Patents by Inventor Mitsushi Abe

Mitsushi Abe 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).

  • Patent number: 7928820
    Abstract: In a superconducting magnet, including a vacuum vessel, a coil vessel inside the vacuum vessel, and a superconducting coil inside the coil vessel for generating a magnetic field, has a magnetic member, disposed inside the vacuum vessel, supported with thermal insulation, for compensating the magnetic field; a heat exchange device disposed outside the vacuum vessel for supplying to or absorbing heat from the vacuum vessel; and thermal conducting members thermally connecting the heat exchange device via the vacuum vessel to the magnetic member. An MRI including the superconducting magnet is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoo Chiba, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Hirotaka Takeshima, Shigeki Tounosu, Mitsushi Abe, Hiroyuki Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 7928730
    Abstract: The electromagnet apparatuses generate a homogeneous magnetic field in a homogeneous magnetic field region by a pair of superconductive main coils for facing to each other; a pair of superconductive shielding coils for facing to each other and passing a current in a direction reverse to that of the main coils; and a pair of first ferromagnetic members for facing to each other, and the apparatuses further include a pair of second ferromagnetic members for facing to each other and be disposed in contact with or adjacent to an opposite side of the region side of the first ferromagnetic members, wherein the region is interposed between the main coils, between the shielding coils, between the first members whose outer periphery is a circle, and between the second members whose outer periphery is a circle whose diameter is larger than that of the circle of the first members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Manabu Aoki, Mitsushi Abe, Takeshi Nakayama, Masanori Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20110057655
    Abstract: On the basis of the magnetic field intensity distribution of a magnetic field space (3), in order to homogenize the distribution, the positions and the volumes of magnetic material shims (such as shim bolts (27)) which have to be arranged on shim trays (17, 18) are first computed on a minute computational grid. Subsequently, from the distributions of the computed positions and volumes of the magnetic material shims, the local maximum values and local minimum values thereof are extracted, and the distribution areas of the volumes of the magnetic material shims with each value as the center are extracted. Then, the volumes of the magnetic materials distributed in the distribution areas are added. Finally, the results of the addition are displayed with the positions of corresponding local maximum values or the positions of corresponding local minimum values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2009
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Applicants: HITACHI, LTD., HITACHI MEDICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryuya Ando, Mitsushi Abe, Shogo Maeno
  • Publication number: 20110037469
    Abstract: An electromagnet device which generates magnetic field in the direction perpendicular to the inserting direction of an inspection subject is reduced in size and weight by removing unnecessary arrangement as much as possible. A magnetic resonance imaging device is also provided. The electromagnet device comprises a first coil (31) through which a first circular current (J1) circulates forward, a second coil (32) through which a second circular current (J2) circulates reversely, and a coil group (30) through which a plurality of circular currents (J3-J6) circulate alternately forward and reversely. The first coil (30), the second coil (32) and the coil group (30) are arranged in this order to increase the angle of elevation ? (?1<?2<?3), and a blank region (S) not including the second coil (32) and the coil group (30) exists in the angular region between the angles of elevation ?2 and ?3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2007
    Publication date: February 17, 2011
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd,
    Inventors: Mitsushi Abe, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Hirotaka Takeshima
  • Publication number: 20110018540
    Abstract: The present invention eliminate the limitation of coil pattern design, facilitates the fabrication, and improves the accuracy of magnetic field. A coil pattern calculation method is characterized by comprising the steps of: calculating a current potential at each contact between finite surface elements forming each of the coil surfaces based on an initial value of an input current potential distribution, and, for each of the coil surfaces, repeatedly calculating the current potential alternately and, under each magnetic field condition, determining a current potential distribution that generates a magnetic field falling within the range of allowable error for each target magnetic field so that a surface current represented by the current potential will become close to a target magnetic field distribution set for each of the finite surface elements; and determining a coil pattern from the contour lines of the determined current potential distribution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Applicant: HITACHI MEDICAL CORPORTION
