Patents by Inventor Jiang Hsieh

Jiang Hsieh 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).

  • Methods and Apparatus for Noise Estimation
    Publication number: 20080095462
    Abstract: The method includes estimating a noise level in a reconstructed image using a total attenuation of the reconstructed image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2006
    Publication date: April 24, 2008
    Inventors: Jiang Hsieh, Michael Joseph Washburn, Erik Normann Steen, Gopal B. Avinash
  • Methods and apparatus for fast rotation speed scanners
    Publication number: 20080095314
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for an imaging system are provided. The imaging system includes a gantry having a stationary member coupled to a rotating member. The rotating member has an opened area proximate an axis about which the rotating member rotates. An x-ray source provided on the rotating member. An x-ray detector may be disposed on the rotating member and configured to receive x-rays from the x-ray source. A rotary transformer having circumferentially disposed primary and secondary windings may form part of a contactless power transfer system that rotates the rotatable portion of the gantry at very high speeds, the primary winding being disposed on the stationary member and the secondary winding being disposed on the rotating member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2006
    Publication date: April 24, 2008
    Inventors: Jason Stuart Katcha, Bruce Matthew Dunham, Robert Senzig, Jonathan Richard Schmidt, Thomas Louis Toth, David Michael Hoffman, Phil E. Pearson, Jiang Hsieh
  • Methods and apparatus for motion compensation
    Publication number: 20080086052
    Abstract: A method includes fitting a motion map from a first imaging modality with a first FOV to a second imaging modality different from the first with a second FOV sized differently than the first FOV.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2006
    Publication date: April 10, 2008
    Inventor: Jiang Hsieh
  • Systems and methods for compensating for table sag
    Patent number: 7344306
    Abstract: A method for compensating for table sag is described. The method includes receiving a first dimension of a table, scanning a patient placed on the table to obtain a first data set, generating an image of the table by performing the scanning with the patient on the table, and determining a difference between the first dimension and a second dimension of the table in the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jiang Hsieh, Richard Zane DeLoach
  • STEP-AND-SHOOT CARDIAC CT IMAGING
    Publication number: 20080063137
    Abstract: A CT imaging system includes a gantry and a table in a movable relationship with the gantry. The CT imaging system also includes a controller configured to control relative movement between a subject disposed on the table and the gantry from a first data acquisition position to a second data acquisition position. The controller is also configured to determine a total scan time based on a first time for acquiring imaging data at the first data acquisition position and a second time for transitioning from the first data acquisition position to the second data acquisition position. The controller is also configured to disable data acquisition in an immediately subsequent cardiac cycle and re-enable data acquisition in the cardiac cycle following the immediately subsequent cardiac cycle if the total scan time exceeds one cardiac cycle of the subject. A method of CT imaging is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2007
    Publication date: March 13, 2008
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Jiang Hsieh, Jianying Li, Melissa Vass, Xiangyang Tang, Darin Okerlund, Bernice Hoppel, Kelly Mohr, John Londt
  • STEP-AND-SHOOT CARDIAC CT IMAGING
    Publication number: 20080049890
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and system of controlling rotation of a gantry to rotate at a rotational speed such that a desired relationship between center projection angles of neighboring partial scans is maintained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2007
    Publication date: February 28, 2008
    Inventors: Jiang Hsieh, Jianying Li, John Londt, Melissa Vass, Darin Okerlund, Bernice Hoppel
  • Methods, apparatus, and software for reconstructing an image
    Patent number: 7327822
    Abstract: A method of reconstructing an image includes combining a two-dimensional forward projection function and a three-dimensional stabilizing function to generate an iterative reconstruction algorithm, and using the obtained iterative reconstruction algorithm to perform a multislice Computed Tomography (CT) reconstruction to generate an image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignees: Purdue Research Foundation, University of Notre Dame du Lac, General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ken David Sauer, Charles Addison Bouman, Jiang Hsieh, Jean-Baptiste Thibault
  • METHOD AND APPARATUS OF RADIOGRAPHIC IMAGING WITH AN ENERGY BEAM TAILORED FOR A SUBJECT TO BE SCANNED
    Publication number: 20080013689
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for tailoring the profile of an x-ray beam for radiographic imaging for a specific subject is disclosed. The invention includes a filter assembly having a pair of filters, each of which may be dynamically controlled by a motor assembly during data acquisition. The filters are positionable in the x-ray beam so as to shape the intensity profile of the x-ray beam. In one exemplary embodiment, the filters are dynamically positioned during CT data acquisition based on the shape of the subject. A method of determining the shape of the subject prior to CT data acquisition is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2007
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Inventors: Thomas Toth, Eric Tkaczyk, Jiang Hsieh
  • Systems and methods for improving a resolution of an image
    Publication number: 20070297660
    Abstract: A method for reconstructing an image in a tomographic imaging system is described. The method includes improving a spatial resolution of the image by iteratively reconstructing the image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2006
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Inventors: Jiang Hsieh, Jean-Baptiste Thibault, Ken David Sauer, Charles Addison Bouman
  • Step-and-shoot cardiac CT imaging
    Patent number: 7313215
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and system of controlling rotation of a gantry to rotate at a rotational speed such that a desired relationship between center projection angles of neighboring partial scans is maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jiang Hsieh, Jianying Li, John H. Londt, Melissa Vass, Darin R. Okerlund, Bernice Hoppel
  • Step-and-shoot cardiac CT imaging
    Patent number: 7313213
    Abstract: A CT imaging system has a rotatable gantry, a table movable fore and aft through an opening defined within the rotatable gantry, and a controller that incrementally moves a subject disposed on the table through a number of discrete data acquisition positions for the acquisition of physiologically gated CT data. The controller also coordinates acquisition of imaging data from the subject at a first data acquisition position within a physiological cycle of the subject and only advances the subject to a next data acquisition position if the imaging data acquired at the first data acquisition position is deemed acceptable. The controller also detects irregularities and physiological motion of the subject and responsive thereto, suspends data acquisition until the irregularity passes, such as, suspending data acquisition until a next cardiac cycle if a heart arrhythmia is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jiang Hsieh, Jianying Li, John H. Londt, Melissa Vass, Darin R. Okerlund, Bernice Hoppel
  • Systems, methods and apparatus for specialized filtered back-projection reconstruction for digital tomosynthesis
    Patent number: 7310436
    Abstract: Systems, methods and apparatus are provided through which in one aspect, a three-dimensional (3D) image of an object is constructed from a plurality of two-dimensional (2D) images of the object using a specialized filter. The specialized filter implements a linear ramp function, a windowing function, and/or a polynomial function. The 3D image is back-projected from the filtered two-dimensional images, yielding a 3D image that has improved visual distinction of overlapping anatomic structures and reduced blurring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Co.
