Abstract: Disclosed is a three-dimensional ultrasound image method and apparatus for reducing distortions of ultrasound images by precisely estimating a distance between consecutive two-dimensional frames obtained by a manual scanning. The apparatus comprises a transducer array for transmitting ultrasound signals to a target object and receiving echo signals reflected from the target object; a receive-focusing unit for receive-focusing the echo signals to generate a plurality of consecutive two-dimensional ultrasound image frames; a converter for converting the consecutive two-dimensional ultrasound image frames into a three-dimensional ultrasound image; and a display for displaying the three-dimensional ultrasound image.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a 3D ultrasound diagnostic forming a 3D ultrasound image only with volume data exiting within contour by automatically detecting the contour of a target object, comprising: a first unit for generating a region of interest (ROI) box on a 2D ultrasound image; a second unit for detecting a contour of a target object in the ROI box; and a third unit for forming a 3D ultrasound image by rendering volume data existing in the detected contour.

Abstract: An dielectric laminated filter improves a skirt characteristic to shift am attenuation pole to a transmitting frequency band while maintaining the same band width of the transmitting frequency band and includes a dielectric block laminated with a plurality of dielectric sheets, ground electrodes formed on front and rear sides of the dielectric block, input and output electrodes formed on both sides of the dielectric body to be separated from the ground electrodes, an inductor pattern having two portions disposed parallel to the resonator patterns coupled to the input and output electrodes and a connecting portion coupling the two portions to induce an inductance coupling with the resonator patterns coupled to the input and output electrodes to improve a filter response characteristic by adjusting the inductance coupling.

Abstract: A 3-line balun transformer includes an unbalanced port for an unbalanced signal, first and second balanced ports for balanced signals, the balanced signals being the same in level and 180 degrees out of phase with each other, a first line having its first end connected to the unbalanced port and its second end connected to ground, a second line arranged in parallel with the first line while being spaced apart from the first line, the second line having its first end and its second end connected to the first balanced port, and a third line arranged in parallel with the second line while being spaced apart from the second, the third line having its first end connected to the first end of the second line and its second end connected to the second balanced port.

Abstract: A balun transformer includes a structure with three .lambda./4 strip lines for converting an unbalanced signal in an unbalanced transmission line into a balanced signal in a balanced transmission line. The balun transformer includes a first dielectric sheet on which a first strip line provided, a second dielectric sheet placed under the first dielectric sheet and on which a second strip line electro-magnetically coupled to the first strip line is provided, a third dielectric sheet placed under the second dielectric sheet and on which a ground pattern is provided, and a fourth dielectric sheet placed under the third dielectric sheet and on which a third strip line is provided. The balun transformer includes the reduced number of strip lines in comparison with the conventional laminated balun transformer, so that the production cost is reduced.

Abstract: Disclosed is a matching circuit of a laminated duplexer connected to an antenna terminal while being connected between transmitting and receiving filters to match the transmitting and receiving filters with the antenna terminal, the matching circuit being configured to reduce the physical length of each conductor pattern thereof, thereby being capable of achieving an improved miniaturization thereof. The matching circuit includes a transmitting matching unit constituted by a conductor pattern electrically connected to an antenna electrode connected to the antenna terminal while being electrically connected to the transmitting filter, a first ground electrode vertically spaced apart from the conductor pattern, a receiving matching unit constituted by a conductor pattern electrically connected to the antenna electrode and the receiving filter, and a second ground electrode vertically spaced apart from the conductor pattern of the receiving matching unit.

Abstract: Disclosed is a device for binarizing an image. The device comprises an input part for receiving an image, a block classification part for dividing the received image into blocks, and classifying the divided blocks into character blocks and background blocks, an edge enhancement part for enhancing edges of a character block using relations between neighboring pixels in the character block classified by the block classification part, and generating a threshold for distinguishing character pixels and background pixels of the character block, and a binarization part for binarizing pixels of character blocks output from the edge enhancement part into a first brightness value for character pixels and a second brightness value for background pixels by comparing the pixels of the character blocks with the threshold, and binarizing pixels of background blocks output from the block classification part into the second brightness value.

Abstract: A device and method for determining whether or not an image is blurred. The device and method comprises an input part for receiving an image; a block classification part for dividing the received image into blocks and classifying the divided blocks into character blocks and background blocks; a character block energy calculation part for calculating an average energy ratio of the character blocks; and a blurring detection part for calculating an average energy ratio of the character blocks and determining whether or not the image is blurred based on a comparison of the average energy ratio with a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A device for extending a character region in an image comprising an input part for receiving an input image, a block classification part for classifying the input image into character blocks and background blocks, and converting pixels in the character blocks into pixels having a first brightness value and pixels in the background blocks into pixels having a second brightness value, and a position search part for searching for left, right, top and bottom positions of a character region by horizontally and vertically scanning the block-classified image, and determining a position of the character region. The device for extending a character region in an image further comprises a region of contents (ROC) extraction part for extracting an image in the determined position of the character region from the input image, and an ROC extension part for extending the extracted image of the character region to a size of the input image.

