Abstract: Disclosed are multi-poled piezoelectric devices with improved packing density and methods for making such multi-poled piezoelectric devices with improved packing density. The multi-poled piezoelectric devices comprise: a) a top electrode, a piezoelectric layer, and a bottom electrode fabricated on a substrate; b) vias generated by etching the piezoelectric layer, the top electrode, or both; and c) a re-distribution layer (RDL) deposited over one or more of: the top electrode, the piezoelectric layer, the bottom electrode, or the one or more vias.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are ultrasonic transducer systems with hybrid contacts comprising: an ultrasonic transducer element comprising a substrate and a membrane; an electrical circuitry; and one or more contacts connected to the ultrasonic transducer element and the electrical circuitry, wherein the one or more contacts are: designed geometrically using a set of rules; arranged with respect to the membrane based on the set of rules or a second set of rules, or both.

Abstract: An interlaced data acquisition scheme is employed in an ultrasound imaging device to reduce the amount of electrical power consumed by the device's transmit firings when collecting video data. Reducing electrical consumption according to the present disclosure reduces battery size, weight and cost; reduces heat generation; reduces need for heat-dissipating materials in the probe and prolongs probe uptime. A reconstruction algorithm is employed to produce images from the interlaced data that are comparable in quality to videos that would be obtained by a conventional (non-interlaced) image acquisition.

Abstract: An apparatus, a method, and computer-implemented media. The apparatus is to receive, simultaneously, electrical signals based on respective reflected frequencies of a reflected ultrasonic waveform reflected from a target object as a result of a transmitted ultrasonic waveform; compound information from the electrical signals to generate compounded electrical signals; and cause generation of an output image on a display based on the compounded electrical signals.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods to integrate piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (pMUT) arrays with an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) using thermocompression or eutectic/solder bonding. In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a device comprising a first substrate and a second substrate, the first substrate comprising a pMUT array and the second substrate comprising an electrical circuit, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are bonded together using thermocompression, wherein any set of individual PMUTs of PMUT array is addressable. In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a device comprising a first substrate and a second substrate, the first substrate comprising a pMUT array and the second substrate comprising an electrical circuit, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are bonded together using eutectic or solder bonding, wherein any set of individual PMUTs of the PMUT array is addressable.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system, a method, and computer-implemented media. The system includes: context determination circuitry (CDC) to generate context signals based on one or more ultrasound imaging session contexts of an ultrasound imaging session; a memory storing a context information engine (CIE); circuitry coupled to the memory and adapted to execute the CIE to determine one or more context parameters of the ultrasound imaging session based on the context signals from the CDC; and processing circuitry to: access the one or more context parameters before or during the ultrasound imaging session; and determine one or more ultrasound imaging settings of the ultrasound imaging session based on the one or more context parameters; and cause the one or more settings to be implemented for the ultrasound imaging session.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system is controlled by pose and/or gesture detection. The system may detect poses or gestures performed by a user, e.g., using a machine learning (ML) model that may include a neural network, and implement a command associated with the detected pose or gesture to control the ultrasound imaging system.

Abstract: Described are acoustic absorber materials with high acoustic attenuation and high thermal conductivity comprising an inorganic, porous foam and an absorbing material within at least a portion of the pores of the foam, ultrasound transducers and devices including the same, as well as methods of making the materials.

Abstract: A method includes obtaining a first frame of a probed region acquired using a first probe device at a first time, and a first set of control parameters used to acquire the first frame. Processing the first frame includes segmenting features from the first frame after first probe-specific effects are reduced in the first frame based on the first set of control parameters. The method includes, when the first frame contains a respective attribute present in a second frame acquired at a time earlier than the first time using a second set of control parameters, displaying information related to differences in the respective attribute in the first frame and the second frame. The second frame is obtained by processing the one or more features segmented from the second frame after one or more second probe-specific effects are reduced in the second frame.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods to integrate piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (pMUT) arrays with an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) using thermocompression or eutectic/solder bonding. In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a device comprising a first substrate and a second substrate, the first substrate comprising a pMUT array and the second substrate comprising an electrical circuit, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are bonded together using thermocompression, wherein any set of individual PMUTs of PMUT array is addressable. In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a device comprising a first substrate and a second substrate, the first substrate comprising a pMUT array and the second substrate comprising an electrical circuit, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are bonded together using eutectic or solder bonding, wherein any set of individual PMUTs of the PMUT array is addressable.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system is controlled by pose and/or gesture detection. The system may detect poses or gestures performed by a user, e.g., using a machine learning (ML) model that may include a neural network, and implement a command associated with the detected pose or gesture to control the ultrasound imaging system.

