Power supply apparatus for an X-ray imaging apparatus, X-ray imaging apparatus and associated method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11558951-B2
Application number	US-202117469938-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2021
Priority date	Sep 15, 2020
Publication date	Jan 17, 2023
Grant date	Jan 17, 2023

Abstract

A power supply apparatus for an X-ray imaging apparatus includes grid connection device(s) to connect to a power grid providing an AC input voltage, including circuit protection arrangement(s) to not trip below a safety current; an actively actuatable transformer arrangement to transform the AC input voltage into a DC output voltage as a supply voltage for the X-ray imaging apparatus; an electrical energy storage system; and a control apparatus to actuate the transformer arrangement to limit power consumption from the electric power grid as a function of the safety current and make up for a deficiency of a power requirement for the X-ray imaging apparatus from the energy storage system. The control apparatus is configured to actuate the transformer arrangement for time-dependent limitation of power consumption from the power grid according to a current/time profile, the current/time profile being deduced from a time-based trip profile of the circuit protection arrangement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power supply apparatus for an X-ray imaging apparatus, the power supply apparatus comprising:
at least one grid connection device, to connect to a power grid providing an AC input voltage, including at least one circuit protection arrangement configured to not trip below a safety current;
an actively actuatable transformer arrangement to transform the AC input voltage into a DC output voltage as a supply voltage for the X-ray imaging apparatus;
an electrical energy storage system; and
a control apparatus to actuate the transformer arrangement to limit power consumption from the power grid as a function of the safety current and to make up for a deficiency in a power requirement for the X-ray imaging apparatus from the energy storage system, the control apparatus being configured to actuate the transformer arrangement for time-dependent limitation of power consumption from the power grid according to a current/time profile, the current/time profile being deduced from a time-based trip profile of the circuit protection arrangement.

2. The power supply apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the current/time profile, for each at least one of point in time and time interval, describes a grid current relatively lower by a percentage safety margin than a trip current of the time-based trip profile at the at least one of point in time and time interval, and at least one of
for relatively low time values, describes a limit current exceeding the safety current, and
for relatively higher time values, at least approximates to a limit current described by the safety current.

3. The power supply apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the energy storage system is a capacitor of the transformer arrangement.

4. The power supply apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the control apparatus is configured to actuate the transformer arrangement for at least one of power factor correction and automatic control of the transformer arrangement with regard to a default voltage for the DC output voltage.

5. The X-ray imaging apparatus, comprising:
the power supply apparatus of claim 2 .

6. The X-ray imaging apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising:
a further transformer apparatus, operated by the DC output voltage, to generate an operating voltage of an X-ray tube of the X-ray imaging apparatus.

7. The power supply apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the energy storage system is a capacitor of the transformer arrangement.

8. The power supply apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the capacitor is an output-side capacitor.

9. The power supply apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control apparatus comprises
an automatic controller to provide a control variable to the transformer arrangement as a function of at least one first measured variable, and
an adaptation unit to preadapt at least one of the at least one first measured variable for implementation of the current/time profile.

10. The power supply apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising:
a measurement apparatus to pick up at least one second measured variable describing current power consumption from the power grid, wherein the adaptation unit is configured to evaluate the at least one second measured variable for adaptation of at least one of the at least one first measured variable for implementation of the current/time profile.

11. The power supply apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the automatic controller is configured to take account of the at least one second measured variable as a further first measured variable, not adapted by the adaptation unit, in determining the control variable.

12. The power supply apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the at least one first measured variable adaptable by the adaptation unit is the DC output voltage and the at least one second measured variable taken into account for adaptation describes at least one of a grid current and the AC input voltage.

13. The power supply apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the at least one first measured variable adaptable by the adaptation unit is the DC output voltage and the at least one second measured variable taken into account for adaptation describes at least one of a grid current and the AC input voltage.

14. The power supply apparatus of claim 9 , wherein, in a case of analog configuration of the automatic controller, the adaptation unit, external to the automatic controller, is connected upstream of the automatic controller.

15. The power supply apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the automatic controller provides a control variable, that is a pulse-width modulation duty factor for actuating a switching element, to the transformer arrangement as a function of the at least one first measured variable, the at least one first measured variable including the DC output voltage of a step-up converter.

16. The power supply apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control apparatus is configured to actuate the transformer arrangement for at least one of power factor correction and automatic control of the transformer arrangement with regard to a default voltage for the DC output voltage.

17. The X-ray imaging apparatus, comprising:
the power supply apparatus of claim 1 .

18. The X-ray imaging apparatus of claim 17 , further comprising:
a further transformer apparatus, operated by the DC output voltage, to generate an operating voltage of an X-ray tube of the X-ray imaging apparatus.

19. The power supply apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the actively actuatable transformer arrangement includes a rectifier and a step-up converter.

20. The power supply apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control apparatus is configured to actuate the transformer arrangement for time-dependent limitation of power consumption from the power grid according to the current/time profile, related to a grid current flow from the power grid, the current/time profile being deduced from a time-based trip profile of the circuit protection arrangement which takes account of at least one thermal circuit protection device tripping in an event of persistent overloading.

21. The power supply apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the current/time profile, for each at least one of point in time and time interval, describes a grid current relatively lower by a percentage safety margin than a trip current of the time-based trip profile at the at least one of point in time and time interval, and at least one of
for relatively low time values, describes a limit current exceeding the safety current, and
for relatively higher time values, at least approximates to a limit current described by the safety current.

22. A method for operating a power supply apparatus for a medical X-ray imaging apparatus, the power supply apparatus including at least one grid connection device, to connect to a power grid providing an AC input voltage, including at least one circuit protection arrangement configured to not trip below a safety current; an actively actuatable transformer arrangement to transform the AC input voltage into a DC output voltage as a supply voltage for the X-ray imaging apparatus; an electrical energy storage system; and a controller to actuate the transformer arrangement to limit power consumption from the power grid as a function of the safety current and to make up for a deficit in power requirement for the X-ray imaging apparatus from the energy storage system, the method comprising:
actuating, via the controller, the transformer arrangement for time-dependent limitation of power consumption from the power grid according to a current/time pr

Assignees

• Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Inventors

• Wimmer Michael
• Berk Jan

Classifications

• H05G1/54 Primary

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

• H05G1/30

  Controlling · CPC title

• A61B6/4482 Primary

  involving power assist circuits · CPC title

• H05G1/12

  with DC or rectified single-phase AC {or double-phase} · CPC title

• A61B6/56

  Details of data transmission or power supply, e.g. use of slip rings · CPC title