Patent ID: 7884605

Claim:
A shim support guide jig configured for a magnetic field generation apparatus that is configured for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment, including a superconducting magnet which is configured in the shape of cylinder and which generates a magnetic field in its internal space, and a plurality of shim supports which are arranged in the internal space and which serve to accommodate therein magnetic material shims configured for adjusting a magnetic field strength of the magnetic field, wherein: each of the plurality of shim supports includes a shim tray configured for accommodating the magnetic material shim, the shim tray comprising a belt-like body having a rectangular cross-section, and a shim holder in order to maintain the magnetic material shim in the shim tray, and wherein the shim tray is made of a nonmagnetic material, the shim support guide jig is constructed in order to draw out the designated shim support from among the plurality of shim supports in the internal space and constructed in order to insert the designated shim support into the internal space while the magnetic field is being generated, the shim support guide jig includes a shim support guide pipe made of nonmagnetic material and having a predetermined length, the shim support guide pipe has an outer end, an inner end configured to be fixed to the magnetic field generation apparatus in order to oppose the designated shim support, and a guide passage configured for guiding a movement of the shim tray of the designated shim support, the guide passage is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the shim support guide pipe and extends from the outer end to the inner end of the shim support guide pipe in order to draw out the shim tray of the designated shim support from the internal space through the guide passage and in order to insert the shim tray into the internal space through the guide passage, and the guide passage has, along substantially its entire length, a rectangular cross-section corresponding to that of the shim tray and sized in order to allow the movement of the shim tray within the guide passage and preventing rotation of the shim tray within the guide passage, the rectangular cross-section defined by two upright side walls interconnected by a top wall and a bottom wall.