Phase encoding with frequency sweep pulses for magnetic resonance imaging in inhomogeneous magnetic fields

Abstract

To provide single-sided MRI apparatuses, systems and methods.SOLUTION: A method includes: transmitting a frequency sweep excitation pulse comprising a low-to-high frequency sweep; phase-encoding during the frequency sweep excitation pulse; and tuning the amount of phase accumulated during the frequency sweep excitation pulse from adjacent slices in a slab. The frequency sweep excitation pulse can be a chirp pulse. Encoding in this way can prevent spin echoes from drifting and prevent k-space truncation in certain instances. Moreover, the resultant images can be combined more efficiently.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Background technology]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 987,292, filed March 9, 2020, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR LIMITING k-SPACE TRUNCATION IN A SINGLE-SIDED MRI SCANNER," the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Single-sided or open-type magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners typically have a permanent or inherent gradient magnetic field along a longitudinal axis that extends from the single-sided MRI machine into the field of view. The permanent gradient magnetic field can be generated on the face of the permanent magnet by a rare-earth magnet and two sets of gradient coils. This orientation allows imaging within the field of view on the face of the magnet. Designing a system with this form factor allows imaging without enclosing the imaged area. This allows imaging without placing the patient inside the bore, enabling the scanner to be used with other medical equipment, such as a biopsy robot. Additionally, claustrophobic patients are more comfortable being imaged outside the imaging bore of a conventional closed-type MRI scanner. Single-sided MRIs can also be portable and can image anything placed within the field of view.

[0003] The use of surface gradient coils in single-plane scanners, which is typically required for single-plane scanning, can result in field of view changes along the Z axis, drift echoes, and / or eventual k-space truncation, which can introduce blurring and effectively limit the image quality obtainable with single-plane MRI scanners. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for imaging a slab having at least two slices using a single-sided magnetic imaging device defining a unique gradient magnetic field extending into a field of view from the magnetic imaging device includes transmitting a frequency sweep excitation pulse including a sweep from a low frequency to a high frequency, phase encoding during the frequency sweep excitation pulse, and adjusting the amount of phase accumulated from adjacent slices within the slab during the frequency sweep excitation pulse.

[0005] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a magnetic imaging device includes a permanent magnet, a gradient coil set, an electromagnet, a radio frequency coil, wherein a unique gradient magnetic field extends from the magnetic imaging device into a field of view relative to a first axis, the first axis being perpendicular to the permanent magnet, and control circuitry configured to image a slab having at least two slices, wherein the imaging includes delivering a frequency sweep excitation pulse including a sweep from a low frequency to a high frequency, phase encoding during the frequency sweep excitation pulse, and adjusting an amount of phase accumulated from adjacent slices within the slab during the frequency sweep excitation pulse. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] The novel features of the various aspects are set forth with particularity in the appended claims, but the described aspects, both as to organization and method of operation, can best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an MRI scanner according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0008] [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the MRI scanner of FIG. 1 exposing the permanent magnet assembly and gradient coil set within the housing according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0009] [Figure 3]FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the MRI scanner of FIG. 1 according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0010] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the MRI scanner of FIG. 1 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a permanent magnet assembly of the MRI scanner of FIG. 1 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a gradient coil set and permanent magnet assembly of the MRI system shown in FIG. 1 according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0013] [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an exemplary patient positioning for imaging with a single-plane MRI scanner for certain surgical operations and procedures, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a control schematic diagram of a single-plane MRI system according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0015] [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a magnetic gradient along the Z axis, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a graphical representation of X-gradient along the X-axis, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a collection of MRI images comparing image slices that take into account changes in field of view along the Z axis and image slices that do not take into account changes in field of view along the Z axis, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a graphical representation of the position of an echo over time as the echo travels through a phase table, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an illustration of a pulse sequence that compensates for varying field of view in a slice along the Z axis, according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a representative graph of a swept frequency pulse according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram of a pulse sequence illustrating a varying field of view in a slice along the Z axis, according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a collection of MRI slice images according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a collection of MRI slice images according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. For clarity, not every component is shown in every drawing. The illustrations set forth herein illustrate some embodiments of the present invention in one form, and such illustrations should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention in any way. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Applicant also owns an international patent application entitled "PULSE SEQUENCES AND FREQUENCY SWEEP PULSES FOR SINGLE-SIDED MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING," filed March 9, 2021, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 987,286, filed March 9, 2020, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADAPTING DRIVEN EQUILIBRIUM FOURIER TRANSFORM FOR SINGLE-SIDED MRI," both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0026] The following international patent applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: International application PCT / US2020 / 018352, filed February 14, 2020, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ULTRALOW FIELD RELAXATION DISPERSION," now International Publication No. WO2020 / 168233; International application PCT / US2020 / 019530, filed February 24, 2020, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PERFORMING MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING," now International Publication No. WO2020 / 172673; International application PCT / US2020 / 019524, filed February 24, 2020, entitled "PSEUDO-BIRDCAGE COIL WITH VARIABLE TUNING AND APPLICATIONS THEREOF," now published internationally as WO2020 / 172672; International application PCT / US2020 / 024776, filed March 25, 2020, entitled "SINGLE-SIDED FAST MRI GRADIENT FIELD COILS AND APPLICATIONS THEREOF," now International Publication No. WO2020 / 198395; International application PCT / US2020 / 024778, filed March 25, 2020, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR VOLUMETRIC ACQUISITION IN A SINGLE-SIDED MRI SYSTEM," now published as WO2020 / 198396; International application PCT / US2020 / 039667, filed June 25, 2020, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMAGE RECONSTRUCTIONS IN MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING," now published as WO2020 / 264194; · International application PCT / US2021 / 014628, filed January 22, 2021, entitled "MRI-GUIDED ROBOTIC SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR BIOPSY"; · International application PCT / US2021 / 018834, filed February 19, 2021, entitled "RADIO FREQUENCY RECEPTION COIL NETWORKS FOR SINGLE-SIDED MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING."

