• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.242-247
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• 2009

The ability of time reversal techniques to focus ultrasonic beams on the source location is important in many aspects of ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation. In this paper, we investigate the time reversal beam focusing of ultrasonic array sensors on a defect in layered media. Numerical modeling is performed using the commercially available software which employs a time domain finite difference method. Two different time reversal approaches are considered - the through transmission and the pulse-echo. Linear array sensors composed of N elements of line sources are used for signal reception/excitation, time reversal, and reemission in time reversal processes associated with the scattering source of a side-drilled hole located in the second layer of two layer structure. The simulation results demonstrate the time reversal focusing even with multiple reflections from the interface of layered structure. We examine the focusing resolution that is related to the propagation distance, the size of array sensor and the wavelength.

• Journal of Korean Society of Disaster and Security
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.21-27
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• 2015

Recent researches show that climate change has impact on the rainfall process at different temporal and spatial scales. The present paper is focused on climate change impact on sub-daily rainfall quantile of Han River basin in South Korea. Climate change simulation outputs from ECHO-G GCM under the A2 scenario were used to estimate daily extreme rainfall. Sub-daily extreme rainfall was estimated using the scale invariance concept. In order to assess sub-daily extreme rainfall from climate change simulation outputs, precipitation time series were generated based on NSRPM (Neyman-Scott Rectangular Pulse Model) and modified using the ratio of rainfall over projection periods to historical one. Sub-daily extreme rainfall was then estimated from those series. It was found that sub-daily extreme rainfall in the future displayed increasing or decreasing trends for estimation methods and different periods.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.48-55
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• 1990

We analyze the effect of second-order sampling on estimating the mean frequency of the Doppler signal. In order to reduce the sampling frequency of analogue-to-digital converter, it is possible to obtain the Doppler signal by sampling the radio frequency echo signal with the low frequence of $4f_0$/5 or $4f_0$/9 instead of $4f_0$, where $f_0$ is the center frequency of the transmitted signal. The computer simulation and experiments show that if the narrowband signal is transmitted as is usual in the Doppler system, the error of the mean frequency estimates due to the low sampling frequency is negligible.

• Electrical & Electronic Materials
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.572-579
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• 1995

Most of conventional ultrasonic transducers are constructed to generate either longitudinal or shear waves, but not both of them. We investigate the mechanism of dual mode transducers that generate both of the longitudinal and shear waves simultaneously with single PZT element. The study is aimed to find the optimally desired cut by examining the anisotropic piezoelectric properties. Theory predicts that a mixed P/S mode transducer can be constructed using a rotated Z-cut of PZT piezoelectric ceramics. We study the performance of a PZT element as a function of its rotation angle so that its efficiency is optimized to excite the two waves as much as equally strong. The results are verified by the waveform in pulse-echo computer simulation and experiments. When the transducer is subjected to impedance analysis, it shows two thickness mode resonances, each of which being a mixed P/S thickness mode. By examining wave speeds on E transmitter delay line receiver setup, it is confirmed that the transducer can transmit and detect both longitudinal and shear wave simultaneously.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.102-110
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• 2014

The effect of a bonding layer on the performance of a quarter-wave (${\lambda}/4$) mode PVDF ultrasound transducer having not only a piezoelectric layer but also a non-piezoelectric layer between two electrodes was analyzed. The equivalent circuit of a transmission line model by Kikuchi et al.[Sound of IEICE, 55-A, 331-338 (1981)] was introduced for the analysis. The validity of the model was confirmed by comparison with a KLM model for three postulated adhesion cases of a $80{\mu}m$ thick piezoelectric PVDF film to a copper (Cu) backer. The pulse-echo responses of five PVDF transducers, each fabricated with a different thickness ($5{\mu}m{\sim}20{\mu}m$) of the bonding layer, were measured and the results were compared with those by simulation. The two results were in good agreement with each other and it was noted that the effect of the bonding layer on the performance of the transducer could be analyzed by the Kikuchi model. In detail, the $20{\mu}m$ bonding layer decreased the center frequency and the bandwidth by about 19.7 % and 25.0 %, respectively, and increased the insertion loss by 57.2 %.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1998 no.11
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• pp.55-56
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• 1998

The 3-D Fast Gradient Echo (Turbo FLASH, Turbo Fast Low Angle Shot) sequence is optimized to achieve a good T1 contrast using variable excitation flip angles. In Turbo FLASH sequence, depending on the contrast preparation scheme, various types of image contrast can be established. While proton density contrast is obtained when using a short repetition time with a short echo time and small flip angles, T1 or T2 weighting can be obtained with proper contrast preparation sequences applied before the above proton density Turbo FLASH sequence. To maximize the contrast to noise ratio while retaining a sharp impulse response (smooth frequency domain response), the excitation flip-angle pattern is optimized through simulation and experiments. The TI (the delay after the preparation sequence which is a 180 degree inversion RF pulse in the IR T1 weighted imaging case), TD (the delay time between the Turbo FLASH sequence and the next preparation), and TR are also optimized fur the best image quality. The proposed 3-D Turbo FLASH provides $1mm\times1mm\times1.5mm$ high resolution images within a reasonable 5-8 minutes of imaging time. The proposed imaging sequence has been implemented in a Medison's Magnum 1.0T system and verified through simulations as well as human volunteer imaging. The experimental results show the utility of the proposed method.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.245-250
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• 2011

