Patents by Inventor Andrew Dewdney

Andrew Dewdney has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20140084917
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner includes a control device, a gradient coil for generating a gradient field, a gradient coil connector for connecting the gradient coil to the control device, and a temperature sensor. The temperature sensor is configured and disposed to detect a temperature of the gradient coil connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Inventor: Andrew Dewdney
  • Publication number: 20140062483
    Abstract: A magnetic shield for a field magnet of a magnetic resonance system is provided. A magnet apparatus with a field magnet for a magnetic resonance system with active shielding and a magnetic shield, wherein the magnetic shield forms a hollow body which accommodates the field magnets is also provided. A wall of the hollow body has a first, a second and a third area, which are disposed along the axis. In this case the second area separates the first area and the third area from one another and has a smaller wall thickness than the first and the third area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Inventors: Andrew Dewdney, Matthias Drobnitzky, Bernhard Heinrich
  • Publication number: 20140060381
    Abstract: A railroad car for the accommodation and operation of a magnetic resonance tomography is provided. The railroad car includes a magnetic shielding of a volume for accommodation of the magnetic resonance tomograph. The magnetic shielding is designed to limit a magnetic scatter field outside a volume surrounded by the magnetic shielding to a value which is not hazardous to the environment, when a magnetic resonance tomograph is performing an examination in the interior of the volume.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2013
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Inventor: Andrew Dewdney
  • Publication number: 20130317342
    Abstract: A patient support apparatus for supporting and/or transporting a patient is provided. The patient support apparatus may be used, for example in an imaging device. The patient support apparatus includes a patient support couch, on which the patient can be positioned for a medical imaging examination. A carrier unit is provided, on which the patient support couch is arranged so as to be moveable. The patient support apparatus also includes at least one drive unit for generating kinetic energy for a movement of the patient support couch in respect of the carrier unit. The at least one drive unit includes a pneumatic drive unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2013
    Publication date: November 28, 2013
    Inventor: Andrew Dewdney
  • Patent number: 8135451
    Abstract: A patient support table for a magnetic resonance system with a magnetic field generation device creating a magnetic field of 7 T or more, comprising a table plate able to be moved into and out of the patient chamber of the magnetic resonance system by means of a drive device, characterized in that the drive device features a pneumatic cylinder with a piston which is coupled to the table plate, with the pneumatic cylinder featuring two working areas divided via the piston and able to be supplied separately with a working medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Andrew Dewdney
  • Patent number: 7554327
    Abstract: In a method for determination and evaluation of a shim parameter set for controlling a shim device in a magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus, the shim device is set using a first shim parameter set, a first field distribution is measured in a body region encompassing a target volume from which MR data are to be acquired, a second shim parameter set is determined using an algorithm for optimization of the field homogeneity in the target volume on the basis of the first shim parameter set and dependent on the first field distribution, a second field distribution is determined on the basis of the second shim parameter set, and the shim parameter sets are evaluated by indirect or direct comparison of the first field distribution and the second field distribution, in particular in the target volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Andrew Dewdney, Sabrina Harter
  • Patent number: 7548061
    Abstract: In a method for determination or adaptation of a shim for homogenization of a magnetic field of a magnetic resonance apparatus, which magnetic field is provided for the generation of magnetic resonance exposures of a specific examination region, an automatic determination, of a computer and/or supported by an operator on an image output unit of the computer, is made of a three-dimensional volume that is relevant for the determination or adaptation of the shim and that is matched to the examination region and/or an examination protocol by selection from an arbitrary morphology set of selectable volumes (which morphology set is not limited to specific shapes) and/or by generation of an arbitrarily three-dimensional volume not limited to specific shapes. The computer then automatically calculates the shim for the determined or selected three-dimensional volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Andrew Dewdney, Franz Schmitt
  • Patent number: 7535231
    Abstract: In a method for adjustment of a shim device of a magnetic resonance apparatus before an image acquisition in a body region that has a volume of interest, a field distribution is measured in a region encompassing the volume of interest produced with a shim device set according to a basic shim data set. A shim data set that is optimized for the volume of interest is determined by a control device starting from the basic shim data set, dependent on the field distribution; and the optimized shim data set is used for adjustment of the shim device. The basic shim data set is selected from a databank of body region-specific input shim data sets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Andrew Dewdney, Sabrina Harter, Franz Schmitt
  • Publication number: 20080204018
    Abstract: In a method for determination or adaptation of a shim for homogenization of a magnetic field of a magnetic resonance apparatus, which magnetic field is provided for the generation of magnetic resonance exposures of a specific examination region, an automatic determination, of a computer and/or supported by an operator on an image output unit of the computer, is made of a three-dimensional volume that is relevant for the determination or adaptation of the shim and that is matched to the examination region and/or an examination protocol by selection from an arbitrary morphology set of selectable volumes (which morphology set is not limited to specific shapes) and/or by generation of an arbitrarily three-dimensional volume not limited to specific shapes. The computer then automatically calculates the shim for the determined or selected three-dimensional volume.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2008
