Patents by Inventor Pierre-Francois Van de Moortele
Pierre-Francois Van de Moortele 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).
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Publication number: 20230190105Abstract: Ultra-high field (“UHF”) magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) is used to localize the endopiriform nucleus (“EPN”) as a target for neuromodulation treatment. Single or multiple different image contrasts can be used to guide localization of the EPN. Treatment plan data are generated based on the localized EPN, and may include coordinate data, trajectory data, or both, for delivering neuromodulation treatment to the localized EPN.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 5, 2020Publication date: June 22, 2023Applicant: REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTAInventors: Thomas R. HENRY, Gregory F. MOLNAR, Michael C. PARK, Pierre-Francois VAN DE MOORTELE
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Patent number: 10684337Abstract: A method for designing one or more multichannel, multiband radio frequency (“RF”) pulses for use with a magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) system is provided. The method includes determining a number of RF amplitude modulations and a number of RF phase modulations for each channel in a multichannel RF coil by minimizing an objective function that includes a complex-valued vector. The objective function also contains a system matrix that accounts for both a spatial sensitivity profile of each channel in the multichannel RF coil and a magnetic field map for each excitation band in the multiband RF pulse.Type: GrantFiled: January 24, 2014Date of Patent: June 16, 2020Assignee: Regents of the University of MinnesotaInventors: Xiaoping Wu, Pierre-Francois Van De Moortele, Sebastian Schmitter, Kamil Ugurbil, Edward Auerbach
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Patent number: 10545210Abstract: Systems and methods for designing RF pulses using a technique that directly controls temperature rise via a compression model that is based on virtual observation points (“VOPs”) are provided. Thermal pre-simulations are first carried out for a given RF exposure time, coil, and subject model in order to obtain complex temperature matrices, after which the compression scheme follows. As one example, the thermal model employed can be Pennes' bio-heat equation. Focusing design constraints on the temperature rise instead of the absolute temperature allows for uncertain parameters to be dropped from the thermal model, making it more robust and less prone to errors. In some embodiments, the algorithm used for RF pulse design is the active-set (“A-S”) method.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 2015Date of Patent: January 28, 2020Assignees: Regents of the University of Minnesota, Commissariat A L'Energie Atomique et Aux Energies AlternativesInventors: Nicolas Boulant, Pierre-Francois Van De Moortele
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Patent number: 10247803Abstract: Systems and methods for designing and/or using radio frequency (“RF”) pulses for in-vivo MRI applications, where the RF pulses are robust against errors due to physiological motion of organs during the respiratory cycle. For example, RF pulses are designed based on multi-channel B1+ maps correlated to different positions of the respiratory cycle.Type: GrantFiled: April 24, 2015Date of Patent: April 2, 2019Assignee: Regents of the University of MinnesotaInventors: Sebastian Schmitter, Pierre-Francois van de Moortele, Xiaoping Wu, Kamil Ugurbil
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Patent number: 10191126Abstract: Systems and methods for producing an image of the electrical properties of an object using magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) are provided. The electrical properties are determined based on estimated gradient values of the electrical properties of the object. For instance, electrical property maps are reconstructed using a spatial integration on gradient values that are estimated from the magnitude and relative phase values derived from measurements of multiple transmit and receive B1fields. Specific absorption rate (“SAR”) maps can also be produced based on the estimated electrical properties.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2014Date of Patent: January 29, 2019Assignee: Regents of the University of MinnesotaInventors: Bin He, Jiaen Liu, Xiaotong Zhang, Pierre-Francois Van de Moortele
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Publication number: 20170307710Abstract: Systems and methods for designing RF pulses using a technique that directly controls temperature rise via a compression model that is based on virtual observation points (“VOPs”) are provided. Thermal pre-simulations are first carried out for a given RF exposure time, coil, and subject model in order to obtain complex temperature matrices, after which the compression scheme follows. As one example, the thermal model employed can be Pennes' bio-heat equation. Focusing design constraints on the temperature rise instead of the absolute temperature allows for uncertain parameters to be dropped from the thermal model, making it more robust and less prone to errors. In some embodiments, the algorithm used for RF pulse design is the active-set (“A-S”) method.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 22, 2015Publication date: October 26, 2017Inventors: Nicolas Boulant, Pierre-Francois Van De Moortele
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Publication number: 20150362574Abstract: A method for designing one or more multichannel, multiband radio frequency (“RF”) pulses for use with a magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) system is provided. The method includes determining a number of RF amplitude modulations and a number of RF phase modulations for each channel in a multichannel RF coil by minimizing an objective function that includes a complex-valued vector. The objective function also contains a system matrix that accounts for both a spatial sensitivity profile of each channel in the multichannel RF coil and a magnetic field map for each excitation band in the multiband RF pulse.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 24, 2014Publication date: December 17, 2015Inventors: Xiaoping Wu, Pierre-Francois Van De Moortele, Sebastian Schmitter, Kamil Ugurbil, Edward Auerbach
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Publication number: 20140300354Abstract: Systems and methods for producing an image of the electrical properties of an object using magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) are provided. The electrical properties are determined based on estimated gradient values of the electrical properties of the object. For instance, electrical property maps are reconstructed using a spatial integration on gradient values that are estimated from the magnitude and relative phase values derived from measurements of multiple transmit and receive B1 fields. Specific absorption rate (“SAR”) maps can also be produced based on the estimated electrical properties.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 4, 2014Publication date: October 9, 2014Inventors: Bin He, Jiaen Liu, Xiaotong Zhang, Pierre-Francois Van de Moortele
