Minimum transmission events for fast ultrasonic TFM imaging: A comparative study

High-quality images can be achieved via the total focusing method (TFM), an imaging algorithm used in ultrasonic nondestructive testing (NDT), which post-processes data from full matrix captures (FMC). However, real-time TFM is resource-heavy and only feasible with high-end instruments, which limits its wider use in industrial applications. In this work, a sparse array approach was investigated to increase TFM productivity by reducing the number of transmission events. Therefore, a comparison was made between two sparse layouts and plane wave imaging (PWI) in terms of contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and the array performance indicator (API). The aim was to find a trade-off between image quality and the number of firing events required. The comparison showed that the sparse array outperforms PWI when more than 3 firing events are used. Results indicate that the proposed sparse-TFM can in fact increase TFM productivity without compromising the CNR and API levels.

Automated summary

This paper investigates a sparse array approach to increase TFM productivity and compares it with PWI, finding that the sparse array outperforms PWI when more than 3 firing events are used.