The following information introduces the concept of a complete portable ultrasound system solution based on Texas Instruments (TI) semiconductor components, development tools, and software solutions.
Additionally, the various concepts that outline the inherent advantages of a DSP and a SoC in a portable ultrasound system - efficient signal processing, lower power consumption and lower cost, all leading to better ultrasound diagnostic imaging - will also be covered.
The key driver requirements for a portable ultrasound system are the same with any portable device: size, weight, battery life, cost and performance. OEMs are making trade-offs in these areas, for example, providing just a basic imaging system with less features but with more battery life, (e.g., 8-channel black and white systems vs. more sophisticated 128 channel color systems that would need to be re-charged more often). The size of the portable system varies from laptop sized systems to handhelds. These size limitations are driving the need for more system integration on the supporting SoCs and more automatic image enhancement features due to fewer fine controls.
The requirements for portable systems is also being driven from geographies where the infrastructure is more rural and access to the larger more sophisticated imaging systems is limited, and where clinicians must now take the system to the patient. This makes cost a critical factor as well.
图1.超声波系统方框图
图2.超声波系统前端处理框图
