Abstract: A Coriolis mass flowmeter comprising a vibration tube fixed to a housing at an upstream fixed point and a downstream fixed point and an original axis is taken as a straight line connecting these fixed points, wherein the vibration tube is operated so that the tube performs simple harmonic oscillation or circular motion on circumferences at predetermined distances away from each point on the original axis around the original axis take as a center. Since the vibration tube oscillates only in the circumferential planes at equal distances from the original axis, the length of the vibration tube does not vary regardless of the position of the tube. Thus, tensile force in the direction of the axis is always constant and leakage of vibration dued to variations in the force in the direction of the axis is eliminated. The enhanced isolation of vibration makes the vibration inside the flowmeter stable. Accordingly, a highly accurate and stable Coriolis mass flowmeter is achieved by the invention.
Abstract: In order to provide a magnetic resonance signal receiving method and apparatus for performing imaging with good quality and an magnetic resonance imaging apparatus employing such a magnetic resonance signal receiving apparatus, gradient magnetic fields Gs1k and Gs2k for dephasing spins are applied with their strengths varied after each spin echo is received in line scanning.
Abstract: The invention encompasses a vortex flowmeter for measuring the flow rate of a fluid by detecting an alternating signal produced by Karman vortices using a sensor comprising a low pass filter for passing the frequency band of the alternating signal that is determined by the diameter and flow rate range of the vortex flowmeter; subband filters for splitting the frequency band passing through the low pass filter into a plurality of component bands; a spectrum analyzer for analyzing the plurality of component bands; and a bandpass filter for passing a frequency band to be measured according to the analysis results of the spectrum analyzer, thereby providing flow rate measurement with high precision.
Abstract: An improved traffic accident preventing system to alarm both a driver on vehicle and pedestrian each other using a radio communication unit when they are located close. This system also provides a traffic monitoring and control system using communication between vehicle, pedestrian with communication unit and radio unit equipped by roadside, in which a traffic management center can send information to a specific vehicle and pedestrian with communication unit, and also receive information from them.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 24, 2000
Date of Patent:
October 29, 2002
Assignees:
Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Massacusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract: The present invention provides selective excitation of a slab by RF signals of frequency compensated for in response to the error in the gradient magnetic field in the slice axis direction and phase encoding in the slice axis direction with the phase compensated for corresponding to the corrected frequency, in order to capture appropriate magnetic resonance signals in three dimensional scanning when there is an error in the slice gradient.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 24, 2001
Date of Patent:
October 29, 2002
Assignee:
GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
Abstract: In order to eliminate the adverse effect of the partial volume in producing an addition tomographic image by adding a plurality of tomographic images having different slice thicknesses, an offset correction and a sensitivity correction are applied to row data Ij (j=1-J) from which respective tomographic images Gj can be reconstructed; addition data K is generated by performing a weighted addition on the row data Ij with a weight Tj/&Sgr;Tj corresponding to the slice thickness Tj; logarithm processing is applied to the addition data K; and then the addition data is subjected to reconstruction to produce an addition tomographic image G.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 3, 2001
Date of Patent:
October 22, 2002
Assignee:
GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
Abstract: The present invention aims to reduce degradation in image quality due to residual magnetization. In a pulse sequence of a high-speed spin echo process, a pre-pulse is applied before an excitation pulse, and a correction pulse for correcting a phase error caused by the pre-pulse is applied before an initial inversion pulse.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 25, 2001
Date of Patent:
October 22, 2002
Assignee:
GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
Abstract: To calculate a precise phase map even when there is a local phase disturbance and perform this phase correction, an image acquired by magnetic resonance imaging is subjected to lowpass filtering (702), pixel positions for which the ratio of a value after filtering to a value before filtering does not exceed a predetermined ratio are detected (704), a phase distribution excluding pixel data at these positions is calculated, and the phases at the excluded pixel positions are estimated from the phases of neighboring pixel positions to provide compensation so as to complete a phase map.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 10, 2000
Date of Patent:
October 15, 2002
Assignee:
GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
Abstract: In order to detect whether the center position of a subject is offset from a scan center and notify a human operator of the result of the detection, the subject center position is detected based on a projection profile of a parallel view at a view angle of 90° (S5). If the distance between the subject center position and the scan center exceeds a predefined range (e.g., 50 cm) (S6), a warning is displayed on a CRT to prompt the operator to adjust the position of the subject and repeat imaging (S7).
Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus transmits ultrasonic waves at such a strength as to disperse the contrast agent for part of a number of sonic beams which form one frame and at such a strength as not to disperse the contrast agent for other sonic beams thereby to produce an image for a marking frame from received echo signals of ultrasonic transmission, and subsequently transmits ultrasonic waves successively at such a strength as not to disperse the contrast agent for all sonic beams thereby to produce images continuously for no-marking frames, and, after such a time length that the flow range is present within the view field, produces an image for another marking frame. These operations are repeated to display ultrasonic images by which it is possible to visually recognize at a glance the time-wise change of a blood flow.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 6, 2001
Date of Patent:
October 15, 2002
Assignee:
GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
Abstract: A DC/DC converter having a control circuit to reduce losses at light load, wherein a first control device turns ON and OFF power to the primary winding of the transformer of the DC/DC converter according to the difference between the output voltage of the DC/DC converter and the desired output voltage, and a second control device turns ON a switching device of a clamping circuit connected to the primary winding for a desired length of time after the first control device turns OFF the power to the primary winding.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 30, 2001
Date of Patent:
October 15, 2002
Assignee:
Yokogawa Electric Corporation
Inventors:
Tomohiro Nishiyama, Yoshinao Naito, Koji Takada, Masuo Hanawaka
Abstract: In order to provide a projection data correction method and apparatus that prevents artifact generation in the direction which provides a low count of penetrating radiation, and a radiation tomographic imaging method employing such a projection data correction method and a radiation tomographic imaging apparatus comprising the projection data correction apparatus, projection data Proj_ij is individually corrected by a weighted addition (604, 606, 608) with an average value (602) containing the proximate data. The weight SGij of the projection data is decreased as the count of the penetrating radiation from which the projection data is derived becomes smaller.
Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging apparatus indicates the preceding time length which lasts until the next scanning start time on a bar graph or the like, thereby relieving the operator's duty in carrying out intermittent scanning.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 10, 2001
Date of Patent:
October 8, 2002
Assignee:
GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
Inventors:
Hiroshi Hashimoto, Kow Tanaka, Teruo Anzai, Ken Kanno
Abstract: A biochip which is extremely safe and enables reduction of cost of testing and which comprises in sequence from opening of a blood collecting tube thereof: a collection block for retaining collected blood; a preprocessing block for deriving a target from the collected blood; and a substrate on which probes are deposited in arrays and the opening is closed airtight with a rubber plug.
Abstract: In order to compensate for magnetic field drift and shorten the overall scanning time, total number of pulse sequences of data acquisition for magnetic field drift compensation Md is less than the repetitive number of imaging data acquisition pulse sequences Im, and a pulse sequence of data acquisition for magnetic field drift compensation Md is inserted between imaging data acquisition pulse sequences Im.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 24, 2001
Date of Patent:
September 24, 2002
Assignee:
GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
Abstract: In order to enable the observation of a wide range of the wall surface of a three-dimensional tissue in one screen, an image providing a view from a viewpoint E1 in a field-of-view centerline direction SC with a view angle of &thgr; greater than 180° is produced and displayed.
Abstract: In order to reduce artifacts entering an X-ray tomographic image of a subject in performing a scan at an end portion of a cradle, and offer a reliable diagnosis environment, the cradle has a top surface forming a concave curve as viewed from the front, and has a generally bowl-like shape in a cross section as viewed from the carrying direction. The cradle further has a shape at its end portion which, when points at the same position with respect to the carrying direction on two peripheries along which the top surface and two lateral sides abut are represented as Points A and B, and a point at the center position on a minimal curve connecting Points A and B is represented as Point C, is cut in a plane passing through Points A and C, and through a Point F for descending the plane in a direction opposite to the carrying direction, and which is cut in a plane passing through Points B and C, and through a Point G for descending the plane in a direction opposite to the carrying direction.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 25, 2001
Date of Patent:
September 17, 2002
Assignee:
GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
Abstract: For the purpose of reconstructing a plurality of X-ray tomographic images having a plurality of practical slice thicknesses while reducing the number of X-ray detector arrays and simplifying configuration, X-rays generated by an X-ray tube 4 are emitted via a slit 15 of a collimator 6 toward a detector 8 disposed opposite to the X-ray tube 4; the length (width) of the collimator 6's slit 15 in the D1 direction and the position of the collimator 6 in the D1 direction are adjustable; the detector 8 is comprised of four X-ray detector arrays; and the widths of the two outer X-ray detector arrays in the D1 direction are larger than the widths of the two center X-ray detector arrays.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 22, 2000
Date of Patent:
September 3, 2002
Assignee:
GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
Abstract: A road surface monitoring system for monitoring the condition of a road surface wherein at least one sensor unit is interchangeably provided in a sealed container disposed below the road surface and a power source is provided to power the sensor unit, and a communications device is provided to obtain measurement and/or monitoring data from the at least one sensor unit and to provide control signals to the at least one sensor unit, whereby an inexpensive and readily maintainable system is provided.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 2, 2001
Date of Patent:
August 27, 2002
Assignees:
Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract: The present invention relates to the tube-connector made of a synthetic resin or rubber for connecting the tubes, which protect the electric wires or cables buried under the earth, wherein on the surface facing the tubes in the connecting part to connect the end part of the tubes after being inserted therein, there is formed an expanding body which swells absorbing water, thus providing for a very easy connecting operation and also water-proof properties.