MRI adjustable head coil

• US 8,190,237 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2007
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Driemel, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Tse
• Assistant Examiner(s): REARDON, ROCHELLE D
• Application Number:
  US11/760,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20080007259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,814 Days
• Field of Search: 600/407, 600/410, 600/411, 600/415, 600/421, 600/422
• US Class Current: 600/422
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/702 Posture restraints
• 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 33/3415 comprising arrays of sub-coils , i.e. phased-array coils with flexible receiver channels

Abstract

A head coil arrangement for a magnetic resonance device has a housing on or in which a number of coils are arranged, the housing having at least two housing parts that can be moved toward each other for adjustment to different head sizes.

Claims

1. A head coil arrangement for a magnetic resonance device, comprising:

a plurality of radio-frequency coils;

a housing on which or in which said plurality of radio-frequency coils is carried;

said housing comprising at least two housing parts that define a circumference of the housing, said housing parts comprising a mechanical interaction with each other configured to permit said housing parts to move toward each other to adjust said housing to different head sizes by changing a size of said circumference, said housing parts comprising linear guides that linearly guide said housing parts toward each other, in the linear guides; and

a movement mechanism connected to at least one of said housing parts that is operable to move said housing parts toward each other, and a sensor that senses a pressure applied by said housing parts to a head received in said housing, said movement mechanism being controlled dependent on an output of said sensor.

2. A head coil arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing parts mechanically interact with each other to linearly move toward each other.

3. A head coil arrangement as claimed in claim 2 wherein said housing parts mechanically interact with each other to move toward each other in at least one of a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction of a head to be received in the housing.

4. A head coil arrangement as claimed in claim 1 comprising four housing parts each covering substantially one quarter of a head received in the housing, each of said four housing parts being linearly moveable into perpendicular directions with respect to another of said four housing parts adjacent thereto.

5. A head coil arrangement as claimed in claim 4 wherein each housing part comprises two linear guides at opposite ends thereof.

6. A head coil arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing parts mechanically interact with each other so that as the housing parts are moved toward each other, said housing parts engage or overlap each other.

7. A head coil arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing parts are at least partially flexible.

8. A head coil arrangement as claimed in claim 7 wherein each of said housing parts comprises a flexible region configured to press against a head received in said housing, with a pressing element located in the flexible region.

9. A head coil arrangement as claimed in claim 8 wherein said pressing element is a pressing element selected from the group consisting of pneumatic elements, air cushions, and springs.

10. A head coil arrangement as claimed in claim 7 wherein said flexible region is comprised of viscofoam.

11. A head coil arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of said housing parts comprises a fixing element to fix a head in the housing.

12. A head coil arrangement as claimed in claim 11 wherein said fixing element is an element selected from the group consisting of fixing cushions and gripping jaws.

13. A head coil arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing parts are configured to cover the ears of a head received in the housing and, in a region of each housing part covering an ear, comprise a component selected from the group consisting of noise-protection components and communication components.

14. A head coil arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of said housing parts is removable from said housing.

15. A head coil arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said movement mechanism is a remotely-operable motor.

16. A head coil arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said movement mechanism is a mechanism selected from the group consisting of a motor and a pneumatic mechanism.

17. A head coil arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein different coils in said plurality of coils are respectively mounted on different ones of said housing parts, and comprising a flexible connector that electrically conductively connects said different coils.

18. A head coil arrangement for a magnetic resonance device, comprising:

a plurality of radio-frequency coils;

a housing on which or in which said plurality of radio frequency coils is carried;

said housing comprising at least two housing parts that define a circumference of the housing, said housing parts comprising a mechanical interaction with an overlap of said two housing parts, configured to permit said two housing parts to move toward each other to change a size of said overlap to adjust said housing to different head sizes by changing a size of said circumference of said housing, said housing parts comprising linear guides that linearly guide said housing parts toward each other, in the linear guides; and

a movement mechanism connected to at least one of said housing parts that is operable to move said housing parts toward each other, and a sensor that senses a pressure applied by said housing parts to a head received in said housing, said movement mechanism being controlled dependent on an output of said sensor.

19. A head coil arrangement for a magnetic resonance device, comprising:

a plurality of radio-frequency coils;

a housing on which or in which said plurality of radio frequency coils is carried, said housing being configured to surround a circumference of a patient'"'"'s head in a plane of the head; and

said housing comprising a plurality of housing parts that define a circumference of the housing, said housing parts comprising a mechanical interaction that mechanically interact with each other configured to permit said housing part to move toward each other to adjust said housing in a first direction in said plane and in a second direction in said plane that is parallel to said first direction, in order to adjust said housing to different head sizes by changing a size of said circumference of said housing, said housing parts comprising linear guides that linearly guide said housing parts toward each other, in the linear guides; and

a movement mechanism connected to at least one of said housing parts that is operable to move said housing parts toward each other, and a sensor that senses a pressure applied by said housing parts to a head received in said housing, said movement mechanism being controlled dependent on an output of said sensor.

20. A head coil arrangement as claimed in claim 19 wherein said housing is configured to circumferentially surround the patient'"'"'s head in a transverse plane.