Method and architecture to accelerate multi-element sinthetic aperture imaging

Multi-element synthetic aperture focusing (n-SAF) methods have been proposed as a suitable way to reduce cost and size for complex ultrasonic imaging systems. In this method, the larger the sub-aperture, the better the image contrast. However, when the number n of elements in the sub-aperture increases, some problems arise due to the great number of signals involved in the beamforming process, demanding a more complex electronic architecture, a higher bandwidth to manage the signals, and a greater computational power to compose the images in real time.