Using A Nuclear Resonance Spectrometer System Patents (Class 324/307)
  • Patent number: 11486946
    Abstract: A sample chamber holder for MAS-NMR capable of operating at both low and high pressures. In one example the sample chamber holder is made up of a sample holder body defining a sample chamber therein, a connector configured to operatively statically hold an in situ rotor within the sample chamber; a coupler configured to operatively connect the sampler holder body to a magnetically coupled rotation member. The magnetically coupled rotation member is configured to engage and rotate a sealing cap from an NMR rotor in such a way so as to allow an NMR cap to be alternatively opened or sealed in-situ while the NMR rotor remains statically positioned in an NMR device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Jian Z. Hu, Nicholas R. Jaegers, Mark R. Townsend, Mary Y. Hu
  • Patent number: 11474178
    Abstract: A method for generating a magnetic resonance image includes providing MR segment data records, wherein each MR segment data record has N×M frequency voxels in k-space. To reduce the acquisition time during MR segment recordings, the amount of MR data is reduced by incompletely sampling the k-space during a recording. The missing data of the MR segment data records are reconstructed twice: Preliminarily reconstructed MR segment data records are calculated first, with a reconstruction kernel obtained from reference data. Modified reference images containing phase information are obtained by creating phase images from the preliminarily reconstructed MR segment data records and combining these phase images with the absolute value of the reference image generated from the reference data. The second reconstruction kernels are ascertained therefrom in turn. In contrast to the first reconstruction kernel, these contain phase information, such that the missing data can be reconstructed without phase artifacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: BRUKER BIOSPIN MRI GMBH
    Inventor: Michael Herbst
  • Patent number: 11474181
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a magnetic resonance imaging method based on a blade sequence. The method can include acquiring 3-D data collected by a surface coil, determining a corresponding plurality of kernel data of each blade from the 3-D data according to the position information of each blade, collecting a corresponding plurality of slices of aliasing K-space data of each blade, performing convolution operations for the corresponding plurality of slices of aliasing K-space data of each blade and the corresponding plurality of kernel data of each blade to obtain a corresponding plurality of unaliasing K-space data of each blade, and reconstructing images for the corresponding plurality of unaliasing K-space data of different blades to obtain a plurality of unaliasing images. The present disclosure further describes a magnetic resonance imaging device for realizing the method and a computer-readable storage medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventors: Kun Zhou, Wei Liu
  • Patent number: 11471089
    Abstract: In a method for determining R-waves in an ECG signal, at least one reference ECG signal is measured, at least one reference breathing signal is measured, at least one reference R-wave is determined using the reference ECG signal and the reference breathing signal, at least one reference value is determined using the reference ECG signal and the reference breathing signal, at least one comparison rule is credited based on the at least one reference value, ECG signals are measured and breathing signals are measured in which R-waves are to be determined, the measured ECG signals and breathing signals are compared with the at least one reference value using the at least one comparison rule, and at least one R-wave is determined using the measured ECG signals and breathing signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Juergen Roessler
  • Patent number: 11454686
    Abstract: A gradient system for a magnetic resonance imaging system can include at least two examination areas using a common basic magnetic field and a number of gradient coils in the at least two examination areas, and a gradient controller configured such that it controls the electric current flowing through at least two gradient coils for similar gradient axes in different examination areas in a temporal synchronous manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventor: Stefan Popescu
  • Patent number: 11450435
    Abstract: A method and system for detecting spinal stenosis is provided. The method may receive image data corresponding to a spine region of a patient. The method may also identify a spinal cord in the image data. The method may determine at least one compression of the spinal cord and may mark an anatomical element proximate to a location of the determined at least one compression to yield at least one marking. The method may generate a decompression plan based on the at least one marking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: MAZOR ROBOTICS LTD.
