DYNAMICALLY SELECTIVELY CONFIGURING WIRELESS TRANSMITTER ASSOCIATED WITH MRI DETECTOR COIL

• US 20100253331A1
• Filed: 04/03/2009
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Case Western Reserve University
• Original Assignee: Case Western Reserve University
• Inventors: Matthew, Riffe J., Griswold, Mark A., Heilman, Jeremiah A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,049,500 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/307
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/3692 involving signal transmission without using electrically conductive connections, e.g. wireless communication or optical communication of the MR signal or an auxiliary signal other than the MR signal

Abstract

Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with dynamically selectively configuring wireless transmitters associated with MRI detector coils are described. One example apparatus includes a detector coil to receive an NMR signal. The apparatus includes a dynamically configurable transmitter to transmit an RF transmission according to a configurable set of transmission parameters. The RF transmission is based on the NMR signal received by the MRI detector coil. The apparatus includes a tuning logic that cycles between an active state and a passive state under the control of a tuning program. While in the passive state, the tuning logic is to generate substantially no RF that could interfere with receiving the NMR signal at the MRI detector coil. While in the active state, the tuning logic is to configure the dynamically configurable transmitter to transmit according to the set of transmission parameters.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detector coil configured to receive a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal from an object subjected to radio frequency (RF) energy applied by an MRI apparatus according to an MRI pulse sequence;

one or more dynamically configurable transmitters to transmit an RF transmission to the MRI apparatus according to a configurable set of transmission parameters, the RF transmission being based, at least in part, on the NMR signal received by the MRI detector coil; and

a tuning logic configured to enter an active state and a passive state under the control of a tuning program,

where the tuning logic, when in the passive state, is to generate substantially no RF that could interfere with receiving the NMR signal at the MRI detector coil, and

where the tuning logic, when in the active state, is to configure the one or more dynamically configurable transmitters to transmit according to the set of transmission parameters.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, where the apparatus is not electrically connected to the MRI apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a non-volatile memory to store the tuning program.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, where the tuning logic is configured to enter the passive state before the NMR signal is received by the MRI detector coil.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, where the tuning logic is configured to enter the active state after the NMR signal is received by the MRI detector coil.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, where the set of transmission parameters includes one or more of, frequency, amplitude, and power.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, where values for members of the set of transmission parameters are selected based, at least in part, on a startup parameter provided to the apparatus.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, where the startup parameter is provided by an external circuit operably connected to the apparatus.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, where the tuning program is configured as a function of the MRI pulse sequence.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, where the startup parameter is based, at least in part, on a time interval between a circuit operably connected to the apparatus being powered on and the circuit achieving a threshold voltage.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, where the tuning logic is one of, a microprocessor, and a microcontroller.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, where the tuning logic is programmed through one or more of, direct in-circuit programming, component-based analog programming, component-based digital programming, and wireless programming.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, where the tuning logic is configured to control one or more of, carrier frequency synthesis for the transmitter, carrier frequency power output of the transmitter, apparatus power consumption, battery management for the apparatus, and channel synchronization for the transmitter.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, where the tuning logic is configured to control a digital device that controls the frequency at which the transmitter is to transmit.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, the transmitter comprising:

an amplifier;

a voltage-controlled oscillator;

a mixer;

a voltage regulator; and

a phased locked loop circuit.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, the tuning logic comprising:

a microcontroller operably connected to the transmitter, where the microcontroller controls the phased lock loop circuit to generate a desired control frequency and where the phased locked loop circuit controls the transmitter to transmit at a desired transmission frequency as a function of the control frequency.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, where the passive state is a power-off state and where the active state is a power-on state.

18. A system, comprising:

a set of N related detector coil transmitters, N being an integer greater than 1, where a detector coil transmitter comprises;

a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detector coil configured to receive a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal from an object subjected to radio frequency (RF) energy applied by an MRI apparatus according to an MRI pulse sequence;

a dynamically configurable transmitter to transmit an RF transmission to the MRI apparatus according to a configurable set of transmission parameters, the RF transmission being based, at least in part, on the NMR signal received by the MRI detector coil, and

a tuning logic configured to enter an active state and a passive state under the control of a tuning program, where the tuning program is configured as a function of the MRI pulse sequence,

where the tuning logic, when in the passive state, is to generate substantially no RF that could interfere with receiving the NMR signal at the MRI detector coil, and

where the tuning logic, when in the active state, is to configure the dynamically configurable transmitter to transmit according to the set of transmission parameters,

where at least two members of the set of N related detector coil transmitters receive NMR signal from the object and transmit RF to the MRI apparatus in response to receiving NMR signal, where the at least two members of the set of N related detector coil transmitters transmit RF at different frequencies.

19. The system of claim 18, where a first tuning logic is to configure a first transmitter associated with a first MRI coil to transmit at a first frequency in accordance with a control program as configured by a first startup parameter and where a second tuning logic is to configure a second transmitter associated with a second MRI coil to transmit at a second frequency in accordance with the control program as configured by a second startup parameter.

20. The system of claim 19, where a first non-volatile memory stores the control program and provides instructions to the first tuning logic and where a second non-volatile memory stores the control program and provides instructions to the second tuning logic.

21. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus, comprising:

an MRI scanner;

a broadband RF receiver; and

a set of detector coil transmitter apparatus that are not physically connected to either the MRI scanner or the broadband RF receiver,

where a detector coil transmitter apparatus comprises;

a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detector coil configured to receive a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal from an object subjected to radio frequency (RF) energy applied by the MRI scanner according to an MRI pulse sequence;

a dynamically configurable transmitter to transmit an RF transmission to the broadband RF receiver according to a configurable set of transmission parameters, the RF transmission being based, at least in part, on the NMR signal received by the MRI detector coil; and

a tuning logic configured to enter an active state and a passive state under the control of a tuning program,

where the tuning logic, when in the passive state, is to generate substantially no RF that could interfere with receiving the NMR signal at the MRI detector coil, and

where the tuning logic, when in the active state, is to configure the dynamically configurable transmitter to transmit according to the set of transmission parameters.

22. The MRI apparatus of claim 21, comprising:

a decoder logic operably connected to the broadband receiver and configured to decode the RF transmission into a signal from which the MRI apparatus is to create an image related to the NMR signal detected at the detector coil.

23. A system, comprising:

means for controlling a tuning logic to enter an active state based, at least in part, on a transmitter preparing to transmit an RF signal generated as a function of an NMR signal received by an MR detector coil that is operably connected to the transmitter;

means for controlling the tuning logic to configure the transmitter with respect to one or more of, frequency, amplitude, and phase based, at least in part, on a transmission parameter;

means for controlling the transmitter to transmit the RF signal during a noise tolerant time period in which the MR detector coil is not expected to detect NMR signals; and

means for controlling the tuning logic to enter a passive state after the NMR signal has been detected, where the tuning logic will remain in the passive state during a noise intolerant time period in which the MR detector coil is expected to detect NMR signals.

24. The system of claim 23, where the tuning logic is to enter the active state when the system is powered up.

25. The system of claim 24, where the tuning logic is to receive a startup parameter when the system is powered up, and where the startup parameter determines one or more of the frequency, amplitude, and phase.