US 11,789,098 B2
Measurement device and method for measuring magnetic resonance signals in a magnetic resonance device and magnetic resonance device
Stefan Popescu, Erlangen (DE)
Assigned to Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen (DE)
Filed by Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen (DE)
Filed on Jul. 16, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/377,515.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/053,067, filed on Jul. 17, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0018912 A1, Jan. 20, 2022
Int. Cl. G01R 33/24 (2006.01); G01R 33/00 (2006.01); G01R 33/36 (2006.01); G01R 33/381 (2006.01); G01R 33/032 (2006.01)
CPC G01R 33/24 (2013.01) [G01R 33/0017 (2013.01); G01R 33/0322 (2013.01); G01R 33/3621 (2013.01); G01R 33/3692 (2013.01); G01R 33/381 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A measurement device for measuring magnetic resonance (MR) signals in a MR device, the measurement device comprising:
at least one quantum spin magnetometer as a first magnetometer, which includes:
a sensor material including at least one spin defect center having Zeeman splitting states dependent on an external magnetic field of the MR device,
an optical excitation source and a microwave excitation source configured to electromagnetically excite the sensor material, and
a measurement sensor configured to measure optical signals emitted by the excited sensor material and depending on the Zeeman splitting states,
a second magnetometer associated with the first magnetometer configured to cyclically measure a total magnetic field strength of the external magnetic field, which acts as a bias field at the sensor material of the first magnetometer, and
a controller configured to:
determine a working frequency of the microwave excitation source of the first magnetometer from the total magnetic field strength measured by the second magnetometer, wherein the working frequency is a position of a maximum gradient of the optical signal with respect to the microwave frequency of the microwave excitation source,
update the determined working frequency, at least if an updating condition is fulfilled, based on the cyclically measured total magnetic field strength, and
control the microwave excitation source of the first magnetometer to use the determined working frequency as a microwave frequency, such that the first magnetometer measures the MR signals as the optical signal.