Real time signal processing and data handling with dedicated hardware in handheld OCT device

Abstract

The manuscript presents the topics on real time signal processing with dedicated hardware presented at the INFIERI Summer School 2014. The focus of this work is on real-time signal processing, filtering and massive parallel computing. In general, medical devices have stringed demands on energy consumption as well as on data processing and handling. In fact, the development of novel medical devices has led to significant advances in fields such as instrumentation, algorithm development and image processing. In this manuscript, two aspects of the design are brought into consideration: the transformation of a conventional signal processing algorithm into an equivalent version that is suitable for hardware implementation and the use of on-chip modules originally developed for mass-electronics applications, for high speed data transmission. The development of a novel state-of-the-art hand-held OCT probe is used to exemplify theses aspects. In particular, the ``design process'' behind the implementation of a multichannel quadrature coherent demodulator is disclosed.