Primate radiofrequency coil device for clinical ultra-high field magnetic resonance system

Abstract

The present application discloses a primate radio frequency coil device for a clinical ultra-high field magnetic resonance system, comprising: an animal fixing seat for fixing the animal to be tested, a helmet-type receiving coil support shell connected to the action fixing seat through a universal connecting rod and capable of being worn on the head of the animal to be tested, a radio frequency receiving coil arranged in the receiving coil support shell, a transmitting coil support shell connected to the action fixing seat through a universal connecting rod and having a circular ring structure, and a radio frequency transmitting coil arranged in the transmitting coil support shell. The position and angle of the radio frequency transmitting coil and the radio frequency receiving coil in the device can be easily adjusted as needed, so that the region of interest is in the position with the best uniformity of the transmitting field, solving the problem of inherent non-uniformity of the radio frequency transmitting field in clinical ultra-high field magnetic resonance imaging applications, and effectively improving the accuracy of medical images in the region of interest.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of magnetic resonance imaging, and in particular to a primate radio frequency coil device for use in a clinical ultra-high field magnetic resonance system. Background Art

[0002] In ultra-high field magnetic resonance imaging systems (greater than 3 Tesla), due to the increase in resonance frequency, the wavelength of the radio frequency wave is shortened, similar to or smaller than the size of the imaging object, resulting in increased inhomogeneity of the transmission field. The birdcage coil widely used in low-field excitation magnetic resonance signals can no longer meet the requirements of uniformity of the transmission field, so it is necessary to design a transmission coil independent of the magnetic resonance system. Most radio frequency coils used in ultra-high fields are usually designed with the transmitting and receiving coils as one, that is, the receiving coil is fixed according to the region of interest, and the relative position of the transmitting coil and the region of interest is also determined. However, at this time, the region of interest is not necessarily in the position with the best uniformity of the transmission field. The inhomogeneity will cause the signal in different areas of the image to increase or decrease, greatly affecting the quality of imaging. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of this application is to propose a primate radio frequency coil device for a clinical ultra-high field magnetic resonance system in response to the above-mentioned problems, in which the positions and angles of the radio frequency transmitting coil and the radio frequency receiving coil can be easily adjusted as needed so that the region of interest is located at a position with the best uniformity of the transmitting field.

[0004] The technical solution of this application is:

[0005] A primate radio frequency coil device for use in a clinical ultra-high field magnetic resonance system, comprising:

[0006] Animal holder for fixing the animal to be tested.

[0007] A helmet-shaped receiving coil support shell connected to the action fixing seat through a universal connecting rod and capable of being worn on the head of the animal being tested,

[0008] A radio frequency receiving coil is arranged in the receiving coil supporting shell.

[0009] A transmitting coil support shell connected to the action fixing seat through a universal connecting rod and having a circular ring structure, and

[0010] A radio frequency transmitting coil is arranged in the transmitting coil supporting shell.

[0011] The animal fixing seat comprises:

[0012] A support board for supporting the animal's body,

[0013] Two baffles are respectively fixed on the left and right sides of the animal body supporting plate,

[0014] two guide rods respectively fixed to the tops of the two baffles and extending horizontally frontward and rearward perpendicular to the ear bars, and

[0015] Three rod clamps respectively connected to the two guide rods and whose fixed positions on the guide rods are adjustable forward and backward;

[0016] The three rod clamps are respectively connected to three universal connecting rods, one of which is connected to the transmitting coil supporting shell, and the other two are connected to the receiving coil supporting shell.

[0017] The universal connecting rod connected to the receiving coil support shell is made of plastic material, and includes:

[0018] A first ball head tube, which is composed of a first tube body and a first hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the first tube body, and the other end of the first tube body is fastened to the rod clamp by a screw;

[0019] A first ball-and-socket tube, which is composed of a second tube body and two first ball sockets integrally formed at two ends of the second tube body;

[0020] A first ball head and socket tube, which is composed of a third tube body, a second hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the third tube body, and a second ball socket integrally formed at the other end of the third tube body, wherein the first hollow ball head and the second hollow ball head are respectively interference-embedded in the two first ball sockets;

[0021] A second ball head and socket tube, which is composed of a fourth tube body, a third hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the fourth tube body, and a third ball socket integrally formed at the other end of the fourth tube body, wherein the third hollow ball head is interference fit in the second ball socket;

[0022] A third ball head and socket tube, which is composed of a fifth tube body, a fourth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the fifth tube body, and a fourth socket integrally formed at the other end of the fifth tube body, wherein the fourth hollow ball head is interference fit in the third socket; and

[0023] The second ball head tube is composed of a sixth tube body and a fifth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the sixth tube body. The other end of the sixth tube body is fixedly connected to the receiving coil support shell, and the fifth hollow ball head is interference fit in the fourth ball socket.

[0024] The fifth tube body is a right-angle structure, which is composed of two vertically arranged tube sections.

