Systems and methods for cooling X-ray tubes and detectors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10092259-B2
Application number	US-201715670656-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2017
Priority date	Oct 11, 2012
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

According to various aspects, exemplary embodiments are disclosed of systems that may be used for cooling objects, such as X-ray tubes and detectors, etc. Also disclosed are exemplary embodiments of methods for cooling objects, such as X-ray tubes and detectors, etc. For example, an exemplary embodiment includes a system that can be used to cool an X-ray tube and detector with one chiller. As another example, an exemplary embodiment of a method includes using one chiller to cool an X-ray tube and detector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
cooling a coolant outside an operating environment of an object to be cooled using an active or passive chiller;
circulating the coolant from the active or passive chiller towards the object;
diverting a portion of the coolant to a direct to liquid (DL) thermoelectric assembly (TEA) situated on the object such that the diverted portion of the coolant passes through the DL TEA for actively cooling the object and for controlling temperature of the object;
allowing at least a portion of the remaining undiverted coolant to flow to another object for cooling of the another object; and
returning the coolant from the another object and the DL TEA back to the active or passive chiller;
wherein the method includes cooling the coolant using a passive chiller, and using uninsulated hoses to circulate the coolant from the passive chiller to the another object and the DL TEA and back to the passive chiller.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method includes:
diverting the portion of the coolant at a location upstream from the DL TEA and the another object such that only the diverted portion of the coolant passes through the DL TEA and such that only the at least a portion of the remaining undiverted coolant flows to the another object for cooling of the another object; and
before returning the coolant from the another object and the DL TEA back to the active or passive chiller, combining the diverted portion of the coolant and the at least a portion of the remaining undiverted coolant at a location upstream of the active or passive chiller.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the method further comprises using the DL TEA to control temperature of the object directly on the object, whereby the object is both cooled and heated by the DL TEA by reversing polarity of one or more thermoelectric modules of the DL TEA; and/or
cooling the coolant includes using a single chiller such that the same single chiller is used for cooling both the object and the another object.

4. A method comprising circulating a coolant from an active or passive chiller through a direct to liquid (DL) thermoelectric assembly (TEA) situated on an object to be cooled such that the coolant passes through the DL TEA for actively cooling the object and for controlling temperature of the object, wherein:
circulating a coolant from the active or passive chiller through the DL TEA comprises diverting a portion of the coolant from the active or passive chiller to the DL TEA such that the diverted portion of the coolant passes through the DL TEA; and
the method further comprises circulating at least a portion of the remaining undiverted coolant from the active or passive chiller to flow to another object for cooling of the another object;
wherein the method includes cooling the coolant using a passive chiller, and using uninsulated hoses to circulate the coolant from the passive chiller to the another object and the DL TEA and back to the passive chiller.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising using the DL TEA to control temperature of the object directly on the object, whereby the object is both cooled and heated by the DL TEA by reversing polarity of one or more thermoelectric modules of the DL TEA.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the object to be cooled is an X-ray image detector plate such that the DL TEA is situated on the X-ray image detector plate and wherein the method further comprises using the DL TEA to control temperature of the X-ray image detector plate directly on the X-ray image detector plate, whereby the X-ray image detector plate is both cooled and heated by the DL TEA by reversing polarity of one or more thermoelectric modules of the DL TEA.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the method includes:
diverting the portion of the coolant at a location upstream from the DL TEA and the another object such that only the diverted portion of the coolant passes through the DL TEA and such that only the at least a portion of the remaining undiverted coolant flows to the another object for cooling of the another object; and
combining the diverted portion of the coolant and the at least a portion of the remaining undiverted coolant at a location upstream of the active or passive chiller.

8. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
cooling the coolant outside an operating environment of the object using a single active or passive chiller; and
returning the coolant from the DL TEA back to the single active or passive chiller.

9. The method of claim 4 , wherein:
the active or passive chiller comprises a compressor-based recirculating system operable for controlling a temperature of the coolant in a liquid circuit; and
circulating a coolant from the active or passive chiller through the DL TEA comprises recirculating the coolant through the liquid circuit using a pump of the compressor-based recirculating system, such that heat is absorbed from the coolant and dissipated to the ambient environment.

10. A system comprising:
an active or passive chiller for cooling a coolant;
a direct to liquid (DL) thermoelectric assembly (TEA) situated on an object to be cooled;
one or more conduits for circulating a coolant from the active or passive chiller to the DL TEA, whereby the coolant may pass through the DL TEA such that the DL TEA is usable for actively cooling and for controlling temperature of the object; and
one or more conduits for returning the coolant from the DL TEA back to the active or passive chiller;
wherein the system is configured to divert a portion of the coolant from the active or passive chiller to the DL TEA and to circulate at least a portion of the remaining undiverted coolant from the active or passive chiller to another object for cooling of the another object; and
wherein the active or passive chiller comprises a passive chiller and the one or more conduits comprise uninsulated hoses to circulate the coolant from the passive chiller to the another object and the DL TEA and back to the passive chiller.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the DL TEA comprises one or more thermoelectric modules that allow the object to be both cooled and heated by the DL TEA by reversing polarity of the one or more thermoelectric modules, and wherein the DL TEA is usable to control temperature of the object directly on the object.

12. The system of 10 , wherein the system includes only one said active or passive chiller such that the same said active or passive chiller is usable for cooling both the object and the another object.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein:
the system is configured to divert the portion of the coolant at a location upstream from the DL TEA and the another object such that only the diverted portion of the coolant passes through the DL TEA and such that only the at least a portion of the remaining undiverted coolant flows to the another object for cooling of the another object; and
the system is further configured to combine the diverted portion of the coolant and the at least a portion of the remaining undiverted coolant at a location upstream of the active or passive chiller.

14. An X-ray system comprising an X-ray tube and an X-ray image detector plate cooled by the system of claim 10 , wherein the active or passive chiller is located outside an operating environment of the X-ray tube and the X-ray image detector plate, wherein the object to be cooled is the X-ray image detector plate such that the DL TEA is situated on the X-ray image detector plate, and wherein the another object is the X-ray tube.

15. The X-ray system of claim 14 , wherein the DL TE

Assignees

• Laird Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Karlstedt Dan Martin Gustav

Classifications

• H10W40/00

  Arrangements for thermal protection or thermal control (integrated devices comprising arrangements for thermal protection H10D89/60) · CPC title

• H10W40/47

  by flowing liquids, e.g. forced water cooling · CPC title

• H10W40/40

  involving heat exchange by flowing fluids · CPC title

• H05G1/025

  Means for cooling the X-ray tube or the generator · CPC title

• H01J7/26

  by flow of fluid through passages associated with tube or lamp · CPC title