General Electric Company

Ge Precision Healthcare LLC

Ge Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC

General Electric Corporation Gmbh

Carey Shawn Rogers

Sergio Lemaitre

Mark Alan Frontera

Yun Zou

Ethan James Westcot

Douglas J Snyder

John Scott Price

Vasile Bogdan Neculaes

Uwe Wiedmann

Charles B Kendall

Andrew Thomas Cross

Richard Michael Roffers

Peter Andras Zavodszky

Marshall Gordon Jones

Joseph Darryl Michael

Dennis Michael Gray

Fulton Jose Lopez

Vance Scott Robinson

Brian D Lounsberry

Xi Zhang

Madhusudhana Subraya

Liangheng Qiu

Steve Buresh

David Wagner

Pazhayannur Ramanathan Subramanian

Steven Alfred Tysoe

Dalong Zhong

Aparna Chakrapani Sheila-Vadde

Nidhishri Tapadia

Richard Arthur Nardi, Jr

Andrew Jean Desrosiers

Michael J Price

Srinidhi Sampath

Manohar Gopalaswamy Kollegal

Krystyna Truszkowska

Myles Standish Peterson, Ii

Jizhong Chen

Doug Snyder

Yang Cao

Mark Ernest Vermilyea

Xiaoye Wu

Krishnamurthy Anand

Bruce Matthew Dunham

Daniel Qi Tan

Thomas Francis McNulty

Edward Emaci

Christopher David Unger

Mark O Derakhshan

Ron Kent Hockersmith

Floribertus Philippus Heukensfeldt Jansen

Kenwood Dayton

Edwin L Legall

Brian Joseph Graves

Kalyan Koppisetty

Paul E Neitzke

Michael John Danyluk

Sergiy Zalyubovskiy

Matthew Karesh

Eti Ganin

Stephen S Waite

Cassidy Charles Shibiya

Peter Andras Zavodsky

Anup G Nair

Sid Raje

Benjamin Eric Frey

Krishnamurhty Anand

Various methods and systems are provided for an x-ray imaging system. In one example, a method for decelerating a rotor of an x-ray tube of an imaging system includes controlling and/or monitoring a speed and position of the rotor, passing the rotor through a first position where a force exerted on the rotor, is less than Earth's gravitational pull, the force due to a combination of gravity and radial acceleration, and initiating a predefined deceleration profile to decelerate the rotor to a halt when the x-ray tube passes through the first position.

Methods for x-ray tube rotors with speed and/or position control

Various systems and methods are provided for a biased cathode assembly of an X-ray tube with improved thermal management and a method of manufacturing same. In one example, a cathode assembly of an X-ray tube comprises an emitter assembly including an emitter coupled to an emitter support structure, and an electrode assembly including an electrode stack and a plurality of bias electrodes. The emitter assembly including a plurality of independent components that are coupled together. The electrode assembly including a plurality of independent components that are coupled together, and the emitter assembly being coupled to the electrode assembly.

Biased cathode assembly of an X-ray tube with improved thermal management and a method of manufacturing same

Biased cathode assembly of an x-ray tube with improved thermal management and a method of manufacturing same

An x-ray tube casing is provided which includes a housing having a heat exchanger integrally formed thereon in an additive manufacturing process. The additive manufacturing process allows for tight tolerances with regard to the structure for the casing and the internal passages of the heat exchanger to significantly reduce the size and weight of the casing. The casing additionally includes a fluid distribution manifold that effectively distributes the cooling fluid within the casing to more efficiently provide cooling to the x-ray tube insert disposed within the casing.

X-ray tube casing with integral heat exchanger

An x-ray tube casing is provided which includes a central frame having internal passages to supply a cooling fluid directly to the casing without the need for an external dedicated heat exchanger. The cooling fluid flowing through the passages in the easing can thermally contact the dielectric coolant within the casing to cool the tube coolant during operation of the x-ray tube. The casing is formed in an additive manufacturing process to allow for tight tolerances with regard to the structure for the casing and the internal passages to reduce the size and weight of the casing. The casing can additionally be formed from a metal matrix including a metal with high x-ray attenuation and a filler metal. The metal matrix eliminates the need for a separate x-ray attenuation layer within the casing, further reducing the size, number of parts and assembly complexity of the casing.

