阅读说明：本技术 头颈线圈、射频信号处理方法和磁共振成像装置 (Head and neck coil, radio frequency signal processing method and magnetic resonance imaging device ) 是由 佟瞳 于 2018-08-02 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明公开了一种头颈线圈、射频信号处理方法和磁共振成像装置。所述头颈线圈包括：头线圈模块,其输出第一组射频信号；颈线圈模块,其输出第二组射频信号；头颈间射频通道切换模块,其在所述第一组射频信号中的至少一部分与所述第二组射频信号之间进行选通切换；附加线圈接口模块,其能够连接至少一个附加线圈；线圈间射频通道切换模块,其在所述至少一个附加线圈输出的第三组射频信号与全部或部分的所述第一组射频信号和第二组射频信号之间进行选通切换。(The invention discloses a head and neck coil, a radio frequency signal processing method and a magnetic resonance imaging device. The head and neck coil includes: a head coil module outputting a first set of radio frequency signals; a neck coil module that outputs a second set of radio frequency signals; an inter-head radio frequency channel switching module that gate switches between at least a portion of the first set of radio frequency signals and the second set of radio frequency signals; an additional coil interface module capable of connecting at least one additional coil; and the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module is used for performing gating switching between the third group of radio frequency signals output by the at least one additional coil and all or part of the first group of radio frequency signals and the second group of radio frequency signals.)

1. A head and neck coil (10), comprising:

a head coil module (110) capable of outputting a first set of radio frequency signals;

a neck coil module (120) capable of outputting a second set of radio frequency signals;

an inter-head and neck radio frequency channel switching module (13) that gate switches between at least a portion of the first set of radio frequency signals and the second set of radio frequency signals;

an additional coil interface module (14) to which at least one additional coil can be connected;

an inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module (15) that gate switches between a third set of radio frequency signals output by the at least one additional coil and all or part of the first and second sets of radio frequency signals.

2. The whip coil of claim 1,

the head coil module comprises a plurality of head coil sections and a plurality of first mode matrix modules which are arranged corresponding to the head coil sections, and the first mode matrix modules respectively synthesize radio-frequency signals of the head coil sections which are arranged corresponding to the first mode matrix modules to obtain the first group of radio-frequency signals.

3. The whip coil of claim 1,

the neck coil module comprises a plurality of neck coil sections and a plurality of second mode matrix modules which are arranged corresponding to the neck coil sections, and the second mode matrix modules respectively synthesize radio frequency signals of the neck coil sections which are arranged corresponding to the second mode matrix modules to obtain a second group of radio frequency signals; alternatively, the neck coil module comprises a plurality of neck coil sections that directly output the second set of radio frequency signals.

4. The whip coil of claim 1,

the head-neck radio frequency channel switching module comprises a plurality of head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules, and each head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-module is used for carrying out gating switching between one part of radio frequency signals output by a first mode matrix module of the head coil module and one radio frequency signal output by a neck coil section of the neck coil module or one radio frequency signal output by a second mode matrix module of the neck coil module.

5. The whip coil of claim 1,

the head coil module (110) includes: m1 head coil sections, each head coil section comprising N1 head coil units; and M1 first mode matrix modules (12), wherein each first mode matrix module (12) corresponds to one head coil section and is used for synthesizing the radio frequency signals of N1 head coil units of the head coil section and outputting N2 synthesized radio frequency signals; wherein M1 is 2 or 4; n1 and N2 are natural numbers larger than 1, and N1 is not less than N2; M1N 2 is P, and P is the number of receiver channels of the magnetic resonance imaging system;

the neck coil module (120) comprises: two neck coil sections, each neck coil section comprising N3 neck coil units; and M2 second mode matrix modules, wherein M2 is 0 or 2, and when M2 is 2, each second mode matrix module corresponds to one neck coil segment, and is configured to perform synthesis processing on radio frequency signals of N3 neck coil units of the neck coil segment, and output N4 synthesized radio frequency signals; wherein N3 and N4 are natural numbers more than or equal to 1, and N3 is more than or equal to N4; when N3 is 1 or 2, M2 is 0, the neck coil module (120) directly outputs N3 radio frequency signals of N3 neck coil units respectively included in the two neck coil sections; wherein, when N3 is a natural number greater than 2, M2 is 2;

the additional coil interface module (14) comprises at least one additional coil interface submodule, each additional coil interface submodule being capable of connecting an additional coil;

the inter-head-neck radio frequency channel switching module (13) comprises: m1 head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules, when M1 is 2 and M2 is 0, each head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-module is used for carrying out gating switching between N3 radio frequency signals output by one neck coil section and N3 radio frequency signals in N2 radio frequency signals output by one first mode matrix module (12); when M1 is 2 and M2 is 2, each inter-head-and-neck rf channel switching submodule is configured to gate and switch between N4 rf signals output by one second mode matrix module and N4 rf signals among N2 rf signals output by one first mode matrix module (12); when M1 is 4 and M2 is 0, N3 is 2, each head-neck rf channel switching submodule is configured to gate and switch between one rf signal output by one neck coil unit and one rf signal of N2 rf signals output by one first mode matrix module (12); when the M1 is 4 and the M2 is 2, each inter-head-and-neck rf channel switching submodule is configured to gate and switch between N4/2 rf signals output by one second mode matrix module and N4/2 rf signals among N2 rf signals output by one first mode matrix module (12);

the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module (15) includes: the first inter-coil switching module is used for switching between the radio-frequency signals gated by the M3 inter-head and neck radio-frequency channel switching sub-modules and the radio-frequency signals, of the N5 radio-frequency signals output by the at least one additional coil, of which the number is the same as that of the radio-frequency signals gated by the M3 inter-head and neck radio-frequency channel switching sub-modules; and a second inter-coil switching module for switching between radio frequency signals output by the M3 first mode matrix modules (12) excluding radio frequency signals supplied to the M3 inter-head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules and radio frequency signals output by the at least one additional coil excluding radio frequency signals supplied to the first inter-coil switching module; wherein M3 and N5 are natural numbers, M1 is more than or equal to M3, and P is more than or equal to N5;

the radio frequency signal gated by the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module (15) is output to a receiver of the magnetic resonance imaging system;

when M1 > M3, the radio frequency signals gated by the remaining (M1-M3) head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules and the radio frequency signals output by the remaining (M1-M3) first mode matrix modules (12) except the radio frequency signals provided to the (M1-M3) head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules are directly output to a receiver of the magnetic resonance imaging system.

