Patents by Inventor Sojuro Kato

Sojuro Kato 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).

  • Publication number: 20230320614
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus of an embodiment includes a transmission coil, a reception coil, and first processing circuitry. The transmission coil radiates RF pulses to a subject. The reception coil receives magnetic resonance signals from the subject. The first processing circuitry controls the transmission coil and the reception coil. The reception coil includes a clock receptor, a phase synchronizer, and second processing circuitry. The clock receptor receives a clock signal wirelessly transmitted by the first processing circuitry. The phase synchronizer performs phase synchronization with the clock signal. The second processing circuitry controls the phase synchronizer. The second processing circuitry switches operating states of the phase synchronizer in accordance with a radiation timing of the RF pulses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2023
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Applicant: CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Sojuro KATO
  • Patent number: 10371769
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a static field magnet, a gradient coil, at least one radio frequency coil, a receiver and processing circuitry. The static field magnet, the gradient coil, the at least one radio frequency coil and the receiver are configured to acquire magnetic resonance signals from an object. The processing circuitry is configured to generate magnetic resonance image data based on the magnetic resonance signals. The receiver is configured to convert analog magnetic resonance signals received by the at least one radio frequency coil into digital magnetic resonance signals without a downconversion; separate the digital magnetic resonance signals into in-phase signals and quadrature-phase signals; and perform filter processing for removing noises of the in-phase signals and the quadrature-phase signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuyuki Soejima, Sojuro Kato, Makoto Hirama
  • Publication number: 20150276910
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a static field magnet, a gradient coil, at least one radio frequency coil, a receiver and processing circuitry. The static field magnet, the gradient coil, the at least one radio frequency coil and the receiver are configured to acquire magnetic resonance signals from an object. The processing circuitry is configured to generate magnetic resonance image data based on the magnetic resonance signals. The receiver is configured to convert analog magnetic resonance signals received by the at least one radio frequency coil into digital magnetic resonance signals without a downconversion; separate the digital magnetic resonance signals into in-phase signals and quadrature-phase signals; and perform filter processing for removing noises of the in-phase signals and the quadrature-phase signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2015
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Inventors: Kazuyuki SOEJIMA, Sojuro KATO, Makoto HIRAMA
  • Patent number: 9052367
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an apparatus includes a control unit and a coil unit. The control unit generates a first clock signal, generates a data signal to indicate an operating condition, modulates the first clock signal by the data signal to obtain a modulated signal, generates a clock transmission signal including the modulated signal, and emits the clock transmission signal. The coil unit converts the clock transmission signal into an electric signal, detects the modulated signal from the clock transmission signal, generates a second clock signal synchronous with the first clock signal from the modulated signal, detects an MR signal generated in a subject, digitizes, synchronously with the second clock signal, the MR signal, detects the data signal from the detected modulated signal by using of the second clock signal, controls the operating condition of the coil unit to be the operating condition indicated by the data signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Akita, Takahiro Sekiguchi, Kazuya Okamoto, Sojuro Kato
  • Patent number: 8947091
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an MRI apparatus includes a probe unit and a control/imaging unit. The probe unit includes a probe, a converter, a compressor and a transmitter. The control/imaging unit includes a receiver, an expander and a reconstructor. The probe detects an RF echo signal generated in a subject by a magnetic resonance phenomenon. The converter digitizes the detected signal. The compressor compresses the digitized signal in accordance with a predetermined compression parameter to obtain a compressed signal. The transmitter generates a transmission signal to wirelessly transmit the compressed echo signal and sends the transmission signal to a radio channel. The receiver receives the transmission signal and extracts the compressed signal from the received signal. The expander expands the extracted compressed signal in accordance with the parameter to obtain the RF echo signal. The reconstructor generates a video signal regarding the subject on the basis of the obtained signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Nakanishi, Koji Akita, Takahiro Sekiguchi, Kazuya Okamoto, Sojuro Kato
  • Patent number: 8704522
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an MRI apparatus includes first and second clock generators, a pulse generator, transmission and reception coils, pulse and phase detectors, and a corrector. The pulse generator generates an excitation pulse signal based on a clock signal generated by the first clock generator. The reception coil outputs a radio frequency signals corresponding to an excitation pulse transmitted from the transmission coil or an MR echo. The converter digitizes, synchronously with a clock signal generated by the second clock generator, the radio frequency signal, to obtain radio frequency data. The pulse detector detects excitation pulse data corresponding to the excitation pulse from the radio frequency data. The phase detector detects a phase of a pulse indicated by the detected excitation pulse data. The corrector corrects the radio frequency data based on the detected phase, to compensate for a phase offset which occurs in the echo during the digitization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Akita, Takahiro Sekiguchi, Toshiyuki Nakanishi, Kazuya Okamoto, Sojuro Kato
