Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein relate to an ultrasound device including a first die that includes an ultrasonic transducer, a first application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that is bonded to the first die and includes a pulser, and a second ASIC in communication with the second ASIC that includes integrated digital receive circuitry. In some embodiments, the first ASIC may be bonded to the second ASIC and the second ASIC may include analog processing circuitry and an analog-to-digital converter. In such embodiments, the second ASIC may include a through-silicon via (TSV) facilitating communication between the first ASIC and the second ASIC. In some embodiments, SERDES circuitry facilitates communication between the first ASIC and the second ASIC and the first ASIC includes analog processing circuitry and an analog-to-digital converter. In some embodiments, the technology node of the first ASIC is different from the technology node of the second ASIC.

Abstract: A method of producing a permanent magnet shim configured to improve a profile of a B0 magnetic field produced by a B0 magnet is provided. The method comprises determining deviation of the B0 magnetic field from a desired B0 magnetic field, determining a magnetic pattern that, when applied to magnetic material, produces a corrective magnetic field that corrects for at least some of the determined deviation, and applying the magnetic pattern to the magnetic material to produce the permanent magnet shim. According to some aspects, a permanent magnet shim for improving a profile of a B0 magnetic field produced by a B0 magnet is provided. The permanent magnet shim comprises magnetic material having a predetermined magnetic pattern applied thereto that produces a corrective magnetic field to improve the profile of the B0 magnetic field.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure provide improved techniques to assist imaging and/or measuring a subject's eye that are suitable for use in an imaging and/or measuring apparatus operated by the subject, even in the absence of a clinician or technician, thereby improving access to medical grade imaging and/or measurement. Some aspects relate to techniques for receiving user input and capturing a medical grade image and/or measurement of a subject's eye responsive to receiving the user input. Some aspects relate to techniques for providing visual feedback to a user of an imaging and/or measuring apparatus indicating a location of a subject's eye in a field of view of the imaging and/or measuring apparatus. Some aspects relate to techniques for selectively illuminating a first portion of a subject's eye with illumination light and capturing an image of the first portion of the subject's eye.

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: 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 device, including a profile generator, an encoder configured to receive a profile signal from the profile generator, and an attenuator configured to receive a signal representing an output of an ultrasound sensor and coupled to the encoder to receive a control signal from the encoder, the attenuator including a plurality of attenuator stages, the attenuator configured to produce an output signal that is an attenuated version of the input signal.

Abstract: An ultrasound circuit comprising a multi-stage trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) is described. The TIA is coupled to an ultrasonic transducer to amplify an electrical signal generated by the ultrasonic transducer in response to receiving an ultrasound signal. The TIA may include multiple stages, at least two of which operate with different supply voltages. The TIA may be followed by further processing circuitry configured to filter, amplify, and digitize the signal produced by the TIA.

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 a high-speed serial data module may be used to move data for all received channels off-chip as 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. Various novel waveform generation techniques, transducer configuration and biasing methodologies, etc., are likewise disclosed. HIFU methods may additionally or alternatively be employed as a component of the “ultrasound-on-a-chip” solution disclosed herein.

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.

Abstract: Described herein are arrays of piezoelectric ultrasound elements. The piezoelectric ultrasound elements may be arranged in a checkerboard pattern. The piezoelectric ultrasound elements in one column may be shifted along the vertical dimension of the array with respect to piezoelectric ultrasound elements in an adjacent column. A piezoelectric ultrasound element in one column may be coupled to a different circuit than all other piezoelectric ultrasound elements in the column. The circuit may be, for example, an analog-to-digital converter or a circuit configured to transmit ultrasound signals from the array. Each piezoelectric ultrasound element in a column may be configured so that it can operate at a different frequency from each of the other piezoelectric ultrasound elements in the column. There array may include at least 1,000 piezoelectric ultrasound elements. The array may be monolithically integrated with a substrate comprising different circuits for each piezoelectric ultrasound element in the array.

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: A method of producing a permanent magnet shim configured to improve a profile of a B0 magnetic field produced by a B0 magnet is provided. The method comprises determining deviation of the B0 magnetic field from a desired B0 magnetic field, determining a magnetic pattern that, when applied to magnetic material, produces a corrective magnetic field that corrects for at least some of the determined deviation, and applying the magnetic pattern to the magnetic material to produce the permanent magnet shim. According to some aspects, a permanent magnet shim for improving a profile of a B0 magnetic field produced by a B0 magnet is provided. The permanent magnet shim comprises magnetic material having a predetermined magnetic pattern applied thereto that produces a corrective magnetic field to improve the profile of the B0 magnetic field.

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: Apparatus and methods are provided directed to a device, including at least one ultrasonic transducer, a multi-level pulser coupled to the at least one ultrasonic transducer; the multi-level pulser including a plurality of input terminals configured to receive respective input voltages, an output terminal configured to provide an output voltage, and a signal path between a first input terminal and the output terminal including a first transistor having a first conductivity type coupled to a first diode and, in parallel, a second transistor having a second conductivity type coupled to a second diode.

Abstract: Circuitry for ultrasound devices is described. A multi-level pulser is described, which can support time-domain and spatial apodization. The multi-level pulser may be controlled through a software-defined waveform generator. In response to the execution of a computer code, the waveform generator may access master segments from a memory, and generate a stream of packets directed to pulsing circuits. The stream of packets may be serialized. A plurality of decoding circuits may modulate the streams of packets to obtain spatial apodization.

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: 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.