Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and control method of magnetic resonance imaging apparatus

• US 8,188,743 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2009
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.), Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sugiura, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): SHRIVASTAV, BRIJ B
• Application Number:
  US12/555,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20100060284A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 324300-322, 600407-445
• US Class Current: 324/318
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/3415 comprising arrays of sub-coils , i.e. phased-array coils with flexible receiver channels
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/3664 Switching for purposes other than coil coupling or decoupling, e.g. switching between a phased array mode and a quadrature mode, switching between surface coil modes of different geometrical shapes, switching from a whole body reception coil to a local reception coil or switching for automatic coil selection in moving table MR or for changing the field-of-view G01R33/3671 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/543 Control of the operation of the MR system, e.g. setting of acquisition parameters prior to or during MR data acquisition, dynamic shimming, use of one or more scout images for scan plane prescription G01R33/546 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56383 involving motion of the sample as a whole, e.g. multistation MR or MR with continuous table motion

Abstract

According to a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) apparatus, each of buttons provided in a plurality of sections included in a receiving coil receives from an operator a selecting operation of selecting a section in which the button itself is provided. A control unit of a computer system moves a table on which a subject is placed such that the center of the section selected by receiving the selecting operation via the button is positioned at the center of a magnetic field.

Claims

1. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus comprising:

a receiving radio frequency (RF) coil assembly that includes a plurality of RF coils configured to receive magnetic resonance signals irradiated from a subject;

a manually-operated coil selection unit disposed in the receiving coil assembly, and configured to receive an operator'"'"'s selection actuation operation selecting at least one RF coil from among the plurality of RF coils; and

a control unit that thereafter automatically moves a table on which the subject and the RF coil assembly are placed to cause the RF coil(s) selected by the operator'"'"'s selecting operation to be positioned at a center of a magnetic field within an MRI apparatus.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a selected-coil notifying unit that gives an operator notice of the currently selected coil(s).

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the manually-operated coil selecting unit is configured to effect a first operator selecting operation selecting at least a first one of said RF coils to be used for a scan and to be positioned at the center of the magnetic field, and a second operator selecting operation selecting at least a second different one of said RF coils to be used for a scan in addition to the coil(s) selected by the first selecting operation, and

the control unit first moves the table to cause the RF coil(s) selected by the first selecting operation to be positioned at the center of the magnetic field.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a selected-coil notifying unit that gives an operator notice of (a) the RF coil(s) selected by the first selecting operation, and (b) the RF coil(s) selected by the second selecting operation in a mutually distinguishable manner.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the selected-coil notifying unit changes a mode of operator notice in accordance with one of (a) a sensitive region and (b) a spatial distribution of sensitivity of the selected coil(s).

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the selected-coil notifying unit changes a mode of operator notice in accordance with one of (a) a sensitive region and (b) a spatial distribution of sensitivity of the selected coil(s).

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the control unit is configured to measure a positional relationship between the center of the magnetic field and the selected coil(s) based on a magnetic resonance signal received by the coil(s), and to move the table based on the measured positional relationship.

8. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the control unit is configured to measure a positional relationship between the center of the magnetic field and the selected coil(s) based on a magnetic resonance signal received by the coil(s), and to move the table based on the measured positional relationship.

9. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the control unit is configured to measure a positional relationship between the center of the magnetic field and the selected coil(s) based on a magnetic resonance signal received by the coil(s), and to move the table based on the measured positional relationship.

10. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the control unit is configured to measure a positional relationship between the center of the magnetic field and the selected coil(s) based on a magnetic resonance signal received by the coil(s), and to move the table based on the measured positional relationship.

11. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the control unit is configured to measure a positional relationship between the center of the magnetic field and the selected coil(s) based on a magnetic resonance signal received by the coil(s), and to move the table based on the measured positional relationship.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of RF coils are arranged in parallel along a longitudinal direction of the table, and

the control unit is configured to move the table along the longitudinal direction.

13. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the plurality of RF coils are arranged in parallel along a longitudinal direction of the table, and

the control unit is configured to move the table along the longitudinal direction.

14. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the plurality of RF coils are arranged in parallel along a longitudinal direction of the table, and

the control unit is configured to move the table along the longitudinal direction.

15. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the plurality of RF coils that are arranged in parallel along a longitudinal direction of the table, and

the control unit is configured to move the table along the longitudinal direction.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of RF coils that are arranged in parallel along a crosswise direction of the table, and

the control unit is configured to move the table along the crosswise direction.

17. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the plurality of RF coils that are arranged in parallel along a crosswise direction of the table, and

the control unit is configured to move the table along the crosswise direction.

18. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the plurality of RF coils that are arranged in parallel along a crosswise direction of the table, and

the control unit is configured to move the table along the crosswise direction.

19. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the plurality of RF coils that are arranged in parallel along a crosswise direction of the table, and

the control unit is configured to move the table along the crosswise direction.

21. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the control unit, upon a predetermined condition, automatically cancels a coil selection state.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein:

the control unit cancels a coil selection state when the selected coil(s) is positioned at the center of the magnetic field.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein:

the control unit cancels a coil selection state when the control unit starts moving the table after acquiring coil selection information from the selected receiving coil(s).

24. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein:

the coil selecting unit includes a manually operable button located on the receiving coil assembly which selects at least two states of ON and OFF for selecting a coil on which the button itself is provided, and

the control unit moves the table to cause a coil on which the button is in the ON state to be positioned at the center of the magnetic field when automatic positioning is requested until the button is turned to the OFF state.

25. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

when a plurality of RF coils are selected by the operator, the control unit moves the table such that a center of the whole of the selected coils is positioned at the center of the magnetic field.

26. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the coil selecting unit includes a plurality of buttons, each button being provided on each said RF coil and being configured to take at least two states of ON and OFF for selecting a coil on which the button itself is provided and

the control unit moves the table to cause the coil on which the button is in the ON state to be positioned at the center of the magnetic field.

20. A method of controlling a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving an operator selecting operation selecting at least one radio frequency (RF) coil from among a plurality of RF coils included in a receiving RF coil assembly that receives magnetic resonance signals irradiated from a subject, and

automatically moving a table on which the subject and said RF coil assembly are placed to cause the selected coil(s) to be positioned at a center of a magnetic field.