Patent ID: 8362772
Filing Date: 2013-01-29
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
1. A method for operating a magnetic resonance imaging data acquisition unit, said magnetic resonance imaging data acquisition unit comprising a magnetic field system and a radio-frequency system and a computerized control unit that operates said magnetic resonance imaging data acquisition unit, said method comprising the steps of: supplying a control protocol to said control unit that defines a plurality of scan procedures, comprising a first scan procedure followed in time-dependent sequence by a plurality of subsequent scanning procedures, and a plurality of adjustments for adjusting at least one of said magnetic field system and said radio-frequency system for each of said plurality of scan procedures; in said control protocol, embedding a plurality of scan transition indicators respectively for each scan procedure in said plurality of scan procedures, each scan transition indicator comprising information selected from the group consisting of individual constraints for making said adjustment for an individual one of said plurality of subsequent scan procedures, and relative constraints on making respective adjustments to said scan procedures in said plurality of subsequent scan procedures due to the time-dependent sequence of said scan procedures in said plurality of subsequent scan procedures; in said control unit, reading said control protocol, including said scan transition indicators, and generating a control time-dependent sequence therefrom that operates said magnetic resonance imaging data acquisition unit to execute all of said plurality of scan procedures in said time-dependent sequence; and in said control unit, automatically determining, from said information read from said scan transition indicators, whether each adjustment for each scan procedure in said plurality of subsequent scan procedures can be implemented while still preserving said time-dependent sequence and, if not, automatically taking an action in generating said control time-dependent sequence selected from the group consisting of causing an adjustment for at least one scan procedure in said plurality of subsequent scan procedures to be implemented in advance of executing said first scan procedure, and making the adjustment for at least one scan procedure in said plurality of subsequent scan procedures using an adjustment value from a previously-executed adjustment of one of said scan procedures in said plurality of scan procedures.