Device and method for loops-over-loops MRI coils
First Claim
1. An apparatus for receiving radio-frequency (RF) signals suitable for magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) from radio-frequency (RF) antenna loops that are overlapped and/or concentric, in order to receive signal and improve signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the received signal, the apparatus comprising:
- a substrate having a first major surface and a second major surface;
a plurality of pairs of RF antenna loops affixed to the substrate including;
a first pair of RF antenna loops,a second pair of RF antenna loops, anda third pair of RF antenna loops,wherein each pair of RF antenna loops in the plurality of pairs of RF antenna loops includes a first RF antenna loop and a second RF antenna loop located such that a center point of the first antenna loop and a center point of the second antenna loop are both located on a single line perpendicular to a plane of the first RF antenna loop,wherein the first pair of RF antenna loops and the second pair of RF antenna loops are partially overlapped with one another,wherein the first pair of RF antenna loops and the third pair of RF antenna loops are partially overlapped with one another, andwherein the second pair of RF antenna loops and the third pair of RF antenna loops are partially overlapped with one another;
a first plurality of pairs of RF receiver units affixed to the substrate including;
a first pair of RF receiver units connected to receive signals from the first pair of RF antenna loops,a second pair of RF receiver units connected to receive signals from the second pair of RF antenna loops, anda third pair of RF receiver units connected to receive signals from the third pair of RF antenna loops,wherein each one of the first plurality of pairs of RF receiver units includes;
a first RF receiver unit operatively connected to the first RF antenna loop of the corresponding pair of RF antenna loops, anda second RF receiver unit operatively connected to the second RF antenna loop of the corresponding pair of RF antenna loops; and
a first plurality of electronics units mounted on the substrate, wherein the first plurality of electronics units includes;
a first electronics unit connected to receive and add signals from the first pair of RF receiver units,a second electronics unit connected to receive and add signals from the second pair of RF receiver units, anda third electronics unit connected to receive and add signals from the third pair of RF receiver units, andwherein each one of the first plurality of electronics units adds the signals from the corresponding pair of RF receiver units in order to generate a decoded output signal that has improved SNR to form a first plurality of output signals;
andelectronics operatively coupled to receive the first plurality of output signals from the first plurality of electronics units and configured to process the first plurality of output signals to generate MRI image slices of a patient being imaged.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for receiving (RX) radio-frequency (RF) signals suitable for MRI and/or MRS from MRI “coil loops” (antennae) that are overlapped and/or concentric, and each of which has a preamplifier and frequency-tuning circuitry and an impedance-matching circuitry, but wherein the loops optionally sized differently and/or located at different elevations (distances from the patient'"'"'s tissue) in order to extract signal from otherwise cross-coupled coil loops and to improve signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in images made from the received signal.
146 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An apparatus for receiving radio-frequency (RF) signals suitable for magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) from radio-frequency (RF) antenna loops that are overlapped and/or concentric, in order to receive signal and improve signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the received signal, the apparatus comprising:
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a substrate having a first major surface and a second major surface; a plurality of pairs of RF antenna loops affixed to the substrate including; a first pair of RF antenna loops, a second pair of RF antenna loops, and a third pair of RF antenna loops, wherein each pair of RF antenna loops in the plurality of pairs of RF antenna loops includes a first RF antenna loop and a second RF antenna loop located such that a center point of the first antenna loop and a center point of the second antenna loop are both located on a single line perpendicular to a plane of the first RF antenna loop, wherein the first pair of RF antenna loops and the second pair of RF antenna loops are partially overlapped with one another, wherein the first pair of RF antenna loops and the third pair of RF antenna loops are partially overlapped with one another, and wherein the second pair of RF antenna loops and the third pair of RF antenna loops are partially overlapped with one another; a first plurality of pairs of RF receiver units affixed to the substrate including; a first pair of RF receiver units connected to receive signals from the first pair of RF antenna loops, a second pair of RF receiver units connected to receive signals from the second pair of RF antenna loops, and a third pair of RF receiver units connected to receive signals from the third pair of RF antenna loops, wherein each one of the first plurality of pairs of RF receiver units includes; a first RF receiver unit operatively connected to the first RF antenna loop of the corresponding pair of RF antenna loops, and a second RF receiver unit operatively connected to the second RF antenna loop of the corresponding pair of RF antenna loops; and a first plurality of electronics units mounted on the substrate, wherein the first plurality of electronics units includes; a first electronics unit connected to receive and add signals from the first pair of RF receiver units, a second electronics unit connected to receive and add signals from the second pair of RF receiver units, and a third electronics unit connected to receive and add signals from the third pair of RF receiver units, and wherein each one of the first plurality of electronics units adds the signals from the corresponding pair of RF receiver units in order to generate a decoded output signal that has improved SNR to form a first plurality of output signals; and electronics operatively coupled to receive the first plurality of output signals from the first plurality of electronics units and configured to process the first plurality of output signals to generate MRI image slices of a patient being imaged. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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2. A method for receiving radio-frequency (RF) signals suitable for magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) from radio-frequency (RF) antenna loops that are overlapped and/or concentric, in order to receive signal and improve signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the received signal, the method comprising:
