MR injector system with increased mobility and electromagnetic interference mitigation
First Claim
1. An injection system for use with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, said MRI system having a room and a window therewith shielded from electromagnetic interference, said injection system comprising:
- (a) a system controller external to said room;
(b) an injection apparatus within said room, said injection apparatus including a base assembly, a head assembly and a rigid tubular casing for supporting said head assembly above said base assembly and for housing a flexible drive shaft, said base assembly including a motor control circuitry and an electric drive motor controlled thereby operably linked to one end of said flexible drive shaft, said head assembly including an injector and a drive mechanism therefor operably linked to an other end of said flexible drive shaft; and
(c) a communications control link, substantially non-reactive with a magnetic field produced by said MRI system, between said system controller and said injection apparatus thereby enabling said system controller to operably control said base assembly and said head assembly therewith for controlling the injection of fluid into a patient from a syringe mounted to said injector during a magnetic resonance imaging procedure.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An improved magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) injection system exhibits decreased electromagnetic interference (EMI) and improved mobility. The injector apparatus of the injection system includes a head assembly with at least one drive piston and a base assembly including the motor control circuitry and drive motors necessary to control the injector. The electronics in the base assembly are designed to reduce EMI with the magnetic field of the MRI system by employing Faraday cages and various circuit design and filtering techniques. The head assembly of the injector apparatus may also include a hand switch for local control of the injector.
-
Citations
51 Claims
-
1. An injection system for use with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, said MRI system having a room and a window therewith shielded from electromagnetic interference, said injection system comprising:
-
(a) a system controller external to said room;
(b) an injection apparatus within said room, said injection apparatus including a base assembly, a head assembly and a rigid tubular casing for supporting said head assembly above said base assembly and for housing a flexible drive shaft, said base assembly including a motor control circuitry and an electric drive motor controlled thereby operably linked to one end of said flexible drive shaft, said head assembly including an injector and a drive mechanism therefor operably linked to an other end of said flexible drive shaft; and
(c) a communications control link, substantially non-reactive with a magnetic field produced by said MRI system, between said system controller and said injection apparatus thereby enabling said system controller to operably control said base assembly and said head assembly therewith for controlling the injection of fluid into a patient from a syringe mounted to said injector during a magnetic resonance imaging procedure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. An injection system for use with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, said MRI system having a room and a window therewith shielded from electromagnetic interference, said injection system comprising:
-
(a) a system controller external to said room;
(b) an injection apparatus within said room, said injection apparatus including a head assembly, a base assembly and a rigid tubular casing for supporting said head assembly above said base assembly and for housing two flexible drive shafts, said head assembly including (i) an injector adaptable to accommodate two syringes mountable thereon and (ii) a drive mechanism for each of said flexible drive shafts such that each said drive mechanism is linked to one end of said flexible drive shaft corresponding thereto for operating one of said syringes corresponding thereto, said base assembly operably engaged with each of said flexible drive shafts at other ends thereof with which to drive said drive mechanisms and operate said syringes independently therewith in response to commands from said system controller;
(c) a communications control link between said system controller and said injection apparatus thereby enabling said system controller to operably control said base assembly and said head assembly therewith for controlling the injection of fluid(s) into a patient from at least one of said syringes during a magnetic resonance imaging procedure. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
-
-
42. A roll-resistant caster assembly for an injection apparatus of the type used with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, said roll-resistant caster assembly comprising:
-
(a) an axle;
(b) two wheels each of which defining a hub for attachment to one end of said axle, each of said wheels also defining a drum on an interior periphery thereof, (c) a housing having a fork portion characterized by two prongs projecting downwardly therefrom, each of said prongs defining an axle bore therethrough with said axle bores being axially aligned to accommodate said axle for support of said housing thereon, said housing also having an upper spring stop disposed between said prongs in an upper part of said fork portion;
(d) a dual disc pad element having two discs and a connective member interconnecting said discs so that said discs are disposed in parallel, said discs each defining a central bore to accommodate compressive movement of said dual disc pad element relative to said axle situated therein and said fork portion therewith, said connective member including a lower spring stop at a top and a center thereof, said connective member also defining two slots each of which on opposite sides of said lower spring stop and each adapted to accommodate one of said prongs of said fork portion of said housing; and
(e) a spring disposed compressively between said upper and said lower springs stops such that said spring normally biases said discs of said dual disc pad element against said drums of said wheels thereby rendering said wheels of said caster assembly resistant to rolling. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
-
Specification