• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.264-269
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• 2011

To increase therapeutic efficiency and biological safety, it is important to precision control of acoustic output for therapeutic ultrasound equipment. In this paper, the electro-acoustic radiation conductance, one of electroacoustic characteristics of therapeutic ultrasound equipment, was measured by the radiation force balance method according to IEC 61161 standards and the acoustic output was estimated using the electro-acoustic radiation conductance. The estimation of acoustic output was conducted to continuous wave mode and pulse wave mode of duty cycle between 20% and 80%. The differences between prediction values and measurement results are within 5% of measurement uncertainty, which is a reasonably good agreement. The results show that acoustic output controlled by electro-acoustic radiation conductance was found to be an effective method.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.745-753
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• 2002

It is required to evaluate nondestructively the crack depth of surface-breaking cracks for the assurance of safety of structure. Optical generation of ultrasound produces well defined pulses with a repeatable frequency content, that are free of any mechanical resonances; they are broad band and are ideal for the measurement of attenuation and scattering over a wide frequency range. Self-calibrating surface signal transmission measurement is very sensitive and practical tool for surface-breaking crack depth. In this paper, the self-calibrating technique by laser-based ultrasound is used to evaluate the depth of surface-breaking crack of material. It is suggested that the relationship between the signal transmission and crack depth can be used as a practical model for predicting the surface-breaking crack depths from the signal transmission measured in structure.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.218-223
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• 2007

The dissipation of high-power ultrasonic energy at the faces of the defect causes an increase in temperature. It is resulted from localized selective heating in the vicinity of cracks because of the friction effect. In this paper the measurement of size and direction of crack using UET(Ultrasound Excitation Thermography) is described. The ultrasonic pulse energy is injected into the sample in one side. The hot spot, which is a small area around the crack tip and heated up highly, is observed. The hot spot, which is estimated as the starting point of the crack, is seen in the nearest position from the ultrasonic excitation point. Another ultrasonic pulse energy is injected into the sample in the opposite side. The hot spot, the ending point of the crack, is seen in the closest distance from the injection point also. From the calculation of the coordinates of both the first hot spot and the second hot spot observed, the size and slope of the crack is estimated. In the experiment of STS fatigue crack specimen(thickness 14mm), the size and the direction of the crack was measured.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.60-66
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• 2019

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a single most arthritic disease. Knee joint space width (JSW) is commonly used for grading severity of knee OA. However, previous studies did not established criterion validity and test-retest reliability of ultrasound (US) image for measuring JSW. Objects: The aim of this study was to establish criterion validity and test-retest reliability of US measurement of medial and lateral knee JSW. Methods: Twenty-nine subjects with knee OA were participated. The US and X-ray were used to measure knee JSW. One sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to confirm the data normal distribution. Pearson correlation coefficient and ICC were used to calculated and establish criterion validity and test-retest reliability, respectively. Results: US measurement of medial and lateral knee JSW was highly correlated with radiographic imaging measure (r=.714 and .704, respectively). Test-retest reliabilities of medial and lateral knee JSW were excellent correlated (ICC=.959 for medial side and .988 for lateral side, respectively). Conclusion: US may be valid tool to measure knee JSW.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.329-337
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• 2019

Purpose: Ultrasound imaging is commonly used to measure the pennation angle of human skeletal muscles in vivo. However, manual assessment of the pennation angle using ultrasound images is subjective and time-consuming and requires a high level of examiner skill. The architectural analysis of human skeletal muscles is thus challenging. Automated approaches using image processing techniques are therefore required to estimate the pennation angle in ultrasound images. The purpose of this study was thus to assess the intra-tester and inter-tester reliability and validity of the pennation angle using an automatic measurement program. Methods: Twenty-two healthy young adults (mean age = 22.55 years) with no medical history of neurological or musculoskeletal disorders voluntarily participated in this study. Ultrasound imaging was used to measure the pennation angle of the gastrocnemius muscle at rest. One examiner acquired images from all the participants. The intra-tester and inter-tester reliability were evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) to estimate reliability. Validity was measured using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: The intra-rater reliability was excellent for the automatic pennation angle measuring program and the manual pennation angle assessment method (ICC>0.95). The inter-rater reliability was also excellent for both methods (ICC>0.93). All the correlation coefficients for the automatic pennation angle measuring program and the manual pennation angle assessment method were 0.79, which indicated a significantly positive correlation (p<0.05). Conclusion: Pennation angle measurement using the automatic pennation angle measuring program showed acceptable reliability and validity. This study therefore demonstrated that the automatic measuring program was able to automatically measure the pennation angle of skeletal muscles using ultrasound images, and thus made it easy to investigate skeletal muscle architecture.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2011