  • Patent number: 8643362
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a apparatus includes a coil, a clock generator, an echo transmitter, a carrier generator, a clock transmitter, a regenerator, an receiver, a reconstructor, a detector, and a controller. The echo transmitter generates and transmits an echo transmission signal synchronously with a clock signal generated by the clock generator to wirelessly transmit an echo signal output from the col. The carrier generator generates a carrier signal have a frequency within a variable range. The clock transmitter wirelessly transmits a clock transmission signal. The regenerator regenerates the clock signal based on the transmitted clock transmission signal. The receiver extracts the echo signal synchronously with the regenerated clock signal from the transmitted echo transmission signal. The detector detects a frequency of an interference wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takahiro Sekiguchi, Koji Akita, Toshiyuki Nakanishi, Kazuya Okamoto, Sojuro Kato
  • Publication number: 20110227574
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an MRI apparatus includes first and second clock generators, a pulse generator, transmission and reception coils, pulse and phase detectors, and a corrector. The pulse generator generates an excitation pulse signal based on a clock signal generated by the first clock generator. The reception coil outputs a radio frequency signals corresponding to an excitation pulse transmitted from the transmission coil or an MR echo. The converter digitizes, synchronously with a clock signal generated by the second clock generator, the radio frequency signal, to obtain radio frequency data. The pulse detector detects excitation pulse data corresponding to the excitation pulse from the radio frequency data. The phase detector detects a phase of a pulse indicated by the detected excitation pulse data. The corrector corrects the radio frequency data based on the detected phase, to compensate for a phase offset which occurs in the echo during the digitization.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Publication date: September 22, 2011
    Inventors: Koji Akita, Takahiro Sekiguchi, Toshiyuki Nakanishi, Kazuya Okamoto, Sojuro Kato
  • Publication number: 20110227571
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a apparatus includes a coil, a clock generator, an echo transmitter, a carrier generator, a clock transmitter, a regenerator, an receiver, a reconstructor, a detector, and a controller. The echo transmitter generates and transmits an echo transmission signal synchronously with a clock signal generated by the clock generator to wirelessly transmit an echo signal output from the col. The carrier generator generates a carrier signal have a frequency within a variable range. The clock transmitter wirelessly transmits a clock transmission signal. The regenerator regenerates the clock signal based on the transmitted clock transmission signal. The receiver extracts the echo signal synchronously with the regenerated clock signal from the transmitted echo transmission signal. The detector detects a frequency of an interference wave.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Publication date: September 22, 2011
    Inventors: Takahiro Sekiguchi, Koji Akita, Toshiyuki Nakanishi, Kazuya Okamoto, Sojuro Kato
  • Publication number: 20110109316
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an apparatus includes a control unit and a coil unit. The control unit generates a first clock signal, generates a data signal to indicate an operating condition, modulates the first clock signal by the data signal to obtain a modulated signal, generates a clock transmission signal including the modulated signal, and emits the clock transmission signal. The coil unit converts the clock transmission signal into an electric signal, detects the modulated signal from the clock transmission signal, generates a second clock signal synchronous with the first clock signal from the modulated signal, detects an MR signal generated in a subject, digitizes, synchronously with the second clock signal, the MR signal, detects the data signal from the detected modulated signal by using of the second clock signal, controls the operating condition of the coil unit to be the operating condition indicated by the data signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2010
    Publication date: May 12, 2011
    Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji AKITA, Takahiro Sekiguchi, Kazuya Okamoto, Sojuro Kato
  • Publication number: 20110101977
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an MRI apparatus includes a probe unit and a control/imaging unit. The probe unit includes an probe, an converter, an compressor and a transmitter. The control/imaging unit includes a receiver, an expander and an reconstructor. The probe detects an RF echo signal generated in a subject by a magnetic resonance phenomenon. The converter digitizes the detected signal. The compressor compresses the digitized signal in accordance with a predetermined compression parameter to obtain a compressed signal. The transmitter generates a transmission signal to wirelessly transmit the compressed echo signal and sends the transmission signal to a radio channel. The receiver receives the transmission signal and extracts the compressed signal from the received signal. The expander expands the extracted compressed signal in accordance with the parameter to obtain the RF echo signal. The reconstructor generates a video signal regarding the subject on the basis of the obtained signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiyuki NAKANISHI, Koji Akita, Takahiro Sekiguchi, Kazuya Okamoto, Sojuro Kato