[0025] The universal connecting rod connected to the transmitting coil support shell is made of plastic material, and includes:

[0026] A third ball head tube, which is composed of a seventh tube body and a sixth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the seventh tube body, and the other end of the seventh tube body is fastened to the rod clamp by a screw;

[0027] A second ball-and-socket tube, which is composed of an eighth tube body and two fifth ball sockets integrally formed at two ends of the eighth tube body;

[0028] A fourth ball head and socket tube, which is composed of a ninth tube body, a seventh hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the ninth tube body, and a sixth ball socket integrally formed at the other end of the ninth tube body, wherein the sixth hollow ball head and the seventh hollow ball head are respectively interference-embedded in the two fifth ball sockets;

[0029] A fifth ball head and socket tube, which is composed of a tenth tube body, an eighth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the tenth tube body, and a seventh socket integrally formed at the other end of the tenth tube body, wherein the eighth hollow ball head is interference fit in the sixth socket;

[0030] A sixth ball head and socket tube, which is composed of an eleventh tube body, a ninth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the eleventh tube body, and an eighth socket integrally formed at the other end of the eleventh tube body, wherein the ninth hollow ball head is interference fit in the seventh socket;

[0031] A seventh ball head and socket tube, which is composed of a twelfth tube body, a tenth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the twelfth tube body, and a ninth socket integrally formed at the other end of the twelfth tube body, wherein the tenth hollow ball head is interference fit in the eighth socket;

[0032] an eighth ball head and socket tube, which is composed of a thirteenth tube body, an eleventh hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the thirteenth tube body, and a tenth socket integrally formed at the other end of the thirteenth tube body, wherein the eleventh hollow ball head is interference fit in the ninth socket; and

[0033] The fourth ball head tube is composed of a fourteenth tube body and a twelfth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the fourteenth tube body, the other end of the fourteenth tube body is fixedly connected to the transmitting coil support shell, and the twelfth hollow ball head is interference fit in the tenth ball socket.

[0034] The thirteenth tube body is a right-angle structure, which is composed of two vertically arranged tube sections.

[0035] Two rod clamps connected to the receiving coil supporting shell are respectively connected to the two guide rods.

[0036] The receiving coil support shell is provided with a plurality of test holes for inserting data acquisition equipment. The radio frequency receiving coil is composed of a plurality of coil units, and a coil unit is arranged around the periphery of each of the test holes.

[0037] The coil supporting shell is composed of an inner shell wall and an outer shell wall which are detachably connected, and the coil unit is arranged against the outer surface of the inner shell wall.

[0038] The coil unit is arranged around the periphery of the test hole and is arranged close to the outer surface of the wall of the test hole.

[0039] The animal holder also includes two ear bars connected to the two baffles respectively;

[0040] The radio frequency receiving coil includes:

[0041] A left ear coil unit mounted on the left ear of the tested animal and one of the ear bars, and

[0042] A right ear coil unit is mounted close to the outer periphery of the right ear of the tested animal and the outer periphery of another ear bar;

[0043] The left ear coil unit and the right ear coil unit are both annular structures, and are composed of an upper half circle and a lower half circle that are detachably connected to each other, the upper half circle is accommodated in the receiving coil support shell, and the lower half circle is accommodated in a long strip of protective shell, the surface of the receiving coil support shell is provided with an inwardly extending plug hole, the end of the protective shell can be detachably inserted into the plug hole, and a clearance hole is formed between the protective shell and the receiving coil support shell for being sleeved on the periphery of the ear of the animal being tested and the periphery of the ear rod.

[0044] This application has the following beneficial effects:

[0045] 1. The present application designs the RF transmitting coil and the RF receiving coil as two independent parts, and connects the receiving coil support shell and the transmitting coil support shell supporting the RF transmitting coil and the RF receiving coil to the animal holder respectively with universal connecting rods, so that the placement position and angle of the receiving coil support shell and the transmitting coil support shell on the animal holder can be adjusted respectively. In this way, not only can the RF receiving coil in the receiving coil support shell be placed as close to the animal scalp as possible, the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal induction reception can be improved, and a clearer magnetic resonance image can be obtained, but also the angle and position of the RF transmitting coil can be adjusted to make the region of interest in the position with the best uniformity of the transmitting field.

[0046] 2. Each rod section of the universal connecting rod is made of plastic parts with plastic deformation ability, and the adjacent rod sections are connected to each other by means of the ball head and ball socket structure. After assembly, the ball head and the ball socket are interference fit. In the natural state, the relative position of the two is fixed, so that the coil support shell is kept at a fixed angle. When the user applies a sufficiently large force to the ball head or the ball socket, the two will rotate relative to each other, thereby adjusting the placement angle of the coil support shell.

[0047] 3. The ball head on the corresponding rod section of the universal connecting rod is a hollow ball head. Compared with the solid ball head, the hollow ball head has a stronger plastic deformation ability, which facilitates the assembly of the universal connecting rod; and the hollow ball head uses less material, thereby reducing the material cost; at the same time, the hollow ball head has a small weight, thereby reducing the possibility of the universal connecting rod bending and deforming due to the gravity of the ball head.

[0048] 4. The helmet-shaped coil support shell and the animal fixing seat are connected to each other through a universal connecting rod that can be bent and fixed, so that the coil support shell can assist the animal fixing seat to strengthen the fixing effect on the animal's head.

