Patent ID: 8686725

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a first magnetic resonance (MR) coil element configured to output a first set of MR data at a first output frequency; a first mixer coupled to the first MR coil element and configured to: receive the first set of MR data from the first MR coil element; and frequency translate the first set of MR data to a first offset frequency different from the first output frequency by a first offset value; a signal processor coupled to the first mixer and configured to generate image data corresponding to the frequency-translated first set of MR data, wherein the signal processor comprises a digitizer configured to receive and convert the frequency-translated first set of MR data into a set of digital data; and a transmission line coupled to the first mixer and to the signal processor and configured to transmit the frequency-translated first set of MR data from the MR coil element to the signal processor without a balun coupled to the transmission line.