Fractional Delay Filter Beamformer Post-Filtering Hardware Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional beamforming apparatuses for ultrasonic imaging systems require high hardware complexity, making them unsuitable for portable scanners due to power consumption, manufacturing cost, and size constraints, despite using interpolation filters and phase rotation methods.
Innovation Solution
A beamforming apparatus employing a fractional delay filter with post-filtering techniques to reduce hardware complexity by generating block data based on integer delay values and calculating fractional delay values for combined data, allowing for simultaneous filtering across channels with fewer multipliers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional interpolation filters or IQ phase rotators are used for beamforming, then high quality video image can be generated, but hardware complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple filtering operations into a single post-filtering stage. Channels with identical delay values are grouped together and processed simultaneously through shared fractional delay filters, merging what would otherwise be separate filtering paths into unified processing blocks that reduce overall hardware complexity while maintaining image quality
Solution Approach 2:
The fractional delay filters are designed to be universal components that can serve multiple channels simultaneously. Instead of dedicating separate interpolation filters to each channel, the same filter structure is reused across multiple channels with identical delay requirements, making the filtering hardware multi-functional and reducing the total number of components needed
2Productivity
If multiple multipliers are used in interpolation filters for fine delay control, then data transmission rate increases, but manufacturing cost and device size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the filtering operations for multiple channels into shared post-filtering stages. By grouping channels with identical delay values and processing them through common fractional delay filters, the number of required multipliers is dramatically reduced compared to implementing separate interpolation filters for each channel, thereby lowering manufacturing cost and device size while maintaining high data transmission rate
3Measurement precision
If phase rotation beamformer uses two FIR low pass filters and four real number multipliers per channel, then fine delay control is achieved, but power consumption and device size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines phase rotation and filtering operations into unified post-filtering stages. By processing multiple channels through shared fractional delay filters rather than implementing separate phase rotation circuits for each channel, the total number of active components is reduced, leading to lower power consumption while maintaining fine delay control capability
Solution Approach 2:
The fractional delay filters serve as universal processing elements that replace multiple dedicated components. Each filter structure can handle delay control for multiple channels simultaneously, making the hardware multi-functional and reducing the overall component count that would otherwise contribute to power consumption
Data Source
AI summary
A beamforming apparatus is provided for improving beamforming accuracy by employing fractional delay filters in an interpolation process and reducing hardware complexity by using post-filtering technique. The beamforming apparatus of the present invention includes a post-filtering means implemented with fractional delay filters that combines block data, on the respective channels, supposed to be fractionally delayed and obtains a delay value of fractional part from the combined data. The post-filtering means collects the block data of the channels assigned identical coefficients and performs a filtering process simultaneously.