• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.210-222
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• 2017

Purpose: To develop a novel combination of controlled aliasing in parallel imaging results in higher acceleration (CAIPIRINHA) with integrated SSFP (CAIPI-iSSFP) for accelerated SSFP imaging without banding artifacts at 3T. Materials and Methods: CAIPI-iSSFP was developed by adding a dephasing gradient to the balanced SSFP (bSSFP) pulse sequence with a gradient area that results in $2{\pi}$ dephasing across a single pixel. Extended phase graph (EPG) simulations were performed to show the signal behaviors of iSSFP, bSSFP, and RF-spoiled gradient echo (SPGR) sequences. In vivo experiments were performed for brain and abdominal imaging at 3T with simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) acceleration factors of 2, 3 and 4 with CAIPI-iSSFP and CAIPI-bSSFP. The image quality was evaluated by measuring the relative contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and by qualitatively assessing banding artifact removal in the brain. Results: Banding artifacts were removed using CAIPI-iSSFP compared to CAIPI-bSSFP up to an SMS factor of 4 and 3 on brain and liver imaging, respectively. The relative CNRs between gray and white matter were on average 18% lower in CAIPI-iSSFP compared to that of CAIPI-bSSFP. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that CAIPI-iSSFP provides up to a factor of four acceleration, while minimizing the banding artifacts with up to a 20% decrease in the relative CNR.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.55-60
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• 2011

In this paper, we propose a new method for extracting muscles from lumbar images. The proposed method sets areas without distortions with field expert's assistance as areas of measuring interest and removing noises from initial ultrasonic videos. Then, the method emphasizes the brightness contrast with Ends-in search stretching algorithm and separate thoracic vertebra from subcutaneous fat area using morphological characteristics. 4-directions contour tracing algorithm is applied to extract the bottom of subcutaneous fat area. Extracting thoracic vertebra area requires noise removal and morphological characteristics as well among candidate areas obtained by controlling min-max brightness. The thickness of muscles is then defined as the length between subcutaneous fat area and extracted thoracic vertebra. The experiment which consists of 368 image analysis verifies that the proposed method is more effective in measuring the thickness of muscles than before.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SP
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.599-607
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• 2001

In Conventional BMA, the motion vector can describe only translational movement and blocking noise is generated. To overcome this defect, motion estimation using triangular mesh has been proposed. The regular mesh is the method of dividing the image area into equal size triangle and haying the same node connection. It has no additional information about mesh structure, but do not reflect the real motion because it represents the regions by equal mesh structure regardless of the amount of motion. In this paper, motion estimation using dynamic regular mesh is proposed, In this method, the mesh structure is varied from the amount of motion and maintain the form of regular mesh. By the simulation, proposed method have better performance in PSNR and is superior to the other method in convergence rate.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SC
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.45-53
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• 2001

We have proposed a new driving method of AC PDP for both high resolution over HDTV and high luminance. The new driving method can reduce data and scan pulse width to 0.85${\mu}s$ by utilizing both rising and falling edges of sustain pulse and can provide high resolution AC PDP with high luminance by increasing the number of addressing discharge using sustain pulses with phase shifts. As a result, the proposed driving scheme makes it possible to drive 2080 horizontal resolution panel with high luminance. The experimental results using 4-inch color AC PDP with $30{\times}58$ pixels indicate that the luminance can achieved up to 850 $cd/m^2$ without image noise when we employ the four phase shifted sustain pulses with the amplitude of 140V and the frequency of 125KHz.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.53 no.10
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• pp.116-122
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• 2016

This paper proposes a practical object shape reconstruction method using an underwater imaging sonar. In order to reconstruct the object shape, three methods are utilized. Firstly, the vertical field of view of imaging sonar is modified to narrow angle to reduce an uncertainty of estimated 3D position. The wide vertical field of view makes the incorrect estimation result about the 3D position of the underwater object. Secondly, simple noise filtering and range detection methods are designed to extract a distance from the sonar image. Lastly, a low pass filter is adopted to estimate a probability of voxel occupancy. To demonstrate the proposed methods, object shape reconstruction for three sample objects was performed in a basin and results are explained.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.657-666
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• 2020

