Analog Devices introduces digital to analog converter for high
quality MRI images
26 March 2010
Analog Devices, Inc. (NYSE: ADI), has introduced a
breakthrough in data conversion that gives clinicians and radiologists
the superior image clarity they need to see smaller anatomical
structures and abnormalities, such as breast cancer cells.
ADI’s AD5791 high-accuracy 20-bit digital-to-analog converter
(DAC), the industry’s first to feature true 1-ppm (parts per
million) resolution and accuracy, provides four times greater
accuracy and four times more resolution than competing converters.
1-ppm analogue system design typically entails the complex
engineering challenges involved with combining multiple
lower-resolution DACs with a significant number of discrete
components and support ICs — along with considerable development
risk and costly amounts of engineering time — to optimize circuit
parameters, minimise errors, and design complex auto-calibration
circuitry. The AD5791, with its 1-ppm resolution and accuracy, low
noise (sub 1 ppm), fast refresh rates (1 us), and extremely low
output drift (sub 1 ppm), significantly simplifies the design task,
lowers development cost and reduces risk. Click here to watch a
video on the features of the AD5791.
In MRI systems, this breakthrough technology improves image
quality, enables precise control of the magnetic gradient in
high-field-strength applications, and results in superior image
resolution and contrast. The low noise, drift, and linearity
performance of the AD5791 maximises operational up-time by
eliminating the need to take the MRI system offline for system
calibration cycles. The new converter also reduces the necessity for
complex calibration algorithms, resulting in lower engineering and
system maintenance costs.
In addition to MRI systems, other applications for the AD5791
include test and measurement systems, high-end scientific and
aerospace instrumentation, communications equipment, and industrial
control systems.
Enhancements in data conversion allow imaging system designers to
improve image clarity and speed clinicians’ ability to diagnose
illnesses at an early stage and make timely treatment possible. The
AD5791 DAC delivers extremely low-noise performance, lessening
unwanted image artifacts and thereby reducing the need for multiple
MRI scans. Additionally, lower image-error rates and higher
availability ensure that healthcare facilities can effectively treat
more patients within a shorter time period.
More than 60 million diagnostic MRI procedures are performed
worldwide each year. A non-invasive technique, MRI takes images of
the human body without using ionising radiation, making it a method
of choice to diagnose many different injuries and conditions because
of its ability to tailor the exam to meet specific imaging
parameters such as the field of view.
“The AD5791 establishes new benchmarks in image clarity,
resolution, and contrast in medical imaging systems — all system
design requirements needed to ensure radiologists can quickly and
accurately diagnose patients,” said Patrick O’Doherty, vice
president for the Healthcare Group, Analog Devices.
“For system architects, the 1ppm performance level makes a single
DAC architecture possible, reducing design footprint and cost. This
means that for the first time designers are able to free up a large
portion of the system error budget, the savings of which can be
applied to critical components in other subsystems or to improve the
overall MRI performance.”