公开(公告)号：US20210160621A1

公开(公告)日：2021-05-27

申请号：US17114411

申请日：2020-12-07

Applicant: Butterfly Network, Inc.

Inventor： Joseph Lutsky ,  Nevada J. Sanchez ,  Kailiang Chen ,  Keith G. Fife ,  Tyler S. Ralston

IPC: H04R17/00 ,  B06B1/02

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein relate to ultrasound circuits that employ a differential ultrasonic transducer element, such as a differential micromachined ultrasonic transducer (MUT) element. The differential ultrasonic transducer element may be coupled to an integrated circuit that is configured to operate the differential ultrasonic transducer element in one or more modes of operation, such as a differential receive mode, a differential transmit mode, a single-ended receive mode, and a single-ended transmit mode.

公开(公告)号：US10859687B2

公开(公告)日：2020-12-08

申请号：US15087970

申请日：2016-03-31

Applicant: Butterfly Network, Inc.

Inventor： Liewei Bao ,  Kailiang Chen ,  Tyler S. Ralston ,  Nevada J. Sanchez

IPC: G01S7/524 ,  G01S7/52

Abstract: Circuitry for ultrasound devices is described. A multi-level pulser is described, which can support time-domain and spatial apodization. The multi-level pulser may be controlled through a software-defined waveform generator. In response to the execution of a computer code, the waveform generator may access master segments from a memory, and generate a stream of packets directed to pulsing circuits. The stream of packets may be serialized. A plurality of decoding circuits may modulate the streams of packets to obtain spatial apodization.

公开(公告)号：US10707886B2

公开(公告)日：2020-07-07

申请号：US16392325

申请日：2019-04-23

Applicant: Butterfly Network, Inc.

Inventor： Kailiang Chen ,  Tyler S. Ralston

IPC: H03M1/12 ,  H03M1/00 ,  A61B8/00 ,  H03M1/46

Abstract: An ultrasound device including an asynchronous successive approximation analog-to-digital converter and method are provided. The device includes at least one ultrasonic transducer, a plurality of asynchronous successive-approximation-register (SAR) analog-to-digital converters (ADC) coupled to the at least one ultrasonic transducer, at least one asynchronous SAR in the plurality having a sample and hold stage, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a comparator, and control circuitry, wherein a DAC update event following at least one bit conversion is synchronized to a corresponding DAC update event of at least one other ADC in the plurality of ADCs.

公开(公告)号：US20190253061A1

公开(公告)日：2019-08-15

申请号：US16392325

申请日：2019-04-23

Applicant: Butterfly Network, Inc.

Inventor： Kailiang Chen ,  Tyler S. Ralston

IPC: H03M1/00 ,  H03M1/46 ,  H03M1/12 ,  A61B8/00

Abstract: An ultrasound device including an asynchronous successive approximation analog-to-digital converter and method are provided. The device includes at least one ultrasonic transducer, a plurality of asynchronous successive-approximation-register (SAR) analog-to-digital converters (ADC) coupled to the at least one ultrasonic transducer, at least one asynchronous SAR in the plurality having a sample and hold stage, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a comparator, and control circuitry, wherein a DAC update event following at least one bit conversion is synchronized to a corresponding DAC update event of at least one other ADC in the plurality of ADCs.

公开(公告)号：US10340866B2

公开(公告)日：2019-07-02

申请号：US16244934

申请日：2019-01-10

Applicant: Butterfly Network, Inc.

Inventor： Amandeep Singh ,  Kailiang Chen ,  Tyler S. Ralston

IPC: H03F3/45 ,  H03M1/38 ,  G01N29/24 ,  G01N29/44 ,  H03M1/12

Abstract: An ultrasound circuit comprising a single-ended trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) is described, The TIA is coupled to an ultrasonic transducer to amplify an electrical signal generated by the ultrasonic transducer in response to receiving an ultrasound signal. The TEA is followed by further processing circuitry configured to filter, amplify, and digitize the signal produced by the TIA.

公开(公告)号：US10187020B2

公开(公告)日：2019-01-22

申请号：US14957395

申请日：2015-12-02

Applicant: Butterfly Network, Inc.

