X-ray generating device and X-ray photography system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10631390-B2
Application number	US-201815959372-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2018
Priority date	Nov 17, 2016
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

An X-ray generating device includes an X-ray tube, an X-ray tube drive circuit, an electron acceleration voltage generation circuit, and a control unit communicating with the drive circuit and the voltage generation circuit, the X-ray tube, the drive circuit, and the voltage generation circuit are arranged inside a storage container filled with an insulating oil, a path connecting the drive circuit and the control unit includes an optical fiber cable arranged inside the storage container, the optical fiber cable has a coating that suppresses fluctuation due to a convective flow of the insulating oil, the coating is cured by, from a resin material containing a plasticizer, a part of the plasticizer being leaching out, and the control unit is configured to facilitate leaching of the plasticizer by driving the voltage generation circuit to apply a voltage to the optical fiber cable in a state of no X-ray being generated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An X-ray generating device comprising:
an X-ray tube having an anode including an X-ray target and a cathode including an electron emitting source;
a tube voltage circuit having a cathode terminal and configured to apply a tube voltage between the anode and the cathode;
an electron source circuit electrically connected to the cathode terminal and the cathode respectively, and configured to control the electron emitting source;
a control circuit configured to control the electron source circuit;
an optical cable having an optical fiber and a cover covering the optical fiber and being formed of a resin material containing a plasticizer, and configured to operably connect between the control circuit and the electron source circuit in an electrically isolated manner;
a housing configured to house the X-ray tube, the tube voltage circuit, the electron source circuit, the optical cable and an insulating liquid; and
a system control unit operably connected to the tube voltage circuit and the electron source circuit and configured to integrally control the tube voltage circuit and the electron source circuit,
wherein the X-ray tube is secured to the housing in an anode grounding scheme, and
wherein the system control unit includes an optical cable curing mode in which a curing voltage is applied to the optical cable in a state when no X-ray is radiated outside of the housing.

2. The X-ray generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the curing voltage is associated with the tube voltage.

3. The X-ray generating device according to claim 1 , wherein a rigidity of the optical cable cured in the optical cable curing mode is higher than a rigidity of the optical cable in installing the optical cable in the housing.

4. The X-ray generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the tube voltage circuit includes a voltage generation circuit which generates an acceleration voltage to be applied between the cathode and the anode, the acceleration voltage being high enough to accelerate a movement of electrons emitted from the cathode toward the anode and generate an X-ray.

5. The X-ray generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the electron emitting source includes an electron gun having an electron emitting cathode and a grid electrode configured to control an amount of electrons emitted from the electron emitting cathode.

6. The X-ray generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the electron source circuit includes an electron emitting cathode control circuit configured to control a current through or a voltage applied to the electron emitting cathode and a grid control circuit configured to control a grid potential applied to a grid electrode.

7. The X-ray generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the curing voltage is applied to the optical cable by driving the tube voltage circuit and the state when no X-ray is radiated is realized by controlling a grid voltage using the system control unit.

8. The X-ray generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the insulating liquid and the cover contain the same plasticizer.

9. A manufacturing method for an X-ray generating device including a housing, an X-ray tube secured in the housing in an anode grounding scheme and having an electron emitting source, a tube voltage circuit, an electron source circuit configured to control the electron emitting source, a control circuit configured to control the electron source circuit, and an optical cable configured to operably connect between the control circuit and the electron source circuit in an electrically isolated manner, the method comprising:
installing the X-ray tube, the tube voltage circuit, and the electron source circuit in the housing;
optically connecting between the electron source circuit and the control circuit via the optical cable;
filling an insulating liquid in the housing; and
curing the optical cable,
wherein the filling is performed after the installing and the connecting, and the curing is performed after the filling.

10. The manufacturing method for an X-ray generating device according to claim 9 , wherein the curing is performed by applying a curing voltage to the optical cable.

11. The manufacturing method for an X-ray generating device according to claim 10 , wherein the applying is performed by driving the tube voltage circuit.

12. The manufacturing method for an X-ray generating device according to claim 10 , wherein the curing is performed in a state when no X-ray is radiated outside of the housing.

13. The manufacturing method for an X-ray generating device according to claim 12 , wherein the electron emitting source includes a grid electrode and the state when no X-ray is radiated is performed by controlling a grid voltage applied to the grid electrode using the control circuit.

Assignees

• Canon Anelva Corp

Inventors

• Kawase Junya
• Ando Yoichi

Classifications

• H05G1/30

  Controlling · CPC title

• G02B6/00

  Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings · CPC title

• H05G1/08 Primary

  Electrical details · CPC title

• H05G1/32

  Supply voltage of the X-ray apparatus or tube · CPC title

• H05G1/06 Primary

  X-ray tube and at least part of the power supply apparatus being mounted within the same housing · CPC title