[0027] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0356480, published December 13, 2018, entitled "PUNILATERAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SYSTEM WITH APERTURE FOR INTERVENTIONS AND METHODOLOGIES FOR OPERATING SAME," is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0028] Before describing various aspects of the MRI system and method in detail, it should be noted that the exemplary embodiments are not limited in application or use to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings and description. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented or incorporated with other embodiments, variations, and modifications, and may be practiced or carried out in various ways. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the terms and phrases used herein have been chosen for the convenience of the reader and for the purpose of describing the exemplary embodiments, and not for the purpose of limiting them. It will also be understood that one or more of the following described aspects, embodiment expressions, and / or examples can be combined with any one or more of the other following described aspects, embodiment expressions, and / or examples.

[0029] According to various aspects, an MRI system is provided that can include a unique imaging region that can be offset from the plane of the magnet. Such offset and single-plane MRI systems are less restrictive than traditional MRI scanners. Furthermore, this form factor can have built-in or inherent magnetic field gradients that create a range of magnetic field values ​​throughout the region of interest. In other words, the inherent magnetic field can be inhomogeneous. The inhomogeneity of the magnetic field strength in the region of interest of a single-plane MRI system can exceed 200 parts per million (ppm). For example, the inhomogeneity of the magnetic field strength in the region of interest of a single-plane MRI system can be between 200 ppm and 200,000 ppm. In various aspects of the present disclosure, the inhomogeneity in the region of interest can exceed 1,000 ppm, and can even exceed 10,000 ppm. In one example, the inhomogeneity in the region of interest can be 81,000 ppm.

[0030] The unique magnetic field gradient can be generated by a permanent magnet within the MRI scanner. The magnetic field strength in the region of interest of a single-sided MRI system can be, for example, less than 1 Tesla (T). For example, the magnetic field strength in the region of interest of a single-sided MRI system can be less than 0.5 T. In other examples, the magnetic field strength can be greater than 1 T, for example, 1.5 T. Because the system can operate at a lower magnetic field strength compared to typical MRI systems, design constraints on the RX coil can be relaxed and / or additional mechanisms, such as robotics, can be used in the MRI scanner. Exemplary MRI-guided robotic systems are further described, for example, in International Application PCT / US2021 / 014628, filed January 22, 2021, entitled "MRI-GUIDED ROBOTIC SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR BIOPSY."

[0031] 1-6 illustrate an MRI scanner 100 and its components. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the MRI scanner 100 includes a housing 120 having a recessed, recessed, or front surface 125. In other embodiments, the surface of the housing 120 may be flat and planar. The front surface 125 may face a subject being imaged by the MRI scanner. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 120 includes a permanent magnet assembly 130, an RF transmit coil (TX) 140, a gradient coil set 150, an electromagnet 160, and an RF receive coil (RX) 170. In other examples, the housing 120 may not include the electromagnet 160. Furthermore, in certain examples, the RF receive coil 170 and the RF transmit coil 140 may be incorporated into a combined Tx / Rx coil array.

[0032] Referring primarily to FIGS. 3-5, the permanent magnet assembly 130 includes an array of magnets. The array of magnets forming the permanent magnet assembly 130 is configured to cover the front surface 125, or patient-facing surface, of the MRI scanner 100 (see FIG. 3) and is represented by horizontal bars in FIG. 4. The permanent magnet assembly 130 includes a plurality of cylindrical permanent magnets in a parallel configuration. Referring primarily to FIG. 5, the permanent magnet assembly 130 includes parallel plates 132 held by brackets 134. The system can be mounted to the housing 120 of the MRI scanner 100 with brackets 136. A plurality of holes 138 can be present in the parallel plates 132. For example, the permanent magnet assembly 130 can include any suitable magnetic material, including, but not limited to, rare-earth-based magnetic materials, such as neodymium-based magnetic materials.

[0033] The permanent magnet assembly 130 defines an access opening or bore 135 that allows access to the patient through the housing 120 from the opposite side of the housing 120. In other aspects of the present disclosure, the array of permanent magnets forming the permanent magnet assembly within the housing 120 may define an uninterrupted or continuous arrangement of permanent magnets without a bore and no bore defined therethrough. In yet other examples, the array of permanent magnets within the housing 120 may form one or more bores / access openings therethrough.

[0034] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, the permanent magnet assembly 130 provides a magnetic field B to the target region 190 along the Z-axis, shown in FIG. 1 . The Z-axis is perpendicular to the permanent magnet assembly 130. Stated differently, the Z-axis extends from the center of the permanent magnet assembly 130 and defines the direction of the magnetic field B away from the plane of the permanent magnet assembly 130. The Z-axis can define the direction of the main magnetic field B. The main magnetic field B can decrease with a specific gradient along the Z-axis, i.e., further away from the plane of the permanent magnet assembly 130, in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 .

[0035] In one embodiment, the magnetic field non-uniformity in the region of interest 190 of the permanent magnet assembly 130 can be approximately 81,000 ppm. In another embodiment, the magnetic field strength non-uniformity in the region of interest 190 of the permanent magnet assembly 130 can be between 200 ppm and 200,000 ppm, in some cases greater than 1,000 ppm, and often greater than 10,000 ppm.

[0036] In one embodiment, the magnetic field strength of the permanent magnet assembly 130 can be less than 1 T. In another embodiment, the magnetic field strength of the permanent magnet assembly 130 can be less than 0.5 T. In other examples, the magnetic field strength of the permanent magnet assembly 130 can be greater than 1 T, for example, 1.5 T. Referring primarily to FIG. 1 , the Y-axis extends up and down from the Z-axis, and the X-axis extends left and right from the Z-axis. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are all perpendicular to one another, with the positive direction of each axis indicated by the corresponding arrow in FIG. 1 .

[0037] The RF transmit coil 140 is configured to transmit an RF waveform and associated electromagnetic field. The RF pulses from the RF transmit coil 140 are configured to rotate the magnetization produced by the permanent magnet 130 by generating an effective magnetic field, referred to as B1, that is orthogonal to the direction of the permanent magnetic field (e.g., in the orthogonal plane).

