High Speed Image Compression System, Prototype And Final Configuration

A hardware implementation of the full frame image compression method developed at UCLA has been completed and is undergoing evaluation. Variable compression ratios can be achieved according to user input parameters. Current clinical acceptance studies focus on a compression ratio of 10:1. The compression and reconstruction process for 1K x 1K images each take approximately 8.5 sec. Future upgrades can enhance the performance to 1.1 sec for 1K images and 4.3 sec for 2K images. Peripheral functions incorporated into the compression module include 1K image display and parallel data link to a VAX base PACS system.