Design and implementation of a uniplanar gradient field coil for magnetic resonance imaging

A new approach to design uniplanar gradient coils for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is presented. The theoretical formulation involves a constraint cost function between the desired field in a particular region of interest in space and the current-carrying coil plane based on Biot-Savart's integral equation. An appropriate weight function in conjunction with linear approximation functions allows the transformation of the problem formulation into a linear matrix equation in which its iterative solution yields discrete current elements in terms of magnitude and direction within the prescribed coil plane. These current elements can be synthesized into an overall practical wire configuration by suitably adding individual wire loops. Numerical predictions and practical testing for a G. gradient coil underscore the success of this approach in terms of achieving a highly linear held while maintaining low parasitic fields. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.