# US 2019/0377040 A1 · Method and systems for a radio frequency coil assembly > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0377040 A1 - Document ID: US20190377040A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/001,793 - Filed: 2018-06-06 - Published: 2019-12-12 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-06 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: Ceara Delmore Stack; Victor Taracila; Fraser John Laing Robb - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190377040A1 ## CPC - G01R 33/34084: {implantable coils or coils being geometrically adaptable to the sample, e.g. flexible coils or coils comprising mutually movable parts} - A61B 5/055: involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging - G01R 33/34053: {Solenoid coils; Toroidal coils} - G01R 33/3415: comprising arrays of sub-coils {, i.e. phased-array coils with flexible receiver channels} - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract Various methods and systems are provided for radio frequency (RF) coils for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In one embodiment, a radio frequency coil assembly for a magnetic resonance imaging system includes: a flexible spine; and at least two RF coil sections each coupled to the flexible spine and movable relative to each other, each RF coil section comprising at least one flexible RF coil, each RF coil including a loop portion comprising a coupling electronics portion and at least two parallel, distributed capacitance wire conductors encapsulated and separated by a dielectric material. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A radio frequency (RF) coil assembly for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, comprising: a flexible spine; and at least two RF coil sections each coupled to the flexible spine and movable relative to each other, each RF coil section comprising at least one flexible RF coil, each RF coil including a loop portion comprising a coupling electronics portion and at least two parallel, distributed capacitance wire conductors encapsulated and separated by a dielectric material. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The RF coil assembly of claim 1, further comprising a coil-interfacing cable extending between each coupling electronics portion and an RF coil interfacing connector, wherein the coil-interfacing cable is coupled to and extends along the flexible spine. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The RF coil assembly of claim 1, wherein each coupling electronics portion includes a pre-amplifier, a decoupling circuit, and an impedance inverter circuit, the impedance inverter circuit comprising an impedance matching network and an input balun, wherein the pre-amplifier comprises a low input impedance pre-amplifier optimized for high source impedance, and wherein the impedance matching network provides the high source impedance. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The RF coil assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least two RF coil sections are only coupled to each other via the flexible spine and are not directly coupled to each other at any other location. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The RF coil assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least two RF coil sections comprise four RF coil sections arranged in an overlapping or semi-lapping manner along an axis defined by the flexible spine. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The RF coil assembly of claim 5, wherein the four RF coil sections include a first RF coil section configured to cover a neck of a subject to be imaged, a second RF coil section configured to cover a shoulder of the subject, a third RF coil section configured to cover an upper section of an arm of the subject, and a fourth RF coil section configured to cover a lower section of the arm of the subject. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The RF coil assembly of claim 5, wherein at least a first RF coil section of the four RF coil sections has a longitudinal axis that is perpendicular to the axis defined by the flexible spine. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The RF coil assembly of claim 5, wherein the four RF coil sections include a first RF coil section comprising a first RF coil array including six RF coils arranged in a single row, a second RF coil section comprising a second RF coil array including five RF coils arranged in a single row, a third RF coil section comprising a third RF coil array including five RF coils arranged in a single row, and a fourth RF coil section comprising a fourth RF coil array including ten RF coils arranged in two rows. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The RF coil assembly of claim 8, wherein each RF coil of the first RF coil array has a first diameter and each RF coil of the second RF coil array has a second diameter, the second diameter larger than the first diameter. ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) The RF coil assembly of claim 5, wherein at least one RF coil section is coupled to two respective straps. ### Claim 11 A radio frequency (RF) coil assembly for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, comprising: a flexible spine; a first RF coil array section coupled to the flexible spine only along a top edge of the first RF coil array section and including a first RF coil array comprising a plurality of flexible RF coils; a second RF coil array section coupled to the flexible spine only along a top edge of the second RF coil array section and including a second RF coil array comprising a plurality of flexible RF coils, each of the first RF coil array section and the second RF coil array section having at least 90 degrees of rotation along a respective interface with the flexible spine, and each RF coil including a loop portion comprising a coupling electronics portion and at least two parallel, distributed capacitance wire conductors encapsulated and separated by a dielectric material. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The RF coil assembly of claim 11, further comprising: a third RF coil array section coupled to the flexible spine only along a top edge of the third RF coil array section and including a third RF coil array comprising a plurality of flexible RF coils; and a fourth RF coil array section coupled to the flexible spine only along a top edge of the fourth RF coil array section and including a fourth RF coil array comprising a plurality of flexible RF coils, each of the third RF coil array section and the fourth RF coil array section having at least 90 degrees of rotation along a respective interface with the flexible spine. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The RF coil assembly of claim 12, wherein a bottom edge of the second RF coil array section overlaps the top edge of the third RF coil array section and a bottom edge of the third RF coil array section overlaps with the top edge of the fourth RF coil array section. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The RF coil assembly of claim 11, wherein the first RF coil array section has a longitudinal axis and the flexible spine has a central axis, the longitudinal axis perpendicular to the central axis. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The RF coil assembly of claim 14, wherein the first RF coil array section has a length that extends along the longitudinal axis and the flexible spine has a width that extends perpendicular to the central axis and parallel to the length, wherein the width is less than half of the length. ### Claim 16 A radio frequency (RF) coil assembly for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, comprising: a flexible spine; four RF coil array sections each coupled to the flexible spine and movable relative to each other, including a first RF coil array section configured to cover a neck of a subject to be imaged, a second RF coil array section configured to cover a shoulder of the subject, a third RF coil array section configured to cover an upper section of an arm of the subject, and a fourth RF coil array section configured to cover a lower section of the arm of the subject, each RF coil array section comprising a respective RF coil array including a plurality of flexible RF coils, each RF coil including a loop portion comprising a coupling electronics portion and at least two parallel, distributed capacitance wire conductors encapsulated and separated by a dielectric material; and a coil-interfacing cable extending between each coupling electronics portion and an RF coil interfacing connector, wherein the coil-interfacing cable is coupled to and extends along the flexible spine. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The RF coil assembly of claim 16, wherein the first RF coil array section includes a first RF coil array including six RF coils arranged in a single row, the second RF coil array section includes a second RF coil array including five RF coils arranged in a single row, the third RF coil array section includes a third RF coil array including five RF coils arranged in a single row, and the fourth RF coil array section includes a fourth RF coil array including ten RF coils arranged in two rows. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The RF coil assembly of claim 16, wherein the four RF coil array sections are only coupled to each other via the flexible spine and are not directly coupled to each other at any other location. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The RF coil assembly of claim 18, wherein each of the four RF coil array sections are configured to move in an upward direction, away from the flexible spine, around respective rotational axes defined by respective interfaces between each RF coil array section and the flexible spine. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The RF coil assembly of claim 16, wherein each of the first RF coil array section, second RF coil array section, third RF coil array section, and fourth RF coil array section is centered along a central axis of the flexible spine.