Patents by Inventor Wolfgang Renz

Wolfgang Renz has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8436617
    Abstract: A compensation device to reduce the electromagnetic field load due to the presence of a medical intervention apparatus in magnetic resonance examinations, has: a control device that has a radio-frequency input and a radio-frequency output, an injection device that is connected with the radio-frequency output and that injects the radio-frequency power delivered by the control device into the medical intervention apparatus, a measurement device that measures at least one electrical variable at the intervention apparatus, and a regulator that is connected with the control device and the measurement device. The regulator adjusts the control device to deliver the radio-frequency power so that the electrical variable at the intervention apparatus is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Wolfgang Renz, Anke Weissenborn
  • Patent number: 8436615
    Abstract: A waveguide antenna assembly for a magnetic resonance tomography apparatus, particularly a waveguide antenna assembly that can be detuned for an operation with local coils, is composed of multiple metal surfaces connected by diodes respectively located between the metal surfaces. Only when the diodes are through-connected between these metal surfaces are the surfaces connected with one another in terms of RF signals via these diodes, so the assembly operates as a waveguide antenna. When the diodes are disabled between these metal surfaces, the surfaces are unconnected with one another for RF signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Wolfgang Renz, Karsten Wicklow
  • Publication number: 20130096415
    Abstract: In a method to determine at least one sodium value describing the 23Na+ content in at least one region of interest in a target region in the body of a patient, at least one sodium image data set of the target region is acquired with a magnetic resonance imaging device using sodium-23 imaging, the sodium image data set including image data dependent on the occurrence of sodium. The at least one region of interest is defined for which the sodium value is to be determined in the sodium image data set. The sodium value is determined by comparison of the image data in the region of interest with reference image data of at least one subject with a defined 23Na+ content, the reference image data having been acquired with the same sequence. A local coil can be used to implement the method that has a phantom integrated therein that allows the sodium image data set and the reference image data to be acquired together.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Publication date: April 18, 2013
    Inventors: Jan Ruff, Jens Titze, Peter Linz, Thoralf Niendorf, Davide Santoro, Wolfgang Renz, Alexander Cavallaro, Michael Uder
  • Patent number: 8362775
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance system obtaining magnetic resonance exposures of an examination subject, has an examination tunnel, a whole-body antenna with two connection terminals. The whole-body antenna cylindrically extends around the examination tunnel along a longitudinal axis. The system has a radio-frequency supply device in order to respectively supply the whole-body antenna with radio-frequency signals for emission of a radio-frequency field in the examination tunnel. The radio-frequency supply device has a radio-frequency generator for generation of a radio-frequency signal, a signal splitter that divides a radio-frequency signal coming from the radio-frequency generator into two partial signals that are phase-shifted by 90° relative to one another. Two radio-frequency feed lines are connected with the two connection terminals of the whole-body antenna. Via these radio-frequency feed lines, the two partial signals are fed into the whole-body antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Juergen Nistler, Wolfgang Renz, Thorsten Speckner
  • Patent number: 8358133
    Abstract: Efficient mounting of a module to a whole-body coil of a magnetic resonance apparatus is enabled by a circuit board with conductive contact regions located at least in the area of an edge of the circuit board, with which contact regions contacts of an electronic module for a magnetic resonance apparatus are connected in a conductive manner. The contact regions of the circuit board are configured for electrical contact with the whole-body coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Alexander Granzer, Razvan Lazar, Wolfgang Renz
  • Publication number: 20130008726
    Abstract: A patient support apparatus for a medical imaging apparatus, such as a magnetic resonance apparatus, is proposed. The patient support apparatus has a couch, a lifting unit for vertical movement of the couch, a travel unit, and at least one sensor unit to detect at least one weight variable for determining the weight of a patient. The at least one sensor unit has at least one sensor element, which is disposed on the lifting unit and/or on the travel unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2012
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Inventors: Ludwig EBERLER, Razvan LAZAR, Volker MATSCHL, Jürgen NISTLER, Wolfgang RENZ
  • Patent number: 8258787