Inventor： Kailiang Chen ,  Keith G. Fife ,  Nevada J. Sanchez ,  Andrew J. Casper ,  Tyler S. Ralston

IPC: H03F3/16 ,  A61B5/00 ,  A61B8/00 ,  H03F1/08 ,  H03F3/45 ,  G01S7/52 ,  A61B8/08

Abstract: A variable current trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) for an ultrasound device is described. The TIA may be coupled to an ultrasonic transducer to amplify an output signal of the ultrasonic transducer representing an ultrasound signal received by the ultrasonic transducer. During acquisition of the ultrasound signal by the ultrasonic transducer, one or more current sources in the TIA may be varied.

公开(公告)号：US20190000422A1

公开(公告)日：2019-01-03

申请号：US16022841

申请日：2018-06-29

Applicant: Butterfly Network, Inc.

Inventor： Lawrence C. West ,  Kailiang Chen ,  Tyler S. Ralston ,  Sarp Satir ,  Jaime Scott Zahorian

IPC: A61B8/08 ,  G01S15/89 ,  G01S7/52

Abstract: Ultrasound devices configured to perform high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) are described. An ultrasound device may include HIFU units configured to emit high acoustic intensities and elasticity detectors configured to determine characteristics of the target area of a human body based on the elasticity of the target area. The elasticity detectors may determine, e.g., whether the target area is healthy, and if not, the type cell in need of treatment (e.g., the type of cancer cell present in the target area). In one example, the elasticity detectors may be configured to determine the stiffness of the target area, which may provide an indication as to the type of cell present in the area, by estimating the velocity of a shear wave propagating away from the target area. The shear wave may arise in response to the application of an ultrasound wave to the target area.

公开(公告)号：US20180364342A1

公开(公告)日：2018-12-20

申请号：US16109457

申请日：2018-08-22

Applicant: Butterfly Network, Inc.

Inventor： Kailiang Chen ,  Tyler S. Ralston ,  Keith G. Fife

IPC: G01S7/52 ,  G01S15/89 ,  G01S7/521 ,  A61B7/04

Abstract: Circuitry for ultrasound devices is described. A multilevel pulser is described, which can provide bipolar pulses of multiple levels. The multilevel pulser includes a pulsing circuit and pulser and feedback circuit. Symmetric switches are also described. The symmetric switches can be positioned as inputs to ultrasound receiving circuitry to block signals from the receiving circuitry.

公开(公告)号：US10094917B2

公开(公告)日：2018-10-09

申请号：US15659134

申请日：2017-07-25

Applicant: Butterfly Network, Inc.

Inventor： Kailiang Chen ,  Tyler S. Ralston ,  Keith G. Fife

IPC: G01S7/00 ,  G01S7/521 ,  H03K17/687 ,  G01S7/52 ,  G01S15/89

Abstract: Circuitry for ultrasound devices is described. A multilevel pulser is described, which can provide bipolar pulses of multiple levels. The multilevel pulser includes a pulsing circuit and pulser and feedback circuit. Symmetric switches are also described. The symmetric switches can be positioned as inputs to ultrasound receiving circuitry to block signals from the receiving circuitry.

公开(公告)号：US20180210073A1

公开(公告)日：2018-07-26

申请号：US15934150

申请日：2018-03-23

Applicant: Butterfly Network, Inc.

Inventor： Kailiang Chen ,  Tyler S. Ralston

IPC: G01S7/524 ,  H03K19/0175 ,  G01S7/521

CPC classification number: G01S7/524 ,  A61B8/4483 ,  A61B8/54 ,  G01S7/5202 ,  G01S7/5208 ,  G01S7/52096 ,  G01S7/521 ,  H03K19/017545

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided directed to a device, including at least one ultrasonic transducer, a multi-level pulser coupled to the at least one ultrasonic transducer; the multi-level pulser including a plurality of input terminals configured to receive respective input voltages, an output terminal configured to provide an output voltage, and a signal path between a first input terminal and the output terminal including a first transistor having a first conductivity type coupled to a first diode and, in parallel, a second transistor having a second conductivity type coupled to a second diode.