6. The head and neck coil of claim 5 wherein P-12, the values of M1, M2, M3, N1, N2, N3, N4, N5 are any of the following:

m1 ═ 2, N3 ═ 1 or 2, M2 ═ 0, N1 ≥ N2 ≥ 6, M3 ═ 1 or 2, N5 ═ 6 or 12;

m1 ═ 2, N3 > 2, M2 ═ 2, N4 ═ 1 or 2, N1 ≥ N2 ═ 6, M3 ═ 1 or 2, N5 ═ 6 or 12;

m1 ═ 4, N3 ═ 2, M2 ═ 0, N1 ≥ N2 ═ 3, M3 ═ 2 or 4, N5 ═ 6 or 12; and

m1 ═ 4, N3 > 2, M2 ═ 2, N4 ═ 2, N1 ≥ N2 ═ 3, M3 ═ 2 or 4, N5 ═ 6 or 12.

7. The whip coil as claimed in claim 5, wherein the synthesized N2 RF signals outputted by each of the first pattern matrix modules (12) include at least one head edge information signal and at least one head main information signal;

the synthesized N4 radio frequency signals output by each second mode matrix module comprise at least one neck main information signal;

each head-neck radio frequency channel switching submodule is used for carrying out gating switching between N3 radio frequency signals output by one neck coil unit section and N3 head edge information signals in N2 radio frequency signals output by one first mode matrix module (12); or gate switching is carried out between N4 radio frequency signals output by the second mode matrix module and N4 head edge information signals in N2 radio frequency signals output by the first mode matrix module (12); or gate switching between a radio frequency signal output from a neck coil unit and a head edge information signal of N2 radio frequency signals output from a first pattern matrix module (12); or gate switching is performed between N4/2 RF signals outputted from a second pattern matrix module and N4/2 header edge information signals among N2 RF signals outputted from a first pattern matrix module (12).

8. The whip coil of claim 5, wherein the third set of radio frequency signals output by the at least one additional coil comprises: a third party edge information signal and a third party primary information signal;

the first inter-coil switching module is used for switching between radio frequency signals gated by the M3 inter-head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules and third-party edge information signals of the N5 radio frequency signals output by the at least one additional coil, wherein the number of the third-party edge information signals is the same as that of the radio frequency signals gated by the M3 inter-head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules.

9. The whip coil of claim 5,

when the head coil module (110) is used alone, the inter-head-neck radio frequency channel switching module (13) and the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module (15) both gate radio frequency signals from the head coil module (110);

when the neck coil module (120) is used alone, the inter-head and inter-coil radio frequency channel switching modules (13, 15) both gate radio frequency signals from the neck coil module (120) while the head coil module (110) is detuned;

when the head coil module (110) and the neck coil module (120) are used simultaneously without using an additional coil, the inter-head and neck radio frequency channel switching module (13) gates radio frequency signals from the neck coil module (120), a first inter-coil switching module in the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module (15) gates radio frequency signals from an inter-head and neck radio frequency channel switching submodule, and a second inter-coil switching module in the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module (15) gates radio frequency signals from the first mode matrix module (12);

when the additional coil is used alone, the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module (15) gates a radio frequency signal from the additional coil;

when the head coil module (110), the neck coil module (120) and the additional coil are used simultaneously, the radio-frequency signals from the neck coil module (120) are gated by the inter-head and neck radio-frequency channel switching module (13), the radio-frequency signals from the inter-head and neck radio-frequency channel switching submodule are gated by a first inter-coil switching module in the inter-coil radio-frequency channel switching module (15), and the radio-frequency signals from the additional coil are gated by a second inter-coil switching module in the inter-coil radio-frequency channel switching module (15).

10. The neck coil according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the neck coil (10) comprises two parts, an upper part and a lower part, the lower part of the neck coil (10) is integrated on a patient bed of a magnetic resonance imaging system, or a cable connection is used between the lower part of the neck coil (10) and the patient bed.

11. The whip coil of any one of claims 1-9, wherein said at least one additional coil comprises one or two body coils.

12. A method of radio frequency signal processing using a neck coil (10) according to any of claims 1 to 11, comprising:

according to the use requirement of the head and neck coil (10), outputting a first group of radio frequency signals through the head coil module (110) and/or outputting a second group of radio frequency signals through the neck coil module (120);

gating switching between a portion of the second set of radio frequency signals and the first set of radio frequency signals;

judging whether an additional coil is connected to the head and neck coil (10);

if yes, according to the use requirements of the head and neck coil (10) and the additional coil, the third group of radio frequency signals output by the additional coil and part or all of the second group of radio frequency signals and the first group of radio frequency signals are switched in a gating mode.

13. The radio frequency signal processing method of claim 12, wherein the first set of radio frequency signals comprises: a header edge information signal and a header main information signal;

said gating switching between a second set of radio frequency signals and a portion of said first set of radio frequency signals to: gating switching between the second set of radio frequency signals and a portion of the header-edge information signal.

14. The radio frequency signal processing method according to claim 13, wherein if the additional coil is connected to the neck coil (10); the third set of radio frequency signals output by the additional coil comprises: a third party edge information signal and a third party primary information signal;

the third group of radio frequency signals output by the additional coil and part or all of the second group of radio frequency signals and the first group of radio frequency signals are switched in a gating mode: switching between a portion of the third set of edge information signals and a portion or all of the second set of radio frequency signals; switching between a remaining signal of the third set of radio frequency signals and a portion or all of the first set of radio frequency signals.

15. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, characterized in that the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprises a head and neck coil (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of magnetic resonance imaging, in particular to a head and neck coil for a magnetic resonance imaging device, a radio frequency signal processing method and the magnetic resonance imaging device comprising the head and neck coil.

Background

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a technique for Imaging using a Magnetic Resonance phenomenon. A magnetic resonance imaging system generally includes a superconducting magnet of a cavity type, gradient coils surrounding the superconducting magnet, a body coil of the cavity type located in the gradient coils, a table board on which a patient is placed, and local coils for covering a certain portion of the patient, such as a knee coil, a shoulder coil, a spine coil, a wrist coil, a body coil, a head and neck coil, etc.

At present, with the development of new technologies such as integrated Parallel Acquisition technologies (ipats) and Simultaneous Multi-layer imaging technologies (SMS) imaging technologies, the requirement on the number of local coil elements in each direction is increasing, which results in more and more connectors and cables on the coil and the patient bed, and further increases the cost, and thus it is difficult to apply the technology to a low-end magnetic resonance imaging system with higher technical requirements and lower cost targets.

Usually, many neck coils are connected to the hospital bed by direct plug-in connection, so that heavy cables can be reduced, usability is improved, and cost is relatively low. However, since the whip coil occupies most of the time the in-line receptacle on the patient's bed, if it is desired to scan using a combination of coils, for example, a body coil and a head/neck coil, some additional receptacle must be reserved on the patient's bed, which increases the cables and connectors, again resulting in increased system cost.

Although there are now whip coils with extra sockets provided on them, saving on the use of cables and connectors, effective processing of the signals acquired by multiple coils remains a difficult point when whip coils and other additional coils are used simultaneously.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, the present invention provides a head and neck coil, comprising: a head coil module outputting a first set of radio frequency signals; a neck coil module that outputs a second set of radio frequency signals; an inter-head radio frequency channel switching module that gate switches between at least a portion of the first set of radio frequency signals and the second set of radio frequency signals; an additional coil interface module capable of connecting at least one additional coil; and the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module is used for performing gating switching between the third group of radio frequency signals output by the at least one additional coil and all or part of the first group of radio frequency signals and the second group of radio frequency signals.

In one embodiment, the head coil module includes a plurality of head coil segments and a plurality of first pattern matrix modules corresponding to the plurality of head coil segments, and the plurality of first pattern matrix modules respectively synthesize radio frequency signals of the head coil segments corresponding to the plurality of first pattern matrix modules to obtain the first group of radio frequency signals.

In one embodiment, the neck coil module includes a plurality of neck coil sections and a plurality of second mode matrix modules corresponding to the plurality of neck coil sections, and the plurality of second mode matrix modules respectively synthesize radio frequency signals of the neck coil sections corresponding to the plurality of second mode matrix modules to obtain the second group of radio frequency signals; alternatively, the neck coil module comprises a plurality of neck coil sections that directly output the second set of radio frequency signals.

In one embodiment, the head-neck rf channel switching module includes a plurality of head-neck rf channel switching sub-modules, and each head-neck rf channel switching sub-module is configured to gate and switch between a part of an rf signal output by a first mode matrix module disposed on the head coil module and an rf signal output by a neck coil section disposed on the neck coil module or an rf signal output by a second mode matrix module disposed on the neck coil module.

In one embodiment, the head coil module includes: m1 head coil sections, each head coil section comprising N1 head coil units; and M1 first mode matrix modules, each corresponding to a head coil segment, for synthesizing the radio frequency signals of the N1 head coil units of the head coil segment and outputting the synthesized N2 radio frequency signals; wherein M1 is 2 or 4; n1 and N2 are natural numbers larger than 1, and N1 is not less than N2; M1N 2 is P, and P is the number of receiver channels of the magnetic resonance imaging system; the neck coil module includes: two neck coil sections, each neck coil section comprising N3 neck coil units; and M2 second mode matrix modules, wherein M2 is 0 or 2, and when M2 is 2, each second mode matrix module corresponds to one neck coil segment, and is configured to perform synthesis processing on radio frequency signals of N3 neck coil units of the neck coil segment, and output N4 synthesized radio frequency signals; wherein N3 and N4 are natural numbers more than or equal to 1, and N3 is more than or equal to N4; when N3 is 1 or 2, M2 is 0, and the neck coil module directly outputs N3 radio frequency signals of N3 neck coil units respectively included in the two neck coil sections; wherein, when N3 is a natural number greater than 2, M2 is 2; the additional coil interface module comprises at least one additional coil interface submodule, and each additional coil interface submodule can be connected with an additional coil; the radio frequency channel switches module between the head neck includes: when M1 is 2 and M2 is 0, each head-neck rf channel switching submodule is used for gate switching between N3 rf signals output by one neck coil section and N3 rf signals in N2 rf signals output by one first mode matrix module; when M1 is 2 and M2 is 2, each inter-head-and-neck rf channel switching sub-module is configured to gate and switch between N4 rf signals output by one second mode matrix module and N4 rf signals among N2 rf signals output by one first mode matrix module; when M1 is 4 and M2 is 0, N3 is 2, each head-neck rf channel switching submodule is configured to gate and switch between one rf signal output by one neck coil unit and one rf signal of the N2 rf signals output by one first pattern matrix module; when M1 is 4 and M2 is 2, each inter-head-and-neck rf channel switching submodule is configured to gate and switch between N4/2 rf signals output by one second mode matrix module and N4/2 rf signals among N2 rf signals output by one first mode matrix module; the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module comprises: the first inter-coil switching module is used for switching between the radio-frequency signals gated by the M3 inter-head and neck radio-frequency channel switching sub-modules and the radio-frequency signals, of the N5 radio-frequency signals output by the at least one additional coil, of which the number is the same as that of the radio-frequency signals gated by the M3 inter-head and neck radio-frequency channel switching sub-modules; and a second inter-coil switching module for switching between radio frequency signals output by the M3 first mode matrix modules excluding radio frequency signals supplied to the M3 inter-head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-module and radio frequency signals output by the at least one additional coil excluding radio frequency signals supplied to the first inter-coil switching module; wherein M3 and N5 are natural numbers, M1 is more than or equal to M3, and P is more than or equal to N5; the radio frequency signal gated by the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module is output to a receiver of the magnetic resonance imaging system; when M1 > M3, the radio frequency signals gated by the remaining (M1-M3) head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules and the radio frequency signals output by the remaining (M1-M3) first mode matrix modules except the radio frequency signals provided to the (M1-M3) head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules are directly output to a receiver of the magnetic resonance imaging system. Therefore, the temperature of the molten metal is controlled,

