Patent ID: 7888934

Claim:
A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus for generating an image on the basis of magnetic resonance signals received from a subject with an electromagnetic wave transmitted thereto in a static magnetic field, comprising: a plurality of receiving coil units for receiving the magnetic resonance signals, the receiving coil units each comprising a coil body configured to receive a corresponding one of the magnetic resonance signals and output an electrical signal and an optical modulator configured to use an electric field of the electrical signal outputted from the coil body directly as a modulation signal for an optical signal, wherein the optical signal is transmitted through an optical fiber; and a uniting device configured to mutually superimpose and unite the optical signals from each of the plurality of receiving coil units and cause the optical signals to be transmitted in a united state through one optical fiber, the types of optical signals transmitted through the one optical fiber corresponding to a number of receiving coil units in the plurality of receiving coil units.