lane, to select how to modify the dosing plan, in particular to select between reducing the frame rate, reducing the spatial resolution, and / or reducing the size of the imaging area. Thus, the user can modify the sonication plan according to their actual needs at the moment. For example, the user can decide that one parameter is more important than another and adapt the sonication plan accordingly. For example, the user can decide that the resolution of the observed image is essential to distinguish different aspects of the observed object, and at the same time, the imaging area can be reduced in size so that all the necessary parts are within a smaller image frame. Thus, the system remains flexible and can react to the actual requirements that are or appear to be most important to the user, even in the case of a faulty lane.

[0036] According to one embodiment, the system is adapted to issue a warning via the ultrasound system's user interface if the overall image quality and / or frame rate (or refresh rate) cannot be maintained above a predetermined threshold. Thus, the system can continue to operate, possibly with a reduced frame rate or image quality, but the user is notified that cable repair or replacement may be necessary in the near future. Furthermore, the user is made aware of possible issues with image quality or frame rate, for example, knowing that important aspects normally visible during measurements may possibly be indiscernible at the time. This avoids the user from erroneously drawing erroneous conclusions (i.e., assuming that anatomical features are missing or that parts of an organ are moving too slowly) due to reduced image quality or frame rate / refresh rate. The user can then initiate an appropriate service event, such as cable replacement, field cable replacement, or repair. It is also conceivable that a warning could be issued to the user after the detection of a faulty lane, regardless of any threshold. This allows the user to be aware that the cable may be damaged and that further damage or a higher data rate required for another application may affect the cable or system performance.

[0037] According to one embodiment, in response to detecting a faulty lane, the system is adapted to modify the signals carried by one or more non-faulty lanes by omitting a signal received by at least one transducer element or by combining signals received by multiple transducer elements. This omission may be useful when it is clear that a signal from one transducer element is less important for beamforming operations than other transducer elements. Combining multiple signals may be performed, for example, by adding signals from two or more adjacent transducer elements, possibly as a weighted sum, and / or by beamforming, i.e., delaying the signal of one element before summing (with or without weighting). In particular, the US probe is generally capable of communicating to a data processing module or console that the sum or beamformed signal is transmitted to allow the respective signals to be properly incorporated into the overall beam sum, i.e., not as if the signal came from one of the functional transducer elements.

[0038] According to one embodiment, a cable has a first number of lanes, the cable is operably coupled to an ultrasound probe at one end and to a system interface at the other end, the system interface being adapted to carry a second number of lanes, the second number being smaller than the first number, and the fault detection module is adapted to detect or receive information about which cable lanes are not connected to the system interface and mark the lanes that have no connection as faulty lanes. Thus, the system can not only detect and react to faulty lanes, but also react to lanes that are not connected due to system limitations. For example, upon power-up, the US probe can identify the number of available lanes and configure communications accordingly. This advantageously allows the use of different cables with different numbers of lanes with a common US probe. Another useful application is the use of a common US probe with different US systems and data processing units, even if the respective system interfaces do not provide the same number of connections or pins as the US probe or the same number of connections or pins as the number of cable lanes. In this case, an adapter can be used to connect a cable with a larger number of lanes to a data processing unit with a smaller number of lanes. In other words, the US system console or data processing unit may have a connector with M lanes, while the cable and US probe may have N lanes. In some embodiments, either the US system console or the data processing unit uses an internal reconfiguration module that allows connection of a cable with N lanes to the US system console or data processing unit with M connections, or an external reconfiguration module (such as an adapter) that connects the N lanes of the cable to M connectors. In analog systems, internal and external analog multiplexers may be used instead. In this context, M>N is also conceivable, and the reconfiguration module may simply be a pass-through for N to N lanes of the M data processing unit lanes. The case where M=N is a simple pass-through case that requires no additional configuration.

