Patent ID: 10436869

Abstract:
The invention provides for a magnetic resonance imaging system (100) comprising: a magnet (104) for generating a main magnetic field with a homogeneous field zone (108); an antenna (124, 900, 1000) with an imaging zone (126) that has a fixed geometric relationship with portion (119) of a subject (118); a radio frequency system (114, 116, 124) for generating a radio frequency pulse (602); a magnetic gradient field system (110, 112); and a patient support (120, 122) for automatically moving the antenna and the portion of the subject from outside of the homogeneous field zone to within the homogeneous field zone along a movement axis. Machine executable instructions (180, 182, 184, 186, 188) cause a processor (136) controlling the magnetic resonance imaging system to: move the antenna and the portion from outside of the homogeneous field zone to within the homogeneous field zone along the movement axis; control (402) the radio frequency system to repeatedly generate a radio frequency pulse; control (404) the magnetic gradient field system to generate a gradient magnetic field during movement of the subject support only along the movement axis; control (406) the radio frequency system to repeatedly measure the radio frequency signal from the portion of the subject using the antenna; determine (408) a current location (128) of the antenna or of the imaging zone using the radio frequency signal; and control (410) the patient support to decelerate and halt at a predetermined location (109) within the homogeneous field zone using the current location.