Patents by Inventor Nicholas Paul Aley

Nicholas Paul Aley 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: 9213073
    Abstract: An MRI system has a cylindrical superconducting magnet assembly contained in a bore tube of a cylindrical vacuum vessel (OVC), and a gradient coil assembly situated within the OVC bore tube. In an imaging region within a bore of the gradient coil assembly, the magnet assembly produces a magnetic field that is subject to drift during operation of the MRI system. Compensating material is located at a radial position between the imaging region and the magnet in a location that will be heated over a range of temperatures during operation of the MRI system. The compensating material is adjustable between two magnetic phases in response to an applied physical characteristic, which is selectively applied thereto so as to change the compensating material from a first magnetization to a second magnetization, and thereby compensate the drift.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Siemens PLC
    Inventor: Nicholas Paul Aley
  • Publication number: 20140232398
    Abstract: An MRI system has compensating material located at a radial position between the imaging region and the basic field magnet in a location that will be heated over a range of temperatures during operation of the MRI system. The compensating material has a magnetic susceptibility that varies with temperature over the range of temperatures in a manner opposite to the variation in magnetic susceptibility of the material of the OVC bore tube of the basic field magnet over the range of temperatures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2014
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Inventor: Nicholas Paul Aley
  • Publication number: 20140235448
    Abstract: An MRI system has a cylindrical superconducting magnet assembly contained in a bore tube of a cylindrical vacuum vessel (OVC), and a gradient coil assembly situated within the OVC bore tube. In an imaging region within a bore of the gradient coil assembly, the magnet assembly produces a magnetic field that is subject to drift during operation of the MRI system. Compensating material is located at a radial position between the imaging region and the magnet in a location that will be heated over a range of temperatures during operation of the MRI system. The compensating material is adjustable between two magnetic phases in response to an applied physical characteristic, which is selectively applied thereto so as to change the compensating material from a first magnetization to a second magnetization, and thereby compensate the drift.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2014
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Inventor: Nicholas Paul Aley