    Inventor: Dany Junio
  • Patent number: 11428761
    Abstract: A method of operating a magnetic resonance imaging system (10) includes adjusting a radio frequency excitation field B1 to be applied to a subject of interest (20) to be imaged. At least one position parameter (d) that is indicative of a position of at least the portion of the subject of interest (20) relative to at least one radio frequency transmit antenna (36) of the magnetic resonance imaging system (10) is determined. At least one radio frequency power-related parameter of radio frequency power to be fed to the at least one radio frequency transmit antenna (36) is adjusted in dependence of the at least one of the determined at least one position parameter (d) and a determined geometric dimension (w) of the subject of interest (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventor: Paul Royston Harvey
  • Patent number: 11419555
    Abstract: To acquire a higher-quality image with high-speed imaging in an MRI apparatus or the like to which compressed sensing is applied. Included are: an observation unit that does not observe, when any one of two points being point-symmetric with respect to the origin is observed, the other point in observation of a high frequency component of a K-space of the MRI apparatus; and a reconstruction unit that reconstructs an image from a component of the K-space observed by the observation unit. The reconstruction process of the reconstruction unit includes an image correction process based on an observation pattern of the observation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Healthcare Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshimi Noguchi, Masahiro Ogino
  • Patent number: 11423593
    Abstract: Methods and systems for reconstructing an image. For example, a method includes: receiving k-space data; receiving a transform operator corresponding to the k-space data; determining a distribution representing information associated with one or more previous iteration images; generating a next iteration image by an image reconstruction model to reduce an objective function, the objective function corresponding to a data consistency metric and a regularization metric; evaluating whether the next iteration image is satisfactory; and if the next iteration image is satisfactory, outputting the next iteration image as an output image. In certain examples, the data consistency metric corresponds to a first previous iteration image, the k-space data, and the transform operator. In certain examples, the regularization metric corresponds to the distribution. In certain examples, the computer-implemented method is performed by one or more processors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: Shanghai United Imaging Intelligence Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Zhang Chen, Shanhui Sun, Terrence Chen
  • Patent number: 11415654
    Abstract: A method of analysing the magnitude of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data is described. The method comprising: using the magnitude only of the multi-echo MRI data of images from the subject, where images are acquired at arbitrarily timed echoes including at least one echo time where water and fat are not substantially in-phase; fitting the magnitude of said multi-echo MRI data to a single signal model to produce a plurality of potential solutions for the relative signal contributions for each of the at least two species from the model, by using a plurality of different starting conditions to generate a particular cost function value for each of the plurality of starting conditions, where said cost function values are independent of a field map term for the MRI data; analysing said cost function values to calculate relative signal separation contribution for each species at each voxel of the images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Perspectum Limited
    Inventors: Alexandre Bagur, Chloe Hutton, Benjamin J Irving, Michael L Gyngell, Matthew Robson, Michael J Brady
  • Patent number: 11415649
    Abstract: A coil assembly for MR imaging includes an RF coil element and a shim coil array with a shim coil element. The shim coil element is physically separated from the RF coil element. The shim coil element includes a DC current loop having a DC power supply connection to allow DC current to generate a local B0 magnetic field. The coil assembly simultaneously provides an RF mode for at least one of transmit or receive and a direct current mode to generate a local B0 magnetic field for at least one of B0 shimming an imaging space, MRI spatial encoding of tissue spins, or MRI temporal encoding of tissue spins. The mutual inductance between the shim coil element and the RF coil element is minimized by configuration of blocking elements in the shim coil in order to minimize the RF interaction there between.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Inventors: Hui Han, Debiao Li
  • Patent number: 11408953
    Abstract: Improvements in MR spiral imaging are provided in that spiral segments (2 to 8) are reordered, in particular alternately traversed and/or permuted. Moreover, repeatedly approaching the same post-trajectory points (16) between the acquisitions of the spiral segments (2 to 8) is provided, in which the post-trajectory points (16) are located outside of the center (18) of k-space (9), preferably outside of a region (20) of the k-space (9) covered by the spiral segments (2 to 8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
    Inventors: Jurgen Hennig, Maxim Zaitsev
  • Patent number: 11408955
    Abstract: A system for generating MR images for segmentation and/or use in correcting attenuation in subsequent images using other modalities (e.g., PET, SPECT, etc.) is described. A surrogate soft tissue device is provided and positioned on the patient near the artifact source to provide a surrogate soft tissue boundary that can be imaged and interpreted during segmentation to mitigate the deleterious effects of a local susceptibility artifact in the MR image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: KONINKLJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Oliver Claus Steinbach, Andres Alejandro Kohan, Christian Rubbert
  • Patent number: 11402455
    Abstract: A magnetic field causing a difference of energy level between different spin states in the sample can be applied, a spin transition in the material can be triggered by exposing the sample to electromagnetic radiation of an energy level corresponding to the difference in energy level between the different spin states, a sensing surface of a superconducting element can be exposed to a magnetic field of the spins in the sample, the spin transition can cause, via kinetic inductance, a change in electromagnetic waves carried by the superconducting element which can be detected. A magnetic field component normal to the sensing surface, below a certain magnetic field threshold, can be applied to favor sensitivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: SOCPRA SCIENCES ET GENIE S.E.C.
