Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and magnetic resonance imaging method

1. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus comprising:

an MRI radio frequency (RF) transmitter amplifier circuit configured to controllably compensate an output waveform of an RF pulse from an amplifier during an MRI diagnostic data acquisition scan based on (a) a prior prescan output waveform of an RF pulse from said amplifier before compensation, said prior output from said amplifier having been generated in response to an intended waveform inputted to the amplifier during said prescan and (b) a response function acquired from said amplifier output during the prescan, so that an intended output waveform of an RF pulse for generating a spatially non-selective RF magnetic field is outputted from the amplifier during said MRI diagnostic data acquisition scan; and

a generating unit that generates magnetic resonance image data based on magnetic resonance signals acquired during said MRI diagnostic data acquisition scan,

wherein the amplifier circuit is configured to perform said compensation of the amplifier output RF pulse waveform plural times by using an input pulse waveform inputted to the amplifier and a response function acquired based on an output pulse waveform outputted from the amplifier according to the input pulse waveform.

2. The magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the amplifier circuit is configured to include a digital data store which stores coefficients for correcting influence of non-linearity of the amplifier responsiveness, and to compensate the amplifier RF output pulse waveform using the stored coefficients.

3. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to claim 2 ,

wherein the amplifier circuit is configured to compensate the amplifier RF pulse output waveform to decrease an overshoot component of the output RF pulse waveform and thereby more closely approximate a square-wave shaped pulse.

4. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the amplifier circuit is configured to compensate the RF output pulse from the amplifier based on non-linearity of the amplifier responsiveness.

5. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein the amplifier circuit is configured to include a digital data store which stores coefficients for correcting influence of the non-linearity of the amplifier responsiveness, and to compensate the amplifier RF output pulse waveform using the stored coefficients.

6. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the amplifier circuit is configured to compensate the amplifier output RF pulse waveform for use in a VFA (variable flip angle) method of MRI.

7. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to claim 6 ,

wherein the amplifier circuit is configured to perform said prescan by (a) transmitting a plurality of refocusing RF pulses having mutually different flip angles, (b) measuring responsive non-linearity of the amplifier output for sampled ones of the plurality of refocusing pulses, and (c) compensating the RF pulse output waveform based on the measured result so that influence of the non-linearity in responsiveness of the amplifier is corrected.

8. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the amplifier circuit is configured to compensate the RF pulse output of the amplifier and transmit a square-wave pulse.

9. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the amplifier circuit is configured:

to store at least one of (A) an amplifier output waveform of a radio-frequency wave before compensation, (B) a compensation quantity for a control waveform of a radio-frequency wave before compensation and (C) a control waveform of a radio-frequency wave after compensation, as a compensation parameter, and

to compensate the control waveform of a radio-frequency wave by referring to the compensation parameter.

10. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the amplifier circuit is configured to compensate a control waveform for a radio-frequency wave so that the amplifier outputs a square-wave pulse waveform.

11. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the amplifier circuit is configured to compensate a control waveform for a radio-frequency wave amplifier output to decrease an overshoot component of the output waveform of a square-wave radio-frequency pulse.

12. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the amplifier circuit is configured to compensate a control waveform for a radio-frequency wave amplifier output used as part of an MRI diagnostic data acquisition pulse sequence.

13. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the amplifier circuit is configured to compensate a control waveform for a radio-frequency wave amplifier output by use of different compensation settings for respectively corresponding different MRI diagnostic data acquisition pulse sequences.

14. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method comprising:

controllably compensating an output waveform of a radio-frequency (RF) pulse from an RF amplifier during an MRI data acquisition scan based on a prior prescan output waveform of an RF pulse from said RF amplifier before compensation, generated in response to (a) an intended waveform inputted to the RF amplifier during said prescan and (b) a response function acquired from the RF amplifier output during the prescan, so that an intended output waveform of an RF pulse for generating a spatially non-selective RF magnetic field is outputted from the RF amplifier during an MRI diagnostic data acquisition scan; and

generating magnetic resonance image data based on magnetic resonance signals acquired during said MRI diagnostic data acquisition scan,

wherein said compensation of the RF amplifier output RF pulse waveform is performed plural times by using an input pulse waveform inputted to the RF amplifier and a response function acquired based on an output pulse waveform outputted from the RF amplifier according to the input pulse waveform.