Abstract: A hinge has a first component that pivotally supports a second component of the hinge. The first hinge component carries an energy harvesting switch having a movable operator such as a spring-projected plunger that is positioned to be depressed or otherwise moved by the second hinge component in response to relative pivotal movement of the first and second hinge components. If a gate is fastened to the second hinge component, at least some of the weight of the gate is transferred from the second hinge component to the first hinge component. When the gate is pivoted away from a closed orientation toward an open orientation, the second hinge component moves the operator of the energy harvesting switch thereby causing the energy harvesting switch to emit a radio frequency signal.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging system comprises a field generation unit and a supporting structure for providing structural support for the field generation unit, wherein the field generation unit comprises at least one magnet for generating a B0 magnetic field and an opening configured to provide access to an imaging volume positioned in the B0 magnetic field along at least one direction and wherein the at least one direction is angled with respect to a main direction of magnetic field lines of the B0 magnetic field in the imaging volume.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for determining position and orientation (PnO) of an object within an environment and for automatically determining a hemisphere of the object relative to a source location using an electromagnetic tracking system and a non-magnetic tracking device. The method involves seeding two candidate PnO solutions, one in each hemisphere, based on initial data from the magnetic tracker. Then, as the sensor moves within the tracking volume, both the magnetic tracker and the non-magnetic tracking device are used to track changes in each of the candidate PnO solutions and to determine a correct one of the candidate PnO solutions.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided for determining a valid parameter dataset for a protocol for an MRT examination by a MRT facility. The apparatus includes an input facility for importing a set of parameters to be used for performing the MRT examination; an interface for capturing at least one system value which represents an availability of a system resource for the MRT examination; a processor for calculating system resources required to perform the MRT examination using the imported parameters, and for executing a prepare function, which checks whether, with regard to the captured system values, the imported parameters are implementable in the MRT examination. If the parameters are not implementable, the processor is configured to calculate a modifying function for modifying the imported parameters based on the current system values and the required system resources and modify the imported parameters in accordance with the calculated modifying function.

Abstract: A magnet assembly for a portable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system includes a former having a plurality of slots and a plurality of magnet blocks configured to create a single-sided permanent magnet. Each of the plurality of magnet blocks are positioned in one of the plurality of slots of the former. The arrangement of the plurality of magnet blocks is configured to optimize homogeneity over a target field of view for brain imaging and to form a cap-shaped configuration to be positioned on a head of a subject.

Abstract: A resilient housing for a monitoring system includes a plurality of retention features, and a body that extends between the plurality of retention features and has a first end and a second end. The body includes a support surface that is defined between the plurality of retention features by elongated walls and end walls and a rear attachment surface. A resilient housing for a monitoring system further includes a coupling layer that is disposed on the rear attachment surface of the body.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus having extendibility. The image pickup apparatus includes a front case that forms an apparatus appearance, a rear case that forms the apparatus appearance with the front case, and panel members. At least one of the front case and the rear case has arms that extend in a direction approximately parallel to an optical axis of the image pickup apparatus and that are united with at least one of the front case and the rear case. The front case and the rear case are connected through the arms. The panel members are fixed to the front case and the rear case so as to cover openings formed in a state where the front case and the rear case are connected through the arms.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of MR imaging of an object (10) positioned in an examination volume of a MR device (1). It is an object of the invention to enable fast spiral MR imaging with a defined T2 contrast.

Abstract: A method is for automatic interaction with a patient during a magnetic resonance examination with a magnetic resonance apparatus. In an embodiment, the method includes detecting an acoustic utterance of the patient; processing the acoustic utterance of the patient via a speech processor, the processing of the acoustic utterance including at least determining the communication as a function of the acoustic utterance and checking the communication for a correlation with a parameter of the magnetic resonance examination; determining the output as a function of the communication of the patient and the parameter of the magnetic resonance examination and providing the output. A magnetic resonance apparatus of an embodiment includes at least a processor to carry out an embodiment of the method. The method can further be stored on a computer program product or medium for execution by a processor.

Abstract: In a Method and a device for magnetic resonance imaging of a subject using a spoiled gradient echo sequence, a B0 magnetic field strength of at most 1.5 T is used during the sequence. As part of the sequence a slice select gradient acting as a spoil gradient is played out. Substantially simultaneously with the slice select gradient a predetermined RF pulse is played out in the sequence, wherein a time-bandwidth product of the RF pulse is set so that a majority of the energy of the RF pulse is transmitted in its central main lobe.

Abstract: A base plate for the mounting thereon of photographic equipment includes leveling screw assemblies securely attached to the base plate. Each leveling screw assembly includes a leveling screw and a controlling mechanism for housing and retaining the leveling screw while enabling the leveling screw to: (a) be deployed at various selected angles relative to the base plate to grip an underlying surface; (b) be rotated to enable up-down motion between the leveling screws and the base plate; and (c) be retracted to a predetermine position alongside the base plate for safe storage and ease of reuse.