    Inventors: Dany Lachance-Quirion, David Roy-Guay, Michel Pioro-Ladrière, Gregory Brookes, Jérôme Bourassa
  • Patent number: 11389077
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided to simultaneously provide good image quality and fast image reconstruction from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data by selecting an appropriate value for the regularization parameter used in compressed sensing (CS) image reconstruction. In CS reconstruction a high-resolution image can be reconstructed from randomized undersampled data by imposing sparsity in multi-scale transformation (e.g., wavelet) domain. Further, in the transformation domain, a threshold can be determined between signal and noise levels of the transform coefficients. A regularization parameter based on this threshold scales the regularization term, which imposes sparsity, relative to the data fidelity term in an objective function, thereby balancing the tradeoff between noise and smoothing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Andrew James Wheaton, Antonios Matakos, Samir Dev Sharma
  • Patent number: 11385309
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system for MRI. The system may obtain MRI scan data of a subject by directing an MRI scanner to perform an MRI scan on the subject according to a first gradient waveform. The system may also determine a second gradient waveform based on the first gradient waveform and a gradient waveform determination model. The gradient waveform determination model may have been trained according to a machine learning algorithm. The system may further generate a target reconstruction image of the subject based on the second gradient waveform and the MRI scan data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: SHANGHAI UNITED IMAGING HEALTHCARE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Qi Liu, Yuan Zheng
  • Patent number: 11373392
    Abstract: A method for performing magnetic resonance fingerprinting includes acquiring a plurality of MR image datasets using at least two pulse sequence types, the plurality of MR image datasets representing signal evolutions for image elements in a region of interest, comparing the plurality of MR image datasets to a dictionary of signal evolutions to identify at least one parameter of the MR image datasets and generating a report indicating the at least one parameter of the MR image datasets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignees: Case Western Reserve University, Siemens Healthcare GMBH
    Inventors: Mathias Nittka, Gregor Korzdorfer, Peter Speier, Mark A. Griswold, Yun Jiang
  • Patent number: 11372067
    Abstract: Provided are a method of obtaining a water-fat separation image and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus including a controller configured to obtain first partial k-space data, second partial k-space data, and third partial k-space data, respectively based on a first partial echo signal, a second partial echo signal, and a third partial echo signal, which are magnetic resonance signals corresponding to a plurality of echo times with respect to an object, obtain first reconstruction image data, second reconstruction image data, and third reconstruction image data with respect to the object, respectively based on the first partial k-space data, the second partial k-space data, and the third partial k-space data, and obtain first water image data, first fat image data, and first phase image data of the object, respectively based on the first reconstruction image data, the second reconstruction image data, and the third reconstruction image data, by using a Dixon technique.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Joon-sung Choi, Hyun-sang Suh, Hyun-seok Seo, Myung-sung Song, Dae-ho Lee
  • Patent number: 11366192
    Abstract: An MRI phantom for calibrated anisotropic imaging includes a plurality of separate sheathed taxons or integral taxons sharing common taxon walls, wherein each taxon has an inner diameter of less than 2 microns. The taxons form taxon filaments that are combined to form taxon ribbons. The taxons may have an average inner diameter of less than 1 micron, specifically about 0.8 microns with a packing density of about 1,000,000 per square millimeter. The filaments may include structural features such as an outer frame and crossing support ribs and may further include a visible alignment feature that allows for verifying orientation of an individual filament. The taxons may be formed as taxon fibers manufactured using a bi or tri-component textile/polymer manufacturing process. An anisotropic homogeneity phantom may include frame members that support fiber tracks extending in orthogonal directions, wherein each fiber track is formed of taxons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignees: PSYCHOLOGY SOFTWARE TOOLS, INC, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH—OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION
    Inventors: Anthony P. Zuccolotto, John Dzikiy, Leroy K. Basler, Benjamin A. Rodack, Walter Schneider, Sudhir K Pathak
  • Patent number: 11360172
