Method for acquiring an image and manipulating objects with magnetic gradients produced by one or more electropermanent magnet arrays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10908240-B2
Application number	US-201916448915-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2019
Priority date	Jun 22, 2018
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

An apparatus and method create or modify a magnetic field in a region of interest and utilize a plurality of electropermanent magnets configured to perform both the action of establishing a quasi-static magnetic field, and the action of imposing transient magnetic non-uniformity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for imaging one or more objects in a field-of-view, wherein the apparatus comprises:
at least one array containing at least two electropermanent magnets; and
a controller for controlling generation of magnetic fields by the at least one array,
wherein a magnetic configuration of the array may be varied to produce magnetic profiles in the field-of-view that constitute a basis set for reconstructing an image of the object.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least some members of the basis set are orthogonal one another.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the magnetic profiles is non-linear with position along any direction within the field-of-view.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic profiles propel, rotate or actuate at least one object in the field-of-view.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic profiles are used to alter the direction of magnetization of the object.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein measurement of the magnetic profile in the field-of-view is used to select magnetization of electropermanent magnets in the at least one array.

7. A method for imaging or moving or actuating an object within a field-of-view, the method comprising:
applying a magnetic pulse sequence to at least one array containing at least two electropermanent magnets to control generation of magnetic fields by the at least one array;
varying a magnetic configuration of the array to produce magnetic profiles in the field-of-view that constitute a basis set for reconstructing an image of the object,
wherein the magnetic profiles within the field-of-view have magnitudes that are non-linear with respect to position.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein at least some members of the basis set are orthogonal to one another.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the magnetic profiles is non-linear with position along any direction within the field-of-view.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the magnetic profiles propel, rotate or actuate at least one object in the field-of-view.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the magnetic profiles are used to alter the direction of magnetization of the object.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein measurement of the magnetic profile in the field-of-view is used to select magnetization of electropermanent magnets in the at least one array.

13. A method for altering the magnetization angle of an object within a field-of-view with one or more electropermanent magnet arrays, the method comprising:
applying a magnetic pulse sequence to at least one array containing at least two electropermanent magnets to control generation of magnetic fields by the at least one array;
varying a magnetic configuration of the array to produce magnetic profiles in the field-of-view that constitute a basis set for reconstructing an image of the object,
wherein the magnetic profiles within the field-of-view have magnitudes that are non-linear with respect to position.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein at least some members of the basis set are orthogonal to one another.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the magnetic profiles is non-linear with position along any direction within the field-of-view.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the magnetic profiles propel, rotate or actuate at least one object in the field-of-view.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the magnetic profiles are used to alter the direction of magnetization of the object.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein measurement of the magnetic profile in the field-of-view is used to select magnetization of electropermanent magnets in the at least one array.

Assignees

• Weinberg Medical Physics Inc

Inventors

• Weinberg Irving N

Classifications

• G01R33/383 Primary

  using permanent magnets · CPC title

• G01R33/4833

  using spatially selective excitation of the volume of interest, e.g. selecting non-orthogonal or inclined slices · CPC title

• G01R33/381

  using electromagnets · CPC title

• G01R33/543

  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 title

• G01R33/385 Primary

  using gradient magnetic field coils · CPC title