[0038] Referring primarily to FIG. 3 , gradient coil set 150 includes two gradient coil sets 152, 154. Gradient coil sets 152, 154 are disposed on a face or front surface 125 of permanent magnet assembly 130, intermediate permanent magnet assembly 130 and region of interest 190. Each gradient coil set 152, 154 includes a coil portion on either side of bore 135. Referring to the axes of FIG. 1 , gradient coil set 154 can be, for example, the gradient coil set corresponding to the X-axis, and gradient coil set 152 can be, for example, the gradient coil set corresponding to the Y-axis. Gradient coils 152, 154 enable encoding along the X-axis and Y-axis, as described further herein.

[0039] According to various embodiments using the MRI scanner 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1-6, the patient can be positioned in a variety of different positions depending on the type of anatomical scan. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of scanning the pelvis with the MRI scanner 100. To perform the scan, the patient 210 lies on a surface in the lithotomy position. As illustrated in FIG. 7, for a pelvic scan, the patient 210 can be positioned with their back on the table and their legs elevated and resting on top of the scanner 100. The pelvic region can be positioned directly in front of the permanent magnet assembly 130 and bore 135, with the region of interest 190 within the pelvic region of the patient 210.

[0040] Referring now to FIG. 8, a control schematic diagram of a single-sided MRI system 300 is shown. The single-sided MRI scanner 100 and / or its components (FIGS. 1-6) can be incorporated into the MRI system 300 in various embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the imaging system 300 includes a permanent magnet assembly 308, which in various cases can be similar to the permanent magnet assembly 130 (see FIGS. 2-5). For example, the imaging system 300 also includes an RF transmit coil 310, which can be similar to the RF transmit coil 140 (see FIG. 3). Additionally, for example, the imaging system 300 includes an RF receive coil 314, which can be similar to the RF receive coil 170 (see FIG. 3). In various embodiments, the RF transmit coil 310 and / or the RF receive coil may be disposed within the housing of the MRI scanner, and in some cases, the RF transmit coil 310 and the RF receive coil 314 may be combined into an integrated Tx / Rx coil. System 300 also includes a gradient coil 320 configured to generate magnetic gradient fields to facilitate imaging of objects within field of view 312 .

[0041] The single-sided MRI system 300 also includes a computer 302 in signal communication with a spectrometer 304 and configured to transmit and receive signals between the computer 302 and the spectrometer 304 .

[0042] The main magnetic field B0 generated by the permanent magnet 308 extends in a field of view 312, away from the permanent magnet 308 and away from the RF transmit coil 310. The field of view 312 contains the object being imaged by the MRI system 300.

[0043] During the imaging process, the main magnetic field B0 extends within the field of view 312. The direction of the effective magnetic field (B1) changes in response to RF pulses and associated electromagnetic fields from the RF transmit coil 310. For example, the RF transmit coil 310 is configured to selectively transmit RF signals or pulses to objects, e.g., tissue, within the field of view. These RF pulses change the effective magnetic field experienced by spins in a sample (e.g., patient tissue). When the RF pulse is on, the effective magnetic field experienced by the resonating spins is only the RF pulse, which effectively cancels the static B0 magnetic field. The RF pulse may be, for example, a chirp pulse or a frequency sweep pulse, as described further herein.

[0044] Furthermore, when an object within the field of view 312 is excited with RF pulses from the RF transmit coil 310, the precession of the object produces an induced current, or MR current, which is detected by the RF receive coil 314. The RF receive coil 314 can send excitation data to an RF preamplifier 316. The RF preamplifier 316 can boost or amplify the excitation data signals and send them to the spectrometer 304. The spectrometer 304 can send the excitation data to the computer 302 for storage, analysis, and image construction. The computer 302 can, for example, combine multiple stored excitation data signals to generate an image.

[0045] From the spectrometer 304, signals may also be sent via an RF power amplifier 306 to an RF transmit coil 310 and via a gradient power amplifier 318 to a gradient coil 320. The RF power amplifier 306 amplifies the signal and sends it to the RF transmit coil 310. The gradient power amplifier 318 amplifies the gradient coil signal and sends it to the gradient coil 320.

[0046] For example, systems and methods for effectively acquiring nuclear magnetic resonance spectra and magnetic resonance images in inhomogeneous magnetic fields using single-plane MRI scanners 100 and systems 300 are described herein.

[0047] Imaging with single-sided or open MRI presents many challenges. Typically, the two sets of gradient coils in a single-sided system (see Figure 6) are positioned at the face of the permanent magnet assembly. As a result, the gradient amplitude decreases with distance from the face of the permanent magnet assembly. Therefore, for a given phase-encoding array, the field of view changes as you move along the axis of the permanent magnetic field B0. In other words, the pulsed gradient coils in a single-sided scanner have a small component along the direction of the permanent gradient.

[0048] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram 500 of the magnetic field gradient along the Z-axis of the MRI scanner 100. The permanent magnet 130 has an inherent gradient along the Z-axis. The strength of the Z-gradient decreases with distance from the permanent magnet 130. The schematic diagram shows that the Z-gradient curves with distance from the permanent magnet, reducing the gradient strength. The MRI scanner 100 images multiple slices to create a slab. Each slice is excited for imaging at a different frequency. Low frequencies excite tissue in the slice farther from the permanent magnet, while high frequencies excite tissue in the slice closer to the magnet. In the schematic diagram, a slab, or axial image, is made up of multiple slices, from slice 0 to slice n. Each slice has a corresponding frequency, f0 through fn, where f0 is a frequency less than fn.

[0049] Each slice has a different field of view due to how the gradient varies along the Z axis. As the field of view changes, the same object in different slices appears to shrink and expand along the slice in the Z direction because the magnitude of the gradient also varies along the Z axis. This causes the image to appear blurry when converted to an axial image because the image is composed of multiple images of different sizes folded together. Therefore, to produce a high-quality axial image, slices within a slab must have the same field of view and the same scale. Additionally, there are magnetic gradients in the Y and X axes generated by the gradient coils; the gradients are similarly shaped and have similar effects along the X and Y axes.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 10, a graphical representation 600 shows an example of how the X gradient changes as one moves along the X axis. The change in the X gradient with movement along the axis is shown by different line types and ranges from a distance of 3 cm to 8.6 cm along the Z axis. In other words, the slope of the gradient changes depending on the distance from the face of the magnet. The degree of change can be significant. In other words, the size of an object in the image can change by as much as two times with just a one-inch movement along the Z axis. Zero on the X axis is at the center of the magnet along the Z axis. As one moves along the X axis and away from the Z axis, the gradient value can change significantly. The farther one moves along the X axis, the greater the magnitude of the gradient.

