6 Summary

This application note examined the benefits and limitations of using TI’s high voltage multiplexers to improve the portability of ultrasound scanners. When the ultrasound design image quality targets allow for reducing max transmit aperture or image frame rate, multiplexers enable the designer to reduce power consumption, design size, and total system cost for the design. As many portable ultrasound devices can take advantage of this reduced transmit aperture for the image quality targets, utilizing ultrasound multiplexers is a great method to reduce system power consumption, design size, and cost and to increase end product portability and affordability.

As compact and power efficient ultrasound designs continue develop with the help of TI’s HV multiplexer devices, this imaging technology can be made more widely available. In time, hand-held ultrasound scanners which enable non-invasive diagnostic techniques can be accessible to every doctor much like the stethoscope. Other applications of ultrasound imaging technology in fields such as non-destructive testing (used to identify flaws, inconsistencies, or defects in materials, components or structures) can benefit from power and size benefits of TI’s HV multiplexer devices as well.