Fully Configurable Real-Time Ultrasound Platform for Medical Imaging Research

The aim of this paper is to present a new ultrasound platform for medical imaging research, in which all the image formation, capture and emission parameters are user-defined. The requirement to be fully configurable was necessary to enable the evaluation of new signal processing and beamforming algorithms developed by researchers. Since it is a new equipment, different subsystems (synchronism, human–machine interface, platform configuration, image formation, hardware and mechanics) were designed and developed. The degree of flexibility required resulted in a large amount of configuration parameters to be described by the user. The JSON file format provided a well-structured and clear way to describe the different parameters. The hardware design is multi-board. The various functions of the platform are performed by the Synchronism, Multiplex, Tx and Rx boards, mounted in a rack that communicates with a PC. The transmitted beam and the receiver beamforming are generated and implemented in programmable hardware, using FPGAs. Some design techniques reduced the cost and development time, like the use of FPGAs in commercial modules. The RF signal is processed in a GPU using four pipelines that run sequentially to produce the images. First results using different configurations has proven the efficiency of the solution.