Real-time and high-transmission middle-infrared optical imaging system based on a pixel-wise metasurface micro-polarization array

Real-time polarization medium-wave infrared(MIR)optical imaging systems enable the acquisition of infrared and polarization information for a target.At present,real-time polarization MIR devices face the following problems:poor real-time performance,low transmission and high requirements for fabrication and integration.Herein,we aim to improve the performance of real-time polarization imaging systems in the MIR waveband and solve the above-mentioned defects.Therefore,we propose a MIR polarization imaging system to achieve real-time polarization-modulated imaging with high transmission as well as improved performance based on a pixel-wise metasurface micro-polarization array(PMMPA).The PMMPA element comprises several linear polarization(LP)filters with different polarization angles.The optimization results demonstrate that the transmittance of the center field of view for the LP filters is up to 77%at a wavelength of4.0μm and an extinction ratio of 88 d B.In addition,a near-diffraction-limited real-time MIR imaging optical system is designed with a field of view of 5°and an F-number of 2.The simulation results show that an MIR polarization imaging system with excellent real-time performance and high transmission is achieved by using the optimized PMMPA element.Therefore,the method is compatible with the available optical system design technologies and provides a way to realize real-time polarization imaging in MIR wavebands.

An Effective Machine-Learning Based Feature Extraction/Recognition Model for Fetal Heart Defect Detection from 2D Ultrasonic Imageries

Congenital heart defect,accounting for about 30%of congenital defects,is the most common one.Data shows that congenital heart defects have seriously affected the birth rate of healthy newborns.In Fetal andNeonatal Cardiology,medical imaging technology(2D ultrasonic,MRI)has been proved to be helpful to detect congenital defects of the fetal heart and assists sonographers in prenatal diagnosis.It is a highly complex task to recognize 2D fetal heart ultrasonic standard plane(FHUSP)manually.Compared withmanual identification,automatic identification through artificial intelligence can save a lot of time,ensure the efficiency of diagnosis,and improve the accuracy of diagnosis.In this study,a feature extraction method based on texture features(Local Binary Pattern LBP and Histogram of Oriented Gradient HOG)and combined with Bag of Words(BOW)model is carried out,and then feature fusion is performed.Finally,it adopts Support VectorMachine(SVM)to realize automatic recognition and classification of FHUSP.The data includes 788 standard plane data sets and 448 normal and abnormal plane data sets.Compared with some other methods and the single method model,the classification accuracy of our model has been obviously improved,with the highest accuracy reaching 87.35%.Similarly,we also verify the performance of the model in normal and abnormal planes,and the average accuracy in classifying abnormal and normal planes is 84.92%.The experimental results show that thismethod can effectively classify and predict different FHUSP and can provide certain assistance for sonographers to diagnose fetal congenital heart disease.

Study of ultrasonic phased array inspection imaging technology for NDT

A research about the ultrasonic phased array imaging principle from A-scan signal to B-scan image for non-destructive testing （NDT） was conducted in this paper, the ultrasonic phased array inspection imaging system used in industrial field was developed and the experiment was performed on the steel testing block by the system with 64 elements, 5 MHz phased array transducer. Experimental results show that the flaws could be accurately detected and the flaws size could be estimated from the B-scan images, and the B-scan images could clearly show the location of the flaws, but the quality of B-scan images needs to be enhanced by digital signal processing and controlling dynamic focusing for improving the image resolution.

A fast and adaptive method for automatic weld defect detection in various real-time X-ray imaging systems

A first and effective method is proposed to detect weld deject adaptively in various Dypes of real-time X-ray images obtained in different conditions. After weld extraction and noise reduction, a proper template of median filter is used to estimate the weld background. After the weld background is subtracted from the original image, an adaptite threshold segmentation algorithm is proposed to obtain the binary image, and then the morphological close and open operation, labeling algorithm and fids＇e alarm eliminating algorithm are applied to pracess the binary image to obtain the defect, ct detection result. At last, a fast realization procedure jbr proposed method is developed. The proposed method is tested in real-time X-ray image,s obtairted in different X-ray imaging sutems. Experiment results show that the proposed method is effective to detect low contrast weld dejects with few .false alarms and is adaptive to various types of real-time X-ray imaging systems.