in one embodiment, P is 12, and the values of M1, M2, M3, N1, N2, N3, N4, and N5 are any one of the following values: m1 ═ 2, N3 ═ 1 or 2, M2 ═ 0, N1 ≥ N2 ≥ 6, M3 ═ 1 or 2, N5 ═ 6 or 12; m1 ═ 2, N3 > 2, M2 ═ 2, N4 ═ 1 or 2, N1 ≥ N2 ═ 6, M3 ═ 1 or 2, N5 ═ 6 or 12; m1 ═ 4, N3 ═ 2, M2 ═ 0, N1 ≥ N2 ═ 3, M3 ═ 2 or 4, N5 ═ 6 or 12; and M1-4, N3 > 2, M2-2, N4-2, N1 ≧ N2-3, M3-2 or 4, N5-6 or 12.

In one embodiment, the synthesized N2 rf signals output by each of the first pattern matrix modules include at least one header edge information signal and at least one header main information signal; the synthesized N4 radio frequency signals output by each second mode matrix module comprise at least one neck main information signal; each head-neck radio frequency channel switching submodule is used for gating and switching between N3 radio frequency signals output by one neck coil unit section and N3 head edge information signals in N2 radio frequency signals output by one first mode matrix module; or gate switching is carried out between N4 radio frequency signals output by the second mode matrix module and N4 head edge information signals in N2 radio frequency signals output by the first mode matrix module; or gate switching is carried out between a radio frequency signal output by a neck coil unit and a head edge information signal in N2 radio frequency signals output by a first mode matrix module; or gate switching is carried out between N4/2 radio frequency signals output by the second mode matrix module and N4/2 head edge information signals in N2 radio frequency signals output by the first mode matrix module.

In one embodiment, when the head coil module is used alone, the inter-head-neck radio frequency channel switching module and the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module both gate radio frequency signals from the head coil module; when the neck coil module is used independently, the radio-frequency channel switching module between the heads and the necks and the radio-frequency channel switching module between the coils gate the radio-frequency signals from the neck coil module, and the head coil module is detuned; when the head coil module and the neck coil module are used simultaneously without using an additional coil, the head-neck radio frequency channel switching module gates a radio frequency signal from the neck coil module, a first coil-neck radio frequency channel switching module in the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module gates a radio frequency signal from the head-neck radio frequency channel switching submodule, and a second coil-neck radio frequency channel switching module in the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module gates a radio frequency signal from the first mode matrix module; when the additional coil is used alone, the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module gates a radio frequency signal from the additional coil; when the head coil module, the neck coil module and the additional coil are used simultaneously, the radio-frequency signal from the neck coil module is gated by the head-neck radio-frequency channel switching module, the radio-frequency signal from the head-neck radio-frequency channel switching submodule is gated by a first coil switching module in the inter-coil radio-frequency channel switching module, and the radio-frequency signal from the additional coil is gated by a second coil switching module in the inter-coil radio-frequency channel switching module.

In one embodiment, the head and neck coil comprises an upper part and a lower part, the lower part of the head and neck coil is integrally integrated on a sickbed of a magnetic resonance imaging system, or the lower part of the head and neck coil is connected with the sickbed by a cable.

In one embodiment, the at least one additional coil comprises one or two body coils.

In another embodiment of the present invention, there is also provided a radio frequency signal processing method using the above head-neck coil, the method including: according to the use requirement of the head and neck coil, outputting a first group of radio frequency signals through the head coil module, and/or outputting a second group of radio frequency signals through the neck coil module; gating switching between a portion of the second set of radio frequency signals and the first set of radio frequency signals; judging whether an additional coil is connected to the head and neck coil; if yes, according to the use requirements of the head and neck coil and the additional coil, gating and switching are carried out on a third group of radio frequency signals output by the additional coil and a part or all of the second group of radio frequency signals and the first group of radio frequency signals.

In one embodiment, the first set of radio frequency signals comprises: a header edge information signal and a header main information signal;

said gating switching between a second set of radio frequency signals and a portion of said first set of radio frequency signals to: gating switching between the second set of radio frequency signals and a portion of the header-edge information signal.

In one embodiment, if the additional coil is connected to the neckline coil; the third set of radio frequency signals output by the additional coil comprises: a third party edge information signal and a third party primary information signal; the third group of radio frequency signals output by the additional coil and part or all of the second group of radio frequency signals and the first group of radio frequency signals are switched in a gating mode: switching between a portion of the third party edge information signals and a portion or all of the second set of radio frequency signals; switching between a remaining signal of the third set of radio frequency signals and a portion or all of the first set of radio frequency signals.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus is also provided, wherein the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprises the above-mentioned head and neck coil.

It can be seen from the above solution that, since the head and neck coil provided by the present invention can be applied to a low-end magnetic resonance imaging system with high application requirements, and an additional coil interface module is disposed on the head and neck coil to additionally connect the additional coil, the head and neck coil and the additional coil can be used in combination, and thus the present invention is particularly suitable for the case of using multiple coils in combination. When the radio frequency switching module between the head and the neck and the radio frequency switching module between the coils are used in a combined mode, various signals can be effectively gated and switched through the radio frequency switching module between the head and the neck, and finally the system receiver can receive effective radio frequency signals from the head and the neck coils.

