APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SYNCHRONIZING CLOCKS BETWEEN DEVICES OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) SYSTEM

• US 20150180647A1
• Filed: 03/04/2015
• Published: 06/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KWON, Young-cheol, CHO, Hyug-rae
• Granted Patent: US 9,658,302 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/3621 NMR receivers or demodulators, e.g. preamplifiers, means for frequency modulation of the MR signal using a digital down converter, means for analog to digital conversion [ADC] or for filtering or processing of the MR signal such as bandpass filtering, resampling, decimation or interpolation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0091 Transmitter details
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements

Abstract

A method of synchronizing clocks between a central controlling unit and a radio frequency (RF) coil which are wireles sly connected to each other in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, which includes receiving a first clock from the central controlling unit, synchronizing a second clock of the RF coil with a received first clock, and discontinuing the receiving of the first clock from the central controlling unit when the second clock is synchronized with the first clock.

Claims

1. An apparatus for synchronizing clocks between a central controlling unit and a radio frequency (RF) coil which are wirelessly connected to each other in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, the apparatus comprising:

a transmission unit which transmits a reference clock to the RF coil; and

a control unit which controls the transmission unit to allow the reference clock to be transmitted before an RF excitation signal is generated in the MRI system.

2. A radio frequency (RF) coil comprising an apparatus for synchronizing clocks between a central controlling unit and the radio frequency (RF) coil which are connected to each other in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, said apparatus comprising:

a transmission unit which transmits a reference clock to the RF coil; and

a control unit which controls the transmission unit to allow the reference clock to be transmitted before an RF excitation signal is generated in the MRI system.