Wireless Bridge Device for Faraday Cage Signal Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless communication systems fail to facilitate effective communication between devices inside and outside a Faraday cage in magnetic resonance imaging systems due to the Faraday cage's interference with wireless signals, leading to clutter and noise issues from wired solutions and existing wireless solutions that compromise image quality.
Innovation Solution
A wireless communication system that uses a wireless bridge device with an antenna and transceiver housed within the waveguide port of the Faraday cage, where a conductive path is introduced to allow electromagnetic waves below the cutoff frequency to propagate, enabling communication between internal and external devices without compromising the waveguide's high-pass filter functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wired solutions are used to enable communication through the Faraday cage, then communication reliability is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to clutter and mobility restrictions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical wired communication system with a wireless electromagnetic field-based system. By introducing a waveguide port that allows electromagnetic waves to pass through the Faraday cage while blocking other frequencies, the system eliminates physical cables and connectors, thereby improving ease of operation and reducing clutter while maintaining communication reliability through dedicated wireless channels.
2Ease of operation
If wireless signals are transmitted through the Faraday cage, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to image noise contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a specialized transmission channel (waveguide port) with specific electromagnetic properties at a localized position in the Faraday cage. This port is designed with dimensions and characteristics that allow it to transmit only specific frequency ranges (below cutoff frequency) while blocking other frequencies, thus enabling wireless communication without contaminating the MRI image band and preserving measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The waveguide port serves as an intermediary element between the interior and exterior of the Faraday cage. It mediates the transmission of electromagnetic signals by allowing controlled passage of specific frequencies while maintaining the overall shielding effectiveness of the Faraday cage, thus enabling wireless communication without compromising image quality.
3Ease of operation
If the waveguide port is compromised to allow wireless signal propagation, then wireless communication is enabled, but object-generated harmful factors increase due to spurious RF noise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the electromagnetic parameters of the waveguide port by designing it with specific dimensions and electrical characteristics that create a cutoff frequency below the MRI operating frequency. This parameter change ensures that the waveguide port is evanescent (non-propagating) at MRI frequencies, thereby blocking spurious RF noise while allowing wireless communication at lower frequencies to pass through.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables reliable wireless communication between devices inside and outside the Faraday cage, reducing clutter and preserving image quality by allowing wireless signals to transmit and receive across the waveguide port without introducing spurious noise.
Implementation Method 1
waveguide port... such that electromagnetic waves having a frequency below the cutoff frequency are attenuated within said second longitudinal portion, thereby preserving the functionality of said waveguide port as a high-pass filter
Implementation Method 2
a conductive path is provided within a first longitudinal portion of said waveguide port... such that the propagation of electromagnetic waves is supported within said first longitudinal portion
Implementation Method 3
said antenna resides within said waveguide port such that said antenna is sufficiently close to said second side of said waveguide port to support the transmission and reception of wireless signals
Implementation Method 4
The purpose of the Faraday cage is to block any electromagnetic energy within the operating bandwidth of the MR scanner
Data Source
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Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide devices and systems that support wireless communication between wireless communication devices residing within, and external to, a Faraday cage. In some embodiments, devices and systems are provided for transmitting wireless signals through a waveguide port of a Faraday cage for wireless signals having frequencies below the cutoff frequency of the waveguide port, where a portion of the waveguide port is compromised by the presence of a conductor, thereby permitting the propagation of electromagnetic waves. In some embodiments, aspects of the present disclosure are employed to adapt a magnetic resonance imaging system for communications between a scanner room and a control room.