Ultrasound imaging system having a reduced number of lines between the base unit and the probe

US5622177A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Fritz Breimesser · Nürnberg, DE
• Bernd Granz · Oberasbach, DE
• Ralph Oppelt · Uttenreuth, DE
• Horst Siebold · Erlangen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 26, 1995
• Grant date: Apr 22, 1997
• Expiry date: Dec 26, 2015

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S15/8925
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An ultrasound imaging system has a probe containing a 2-D array of transducer elements and a base unit for the phase-delayed driving of the transducer elements of the array. Transmit pulsers digitally controlled by the base unit are provided for the transducer elements in the probe, and an address decoder is provided for the transmitting state, and a multiplexer for the ultrasonic signals in the receiving state. For the transmitting state, the probe and the base unit are interconnected via digital control lines and, for the receiving state, via a number of signal lines that is reduced by the multiplexer factor of the multiplexer.