    Inventors: Mitsushi Abe, Hirotaka Takeshima
  • Publication number: 20100321019
    Abstract: When the gradient magnetic field 9 is generated, a low magnetic field region 22 and a high magnetic field region 21 are generated where a magnetic field crossing at least one of the first forward coil 11a, a second forward coil 11b, first revere coil 11e, and a second reverse coil 11d has different intensities between the low and high magnetic field regions and the intensity in the high magnetic region is higher than the intensity in the low magnetic field region. A line width Dlh of the coil line in the high magnetic field region 21 is narrower than the line width Dll of the coil line 24 in the low magnetic field region 22. There is provided a gradient magnetic field coil can suppress in a usable range heat generations due to eddy current and due to a pulse large current which steeply varies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2009
    Publication date: December 23, 2010
    Applicant: HITACHI MEDICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukinobu Imamura, Mitsushi Abe, Masanao Terada, Akira Kurome
  • Publication number: 20100194393
    Abstract: There is provided a gradient coil device which can suppress any generation of an error magnetic field and thus an eddy current, and which can improve the image quality of a cross-sectional image. An MRI device includes a first coil generating a linear magnetic field distribution at an imaging region of the MRI device, and a second coil which suppresses any leakage of a magnetic field from the first coil to a static-magnetic-field coil device that generates a uniform magnetic field distribution at the imaging region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Inventors: Mitsushi Abe, Yukinobu Imamura, Akira Kurome
  • Patent number: 7714574
    Abstract: A superconducting magnet includes: a superconducting coil for generating a static magnetic field; a refrigerant container for containing the superconducting coil and a refrigerant; a vacuum container for holding the refrigerant container in a vacuum state; a radiation shield between the refrigerant container and the vacuum container; a refrigerator for re-liquidfying the refrigerant; and a dynamic magnetic field shield. The refrigerator includes: first and second regenerative refrigerants. The dynamic magnetic field shield is an electric good conductor and arranged around the first regenerative refrigerant along a motion axis of the first regenerative refrigerant, wherein a direction of the motion axis is aligned with a direction of a magnetic force line of the static magnetic field at the first regenerative refrigerant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryuya Ando, Mitsushi Abe, Tsutomu Yamamoto, Tomoo Chiba
  • Patent number: 7576540
    Abstract: The gradient coil for a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus is adapted to encode information on a spatial position of a subject to be inspected into a nuclear magnetic resonance signal. The gradient coil includes a primary gradient coil and a shielded gradient coil. The primary gradient coil generates a gradient magnetic field in the imaging area. The shielded gradient coil is located on the side opposite to the imaging area relative to the primary gradient coil and cancels the gradient magnetic field generated by the primary magnetic field. The shielded gradient coil has a first area including a central axis perpendicularly extending through the central portion of the imaging area and a second area located on the side of the outer circumference of the first area. The second area is more inclined toward the imaging area than the first area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsushi Abe, Yukinobu Imamura, Takeshi Yatsuo
  • Publication number: 20090189721
    Abstract: In a superconducting magnet, including a vacuum vessel, a coil vessel inside the vacuum vessel, and a superconducting coil inside the coil vessel for generating a magnetic field, has a magnetic member, disposed inside the vacuum vessel, supported with thermal insulation, for compensating the magnetic field; a heat exchange device disposed outside the vacuum vessel for supplying to or absorbing heat from the vacuum vessel; and thermal conducting members thermally connecting the heat exchange device via the vacuum vessel to the magnetic member. An MRI including the superconducting magnet is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2009
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Inventors: Tomoo CHIBA, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Hirotaka Takeshima, Shigeki Tounosu, Mitsushi Abe, Hiroyuki Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 7567083
