Patents Examined by Rishi R Patel
  • Patent number: 10830852
    Abstract: A radio-frequency control system for a magnetic resonance tomography system and a method for the operation thereof are provided. The radio-frequency control system includes a controller and a radio-frequency power amplifier with amplification between a signal input and a signal output of the radio-frequency power amplifier that is dependent on a predetermined frequency response. The controller determines a control pulse for multislice excitation and outputs the pulse to the signal input of the radio-frequency power amplifier. The controller determines a high-frequency power value for the control pulse in dependence on the predetermined frequency response of the radio-frequency power amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventors: Uvo Hölscher, Stephan Stöcker, Christian Wünsch
  • Patent number: 10830858
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable storage mediums for correcting time in a nuclear magnetic resonance device are provided. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining respective transmission time delays of three gradient pulse signals that are generated by a three-dimensional gradient subsystem of the nuclear magnetic resonance device and include a slice-selection gradient signal, a phase-encoding gradient signal, and a frequency-encoding gradient signal, determining a time correction value according to the obtained respective transmission time delays of the three gradient pulse signals, and correcting a respective output time of each of the three gradient pulse signals, an output time of a radio-frequency (RF) pulse signal generated by a RF transmitting subsystem of the nuclear magnetic resonance device, and a reception time of a magnetic resonance signal received by a RF receiving subsystem in a scanning cycle according to the determined time correction value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Shanghai Neusoft Medical Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jianhua Shi, Qin Xu, Rong Sun, Haiquan Li, Yan Wang, Lin Wu, Junwei Shang
  • Patent number: 10830850
    Abstract: A method includes capturing a first set of optical images of the subject while a subject is lying on a table of a Magnetic Resonance (MR) scanner. This first set of optical images is acquired without any MR phased-array coils placed on the subject. While the subject continues to lie on the table of the MR scanner, a second set of optical images of the subject is acquired with the MR phased-array coils placed on the subject. Aside from the optical images, a set of MR images of the subject is acquired using the MR scanner. The first and second set of optical images are registered to the MR images. Following registration, the first and second set of optical images are used to determine element positioning of the MR phased-array coils in the set of MR images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventors: Xiaoming Bi, Uday Bhaskar Krishnamurthy
  • Patent number: 10823794
    Abstract: Gradient coil assemblies for horizontal magnetic resonance imaging systems (MRIs) and methods of their manufacture. Some embodiments may be used with open MRIs and can be used with an instrument placed in the gap of the MRI. In general, concentrations of conductors or radially oriented conductors may be moved away from the gap of the MRI so as to reduce eddy currents that may be induced in any instrument placed within the gap. Systems for directly cooling primary gradient and shield coils may be utilized and various coil supporting structures may be used to assist in coil alignment or to facilitate use of an instrument in the MRI gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: VIEWRAY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Shmaryu M. Shvartsman, Gordon D. Demeester, John L. Patrick, James F. Dempsey
  • Patent number: 10816629
    Abstract: Some aspects include a method of detecting change in biological subject matter of a patient positioned within a low-field magnetic resonance imaging device, the method comprising: while the patient remains positioned within the low-field magnetic resonance device: acquiring first magnetic resonance image data of a portion of the patient; acquiring second magnetic resonance image data of the portion of the patient subsequent to acquiring the first magnetic resonance image data; aligning the first magnetic resonance image data and the second magnetic resonance image data; and comparing the aligned first magnetic resonance image data and second magnetic resonance image data to detect at least one change in the biological subject matter of the portion of the patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Hyperfine Research, Inc.
