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

An X-ray tube comprising: a cathode including an emitter; an anode; a first magnetic quadrupole formed on a first yoke and having a magnetic quadrupole gradient for focusing an electron beam in a first direction and defocusing the beam in a second direction; a second magnetic quadrupole formed on a second yoke and having a magnetic quadrupole gradient for focusing the electron beam in the second direction and defocusing the electron beam in the first direction; wherein a combination of the first and second magnetic quadrupoles provides a net focusing effect in both first and second directions of a focal spot of the electron beam; and a pair of opposing quadrupole electromagnetic coils having alternating current offset being configured to deflect the electron beam in order to shift the focal spot of the electron beam on a target.

This X-ray tube device includes an anode and a cathode including an emitter emitting an electron to the anode. The emitter includes an electron emission portion in a flat plate shape, a pair of terminal portions extending from the electron emission portion, connected to an electrode, and a supporting portion provided separately from the terminal portions, insulated from the electrode, supporting the electron emission portion.

According to one embodiment, a photon counting CT apparatus includes an X-ray source, a photon counting CT detector, and a calibration unit. The X-ray source includes a cathode configured to generate electrons and an anode including a plurality of targets configured to generate a plurality of characteristic X-rays having different energies. The photon counting CT detector detects X-ray photons generated by the X-ray source. The calibration unit calibrates the gain of the photon counting CT detector based on the correspondence relationship between the photon energies of the plurality of characteristic X-rays and outputs from the photon counting CT detector.

An electron emitter according to one or more example embodiments for a rotary piston X-ray tube has a segmented emitter surface including at least two emitter elements which can be activated independently of each other and is set up to activate at least one subset of the segments of the segmented emitter surface as an activated emission surface for emitting electrons from the activated emission surface, wherein the at least two emitter elements are arranged in such a way that the segmented emitter surface is axially symmetrical in an emitter surface place, at least one emitter element of the at least two emitter elements is embodied for the thermionic emission of electrons, and the at least two emitter elements are arranged such that a distance between the respective emitter surfaces is minimal.

A method of designing an electron emitter can include: determining a desired cross-sectional profile of an electron emission from an electron emitter and inputting parameters of the electron emitter into a computer; determining a desired temperature profile for the electron emitter that emits the desired cross-sectional profile; and determining desired emitter dimensions for a defined electrical current through the electron emitter that produces the desired temperature profile with the computer based on the input parameters of the electron emitter. The emitter dimensions can include: each rung width dimension; each first gap segment dimension; each second gap segment dimension; and each web dimension. The emitter can include: a plurality of elongate rungs connected together in a planar pattern; a plurality of corners; a first gap between adjacent non-connected elongate rungs; a second gap between adjacent non-connected elongate rungs; and one or more cutouts between a corner apex and corner nadir.

A radiographic image diagnostic apparatus according to embodiments includes an X-ray tube, a holding member, and coil control circuitry. The X-ray tube includes: a cathode that emits electrons; coils that generate electromagnetic force; and an anode that rotates about a rotation axis in response to the electromagnetic force and to generate an X-ray by receiving the electrons. The holding member holds the X-ray tube so that the X-ray tube is movable. The coil control circuitry controls a current to be supplied to the coils based on at least one of a position of the X-ray tube, a direction of the X-ray tube, or a velocity of the X-ray tube.

An electron emitter can include: a plurality of elongate rungs connected together end to end from a first emitter end to a second emitter end in a plane so as to form a planar pattern; a plurality of corners, wherein each elongate rung is connected to another elongate rung through a corner having a corner apex and an opposite corner nadir; a first gap between adjacent non-connected elongate rungs, wherein the first gap extends from the first emitter end to a middle rung; a second gap between adjacent non-connected elongate rungs, wherein the second gap extends from the second emitter end to the middle rung, wherein the first gap does not intersect the second gap; and one or more cutouts at one or more of the corners of the plurality of corners between the corner apex and corner nadir or at the corner nadir.

An apparatus (210) and method for total or partial blanking of an electron beam (e) during a jump between the 2 or more positions of a dynamic focal spot (FP) movement in circumferential direction of the electron beam impinging on the focal track (FPTR) of a rotating target disk (230) of a X-ray tube (110). Alternatively the focal spot size can be increased during this short time interval. Overheating of the anode at the focal spot can be prevented.

A rotary piston X-ray source including a housing, a rotary piston X-ray source, and a magnetic deflection unit. The rotary piston X-ray source is mounted inside the housing to be rotatable about an axis of rotation relative to the housing. The magnetic deflection unit includes at least one multipole and is disposed outside the rotary piston. The at least one multipole has at least four magnetic poles, which are disposed about the axis of rotation and include coil windings. The magnetic poles further define a multipole plane on which a central axis of the at least one multipole is perpendicularly centered, and the at least one multipole is arranged such that the central axis of the at least one multipole and the axis of rotation span a surface.