Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and method

• US 20070159172A1
• Filed: 01/03/2007
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2006
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 7,570,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/318
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56375 Intentional motion of the sample during MR, e.g. moving table imaging
• 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

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a movement unit which moves a subject placed in a static magnetic field, a collector which collects data corresponding to a magnetic resonance signal emitted from the subject, a detector which detects a position of a particular section of the subject in the static magnetic field, a reconstruction unit which reconstructs an image, based on the collected data, when the detected position falls within an allowable area, and a controller which controls the movement unit to compensate for a deviation of the detected position from a reference position.

Claims

1. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising:

a movement unit which moves a subject placed in a static magnetic field;

a collector which collects data corresponding to a magnetic resonance signal emitted from the subject;

a detector which detects a position of a particular section of the subject in the static magnetic field;

a reconstruction unit which reconstructs an image, based on the collected data, when the detected position falls within an allowable area; and

a controller which controls the movement unit to compensate for a deviation of the detected position from a reference position.

2. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the collector also collects position detection data corresponding to another magnetic resonance signal emitted from a periphery of the particular section; and

the detector detects the position of the particular section based on the position detection data.

3. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the collector collects the data periodically;

the detector detects the position of the particular section before the collector collects the data; and

the reconstruction unit employs part of the data collected by the collector when reconstructing the image, the part being collected immediately after the position of the particular section is detected in the allowable area.

4. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the controller controls the movement unit to compensate for the deviation when a rate of employment of the data by the reconstruction unit is not more than a preset value.

5. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a unit which provides a user with information indicating the deviation, and wherein the controller controls the movement unit to compensate for the deviation in accordance with an instruction from the user.

6. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller moves the movement unit when the collector does not perform data collection.

7. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising:

a collector which collects data corresponding to a magnetic resonance signal emitted from a subject placed in a static magnetic field;

a detector which detects a position of a particular section of the subject in the static magnetic field;

a setting unit which sets an allowable area in accordance with a range of variations in the position detected by the detector within a unit period; and

a reconstruction unit which reconstructs an image based on the collected data, if the collected data is collected when the detected position falls within the allowable area.

8. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the setting unit sets a size of the allowable range in accordance with a variance in the detected position.

9. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the setting unit sets the allowable area in accordance with a rate of probability of the detected position falling within the allowable area.

10. A magnetic resonance imaging method for use in a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus with a movement unit for moving a subject placed in a static magnetic field, comprising:

collecting data corresponding to a magnetic resonance signal emitted from the subject;

detecting a position of a particular section of the subject in the static magnetic field;

reconstructing an image, based on the collected data, when the detected position falls within an allowable area; and

controlling the movement unit to compensate for a deviation of the detected position from a reference position.

11. A magnetic resonance imaging method comprising:

collecting data corresponding to a magnetic resonance signal emitted from a subject placed in a static magnetic field;

detecting a position of a particular section of the subject in the static magnetic field;

setting an allowable area in accordance with a range of variations in the position detected within a unit period; and

reconstructing an image based on the collected data, if the collected data is collected when the detected position falls within the allowable area.