Low Cost Ultrasound Using Silicon Transduction

使用硅传导的低成本超声波

• 批准号: 6728142
• 负责人: Kai Erik Thomenius
• 金额: $ 88.17万
• 依托单位: GENERAL ELECTRIC GLOBAL RESEARCH CTR
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-09-16 至 2007-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6728142
• 关键词: bioimaging /biomedical imaging; biomedical equipment development; clinical research; computer program /software; computer system design /evaluation; digital imaging; human subject; image enhancement; image processing; patient monitoring device; portable biomedical equipment; silicon

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal, in response to the RFA EB-03-006, addresses the development of low cost, portable, high quality ultrasound imagers. The proposed development takes advantage of the following on-going technical trends: 1. Development of micromachined ultrasound transducers (MUTs or cMUTs) to the stage where they are now viable candidates for ultrasound systems. 2. Development of the concept of reconfigurable arraysmuse of a switching matrix to reconstruct or regroup cMUT cells to optimize image acquisition and to minimize beamformer channels. One grouping of elements, an annular array configuration, is particularly attractive from performance and processing channel points of view. 3. Development of high density interconnect capabilities such as through wafer vias and 3D interconnect. 4. Development of PC based back ends for ultrasound scanners capable of performing all the post-beamformer signal processing (e.g. Doppler processing) and scan conversion. With these technologies, and their further development and enhancement during this project, GE Global Research and Stanford University will validate the concept of reconfigurable arrays by demonstrating equivalent or superior image quality with respect to conventional high end systems. The goal is to achieve this with a dramatically reduced channel count and required physical volume and hence dramatically reduced cost. The specific aims of this proposal are: 1. Identify the clinical application and the performance specification needed to match or supercede existing instrumentation. Use this information to identify cMUT array characteristics. 2. Develop the cMUT array, transmit/receive ICs, switching matrix, interconnect technology, and control software required to interface this IC assembly to a conventional scanner. 3. Measure the beam characteristics generated by the resulting scanner and perform initial image quality assessment with an in-house clinical. Achievement of these specific aims are a key step towards full integration of the concept of reconfigurable arrays. Once integrated with the beamformer and a "wearable" PC, portability of ultrasound will have reached a new level. It is expected that the availability of medical ultrasound will reach greater fraction of the population than ever before. Further, concepts such as wireless imaging, patient monitoring, remote manipulation of the imaging plane and its observation become real.

描述（由申请人提供）： 该提案响应RFA EB-03-006，涉及低成本，便携式，高质量超声影像仪的发展。拟议的开发利用了以下持续的技术趋势：1。微机械超声传感器（muts或cmuts）开发到现在它们是超声系统可行候选者的阶段。 2。开发矩阵的可重新配置阵列的概念开发以重建或重组CMUT单元格，以优化图像采集并最大程度地减少光束形式通道。从性能和处理频道的角度来看，一组元素（一种环数阵列配置）特别有吸引力。 3。高密度互连功能的发展，例如通过晶圆壳和3D互连。 4.超声扫描仪的基于PC的后端开发，能够执行所有后孔形式信号处理（例如多普勒处理）和扫描转换。借助这些技术及其在该项目中的进一步发展和增强，GE Global Research和Stanford University将通过证明相对于常规高端系统的等效图像质量来验证可重构阵列的概念。目的是通过大幅度降低的通道数量和所需的物理体积，从而大大降低成本来实现这一目标。该提案的具体目的是：1。确定匹配或超级现有仪器所需的临床应用以及性能规范。使用此信息识别CMUT数组特征。 2。开发CMUT阵列，传输/接收ICS，切换矩阵，互连技术和控制软件，以将此IC组装连接到常规扫描仪。 3。测量由此产生的扫描仪产生的光束特性，并使用内部临床进行初始图像质量评估。这些特定目标的实现是朝着完整整合可重构阵列概念的关键步骤。一旦与波束形式和“可穿戴” PC集成在一起，超声的便携性将达到新的水平。预计医疗超声的可用性将比以往任何时候都更大。此外，诸如无线成像，患者监测，对成像平面的远程操作及其观察等概念变得真实。