Magnetic resonance coil apparatus having a posterior coil unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10928467-B2
Application number	US-201615005513-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2016
Priority date	Jan 27, 2015
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

A magnetic resonance coil apparatus has a posterior coil unit. The magnetic resonance coil apparatus having a posterior coil unit includes a base unit, a tilting unit and a force transmission unit. The tilting unit, which includes at least one coupling element, is arranged on the base unit such that the tilting unit can tilt with respect to the base unit. For each coupling element of the tilting unit, the base unit includes at least one corresponding coupling element. The coupling state between the at least one coupling element of the tilting unit and the at least one corresponding coupling element of the base unit can be changed by actuating the force transmission unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A magnetic resonance coil apparatus comprising:
a posterior coil unit and an anterior coil unit, wherein the posterior coil unit and the anterior coil unit enclose a receiving zone for accommodating a subregion of a subject under examination,
wherein the posterior coil unit of the magnetic resonance coil apparatus comprises:
a base unit,
a tilting unit comprising two or more couplers, the tilting unit arranged on the base unit such that the tilting unit is operable to tilt with respect to the base unit, and
a force transmission member,
wherein two of the two or more couplers of the tilting unit are arranged on opposite sides of the tilting unit,
wherein for each coupler of the tilting unit, the base unit comprises at least one corresponding coupler,
wherein the force transmission member is configured to move the two or more couplers of the tilting unit between a locked state and an unlocked state via a first application of force to the force transmission member in a first direction,
wherein the force transmission member is configured to move the tilting unit to change a tilt position when in the unlocked state via a second application of force to the force transmission member in a second direction, wherein the second direction differs from the first direction,
wherein, in the locked state, the two or more couplers of the tilting unit are coupled with the at least one corresponding coupler of the base unit and the tilting unit is locked to the base unit, and
wherein, in the unlocked state, the two or more couplers of the tilting unit are not coupled with the at least one corresponding coupler of the base unit and the tilting unit is unlocked from the base unit.

2. The magnetic resonance coil apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the force transmission member is mounted on the tilting unit.

3. The magnetic resonance coil apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the force transmission member comprises at least one operating control.

4. The magnetic resonance coil apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the force transmission member comprises a connecting element having an internal cavity.

5. The magnetic resonance coil apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the connecting element is tubular, and the force transmission member is mounted such that the force transmission member is operable to rotate about a center axis of the connecting element.

6. The magnetic resonance coil apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the force transmission member comprises at least one stiffening member.

7. The magnetic resonance coil apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein at least one of the stiffening member is strengthened by ribs.

8. The magnetic resonance coil apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the force transmission member is a monolithic part.

9. The magnetic resonance coil apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the magnetic resonance coil apparatus comprises a head coil apparatus, a neck coil apparatus, or a head/neck coil apparatus.

10. The magnetic resonance coil apparatus as claim in claim 1 wherein the force transmission member comprises an injection molded part.

11. The magnetic resonance coil apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the force transmission member comprises at least one operating control.

12. The magnetic resonance coil apparatus as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the force transmission member comprises two or more operating controls, and
wherein at least one of the operating control is arranged on each side of two opposite sides of the force transmission member.

13. The magnetic resonance coil apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the force transmission member comprises a connecting element having an internal cavity.

14. The magnetic resonance coil apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the force transmission member comprises at least one stiffening member.

15. The magnetic resonance coil apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the force transmission member is configured to be actuated by pressing, pushing, pulling, or a combination thereof of the at least one operating control.

16. A magnetic resonance coil apparatus comprising:
a posterior coil unit and an anterior coil unit, wherein the posterior coil unit and the anterior coil unit enclose a receiving zone for accommodating a subregion of a subject under examination,
wherein the posterior coil unit of the magnetic resonance coil apparatus comprises:
a base unit,
a tilting unit comprising two or more couplers, the tilting unit arranged on the base unit such that the tilting unit is operable to tilt with respect to the base unit, and
a force transmission member comprising at least one operating control, wherein the force transmission member is mounted on the tilting unit such that the force transmission member is operable to rotate about a rotational axis,
wherein two of the two or more couplers of the tilting unit are arranged on opposite sides of the tilting unit,
wherein for each coupler of the tilting unit, the base unit comprises at least one corresponding coupler,
wherein the force transmission member is configured to move the two or more couplers of the tilting unit between a locked state and an unlocked state via an actuation of the force transmission member,
wherein, in the locked state, the two or more couplers of the tilting unit are coupled with the at least one corresponding coupler of the base unit and the tilting unit is locked to the base unit,
wherein, in the unlocked state, the two or more couplers of the tilting unit are not coupled with the at least one corresponding coupler of the base unit and the tilting unit is unlocked from the base unit,
wherein the two or more couplers of the tilting unit and the at least one operating control are arranged on the force transmission member, and
wherein a ratio of a distance from the two or more couplers to the rotational axis with respect to a distance from the at least one operating control to the rotational axis is less than 2.

17. A magnetic resonance coil apparatus comprising:
a posterior coil unit and an anterior coil unit, wherein the posterior coil unit and the anterior coil unit enclose a receiving zone for accommodating a subregion of a subject under examination,
wherein the posterior coil unit of the magnetic resonance coil apparatus comprises:
a base unit,
a tilting unit comprising two or more couplers, the tilting unit arranged on the base unit such that the tilting unit is operable to tilt with respect to the base unit, and
a force transmission member,
wherein two of the two or more couplers of the tilting unit are arranged on opposite sides of the tilting unit,
wherein for each coupler of the tilting unit, the base unit comprises at least one corresponding coupler,
wherein the force transmission member is configured to move the two or more couplers of the tilting unit between a locked state and an unlocked state via an actuation of the force transmission member,
wherein, in the locked state, the two or more couplers of the tilting unit are coupled with the at least one corresponding coupler of the base unit and the tilting unit is locked to the base unit, and
wherein, in the unlocked state, the two or more couplers of the tilting unit are not coupled with the at least one corresponding coupler of the base unit and the tilting unit is unlocked from the base unit,
wherein the magnetic resonance coil apparatus is configured to be positioned on a support surface that supports the subject under examination extending along a longitudinal axis,
wh

Assignees

• Driemel Daniel
• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Driemel Daniel

Classifications

• G01R33/34084

  implantable coils or coils being geometrically adaptable to the sample, e.g. flexible coils or coils comprising mutually movable parts · CPC title

• G01R33/34007 Primary

  Manufacture of RF coils, e.g. using printed circuit board technology; additional hardware for providing mechanical support to the RF coil assembly or to part thereof, e.g. a support for moving the coil assembly relative to the remainder of the MR system · CPC title

• G01R33/34046

  Volume type coils, e.g. bird-cage coils; Quadrature bird-cage coils; Circularly polarised coils · CPC title

• A61B5/055

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

• A61B5/0555

  Human Necessities · mapped topic