General Electric Company

Krishnakumar Sundaresan

Naresh Kesavan Rao

Bruno Hans Haider

Radislav Alexandrovich Potyrailo

Shinichi Amemiya

Emad Andarawis Andarawis

Jeffrey Michael Ashe

S M Shajedul Hasan

Feng Chen

Sm Shajed Hasan

Robert Gideon Wodnicki

Kenneth Wayne Rigby

Christopher Robert Hazard

Alexander Seth Ross

Thomas Halvorsrod

Boris Constantine Joesaar

A sensor assembly includes an impedance sensor element, an impedance sensor reader and a communications module. The communications module is configured to communicate with a remote computing device. The impedance sensor reader is coupled to the impedance sensor element. The impedance sensor reader includes a synthesizer and a detector. The synthesizer is configured to output an excitation signal having known values for a plurality of signal characteristics to the impedance sensor element and to generate the excitation signal based on a plurality of direct digital synthesizer (DDS) coefficients received from the remote computing device through the communications module. The detector is coupled to the impedance sensor element and configured to detect a response of the impedance sensor element to the excitation signal and determine an impedance of the impedance sensor element based at least in part on the response of the impedance sensor element to the excitation signal.

Systems and methods for networked sensor nodes

An ultrasonic transducer driving circuit configured to supply an output current and/or an output voltage to an output line for driving an ultrasonic transducer is provided. The ultrasonic transducer driving circuit includes a first current discharge circuit configured to allow a current arising from electric charges accumulated in the ultrasonic transducer to flow from the output line to ground when the output line is at a positive voltage, and a second current discharge circuit configured to allow the current arising from the electric charges accumulated in the ultrasonic transducer to flow from ground to the output line when the output line is at a negative voltage. The first current discharge circuit and the second current discharge circuit are controlled based on the output current and/or the output voltage.

Ultrasonic transducer driving circuit and ultrasonic image display apparatus

An impedance analyzer is provided. The analyzer includes a signal excitation generator comprising a digital to analog converter, where a transfer function of the digital to analog converter from digital to analog is programmable. The impedance analyzer further includes a receiver comprising a low noise amplifier (LNA) and an analog to digital converter (ADC), where the LNA is a current to voltage converter; where the programmable digital to analog transfer function is implemented by a direct digital synthesizer (DDS) and a voltage mode digital to analog converter, or a digital phase locked loop (PLL), or both. Further, a multivariable sensor node having an impedance analyzer is provided. Furthermore, a multivariable sensor network having a plurality of multivariable sensor nodes is provided.

Systems and methods for monitoring sensors

An ultrasound probe analog to digital converter includes an input successive approximation register (SAR) first stage; and an output SAR second stage in communication with the input SAR first stage. The input SAR first stage includes a programmable preamplifier integrated therein for residue amplification. The preamplifier is programmed to alternate between a linear amplifier operating mode and a comparator operating mode.

Analog to digital converter for digital ultrasound probe

A method for multivariable measurements using a single-chip impedance analyzer includes providing a sensor, exposing the sensor to an environmental parameter, determining a complex impedance of the sensor over a measured spectral frequency range of the sensor, and monitoring at least three spectral parameters of the sensor.

Ultrasonic transducer driving ciruit and ultrasonic image display apparatus

A temperature management system and a method of monitoring temperature in an ultrasound imaging system is provided. The system includes an ultrasound probe. The ultrasound probe includes at least one ultrasound transducer and a plurality of application specific integrated circuits. Further, the system includes at least one temperature sensing device disposed on at least one of the plurality of application specific integrated circuits. The temperature sensing devices are disposed in such a way that the sensing devices are in thermal contact with at least one heat producing region of the ultrasound probe.

Ultrasound imaging system and method for temperature management

A system and method for soft-field tomography data acquisition are provided. One system includes a plurality of transducers that correspond to a plurality of channels, and an excitation driver coupled to generate excitation signals for the plurality of transducers. The system also includes a single reference excitation source from which excitations are generated and one or more derived excitation sources. The one or more derived excitation sources derive excitations from the single reference excitation source that are applied to each of the plurality of channels. The system further includes a response detector and a reduced bit digitizer in each of the plurality of channels configured to digitize a measured response difference between the measured response at one or more of the transducers and at least one of an excitation of the single reference excitation source or an excitation derived from the single reference excitation source or a separate reference.

System and method for soft-field tomography data acquisition

A transmission circuit for use with an ultrasonic probe including an ultrasonic transducer is provided. The transmission circuit includes a high voltage current DAC configured to output a drive current of an ultrasonic transducer to transmit and receive ultrasound, and a waveform generator configured to output a control signal from the high voltage current DAC to the high voltage current DAC with a predetermined timing. The control signal configured to output the drive current with a desired magnitude.

Transmission circuit, ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic image display apparatus

Predictive Analog-to-Digital Converter system in one embodiment includes a sampling section producing a sampled analog input signal with a first summer section combining the sampled analog input signal and an analog prediction signal to produce an analog prediction error signal. There is at least one error analog-to-digital convertor digitizing the analog prediction error signal, wherein a digital error signal output from the error analog-to-digital convertor is one of a full bitwidth error signal during an over-range condition else a lower bitwidth error signal. A second summer is coupled to the digital error signal output and a digital prediction signal, and generates a full bitwidth digital output signal. A feedback section is coupled to the digital output signal and providing the digital prediction signal and the analog prediction signal.

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Clifton Park, NY, United States of America

Krishnakumar Sundaresan