	US 12,078,704 B2
	Interleaved execution of MRI measurement sequences
Thomas Kluge, Hirschaid (DE)
Assigned to Seimens Healthineers AG, Erlangen (DE)
Filed by Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen (DE)
Filed on Mar. 11, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/198,306.
Claims priority of application No. 20162408 (EP), filed on Mar. 11, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0286035 A1, Sep. 16, 2021
Int. Cl. G01R 33/54 (2006.01)

CPC G01R 33/546 (2013.01) [G01R 33/543 (2013.01)]

18 Claims

1. A method for executing a measurement sequence in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, comprising:

storing, via the MRI system, a plurality of measurement subsequences to be executed within the measurement sequence in a container stored in a memory, each one of the plurality of measurement subsequences (i) being executable independently of other ones of the plurality of measurement subsequences, (ii) comprising measurement blocks including measurement instructions to be executed by the MRI system, and (iii) comprising a respective time value that defines when a next measurement block within a respective one of the plurality of measurement subsequences is to be executed within a global time scale by the MRI system, the global time scale defining a time period used by the MRI system to execute the measurement sequence,

wherein the plurality of measurement subsequences are stored in an ordered manner as separate elements in a subsequence order according to their respective time values, and

wherein the time values are uniquely identified for each one of the plurality of measurement subsequences and are indicative of a respective point in time on the global time scale;

determining an order of execution of measurement blocks associated with a first measurement subsequence from among the plurality of measurement subsequences by iteratively:

accessing, via the MRI system from the memory, the first measurement subsequence in the subsequence order;

selectively updating, via the MRI system, the time value for the first measurement subsequence based upon (i) a time value of a previous measurement block of the first measurement subsequence that is to be executed, and (ii) timing requirements of the measurement sequence;

selectively updating, via the MRI system, the container using the updated time value as the respective time value for the first measurement subsequence such that the accessed first measurement subsequence is positioned in the subsequence order stored in the memory according to the updated time value; and

executing, via the MRI system, each measurement block in accordance with the accessed first measurement subsequence based upon the respective time value of each measurement block to be executed as stored in the container upon accessing the first measurement subsequence.