Radiographic system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9326740-B2
Application number	US-201314345577-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2013
Priority date	Aug 7, 2012
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

A radiographic system is provided that can shorten the work time required for adjusting the initial values. The radiographic system comprises: an X-ray tube controller; an initial value calculator; and a storage. The X-ray tube controller is configured to control a filament current flowing through a filament of the X-ray tube for stabilizing the tube current at a desired value, the tube current otherwise tending to fluctuate at activation. The initial value calculator is configured to calculate an initial value for the filament current that is to be applied at next activation, based both on a stable value of the filament current while the tube current has been stable and on the image-capturing conditions at the time. The storage configured to store the calculated initial value, the image-capturing conditions, and a radiographic history that includes radiographed dates.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radiographic system that performs a radiography with X-rays generated from an X-ray tube based on image-capturing conditions that include an X-ray focal spot size, a tube current, and a tube voltage to be applied between an anode and a cathode in the X-ray tube, comprising:
an X-ray tube controller configured to control a filament current flowing through a filament of the cathode of the X-ray tube for stabilizing the tube current at a desired value, the tube current otherwise tending to fluctuate at activation;
an initial value calculator configured to calculate an initial value for the filament current that is to be applied at next activation, based both on a stable value of the filament current while the tube current has been stable and on the image-capturing conditions at the time; and
a storage configured to store the calculated initial value, the image-capturing conditions, and a radiographic history that includes radiographed dates.

2. A radiographic system according to claim 1 , wherein the initial value calculator calculates the initial value by using the stable value and a predetermined value.

3. A radiographic system according to claim 2 , wherein
the storage has tables prepared for combinations of various tube voltage values and focal spot sizes; and
the calculated initial value is stored on the tables in combination with a tube-current value at the time.

4. A radiographic system according to claim 3 , further, comprising an initial value estimator configured to estimate initial values by using the predetermined value and predetermined correlations between tube-current values and filament-current stable values, the initial values estimated here being other than the initial value that has been calculated and stored in combination with its corresponding tube-current value, of all the initial values that can be applied at next activation; and
the estimated initial values are then stored in combination with their corresponding tube-current values on the tables.

5. A radiographic system according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a gantry comprising the X-ray tube, the X-ray tube controller, the storage, the initial value calculator, and the initial value estimator; and
a console configured to, upon receiving an instruction of image-capturing conditions, send an initial value together with the image-capturing conditions to the X-ray tube controller;
wherein after a radiography has been performed in accordance with the instruction received, which includes the image-capturing conditions, the initial value calculator calculates a next initial value, and the initial value estimator estimates other next initial values.

6. A radiographic system according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a gantry comprising the X-ray tube, the X-ray tube controller, the storage, the initial value calculator, and the initial value estimator; and
a console configured to send a start-up signal to the X-ray tube controller;
wherein the initial value calculator, upon receiving the signal, calculates a next initial value; and the initial value estimator estimates other next initial values.

7. A radiographic system according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a gantry comprising the X-ray tube and the X-ray tube controller; and
a console configured to include the storage, the initial value calculator, and the initial value estimator, and the console also configured both to send image-capturing conditions to the X-ray tube controller and to receive the stable value from the gantry;
wherein the initial value calculator, upon receiving the stable value, calculates a next initial value, and the initial value estimator estimates other next initial values.

8. A radiographic system that performs a radiography with X-rays generated from an X-ray tube based on image-capturing conditions that include an X-ray focal spot size, a tube current, and a tube voltage to be applied between an anode and a cathode in the X-ray tube, comprising:
an X-ray tube controller configured to control a filament current flowing through a filament of the cathode of the X-ray tube for stabilizing the tube current at a desired value, the tube current otherwise tending to fluctuate at activation;
an initial value calculator configured to, upon receiving a signal that instructs an initial value adjustment for the filament current to be applied at next activation, calculate an initial value, based on a stable value of the filament current while the tube current has been stable and on the image-capturing conditions applied at the time; and
an initial value estimator configured to, upon receiving the signal, which instructs an initial value adjustment, estimate initial values by using a predetermined value and predetermined correlations between tube-current values and filament-current stable values, the initial values estimated being other than the initial value that has been calculated in combination with its corresponding tube-current value, of all the initial values that can be applied at next activation; and
a storage configured to store the calculated initial value, the estimated initial values, the image-capturing conditions, and a radiographic history that includes radiographed dates.

9. A radiographic system according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a determiner configured to determine whether or not the tube current, which tends to fluctuate at activation, is within a predetermined tolerance; and
a display configured to display a result of the determination executed by the determiner.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk
• Toshiba Medical Sys Corp

Inventors

• Watanabe Takahito
• Saito Hideo

Classifications

• A61B6/545

  involving automatic set-up of acquisition parameters · CPC title

• A61B6/405 Primary

  Source units specially adapted to modify characteristics of the beam during the data acquisition process (A61B6/4021, A61B6/4035 take precedence) · CPC title

• H05G1/32

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

• A61B6/542

  involving control of exposure · CPC title

• H05G1/34

  Anode current, heater current or heater voltage of X-ray tube · CPC title