A method is for spatially influencing a focal spot of an X-ray source that generates X-ray radiation, to an associated X-ray source, to an associated system and to an associated computer program product. The method according to at least one embodiment includes: producing a focal spot on an anode by way of an electron emitter including a plurality of emitter segments, individually controllable to emit electrons; determining at least one actual value of a spatial extent and/or of a position of the produced focal spot; comparing the at least one actual value with a specified reference value of the focal spot; and controlling the emitter segments based upon the comparison of the at least one actual value and the reference value such that the at least one actual value converges toward the reference value, thereby spatially influencing the focal spot of the X-ray source that generates X-ray radiation.

An X-ray tube including a vacuum vessel, a cathode and an anode fixedly disposed inside the vacuum vessel, and a rotary mechanism that rotates the vacuum vessel, where the cathode is disposed on the circumference with a rotary shaft of the rotary mechanism as its center and includes multiple cathode parts that can individually be turned ON/OFF, and where the anode includes parts opposite to the multiple cathode parts, respectively.

An X-ray tube including a vacuum vessel, a cathode and an anode fixedly disposed inside the vacuum vessel, and a rotary mechanism that rotates the vacuum vessel, where the cathode is disposed on the circumference with a rotary shaft of the rotary mechanism as its center and includes multiple cathode parts that can individually be turned ON/OFF, and where the anode includes parts opposite to the multiple cathode parts, respectively.

Various methods and systems are provided for x-ray tube conditioning for a computed tomography imaging method. In one embodiment, x-ray may be generated in an x-ray tube of a radiation source prior to a diagnostic scan to warmup the x-ray tube to a desired temperature for the diagnostic scan. The power delivered to the x-ray tube during warmup may be adjusted in a closed loop system based on an initial temperature of the x-ray tube and the desired temperature for the diagnostic scan. During tube warmup, by placing a blocking plate coupled to a collimator blade in a path of the x-ray beam, the x-ray beam may be blocked from exiting a collimator.

An X-ray generation apparatus includes an electron gun emitting an electron beam having a circular cross-sectional shape, a magnetic focusing lens located downstream of the electron gun and focusing the electron beam while rotating the electron beam around an axis along a first direction, a magnetic quadrupole lens located downstream of the magnetic focusing lens and deforming the cross-sectional shape of the electron beam into an elliptical shape having a major axis along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and a minor axis along a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction, and a target located downstream of the magnetic quadrupole lens and emitting an X-ray in response to incidence of the electron beam.

An X-ray generation apparatus includes an electron gun emitting an electron beam having a circular cross-sectional shape, a magnetic focusing lens located downstream of the electron gun and focusing the electron beam while rotating the electron beam around an axis along a first direction, a magnetic quadrupole lens located downstream of the magnetic focusing lens and deforming the cross-sectional shape of the electron beam into an elliptical shape having a major axis along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and a minor axis along a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction, and a target located downstream of the magnetic quadrupole lens and emitting an X-ray in response to incidence of the electron beam.

A rotary anode driving device includes a DC power supply, an inverter circuit which is connected to the DC power supply and includes a plurality of switching elements and, the inverter circuit generates an AC voltage from a DC voltage of the DC power supply, and outputs the AC voltage to a stator coil which generates a rotating magnetic field of an X-ray tube; a pulse width modulation (PWM) waveform generator configured to generate an AC voltage of two phases or three phases as the AC voltage from the DC voltage by performing PWM control of the switching elements of the inverter circuit; and a capacitor connected in series to an input side of a stator coil of at least one phase of the stator coil, the capacitor having an electrostatic capacitance constituting a series resonant circuit with the stator coil to which the capacitor is connected.

A rotary anode driving device includes a DC power supply, an inverter circuit which is connected to the DC power supply and includes a plurality of switching elements and, the inverter circuit generates an AC voltage from a DC voltage of the DC power supply, and outputs the AC voltage to a stator coil which generates a rotating magnetic field of an X-ray tube; a pulse width modulation (PWM) waveform generator configured to generate an AC voltage of two phases or three phases as the AC voltage from the DC voltage by performing PWM control of the switching elements of the inverter circuit; and a capacitor connected in series to an input side of a stator coil of at least one phase of the stator coil, the capacitor having an electrostatic capacitance constituting a series resonant circuit with the stator coil to which the capacitor is connected.

Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a combined scanning X-ray generator, a composite inspection apparatus and an inspection method. The combined scanning X-ray generator includes: a housing; an anode arranged in the housing, the anode including a first end of the anode and a second end of the anode opposite the first end of the anode; a pencil beam radiation source arranged at the first end of the anode and configured to emit a pencil X-ray beam; and a fan beam radiation source arranged at the second end of the anode and configured to emit a fan X-ray beam; wherein the pencil beam radiation source and the fan beam radiation source are operated independently.

Various methods and systems are provided for x-ray tube conditioning for a computed tomography imaging method. In one embodiment, a scout scan may be carried out prior to a diagnostic to warmup the x-ray tube to a desired temperature for the diagnostic scan. A scout scan parameter optimizing algorithm may be used to determine scout scan parameters based on a selected patient absorbed dose range and an amount of energy to be imparted to an x-ray tube during the scout scan preceding a diagnostic scan. By using a hardening filter in the path of the x-ray beam, radiation absorbed dose of the subject being scanned may be limited to the selected patient absorbed dose range.