An application of ultrasonic phased array imaging in electron beam welding inspection

The basic principle and features of ultrasonic phased array imaging are discussed in this paper. Through the ultrasonic phased array technology, the electron beam welding defects and frozen keyholes characterization and imaging were realized. The ultrasonic phased array technology can detect kinds of defects in electron beam welding (EBW) quickly and easily.

Real-time Three-Dimensional Color Doppler Flow Imaging： An Improved Technique for Quantitative Analysis of Aortic Regurgitation

The recently introduced real-time three-dimensional color Doppler flow imaging （RT-3D CDFI） technique provides a quick and accurate calculation of regurgitant jet volume （RJV） and fraction. In order to evaluate RT-3D CDFI in the noninvasive assessment of aortic RJV and regurgitant jet fraction （RJF） in patients with isolated aortic regurgitation, real-time three-dimensional echocardiographic studies were performed on 23 patients with isolated aortic regurgitation to obtain LV end-diastolic volumes （LVEDV）, end-systolic volumes （LVESV） and RJV, and then RJF could be calculated. The regurgitant volume （RV） and regurgitant fraction （RF） calculated by two-dimensional pulsed Doppler （2D-PD） method served as reference values. The results showed that aortic RJV measured by the RT-3D CDFI method showed a good correlation with the 2D-PD measurements （r= 0.93, Y=0.89X＋ 3.9, SEE= 8.6 mL, P〈0.001 ）; the mean （SD） difference between the two methods was - 1.5 （9.8） mL. % RJF estimated by the RT-3D CDFI method was also correlated well with the values obtained by the 2D-PD method （r=0.88, Y=0.71X＋ 14.8, SEE= 6.4 %, P〈0. 001）; the mean （SD） difference between the two methods was -1.2 （7.9） %. It was suggested that the newly developed RT-3D CDFI technique was feasible in the majority of patients. In patients with eccentric aortic regurgitation, this new modality provides additional information to that obtained from the two-dimensional examination, which overcomes the inherent limitations of two-dimensional echocardiography by depicting the full extent of the jet trajectory. In addition, the RT-3D CDFI method is quick and accurate in calculating RJV and RJF.

Simplified Matrix Focusing Imaging Algorithm for Ultrasonic Nondestructive Testing

Full matrix focusing method of ultrasonic phased array has been proved with advantages of good signal-to-noise ratio and imaging resolution in the field of Ultrasonic NDT.However,it is still suffering from the time-consuming data acquisition and processing.In order to solve the problem,two simplified matrix focusing methods are provided in the paper.One provided method is a triangular matrix focusing algorithm based on the principle of reciprocity for the multi-channel ultrasonic system.The other provided method is a trapezoidal matrix focusing algorithm based on the energy weight of the different channel to the focusing area.Time of data acquisition and computational is decreased with the provided simplified matrix focusing methods.In order to prove the validity of two provided algorithms,both side-drilled holes and oblique cracks are used for imaging experiments.The experimental results show that the imaging quality of the triangular matrix focusing algorithm is basically consistent to that of the full matrix focusing method.And imaging quality of the trapezoidal matrix focusing algorithm is slightly reduced with the amount of multi-channel data decreasing.Both data acquisition and computational efficiency using the triangular matrix focusing algorithm and the trapezoidal matrix focusing algorithm have been improved significantly compared with original full matrix focusing method.

Ultrasonic C-scanning imaging inspection of superplastic solid-state welded joint quality

Based on a large amount of dissection at welded interface and quantitative microscopic examination of welded rate, the suitable limit grey scale value was determined, and the welded rate of superplastic solid state welding interface of heterogeneous steel was systematically studied by means of self made ultrasonic C scanning imaging inspection system. The experimental results show: the welded state of superplastic solid state welding interface of heterogeneous steel can be conducted to be more accurately, reliably and quickly inspected by means of this system, and the ultrasonic testing results are good consistent with actual examination results of the interface defective distribution. Within the extent of the suitble welded rate,the welded rate in 40Cr/T10A superplastic welding process tested by this system is linear with its tensile strength of joint.

