1. Field
Apparatuses and methods consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus and a method of manufacturing the MRI apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
The MRI apparatus acquires images of the internal areas of the human body by supplying a certain frequency and energy to an atomic nucleus in a state of applying a certain magnetic field to the atomic nucleus to convert energy released from the atomic nucleus into signals.
Each proton constituting atomic nucleuses has spin angular momentum and a magnetic dipole alone. Accordingly, when a magnetic field is applied to the atomic nucleuses, the atomic nucleuses are aligned in a direction of the magnetic field and perform precession about the direction of the magnetic field. Such precession allows an image of the human body to be acquired through a nuclear magnetic resonance.
The MRI apparatus acquires an image of an object by forming magnetic field gradients in a static magnetic field which is formed in an imaging region by a main magnet. To maintain an accuracy of imaging, a static magnetic field in the imaging region needs to be uniform, and, thus, the MRI apparatus is provided with a shim to increase the uniformity of the static magnetic field.
For example, the shims may be provided within a gradient coil assembly. However, a great number of shims is required to increase the uniformity of a static magnetic field, and, thus, the thickness of the gradient coil assembly in a radial direction may be increased. This is problematic because it causes a reduction in an inner space of a bore of an MRI scanner.