Active noise cancellation apparatus in MRI apparatus

• US 5,427,102 A
• Filed: 10/28/1994
• Issued: 06/27/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Otsuka, Masayuki, Okabe, Shinya, Shimode, Shin'ichi, Saho, Norihide, Iwase, Yukiji, Yamamoto, Etsuji, Takiguchi, Kenji, Shiono, Hidemi, Inouye, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): ZELE, KRISTA MICHELLE
• Application Number:
  US08/331,156
• Time in Patent Office: 242 Days
• Field of Search: 128/653.2, 128/653.5, 324/300, 324/309, 324/318, 324/322, 381/71, 381/94
• US Class Current: 600/410
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/283 Intercom or optical viewing arrangements, structurally associated with NMR apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/385 using gradient magnetic field coils
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/3854 means for active and/or passive vibration damping or acoustical noise suppression in gradient magnet coil systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/543 Control of the operation of the MR system, e.g. setting of acquisition parameters prior to or during MR data acquisition, dynamic shimming, use of one or more scout images for scan plane prescription G01R33/546 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17825 Error signals
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17854 the filter being an adaptive filter
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17855 for improving speed or power requirements
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17857 Geometric disposition, e.g. placement of microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17879 using both a reference signal and an error signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17885 additionally using a desired external signal, e.g. pass-through audio such as music or speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/1161 NMR or MRI
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3026 Feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3027 Feedforward
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/40 by combining a number of identical transducers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/925 Neural network

Abstract

An active noise cancellation apparatus of an MRI apparatus, including a detector for detecting vibration of a bobbin or a driving signal of a magnetism generator as a noise source signal, error signal detectors for detecting actual noise near the ears of a patient, a circuit for generating a noise cancellation signal having an opposite phase to a phase of a noise signal generated by an MRI apparatus and having an amplitude proportional to the output of the error signal detectors, from the detected noise source signal and the output of the error signal detectors, and a sound generator for generating a sound wave by the noise cancellation signal.

Claims

1. In an MRI apparatus including a table for allowing a patient to lie down thereon inside a bobbin and a magnetism generator for applying a magnetic field to said patient, disposed at an outer peripheral portion of said bobbin, wherein the improvement comprises an active noise cancellation apparatus for said MRI apparatus including:

(a) error signal detection means for detecting noise near ears of said patient lying down on said table;

(b) noise source signal detection means for detecting a noise source signal produced from an operation of said magnetism generator;

(c) means for generating a noise cancellation signal by processing said noise source signal detected by said noise source signal detection means so that an amplitude of a signal from said error signal detection means is minimized; and

(d) sound generation means for generating sound in response to said noise;

cancellation signal;

wherein said sound generation means includes vibration means for vibrating said bobbin.

2. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said vibration means includes piezoelectric devices fitted to said bobbin.

3. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said noise source signal detection means includes means for detecting vibration of said bobbin.

4. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said error signal detection means includes capacitance type microphones disposed near the ears of said patient on said table.

5. In an MRI apparatus including a table for allowing a patient to lie down thereon inside a bobbin and a magnetism generator for applying a magnetic field to said patient, disposed at an outer peripheral portion of said bobbin, wherein the improvement comprises an active noise cancellation apparatus for said MRI apparatus including:

(a) error signal detection means for detecting signals used for calculating noise near ears of said patient lying down on said table;

(b) noise source signal detection means for detecting a noise source signal produced from an operation of said magnetism generator;

(c) means for generating a noise cancellation signal by processing said noise source signal detected by said noise source signal detection means so that an amplitude of a signal from said error signal detection means is minimized; and

(d) sound generation means for generating sound in response to said noise cancellation signal;

wherein said error signal detection means is disposed outside said bobbin, and said means for generating said noise cancellation signal includes means for generating said noise cancellation signal utilizing transmission characteristics of a sound wave transmission path of a space from positions near the ears of said patient to said error signal detection means.

6. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said noise source signal detection means includes means for detecting vibration of said bobbin.

7. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said error signal detection means includes capacitance type microphones disposed near the ears of said patient on said table.

