1. A device, comprising:
a transmitter configured to generate an excitation signal for a first node of a transducer during a transmitting phase, a second node of said transducer being coupled to a biasing voltage terminal;
a receiver including a charge amplifier having an input terminal and biased as a function of an amplifier biasing voltage; and
switching circuitry coupled to the amplifier biasing voltage and configured to:
generate a pre-charge biasing voltage based on the amplifier biasing voltage during a pre-charge phase;
couple the receiver to said first node during a receiving phase; and
decouple the receiver from said first node during the transmitting phase.
2. The device of claim 1, comprising:
decoupling circuitry coupled between an output terminal of said transmitter and said first node and configured to decouple the transmitter from said first node during the receiving phase; and
transmitter biasing circuitry coupled to said output terminal and configured to set a voltage of said output terminal to a reference voltage value during said receiving phase.
3. The device of claim 2 wherein said decoupling circuitry comprises a pair of diodes in antiparallel configuration, connected between said output terminal and said first node and biased during said receiving phase.
4. The device of claim 2 wherein said transmitter biasing circuitry comprises a switch and a high-impedance element, connected in series between said output terminal and a line set at said reference voltage, said switch being configured to open during said transmitting phase and to close during said receiving phase.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein said switching circuitry comprises an intermediate node and is configured to charge the intermediate node to the pre-charge biasing voltage during the pre-charge phase and to couple the amplifier input terminal to the intermediate node during the receiving phase.
6. The device of claim 5 wherein said switching circuitry comprises:
a first switch configured to selectively coupled the first node to the intermediate node;
a second switch configured to selectively couple the intermediate node to the input terminal of the charge amplifier;
a biasing-voltage generator coupled to the intermediate node and configured to generate the pre-charge biasing voltage based on said amplifier biasing voltage; and
a third switch coupled between a reference voltage terminal and the biasing-voltage generator and configured to selectively activate the biasing-voltage generator during the pre-charge phase.
7. The device of claim 6 wherein,
the receiver comprises a biasing-current generator coupled to the biasing voltage and configured to supply a biasing current, wherein the charge amplifier is configured to generate an operating voltage on the input terminal based on the biasing current; and
the biasing-voltage generator comprises: a pre-charge-current generator, which is coupled to the biasing generator and configured to supply a pre-charge current, wherein the biasing-voltage generator is configured to provide the pre-charge biasing voltage on the intermediate node based on the pre-charge current, said pre-charge biasing voltage having a pre-set relation with said operating voltage.
8. The device of claim 7 wherein,
said charge amplifier includes a first transistor coupled to the biasing-current generator to receive the biasing current and having a control terminal coupled to the input terminal, and a first aspect ratio; and
said biasing-voltage generator comprises a fourth switch coupled between the intermediate node and the pre-charge-current generator, and a second transistor, coupled to the pre-charge-current generator to receive the pre-charge current, which is mirrored with respect to the biasing current via a mirror ratio, the second transistor having a control terminal coupled to the intermediate node and a second aspect ratio, wherein the second aspect ratio is a multiple of the first aspect ratio, the multiple being a function of the mirror ratio.
9. The device of claim 1 wherein the charge amplifier includes a feedback capacitor coupled between an output terminal of the charge amplifier and the input terminal of the charge amplifier.
10. The device of claim 1 wherein the transmitter operates at a first voltage and the receiver operates at a second voltage, lower than the first voltage, and the switching circuitry is configured to protect the receiver stage from the first voltage in the transmitter stage.
11. The device of claim 1 wherein the biasing voltage terminal is configured to receive a voltage from an external source.
12. The device of claim 2 wherein said switching circuitry comprises an intermediate node and is configured to charge the intermediate node to the pre-charge biasing voltage during the pre-charge phase and to couple the amplifier input terminal to the intermediate node during the receiving phase.
