Medical imaging apparatus having multiple subsystems, and operating method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10114097-B2
Application number	US-201514870032-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2015
Priority date	Sep 30, 2014
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

In a method for operating a medical imaging examination apparatus having multiple subsystems, current ambient conditions in a scan volume of the apparatus are determined and stored in a global ambient condition parameter set. A control computer starts a scan sequence according to a selected scan protocol, and sequence control data that define different functional sub-sequences for the respective subsystems are provided to the control computer. Different effective volumes are assigned to each functional sub-sequence, and respective current sub-regions in the effective volume associated with the respective sub-sequence are determined, in which a volume optimization is to take place. Control signals for the scan sequence are calculated using the sequence control data, the global ambient condition parameter set, and the determined current sub-regions of the affected volumes, in order to optimize the functional sub-sequences at least with regard to the current sub-region of the assigned effective volume.

First claim

We claim as our invention:

1. A method for operating a medical imaging examination apparatus comprising a plurality of apparatus subsystems, comprising:
determining ambient conditions of a scan volume in a medical imaging examination apparatus;
storing the current ambient conditions in a global ambient condition parameter set comprising parameters that describe said current ambient conditions;
providing a selected scan protocol to control computer that is assigned to a scan sequence in which said control computer will control the plurality of apparatus subsystems in coordination to conduct the scan sequence to acquire medical imaging data from an examination subject;
starting a scan with the selected scan protocol;
providing said control computer with sequence control data for said selected scan protocol that define different functional sub-sequences of said scan sequence to be performed respectively by said apparatus subsystems;
before or during said scan, in said control computer, assigning respectively different effective volumes of the examination subject to the respective functional sub-sequences;
before or during said scan, in said control computer, determining respective current sub-regions in respective effective volumes individually associated with the respective current functional sub-sequences of the scan sequence, in which sub-regions an optimization is to be made during said scan;
in said control computer, calculating optimized control signals for said selected scan sequence during said scan dependent on said sequence control data, the determined sub-regions of the effective volumes, and the global ambient condition parameter set, by executing an algorithm in said control computer that optimizes the functional sub-sequences locally in the examination subject at least with regard to a sub-region of the respective effective volumes; and
in said control computer, providing said optimized control signals to at least one of said apparatus subsystems during said scan.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising storing said parameters in said ambient condition parameter set in a spatially resolved manner.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in said control computer, associating a weighting with each of said parameters in said global ambient condition parameter set.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 comprising selecting said weighting from the group consisting of spatially-dependent weightings and tissue-dependent weightings.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising determining the respective current sub-regions in a respective effective volume associated with a respective current functional sub-sequence dependent on a possible position change of the examination subject in the scan volume.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, during said scan, determining changes of said ambient conditions, and correcting said global ambient condition parameter set dependent on said changes.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising storing, as said parameters in said global ambient condition parameter set, parameters selected from the group consisting of a local magnitude of a basic magnetic field in said medical examination apparatus, an amplitude of a radio-frequency field in said medical examination apparatus, and a phase of a radio-frequency field in said medical examination apparatus.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising determining said sequence control data from the group consisting of preliminary optimization parameters that ensure that the scan can be executed with the determined control signals, and limit values that ensure that the scan can be executed with the determined control signals.

9. A medical imaging apparatus comprising:
a plurality of apparatus subsystems;
a control computer configured to determine ambient conditions of a scan volume in a medical imaging examination apparatus;
a memory in which said control computer is configured to store the current ambient conditions in a global ambient condition parameter set comprising parameters that describe said current ambient conditions;
said control computer being configured to receive a selected scan protocol that is assigned to a scan sequence in which said control computer is configured to control the plurality of apparatus subsystems in coordination to conduct the scan sequence to acquire medical imaging data from an examination subject;
said control computer being configured to start a scan with said selected scan protocol;
said control computer being configured to receive sequence control data for said selected scan protocol that define different functional sub-sequences of said scan sequence to be performed respectively by said apparatus subsystems;
said control computer being configured to assign, before or during said scan, respectively different effective volumes of the examination subject to the respective functional sub-sequences;
said control computer being configured to determine, before or during said scan, respective current sub-regions in respective effective volumes individually associated with the respective current functional sub-sequences of the scan sequence, in which sub-regions an optimization is to be made during said scan;
said control computer being configured to calculate optimized control signals for said selected scan sequence dependent on said sequence control data, the determined sub-regions of the effective volumes, and the global ambient condition parameter set, by executing an algorithm that optimizes the functional sub-sequences locally in the examination subject at least with regard to a sub-region of the respective effective volumes; and
said control computer being configured to provide said optimized control signals to at least one of said apparatus subsystems during said scan.

10. A non-transitory, computer-readable data storage medium encoded with programming instructions, said storage medium being loaded into a control computer of a medical imaging examination apparatus comprising a plurality of apparatus systems, said programming instructions causing said control computer to:
determine ambient conditions of a scan volume in a medical imaging examination apparatus;
store the current ambient conditions in a global ambient condition parameter set comprising parameters that describe said current ambient conditions;
receive a selected scan protocol that is assigned to a scan sequence in which said control computer will control the plurality of apparatus subsystems in coordination to conduct the scan sequence to acquire medical imaging data from an examination subject;
start a scan with said selected scan protocol;
receive sequence control data for said selected scan protocol that define different functional sub-sequences of said scan sequence to be performed respectively by said apparatus subsystems;
before or during said scan, assign respectively different effective volumes of the examination subject to the respective functional sub-sequences;
before or during said scan, determine respective current sub-regions in respective effective volumes individually associated with the respective current functional sub-sequences of the scan sequence, in which sub-regions an optimization is to be made during said scan;
calculate optimized control signals for said selected scan sequence dependent on said sequence control data, the determined sub-regions of the effective volumes, and the global ambient condition parameter set, by executing an algorithm in said control computer that optimizes the functional sub-sequences locally in the examination subject at least with regard to a sub-region of the respective effective volumes; and
provide said optimized control signals to at

Assignees

• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Benner Thomas
• Campagna Swen
• Feiweier Thorsten
• Kuehn Bernd
• Speckner Thorsten
• Speier Peter
• Splitthoff Daniel Nico
• Wullenweber Michael

Classifications

• A61B5/055 Primary

  involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging · CPC title

• G01R33/4833

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

• G01R33/3875

  using correction coil assemblies, e.g. active shimming · CPC title

• G01R33/543 Primary

  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