Ultrasound Probe Connector Processing for Low-Level Beam Configuration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ultrasound systems require extensive hardware/software co-design and complex data synchronization between the ultrasound machine and probes, leading to the need for actively cooled probes with poor ergonomics due to high computational demands for generating transducer element configuration data.
Innovation Solution
Generate low level configuration data, such as transducer element delays, at the probe connector rather than within the probe housing, using a connector processor and probe processor to reduce computational requirements and eliminate the need for active cooling, thereby improving ergonomics and reducing data transfer between the machine and probe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If transducer element configuration data is generated at the ultrasound machine/console, then computational requirements are reduced at the probe, but extensive hardware/software co-design and complex data synchronization are required between machine and probe
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the low-level configuration data generation function from the ultrasound machine/console and relocates it to a connector processor positioned at the probe interface. This extraction eliminates the need for extensive hardware/software co-design between machine and probe while maintaining fast response times, as the connector processor is physically located at the probe connector rather than deep within the probe housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector processor acts as an intermediary component between the ultrasound machine/console and the probe processors. It receives high-level configuration data from the machine, generates the necessary low-level transducer element configuration data, and provides it to the probe processors. This intermediary approach simplifies the system architecture by creating a clear separation of responsibilities while maintaining efficient data flow.
2Speed
If transducer element configuration data is generated within the probe housing, then response time is improved, but significant processing power is required resulting in power dissipation and cooling requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the configuration data generation process into two distinct stages: high-level configuration data generation at the ultrasound machine, and low-level transducer element configuration data generation at the connector processor. This segmentation allows the computationally intensive low-level generation to occur at the connector rather than within the probe housing, reducing power dissipation in the probe while maintaining fast response times.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the spatial dimension of where configuration data generation occurs by moving it from inside the probe housing to the connector processor at the probe interface. This dimensional shift allows the processing to occur outside the probe housing while still maintaining close proximity to the transducer elements, thereby reducing power dissipation within the probe while preserving fast response times.
3Device complexity
If low level configuration data is transmitted from machine to probe, then processing capability is reduced at the machine, but the amount of data transferred is substantially greater
Solution Approach 1:
The connector processor performs preliminary action by generating the low-level transducer element configuration data locally at the connector, before it would need to be transmitted from the machine. This preliminary generation of configuration data eliminates the need for the machine to transmit large volumes of low-level configuration data to the probe, as the connector processor generates it autonomously from the high-level configuration data received from the machine.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for generating low level configuration data from high level configuration data at a probe connector of an ultrasound probe are provided. The method includes receiving, from an ultrasound machine by at least one connector processor located in a probe connector of an ultrasound probe, high level configuration data. The method includes processing, by the at least one connector processor, the high level configuration data to generate low level configuration data. The method includes providing, by the at least one connector processor via a probe cable to at least one probe processor disposed in a housing of the ultrasound probe, the low level configuration data. The method includes causing, by the at least one probe processor, transducer elements of the ultrasound probe to transmit ultrasound beams and convert received echoes to ultrasound signals based on the low level configuration data.