Within one imaging period, a processor of a control device supplies a gate voltage, performs control to correct a voltage value of the gate voltage on the basis of a difference between a current value of an estimated anode current, which flows from a power supply voltage generator to an anode unit and is estimated on the basis of a detection value of a cathode current flowing from a cathode unit to a ground and a detection value of a gate current flowing from the power supply voltage generator to a gate electrode, and a target current value of an anode current set for an n-th imaging operation, and performs control to set the voltage value of the gate voltage corresponding to a corrected voltage value of the gate voltage corrected at the end of the n-th imaging operation and a target current value of the anode current set for an (n+1)-th imaging operation as a voltage value of the gate voltage which is supplied to the gate electrode first in the (n+1)-th imaging operation.

Some embodiments include an x-ray source, comprising: an anode; a field emitter configured to generate an electron beam; a first grid configured to control field emission from the field emitter; a second grid disposed between the first grid and the anode; and a middle electrode disposed between the first grid and the anode wherein the second grid is either disposed between the first grid and middle electrode or between the middle electrode and the anode.

An improved X-ray source is disclosed. The improved X-ray source has an enclosure, electron guns, a first set of address lines extending through the enclosure, a second set of address lines extending through the enclosure, and nodes defined by the intersection of the first and second set of address lines. Each of the electron guns is coupled to one of the nodes such that a state of each electron gun is uniquely controlled by modulating a state of one of the first set of address lines and one of the second set of address lines.

The present invention discloses an X-ray machine head and an image device, and relates to the field of X-ray image devices. The X-ray machine head comprises a high-voltage DC power supply unit, a low-voltage DC power supply unit, one or more first switch units, one or more second switch units, a central information processing unit, a housing, one or more filament power supply units, a communication unit, one or more X-ray tubes, and an insulating medium which is contained in the housing. The X-ray machine head is small in volume, which is conducive to portable applications. By directly controlling a gate of a gate-controlled X-ray tube to control the occurrence and termination of X-rays, the imaging quality is high and the radiation damage is small.

The X-ray imager combines a pulsed X-ray source with a time-sensitive X-ray detector to provide a measure of ballistic photons with a reduction of scattered photons. The imager can provide a comparable contrast-to-noise X-ray image using significantly less radiation exposure than conventional X-ray imagers, notably about half of the radiation.

An X-ray imaging apparatus and a consumption level estimation method for an X-ray source, which estimate the consumption level of an X-ray source without measuring grid voltage. An X-ray control part includes: a tube current value setting part setting a tube current value supplied to an X-ray source; a tube current value measurement part measuring a cathode current value as the tube current value by a cathode current detector; a time measurement part measuring the time when the tube current value is set by the tube current value setting part and the time when the tube current value measured by the tube current value measurement part reaches the set value; and a consumption level estimation part estimating the consumption level of a cathode in the X-ray source based one the time until the tube current value reaches the set value after the tube current value has been set.

An example remote control for a radiographic source includes: a forward cable section configured to extend into and through a radiographic source housing, to expose a radiographic source to an exterior of the housing, and to retract into and through the radiographic source housing to retract the radiographic source into the radiographic housing; a drive cable section coupled to the forward cable section; and a drive gear configured to extend the forward cable section by driving the drive cable section in a first direction, and to retract the forward cable section by driving the drive cable section in a second direction, wherein the forward cable has a smooth exterior surface to have a lower friction than the drive cable section while traversing the radiographic source housing.

An example remote control for a radiographic source includes: a forward cable section configured to extend into and through a radiographic source housing, to expose a radiographic source to an exterior of the housing, and to retract into and through the radiographic source housing to retract the radiographic source into the radiographic housing; a drive cable section coupled to the forward cable section; and a drive gear configured to extend the forward cable section by driving the drive cable section in a first direction, and to retract the forward cable section by driving the drive cable section in a second direction, wherein the forward cable has a smooth exterior surface to have a lower friction than the drive cable section while traversing the radiographic source housing.

Systems and methods for medical imaging. The method may include acquiring a tube voltage switching waveform for a radiation source of a medical device. The method may include determining a tube current switching period based on the tube voltage switching waveform. The method may include determining a sampling period correlated with the tube current switching period. The method may include acquiring projection data according to the sampling period. The method may further include reconstructing an image based on the acquired projection data.

A control apparatus that controls, using automatic exposure control of controlling a radiation generation apparatus by comparing a radiation dose from the radiation generation apparatus with a target dose, radiation imaging using radiation from the radiation generation apparatus, comprises a processing unit that executes image processing on a radiation image obtained by the radiation imaging; and a setting unit that sets, as the target dose used in the automatic exposure control, a dose which is changed in accordance with an image processing parameter for executing the image processing.