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Patent number: 8193809Abstract: In one illustrative embodiment, a radio frequency (RF) coil is disclosed. The RF coil may include a plurality of transmission line elements, wherein at least one of the plurality of transmission line elements may have at least one dimension different than a dimension of another one of the plurality of transmission line elements. In some cases, each of the transmission line elements may include a signal line conductor and a ground plane conductor separated by a dielectric.Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 2008Date of Patent: June 5, 2012Assignee: Regents of the University of MinnesotaInventors: Can E. Akgun, Carl Snyder, Lance DelaBarre, Steen Moeller, Pierre-Francois Van de Moortele, John Thomas Vaughan, Kamil Ugurbil
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Patent number: 7800368Abstract: A magnetic resonance system is disclosed. The system includes a transceiver having a multichannel receiver and a multichannel transmitter, where each channel of the transmitter is configured for independent selection of frequency, phase, time, space, and magnitude, and each channel of the receiver is configured for independent selection of space, time, frequency, phase and gain. The system also includes a magnetic resonance coil having a plurality of current elements, with each element coupled in one to one relation with a channel of the receiver and a channel of the transmitter. The system further includes a processor coupled to the transceiver, such that the processor is configured to execute instructions to control a current in each element and to perform a non-linear algorithm to shim the coil.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2007Date of Patent: September 21, 2010Assignee: Regents of the University of MinnesotaInventors: J. Thomas Vaughan, Pierre-Francois Van de Moortele, Lance DelaBarre, Christopher C. Olson, Heather Orser, Anand Gopinath, Kamil Ugurbil, Carl Snyder, Gregor Adiany, Can E. Akgun, Jinfeng Tian, John Strupp, Peter M. Andersen, Xiaoping Wu
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Patent number: 7710117Abstract: A current unit having two or more current paths allows control of magnitude, phase, time, frequency and position of each of element in a radio frequency coil. For each current element, the current can be adjusted as to a phase angle, frequency and magnitude. Multiple current paths of a current unit can be used for targeting multiple spatial domains or strategic combinations of the fields generated/detected by combination of elements for targeting a single domain in magnitude, phase, time, space and frequency.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 2007Date of Patent: May 4, 2010Assignee: Regents of the University of MinnesotaInventors: J. Thomas Vaughan, Gregor Adriany, Carl Snyder, Can E. Akgun, Jinfeng Tian, Kamil Ugurbil, Pierre-Francois Van de Moortele, Steen Moeller
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Publication number: 20090115417Abstract: In one illustrative embodiment, a radio frequency (RF) coil is disclosed. The RF coil may include a plurality of transmission line elements, wherein at least one of the plurality of transmission line elements may have at least one dimension different than a dimension of another one of the plurality of transmission line elements. In some cases, each of the transmission line elements may include a signal line conductor and a ground plane conductor separated by a dielectric.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 2, 2008Publication date: May 7, 2009Applicant: Regents of the University of MinnesotaInventors: Can E. Akgun, Carl Snyder, Lance DelaBarre, Steen Moeller, Pierre-Francois Van de Moortele, John Thomas Vaughan, Kamil Ugurbil
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Patent number: 7514926Abstract: This document discusses, among other things, a system and method for a coil having a plurality of resonant elements and an adjustable frame. A position of at least one resonant element can be adjusted relative to at least one other resonant element. A variable impedance is coupled to adjacent resonant elements and the impedance varies as a function of a separation distance. Cables are coupled to each resonant element and are gathered at a junction in a particular manner.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2006Date of Patent: April 7, 2009Assignee: Regents of the University of MinnesotaInventors: Gregor Adriany, Pierre-Francois Van de Moortele, Johannes Ritter, William Voje, J. Thomas Vaughan, Kamil Ugurbil
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Publication number: 20080084210Abstract: A current unit having two or more current paths allows control of magnitude, phase, time, frequency and position of each of element in a radio frequency coil. For each current element, the current can be adjusted as to a phase angle, frequency and magnitude. Multiple current paths of a current unit can be used for targeting multiple spatial domains or strategic combinations of the fields generated/detected by combination of elements for targeting a single domain in magnitude, phase, time, space and frequency.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2007Publication date: April 10, 2008Applicant: REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTAInventors: J. Vaughan, Gregor Adriany, Carl Snyder, Can Akgun, Jinfeng Tian, Kamil Ugurbil, Pierre-Francois Van de Moortele, Steen Moeller
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Publication number: 20070108980Abstract: This document discusses, among other things, a system and method for a coil having a plurality of resonant elements and an adjustable frame. A position of at least one resonant element can be adjusted relative to at least one other resonant element. A variable impedance is coupled to adjacent resonant elements and the impedance varies as a function of a separation distance. Cables are coupled to each resonant element and are gathered at a junction in a particular manner.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 14, 2006Publication date: May 17, 2007Inventors: Gregor Adriany, Pierre-Francois Van de Moortele, Johannes Ritter, William Voje, J. Vaughan, Kamil Ugurbil
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Patent number: RE47026Abstract: A magnetic resonance system is disclosed. The system includes a transceiver having a multichannel receiver and a multichannel transmitter, where each channel of the transmitter is configured for independent selection of frequency, phase, time, space, and magnitude, and each channel of the receiver is configured for independent selection of space, time, frequency, phase and gain. The system also includes a magnetic resonance coil having a plurality of current elements, with each element coupled in one to one relation with a channel of the receiver and a channel of the transmitter. The system further includes a processor coupled to the transceiver, such that the processor is configured to execute instructions to control a current in each element and to perform a non-linear algorithm to shim the coil.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 2012Date of Patent: September 4, 2018Assignee: Regents of the University of MinnesotaInventors: J Thomas Vaughan, Pierre-Francois Van de Moortele, Lance DelaBarre, Chris E Olson, Heather Orser, Anand Gopinath, Kamil Ugurbil, Carl Snyder, Gregor Adriany, Can Akgun, Jinfeng Tian, John Strupp, Peter M Andersen