Patent ID: 7611463
Filing Date: 2009-11-03
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for conveying control information in an ultrasound system having a beamformer and separate circuit boards each having processing components, said method comprising: providing a dynamic addressing of the processing components by transmitting a command packet with an initial value to the processing components, the initial value being used to create a unique identifier for the processing component that receives the command packet, the initial value being modified by at least one of the processing components prior to transmitting the command packet to another one of the processing components; formatting control information into at least one packet based on a packetized protocol, said control information directing at least one of the processing components to perform a beamforming operation, the control information including a component identification of the at least one of the processing components; and conveying the control information to the at least one of the processing components based on a comparison of the component identification in the control information and the unique identifiers of the processing components, the control information conveyed by serially communicating the control information among the circuit boards.