Patent ID: 8500645

Claim:
A low power ultrasound imaging device, comprising: a base unit including an image processor and a display; an ultrasound probe operably connected to the base unit, the probe including: a head portion including a crystal transducer array; a plurality of pulser/receiver modules that cause the transducer array to emit a plurality of ultrasonic transmit pulses, the pulser/receiver modules configured to receive analog signals relating to ultrasonic echo receive pulses detected by the transducer array; a single low noise amplifier that amplifies the analog signals; a single analog-to-digital converter that converts the analog signals to a digital signal; a processing unit that controls the pulser/receiver modules and the analog-to-digital converter, the pulser/receiver modules causing the transducer array to fire and re-fire the plurality of transducers at the target object and to receive data by only one transducer of the plurality of transducers sequentially until the target object is scanned; and an interface for enabling the digital signal to be transferred from the ultrasound probe to the image processor of the base unit.