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Inventors: Andrew Dewdney, Franz Schmitt
  • Publication number: 20080132780
    Abstract: A patient support table for a magnetic resonance system with a magnetic field generation device creating a magnetic field of 7T or more, comprising a table plate able to be moved into and out of the patient chamber of the magnetic resonance system by means of a drive device, characterized in that the drive device features a pneumatic cylinder with a piston which is coupled to the table plate, with the pneumatic cylinder featuring two working areas divided via the piston and able to be supplied separately with a working medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2007
    Publication date: June 5, 2008
    Inventor: Andrew Dewdney
  • Publication number: 20080088307
    Abstract: In a method for determination and evaluation of a shim parameter set for controlling a shim device in a magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus, the shim device is set using a first shim parameter set, a first field distribution is measured in a body region encompassing a target volume from which MR data are to be acquired, a second shim parameter set is determined using an algorithm for optimization of the field homogeneity in the target volume on the basis of the first shim parameter set and dependent on the first field distribution, a second field distribution is determined on the basis of the second shim parameter set, and the shim parameter sets are evaluated by indirect or direct comparison of the first field distribution and the second field distribution, in particular in the target volume.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2007
    Publication date: April 17, 2008
    Inventors: Andrew Dewdney, Sabrina Harter
  • Publication number: 20080088306
    Abstract: In a method for adjustment of a shim device of a magnetic resonance apparatus before an image acquisition in a body region that has a volume of interest, a field distribution is measured in a region encompassing the volume of interest produced with a shim device set according to a basic shim data set. A shim data set that is optimized for the volume of interest is determined by a control device starting from the basic shim data set, dependent on the field distribution; and the optimized shim data set is used for adjustment of the shim device. The basic shim data set is selected from a databank of body region-specific input shim data sets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2007
    Publication date: April 17, 2008
    Inventors: Andrew Dewdney, Sabrina Harter, Franz Schmitt
  • Patent number: 7348773
    Abstract: In a method for assessing ambient conditions of an installation site of a magnetic resonance imaging device, various places in an area surrounding the installation site are examined by means of a detection unit for changes in a test magnetic field and the ambient conditions are determined from the results of the examination. The detection unit includes a magnetic field generator and a magnetic field sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Assignee: Siemens Aktigesellschaft
    Inventors: Andrew Dewdney, Florian Steinmeyer
  • Publication number: 20060244446
    Abstract: In a method for assessing ambient conditions of an installation site of a magnetic resonance imaging device, various places in an area surrounding said installation site are examined by means of a detection unit for changes in a test magnetic field and the ambient conditions are determined from the results. The detection unit comprises a magnetic field generator and a magnetic field sensor and the examination of each of the places comprises the following method steps: Positioning the detection unit at the place, Generating the test magnetic field by means of the magnetic field generator, Determining changes in the test magnetic field by means of the magnetic field sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2006
    Publication date: November 2, 2006
    Inventors: Andrew Dewdney, Florian Steinmeyer
  • Patent number: 6765382
    Abstract: A facility for generating a uniform magnetic field, particularly for generating a basic magnetic field of a magnetic resonance examination apparatus, particularly a medical magnetic resonance tomography apparatus, has a shim device with a guide device to or in which a number of ferromagnetic articles, such as balls, are movably attached. At least two of the articles have ferromagnetic properties differing from one another, such as saturation magnetizations that differ in magnitude from one another. A method for improving the homogeneity of a magnetic field makes use of such a facility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2004
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Andrew Dewdney
  • Patent number: 6683458
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance apparatus has a controllable device with which at least a part of the magnetic resonance apparatus can be fixed in a first control statue and with which the part can be held isolated with respect to mechanical oscillations in a second control statue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Andrew Dewdney
  • Publication number: 20030085704
    Abstract: A facility for generating a uniform magnetic field, particularly for generating a basic magnetic field of a magnetic resonance examination apparatus, particularly a medical magnetic resonance tomography apparatus, has a shim device with a guide device to or in which a number of ferromagnetic articles, such as balls, are movably attached. At least two of the articles have ferromagnetic properties differing from one another, such as saturation magnetizations that differ in magnitude from one another. A method for improving the homogeneity of a magnetic field makes use of such a facility.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2002
    Publication date: May 8, 2003
    Applicant: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Andrew Dewdney
  • Publication number: 20030085705
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance apparatus has a controllable device with which at least a part of the magnetic resonance apparatus can be fixed in a first control statue and with which the part can be held isolated with respect to mechanical oscillations in a second control statue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2002
    Publication date: May 8, 2003
    Inventor: Andrew Dewdney