In addition, by integrating the lower portion of the whiplash coil on the patient bed, a connector of lower cost and smaller size can be used, thereby having good applicability and saving expensive connector cost.

In addition, the number of receive radio frequency channels of the system receiver can be increased without modifying the original magnetic resonance imaging system. An additional coil interface module can support multiple local coils and does not require complex communication protocols to enable radio frequency channel switching using tuned/detuned control signal lines.

Furthermore, the operator can more conveniently put multiple local coils together and bring many benefits for advanced applications such as full pixel matrices.

Drawings

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates upon consideration of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a head and neck coil according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary signal processing for a head and neck coil and an additional coil in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary signal processing for a head and neck coil and an additional coil in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary signal processing for a head and neck coil and an additional coil in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a flow chart of a radio frequency signal processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Wherein the reference numbers are as follows:

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, the present invention is further described in detail by referring to the following examples.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a whiplash coil 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which whiplash coil 10 may be generally divided into an upper portion and a lower portion connected together, wherein the lower portion may be integrally integrated into a patient bed 20. For example, the lower portion may be connected to the patient bed by a connector. After the whiplash coil 10 is attached to the hospital bed, the lower portion of the whiplash coil 10 can be mounted on the hospital bed without being frequently pulled out, except for the operation of performing maintenance or the like on the whiplash coil 10 or the lower portion thereof. Thus, the whip coil 10 provided by the present invention may use a smaller connector 16, such as a connector that does not require as many unplugging and plugging times, that is less costly but has good usability when connected, as compared to the more expensive connectors previously used, which may be connected to a cable 17 on a hospital bed 20. In addition, because the plugging frequency is low, the lower part of the head and neck coil 10 can be directly connected to the sickbed by a cable.

An additional coil interface module 14 is additionally provided on the head and neck coil 10, and the additional coil interface module 14 may include at least one additional coil interface sub-module for respectively connecting with other local coils such as a body coil, a spine coil, and the like. The additional coil interface module 14 may take the form of any connector, such as a socket or receptacle, suitable for other local coil connections. The number of additional coil interface modules 14 provided on the whip coil 10 may be set according to specific requirements, for example, one, two or more may be provided.

In the present embodiment, the whip coil 10 may include a whip coil module 110 and a whip coil module 120, as shown in fig. 2. The head coil module 110 may include a plurality of head coil sections, and each head coil section may include a plurality of head coil units. For example, in one embodiment, head coil module 110 may include M1 head coil segments, each head coil segment may include N1 head coil units, and thus, the total number of head coil units is M1 × N1. In addition, M1 first pattern matrix modules 12 may be further included in the head and neck coil 10, and each first pattern matrix module 12 may correspond to one head coil segment, and the number of the first pattern matrix modules 12 is the same. The first mode matrix module 12 may be configured to perform synthesis processing on the radio frequency signals acquired by the N1 head coil units of the head coil segment connected thereto, and output N2 synthesized radio frequency signals. Therefore, the total number of the first set of radio frequency signals output by the head coil module 110 may be M1 × N2. The number of synthesized signals output by each first pattern matrix module may be less than or equal to the number of head coil units of its corresponding head coil section, i.e., N1 ≧ N2. In one embodiment, M1 may be 2 or 4, and N1 and N2 may both be natural numbers greater than 1, and when assuming a number of receiver channels of the magnetic resonance imaging system as P, P may satisfy the following equation: m1 × N2 ═ P.

Similarly, the neck coil module 120 may generally include two neck coil sections, each of which may include a plurality of neck coil units. For example, in one embodiment, each neck coil segment may include N3 neck coil units, thus, the total number of neck coil units is 2 x N3. In one embodiment, the number of the neck coil units may be smaller than the number of the head coil units, and the head coil units and the neck coil units may be arranged in a matrix form in the head and neck coil 10 to enable acquisition of radio frequency signals at various positions of the head and neck region of the patient. In addition, the neck coil module 120 may further include M2 second pattern matrix modules, M2 may be 0 or 2. When M2 is 2, two second pattern matrix modules may be respectively disposed corresponding to the two neck coil segments, and configured to perform synthesis processing on the radio frequency signals of the N3 neck coil units of the respective neck coil segments, and output N4 synthesized radio frequency signals. Accordingly, the total number of the second set of rf signals output by the neck coil module 120 may be 2 × N4. Wherein N3 and N4 are both natural numbers of 1 or more, and N3 is N4. In another embodiment, when N3 may be 1 or 2, M2 may be 0, in which case, after the signals are collected by the neck coil units, the signals output by the neck coil module 120 are N3 radio frequency signals of N3 neck coil units included in each of the two neck coil sections, i.e., when the second set of radio frequency signals has 2 × N3 radio frequency signals in total. In another embodiment, N3 may be a natural number greater than 3, in which case M2 may be 2.

In addition, a head-neck radio frequency channel switching module 13 is further disposed inside the head-neck coil 10, the head-neck radio frequency channel switching module 13 may include M1 head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules, and the M1 head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules may be disposed or connected with the M1 head coil sections in a one-to-one correspondence manner, so as to perform gating switching operation of radio frequency signals between the head coil module 110 and the neck coil module 120, that is, perform gating switching between a part of the first group of radio frequency signals and the second group of radio frequency signals.

In one embodiment, M1 is 2, M2 is 0, and each inter-head-neck rf channel switching submodule is configured to gate between N3 rf signals output from one neck coil segment and N3 rf signals of the N2 rf signals output from one first pattern matrix module. In another embodiment, M1 is 2, M2 is 2, and each inter-head-and-neck rf channel switching submodule is configured to gate and switch between N4 rf signals output by one second mode matrix module and N4 rf signals of N2 rf signals output by one first mode matrix module. In another embodiment, M1 is 4, M2 is 0, and N3 is 2, and each inter-head-and-neck rf channel switching submodule is configured to gate-switch between one rf signal output by one neck coil unit and one of the N2 rf signals output by one first pattern matrix module. In another embodiment, M1 is 4, M2 is 2, and each inter-head-and-neck rf channel switching submodule is configured to gate and switch between N4/2 rf signals output by one second mode matrix module and N4/2 rf signals among N2 rf signals output by one first mode matrix module.

