TY - JOUR

T1 - Synthetic Aperture Focusing for a Single Element Transducer undergoing Helix Motion

A1 - Andresen,Henrik

A1 - Nikolov,Svetoslav Ivanov

A1 - Jensen,Jørgen Arendt

AU - Andresen,Henrik

AU - Nikolov,Svetoslav Ivanov

AU - Jensen,Jørgen Arendt

PB - I E E E

PY - 2011

Y1 - 2011

N2 - This paper describes the application of 3D synthetic aperture focusing (SAF) to a single element trans-rectal ultrasound transducer. The transducer samples a 3D volume by simultaneous rotation and translation giving a helix motion. Two different 3D SAF methods are investigated, a direct and a two-step approach. Both methods perform almost identical for simulated scatterers and give a significant improvement in azimuth resolution and a constant resolution in elevation. Sidelobes below -60 dB is achievable for both methods. Validation of the method is achieved by scanning a simple wire phantom and a complex phantom containing wires in azimuth and elevation. The simple wire phantom shows the same results as that found through simulation. The complex phantom shows simultaneous focusing in azimuth and elevation for the wire scatterers. Considerations on processing requirements for both 3D SAF methods show that the two-step approach can give equivalent performance using an order of magnitude lower calculations. This reduction requires a temporary storage of 9.1 GB of data for the investigated setup.

AB - This paper describes the application of 3D synthetic aperture focusing (SAF) to a single element trans-rectal ultrasound transducer. The transducer samples a 3D volume by simultaneous rotation and translation giving a helix motion. Two different 3D SAF methods are investigated, a direct and a two-step approach. Both methods perform almost identical for simulated scatterers and give a significant improvement in azimuth resolution and a constant resolution in elevation. Sidelobes below -60 dB is achievable for both methods. Validation of the method is achieved by scanning a simple wire phantom and a complex phantom containing wires in azimuth and elevation. The simple wire phantom shows the same results as that found through simulation. The complex phantom shows simultaneous focusing in azimuth and elevation for the wire scatterers. Considerations on processing requirements for both 3D SAF methods show that the two-step approach can give equivalent performance using an order of magnitude lower calculations. This reduction requires a temporary storage of 9.1 GB of data for the investigated setup.

KW - Wires

KW - Phantoms

KW - Transducers

KW - Apertures

KW - Array signal processing

KW - Focusing

KW - Azimuth

U2 - 10.1109/TUFFC.2011.1894

DO - 10.1109/TUFFC.2011.1894

JO - I E E E Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control

JF - I E E E Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control

SN - 0885-3010

IS - 5

VL - 58

SP - 935

EP - 943

ER -