MRI acoustic system, acoustic output device, and electro-acoustic transducer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9791524-B2
Application number	US-201313863637-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2013
Priority date	Oct 24, 2012
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acoustic system includes a magnet; an electro-acoustic transducer that includes a coil through which a current flows so that an attractive force or a repulsive force is generated with respect to the magnet, and a vibrating plate that vibrates in response to the attractive force or the repulsive force; and a controller that controls an intensity of a current input to the electro-acoustic transducer according to a position of the electro-acoustic transducer in a magnetic field generated by the magnet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acoustic system comprising:
a magnet;
an electro-acoustic transducer that comprises a coil through which a current flows so that an attractive force or a repulsive force is generated with respect to the magnet, and a vibrating plate that vibrates in response to the attractive force or the repulsive force; and
a controller that controls an intensity of a current input to the electro-acoustic transducer according to a position of the electro-acoustic transducer in a magnetic field generated by the magnet.

2. The MRI acoustic system of claim 1 , further comprising a storage that stores in advance the intensity of the current according to the position of the electro-acoustic transducer,
wherein the controller controls the intensity of the current so that the vibrating plate vibrates regardless of an intensity of the magnetic field according to a change of the position of the electro-acoustic transducer.

3. The MRI acoustic system of claim 1 , further comprising a detector that detects an intensity of the magnetic field,
wherein the controller blocks the current from being input to the electro-acoustic transducer when the intensity of the magnetic field is below a certain value.

4. The MRI acoustic system of claim 1 , wherein the controller blocks the current from being input to the electro-acoustic transducer when the position of the electro-acoustic transducer is outside a predetermined range.

5. The MRI acoustic system of claim 1 , further comprising a filter that prevents an interference between radio-frequency (RF) signals generated by an MRI apparatus and the electro-acoustic transducer, respectively.

6. The MRI acoustic system of claim 1 , wherein the electro-acoustic transducer is disposed so that a vibrating direction of the vibrating plate and a direction of a magnetic flux focused by the magnet are not perpendicular to each other.

7. The MRI acoustic system of claim 1 , wherein the electro-acoustic transducer is positioned in the magnetic field formed by the magnet so that a central axis of the coil and a direction of a magnetic flux focused by the magnet are not perpendicular to each other.

8. The MRI acoustic system of claim 1 , wherein the electro-acoustic transducer is positioned at a head portion of a cradle where a patient is located to be moved into the magnetic field.

9. The MRI acoustic system of claim 8 , wherein the controller controls the intensity of the current according to a moving distance of the cradle into the magnetic field of an MRI apparatus.

10. The MRI acoustic system of claim 1 , wherein the electro-acoustic transducer is mounted on a head radio-frequency (RF) coil of an MRI apparatus.

11. The MRI acoustic system of claim 1 , wherein the electro-acoustic transducer is mounted on a headset or an earphone.

12. The MRI acoustic system of claim 1 , further comprising a detector that detects the intensity of the magnetic field,
wherein the controller controls the intensity of the current according to the intensity of the detected magnetic field.

13. An acoustic output device that uses a magnetic field of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus, the acoustic output device comprising:
a coil through which a current for generating an attractive force or a repulsive force with respect to a magnet of the MRI apparatus flows;
a vibrating plate that vibrates according to the attractive force or the repulsive force; and
a controller that controls an intensity of a current that flows in the coil according to a position of an electro-acoustic transducer with respect to the magnetic field.

14. The acoustic output device of claim 13 , further comprising a storage that stores in advance intensity values of the current according to the position of the electro-acoustic transducer,
wherein the controller controls the intensity of the current so that the vibrating plate vibrates regardless of an intensity of the magnetic field according to a change in the position of the electro-acoustic transducer.

15. The acoustic output device of claim 13 , further comprising a detector that detects the intensity of the magnetic field,
wherein the controller blocks a current from being input to the electro-acoustic transducer when the intensity of the magnetic field is below a certain value.

16. The acoustic output device of claim 13 , wherein the controller blocks the current from being input to the electro-acoustic transducer when the position of the electro-acoustic transducer is outside a predetermined range.

17. The acoustic output device of claim 13 , further comprising a headset or an earphone.

18. An electro-acoustic transducer that uses a magnetic field of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus, the electro-acoustic transducer comprising:
a first coil through which a first current for generating an attractive force or a repulsive force with respect to the MRI apparatus flows;
a second coil for reducing a magnetic field generated by the first current that flows in the first coil; and
a vibrating plate that vibrates according to the attractive force or the repulsive force.

19. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 18 , wherein a second current having a predetermined intensity flows through the second coil to reduce the magnetic field generated by the first coil.

20. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 18 , wherein the second coil is wound by a predetermined number of turns for reducing the magnetic field generated by the first coil.

21. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 18 , further comprising a fixing unit that fixes the second coil,
wherein the second coil has a concentric axis with the first coil and is combined with the fixing unit on an inner side or an outer side of the first coil.

22. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 18 , wherein a direction of a second current that flows through the second coil is opposite to a direction of the first current that flows through the first coil.

23. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 18 , wherein the electro-acoustic transducer is positioned on a head portion of a cradle where patient is located in the MRI apparatus.

24. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 18 , wherein the electro-acoustic transducer is mounted on a head radio-frequency (RF) coil of the MRI apparatus.

25. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 18 , wherein the electro-acoustic transducer is mounted on a headset or an earphone.

26. An acoustic system that comprises the electro-acoustic transducer of claim 18 .

27. An electro-acoustic transducer that uses a magnetic field of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus, the electro-acoustic transducer comprising:
a vibrating unit that vibrates according to a Lorentz force generated by the magnetic field;
a supporting unit that fixes both edges of the vibrating unit; and
a first coil that is disposed on the vibrating unit and vibrates together with the vibrating unit.

28. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 27 , further comprising a second coil that is fixed on the supporting unit and is combined with the first coil.

29. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 28 , wherein the first coil and the second coil are disposed along at least one surface of the supporting unit and the vibrating unit.

30. The electro-acoustic transducer of cl

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kwon Oh-Soo

Classifications

• G01R33/34 Primary

  Constructional details, e.g. resonators {, specially adapted to MR} · CPC title

• G01R33/283 Primary

  Intercom or optical viewing arrangements, structurally associated with NMR apparatus · CPC title

• A61B5/055 Primary

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