High-resolution bone microstructure imaging based on ultrasonic frequency-domain full-waveform inversion

The main challenge in bone ultrasound imaging is the large acoustic impedance contrast and sound velocity differences between the bone and surrounding soft tissue. It is difficult for conventional pulse-echo modalities to give accurate ultrasound images for irregular bone boundaries and microstructures using uniform sound velocity assumption rather than getting a prior knowledge of sound speed. To overcome these limitations, this paper proposed a frequency-domain fullwaveform inversion(FDFWI) algorithm for bone quantitative imaging utilizing ultrasonic computed tomography(USCT).The forward model was calculated in the frequency domain by solving the full-wave equation. The inverse problem was solved iteratively from low to high discrete frequency components via minimizing a cost function between the modeled and measured data. A quasi-Newton method called the limited-memory Broyden–Fletcher–Goldfarb–Shanno algorithm(L-BFGS) was utilized in the optimization process. Then, bone images were obtained based on the estimation of the velocity and density. The performance of the proposed method was verified by numerical examples, from tubular bone phantom to single distal fibula model, and finally with a distal tibia-fibula pair model. Compared with the high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography(HR-p QCT), the proposed FDFWI can also clearly and accurately presented the wavelength scaled pores and trabeculae in bone images. The results proved that the FDFWI is capable of reconstructing high-resolution ultrasound bone images with sub-millimeter resolution. The parametric bone images may have the potential for the diagnosis of bone disease.

Feasibility of real-time magnetic resonance imaging-guided endomyocardial biopsies:An in-vitro study

AIM: To investigate if magnetic resonance(MR)-guided biopsy can improve the performance and safety of such procedures. METHODS: A novel MR-compatible bioptome was evaluated in a series of in-vitro experiments in a 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) system. The bioptome was inserted into explanted porcine and bovine hearts under real-time MR-guidance employing a steady state free precession sequence. The artifact produced by the metal element at the tip and the signal voids caused by the bioptome were visually tracked for navigation and allowed its constant and precise localization. RESULTS: Cardiac structural elements and the target regions for the biopsy were clearly visible. Our method allowed a significantly better spatial visualization of the bioptoms tip compared to conventional X-ray guidance. The specific device design of the bioptome avoided inducible currents and therefore subsequent heating. The novel MR-compatible bioptome provided a superior cardiovascular magnetic resonance(imaging) soft-tissue visualization for MR-guided myocardial biopsies. Not at least the use of MRI guidance for endomyocardial biopsies completely avoided radiation exposure for both patients and interventionalists.CONCLUSION: MRI-guided endomyocardial biopsies provide a better than conventional X-ray guided navigation and could therefore improve the specificity and reproducibility of cardiac biopsies in future studies.

An ultrasonic multi-wave focusing and imaging method for linear phased arrays

To overcome the inherent limits of traditional single wave imaging for nondestructive testing,the multi-wave focusing and imaging method is thoroughly studied.This method makes the compressional waves and shear waves focused in both emission and reception processes,which strengthens the focusing energy and improves the signal-to-noise ratio of received signals.A numerical model is developed to study the characteristics of a multi-wave focusing field.It is shown that the element width approaching 0.8 wavelengths of shear waves can keep a balance between the radiation energy of two waves,which can achieve a desirable multi-wave focusing performance.And an experiment using different imaging methods for a linear phased array is performed.It can be concluded that due to the combination of the propagation and reflection characteristics of two waves,the multi-wave focusing and imaging method can significantly improve the imaging distinguishability of defects and expand the available sweeping range to a sector of-650 to 65°.

DEVELOPMENT OF AN AIRBORNE SAR REAL-TIME DIGITAL IMAGING PROCESSOR

An airborne SAR real-time digital imaging processor is presented, and its realtime digital imaging principle and main technical parameters are analyzed briefly. The system configuration and logical structure are described in detail. Finally the main features of this system and examples of imagery obtained with the system are also presented.

