Electronic Testing Device Research Articles

Modern Quality Assurance Requirements for Diagnostic Ultrasound Systems and Transducers

Physicians rely on the accuracy and quality of the clinical data derived from these ultrasound systems to make informed diagnosis. Consequently these systems must be periodically assessed by medical physicists, or other technically trained Hospital staff to insure they are operating according to factory specifications. A quantitative and objective electronic test device for diagnostic ultrasound systems, known as FirstAssist, has been evaluated as a tool that will provide assurance that the ultrasound unit is providing clinically efficacious data. FirstAssist ultrasound probe emulator and Philips iE33 cardiovascular ultrasound system. Probe emulator device is used to input signals into an ultrasound system to determine the functionality and performance of the ultrasound system in B-mode, Doppler and color flow imaging modes. The probe emulator can determine in the clinical setting that the ultrasound system is performing at a level expected. The FirstAssist is an important new tool that provides the physician with objective evidence that the ultrasound system they are using is providing the clinical data they expect from a fully functioning ultrasound system. FirstAssist also showed data that ultrasound systems in the field may not be functioning properly, but the physician was unaware that a problem existed. FirstAssist is a valuable and powerful new quality assurance tool for testing and ensuring the proper performance of ultrasound systems in the clinical setting.

TU-C-202-05: Electronic Ultrasound System Testing Devices

Modern technologically intensive diagnostic ultrasound systems are increasingly being used by physicians as a quantitative tool to diagnose disease processes at early and early stages of development. Physicians rely on the accuracy and quality of the clinical data derived from these ultrasound systems. Consequently these systems must be periodically assessed by medical physicists to insure they are operating according to factory specifications. A quantitative and objective electronic test instrument, FirstAssist, is now commercially available that will allow this operational verification. This lecture and hands-on session will focus on the functional theory of FirstAssist and the operation of the device will be demonstrated on a modern ultrasound system. Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the technology behind modern ultrasound systems 2. Understand the relevant clinical performance data delivered 3. Understand how to objectively test the performance of modern ultrasound systems using a novel and new electronic test device

Techniques for high-frequency integrated test and measurement

This paper describes techniques for the on-chip measurement of high-frequency and/or high-bandwidth electrical phenomena in ultra large-scale integration environments. The techniques rely on the integration of multiple compact and robust electronic test devices, or cores, at various locations within an integrated circuit. The cores consist primarily of signal generators that approximate the output of a sigma-delta modulator using finite repetitious bit patterns and a small set of highly robust analog components. They are capable of digitizing on-chip signals at gigahertz rates even using low-cost manufacturing processes. Simple communication between the multiple cores enables the migration of many "board-level" type measurements down to the chip level.