    Inventors: Michal Sofka, Jonathan M. Rothberg, Gregory L. Charvat, Tyler S. Ralston
  • Patent number: 10813569
    Abstract: A method for reconstructing dynamic image data is described. In the method, raw data is acquired in a time-dependent manner from an examination region, wherein at least some of the raw data is assigned various values of movement parameters. First time-dependent image data based on acquired raw data is reconstructed. Furthermore, deformation fields based on the first image data are determined as a function of at least two time-dependent movement parameters. Based on the deformation fields, the raw data and the first image data, corrected image data is then generated. Furthermore, a reconstruction apparatus is described. Moreover, a magnetic resonance imaging system is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Forman, Peter Speier, Marcel Dominik Nickel
  • Patent number: 10802176
    Abstract: A nuclear magnetic resonance apparatus includes a magnet assembly, a transmitting antenna configured to generate an oscillating magnetic field in a sensitive volume within an earth formation, and one or more receiving antennas configured to detect a nuclear magnetic resonance signal originating in the sensitive volume. The one or more receiving antennas are arranged relative so that the one or more receiving antennas are inductively decoupled from the transmitting antenna, a first portion of the surface area of the one or more receiving antennas overlapping a first region of the transmitting antenna in which a magnetic flux of the transmitting antenna is in a first direction, and a second portion of the surface area of the one or more receiver antennas overlapping a second region of the transmitting antenna in which the magnetic flux is in a second direction predominantly opposed to the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: BAKER HUGHES, A GE COMPANY, LLC
    Inventor: Marc Stephen Ramirez
  • Patent number: 10782257
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program for characterising samples using NMR. The apparatus includes a pulse sequence generator; and a response detector. The apparatus is configured to generate transverse and refocusing pulses and to record the decay response of a sample following a transverse pulse and echo response at least once after at least one refocusing pulse in order to enable determination of at least one relaxation time of the sample. In this way, sample or sample components with short relaxation times may be characterized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: PERM Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Apostolos Kantzas, Serguei I. Krioutchkov, Zheng Yin Wang
  • Patent number: 10782379
    Abstract: A method, an apparatus, and a device for magnetic resonance chemical shift encoding imaging are provided. The method includes in a phasor-error spectrum established based on a simplified multi-point magnetic resonance signal model, determining a pixel point having a unique phase factor value and causing the phasor-error spectrum to reach a local minimum value as an initial seed point; estimating a phase factor value of a pixel point to be estimated according to the initial seed point to obtain a field map; mapping and merging the field maps at the highest resolution to obtain a reconstructed field map; determining a reconstructed seed point from the reconstructed field map, and estimating the reconstructed seed point to obtain a phase factor value of a reconstructed pixel point to be estimated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: SHENZHEN INSTITUTES OF ADVANCES TECHNOLOGY CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
    Inventors: Hairong Zheng, Xin Liu, Chuanli Cheng, Chao Zou
  • Patent number: 10775452
    Abstract: A Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) system with a magnet configured to generate a magnetic field having a field free line, the system including at least one shim magnet configured to modify the magnetic field in a manner to maintain desired magnetic flux distributions during imaging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignees: MAGNETIC INSIGHT, INC., UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY
    Inventor: Patrick W. Goodwill
  • Patent number: 10768334
    Abstract: A method includes disposing a downhole tool having a magnet assembly into a wellbore. The method includes generating, using the magnet assembly, a magnetic polarization in a volume into a subterranean region about the wellbore. The method also includes emitting an excitation in the magnetic polarization in the volume in the subterranean region. The method includes detecting, by at least one antenna, a nuclear magnetic resonance response to the excitation of the volume in the subterranean region. The method also includes determining a property of the subterranean region based on the nuclear magnetic resonance response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Rebecca Corina Jachmann, Lilong Li, Arcady Reiderman
  • Patent number: 10768258
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry performs at least one of data collection for collecting first data of an imaging region of a subject at a plurality of time intervals after a tag pulse is applied to fluid flowing into the imaging region, and data collection for collecting second data of the imaging region by differing at least one of applying or not-applying the tag pulse and a position of the applying. The processing circuitry performs phase correction for at least one of the first data and the second data by using data in which the longitudinal magnetization of the fluid is a positive value, to generate an image for each time phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Tokunori Kimura, Naotaka Sakashita
  • Patent number: 10761168
    Abstract: A method for the simultaneous recording of magnetic resonance data relating to an examination subject from at least two different slices by a magnetic resonance sequence, wherein an excitation period of the magnetic resonance sequence that includes at least one sub-section that acts on only one of the slices, and that contains at least one high frequency pulse is used, wherein, to correct the main magnetic field inhomogeneities of the first order, for each slice affected by a sub-section, a correction parameter that modifies the gradient pulses that are to be emitted is determined, taking into account at least one main magnetic field map that describes the spatial distribution of the main magnetic field and a slice position of the affected slice and is applied in the emission of gradient pulses for the respective slice in the sub-section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventor: Mario Zeller
  • Patent number: 10753999