    Abstract: A super-conducting magnet apparatus in an MRI system which may reduce unevenness among magnetization characteristics of ferromagnetic elements arranged between super-conductive shield coils and superconducting main coils. There are provided a pair of super-conducting main coils, a pair of superconductive shield coils arranged on the axes of the pair of super-conducting main coils, being spaced from the pair of super-conducting main coils, and also arranged on opposite sides of a zone to be observed, and ferromagnetic elements arranged in parts of spaces extending from air core parts of the super-conducting main coils to air core parts of the super-conductive shield coils. The super-conductive shield coils have an outer diameter which is larger than that of the super-conducting main coils. The ferromagnetic elements are composed of a plurality of axially symmetric ferromagnetic members which are coaxially arranged, and which have a space in at least a radial part thereof, but not in a center axis part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Nakayama, Mitsushi Abe, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Masanori Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20090040664
    Abstract: The active shield superconducting electromagnet apparatus includes: a main switching circuit in which first and second main coils, first and second shield coils, and a first superconducting persistent current switch are connected in series; a sub switching circuit in which a bypass circuit, in which a superconducting fault current limiter and a second superconducting persistent current switch are connected in series, are connected to a series circuit of the first main coil and the second main coil in parallel; a first closed circuit in which at least one of the first main coil and the first shield coil, and a first quench protection circuit are connected in series; and a second closed circuit in which one of the second main coil and the second shield coil, and a second quench protection circuit are connected in series.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2008
    Publication date: February 12, 2009
    Inventors: Yoshiya Higuchi, Mitsushi Abe, Ryuya Ando, Tsutomu Yamamoto, Takuro Honda
  • Patent number: 7436179
    Abstract: A magnet device has main coils in a pair positioned facing each other to form a static magnetic field space in between and external magnetic flux shielding coils placed coaxially to the main coils. The external magnetic flux shielding coils have a first coil group having a small coefficient of coil coupling and a second coil group having a coefficient of coil coupling greater than that of the first coil group. The first coil group is connected in series to the second coil group. External magnetic flux entering the magnetic field imaging space formed by main coils in a pair positioned facing each other is effectively warded off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryuya Ando, Mitsushi Abe, Takeshi Nakayama, Tsutomu Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20080180100
    Abstract: A superconducting magnet includes: a superconducting coil for generating a static magnetic field; a refrigerant container for containing the superconducting coil and a refrigerant; a vacuum container for holding the refrigerant container in a vacuum state; a radiation shield between the refrigerant container and the vacuum container; a refrigerator for re-liquidfying the refrigerant; and a dynamic magnetic field shield. The refrigerator includes: first and second regenerative refrigerants. The dynamic magnetic field shield is an electric good conductor and arranged around the first regenerative refrigerant along a motion axis of the first regenerative refrigerant, wherein a direction of the motion axis is aligned with a direction of a magnetic force line of the static magnetic field at the first regenerative refrigerant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2007
    Publication date: July 31, 2008
    Inventors: Ryuya Ando, Mitsushi Abe, Tsutomu Yamamoto, Tomoo Chiba
  • Publication number: 20080100295
    Abstract: A super-conducting magnet apparatus in an MRI system which may reduce unevenness among magnetization characteristics of ferromagnetic elements arranged between super-conductive shield coils and superconducting main coils. There are provided a pair of super-conducting main coils, a pair of superconductive shield coils arranged on the axes of the pair of super-conducting main coils, being spaced from the pair of super-conducting main coils, and also arranged on opposite sides of a zone to be observed, and ferromagnetic elements arranged in parts of spaces extending from air core parts of the super-conducting main coils to air core parts of the super-conductive shield coils. The super-conductive shield coils have an outer diameter which is larger than that of the super-conducting main coils. The ferromagnetic elements are composed of a plurality of axially symmetric ferromagnetic members which are coaxially arranged, and which have a space in at least a radial part thereof, but not in a center axis part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2007
    Publication date: May 1, 2008
    Inventors: Takeshi Nakayama, Mitsushi Abe, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Masanori Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20080074112
