A contact-free signal and power transfer system.

Motivation: Wireless MRI signal transfer reduces the need for physical cabling that can complicate patient table design and impede local coil preparation. Proposed techniques to eliminate cabling can involve complex subsystems for clock synchronization, high-fidelity ADC, low EMI, and high-speed data transfer. Goal(s): Our goal was to implement a short distance contact-free signal and power transfer system without complex circuitry. Approach: We designed a system to eliminate coil-to-scanner connections by transferring coil signals and preamplifier power over short distances using inductively coupled loops. Results: SNR in images acquired with the contact-free and traditional (wired) systems were within 3-5%. Impact: The proposed contact-free signal and power transfer system eliminated the physical connection between the coil and scanner while maintaining SNR, which opens the door to wireless coils and more robust and low-cost, detachable patient tables.