Deployable guard for portable magnetic resonance imaging devices
AssigneeHyperfine, Inc.
InventorsChristopher Thomas McNulty, Michael Stephen Poole
Life of this patent
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Abstract
According to some aspects, an apparatus is provided comprising a deployable guard device, configured to be coupled to a portable medical imaging device, the deployable guard device further configured to, when deployed, inhibit encroachment within a physical boundary with respect to the portable medical imaging device. According to some aspects, an apparatus is provided comprising a deployable guard device, configured to be coupled to a portable magnetic resonance imaging system, the deployable guard device further configured to, when deployed, demarcate a boundary within which a magnetic field strength of a magnetic field generated by the portable magnetic resonance imaging system equals or exceeds a given threshold.
Claims18
A system, comprising:
- a portable magnetic resonance imaging device;
- and
- a deployable guard device coupled to the portable magnetic resonance imaging device, the deployable guard device further configured to, when deployed, inhibit encroachment within a physical boundary with respect to the portable magnetic resonance imaging device,
- wherein, when in an undeployed position, the deployable guard device defines a first region having a first area,
- wherein, when in a deployed position, the deployable guard device defines a second inner region having a second area larger than the first area, and
- wherein, when in the deployed position, the deployable guard device extends radially further from an imaging region of the portable magnetic resonance imaging device than when the deployable guard is in the undeployed position.
A system, comprising:
- a portable magnetic resonance imaging system;
- and
- a deployable guard device coupled to the portable magnetic resonance imaging system, the deployable guard device further configured to, when deployed, demarcate a boundary within which a magnetic field strength of a magnetic field generated by the portable magnetic resonance imaging system equals or exceeds a given threshold,
- wherein, when in an undeployed position, the deployable guard device defines a first region having a first area,
- wherein, when in a deployed position, the deployable guard device defines a second inner region having a second area larger than the first area, and
- wherein, when in the deployed position, the deployable guard device extends radially further from an imaging region of the portable magnetic resonance imaging device than when the deployable guard is in the undeployed position.
A method for operating a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, the MRI system being coupled to a deployable guard device configured to, when deployed, inhibit encroachment within a physical boundary with respect to the MRI system, the method comprising:
- before imaging using the MRI system, moving the deployable guard device from a deployed position to an undeployed position, wherein:
- when in the undeployed position, the deployable guard device defines a first region having a first area,
- when in the deployed position, the deployable guard device defines a second inner region having a second area larger than the first area, and
- when in the deployed position, the deployable guard device extends radially further from an imaging region of the portable magnetic resonance imaging device than when the deployable guard is in the undeployed position;
- imaging, using the MRI system;
- and
- after imaging using the MRI system, moving the deployable guard device from the undeployed position to the deployed position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.