General Electric Company

Philippe Ernest

Dominique Poincloux

Denis Perrillat-Amede

Yannick Louvrier

Antonio Caiafa

Nicolas Levilly

Christophe Robert

Georges William Baptiste

Uwe Wiedmann

Saijun Mao

Niranjan Kumar

Florent Liffran

Guillermo Garcia Soto

Stephane Gautrais

Georges-William Baptiste

Laurence Abonneau-Casteignau

Yunfeng Liu

Xiaoming Yuan

Fengfeng Tao

Xu Chu

Yash Veer Singh

Liang Tang

Jean-Francois Larroux

Julien Bouhraoua

Elie Herve

Patrick Feat

Jing Luo

Julien Nicolle

Janusz Rodziewicz

Yan Jiang

Etienne Clemot

Denis Perrillat-Amédé

A system for protecting a transformer is provided. The system includes an inductor electrically disposed between the transformer and a load powered by the transformer, and a resistor electrically disposed in parallel with the inductor between the transformer and the load.

System and method for protecting a transformer

A system for grid control of an electromagnetic ray tube is provided. The system includes a power source, a rectifier, and a grid conductor. The power source is disposed apart from the electromagnetic ray tube and operative to generate an AC current. The rectifier is integrated into the electromagnetic ray tube and electrically coupled to a grid electrode of the electromagnetic ray tube. The grid conductor electrically couples the power source to the rectifier. The rectifier is operative to convert the AC current to a DC current that powers the grid electrode.

System and method for grid control of an electromagnetic ray tube

A system for compensating for a back emission current in an X-ray generator is provided. The system includes a transformer, a common, and a voltage source. The transformer is operative to provide power to an electron emitter of the X-ray generator. The common is electrically coupled to an anode of the X-ray generator. The anode is operative to receive electrons emitted by the electron emitter such that the back emission current is generated between the common and the electron emitter. The voltage source electrically couples the common to the transformer and is operative to generate an offset voltage that reduces the back emission current.

System and method for compensating for back emission current in an X-ray generator

A circuit assembly includes plural voltage control modules configured to be operably coupled in series to a connection and configured to control voltage delivered to an X-ray electrode. Each voltage module includes an on/off circuit portion, a balancing circuit portion, and a tuning circuit portion. The on/off circuit portion is configured to provide a voltage for activating or deactivating the X-ray electrode. The balancing circuit portion is coupled in parallel to the on/off circuit portion, and includes a capacitor and a resistor coupled in parallel. The tuning circuit portion is coupled in parallel to the balancing circuit portion and the on/off circuit portion, and is configured to adjust a voltage provided to the X-ray electrode.

Electronic control for high voltage systems

A system for providing electrical power to a load is provided. The system includes at least two inverters and at least two resonant circuits. The inverters are operative to electrically connect to a power source. The resonant circuits are each electrically connected to at least one of the inverters and operative to provide electrical power to the load. The resonant circuits are coupled to each other.

System and method for providing electrical power to a load

A power converter with a modular, compact architecture with a reduced component count is disclosed. The power converter includes parallel power conversion sections and utilizes one or more mutual coupling input inductors with multiple windings. The windings are connected in pairs in a differential mode between a power source and the parallel power conversion sections. Each power conversion section receives the same input voltage and generates the same output voltage. As a result of the winding connections and the same input and output voltages, the input of the power converter exhibits current balancing and sharing between each branch of the parallel configuration, allowing a single current sensor to provide a measurement of the current and a single controller to control operation of each of the power conversion sections.

System of input current sharing for compact architecture in a power converter

An x-ray system for simultaneously or concurrently measuring currents of multiple emitters is provided. The x-ray system includes a high voltage direct current (DC) supply configured to supply tube current to the multiple emitters and plural emitter circuits. Each of these circuits includes each comprising an alternating current (AC) voltage supply, at least one of the multiple emitters operatively coupled to the AC voltage supply and the high voltage DC supply, and a circuit coupling the AC voltage supply and the high voltage DC voltage supply to the at least one of the multiple filaments. At least one of the emitter circuits has a current measurement device between the high voltage DC supply and the emitter.

X-ray systems having individually measurable emitters

A high voltage connector is provided. The high voltage connector includes multiple electrical conductors, and at least one autotransformer. The high voltage connector is configured to couple a high voltage cable to an X-ray tube.

