Patent ID: 7772842

Claim:
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus comprising: an examination region, at least one vacuum thermal isolation housing, a main magnet system for generating a main magnetic field in the examination region, and a cryogenic system integrated with the vacuum thermal isolation housing; wherein the vacuum thermal isolation housing comprises a low vacuum space maintained at a pressure between 10 −3 to 10 −6 Torr, at least one superconductor RF coil, a heat sink assembly, and at least one inner and an outer high vacuum enclosures; wherein the high vacuum enclosure comprises a double wall hermetically sealed high vacuum jacket at a pressure of 10 −6 to 10 9 Torr; said vacuum thermal isolation housing provides at least one local examination region that is substantially surrounded by the superconductor RF coil; said low vacuum space, which is between the inner and the outer high vacuum enclosures, hosts the at least one superconductor RF coil that is in thermal contact with the heat sink assembly; said heat sink assembly is coupled to the cryogenic system through a heat pipe to achieve and maintain a desired low temperature at the superconductor RF coil.