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Image Acquisition Methods

Winter Term 2011/2012


Image Acquisition Methods

Lecturer: Dr. Simon Setzer

Winter Term 2011 / 2012


Lectures (2h) + Exercises (2h every second week)
5 credit points

Lectures: Wednesday 10-12 c.t., Building E1.3, Lecture hall 1 (0.01.1)
First lecture: Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Tutorials: Friday 12-14 c.t., every second week, Building E1.3, Lecture hall 1 (0.01.1)
First tutorial: Friday, November 4, 2011


AnnouncementsDescriptionEntrance requirementsContentsExamsLecture notes/AssignmentsReferences


You can find your result of the second exam here. General statistics about this exam can be downloaded here. .

UPDATE!!! Klausureinsicht: You can have a look at your exam on TUESDAY, April 17, 14.30-15.00h, Building E1.7, Room 4.10. Of course, you can always drop by my office to check your exam.

You can find your result of the first exam here. General statistics about this exam can be downloaded here. .

The course is designed as a supplement for image processing lectures, to be attended before, after or parallel to them.

Participants shall understand

  • what are digital images
  • how they are acquired
  • what they encode and what they mean
  • which limitations are introduced by the image acquisition.

This knowledge will be helpful in selecting adequate methods for processing image data arising from different methods.


Basic mathematics courses are recommended. The lecture will be given in English.


A broad variety of image acquisition methods is described, including imaging by virtually all sorts of electromagnetic waves, acoustic imaging, magnetic resonance imaging and more. While medical imaging methods play an important role, the overview is not limited to them.

Starting from physical foundations, description of each image acquisition method extends via aspects of technical realisation to mathematical modelling and representation of the data.


The first written exam will take place on Friday, February 24, 2012 from 2:00 to 5:00 pm in building E1.3, lecture hall HS002.
The second exam will take place on Thursday, April 5, 2012 from 2:00 to 5:00 pm in building E1.3, lecture hall HS002.
These are closed book exams. You can participate in both exams, and the better grades counts.

Please remember that you have to register online for the exam in the HISPOS system of the Saarland University.
You can find your result of the first exam here. General statistics about this exam can be downloaded here.

You can find your result of the second exam here. General statistics about this exam can be downloaded here .


Lecture notes / Assignments

Participants of the course can download the lecture materials here (access password-protected):

No. Title Date
1 Introduction and Basic Concepts October 19
2 Basic Concepts II October 26
3 Electromagnetic Spectrum, Imaging by Visible Light I November 2
4 Optics, Sensorics, Photography, Imaging by Visible Light II November 9
5 Colour Spaces, Telescopes, Mirrors, Microscopy, Imaging by Visible Light III November 23
6 Dual Photography, Triangulation, Holography, Imaging by Visible Light IV November 30
7 X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Imaging in 2-D December 7
8 Radioastronomy, Radar, Terahertz Radiation, Microwave and Radio Wave Imaging December 14
9 Transmission Tomography, Reconstruction, Scanners, Computerised X-Ray Tomography I December 21
10 Visualisation, Artefacts, Noise, Emission Tomography, Computerised X-Ray Tomography II January 11
11 Magnetic Resonance Imaging I January 18
12 Magnetic Resonance Imaging II January 25
13 Electron Microscopy February 1
14 Acoustic Waves, Sonar, Ultrasound February 8


  • B. Jähne, H. Haußecker, P. Geißler, editors, Handbook of Computer Vision and its Applications. Volume 1: Sensors and Imaging. Academic Press, San Diego 1999.
  • S. Webb, The Physics of Medical Imaging. Institute of Physics Publishing, Bristol 1988.
  • C. L. Epstein, Introduction to the Mathematics of Medical Imaging. Pearson, Upper Saddle River 2003.
  • R. Blahut, Theory of Remote Image Formation. Cambridge University Press, 2005.
  • A. C. Kak, M. Slaney, Principles of Computerized Tomographic Imaging. SIAM, Philadelphia 2001.
  • Articles from journals and conferences.

Further references will be given during the lecture.



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