Scalable ultrasound system and methods

Abstract

A plurality of application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chips with different functions is provided. Each of the ASICs performs one or more functions along an ultrasound data path. The chips include communications protocols or processes for allowing scaling. For example, ASICs for backend processing include data exchange ports for communicating between other ASICs of the same type. As another example, receive beamformer ASICs cascade for beamformation. By providing ASICs implementing many or most of the ultrasound data path functions, with scalability, the same ASICs may be used for different system designs. A family of systems from high end to low-end using the same types of ASICs, but in different configurations, is provided.

1 . A scalable system for receive beamforming with ultrasound, the system comprising: 
 a real-time time of flight calculator operable to determine distances to acoustic sample coordinates;    a wavefront calculator operable to change the acoustic sample coordinates to positions along a non-straight line; and    a receive beamformer operable to form acoustic samples as a function of the distances.    
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the real-time time of flight calculator and receive beamformer are operable without the wavefront calculator.  
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 2  wherein a higher cost system includes the wavefront calculator and wherein a lower cost system is without the wavefront calculator.  
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the real-time time of flight calculator is operable to determine distances as a cosine, sine or cosine and sine function of element coordinates to the acoustic sample coordinates.  
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the wavefront calculator is operable to override the acoustic sample coordinates as a function of multiple simultaneous receive beams.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the wavefront calculator is operable to override the acoustic sample coordinates as a function of aberrations.  
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the wavefront calculator is operable to override the acoustic sample coordinates as a function of a Gaussian beam wavefront.  
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the receive beamformer and real-time time of flight calculator are operable to output the acoustic samples and wherein the wavefront calculator is operable to provide reconstruction coefficients for converting the acoustic sample coordinates to a linear space.  
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the wavefront calculator is operable to change the acoustic sample coordinates as a function of a location as a function of time, a lateral density of samples and a lateral extent.  
   
   
       10 . A scalable system for medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging, the system comprising: 
 a first type of integrated circuit operable to perform a first function along an ultrasound data path, the first type of integrated circuit operable with one or more of the first type of integrated circuits substantially in parallel relative to the ultrasound data path; and    a second type of integrated circuit operable to perform a second function along the ultrasound data path, the second function responsive to data output by the first type of integrated circuit;    wherein the ultrasound data path has at least first and second complexity levels, the first complexity level associated with a lower cost medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system and a fewer number of the first type of integrated circuits and the second complexity level associated with a higher cost medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system and a greater number of the first type of integrated circuits.    
   
   
       11 . The scalable system of  claim 10  wherein the first type of integrated circuit are operable with different powers.  
   
   
       12 . The scalable system of  claim 10  wherein the lower cost medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system is a portable system and the higher cost medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system is a cart based system.  
   
   
       13 . The scalable system of  claim 10  wherein the lower cost medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system has fewer transducer connector ports, a lesser image resolution capability and less power than the higher cost medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system.  
   
   
       14 . The scalable system of  claim 10  wherein the first type of integrated circuit is operable to perform transmit beamforming, receive beamforming, transmit and receive switching or combinations thereof.  
   
   
       15 . The scalable system of  claim 14  wherein the first type of integrated circuit is operable to perform receive beamforming with a variable number of simultaneous receive beams, the lower cost medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system configured to operate with a fewer number of the simultaneous receive beams than the high cost medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system.  
   
   
       16 . The scalable system of  claim 15  wherein the first type of integrated circuit is operable for scaling across an array and scaling by common connection to array elements.  
   
   
       17 . The scalable system of  claim 16  wherein the first type of integrated circuit includes a beamsum input, a channel input, a beamsum output and a channel output, the channel output associated with passing the channel input without alteration and the beamsum output summing the channel input with the beamsum input.  
   
   
       18 . The scalable system of  claim 15  wherein the high cost medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system includes a third type of integrated circuit not included in the low cost medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system, the third type of integrated circuit operable to change acoustic sample coordinates used by the first type of integrated circuit to positions along a non-straight line.  
   
   
       19 . The scalable system of  claim 10  wherein the second type of integrated circuit is operable to perform detection, scan conversion, image processing or combination thereof, and is operable to exchange data for parallel processing.  
   
   
       20 . The scalable system of  claim 19  wherein the low and high cost medical diagnostic ultrasound systems each use a single one of the second type of integrated circuit.  
   
   
       21 . The scalable system of  claim 10  further comprising a middle cost medical diagnostic ultrasound system for a third complexity level of the ultrasound data path, a fewer number of the first type of integrated circuits being in the middle cost medical diagnostic ultrasound system than the high cost medical diagnostic and a greater number of the first type of integrated circuits being in the middle cost medical diagnostic ultrasound system than the low cost medical diagnostic system.  
   
   
       22 . A method for scalable manufacturing of medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging systems, the method comprising: 
 providing a first set of application specific integrated circuit chips having ultrasound functions;    assembling a second set of the application specific integrated circuit chips from the first set for a first type of medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system; and    assembling a third set of the application specific integrated circuit chips from the first set for a second type of medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system, the first type of medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system different than the second type;    wherein the third set includes at least two types of application specific integrated circuit chips also included in the second set.    
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22  wherein at least one type of the application specific integrated circuit chips is operable with different powers.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 22  wherein assembling the second set comprises assembling a lower cost medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system, and assembling the third set comprises assembling a higher cost medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 24  wherein assembling the second set comprises assembling with fewer of a beamforming type of application specific integrated circuits for the lower cost medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system and assembling the third set comprises assembling with more of the beamforming type of application specific integrated circuits for the higher cost medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25  where assembling the second and third sets comprise setting the beamforming type of application specific integrated circuits for a fewer number of maximum simultaneous receive beams for the lower cost medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system than for the higher cost medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 22  wherein assembling the third set comprises including at least one type of application specific integrated circuit not in the second set.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 22  wherein assembling the second and third sets comprise assembling a plurality of receive beamforming application specific integrated circuits and one or more detection, scan conversion, image processing or combination thereof application specific integrated circuits.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 22  further comprising assembling a fourth set of the application specific integrated circuit chips from the first set for a third type of medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system, the third type of medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system different than the first and second types; 
 wherein the fourth set includes at least two types of application specific integrated circuit chips also included in the second set.    
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 22  wherein assembling the second and third sets comprise summing a beamsum input with a channel input and passing the channel input to a channel output without alteration.