[0049] 5. The present application provides a test hole for inserting a data acquisition device on the receiving coil support shell, so that images or data of other imaging methods can be acquired while collecting magnetic resonance images, thereby realizing multimodal imaging. A coil unit is arranged around the periphery of each test hole. During imaging detection, the RF receiving coil in the coil support shell will be closer to the animal's scalp, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio of signal induction reception and improving the quality of magnetic resonance imaging. In addition, the detection hole increases the gas permeability between the imaging tissue and the external environment, which can dissipate the generated heat in time, prevent local overheating or hypoxia, avoid damage to body tissues, and improve the accuracy of the detection data. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] The present application is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments:

[0051] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the radio frequency coil device in the embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the radio frequency coil device in another perspective in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the radio frequency coil device in the embodiment of the present application after the transmitting coil support shell is removed;

[0054] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the radio frequency coil device in the embodiment of the present application after the receiving coil support shell is removed;

[0055] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the receiving coil support shell part in the embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the ear receiving coil support shell after the lower half of the ear coil is disassembled in the embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the first ball head tube and the rod clamp in the embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 8 for Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of

[0059] Fig. 9 for Figure 7 Exploded diagram of

[0060] Fig.10 Schematic diagram of the connection structure between the first ball head and the first ball socket tube in the embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Fig.11 for Fig.10 A cross-sectional view of

[0062] in:

[0063] 1 animal fixing seat, 2 universal connecting rod, 3 receiving coil supporting shell, 4 transmitting coil supporting shell, 5 screw, 6 protective shell, 7 clearance hole;

[0064] 101 supporting plate, 102 baffle plate, 103 guide rod, 104 rod clamp;

[0065] 104a positioning groove;

[0066] 201 a first ball head tube, 202 a first ball socket tube, 203 a first ball head and socket tube, 204 a second ball head and socket tube, 205 a third ball head and socket tube, 206 a second ball head tube, 207 a third ball head tube, 208 a second ball socket tube, 209 a fourth ball head and socket tube, 210 a fifth ball head and socket tube, 211 a sixth ball head and socket tube, 212 a seventh ball head and socket tube, 213 an eighth ball head and socket tube, 214 a fourth ball head tube;

[0067] 201a first tube body, 201b first hollow ball head, 201a-1 annular inner flange;

[0068] 301 inner shell wall, 302 outer shell wall, 303 detection hole, 304 plug-in hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] The present application is further described in detail below through specific implementations in combination with the accompanying drawings. The present application can be implemented in a variety of different forms and is not limited to the implementation described in this embodiment. The purpose of providing the following specific implementations is to facilitate a clearer and more thorough understanding of the disclosure of the present application, wherein words indicating directions such as up, down, left, and right are only for the position of the structure shown in the corresponding drawings.

[0070] However, those skilled in the art may realize that one or more of the specific details may be omitted, or other methods, components or materials may be used. In some examples, some embodiments are not described or are not described in detail.

[0071] In addition, the technical features and technical solutions described herein may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It is easy for a person skilled in the art to understand that the steps or operation sequence of the methods related to the embodiments provided herein may also be changed. Therefore, any sequence in the drawings and embodiments is only for illustrative purposes and does not imply a requirement to follow a certain sequence unless it is explicitly stated that a certain sequence is required.

[0072] The serial numbers of the components in this document, such as "first", "second", etc., are only used to distinguish the objects described and do not have any order or technical meaning. The "connection" and "coupling" mentioned in this application, unless otherwise specified, include direct and indirect connections (couplings).

[0073] Embodiment 1:

[0074] Figures 1 to 11 A preferred embodiment of the radio frequency coil device of the present application is shown, which is mainly composed of an animal fixing seat 1, three universal connecting rods 2, a receiving coil support shell 3, a radio frequency receiving coil, a transmitting coil support shell 4, a radio frequency transmitting coil, etc., wherein:

[0075] The animal holder 1 is used to fix the animal to be tested, usually a monkey.

[0076] The receiving coil support shell 3 is a helmet-type structure adapted to the head of a primate, and has a head receiving cavity for accommodating the head of the animal being tested, and can be worn on the head of the animal being tested. The coil support shell 3 is mainly used to support and protect the radio frequency receiving coil 4 therein.

[0077] The transmitting coil support shell 4 is a circular ring structure, in which a radio frequency transmitting coil consisting of only one coil unit is arranged. The coil unit is a circular ring structure and is arranged concentrically with the circular ring-shaped transmitting coil support shell.

[0078] The radio frequency receiving coil and the radio frequency transmitting coil are fixedly supported in the receiving coil supporting shell 3 and the radio frequency receiving coil 4 respectively, and both are core components of magnetic resonance imaging.

[0079] Two of the universal connecting rods 2 connect the aforementioned animal fixing seat 1 and the receiving coil supporting shell 3 , and the other universal connecting rod 2 connects the aforementioned animal fixing seat 1 and the transmitting coil supporting shell 4 .

