Apparatus and method for decoupling an mri receive coil

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016341804-A1
Application number	US-201514715044-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 18, 2015
Priority date	May 18, 2015
Publication date	Nov 24, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus for decoupling a receive coil from a transmit coil includes a tuning circuit connected electrically with the receive coil and a MEMS switch connected electrically in parallel with the tuning circuit, and operable to line up or to bypass the tuning circuit by opening or closing the MEMS switch. The apparatus further includes a control circuit operatively connected with the MEMS switch and operable to open or to close the MEMS within a window of time responsive to energization of the transmit coil to transmit a signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus for decoupling a receive coil from a transmit coil, comprising:
a tuning circuit connected electrically with the receive coil; a MEMS switch connected electrically in parallel with the tuning circuit, and operable to line up or to bypass the tuning circuit by opening or closing the MEMS switch; and a control circuit operatively connected with the MEMS switch and operable to open or to close the MEMS within a window of time responsive to energization of the transmit coil to transmit a signal.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein
the tuning circuit includes a plurality of tuning elements;
the MEMS switch includes a plurality of MEMS switches each connected electrically with a respective one of the plurality of tuning elements, and operable to line up or to bypass the respective tuning element by opening or closing the MEMS switch; and
the control circuit is operable to open or to close each of the plurality of MEMS switches, so as to tune the receive coil to one of a plurality of receive frequencies for coupling or decoupling the receive coil from the transmit coil.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the plurality of tuning elements are connected electrically in series; and each of the plurality of tuning elements is connected electrically in parallel with at least one of the plurality of MEMS switches.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 wherein at least two MEMS switch are connected electrically in parallel with the tuning circuit.

5 . The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the plurality of tuning elements are connected electrically in parallel; and each of the plurality of tuning elements is connected electrically in series with at least one of the plurality of MEMS switches.

6 . The apparatus of claim 2 wherein at least one of the plurality of tuning elements is a reactive element.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tuning circuit is a reactive element.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is operatively connected with the MEMS switch and is operable to close the MEMS switch for bypassing the tuning circuit, within said window of time, so as to couple the receive coil to the transmit coil during only that window of time.

9 . An apparatus for decoupling a receive coil from a transmit coil, comprising:
a plurality of tuning elements connected electrically with the receive coil; a plurality of MEMS switches each connected electrically with a respective one of the plurality of tuning elements, and operable to line up or to bypass the respective tuning circuit by opening or closing the MEMS switch; and a control circuit operatively connected with the MEMS switch and operable to open or to close each of the plurality of MEMS switches, so as to tune the receive coil to any of one or more non-receive frequencies for decoupling the receive coil from the transmit coil, or to a receive frequency for coupling the receive coil to the transmit coil.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the plurality of tuning elements are connected electrically in series, and each of the plurality of tuning elements is connected electrically in parallel with at least one of the plurality of MEMS switches.

11 . The apparatus of claim 10 wherein at least two MEMS switch are connected electrically in parallel with each of the plurality of tuning elements.

12 . The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the control circuit is operable to open or to close each of the plurality of MEMS switches for bypassing some or all of the plurality of tuning elements, within a window of time following energization of the transmit coil, so as to couple the receive coil to the transmit coil during only said window of time.

13 . The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the control circuit is operatively connected to permit transmission of an RF pulse via the transmit coil, or to prevent transmission of the RF pulse during said window of time.

14 . The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the control circuit is operable to close the plurality of MEMS for bypassing the plurality of tuning elements so as to couple the receive coil to the transmit coil.

15 . The apparatus of claim 9 wherein at least one of the plurality of tuning elements is a reactive element.

16 . An receive coil array apparatus comprising:
a plurality of receive coils; a plurality of tuning elements each connected electrically with a respective one of the receive coils; a plurality of MEMS switches each connected electrically with a respective one of the plurality of tuning elements, and operable to line up or to bypass the respective tuning circuit by opening or closing the MEMS switch.

17 . The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising a control circuit operatively connected with each of the plurality of MEMS switches and operable to open or close each of the plurality of MEMS switches, so as to tune the receive coil to any of one or more non-receive frequencies for decoupling the receive coil from the transmit coil, or to a receive frequency for coupling the receive coil to the transmit coil.

18 . The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the control circuit is operable to open or close the MEMS switches for tuning the receive coil, so as to couple the receive coil to the transmit coil during only a window of time following energization of the transmit coil.

19 . The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the control circuit is operatively connected to permit transmission of an RF pulse via the transmit coil, or to prevent transmission of the RF pulse during said window of time.

20 . The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the control circuit is operable to close the plurality of MEMS for bypassing the plurality of tuning elements so as to couple the receive coil to the transmit coil.

21 . A method for coupling and decoupling a receive coil with a transmit coil, comprising:
maintaining the receive coil decoupled from the transmit coil; detecting an RF pulse transmission via the transmit coil; responsive to the RF pulse transmission, coupling the receive coil to the transmit coil during a window of time; and after the window of time, decoupling the receive coil from the transmit coil.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Dalveren Taylan
• Spence Dan Kenrick
• Feng Limin
• Searles Gabriel
• Czigler Michael

Classifications

• G01R33/3657 Primary

  Decoupling of multiple RF coils wherein the multiple RF coils do not have the same function in MR, e.g. decoupling of a transmission coil from a receive coil · CPC title

• G01R33/3628

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

• G01R33/3614

  RF power amplifiers · CPC title

• G01R33/341

  comprising surface coils · CPC title

• 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