A new design method for completely open architecture permanent magnet for MRI

A completely open magnet geometry satisfies the requirement of a MRI system for the surgical procedure. This paper presents a new flexible design method to facilitate the construction of a completely open MRI magnet by combining the magnetic dipole pair model and optimization algorithm. A numerical implementation shows that the method provides a main magnetic field with sufficient homogeneity and strength at the imaging region, which is defined outside of the magnet structure, and minimizes the cost of the MRI equipment.