Abstract: Methods, devices, and systems for data monitoring are provided. In one aspect, a method of data monitoring, applicable to a magnetic resonance system, includes: obtaining radio frequency (RF) waveform information which is to be sent to an RF transmitting coil of the magnetic resonance system; extracting target waveform information within a current sliding window from the RF waveform information, with a current time point being located within the current sliding window; obtaining, based on the target waveform information, target magnetic flux densities corresponding to the current sliding window; and determining a current real-time specific absorption rate (SAR) based on the target magnetic flux densities.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system includes a transmit radio frequency (RF) coil assembly comprising multiple capacitor banks each coupled to at least one diode that is characterized by a high breakdown voltage such that when the transmit RF coil assembly applies at least one slice-selecting RF pulse to a portion of a subject placed in the magnet to select a particular slice for MR imaging, the capacitor banks are selectively adjusted to improve an RF transmission characteristics of the RF coil assembly in transmitting the at least one slice-selecting RF pulse. The MR imaging system may further include a receive radio frequency (RF) coil assembly configured to, in response to at least the slice-selecting RF pulse, receive at least one response radio frequency (RF) pulse emitted from the selected slice of the portion of the subject; a housing; a main magnet; gradient coils; and a control unit.

Abstract: A method is provided for the saturation-prepared recording of MR image data. The method includes establishment of at least two measurement slices in an examination volume of an examination object, wherein the examination volume has adjacent slices which each adjoin at least one of the at least two measurement slices; output of a saturation module including at least one saturation pulse for saturating a magnetization of the adjacent slices; output of an excitation pulse for exciting a magnetization of at least one of the at least two measurement slices; readout of an MR signal of the examination volume; reconstruction of the MR image data from the at least two measurement slices based on the MR signal; and provision of the MR image data. The disclosure further relates to a magnetic resonance system and a computer program product.

Abstract: Methods and systems for processing a digital magnetic resonance (MR) image volume in an image data set using intensity standardization to provide standardized MR image slices are described which generally involve determining an image volume scaling factor to align an image volume landmark of a volume histogram of the digital MR image volume with a reference volume landmark of a reference histogram of a reference image volume; and scaling intensity values of the digital MR image volume based on the image volume scaling factor to generate a scaled digital MR image volume. Methods and systems are also described for generating standardized image slices that can be used in various MR image processing methodologies such as image segmentation and object detection.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for performing automated reconstruction of a dynamic MRI dataset that is acquired without a fixed temporal resolution. On one or more image quality metrics (IQMs) are obtained by processing a subset of the acquired dataset. In one example implementation, at each stage of an iterative process, one or more IQMs of the image subset is computed, and the parameters controlling the reconstruction and/or the strategy for data combination are adjusted to provide an improved or optimal image reconstruction. Once the IQM of the image subset satisfies acceptance criteria based on an estimate of the overall temporal fidelity of the reconstruction, the full reconstruction can be performed, and the estimate of the overall temporal fidelity can be reported based on the IQM at the final iteration.

Abstract: A method for determining a saturation pulse for suppressing signals from unwanted areas in the context of acquiring measurement data from a target volume of an object under examination by means of a magnetic resonance system, includes: loading the characteristics of the unwanted areas from which signals are to be suppressed; determining area saturation pulses for signal suppression in each of the unwanted areas; and determining a saturation pulse for signal suppression in all the unwanted areas on the basis of the area saturation pulses determined.

Abstract: An optical member driving mechanism is provided. The optical member driving mechanism includes a movable portion and a fixed portion. The movable portion includes a holder for holding an optical member with an optical axis. The movable portion is movable relative to the fixed portion. The fixed portion has a housing and a base. The housing is disposed on the base, and includes a top surface and a side surface. The top surface extends in a direction that is parallel to the optical axis. The side surface extends from an edge of the top surface in a direction that is not parallel to the optical axis. The side surface has a rectangular opening.

Abstract: Portable EO/IR turret systems and methods of using the same are provided. The portable EO/IR turret systems may be installed and used on a variety of different types of stationary and mobile platforms, and may be optionally self-contained and self-powered. The portable EO/IR turret systems may also be configured and dimensioned as fully operational EO/IR turrets that are contained within a carry-on package or other type of portable chassis that may be temporarily placed and used on a first host platform, and then optionally moved and re-used on a second and different host platform, and further optionally with no required modification/s to either the first or second host platform.

Abstract: A proposal is provided for setting scan parameters comprising at least one value range scan parameter and at least two state scan parameters of a scan sequence of a magnetic resonance protocol for a magnetic resonance examination. A user is supported in the selection of the state scan parameters to be set by a computing unit that checks whether the selection of state scan parameters to be set made by the user comprises a permissible combination of settings and/or states. If an impermissible combination of settings and/or states is present, the computing unit ascertains at least one proposal with a permissible combination of settings and/or states for the state scan parameters to be set.