Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Roland Werner

Nikolaus Demharter

Rudi Baumgartl

Georg Pirkl

Matthias Gebhardt

Helmut Lenz

Martin Nisznansky

Dirk Schneiderbanger

In a method for isochronous communication of components of a multi-component apparatus, which communicate via peer-to-peer communication connections created by a switch, a periodic communication clock signal is provided by a control computer to all the components, with a communication window between two communication clock cycles of the communication clock signal, in which a communication information item of the isochronous communication is transferrable from a transferring component to at least one addressed component. A synchronization, in relation to the communication clock signal, between at least two of the components is produced by at least one synchronization message sent via the switch by one of the components to be synchronized to all the other components to be synchronized in a communication time window.

Multi-component apparatus and method for isochronous communication therein

A circuit arrangement for an MRT system and a method for operating an MRT system are disclosed. The circuit arrangement includes a gradient amplifier having a switch-mode output stage, a regulator device, and a modulator connected therebetween in the circuit. To ensure patient safety, a control path is integrated into a drive path of the circuit arrangement or the MRT system provided for driving a gradient coil, the gradient coil being connected to an output of the switch-mode output stage. The control path includes a limiter stage connected downstream of the regulator device, the modulator, the switch-mode output stage and its supply voltage. The limiter stage is connected in the circuit between the regulator device and an input of the modulator, to limit a control signal output by the regulator device and limit the voltage for the gradient coil provided by the switch-mode output stage at its output.

Circuit arrangement for an MRT system, MRT system and method for operating an MRT system

Apparatuses and a method for transmitting a counter signal in an imaging system are provided. Counter states of the counter signal are Gray coded to Gray coded counter states before transmission. Every second Gray coded counter state is inverted to an inverted counter state. The Gray coded counter states inverted in every second counter state are transmitted and are decoded on receipt.

EMI reduction with specific coding of counter signals

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

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.

Growing community of inventors

Langensendelbach, Germany

Roland Werner