[0080] After the animal under test is fixed on the animal fixing seat 1, the experimenter can bend the corresponding two universal connecting rods 2 to adjust the placement position and placement angle of the receiving coil support shell 3 and the transmitting coil support shell 4, so that the receiving coil support shell 3 can be worn on the animal's head in a snug manner, thereby making the radio frequency receiving coil in the receiving coil support shell 3 as close to the animal's scalp as possible, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio of signal induction reception and obtaining a clearer magnetic resonance image. At the same time, the experimenter can also bend another universal connecting rod 2 to adjust the placement position and placement angle of the transmitting coil support shell 4, so that the region of interest is in a position with the best uniformity of the transmitting field.

[0081] In this embodiment, the terms “front, back, left, and right” are used in the same manner unless otherwise specified. Figure 1 For reference, in Figure 1 In the figure, perpendicular to the paper plane and outward is the front, perpendicular to the paper plane and inward is the back, parallel to the paper plane and to the left is the right, and parallel to the paper plane and to the right is the left, which corresponds to the body position of the animal being measured (the face of the animal being measured is ahead during imaging).

[0082] The animal holder 1 mainly includes a supporting plate 101, two baffles 102, two ear bars (not shown), two guide rods 103 and three rod clamps 103. Among them:

[0083] The supporting plate 101 is arranged at a small angle and is used to support the body of the animal being tested.

[0084] The two baffles 102 are respectively fixed to the left and right sides of the animal body supporting plate, and the two baffles 102 are arranged substantially vertically.

[0085] Similar to the ear bar structure configured in some traditional coil devices, the two ear bars in this embodiment are respectively installed on the left and right baffles, and the length of each ear bar is horizontally extended from left to right. The left and right positions of the ear bars on the baffles are adjustable. Specifically, the baffles are provided with ear bar plug holes that pass through the left and right sides and screw holes that are vertically connected to the ear bar plug holes. The ear bars can be movably inserted into the ear bar plug holes. After adjusting the left and right positions of the ear bars, the locking screws are locked into the screw holes and squeezed on the ear bars, thereby fixing the ear bars. In actual application, the two ear bars are respectively pressed against the ears of the animal being tested to fix the position of the animal's head.

[0086] The two guide rods 103 are respectively fixed to the tops of the left and right baffles, and the length of each guide rod 103 is perpendicular to the ear bar and extends horizontally from front to back.

[0087] There are three rod clamps 104, two of which are connected to the right guide rod 103 one after the other, and the other rod clamp 104 is connected to the left guide rod 103. Obviously, the fixed position of each rod clamp 104 on the guide rod can be adjusted forward and backward. The three universal connecting rods 2 mentioned above are respectively connected to the three rod clamps 104, so that when in use, the connection position of the universal connecting rod 2 and the animal fixing seat 1 can be adjusted by changing the front and rear positions of the rod clamps 104 on the guide rod 103, so that the relative positions of the receiving coil support shell 3 and the transmitting coil support shell 4 and the animal fixing seat 1 can be adjusted in a wide range to better adapt to the head position of the animal to be tested.

[0088] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the three universal connecting rods 2 are all made of plastic, wherein the two universal connecting rods 2 connected to the receiving coil supporting shell 3 adopt the first structure, and the universal connecting rod 2 connected to the transmitting coil supporting shell 4 adopts the second structure.

[0089] The first structure of the universal connecting rod 2 comprises six rod sections, namely, a first ball head tube 201, a first ball socket tube 202, a first ball head and socket tube 203, a second ball head and socket tube 204, a third ball head and socket tube 205, and a second ball head tube 206, which are sequentially arranged and connected to each other along the length direction of the universal connecting rod. Specifically:

[0090] The first ball head tube 201 is composed of a first tube body 201a and a first tube body 201a formed integrally at one end of the first tube body ( Figure 8 The first hollow ball head 201b is formed at the left end of the first tube body, and the other end of the first tube body ( Figure 8The first ball socket tube 202 is composed of a second tube body and two first sockets integrally formed at both ends of the second tube body. The first ball head socket tube 203 is composed of a third tube body, a second hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the third tube body, and a second socket integrally formed at the other end of the third tube body. The first hollow ball head 201b and the second hollow ball head are respectively inserted in the aforementioned two first sockets. The second ball head socket tube 204 is composed of a fourth tube body, a third hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the fourth tube body, and a third socket integrally formed at the other end of the fourth tube body. The third hollow ball head is inserted in the aforementioned second socket. The third ball head socket tube 205 is composed of a fifth tube body, a fourth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the fifth tube body, and a fourth socket integrally formed at the other end of the fifth tube body. The fourth hollow ball head is inserted in the aforementioned third socket. The second ball head tube 205 is composed of a sixth tube body and a fifth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the sixth tube body. The other end of the sixth tube body is fixedly connected to the receiving coil support shell 3, and the fifth hollow ball head is interference fit in the aforementioned fourth ball socket.