Abstract: A visualization of electrical continuity test results for a transducer tile array may be generated according to embodiments herein. The visualization may include an indication, for each channel under test, of whether the channel passed or failed the continuity test, and an indication of whether the transducer tile array is determined to be functional.

Abstract: An apparatus, a method, and computer-implemented media. The apparatus is to perform a vessel detection algorithm to detect, in real time during image generation by an ultrasound imaging device, a vessel of a living body, the algorithm including: determining current vessel parameters based on a current ultrasonic image frame on a display at a current time; determining preceding vessel parameters based on a preceding ultrasonic image frame on the display at a time preceding the current time; determining current flow data for vessel fluid flow corresponding to the current ultrasonic image frame; and detecting and tracking the vessel based on the current vessel parameters, the preceding vessel parameters and the current flow data; and determine and cause to display to a user, via a user interface device that includes the display, information regarding a suitability of the vessel for access by a predetermined foreign object.

Abstract: An ultrasound device for use with various types of imaging. In some embodiments, the ultrasound device may comprise a circuitry substrate and a plurality of transducer chips coupled to the circuitry substrate. In some embodiments, each transducer chip may comprise a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) component that may include a plurality of ultrasound elements closely packed with one another, an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) that may be operatively coupled to the plurality of ultrasound elements of said MEMS component, and a control unit that may be electrically coupled to each ASIC of the plurality of transducer chips for control thereof. In some embodiments, at least two transducer chips of the plurality of transducer chips may be placed on the circuitry substrate with a separation distance that may be less than an operational wavelength of the ultrasound elements of the MEMS components of said at least two transducer chips.

Abstract: Described are platforms, systems, and methods for efficient collection and processing of patient medical data, including medical images, videos, or multiframes and patient biographical information. Provision of a mobile device application comprising a scanning module configured to acquire patient biographical information and interface directly or indirectly with a network node provided with medical images obtained from a medical imaging system can decrease data loss in clinical settings, in various embodiments. Improvement of existing medical imaging systems using mobile device applications and/or system configurations described herein can significantly increase efficiency of data entry and analysis, in various embodiments.

Abstract: Described are ultrasound transducer modules and handheld ultrasound imagers including thermal and acoustic management features to produce high quality ultrasound images in a portable, handheld form factor.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are ultrasonic transducer systems comprising: an ultrasonic transducer comprising a substrate, a diaphragm, and a piezoelectric element; a first electrical circuitry coupled to the ultrasonic transducer, the first electrical circuitry configured for driving the ultrasonic transducer or detecting motion of the diaphragm; a plurality of electrical ports coupled to the ultrasonic transducer; and a second electrical circuitry connected to two or more of the plurality of electrical ports, the electrical circuitry comprising one or more of: a resistor, a capacitor, a switch, and an amplifier, wherein the second electrical circuitry is independent from the first electrical circuitry, and wherein the second electrical circuitry is configured to dampen the motion of the diaphragm.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are computer-implemented medical ultrasound imaging methods, and systems for performing the methods, that comprise forming a first frame of an ultrasound image sequence with high image quality; forming at least one frame of the ultrasound image sequence with reduced image quality; forming a second frame of the ultrasound image sequence with high image quality; and improving the quality of the at least one frame of the ultrasound image sequence with reduced image quality using the first and/or the second frames of the ultrasound image sequence with high quality. In some cases, the improvement of the quality of the at least one frame of the ultrasound image sequence with reduced image quality is achieved by application of machine learning.