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providing a substrate, mounting a plurality of pairs of antenna loops mounted to the substrate including; a first pair of RF antenna loops, a second pair of RF antenna loops, and a third pair of RF antenna loops, wherein each pair of RF antenna loops in the plurality of pairs of RF antenna loops includes a first RF antenna loop and a second RF antenna loop located such that a center point of the first antenna loop and a center point of the second antenna loop are both located on a single line perpendicular to a plane of the first RF antenna loop, wherein the first pair of RF antenna loops and the second pair of RF antenna loops are partially overlapped with one another, wherein the first pair of RF antenna loops and the third pair of RF antenna loops are partially overlapped with one another, and wherein the second pair of RF antenna loops and the third pair of RF antenna loops are partially overlapped with one another; affixing a plurality of pairs of RF amplifiers to the substrate including; a first pair of RF amplifiers connected to receive signals from the first pair of RF antenna loops, a second pair of RF amplifiers connected to receive signals from the second pair of RF antenna loops, and a third pair of RF amplifiers connected to receive signals from the third pair of RF antenna loops, wherein each one of the plurality of pairs of RF amplifiers includes; a first RF amplifier operatively connected to the first RF antenna loop of the corresponding pair of RF antenna loops, and a second RF amplifier operatively connected to the second RF antenna loop of the corresponding pair of RF antenna loops; and mounting a first plurality of electronics units on the substrate, wherein the first plurality of receiver-electronics units includes; a first electronics unit connected to receive and add signals from the first pair of RF amplifiers, a second electronics unit connected to receive and add signals from the second pair of RF amplifiers, and a third electronics unit connected to receive and add signals from the third pair of RF amplifiers, and adding, by each respective electronics unit, the signals from the respective corresponding pair of RF amplifiers and generating corresponding output signal to form a first plurality of output signals, wherein each one of the plurality of pairs of RF receiver units corresponds to one of the plurality of pairs of antenna loops; receiving RF MRI signals with the plurality of pairs of antenna loops; pre-amplifying the received RF MRI signals using the plurality of pairs of RF amplifiers to generate the first plurality of pairs of output signals; for each respective pair of the first plurality of pairs of output signals, adding the pair of signals to one another in order to generate a decoded signal that has improved SNR; and processing the decoded signals to generate MRI image slices of a patient being imaged. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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3. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing a suitably programmed information processor to execute a method, wherein the method is suitable for an apparatus that includes:
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a substrate having a first major surface and a second major surface, a plurality of pairs of RF antenna loops affixed to the substrate including; a first pair of RF antenna loops, a second pair of RF antenna loops, and a third pair of RF antenna loops, wherein each pair of RF antenna loops in the plurality of pairs of RF antenna loops includes a first RF antenna loop and a second RF antenna loop located such that a center point of the first antenna loop and a center point of the second antenna loop are both located on a single line perpendicular to a plane of the first RF antenna loop, wherein the first pair of RF antenna loops and the second pair of RF antenna loops are partially overlapped with one another, wherein the first pair of RF antenna loops and the third pair of RF antenna loops are partially overlapped with one another, and wherein the second pair of RF antenna loops and the third pair of RF antenna loops are partially overlapped with one another; a plurality of pairs of RF receiver units affixed to the substrate including; a first pair of RF receiver units connected to receive signals from the first pair of RF antenna loops, a second pair of RF receiver units connected to receive signals from the second pair of RF antenna loops, and a third pair of RF receiver units connected to receive signals from the third pair of RF antenna loops, wherein each one of the plurality of pairs of RF receiver units includes; a first RF receiver unit operatively connected to the first RF antenna loop of the corresponding pair of RF antenna loops, and a second RF receiver unit operatively connected to the second RF antenna loop of the corresponding pair of RF antenna loops; and a first plurality of receiver-electronics units mounted on the substrate, wherein the first plurality of receiver-electronics units includes; a first receiver-electronics unit connected to receive and add signals from the first pair of RF receiver units, a second receiver-electronics unit connected to receive and add signals from the second pair of RF receiver units, and a third receiver electronics unit connected to receive and add signals from the third pair of RF receiver units, and wherein the method comprises; receiving RF MRI signals with the plurality of pairs of antenna loops mounted to the substrate; pre-amplifying the received RF MRI signals using the plurality of pairs of RF receiver units to generate a first plurality of pairs of output signals; adding the signals from the corresponding pair of RF receiver units the first plurality of output signals to one another in order to generate a decoded signal that has improved SNR; and decoding the respective output signals to generate an MRI image of a patient.
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Specification