Hybrid averaging method for specific absorption rate supervision

In a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions executable by one or more processors to monitor specific absorption rate (SAR) in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system comprising a number of memory elements to be used, the instructions comprising:

• receiving data representing a value once every first time interval during a respective second time interval, the respective second time interval being one of a repeating number of second time intervals during an MRI scan;
• processing the data and storing a value resulting from the processing in a first memory element of the number of memory elements after each first time interval;
• calculating a sum based on the value stored in the first memory element and a value stored in a second memory element of the number of memory elements after each first time interval;
• moving the value stored in the first memory element to the second memory element when the respective second time interval is reached or exceeded;
• setting all values stored in the first memory element to equal zero when or after the respective second time interval is reached or exceeded;
• and
• comparing the calculated sum or a representation of SAR in the MRI system calculated based on the sum to a predetermined threshold after each first time interval.

A system for monitoring specific absorption rate (SAR) in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, the system comprising:

• a processor configured to identify a value representative of SAR once every first time interval;
• and
• a plurality of memory elements comprising at least one static memory element and a dynamic memory element, a value stored in the dynamic memory element being changeable once every first time interval based on the identified value representative of SAR, a value stored in the at least one static memory element being changeable once every second time interval of a repeating number of second time intervals during an MRI scan, the second time intervals being greater than the first time intervals,
• wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a representation of SAR in the MRI system each first time interval based on the value stored in the dynamic memory and the value stored in the at least one static memory, and when or after a respective second time interval is reached, change the value stored in one of the at least one static memory element to equal the value stored in the dynamic memory element and set all values stored in the dynamic memory element to equal zero.

A method for monitoring specific absorption rate (SAR) in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, the method comprising:

• identifying a number of memory elements comprising at least one static memory element and a dynamic memory element, wherein a value stored in the dynamic memory element is changeable every first time interval, and at least one value stored in the at least one static memory element, respectively, is changeable every second time interval of a repeating number of second time intervals during an MRI scan, wherein the second time intervals are greater than the first time intervals;
• receiving a measured value every first time interval during a respective second time interval;
• processing the measured value and storing a value resulting from the processing in the dynamic memory element every first time interval until the respective second time interval is reached;
• calculating, with a processor, a representation of SAR in the MRI system based on the at least one value stored in the at least one static memory element and the value stored in the dynamic memory element after each first time interval;
• moving, with the processor, the value stored in the dynamic memory element to one of the at least one static memory element when or after the respective second time interval is reached;
• and
• setting all values stored in the dynamic memory element to zero when or after the respective second time interval is reached,
• wherein calculating the representation of SAR in the MRI system comprises calculating an average of the measured values received during the respective second time interval.