Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Markus Schild

Erich Hell

Peter Schardt

Bernhard Sandkamp

Franz Atzinger

Gerhard Hahm

Michael Stark

Fabian Wloka

Carsten Illenseer

Raphael Henrich

Christoph Jablonski

Detlef Mattern

Manfred Fuchs

Jörg Freudenberger

Josef Deuringer

Philipp Bernhardt

Bernhard Geiger

Thilo Hannemann

Rainer Kaltschmidt

Peter Scheuering

Thomas Ferger

Kai-Uwe Taubenreuther

Mathias Kraus

Systems and methods are provided for generating X-ray pulses during X-ray imaging. A high voltage of an X-ray tube is automatically switched off. The tube voltage decays and upon reaching a predefined threshold value of the tube voltage or a predefined waiting time after switching off the high voltage, a grating voltage of a grating arranged between an emitter and an anode of the X-ray tube is automatically switched on. No electrons reach the anode from the emitter, and the tube current drops to the value zero.

Generating X-ray pulses during X-ray imaging

A method is provided for detecting x-ray quanta incident on a multi-pixel x-ray detector having a two-dimensional matrix composed of measurement-signal-generating pixels, wherein the multi-pixel x-ray detector is embodied as a direct solid-state detector, wherein the pixels, which generate a measurement signal within a predefined time interval and which in addition lie in a contiguous cluster composed of a plurality of pixels, are assigned to an event cluster by an evaluation unit and wherein their measurement signals are drawn upon for the purpose of approximating the position at which the x-ray quantum interacted with the multi-pixel x-ray detector.

Method and device for detecting x-ray quanta

An X-ray detector of conventional design having photodiodes and scintillator material arranged thereon is able, given a suitable read-out frequency matching a low dose to which the flat-panel X-ray detector is subjected, to obtain images during each read-out operation, from which images the energy of individual X-ray quanta can be derived. An item of X-ray-spectrum information about pixels in a grid pattern can be obtained thereby.

Method for obtaining an item of X-ray-spectrum information about pixels in a grid pattern

A sensor element is provided for conversion of x-radiation into an electrical measurement signal, the sensor element including an x-radiation-absorbing fluid arranged in a housing, and a pressure sensor arranged to detect a pressure of the fluid on the pressure sensor and convert the detected pressure into an electrical measurement signal. A plurality of such sensor elements may be arranged in a matrix-type arrangement to form an x-ray detector.

Sensor element and X-ray detector comprising a plurality of sensor elements

In order to optimize the recording time, provision is made of a method for recording an X-ray image using an X-ray system with an X-ray detector, an X-ray source, a system control, and a computational unit, wherein information relating to the relative direct radiation component in a reference X-ray image and information relating to the utilized recording geometry and/or the utilized primary X-ray dose and/or the utilized filtering is used to determine a relaxation time, during which a ghosting effect of the X-ray detector resulting from a preceding X-ray image decays at least in part, which relaxation time is adapted to the X-ray image to be recorded, and the determined relaxation time is utilized to actuate the recording of the X-ray image.

Method for recording an X-ray image and X-ray system

An apparatus and method to enable a simple installation of a sensor unit (in one example an intra-oral x-ray sensor) on a network. The sensor unit is preferably a sensor in the medical field, and it is provided that the sensor unit is itself fashioned as an access point and establishes its own network on which a computer automatically logs on in order to enable a data transfer between the sensor unit and the computer. Due to this measure no expertise is necessary for the installation of the sensor unit.

Device for wireless data exchange as well as method for establishment of a wireless connection between in particular a medical sensor unit and a computer

In a method for estimating the remaining life span of an X-ray radiator that has been installed in an X-ray apparatus and is operational, under specified test conditions and at time intervals, a measurement value that is indicative for the remaining life span of the X-ray radiator is determined and stored in a memory. A forecasted progression of future measurement values is then forecasted from the instantaneous measurement value and previous measurement values that were determined under identical test conditions, which also are stored in the memory. The forecasted remaining life span of the X-ray radiator is then determined based on the forecasted progression and a limit value that is associated with the individual X-ray radiator, which is stored in the memory.

Method for estimating the remaining life span of an X-ray radiator

In a method to detect the pressure in an x-ray tube having a cathode of the x-ray tube that is heated with a heater current, and wherein electrons are accelerated between the cathode and an anode by an applied x-ray tube voltage, the heater current is measured, a tube current corresponding to the tube -ray voltage is measured, the difference between the measured heater current and the measured tube current is determined or the temporal change of the measured heater current or of the measured tube current is determined, the difference or the temporal change is compared with predetermined calibration values, and a value representing the pressure in the x-ray tube is determined from the comparison.

Device to detect pressure in an x-ray tube

A directly thermionic flat emitter is presented whose emitting surface contains meandering conductor tracks. The conductor tracks are formed by slots in the emitting surface. The slots are arranged as claimed in a pattern of cuts which comprises a multiplicity of straight slots ( ) which run at least transverse to the course of the main current direction and are arranged in a plurality of rows offset from one another. Meandering current paths ( ) are thereby produced.

Directly heated thermionic flat emitter

A thermionic emitter has a flat emission surface that is subdivided by slits into generally spiral or serpentine conductor sections, the surface having legs extending therefrom that form part of the current supply terminals and that also serve for securing the emitter. Each of these legs has a portion with a longitudinal electrical resistance that is elevated compared to that of the conductor sections, such that areas of maximum temperature migrate from the middle of the emitter to its edges as the heating current increases.

Thermionic emitter with balancing thermal conduction legs

The invention concerns an x-ray tube having a thermionic emitter and a warning means, which exhibits means for measuring as least one electrical property of the thermionic emitter and produces a signal during analysis of the measured electrical property, if the measured electrical property shows a value indicating an impending failure of the thermionic emitter.

X-ray tube with warning device for accurately indicating impending failure of the thermionic emitter

An X-ray tube has a vacuum housing that accepts a cathode and an anode and that is provided with an electrically conductive beam exit window. During operation of the X-ray tube, the beam exit window lies at a negative potential and is electrically conductively connected via a resistance to a potential that is positive relative to the negative potential, this resistance being dimensioned such that, during operation of the X-ray tube, the difference in potential between the negative potential of the beam exit window and the positive potential lies on the order of magnitude of a few kilovolts.

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Herzogenaurach, Germany

Markus Schild