document

An Ultrasound Matrix Transducer for High-Frame-Rate 3-D Intra-cardiac Echocardiography

Simoes dos Santos, D. (author), Ossenkoppele, B.W. (author), Hopf, Y.M. (author), Soozande, Mehdi (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author)

Objective: Described here is the development of an ultrasound matrix transducer prototype for high-frame-rate 3-D intra-cardiac echocardiography. Methods: The matrix array consists of 16 × 18 lead zirconate titanate elements with a pitch of 160 µm × 160 µm built on top of an application-specific integrated circuit that generates transmission...

journal article 2024

document

A Pitch-Matched High-Frame-Rate Ultrasound Imaging ASIC for Catheter-Based 3-D Probes

Hopf, Y.M. (author), Simoes dos Santos, D. (author), Ossenkoppele, Boudewine W. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Chang, Z.Y. (author), Chen, Chao (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

This article presents an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for catheter-based 3-D ultrasound imaging probes. The pitch-matched design implements a comprehensive architecture with high-voltage (HV) transmitters, analog front ends, hybrid beamforming analog-To-digital converters (ADCs), and data transmission to the imaging system....

journal article 2024

document

A 1.2-mW/Channel Pitch-Matched Transceiver ASIC Employing a Boxcar-Integration-Based RX Micro-Beamformer for High-Resolution 3-D Ultrasound Imaging

Guo, P. (author), Fool, F. (author), Chang, Z.Y. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

This article presents a low-power and small-area transceiver application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for 3-D trans-fontanelle ultrasonography. A novel micro-beamforming receiver architecture that employs current-mode summation and boxcar integration is used to realize delay-and-sum on an N -element sub-array using N× fewer capacitive...

journal article 2023

document

Measurement of Pipe and Liquid Parameters Using the Beam Steering Capabilities of Array-Based Clamp-On Ultrasonic Flow Meters

Massaad Mouawad, J.M. (author), van Neer, P.L.M.J. (author), van Willigen, D.M. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author)

Clamp-on ultrasonic flow meters (UFMs) are installed on the outside of the pipe wall. Typically, they consist of two single-element transducers mounted on angled wedges, which are acoustically coupled to the pipe wall. Before flow metering, the transducers are placed at the correct axial position by manually moving one transducer along the pipe...

journal article 2022

document

A Pitch-Matched Transceiver ASIC With Shared Hybrid Beamforming ADC for High-Frame-Rate 3-D Intracardiac Echocardiography

Hopf, Y.M. (author), Ossenkoppele, Boudewine W. (author), Soozande, Mehdi (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Chang, Z.Y. (author), Chen, Chao (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

In this article, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for 3-D, high-frame-rate ultrasound imaging probes is presented. The design is the first to combine element-level, high-voltage (HV) transmitters and analog front-ends, subarray beamforming, and in-probe digitization in a scalable fashion for catheter-based probes. The...

journal article 2022

document

A Pitch-Matched Low-Noise Analog Front-End With Accurate Continuous Time-Gain Compensation for High-Density Ultrasound Transducer Arrays

Guo, P. (author), Chang, Z.Y. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

This article presents a compact analog front-end (AFE) circuit for ultrasound receivers with linear-in-dB continuous gain control for time-gain compensation (TGC). The AFE consists of two variable-gain stages, both of which employ a novel complementary current-steering network (CCSN) as the interpolator to realize continuously variable gain....

journal article 2022

document

A Compact Integrated High-Voltage Pulser Insensitive to Supply Transients for 3-D Miniature Ultrasound Probes

Hopf, Y.M. (author), Ossenkoppele, B.W. (author), Soozande, M. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Chang, Z.Y. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

In this letter, a compact high-voltage (HV) transmit circuit for dense 2-D transducer arrays used in 3-D ultrasonic imaging systems is presented. Stringent area requirements are addressed by a unipolar pulser with embedded transmit/receive switch. Combined with a capacitive HV level shifter, it forms the ultrasonic HV...

journal article 2022

document

Imaging Scheme for 3-D High-Frame-Rate Intracardiac Echography: A Simulation Study

Soozande, Mehdi (author), Ossenkoppele, B.W. (author), Hopf, Y.M. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author)

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is normally treated by RF ablation. Intracardiac echography (ICE) is widely employed during RF ablation procedures to guide the electrophysiologist in navigating the ablation catheter, although only 2-D probes are currently clinically used. A 3-D ICE catheter would not only...

journal article 2022

document

Design and Proof-of-Concept of a Matrix Transducer Array for Clamp-on Ultrasonic Flow Measurements

Massaad Mouawad, J.M. (author), van Neer, P.L.M.J. (author), van Willigen, D.M. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author)

Common clamp-on ultrasonic flow meters consist of two single-element transducers placed on the pipe wall. Flow speed is measured noninvasively, i.e., without interrupting the flow and without perforating the pipe wall, which also minimizes safety risks and avoids pressure drops inside the pipe. However, before metering, the transducers have...

journal article 2022

document

Algorithm to Correct Measurement Offsets Introduced by Inactive Elements of Transducer Arrays in Ultrasonic Flow Metering

Massaad Mouawad, J.M. (author), van Neer, P.L.M.J. (author), van Willigen, D.M. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author)

Ultrasonic flow meters (UFMs) based on transducer arrays offer several advantages. With electronic beam steering, it is possible to tune the steering angle of the beam for optimal signal-tonoise ratio (SNR) upon reception. Moreover, multiple beams can be generated to propagate through different travel paths, covering a wider section of the...