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance system has a patient receptacle and a base body. The patient receptacle has a subframe and a patient bed supported thereon so as to move a patient thereon through the base body. The base body has a basic field magnet system, a gradient system and an RF system that are operable to obtain an analog magnetic resonance signal from the patient. The patient receptacle has a signal conversion device composed of an A/D converter, a modulator, and a transmitter. The base body has a signal conversion device composed of a receiver and a demodulator. The A/D converter receives the magnetic resonance signal and digitizes it. The modulator modulates a carrier signal with the digitized magnetic resonance signal. The transmitter transmits the modulated carrier signal via an air gap to the receive. The receiver receives the transmitted carrier signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Hubertus Fischer, Wolfgang Renz
  • Patent number: 8249688
    Abstract: In a method to affix RF coils (in particular local coils) on a patient in examinations with a magnetic resonance apparatus, a horizontal board accommodates the patient for a magnetic resonance examination to be implemented, an RF coil that has coil electronics is affixed with a fastening strap on the patient, and the fastening strap has a connection cable integrated therewith. The coil electronics are supplied with energy via the integrated connection cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Jan Bollenbeck, Wolfgang Renz
  • Publication number: 20120161763
    Abstract: The present embodiments relate to a device and a method for attenuating a high-frequency field of a magnetic resonance tomography system, where at least one attenuation element attenuating high-frequency fields is provided outside a magnetic resonance tomography field of view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Inventors: Wolfgang Renz, Karsten Wicklow
  • Publication number: 20120143119
    Abstract: In an aspect of the invention, serotonin receptor antagonist formulations are provided for subcutaneous, transdermal or intradermal delivery to a subject. In an embodiment, serotonin receptor antagonist formulations include ondansetron or ondansetron-containing formulations. In another embodiment, serotonin receptor antagonist formulations include palonosetron or palonosetron-containing formulations. In another aspect of the invention, microinjection devices are provided for delivering a serotonin receptor antagonist formulation to a subject.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2011
    Publication date: June 7, 2012
    Applicant: LANCO Biosciences, Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony P. Deasey, Patrick Frankham, Wolfgang Renz, Thomas Lang
  • Publication number: 20120089118
    Abstract: A system for the administration of a bisphosphonate to a subject comprises a bisphosphonate formulation and a microinjection device. In an embodiment, the bisphosphonate formulation includes ibandronate sodium. In some cases, the bisphosphonate formulation includes an excipient. The bisphosphonate formulation may be delivered to the subject subcutaneously, transdermally or intradermally.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Publication date: April 12, 2012
    Applicants: LANCO Biosciences, Inc
    Inventors: Anthony P. Deasey, Patrick Frankham, Wolfgang Renz, Thomas Lang
  • Publication number: 20120071750
    Abstract: In a method to affix RF coils (in particular local coils) on a patient in examinations with a magnetic resonance apparatus, a horizontal board accommodates the patient for a magnetic resonance examination to be implemented, an RF coil that has coil electronics is affixed with a fastening strap on the patient, and the fastening strap has a connection cable integrated therewith. The coil electronics are supplied with energy via the integrated connection cable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Inventors: Jan BOLLENBECK, Wolfgang RENZ
  • Publication number: 20120072232
    Abstract: The present application is directed to methods and systems for tapping online resources to design a clinical trial and/or recruit participants for the clinical trial. In one embodiment, a system for using online resources to design a clinical trial and/or recruit participants includes one or more web crawlers. Each of the web crawler may be configured to collect data related to one or more specified topics during a community identification phase. A data engine of the system processes the collected data into filtered, relevant information that identifies communities of individuals suitable for recruitment. A patient discovery module may, in a patient discovery phase, develop or use a survey to further target interested patients for recruitment and collect information for designing a suitable study or trial. The system may, in an assessment and communication phase, design a study which may be self-managed by the recruited patients.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Inventors: Patrick Frankham, Wolfgang Renz, Tony Nimeh, Mounir Hilal, Rami Fahim, Maleek Jamal
  • Patent number: 8131340
    Abstract: A detector unit for arrangement in a field generating unit of a magnetic resonance device has an RF transmission/reception system for transmitting RF pulses into, or receiving magnetic resonance signals from, an examination volume of the field generation unit. The RF transmission/reception system surrounds a patient tunnel at a radial distance from a tunnel axis thereof, and is divided into two sub-systems located at a distance from each other along the direction of the tunnel axis, so as to form a substantially annular cavity or interstice therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Eva Eberlein, Ludwig Eberler, Andreas Krug, Razvan Lazar, Jürgen Nistler, Wolfgang Renz, Axel vom Endt