Purpose : The purpose of study was to better understand the effects of Interferential Current (IFC) and Ultrasound on the ROM and pain in patients with chronic back muscle pain. Methods : Twenty patients with chronic back pain were randomly assigned to IFC stimulation groups and Ultrasound stimulation groups. Both groups used the same method for 20 minutes each session, three times a week for 4 weeks at the same time point and with the same amount of treatment. Measurement items are visual analogue scale (VAS) and range of motion (ROM). Results : This study showed that the IFC stimulation group and the ultrasound stimulation group demonstrated significant improvement in ROM increase and pain reduction. Both groups showed a significant reduction in VAS; however, the ultrasound stimulation group decreased more than ultrasound stimulation group. And, both groups showed a significant increase in ROM. The ultrasound stimulation group increased significantly more than the IFC stimulation group in ROM of flexion and extension. The IFC stimulation group increased significantly more than the ultrasound stimulation group in ROM of lateral flexion. Conclusion : Pain relief was more effective in the ultrasound group. The ultrasound showed a more significant effect than IFC in ROM of flexion and extension. The IFC showed a more significant effect than ultrasound in ROM lateral flexion. The results of this study suggest that the treatment effects are different on patients with chronic back pain, according to treatment methods.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.44-50
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• 2007

This study investigated the effect of ultrasound irradiation on the blend of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT). The blends of PLA/PBAT(50/50) (PBAT50) were prepared in a melt mixer with an ultrasonic device attached. Thermal, rheological, and mechanical properties, morphology, and biodegradability of the sonicated blends were analysed. The viscosity of the sonicated blends was increased by the ultrasound irradiation owing to the strong interaction. The morphology of the sonicated blends was significantly dependent on the duration o the ultrasound irradiation. For PBAT50, the phase size reduction was maximized when the blends were ultrasonically irradiated for 30 sec. At longer duration of ultrasound irradiation, the PBAT phase underwent flocculation. Measurement of the tensile properties showed an increased breakage tensile stress and an enhanced Young's modulus when the blends were properly irradiated. This improvement was ascribed to better adhesion between the PLA matrix and the PBAT domain and to better dispersion of the PBAT phase. However, the tensile properties were maximized after excessive energy irradiation, which was ascribed to an emulsifying effect leading to coalescence of the PBAT phase. Impact strength was increased to reach a peak with the ultrasound irradiation, and was higher than the untreated sample for all sonicated samples due to the difference of failure mechanism between the tensile test and the impact test.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.37-42
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• 2011

Purpose: The principal objective of this study was to evaluate the power output of ultrasound in Korean clinics and compare the value with Korean and global standards. Methods: A total of 69 units were measured for ultrasound power output. The normal range of power output level was ${\pm}30%$ of the output set according to KFDA standards. Device model, manufacturer, ERA, and BNR were obtained via simple questionnaires. A portable ultrasound power meter was used for output measurement. Results: 37 machines, with reported ERA values, were assessed for power output per unit area. Of these machines, 13 (37.14%) were considered to be compliant with US FDA standards at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, $20W/cm^2$ and 18 (51.43%) were considered within KFDA standards. The remainder of the machines were outside the standard error and evidenced irregular output levels, even though most of them were the same model. Conclusion: Appropriate ultrasound intensity is incredibly important for safety and effective use. Therefore, the KFDA standards regarding ultrasound may require revision in light of global standards, including BNR and ERA additionally, attention should be paid to regular calibration for safe use in clinical practice.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.584-590
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• 2021

This paper proposes a removal method of signal interference between ultrasound sensors where ghost signals due to interference are excluded and correct signal is recognized in distance mensurement using ultrasound sensors. The proposed method detects and excludes ghost signals when previous measured distance is compared to current measured distance and the distance difference exceeds a threshold. The threshold is fixed in conventional methods, so ghost signals cannot be correctly excluded when ultrasound sensor or target object move rapidly. On the contrary, to improve accuracy, the threshold is not fixed in the proposed method, and the threshold is adpatively determined based on the relative velocity when ultrasound sensor or target object move. Experiments of distance measurement with ultrasound signal interference are carried out where multiple ultrasound sensors of same type are exploited with maximum interference, and the results show that the proposed method efficiently exclude ghost signals.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1994 no.12
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• pp.153-156
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• 1994

An in vitro steady flow experiment was performed in order to test the accuracy of velocity measurement obtained through a pulsed Doppler echocardiography. A flow phantom was designed for the use in a wide velocity range at a given flow rate. The results showed that the pulsed Doppler velocity measurement obtained in this flow phantom is accurate at low flow rates. However, ultrasound velocity measurement should be performed under a careful considerations of PRF and Doppler gain settings, especially at higher flow rates.