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: A method includes: obtaining an ultrasound image of an anatomical area from an ultrasound imaging device; inputting the ultrasound image into a first stage of a convolutional neural network, the first stage configured to determine key-point locations of the anatomical area; generating, for each of the key-point locations, a cropped region of the ultrasound image; inputting each of the cropped regions into a second stage of the convolutional neural network, the second stage configured to locate an anatomical landmark of the anatomical area; and outputting a location of the anatomical landmark.

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: Aspects of the technology described herein relate to apparatuses and methods for performing elevational beamforming of ultrasound data. Elevational beamforming may be implemented by different types of control circuitry. Certain control circuitry may be configured to control memory such that ultrasound data from different elevational channels is summed with stored ultrasound data in the memory that was collected at different times. Certain control circuitry may be configured to control a decimator to decimate ultrasound data from different elevational channels with different phases. Certain control circuitry may be configured to control direct digital synthesis circuitry to add a different phase offset to complex signals generated by the DDS circuitry for multiplying with ultrasound data from different elevational channels.

Abstract: To implement a single-chip ultrasonic imaging solution, on-chip signal processing may be employed in the receive signal path to reduce data bandwidth and an output data module may be used to move data for all received channels off-chip as a digital data stream. The digitization of received signals on-chip allows advanced digital signal processing to be performed on-chip, and thus permits the full integration of an entire ultrasonic imaging system on a single semiconductor substrate. The on-chip digitization of received signals also enables the on-chip integration of ultrasound processing and/or pre-processing to reduce the burden on off-chip computing. Data compression architectures are disclosed to facilitate the transfer of data off-chip as a digital data stream in accordance with the bandwidth requirements of standard commercially-available output interfaces.

Abstract: A system for coherence imaging may receive ultrasound signals each having a respective delay associated with a respective ultrasonic transducer element in an ultrasonic transducer array. The system may obtain an approximation of the auto-correlation of ultrasound signals without any auto-correlation calculation, and determine the output image based on the approximation. In approximating the auto-correlation, the system may group the ultrasound signals into multiple portions, each corresponding to a respective sub-aperture of a plurality of sub-apertures of the ultrasonic transducer array. The system may determine a coherent sum of signals for each sub-aperture, perform a square operation or magnitude square operation over the coherent sum to obtain resulting data, normalize the resulting data, and sum the resulting data for all of the sub-apertures to generate the output image. A sub-aperture in the plurality of sub-apertures may overlap with another sub-aperture.

Abstract: An ultrasound system includes an ultrasound probe and a mobile device in operative communication with each other. The ultrasound probe includes three buttons—an up button, a center button, and a down button—disposed on the external housing. The mobile device may be configured to receive an indication from the ultrasound probe of a double press of the center button when the mobile device is displaying a scan screen. Based on the double press of the center button, the mobile device may be configured to display a button function configuration menu on the scan screen, receive a selection from the button function configuration menu of a button function configuration, receive an indication of a single press of the up button or the down button, and perform an action in accordance with the single press of the up button or the down button and the button function configuration.

Abstract: A variable current trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) for an ultrasound device is described. The TIA may be coupled to an ultrasonic transducer to amplify an output signal of the ultrasonic transducer representing an ultrasound signal received by the ultrasonic transducer. During acquisition of the ultrasound signal by the ultrasonic transducer, one or more current sources in the TIA may be varied.

Abstract: Ultrasound devices are disclosed. The ultrasound devices have an elevational dimension. Different percentages of the aperture of the ultrasound device corresponding to different percentages of the elevational dimension are utilized in different applications. The resolution of imagine may be adjusted in connection with usage of different percentages of the aperture.

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: An ultrasonic transducer is described. The ultrasonic transducer comprises a membrane and a substrate disposed opposite the membrane such that a cavity is formed therebetween. The substrate comprises an electrode region and pedestals protruding from a surface of the substrate and having a height greater than a height of the electrode region, the pedestals being electrically isolated from the electrode region.

Abstract: Ultrasound devices are described. The ultrasound devices may be flexibly configured to output a certain number of multilines per channel of ultrasound data and to process certain channels of ultrasound data per processing cycle. The ultrasound device may then be configured to either output more multilines per channel and process fewer channels per processing cycle, or output fewer multilines per channel and process more channels per processing cycle. In other words, the circuitry may be configured to change to a configuration with increased resolution and increased processing time or to a configuration with decreased resolution and decreased processing time.

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: Aspects of the technology described herein relate to receiving an ultrasound image, automatically determining a location of a specific point on an anatomical structure depicted in the ultrasound image, and displaying an indicator of the location of the specific point on the anatomical structure on the ultrasound image. In some embodiments, the anatomical structure is a bladder. In some embodiments, the specific point is the centroid. In some embodiments, a statistical model determines the specific point. The indicator may be, for example, a symbol located at the specific point, a horizontal line extending through the specific point from one edge of the anatomical structure to another, and/or a vertical line extending through the specific point from one edge of the anatomical structure to another.

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: Beamforming circuitry for an ultrasound device is disclosed, that may directly calculate the position in receive line space for an incoming ultrasound data sample given the time of flight (ToF) of that ultrasound data sample. In some embodiments, this may be done without initially buffering the ultrasound data sample received from the particular receive datapath multiplexed to the beamforming circuitry. The beamforming circuitry may then associate the ultrasound data sample with that position in receive line space, and in particular, with a memory address corresponding to that location. Thus, when the beamforming circuitry multiplexes between different receive datapaths, it may not need to buffer ultrasound data samples from different receive datapaths prior to saving the data to memory.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer device includes a bottom electrode layer of a transducer cavity disposed over a substrate. The bottom electrode layer includes a bottom layer of a first type metal; a top layer of the first type metal; a second type metal disposed between the bottom layer and the top layer; and at least one intermediate layer of the first type metal disposed between the bottom layer and the top layer, the at least one intermediate layer configured so as to define at least two discrete layers of the second type metal.

Abstract: An ultrasound device is described. The ultrasound device may include a cavity, a membrane, and a sensing electrode. When an electrical signal is applied to the sensing electrode and a static bias is applied to the membrane, the membrane vibrates within the cavity and produces ultrasonic signals. The cavity, the membrane, and the sensing electrode may be considered a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT). The sensing electrode may be shaped as a ring, whereby the central portion of the sensing electrode is removed. Removal of the central portion of the sensing electrode may reduce the parasitic capacitance without substantially affecting the production of ultrasonic signals by the CMUT. This, in turn, can result in an increase in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the ultrasonic signals. The ultrasound device may further include a bond pad configured for wire bonding, and a trench electrically isolating the bond pad from the membrane.

Abstract: A method includes: obtaining an ultrasound image of an anatomical area from an ultrasound imaging device; inputting the ultrasound image into a first stage of a convolutional neural network, the first stage configured to determine key-point locations of the anatomical area; generating, for each of the key-point locations, a cropped region of the ultrasound image; inputting each of the cropped regions into a second stage of the convolutional neural network, the second stage configured to locate an anatomical landmark of the anatomical area; and outputting a location of the anatomical landmark.

Abstract: A removable cable connector engages with an electronic device such that the removable cable connector removably yet securely attaches to the electronic device. In some embodiments, the electronic device includes a plate configured to guide an electronic plug of the removable cable connector toward an electronic receptacle of the electronic device. The plate may be further configured to include one or more locators for holding the electronic receptacle of the electronic device in place. The removable cable connector may include a molded housing formed using a two-shot overmolding process to form a first overmolded strain relief portion and a second overmolded strain relief portion which cover fasteners that fasten a face plate to the connector.