Radio frequency receiver coil with electronic fuse
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips N.V.
InventorsChristoph Günther Leussler, Peter Vernickel, Christian Findeklee
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Abstract
An independent safety mechanism for a radio frequency (RF) receiver coil is to be provided. This is achieved by an electronic fuse (3), the electronic fuse (3) comprising a switching device (4) for interrupting an RF electrical current in the RF coil loop (2) galvanically connected to the RF coil loop (2) and configured to interrupt the RF electrical current in the RF coil loop (2) above a defined threshold. The invention also relates to a method for protecting a radio frequency (RF) receiver coil (1), to a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and a computer program product.
Claims16
A radio frequency (RF) receiver coil comprising:
- at least one RF coil loop,
- at least one electronic fuse, the electronic fuse comprising a switching device configured to interrupt an RF electrical current in the RF coil loop, wherein the switching device is galvanically connected to the RF coil loop, the electronic fuse further comprising a switching unit configured to control the switching device, wherein the switching device is configured to interrupt the RF electrical current in the RF coil loop by the switching unit above a defined threshold,
- the RF receiver coil further comprising a local current sensor circuit configured to measure the RF electrical current, wherein the electronic fuse is configured to compare an output of the local current sensor circuit with a threshold of the RF electrical current in the RF coil loop configured to switch the switching device and deactivate the electronic fuse to interrupt the RF coil loop's electrically conducting path to interrupt the RF electrical current in the RF coil loop if the threshold is exceeded.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.