Real-Time Ultrasound Imaging System for Drone and Robotic Applications

Abstract

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), drone or robotic applications require imaging system for their operation, and CMOS Image Sensors (CIS) are commonly used. While CIS has high resolution and frame rates, it lacks depth sensing, and suffers during nighttime or under foggy conditions. LiDAR or Radar are effective under low-light conditions, but they are relatively costly compared to consumer-grade drones. Ultrasound Imaging System (UIS) works under low-light conditions and has 3D depth sensing capability. Also, UIS is also more cost-effective than LiDAR. However, UIS has a crucial downside: slow response and low frame rate. This paper reviews the methods to mitigate these UIS issues: 1-shot TX, On-Chip Per-Voxel RX Beamforming (PV-RXBF) and Charge-Reuse High-Voltage TX (CR-HV TX), and introduces real-time UIS for metamorphic robots and aerial drone applications.