[0051] Again, the effects of the gradient fields in single-plane MRI scanners are noteworthy. For example, when exciting a thick slice of an object (such as tissue) along the longitudinal axis (i.e., Z-axis) of a permanent gradient, the scale or image size of the object changes as it moves along the Z-axis. A 3D image of any thickness along the Z-axis will be scaled to a smaller size, i.e., appear to shrink for lower frequency slices, which are slices located further from the permanent magnet. This results in a very blurry image when adjacent slices are subsequently combined together, as features of different sizes are superimposed on top of each other.

[0052] The gradient changes as you move away from the magnet, resulting in a change in field of view as you move away from the face of the magnet. Combining slices with different fields of view into a slab results in blurred features. FIG. 11 shows MRI image slices, one set taking into account the varying field of view along the Z axis and one set not. In other words, diagram 700 shows how the scale of an object being scanned changes when the varying field of view along the Z axis is not taken into account. The slices in column A (left) show structures that change size as you move along the Z axis. Column B (right) shows structures that are close to the same size because the varying field of view is properly taken into account.

[0053] The size of objects in row A increases the farther they are from the permanent magnet along the Z axis due to the Z gradient. When these slices are combined into an axial image or slab, the image becomes blurred because the size of objects in adjacent slices changes due to the change in field of view. In other words, objects appear to shrink and expand along the Z direction because the magnitude of the gradient also changes along z. This causes the image to appear blurry when converted to an axial image or slab because the image is composed of multiple images of different sizes folded together. By accounting for the change in field of view, the scale of the objects becomes closer to the same, resulting in a much clearer image when combined into a slab.

[0054] Beyond the changing field of view, another effect of the permanent gradient fields in single-plane MRI systems is the shift in the position of the spin echo during image encoding using surface gradient coils. In single-plane MRI systems, image encoding is achieved by phase encoding, and frequency encoding is achieved solely by the permanent gradients. The signals acquired in single-plane MRI systems are small variations of the spin echo, and the MRI scanner's acquisition window is set to center the echo. To form the echo, the phase, which accumulates after excitation, must be refocused by the time acquisition begins.

[0055] Referring now to FIG. 12, the position of the echo also changes as it moves through the phase table. This is because every X or Y gradient pulse adds a phase along Z, which then needs to be refocused with a permanent gradient. As image resolution increases, the echoes begin to approach the edge of the acquisition window. Graphical representation 800 shows how the spin echo moves in time versus the amount of phase encoding. The black line 810 indicates the center of the acquisition window. If time and phase are not properly considered, the spin echo may be outside the acquisition window and be missed, effectively truncating k-space and image quality.

[0056] If no pulse gradient is applied, the spin echo occurs after the refocusing pulse, at a later time determined by the duration of the excitation pulse and the delay between the excitation and refocusing pulses. If phase encoding is applied during this period, the phase it imparts to the system does not need to be refocused. The X and Y components of phase encoding, performed using surface gradient coils, are not refocused during the spin echo sequence, ensuring that the signal is spatially encoded. However, phase encoding also imparts a Z phase to the signal. This Z phase is along the same axis as the permanent gradient, meaning that its presence changes as the echo is formed.

[0057] If the phase along the Z axis needs to be refocused before the echo forms, adding a Z phase with the pulse gradient changes when the echo forms. For example, if the gradient is applied after excitation, the phase accumulated between the excitation and refocusing pulses is equal to the sum of the phase accumulated by the permanent gradient and the pulse gradient. If the pulse gradient has the same sign as the permanent gradient, the two are added. Thus, after the refocusing pulse, the echo needs more time to develop because both the permanent gradient phase and the pulse gradient phase are refocused by the permanent gradient. This causes the echo to appear later than it would otherwise. The stronger the pulse gradient, the later the echo will appear. Changing the sign of the pulse gradient can have the opposite effect, causing the echo to appear earlier than expected. This can have devastating effects on the imaging sequence.

[0058] In an imaging sequence, the acquisition period is defined as a fixed duration. The length of the acquisition period cannot be arbitrarily changed without modifying the pulse sequence in many other ways. For example, most single-phase scanners work by collecting a train of spin echoes, and the time between refocusing pulses is kept as short as possible. This means that the acquisition period between refocusing pulses is also kept as short as possible. Therefore, if the echo position changes as you progress through the imaging sequence, it is possible for an echo to occur before or after the start of the acquisition period, meaning that its phase-encoding signal is lost.

[0059] The Z phase added to the signal by the pulsed X and Y gradients effectively results in the maximum resolution achievable without having to increase the echo spacing of the pulse sequence. If the pulse gradients are strong, echoes generated at the edges of k-space can be lost, resulting in a k-space where the signal amplitude drops off more quickly than it would otherwise. Because k-space is effectively truncated, wider acquisitions must usually be collected, and longer echo times require a sacrifice of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

[0060] In summary, the use of surface gradient coils in single-plane MRI scanners results in field of view changes along the Z axis, drift echoes, and ultimately k-space truncation due to the need to single-plane the scanner, which effectively limits the image quality of single-plane MRI scanners.

[0061] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, the added phase can be compensated for by applying phase encoding during a frequency sweep or chirp excitation pulse. A frequency sweep pulse can affect spins at different frequencies at different times during the pulse. This means that applying phase encoding during the excitation pulse can also impart different amounts of phase to different frequencies. Spins excited at the beginning of the pulse can accumulate more phase than spins excited at the end of the pulse, which accumulate little phase.

[0062] According to various aspects, if spins farther from the permanent magnet are excited first and phase encoding is applied during a frequency sweep excitation pulse, then those farther spins may accumulate more phase than spins closer to the permanent magnet, which may be excited last. This allows the normal direction in which spins accumulate phase from the surface gradient coil to be reversed, countering the normal variation in gradient strength along the Z axis. By precisely adjusting the amount of phase accumulated during the frequency sweep excitation and subsequent phase encoding, it is possible to apply a uniform amount of phase in the XY plane along the Z axis of the permanent magnet.

