Expert opinion predicts that the rise in elderly population, said to triple by 2050, will spark a healthcare boom in coming years and shift industrial focus to a preventative rather than a reactive practice. Advancements in ultrasound technology, dependent on innovative ultrasound transceivers, proliferate this movement and stand key in the miniaturization of hospital equipment.
Resurging ultrasound transceivers increase portability through miniaturization and improved image quality
Earlier last month on September 25th, Maxim Integrated heralded the release of the MAX2082 octal ultrasound transceiver, a product allowing system designers to reduce form factor and improve image quality and reliably of ultrasound designs. The new architecture removes thousands of integrated components, resulting in 30% less power consumption and 40% less board space used.
Patient monitoring is coming home
Components such as the MAX2082 create new possibilities for a mobile family of ultrasound equipment to replace the traditional 50 pound, $100,000 apparatus with smaller and more affordable alternatives. This permits equipment to make its way out of the hospital rooms, where it’s traditionally housed, and into smaller clinics, doctor’s offices, and even patient homes as preventative and diagnostic tools. Additionally, portable ultrasound increases the accuracy of diagnosis and treatment by helping first responders detect internal bleeding or locate blood vessels.
Nevertheless, solution designers must strive to balance high performance and affordability if they are to accommodate wider customer budgets. Miniaturization alone is insufficient; ultrasound equipment must also provide image clarity for immediate and accurate testing/diagnoses.
Ultrasound transceiver nitty and gritty
MAX2082 is a complete, low-power, 128-channel ultrasound transceiver solution that is ideal for portable systems; the solution incorporates 8 channels of 3-level 200V pulsers and T/R switches, an octal ADC, octal LNA, octal VGA, CW mixers, anti-aliasing filters, and coupling capacitors into a 10 square inch package( hence the 40% size reduction). Compared to traditional designs, the MAX2082 eliminates the need for nine components in the T/R switch for each of the 128 system channels. For enhanced reliability and leanness, MAX2082 combines five individual blocks into a single IC.
The MAX2082 maintains higher image quality and performance despite the decrease in system size, through the use of an ultra-low noise figure (2.8dB at RIN = RS = 200Ω) and a high-dynamic-range receiver (76dBFS SNR at fIN = 5MHz and 2MHz bandwidth).
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