The head and neck coil 10 may further be provided with an inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module 15 inside, which is configured to perform a gating switching operation of radio frequency signals between the head and neck coil 10 and the additional coils, that is, perform a gating switching operation between a third group of radio frequency signals output by at least one of the additional coils and all or part of the first group of radio frequency signals and the second group of radio frequency signals.

The inter-coil rf channel switching module 15 may include a first inter-coil switching module and a second inter-coil switching module. For additional coils connectable to the whip coil 10, the third set of radio frequency signals output by the additional coils may include a third party edge information signal and a third party primary information signal. In the inter-coil rf channel switching module 15, the first inter-coil switching module is configured to switch between the rf signals gated by the M3 inter-head and neck rf channel switching sub-modules and the third-party edge information signals, of the N5 rf signals output by the additional coils, that are the same in number as the rf signals gated by the M3 inter-head and neck rf channel switching sub-modules. The second inter-coil switching module is used for switching between radio frequency signals, except the radio frequency signals supplied to the M3 inter-head radio frequency channel switching sub-modules, output by the M3 first mode matrix modules and radio frequency signals, except the radio frequency signals supplied to the first inter-coil switching module, of the N5 radio frequency signals output by the at least one additional coil. In one embodiment, M3 and N5 are both natural numbers, and M1 is equal to or greater than M3 and P is equal to or greater than N5.

In addition, after the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module 15 performs the gating operation, the gated radio frequency signal is delivered to the receiver 30 of the magnetic resonance imaging system. When M1 > M3, the radio frequency signals gated by the remaining (M1-M3) inter-head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules and the radio frequency signals output by the remaining (M1-M3) first mode matrix modules, excluding the radio frequency signals supplied to the (M1-M3) inter-head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules, are directly output to the receiver 30 of the magnetic resonance imaging system.

In one embodiment, the N2 synthesized rf signals output by the first pattern matrix module may generally include a header edge information signal and a header main information signal, both of which are at least one in number. The head-edge information signal may be a radio frequency signal of a less important part of the patient's head, and the head-primary information signal may be a radio frequency signal of a more important part of the patient's head. The N4 rf signals output by the second pattern matrix module may include at least one neck primary information signal indicative of rf signals of a significant portion of the patient's neck.

In embodiments of the present invention, the head coil module 110 and the neck coil module 120, and the head-neck rf channel switching module 13 and the inter-coil rf channel switching module 15 may be configured in any suitable arrangement. For example, in some embodiments of the present invention, for a system with 12 receiver channels in the receiver 30, there may be several implementations as follows: m1 ═ 2, N3 ═ 1 or 2, M2 ═ 0, N1 ≥ N2 ≥ 6, M3 ≥ 1 or 2, N5 ═ 6 or 12. Alternatively, M1 ═ 2, N3 > 2, M2 ═ 2, N4 ═ 1 or 2, N1 ≧ N2 ═ 6, M3 ═ 1 or 2, N5 ═ 6 or 12. Or M1 ═ 4, N3 ═ 2, M2 ═ 0, N1 ≥ N2 ≥ 3, M3 ≥ 2 or 4, and N5 ═ 6 or 12. Or M1-4, N3 > 2, M2-2, N4-2, N1 ≧ N2-3, M3-2 or 4, N5-6 or 12. Similarly, for the case of other numbers of receiver channels, there are other corresponding multiple implementation manners, which are not described herein any more.

The following description will be made by taking a case where there are 12 receiver channels as an example and by taking a few specific examples.

First example

Referring to fig. 2, in this embodiment, M1 is 4, N1 is 4, N2 is 3, M2 is 0, N3 is 2, and N4 is 2. Specifically, the head coil module 110 of the head-neck coil 10 may include four head coil segments 111 and 114, each of which may include four head coil units. Specifically, first head coil section 111 may include head coil units HL1-HL4, second head coil section 112 may include head coil units HU1-HU4, third head coil section 113 may include head coil units HL5-HL8, and fourth head coil section 114 may include head coil units HU5-HU 8. The neck coil module 120 can include two neck coil sections 1201 and 1202, each of which can include two neck coil units. Specifically, the first neck coil section 1201 may include neck coil units NL1 and NL2, and the second neck coil section 1202 may include neck coil units NU1 and NU 2. The head coil unit and the neck coil unit are both connected with amplifiers LNA, and radio frequency signals are output through the amplifiers LNA. The number of the first mode matrix module 121-. Specifically, each head coil segment is connected to a first mode matrix module, each first mode matrix module is connected to an inter-head and neck radio frequency channel switching submodule, and each neck coil unit is connected to an inter-head and neck radio frequency channel switching submodule. That is, there are 20 coil channels in total in the head-neck coil 10, and the number of reception channels of the receiver 30 of the system may be 12.

In addition, the additional coil 40, which may be connected to the whip coil 10, may include two additional coil sections 41 and 42, wherein one additional coil section 41 includes additional coil units B11-B13, and the other additional coil section 42 includes additional coil units B21-B23. Each additional coil section is connected to a corresponding additional coil pattern matrix module 43 and 44. The additional coil pattern matrix modules 43 and 44 may be similar to the pattern matrix module 12 in the head and neck coil 10.

When the head coil module 110 in the tuned state is used alone, the neck coil module 120 is detuned. The four head coil units of each head coil section 111-114 respectively send the respectively acquired signals to the corresponding first mode matrix module 121-124. The four first mode matrix modules 121-124 synthesize three rf signals, and output one of the head edge information signals to the four inter-head and inter-neck rf channel switching sub-modules 131-134, respectively. The inter-head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-module 131 and 134 then gates and transmits the head-edge information signal to the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module 15 or the receiver 30. The signal is then gated in the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module 15 and then output to the receiver 30. The remaining two radio frequency signals of the first mode matrix module 121 and 124 are then transmitted to the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module 15 or the receiver 30, and are gated within the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module 15 and finally also transmitted to the receiver 30.

