Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and magnetic resonance imaging method

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus that performs photographing by magnetic resonance imaging using a gradient magnetic field coil, which is supplied with electric power and generates a gradient magnetic field, and a gradient magnetic field amplifier, which supplies the electric power to the gradient magnetic field coil, the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising:

• a cooling device that cools a cooling medium used to cool the gradient magnetic field coil and the gradient magnetic field amplifier;
• an obtaining device that obtains at least one of the temperature of the cooling medium cooled by the cooling device, the temperature of the cooling medium having been used to cool the gradient magnetic field coil, the temperature of the cooling medium having been used to cool the gradient magnetic field amplifier, and a value of current supplied to the gradient magnetic field coil by the gradient magnetic field amplifier;
• a device that detects the occurrence of an alert state according to a fact that any one of the values obtained by the obtaining device exceeds a first threshold value, the first threshold value being defined so as to correspond to each of the values;
• a device that controls the photographing so as to suppress temperature rise of the gradient magnetic field coil and the gradient magnetic field amplifier according to the detection of the occurrence of the alert state;
• a device that detects the occurrence of a limit state according to a fact that any one of the values obtained by the obtaining device exceeds a second threshold value, the second threshold value being defined so as to correspond to each of the values and be larger than the first threshold value;
• and
• a device that temporarily stops the photographing according to the detection of the occurrence of the limit state.

A magnetic resonance imaging method that performs photographing by magnetic resonance imaging using hardware of which temperature is likely to rise due to a photographing operation, the magnetic resonance imaging method comprising:

• obtaining information, which provides an indication of temperature of the hardware, during the photographing;
• detecting the occurrence of an alert state where the temperature of the hardware is likely to rise enough to affect the photographing, on the basis of the obtained information;
• and
• controlling the photographing so as to suppress temperature rise of the hardware according to the detection of the occurrence of the alert state.

A magnetic resonance imaging method of a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus performing photographing by magnetic resonance imaging using a gradient magnetic field coil that is supplied with electric power and generates a gradient magnetic field, and a gradient magnetic field amplifier that supplies the electric power to the gradient magnetic field coil, the magnetic resonance imaging method due to the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus including a cooling device cooling a cooling medium for cooling the gradient magnetic field coil and the gradient magnetic field amplifier comprising:

• obtaining at least one of the temperature of the cooling medium cooled by the cooling device, the temperature of the cooling medium having been used to cool the gradient magnetic field coil, the temperature of the cooling medium having been used to cool the gradient magnetic field amplifier, and a value of current supplied to the gradient magnetic field coil by the gradient magnetic field amplifier;
• detecting the occurrence of an alert state according to a fact that any one of the obtained values exceeds a first threshold value, the first threshold value being defined so as to correspond to each of the values;
• controlling the photographing so as to suppress temperature rise of the gradient magnetic field coil and the gradient magnetic field amplifier according to the detection of the occurrence of the alert state;
• detecting the occurrence of a limit state according to a fact that any one of the obtained values exceeds a second threshold value, the second threshold value being defined so as to correspond to each of the values and be larger than the first threshold value;
• and
• temporarily stopping the photographing according to the detection of the occurrence of the limit state.