OPTIMAL-DESIGN OF GRADIENT COILS IN MR-IMAGING - OPTIMIZING COIL PERFORMANCE VERSUS MINIMIZING COST-FUNCTIONS

The ''forward'' method of an optimal gradient coil design provides a c oil that has the minimal cost function value. It is shown in this stud y that the solution obtained by minimizing the cost function is direct ly dependent on the specified cost function and generally results in a deviation from the most desirable coil design. In this paper, a gradi ent coil design approach for obtaining the best achievable coil perfor mance for pre-determined imaging applications is presented. Through th is approach, all intermediate coil performance values calculated durin g an optimization process, using a simulated annealing algorithm, are stored and presented in a three-dimensional data set. Using this three -dimensional data set, a coil designer is able to make a balance betwe en different coil performance parameters and to select a coil that is the most desirable for the pre-determined imaging applications.