A Flexible DSP-Based Network forReal-Time Image-Processing

This paper proposed a general purpose real-time image processing system based on a flexible DSP-based Network, which is implemented by a high bandwidth communication channel, links. The links is realized using FPGA and provides a bandwidth of 12. 8 Gbit/s. Using the links, The topologic of multi-DSP system can be changed online to meet the variabilities of the parallel algorithm of image processing. The system can be assembled with utmost tens of boards and maintain the high communication speed. Analysis of the system adaptivity to image processing is testified followed by actual results. Key words real-time image processing - multi-DSP - flexible - scalable - FPGA - links CLC number TP 303 Foundation item: Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (60135020)Biography: MAO Hai-cen(1973-), male, Ph.D. candidate, research direction: artificial intelligence, expert system, pattern recognition and image processing

New multi-DSP parallel computing architecture for real-time image processing

The flexibility of traditional image processing system is limited because those system are designed for specific applications. In this paper, a new TMS320C64x-based multi-DSP parallel computing architecture is presented. It has many promising characteristics such as powerful computing capability, broad I/O bandwidth, topology flexibility, and expansibility. The parallel system performance is evaluated by practical experiment.

A new imaging mode based on X-ray CT as prior image and sparsely sampled projections for rapid clinical proton CT

Proton computed tomography(CT)has a distinct practical significance in clinical applications.It eliminates 3–5%errors caused by the transformation of Hounsfield unit(HU)to relative stopping power(RSP)values when using X-ray CT for positioning and treatment planning systems(TPSs).Following the development of FLASH proton therapy,there are increased requirements for accurate and rapid positioning in TPSs.Thus,a new rapid proton CT imaging mode is proposed based on sparsely sampled projections.The proton beam was boosted to 350 MeV by a compact proton linear accelerator(LINAC).In this study,the comparisons of the proton scattering with the energy of 350 MeV and 230 MeV are conducted based on GEANT4 simulations.As the sparsely sampled information associated with beam acquisitions at 12 angles is not enough for reconstruction,X-ray CT is used as a prior image.The RSP map generated by converting the X-ray CT was constructed based on Monte Carlo simulations.Considering the estimation of the most likely path(MLP),the prior image-constrained compressed sensing(PICCS)algorithm is used to reconstruct images from two different phantoms using sparse proton projections of 350 MeV parallel proton beam.The results show that it is feasible to realize the proton image reconstruction with the rapid proton CT imaging proposed in this paper.It can produce RSP maps with much higher accuracy for TPSs and fast positioning to achieve ultra-fast imaging for real-time image-guided radiotherapy(IGRT)in clinical proton therapy applications.

Heterogeneity induced strain localization in block-in-matrix-soils subjected to uniaxial loading using real-time CT scanning

Block-in-matrix-soils(bimsoils)are geological mixtures that have distinct structures consisting of relatively strong rock blocks and weak matrix soils.It is still a challenge to evaluate the mechanical behaviors of bimsoils because of the heterogeneity,chaotic structure,and lithological variability.As a result,only very limited laboratory studies have been reported on the evolution of their internal deformation.In this study,the deformation evolution of bimsoils under uniaxial loading is investigated using real-time X-ray computed tomography(CT)and image correlation algorithm(with a rock block percentage(RBP)of 40%).Three parameters,i.e.heterogeneity coefficient(K),correlation coefficient(CC),and standard deviation(STD)of displacement fields,are proposed to quantify the heterogeneity of the motion of the rock blocks and the progressive deformation of the bimsoils.Experimental results show that the rock blocks in bimsoils are prone to forming clusters with increasing loading,and the sliding surface goes around only one side of a cluster.Based on the movement of the rock blocks recorded by STD and CC,the progressive deformation of the bimsoils is quantitatively divided into three stages:initialization of the rotation of rock blocks,formation of rock block clusters,and formation of a shear band by rock blocks with significant rotation.Moreover,the experimental results demonstrate that the meso-motion of rock blocks controls the macroscopic mechanical properties of the samples.