    Inventors: Baojun Li, Steven W. Metz, John Michael Sabol, Gopal B. Avinash, Jiang Hsieh
  • Methods, apparatus, and software for reconstructing an image
    Patent number: 7308071
    Abstract: A method of reconstructing an image includes substantially minimizing a cost function of the form x ^ = arg ? ? min x ? { ? m = 0 M ? ? D m ? ( y m , F m ? ( x ) ) + S ? ( x ) } , where {circumflex over (x)} is the value of x which achieves the minimum summation, ym is an integral projection, Fm(x) is an forward projection function, and S(x) is a stabilizing function, to obtain {circumflex over (x)}, and using the obtained {circumflex over (x)} to perform a multislice Computed Tomography (CT) reconstruction to generate an image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Charles Addison Bouman, Ken David Sauer, Jiang Hsieh, Jean-Baptiste Thibault
  • Methods, apparatus, and software to facilitate computing the elements of a forward projection matrix
    Patent number: 7272205
    Abstract: A method for calculating an element of a projection includes calculating an element Ai,j of a projection matrix using at least two different rays through a voxel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2007
    Assignees: Purdue Research Foundation, General Electric Company, The University of Notre Dame Du Lac
    Inventors: Jean-Baptiste Thibault, Ken David Sauer, Charles Addison Bouman, Jiang Hsieh
  • Methods and apparatus for generating thick images in cone beam volumetric CT
    Patent number: 7269244
    Abstract: A method includes performing a Cone Beam reconstruction of a thick image using a plurality of virtual planes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Xiangyang Tang, Jiang Hsieh
  • Methods and systems for image reconstruction using low noise kernel
    Publication number: 20070196006
    Abstract: Methods and systems for a system for visualizing relatively small structures within an object are provided. The system includes an image acquisition sub-system for acquiring a dataset for a volume of interest and processor for generating image data from the acquired data wherein the processor is programmed to execute a high resolution filter kernel algorithm that includes a weighting factor applied to a ramp filter that scales relatively high frequency regions of the image dataset by a factor greater than one. The high resolution filter kernel algorithm also includes a windowing function applied to the weighted ramp filter that facilitates reducing aliasing artifacts in reconstructed images generated from the image dataset.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2006
    Publication date: August 23, 2007
    Inventor: Jiang Hsieh
  • Method and apparatus of radiographic imaging with an energy beam tailored for a subject to be scanned
    Patent number: 7260182
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for tailoring the profile of an x-ray beam for radiographic imaging for a specific subject is disclosed. The invention includes a filter assembly having a pair of filters, each of which may be dynamically controlled by a motor assembly during data acquisition. The filters are positionable in the x-ray beam so as to shape the intensity profile of the x-ray beam. In one exemplary embodiment, the filters are dynamically positioned during CT data acquisition based on the shape of the subject. A method of determining the shape of the subject prior to CT data acquisition is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas L. Toth, John Eric Tkaczyk, Jiang Hsieh
  • Method and system to generate object image slices
    Publication number: 20070183564
    Abstract: A method for creating a variable slice thickness for displaying an imaged object is disclosed. The method includes acquiring a plurality of projection images from a plurality of different projection angles within a defined sweep angle, reconstructing a plurality of object images from the plurality of projection images, each object image having a first slice thickness, and applying a function rule to combine images, whole images or portions thereof or attributes thereof, of the plurality of projection images, of the plurality of object images, or of both, thereby providing for the display of the object utilizing a second slice thickness that varies from the first slice thickness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2006
    Publication date: August 9, 2007
    Inventors: Baojun Li, Stephen Metz, Jiang Hsieh, Yogesh Srinivas, Xianfeng Ni, Tabb Patz
  • Methods and apparatus for truncation compensation
    Patent number: 7254259
    Abstract: A method includes calculating a sum of all samples at each projection view of a scan of an object, determining a maximum value of the calculated sums, averaging a plurality of samples m at a projection view index k when the sum of all samples at index k is less than a predetermined percentage of the maximum value, comparing the average to a threshold t, determining the projection truncated when the average is greater than t, and determining the projection not truncated when the average is not greater than t.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC
    Inventors: Jiang Hsieh, Brian Grekowicz, Edward Henry Chao, Scott Matt McOlash, Amy Lynn Horst
  • Methods, apparatus, and software to facilitate iterative reconstruction of images
    Patent number: 7251306
    Abstract: A method of reconstructing an image includes performing an iterative CT X-ray image reconstruction using a model including a point spread function (PSF) to reconstruct an image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ken David Sauer, Jean-Baptiste Thibault, Charles Addison Bouman, Jiang Hsieh