Abstract: Disclosed is a device and method for recognizing characters in an image. An input part receives the image. A blurring decision part classifies the received image into character blocks and background blocks, calculates an average energy ratio of the character blocks, and compares the average energy ratio with a predetermined threshold to determine whether the received image is blurred. If the received image is not blurred, an image binarization part classifies the received image into character blocks and background blocks, compares pixels in the character blocks with a pixel threshold, binarizes the pixels in the character blocks into a brightness value for a character pixel and a brightness value for a background pixel based on the comparison, and binarizes pixels in the background blocks into the brightness value for a background pixel. A character recognition part recognizes characters in the binarized image.

Abstract: Disclosed is a matching circuit of a laminated duplexer connected to an antenna terminal while being connected between transmitting and receiving filters to match the transmitting and receiving filters with the antenna terminal, the matching circuit being configured to reduce the physical length of each conductor pattern thereof, thereby being capable of achieving an improved miniaturization thereof. The matching circuit includes a transmitting matching unit constituted by a conductor pattern electrically connected to an antenna electrode connected to the antenna terminal while being electrically connected to the transmitting filter, a first ground electrode vertically spaced apart from the conductor pattern, a receiving matching unit constituted by a conductor pattern electrically connected to the antenna electrode and the receiving filter, and a second ground electrode vertically spaced apart from the conductor pattern of the receiving matching unit.

Abstract: A device and method for correcting a skew of an object in an image. The device and method comprises an input part for receiving an image; a binarization part for binarizing pixels of the image into pixels having brightness values for character pixels and background pixels; a candidate stripe generation part for generating candidate stripes by performing dilation on character regions of the binarized image. The device and method further comprises a stripe classification part for classifying candidate stripes having a predetermined eccentricity and blob size among the candidate stripes, as valid stripes; a skew angle decision part for calculating direction angles of the classified stripes, and determining a direction angle having the largest count value as a skew angle; and a skew correction part for correcting a skew of an image by rotating the mage by the skew angle.

Abstract: This invention discloses a laminated balun transformer realized by a structure with three &lgr;/4 strip lines for converting an unbalanced signal in an unbalanced transmission line into a balanced signal in a balanced transmission line. Disclosed is a laminated balun transformer comprising a first dielectric sheet on which a first strip line is provided, a second dielectric sheet placed under the first dielectric sheet and on which a second strip line electro-magnetically coupled to the first strip line is provided, a third dielectric sheet placed under the second dielectric sheet and on which a ground pattern is provided, and a fourth dielectric sheet placed under the third dielectric sheet and on which a third strip line is provided. The laminated balun transformer in accordance with the present invention includes the reduced number of strip lines in comparison with the convention laminated balun transformer, so that the production cost thereof is reduced.

Abstract: A 3-line balun transformer which has a simple structure and is easy to design and manufacture. The balun transformer comprises an unbalanced port for inputting or outputting an unbalanced signal, first and second balanced ports for outputting or inputting balanced signals, respectively, the balanced signals being the same in level and 180 degrees out of phase with each other, a first line having its first end connected to the unbalanced port and its second end connected to ground, a second line arranged in parallel with the first line while being spaced apart from the first line by a predetermined distance, the second line having its first end and its second end connected to the first balanced port, and a third line arranged in parallel with the second line while being spaced apart from the second line by a predetermined distance, the third line having its first end connected to the first end of the second line and its second end connected to the second balanced port.

Abstract: This invention discloses an apparatus and method for identifying an organ within a human body by calculating the distances of an input ultrasound image signal and the ultrasound image signals classified by the predetermined types of organs in a database, which is based on the feature vectors of the inputted ultrasound image signal and the average vector and the standard deviation vector of the ultrasound image signals, thereby determining an ultrasound image signal having the shortest distance among the calculated distances as the optimal organ image signal for the input ultrasound image signal.

Abstract: Disclosed is a three-dimensional ultrasound image method and apparatus for reducing distortions of ultrasound images by precisely estimating a distance between consecutive two-dimensional frames obtained by a manual scanning. The apparatus comprises a transducer array for transmitting ultrasound signals to a target object and receiving echo signals reflected from the target object; a receive-focusing unit for receive-focusing the echo signals to generate a plurality of consecutive two-dimensional ultrasound image frames; a converter for converting the consecutive two-dimensional ultrasound image frames into a three-dimensional ultrasound image; and a display for displaying the three-dimensional ultrasound image.

Abstract: An dielectric laminated filter improves a skirt characteristic to shift am attenuation pole to a transmitting frequency band while maintaining the same band width of the transmitting frequency band and includes a dielectric block laminated with a plurality of dielectric sheets, ground electrodes formed on front and rear sides of the dielectric block, input and output electrodes formed on both sides of the dielectric body to be separated from the ground electrodes, an inductor pattern having two portions disposed parallel to the resonator patterns coupled to the input and output electrodes and a connecting portion coupling the two portions to induce an inductance coupling with the resonator patterns coupled to the input and output electrodes to improve a filter response characteristic by adjusting the inductance coupling.

Abstract: A duplex dielectric filter is disclosed in which plural elements of the filter are merged into a single element to thereby simplify the manufacturing process and product handling, and automatize assembly. The conventional three separate shunt capacitors are simplified into a single dielectric substrate. A brass shim which was conventionally inserted between the shunt capacitors and the dielectric substrate to adjust the height of the shunt capacitors is eliminated. A dielectric substrate having load capacitors is extended to substitute for the brass shim. A through hole is formed through electrode patterns which are formed on both sides of the dielectric substrate to connect an input terminal to the shunt capacitors.