Synthetic focus imaging using partial datasets

Synthetic focus is a method of constructing images from the signals associated with each pair of transmit/receive elements of a two-way transducer array. Using conventional aperture designs, synthetic focus datasets contain significant redundancy. The redundancy is exact in the far field, and is approximate in the near field. By replacing the two-way imaging system with a one-way array of virtual elements, complete subsets of the synthetic focus dataset can be readily identified. These complete subsets contain all the information necessary to construct images. These techniques can also be used to significantly reduce the data acquisition requirements for synthetic focus imaging, leading to the possibility of very high frame rate imaging. Performance using partial datasets is compared with that of full datasets through simulations