Patents by Inventor Shizuka Nagai

Shizuka Nagai 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: 8653820
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus is provided, characterized by: one pair of static magnetic field generating means disposed sandwiching a space in which a test object is placed; magnetic field generating means configured to apply a high-frequency magnetic field and a gradient magnetic field to the test object placed in the static magnetic field; and receiving means configured to receive a nuclear magnetic resonance signal generated from the test object, and characterized in that: the receiving means includes a receiving coil having a predetermined coil pattern and capable of being shaped into a cylinder; the receiving coil includes flexible parts and rigid parts alternately disposed along the circumference direction when shaped into the cylinder; and the flexible parts include a flexible substrate on which a portion of the predetermined coil pattern is mounted and a air-bubbles-containing resin section for covering the both surfaces of the flexible substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Masayoshi Dohata, Shizuka Nagai, Daisuke Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 8358132
    Abstract: An irradiating coil includes a first ring conductor located on a plane, a second ring conductor having a smaller diameter than a diameter of the first ring conductor and located substantially on the plane of the first ring conductor, a plurality of first line conductors connected the first ring conductor and to the second ring conductor, and an arrangement for making uniform a radio-frequency-pulse that is transmitted by the irradiating coil. The pulse uniforming arrangement includes a diverger which diverges a current flow of the first line conductors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Miyauchi, Shizuka Nagai, Atsushi Ohta
  • Patent number: 8188740
    Abstract: The present invention provides a vertical magnetic field MRI apparatus which is capable of speeding up imaging for taking an image of any cross section of a wide area such as a total body, while suppressing increase of the number of channels and maintaining high sensitivity in a deep portion of a subject. A receiver coil unit 500 incorporates a bed coil unit 600 whose longitudinal direction agrees with a body axis direction of the test object 103, and an upper coil unit 700 which is detachably mounted on the bed coil unit 600. The bed coil unit 600 is provided with a carrying surface 601 for placing the test object 103 thereon and multiple lower sub-coils arranged in a lower part of the carrying surface 601, and the upper coil unit 700 is provided with multiple upper sub-coils which are connected to the lower sub-coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Ninomiya, Yoshimi Kasai, Hisaaki Ochi, Masayoshi Dohata, Yoshiyuki Miyamoto, Shizuka Nagai
  • Patent number: 8134367
    Abstract: An irradiating coil includes a first ring conductor located on a plane, a second ring conductor having a smaller diameter than a diameter of the first ring conductor and located substantially on the plane of the first ring conductor, a plurality of first line conductors connected the first ring conductor and to the second ring conductor, and an arrangement for making uniform a radio-frequency-pulse that is transmitted by the irradiating coil. The pulse uniforming arrangement includes a diverger which diverges a current flow of the first line conductors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Miyauchi, Shizuka Nagai, Atsushi Ohta
  • Publication number: 20120004532
    Abstract: An irradiating coil includes a first ring conductor located on a plane, a second ring conductor having a smaller diameter than a diameter of the first ring conductor and located substantially on the plane of the first ring conductor, a plurality of first line conductors connected the first ring conductor and to the second ring conductor, and an arrangement for making uniform a radio-frequency-pulse that is transmitted by the irradiating coil. The pulse uniforming arrangement includes a diverger which diverges a current flow of the first line conductors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2011
    Publication date: January 5, 2012
    Inventors: Yoshiaki MIYAUCHI, Shizuka Nagai, Atsushi Ohta
  • Publication number: 20110031970
    Abstract: The present invention provides a vertical magnetic field MRI apparatus which is capable of speeding up imaging for taking an image of any cross section of a wide area such as a total body, while suppressing increase of the number of channels and maintaining high sensitivity in a deep portion of a subject. A receiver coil unit 500 incorporates a bed coil unit 600 whose longitudinal direction agrees with a body axis direction of the test object 103, and an upper coil unit 700 which is detachably mounted on the bed coil unit 600. The bed coil unit 600 is provided with a carrying surface 601 for placing the test object 103 thereon and multiple lower sub-coils arranged in a lower part of the carrying surface 601, and the upper coil unit 700 is provided with multiple upper sub-coils which are connected to the lower sub-coils.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2007