    Abstract: The gradient coil for a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus is adapted to encode information on a spatial position of a subject to be inspected into a nuclear magnetic resonance signal. The gradient coil includes a primary gradient coil and a shielded gradient coil. The primary gradient coil generates a gradient magnetic field in the imaging area. The shielded gradient coil is located on the side opposite to the imaging area relative to the primary gradient coil and cancels the gradient magnetic field generated by the primary magnetic field. The shielded gradient coil has a first area including a central axis perpendicularly extending through the central portion of the imaging area and a second area located on the side of the outer circumference of the first area. The second area is more inclined toward the imaging area than the first area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2007
    Publication date: March 27, 2008
    Inventors: Mitsushi Abe, Yukinobu Imamura, Takeshi Yatsuo
  • Publication number: 20080024254
    Abstract: A superconducting magnet apparatus obtains high magnetic field uniformity without increasing the volume of a magnetic material even against disturbances. The superconducting magnet apparatus has a circular superconducting coil which generates a magnetic field; a coil vessel which contains the superconducting coil 11 together with refrigerant; a thermal shield arranged so as to surround the coil vessel; a vacuum vessel with inside kept vacuum which surrounds the thermal-shield; and magnetic materials and for correcting the magnetic field, the magnetic materials being arranged in the vacuum vessel; wherein the magnetic materials and are supported by a heat-insulation support medium fixed to the coil vessel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2007
    Publication date: January 31, 2008
    Inventors: Tomoo Chiba, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Kunihiro Takayama, Jun Kawamura, Mitsushi Abe, Takeshi Nakayama, Yoshio Hamadate
  • Publication number: 20070170921
    Abstract: The electromagnet apparatuses generate a homogeneous magnetic field in a homogeneous magnetic field region by a pair of superconductive main coils for facing to each other; a pair of superconductive shielding coils for facing to each other and passing a current in a direction reverse to that of the main coils; and a pair of first ferromagnetic members for facing to each other, and the apparatuses further include a pair of second ferromagnetic members for facing to each other and be disposed in contact with or adjacent to an opposite side of the region side of the first ferromagnetic members, wherein the region is interposed between the main coils, between the shielding coils, between the first members whose outer periphery is a circle, and between the second members whose outer periphery is a circle whose diameter is larger than that of the circle of the first members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2007
    Publication date: July 26, 2007
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Manabu AOKI, Mitsushi ABE, Takeshi NAKAYAMA, Masanori TAKAHASHI
  • Patent number: 7245128
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and the magnet apparatus thereof comprise plural pairs of magnetic field generation sources, arranged face to face with each other, for forming a magnetic field space 3; and magnetic field homogeneity adjusting apparatuses 17 and 18 for providing homogeneity adjustment of the magnetic field formed in the magnetic field space 3. The magnetic field homogeneity adjusting apparatuses 17 and 18 contain a plurality of tapped holes 24 for installing a magnetic field homogeneity adjusting member 26 of smaller volume in a plate-formed tray made of a non-magnetic substance; and a plurality of mounts 25 for installing the magnetic field homogeneity adjusting member 27 of greater volume, these mounts being formed over the area containing a plurality of through-holes for permitting installation of a magnetic field homogeneity adjusting member 26 of smaller volume, whereby major magnetic field adjusting work can be performed independently of minor magnetic field adjusting work.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryuya Ando, Mitsushi Abe, Hiroyuki Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20070057667
    Abstract: A magnet device has main coils in a pair positioned facing each other to form a static magnetic field space in between and external magnetic flux shielding coils placed coaxially to the main coils. The external magnetic flux shielding coils have a first coil group having a small coefficient of coil coupling and a second coil group having a coefficient of coil coupling greater than that of the first coil group. The first coil group is connected in series to the second coil group. External magnetic flux entering the magnetic field imaging space formed by main coils in a pair positioned facing each other is effectively warded off.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2006
    Publication date: March 15, 2007
    Inventors: Ryuya Ando, Mitsushi Abe, Takeshi Nakayama, Tsutomu Yamamoto