Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Georg Pirkl

Rudi Baumgartl

Nikolaus Demharter

Markus Vester

Roland Werner

Werner Lindstedt

Stephan Biber

Peter Speier

Ralf Ladebeck

Thorsten Speckner

Jan Bollenbeck

Peter Dietz

Franz Schmitt

Wilfried Schnell

Robert Rehner

Robert Krieg

Horst Kroeckel

Andreas Potthast

Philipp Hoecht

Bernd Stoeckel

Matthias Buettner

Ulrich Fontius

A method for generating motion information for an at least partially moving examination region includes outputting at least one first excitation signal with a first frequency band. The first excitation signal is picked up with a receive coil arrangement of a magnetic resonance system. The at least one coil of the receive coil arrangement is configured to pick up a receive frequency band that includes the first frequency band. At least one item of motion information for the examination region is determined from the picked up first excitation signal.

Generating motion information for an at least partially moving examination region

A magnetic resonance tomography system includes a plurality of MRT plugs for connection of antenna elements, respectively, of one of a plurality of local coils. Due to at least one analog switch matrix, antenna elements respectively connected to fewer than all of the MRT plugs may be connected in an analog fashion to receive signal processing elements of one of a plurality of receive signal processing element blocks respectively having a plurality of receive signal processing elements. Between outputs of receive signal processing element blocks and an evaluation device of the magnetic resonance tomography system, a digital channel selection unit is provided. On an input side of the digital channel selection unit, the digital channel selection unit may be connected to antenna elements. Signals from fewer antenna elements are present at the output of the digital channel selection unit than at an input of the digital channel selection unit.

Architecture for cascaded signal selection and signal concentration and/or reduction of digital received data by decimation and channel preselection

A magnetic resonance apparatus has a computer designed to emit, on each of at least one control channel, a control signal generated from a sequence of values to control, via each channel, at least one component of the magnetic resonance apparatus. A buffer device is provided for each channel, which includes at least one read control device and a control buffer memory for that control channel. A software tool running on the computer is designed to determine the values as a function of predefined parameters and write them to the control buffer memory. The read control device is designed to read values from the control buffer memory and to supply them, with a read clock derived from a clock that was set independently of the computer, to the respective component. For each of the control buffer memories, the order in which the values are read corresponds to the order in which they are written.

Magnetic resonance apparatus

A magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) system has a receive apparatus disposed in a magnetic field, in which a receive coil is coupled to an input of an analog/digital converter. The analog/digital converter is configured for this purpose. A digital output of the analog/digital converter is coupled via a digital mixer device and a clock-rate-reduction device to a data output of the receive apparatus. The mixer device is configured to mix a predetermined frequency band of the MR signal downwards into an intermediate frequency range and create a digital IF signal.

Magnetic resonance tomography system, receive apparatus and method

A method for operating a coil, through which a varying current flows, is provided. Mechanical resonance responses of the coil are recorded and are modeled by an electrical resonant circuit model. A check is made as to whether a varying current that is to be sent through the coil evokes a resonant response in the electrical resonant circuit model. The current flow through the coil is blocked if the resonant response exceeds a predefined limit value.

Method for operating a coil and a monitoring module

In a device and a method to execute commands in components of an imaging system, in particular of a magnetic resonance tomography system, local clocks in the components are temporally synchronized, commands, including a respective command execution time specification which respectively specifies at which point in time a command should be executed, are sent to the components, the commands are received by the components, commands and command execution time specifications that are received by components are stored in these components, and a stored command is respectively executed when a time indicated by the local clock coincides with the stored command execution time specification regarding the command.

Synchronization of clocks in autonomous components of an MR system and synchronous execution of commands in those components

An arrangement for transmission of digital signals in a magnetic resonance apparatus has a local coil that has reception antenna connected via an amplifier with an A/D converter so that a magnetic resonance signal received via the individual antenna is amplified as an analog signal and is converted into a digital signal. The A/D converter is connected at the output with a transmission device that is designed for capacitive coupling transmission of the digital signal.

Arrangement to transmit digital signals in a magnetic resonance apparatus

A magnetic resonance system has a number of components including a basic magnetic field generation unit, gradient coils as well as a radio-frequency coil arrangement. The components are respectively controllable according to a control sequence via at least one digital module and at least one analog module. The analog modules are arranged external to a control computer that controls the digital modules. The digital modules are likewise arranged external to the control computer and are associated with the analog module or modules controlled via the control computer. The digital modules are networked via the following networks for communication of the digital modules among one another and/or with the control computer: a synchronous first network to synchronize the digital modules, an isochronous or semi-isochronous second network, a third network, wherein the digital modules are connected with the control computer via serial peripheral component interfaces and a signal transmission between the peripheral component interface of the respective digital module and the associated peripheral component interface of the control computer thereby occurs on optical paths.

