X-ray generating apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9570266-B2
Application number	US-201615135668-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2016
Priority date	May 8, 2015
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

An x-ray generating apparatus comprises: a vacuum container having a main body, and a moving member coupled movably and airtightly to the main body via a vacuum bellows; and a guide mechanism, provided on an outer side of the vacuum container, for regulating the movement and inclination of the moving member in an approaching/separation direction with respect to an electron gun. The guide mechanism includes a guide portion where a guide flat surface along a plane orthogonal to a central axis of the electron beam is formed, the guide portion being provided on the main body side, a guided portion where a guided flat surface facing the guide flat surface is formed, the guided portion being provided on the moving member side, and at least three rolling elements placed between the guide flat surface and the guided flat surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An x-ray generating apparatus comprising:
a vacuum container having a main body to which an electron gun is fixed, and a moving member coupled movably and airtightly to the main body via a vacuum bellows, the moving member being provided with a target and an x-ray irradiation window; and
a guide mechanism, provided on an outer side of the vacuum container, for regulating the movement and inclination of the moving member in an approaching/separation direction with respect to the electron gun to maintain a distance between an electron beam irradiation surface of the target and the electron gun constant upon movement of the moving member, wherein
the guide mechanism includes
a guide portion where a guide flat surface along a plane orthogonal to a central axis of the electron beam is formed, the guide portion being provided on the main body side,
a guided portion where a guided flat surface facing the guide flat surface is formed, the guided portion being provided on the moving member side, and
at least three rolling elements placed between the guide flat surface and the guided flat surface.

2. The x-ray generating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the rolling elements are balls, and
the guide flat surface or the guided flat surface is provided with a regulation mechanism for regulating rolling areas of the individual balls to prevent the balls from deviating from regions respectively set for the balls around the central axis of the electron beam.

3. The x-ray generating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the regulation mechanism is a ring-shaped member fixed to the guide flat surface or the guided flat surface in such a manner as to surround the ball.

4. The x-ray generating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the regulation mechanism is a recess formed in the guide flat surface or the guided flat surface in such a manner as to accommodate the ball.

5. The x-ray generating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the regulation mechanism is a groove formed into a ring shape around the central axis of the electron beam in the guide flat surface or the guided flat surface, and a partition plate provided in the groove for regulating the circumferential movement of the ball in the groove.

6. An x-ray generating apparatus comprising:
a vacuum container having a main body to which an electron gun is fixed, and a moving member coupled movably and airtightly to the main body via a vacuum bellows, the moving member being provided with a target and an x-ray irradiation window; and
a guide mechanism, provided on an outer side of the vacuum container, for regulating the movement and inclination of the moving member in an approaching/separation direction with respect to the electron gun to maintain a distance between an electron beam irradiation surface of the target and the electron gun constant upon movement of the moving member, wherein
the guide mechanism includes
a guide portion provided on the main body side,
a guided portion provided on the moving member side,
a flat surface formed on one of the guide portion and the guided portion, and
at least three convex curved surfaces formed to be in contact with the flat surface on the other of the guide portion and the guided portion.

7. The x-ray generating apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the convex curved surface is a spherical surface.

Assignees

• Shimadzu Corp

Inventors

• Miyaoka Akihiro

Classifications

• H05G1/04

  Mounting the X-ray tube within a closed housing · CPC title

• H05G1/02

  Constructional details · CPC title

• A61B6/40

  Arrangements for generating radiation specially adapted for radiation diagnosis · CPC title

• H01J2235/163

  shaped for a particular application · CPC title

• A61B6/44

  Constructional features of apparatus for radiation diagnosis · CPC title