<title>UWGSP8: a programmable ultrasound subsystem for native image processing</title>

Abstract

Tremendous computational capabilities are required in modern ultrasound machines. Unique and very high data throughput rates combined with the demanding processing requirement have restricted the designs of such ultrasound machines to algorithm-specific hardware with limited programmability. Specialized electronic boards are dedicated to each of the several subsystems such as gray scale, color flow, and Doppler processing. In many cases, improving the functionality of an ultrasound machine requires hardware redesigns and replacements of boards or of the entire machine. These redesigns and replacements generally require significant expenditures in manpower, time, and cost, thus imposing stringent limits on the types of image processing which can be supported. In an effort to address these problems, we have architected and designed a high-performance programmable ultrasound processing subsystem, the UWGSP8, to fit within an existing ultrasound machine and support native ultrasound image processing. Its flexible design means that it can support a much wider range of ultrasound image processing algorithms than can be realized in any conventional fixed hardware design.