[0091] The universal connecting rod 2 of the second structure comprises a total of 8 rod sections, namely, a third ball head tube 207, a second ball socket tube 208, a fourth ball head socket tube 209, a fifth ball head socket tube 210, a sixth ball head socket tube 211, a seventh ball head socket tube 212, an eighth ball head socket tube 213 and a fourth ball head tube 214, which are sequentially arranged and interconnected along the length direction of the universal connecting rod. Specifically:

[0092] The third ball head tube 207 is composed of the seventh tube body and the sixth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the seventh tube body, and the other end of the seventh tube body is fastened to the rod clamp 104 by screws. The second ball socket tube 208 is composed of the eighth tube body and two fifth ball sockets integrally formed at both ends of the eighth tube body. The fourth ball head and socket tube 209 is composed of the ninth tube body, the seventh hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the ninth tube body, and the sixth ball socket integrally formed at the other end of the ninth tube body, and the sixth hollow ball head and the seventh hollow ball head are respectively inserted in the aforementioned two fifth ball sockets. The fifth ball head and socket tube 210 is composed of the tenth tube body, the eighth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the tenth tube body, and the seventh ball socket integrally formed at the other end of the tenth tube body, and the eighth hollow ball head is inserted in the aforementioned sixth ball socket. The sixth ball head and socket tube 211 is composed of the eleventh tube body, the ninth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the eleventh tube body, and the eighth socket integrally formed at the other end of the eleventh tube body, and the ninth hollow ball head is inserted in the seventh socket. The seventh ball head and socket tube 212 is composed of the twelfth tube body, the tenth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the twelfth tube body, and the ninth socket integrally formed at the other end of the twelfth tube body, and the tenth hollow ball head is inserted in the eighth socket. The eighth ball head and socket tube 213 is composed of the thirteenth tube body, the eleventh hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the thirteenth tube body, and the tenth socket integrally formed at the other end of the thirteenth tube body, and the eleventh hollow ball head is inserted in the ninth socket. The fourth ball head tube 214 is composed of a fourteenth tube body and a twelfth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the fourteenth tube body. The other end of the fourteenth tube body is fixedly connected to the transmitting coil support shell 4, and the twelfth hollow ball head is interference fit in the aforementioned tenth ball socket.

[0093] It is not difficult to see that the universal connecting rod 2 connecting the transmitting coil support shell 4 has two more rod segments than the universal connecting rod 2 connecting the receiving coil support shell 3, and the two additional rod segments are both ball head and ball socket tubes. By increasing the number of rod segments of the second universal connecting rod 2, the placement angle of the transmitting coil support shell 4 and the RF transmitting coil therein can be adjusted in a wider range in practical applications.

[0094] The fifth tube body is a right-angle structure, which is composed of two vertically arranged tube segments, the fourth hollow ball head is arranged at the protruding end of one tube segment, and the fourth ball socket is arranged at the protruding end of the other tube segment. The thirteenth tube body is also a right-angle structure, which is composed of two vertically arranged tube segments, the eleventh hollow ball head is arranged at the protruding end of one tube segment, and the tenth ball socket is arranged at the protruding end of the other tube segment.

[0095] In order to more stably support the relatively heavy receiving coil supporting shell 3 , the two rod clamps 104 connected to the receiving coil supporting shell 3 are respectively connected to the two guide rods 103 .

[0096] The universal connecting rod 2 is made of plastic, and the hollow ball head and ball socket on it will produce plastic deformation under the action of external force, so the hollow ball head can be squeezed into the ball socket manually or with the help of tools to complete the assembly of the universal connecting rod 2. After the assembly is completed, the hollow ball head and the ball socket are interference fit (that is, the two are tightly matched), and the relative position of the two is fixed in the natural state. When the user applies a sufficiently large force to the hollow ball head or the ball socket, the two will move relative to each other - the hollow ball head rotates in the ball socket, thereby changing the connection angle of each rod segment of the universal connecting rod.

[0097] Compared with a solid ball head, a hollow ball head has a stronger plastic deformation ability, which makes it easier to assemble the universal connecting rod. In addition, the hollow ball head uses less material, which reduces the material cost. At the same time, the hollow ball head has a small weight, which reduces the possibility of the universal connecting rod bending and deforming due to the weight of the ball head.

[0098] As described above, the other end of the first tube ( Figure 8 The right end of the rod 104 is fastened and connected with the rod clamp 104 by screws 5. The following will introduce this fastening connection method in detail:

[0099] The first ball head tube 201 is provided with a first through hole with two ends respectively located at the first tube body 201a and the first hollow ball head 201b. The first through hole is also the tube hole of the first ball head tube. Figure 8 The rod clamp 104 has an inner ring 201a-1 which is located at the opening of one end of the first through hole and convex radially inward, and the surface of the rod clamp 104 is provided with an inner ring 201a-1 which is concave inward. The other end of the first tube body 201a is embedded in the positioning groove 104a, and the screw of the screw 5 is locked into the rod clamp 104. The inner ring 201a-1 is pressed and fixed between the screw head of the screw 5 and the rod clamp 104.

[0100] The screw 5 is a large-head screw, that is, the radial dimension of the screw head portion is much larger than the radial dimension of the screw shaft portion.

[0101] In this embodiment, the radio frequency receiving coil fixed in the receiving coil support shell 3 is composed of 6 annular coil units, namely a left ear coil unit, a right ear coil unit, and another four coil units located between the left ear coil unit and the right ear coil unit. During imaging detection, the left ear coil unit is sleeved on the left ear bar and the periphery of the left ear of the animal under test, and the right ear coil unit is sleeved on the right ear bar and the periphery of the right ear of the animal under test.

