Hardware Acceleration of Microwave Imaging Algorithms

Microwave Imaging (MWI) is a technique that allows to reconstruct an image of the internal structure of an object by irradiating the object with a known incident field and by acquiring and processing the scattered field. As such, MWI can be used as a diagnostic technique for various medical issues, such as brain stroke or breast cancer. However, the image reconstruction process entails a sequence of compute-intensive algorithms, which we call “kernels.” The kernels execution time might become an issue when the time to diagnosis is a key factor. To speed up the kernels execution, we can use hardware acceleration techniques. In this chapter, we will identify the complex computational kernels that are recurrent in MWI. Then, we present the methodologies to design specific hardware accelerators in Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) for these kernels by means of an efficient design method called High Level Synthesis (HLS) and by several HLS-based hardware optimization techniques. In addition, we will present new methodologies for design automation in HLS-based hardware designs. The results show that the presented HLS optimizations and design automation techniques can significantly improve the efficiency of the hardware accelerator designs for MWI.