[0063] FIG. 13 illustrates a pulse sequence 900 configured to compensate for the varying field of view in slices along the Z axis generated by surface gradient coils (see, e.g., gradient coils 152, 154 in FIG. 6 ). This compensation is achieved by phase encoding applied during the frequency sweep excitation pulse. In various examples, the frequency sweep pulses described herein are chirped or chirped pulses with a linear frequency sweep. The chirped excitation pulse can define a linear frequency sweep from low to high. Other monotonic increases from low to high frequencies are also contemplated. Because low frequencies excite tissue farther from the permanent magnet assembly (see, e.g., permanent magnet assembly 130 in FIG. 2 ) and high frequencies excite tissue closer to the permanent magnet assembly, by the end of the pulse, slices farther from the magnet are phase encoded for more time, compensating for the weaker gradient. The first pulse 902 in the pulse sequence is a frequency sweep excitation pulse 902, with the chirp frequency sweep direction set from low to high. The X and Y gradients begin to dephase (918 and 922), respectively, and are refocused by the second pulse 904 of the pulse sequence. The Z gradient remains constant throughout the pulse sequence. The second pulse 904 is a refocusing pulse that refocuses the X and Y gradients. After the second pulse 904, a spectral echo 906 occurs, where the X and Y gradients dephase (920 and 924), respectively. After the spectral echo 906, the signal is read with a chirp echo train 908. The chirp echo train 908 includes a third pulse 910, a spin echo 912, a fourth pulse 914, and a spectral echo 916. In one embodiment, the third pulse 910 can be a second refocusing pulse, and the fourth pulse 914 can be a second excitation pulse.

[0064] In this embodiment, the varying field of view is overcompensated during the excitation pulse and then balanced with the phase encoding. The amount of phase accumulated during the frequency sweep must be precisely adjusted to apply a uniform amount of phase to the XY plane of the slice being imaged. In other words, the amount of phase in each slice must be precisely adjusted to account for the varying field of view. In yet another way, the scale of the object in each slice must be adjusted so that all slices have the same scale of the object. For example, this can be performed by adjusting the power (power) of the gradient pulse applied during the frequency sweep pulse while collecting 2D images along the XZ or YZ axes. The gradient power can be increased until the size of the object no longer varies along the Z axis. The slices can then be combined to synthesize a high-quality slab image without any blurring due to the combination.

[0065] FIG. 14 shows a representative graph 1000 of a sweep frequency pulse or chirp pulse with a low-to-high sweep direction. A chirp excitation pulse with a low-to-high sweep direction is an example of a frequency sweep excitation pulse. A chirp pulse with a low-to-high sweep direction starts at a low frequency and increases in frequency over the duration of the pulse. The pulse begins at the lowest desired frequency and ends when it reaches the highest desired frequency. The pulse frequency in graph 1000 can be a negative to positive frequency offset from the baseband frequency. In other words, the frequency sweeps from negative to positive relative to the baseband frequency. For example, for a frequency sweep of + / - 100 KHz, the sweep is from less than 100 KHz below the baseband frequency to the baseband frequency plus 100 KHz.

[0066] The frequency of the chirp pulse can vary from the minimum (lowest) desired frequency to the maximum (highest) desired frequency. The pulse sweep rate is the difference between the highest and lowest frequencies in the pulse divided by the time required to move between the highest and lowest frequencies. In one embodiment, the frequency range covered by the sweep frequency pulses used in the sweep frequency pulse sequence 900 can range from -20 kHz to 20 kHz, i.e., 40 kHz, with the center frequency varying from slab to slab. For example, the slabs can be centered at 2.62 MHz, 2.75 MHz, 2.65 MHz, 2.72 MHz, 2.79 MHz, 2.69 MHz, etc. For a slab centered at 2.62 MHz, the chirp pulse would sweep a range from 2.60 MHz to 2.64 MHz, i.e., 40 kHz. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a low band of 10 kHz to a high band of 200 kHz may be used for the frequency sweep pulse. Additionally, the sweep range may be less than 40 KHz in various examples.

[0067] Referring again to FIG. 9, f0 can correspond to the lowest frequency of the chirp pulse, and fn can correspond to the highest frequency of the chirp pulse. The chirp pulse first excites tissue farther from the permanent magnet assembly, e.g., tissue at slice 0, and later excites tissue closer to the permanent magnet assembly, e.g., tissue at slice n. In other words, adjacent slices include a proximal slice and a distal slice, with the proximal slice being closer to the magnetic imaging device than the distal slice, and targets in the distal slice being excited before targets in the proximal slice. The frequency range of the chirp pulse can correspond to the slices of the slab being imaged.

[0068] Referring again to FIG. 13 , the first pulse 902 is a chirp excitation pulse with a sweep direction set from low to high. This pulse excites tissue in slices farther from the permanent magnet assembly, followed by tissue in slices closer to the permanent magnet assembly. Phase encoding during chirp excitation results in different amounts of phase being accumulated at different frequencies. Specifically, slices farther from the permanent magnet assembly accumulate more phase than slices closer to the permanent magnet assembly. In other words, targets in slices more distal from the permanent magnet assembly accumulate more phase than targets in slices closer to the permanent magnet assembly. Phase encoding during the frequency sweep excitation pulse, along with adjusting the phase accumulated in each slice, can account for the phase of each slice and prevent echoes from drifting outside the acquisition window 810 ( FIG. 12 ). After accounting for changes in the field of view of the slices along the Z axis, the slices can be combined into a slab to produce a high-quality axial image in which the scale of objects in each slice is the same size.

