Patent · US Expired

Coil array autocalibration MR imaging

US6289232A · kind A · utility

109Cited by
6References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 30, 1998
Grant dateSep 11, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 30, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R33/5611
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A magnetic resonance (MR) imaging apparatus and technique exploits spatial information inherent in a surface coil array to increase MR image acquisition speed, resolution and/or field of view. Magnetic resonance response signals are acquired simultaneously in the component coils of the array and, using an autocalibration procedure, are formed into two or more signals to fill a corresponding number of lines in the signal measurement data matrix. In a Fourier embodiment, lines of the k-space matrix required for image production are formed using a set of separate, preferably linear combinations of the component coil signals to substitute for spatial modulations normally produced by phase encoding gradients. One or a few additional gradients are applied to acquire autocalibration (ACS) signals extending elsewhere in the data space, and the measured signals are fitted to the ACS signals to develop weights or coefficients for filling additional lines of the matrix from each measurement set. The ACS lines may be taken offset from or in a different orientation than the measured signals, for example, between or across the measured lines. Furthermore, they may be acquired at different positi…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.