Abstract: An RF coil is surrounded externally with dampers. Arresting plates are attached securely to the exterior of the dampers to arrest vibrations of the latter. The thickness of the arresting plates is made substantially the same as that of a body coil bobbin.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus either for displaying three-dimensional ultrasonic images allowing an operator to become aware of the distance of a target object from an ultrasonic probe, or for displaying practical three-dimensional ultrasonic images while being simply structured and taking a short time to perform necessary operations.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for ultrasonically producing 3-dimensional images in real time, wherein a device transmits an ultrasonic wave toward a solid bearing angle obtained by dividing into multiple portions a solid bearing angle subtended by a sonic field to be examined, and receives echoes therefrom, with the transmitted waves being sequential and the received echoes being concurrent multiple waves from each small solid angle, and a device for producing the 3-dimensional images by range gating the received echo signals in the depth direction of the sonic field being examined and then producing direct vision images in the direction of the transmitted ultrasonic waves based on the echo signals, wherein the range gated signals are quadrature detected in one embodiment and/or are subjected to 2-dimensional Fourier transformation in another embodiment.

Abstract: A stereoscopic ultrasonic imaging apparatus for displaying in a short time an ultrasonic image giving a sense of perspective. The apparatus comprises: two two-dimensional ultrasonic receiving element arrays arranged a predetermined distance apart; an orthoscopic image generation unit for generating a plurality of orthoscopic images of an observed surface perpendicularly intersecting an ultrasonic beam applied, the orthoscopic images having a predetermined parallax therebetween and generated on the basis of received ultrasonic data obtained by the element arrays; and a stereoscopic display unit for displaying stereoscopically the orthoscopic images generated by the orthoscopic image generation unit.

Abstract: A ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, which is used to inspect the functioning of heart based on ultrasonic images sampled in the expansion period and the contraction period of the heart, includes means of sampling a ultrasonic image of the heart, means of picking up a bionomic signal from the heart, means of memorizing the bionomic signal and ultrasonic image data, means of identifying automatically a time point of inspection to be of the expansion period or the contraction period of the heart based on the bionomic signal read out of the memory means, and means of analyzing the heart functioning based on the ultrasonic images sampled at the time points of inspection and the result of time phase identification.

Abstract: The present invention comprises: a search unit; a hollow guide for stabbing a subject; a manipulating device for protruding the search unit out of the tip of the guide and for moving the search unit along a predetermined orbit; device for transmitting/receiving the ultrasound during the movement by the manipulating means along the orbit; and device for producing an image based on the received echo signal by means of an aperture synthesis technique.

Abstract: A method of displaying an ultrasonic image and an apparatus for ultrasonic diagnosis of this invention are capable of displaying C-mode ultrasonic image without the need of a probe moving mechanism and a probe movement controller. The linear images produced from the B-mode image data sampled along the scanning planes P(y1,t1).about.P(y5,t5) and in the constant depth z1 are displayed by being arrayed in the order of sampling times t of each linear image.

Abstract: A RF coil for MRI is presented which is capable of optimizing current distributions and expanding a magnetic field uniform region using a saddle coil having wide elements also presented is an MRI apparatus using the RF coil. A RF coil for MRI, which includes main paths 1a and 1b provided in parallel to each other and connecting paths 1e, 1f, 1g and 1h for connecting the main paths to each other and is constructed in a saddle form, is configured so as to have slits 2e, 2f, 2g and 2h defined therein in the vicinity of regions where the connecting paths are respectively connected to the main paths.

Abstract: An X-ray computerized tomography apparatus having an X-ray tube or detector constantly rotated an around an object for acquiring data during specific phase segments of the motion of the object. A period h and a phase are detected from R waves of an electrocardiogram. Searching is then done through a table to provide delay time d, measuring time e, rotating time k (being an integer not a multiple of period h), and counts n corresponding to the period h to the expression below:k=(h-e)/(1-M);wherein M is (0.ltoreq.M<1). n is obtained as an integer greater than k/(h-k). In operation, while the tube or detector is continuously rotated over k, X-rays are emitted at d. Data is measured during e, at the end of which the emission of X-rays is stopped. This is repeated as often as n until image reconstruction is acquired.

Abstract: A data collection method for MR angiography, wherein the scans resulting in spin warp values are assigned into groups of two or more consecutive acquisitions and each group is averaged two or more times for each heart beat period, whereby data collection time is reduced concurrently with suppression of motion artifacts, all without use of additional hardware.

Abstract: A data processing technique for X-ray computerized tomography (CT) calculates the difference of two pieces of data having a same X-ray trajectory and existing on both sides of a plane of concern, and accumulates the differential value in a coordinate-correspondent buffer of respective xy coordinates on the X-ray trajectory. It repeats the operation for raw data of at least one turn on one side of the plane of concern, and stores the accumulative values in the buffers together with the z-axis position of the plane of concern. It repeats the operation while varying the z-axis position within a prescribed range on the plane of concern, and infers, based on the distribution along z-axis positions of the accumulative values in the buffers of same xy coordinates, the z-axis position of sharp varying plane of X-ray absorption coefficients relevant to the xy coordinates.

