High temperature superconductor receiver coil magnetic resonance imaging systems and methods compatible with an infant incubator

US8410781B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited · CN

Inventors

• Edward S. Yang · Armonk, US
• Geng Li · 沙坪村, CN
• Frederick Cheng · Fanling, CN

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 28, 2010
• Grant date: Apr 2, 2013
• Expiry date: Nov 3, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01R33/34061
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Systems and methods which employ a high temperature superconductor (HTS) receiver coil configuration for MRI analysis of small volume subjects, such as infants, are shown. Embodiments provide a HTS tape RF phase array receiver coil implementation. The foregoing HTS tape receiver coil implementation may be provided in a Helmholtz coil configuration. With such a Helmholtz coil configuration, circuitry is preferably provided to provide tuning, matching, and/or decoupling with respect to the HTS receiver coils. Embodiments implement a cryostat configuration to maintain one or more HTS receiver coils at a desired operating temperature (e.g., ≦77° K) while providing a safe environment for a subject (e.g., infant) being imaged.