    Abstract: A method of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to enable ‘silent’ zero echo time (ZTE) imaging in combination with water/fat separation. The method includes subjecting the object to a first self-refocusing zero echo time imaging sequence, wherein a first sequence of gradient echo signals is acquired as a first number N1 of radial k-space spokes at a first repetition time TR1; subjecting the object to a second self-refocusing zero echo time imaging sequence, wherein a second sequence of gradient echo signals is acquired as a second number N2 of radial k-space spokes at a second repetition time TR2, wherein N2?N1 and/or TR2?TR1; and reconstructing a MR image from the acquired gradient echo signals. Signal contributions of chemical species (e.g., water and fat) may be separated exploiting the different echo times attributed to the gradient echo signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventors: Holger Eggers, Johan Samuel Van Den Brink
  • Patent number: 11360165
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for assisting in positioning an accessory unit on a patient for a magnetic resonance examination. Also disclosed is a magnetic resonance apparatus, which is designed to perform a method for assisting in positioning an accessory unit on a patient for a magnetic resonance examination. A corresponding computer program product is also disclosed, which is designed to perform a method for assisting in positioning an accessory unit on a patient for a magnetic resonance examination, and an electronically readable data storage medium containing the computer program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignees: Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Designaffairs GmbH
    Inventors: Katharina Hesels, Jonas Vollmer, Sabine Norosinski, George William Ferguson, Roman Achleitner
  • Patent number: 11360171
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a magnetic resonance imaging system and a method for obtaining magnetic resonance imaging data. The method comprises: applying a fat suppression pulse before the start of any repetition time of an imaging sequence; performing a plurality of echoes in the repetition time, wherein first image data when water and fat are in phase and second image data when water and fat are out of phase are obtained during each echo of the plurality of echoes; and obtaining fat-suppressed image data according to the first image data and the second image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: GE Precision Healthcare LLC
    Inventors: Nan Cao, Yongchuan Lai, Pengfei Lu
  • Patent number: 11353529
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for generating a magnetic resonance image from a measurement dataset. The measurement dataset is initially acquired from k space values. By means of a data processing facility the k space values are then automatically analyzed at least in terms of their size. Furthermore a modified measurement dataset is automatically generated from the measurement dataset by removing k space values whose size satisfies at least one predetermined threshold value criterion. The magnetic resonance image is then generated automatically from the modified measurement dataset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventor: Mario Zeller
  • Patent number: 11344217
    Abstract: The invention features methods for detecting the hydration state or vascular volume of a subject using a device capable of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurement. The methods involve exposing a portion of a tissue of the subject in vivo to a magnetic field and RF pulse from the device to excite hydrogen nuclei of water within the tissue portion, and measuring a relaxation parameter of the hydrogen nuclei in the tissue portion, the relaxation parameter being a quantitative measure of the hydration state or vascular volume of the subject as a whole. The invention also features devices and computer-readable storage media for performing the methods of the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Michael J. Cima, Matthew Li, Christophoros C. Vassiliou, Negar Tavassolian, Lina Avancini Colucci
  • Patent number: 11340325
    Abstract: Apparatus, methods, and other embodiments associated with NMR fingerprinting are described. One example NMR apparatus includes an NMR logic that repetitively and variably samples a (k, t, E) space associated with an object to acquire a set of NMR signals that are associated with different points in the (k, t, E) space. Sampling is performed with t and/or E varying in a non-constant way. Sampling is performed in response to a diffusion-weighted double-echo pulse sequence. Sampling acquires transient-state signals of the double-echo sequence. The NMR apparatus may also include a signal logic that produces an NMR signal evolution from the NMR signals, and a characterization logic that characterizes a resonant species in the object as a result of comparing acquired signals to reference signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Case Western Reserve University
    Inventors: Mark Griswold, Vikas Gulani, Dan Ma, Yun Jiang, Katherine Wright
  • Patent number: 11340313
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for examining a magnetic field source. In this case, the magnetic vector field emanating from the magnetic field source is detected in a first coordinate system and corresponding magnetic field data is generated. Furthermore, the geometrical body of the magnetic field source is geometrically detected in a second coordinate system and corresponding geometrical data is generated. Subsequently, the first and the second coordinate systems are transferred into a mutual coordinate system by means of a coordinate transformation and the magnetic field data and the geometrical data are combined within the mutual coordinate system in order to place the magnetic vector field of the magnetic field source and the geometrical body of the magnetic field source into a mutual positional relationship.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Philip Beran, Gerhard Tischlinger