A rotational pulse-echo ultrasonic propagation imager that can inspect cylindrical specimens for material nondestructive evaluations is proposed herein. In this system, a laser-generated ultrasonic bulk wave is used for inspection, which enables a clear visualization of subsurface defects with a precise reproduction of the damage shape and size. The ultrasonic waves are generated by a Q-switched laser that impinges on the outer surface of the specimen walls. The generated waves travel through the walls and their echo is detected by a Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) at the same point. To obtain the optimal Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of the measured signal, the LDV requires the sensed surface to be at a right angle to the laser beam and at a predefined constant standoff distance from the laser head. For flat specimens, these constraints can be easily satisfied by performing a raster scan using a dual-axis linear stage. However, this arrangement cannot be used for cylindrical specimens owing to their curved nature. To inspect the cylindrical specimens, a circular scan technology is newly proposed for pulse-echo laser ultrasound. A rotational stage is coupled with a single-axis linear stage to inspect the desired area of the specimen. This system arrangement ensures that the standoff distance and beam incidence angle are maintained while the cylindrical specimen is being inspected. This enables the inspection of a curved specimen while maintaining the optimal SNR. The measurement result is displayed in parallel with the on-going inspection. The inspection data used in scanning are mapped from rotational coordinates to linear coordinates for visualization and post-processing of results. A graphical user interface software is implemented in C++ using a QT framework and controls all the individual blocks of the system and implements the necessary image processing, scan calculations, data acquisition, signal processing and result visualization.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.7 no.11
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• pp.1521-1530
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• 2004

In this paper, we present effective quantization noise reduction algorithm using signal adaptive filter and linear combination between blocks in multimedia system. In the proposed method, all of the blocks are classified into low frequency blocks, high frequency blocks, and midrange blocks according to DCT coefficients. Ringing artifacts are shown in high frequency blocks. So ringing artifact reduction algorithm is performed in high frequency blocks using a signal adaptive filter. And the blocking artifact reduction is performed by replacing the pixel value of blocky blocks using linear combination between blocky block and remote unblocky block. The simulation results shows better performance in respective of the subjective and objective image quality than the conventional method.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.684-690
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• 2010

Digitalized Image Information is variously used like to substitute or help human's visual ability. Unmanned observation Camera is useful for the preventing disaster, risk factor and object observation but it is mostly to depend on awareness for human's vision. The purpose of this paper is to show that Unmanned Aerial Camera carries out object recognition and autonomous position tracking. when the informations about a specific object are given. For this purpose, we have to solve complicated problems like change according to object movement and variation of color and brightness information with refraction, interference and scattering of light and noise from environmental factors like weather. But, as the first step we limit the scope of this study with simplified environment in this paper. Our goal is the study and experience about object recognition and tracking via simplified environment with unmanned aerial camera. We obtained successful results of this study and experiment.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2007.10a
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• pp.901-904
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• 2007

Nowadays, in many fields of medical treatment, we can make an observation and a diagnosis of inward disease without using a surgical operation. As one of them, ultra-sound diagnosis system can be available widely in its cost and size compared with other medical instruments. This system also make it possible for us to see the inner parts of the body in real time harmlessly for a long time. So it can be utilized to inspect the movement of heart or fetus and to diagnose an internal disease of the soft tissues. Ultra-sound images can be generated by the reflexive and scattered wave through the pulse generator and so in ultrasound images there exist inherently many affective noised signals. In this paper, we are to take an noise-restrained image and to extract a more affective regions of the images.

• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.32-39
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• 2009

In this paper, the method of region segmentation using genetic algorithm is proposed for an improvement of efficiency in moving picture coding. A genetic algorithm is the method that searches a large probing space using only a function value for a optimal combination consecutively. By progressing both motion presumption and region segmentation at once, we can assign the motion vector in a image to a small block or a pixel respectively, and transform the capacity of coding and a signal to noise rate into a problem of optimization. That is to say, there is close correlation between region segmentation and motion presumption in motion-compensated prediction coding. This is to optimize the capacity of coding and a S/N ratio. This is to arrange the motion vector in each block of picture according to the state of optimization. Therefore, we examined both the data type of genetic algorithm and the method of data processing to obtain the results of optimal region segmentation in this paper. And we confirmed the validity of a proposed method using the test pictures by means of computer simulation.