Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Ernst Neumeier

Jörg Freudenberger

Joerg Freudenberger

Matthias Seufert

Peter Röhrer

Lothar Werner

Wolfgang Kutschera

Ronald Dittrich

Herbert Bittl

Jan Matschulla

Jan Berk

Raimund Schwarz

Jana Noack

Hans Ströhlein

Matthias Berger

An x-ray tube unit includes an x-ray tube unit housing, in which a vacuum housing is disposed, which includes a high-voltage component. The vacuum housing includes an insulating medium circulating in the x-ray tube unit housing flowing around it. Further, a cathode module and an anode are disposed in the vacuum housing, the cathode module lying at high voltage and including an emitter which emits electrons when heating current is fed to it. In addition, a potential difference is present between the cathode module and the anode for accelerating the emitted electrons. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention a high-voltage feed, a heating transformer and a radiation protection component are integrated into the high-voltage component, the high-voltage component being filled at least partly with an electrically-insulating encapsulation material. This produces a compact and installation-friendly x-ray tube unit which has high operational safety.

X-ray tube unit

A single-pole x-ray emitter includes an emitter housing, in which an x-ray tube with a vacuum housing and a drive motor are arranged. A cathode that generates an electron beam, and a rotating anode that is struck by the electron beam along a focal path are arranged in the vacuum housing. The vacuum housing includes a drive-side housing wall and an anode-side housing wall, and the rotating anode is held in a torsionally rigid manner on an anode tube that is rotatably mounted on a stationary part of a rotor shaft that is coupled to the drive motor. The stationary part of the rotor shaft is joined to the anode-side housing wall of the vacuum housing via a ring-shaped fixing. The anode tube incorporates a temperature compensation element. The focal path is arranged on a side of the rotating anode that faces away from the anode-side housing wall.

Single-pole x-ray emitter

A computed tomography system has a gantry with a rotor side that can be rotated around a system axis during operation, at which at least one x-ray tube is mounted. To cool the at least one x-ray tube a liquid cooling system is equipped with a fluid volume filled with cooling liquid, the fluid volume extends over distances of different sizes from the system axis. The fluid volume is located on the rotor of the gantry and thus is exposed to centrifugal force during operation. To increase pressure in the cooling system, a flexible compensation volume and a movable mass element that rotate with the gantry are provided. The mass element is arranged such that the centrifugal force acting on the mass element during operation causes pressure to be exerted on the cooling liquid.

Computed tomography system with liquid cooling

An x-ray tube has a cathode and a anode, and a catching device that captures backscattered electrons from the anode in the operating state of the x-ray tube. The catching device minimizes unwanted energy generation by the backscattered electrons in the catching device and the anode while maintaining a high quality of the focus by the catching device being electrically insulated with respect to the anode and the cathode and being placed at an electrical potential having a value between the value of the electrical potential of the anode and the value of the electrical potential of the cathode, and the amount of the difference between the potential of the catching device and the potential of the anode is in the range from 1% to 40% of the amount of the difference between the potential of the cathode and the potential of the anode.

X-ray tube with a catching device for backscattered electrons, and operating method therefor

An x-ray tube has a number of emitters that generate respective electron beams, and has a common anode at which the electron beams strike on a surface to generate x-rays. A high x-ray dose power with a long lifespan are achieved while being able to quickly vary the x-ray dose power by using a superimposed intensity distribution from the x-ray beams, which is measured by a detector, to optimize the x-ray beams on the surface.

Electron beam controller of an x-ray radiator with two or more electron beams

An x-ray apparatus has a cooling device for cooling of the anode, through which cooling device cooling fluid flows. To improve the cooling effect, the coolant is water and a pressure generation device is provided for generation of a water pressure of more than 1.1 bar acting at least in a region of the anode to be cooled.

X-ray apparatus with a cooling device through which cooling fluid flows

A rotating envelope tube has a housing which with an x-ray exit window that is essentially transparent for x-ray radiation. To improve the mechanical stability, the x-ray exit window internally exhibits a structure through which cooling fluid can flow.

Rotating envelope x-ray tube

A cooling arrangement for an X-ray tube of the type having a housing having an interior space in which the anode is disposed, and a projection in which the cathode is disposed, the projection being connected to the interior space by a neck region, includes channels for coolant flow formed by an electron beam detector that has a U-shape with legs that straddle the exterior of the neck region. Each leg of the electron beam deflector has a surface that faces an exterior corner of the housing formed by the projection, so as to form, in combination with the corner, a channel for coolant flow therethrough. A nozzle for discharging coolant can be provided at one end of each channel.

Cooling arrangement for an X-ray tube having an external electron beam deflector

An X-ray source has an evacuated housing containing an interior space and a housing projection having a projection interior communicating with the interior space. A cathode is mounted in the projection interior and an anode is mounted in the interior space. Two tubes proceed substantially parallel to each other through the projection and are sealed relative to the projection interior, the two tubes being disposed on opposite sides of an electron beam that proceeds from the cathode to the anode during operation of the X-ray source. An electromagnetic electron beam deflector has a U-shape with two legs that are respectively disposed in the tubes. The electron beam deflector is controllable to generate a magnetic field that deflects the electron beam to set a position of the focus on the anode.

X-ray tube with housing adapted to receive and hold an electron beam deflector

An x-ray CT apparatus has an x-ray source which emits an x-ray beam which is displaceable relative to an examination subject, the x-ray source emitting x-rays in the form of one or more pulses during the registration of a projection. An arrangement for modulating the x-ray power sets the duration of the pulses dependent on an angle attenuation profile of the examination subject for the individual projections, such that the mAs product applied for the individual projections correspond to the curve of the angle attenuation profile.

Growing community of inventors

Aurachtal, Germany

Ernst Neumeier