[0039] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a method for operating an ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic probe being configured to be operatively coupled to a cable, the cable comprising a plurality of lanes adapted to carry signals from the ultrasonic probe to a data processing unit, the data processing unit being adapted to process the signals, in particular to beamform the signals and reconstruct an ultrasound image of an imaging region insonified by the ultrasonic probe; The method comprises: monitoring the integrity of each of the plurality of lanes; Detecting or receiving information regarding the integrity of each of a plurality of lanes; in response to detecting the failed lane, redistributing and / or reconfiguring signals carried by the failed lane to one or more non-faulted lanes; The present invention relates to a method comprising:

[0040] The monitoring of multiple lanes and the detection of failed lanes are preferably performed by a fault detection module as described above. The redistribution and reconfiguration are also preferably performed by a controller as described herein. All advantages and features of the US probe and system apply to the method as well, and vice versa.

[0041] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0042] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an ultrasound probe according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a system according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of the operating principle of an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 shows a flow diagram illustrating a method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an implementation of a US probe according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0043] Throughout the drawings, the same or corresponding features / elements of the various embodiments are designated with the same reference numerals.

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an ultrasound (US) probe 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention and a cable 10 with several lanes 12. The main task of the cable 10 is to carry signals 42 between the US probe 1 and a data processing unit 24, as shown in FIG. 2. The US probe comprises a transducer head 4 with transducer elements 5, which is adapted to insonify an imaging region 22 according to an insonification plan 26 and receive echo signals. Next to the transducer elements 5 are arranged analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) 6 configured to convert the incoming analog echo signals into digital signals. Next to the ADCs 6 are buffers adapted to (optionally) buffer the digitized signals. Preferably, the ADCs 6 consist of an array of ADCs, and the buffers 8 can consist of an array of buffers, with one ADC and / or buffer 8 present for each or subgroup of transducer elements 5. In the case of a high-speed serial data link, data from multiple ADCs can be collected and transferred over one data lane. The transducer elements 5, the ADCs 6, and the buffers 8 are connected to a controller 16. The controller 16 is configured to be connected to a data processing unit 24 via the cable 10 or via a lane 12 of the cable 10. The controller is further connected to a fault detection module 14. In this embodiment, the fault detection module is located in the US probe 1, while in other embodiments it may be part of the US console. The fault detection module 14 is also adapted to contact the lanes 12 of the cable 10 and detect information about the integrity of each of the lanes. Preferably, the fault detection module 14 can therefore detect a faulty lane 13 by itself, for example during a self-check of the US probe 1, or can be adapted to receive information about the faulty lane 13 via the cable 10 from the data processing unit 24 to which it is connected.When the fault detection module 14 has information about the failed lane 13, it transmits this information to the controller 16, which is configured to redistribute and / or reconfigure the signal 42 originally intended to be carried by the failed lane 13 to one or more of the non-faulted lanes 12.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a system 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the system 2 includes an US probe 1, a data processing unit 24, and a cable 10. The cable 10 is coupled to the US probe 1 and the data processing unit 24 and adapted to carry signals between the US probe 1 and the data processing unit 24. The US probe 1 is configured to insonify an imaging region 22 according to an insonification plan (schematically indicated at 26), receive and process echo signals, and transmit signals based on the echo signals to the data processing unit 24. The processing of the echo signals in the US probe includes converting the echo signals to digital signals 42 using an ADC 6 and, optionally, buffering the signals 42 in a buffer 8. The system is configured to transfer signals from the US probe to the data processing unit 24 via the cable 10. In this embodiment, the cable 10 has a first number of lanes 31, and the data processing unit 24 has a system interface 28 adapted to be connected to a cable having a second number of lanes 32, the first number of lanes 31 being greater than the second number of lanes 32. Therefore, in this example, the cable 10 is connected to the data processing unit 24 via an adapter 34. However, in other embodiments, the adapter 34 is not required. The fault detection module 14 of the US probe 1 is configured to automatically report the difference between the number of lanes 12 and the number of mark lanes 12 of the disconnected cable 10 as a faulty lane 13. Therefore, the US probe 1 can accommodate a smaller number of lane connections on the data processing unit side. The data processing unit 24 is adapted to process the signals 42 received from the US probe 1, in particular, to beamform the signals 42 and reconstruct a US image 52 of the imaging region 22. The system is further configured to display the US image 52 on a user interface 50. In the case of a faulty lane 13, the system 2 is adapted to modify the irradiation plan 26, for example, by reducing the frame rate, reducing the sampling frequency, reducing the spatial resolution, or reducing the size of the imaging region 22.It is also conceivable to increase the number of irradiation events during the next irradiation cycle in order to collect data on the failure or absence of one or more lanes 13. This change in the irradiation plan 26 can be influenced, changed, or initiated by the user 36 via a user interface 50, which includes a computer screen, keyboard, and mouse. The system 2 also includes an alarm function 29, which notifies the user 36 of a failed lane 13. Furthermore, the user 36 receives a warning 29 if the overall image quality and / or frame rate cannot be maintained above a predetermined threshold. This can be important, for example, if the quality of the measured US images 52 is no longer sufficient for the intended use due to one or several failed lanes 13.

