Motor for a MR elastography transducer
Inventors
Annio, Giacomo • Muller-Reinwald, Verena • Sinkus, Ralph • Darwish, Omar • Schnell, Wilfried • Falkner, Tamara Elisabeth • Gharib, Ahmed M.
Assignees
Siemens Healthineers AG • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS • Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale INSERM • Universite Sorbonne Paris Nord • Universite Paris Cite • Kings College London • US Department of Health and Human Services
Publication Number
US-11852704-B2
Publication Date
2023-12-26
Expiration Date
2042-03-17
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Abstract
The present disclosure is directed to a motor for a magnetic resonance (MR) tomography room, to a patient table for the MR room, to a MR elastography device, and to a MR tomography device. A MR tomography device for a MR elastography imaging protocol is arranged within the MR tomography room, and includes a rotational drive for supplying rotational energy to power a MR elastography transducer usable during the MR elastography imaging protocol, and a support structure. The rotational drive comprises a terminal for connecting the MR elastography transducer to the rotational drive, and a bearing means configured such that the position of the terminal relative to the support structure is adaptable along a trajectory predetermined by the bearing means. The rotational drive is mounted to the support structure via the bearing means.
Core Innovation
The invention provides a motor for a magnetic resonance (MR) tomography room, specifically designed to power a MR elastography transducer used during MR elastography imaging protocols. The motor includes a rotational drive arranged within a container and a support structure. Crucially, the rotational drive comprises a terminal for connecting to the MR elastography transducer, and this terminal's position relative to the support structure is adaptable along a predetermined trajectory via a bearing means. The rotational drive is mounted to the support structure through this bearing means, allowing controlled motion.
This design addresses challenges of existing MR elastography systems that use motors connected via long shafts, which introduce unwanted frequencies causing imaging inaccuracies and can be bulky, restricting the freedom of movement and clinical workflow integration. The adaptable bearing means adds an additional degree of freedom, improving handling and compensating for varying positions of the elastography transducer without requiring telescopic or elastic shafts.
The motor is MR compatible and designed to reside inside the MR tomography room without interfering with magnetic fields or RF signals. The bearing means permits motion types such as radial rotation, linear motion, spherical rotation, or hinge motion, enabling the terminal and thus the connected driveshaft to adjust position relative to the support structure. This adaptability reduces the shaft length and the number of rotating shaft sections, limiting unwanted frequencies and improving MR elastography imaging accuracy.
Claims Coverage
The patent includes several independent claims covering the motor itself, a patient table incorporating the motor, a MR elastography device, and a MR tomography device with the integrated elastography system. There are seven main inventive features identified from these independent claims.
Motor with adaptable terminal position via bearing means
The motor comprises a rotational drive with a terminal for connecting to a MR elastography transducer. The terminal's position relative to the support structure is adaptable along a trajectory predetermined by a bearing means, and the rotational drive is mounted to the support structure via this bearing means. The rotational drive is arranged within a container.
Bearing means comprising rotor bearing with stator and rotor roles
The bearing means includes a rotor bearing where the support structure acts as the stator and the rotational drive acts as the rotor, allowing radial rotation as part of the adaptable terminal trajectory.
Container rigidly fixed to rotational drive with lateral wall terminal
The container is rigidly fixed to the rotational drive so that the terminal's trajectory corresponds to that of the container, with the terminal arranged in the container's lateral wall.
Terminal movably mounted relative to slit in the container
The container includes a slit, and the terminal is movably mounted relative to the slit, allowing motion along the trajectory confined by the slit.
Motor output interface providing rotational frequency signal
The motor comprises an output interface configured to provide a rotational frequency signal corresponding to the rotational frequency and/or phase of the rotational drive, enabling synchronization with control units.
Patient table integrating motor with movable tabletop
A patient table includes a holding means to fasten the motor's support structure and a tabletop movable relative to the holding means. The motor has the terminal position adaptable via bearing means, and the arrangement allows alignment of the tabletop longitudinal axis parallel to the trajectory's axis.
MR elastography device with driveshaft and adaptable terminal bearing means
The MR elastography device comprises a motor with rotational drive and support structure, a driveshaft connected to the motor's terminal configured to confer rotational energy to the MR elastography transducer, where the terminal's position relative to the support structure is adaptable along a trajectory via a bearing means. The driveshaft is configured to bend in a loop depending on the transducer position.
The claims collectively cover a motor system with a rotational drive whose connection terminal to the elastography transducer is mounted on a bearing means permitting motion along a predetermined trajectory, enabling compensation for positional variations. Extensions include configurations with rotor bearings, containers with slits or fixed connections, integration into patient tables with movable tabletops, the inclusion of an output interface for rotational frequency signaling, and elastography devices with bends or universal joints in the driveshaft for flexible operation.
Stated Advantages
The bearing means provides an additional degree of freedom, improving handling and integration of the motor during MR elastography imaging protocols.
The design reduces unwanted frequencies by minimizing shaft length and number of rotating shaft sections, leading to more accurate MR elastography imaging.
The motor is MR compatible, allowing placement inside the MR tomography room without disturbing magnetic or RF fields.
The container enclosing the rotational drive enhances safety and durability.
Integration of the motor into a patient table increases product integrity and operator and patient freedom of movement.
A damping means between the motor support structure and patient table reduces mechanical vibrations, improving patient comfort.
The output interface providing rotational frequency signals enables synchronization with MR imaging control units, improving image quality.
Documented Applications
Powering MR elastography transducers during MR elastography imaging protocols to generate mechanical shear waves for imaging tissue stiffness.
Integration into patient tables within MR tomography rooms to enhance clinical workflow and patient/operator movement.
Use as part of MR elastography devices comprising the motor, driveshaft, and transducer for driving mechanical vibrations synchronized with MR imaging.
In MR tomography devices configured to conduct MR elastography imaging protocols with synchronized control based on rotational frequency signals.
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