    Publication date: February 10, 2011
    Inventors: Atsushi Ninomiya, Yoshimi Kasai, Hisaaki Ochi, Masayoshi Dohata, Yoshiyuki Miyamoto, Shizuka Nagai
  • Publication number: 20110026801
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus is provided, characterized by: one pair of static magnetic field generating means disposed sandwiching a space in which a test object is placed; magnetic field generating means configured to apply a high-frequency magnetic field and a gradient magnetic field to the test object placed in the static magnetic field; and receiving means configured to receive a nuclear magnetic resonance signal generated from the test object, and characterized in that: the receiving means includes a receiving coil having a predetermined coil pattern and capable of being shaped into a cylinder; the receiving coil includes flexible parts and rigid parts alternately disposed along the circumference direction when shaped into the cylinder; and the flexible parts include a flexible substrate on which a portion of the predetermined coil pattern is mounted and a air-bubbles-containing resin section for covering the both surfaces of the flexible substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2009
    Publication date: February 3, 2011
    Applicant: HITACHI MEDICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masayoshi Dohata, Shizuka Nagai, Daisuke Yokoyama
  • Publication number: 20100286505
    Abstract: An irradiating coil includes a first ring conductor located on a plane, a second ring conductor having a smaller diameter than a diameter of the first ring conductor and located substantially on the plane of the first ring conductor, a plurality of first line conductors connected the first ring conductor and to the second ring conductor, and an arrangement for making uniform a radio-frequency-pulse that is transmitted by the irradiating coil. The pulse uniforming arrangement includes a diverger which diverges a current flow of the first line conductors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2008
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Miyauchi, Shizuka Nagai, Atsushi Ohta
  • Patent number: 7382130
    Abstract: A planar irradiating coil including a first ring conductor, a second ring conductor having a smaller diameter than that of the first ring conductor, and a plurality of first line conductors that connects the first ring conductor and the second ring conductor, is provided with means for causing the irradiation pulse to be more uniform. That is, in order to make the irradiation pulse more uniform, it is necessary to disperse the operating voltage or to diverge the irradiation current. Therefore, the irradiating coil is provided with a plurality of resonant capacitance elements on the first ring conductor between its connections with the first line conductors, or it is provided with second line conductors, that are connected to the first line conductors, and third line conductors, that connect each end of the second line conductors with the second ring conductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Miyauchi, Shizuka Nagai, Atsushi Ohta
  • Patent number: 6778849
    Abstract: A body probe for MRI has a base coil portion, two side coil portions to be connected to side-coil connecting portions provided on both sides of the base coil portion, and a center coil portions which connects the two side coil portions at the center of the chest of the subject. Each side coil portion is made of a soft member and has a flexible coil embedded inside, so that the side coil portion can have a shape which matches the side surface of the subject. Provided at the center of the two side coil portions which are to be connected to the center coil portions at the chest of the subject is a fixing band for fixing the side coil portions and the center coil portion in close contact with the subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2004
    Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Ninomiya, Ryosuke Fukami, Isamu Takekoshi, Tsuneo Maeda, Shizuka Nagai
  • Publication number: 20040082848
    Abstract: A planar irradiating coil including a first ring conductor, a second ring conductor having a smaller diameter than that of the first ring conductor, and a plurality of first line conductors that connects the first ring conductor and the second ring conductor, is provided with means for causing the irradiation pulse to be more uniform. That is, in order to make the irradiation pulse more uniform, it is necessary to disperse the operating voltage or to diverge the irradiation current. Therefore, the irradiating coil is provided with a plurality of resonant capacitance elements on the first ring conductor between its connections with the first line conductors, or it is provided with second line conductors, that are connected to the first line conductors, and third line conductors, that connect each end of the second line conductors with the second ring conductor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2003
    Publication date: April 29, 2004
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Miyauchi, Shizuka Nagai, Atsushi Ohta