Patents Examined by Ruifeng Pu
  • Patent number: 9778336
    Abstract: A system and method for medical imaging using a magnetic resonance imaging system includes performing a segmented echo planar imaging (EPI) pulse sequence. The pulse sequence includes performing multiple radio frequency (RF) excitation pulses designed to excite multiple imaging slices across the subject simultaneously. A gradient encoding scheme applied along the slice-encoding direction is implemented to impart controlled phase shifts to the different imaging slices. Additionally, the multiple RF excitation pulses can be designed to further control an overlap of imaging data acquired from adjacent slices of the multiple imaging slices based on a selected offset. The acquired imaging data is reconstructed using a parallel imaging reconstruction method that separates overlapped slices in the imaging data to provide a series of images with respective images for each of the multiple imaging slices across the subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: The General Hospital Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan R Polimeni, Lawrence L Wald, Kawin Setsompop
  • Patent number: 9766308
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance unit with a housing unit and a patient accommodation area for the accommodation and/or holding of at least one part region of a patient is provided. The patient accommodation area is surrounded at least partially by the housing unit, a first and a second movement sensor unit for acquiring a first and a second item of movement information of a movement of the patient. The first movement sensor unit exhibits a first field of view for the acquisition of a first part region of the patient and/or of the patient accommodation area, and the second movement sensor unit exhibits a second field of view for the acquisition of a second part region of the patient and/or of the patient accommodation area, which is formed differently in relation to the first part region of the patient and/or of the patient accommodation area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: SIEMENS HEALTHCARE GMBH
    Inventor: Stephan Biber
  • Patent number: 9768498
    Abstract: A multiple-channel antenna includes a first loop resonator including a radiating element forming a loop; a second resonator adjacent to the first loop resonator including a radiating element; wherein the radiating element of the first loop resonator has a main surface defined along a first median plane; a secondary surface defined along a second median plane, the secondary surface delimiting an appendix of the radiating element placed facing the second resonator and having an inclination relative to the median plane of the main surface and wherein the second resonator is a linear resonator with a straight radiating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: COMMISSARIAT A L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
    Inventors: Michel Luong, Guillaume Ferrand
  • Patent number: 9766574
    Abstract: When a drive roller is at a stopped state, an execution portion executes a move mode in which a time from when a rotation of a drive roller has been stopped is measured, and based on the measured result, rotation of the drive roller is started and stopped. In the move mode, a portion of a secondary transfer belt having been at a first contact position in the stopped state is moved to a position other than the first contact position and the second contact position, and the rotation of the drive roller is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Haruhiko Omata, Tatsuomi Murayama
  • Patent number: 9752998
    Abstract: A method of inspecting a glass article using nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI). An NMRI-active filler material may be applied to the interior surface, the exterior surface, or both of the container. The excess material then may be removed leaving the filler within one or more anomalies on the surface of the container. And an NMRI analysis may be performed producing images associated with the anomalies having filler material therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Owens Brockway Glass Container Inc.
    Inventors: Ramasamy Raju, Pramod K Sharma
  • Patent number: 9746813
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus and a voltage supply method are provided which are capable of fulfilling a stable bias supply to a fittable-and-removable image forming unit and moreover offering improved accessibility to the board. The image forming apparatus includes a lower casing, an image forming unit, a high-voltage board, and a left interconnecting unit. The high-voltage board has a plurality of electric components and output terminals in its upper surface portion above the image forming unit. When a top cover of the lower casing is removed off, the high-voltage board is exposed. The left interconnecting unit is fitted to a side end portion of the high-voltage board and electrically connected to the output terminals of the high-voltage board. The left interconnecting unit supplies a voltage to the image forming unit via a side portion of the high-voltage board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Akinori Matsuno
  • Patent number: 9746537
    Abstract: In order to eliminate a global phase change caused by static magnetic field inhomogeneity included in a nuclear magnetic resonance signal, focusing on that phase components generated in a nuclear magnetic resonance signal caused by the static magnetic field inhomogeneity is in a predetermined frequency band (low-frequency band), phase components in the frequency band caused by the static magnetic field inhomogeneity is eliminated from an image generated from the nuclear magnetic resonance signal in main imaging. The predetermined frequency band of the phase components caused by the static magnetic field inhomogeneity is calculated from the nuclear magnetic resonance signal obtained in preliminary imaging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventor: Takenori Murase
