Abstract: An ultrasound system may be used for performing an ultrasound imaging exam. The ultrasound system may include an ultrasound imaging device. The ultrasound system may further include a processing device in operative communication with the ultrasound imaging device. The ultrasound system may automatically capture or receive a voice command to capture a clinically relevant ultrasound image.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein relate to techniques for calculating, during imaging, a quality of a sequence of images collected during the imaging. Calculating the quality of the sequence of images may include calculating a probability that a medical professional would use a given image for clinical evaluation and a confidence that an automated analysis segmentation performed on the given image is correct. Techniques described herein also include receiving a trigger to perform an automatic measurement on a sequence of images, calculating a quality of the sequence of images, determining whether the quality of the sequence of images exceeds a threshold quality, and performing the automatic measurement on the sequence of images based on determining that the quality of the sequence of images exceeds the threshold quality.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein relate to displaying indications of anatomical regions that have been imaged and/or that should be imaged next. In some embodiments, ultrasound data collected from a subject by an ultrasound device may be received, an automatic determination may be made that the ultrasound data was collected from a particular anatomical location, and an indication of the anatomical location may be displayed. In some embodiments, a plurality of anatomical locations may be determined for imaging, an anatomical location from among the plurality of anatomical locations may be automatically selected, and an indication of the anatomical location may be displayed. Displaying an indication of an anatomical location may include displaying or modifying a marker on a frame of a video of the subject such that the marker appears in the frame of the video to be located at the anatomical location on the subject.

Abstract: CMOS Ultrasonic Transducers and processes for making such devices are described. The processes may include forming cavities on a first wafer and bonding the first wafer to a second wafer. The second wafer may be processed to form a membrane for the cavities. Electrical access to the cavities may be provided.

Abstract: Micromachined ultrasonic transducers integrated with complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) substrates are described, as well as methods of fabricating such devices. Fabrication may involve two separate wafer bonding steps. Wafer bonding may be used to fabricate sealed cavities in a substrate. Wafer bonding may also be used to bond the substrate to another substrate, such as a CMOS wafer. At least the second wafer bonding may be performed at a low temperature.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein relate to built-in self-testing (BIST) of circuitry (e.g., a pulser or receive circuitry) and/or transducers in an ultrasound device. A BIST circuit may include a transconductance amplifier coupled between a pulser and receive circuitry, a capacitor network coupled between a pulser and receive circuitry, and/or a current source couplable to the input terminal of receive circuitry to which a transducer is also couplable. The collapse voltages of transducers may be characterized using BIST circuitry, and a bias voltage may be applied to the membranes of the transducers based at least in part on their collapse voltages. The capacitances of transducers may also be measured using BIST circuitry and a notification may be generated based on the sets of measurements.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein related to controlling, using control circuitry, modulation circuitry to modulate and delay first ultrasound data generated by first ultrasound transducers positioned at a first azimuthal position of an ultrasound transducer array of an ultrasound device and second ultrasound data generated by second ultrasound transducers positioned at a second azimuthal position of the ultrasound transducer array of the ultrasound device, such that the first ultrasound data is delayed by a first delay amount and the second ultrasound data is delayed by a second delay amount that is different from the first delay amount. The first and second ultrasound data received from the modulation circuitry may be filtered and summed. The ultrasound transducer array, the control circuitry, the modulation circuitry, the filtering circuitry, and the summing circuitry may be integrated onto a semiconductor chip or one or more semiconductor chips packaged together.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are described for implementing a coding scheme on ultrasound signals received by a plurality of ultrasonic transducers. The coding, and subsequent decoding, may allow for multiple ultrasonic transducers to be operated in a receive mode simultaneously while still differentiating the contribution of the individual ultrasonic transducers. Improved signal characteristics may result, including improved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer device includes an electrode, a membrane, and vias. The membrane is separated from the electrode by a cavity between the membrane and the electrode. The vias electrically connect the electrode to a substrate disposed on an opposite side of the electrode from a side facing the membrane. The vias are disposed in the ultrasound transducer device such that greater than 50% of the vias overlap with the cavity in a plan view.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein include a processing device configured to display, on a touch-sensitive display screen of a processing device in operative communication with an ultrasound device, an ultrasound image, a movable measurement tool, and an icon that maintains a fixed distance from a portion of the measurement tool. The icon may be configured to modify the measurement tool, and the icon may not overlap the measurement tool.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging device includes an ultrasound transducer module disposed within a housing and a flowable acoustic damping material disposed on at least one surface located within an interior of the housing. The flowable acoustic damping material may be a Teflon™-containing gel material, in contact with at least one internal surface of the imaging device to provide acoustic damping.

