System and method for thermal management of a CT detector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9700273-B2
Application number	US-201514620254-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2015
Priority date	Dec 18, 2014
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system for thermal management in a CT device comprises first and second thermal management zones, each comprising an x-ray detector, at least one variable speed fan proximate to the x-ray detector, an air temperature sensor positioned to measure an air temperature of the intake air to the variable speed fan, a rail heater in thermal contact with the x-ray detector, a rail temperature sensor in thermal contact with the rail heater to measure a rail temperature, and a controller that controls the variable speed fan as a function of at least the air temperature and the rail heater as a function of the rail temperature to maintain a temperature of the x-ray detector within a predetermined range.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system for thermal management in a CT device, the system comprising:
a first thermal management zone comprising:
a first x-ray detector;
at least a first variable speed fan proximate to the first x-ray detector;
a first air temperature sensor positioned to measure a first air temperature of the intake air to the first variable speed fan;
a first rail heater in thermal contact with the first x-ray detector;
a first rail temperature sensor in thermal contact with the first rail heater to measure a first rail temperature;
a first controller that controls the first variable speed fan as a function of at least the first air temperature and the first rail heater as a function of at least the first rail temperature to maintain a temperature of the first x-ray detector within a predetermined range;

at least a second thermal management zone comprising:
a second x-ray detector;
at least a second variable speed fan proximate to the second x-ray detector;
a second air temperature sensor positioned to measure a second temperature of the intake air to the second variable speed fan;
a second rail heater in thermal contact with the second x-ray detector;
a second rail temperature sensor in thermal contact with the second rail heater to measure a second rail temperature;
a second controller that controls the second variable speed fan as a function of the second air temperature and the second rail heater as a function of the second rail temperature to maintain a temperature of the second x-ray detector within the predetermined range; and

a flow partition separating the first thermal management zone from the second thermal management zone.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first controller and the second controller are one controller that that controls the first variable speed fan as a function of the first air temperature sensor, the first rail heater as a function of the first rail temperature sensor, the second variable speed fan as a function of the second air temperature sensor and the second rail heater as a function of the second rail temperature sensor.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first controller and the second controller are linked by a system controller configured to coordinate functions of the first controller and the second controller.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first controller and the second controller are configured to vary gain based on operating conditions of the system.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the first controller is configured to control a speed of the variable-speed fan by varying gain based on a difference between the first temperature of the intake air and the temperature of the first x-ray detector.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a third thermal management zone comprising:
a third x-ray detector;
a third variable speed fan proximate to the third x-ray detector;
a third air temperature sensor positioned to measure a third temperature of the intake air to the third variable speed fan;
a third rail heater in thermal contact with the third x-ray detector;
a third rail temperature sensor positioned in thermal contact with the third rail heater to measure a third rail temperature; and
a third controller that controls the third variable speed fan as a function of the third air temperature and the third rail heater as a function of the third rail temperature to maintain a temperature of the third x-ray detector within the predetermined range.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first zone or the second zone comprises multiple variable speed fans, wherein the multiple variable speed fans are controlled as a function of the first or second air temperature sensor to maintain the temperature of the first or second x-ray detection system within the predetermined range.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the first air temperature sensor is positioned to measure a temperature of the intake air to the first variable speed fan and the second air temperature sensor is positioned to measure a temperature of the intake air to the second variable speed fan.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the first air temperature sensor is positioned between the first variable speed fan and the first device, and the second air temperature sensor is positioned between the second variable speed fan and the second device.

10. A temperature control method, the method comprising:
measuring the temperature of a first device with a first device temperature sensor disposed in thermal contact with the first device;
disposing a first variable speed fan proximate to the first device;
measuring a first air temperature with a first air temperature sensor disposed proximate the first variable speed fan;
measuring a first rail temperature with a first rail temperature sensor disposed in thermal contact with a first rail heater;
operating a first controller to control the first variable speed fan as a function of the first air temperature and to control the first rail heater as a function of the first rail temperature to maintain the temperature of the first device within a predetermined range;
measuring the temperature of a second device with a second device temperature sensor disposed in thermal contact with the second device;
disposing a second variable speed fan proximate to the second device;
measuring a second air temperature with a second air temperature sensor disposed proximate the second variable speed fan;
measuring a second rail temperature with a second rail temperature sensor disposed in thermal contact with a second rail heater; and
operating a second controller to control the second variable speed fan as a function of the second air temperature and to control the second rail heater as a function of the second rail temperature to maintain the temperature of the second device within the predetermined range;
wherein the first device and the second device are separated by a flow partition preventing air from flowing between the first device and the second device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first controller further employs feed forward control based on a model of the thermal behavior of the first device under conditions including at least the first air temperature.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first controller further employs feed forward control based on the model of the thermal behavior of the first device under conditions further including at least the first rail temperature.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the first controller further controls the first variable speed fan based on a gain schedule, wherein the gain schedule prescribes an incremental gain in fan speed based on the output of the first air temperature sensor and the first device temperature sensor.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the predetermined range is +/−2 degrees from a temperature setpoint.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the predetermined temperature range is +/−0.5 degrees from a temperature setpoint.

16. A system for thermal management of an imaging device, the system comprising:
a housing defining at least two zones that are separated from each other, each zone having at least one air inlet and one air outlet, each zone comprising:
a variable-speed fan positioned near the air inlet;
an air temperature sensor positioned to measure a temperature of the intake air to the variable speed fan;
an x-ray detector;
a temperature sensor in thermal contact with the x-ray detector to measure the temperature of the x-ray detector;
a rail heater in thermal contact with the x-ray detector;
a flow diverter

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Lacey Joseph James
• Joshi Ashutosh
• Ryali Venkatarao
• Bhat Sanketh

Classifications

• A61B6/035

  Mechanical aspects of CT · CPC title

• A61B6/4266

  characterised by using a plurality of detector units (A61B6/4014 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B6/4488 Primary

  Means for cooling (A61B6/045 takes precedence) · CPC title