# US 10,371,804 B2 · Ultrasound signal processing circuitry and related apparatus and methods

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- Number: US 10,371,804 B2
- Document ID: US10371804B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/252,382
- Filed: 2019-01-18
- Published: 2019-05-23
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2014-10-07
- Assignees: Butterfly Network, Inc.
- Applicants: Butterfly Network, Inc.
- Inventors: Tyler S. Ralston; Nevada J. Sanchez
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10371804B2

## CPC

- G01S 7/5208: {with integration of processing functions inside probe or scanhead}
- A61B 5/7257: {using Fourier transforms}
- A61B 8/4483: {characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer}
- A61B 8/5207: {involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image}
- G01S 7/5202: {for pulse systems}
- G01S 7/52025: {for pulse systems (G01S7/52034 takes precedence)}
- G01S 7/52026: {Extracting wanted echo signals (Doppler systems G01S15/50; Doppler short range imaging systems G01S15/8979)}
- G01S 7/52034: {Data rate converters}
- G01S 7/52047: {for elimination of side lobes or of grating lobes; for increasing resolving power}
- G01S 15/8915: {using a transducer array}
- G01S 7/52033: {Gain control of receivers (for seismic signals G01V1/245)}
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)

## Abstract

Ultrasound signal processing circuitry and related apparatus and methods are described. Signal samples received from an ultrasound transducer array in an ultrasound transducer based imaging system may be processed, or conditioned, by application of one or more weighting functions. In some embodiments, one or more weighting functions may be applied to the signal samples in the time domain. In other embodiments, the signal samples may be converted to the frequency domain and one or more weighting functions may be applied in the frequency domain. In further embodiments, one or more weighting functions may be applied in the time domain and one or more weighting functions may be applied in the frequency domain. The weighting functions may be channel dependent and/or channel independent. The processed data can be provided to an image formation processor.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An ultrasound device comprising:
an ultrasound transducer array configured to provide received signals in response to receiving ultrasound energy; and
a processing circuit configured to process the received signals, the processing circuit comprising:
a conversion circuit configured to convert the received signals to a digital domain to provide signal samples;
an extraction circuit configured to extract from the signal samples a subset of the signal samples that correspond to an image to be formed;
a time domain signal conditioning circuit configured to apply at least one time domain weighting function to the extracted signal samples;
a Fast Fourier Transform circuit configured to convert the weighted signal samples to frequency domain values;
a frequency domain signal conditioning circuit configured to apply at least one frequency domain weighting function to the frequency domain values; and
an output circuit configured to output the weighted frequency domain values for ultrasound image formation processing;
wherein the processing circuit is configured to partially process the extracted signal samples in a first number of channels, to store the partially processed signal samples in a memory, and to complete processing of the partially processed signal samples in a second number of channels less than the first number of channels.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The ultrasound device of claim 1, wherein the time domain signal conditioning circuit is configured to multiply the extracted signal samples by coefficients of the time domain weighting function.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The ultrasound device of claim 1, wherein the frequency domain signal conditioning circuit is configured to multiply the frequency domain values by coefficients of the frequency domain weighting function.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The ultrasound device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit further comprises a quadrature demodulation circuit configured to perform quadrature demodulation of the extracted signal samples and wherein time domain signal conditioning is performed on the demodulated signal samples.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The ultrasound device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit further comprises a downsampling circuit configured to downsample the extracted signal samples for data reduction and wherein time domain signal conditioning is performed on the downsampled signal samples.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The ultrasound device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit further comprises a sum elevation channels circuit configured to perform summing of the weighted frequency domain values corresponding to elevation channels of the ultrasound transducer array to provide summed elevation values and wherein the output circuit is configured to output the summed elevation values.