Signaling a tuning of adjustment parameters of a coil arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10295622-B2
Application number	US-201514640728-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2015
Priority date	Mar 6, 2014
Publication date	May 21, 2019
Grant date	May 21, 2019

Abstract

A method for signaling a tuning of an adjustment parameter of an antenna coil arrangement of a magnetic resonance tomograph includes detecting a deviation between an actual adjustment value of at least one adjustment parameter and a required adjustment value of the at least one adjustment parameter. As a function of the deviation, an acoustic and/or a mechanical signal is output in real time to an operator. A device for signaling a tuning of an adjustment parameter of a coil arrangement of a magnetic resonance tomograph, and a magnetic resonance tomograph operating according to the method and/or containing the device are described.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for signaling a tuning of an adjustment parameter of an antenna coil arrangement of a magnetic resonance tomograph (MRT), the method comprising:
detecting, by a processor, a deviation of an actual adjustment value of at least one adjustment parameter from a required adjustment value of the at least one adjustment parameter; and
outputting, by the processor, a signal in real time to an operator as a function of the deviation, the tuning of the at least one adjustment parameter of the antenna coil arrangement of the MRT being performable by the operator depending on the output signal, wherein the signal is selected from the group consisting of an acoustic signal, a mechanical signal, and a combination thereof, and wherein the tuning of the at least one adjustment parameter is interruptable or endable by the operator in response to receiving the signal, such that the actual adjustment value does not deviate further from the required adjustment value of the at least one adjustment parameter.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one adjustment parameter comprises a resonant frequency of at least one coil of the antenna coil arrangement.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one adjustment parameter comprises a decoupling factor between at least two coils of the antenna coil arrangement.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the decoupling factor is tunable by the operator, such that the actual adjustment value lies within a predefined frequency-magnitude area in a frequency-magnitude diagram.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising assigning the at least one adjustment parameter a characteristic variable of the output signal to be varied as a function of the deviation.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising assigning different respective adjustment parameters to different characteristic variables.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the characteristic variable of the output signal is selected from the group consisting of a basic frequency of the output signal, an amplitude of the output signal, a repetition frequency of a pulse sequence of the output signal, a pulse number of a pulse sequence of the output signal, and a beat of at least two overlaid output signals.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one adjustment parameter comprises at least one resonant frequency of an electrical resonant circuit of a variable electrical component, the method further comprising:
displaying to the operator by the output signal an approximation of an actual resonant frequency to a predefined tolerance frequency range located around an average required resonant frequency, a required resonant frequency, or the average required resonant frequency and the required resonant frequency.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
displaying, by the output signal, a difference between the actual resonant frequency and the average required resonant frequency;
wherein the output signal changes when there is a change in the difference between the actual resonant frequency and the average required resonant frequency.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of resonant frequencies are tunable by the operator;
wherein, during the tuning of the plurality of resonant frequencies, either (a) each resonant frequency of the plurality of resonant frequencies is tuned individually per se, (b) one or more resonant frequencies of the plurality of resonant frequencies is tuned, or (c) all resonant frequencies of the plurality of resonant frequencies are tuned simultaneously; and
wherein resonant frequencies that are not to be tuned are not active.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the acoustic signal comprises a frequency-constant basic tone that is overlaid by a second frequency-variable tone, wherein a frequency of the second frequency-variable tone is variable within a frequency band around a basic tone.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the signal is output on a service side of the magnetic resonance tomograph, wherein the service side lies opposite a patient side.

13. A device configured for signaling a tuning of an adjustment parameter of a coil arrangement of a magnetic resonance tomograph (MRT), the device comprising:
a detection unit configured for detection of an actual adjustment value of at least one adjustment parameter;
an establishing unit configured for establishing a deviation of the detected actual adjustment value of the at least one adjustment parameter from a predefined required adjustment value of the at least one adjustment parameter; and
a signal generation unit configured for creating a signal in real time for an operator as a function of the deviation, wherein the tuning of the at least one adjustment parameter of the antenna coil arrangement of the MRT is tunable by the operator depending on the output signal, wherein the signal is selected from the group consisting of an acoustic signal, a mechanical signal, and a combination thereof, and wherein the tuning of the at least one adjustment parameter is interruptable or endable by the operator in response to receiving the signal, such that the actual adjustment value does not deviate further from the predefined required adjustment value of the at least one adjustment parameter.

14. A magnetic resonance tomograph comprising a device for signaling a tuning of an adjustment parameter of a coil arrangement of the magnetic resonance tomograph (MRT), wherein the device comprises:
a detection unit configured for detection of an actual adjustment value of at least one adjustment parameter;
an establishing unit configured for establishing a deviation of the detected actual adjustment value of the at least one adjustment parameter from a predefined required adjustment value of the at least one adjustment parameter; and
a signal generation unit configured for creating a signal in real time for an operator as a function of the deviation, the tuning of the at least one adjustment parameter of the antenna coil arrangement of the MRT being tunable by the operator depending on the output signal, wherein the signal is selected from the group consisting of an acoustic signal, a mechanical signal, and a combination thereof, and wherein the tuning of the at least one adjustment parameter is interruptable or endable in response to receiving the signal, such that the actual adjustment value does not deviate further from the predefined required adjustment value of the at least one adjustment parameter.

15. A non-transitory computer program product configured for loading into a processor of a programmable control device of a magnetic resonance tomograph (MRT), the non-transitory computer program product having stored therein data representing instructions executable by the processor for signaling a tuning of an adjustment parameter of an antenna coil arrangement of the magnetic resonance tomograph, the non-transitory computer program product comprising instructions for:
detecting a deviation of an actual adjustment value of at least one adjustment parameter from a required adjustment value of the at least one adjustment parameter; and
outputting a signal in real time to an operator as a function of the deviation, the tuning of the at least one adjustment parameter of the antenna coil arrangement of the MRT being performable by the operator depending on the output signal, wherein the signal is selected from the group consisting of an acoustic signal, a mechanical signal, and a combination thereof, and wherein the tuning of the at least one adjustment parameter is interruptable or endable by the operator in response

Assignees

• Lazar Razvan
• Yoe Paul
• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Lazar Razvan
• Yoe Paul

Classifications

• 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

• G01R33/3628 Primary

  Tuning/matching of the transmit/receive coil · CPC title

• G01R33/546

  Interface between the MR system and the user, e.g. for controlling the operation of the MR system or for the design of pulse sequences · CPC title

• G01R33/34092

  RF coils specially adapted for NMR spectrometers · CPC title

• G01R33/3642

  Mutual coupling or decoupling of multiple coils, e.g. decoupling of a receive coil from a transmission coil, or intentional coupling of RF coils, e.g. for RF magnetic field amplification · CPC title