X-ray tube for a stereoscopic imaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11901152-B2
Application number	US-202217874678-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2022
Priority date	Jul 30, 2021
Publication date	Feb 13, 2024
Grant date	Feb 13, 2024

Abstract

Some example embodiments provide an x-ray tube for a stereoscopic imaging having an evacuated x-ray tube housing; an electron emitter apparatus in the x-ray tube housing, the electron emitter apparatus including a first field effect emitter with a first emitter surface and a second field effect emitter with a second emitter surface, at least one of the first emitter surface or the second emitter surface being segmented such that a portion of the at least one of the first emitter surface or the second emitter surface can be set relative to the respective overall emitter surface by selectively switching emitter segments of the at least one of the first emitter surface or the second emitter surface; an anode unit in the x-ray tube housing, the anode unit configured to generate x-ray radiation for the stereoscopic imaging as a function of electrons striking two focal points; and a control unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An x-ray tube for a stereoscopic imaging, comprising:
an evacuated x-ray tube housing;
an electron emitter apparatus in the x-ray tube housing, the electron emitter apparatus including a first field effect emitter with a first emitter surface and a second field effect emitter with a second emitter surface,
the first emitter surface and the second emitter surface having a substantially x-ray-transparent material,
at least one of the first emitter surface or the second emitter surface being segmented such that a portion of an electron-emitting surface can be set relative to the first emitter surface and the second emitter surface by selectively switching emitter segments of at least one of the first emitter surface or the second emitter surface;

an anode unit in the x-ray tube housing, the anode unit configured to generate x-ray radiation for the stereoscopic imaging as a function of electrons striking two focal points; and
a control unit, wherein
the first emitter surface and the second emitter surface are arranged in a beam path of the x-ray radiation generated in respective focal points of the two focal points, and the control unit is configured to set a distance between the two focal points by indicating the portion of the electron-emitting surface of at least one of the first emitter surface or the second emitter surface.

2. The x-ray tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the substantially x-ray-transparent material is silicon.

3. The x-ray tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first emitter surface or the second emitter surface form a vacuum-tight housing part of the x-ray tube housing.

4. The x-ray tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a focal head of at least one of the first field effect emitter or the second field effect emitter has aluminum.

5. The x-ray tube as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
an interface configured to receive a distance signal which correlates with the distance between the two focal points.

6. The x-ray tube as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising: an interface configured to receive an eye movement signal and a further control unit configured to non-axially symmetrically set the portion of the electron-emitting surface as a function of an eye movement signal such that at least one of the two focal points is twisted relative to a grid-shaped segmentation.

7. The x-ray tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the anode unit includes a single rotatably mounted disc anode, a region of at least one of the two focal points being in the single rotatably mounted disc anode, the region of at least one of the two focal points has a disc angle of substantially 0°.

8. The x-ray tube as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the anode unit is tilted relative to the first emitter surface and the second emitter surface such that a first plane and a second plane intersect, the first plane including the first emitter surface and the second emitter surface and the second plane including a flat section of the disc anode, the flat section including the two focal points.

9. The x-ray tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the anode unit includes a single rotatably mounted roller anode with a cylindrical peripheral surface and the two focal points are arranged axially offset along the cylindrical peripheral surface.

10. The x-ray tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the anode unit includes a rotatably mounted disc anode and a further anode, a region of one of the two focal points being in the rotatably mounted disc anode, the region of one of the two focal points has a disc angle of greater than 0°, and the two focal points are distributed on the disc anode and the further anode.

11. The x-ray tube as claimed in claim 10 , wherein an axis of rotation of the disc anode is parallel to a plane which comprises the first emitter surface and the second emitter surface.

12. The x-ray tube as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the further anode is a stationary anode or a further rotatably mounted disc anode, a surface of the further anode includes a region of the another focal point, the region of the another focal point has a disc angle of substantially 0°.

13. A method for generating x-ray radiation for a stereoscopic imaging by the x-ray tube as claimed in claim 5 , the method comprising:
providing an eye distance of a user of the x-ray tube in the form of the distance signal;
transmitting the distance signal to the interface of the x-ray tube;
setting the distance between the two focal points; and
consecutively generating the x-ray radiation for the stereoscopic imaging in the two focal points.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , further comprising:
obtaining the eye distance from a camera.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions which, when executed by a computing unit, cause the computing unit to perform the method as claimed in claim 13 .

16. The x-ray tube as claimed in claim 2 , wherein at least one of the first emitter surface or the second emitter surface form a vacuum-tight housing part of the x-ray tube housing.

17. The x-ray tube as claimed in claim 2 , wherein a focal head of at least one of the first field effect emitter or the second field effect emitter has aluminum.

18. The x-ray tube as claimed in claim 3 , wherein a focal head of at least one of the first field effect emitter or the second field effect emitter has aluminum.

19. The x-ray tube as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising:
an interface configured to receive a distance signal which correlates with the distance between the two focal points.

20. The x-ray tube as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising:
an interface configured to receive a distance signal which correlates with the distance between the two focal points.

Assignees

• Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Inventors

• Geithner Peter
• Freudenberger Jörg
• Jud Christoph
• Fritzler Anja
• Deuringer Josef
• Hackenschmied Peter

Classifications

• H01J35/065 Primary

  Field emission, photo emission or secondary emission cathodes · CPC title

• H01J35/24

  Tubes wherein the point of impact of the cathode ray on the anode or anticathode is movable relative to the surface thereof · CPC title

• A61B6/022

  Stereoscopic imaging · CPC title

• A61B6/4007

  characterised by using a plurality of source units · CPC title

• H01J35/064

  Details of the emitter, e.g. material or structure (H01J35/065 takes precedence) · CPC title