[0069] FIG. 15 is a flow diagram 1100 of steps within a pulse sequence that accounts for a varying field of view within a slice along the Z axis. At 1110, the process begins with the creation of a unique gradient magnetic field that extends from one side of the magnetic imaging device relative to the Z axis (FIG. 1) into the field of view. Next, at 1120, a frequency sweep excitation pulse is delivered, which includes a sweep from low to high frequency. This pulse first excites tissue at locations / slices further from the single-plane MRI scanner and finally excites tissue at locations closer to the MRI scanner. At 1130, phase encoding begins during the frequency sweep excitation pulse at 1120. Phase encoding can be performed during the frequency sweep excitation pulse to accumulate different amounts of phase at different frequencies of the frequency sweep. Slices are frequency-related, with frequencies further from the magnetic imaging device accumulating more phase than slices closer to the imaging device. Finally, at 1140, the amount of phase accumulated during the frequency sweep excitation pulse is adjusted to apply a uniform amount of phase in the XY plane along the Z axis of the magnet. In other words, the amount of phase accumulated in a slice during a frequency sweep is adjusted to accommodate the changing field of view for each slice. For example, adjustment can be performed by adjusting the power of the gradient pulses applied during the chirp pulse while acquiring 2D images along the XY or YZ plane. The gradient power can be increased until the size of the object does not change along the Z axis. After the adjustment process, the signal is read with the chirp echo train. For example, the purpose of accounting for the changing field of view is to ensure that objects in each slice have the same scale. Without accounting for the changing field of view, objects in adjacent slices may appear larger or smaller depending on how the field of view has changed due to the gradient. Combining slices with different fields of view results in a blurred axial image or slab. Accounting for the changing field of view along the Z axis allows the slices to be combined into a high-quality axial image or slab.

[0070] Encoding images in this manner overcomes several problems with single-plane MRI systems, allowing them to be more widely applicable. Encoding in this manner prevents spin echoes from drifting, which prevents them from leaving the acquisition window. This further prevents k-space truncation, allowing single-plane MRI systems to acquire higher-resolution images. The field of view also stops changing along the Z axis, allowing for more efficient combining of image slices along the Z axis, resulting in higher SNR and shorter scan times.

[0071] FIG. 16 shows a collection of image slices 1200. Images A, B, and C in the top row 1210 also show axial slices from a 3D image acquired with varying X and Y gradients along the Z axis. When the gradients change significantly, as shown in images A and B in the top row 1210, the axial slices appear blurred. When the gradient variation decreases, as shown in image C in the top row 1210, the images appear sharper. In imaging with varying fields of view, combining slices from different fields of view blurs the axial image, limiting the maximum slice thickness that can be used without significantly degrading image quality. The bottom row 1220 shows three coronal slices taken from the same 3D image as the top row 1210. The phantom clearly changes size along one axis for images D and E. The size change is due to the changing field of view. Image F shows the object when the changing field of view is taken into account by the process described in FIG. 15.

[0072] Similarly, Figure 17 shows a collection of image slices 1300 having a field of view considered by the process described in Figure 15. Imaging using the process of flow diagram 1100 provides a consistent field of view across the various slices, allowing the slices to be combined without blurring the image. Imaging using the process of flow diagram 1100 also aligns echoes in time, preventing echoes from drifting outside the acquisition window and improving resolution.

[0073] The above-described processes and techniques may also be utilized with other single-sided scanners and / or non-uniform magnetic fields, allowing for faster data and / or image acquisition. [Example]

[0074] Various aspects of the subject matter described herein are described in the following numbered examples.

[0075] Example 1 1. A method for imaging a slab having at least two slices using a single-plane magnetic imaging device, wherein a unique gradient magnetic field extends into a field of view from the magnetic imaging device, the method comprising: delivering a frequency sweep excitation pulse including a sweep from a low frequency to a high frequency; phase encoding during the frequency sweep excitation pulse; and adjusting an amount of phase accumulated from adjacent slices within the slab during the frequency sweep excitation pulse.

[0076] Example 2 The method of example 1, wherein the adjacent slices include a proximal slice and a distal slice, the proximal slice being located closer to the magnetic imaging device than the distal slice, and the target in the distal slice being excited before the target in the proximal slice.

[0077] Example 3 3. The method of example 2, wherein the method is configured to correct the intrinsic gradient field such that targets in the distal slice accumulate the same phase as targets in the proximal slice.

[0078] Example 4 4. The method of any one of Examples 1, 2, and 3, wherein different amounts of phase are applied to different frequencies during a frequency sweep.

[0079] Example 5 5. The method of any one of Examples 1, 2, 3, and 4, wherein phase encoding during the frequency-swept excitation pulse prevents echoes from drifting outside the acquisition window.

[0080] Example 6 6. The method of any one of Examples 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, wherein the high-resolution images are collected with a single-plane magnetic imaging device without k-space truncation.

[0081] Example 7 7. The method of any one of Examples 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, wherein the magnetic field strength in the field of view is less than 1 Tesla.

[0082] Example 8 8. The method of any one of Examples 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, wherein the magnetic field inhomogeneity is between 200 ppm and 200,000 ppm.

[0083] Example 9 1. A magnetic imaging device comprising: a permanent magnet; a gradient coil set; an electromagnet; a radio frequency coil, wherein a unique gradient magnetic field extends from the magnetic imaging device into a field of view relative to a first axis, the first axis being perpendicular to the permanent magnet; and control circuitry configured to image a slab having at least two slices, wherein the imaging comprises: delivering a frequency sweep excitation pulse comprising a sweep from a low frequency to a high frequency; phase encoding during the frequency sweep excitation pulse; and adjusting an amount of phase accumulated from adjacent slices within the slab during the frequency sweep excitation pulse.

[0084] Example 10 10. The magnetic imaging device of Example 9, wherein the adjacent slices include a proximal slice and a distal slice, the proximal slice being closer to the magnetic imaging device than the distal slice, and the target in the distal slice being excited before the target in the proximal slice.

[0085] Example 11 11. The magnetic imaging apparatus of example 10, wherein different amounts of phase are applied to different frequencies.

[0086] Example 12 12. The magnetic imaging apparatus of example 11, wherein targets in the distal slice accumulate the same phase as targets in the proximal slice.

[0087] Example 13 13. The magnetic imaging apparatus of any one of Examples 9, 10, 11, and 12, wherein phase encoding during the frequency sweep excitation pulse prevents echoes from drifting outside the acquisition window.

[0088] Example 14 14. The magnetic imaging device of any one of Examples 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, wherein high-resolution images are collected on a single-plane magnetic imaging device without k-space truncation.

[0089] Example 15 15. The magnetic imaging device of any one of Examples 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14, wherein the magnetic field strength within the field of view is less than 1 Tesla.

