Anisotropic diffusion filter for robust timing of ultrasound echoes

Accurate and robust timing of ultrasound echoes is important in many applications but is difficult to achieve when dissipative solids are tested. In this case, the ultrasound waveforms are subject to distortions that can lead to substantial errors when standard timing techniques are used. In this paper, we propose a new timing method that uses anisotropic diffusion to robustify the timing of ultrasound transmission and echo signals. The advantage of the proposed method in providing consistent timing results despite waveform distortions is demonstrated experimentally.