US 2018/0321339 A1Published application

SINGLE LAYER MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) TRANSMIT/RECEIVE (Tx/Rx) RADIO FREQUENCY (RF) COIL WITH INDUCED CURRENT FAILSAFE PROTECTION

AssigneeQuality Electrodynamics, LLC

InventorsXiaoyu Yang, Haoqin Zhu, Tsinghua Zheng

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Abstract

A single-layer magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radio frequency (RF) coil element configured to operate in a transmit (Tx) mode and a receive (Rx) mode, the coil element comprising: an LC coil and a failsafe circuit electrically connected with the LC coil, where the LC coil, upon resonating with a primary coil of an MRI system, generates a local amplified Tx field based on an induced current generated in the LC coil by inductive coupling between the LC coil and the primary coil, where the failsafe circuit provides, upon injection of a forward DC bias current into the failsafe circuit, a first impedance, and upon the absence of the forward DC bias current, a second, higher impedance; where the failsafe circuit, upon the single-layer MRI RF coil array element being disconnected from an MRI system, provides the second, higher impedance, and reduces the magnitude of the induced current.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A single-layer magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radio frequency (RF) coil element configured to operate in a transmit (Tx) mode and a receive (Rx) mode, the single-layer MRI RF coil element comprising:

an LC coil;
a matching and Tx/Rx switch circuit electrically connected with the LC coil;
a preamplifier electrically connected with the matching and Tx/Rx switch circuit;
where the LC coil includes at least one inductor and at least one capacitor, and a fuse electrically connected to the at least one inductor or the at least one capacitor, where the at least one inductor and the at least one capacitor resonate at a first frequency;
where the matching and Tx/Rx switch circuit, when operating in Tx mode, electrically isolates the LC coil from the preamplifier upon the LC coil resonating with a primary coil, where the primary coil has a working frequency;
where the LC coil, upon resonating with the primary coil, generates a local amplified Tx field based on an induced current in the LC coil, the induced current generated by inductive coupling between the LC coil and the primary coil;
where a magnitude of the induced current or a phase of the induced current is independently adjustable;
where the magnitude of the induced current or the phase of the induced current is configured to be varied over a range of magnitudes or phases respectively;
where the matching and Tx/Rx switch circuit, when operating in Rx mode, electrically connects the LC coil with the preamplifier;
and
where the fuse, upon the induced current exceeding a threshold magnitude, opens,
where the fuse being open prevents the LC coil from resonating with the primary coil.

9 more elements

A single-layer magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radio frequency (RF) coil element for an MRI system, the single-layer MRI RF coil element configured to operate in a transmit (Tx) mode and a receive (Rx) mode, the single-layer MRI RF coil element comprising:

an LC coil;
a failsafe circuit electrically connected with the LC coil, where the failsafe circuit provides, upon injection of a forward DC bias current into the failsafe circuit, a first impedance, and upon the absence of the forward DC bias current, a second, higher impedance;
and
a preamplifier electrically connected with the failsafe circuit;
where the LC coil includes at least one inductor and at least one capacitor, where the at least one inductor and the at least one capacitor resonate at a first frequency;
where the failsafe circuit, when operating in Tx mode, electrically isolates the LC coil from the preamplifier upon the LC coil resonating with a primary coil, where the primary coil has a working frequency;
where the LC coil, upon resonating with the primary coil, generates a local amplified Tx field based on an induced current in the LC coil, the induced current generated by inductive coupling between the LC coil and the primary coil;
where a magnitude of the induced current or a phase of the induced current is independently adjustable;
where the magnitude of the induced current or the phase of the induced current is configured to be varied over a range of magnitudes or phases respectively;
where the failsafe component, when operating in Rx mode, electrically connects the LC coil with the preamplifier;
and
where the failsafe circuit, upon the single-layer MRI RF coil element being disconnected from the MRI system:
provides the second, higher impedance, and
reduces the magnitude of the induced current.

11 more elements

A single-layer magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radio frequency (RF) coil element for use in an MRI system, the MRI RF coil array element configured to operate in a transmit (Tx) mode and a receive (Rx) mode, the MRI RF coil array element comprising:

an LC coil;
a matching and Tx/Rx switch circuit electrically connected with the LC coil;
and
a preamplifier electrically connected with the matching and Tx/Rx switch circuit;
where the LC coil includes at least one inductor and at least one capacitor, where the at least one inductor and the at least one capacitor resonate at a first frequency;
where the matching and Tx/Rx switch circuit, when operating in Tx mode, electrically isolates the LC coil from the preamplifier upon the LC coil resonating with a primary coil, where the primary coil has a working frequency, where the primary coil generates a Tx field when operating in Tx mode;
where the LC coil, upon resonating with the primary coil, generates a local amplified Tx field based on an induced current in the LC coil, the induced current generated by inductive coupling between the LC coil and the primary coil;
where a magnitude of the induced current or a phase of the induced current is independently adjustable;
where the magnitude of the induced current or the phase of the induced current is configured to be varied over a range of magnitudes or phases respectively;
where the matching and Tx/Rx switch circuit, when operating in Rx mode, electrically connects the LC coil with the preamplifier;
and
an identification circuit configured to provide a signal, the signal including location information about the location of the single-layer MRI RF coil array element in relation to the primary coil.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/971,075Filed 4 May 2018
Priority: 5 May 2017
Published: 8 Nov 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G01R 33/34084
Constructional details, e.g. resonators , specially adapted to MR: implantable coils or coils being geometrically adaptable to the sample, e.g.…
G01R 33/34076
Volume type coils, e.g. bird-cage coils; Quadrature bird-cage coils; Circularly polarised coils: birdcage coils
G01R 33/3415
Comprising surface coils: comprising arrays of sub-coils , i.e. phased-array coils with flexible receiver channels
G01R 33/36
Excitation or detection systems, e.g. using radio frequency signals: electrical details, e.g. matching or coupling of the coil to the receiver

Family

Application62/502,074Us provisional application · filed 5 May 2017
US 11,193,992 B2Related patent
US 2018/0321339 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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