[0090] Example 16 16. The magnetic imaging device of any one of Examples 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15, wherein the magnetic field non-uniformity is 200 ppm to 200,000 ppm.

[0091] Example 17 17. The magnetic imaging device of any one of Examples 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, wherein the radio frequency coil comprises a radio frequency transmitting coil and a radio frequency receiving coil.

[0092] While several embodiments have been illustrated and described, it is not the applicant's intention to restrict or limit the scope of the appended claims to such details. Numerous modifications, variations, changes, substitutions, combinations, and equivalents of these embodiments may be implemented and will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the structure of each element associated with the described embodiments can alternatively be described as a means for providing the function performed by the element. Also, where materials are disclosed for particular components, other materials may be used. It should therefore be understood that the foregoing description and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, combinations, and variations as fall within the scope of the disclosed embodiments. The appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, variations, changes, substitutions, modifications, and equivalents.

[0093] The foregoing detailed description has set forth various aspects of devices and / or processes through the use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples. Where such block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples include one or more functions and / or operations, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that each function and / or operation of such block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples, individually and / or collectively, can be implemented by various hardware, software, firmware, or substantially any combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein can be equivalently implemented, in whole or in part, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or substantially any combination thereof, on integrated circuits, and that designing circuitry and / or writing code for the software and / or firmware would be well within the skill of those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein can be distributed as one or more program products in a variety of forms, and that the exemplary forms of the subject matter described herein apply regardless of the particular type of signal-bearing medium used to actually effect the distribution.

[0094] The instructions used to program the logic to implement the various disclosed embodiments can be stored in memory within the system, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), cache, flash memory, or other storage. Additionally, the instructions can be distributed over a network or other computer-readable medium. Thus, a machine-readable medium can include, but is not limited to, any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer), such as a floppy disk, optical disk, compact disk, read-only memory (CD-ROM), and magneto-optical disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic or optical card, flash memory, or tangible machine-readable storage used to transmit information via the Internet via electrical, optical, acoustic, or other form of propagated signal (e.g., carrier wave, infrared signal, digital signal, etc.). Thus, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes any type of tangible machine-readable medium suitable for storing or transmitting electronic instructions or information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer).

[0095] As used in any aspect herein, the term "control circuitry" can refer to, for example, hardwired circuitry, programmable circuitry (e.g., a computer processor including one or more individual instruction processing cores and processing units, processors, microcontrollers, microcontroller units, controllers, digital signal processors (DSPs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), or field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), state machine circuitry, firmware that stores instructions executed by the programmable circuitry, and any combination thereof. Control circuitry can be embodied collectively or individually as circuitry that forms part of a larger system, e.g., an integrated circuit (IC), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on a chip (SoC), a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a server, a smartphone, etc. Thus, as used herein, In this case, "control circuitry" includes, but is not limited to, electrical circuitry having at least one discrete electrical circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one application-specific integrated circuit, electrical circuitry forming a general-purpose computing device configured by a computer program (e.g., a general-purpose computer configured by a computer program that at least partially executes the processes and / or devices described herein, or a microprocessor configured by a computer program that at least partially executes the processes and / or devices described herein), electrical circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., in the form of random access memory), and / or electrical circuitry forming a communications device (e.g., a modem, a communications switch, or an optoelectronic device). Those skilled in the art will recognize that the subject matter described herein can be implemented in an analog or digital manner, or some combination thereof.

[0096] As used in any aspect herein, the term "logic" may refer to an app, software, firmware, and / or circuitry configured to perform any of the operations described above. Software can be embodied as a software package, code, instructions, an instruction set, and / or data recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Firmware can be embodied as hard-coded (e.g., non-volatile) code, instructions, or instruction sets, and / or data in a memory device.

[0097] As used in any aspect of this specification, the terms "component," "system," "module," etc. may refer to a computer-related entity that is either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution.

[0098] As used in any aspect herein, an "algorithm" refers to a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result, and the "steps" refer to the manipulation of physical quantities and / or logical states, which may, but need not, take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It is common usage to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. These and similar terms may be associated with the appropriate physical quantities or are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities and / or states.

[0099] The network may include a packet-switched network. The communication devices may be able to communicate with each other using a selected packet-switched network communication protocol. An example communication protocol may include an Ethernet communication protocol, which may enable communication using Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP). The Ethernet protocol may conform to or be compatible with the Ethernet standard published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) entitled "IEEE 802.3 Standard," published in December 2008, and / or later versions of this standard. Alternatively or additionally, the communication devices may communicate with each other using an X.25 communication protocol. The X.25 communication protocol may conform to or be compatible with standards published by the International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). Alternatively or additionally, the communication devices may communicate with each other using a frame relay communication protocol. The frame relay communication protocol may conform to or be compatible with standards published by the Consultative Committee for International Telegraph and Telephone (CCITT) and / or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Alternatively or additionally, the transceivers may communicate with each other using an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) communications protocol. The ATM communications protocol may conform to or be compatible with the ATM standard published by the ATM Forum in August 2001 entitled "ATM-MPRS Network Interworking 2.0," and / or any later versions of this standard. Of course, different and / or later-developed connection-oriented network communications protocols are also contemplated herein.

[0100] Unless otherwise indicated, as will be apparent from the foregoing disclosure, discussions throughout the foregoing disclosure using terms such as "processing," "calculating," "computing," "determining," "displaying," and the like are understood to refer to the operations and processing of a computer system or similar electronic computing device that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities in the computer system's registers and memory into other data similarly represented as physical quantities in the computer system's memory or registers or other such information storage, transmission, or display device.

[0101] As used herein, one or more components may be referred to as being "configured," "configurable," "operable," "adaptable," "capable," "suitable," etc. Those skilled in the art will recognize that, unless the context requires otherwise, "configured" can generally encompass active components and / or inactive components and / or standby components.

[0102] The terms "proximal" and "distal" are used herein with reference to a clinician manipulating a handle portion or housing of a surgical instrument. The term "proximal" refers to the portion closest to the clinician and / or robotic arm, and the term "distal" refers to the portion located away from the clinician and / or robotic arm. Furthermore, it will be understood that for convenience and clarity, spatial terms such as "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," and "lower" may be used herein with respect to the drawings. However, robotic surgical instruments are used in many orientations and positions, and these terms are not intended to be limiting and / or absolute.

