SIZE-VARIABLE LOCAL COIL MATRIX WITH VARIABLE DECOUPLING

• US 20180017643A1
• Filed: 07/07/2017
• Published: 01/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Stephan Zink
• Inventors: Zink, Stephan
• Granted Patent: US 10,641,849 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/34046 Volume type coils, e.g. bird-cage coils; Quadrature bird-cage coils; Circularly polarised coils
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/34084 implantable coils or coils being geometrically adaptable to the sample, e.g. flexible coils or coils comprising mutually movable parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/341 comprising surface coils
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/3415 comprising arrays of sub-coils , i.e. phased-array coils with flexible receiver channels
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/3628 Tuning/matching of the transmit/receive coil
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/3642 Mutual coupling or decoupling of multiple coils, e.g. decoupling of a receive coil from a transmission coil, or intentional coupling of RF coils, e.g. for RF magnetic field amplification
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 3/12 Electrically-operated arrangements for indicating correct tuning
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 3/20 of single resonant circuit by varying inductance only or capacitance only
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 3/24 of more than one resonant circuit simultaneously, the circuits being tuned to substantially the same frequency, e.g. for single-knob tuning

Abstract

A local coil matrix for a magnetic resonance tomograph and a magnetic resonance tomograph with a local coil matrix are provided. The local coil matrix has a first coil with two detachable coil segments. The two coil segments have electrical connecting elements. The electrical connecting elements are configured to produce an electrical connection between the coil segments in different relative positions of the two coil segments to each other.

Claims

1. A local coil matrix for a magnetic resonance tomograph, the local coil matrix comprising:

a first coil having two detachable coil segments,

wherein the two coil segments have electrical connecting elements configured to produce an electrical connection between the two coil segments in different relative positions of the two coil segments to each other.

2. The local coil matrix of claim 1, wherein the first coil is a flexible coil.

3. The local coil matrix of claim 2, wherein the electrical connecting elements are configured to produce an electrical connection only at discrete, predetermined relative positions, spatially separated from each other.

4. The local coil matrix of claim 1, wherein the electrical connecting elements are configured to produce an electrical connection only at discrete, predetermined relative positions, spatially separated from each other.

5. The local coil matrix of claim 1, further comprising:

a first tuning device having a tuning element,

wherein the tuning device is configured to tune a resonance circuit, which the first coil has in different relative positions of the coil segments of the first coil, to a predetermined resonance frequency.

6. The local coil matrix of claim 5, wherein the electrical connection elements are configured in a first relative position of the different relative positions to activate the first tuning device such that the resonance circuit is tuned to the predetermined resonance frequency.

7. The local coil matrix of claim 6, further comprising:

a second tuning device,

wherein the electrical connection components are configured, in a second relative position of the different relative positions, to activate the second tuning device such that the resonance circuit is tuned to the predetermined resonance frequency.

8. The local coil matrix of claim 7, further comprising:

a second coil,

wherein the electrical connecting elements of the first coil are distanced from the second coil such that a coupling of the first coil with the second coil remains largely unchanged when the relative position of the two coil segments of the first coil to each other is changed.

9. The local coil matrix of claim 5, wherein the first tuning device has a position detector configured to determine the relative position of the two coil segments to each other, and

wherein the first tuning device is configured to alter a parameter of the first tuning element as a function of the ascertained relative position such that the resonance circuit is tuned to the predetermined resonance frequency.

10. The local coil matrix of claim 5, further comprising:

a second coil,

wherein the electrical connecting elements of the first coil are distanced from the second coil such that a coupling of the first coil with the second coil remains largely unchanged when the relative position of the two coil segments of the first coil to each other is changed.

11. The local coil matrix of claim 1, further comprising:

a second coil,

wherein the electrical connecting elements of the first coil are distanced from the second coil such that a coupling of the first coil with the second coil remains largely unchanged when the relative position of the two coil segments of the first coil to each other is changed.

12. The local coil matrix of claim 1, wherein at least 20 percent of a total surface of the local coil matrix assumes a predetermined rigid shape.

13. The local coil matrix of claim 1, wherein at least 50 percent of a total surface of the local coil matrix assumes a predetermined rigid shape.

14. The local coil matrix of claim 1, wherein at least 80 percent of a total surface of the local coil matrix assumes a predetermined rigid shape.

15. The local coil matrix of claim 1, wherein at least 20 percent of the local coil matrix is flexible in design.

16. The local coil matrix of claim 1, wherein at least 50 percent of the local coil matrix is flexible in design.

17. The local coil matrix of claim 1, wherein at least 80 percent of the local coil matrix is flexible in design.

18. The local coil matrix of claim 1, wherein the local coil matrix has a majority of first coils.

19. A magnetic resonance tomograph comprising:

a local coil matrix having;

a first coil with two detachable coil segments, the coil segments comprising electrical connecting elements configured to produce an electrical connection between the coil segments in different relative positions of the coil segments to each other; and

a first tuning element; and

a control having a signal connection to the local coil matrix, wherein the control is configured to adjust the first tuning element as a function of a relative position to each other of the coil segments of the first coil such that a resonance circuit has a predetermined resonance frequency with the first coil.