ASIC Design House Focuses
on 3-D Ultrasound Equipment
An ASIC design house in Graz, Austria, specializing in the design of mixed analogue/digital integrated circuits, recently developed a chip that will produce remarkably sharper 3-D ultrasound images than were previously achievable. CISS Consulting GmbH designed the chip for the Combison 530, manufactured by Kretztechnik AG (Zipf, Austria), which will market the device beginning in April.
"With typical ultrasound equipment," says CISS general manager Klaus Joestl, "the beam is focused depending on the time delay of the signal. If the echo bounces back very quickly, you set a tight focus; if it takes longer to come back, you use a wide focus." The focusing, adds Joestl, is performed in rather coarse 1- or 1/2-in. steps. "Kretztechnik developed an algorithm that permits continuous focusing of the beam. They came to CISS and asked if we could come up with a chip that would perform this function," says Joestl.
The chip that CISS developed succeeded in reducing the focusing steps to approximately 0.005-mm increments. "That," explains Joestl, "is virtually continuous motion." The resulting 3-D ultrasound system produces images of unparalleled clarity, claims Joestl, and will allow the performance of prenatal diagnostic procedures that were previously impossible.
Beyond image enhancement, the use of an integrated circuit rather than a discrete PCB enabled the manufacturer to reduce the size of the scanner and eliminate the need for a dedicated power source. "The amount of energy needed to run the machine was reduced," explains Joestl. "Now, you can simply plug it into a wall outlet. And the unit is compact enough to be wheeled right to the patient's bed."
CISS has worked on a number of medical technology projects in the five years that the company has been in existence. "Our focus is on analogue electronics, analogue and digital filters, and analogue-to-digital converters combined on a single chip," says Joestl. While development costs for this type of technology can be quite high, he adds, the per-piece costs are very competitive.
For more information about the company's capabilities, contact marketing manager Ronald Tingl, CISS Consulting GmbH, Grottenhofstr. 3, A-8053 Graz, Austria; phone: +43 316 2650; fax: +43 316 278586.
