X-ray apparatus and a CT device having the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9653247-B2
Application number	US-201414490516-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2014
Priority date	Sep 18, 2013
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

A two dimensional array distributed x-ray apparatus of this disclosure includes: a vacuum box which is sealed at its periphery, where the interior thereof is high vacuum; a plurality of electron transmitting units arranged in one plane in a two dimensional array on the wall of the vacuum box; an anode having targets corresponding to the plurality electron transmitting unit arranged in parallel with the plane of the plurality of electron transmitting units in the vacuum box; a power supply and control system having a high voltage power supply connected to the anode, a filament power supply connected to each of the plurality of the electron transmitting units, and a grid-controlled apparatus connected to each of the plurality of electron transmitting units; and a control system for controlling each power supply.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An x-ray apparatus, comprising:
a vacuum box which is sealed at its periphery, wherein the interior thereof is in vacuum;
a plurality of electron transmitting units arranged in one plane in a two dimensional array on a wall of the vacuum box; and
an anode arranged in parallel with the plane of the plurality of electron transmitting units in the vacuum box to allow electrons generated by the plurality of electron transmitting units to bombard a plurality of targets on the anode to generate x-rays, wherein the plurality of electron transmitting units is disposed at least partially outside the vacuum box.

2. The x-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a power supply and control system having a high voltage power supply connected to the anode;
a filament power supply connected to each of the plurality of the electron transmitting units;
a grid-controlled apparatus connected to each of the plurality of electron transmitting units; and
a control system for controlling each power supply,
wherein the anode comprises:
an anode plate made of metal and parallel to an upper surface of the plurality of electron transmitting units; and
the plurality of targets arranged on the anode plate and disposed corresponding to positions of the plurality of electron transmitting units,
wherein a bottom surface of each of the targets is connected to the anode plate, and an upper surface of each of the targets has a predetermined angle with the anode plate.

3. The x-ray apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein each of the targets is a spherical structure.

4. The x-ray apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the upper surface of each of the targets is a plane, or a slope, or a spherical surface or other irregular surface.

5. The x-ray apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of electron transmitting units comprises:
a filament;
a cathode connected to the filament;
an insulated support having an opening and enclosing the filament and the cathode;
a filament lead extending from opposing ends of the filament;
a grid arranged above the cathode opposing the cathode; and
a connecting fastener connected to the insulated support,
wherein, each of the plurality of electron transmitting units is installed on the wall of the vacuum box forming a vacuum seal connection,
wherein the grid has:
a grid frame which is made of metal and provided with an opening in the center;
a grid mesh which is made of metal and fixed at a position of the opening of the grid frame; and
a grid lead, extending from the grid frame,

wherein the filament leads are connected to the filament power supply and the grid lead is connected to the grid-controlled apparatus, and wherein the filament leads and the grid lead extend to the outside of each of the plurality of electron transmitting units through the insulated support.

6. The x-ray apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the connecting fastener is connected to an outer edge of a lower end of the insulated support, and a cathode end of each of the plurality of electron transmitting units is located inside the vacuum box while a lead end of each of the plurality of electron transmitting units is located outside the vacuum box.

7. The x-ray apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the connecting fastener is connected to an upper end of the insulated support.

8. The x-ray apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a high voltage power supply connecting means connecting the anode to the high voltage power supply and installed to a side wall of the vacuum box adjacent to the anode;
a filament power supply connecting means for connecting a filament to the filament power supply;
a connecting means of the grid-controlled apparatus for connecting a grid of each of the plurality of electron transmitting units to the grid-controlled apparatus;
a vacuum power supply included in the power supply and control system; and
a vacuum means installed on a side wall of the vacuum box maintaining vacuum in the vacuum box utilizing the vacuum power supply.

9. The x-ray apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
the grid-controlled apparatus includes a controller, a negative high voltage module, a positive high voltage module and a plurality of high voltage switch elements,
each of the plurality of high voltage switch elements at least includes a control end, two input ends, and an output end,
a withstand voltage between the control end and the output end at least being larger than a maximum voltage formed by the negative high voltage module and the positive high voltage module,
the negative high voltage module is configured to provide a stable negative high voltage to one input end of each of the plurality of high voltage switch elements,
the positive high voltage module is configured to provide a stable positive high voltage to the other input end of each of the plurality of high voltage switch elements,
the controller is configured to independently control each of the plurality of high voltage switch elements,
the grid-controlled apparatus further has a plurality of control signal output channels, and
one output end of the high voltage switch elements is connected to one of the control signal output channels.

10. The x-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of electron transmitting units comprises:
a flat grid composed of an insulated frame plate, a grid plate, a grid mesh and a grid lead; and
an array of cathodes composed of multiple cathodes structure arranged tightly,
wherein each cathode structure is composed of a filament, a cathode connected to the filament, a filament lead extended from opposing ends of the filament and an insulated support enclosing the filament and the cathode,
wherein the grid plate is provided to the insulated frame plate and the grid mesh is disposed at a position on which an opening of the grid plate is formed,
wherein the grid lead extends from the grid plate and the flat grid is located above the cathode array, and in a vertical direction, the center of each grid mesh is coincided with the center of each cathode of the cathode array,
wherein the flat grid and the cathode array are located in the vacuum box, and
wherein the filament lead and the grid lead extend to the outside of the vacuum box by a transition terminal of the filament lead and a transition terminal of the grid lead arranged on the wall of the vacuum box.

11. The x-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the array of the plurality of the electron transmitting units is lines in both directions, or a line in one direction and a segmented line in the other direction.

12. The x-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the array of the plurality of the electron transmitting units is arranged in a straight line in one direction and in an arc in the other direction.

13. A computed tomography device, comprising the x-ray apparatus according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Nuctech Co Ltd
• Univ Tsinghua

Inventors

• Tang Huaping
• Tang Chuanxiang
• Chen Huaibi
• Huang Wenhui
• Zhang Huayi
• Zheng Shuxin
• Liu Jinsheng

Classifications

• H01J35/02

  Details · CPC title

• H01J2235/068

  Multi-cathode assembly · CPC title

• H01J35/025 Primary

  X-ray tubes with structurally associated circuit elements · CPC title

• H01J35/116

  Transmissive anodes (acting as a window H01J35/186) · CPC title

• H01J35/10

  Rotary anodes; Arrangements for rotating anodes; Cooling rotary anodes · CPC title