  • Patent number: 11335001
    Abstract: A system and a method monitor a biological process. The method includes obtaining an abnormal tissue mask from an abnormal tissue segmentation of an image of an object containing tissue to be analyzed, the image being acquired at a time t0 being a reference time point. Other images of the object are registered onto the abnormal tissue mask, the other images being acquired at other time points. Image contrasts of the other images are normalized with respect to the contrasts of the image acquired at the reference time point. The normalized images are subtracted for each available contrast in order to obtain difference images. A joint difference image is created by summing the previously obtained difference images. A biological process progression map is created by overlapping the abnormal tissue mask obtained and the joint difference image after applying a pre-defined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignees: Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois
    Inventors: Mario Joao Fartaria De Oliveira, Tobias Kober, Benedicte Marechal, Cristina Granziera, Meritxell Bach Cuadra
  • Patent number: 11333733
    Abstract: In a method and apparatus for recording a magnetic resonance (MR) data record using multiple reception coils, the data of the MR data record contain measurement signals of at least two image data records respectively from at least two slices. The MR data record is acquired in a sequence having an excitation phase, an evolution phase, readout of a first echo signal while a first read gradient is being applied, application of at least one shift gradient in a slice-selection direction, and readout of at least one further echo signal while a further read gradient is applied. The shift gradient is positioned so as to cause a shift of at least one further image data record generated from the further echo signal or signals relative to the first image data record generated from first echo signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventor: Mario Zeller
  • Patent number: 11317860
    Abstract: A method and system for assessing the effectiveness of a treatment regimen. In a preferred embodiment, baseline magnetic resonance imaging signals of a diseased portion of a subject's anatomy are acquired and image slices associated with diseased tissue or a selected region of interest are identified. The identified image slices are then stored and used in acquiring subsequent magnetic resonance imaging signals. The baseline and subsequently acquired magnetic resonance imaging signals are then processed to determine changes in location, size or other factors that provide an indication of whether treatment is effective. In another aspect, baseline and subsequent magnetic resonance parameters are also acquired and compared as part of determining the effective of treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Fonar Corporation
    Inventor: Raymond V. Damadian
  • Patent number: 11313932
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes sequence controlling circuitry and processing circuitry. The sequence controlling circuit executes, while a k-space is divided into a plurality of segments, a pulse sequence by which a tag pulse is applied and subsequently acquisition is performed. The processing circuit generates an image based on the pulse sequence executed by the sequence controlling circuit. The pulse sequence is a pulse sequence by which the acquisition is repeatedly performed at the center of the k-space. The sequence controlling circuit executes the pulse sequence, while changing the range to which the tag pulse is applied, for each of the plurality of segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsue Miyazaki, Yoshimori Kassai
  • Patent number: 11313933
    Abstract: A diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method acquires MRI scan data from a multi-direction, multi-shot, diffusion-weighted MRI scan, and jointly reconstructs from the MRI scan data 1) magnitude images for multiple diffusion-encoding directions and 2) phase images for multiple shots and multiple diffusion-encoding directions using an iterative reconstruction method. Each iteration of the iterative reconstruction method comprises a gradient calculation, a phase update to update the phase images, and a magnitude update to update the magnitude images. Each iteration minimizes a cost function comprising a locally low-rank (LLR) regularization constraint on the magnitude images from the multiple diffusion-encoding directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventors: Brian A. Hargreaves, Yuxin Hu
  • Patent number: 11313934
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method and a magnetic resonance imaging device for two-dimensional (2D) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of a subject. The disclosure further relates to a corresponding computer program and a corresponding computer-readable storage medium. In one exemplary method, a k-space dataset of the subject is acquired using a simultaneous multi-slice technique. Therein, a blipped phase-encoding gradient is applied in a pseudo-random manner to achieve an incoherent undersampling at least in a k-space direction perpendicular to a slice select direction. A compressed sensing reconstruction is then performed based on the acquired k-space dataset to generate an MR image of the subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventor: Mario Zeller
