Ultrasonic probe with programmable multiplexer for imaging systems with different channel counts
US5520187A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 25, 1994 |
| Grant date | May 28, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 25, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S15/8906
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A programmable probe multiplexer which can be reconfigured for use with multiple imaging systems having different channel counts. The probe uses a system code that informs the multiplexer of the number of channels on the system to which it is connected. The multiplexer hardware in turn adjusts the program or channel map to reconfigure the probe to accommodate the system. In particular, the probe can sense the presence of a system type and then reconfigure and optimize performance automatically, or the probe can be reprogrammed by the system, allowing great flexibility in the design and optimization of imaging parameters. The probe supports this concept through the use of a series of programmable switches and the appropriate logic to assign input channels to output channels.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.