Synchronization of Multiple Vantage Systems
Key Points
Verasonics has developed an elegant solution for phase-accurate synchronization of up to eight (8) Vantage systems for fully parallel acquisition with up to 2048 channels. Synchronization is facilitated by Verasonics’ new Synchronization Module that is connected to each Vantage system using common HDMI cables.
Each system uses its own host controller, and is able to perform image reconstruction in real time with its locally acquired data. One Vantage system is designated the “Primary” and it provides the 250 MHz clock, the triggers, and other synchronization signals to the Synchronization Module. The Module redistributes accurately phase aligned clock and trigger signals to all systems, including the Primary. Acquisition sequences running independently on the controllers are synchronized using a ‘MultiSysSync’ program command tagged to one event in an acquisition loop.
Verasonics’ Multi-System Synchronization Module enables
simple and precise synchronization of 2 to 8 Vantage systems,
supporting up to 2048 channels for large element count arrays.
Phase-Accurate Synchronization of Acquisitions
The synchronization process works by placing all system sequences in a ‘Wait for Trigger” state. When the Primary sequence arrives at the sync point, it enters the wait state and sends a trigger signal to the Synchronization Module. The Module then triggers all systems, including the Primary, and these start their acquisitions to within a fraction of a nanosecond of each other because they all share the same master clock.
Each controller may store its data for post-acquisition reconstruction of the combined coherent data set, or transfer the data to the Primary for immediate processing (at a frame rate that depends on the data transfer speed between computers). The user may configure their local network as needed, based on their application.
A block diagram for a 32×32 array directly connected to four Vantage 256 systems synchronized using the Synchronization Module illustrates how simple the synchronous acquisition setup can be.
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