X-ray tube casing

An electron collector for an electromagnetic ray generating device is provided. The electron collector includes a body having a surface configured to intercept backscattered electrons produced by an electron beam striking an anode to generate electromagnetic rays. The body is operative to absorb the backscattered electrons and is formed by particles of a first material disposed within a matrix of a second material.

Electron collector, imaging system and method of manufacture

An emitter device having an emission surface includes a plurality of ligaments configured to emit electrons in response to an applied electric field resulting from an applied electrical voltage. Further, the emitter device includes a plurality of slots configured to provide physical separation between two or more adjacently disposed ligaments of the plurality of ligaments, where one or more slots of the plurality of slots define an electrical path. Moreover, the emitter device includes a low work function layer disposed on at least a portion of a ligament of the plurality of ligaments.

Emitter devices for use in X-ray tubes

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to electron emitters for use in conjunction with X-ray emitting devices. In certain embodiments the emitter includes features that prevent, limit, or control deflection of the electron emitter at operating temperatures. In this manner, the electron emitter may be kept substantially flat or at a desired curvature during operation.

Electron emission surface for X-ray generation

A tube for generating x-rays includes a cathode adapted to emit electrons, a target positioned to receive the electrons from the cathode on a surface thereof, an anode adapted with an aperture and positioned between the cathode and the target and configured to accelerate the electrons toward the target, and a rotating system adapted to rotate the target about an axis, the rotating system located in a position facing the surface of the target.

Apparatus for wide coverage computed tomography and method of constructing same

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to electron emitters for use in conjunction with X-ray devices. In one embodiment, the emitter features a round emission area capable of emitting electrons when heated, wherein the round emission area comprises at least one of a gap, a channel, or a combination thereof that separates a first portion of the round emission area from a second portion of the round emission area and permits thermal expansion of the first portion and the second portion within the at least one gap or channel without permitting the first portion and the second portion to touch one another. The two electrically conductive legs coupled to the surface at respective locations outside the round emission area and that are capable of supplying current to the round emission area.

Emission surface for an X-ray device

An X-ray tube assembly includes an electron beam transport tube, a beam tube protection assembly, and a control module. The electron beam transport tube includes an opening configured for passage of an electron beam, and includes an inner surface bounding the opening along a length of the electron beam transport tube. The beam tube protection assembly includes a plurality of beam protection electrode segments disposed within the opening of the electron beam transport tube and configured to protect the inner surface of the electron beam transport tube from contact with the electron beam. The control module is configured to determine a direction of the electron beam responsive to information received from the beam tube protection assembly.

Systems and methods for monitoring and controlling an electron beam

An x-ray tube includes a casing having a cathode and an anode enclosed therein, and a separator attached to an inner wall of the casing and having a conductance limiter therein, the separator positioned to separate the anode from the cathode.

Method and apparatus of differential pumping in an X-ray tube

A CT imaging system includes a multi-position x-ray filter having a filter element configured to spectrally filter a beam of x-rays and a magnet structure configured to selectively generate a magnetic field to cause the filter element to move between filter and non-filter positions. A CT imaging system computer causes an x-ray source to emit x-rays at each of a first kVp and a second kVp and control the multi-position x-ray filter to position the filter element in the non-filter position during emission of the x-rays at the first kVp and in the filter position during emission of the x-rays at the second kVp. The computer causes current to be provided to the magnet structure so as to generate a magnetic field configured to move the filter element to the filter and non-filter positions at high frequency, into and out of a path of the beam of x-rays.

Apparatus and method for dynamic spectral filtration

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Brookfield, WI, United States of America

Carey Shawn Rogers