Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Medical Corporation

Agency of Industrial Science and Technology

Ministry of International Trade & Industry

Kenichi Okajima

Tetsuhiko Takahashi

Hiroyuki Suzuki

Akihiko Kandori

Keiji Tsukada

Hitoshi Sasabuchi

Shoji Kondo

Yasuaki Komiyama

Yo Taniguchi

Hisaaki Ochi

Tadaaki Hirai

Ken Ueda

Haruo Itoh

Minoru Yoshida

Yoshitaka Bito

Etsuji Yamamoto

Hideaki Yamamoto

Kazutaka Tsuji

Hiroyuki Kawai

Hironori Ueki

Yukio Takasaki

Hiroshi Takeuchi

Kenji Maio

Hiroyuki Itagaki

Toshikazu Shimada

Hisatake Yokouchi

Satoshi Hirata

Ryuichi Suzuki

Katsumi Takami

Kenji Takiguchi

Saburo Ataka

Shinji Kawasaki

Tsuyoshi Kano

Kenji Umetani

Hirosh Takeuch

Tetshuhiko Takahashi

A biomagnetic field measuring apparatus has a plurality of fluxmeters disposed externally of a living body and each including a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) for detecting a biomagnetic field generated from the living body, the plurality of fluxmeters being operative to detect a temporal change of a component of the biomagnetic field in a first direction which is vertical to the surface of the living body, an operation processor for performing computation for determining a temporal change of a value proportional to a root of square sum of differential value of the first-direction magnetic field component in second and third directions which cross the first direction and computation for integrating the temporal change of the value over a predetermined interval to determine an integral value, and a display for displaying the determined integral value. Distribution of magnetic fields generated from the heart is determined with a small number of fluxmeters.

Biomagnetic field measuring method and apparatus

An x-ray CT apparatus of the invention includes: a scanner ( ) having an x-ray source ( ) for generating radial x-rays emitted to an object ( ) and a detector ( ) provided to face the x-ray source and acquiring a projection of the object; a rotation controler ( ) for rotating the scanner around the object; a gantry-tilt angle controler ( ) for changing a tilt angle formed between a surface of rotation of the scanner and a body axis of the object; processing unit ( ) for generating a CT image of the object from the projections acquired from a plurality of directions while rotating the scanner and changing the tilt angle; and display unit ( ) for displaying a three-dimensional CT image of high picture quality.

X-ray CT apparatus

An X-ray CT apparatus includes a scanner mounted with a detection system having an X-ray source for generating X-rays applied radially to an object and a detector arranged so as to be opposite to the X-ray source and adapted to detect the image of the transmitted X-rays transmitted through the object, wherein the scanner is rotated around the object. A three-dimensional X-ray absorption coefficient distribution image of the object is reconstructed from the transmitted X-ray image and the rotation-axis projection position which is the position where the rotation center of the scanner is projected on the detection plane of a two-dimensional sensor constituting the detector is decided. On the basis of the contrast of the X-ray absorption coefficient distribution image reconstructed by using the decided rotation-axis projection position, the rotation-axis projection position is estimated, and an X-ray tomographic image or/and a three dimensional X-ray image of the object is generated.

X-ray CT apparatus and X-ray imaging method

A biomagnetic field measuring apparatus has a plurality of fluxmeters disposed externally of a living body and each including a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) for detecting a biomagnetic field generated from the living body, the plurality of fluxmeters being operative to detect a temporal change of a component of the biomagnetic field in a first direction which is normal to the surface of the living body, an operation processor for performing computation for determining a temporal change of a value proportional to a root of square sum of differential values of the first-direction magnetic field component in second and third directions which cross the first direction and computation for integrating the temporal change of the value over a predetermined interval to determine an integral value, and a display for displaying the determined integral value. Distribution of magnetic fields generated from the heart is determined with a small number of fluxmeters.

In a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus including a pulse sequence control unit for controlling a pulse sequence to acquire echoes while both a radio frequency magnetic field and a gradient magnetic field are applied to an object under examination present in a static magnetic field; and an image reconstructing unit for reconstructing an image based upon the acquired echoes, the pulse sequence control unit is comprised of a spatial resolution control unit for setting spatial resolution A along a readout gradient magnetic field direction of the reconstructed image; and a gradient magnetic field strength control unit for applying such a readout gradient magnetic field that spatial resolution B determined by a strength of the readout gradient magnetic field and a sampling period becomes coarser than the spatial resolution A. The image reconstructing unit reconstructs an image while a minimum unit of the spatial resolution A is set as a width of one pixel of a reconstructed image along a readout direction.

Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and method

There are provided body movement measuring means for measuring the movement of an object of inspection and control means for controlling at least means for applying a gradient magnetic field and means for applying a high frequency magnetic field. The control means performs a sequence for measuring an echo by applying a phase-encoding gradient magnetic field quantity a plurality of times with the same phase-encoding gradient magnetic field quantity and repeatedly executes the sequence while varying the phase-encoding gradient magnetic field quantity. When the phase-encoding gradient magnetic field quantity is small, the number of execution times of the sequence executed with the same phase-encoding gradient magnetic field quantity in a case where the phase-encoding gradient magnetic field quantity is small is set to be larger than a case where the phase encoding gradient magnetic field quantity is large to reduce the probability of omission occurrence of echo measurement in the small phase-encoding magnetic field which exerts a large influence on an image, thereby suppressing the occurrence of an artifact.

Inspecting apparatus using magnetic resonance

An inspection apparatus using nuclear magnetic resonance having arithmetic and control means for controlling a pulse sequence for detecting a nuclear magnetic resonance signal from a target to be inspected and calculating the detected signal. The arithmetic and control means controls an echo planar pulse sequence for acquiring a plurality of images of a predetermined same region of the target to be inspected; and arranges echo signal data obtained by measuring the inspection target by the echo planar pulse sequence and forms an EPI data set; designates a plurality of data points in k-space as observed points; designates a predetermined EPI data set to reference data for body motion for correcting influence by the body motion of the inspection target and calculates a reference phase as a phase of the body motion reference data at the observed points; calculates the phase of the EPI data set at the observed points; calculates a body motion correcting value expressing the influence by the body motion of the inspection target by using the phase difference between the phase of the EPI data set and the reference phase; and executes a process for eliminating the influence by the body motion of the inspection target by removing the phase difference of the EPI data set of the target to be inspected by using the body motion correction values.

Inspection apparatus using nuclear magnetic resonance

In the inspection system using nuclear magnetic resonance comprising magnetic field generators such as a static magnetic field, a gradient magnetic field, and an RF magnetic field, an RF probe for detecting an NMR signal from a subject, and a calculator for operating a detected signal by the RF probe, a RF probe for detection comprises a plurality of coils arranged in the predetermined direction and includes a plurality of switching elements and the inspection system selects two or more coils from the plurality of coils for each measurement of NMR signals, turns the switching elements connected to the selected coils ON, turns the switching elements connected to coils other than the selected coils OFF, changes a combination of two or more coils for each measurement of NMR signals, and changes the sensitivity distribution of the RF probe in the predetermined direction according to the Wavelet basis function for each measurement of NMR signals.

RF probe and inspection system using NMR using the same

Photo-sensor and method for operating the same

A radiation imaging sensor including laminate structure of a phosphorescent layer, a light-transmissive electrode, a photoconductor layer, an insulating layer and an electrode, an applied voltage to the photoconductor layer through the light-transmissive electrode and the electrode is increased sufficiently so that light emitted from the phosphorescent member causes avalanche multiplicaton of the electrons and/or positive holes generated in the photoconductor layer by field sweep inside the photoconductor layer.

Radiation imaging sensor

This invention relates to a multi-element type radiation detector for an X-ray CT scanner system wherein a plurality of scintillator blocks that are isolated either optically or radiation-wise from one another are arranged integrally, and a photo-diode consisting of an amorphous silicon layer for converting the emission of each scintillator is formed on the surface of each scintillator block by thin film technique.

Multi-element type radiation detector

A radiographic image pickup apparatus for diagnosis using an image detector in which a phosphor layer for converting an X-ray image into an optical image, a photoconductive layer for storing an optical image as a latent image, light-emitting means for exciting the photoconductive layer segment by segment are laminated into a plate form, wherein one of the electrodes sandwiching the photoconductive layer and the light-emitting means are respectively divided into array-formed elements in directions orthogonal to each other, and an element selection circuit for successively selecting these elements and reading out said latent image in time sequential electric signal is formed integrally on the substrate of the image detector.

Radiographic image pickup apparatus

When the laser-stimulable phosphor plate of an information reading apparatus for radiation image is constituted of CsI as the base and 0.0003 to 0.03% in atomic ratio of Na, the output signal of the information reading apparatus can be increased and the decay time thereof can be shortened. When output signals are produced by detecting fluorescence emitted from a fluoroscopic plate disposed in confrontation with the laser-stimulable phosphor plate, there is provided an information reading apparatus for radiation image having an improved S/N ratio and a high efficiency of taking in laser-stimulated luminescence. Further, instead of Na or together with Na, there may be added at least one element selected from the group consisting of Li, K, Rb, Cu, Au, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Zn, Cd, Hg, B, Al, Ga, In, Tl, Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Si, Ti, Zr, Ge, Sn, Pb, As, Sb, and Bi. In this case, the total content of these elements is set to be 0.00001 to 1% in atomic ratio.

Information reading apparatus for radiation image

Growing community of inventors

Mitaka, Japan

Kenichi Okajima