Time domain analysis of ultrasonic signals for non-invasive temperature estimation

Abstract

A time delay technique that relates the temperature changes with the time shifts (delays) presented in echoes coming from a simulated and experimental body immersed in a thermal bath is developed and analyzed. Both simulated and experimental signals were obtained from a numeric and experimental phantom respectively. Results of the time domain analysis for two transducer frequencies in a temperature interval ranging from 25°C to 42°C are presented. Performance in the technique is evaluated by calculating the correlation coefficient between the lineal regression and the real values obtained for the temperature estimation. A comparison between simulated and experimental data for two transducer frequencies is presented.