Wireless MRI Coil Battery Power Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
In magnetic resonance imaging, the use of cables for RF transmit and receive coils leads to patient discomfort, reduced throughput, and potential injury due to induced currents, while existing wireless solutions are limited by high power requirements for transmit coils.
Innovation Solution
A wireless local transmit-receive coil assembly with a rechargeable battery-powered system, including a transmit amplifier, preamplifier, waveform generator, clock, and peak power storage, which eliminates cables and improves safety by using a rechargeable battery for power supply and trickle charging, enabling efficient RF pulse transmission and reception.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cables are used to connect RF transmit and receive coils to the imaging system, then power and control signals can be transmitted reliably, but patient discomfort and potential injury from induced currents occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes cables from the system by integrating power supplies, waveform generators, and control electronics directly into the coil assembly. This extraction of cable-dependent components eliminates the harmful induced currents while maintaining all necessary functions through wireless or integrated connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces wireless communication mechanisms and integrated power transfer systems as intermediaries between the coil and the main imaging system. This allows power and data transmission without physical cable connections, thereby eliminating the harmful effect of induced currents in cables.
2Ease of operation
If cables are used for coil connections, then system components can be powered and controlled, but patient throughput is reduced due to setup inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The coil assembly is designed as a self-contained unit with integrated power supplies and control electronics. This self-service design eliminates the need for complex cable connections during setup, making the coil easier to position and install, thereby improving patient throughput.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If wireless receive coils are used with battery power, then cables are eliminated and safety is improved, but power supply complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions (power supply, waveform generation, signal processing) into integrated circuits within the coil assembly. This merging reduces the overall system complexity despite the wireless design, as the integrated components work together in a unified manner rather than as separate cable-connected units.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If local transmit coils are made wireless with high power requirements, then cable-induced hazards are eliminated, but battery power capacity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic power management strategies where the coil system can switch between different power modes and draw power from multiple sources (battery, external wireless power transfer, or hybrid). This dynamic approach allows the system to maintain high power capability when needed while reducing weight requirements for the battery alone.
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
This solution reduces cable-related issues, enhances patient safety, simplifies setup, and improves imaging throughput by providing a reliable and efficient power source for both transmit and receive functions within the magnetic resonance imaging system.
Implementation Method 1
a rechargeable battery-powered system... wherein the coil power supply is a rechargeable battery
Implementation Method 2
High power radio frequency signals are transmitted into the patient to excite dipoles in the subject to resonate
Implementation Method 3
Low power signals from the resonating dipoles are received and processed
Data Source
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Figure 2
AI summary
A magnetic resonance system (10) includes a wireless local coil (22) which functions as a transmit only or a transmit and receive coil. The local coil includes an RF coil (50) with a plurality of coil elements (501,...50n). A corresponding number of transmit amplifiers (581,...58n) apply RF signals to the RF coil elements to transmit an RF signal. A peak power supply (56) provides electrical power to the transmit amplifiers to transmit relatively high power RF pulses. A trickle charging device (66) recharges the peak power supply between RF pulses from a local coil power supply (60). A power transfer device (64) wirelessly transfers power to a coil power supply recharging device (62) which recharges the local coil power supply (60).