Texsas Instruments Introduces Analog Front End for Portable Ultrasound Systems

Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) has introduced an integrated analog front end (AFE) for portable ultrasound equipment. The second device in TI’s AFE58xx family for the medical ultrasound market, the AFE5804 is specifically designed for ultrasound systems that require low power and small size. The eight-channel AFE consumes more than 30 percent less power than the closest competitive device, which will help proliferate portable systems with longer battery life and better image quality. Featuring 102 mW/channel at 1.25 nV/rtHz at 40 MSPS, the integrated AFE5804 offers power performance while maintaining superior image quality in portable equipment. The eight-channel device contains a low-noise amplifier (LNA), a voltage controlled attenuator (VCA), a programmable gain amplifier (PGA), a low-pass filter (LPF) and a 12-bit, 10 MSPS to 50 MSPS analog-to-digital converter (ADC) with LVDS data outputs.



The gains of the LNA, VCA and PGA fine-tune the image quality being received for processing, thus enhancing the user experience. The LNA is set for 20 dB gain and has excellent noise and signal handling capabilities, including a 280 mVpp input range and fast overload recovery. The gain of the VCA can be varied over a 46 dB range with a 0-V to 1.2-V control voltage common to all channels of the AFE5804. The PGA can be programmed for gains of 20 dB, 25 dB, 27 dB and 30 dB. The LVDS outputs of the ADC reduce the number of interface lines to the ASIC or FPGA, thereby enabling the high systems integration densities desired for portable systems.