REAL-TIME PARALLEL TOMOGRAPHIC ULTRASOUND IMAGING USING TRANSPUTERS

An evaluation is described of the application of a Transputer array in the real-time parallel implementation of the acoustic backprojection algorithm which forms of the basis for tomographic imaging using backscattered ultrasound. The low-cost, real-time processing implementation described is thus potentially applicable to this form of imaging in a variety of fields: nondestructive testing, noninvasive medical diagnosis, and in the imaging of industrial processes, such as complex fluid mixtures in pipes. An overview of the parallel processing method is given with sample results which indicate the viability of real-time processing.