Patent ID: 8467846

Claim:
A Magnetic Resonance imaging apparatus comprising: a cavity configured to house a patient body or a part of a patient body to be imaged; and a patient support device comprising: a patient supporting surface having a size to accommodate at least a part of the patient body, said patient supporting surface being mounted in a slidable way relative to the cavity for housing the body to be imaged or a part thereof so that the patient supporting surface enters the cavity together with the patient, and one or more receptacles, each receptacle housing and/or removably coupling a coil adapted to receive signals from anatomic regions of the patient, upon excitation thereof by the Magnetic Resonance imaging apparatus, wherein the one or more receptacles are arranged over the surface of said patient support device in areas corresponding to positions of one or more anatomic regions to be imaged, a controller for determining a displacement stroke of the patient support device or at least the patient supporting surface required to move one or more coils into coincidence with the imaging volume wherein the patient support device comprises: automatic stroke limiting means for limiting a displacement stroke of the device or at least the patient supporting surface in at least one displacement direction; means for detecting the presence of the coil in a selective one of said one or more housing or coupling receptacles; means for detecting the position of the patient support device or at least the patient supporting surface and means for detecting the stroke thereof; and a limit controller to control said limiting means upon reception of the signals detecting the presence of a coil in a corresponding receptacle and signals detecting the position and stroke, wherein the imaging volume provides a stationary reference to thereby align the coils with the imaging volume.