Neck RF Coil Assembly with Segmented Arrays for MRI
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing MRI RF coil units struggle to conform adequately to the varying anatomy of patients, particularly in the neck region, leading to inadequate imaging of cervical spine areas and patient discomfort due to rigid materials.
Innovation Solution
A neck RF coil assembly comprising multiple RF coil arrays with varying diameters, configured in a collar-like structure with central and peripheral arrays, allowing for flexible conformation to different patient neck sizes and anatomies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If rigid materials are used to maintain structural integrity of RF coil units, then structural stability is improved, but patient comfort deteriorates and adaptability to varying neck anatomy worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies flexible materials to the RF coil assembly, allowing the structure to conform to varying neck anatomies while maintaining structural integrity. The flexible material enables the coil to adapt to different patient sizes and shapes without requiring rigid structural components.
Solution Approach 2:
The RF coil assembly is designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing it to flex and adapt to different neck geometries. This dynamic design enables the coil to change its shape and configuration to match the patient's anatomy, resolving the contradiction between structural stability and adaptability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If rigid materials are used to maintain structural integrity of RF coil units, then structural stability is improved, but patient comfort deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible material covering the RF coil assembly eliminates patient discomfort by providing a soft, conformable interface between the rigid coil structure and the patient's skin, while the underlying structure maintains structural stability for proper RF signal reception.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material construction, combining rigid structural components for structural stability with flexible outer materials for patient comfort. This composite approach allows both requirements to be satisfied simultaneously.
3Ease of manufacture
If uniform diameter RF coils are used to simplify manufacturing, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but imaging quality deteriorates due to inadequate conformation to varying neck sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The RF coil assembly is divided into multiple segments or sections with different diameters, allowing each segment to be optimized for specific anatomical regions. This segmentation enables precise conformation to varying neck sizes while maintaining manageable manufacturing processes for each individual segment.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the RF coil assembly have different diameters and configurations tailored to local anatomical requirements. This local quality approach ensures optimal imaging quality in each region while allowing for standardized manufacturing of individual components.
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 RF coil assembly effectively conforms to the complex geometry of the neck, improving imaging quality by accommodating various patient sizes and reducing patient discomfort through flexible and lightweight design.
Implementation Method 1
The hydrogen nuclei are excited by a radio frequency signal at or near the resonance frequency of the hydrogen nuclei, which add energy to the nuclear spin system. As the nuclear spins relax back to their rest energy state, they release the absorbed energy in the form of an RF signal. This RF signal (or MR signal) is detected by one or more RF coils
Implementation Method 2
each RF coil comprising a loop portion comprising two distributed capacitance parallel wire conductors encapsulated and separated by a dielectric material to form a respective distributed capacitance along the length of the loop portion
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Various systems are provided for neck radio frequency (RF) coil assemblies for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. In one example, a neck RF coil assembly (400) includes a central RF coil array (312) including a first plurality of RF coils (316) configured to cover a neck of a subject to be imaged, an upper RF coil array (402) including a second plurality of RF coils extending upward from the central RF coil array (312) and configured to cover a lower head region of the subject, and a lower RF coil array (404) including a third plurality of RF coils extending downward from the central RF coil array (312) and configured to cover an upper shoulder region of the subject, wherein each RF coil of the first, second, and third pluralities of RF coils comprises a loop portion (317) comprising two distributed capacitance wire conductors encapsulated and separated by a dielectric material (224).