Patent ID: 7439742

Claim:
A magnetic resonance imaging system comprising: a basic field magnet that generates a homogenous, static magnetic field; a gradient coil system and at least one gradient signal generator connected to the gradient coil system to cause said gradient coil system to emit magnetic gradient fields in a volume overlapping said static magnetic field; a plurality of independently-activatable radio frequency coils that each transmit and receive radio frequency energy; a plurality of radio frequency signal generator modules that are independent of each other and that are respectively connected to said plurality of radio frequency coils and that are configured to activate the respective radio frequency coils to transmit and receive radio frequency energy; a control unit that emits a synchronization signal to cause said radio frequency signal generator modules to be operated in synchronization with each other; and only one of said radio frequency signal generator modules being in direct communication with said control unit to receive said synchronization signal therefrom, said one of said radio frequency signal generator modules forming a master radio frequency signal generator module and a remainder of said radio frequency signal generator modules respectively forming slave radio frequency signal generator modules that respectively receive said synchronization signal only from said master radio frequency signal generator module.