Systems and methods are provided for generating X-ray pulses during X-ray imaging. A high voltage of an X-ray tube is automatically switched off. The tube voltage decays and upon reaching a predefined threshold value of the tube voltage or a predefined waiting time after switching off the high voltage, a grating voltage of a grating arranged between an emitter and an anode of the X-ray tube is automatically switched on. No electrons reach the anode from the emitter, and the tube current drops to the value zero.

The present disclosure provides a reliable X-ray generating tube that forms a focus with a stable size and shape. The X-ray generating tube includes an electron gun including an electron emitting portion, a plurality of grid electrodes, and an insulating support member that supports the plurality of grid electrodes. The electron gun includes a conductive section that hides the insulating support member to prevent the insulating support member from being directly viewed from an electron through path of electrons emitted from the electron emitting portion and passing through the grid electrodes.

An X-ray diagnosis apparatus according to an embodiment includes an X-ray tube, judging circuitry, and grid controlling circuitry. The X-ray tube is configured to radiate X-rays. The judging circuitry is configured to judge whether a voltage should be applied to a grid of the X-ray tube or not, in accordance with a radiation condition. The grid controlling circuitry is configured to apply the voltage to the grid, if the judging circuitry has determined that the voltage should be applied.

The present invention relates an NPC switching device (10) for an X-ray system (86) with symmetric power supply, wherein the switching device is amended by extra damping resistors (13, 18) in the high voltage rails (24, 28). These resistors act as damping resistors. Thus, they may provide particular damping in combination with the load (100), which is capacitive dominated. Further, an additional inductor (77) may be provided at the output (48) of the NPC switching device allowing a resonant transition. In case the NPC switching device is connected with a grid capacitance of the X-ray system, comprising a cathode (90) and a grid (92), wherein the cathode and the grid form a grid capacitance, overshoot and settling time in the switching device may be controlled and reduced, in particular to a minimum.

The invention relates to an X-ray source (2) for an imaging device comprising at least three electrodes; a power supply configured to provide a primary gap voltage between a first (13) and a second (12) electrode among said at least three electrodes, said primary gap voltage having an AC component, causing a transport of electrons from the first electrode toward the second electrode; and a controller configured to supply a variable potential on a third electrode (14) among said at least three electrodes, wherein the X-ray source is configured to generate an X-ray beam with an energy spectrum based on the voltage difference between the first electrode and the second electrode, and wherein the controller is configured to set the variable potential on the third electrode to a value causing at least a partial blocking of said transport of electrons, whenever a predetermined condition is met.

Disclosed is a portable X-ray generation device, which uses an electric field emission-type X-ray source, and is thus advantageous in reducing weight and volume and has excellent reliability in X-ray emission performance. The portable X-ray generation device according to the present invention comprises: an electric field emission X-ray source, which includes a cathode electrode having an electron emission source, an anode electrode having an X-ray target surface, and a gate electrode between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode; an X-ray emission cone, which has a cone shape having an increasing diameter toward the front thereof, is disposed in front of an X-ray emission point of the electric field emission X-ray source, and controls an emitted X-ray in the form of an X-ray beam having a predetermined angle range; and a driving signal generation unit for generating at least three driving signals applied to the cathode electrode, the anode electrode, and the gate electrode, respectively, by a direct current power source having a predetermined voltage, wherein the entire weight of the device is 0.8 kg to 3 kg, and the X-ray emission output thereof can be implemented to be 120 W to 300 W.

Disclosed is a portable X-ray generation device, which uses an electric field emission X-ray source, and is thus advantageous in reducing weight and volume and has excellent reliability in X-ray emission performance. The portable X-ray generation device according to the present invention includes an electric field emission X-ray source, which includes a cathode electrode having an electron emitter, an anode electrode having an X-ray target surface, and a gate electrode between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode; and a driving signal generator configured to generate at least three driving signals applied to the cathode electrode, the anode electrode, and the gate electrode, respectively, by direct current power having a predetermined voltage, wherein the driving signal generator includes a current controller maintaining a tube current between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode to have a constant value during X-ray emission.

Systems and methods are provided for generating X-ray pulses during X-ray imaging. A high voltage of an X-ray tube is automatically switched off. The tube voltage decays and upon reaching a predefined threshold value of the tube voltage or a predefined waiting time after switching off the high voltage, a grating voltage of a grating arranged between an emitter and an anode of the X-ray tube is automatically switched on. No electrons reach the anode from the emitter, and the tube current drops to the value zero.

A method for controlling filament current of a computed tomography (CT) tube includes: detecting a present tube current of the CT tube and assigning the present tube current to a feedback value, calculating a difference between a set value of the tube current and the feedback value and assigning the difference to an error value, assigning a target upper bound value to a present filament current when the error value is greater than an first error threshold, and assigning a target lower bound value to the present filament current when the error value is less than a second error threshold, wherein the target upper bound value is greater than the target lower bound value, the first error threshold is greater than 0, and the second error threshold is less than 0.

An X-ray inspection system that can simply and automatically perform aging without separately preparing a shutter moving member including a dedicated motor or a guide member for aging is provided. When power is supplied, a stage moves in X and Y directions by activating a stage moving mechanism, and an X-ray source stops at an aging position below an X-ray shielding plate disposed beside a support plate on the stage. In this state, aging is started. When the aging is ended, an input of an imaging instruction for X-ray imaging is waited for.