Method and apparatus of MR data acquisition using ensemble sampling

US6564081B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC · US

Inventors

• Frederick J. Frigo · Waukesha, US
• Bruce D. Collick · Madison, US
• Louis M. Frigo · Brookfield, US
• Michael R. Hartley · Pewaukee, US
• Bo Pettersson · Torshälla, SE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 31, 2001
• Grant date: May 13, 2003
• Expiry date: Oct 31, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01R33/3621
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method of increasing the sampling rate for MR data acquisition. By implementing ensemble sampling techniques, the present invention provides higher data sampling rates that are useful for several MR data acquisition applications including Echo Planar Imaging, Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and Sensitivity Encoding Imaging (SENSE) techniques. By multiplying an MR signal by a series of pure sinusoids having the same frequency but shifted by an incremental phase, the MR signal may be separated into a number of channels which can be sampled at lower rates by analog-to-digital converters. The output from the converters may then be reconstructed using one of a number of interpolation techniques to create a single digital channel with increased bandwidth. The single channel with increased bandwidth may then be used to acquire MR data with an improved sampling rate.