General Electric Company

William Macomber Leue

Deborah Joy Walter

Ricardo Scott Avila

Raymond J Hodsoll, Jr

Peter Michael Edic

Samit Kumar Basu

Paul Arthur Bottomley

William A Edelstein

William Thomas Hatfield

Rowland W Redington

Bruno Kristiaan Bernard De Man

Lowell Scott Smith

Xiaoye Wu

Joseph Bendahan

Gary H Glover

James Vradenburg Miller

Thomas Baby Sebastian

Robert August Kaucic

John F Schenck

Abdallah Mahmoud Itani

Paulo Ricardo Dos Santos Mendonca

Colin Craig McCulloch

Howard Roscoe Hart, Jr

Timothy Patrick Kelliher

Daniel J Blezek

Walter Irving Garms

Pierfrancesco Landolfi

J Eric Tkaczyk

Steven G Karr

Carl Lawrence Chalek

Christopher Mark William Daft

John T Adamchick

Sussan Pourjavid-Granfors

Colin Craig Mc Culloch

Christopher M W Daft

A technique is disclosed for generating variance data and a variance map from measured projection data acquired from a tomography system. The method comprises accessing the measured projection data from the tomography system. The method further comprises generating the variance map from the measured projection data and displaying, analyzing or processing the variance map. The variance data is determined based upon a statistical model from measured image data, and may be used for image analysis, data acquisition, in computer aided diagnosis routines, and so forth.

Method and apparatus for efficient calculation and use of reconstructed pixel variance in tomography images

A system and method for ascertaining the identity of an object within an enclosed article. The system includes an acquisition subsystem with a computed tomography machine and an alternate modality subsystem. The alternate modality subsystem includes a detector mounted to a rotatable gantry. The detector may be a quadrupole resonance unit, a dual energy x-ray unit, or a backscatter x-ray unit. The acquisition subsystem analyzes an article and distinguishes regions of interest (may contain contraband) from regions of no interest (do not contain contraband). The article is then transported to the alternate modality subsystem at which the detector further analyzes just the regions of interest.

CT-Guided system and method for analyzing regions of interest for contraband detection

A technique is disclosed for detecting contraband by obtaining image data from a computed tomography machine and generating variance data and a variance map from the image data acquired. The method includes obtaining a mean density value and a variation value for each voxel of the image data, segmenting the voxels into discrete objects, and determining whether any of the discrete objects is contraband.

Contraband detection system and method using variance data

A CT scanner acquires CT images at different energy levels and registers those images to provide a composite image that is substantially free of beam hardening artifacts and conspicuously provides atomic information of that imaged.

Image-based material decomposition

A system and a method for detecting an object, such as an explosive device or material, located within a closed article, such as a piece of luggage or a parcel. The system includes an acquisition subsystem for acquiring information pertaining to a specific object, a reconstruction subsystem for reconstructing acquired information pertaining to the specific object into image data, and a computer-aided detection subsystem adapted for identifying the specific object through the use of differential operators. The method includes obtaining image data of the one object, computing a differential operator for each voxel of the image data, computing eigenvalues and eigenvectors for each of the voxels, and computing a scalar function of the eigenvalues to ascertain whether each of the voxels represents a portion of the one object.

System and method for detecting objects with differential operators

A system and method for statistical design of an ultrasound probe and imager system, and an associated graphical user interface for selecting input parameters to be used in an ultrasound simulation. The process and computer code allow the performance of a probe and imager combination to be specified and jointly optimized in image quality terms. The designs produced optimize both the image quality and other CTQ (critical to quality) parameters, such as the distribution of regulatory power indices and mechanical index. These CTQs indirectly affect image quality through their effect on patient dose. The Transducer Design Advisor incorporates a graphical user interface for facilitating selection of a parameter set to be used in the simulation. The user selects a desired parameter set by navigating across and interacting with a succession of windows. The user specifies various geometric characteristics of the transducer and how the user wants to simulate the imager system. Finally, the user specifies weights for the various CTQs at different depths. Based on these inputs, the Transducer Design Advisor creates the files needed by the ultrasound simulator.

