Patent ID: 7791340

Claim:
A magnetic resonance apparatus comprising: a magnetic resonance data acquisition unit having a basic field magnet that generates a basic magnetic field having a homogeneity region containing a smaller, homogenous, cylindrical, maximum real measurement volume; a patient bed that is movable through said cylindrical maximum real measurement volume; said patient bed being configured to support a patient thereon; and a control unit configured to control movement of said patient bed through said cylindrical maximum real measurement volume acquisition of magnetic resonance data by said magnetic resonance data acquisition unit in order to produce a virtual total cylindrical measurement volume composed of multiple volumes each equal to said cylindrical maximum real measurement volume, by coordinating movement of said patient bed with acquisition of magnetic resonance data in order to acquire said magnetic resonance data from different, adjacent regions of a patient on the patient bed the different, adjacent regions having an extent within a plurality of multiples of said cylindrical maximum real measurement volume.