X-ray tube high voltage connector with integrated heating transformer

In an X-ray generator an X-ray tube includes an anode and a cathode and is energized with at least a first high voltage potential. A dynamic damper with a frequency dependent impedance is interposed between the X-ray tube and a source of the high voltage potential. The impedance of the dynamic damper increases with an increase in frequency associated with tube-spit. In an X-ray generator with resonant switching to provide a first kV level and a second kV level to the X-ray tube, the impedance of the dynamic damper is low at the operational frequency of the resonant switch to promote energy recovery when the resonant switch operates to provide a first kV level to the X-ray tube.

Dynamic damper in an X-ray system

An interleaved double boost converter including two simple boost converters each having a diode, an input inductor, a switch connected to the anode of the diode and a filter capacitor connected to the cathode of the diode, the two switches and the two filter capacitors being connected at a mid-point, the interleaved double boost converter further including a control circuit controlling the switches adapted to control: at a first phase, the opening of a first switch the other remaining closed, both switches initially being closed; at a second phase, the opening of the second switch which had remained closed; and at a third phase, the closing of both switches.

Interleaved soft switching boost converter

A system for controlling a multilevel soft switching power converter including a DC bus, a pair of switching arms, and a controller is disclosed. The DC bus has a positive rail and a negative rail operable to have a voltage potential present across the DC bus. Each switching arm is connected between the positive rail and the negative rail and includes four soft switches. Each soft switch is connected between the positive rail, the negative rail, or one of three intermediate connections between the positive and negative rails. Each soft switch is also controlled by a gating signal. A flying capacitor is connected between the first intermediate connection and the third intermediate connection and an output terminal is connected at the second intermediate connection of each switching arm. A controller is operable to generate each of the gating signals utilizing at least three control routines.

Method and apparatus for controlling a multilevel soft switching power converter

A system includes a two-channel inverter for receiving a non-zero variable input voltage, first and second input channels each electrically coupled to the two-channel inverter, a transformer having a primary winding in electrical communication with the first and second input channels and secondary windings, and an active resonant circuit in electrical communication with the secondary windings for generating a switching output voltage at each of two different voltage levels. The active resonant circuit includes switching devices arranged in an anti-parallel configuration, a capacitor electrically coupled in series with the switching devices for receiving and storing energy during a first portion of a resonance cycle and for discharging the energy during a second portion of the resonance cycle, an inductor electrically coupled in series with the capacitor and the switching devices for transferring the energy to and from the capacitor during the resonance cycle, and an output.

Systems and methods for fast kilovolt switching in an X-ray system

A power generation system includes an input to receive a low-voltage alternating current and a number N of voltage-conversion modules coupled to the input, each electrically connected in series. Each voltage-conversion module includes a transformer configured to convert the low-voltage alternating current into a high-voltage alternating current. Each voltage-conversion module includes a multiplier configured to convert the high-voltage alternating current from the transformer into a high-voltage direct current. The multiplier includes a positive multiplier part and a negative multiplier part. The positive multiplier part and the negative multiplier part each includes a pair of input terminals connected in parallel with the transform and at least one multiplier stage comprising a single diode and a capacitor assembly. The number N is an even number between 4 and 24.

Power generation system and package

Apparatus and methods to control an electron beam of an x-ray tube are provided. One apparatus includes at least one of (i) a first switching unit having a voltage source and a pair of switches connected in series and configured to switch between open and closed positions to change an output voltage to engage or bypass the voltage source or (ii) a second switching unit connected to a voltage source and having a first pair of switches connected in series and a second pair of switches connected in series, wherein the first and second pair of switches are connected in parallel, and wherein the first and second pairs of switches are configured to switch between open and closed position to change an output voltage generated from the voltage source. The first and second switching units are connected in series and a third switching unit provided that is amplitude controllable.

Apparatus and methods to control an electron beam of an X-ray tube

An electrical power supply of an X-ray tube. A high voltage generation device having a primary capacitor is configured to transmit a high voltage to the X-ray tube. At least one voltage source is configured to supply the primary capacitor. An energy storage device has an auxiliary capacitor that is configured to receive from the primary capacitor a quantity of energy and to return said energy to the primary capacitor. A control device arranged in series between the high voltage generation device and the storage device is configured to connect or isolate the storage device from the high voltage generation device so the X-ray tube is powered by a variable high voltage very rapidly between a first high voltage and a second high voltage.

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Buc, France

Philippe Ernest