Ultrasound transducer probe based analog to digital conversion for continuous wave doppler, and associated devices, systems, and methods

An ultrasound system, comprising:

• a transducer array comprising:
• a first acoustic element configured to generate analog electrical signals;
• and
• a second acoustic element;
• a first analog-to-digital converter (ADC) associated with the first acoustic element and configured to:
• receive the analog electrical signals generated by the first acoustic element;
• and
• convert the analog electrical signals to first digital electrical signals;
• a second ADC associated with the second acoustic element;
• a switch configured to establish communication between the second ADC and the first acoustic element such that the second ADC is configured to:
• receive the same analog electrical signals generated by the first acoustic element;
• and
• convert the same analog electrical signals to second digital electrical signals;
• and
• a processor circuit in communication with the first ADC and the second ADC, wherein the processor circuit comprises digital in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) mixers configured to generate digital continuous wave (CW) Doppler signals based on the first and second digital electrical signals, and wherein the processor circuit is configured to:
• process the digital CW Doppler signals;
• generate a graphical representation of a distribution of blood flow velocities;
• and
• output the graphical representation to a display in communication with the processor circuit.