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores processor-executable instructions that cause the processor to perform an application region scan for acquiring data on an area covering a diaphragm in order to position an application region of a motion detection pulse and a multi-slice scan for acquiring first multi-slice data on an area covering a heart; and acquire a slice image of the heart that is positioned using the first multi-slice data, with application of the motion detection pulse. In acquiring the slice image, when breathing motion of a subject is continuously out of an allowable range for a given period, the processor corrects a position of the application region by calculation using the second multi-slice data acquired by performing the multi-slice scan again and a positional relationship obtained by the application region scan and the multi-slice scan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kiyomi Ooshima
  • Patent number: 10739431
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance examination system is provided with a graphical user interface and an (software) analysis module. The analysis module is configured to analyze examination information, notably a selected examination protocol, for actions to be taken by the operator, such as connecting auxiliary equipment or radio frequency receiver coils to the magnetic resonance examination system. The analysis module supplies the actions to be taken to the (graphical) user interface at the proper instant before or during carrying-out the examination protocol. In this way the operator is guided and supported in the performance of the selected examination protocol. This improves the efficiency of workflow in performing one or more selected protocols. Preferably, the graphical user interface is provided inside the examination room and may be mounted on the gantry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventors: Paul Augustinus Peter Kaufholz, Marius Johannes Van Meel, Rudolf Theodoor Springorum, Willem Christiaan Constantijn Furster, Peter Van Der Meulen, Vincent Paul Quinten Van Wijk
  • Patent number: 10732246
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes memory circuitry configured to store a predetermined program; and processing circuitry configured, by executing the predetermined program, to set an FSE type pulse sequence in which an excitation pulse is followed by a plurality of refocusing pulses, the plurality of the refocusing being divided into at least a first pulse group subsequent to the excitation pulse and a second pulse group subsequent to the first pulse group, the first pulse group including refocusing pulses having a predetermined high flip angle, and the second pulse group including refocusing pulses having flip angles decreased from the predetermined high flip angle toward a flip angle of zero, and generate an image of an object from respective MR signals corresponding to the plurality of refocusing pulses acquired by applying the fast spin echo type pulse sequence to the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsue Miyazaki, Keiichiro Ishi
  • Patent number: 10724975
    Abstract: Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods and apparatus are provided for investigating a sample utilizing NMR pulse sequences having solid state and CPMG pulse sequence portions. Various embodiments of solid state pulse sequences may be utilized including two-dimensional (repetitive) line-narrowing sequences. The hydrogen content of a solid portion of the sample may be determined by using one or more echoes resulting from the solid state sequence portion of the pulse sequence to establish a total organic hydrogen content of the sample, and by using a CPMG echo train to establish a fluid organic hydrogen content, and by subtracting one from the other to obtain the hydrogen content of the sample's solid portion. Additionally, or alternatively, the T2 values obtained from the line-narrowing and CPMG pulse sequences can be compared by plotting to obtain information regarding a characteristic of the sample. The NMR pulse sequence may also include a T1 portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Ravinath Kausik Kadayam Viswanathan, Yiqiao Song
  • Patent number: 10718833
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system uses a superconducting magnet having a primary coil structure and a shielding coil layer. The primary coil structure comprises at least three sets of coils with significantly different inner diameters, forming a three-bore magnet structure. The three bores are coaxially aligned with a longitudinal axis, with the largest diameter first bore on one side of the magnet and the smallest diameter third bore on another side of the magnet, as well as a medium diameter second bore located axially between the first and the third bores. The first bore allows access for the head and shoulders and permits the head to enter into the second bore for imaging, while the patient's extremities (hands, legs) may access through the third bore for producing images of the extremity joints. The magnet may also be used for other specialist imaging where use of a whole-body MRI is unwarranted, such as the imaging of neonates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Magnetica Limited
    Inventors: Riyu Wei, Feng Liu, Stuart Crozier
  • Patent number: 10712421
    Abstract: An MRI apparatus includes, a generating unit configured to generate radio frequency pulses applied in a pulse sequence; a sequence control unit configured to apply a radio frequency pulse related to acquisition of an image signal and a corrective radio frequency pulse during execution of one TR of a pulse sequence; and a calculation unit configured to measure the corrective radio frequency pulse and calculate a correction value for the radio frequency pulse. Based on the correction value, the generating unit corrects a radio frequency pulse related to acquisition of an image signal to be applied during a following TR later than a TR during which the corrective radio frequency pulse is measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Ishihara, Masao Yui
  • Patent number: 10705164
    Abstract: A pair of detection coils, one coil provided on each side of a sample container across the width of the sample container. The detection coil is made of a superconductor and has an electric circuit pattern capable of detecting a magnetic resonance signal from a sample. The detection coil includes a lateral component intersectional to a static magnetic field H0 and having a part disposed at a position spaced away from a detection region, as compared to the remaining part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: JEOL Ltd.
    Inventors: Fumio Hobo, Katsuyuki Toshima, Shinji Nakamura, Shigenori Tsuji, Ryoji Tanaka, Hiroto Suematsu