Parallel imaging technique can provide several advantages for a multitude of MRI applications. Especially, in SENSE technique, sensitivity maps were always required in order to determine the reconstruction matrix, therefore, a number of difference approaches using sensitivity information from coils have been demonstrated to improve of image quality. Moreover, many filtering methods were proposed such as adaptive matched filter and nonlinear diffusion technique to optimize the suppression of background noise and to improve of image quality. In this study, we performed SENSE reconstruction using computer simulations to confirm the most suitable method for the feasibility of filtering effect and according to changing order of polynomial fit that were applied on variation of spatial resolution of sensitivity map. The image was obtained at 0.32T(Magfinder II, Genpia, Korea) MRI system using spin-echo pulse sequence(TR/TE = 500/20 ms, FOV = 300 mm, matrix = $128{\times}128$, thickness = 8 mm). For the simulation, obtained image was multiplied with four linear-array coil sensitivities which were formed of 2D-gaussian distribution and the image was complex white gaussian noise was added. Image processing was separated to apply two methods which were polynomial fitting and filtering according to spatial resolution of sensitivity map and each coil image was subsampled corresponding to reduction factor(r-factor) of 2 and 4. The results were compared to mean value of geomety factor(g-factor) and artifact power(AP) according to r-factor 2 and 4. Our results were represented while changing of spatial resolution of sensitivity map and r-factor, polynomial fit methods were represented the better results compared with general filtering methods. Although our result had limitation of computer simulation study instead of applying to experiment and coil geometric array such as linear, our method may be useful for determination of optimal sensitivity map in a linear coil array.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.215-222
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• 2011

In order to obtain high resolution images, a focusing ultrasonic transducer operated in very high frequency (VHF) range was fabricated and its characteristics were evaluated. A 9-${\mu}m$ thick PVDF film with only one metalized surface for electric ground was adhered to a CCP (Copper-clad polyimide) film by using epoxy. It was pressed by a metal ball to form a concave surface and its rear side was filled with the epoxy. The radius of curvature and the f-number of the fabricated transducer are 7.5 mm and 1.7, respectively. The pulse-echo measurement results from a target located at the focal point showed that the frequency bandwidth was 35.0 MHz and the insertion loss near the peak frequency of approximately 40 MHz was about 60 dB. Those values agreed well with the simulation results by the KLM equivalent circuit analysis including the effect of the epoxy bonding layer. When the image of thin copper lines by the 35 MHz transducer of the UBM (Ultrasonic Backscattering Microscope) system was compared with the image by the transducer fabricated in this study, the fabricated transducer was observed that the axial resolution was improved although the lateral resolution was degraded.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.131-141
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• 2008

Purpose : To investigate the feasibility and accuracy of Proton Resonance Frequency (PRF) shift based magnetic resonance (MR) temperature mapping utilizing the self-developed center array-sequencing phase unwrapping (PU) method for non-invasive temperature monitoring. Materials and Methods : The computer simulation was done on the PU algorithm for performance evaluation before further application to MR thermometry. The MR experiments were conducted in two approaches namely PU experiment, and temperature mapping experiment based on the PU technique with all the image postprocessing implemented in MATLAB. A 1.5T MR scanner employing a knee coil with $T2^*$ GRE (Gradient Recalled Echo) pulse sequence were used throughout the experiments. Various subjects such as water phantom, orange, and agarose gel phantom were used for the assessment of the self-developed PU algorithm. The MR temperature mapping experiment was initially attempted on the agarose gel phantom only with the application of a custom-made thermoregulating water pump as the heating source. Heat was generated to the phantom via hot water circulation whilst temperature variation was observed with T-type thermocouple. The PU program was implemented on the reconstructed wrapped phase images prior to map the temperature distribution of subjects. As the temperature change is directly proportional to the phase difference map, the absolute temperature could be estimated from the summation of the computed temperature difference with the measured ambient temperature of subjects. Results : The PU technique successfully recovered and removed the phase wrapping artifacts on MR phase images with various subjects by producing a smooth and continuous phase map thus producing a more reliable temperature map. Conclusion : This work presented a rapid, and robust self-developed center array-sequencing PU algorithm feasible for the application of MR temperature mapping according to the PRF phase shift property.