Alternatively, in this example, the signals gated from the head-neck rf channel switching sub-module 131-.

When the neck coil module 120 is used alone and the head coil module 110 is detuned, the four neck coil units of the two neck coil sections 1201 and 1202 respectively transmit the acquired radio frequency signals to the corresponding four inter-head and neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules 131 and 134, and the inter-head and neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules 131 and 134 are gated and transmitted to the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module 15 or the receiver 30. These radio frequency signals are gated within the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module 15 and eventually transmitted to the receiver 30, or the radio frequency signals gated at the inter-head and neck radio frequency channel switching sub-module 131 and 134 may also be transmitted directly to the receiver 30.

When the head coil module 110 and the neck coil module 120 are used simultaneously without using the additional coil 40, after the four first mode matrix modules 121 and 124 in the head coil module 110 synthesize three rf signals, one of the rf signals representing the head edge information signal is respectively sent to the four inter-head and neck rf channel switching sub-modules 131 and 134, and meanwhile the four inter-head and neck rf channel switching sub-modules 131 and 134 also respectively receive one rf signal representing the neck from the four neck coil units. Then, each head-neck rf channel switching submodule gates the rf signal from the neck coil unit. Then, the inter-head and neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules 131 and 133 transmit the gated radio frequency signal to the receiver 30, and the remaining two inter-head and neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules 132 and 134 transmit the gated radio frequency signal to the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module 15. Meanwhile, the first pattern matrix modules 121 and 123 transmit the remaining two radio frequency signals to the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module 15, and the other two first pattern matrix modules 122 and 124 transmit the remaining two radio frequency signals to the receiver 30. In the inter-coil rf channel switching module 15, the first inter-coil switching module gates the rf signals from the inter-head and inter-neck rf channel switching sub-modules 131 and 133, and the second inter-coil switching module gates the rf signals from the first pattern matrix modules 121 and 123, and then they transmit both the gated rf signals to the receiver 30.

When the additional coil 40 is used alone, the two additional coil sections 41 and 42 in the additional coil 40 transmit the acquired radio frequency signals to the additional coil mode matrix modules 43 and 44, respectively, to synthesize a third set of radio frequency signals. The third set of radio frequency signals is then sent to the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module 15 and gated within the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module 15 to be delivered to the receiver 30. Some insignificant edge information signals may be discarded when the additional coil 40 outputs a signal. The inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module 15 then outputs to the receiver 30 after gating on these signals.

When the head coil module 110, the neck coil module 120, and one additional coil 40 are used at the same time, the gating operation between the head coil module 110 and the neck coil module 120 is the same as when the head coil module 110 and the neck coil module 120 are used, specifically as follows: each head coil segment 111-. The first mode matrix module 121-. The first mode matrix modules 121 and 123 corresponding to the head coil sections 111 and 113 may output the remaining radio frequency signals to the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module 15, and the first mode matrix modules 122 and 124 corresponding to the head coil sections 112 and 114 may output the remaining radio frequency signals to the receiver 30. Meanwhile, each neck coil unit NL1-NU2 sends the acquired radio frequency signal to the head-neck radio frequency channel switching sub-module 131-134, respectively. In this way, each head-neck rf channel switching submodule gates and switches the received rf signal of the neck coil unit and the rf signal received from the first mode matrix module 12, and finally gates the rf signal of the neck coil unit. The head-neck rf channel switching sub-modules 131 and 133 output the rf signals of the respective gated neck coil units to the inter-coil rf channel switching module 15, and the head-neck rf channel switching sub-modules 132 and 134 output the rf signals of the respective gated neck coil units to the receiver 30. At the same time, the additional coil 40 sends a third set of radio frequency signals to the inter-coil radio frequency channel switching module 15. In the inter-coil rf channel switching module 15, the first inter-coil switching module gates the rf signals from the inter-head and neck rf channel switching sub-modules 131 and 133, and the second inter-coil switching module gates the rf signals from the additional coil 40, and then they transmit both the gated rf signals to the receiver 30.

Second example

Referring to fig. 3, in this embodiment, M1 is 4, N1 is 3, N2 is 3, M2 is 2, N3 is 3, and N4 is 2. Specifically, the head coil module 110 of the head-neck coil 10 may include four head coil segments 111 and 114, each of which may include three head coil units. Specifically, first head coil section 111 may include head coil units HL1-HL3, second head coil section 112 may include head coil units HU1-HU3, third head coil section 113 may include head coil units HL4-HL6, and fourth head coil section 114 may include head coil units HU4-HU 6. The neck coil module 120 can include two neck coil sections 1201 and 1202, each of which can include three neck coil units. In particular, the first neck coil section 1201 can include neck coil units NL1-NL3, and the second neck coil section 1202 can include neck coil units NU1-NU 3. The two neck coil sections are connected to two second mode matrix modules 125 and 126, respectively. The head coil unit and the neck coil unit are both connected with amplifiers LNA, and radio frequency signals are output through the amplifiers LNA. The number of the first mode matrix module 121-. Specifically, each head coil segment is connected to a first mode matrix module, and each first mode matrix module is connected to an inter-head and neck radio frequency channel switching sub-module, the second mode matrix module 125 is connected to the inter-head and neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules 131 and 132, and the second mode matrix module 126 is connected to the inter-head and neck radio frequency channel switching sub-modules 133 and 134. That is, there are 18 coil channels in total in the head and neck coil 10, and the number of reception channels of the receiver 30 may be 12.

In addition, the additional coil 40, which may be connected to the whip coil 10, may include two additional coil sections 41 and 42, wherein one additional coil section 41 includes additional coil units B11-B13, and the other additional coil section 42 includes additional coil units B21-B23. Each additional coil section is connected to a corresponding additional coil pattern matrix module 43 and 44. The additional coil pattern matrix modules 43 and 44 may be similar to the pattern matrix module 12 in the head and neck coil 10.