13. A system, comprising:
an ultrasonic probe including a plurality of transducers arranged in an array and a corresponding plurality of transceiver circuits, each transceiver circuit having:
a transmitter configured to generate an excitation signal for a first node of a transducer during a transmitting phase, a second node of said transducer being coupled to a biasing voltage terminal;
a receiver including a charge amplifier having an input terminal and biased as a function of an amplifier biasing voltage; and
switching circuitry coupled to the amplifier biasing voltage and configured to:
generate a pre-charge biasing voltage based on the amplifier biasing voltage during a pre-charge phase;
couple the receiver to said first node during a receiving phase; and
decouple the receiver from said first node during the transmitting phase; and
a controller configured to the timing of the receiving and transmitting phases of each of said transceiver circuits.
14. The system of claim 13 wherein each transceiver circuit comprises:
decoupling circuitry coupled between an output terminal of the transmitter and the first node and configured to decouple the transmitter from the first node during the receiving phase of the respective transceiver; and
transmitter biasing circuitry coupled to the output terminal and configured to set a voltage of the output terminal to a reference voltage value during the receiving phase of the respective transceiver.
15. The system of claim 13 configured to perform at least one of ultrasonography and ultrasonic tomography.
16. A method, comprising:
transmitting an excitation signal of a transmitter to a first node of a transducer during a transmitting phase, a second node of said transducer being coupled to a biasing voltage terminal;
biasing a charge amplifier of a receiver as a function of an amplifier biasing voltage, the charge amplifier having an input terminal;
generating a pre-charge biasing voltage based on the amplifier biasing voltage during a pre-charge phase;
coupling the receiver to said first node during a receiving phase; and
decoupling the receiver from said first node during the transmitting phase.
17. The method of claim 16, comprising:
decoupling an output of the transmitter from said first node during the receiving phase; and
clamping a voltage of said output terminal to a reference voltage value during said receiving phase.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein said clamping comprises controlling a switch coupling said output terminal to a reference voltage line through a high-impedance element.
19. The method of claim 16, comprising charging an intermediate node to the pre-charge biasing voltage during the pre-charge phase and coupling the amplifier input terminal to the intermediate node during the receiving phase.
20. The method of claim 18, comprising charging an intermediate node to the pre-charge biasing voltage during the pre-charge phase and coupling the amplifier input terminal to the intermediate node during the receiving phase.
21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having contents which configured a transducer system to perform a method, the method comprising:
transmitting an excitation signal of a transmitter to a first node of a transducer of the transducer system during a transmitting phase, a second node of said transducer being coupled to a biasing voltage terminal;
biasing a charge amplifier of a receiver as a function of an amplifier biasing voltage;
generating a pre-charge biasing voltage based on the amplifier biasing voltage during a pre-charge phase;
coupling the receiver to said first node during a receiving phase; and
decoupling the receiver from said first node during the transmitting phase.
22. The medium of claim 21 wherein the method comprises:
decoupling an output of the transmitter from said first node during the receiving phase; and
clamping a voltage of said output terminal to a reference voltage value during said receiving phase.
23. The medium of claim 21 wherein the method comprises charging an intermediate node to the pre-charge biasing voltage during the pre-charge phase and coupling an input terminal of the amplifier to the intermediate node during the receiving phase.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A battery cell interconnect and voltage sensing assembly, comprising:
a frame member having a first side and a second side, the frame member further having a generally rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall having first, second, third and fourth wall portions, the first and second wall portions being substantially parallel to one another and being spaced apart from one another, the third and fourth wall portions being substantially parallel to one another and being spaced apart from one another;
the frame member further having a central plate portion coupled between the first and second wall portions, the central plate portion defining a first space between the central plate portion and the third wall portion, the central plate portion further defining a second space between the central plate portion and the fourth wall portion;
the frame member further having a first support member disposed between the third wall portion and the central plate portion such that first and second gaps are formed adjacent to opposite edges of the first support member;
a first electrical interconnect member coupled to the first support member on the first side of the frame member, the first electrical interconnect member being configured to be electrically coupled to a first electrical terminal of a first battery cell extending through the first gap, the first electrical interconnect member having a first voltage sensing tab that extends through a first aperture in the central plate portion; a circuit board disposed proximate to the second side of the frame member on at least one coupling tab extending from the central plate portion, the circuit board having first and second sides, the first side of the circuit board being disposed proximate to the central plate portion and the second side of the circuit board being disposed opposite to the first side of the circuit board; and
an electrical connector disposed on the circuit board and extending through a second aperture of the central plate portion, the circuit board having a first electrical trace coupled between the first voltage sensing tab and the electrical connector; and
an encapsulation portion that is bonded to and covers the second side of the circuit board.