[0103] Those skilled in the art will recognize that terms used generally, particularly in the appended claims (e.g., the body of the appended claims), are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "comprising" should be interpreted as "comprising but not limited to," etc.). Where a specific number recited in an introduced claim is intended, such intention will be expressly set forth in the claim; in the absence of such a statement, it will further be understood by those skilled in the art that no such intention exists. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may include the use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as meaning that introducing a claim recitation with the indefinite article "a" or "an" limits any particular claim that includes a claim recitation so introduced to claims that contain only one such recitation, even if the same claim also includes the introductory phrase "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article, such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and / or "an" should generally be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"). The same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations.

[0104] Furthermore, even when a particular number recited in an incorporated claim is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such a recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., a recitation of "two items" alone, without other modifiers, typically means at least two items, or more than two items). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, such a configuration is generally intended in the sense that those skilled in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include, but are not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, a combination of A and B, a combination of A and C, a combination of B and C, and / or a combination of A, B, and C, etc.). In those instances where a convention similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, such configuration is generally intended in the sense that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include, but is not limited to, "a system having A only, B only, C only, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc."). Those of ordinary skill in the art will further understand that disjunctive words and / or phrases, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, that typically present two or more alternative terms, should be understood to contemplate the possibility of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms, unless the context dictates otherwise. For example, the phrase "A or B" would typically be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."

[0105] With respect to the appended claims, those skilled in the art will understand that the steps described therein may generally be performed in more or less any order. Also, while various process flow diagrams are shown sequentially, it will be understood that various steps may be performed in orders other than those illustrated, or may be performed simultaneously. Examples of such alternative orders include overlapping, intermittent, interrupted, reordered, augmented, preliminary, supplemental, simultaneous, reverse, or other variant orderings, unless the context dictates otherwise. Moreover, unless the context dictates otherwise, terms such as "responsive," "related," or other past tense adjectives are generally not intended to exclude such variants.

[0106] It should be noted that references to "one embodiment," "embodiment," "example," "one example," etc. mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in an embodiment," "in an example," and "in one example" in various places throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0107] Any patent applications, patents, non-patent publications, or other disclosure materials referred to herein and / or set forth in an Application Data Sheet are incorporated herein by reference to the extent that the incorporated material does not contradict this specification. Therefore, and to the extent necessary, the present disclosure as expressly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference. While any material, or portion thereof, is said to be incorporated herein by reference, any material, or portion thereof, that contradicts existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth herein will be incorporated only to the extent that no conflict arises between the incorporated material and the existing disclosure material.

[0108] In summary, many advantages resulting from employing the concepts described herein have been described. The foregoing description of one or more embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed. Modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The one or more embodiments have been selected and described in order to explain the principles and practical applications so that those skilled in the art can utilize various embodiments, with various modifications, as suitable for the particular use contemplated. The claims submitted herein are intended to define the entire scope.

Claims

1. A magnetic imaging device, a radio frequency coil; a unique gradient magnetic field extends from the magnetic imaging device into a field of view in front of the device; the magnetic imaging device further comprising control circuitry for imaging a slab having at least two slices; The imaging step includes: delivering a frequency sweep excitation pulse comprising a low-to-high frequency sweep; phase encoding during said frequency sweep excitation pulse; adjusting the amount of phase accumulated from adjacent slices within the slab during the frequency sweep excitation pulse; the adjacent slices comprise a proximal slice and a distal slice, and a target in the distal slice is excited before a target in the proximal slice; The imaging further comprises: correcting the intrinsic gradient fields so that the targets in the distal slice accumulate the same phase as the targets in the proximal slice; generating the slab by acquiring images of the adjacent slices; Magnetic imaging device.

2. The magnetic imaging device of claim 1 further comprising a gradient coil set.

3. Furthermore, it is equipped with a permanent magnet, 3. The magnetic imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the intrinsic gradient magnetic field extends from the magnetic imaging device along an axis perpendicular to the permanent magnet.

4. 4. The magnetic imaging device of claim 3, wherein a uniform amount of phase is applied in the XY plane along said axis.

5. 5. The magnetic imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting the power of a gradient pulse applied during the frequency sweep excitation pulse.

6. 6. The magnetic imaging device of claim 5, wherein the power of the gradient pulses is increased until the size of the slab does not change along the axis.

7. 7. The magnetic imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising an electromagnet.

8. 8. The magnetic imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the radio frequency coils include a radio frequency transmitting coil and a radio frequency receiving coil.

9. 9. The magnetic imaging device according to claim 1, wherein said magnetic imaging device is a single-sided magnetic imaging device.

10. 10. The magnetic imaging device of claim 1, wherein the frequency sweep excitation pulse comprises one or more chirped pulses having a linear frequency sweep.

11. 11. The magnetic imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the frequency sweep excitation pulse comprises a first pulse in a pulse sequence.

12. 11. A magnetic imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the frequency sweep excitation pulse dephases the X and Y gradients produced by the gradient coil set.

13. 13. The magnetic imaging device of claim 12, wherein the dephased X and Y gradients are refocused by a second pulse in the pulse sequence.

14. The magnetic imaging device of claim 13 , wherein the refocused X and Y gradients are dephased by spectral echoes.

15. 15. The magnetic imaging device of claim 14, wherein the imaging further comprises reading signals with a chirp echo train after the X and Y gradients are dephased by the spectral echo.

16. 16. The magnetic imaging device of claim 15, wherein the chirp echo train includes a third pulse, a spin echo, a fourth pulse, and a spectral echo.

17. The magnetic imaging device of claim 16 , wherein the third pulse comprises a second refocusing pulse.

18. 18. The magnetic imaging device of claim 16, wherein the fourth pulse comprises a second frequency sweep excitation pulse.

19. 19. A magnetic imaging apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the Z gradient is constant during the pulse sequence.

20. 20. The magnetic imaging device of claim 1, wherein the change in field of view is over-corrected by the frequency sweep excitation pulse and balanced with phase encoding.

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