Simply supported ring gear for autotuneable body resonator

摘要

Main field magnets (10) create a static magnetic field through an examination region that is surrounding a resonator coil assembly (22). The resonator coil assembly includes a dielectric cylinder (60) on which a plurality of foil antenna or coil segments (30) are mounted. Pairs of adjustable tuning and matching capacitors (28, 34) are mounted on opposite sides of the cylinder in electric connection with the foil segments. The tuning capacitors are connected with a first pair of driven gears (90) disposed on one side of an annular reinforcing ring (64) and the matching capacitors are connected with a second pair of driven gears (100) mounted on the other side of the reinforcing ring. First and second ring gears (66, 68) are mounted at three points on opposite sides of the reinforcing ring each at its respective drive gear and pair of driven gears. In this manner, rotation of the appropriate drive gear rotates the respective ring gear about the cylinder causing concurrent rotation of the associated driven gears such that the associated pair of capacitors are adjusted concurrently by the same amount. Optionally, keeper assemblies (110) may be connected to the annular reinforcing ring to prevent circumferential deflection of the ring gears.