System and method for statistical design of ultrasound probe and imaging system

Method and system for remotely conducting medical imaging transactions conducive to meeting the individualized imaging needs of a plurality of users are provided. The method provides a user interface configured to present a menu of prompts to a user of a respective medical imager and/or imaging equipment associated with the imager. The menu of prompts is configured to elicit information indicative of imaging performance of the medical imager and/or equipment relative to imaging preferences of the user. The method further allows transmitting the information indicative of the imaging performance over a communications network to an imaging service center. A database is configured to store the information indicative of the imaging performance of the medical imager and/or imaging equipment. The database is further configured to store the imaging preferences of the user. The information stored in the database is processed relative to a set of business rules to select imaging upgrades configured to improve the operational performance of the medical imager. The imaging upgrades are transmitted to reconfigure the imager and/or associated equipment so that the individualized imaging needs of each user are achieved based on the imaging upgrades.

Method and system for conducting medical imaging transactions

Methods and apparatus for generating test vectors for use in testing ASIC designs at both the functional and circuit levels, and for comparing the results of functional level and circuit level tests, employ a set of software tools to facilitate generating test vectors and to compare results of simulation at the functional level with results of simulation at the synthesized circuit level. The software tool set includes a preprocessor program which reads source files and produces skeleton test vector files, a compiler program for compiling the test vector files, and an output comparison program for comparing functional level test results with circuit simulation level test results.

Methods and apparatus for generating test vectors and validating ASIC

Complex equipment operated by a plurality of computerized task functions is coupled to a host processor which controls operation of a plurality of task functions performed by the equipment. Included in the equipment are a plurality of client processors, a communications network coupling the host processor to the client processors, and a plurality of programs providing respective task interfaces for running selected task functions of the equipment on any of the client processors as remote processes. Each task interface program includes a library of communications handlers and a designated task interface. When the complex equipment comprises an ultrasound imager system, the task functions of shaping a transmit waveform and shading the transducer reception parameters are performed through preferred embodiments of such task interfaces. A voice input task function may also be run as a remote process coupled to the imager host through the network interface.

Task-interface and communications system and method for ultrasound

A digital interface subsystem, for a magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy system, has an internal data bus interconnecting: a master sequencer, receiving instructions from a main system computer; a plurality of controlled generators for providing gradient-field, RF modulation and other required signal waveforms for proper excitation of a sample; and circuitry for analyzing the magnetic resonance response signals from the sample, responsive to the excitation signals for providing image information.

Digital interface subsystem for a magnetic resonance imaging and

A magnetic resonance system for both imaging and spectroscopy of a sample of non-magnetic material (such as a portion of the human anatomy and the like) at one static magnetic field magnitude in excess of 0.7 Tesla (T), utilizes a superconducting magnet having a room-temperature bore of diameter sufficiently large to place therein not only the desired sample but also a set of gradient magnetic field-producing coils and at least one radio-frequency coil for exciting and/or receiving response signals from the sample to be examined. The entire magnetic system has suitably-small temporal and positional field variations to allow imaging to be accomplished at the resonant frequencies of nuclei including .sup.1 H, .sup.13 C, .sup.19 F, .sup.23 Na and .sup.31 P. The system includes a novel interface subsystem, itself including a novel gradient signal switching circuit, for acquiring imaging data in relatively short time intervals.

High-field nuclear magnetic resonance imaging/spectroscopy system

A gradient field switch, for use in an improved nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy system, includes a control portion and a switching portion. The switching portion receives a plurality of magnetic field gradient signals and connects each signal to an associated one of at least the same plurality of outputs. The exact pattern of input-output interconnections is established by the control portion responsive to data received after the presence of a reset signal. By appropriate control data input, the gradient field signals can be routed to axes of a predetermined coordinate system, such that images of a sample can be obtained from several directions, responsive to command signals and without requiring physical movement of the sample being imaged.

Gradient field switch for improved magnetic resonance

Power line interference artifacts in a magnetic resonance image are minimized by the process of: providing a sequential plurality of imaging signal sequences, the totality of which sequences is required for determining the value of each image pixel in an image array thereof; requesting the start of each sequence of the plurality of imaging signal sequences prior to the actual time at which each such signal sequence should commence; preparing a recognition element prior to the desired actual commencement time; recognizing a predetermined occurrence of a repetitive power line signal parameter to provide a first signal; setting the recognition element responsive to the first signal to only then cause the signal sequence start request to actually cause commencement of the associated signal sequence; and causing each signal sequence to occur in essentially an integral number of sequential repetitive cycles of the power line signal waveform to minimize the magnitude of power line frequency signal interference artifacts in the resulting magnetic resonance image.

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Albany, NY, United States of America

William Macomber Leue