Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Peter Feld

Markus Vester

Horst Kroeckel

Wilfried Schnell

Wolfgang Renz

Stephan Zink

Hubertus Fischer

Norbert Rietsch

Georg Rauh

Walter Popp

Erik Nowak

Karl-Ulrich Erlenkamp

A coil arrangement for a magnetic resonance tomography system is provided. The coil arrangement has at least one coil separation layer that includes a matrix that is perforated, single-piece, and planar. The matrix is compression-resistant in a vertical direction relative to a surface of the matrix, but may be adjusted to a curved surface by bending. A method for producing a coil arrangement and a magnetic resonance imaging system are also provided.

MR coil arrangement with flexible coil separation layer

A patient bed, in particular for a magnetic resonance apparatus, has at least one socket for accommodation of a plug of a device (in particular a local coil) to be arranged at the patient bed. A generation of a force generator that automatically assists or effects the insertion or the unplugging of the plug is built into the socket or is associated with the socket.

Patient bed with force generator to assist or effect movement of a device plug in a bed socket

A circulator has a ferrite, and the circulator is arranged in the vicinity of a device that produces a static magnetic field in the environment surrounding the device, this static magnetic field giving the circulator a non-reciprocal behavior, with respect to circulation of energy among the gates of the circulator, as a result of interaction of the ferrite with the static magnetic field. A magnetic resonance apparatus embodies such a circulator, and the basic field magnet of this magnetic resonance apparatus generates the static magnetic field.

Circulator and magnetic resonance device

A coil arrangement for a magnetic resonance system has a resonator that is followed by a modulator with which a magnetic resonance signal of the resonator is modulated onto a carrier frequency. An infeed element follows the modulator with which that magnetic resonance signal modulated onto the carrier frequency is supplied into a single transmission cable. In a corresponding reception circuit, an analog-to-digital converter is preceded by a demodulator with which the magnetic resonance signal is demodulated.

Magnetic resonance apparatus, and coil arrangement and reception circuit therefor enabling frequency modulation with a single transmission cable

A high-frequency receiver with an analog input part has at least one analog mixer stage, this mixer stage being operable with an injection frequency, and a following digitalization stage. The digitalization stage includes an analog-to-digital converter for digitalizing a signal emitted by the analog input part with a sampling rate prescribed by a sampling frequency. A signal generator for generating the injection frequency or the sampling frequency is connected to the mixer stage and to the analog-to-digital converter, this signal generator generating the injection frequency or the sampling frequency only as a whole number multiple of a basic frequency.

High-frequency receiver, particularly for a nuclear magnetic resonance apparatus

An analog-to-digital converter circuit has pre-sample and hold circuit for acquiring and temporarily storing a supplied analog input signal, and for outputting the temporarily stored input signal, at least two signal paths, which are arranged downstream relative to the pre-sample and hold circuit and which are switched in parallel with one another, the temporarily stored input signal sample from the pre-sample and hold circuit being subjected to respective fixed amplifications, which are different from one another, in said signal paths and a selection circuit arranged downstream relative to the signal paths for through-connecting only one of the signal paths, dependent on the respective signal levels, to an analog-to-digital converter that is arranged downstream relative to the selection circuit.

Analog-to-digital converter circuit

A high-frequency power amplifier for feeding an antenna of a nuclear magnetic resonance tomography apparatus has at least one amplifier stage that can emit a maximum output power within a first frequency band. Circuitry for frequency-dependently altering the maximum output power is connected to the amplifier stage, whereby the maximum output power within a second frequency band, that is higher than the first frequency band is higher than within the first frequency band.

High-frequency power amplifier

An analog-to-digital converter circuit for digitalizing a high-frequency signal with large dynamics has a first analog-to-digital converter and a second analog-to-digital converter connected in parallel, a level converter connected to one of the two analog-to-digital converters, a level recognition element for determining a level range in which the high-frequency signal lies and for generating a control signal dependent on the level range, and a correction memory that is connected to the level recognition element, the correction memory having address inputs connected to outputs of the analog-to-digital converters. The control signal is used as a selection criterion which identifies which analog-to-digital converter address data are taken from for producing a digital output signal, the digital output signal being linearized according to a characteristic of the selected analog-to-digital converter in order to correct for distortion arising in the selected converter. The overall analog-to-digital converter circuit thus has an overall linear characteristic, even as the input signal varies between low and high amplitudes.

Analog-to-digital converter with level converter and level recognition unit and correction memory

A high-frequency power amplifier has a high-frequency input, a high-frequency output and at least one power transistor connected therebetween. The power transistor has a first electrode serving as a control input, a cooling terminal connected to a second electrode and a third electrode. The third electrode is connected to a high-frequency reference potential conductor and the high-frequency reference potential conductor is connected in terms of high-frequency to the second electrode. An input signal applied to the high-frequency input is coupled out as an output signal at the high-frequency output.

In a diagnostic magnetic resonance apparatus having a housing in which a patient is disposed for conducting a magnetic resonance examination, a cable is provided for connecting the antenna which receives the high-frequency magnetic resonance signals and forwards those signals to the processing electronics. One end of the cable is guided into the housing which surrounds the patient, and an opposite end of the cable is connected to the antenna by a plug-type connector. A part of the plug-type connector at the cable side contains at least one pre-amplifier for amplifying the received magnetic resonance signals.

Antenna cable for a diagnostic magnetic resonance apparatus

An anti-interference filter for radio-shielding a feeder to a gradient coil in a nuclear magnetic resonance imaging apparatus is constructed as a band elimination (band rejection) filter for the operating frequency of the nuclear magnetic resonance imaging apparatus. The anti-interference filter can be in the form of a directionally symmetrical quadrupole having two input terminals and two output terminals. A first input terminal and a first output terminal are introducible into the feeder to the gradient coil, and a second input terminal and a second output terminal are connected to a conductor at reference potential. A number of blocking circuits are arranged in series between the first input terminal and the first output terminal. A number acceptor circuits are arranged between the input terminals, between the junctions of the blocking circuits and the reference potential conductor, and between the output terminals. The number of acceptor circuits is one more than the number of blocking circuits.

Growing community of inventors

Nuremberg, Germany

Peter Feld