Multi-turn birdcage mri coil and applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024094317-A1
Application number	US-202318461810-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 6, 2023
Priority date	Sep 8, 2022
Publication date	Mar 21, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a multi-turn (MT) birdcage magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radio-frequency (RF) coil. The MT birdcage MRI RF coil includes a first conductive ring, a second conductive ring, and a plurality of conductive rungs. Each of the plurality of conductive rungs includes a first end coupled to the first conductive ring, and a second end coupled to the second conductive ring. At least one of the first conductive ring and the second conductive ring includes more than one turn. The first conductive ring, the second conductive ring, and the plurality of conductive rungs form a plurality of meshes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A multi-turn (MT) birdcage magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radio-frequency (RF) coil comprising:
a first conductive ring and a second conductive ring; and a plurality of conductive rungs, each of the plurality of conductive rungs comprising:
a first end coupled to the first conductive ring; and
a second end coupled to the second conductive ring; and
wherein:
at least one of the first conductive ring and the second conductive ring includes more than one turn; and
the first conductive ring, the second conductive ring, and the plurality of conductive rungs form a plurality of meshes.

2 . The MT birdcage MRI RF coil of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of conductive rungs includes at least eight rungs.

3 . The MT birdcage MRI RF coil of claim 1 , wherein:
the first conductive ring includes two turns and the second conductive ring includes one turn; and the plurality of meshes forms a single row of meshes.

4 . The MT birdcage MRI RF coil of claim 1 , wherein each of the first conductive ring and the second conductive ring includes two turns.

5 . The MT birdcage MRI RF coil of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of meshes forms at least a first row of meshes and a second row of meshes.

6 . The MT birdcage MRI RF coil of claim 5 , wherein a first number of meshes of the first row of meshes is not equal to a second number of meshes of the second row of meshes.

7 . The MT birdcage MRI RF coil of claim 5 , wherein a size of a mesh of the first row of meshes is not equal to a size of at least one other mesh of the first row of meshes.

8 . The MT birdcage MRI RF coil of claim 5 , wherein the first row of meshes is laterally offset from the second row of meshes.

9 . The MT birdcage MRI RF coil of claim 1 , wherein a number of turns of the first conductive ring is equal to a number of turns of the second conductive ring.

10 . A multi-turn (MT) birdcage magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radio-frequency (RF) coil comprising:
a first conductive ring and a second conductive ring; and a plurality of conductive rungs, each of the plurality of conductive rungs comprising:
a first end coupled to the first conductive ring; and
a second end coupled to the second conductive ring;
wherein:
each of the first conductive ring and the second conductive ring includes N turns;
the first conductive ring, the second conductive ring, and the plurality of conductive rungs form N rows of meshes; and
N is an integer greater than 1.

11 . The MT birdcage MRI RF coil of claim 10 , wherein a number of meshes of at least one of the N rows of meshes is different from a number of meshes of at least one other of the N rows of meshes.

12 . The MT birdcage MRI RF coil of claim 10 , wherein, within at least one of the N rows of meshes, a size of a mesh is not equal to a size of at least one other mesh.

13 . The MT birdcage MRI RF coil of claim 10 , wherein a length of at least one of the N rows of meshes is not equal to a length of at least one other of the N rows of meshes.

14 . A multi-turn (MT) birdcage magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radio-frequency (RF) coil, comprising:
a first conductive ring and a second conductive ring, at least one of the first conductive ring and the second conductive ring including at least two turns; a plurality of conductive rungs, each of the plurality of conductive rungs coupling the first conductive ring to the second conductive ring to form a plurality of meshes organized as at least one row of meshes; and a plurality of feed circuits connected to at least one of the first conductive ring and the second conductive ring, each of the plurality of feed circuits being coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of meshes.

15 . The MT birdcage MRI RF coil of claim 14 , wherein:
the plurality of feed circuits comprises a first plurality of feed circuits and a second plurality of feed circuits; each of the first plurality of feed circuits is connected to a first turn of the first conductive ring; and each of the second plurality of feed circuits is connected to a second turn of the first conductive ring.

16 . The MT birdcage MRI RF coil of claim 14 , wherein:
the plurality of feed circuits comprises a first plurality of feed circuits and a second plurality of feed circuits; each of the first plurality of feed circuits is connected to the first conductive ring; and each of the second plurality of feed circuits is connected to the second conductive ring.

17 . The MT birdcage MRI RF coil of claim 16 , wherein:
the first plurality of feed circuits comprises a third plurality of feed circuits and a fourth plurality of feed circuits; the second plurality of feed circuits comprises a fifth plurality of feed circuits and a sixth plurality of feed circuits; each of the third plurality of feed circuits is connected to a first turn of the first conductive ring; each of the fourth plurality of feed circuits is connected to a second turn of the first conductive ring; each of the fifth plurality of feed circuits is connected to a first turn of the second conductive ring; and each of the sixth plurality of feed circuits is connected to a second turn of the second conductive ring.

18 . The MT birdcage MRI RF coil of claim 14 , further comprising:
a plurality of transmit/receive switches, wherein each of the plurality of transmit/receive switches includes a transmission input and a reception output to a corresponding one of the plurality of meshes.

19 . The MT birdcage MRI RF coil of claim 18 , further comprising:
a plurality of phase shifters, wherein each of the plurality of phase shifters is coupled to the transmission input of a corresponding one of the plurality of transmit/receive switches; and a power splitter coupling a transmission signal to each of the plurality of phase shifters.

20 . The MT birdcage MRI RF coil of claim 18 , further comprising:
a quadrature combiner configured to receive a transmission signal, the quadrature combiner comprising:
a first output configured to provide the transmission signal to the transmission input of one of a first portion of the plurality of transmit/receive switches; and
a second output configured to provide the transmission signal, phase-shifted by 90 degrees relative to the first output, to the transmission input of one of a second portion of the plurality of transmit/receive switches.

Assignees

• Quality Electrodynamics Llc

Inventors

• Yang Xiaoyu
• Finnerty Matthew
• Zheng Tsinghua
• Eastlake Thomas

Classifications

• G01R33/34076 Primary

  Birdcage coils · CPC title

• G01R33/365

  Decoupling of multiple RF coils wherein the multiple RF coils have the same function in MR, e.g. decoupling of a receive coil from another receive coil in a receive coil array, decoupling of a transmission coil from another transmission coil in a transmission coil array · CPC title

• G01R33/3664

  Switching for purposes other than coil coupling or decoupling, e.g. switching between a phased array mode and a quadrature mode, switching between surface coil modes of different geometrical shapes, switching from a whole body reception coil to a local reception coil or switching for automatic coil selection in moving table MR or for changing the field-of-view (G01R33/3671 takes precedence) · CPC title