[0046] FIG. 3 illustrates the operating principle of an embodiment of the present invention in the event of a faulty lane 13. On the left, five lanes 12 of the cable 10 are used during operation and are fully capable of carrying signals 42 received by the transducer elements 5 of the transducer head 4. The number of five lanes is merely exemplary in this case to illustrate the general principle. The actual number of lanes may vary, particularly greater than five. The signals may be digitized by the ADC 6 and buffered by the buffer 8. Therefore, the fault detection module 14 does not notice any irregularities or faults at this stage. In the next scenario, shown immediately next to the intact cable 10, one of the five lanes 12 is faulty 13, e.g., due to excessive strain on the cable 10. While the four non-faulty lanes 12 can still carry their signals 42, the faulty lane 13 can no longer carry signals. The faulty lane 13 is detected by the fault detection module 14, and information about this faulty lane is sent to the controller 16. The right side of FIG. 3 shows several options that can be initiated by the controller 16. In this embodiment, the controller 16 is configured to perform all of these actions, but not all of them need be applied simultaneously; it is sufficient to initiate only the most useful action depending on the situation. The actual measures to be taken may be, for example, algorithms and / or logic functions that may be programmed into the controller 16. It is also possible that another controller 16 according to the present invention may be configured to perform only some of the actions shown in FIG. 3. The controller 16 may send an alert 29 to the user 36 to notify the user about the failed lane 13. Apart from this, there are generally two main options available to the controller 16. The first lane, denoted a), is available when the cable 10 is fully operational but has a redundant lane 11 that was not previously needed because the data rate was low enough that five lanes were sufficient. In this case, the controller 16 may reroute the signal 41 originally intended to be carried by the failed lane 13 to the redundant lane 11.This allows the operation of the US probe 1 and the transmission of signals 41, 42 to the data processing unit 24 without any impact on image quality or frame rate. However, if a redundant lane 11 is not available, the controller can reconfigure or modify the existing signal 42 according to option b) to include the information originally carried by the failed lane 13 in the reconfigured and / or redistributed signal 43. If the capacity of the remaining four lanes 12 is not sufficient to carry all the information originally intended to be carried by the five lanes 12, the data rate must be reduced. This can be achieved by modifying the irradiation plan, for example, by reducing the frame rate, the sampling frequency, the spatial resolution, or the size of the imaging area. This option may also allow the user to select how to modify the irradiation plan 27. For example, the user can select which parameters are least important at this moment and can be reduced the most. For example, the user can determine that the frame rate and resolution are important for the measurement, while the size of the imaging area can be reduced. Preferably, this reconfiguration is performed simultaneously while maintaining image quality and frame rate higher than a predetermined or user-input time. System 2 can adapt some parameters, e.g., ultrasound exposure plan 26, to allow other parameters to remain above their respective thresholds. If overall image quality and / or frame rate cannot be maintained above their predetermined thresholds, system 2 is configured to send a warning 29 to user 36 via user interface 50. Additionally, controller 16 can initiate the omission of one echo signal received by transducer element 5 over time, this echo signal carrying less essential information. Further measures may include reducing the bit depth or sampling frequency of ADC 6 for at least some of signals 44 or suppressing the least significant bits of each digitized signal sample before redistributing and reconstructing signals 42.Furthermore, it may also be an option to buffer at least a portion of the digital signals from ADC 6 in buffer 8, in particular the signal initially carried by faulty lane 13, while the transducer element 5 corresponding to signal 44 receives the echo signal and streams out the buffered signal during the dead time of the transducer element 5, in particular during the dead time between the end of one receive event and the start of the subsequent transmit event.