In the present embodiment, the signal gate switching operation in each use case is substantially the same except for the signal processing operation performed in the neck coil module 120 as follows: in the neck coil module 120, for the neck coil segment 1201, the radio frequency signals collected by the three neck coil units in the neck coil segment are sent to the second mode matrix module 125 and synthesized into two radio frequency signals, which are respectively output to the head-neck radio frequency channel switching subunits 131 and 133, and then are respectively gated and switched with the radio frequency signals from the head coil module in the head-neck radio frequency channel switching subunits 131 and 133. For the neck coil section 1202, the radio frequency signals collected by the three neck coil units in the neck coil section 1202 are sent to the second mode matrix module 126 and synthesized into two radio frequency signals, which are respectively output to the head-neck radio frequency channel switching subunits 132 and 134, and then are gated and switched with the radio frequency signals from the head coil module in the head-neck radio frequency channel switching subunits 132 and 134, respectively.

Third example

Referring to fig. 4, in this embodiment, M1 is 4, N1 is 3, N2 is 3, M2 is 0, N3 is 2, and N4 is 2. Specifically, the head coil module 110 of the head-neck coil 10 may include four head coil segments 111 and 114, each of which may include three head coil units. Specifically, first head coil section 111 may include head coil units HL1-HL3, second head coil section 112 may include head coil units HU1-HU3, third head coil section 113 may include head coil units HL4-HL6, and fourth head coil section 114 may include head coil units HU4-HU 6. The neck coil module 120 can include two neck coil sections 1201 and 1202, each of which can include two neck coil units. In particular, the first neck coil section 1201 can include neck coil units NL1-NL2, and the second neck coil section 1202 can include neck coil units NU1-NU 2. The head coil unit and the neck coil unit are both connected with amplifiers LNA, and radio frequency signals are output through the amplifiers LNA. The number of the mode matrix module 12 and the number of the head-neck rf channel switching modules 13 are 4, and the mode matrix module and the head-neck rf channel switching modules are connected in pairs. Specifically, each head coil section is connected to a first mode matrix module 121-. That is, there are 16 coil channels in total within the head and neck coil 10, and the number of reception channels of the receiver 30 may be 12.

In addition, in this embodiment, two additional coils 40 and 50 are connected to the whip coil 10. The structure of the additional coil 40 may be substantially the same as in the above-described embodiment, and the structure of the additional coil 50 may be similar to the additional coil 40 or may take other structural forms. For example, the additional coils may include one or two body coils.

In the present embodiment, the signal gate switching in each use case is substantially the same in the present embodiment except for the signal gate operation performed in the inter-coil switching module 15 as follows: the first additional coil 40 sends a third set of radio frequency signals into the inter-coil switching module 15, while the second additional coil 50 sends its own fourth set of radio frequency signals into the inter-coil switching module 15; thus, in the inter-coil switching module 15, the first inter-coil switching module gates the radio frequency signal from the inter-head and neck radio frequency channel switching sub-module, the second inter-coil switching module gates the radio frequency signals from the additional coils 40 and 50, and the number of signals gated by the inter-coil switching module 15 is not more than 12, and the gated signals are transmitted to the receiver 30.

In each of the above operating modes, there are no more than 12 output channels that are ultimately connected to the receiver 30 via the whip coil 10. Thus, link costs in the neck coil, especially the number of channels of the receiver analog-to-digital converter, can be saved. And after a plurality of gating operations, the receiver can receive effective radio frequency signals finally, so that accurate diagnosis results can be obtained.

In addition, it should be noted that, although in each of the above operations, the number of coil channels in the head-neck coil 10 is 16 or 18, and the number of receiving channels of the system receiver is 12, the present invention is not limited thereto, and other numbers of channels, such as 32 and 24, respectively, may be provided in the head-neck coil 10 and the system receiver, or a greater or lesser number of channels may be provided to meet the performance requirements and low cost requirements of higher-end or lower-end magnetic resonance systems.

In another embodiment of the present invention, there is also provided a method for performing radio frequency signal processing in a magnetic resonance imaging system, as shown in step S1 in fig. 5, first, according to the usage requirement, i.e. specific operation mode, of the head and neck coil 10, a first set of radio frequency signals is output through the head coil module 110, and/or a second set of radio frequency signals is output through the neck coil module 120. Then, at step S2, if the head coil module 110 and the neck coil module 120 are both in the use state, the gating switching module 13 may switch between the second set of rf signals and a part of the first set of rf signals, for example, the second set of rf signals may be gated when the head coil module 110 and the neck coil module 120 are both in the use state. In step S3, it is determined whether an additional coil, such as the additional coil 40 described above, is connected to the neck coil 10. If the additional coil in the tuning state is connected to the whip coil 10, in step S4, according to the usage requirements of the whip coil 10 and the additional coil, the gate switching may be performed on part or all of the third group of rf signals and the second group of rf signals and the first group of rf signals output by the additional coil in the inter-coil rf channel switching module 15. For example, the third set of rf signals output by the additional coil may include a third-party edge information signal and a third-party main information signal, and in the inter-coil rf channel switching module 15, a part of the third-party edge information signal and a part or all of the second set of rf signals may be switched, and a remaining signal of the third set of rf signals and a part or all of the first set of rf signals may be switched. The gated signal may then be transmitted into a receiver of the magnetic resonance imaging system.

In various operation modes of the head and neck coil, the signal transmission and gating operations in the specific radio frequency signal processing method are similar to those described above, and are not described herein again.

In addition, in another embodiment of the present invention, a magnetic resonance imaging system is further provided, which may include the above-mentioned head and neck coil and may perform the above-mentioned radio frequency signal processing method.

The above description is only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention, and any modifications, equivalents, improvements and the like that fall within the spirit and principle of the present invention are intended to be included therein.