Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Rudi Baumgartl

Nikolaus Demharter

Georg Pirkl

Roland Werner

Markus Vester

Stephan Biber

Franz Schmitt

Wilfried Schnell

Rene Gumbrecht

Andrew Dewdney

Robert Krieg

Andreas Potthast

Martin Hemmerlein

Jörg Ulrich Fontius

Philipp Hoecht

Holger Adolf

Bernd Stoeckel

Matthias Buettner

Ulrich Fontius

A method for communication between at least two computing facilities of a medical imaging facility via a single communication line is disclosed. In the method, communication information assigned to different communication types received in each case via a dedicated data input is merged to form data structures of a defined size to be transmitted via the communication line. The data structures are transmitted cyclically via the communication line with an interval of one cycle time and communication information of the different communication types is extracted from data structures received via the communication line and output at data outputs assigned to the respective communication types. The communication types include a first packet-oriented communication type and a second isochronous communication type corresponding to isochronous direct channel communication.

Method and facility for communication in a medical imaging facility and medical imaging facility

A magnetic resonance tomography system has a frequency control device for temperature compensation, a temperature sensor, and a high frequency generator. An output frequency of an output signal from the high frequency generator is dependent on a value of a digital frequency variable, and a synthesis signal with the system frequency is generated dependent on the output signal. A temperature change is detected using the temperature sensor, a temperature-time function of the temperature is determined using the temperature change that has been detected, a time is determined at which a change in the digital frequency variables in the least significant bit brings about a change in the frequency of the synthesis signal that corresponds with a change in the system frequency due to a temperature, according to the interpolated temperature-time function, and the digital frequency variable in the least significant bit is changed at the specified time.

Magnetic resonance tomography with slow temperature variation compensation

A circuit arrangement for driving a transmission coil arrangement with at least two individual transmission coils of a magnetic resonance system for supplying a radiofrequency signal for producing alternating electromagnetic fields over at least two channels, with in each case a digital section and an analog section, is provided. In the digital section, in an envelope generator, base frequency signals that respectively generate an envelope are provided. The circuit arrangement also includes an intermediate frequency oscillator that generates a common intermediate frequency, a frequency mixer per channel for mixing the common intermediate frequency into the base frequency signals, and in the analog sections of the channels, respectively, second frequency mixers that mix a common radiofrequency signal into each base frequency signal. The envelope is transmitted, with the mixed-in intermediate frequency signal, and the total signal thus obtained is respectively conducted to an individual transmission coil via a respective amplifier.

Circuit arrangement for the driving electronics of a magnetic resonance system

A method for digital amplitude control and digital phase control of a high-frequency signal is provided. A digital command signal specifies in complex form, including a real subcomponent and an imaginary subcomponent, an amplitude and a phase of the high-frequency signal that is to be controlled. A digital activation signal is output to a high-frequency unit for the purpose of generating the high-frequency signal. A digital signal deviation value is received in complex form including a real subcomponent and an imaginary subcomponent. The signal deviation value expresses a deviation of the high-frequency signal from the command signal with respect to the amplitude and the phase. The digital activation signal is determined from the command signal while taking into consideration the signal deviation value. The determination of the real subcomponent and the imaginary subcomponent takes place separately in each case.

Digital amplitude control and digital phase control of a high-frequency signal

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

A local coil for a magnetic resonance device includes a connector apparatus for establishing a connection to a plug-in station on a patient couch and at least one storage facility. The storage facility may be used to read out by way of the connection and may store at least one non-modifiable data item describing a property of the local coil. The storage facility may include at least one detection facility for acquiring measurement values describing the state of the local coil and at least one evaluation facility configured to modify the readout address of the storage facility as a function of the measurement values.

Local coil for a magnetic resonance device

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

Optimized transmission system for an MRT is achieved by a device and a method to generate transmission signals () via multiple transmission units of a transmission system for a magnetic resonance tomography system, wherein transmission data are respectively received from the transmission units via a transmission data input, received transmission data are stored in transmission data memory elements of the transmission units, transmission signals representing stored transmission data are generated with transmission data (stored in transmission data memory elements) by transmission signal transmission units of the transmission units, and the generation of transmission signals proceeds simultaneously via the transmission signal transmission units.

Preallocatable transmission data memory element of an MR transmission unit in array applications

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

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

A medical examination system, particularly a magnetic resonance system, has a host computer unit, a control computer unit and an image computer unit. The control computer unit is realized in the form of at least one insert card that is arranged in a commercially obtainable personal computer that contains the host computer unit.

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Erlangen, Germany

Rudi Baumgartl