Shim Coil Optimization via Reduced Parameter Space

The patent transforms the high-dimensional current setting problem into a low-dimensional parameter optimization problem by expressing shim coil currents as functions of a small number of parameters (2-10 parameters instead of N currents). This parameterization dramatically reduces the complexity of finding optimal settings while maintaining the ability to achieve high magnetic field homogeneity with multiple shim coils.

The patent changes the dimensionality of the optimization problem by moving from optimizing N current parameters directly to optimizing only 2-10 underlying parameters that control the current settings. This dimensional reduction transforms an intractable high-dimensional optimization into a manageable low-dimensional problem, dramatically reducing the number of process steps required.

The patent enables control over power consumption by parameterizing the current settings in terms of a small number of parameters. This allows the optimization process to simultaneously consider both field homogeneity quality and power consumption constraints, finding parameter values that achieve the desired homogeneity while keeping currents (and thus power consumption) within acceptable limits to avoid overheating.