Ultrasound imaging system including configurable transducer probe

A method of controlling an ultrasound transducer probe comprising a transducer array having a plurality of transducer elements, the method comprising:

• receiving echo signals at the plurality of transducer elements responsive to ultrasound signals emitted by at least some transducer elements of the plurality of transducer elements, wherein the echo signals are reflected in a near field and/or a far field of a medium, and outputting corresponding electrical echo signals;
• digitizing the electrical echo signals to provide digitized echo signals;
• selecting a first set of the digitized echo signals corresponding to a first set of transducer elements of the plurality of transducer elements, wherein the first set of transducer elements contains fewer transducer elements than the plurality of transducer elements for receiving the echo signals reflected in the near field, thereby defining a small aperture, wherein selecting the first set of the digitized echo signals further comprises multiplexing the digitized echo signals to output the first set of the digitized echo signals corresponding to the first set of transducer elements;
• selecting a second set of the digitized echo signals corresponding to a second set of transducer elements of the plurality of transducer elements, wherein the second set of transducer elements contains more transducer elements than the first set of transducer elements for receiving the echo signals reflected in the far field, thereby defining a large aperture, wherein selecting the second set of the digitized echo signals further comprises grouping the transducer elements of the second set of transducer elements into sub-arrays;
• and
• summing the digitized echo signals from the transducer elements within each sub-array to reduce a digital bandwidth of the second set of the digitized echo signals;
• and
• outputting an echo data stream, comprising the first set of the digitized echo signals and/or the second set of the digitized echo signals to a host system via a communication interface having a fixed maximum bandwidth,
• wherein the small aperture defined by the first set of transducer elements provides a digital bandwidth of the echo data stream that is less than the fixed maximum bandwidth of the communication interface.

A transducer probe of an ultrasound imaging system, comprising:

• a transducer array comprising a plurality of transducer elements configured to emit ultrasound signals into a medium, to receive echo signals responsive to the ultrasound signals being reflected in a near field and/or a far field of the medium, and to output corresponding electrical echo signals;
• a plurality of analog to digital converters (ADCs) configured to digitize the electrical echo signals to provide digitized echo signals;
• a combiner comprising:
• a multiplexer configured to multiplex the digitized echo signals to output a first set of the digitized echo signals corresponding to a first set of transducer elements of the plurality of transducer elements defining a small aperture for receiving the echo signals reflected in the near field;
• and
• a beamformer comprising a plurality of adders configured to group transducer elements of a second set of transducer elements into sub-arrays providing a second set of digitized echo signals, and to sum together the digitized echo signals from the second set of the transducer elements within each sub-array for receiving the echo signals reflected in the far field, wherein the second set of the transducer elements contains more transducer elements than the first set of the transducer elements;
• a digital processing unit configured to receive the first set of the digitized echo signals and the second set of the digitized echo signals, and to output a corresponding digital echo stream;
• and
• a communication interface configured to communicate the echo data stream to an ultrasound imaging system host, wherein the communication interface has a fixed maximum bandwidth,
• wherein the small aperture defined by the first set of the transducer elements provides a digital bandwidth of the echo data stream that is less than the fixed maximum bandwidth of the communication interface.