PHILLIP WILLIAM ECKELS
Engineers in Florence, SC

5539367, Jul 23, 1996

May 2, 1994

8/236060

Yannis P. Tsavalas - Florence SC
Phillip W. Eckels - Florence SC

General Electric Company - Milwaukee WI

H01F 700, H01F 100, G01V 300, H02H 700

335301

A magnetic resonance imaging magnet including a superconducting gradient shield positioned around the gradient coil and contiguous to the cryogen vessel, with the gradient shield being selectively placed in superconducting operation to shield the magnet coils and structures from the magnetic fields generated by firing the imaging gradient coil positioned within the bore of the magnetic resonance imaging magnet. A plurality of thermally conductive members are compressed between the cryogen vessel and the gradient shield.

6147844, Nov 14, 2000

Dec 30, 1998

9/223650

Xianrui Huang - Florence SC
Phillip William Eckels - Florence SC

General Electric Company - Milwaukee WI

H02H 700

361 19

A quench protection circuit for the series connected but spatially separated magnet coils of a superconducting magnet utilizes a parallel circuit of multiple heaters and reverse connected diodes shunting portions of the series connected magnets coils with the heaters physically positioned in thermal contact with other coils in the series circuit to thermally transfer a heat quenching action in any coil to all coils, along with a shunting current through the diodes to shunt peak currents upon coil quenching to avoid undesired spot temperature rise and enable controlled quenching of the entire magnet upon quenching of any coil.

5936499, Aug 10, 1999

Feb 18, 1998

9/025366

Phillip William Eckels - Florence SC

General Electric Company - Milwaukee WI

H01F 100

335216

A pressure control system for the cryogen pressure vessel of a helium cooled superconducting magnet assembly including a helium gas recondenser to return liquid helium to the helium supply including a temperature sensor proximate to the recondenser to provide a control signal for maintaining a preselected temperature of said recondenser in order to maintain a preselected pressure within said helium vessel above the pressure outside the vessel and further including an indication of the thermal conductance across the interface between the recondenser and the cryocooler which cools the recondenser.

5247800, Sep 28, 1993

Jun 3, 1992

7/893135

Michael T. Mruzek - Florence SC
Phillip W. Eckels - Florence SC
Clyde L. Gouldsberry - Ypsilanti MI

General Electric Company - Milwaukee WI

F25B 1900

62 511

A cryogenic system, such as a superconducting magnet assembly of magnetic resonance imaging equipment, is cooled by a refrigeration unit having a first surface refrigerated to a desired temperature. The first surface has a indentation in which an indium body is bonded to the first surface. A copper thermal conductor has a second surface on which an indenter is formed. Preferably the indenter is either a spiraling peak or an array of pyramids projecting from the second surface. A mechanism is provided to hold the thermal conductor against the indium body with the indenter penetrating the body.

6169404, Jan 2, 2001

Dec 18, 1998

9/216221

Phillip William Eckels - Florence SC

General Electric Company - Milwaukee WI

G01R 3320

324320

A vibration cancellation system for a magnetic resonance imager superconducting C-shaped magnet includes a vibration sensor at a remote end of the separated pole pieces to provide a vibration signal which is phase inverted and converted to an opposing force by a magnetoresistive actuator connected across the support member between the opposite ends of the pole pieces to cancel vibrations which would otherwise adversely affect the homogeneity of the magnetic field in the imaging region of the magnet.

5571602, Nov 5, 1996

Dec 29, 1994

8/366188

Phillip W. Eckels - Florence SC
Delton A. Grey - Florence SC
Christopher G. King - Florence SC
Anthony Mantone - Effingham SC
O'Neil T. McClam - Florence SC
Granville G. Ward - Florence SC

General Electric Company - Milwaukee WI

B32B 900

428195

A superconducting magnet shield includes a plurality of overlapping NbTi sheets welded together with a plurality of welds extending along elongated parallel slots in the overlap region with the slots extending in the direction of superconducting current flow.

6289681, Sep 18, 2001

Nov 17, 1999

9/441897

Phillip William Eckels - Florence SC
Richard Thomas Hackett - Sumter SC
Gregory F. Hayworth - Florence SC
Xianrui Huang - Florence SC
Clifford J. Ginfrida - Florence SC
Gregory Alan Lehmann - Florence SC
John Scaturro - Florence SC

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

F17C 502

62 471

A multi purpose interconnect assembly between upper and lower helium vessels in a recondensing superconducting magnet to provide isothermal connections to extend the ride-through period, and to provide for helium liquid and gas passage, electrical interconnections, and to accommodate differential thermal contraction and expansion.

6029458, Feb 29, 2000

May 7, 1998

9/074332

Phillip William Eckels - Florence SC

F17C 502, H01F 722, F25B 1900

62 471

A cryogen recondensing magnetic resonance imager superconducting magnet utilizing a rare earth displacement material cryocooler with a superconducting sleeve surrounding a portion of the circumference of the cold end of the cryocooler to provide superconducting current flow of currents induced by movement of the rare earth displacer to generate opposing magnetic fields which shield the imaging region of the superconducting magnet from magnetic interference generated by movement of the cryocooler rare earth displacer.

6038867, Mar 21, 2000

Jul 31, 1998

9/127499

William Louis Einziger - Florence SC
Phillip William Eckels - Florence SC
Michael Loren Creel - Florence SC

General Electric Company - Milwaukee WI

F17C 100

62 451

A thermally insulating joint for multilayer insulating blankets for a superconducting magnet with layers of low thermal emissivity material separated by low conductivity spacers staked together with adjacent joints and vents offset from each other and with low emissivity adhesive strips overlying the remote ends of adjacent layers of the joined blankets.

5701744, Dec 30, 1997

Oct 31, 1996

8/741993

Phillip William Eckels - Florence SC
Kazuhiko Sato - Ishikawa-machi, JP
Daniel Christian Woods - Florence SC
Granville Geer Ward - Florence SC
Gregory Farin Hayworth - Florence SC
Christopher G. King - Florence SC

General Electric company - Milwaukee WI

F17C 502, H01F 722, F25B 1900

62 471

A cryogen recondensing system magnetic resonance imager superconducting magnet and a cryogen recondensing system with a rare earth displacement material cryocooler and superconductive lead bismuth magnetic sleeve provides superconducting current flow of currents induced by movement of the rare earth displacer which generate opposing magnetic fields to shield the superconducting magnet from the magnetic interference of the cryocooler rare earth displacer. Strips of high conductivity wave-shaped aluminum or sapphire rods may be embedded in the surface of the sleeve to lower the thermal resistance of the superconducting shield to enable it to quickly reach superconducting temperature.