  • Patent number: 9733325
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for characterizing a sample using a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrameter in which an effective field is generated. The field has an effective vector and results from a static magnetic field and a radiofrequency magnetic field. The effective vector rotates relative to a terrestrial reference frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignees: CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE (CNRS), UNIVERSITE DE RENNES 1
    Inventors: Denis Grenier, Herve Saint-Jalmes
  • Patent number: 9726735
    Abstract: An NMR probe head (3) has a coil system (9) and a radial centering mechanism for a sample vial (4) having two centering devices spaced axially from each other to center the sample vial in the radial direction only. The first centering device (5) is disposed above the receiver coil system and at least one further centering device (6) is disposed axially above the coil system with an axial spacing (d) above the first centering device. The first and second centering devices restrict the radial scope for movement of the sample vial to such an extent that the sample vial cannot touch an endangered space (7) during the entire duration of transport of the sample vial to its measuring position, thereby precluding damage to the probe head components in the endangered space by the sample vial.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Bruker BioSpin AG
    Inventors: Daniel Schmidig, Danijela Al Adwan Stojilkovic, Dirk Wilhelm
  • Patent number: 9720364
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer having an image bearing face to bear an image thereon; a transferer disposed opposing the image bearer, to transfer the image from the image bearing face onto a recording medium at a transfer section between the transferer and the image bearer; a first guide disposed upstream from the transfer section in a direction of delivery of the recording medium, to guide the recording medium to the transfer section; and a second guide upstream from the first guide and spaced away from the first guide, to guide the recording medium to the transfer section. Each of the first guide and the second guide extends in a lateral direction perpendicular to the direction of delivery. A leading end of the second guide in the direction of delivery is inclined from one end to the other end of the second guide in the lateral direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiichi Kogure, Naohiro Kumagai, Junpei Fujita, Kazuki Yogosawa, Tatsuya Ohsugi, Kenji Sugiura, Yuuji Wada, Takehide Mizutani, Ryo Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 9715726
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for B0 correction in echo-planar (EP) based magnetic resonance image (MRI) is disclosed. Two phase images are obtained from each of a first echo-planar imaging (EPI) acquisition and a second EPI acquisition. A first susceptibility map is generated based on the two phase images obtained from the first EPI acquisition and a second susceptibility map is generated based on the two phase images obtained from the second EPI acquisition. A smooth polynomial function for modeling the B0 drift and respiratory motion between the first EPI acquisition and the second EPI acquisition is initialized based on the first and second susceptibility maps. A compensated temperature map is then iteratively reconstructed based on the smooth polynomial function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventors: Sunil Goraksha Patil, Di Xu
  • Patent number: 9715189
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a first processing unit configured to subject input image data to tone correction with use of a tone correction table; a second processing unit configured to subject the image data to dither processing; a correction unit configured to correct the image data with use of a correction amount based on positional deviation of scanning lines caused by a mirror face tangle error; a deflection unit configured to deflect light beams emitted from the light source with a mirror face to form the scanning lines; an extraction unit configured to extract a feature amount of the tone correction table; and an adjustment unit configured to adjust a change in tone characteristics in a case where the feature amount extracted by the extraction unit exceeds a predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Izuru Horiuchi, Yasutomo Furuta
  • Patent number: 9709932
    Abstract: A fuser assembly for an electrophotographic imaging device, the fuser assembly including an integrated circuit chip having memory which has stored therein attribute data. The memory provides the attribute data for use in controlling the fuser assembly during fusing operations throughout the life of the fuser assembly. The attribute data includes a table of values corresponding to fusing temperatures for the fuser assembly, the fusing temperatures decreasing throughout the life of the fuser assembly to account for aging or wear of at least one component of the fuser assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventors: James Douglas Gilmore, Russell Edward Lucas, Kevin Dean Schoedinger
  • Patent number: 9709651
    Abstract: There is disclosed a novel system and method for improving MRI and DWI image quality and tissue detail and contrast is introduced and referred to in this disclosure as “compensated magnetic resonance imaging” or CMRI in which a compensation function and noise scale factor are determined during a calibration process by acquiring one or more test signals on the MRI system to determine a compensation function and noise scale factor, and signal acquisitions are conducted from a subject, and the signals are then used to reconstruct MRI images by maximizing a quality metric that takes the acquired signals, compensation function, and noise scale factor as part of the input parameters. Advantageously, by taking into a compensation function and a noise scale factor, CMRI can provide significantly improved MRI image quality and tissue detail and contrast.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Inventor: Alexander Sheung Lai Wong