Research and Application of Log Defect Detection and Visualization System Based on Dry Coupling Ultrasonic Method

In order to optimize the wood internal quality detection and evaluation system and improve the comprehensive utilization rate of wood,this paper invented a set of log internal defect detection and visualization system by using the ultrasonic dry coupling agent method.The detection and visualization analysis of internal log defects were realized through log specimen test.The main conclusions show that the accuracy,reliability and practicability of the system for detecting the internal defects of log specimens have been effectively verified.The system can make the edge of the detected image smooth by interpolation algorithm,and the edge detection algorithm can be used to detect and reflect the location of internal defects of logs accurately.The content mentioned above has good application value for meeting the requirement of increasing demand for wood resources and improving the automation level of wood nondestructive testing instruments.

Internal Defects Detection Method of the Railway Track Based on Generalization Features Cluster Under Ultrasonic Images

There may be several internal defects in railway track work that have different shapes and distribution rules,and these defects affect the safety of high-speed trains.Establishing reliable detection models and methods for these internal defects remains a challenging task.To address this challenge,in this study,an intelligent detection method based on a generalization feature cluster is proposed for internal defects of railway tracks.First,the defects are classified and counted according to their shape and location features.Then,generalized features of the internal defects are extracted and formulated based on the maximum difference between different types of defects and the maximum tolerance among same defects’types.Finally,the extracted generalized features are expressed by function constraints,and formulated as generalization feature clusters to classify and identify internal defects in the railway track.Furthermore,to improve the detection reliability and speed,a reduced-dimension method of the generalization feature clusters is presented in this paper.Based on this reduced-dimension feature and strongly constrained generalized features,the K-means clustering algorithm is developed for defect clustering,and good clustering results are achieved.Regarding the defects in the rail head region,the clustering accuracy is over 95%,and the Davies-Bouldin index(DBI)index is negligible,which indicates the validation of the proposed generalization features with strong constraints.Experimental results prove that the accuracy of the proposed method based on generalization feature clusters is up to 97.55%,and the average detection time is 0.12 s/frame,which indicates that it performs well in adaptability,high accuracy,and detection speed under complex working environments.The proposed algorithm can effectively detect internal defects in railway tracks using an established generalization feature cluster model.

A Practical Study of Intelligent Image-Based Mobile Robot for Tracking Colored Objects

Object tracking is one of the major tasks for mobile robots in many real-world applications.Also,artificial intelligence and automatic control techniques play an important role in enhancing the performance of mobile robot navigation.In contrast to previous simulation studies,this paper presents a new intelligent mobile robot for accomplishing multi-tasks by tracking red-green-blue(RGB)colored objects in a real experimental field.Moreover,a practical smart controller is developed based on adaptive fuzzy logic and custom proportional-integral-derivative(PID)schemes to achieve accurate tracking results,considering robot command delay and tolerance errors.The design of developed controllers implies some motion rules to mimic the knowledge of experienced operators.Twelve scenarios of three colored object combinations have been successfully tested and evaluated by using the developed controlled image-based robot tracker.Classical PID control failed to handle some tracking scenarios in this study.The proposed adaptive fuzzy PID control achieved the best accurate results with the minimum average final error of 13.8 cm to reach the colored targets,while our designed custom PID control is efficient in saving both average time and traveling distance of 6.6 s and 14.3 cm,respectively.These promising results demonstrate the feasibility of applying our developed image-based robotic system in a colored object-tracking environment to reduce human workloads.

Automatic defect detection in ultrasonic TOFD D-scan data using image processing methods

In ultrasonic time of flight diffraction （TOFD） D-scan image, only a small fraction represents defects, whereas the majority is redundant. Because of the low contrast between defect and background image, it is difficult to manually interpret TOFD image. In addition, due to the nature of the weak amplitude of ultrasonic diffracted signals, the human factor introduces inconsistency into the interpretation. In order to automatically distinguish weld defects from the D-scan image, a defect detection method based on image processing technique is proposed. First, image pre-processing including clutter and noise suppression is conducted. Second, information entropy based image segmentation technique is employed to extract defects in the pre-processed image. At last, mathematical morphology based post-processing is carried out. The experimental results show that with the proposed method, TOFD can be used for automatic weld defect detection with satisfactory level of reliability.