8. In an MRI apparatus including a table for allowing a patient to lie down thereon inside a bobbin and a magnetism generator for applying a magnetic field to said patient, disposed at an outer peripheral portion of said bobbin, wherein the improvement comprises an active noise cancellation apparatus for said MRI apparatus including:

(a) error signal detection means for detecting noise near ears of said patient lying down on said table;

(b) noise source signal detection means for detecting a noise source signal produced from an operation of said magnetism generator;

(c) means for generating a noise cancellation signal by processing said noise source signal detected by said noise source signal detection means so that an amplitude of a signal from said error signal detection means is minimized; and

(d) sound generation means for generating sound in response to said noise cancellation signal;

wherein said error signal detection means includes;

first tubes made of a non-magnetic and non-metallic material, and extended outside said bobbin from near the ears of said patient on said table; and

detection means disposed at the tips of said first tubes outside said bobbin; and

wherein said means for generating said noise cancellation signal includes;

means for generating said noise cancellation signal utilizing transmission characteristics of a sound wave transmission path of said first tubes ranging from positions near the ears of said patient to said error signal detection means.

9. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said sound generation means includes:

second tubes made of a non-magnetic and non-metallic material, and extended outside said bobbin from near the ears of said patient on said table; and

speakers disposed at the tips of said second tubes outside said bobbin.

10. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said noise source signal detection means includes means for detecting vibration of said bobbin.

11. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said error signal detection means includes capacitance type microphones disposed near the ears of said patient on said table.

12. In an MRI apparatus including a table for allowing a patient to lie down thereon inside a bobbin and a magnetism generator for applying a magnetic field to said patient, disposed at an outer peripheral portion of said bobbin, wherein the improvement comprises an active noise cancellation apparatus for said MRI apparatus including:

(a) error signal detection means for detecting noise near ears of said patient lying down on said table;

(b) noise source signal detection means for detecting a noise source signal produced from an operation of said magnetism generator;

(c) means for generating a noise cancellation signal by processing said noise source signal detected by said noise source signal detection means so that an amplitude of a signal from said error signal detection means is minimized; and

(d) sound generation means for generating sound in response to said noise cancellation signal;

wherein said noise source signal detection means includes means for detecting a driving signal of said magnetism generator and further including means for delaying said driving signal inputted to said magnetism generator such that a noise due to driving of said magnetism generator by said inputted driving signal occurs later than said noise cancellation sound wave.

13. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said means for generating said noise cancellation signal includes:

frequency characteristics changing means using said driving signal as an input; and

means for generating a reference signal for generating said noise cancellation signal from an output of said frequency characteristics changing means.

14. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 13, wherein transmission characteristics of said frequency characteristics changing means are set to transmission characteristics of said driving signal and noise generated by said driving signal.

15. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said frequency characteristics changing means includes a circuit comprising a digital filter.

16. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said frequency characteristics changing means comprises a non-linearity operation circuit.

17. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said sound generation means includes:

first tubes made of a non-magnetic and non-metallic material, and extended outside said bobbin from near the ears of said patient on said table; and

speakers disposed at tips of said first tubes outside said bobbin.

18. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said error signal detection means includes:

second tubes made of a non-magnetic and non-metallic material, and extended outside said bobbin from near the ears of said patient on said table; and

error signal detection means disposed at tips of said second tubes outside said bobbin.

19. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said delaying means comprises means for setting a delay time of said driving signal longer than a summed period of a delay time and a transmission time from said sound generation means to said error signal detection means.

20. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said sound generation means comprises a speaker and first tube means coupled to said speaker for transmitting the sound, and

said active noise cancellation apparatus further comprising a pair of sound reception means of headphone type comprising a microphone and second tube means coupled to said microphone for transmitting the sound.

21. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said sound generation means comprises a speaker and first tube means coupled to said speaker for transmitting the sound, and

said active noise cancellation apparatus further comprising sound reception means which covers ears of the patient and forms a space around said ears, said sound reception means comprising a microphone and second tube means coupled to said microphone for transmitting the sound.

22. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said sound generation means comprises means for adding an information signal to to said noise cancellation signal for transmission to said patient.

23. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said adding means further comprises means for providing a music signal and for adding said music signal to said noise cancellation signal.

24. An active noise cancellation apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said adding means comprises means for controlling a sound volume and quality of said information signal.

25. In an MRI apparatus including a table for allowing a patient to lie down thereon inside a bobbin and a magnetism generator for applying a magnetic field to said patient, disposed at an outer peripheral portion of said bobbin, wherein the improvement comprises an active noise cancellation apparatus for said MRI apparatus including:

(a) error signal detection means for detecting a vibration of said bobbin to calculate noise near ears of said patient lying down on said table;

(b) noise source signal detection means for detecting a driving signal of said MRI apparatus;

(c) means for generating a noise cancellation signal having a phase opposite to a phase of said noise source signal from said noise source signal detection means, and having an amplitude proportional to a magnitude of a signal from said error signal detection means; and

(d) sound generation means for vibrating said bobbin in response to said noise cancellation signal.