[0047] FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram illustrating a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method includes a first step of monitoring the integrity of each of a plurality of lanes 101 by a fault detection module 14. A next step includes detecting or receiving information about the integrity of each of a plurality of lanes 102. If at least one faulty lane 13 is detected, in step 103, the signal carried by the faulty lane 13 is rerouted to a redundant lane 11 (step 104), or the signal carried by one or more non-faulty lanes is modified to include information about the signal originally carried by the faulty lane 13 (step 105). Step 105 can be further adapted to include additional options. For example, a further step 106 can include maintaining the quality of the ultrasound images 52 and / or the frame rate of the ultrasound images 52 above a predetermined threshold. To achieve step 106, step 110 can be applied, i.e., the ultrasound irradiation plan 26 can be modified so that the predetermined threshold is met. Modifying the exposure plan 26 may comprise one or more of reducing the frame rate, reducing the sampling frequency, reducing the spatial resolution, or reducing the size of the imaging region. Optionally, in step 111, the user may be given the option to select how the ultrasound exposure plan 26 is modified. If a predetermined threshold cannot be maintained, step 112 may be applied, which includes issuing a warning 29 via the user interface 50. Further options in step 105 are to reduce the ADC bit depth or sampling frequency in step 107, suppress the least significant bit of each digitized signal sample in step 108, and / or buffer the signal 41 initially carried by the fault lane 13 and stream out the buffered digital signal during transducer element dead time in step 109.

[0048] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of an implementation of an US probe according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, there is a transducer array 61 disposed in a transducer head 4 having N transducer elements 5. Analog signals from these N transducer elements 5 are distributed to four ASICs, each having an ADC array 62 with M ADCs. However, in this case, N=4×M, and there can be more than four ADC arrays 62. Thus, an equal number of analog signals, i.e., M analog signals, are converted on each ASIC by their respective ADC arrays 62. For example, there can be M=32 ADCs on each ASIC providing A-D conversion for N=4×32=128 analog signals from N=128 transducer elements. Each ASIC has P serial output lanes for transferring data, where P is less than M and typically not very high (e.g., 2 to 8), so that all lanes can carry data for M / P transducer elements (channels). For example, each ASIC may have P=4 serial output lanes, each carrying M / P=8 channels of data. Using several ASICs, four in this example, instead of one larger ASIC with more ADCs, has the advantages of eliminating packaging issues, avoiding power consumption issues, and offering modularity. The number of ASICs with M ADCs can be adapted to the actual number of transducer elements 5 in the US probe 1. Thus, a US probe 1 with a larger number of transducer elements 5 can have more ASICs, each with M ADCs. For example, a high-end US probe 1 may have well over 32 transducer elements (analog channels) and therefore require multiple ASICs. To combine the data from the various ASICs, a data collector unit 63 is provided in this embodiment, taking into account the point-to-point nature of the high-speed interface. The data collector unit 63 is configured to combine the data from the different ASICs and distribute it across the available lanes 12.The number of available lanes 12 is Q, where Q is typically different and is preferably smaller than P times the number of ADC arrays 62. Note that the data acquisition unit 63 may be replaced by a switch matrix. In this embodiment, the data collector unit 63 includes both the controller 16 and the fault detection module 14. In such an embodiment, it is advantageous to have a robust connection between the ASIC including the ADC array 62 and the data acquisition unit 63 that is not sensitive to defects. The fault detection module 14 may also be located elsewhere, for example, in the console. It is also conceivable that each ASIC 62 includes the controller 16 and / or the fault detection module 14. However, in such a case, the number of lanes from the ASIC may be limited, so options for rerouting signals may be limited. If the ADC array 62 transfers high-speed serial data, the receiver (i.e., the data collector unit 63) needs to know where a word or frame begins and ends, which may involve data encoding to enable word and frame synchronization. Advantageously, this allows for reduced power dissipation associated with data transmission when data only needs to be transferred over short distances. For example, lower signal swings may be used. The data protocol may also be simple. Potentially, the data rate from the ADC may vary from the data rate across the cable lanes 12. The ADC lane rate may be real-time, i.e., there is no memory storage within the ADC array 62. The data collector unit 63 may perform redistribution and / or reconstruction of the signals conveyed from the US probe 1 to the data processing unit 24, particularly the data from the ADC array 62. Optionally, the data collector unit may also have memory functionality, which may be useful for flexible rerouting of data. Thus, the data stream from the data collection unit 63 through the lanes 12 may operate at a faster or slower pace depending on the connected system. Similarly, the data protocol may be more complex to indicate the organization of the data being transmitted.The data collector unit 63 may be, for example, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) with a large number of GTX transceivers or MIPI D-PHY lanes (supporting the CSI camera interface), or may be a dedicated additional ASIC.

