Multi-channel pre-beamformed data acquisition system for research on advanced ultrasound imaging methods

Abstract

The lack of open access to the pre-beamformed data of an ultrasound scanner has limited the research of novel imaging methods to a few privileged laboratories. To address this need, we have developed a pre-beamformed data acquisition (DAQ) system that can collect data over 128 array elements in parallel from the Ultrasonix series of research-purpose ultrasound scanners. Our DAQ system comprises three system-level blocks: 1) a connector board that interfaces with the array probe and the scanner through a probe connector port; 2) a main board that triggers DAQ and controls data transfer to a computer; and 3) four receiver boards that are each responsible for acquiring 32 channels of digitized raw data and storing them to the on-board memory. This system can acquire pre-beamformed data with 12-bit resolution when using a 40-MHz sampling rate. It houses a 16 GB RAM buffer that is sufficient to store 128 channels of pre-beamformed data for 8000 to 25 000 transmit firings, depending on imaging depth; corresponding to nearly a 2-s period in typical imaging setups. Following the acquisition, the data can be transferred through a USB 2.0 link to a computer for offline processing and analysis. To evaluate the feasibility of using the DAQ system for advanced imaging research, two proof-of-concept investigations have been conducted on beamforming and plane-wave B-flow imaging. Results show that adaptive beamforming algorithms such as the minimum variance approach can generate sharper images of a wire cross-section whose diameter is equal to the imaging wavelength (150 μm in our example). Also, planewave B-flow imaging can provide more consistent visualization of blood speckle movement given the higher temporal resolution of this imaging approach (2500 fps in our example).

Experimental demonstration of passive acoustic imaging in the human skull cavity using CT‐based aberration corrections

“…In all subsequent measurements with the skull in place, the focal pressure was monitored with the calibrated ceramic transducer. The raw RF data from the receiver array were recorded using a 128-element data acquisition system (SonixDAQ, Ultrasonix, Richmond, BC, Canada) 82 at a sampling rate between 10 and 40 MS s …”

Riding the Plane Wave: Considerations for In Vivo Study Designs Employing High Frame Rate Ultrasound

“…Worth particular mention are the in-house systems built at the Technical University of Denmark [19,23], the University of Florence [21,24], the Langevin Institute in Paris [35], and the Polish Academy of Sciences [36]. A few commercially available research platforms also allow similar HiFRUS implementations, such as Analogic Ultrasound (Peabody, MA, USA) [37], Verasonics (Kirkland, WA, USA) [22], US4US (Warsaw, Poland), and Cephasonics (Santa Clara, CA, USA). Note that most conventional ultrasound scanners cannot be readily reconfigured to implement HiFRUS because their architecture is typically developed through an embedded system design approach that only specializes in performing beamline-based imaging [25]; this is why research scanners have become essential for advances in diagnostic ultrasound.…”

“…While few clinical ultrasound systems have the capability for HiFRUS imaging, certain research systems allow for customization of the transmit firing sequence of every array channel and the acquisition of channel-domain data for customized algorithmic processing [19][20][21][22][23][24][35][36][37]. In general, HiFRUS imaging studies rigorously report the technical specifics of the experimental methods, such as the array pitch, probe frequency, transmit pulse duration, pulse repetition frequency, steering angles, and spherical source positioning.…”

Ultrasound Vector Flow Imaging—Part II: Parallel Systems

“…In recent years, with a series of advances in research purpose ultrasound imaging systems [64], [65], [66], [67] and channeldomain data acquisition technology [68], [69], [70], new implementations of cross-beam Doppler flow vector estimation have been reported. These newer schemes have appeared in the forms of: (i) single-line, multi-gate flow vector estimation [71], [72], and (ii) flow vector mapping over the entire field of view [73], [74], [75].…”