2. The battery cell interconnect and voltage sensing assembly of claim 1, wherein the encapsulation portion further bonds to and covers the first side of the circuit board disposed proximate to the central plate portion.
3. The battery cell interconnect and voltage sensing assembly of claim 1, wherein the frame member further includes a second support member disposed between the fourth wall portion and the central plate portion such that third and fourth gaps are formed adjacent to opposite edges of the second support member.
4. The battery cell interconnect and voltage sensing assembly of claim 3, further comprising a second electrical interconnect member coupled to the second support member on the first side of the frame member, the second electrical interconnect member being configured to be electrically coupled to a second electrical terminal of the first battery cell extending through the third gap, the second electrical interconnect member being further configured to be electrically coupled to a third electrical terminal of a second battery cell extending through the fourth gap, such that the first and second electrical interconnect members electrically couple the first battery cell to the second battery cell, the second electrical interconnect member having a second voltage sensing tab that extends through a third aperture in the central plate portion.
5. The battery cell interconnect and voltage sensing assembly of claim 4, wherein the circuit board includes a second electrical trace coupled between the second voltage sensing tab and the electrical connector.
6. The battery cell interconnect and voltage sensing assembly of claim 3, wherein the first support member includes at least one attachment tab that extends through an aperture in the first electrical interconnect member.
7. The battery cell interconnect and voltage sensing assembly of claim 6, wherein the second support member includes at least one attachment tab that extends through an aperture in the second electrical interconnect member.
8. The battery cell interconnect and voltage sensing assembly of claim 1, wherein the encapsulation portion is constructed of thermoplastic polyamide.
9. A method for manufacturing a battery cell interconnect and voltage sensing assembly, comprising:
providing a frame member having a first side and a second side, the frame member further having a generally rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall having first, second, third and fourth wall portions, the first and second wall portions being substantially parallel to one another and being spaced apart from one another, the third and fourth wall portions being substantially parallel to one another and being spaced apart from one another; the frame member further having a central plate portion coupled between the first and second wall portions, the central plate portion defining a first space between the central plate portion and the third wall portion, the central plate portion further defining a second space between the central plate portion and the fourth wall portion; the frame member further having a first support member disposed between the third wall portion and the central plate portion such that first and second gaps are formed adjacent to opposite edges of the first support member;
disposing a circuit board proximate to the second side of the frame member on at least one coupling tab extending from the central plate portion, the circuit board having first and second sides, the first side of the circuit board being disposed proximate to the central plate portion and the second side of the circuit board being disposed opposite to the first side of the circuit board, an electrical connector being disposed on the circuit board that extends through a second aperture of the central plate portion, the circuit board having a first electrical trace;
coupling a first electrical interconnect member to the first support member on the first side of the frame member, the first electrical interconnect member having a first voltage sensing tab that extends through a first aperture in the central plate portion;
soldering the first voltage sensing tab to the first electrical trace on the circuit board, the first electrical trace extending between the first voltage sensing tab and the electrical connector; and
applying an encapsulation portion to the second side of the circuit board that bonds to and covers the second side of the circuit board.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the encapsulation portion further covers the first side of the circuit board proximate to the central plate portion.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein the frame member further includes a second support member disposed between the fourth wall portion and the central plate portion such that third and fourth gaps are formed adjacent to opposite edges of the second support member.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising coupling a second electrical interconnect member to the second support member on the first side of the frame member, the second electrical interconnect member having a second voltage sensing tab that extends through a third aperture in the central plate portion.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising soldering the second voltage sensing tab to a second electrical trace on the circuit board, the second electrical trace extending between the second voltage sensing tab and the electrical connector.
14. The method of claim 9, wherein the encapsulation portion is constructed of thermoplastic polyamide.