Magnetic resonance system and operating method therefor

A magnetic resonance system has a first installation unit, in which a control processor device is arranged, as well as a radio-frequency coil arrangement for transmitting and receiving magnetic resonance signals. The radio-frequency coil arrangement is controlled or read out by a transmit device, having a digital transmit unit built into the first installation unit for emitting a digital transmit signal to an analog transmit unit, which outputs an analog transmit signal based on the digital transmit signal, and by a receiving apparatus, having at least one analog reception unit for converting an analog received signal into a digital reception signal and at least one digital reception unit for digital demodulation of the received signal. The digital reception unit is built into a further installation unit external to the first installation unit.

Magnetic resonance apparatus with structurally separate RF transmit and RF reception devices

In a transmission error logging device, method and computer-readable medium for logging transmission errors that occur on a high speed transmission route of a medical technology diagnostic apparatus, the in-feed port for a signal is provided on the high speed transmission route and an error signal is generated upon detection of an error. The transmission volume is detected by a transmission volume counter and the number of errors is detected by a transmission error counter. The transmission volume counter makes a transmission volume count, representing the transmission volume, available as an output from the transmission volume counter, and the transmission error counter makes a count of the number of errors detected by the error detection device available at an output of the transmission error counter.

Error detection on medical high speed transmission routes

A tomographic measuring system is disclosed with at least two tomographic measuring devices, of which at least a first can interfere with a second in a manner disadvantageous for conducting measurements. In at least one embodiment, the system includes a switching-off mechanism at least in the first measuring device; and at least one external connection to the first measuring device for transmitting a switching-off signal to the switching-off mechanism, if the second measuring device is conducting a measurement or will conduct one. A method for conducting measurements with an appropriate tomographic measuring system is also disclosed.

Tomographic measuring system and method for conducting measurements

A magnetic resonance system has components that include a magnetic field generation unit for generation of a basic magnetic field, gradient coils for generation of a field gradient as well as a radio-frequency coil arrangement with a number of radio-frequency coils for transmission and reception of radio-frequency signals. These components can respectively be activated according to a sequence via at least one digital module and at least one analog module. The analog modules are arranged externally to a control computer controlling the digital modules. The digital modules also are arranged externally to the control computer and are associated with the analog module or modules controlled by said digital modules. A data network is provided for communication between the digital modules and the control computer and a synchronous network is provided for synchronization of the digital modules and the control computer.

Magnetic resonance system with components allowing upgrade capability

In a magnetic resonance system and an operating method therefor, a number of independently operable radio frequency signal generator modules are provided or respectively connected to radio frequency coils. A control unit provides a synchronization signal to each of the radio frequency signal generator modules to selectively operate the modules to achieve different types of signal transmission. One of the radio frequency signal generator modules can serve as a master module, that receives the synchronization signal directly from the control unit, and supplies the synchronization signal to the other modules, functioning as slave modules.

Magnetic resonance RF transmission array

In a method for sampling a received radio-frequency signal, in particular a radio-frequency signal from a receiving coil in a magnetic resonance apparatus, the received radio-frequency signal is down-mixed to a low-frequency baseband such as for image production. The radio-frequency signal from a receiving coil in a magnetic resonance apparatus is passed directly to a high clock rate analog/digital converter where it is converted, as a function of the clock, to a lower frequency, after which it is down-mixed by digital demodulation to a baseband at an even lower frequency.

Method for sampling a received radio-frequency signal, in particular a radio-frequency signal from a receiving coil in a magnetic resonance apparatus

In a magnetic resonance transmission method and magnetic resonance transmission operating therewith a high-frequency power amplifier emits an output signal with an actual amplitude and an actual phase to a magnetic resonance transmission antenna. A fraction of the signal is digitilized in a magnetic resonance receiver and is supplied to a pulse controller that is realized in software. An analog magnetic resonance reception signal of an object can be supplied to the magnetic resonance receiver during the pulses. The pulse controller determines correction values for a generator amplitude and a generator phase with which a pulse generator is driven, the pulse generator being connected upstream relative to the high-frequency amplifier.

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Dormitz, Germany

Georg Pirkl