Abstract: Circuitry for ultrasound devices is described. A multilevel pulser is described, which can provide bipolar pulses of multiple levels. The multilevel pulser includes a pulsing circuit and pulser and feedback circuit. Symmetric switches are also described. The symmetric switches can be positioned as inputs to ultrasound receiving circuitry to block signals from the receiving circuitry.

Abstract: A method of forming an ultrasonic transducer device includes forming a patterned metal electrode layer over a substrate, the patterned metal electrode layer comprising a lower layer and an upper layer formed on the lower layer; forming an insulation layer over the patterned metal electrode layer; and planarizing the insulation layer to the upper layer of the patterned metal electrode layer, wherein the upper layer comprises a electrically conductive material that serves as a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) stop layer that has CMP selectivity with respect to the insulation layer and the lower layer, and wherein the upper layer has a CMP removal rate slower than that of the insulation layer.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein relate to determining, by a processing device in operative communication with an ultrasound device, a position and/or orientation of the ultrasound device relative to the processing device, and displaying on a display screen of the processing device, based on the position and/or orientation of the ultrasound device relative to the processing device, an instruction for moving the ultrasound device.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein relate to operator processing devices and instructor processing device for tele-medicine. The instructor processing device may be configured to receive, from an instruction interface, a selection of an instruction for moving an ultrasound device. The operator processing device may be configured to determine a pose of the ultrasound device relative to the operator processing device. The instructor processing device and the operator processing device may be configured to display in an operator video, based on the pose of the ultrasound device relative to the operator processing device and based on the selected instruction, a directional indicator for moving the ultrasound device. The instructor processing device may also be configured to display, based on the pose of the ultrasound device relative to the operator processing device, orientation indicators in the instruction interface and/or the operator video.

Abstract: Programmable ultrasound probes and methods of operation are described. The ultrasound probe may include memory storing parameter data and may also include a parameter loader which loads the parameter data into programmable circuitry of the ultrasound probe. In some instances, the ultrasound probe may include circuitry grouped into modules which may be repeatable and which may be coupled together to allow data to be exchanged between the modules.

Abstract: Some aspects of the technology described herein relate to configuring an ultrasound device to perform a three-dimensional ultrasound imaging sweep, and displaying ultrasound images and segmented portions of the ultrasound images as the ultrasound images are collected during the three-dimensional ultrasound imaging sweep. Certain aspects relate to displaying an ultrasound image collected by an ultrasound device and configuring the ultrasound device to perform a three-dimensional ultrasound imaging sweep based on the ultrasound image collected by the ultrasound device.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein include determining, during ultrasound imaging, that an anatomical region is clipped by a field of view of an ultrasound image, and providing a notification, during the ultrasound imaging, that the anatomical region is clipped by the field of view of the ultrasound image. Aspects of the technology described herein also include determining that an anatomical region is clipped by a field of view of at least one ultrasound image collected during a three-dimensional ultrasound imaging sweep, and providing a notification that the anatomical region is clipped by the field of view of the at least one ultrasound image collected during the three-dimensional ultrasound imaging sweep.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein relate to automatically calculating and displaying a prediction of a collective opinion of a group of individuals regarding imaging data and/or an output based on the imaging data. In some embodiments, the prediction may be a prediction of the collective opinion of a group of individuals regarding the usability of imaging data, regarding a segmentation of an image, or regarding a measurement performed based on the imaging data.

Abstract: A system comprising a multi-modal ultrasound probe configured to operate in a plurality of operating modes associated with a respective plurality of configuration profiles; and a computing device coupled to the handheld multi-modal ultrasound probe and configured to, in response to receiving input indicating an operating mode selected by a user, cause the multi-modal ultrasound probe to operate in the selected operating mode.