  • Patent number: 9703097
    Abstract: A light scanning device includes a polygon mirror, a first incidence optical system, a second incidence optical system, a first scanning lens, and a second scanning lens. The polygon mirror includes a deflection surface ensuring entering of the first light beam and the second light beam at an identical timing. Assuming that a reflection point of a light beam on the deflection surface at time point at which the light beam reflected at the deflection surface passes through a position on an optical axis of a scanning lens, the second scanning lens is superimposed on the first scanning lens at different positions in a main-scanning direction and an optical axis direction such that a circle locus is along an offset curved line. The circle locus is a locus of a point corresponding to the reference point by the rotation of the polygon mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Yuzuru Yuasa
  • Patent number: 9702954
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, method and/or computer readable medium is configured to effect MR imaging based upon arterial spin labeling (ASL) using a tagging image and a control image. The tagging image is based upon applying a tagging pulse train including a plurality of saturation pulses to a tagging area followed by applying a first imaging pulse train to an imaging area; and the control image is based upon applying a control pulse train to a control area followed by applying a second imaging pulse train to the imaging area. The tagging area, the control area, and the imaging area are located at respectively different positions in relation to the object being imaged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Cheng Ouyang, Aiming Lu, Mitsue Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 9702950
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging system (300) acquires magnetic resonance data (358) from a subject (318) that may include an electrically conductive object (e.g. an implant or a medical device). The magnetic resonance imaging system includes a radio-frequency transmitter (314) for generating a radio-frequency transmit field for acquiring the magnetic resonance data using a radio-frequency antenna (310). The radio-frequency transmitter has multiple transmit channels. The radio-frequency antenna comprises multiple antenna elements (312) each adapted to connect to an antenna element. The amplitude and phase values of the RF transmit field of each of the transmit channels can be selected such that the magnetic field generated by the RF antenna is minimized at the location of the electrically conductive object, thereby reducing RF heating of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Hanno Heyke Homann, Ingmar Graesslin, Ulrich Katscher, Tobias Ratko Voigt, Olaf Helmut Dössel, Sebastian Alfred Seitz
  • Patent number: 9696396
    Abstract: A method (10) for acquiring magnetic resonance data from a sample (50) to be analyzed through a fixed geometry configuration coil suitable for transmitting radiofrequency signals ‘suitable for exciting said sample and/or detecting magnetic resonance signals from the sample (50) is described. The coil (100) comprises a plurality of current elements (20,21,22) and exhibits a frequency response comprising a plurality of resonant modes (M1, M2, M3) each associable to a respective resonant frequency (f1,f2,f3) depending on electrical features of the current elements (20,21,22), the current elements (20,21,22) comprising at least one current element having electrical features that may be regulated based on a respective control signal (S_CV0, S_CV1, S_CV2). The method provides for synthesizing the control signal such as to obtain magnetic resonance data from a same sample for a given first resonant frequency of interest sequentially using resonance modes having different spatial field distributions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Universita' Degli Studi Dell' Aquila
    Inventors: Assunta Vitacolonna, Angelo Galante, Marcello Alecci
  • Patent number: 9689943
    Abstract: In a computerized method and apparatus to automatically determine an acquisition volume of an examination region for the acquisition of a magnetic resonance data set, at least one magnetic resonance image data set is acquired that at least partially images an examination region, and the magnetic resonance image data set is processed into at least one magnetic resonance image. The examination region is segmented and at least one envelope enclosing a segment is determined. At least one rectangle including the envelope is determined. The acquisition volume is calculated using the rectangle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Radhouene Neji, Martin Requardt
  • Patent number: 9689952
    Abstract: In order to detect a magnetic resonance (MR) signal in an examination region of an examination subject in a measurement field of an MR system with an MR imaging sequence, a magnetization in the examination subject is generated with a polarization field B0. The MR system has a magnet to generate the polarization field B0 with a first field inhomogeneity across the measurement field. At least one RF pulse is radiated into the examination region. At least one first magnetic field gradient is activated for spatial coding of the MR signal. At least one pulsed compensation magnetic field gradient is activated that is generated by a temporally variable current that varies over the duration of the MR imaging sequence and that is activated over a compensation time period that is shorter than the total duration of the imaging sequence so that, during the compensation time period, the first field inhomogeneity is reduced to a second, lower field inhomogeneity across the measurement field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Stefan Popescu