  • Patent number: 11313773
    Abstract: A method includes generating a plurality of reference neighborhoods from a sample material structure. Tensors are determined for each of the plurality of reference neighborhoods associated with a material property. A neighborhood orientation is determined for each of the reference neighborhoods based on the tensors. A plurality of target neighborhoods are defined for a target structure. Each target neighborhood has a target orientation associated with the material property. A synthesized structure corresponding to the target structure is generated by selecting a reference neighborhood for each target neighborhood having a neighborhood orientation matching the target orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: WISCONSIN ALUMNI RESEARCH FOUNDATION
    Inventors: Xingchen Liu, Vadim Shapiro
  • Patent number: 11307279
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging method according to an embodiment is a method for implementing a multi-shot Fast Spin Echo method. The method includes acquiring, for a k-space divided into a plurality of segments with respect to a phase encode direction, one of the segments including a central region of the k-space with one shot, wherein, during the one-shot acquisition for the central region of the k-space, refocus pulses corresponding to a first time period among refocus pulses applied a plurality of times have a flip angle decreasing tendency, and refocus pulses corresponding to a second time period following the first time period among the refocus pulses applied the plurality of times have a flip angle maintaining or increasing tendency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroki Kondo, Masanori Ozaki, Masaaki Umeda
  • Patent number: 11295176
    Abstract: System and method for joint refinement and perception of images are provided. A learning machine employs an image acquisition device for acquiring a set of training raw images. A processor determines a representation of a raw image, initializes a set of image representation parameters, defines a set of analysis parameters of an image analysis network configured to process the image's representation, and jointly trains the set of representation parameters and the set of analysis parameters to optimize a combined objective function. A module for transforming pixel-values of the raw image to produce a transformed image comprising pixels of variance-stabilized values, a module for successively performing processes of soft camera projection and image projection, and a module for inverse transforming the transformed pixels are disclosed. The image projection performs multi-level spatial convolution, pooling, subsampling, and interpolation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: ALGOLUX INC.
    Inventor: Felix Heide
  • Patent number: 11294075
    Abstract: A non-resonant ESR instrument/probe that can easily accept an identification card (or the like) form factor device incorporating a radiation sensitive material providing reliable and calibrated dose measurement stably and permanently stored into the device and deployed to individual, persons, animals, or objects, to act as a personal-surrogate dosimeter primarily in radiation mass events with radiation dose derived from a measure of the radiation induced changes in paramagnetic density obtained via transmission mode electron spin resonance measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Government of the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Commerce
    Inventors: Jason Campbell, Jason Ryan, Kin Cheung, Marc Desrosiers, Robert Gougelet, Pragya Shrestha
  • Patent number: 11280867
    Abstract: Systems and methods for fast and robust quantification of magnetization transfer (MT) using off-resonance spin-lock MRI. The techniques can be insensitive to variations of the inherent relaxation rates R1 (1/T1) and R2 (1/T2) of the free-water pool and to variations of the chemical exchange pool. The techniques can also be robust in the presence of inhomogeneity in the B1 RF and/or B0 magnetic fields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: The Chinese University of Hong Kong
    Inventors: Weitian Chen, Jian Hou, Baiyan Jiang
  • Patent number: 11280753
    Abstract: Sensors for detecting a substitution between chemicals may include an upper electrode and an electrical signal measurement circuit. A first chemical and a second chemical may be sequentially applied to the upper electrode. A triboelectrification may be generated between the upper electrode and the first and second chemicals to flow different electrical signals through the upper electrode. The electrical signal measurement circuit may measure the electrical signals to detect the substitution between the first and second chemicals. Thus, the second chemical may be applied to a semiconductor substrate from the substitution timing so that an original function of the second chemical may be maintained without a delay of the time for fabricating a semiconductor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Inventors: Daesung Jung, Heehwan Kim, Jiyoung Lee, Jongmin Song, Sangyoon Soh
  • Patent number: 11280870
    Abstract: In a method for simultaneous generation of measurement data of at least two subvolumes of an examination object by means of a slice multiplexing EPI-method, after an RF excitation pulse, at least three navigator signals, but a total of at least one navigator signal per possible polarity and per subvolume to be simultaneously recorded, are recorded in the absence of phase encoding gradients. From the recorded navigator signals, subvolume-specific correction data is determined, which can be used in a reconstruction of image data from acquired raw data for correcting shifts caused by phase errors in the MR raw data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventor: Mario Zeller