[0049] The foregoing discussion is intended to be merely illustrative of the present system, and should not be construed as limiting the appended claims to any particular embodiment or group of embodiments. Accordingly, while the present system has been invented in particular detail with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will also be understood that numerous modifications and alternative embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the broader intended spirit and scope of the present system as set forth in the following claims. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative manner, and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 ultrasound probe 2. Ultrasound System 4 Transducer Head 5 transducer elements 6 Analog-to-Digital Converter 8 buffers 10 Cable 11 redundant lanes 12 lanes 13 Breakdown Lane 14 Fault Detection Module 16 Controllers 22 Imaging area 24 Data Processing Unit 26 Irradiation Planning 27 Information exchange method 28 System Interface 29 Warning 31 First Lane Number 32 Secondary Lanes 34 Adapter 36 users 41 First signal of the breakdown lane 42 signal 43 Reconfiguration / Redistribution Signal 44 Echo signals received from each transducer element 46 Abbreviated Signal 50 User Interface 52 Ultrasound images 61 Transducer Array 62 Analog-to-Digital Converter Array 63 Data Collector Unit 101 to 112 Method steps

Claims

1. an ultrasound probe configured to be operably coupled via a cable, the cable having a plurality of lanes adapted to carry signals between the ultrasound probe and a data processing unit, the data processing unit adapted to process the signals, in particular to beamform the signals, and to reconstruct an ultrasound image of an imaging region; The ultrasonic probe includes: a transducer head having a plurality of transducer elements, the transducer head configured to irradiate the imaging region according to an irradiation plan and to receive ultrasound signals; a controller adapted to receive information regarding the integrity of each of the plurality of lanes from a fault detection module, the controller adapted to detect the integrity or failure of each of the plurality of lanes, the controller adapted to redistribute and / or reconfigure signals carried by the failed lane to one or more non-faulted lanes in response to the information of the failed lane [13] from the fault detection module, and the controller adapted to modify signals carried by the one or more non-faulted lanes to include information regarding signals that would have been carried by the failed lane; Controller and An ultrasound probe having

2. 2. The ultrasound probe of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to perform the reconstruction and / or redistribution while maintaining a quality of the ultrasound image and / or a refresh rate of the ultrasound image above a predetermined threshold.

3. an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert signals received by the transducer elements into digital signals; 3. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1, wherein in response to information of a faulty lane from the fault detection module, the analog-to-digital converter is adapted to reduce its bit depth or sampling frequency, and the controller is configured to redistribute signals carried by the faulty lane to at least some of the non-faulty lanes by modifying the signals carried by the non-faulty lanes to include the digital signal originally carried by the faulty lane.

