MRI RF Coil Cable Routing via Base Guide Cavity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional MRI RF coil apparatuses face issues with the electric cable obstructing the sliding motion of the RF coil, potentially causing the coil to slide out and being painful for patients when the cable is dragged beneath their body.
Innovation Solution
The RF coil apparatus features a base with a sliding guide structure and a guide cavity to accommodate the electric cable, along with a drag chain and a locking mechanism for the engaging element, allowing smooth sliding and preventing cable obstruction beneath the patient.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the electric cable is positioned outside the RF coil apparatus, then the RF coil can be connected to the power supply, but the cable obstructs the sliding motion of the RF coil and may cause the coil to slide out of the guide structure
Solution Approach 1:
The electric cable is extracted from the external space and relocated inside the base through a guide cavity. The cable runs through the base structure rather than lying on the external surface, separating the cable management function from the sliding mechanism and eliminating the obstruction problem while maintaining electrical connection reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The electric cable is nested within the base structure through the guide cavity, with the cable housed inside the base rather than external to it. This nesting arrangement allows the cable to move with the RF coil during sliding without creating external obstructions, resolving the contradiction between connection reliability and sliding smoothness
2Ease of operation
If the electric cable is dragged beneath the patient's body, then the plug can be inserted into the socket, but this causes pain to the patient
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful effect of cable dragging on the patient is eliminated by extracting the cable from the external path beneath the patient's body. The cable is rerouted through the base structure, removing the source of patient discomfort while preserving the electrical connection function
Solution Approach 2:
The base structure acts as an intermediary that carries the electric cable away from the patient's body. Instead of the cable directly contacting or dragging on the patient, the base serves as a mediating structure that routes the cable through its guide cavity, eliminating the harmful effect while maintaining system functionality
3Device complexity
If the electric cable is positioned externally, then the structure is simple, but the cable obstructs sliding and may cause the RF coil to slide out of the guide structure
Solution Approach 1:
The electric cable is nested within the base structure through the guide cavity, creating a hierarchical arrangement where the cable is housed inside the base. This nested configuration maintains structural simplicity while preventing cable obstruction during sliding, thereby preserving sliding stability without significantly increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The cable management problem is solved by transitioning from a two-dimensional external cable layout to a three-dimensional internal routing through the base. The guide cavity provides a vertical or internal dimension for cable placement, allowing the cable to move with the RF coil without creating external obstructions, thus maintaining sliding stability
Data Source
AI summary
Radio-frequency (RF) coil apparatus for magnetic resonance imaging has a base and an RF coil, wherein the base has a sliding base guide structure and a guide cavity, the RF coil has a sliding coil structure fitting the sliding base guide structure, and an electric cable of the RF coil is accommodated in the guide cavity and can move in the guide cavity. One end of the electric cable is fixed to the RF coil by a first fixing bracket, and another end of the electric cable is fixed to the base by a second fixing bracket so that a predetermined length of the cable projects from the base.