# US 2021/0333339 A1 · Open-face, dual-mode head coil for clinical imaging in ultra-high field mri scanner > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0333339 A1 - Document ID: US20210333339A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/857,649 - Filed: 2020-04-24 - Published: 2021-10-28 - Earliest claimed: 2020-04-24 - Assignees: MR CoilTech Limited - Applicants: MR CoilTech Limited - Inventors: Shajan GUNAMONY - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210333339A1 ## CPC - G01R 33/283: {Intercom or optical viewing arrangements, structurally associated with NMR apparatus} - G01R 33/34046: {Volume type coils, e.g. bird-cage coils; Quadrature bird-cage coils; Circularly polarised coils} - G01R 33/422: of the radio frequency field - G01R 33/445: {MR involving a non-standard magnetic field B0, e.g. of low magnitude as in the earth's magnetic field or in nanoTesla spectroscopy, comprising a polarizing magnetic field for pre-polarisation, B0 with a temporal variation of its magnitude or direction such as field cycling of B0 or rotation of the direction of B0, or spatially inhomogeneous B0 like in fringe-field MR or in stray-field imaging} - G01R 33/365: {Decoupling of multiple RF coils wherein the multiple RF coils have the same function in MR, e.g. decoupling of a receive coil from another receive coil in a receive coil array, decoupling of a transmission coil from another transmission coil in a transmission coil array} - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) ## Abstract A head coil apparatus for MRI of a person's head includes a transmit coil array device generating RF fields for spin state excitation to the head, wherein the transmit coil array device comprises multiple transmit coil loops decoupled from each other and arranged on a transmit coil array carrier surrounding an inner head coil space for receiving the head; a receive coil array device for receiving RF resonance signals from the head; a RF shield surrounding the transmit coil array device and the receive coil array device; and a head coil window providing a viewing port through the RF shield and transmit coil array device. The head coil window has a longitudinal extension and an azimuthal extension, the transmit coil loops includes a window coil loop surrounding the head coil window, and the coil loop is decoupled from a neighbouring transmit coil loop by sharing a common loop conductor. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Head coil apparatus, being configured for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of a head of a person to be investigated, comprising a transmit coil array device being arranged for generating radiofrequency (RF) fields for spin state excitation to the head, wherein the transmit coil array device comprises multiple transmit coil loops, which are decoupled from each other and arranged on a transmit coil array carrier extending parallel to a longitudinal axis and surrounding an inner head coil space for receiving the head, a receive coil array device being arranged for receiving RF resonance signals from the head, an RF shield surrounding the transmit coil array device and the receive coil array device, and at least one head coil window providing a viewing port through the RF shield and the transmit coil array device, wherein the at least one head coil window has a longitudinal extension parallel to the longitudinal axis and an azimuthal extension along an azimuthal direction relative to the longitudinal axis, the transmit coil loops comprise at least one window coil loop surrounding the at least one head coil window, and the at least one window coil loop is decoupled from at least one neighbouring transmit coil loop by sharing a common loop conductor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) Head coil apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receive coil array device comprises multiple receive coils, which are arranged on a helmet-shaped receive coil array carrier, the receive coil array carrier spans the inner head coil space, and the viewing port provided by the at least one head coil window extends through the receive coil array device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) Head coil apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a mirror device deflecting a light path from the inner head coil space to a monitoring range, wherein the light path extends from the inner head coil space trough the viewing port to the mirror device in a radial direction relative to the longitudinal axis and from the mirror device to the monitoring range parallel to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) Head coil apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the mirror device is movable relative to the at least one head coil window parallel to the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) Head coil apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal extension of the at least one head coil window is at least 5 cm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) Head coil apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the longitudinal extension of the at least one head coil window is at least 10 cm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) Head coil apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the azimuthal extension of the at least one head coil window is at least 4 cm. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) Head coil apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the longitudinal extension of the at least one head coil window is at least 6 cm. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) Head coil apparatus according to claim 1, comprising two head coil windows and two window coil loops, each of which surrounding one of the head coil windows, wherein the two window coil loops are decoupled by sharing the common loop conductor, so that the azimuthal extension of the head coil windows can be maximized. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) Head coil apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the two window coil loops are arranged without mutual overlap. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) Head coil apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a mode splitter device being arranged for a dual mode operation of the transmit coil array device, wherein the mode splitter device is configured for direct connection of each transmit coil loop with a related control channel of a control device in a parallel operation mode or for splitting a common control channel of the control device to the transmit coil loops. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) Head coil apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a camera device being arranged for imaging a head section of the head of the person to be investigated through the at least one head coil window. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner apparatus, being configured for magnetic resonance imaging of a head of a person to be investigated, comprising the head coil apparatus according to claim 1, and a main magnetic field device with a central bore being arranged for receiving the Head coil apparatus with the head of the person to be investigated, wherein the main magnetic field device is arranged for creating a main magnetic field in the central bore, said main magnetic field having a field strength of equal to or above 7 T. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) Method of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of a head of a person to be investigated, wherein the head coil apparatus according to claim 1 is used, comprising: arranging the person to be investigated such that the head is received by the head coil apparatus and the person can view through the at least one head coil window, arranging the person with the head coil apparatus in the central bore of a MRI scanner apparatus, and collecting MRI data with the head coil apparatus. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) Method according to claim 14, wherein the person monitors the surrounding through the at least one head coil window. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) Method according to claim 14, wherein the person is monitored by an operator through the at least one head coil window. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) Method according to claim 14, wherein the person is monitored with a camera device through the at least one head coil window. ### Claim 18 Head coil apparatus, being configured for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of a head of a person to be investigated, comprising a transmit coil array device being arranged for generating radiofrequency (RF) fields for spin state excitation to the head, wherein the transmit coil array device comprises multiple transmit coil loops, which are decoupled from each other and arranged on a transmit coil array carrier extending parallel to a longitudinal axis and surrounding an inner head coil space for receiving the head, a receive coil array device being arranged for receiving RF resonance signals from the head, an RF shield surrounding the transmit coil array device and the receive coil array device, and a mode splitter device being arranged for a dual mode operation of the transmit coil array device, wherein the mode splitter device is configured for direct connection of each transmit coil loop with a related control channel of a control device in a parallel operation mode or for splitting a common control channel of the control device to the transmit coil loops. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner apparatus, being configured for magnetic resonance imaging of a head of a person to be investigated, comprising the head coil apparatus according to claim 18, and a main magnetic field device with a central bore being arranged for receiving the Head coil apparatus with the head of the person to be investigated, wherein the main magnetic field device is arranged for creating a main magnetic field in the central bore, said main magnetic field having a field strength of equal to or above 7 T. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) Method of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of a head of a person to be investigated, wherein the MR scanner apparatus according to claim 19 is used, comprising: arranging the person to be investigated such that the head is received by the head coil apparatus and the person can view through the at least one head coil window, arranging the person with the head coil apparatus in the central bore of the MRI scanner apparatus, and collecting MRI data with the head coil apparatus.