journal article 2022

document

A Tiled Ultrasound Matrix Transducer for Volumetric Imaging of the Carotid Artery

Simoes dos Santos, D. (author), Fool, F. (author), Mozaffarzadeh, M. (author), Shabanimotlagh, M. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Kim, T. (author), Rozsa, N.N.M. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author)

High frame rate three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound imaging would offer excellent possibilities for the accurate assessment of carotid artery diseases. This calls for a matrix transducer with a large aperture and a vast number of elements. Such a matrix transducer should be interfaced with an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for...

journal article 2022

document

Measurement of Pipe and Fluid Properties with a Matrix Array-based Ultrasonic Clamp-on Flow Meter

Massaad Mouawad, J.M. (author), van Neer, P.L.M.J. (author), van Willigen, D.M. (author), Sabbadini, A. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author)

Current ultrasonic clamp-on flow meters consist of a pair of single-element transducers that are carefully positioned before use. This positioning process consists of manually finding the distance between the transducer elements, along the pipe axis, for which maximum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is achieved. This distance depends on the sound...

journal article 2021

document

Exploiting nonlinear wave propagation to improve the precision of ultrasonic flow meters

Massaad Mouawad, J.M. (author), van Neer, P.L.M.J. (author), van Willigen, D.M. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author)

Acoustic wave propagation in ultrasonic flow measurements is typically assumed to be linear and reciprocal. However, if the transmitting transducer generates a sufficiently high pressure, nonlinear wave propagation effects become significant. In flow measurements, this would translate into more information to estimate the flow and therefore a...

journal article 2021

document

Design of an ultrasound transceiver asic with a switching-artifact reduction technique for 3D carotid artery imaging

Kim, Taehoon (author), Fool, F. (author), Simoes dos Santos, D. (author), Chang, Z.Y. (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

This paper presents an ultrasound transceiver application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) directly integrated with an array of 12 × 80 piezoelectric transducer elements to enable next-generation ultrasound probes for 3D carotid artery imaging. The ASIC, implemented in a 0.18 µm high-voltage Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (HV BCD) process, adopted a...

journal article 2021

document

A Transceiver ASIC for a Single-Cable 64-Element Intra-Vascular Ultrasound Probe

van Willigen, D.M. (author), Kang, E. (author), Janjic, Jovana (author), Noothout, E.C. (author), Chang, Z.Y. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

This article presents an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designed for intra-vascular ultrasound imaging that interfaces 64 piezoelectric transducer elements to an imaging system using a single micro-coaxial cable. Thus, it allows a single-element transducer to be replaced by a transducer array to enable 3-D imaging. The 1.5-mm...

journal article 2021

document

Suppression of Lamb wave excitation via aperture control of a transducer array for ultrasonic clamp-on flow metering

Massaad Mouawad, J.M. (author), van Neer, P.L.M.J. (author), Willigen, D. M. van (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author)

During ultrasonic clamp-on flow metering, Lamb waves propagating in the pipe wall may limit the measurement accuracy by introducing absolute errors in the flow estimates. Upon reception, these waves can interfere with the up and downstream waves refracting from the liquid, and disturb the measurement of the transit time difference that is used...

journal article 2020

document

Towards a calibration-free ultrasonic clamp-on flow meter: Pipe geometry measurements using matrix arrays: Pipe geometry measurements using matrix arrays

Massaad Mouawad, J.M. (author), van Neer, P.L.M.J. (author), van Willigen, D.M. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author)

Current ultrasonic clamp-on flow meters are manually calibrated. This process is based on manual placement of two single-element transducers along a pipe wall. Due to the usually unknown pipe properties and inhomogeneities in the pipe geometry, the axial distance of the transducers needs to be manually calibrated to align the location of the...

journal article 2020

document

Impact of Bit Errors in Digitized RF Data on Ultrasound Image Quality

Chen, Z. (author), Soozande, M. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Bosch, J.G. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

This article quantitatively analyzes the impact of bit errors in digitized RF data on ultrasound image quality. The quality of B-mode images in both linear array and phased array imaging is evaluated by means of three objective image quality metrics: peak signal-to-noise ratio, structural similarity index, and contrast-to-noise ratio, when...

journal article 2020

document

Receive/transmit aperture selection for 3D ultrasound imaging with a 2D matrix transducer

Mozaffarzadeh, M. (author), Soozande, M. (author), Fool, F. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author), Vos, H.J. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), Bosch, Johan G. (author), de Jong, N. (author)

Recently, we realized a prototype matrix transducer consisting of 48 rows of 80 elements on top of a tiled set of Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) implementing a row-level control connecting one transmit/receive channel to an arbitrary subset of elements per row. A fully sampled array data acquisition is implemented by a...

journal article 2020

document

An Algorithm to Minimize the Zero-Flow Error in Transit-Time Ultrasonic Flow Meters

van Willigen, D.M. (author), Neer, Paul L.M.J. van (author), Massaad Mouawad, J.M. (author), de Jong, N. (author), Verweij, M.D. (author), Pertijs, M.A.P. (author)

Transit-time ultrasonic flow meters are widely used in industry to measure fluid flow. In practice ultrasonic flow meters either show a zero-flow error or suffer from a significant random error due to a limited signal-to-noise ratio, requiring a significant amount of averaging to achieve good precision. This work presents a method that minimizes...

journal article 2020