The present disclosure relates to a method and system for adjusting a focal point position of an X-ray tube. The method may include: obtaining a first thermal capacity and a first position of a focal point of an X-ray tube; obtaining a second thermal capacity of the X-ray tube; determining a second position of the focal point the X-ray tube based on the second thermal capacity; determining a target grid voltage difference of a focusing cup of the X-ray tube based on the first position and the second position of the focal point; and adjusting the X-ray tube based on the target grid voltage difference.

One or more example embodiments relates to a system for calibration and/or for quality control of an FFS X-ray system, a corresponding FFS X-ray system, a control facility suitable for it and to a method for calibration and/or for quality control of the FFS X-ray system.

A computer tomograph operates by rigidly arranged x-ray tubes, which are components of emitter-detector elements, which form an emitter-detector ring opened by relocating one emitter-detector element. Each x-ray tube includes a cathode emitting electrons, and an anode arrangement having an anode. Each cathode has an orientation angle relative to the geometrical center axis of the computer tomograph. A tangential plane on the focal spot of the anode has a surface normal, which includes an anode angle with the center axis. X-ray radiation emitted from the focal spot is directed in a center radiation angle to an x-ray detector axially offset relative to the x-ray tubes. The quotient from the sum of the orientation angle, radiation angle and anode angle is between two ninths and two. Each cathode, interacting with an electrode arrangement of the x-ray tubes, produces a focal spot on one of selectable positions on the anode arrangement.

In a method for regulating a position of an X-ray focus on the anode of an X-ray source of a scan unit of an X-ray imaging system, a combined actual position of the X-ray focus is determined by a combination of a measured position of the X-ray focus and a model-based position of the X-ray focus, which is determined based on a measured value of a deflection current. On the basis of the combined actual position and a target position, a manipulated variable is determined. On the basis of the determined manipulated variable, a regulation is performed to correct a deviation of the position of the X-ray focus from the target position.

Systems and methods for determining an offset of a position of a focal point of an X-ray tube is provided. The methods may include obtaining at least one parameter associated with an X-ray tube during a scan of a subject. The methods may further include determining a target offset of a position of a focal point based on the at least one parameter and a target relationship between a plurality of reference parameters associated with the X-ray tube and a plurality of reference offsets of reference positions of the focal point. The methods may further include causing, based on the target offset, a correction on the position of the focal point of the X-ray tube.

An x-ray tomography system which can generate a qualitative 3D image of a region of interest using a an x-ray source, the x-ray source configured to emit x-ray radiation at the region of interest. The x-ray radiation or the x-ray source or the relative position of the x ray source configured to be moved in a two dimensional plane. An x-ray detector including a plurality of detector elements arranged in a two dimensional plane opposite the x-ray source, the x-ray detector configured to detect x-ray radiation after attenuation by the subject and provide an indication of the detected x-rays. And a processor configured to receive the indication of the detected x-rays and resolve the detected x-ray radiation into a three dimensional image. The three dimensional image is qualitative in nature.

Methods and devices for tracking an x-ray tube focal spot position are described. As successive images are captured by an image capturing system that includes the x-ray tube, the focal spot may change position. To track the change, one or more artificial targets may be arranged relative to the image capturing system such that an initial image is received that includes the artificial targets at a first position in the initial image. A gain map may be generated based on the initial image, and applied to a subsequent image received that also includes the artificial targets to generate a normalized subsequent image. A shift of the artificial targets from the first position in the initial image to a second position in the normalized subsequent image may be identified, where the shift corresponds to the focal spot's position change. Mathematical and/or physical adjustments may be made to correct for the change.

An x-ray tube source is disclosed that allows differential phase shift, attenuation, and x-ray scattering features of an object to be acquired in a single exposure. Such multiplexed x-ray tube source includes multiple x-ray spot origins controlled in such a way that each slightly separated spot is temporally modulated “ON and OFF” at differing frequencies. In an x-ray interferometer system, such x-ray tube source forms multiple illumination beams of a single angular view of an object's feature but each with different interference fringe locations. A composite image can be acquired with a high frame-rate digital detector as a component element in such x-ray interferometer system. Such composite image can be subsequently de-multipexed and separately presented according to each spot-source illumination beam. Such isolated images of an object's feature, each having different fringe locations, allows for post-acquisition “fringe-mapping” analysis of the feature's full interaction with x-rays, including refraction, scattering, and absorption.

Disclosed herein is an x-ray interferometer for x-ray phase contrast imaging including an x-ray source, an x-ray source grating, two x-ray phase gratings, an x-ray analyzer grating and an x-ray detector. An alternative interferometer includes a periodically structured x-ray source, two x-ray phase gratings, an x-ray analyzer grating and an x-ray detector. The phase gratings are placed much closer to the x-ray detector than to the x-ray source and the image object is positioned upstream and close to the phase gratings to achieve high sensitivity and large field-of-view simultaneously.

A CT scanning method compensates gantry motion blurring in projection measurement based on synchronized focal spot movement and detector data shifting. Tube power is increased by moving the focal on the target and reducing focal spot dwell duration. The CT scanning method is used on helical CT and cone beam with a rotating anode source and CBCT and TBCT with a linear array x-ray source.