Abstract: A diffusion sensitizing imaging method and MRI apparatus capable of reducing image pickup time and thereby suppress artifacts attributable to body movement, wherein an RF pulse of 90.degree. is applied to a diagnostic portion so that spins are created therein; and an RF pulse of 180.degree. is applied on expiration of a time length TE/2 so as to reverse the spins; an echo is imaged; and the image after an echo center is sampled; and the RRF pulse application is such that the gradients of the read out axis and the warp axis form a spiral trajectory which extends in a spiral form from the center to the end of the k-space; and wherein before and after application of the 180.degree. RF pulse, strong motion probing gradients, for diffusion sensitization, are applied to an arbitrary gradient axis; and wherein the phase of the MR data is modified based on the phase of the MR data at the center of the k-space, or based on the average phase of the MR data at the center of the k-space.

Abstract: An MRI apparatus applies an exciting pulse R1 and a slicing gradient S1 which excites a slice S. Subsequently, it applies a diffusion sensitizing gradient MPG1. Next, it applies a reversing pulse R2 and an FOV limiting gradient RS which limits the data collecting region to have a narrow FOV. Next, it applies a diffusion sensitizing gradient MPG2. Next, it applies a positive and negative reading gradients RA and RB m times alternately and cyclically, and collects MR data from the multiple imaged echoes el.about.em, while applying phase encoding gradients W. The phase encoding gradient W has its amplitude-time product set to be 1/(.gamma..multidot.FOV), where .gamma. is the magnetogyric ratio. The apparatus produces a diffusion sensitized image at a practical spatial resolution, with artifacts attributable to the body movement being alleviated in exchange for a narrow FOV in the phase encoding axis direction.

Abstract: Phase-matched summation of multiple channels is made possible without the need of sampling clocks of multiple phases. The restriction on the reference wave frequency is alleviated even for a constant sampling rate.It comprises a probe 2 which receives a ultrasonic echo signal and delivers analog reception signals from its multiple channels, A/D converters 31-3x, delay circuits 41-4x of multiple channels which delay digital data for prescribed delay times, digital orthogonal detection circuits 61-6x which implement the digital orthogonal detection for the delayed digital data and extracts channel common-phase components and channel orthogonal components, a summing circuit 7I which sums the common-phase components of all channels to obtain a composite common-phase component I, and a summing circuit 7Q which sums the orthogonal components of all channels to obtain a composite orthogonal component Q.

Abstract: A three-dimensional image display device comprising a main-image storage device for storing data representative of a main image; a sub-image storage device for storing data representative of a reduced image of the main image; coordinate input device for continuously entering a change in the viewing direction of an image; converting device for converting the output coordinate data of the coordinate input device into angle data representative of the image viewing direction; three-dimensional image calculating device for converting the main image data into three-dimensional image data on the basis of the angle data representative of the image viewing direction; changeover device for normally applying the sub-image data to the three-dimensional calculating device and for applying the main image data to the three-dimensional calculating device; control device for applying the angle data to the three-dimensional image calculating device and for controlling the changeover device; and image display device for display

Abstract: The invention improves thermal efficiency and control follow-up properties by providing an AC sheet heater and a DC sheet heater on the respective side surfaces of an upper base yoke and a lower base yoke, and a temperature sensor near the center of the upper surface of the upper base yoke, whereby the permanent magnets of the magnet assembly are first heated by use of both the AC and DC sheet heaters, and then, with the temperature monitored by the temperature sensor, the temperature is adjusted by use of only the DC sheet heater.

Abstract: In an apparatus for ultrasonic diagnosis, an autocorrelation calculator 11 produces Doppler power data P, a shading portion extractor 21 extracts the left-side section of the profile of the ultrasonic image from the Doppler power data P, and a data value converter 22 converts the data value of the extracted shading portion into the data value for shading and converts the data values of remaining portions into a data value different from the data value for shading. The shaded ultrasonic image is visualized as a three-dimensional image so as to facilitate the diagnosis. Particularly, in ultrasonic images of Doppler power mode, blood vessels are visualized as three-dimensional images, and the viewer can identify even small blood vessels accurately.

Abstract: A method of generating an image representing fat distributions, comprising the steps of scanning two different levels of tube voltage using a phantom containing a sample rod of a fat standard material and a plurality of sample rods with different densities of a bone mineral equivalent material, to generate two cross sectional image data; detecting the CT number of each pixel in an entire region or an objective region of the cross sectional image data as the CT number of a tissue including fat (.alpha.wf); detecting the CT number of the bone mineral equivalent material to calculate a linear regression between the CT number and the density of the bone mineral equivalent material and to define the CT number of a tissue excluding fat (.alpha.nf); detecting the CT number of the fat standard material (.alpha.ff), while detecting the CT number of a soft tissue standard material (.alpha.st), wherein individual CT numbers are applied to the equation.alpha.wf=.alpha.nf+.beta..multidot.(.alpha.ff-.alpha.st)with .beta.