X-ray tube high voltage connector with integrated heating transformer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10014623-B2
Application number	US-201615359937-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2016
Priority date	Nov 23, 2016
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A high voltage connector, comprising:
a plurality of electrical conductors; and
at least one autotransformer integrated within the high voltage connector, wherein the at least one autotransformer comprises a single winding comprising a primary winding coupled to a secondary winding;
wherein the high voltage connector is configured to couple a high voltage cable to an X-ray tube.

2. The high voltage connector of claim 1 , wherein the at least one autotransformer comprises a step down ratio ranging from approximately 1 to 4.

3. The high voltage connector of claim 2 , wherein the at least one autotransformer comprises a step down ratio of approximately 2.

4. The high voltage connector of claim 1 , wherein the at least one autotransformer comprises a low relative permeability core having a relative permeability, μ r , at 50 Hertz ranging from approximately 200 to 3000.

5. The high voltage connector of claim 1 , wherein the at least one autotransformer is disposed within an insulating material mold within a body.

6. The high voltage connector of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of autotransformers disposed within a body, wherein the plurality of electrical conductors comprises a plurality of electrical conductors configured to provide a filament drive current to the X-ray tube, and each electrical conductor is configured to provide the filament drive current to the X-ray tube is associated with a respective autotransformer of the plurality of autotransformers.

7. The high voltage connector of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrical conductors comprises at least one electrical conductor configured to provide a first biasing voltage to the X-ray tube to control an electron beam focal spot width, at least one electrical conductor configured to provide a second biasing voltage to the X-ray tube to control an electron beam focal spot length, at least two electrical conductors configured to provide a filament driving current to the X-ray tube, and at least one electrical conductor configured to provide a high voltage common return.

8. The high voltage connector of claim 7 , comprising at least two autotransformers disposed within a body and associated with the at least two electrical conductors configured to provide the filament driving current to the X-ray tube.

9. The high voltage connector of claim 1 , wherein the at least one autotransformer is configured to provide a magnetizing current to a filament driving current provided by at least one electrical conductor within the high voltage connector in the absence of an open wire within the high voltage cable.

10. A high voltage cable configured to couple to and provide power to an X-ray tube, comprising:
a cable portion configured to couple to a high voltage source; and
a high voltage connector configured to couple the cable portion to the X-ray tube to provide a filament drive current to the X-ray tube and bias voltages to the X-ray tube to control an electron beam generated within the X-ray tube, wherein at least one autotransformer is integrated within the high voltage connector, and the at least one autotransformer comprises a single winding comprising a primary winding coupled to a secondary winding.

11. The high voltage cable of claim 10 , wherein the high voltage connector comprises a body, a plurality of electrical conductors disposed within the body, and the at least one autotransformer is disposed within the body.

12. The high voltage cable of claim 11 , wherein the at least one autotransformer is disposed within an insulating material mold within the body.

13. The high voltage cable of claim 10 , wherein the at least one autotransformer comprises a step down ratio ranging from approximately 1:1 to 4:1.

14. The high voltage cable of claim 13 , wherein the at least one autotransformer comprises a step down ratio of approximately 2:1.

15. The high voltage cable of claim 10 , wherein the at least one autotransformer comprises a low relative permeability core having a relative permeability, μ r , at 50 Hertz ranging from approximately 200 to 3000.

16. The high voltage cable of claim 10 , wherein the high voltage cable comprises a plurality of autotransformers disposed within the high voltage connector, wherein the plurality of electrical conductors comprises a plurality of electrical conductors configured to provide a filament drive current to the X-ray tube, and each electrical conductor is configured to provide the filament drive current to the X-ray tube is associated with a respective autotransformer of the plurality of autotransformers.

17. The high voltage cable of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of electrical conductors comprises at least one electrical conductor configured to provide a first biasing voltage to the X-ray tube to control an electron beam focal spot width, at least one electrical conductor configured to provide a second biasing voltage to the X-ray tube to control an electron beam focal spot length, at least two electrical conductors configured to provide a filament driving current to the X-ray tube, and at least one electrical conductor configured to provide a high voltage common return.

18. The high voltage cable of claim 17 , comprising at least two autotransformers disposed within the high voltage connector and associated with the at least two electrical conductors configured to provide the filament driving current to the X-ray tube.

19. The high voltage cable of claim 10 , wherein the at least one autotransformer is configured to provide a magnetizing current to a filament driving current provided by at least one electrical conductor within the high voltage connector in the absence of an open wire within the high voltage cable.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Ernest Philippe
• Gautrais Stephane
• Louvrier Yannick
• Levilly Nicolas

Classifications

• H01F30/02 Primary

  Auto-transformers · CPC title

• H05G1/52

  Target size or shape; Direction of electron beam, e.g. in tubes with one anode and more than one cathode · CPC title

• H01R13/66

  Structural association with built-in electrical component (coupling devices having concentrically or coaxially-arranged contacts H01R24/38) · CPC title

• H05G1/54

  Protecting {or lifetime prediction}(overload protection combined with control H05G1/46) · CPC title

• H01R13/53 Primary

  Bases or cases for heavy duty; Bases or cases {for high voltage} with means for preventing corona or arcing · CPC title