Half driving mode for degenerate birdcage coils and ladder coils
AssigneeQuality Electrodynamics, LLC
InventorsXiaoyu Yang, Steven Tokar, Tsinghua Zheng, Labros Peptropoulos
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Abstract
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system can include a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radio frequency (RF) coil, which is or otherwise includes a degenerate birdcage coil (DBC) or a ladder coil. The MRI RF coil includes a row of meshes for operation in a half driving transmit mode. The meshes can include driving meshes and non-driving meshes, where each non-driving mesh is coupled between neighboring driving meshes. Driving meshes are electrically coupled to drivers, whereas non-driving meshes are not. The MRI RF coil may have enhanced transmit power efficiency and magnetic field uniformity with fewer drivers.
Claims20
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radio frequency (RF) coil, the MRI RF coil comprising:
- a first end structure and a second end structure;
- and
- a plurality of rungs elongated from the first end structure to the second end structure to form a plurality of meshes in a first row, wherein each mesh comprises a pair of adjacent rungs of the plurality of rungs and portions of the first and second end structures connecting the pair of adjacent rungs, wherein the plurality of meshes comprise a plurality of driving meshes forming transmit channels of the MRI RF coil and further comprise a plurality of non-driving meshes, and wherein each non-driving mesh of the plurality of non-driving meshes is between and borders a pair of driving meshes of the plurality of driving meshes;
- wherein the MRI RF coil has a total number of transmit channels in the first row equal to half a total number of rungs in the first row, and wherein the MRI RF coil is a degenerate birdcage coil (DBC) or a ladder coil.
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, comprising:
- a radio frequency (RF) coil that is a ladder RF coil, wherein the RF coil comprises:
- a first end structure and a second end structure;
- and
- a plurality of rungs elongated in parallel from the first end structure to the second end structure to form a plurality of meshes in a first row, wherein the plurality of meshes comprise a plurality of driving meshes and a plurality of non-driving meshes, each non-driving mesh of the plurality of non-driving meshes being between and bordering a pair of driving meshes of the plurality of driving meshes;
- and
- a driver system comprising one or more drivers, wherein only the plurality of driving meshes amongst the plurality of meshes are electrically coupled to the driver system;
- wherein a total number of driving meshes in the first row is equal to half the total number of rungs in the first row, and wherein a total number of non-driving meshes in the first row is equal to one less than the total number of driving meshes in the first row.
A method for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), comprising:
- providing a radio frequency (RF) coil, which is a degenerate birdcage RF coil or a ladder RF coil, wherein the RF coil comprises a plurality of rungs coupled to form at least one row of meshes, the meshes comprising non-driving meshes and driving meshes, each non-driving mesh coupled between a pair of neighboring driving meshes;
- and
- performing MRI on a scan target to generate an image of the scan target at a working frequency, wherein the performing comprises driving, via one or more drivers, the driving meshes only to transmit RF pulses into the scan target;
- wherein the at least one row of meshes comprises a first row and a second row, and wherein the driving drives driving meshes in the first and second rows without driving non-driving meshes in the first and second rows.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.