  • Patent number: 11275138
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for acquiring at least two measurement datasets, each consisting of measurement data. The two measurement datasets are recorded at points in time at which spins of a first spin species present in the examination object have different phase positions from spins of a second spin species present in the examination object. Moreover, the two measurement datasets are recorded in each case while switching readout gradients of different polarity, and thus the desired measurement datasets may be recorded faster than conventional approaches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventor: Mario Zeller
  • Patent number: 11275143
    Abstract: Systems and methods for measuring eddy current fields occurring as a result of gradient pulses in a magnetic resonance sequence at a point in time during the magnetic resonance sequence in relation to at least one direction of pulse effect. At least the parts of the magnetic resonance sequence comprising the gradient pulses relating to the at least one direction of pulse effect are performed as a preparation sequence up until the point in time followed directly by a measurement sequence in which first measurement data is recorded. The preparation sequence is played out again with the same, directly consecutive measurement sequence without the gradient pulses relating to the at least one direction of pulse effect or with gradient pulses having an inverted sign relating to the at least one direction of pulse effect. Second measurement data is recorded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventor: Michael Köhler
  • Patent number: 11275140
    Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging system is configured to be selectively operated in a default mode and an emulation mode. Execution of machine executable instructions by a processor of the magnetic resonance imaging system causes the magnetic resonance imaging system to receive a selection signal selecting the emulation mode. The magnetic resonance imaging system switches from the default mode to the emulation mode. The magnetic resonance imaging system is operated in the emulation mode using the set of emulation control parameters. The emulated magnetic resonance imaging data is acquired from the imaging zone of the magnetic resonance imaging system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventors: Panu Tapani Vesanen, Lizette Warner, Jukka Ilmari Tanttu
  • Patent number: 11275128
    Abstract: Provided is a magnetic field measuring device which has good temperature stability and which enables an improvement by making it possible for the sensitivity of a Hall element, a magnetic impedance (MI) element or a magnetic resistance (MR) element, which are conventionally used extensively, to be set freely. This magnetic field measuring device comprises: a temperature maintaining means for maintaining an extremely low temperature state in which a superconductor adopts a superconducting state; a magnetic sensor which is provided inside the temperature maintaining means to detect a magnetic field; and a magnetic field space forming means for forming a magnetic field space specific to the superconducting state, by adopting a superconducting state inside the temperature maintaining means; wherein the magnetic sensor is disposed in the magnetic field space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION OKAYAMA UNIVERSITY
    Inventor: Keiji Tsukada
  • Patent number: 11270445
    Abstract: A method for registering multiple data types of diverse modalities for a target volume includes acquiring at least at least two datasets associated with the target volume where the at least two datasets having different modalities. Using information field theory and entropy spectrum pathways theory, a local connectivity matrix is constructed for one or both of spatial connectivity and temporal connectivity for each of the datasets. The local connectivity matrices for the datasets are fused into a common coupling matrix and the datasets are merged to generate a registered image displaying the spatial and temporal features within the target volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Lawrence R. Frank, Vitaly L. Galinsky
  • Patent number: 11269025
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system for and a method of obtaining a magnetic resonance image by performing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at multiple slices simultaneously. The method comprises generating a multiband pulse sequence for spin-echo imaging, the pulse sequence comprising a multiband excitation pulse and at least one multiband refocusing pulse, wherein the multiband excitation pulse simultaneously excites multiple bands, wherein the at least one multiband refocusing pulse simultaneously refocuses the multiple bands, and wherein the phases of the bands excited by the multiband excitation pulse and the phases of the bands refocused by the at least one multiband refocusing pulse are set according to a single row of an orthogonal encoding matrix. The multiband excitation pulse and the at least one multiband refocusing pulse collectively form a multiband pulse pair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: SYNAPTIVE MEDICAL INC.