[0102] When conducting the experiment, the standard experimental operation procedure is to first fix the anesthetized animal under test (primate, generally a monkey) on the animal fixing frame 1, then wear the coil support shell with the above-mentioned radio frequency receiving coil inside on the animal's head, and then perform a magnetic resonance imaging examination. However, when the head of the animal under test is fixed, the ear bars on both sides are against the ears of the animal. Blocked by the ear bars, the above-mentioned left ear coil unit and the right ear coil unit cannot be closely mounted on the outer periphery of the ear of the animal under test, that is, the experimenter cannot wear the coil support shell on the animal's head unless the two ear coil units on both sides of the radio frequency receiving coil are removed. However, we found that if the two ear coil units on both sides of the radio frequency receiving coil are removed, it will have a greater negative impact on the imaging quality and imaging range.

[0103] However, this embodiment solves the above problem very cleverly: Figure 6 As shown, the left ear coil unit and the right ear coil unit are respectively composed of a detachable upper half circle and a lower half circle, wherein the upper half circle is always completely fixed inside the receiving coil support shell 3, and the surface of the receiving coil support shell 3 is provided with an inwardly extending plug hole 304, and the lower half circle is arranged in a long strip protective shell. During the experiment, after the animal to be tested is fixed, the lower half circle of the ear coil unit has not been installed at this time, so the receiving coil support shell 3 can be smoothly worn on the animal's head, and then the two ends of the protective shell 6 are respectively aligned with the two plug holes 304 at the bottom of the receiving coil support shell 3 and inserted upward, and the two ends of the lower half circle in the protective shell 6 are connected to the two ends of the upper half circle in the receiving coil support shell 3 to form a complete ear coil unit, and at this time, a clearance hole 7 is formed between the protective shell 6 and the receiving coil support shell 3, which is sleeved on the ear of the animal to be tested and the outer periphery of the ear bar, and the ear coil unit is just surrounded by the outer periphery of the clearance hole 7.

[0104] In this embodiment, the two ends of the lower half circle and the two ends of the upper half circle are connected to each other in the following manner: a conductive block connected to the end of the lower half circle is provided at the end of the protective shell 6, and a conductive spring connected to the end of the upper half circle is provided in the plug hole 304. After assembly, the conductive block and the conductive spring are elastically abutted against each other, that is, the lower half circle and the upper half circle are indirectly connected by means of the conductive block and the conductive spring abutting against each other.

[0105] If the protective shell 6 and the receiving coil support shell 3 are fixed only by the elastic clamping force of the conductive spring and the conductive block, the protective shell 6 may fall off if not carefully during the experiment. In this regard, a flexible rubber ring is fixedly installed in the plug hole 304. When the end of the protective shell 6 is inserted into the plug hole 304, the end of the protective shell 6 is surrounded by the rubber ring and elastically clamped by the rubber ring.

[0106] If the protective shell 6 is made of a hard plastic material that cannot be deformed, it is necessary to ensure that the protective shell 6 has a very high manufacturing accuracy to minimize the assembly tolerance between the two ends of the protective shell 6 and the plug-in holes on the coil support shell 3, otherwise the protective shell 6 will be difficult or impossible to assemble onto the coil support shell 3. In addition, the hard protective shell 6 must also have a sufficiently large thickness, otherwise the elongated protective shell 6 will easily break when subjected to force. In this regard, the present embodiment uses a flexible material that can be bent at will to make the aforementioned protective shell 6, so that the angle and position of the end of the protective shell 6 can be adjusted at will during assembly to match the position and angle of the plug-in hole 304 on the coil support shell 3, and the two protective shells 6 on the left and right sides can be replaced at will. Moreover, the protective shell 6 made of a flexible material can be perfectly placed against the ears of each animal being tested to improve imaging quality.

[0107] The above-mentioned flexible material can be rubber or insulating DuPont cloth and the like.

[0108] In order to be able to acquire images or data of other imaging methods while acquiring magnetic resonance images, the present embodiment has four test holes 303 for inserting data acquisition equipment through the above-mentioned receiving coil support shell 3. When performing magnetic resonance imaging on an animal, the required probe or electrode can be inserted through the aforementioned test hole 303 and attached to the surface of the animal's scalp or inserted into the cerebral cortex to acquire images or data of other imaging methods, thereby realizing multimodal imaging.

[0109] Furthermore, the four coil units between the two ear coil units are respectively arranged around the periphery of the four test holes 303. In this way, during imaging detection, the radio frequency receiving coil in the receiving coil support shell 3 will be closer to the animal's scalp, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio of signal induction reception and improving the quality of magnetic resonance imaging. This is because:

[0110] 1. After the receiving coil support shell 3 is opened, the opening will not block the animal's head, and will not be blocked by the exposed part of the fixing device implanted in the animal's head, so that the inner wall surface of the receiving coil support shell 3 can be closer to the animal's scalp.

[0111] 2. The head of the animal is roughly spherical, and the head area at the test hole 303 will extend into the test hole 303 and the coil unit outside the test hole 303.

