Patent GB-791866-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in magnetic resonance apparatus
IPC: G01R33/44
Filed: 1955-10-11
Abstract: 791,866. Electric tests. SCHLUMBERGER WELL SURVEYING CORPORATION. Oct. 11, 1955 [Oct. 21, 1954], No. 28957/55. Class 37. In apparatus for observing gyromagnetic nuclear resonance phenomena in which the substance under test is exposed to a substantially constant unidirectional field and to a radio-frequency field alternating at the resonance precession frequency and at right angles to the unidirectional field the plane of the alternating current field is periodically reversed so that the macroscopic moments are nutated in successively alternate directions. The Specification states that such reversals maintain the moment relatively unattenuated. The R.F. field may be applied as two immediately successive pulses of opposite phase such that the angle through which the moment rotates in one direction is followed by an equal angle in the opposite. This angle may be 360 degrees. In a further arrangement the angles may be + 360 degrees, - 720 degrees, + 360 degrees. In all cases a relaxation period is necessary to permit restoration of the macroscopic axis along the axis of the D.C. field. As shown in Fig. 3, the sample 12 is placed in a homogeneous field provided in gap 13 by magnet 14. At right angles to field Ho coil 15 generates the R.F. field while a pick-up coil 23 is at right angles to both the D.C. field and the axis of coil 28. The R.F. coil 15 is fed by an oscillator 16 through phase-splitting transformer 17, gates 20, 20<SP>1</SP> and an amplifier 22. The system is synchronized by a gate pulse generator 32 and pulse generator 33, the outputs of which are shown at A and B in Fig. 4. T3 represents the length of the gate pulse and T4 the relaxation gap. During period T3 pulse generator 33 generates alternate positive and negative pulses 38, 39, to open gate 22 alternately so that at each opening the direction of the R.F. field is reversed. Curve C (Fig. 4) shows the current in coil 15 and curve D the voltage induced in pick-up coil 22 by the magnetic moments, the phase changes in this curve occurring midway between the reversals in curve 40. The output of this coil is fed through amplifier 24 to gate circuits 27, 27<SP>1</SP>. These gates are opened alternately by pulses from generator 33 these pulses being delayed, however, by half the time between pulses. Thus the voltage 41 is turned into an A.C. of no phase reversals (Fig. 4E), while any voltage induced directly in coil 23 because of coupling between it and coil 15 will include polarity reversals 4F and may be filtered or damped out. Signal 4E is fed to phase-sensitive detector 29, also fed with a reference signal from oscillator 16 through phase adjuster 30. The output of the detector is a D.C. signal proportional to the amplitude of signal 42 (Fig. 4E) and is indicated at 35 to ensure elimination of signals produced in pick-up coil 23 by direct coupling. The output of amplifier 24 may be fed to gates 43, 43<SP>1</SP>, also fed with the output of pulse generator 33. Gates 43, 43<SP>1</SP> operate as gates 27, 27<SP>1</SP> to phase-reverse the signal after each pulse. The effect of the arrangement is that signals produced by direct coupling produce an alternating current of no phase reversals which is applied to phase-sensitive detector 45 (fed with a reference signal from oscillator 16). The detector produces a D.C. signal which controls the gain of circuit 46<SP>1</SP> also fed with a signal in phase with that in coil 15. By means of transformer 48 an anti-phase signal is injected into the input to amplifier 24 to balance out the unwanted signal. The field supplied by magnet 50 may be audio modulated by oscillator 49 coupled to coil 50. The audio output of phase-sensitive detector 29 may be applied to audio amplifier 51 and phase-sensitive detector 52 receiving a reference signal from oscillator 49. Thus the audio modulation is detected by phase-sensitive detector 52 and indicated at 54. Modification.-In Fig. 2E is shown a series of applied R.F. signals which are split into portions. In Fig. 5 (not shown) a timing circuit applies an R.F. field of this form and sensitizes a detector in the gaps between the applied pulses. Fig. 6 shows a circuit making use of spin-echo techniques the sample 60 again being situated in the magnet field and the R.F. field applied by coil 62. A previously described phase change in the applied R.F. field are produced by feeding the output of crystal-controlled R.F. oscillator 64 through gate circuits 67, 67<SP>1</SP> controlled by timing circuit 69. In operation a gating pulse 77 is applied to gate circuit 67 to allow a pulse 67 to nutate the magnetic moment through 90 degrees. After a free precession period # a negative gate pulse of twice the width of pulse 77 is applied to circuit 671 thus applying pulses 80 to coil 62 to nutate the magnetic moment backwards through 180 degrees. Gate circuit 22 is now opened and at time 2# an echo 82 appears in coil 62 which is amplified by amplifier 73 and portrayed on oscilloscope 75 to which is applied sawtooth 83. Additional positive and negative pulses 84, 85 which apply positively and negatively phase R.F. pulses to coil 62 to create echoes 88, 89 received as decoying pulses 38<SP>1</SP>, 39<SP>1</SP>. After the last echo 60 is obtained negative pulse 91 restores the moment and the R.F. energy is thus turned off to allow thermal equilibrium to be reached in sample 60.