    Inventors: Charles H. Cunningham, Jeffrey A. Stainsby, Andrew T. Curtis
  • Patent number: 11269028
    Abstract: A system and methods are provided for controlling interventional devices using magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) guidance. In some aspects, the method includes arranging a pivoting guide about a subject's anatomy that is configured to direct an interventional device toward a selected target point within the subject's anatomy, generating, using an MRI system, MR data associated with markers placed on the pivoting guide, and determining a vector defining an orientation of the pivoting guide from locations for the markers identified using the MR data. The method also includes orienting the pivoting guide in multiple directions to determine multiple vectors, and identifying a pivot point for the pivoting guide using the determined vectors. The method further includes determining a trajectory for the interventional device using the identified pivot point and the selected target point, and controlling the interventional device along the determined trajectory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: WISCONSIN ALUMNI RESEARCH FOUNDATION
    Inventors: Miles E. Olsen, Ethan K. Brodsky, Walter F. Block
  • Patent number: 11269037
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of MR imaging of an object (10) placed in an examination volume of a MR device (1). It is an object of the invention to enable MR imaging using a radial (or spiral) acquisition scheme with a reduced level of motion artefacts. The method of the invention comprises the following sequence of steps: —detecting a momentary motion—induced displacement (?) of the object (10); —attributing the detected displacement (A) to a motion state (M1-M5), each motion state (M1-M5) corresponding to one of a plurality of contiguous ranges of displacements (?); —determining angular coordinates of a radial or spiral k-space profile by incrementing the angular coordinates individually for each motion state (M1-M5) starting from initial angular coordinates; —acquiring the k-space profile; —repeating steps a-d a number of times; and —reconstructing an MR image from at least the k-space profiles attributed to one of the motion states (M1-M5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventors: Mariya Ivanova Doneva, Jan Hendrik Wulbern, Gabriele Marianne Beck
  • Patent number: 11269036
    Abstract: In one aspect the disclosed technology relates to embodiments of a method (e.g., for automatic cine DENSE strain analysis) which includes acquiring magnetic resonance data associated with a physiological activity in an area of interest of a subject where the acquired magnetic resonance data includes one or more phase-encoded data sets. The method also includes determining, from at least the one or more phase-encoded data sets, a data set corresponding to the physiological activity in the area of interest where the reconstruction comprises performing phase unwrapping of the phase-encoded data set using region growing along multiple pathways based on phase predictions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation
    Inventors: Frederick H. Epstein, Daniel A. Auger, Changyu Sun, Xiaoying Cai
  • Patent number: 11269026
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to a magnetometer for measuring a magnetic field. The magnetometer comprises a solid state quantum system with at least two quantum spin states. A control signal generator sets the quantum system into a quantum state that accumulates a phase over time depending on the magnetic field. A detector measures a signal from the quantum system indicative of the accumulated phase at a measurement time after the setting of the quantum state. A processor determines a magnetic field measurement based on the signal measured by the detector. Importantly, the quantum system is mounted on a rotator that is configured to rotate the quantum system about a rotation axis that defines an angle with the direction of the magnetic field and at a rotation rate that modulates the magnetic field over the measurement time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: The University of Melbourne
    Inventors: Alexander Wood, Andrew Martin, Alastair Stacey, Lloyd Hollenberg
  • Patent number: 11255937
    Abstract: A k-space data acquisition device and method, and a magnetic resonance imaging device and method. The k-space data acquisition device includes an acquisition trajectory determiner configured to determine an acquisition trajectory of echo signals in a k space in a manner of filling echo data in a pseudo radial order; and a data acquirer configured to acquire k-space data conforming to the acquisition trajectory and fill the k space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventors: Qiong Zhang, Wei Liu, Nan Xiao