Guido Kudielka1, Mika Vogel1, Wolfgang Loew1
1Imaging Technologies Europe, GE Global Research, Garching, Germany
Standard SAR measurement methods can no longer be used in Parallel Transmission (PTx) technique. An unstable RF excitation of one RF amplifier has significant effects on SAR. A flexible power monitor setup was developed to control the output of any PTx transmit system during scans and to detect any malfunctions in this system. With a programmable switch the RF signal of each amplifier was connected to a power sensor. A software application visualized these measurements and monitored to the signal stability. An excitation stop was implemented if the stability exceeds a defined threshold.