[0112] In addition, during the process of magnetic resonance imaging, a safety factor that cannot be ignored is the thermal effect of the radio frequency field. Although magnetic resonance examination does not use X-rays, it needs to emit radio frequency pulses to excite hydrogen protons in the body. The tissue absorbs the energy of the radio frequency, which may cause the temperature of the tissue to rise, and generate heating or heat accumulation effect locally. The accumulation of heat is generally represented by the radio frequency specific absorption rate (SAR) SAR value. The larger the SAR value, the higher the heat accumulated by the radio frequency may be, the more obvious the feeling of tissue heating is, and the greater the increase in local tissue temperature. During the scanning process, especially some magnetic resonance pulse sequences with high SAR values, it may bring excessive thermal effects to the animal's head tissue. In this case, the magnetic resonance image collected is not the magnetic resonance image at the actual body temperature of the animal. However, the rigor of scientific research requires that the experimenter should ensure that the head temperature of the animal is as close to the normal body temperature as possible when performing imaging detection on the animal. The detection hole 303 opened on the receiving coil support shell 3 in this embodiment increases the gas permeability between the imaging tissue and the external environment, which can dissipate the generated heat in time, prevent local overheating or hypoxia, avoid damage to body tissues, and improve the accuracy of the detection data.

[0113] In addition, during the magnetic resonance imaging experiment, with the help of the detection hole 303 opened on the coil, the experimenter can better observe and adjust the distance between the coil and the head of the subject animal, make further flexible positioning and stability reinforcement, and increase the freedom of mechanical fixation of the coil.

[0114] When conducting magnetic resonance imaging experiments, each coil unit of the radio frequency receiving coil will generate heat due to the flow of current, and the detection holes are conducive to the dissipation of heat to prevent local overheating or hypoxia, while improving the accuracy of the detection data. In addition, part of the head of the animal being tested will be extended into the test hole to make the coil unit at the hole closer to the animal's scalp.

[0115] The receiving coil support shell 3 of this embodiment is composed of an inner shell wall 301 and an outer shell wall 302 that are detachably connected, so as to facilitate the assembly of the radio frequency receiving coil in the receiving coil support shell 3. In this embodiment, each coil unit of the radio frequency receiving coil is arranged against the outer surface of the inner shell wall 301, so that each coil unit is closer to the animal scalp during the test. Moreover, in this embodiment, the coil unit at the detection hole is arranged against the outer surface of the hole wall of the detection hole 303. With such a design, the heat generated by the coil unit at the hole can be absorbed and carried away more quickly by the airflow in the hole, and at the same time, the extension amount of the head of the animal under test to the coil unit is further increased, further improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the signal induction reception. The detection hole 303 obviously has a cylindrical hole wall formed by the inner and outer walls of the coil support shell, and the so-called "outer surface of the detection hole wall" refers to the outer peripheral surface of the aforementioned cylindrical hole wall.

[0116] Of course, the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the present application, and their purpose is to enable people to understand the content of the present application and implement it accordingly, and they cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present application. Any equivalent transformation or modification made according to the spirit of the main technical solution of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A primate radio frequency coil device for a clinical ultra-high field magnetic resonance system, characterized in that: include: An animal holder (1) for fixing the animal to be tested, A helmet-type receiving coil support shell (3) connected to the animal fixing seat via a universal connecting rod (2) and capable of being worn on the head of the animal to be tested, a radio frequency receiving coil arranged in the receiving coil supporting shell (3), A transmitting coil support shell (4) connected to the animal fixing seat via a universal connecting rod (2) and having a circular ring structure, and A radio frequency transmitting coil arranged in the transmitting coil supporting shell (4); The animal fixing seat (1) comprises two ear bars respectively connected to two baffles (102); The radio frequency receiving coil includes: A left ear coil unit mounted on the left ear of the tested animal and one of the ear bars, and A right ear coil unit is mounted close to the outer periphery of the right ear of the tested animal and the outer periphery of another ear bar; The left ear coil unit and the right ear coil unit are both annular structures, and are composed of an upper half circle and a lower half circle that are detachably connected to each other, the upper half circle being accommodated in the receiving coil support shell (3), and the lower half circle being accommodated in a long strip-shaped protective shell, the surface of the receiving coil support shell (3) being provided with an inwardly extending plug hole (304), the end of the protective shell (6) being detachably inserted into the plug hole (304), and a clearance hole (7) for being sleeved on the periphery of the ear of the animal being tested and the periphery of the ear bar being formed between the protective shell (6) and the receiving coil support shell (3).

2. The primate radio frequency coil device for clinical ultra-high field magnetic resonance system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The animal fixing seat (1) comprises: A support plate (101) for supporting the body of an animal, Two baffles (102) are respectively fixed on the left and right sides of the animal body supporting plate, Two guide rods (103) are respectively fixed to the tops of the two baffles and have a length perpendicular to the ear bars and extending horizontally front to back, and Three rod clamps (104) respectively connected to the two guide rods (103) and whose fixed positions on the guide rods are adjustable forward and backward; The three rod clamps (104) are respectively connected to three universal connecting rods (2), one of which is connected to the transmitting coil support shell (4), and the other two universal connecting rods (2) are connected to the receiving coil support shell (3).

