Magnetic resonance scanner with antenna system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9784803-B2
Application number	US-201414250648-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2014
Priority date	Apr 12, 2013
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

A magnetic resonance scanner includes an antenna system, such as a body coil, mechanically coupled to a support structure, such as a gradient coil, via a suspension system. The suspension system has a setting mechanism in order to reversibly set a coupling parameter value of the mechanical coupling between the antenna system and the support structure and/or a position or location of the antenna system relative to the support structure. The coupling parameter may be set during operation of a magnetic resonance imaging system including the magnetic resonance scanner.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A magnetic resonance scanner comprising:
an antenna system;
an adjustment device configured to set a natural frequency of a natural mechanical oscillation mode of the antenna system to a desired frequency;
a suspension system to establish a mechanical coupling between the antenna system and a support structure;
wherein the suspension system has a setting mechanism configured to reversibly set a coupling parameter value of the mechanical coupling between the antenna system and the support structure, a location of the antenna system relative to the support structure, or both the coupling parameter value and the location.

2. The magnetic resonance scanner of claim 1 , wherein the suspension system is configured such that the coupling parameter value is set between a first coupling parameter value and a second coupling parameter value to shift the natural frequency of a coupled system comprising the antenna system and the support structure.

3. The magnetic resonance scanner of claim 1 , wherein the suspension system is configured to set the location independently of a change in the coupling parameter value.

4. The magnetic resonance scanner of claim 1 , further comprising a location determination device that directly or indirectly establishes the location of the antenna system relative to the support structure.

5. The magnetic resonance scanner of claim 1 , wherein the suspension system comprises a plurality of suspension units that connect the antenna system to the support structure at a plurality of different coupling points.

6. The magnetic resonance scanner of claim 5 , further comprising a sensor arrangement configured to detect a distribution of weight of an examination object disposed on the plurality of suspension units.

7. The magnetic resonance scanner of claim 1 , further comprising at least one sensor element selected from the group of a strain gage, a piezoelectric element, a laser and laser radiation receiver, an ultrasound transmitter and ultrasound receiver, a glass rod position determination system, a weighing apparatus, an accelerometer, a microphone, a vibration measuring device configured to determine whether a vibration occurred during imaging, and a location determination device configured to determine the location of the antenna system relative to a further component of the magnetic resonance scanner based on RF transmission pulses of the antenna system.

8. A magnetic resonance imaging system comprising:
a support structure; and
a magnetic resonance scanner comprising:
an antenna system;
a suspension system to establish a mechanical coupling between the antenna system and the support structure;
a suspension control device comprising a weight data interface for weight data, the suspension control device configured to control, regulate, or both control and regulate, as a function of the weight data, a coupling parameter value, a location of the antenna system relative to the support structure, or both the coupling parameter value and the location of the antenna system relative to the support structure;

wherein the suspension system has a setting mechanism configured to adjustably set the coupling parameter value of the mechanical coupling between the antenna system and the support structure, the location of the antenna system relative to the support structure, or both the coupling parameter value and the location.

9. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 8 , wherein the suspension control device comprises a sequence interface for actuation sequence data and is configured to employ the actuation sequence data to control, regulate, or both control and regulate the coupling parameter value, the location of the antenna system relative to the support structure, or both the coupling parameter value and the location of the antenna system relative to the support structure.

10. The magnetic resonance imaging system of claim 8 , further comprising a differential frequency control device configured to control, regulate, or both control and regulate a setting of a natural frequency of a natural mechanical oscillation mode of the antenna system.

11. A method for operating a magnetic resonance imaging system, the magnetic resonance imaging system comprising a magnetic resonance scanner, the magnetic resonance scanner comprising an antenna system, the method comprising:
establishing a mechanical coupling between the antenna system and a support structure;
setting a natural frequency of a natural oscillation mode of the antenna system to a desired frequency; and
controlling, regulating, or controlling and regulating a coupling parameter value representative of the mechanical coupling, of a position of the antenna system relative to the support structure, or of both the mechanical coupling and the position.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein controlling, regulating, or controlling and regulating is implemented during operation of the magnetic resonance imaging scanner.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein controlling, regulating, or controlling and regulating comprises setting the coupling parameter value between a first coupling parameter value and a second coupling parameter value to shift the natural frequency of a coupled system comprising the antenna system and the support structure.

14. The magnetic resonance scanner of claim 1 , wherein the antenna system comprises a body coil.

15. The magnetic resonance scanner of claim 1 , wherein the setting mechanism is configured to reversibly set the coupling parameter value during operation of the magnetic resonance imaging scanner.

16. The magnetic resonance scanner of claim 2 , wherein:
an amplitude of a natural oscillation at the shifted natural frequency is damped relative to non-shifted natural oscillation that occurs at the second coupling parameter value; and
further non-shifted natural oscillation occurs in connection with coupling at the first coupling parameter value.

17. A magnetic resonance imaging system comprising:
a support structure; and
a magnetic resonance scanner comprising:
an antenna system;
a suspension system to establish a mechanical coupling between the antenna system and the support structure;
a suspension control device configured to control, regulate, or both control and regulate, a coupling parameter value, a location of the antenna system relative to the support structure, or both the coupling parameter value and the location of the antenna system relative to the support structure; and
a differential frequency control device configured to control, regulate, or both control and regulate a setting of a natural frequency of a natural mechanical oscillation mode of the antenna system to a desired frequency;
wherein the suspension system has a setting mechanism configured to adjustably set the coupling parameter value of the mechanical coupling between the antenna system and the support structure, the location of the antenna system relative to the support structure, or both the coupling parameter value and the location.

Assignees

• Lazar Razvan
• Schramm Martin
• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Lazar Razvan
• Schramm Martin

Classifications

• 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

• G01R33/288 Primary

  Provisions within MR facilities for enhancing safety during MR, e.g. reduction of the specific absorption rate [SAR], detection of ferromagnetic objects in the scanner room · CPC title

• G01R33/56

  Image enhancement or correction, e.g. subtraction or averaging techniques {, e.g. improvement of signal-to-noise ratio and resolution} · CPC title

• G01R33/34046

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