4. 3. The ultrasonic probe of claim 1, further comprising an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert signals received by the transducer elements into digital signals, and in response to faulty lane information from the fault detection module, the controller is configured to modify signals carried by the non-faulty lanes to include the digital signal originally carried by the faulty lane, the modification comprising suppressing a least significant bit of each digitized signal sample.

5. an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert signals received by the transducer elements into digital signals; and an in-probe memory configured to buffer the digital signals; In response to information of a faulted lane from the fault detection module, the controller is configured to redistribute signals carried by the faulted lanes to at least some of the non-faulted lanes by modifying the signals carried by the non-faulted lanes to include the digital signal originally carried by the faulted lane; the in-probe memory is adapted to buffer at least a portion of the digital signal received from the analog-to-digital converter during a receive event of the transducer element; the controller is adapted to stream out the buffered digital signal also during dead times of the transducer elements, in particular during dead times between the end of one receive event and the start of a subsequent transmit event.

3. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1.

6. 6. The ultrasound probe of claim 5, wherein the in-probe memory is adapted to buffer the digital signal initially carried by the faulty lane while the transducer elements are receiving ultrasound signals, and the controller is adapted to stream out the buffered digital signal initially carried by the faulty lane during a dead time of the transducer elements, in particular, in a dead time between the end of one receive event and the start of a subsequent transmit event.

7. 1. An ultrasound system comprising: An ultrasonic probe according to any one of claims 1 to 6; a data processing unit; a fault detection module; Cable and An ultrasound system comprising:

8. 8. The ultrasound system of claim 7, wherein if the ultrasound image quality and / or refresh rate cannot be maintained above a predetermined threshold by the signal reconstruction and / or redistribution after detection of a faulted lane, the system is adapted to modify the irradiation plan so that the predetermined threshold is met.

9. 9. The ultrasound system of claim 7 or 8, wherein the system is adapted to modify the irradiation plan by one or more of reducing the frame rate, reducing the sampling frequency, reducing the spatial resolution, or reducing the size of the imaging region.

10. 10. The ultrasound system of claim 7, wherein the system is adapted to allow a user to select how the irradiation plan should be modified in response to the detection of the faulty lane, in particular to select between reducing the frame rate, reducing the spatial resolution, and / or reducing the size of the imaging area.

11. 11. The ultrasound system of claim 7, wherein in response to detecting the faulted lane, the system is adapted to modify signals carried by the one or more non-faulted lanes by omitting signals received by the at least one transducer element or by combining signals received by the plurality of transducer elements so as to reduce a total amount of data to be carried by the non-faulted lanes.

12. the cable has a first number of lanes, the cable being operably coupled at one end to the ultrasound probe and at the other end to a system interface, the system interface adapted to carry a second number of lanes, the second number being less than the first number; a fault detection module adapted to detect or receive information regarding which lanes of the cable are not connected to the system interface and to mark the lanes that have no connection as faulty lanes; 12. An ultrasound system according to any one of claims 7 to 11.

13. 13. The ultrasound system of claim 7, wherein the system is adapted to issue a warning via a user interface of the ultrasound system if the overall image quality and / or the frame rate cannot be maintained above a predetermined threshold.

14. 1. A method of operating an ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic probe being configured to be operatively coupled to a cable, the cable having a plurality of lanes adapted to carry signals from the ultrasonic probe to a data processing unit, the data processing unit being adapted to process the signals, in particular to beamform the signals and to reconstruct an ultrasound image of an imaging area illuminated by the ultrasonic probe; The method comprises: monitoring the integrity of each of the plurality of lanes; detecting or receiving information regarding the integrity of each of the plurality of lanes; in response to detecting the failed lane, redistributing and / or reconfiguring signals carried by the failed lane to the one or more non-faulted lanes; modifying the signal carried by the one or more non-faulted lanes to include information about the signal that would have been carried by the failed lane; A method comprising:

Images