  • Patent number: 8120359
    Abstract: In a magnetic resonance apparatus having an RF radiating coil and gradient coils, and in a method for operating such a magnetic resonance apparatus, a pulse sequence, composed of multiple time steps, is specified for operating the gradient coils to time-dependently select regions of a selected slice of a selected volume of a subject. A non-linear equation system is then solved to obtain feed parameters for individual channels of the transmit coil for each time step, with specification of a desired target magnetization, and dependent on the pulse sequence specified for the gradient coils. The non-linear equation system is based on discrete values for time and space variable and, in addition to equations resulting from the Bloch equation, which are non-linear in their feed parameters, includes at least one additional equation that describes boundary conditions for the examination of the subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Dirk Diehl, Rene Gumbrecht, Juergen Nistler, Wolfgang Renz, Markus Vester, Sebastian Wolf
  • Patent number: 8108026
    Abstract: A sandwich structure which attenuates the PET radiation minimally, is used as a support tube for the transmit antenna. In at least one embodiment, it includes a thin strong inner wall, a likewise thin and strong outer wall and an interior of the support tube which is of the honeycomb type or is made of foam material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Michael Eberler, Jürgen Nistler, Wolfgang Renz, Günther Zebelein
  • Patent number: 8108027
    Abstract: A combined positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging apparatus including a positron emission tomography apparatus having at least one radiation detector, and a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus having at least one gradient coil and a radio-frequency antenna device. At least one embodiment of the combined position emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging apparatus is developed further in that a first molding is provided, whose surface coincides with the inner shell of the at least one gradient coil, and a second molding is provided, whose surface coincides with the outer shell of the radiation detector, the distance between the two shells being virtually constant over the circumference of the shells, and a vacuum seal being arranged in each case along at least a first and a second circumferential line such that a closed cavity is formed between the vacuum seals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Ludwig Kreischer, Jürgen Nistler, Martin Rausch, Wolfgang Renz, Norbert Rietsch
  • Patent number: 8073527
    Abstract: An RF antenna arrangement of a combined MR/PET system is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the RF antenna arrangement includes a first part installed in the examination tunnel in a fashion fixed to the system such that it is arranged underneath the couch board when the latter is introduced, and a second part, which can be placed onto the couch board and be introduced into and withdrawn from the examination tunnel together with the couch board. In at least one embodiment, the second part is of dimensionally stable design and has a clear cross section that is adapted to the object to be examined. Consequently, the time outlay for applying the RF antenna is reduced, and the fixed position of the RF antenna enables a correction of the attenuation of gamma rays. Furthermore, a number of second parts having various diameters can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Ludwig Eberler, Razvan Lazar, Jürgen Nistler, Wolfgang Renz, Norbert Rietsch
  • Patent number: 8072218
    Abstract: A whole-body antenna for a magnetic resonance apparatus has an antenna structure composed of a number of antenna rods extending in a rod direction between first and second ends of the antenna structure. The antenna rods are distributed around a central axis of the antenna structure, forming an examination region for an examination subject in a magnetic resonance examination. The antenna rods are coupled to each other at their first ends by a ferrule. Each of the rods is a hollow rod, and each rod is connected at its second end to ground via a hollow ring. Conductors are routed in the interior of the hollow rods, and can be routed through the hollow ring to the exterior of the antenna structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Jürgen Nistler, Wolfgang Renz
  • Patent number: 8073525
    Abstract: A combined PET/MRT unit is disclosed that includes a PET detector which is reduced by comparison with the prior art, and that consists, for example, of a PET detector with a polygonal arrangement of the detector elements or with a PET detector ring. The PET detector is reduced in an axial direction by comparison with the detectors of the prior art, as a result of which the costs for producing the expensive PET detectors are lowered. The reduction of the PET detector is possible because the MR measurement usually lasts longer than the PET measurement, and so a reduced PET detector can be used for the temporally sequential recording of a number of PET tomograms by mechanical displacement of the PET detector. Since the MR measurement lasts substantially longer, this mechanical displacement does not lead to a lengthening of the measuring time. The invention also relates to methods for simultaneously recording MR and PET tomograms in which the PET/MRT units according to the invention are used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Ralf Ladebeck, Wolfgang Renz