Patents by Inventor Willi Walter Hampel

Willi Walter Hampel 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).

  • Systems and methods for reducing radiation dosage
    Patent number: 7254215
    Abstract: An imaging system including is described. The imaging system includes a radiation source configured to generate a beam, a collimator configured to collimate the beam to generate a collimated beam, and a detector configured to detect the collimated beam. The collimator is one of a first collimator with a curved contour proportional to a contour of the detector, a second collimator with blades, where slopes of two oppositely-facing surfaces of at least one of the blades are different from each other, and a third collimator having at least two sets of plates, where the plates in a set pivot with respect to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
    Inventors: Steven Gerard Ross, Thomas Louis Toth, Willi Walter Hampel, Bruce Matthew Dunham
  • X-ray tube balancing method
    Patent number: 6550317
    Abstract: An imaging tube (16) and an apparatus (60) and a method for pre-balancing the imaging tube (16) for use in an imaging system (10) are provided. The imaging tube mass and center of mass are determined. Desired values for the imaging tube mass and imaging tube center of mass are also determined. A mass correction value and a center of mass correction value are calculated in response to the imaging tube mass, the imaging tube center of mass, and the desired values. The imaging tube mass and the imaging tube center of mass are adjusted in response to the mass correction value and the center of mass correction value respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Co., LLC
    Inventors: Gregory Alan Steinlage, Brian Douglas Lounsberry, David Bradford Chapin, Willi Walter Hampel
  • X-RAY TUBE BALANCING METHOD
    Publication number: 20030046987
    Abstract: An imaging tube (16) and an apparatus (60) and a method for pre-balancing the imaging tube (16) for use in an imaging system (10) are provided. The imaging tube mass and center of mass are determined. Desired values for the imaging tube mass and imaging tube center of mass are also determined. A mass correction value and a center of mass correction value are calculated in response to the imaging tube mass, the imaging tube center of mass, and the desired values. The imaging tube mass and the imaging tube center of mass are adjusted in response to the mass correction value and the center of mass correction value respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2001
    Publication date: March 13, 2003
    Inventors: Gregory Alan Steinlage, Brian Douglas Lounsberry, David Bradford Chapin, Willi Walter Hampel
  • Collimator for reducing patient x-ray dose
    Patent number: 5644614
    Abstract: The present invention, in one form, is a pre-patient collimator for reducing patient x-ray dose during a scan with a computed tomography system. The collimator has a contoured aperture for emitting a generally rectangular shaped x-ray fan beam. The fan beam approximates the rectangular shape of x-ray detectors which gather data for producing an image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 1, 1997
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas Louis Toth, Willi Walter Hampel