Cumulative method of the image reconstruction in synthetic aperture. Experimental results

An analytical model of imaging using synthetic aperture (SA) methods is presented. This model takes into account: fundamental features of an environment, of an electric transmission/reception path and a description of SA structure – possible schemes of transmission, reception and image formation. Then two schemes are analyzed: a proposed cumulative synthetic transmit aperture (CSTA) and for comparison of the standard STA schemes. For both methods identical basic parameters – equal sequences of transmit and receive transducers were applied. The distinctive feature of CSTA is gathering (summing up) echoes of subsequent transmissions in one acquisition matrix sufficient for image reconstruction. In traditionally applied STA methods a separate acquisition matrix for each transmission is created. Therefore there are a dozen to several dozen more matrices and the time of image reconstruction is at least several times longer than in CSTA. The presented experimental results obtained using wire and tissue mimicking phantoms have shown the comparable imaging quality in both methods.