MR Antenna Wire Embedded in Foam for Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional magnetic resonance antennas using flexible printed circuit boards are prone to breaking under stress, particularly bending, and suffer from undesirable capacitances at intersection points, leading to mechanical instability and signal quality issues.
Innovation Solution
A magnetic resonance antenna with a wire structure embedded in a flexible accommodating body, such as foam or knitted fabric, which provides mechanical stability, reduces patient exposure, and improves signal quality by using insulated conductive wires and capacitors, allowing for geometric adjustment and secure connection to electronic components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If flexible printed circuit boards with copper traces are used for the antenna, then the antenna can be made flexible and lightweight, but the copper traces may break under stress especially bending
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/FEMB system of flexible printed circuit boards with a wire structure embedded in foam. The wire structure is mechanically protected by the foam accommodation body, eliminating the need for FEMB while maintaining flexibility and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite structure combining wire (conductive material) with foam (protective material). The wire provides electrical conductivity while the foam provides mechanical protection, creating a composite antenna structure that is both flexible and reliable.
2Ease of operation
If vias are used to connect copper traces at intersection points, then electrical connections can be made, but undesirable capacitances build up and copper traces become narrower and more prone to breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the FEMB-based via connection system with a wire embedding system. Wires are embedded directly through the foam material without requiring FEMB vias, eliminating the capacitance issues and mechanical stress concentration points that cause copper trace breaking.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam material acts as an intermediary substance that allows wires to pass through and be connected without direct FEMB contact. This intermediary foam structure eliminates the need for FEMB vias and their associated capacitance problems while maintaining electrical connectivity.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If copper traces are made narrower to overlay less surface area at intersections, then capacitance is reduced, but the copper traces become more prone to breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes the FEMB-based trace system with a wire-embedded-foam system. This substitution eliminates the need to narrow traces to reduce capacitance, as wires can be routed through foam without creating FEMB capacitance, while maintaining mechanical strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam intermediary allows wires to maintain sufficient thickness and surface area for both electrical performance and mechanical strength. The foam protects the wires from mechanical stress while allowing adequate wire dimensions to avoid capacitance issues.
4Measurement precision
If local coils are placed in close proximity to the patient, then high signal-to-noise ratio is achieved, but the coil must be as light and flexible as possible which compromises mechanical stability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure where wire provides electrical functionality and foam provides mechanical stability. This composite approach allows the coil to be lightweight and flexible for close patient contact while the foam embedding provides the necessary mechanical stability to maintain shape and positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam material acts as a flexible protective shell that maintains the antenna's mechanical stability while allowing the overall coil to remain lightweight and flexible for close contact with the patient body.
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
The solution enhances the mechanical stability and signal quality of magnetic resonance antennas, reducing the risk of breakage and improving image quality by using flexible, insulated wire structures and capacitors within a protective accommodating body.
Implementation Method 1
The at least one wire structure is shaped such that an electrical voltage may be induced in the at least one wire structure by a magnetic resonance signal
Data Source
AI summary
Systems for a magnetic resonance antenna, an MR local coil, a magnetic resonance device, and a method of producing a magnetic resonance antenna. The magnetic resonance antenna includes at least one wire structure. The at least one wire structure is shaped such that an electrical voltage may be induced in the at least one wire structure by a magnetic resonance signal. The magnetic resonance antenna also includes at least one accommodating body in which the at least one wire structure is embedded, for example completely.