3. The primate radio frequency coil device for clinical ultra-high field magnetic resonance system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The universal connecting rod (2) connected to the receiving coil support shell (3) is made of plastic material, and comprises the following parts which are arranged in sequence and connected to each other along the length direction of the universal connecting rod: A first ball head tube (201), which is composed of a first tube body (201a) and a first hollow ball head (201b) integrally formed at one end of the first tube body, and the other end of the first tube body is fastened to the rod clamp (104) by means of a screw (5); A first ball-and-socket tube (202), which is composed of a second tube body and two first ball-and-sockets integrally formed at two ends of the second tube body; A first ball head and socket tube (203), which is composed of a third tube body, a second hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the third tube body, and a second socket integrally formed at the other end of the third tube body, wherein the first hollow ball head (201b) and the second hollow ball head are respectively interference-embedded in the two first sockets; A second ball head and socket tube (204), which is composed of a fourth tube body, a third hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the fourth tube body, and a third socket integrally formed at the other end of the fourth tube body, wherein the third hollow ball head is interference fit in the second socket; A third ball head and socket tube (205), which is composed of a fifth tube body, a fourth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the fifth tube body, and a fourth socket integrally formed at the other end of the fifth tube body, wherein the fourth hollow ball head is interference fit in the third socket; and The second ball head tube (206) is composed of a sixth tube body and a fifth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the sixth tube body, the other end of the sixth tube body is fixedly connected to the receiving coil support shell (3), and the fifth hollow ball head is interference fit in the fourth ball socket.

4. The primate radio frequency coil device for clinical ultra-high field magnetic resonance system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The fifth tube body is a right-angle structure, which is composed of two vertically arranged tube sections.

5. The primate radio frequency coil device for clinical ultra-high field magnetic resonance system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The universal connecting rod (2) connected to the transmitting coil support shell (4) is made of plastic material, and comprises the following parts which are arranged in sequence and connected to each other along the length direction of the universal connecting rod: A third ball head tube (207), which is composed of a seventh tube body and a sixth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the seventh tube body, and the other end of the seventh tube body is fastened to the rod clamp (104) by means of screws; A second ball-and-socket tube (208), which is composed of an eighth tube body and two fifth ball-and-sockets integrally formed at two ends of the eighth tube body; A fourth ball head and socket tube (209), which is composed of a ninth tube body, a seventh hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the ninth tube body, and a sixth ball socket integrally formed at the other end of the ninth tube body, wherein the sixth hollow ball head and the seventh hollow ball head are respectively interference-embedded in the two fifth ball sockets; A fifth ball head and socket tube (210), which is composed of a tenth tube body, an eighth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the tenth tube body, and a seventh socket integrally formed at the other end of the tenth tube body, wherein the eighth hollow ball head is interference fit in the sixth socket; A sixth ball head and socket tube (211), which is composed of an eleventh tube body, a ninth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the eleventh tube body, and an eighth socket integrally formed at the other end of the eleventh tube body, wherein the ninth hollow ball head is interference fit in the seventh socket; A seventh ball head and socket tube (212), which is composed of a twelfth tube body, a tenth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the twelfth tube body, and a ninth socket integrally formed at the other end of the twelfth tube body, wherein the tenth hollow ball head is interference fit in the eighth socket; an eighth ball head and socket tube (213), which is composed of a thirteenth tube body, an eleventh hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the thirteenth tube body, and a tenth socket integrally formed at the other end of the thirteenth tube body, wherein the eleventh hollow ball head is interference fit in the ninth socket; and The fourth ball head tube (214) is composed of a fourteenth tube body and a twelfth hollow ball head integrally formed at one end of the fourteenth tube body, the other end of the fourteenth tube body is fixedly connected to the transmitting coil support shell (4), and the twelfth hollow ball head is interference fit in the tenth ball socket.

6. The primate radio frequency coil device for clinical ultra-high field magnetic resonance system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The thirteenth tube body is a right-angle structure, which is composed of two vertically arranged tube sections.

7. The primate radio frequency coil device for clinical ultra-high field magnetic resonance system according to claim 2, characterized in that: Two rod clamps (104) connected to the receiving coil support shell (3) are respectively connected to the two guide rods (103).

8. The primate radio frequency coil device for clinical ultra-high field magnetic resonance system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The receiving coil support shell (3) is provided with a plurality of test holes (303) for inserting data acquisition equipment, and the radio frequency receiving coil is composed of a plurality of coil units, and a coil unit is arranged around the periphery of each of the test holes (303).

9. The primate radio frequency coil device for clinical ultra-high field magnetic resonance system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The receiving coil support shell (3) is composed of an inner shell wall (301) and an outer shell wall (302) that are detachably connected, and the coil unit is arranged against the outer surface of the inner shell wall (301).

10. The primate radio frequency coil device for clinical ultra-high field magnetic resonance system according to claim 9, characterized in that: The coil unit is arranged around the periphery of the test hole (303) and is arranged close to the outer surface of the wall of the test hole (303).

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