Ge Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC

General Electric Company

Ronald Floyd Lochner

Bu-Xin Xu

Weijun Shen

Jinhua Huang

Geer Ward

Peter Jarvis

Hideaki Uno

William E-Wei Chen

Alex Palkovich

Jinsheng Zheng

A method for bonding a plurality of magnetized blocks together includes providing at least two magnetized blocks, and bonding at least two magnetized blocks together using a door translatable in two orthogonal directions.

Methods and apparatus for assembling magnetized permanent magnetic blocks

A method for positioning permanent magnetic blocks includes providing a plurality of magnetized blocks, positioning the magnetized blocks on a yoke in a row by applying a mechanical force at a first end of the row with a first clamping member and at a second end of the row with a second clamping member, and repositioning the blocks by reducing the mechanical force at the first end by moving the first clamping member away from the first end, and moving the second clamping member toward the second end.

Methods and apparatus for positioning permanent magnetic blocks

A product line of MRI systems includes a first MRI system including a first yoke and a plurality of magnet blocks forming a first central assembly disposed on the first yoke. The product line also includes a second MRI system including a second yoke, a plurality of magnet blocks forming a second central assembly disposed on the second yoke and shaped the same as the first central assembly, and a first set of magnet blocks mounted to the second yoke at a periphery of the second central assembly.

Methods and apparatus for adjusting center magnetic field of a magnetic field generator for MRI

Disclosed herein is a magnetic field generator and method for assembling the same for a magnetic resonance imaging system, the method comprising: establishing a layout for a permanent magnet of a magnet assembly comprising a pole piece, a ferromagnetic plate yoke and a permanent magnet. The method also includes populating the layout with a plurality of mock-up sticks and block retainers to form a mock layout for the permanent magnet; and installing a magnet block in place of at least one mock-up stick of the plurality of mock-up sticks. Installing the magnet blocks includes pushing the magnet block along a selected slot formed by the displacement of at least one mock-up stick of the plurality of mock-up sticks.

Method for assembling magnetic members for magnetic resonance imaging magnetic field generator

Disclosed herein is a method for assembling a magnetic field generator for a magnetic resonance imaging system. The method comprises: establishing an arrangement for a permanent magnet of a magnet assembly comprising a ferromagnetic yoke plate and a permanent magnet, wherein the arrangement includes a portion of a cavity formed from placement of a portion of a plurality of retainers attached at substantially the perimeter of the yoke plate. The method also includes populating the first portion of the cavity with a set of rails attached to the yoke plate and affixing a plurality of gliders to a plurality of magnet blocks and magnetizing the gliders and magnet blocks to form a plurality of block assemblies. Finally, the method includes sliding each block assembly of the plurality of block assemblies along a rail of the set of rails; initiating with an outermost rail and concluding with an innermost, securing each successively filled rail with a retainer.

An improved actively shielded superconducting magnet in which the main and bucking coils are directly wound onto respective coil support structures made of glass fiber-reinforced epoxy. The main and bucking coil cartridges are held in a fixed concentric relationship via a pair of flanges located at opposite ends of a helium vessel. During manufacture of the main and bucking coil cartridges, the outer diameters of the respective coil support structures are machined with high precision. Also, the diameters of two concentric grooves are precisely machined on the inner surface of each helium vessel end flange to match the outer diameters of the main and bucking coil support structures, so that at room temperature the main and bucking coil cartridges can slide smoothly into these grooves. The helium vessel is made of aluminum alloy and has a coefficient of thermal expansion which is greater than that of the fiber-reinforced epoxy coil support structures. When the helium vessel is filled with liquid helium, the helium vessel end flanges hold the main and bucking coil cartridges tightly with predetermined amount of interference due to differential contraction of the aluminum alloy and the fiber-reinforced epoxy materials. This provides mechanical support to the main and bucking coil cartridges and ensures their concentricity. The relative axial positions of the main and bucking coil cartridges are fixed using the same working principle.

Growing community of inventors

Florence, SC, United States of America

Ronald Floyd Lochner