An X-ray tube is provided. The X-ray tube includes a bearing configured to couple to an anode. The bearing includes a stationary member, a rotary member configured to rotate with respect to the stationary member during operation of the X-ray tube, and a support feature configured to minimize bending moment along a surface of the stationary member to reduce deflection of the stationary member relative to the rotary member due to radial loads during operation of the X-ray tube.

An X-ray emitter includes an emitter housing in which an X-ray tube is disposed and held in the emitter housing by a fixing facility. The fixing facility includes a fixed bearing disposed on the cathode side and a floating bearing disposed on the anode side. At least the floating bearing has at least one damping element. In the X-ray emitter, the X-ray tube is aligned inside the emitter housing and fixed in a respectively low-vibration or vibration-damped manner, resulting in a more stable focus position relative to a beam exit and also a correspondingly improved image quality.

In a rotary-anode type X-ray tube, an annular groove is annularly formed on a first surface of a rotary-anode. The annular groove is so extended as to be surrounded by an anode target and is arranged around a rotation axis of the rotary-anode is in rotation symmetry with respect to an axis of rotation. Slits are so formed in the rotary-anode as to be arranged around the rotation axis in rotation symmetry with respect to the rotation axis, each of the slits is cut in the rotary-anode and extended in the in communication with the annular groove, and through holes are communicated with the respective slits, and each of the through holes is opened in the annular groove, and is extended from the annular groove to the opposite surface.

According to one embodiment, a rotating anode X-ray tube includes an anode target, a cathode, a bearing including a rotating unit which includes a cylindrical portion and a connecting portion, and a stationary shaft, and an envelope. The rotating unit includes a brazing material, a first cylinder having a first inner circumferential surface and a second inner circumferential surface, and a second cylinder. The second cylinder exists on a virtual plane.

A brushless drive system includes a reluctance rotor and a stator for generating a magnetic flux. The stator has a cylindrical stator yoke, an annular permanent magnet and a coil unit. The reluctance rotor has a cylindrical rotor yoke that is made of a soft-magnetic material, is free from magnetic sources and is configured to be driven about an axis of rotation via the magnetic flux. The permanent magnet and the coil unit are axially spaced apart along the axis of rotation. The stator yoke, the permanent magnet, the rotor yoke and the coil unit form a magnetic circuit for guidance of the magnetic flux. The magnetic circuit is configured such that, between the permanent magnet and the coil unit, an axial direction of the magnetic circuit in the stator yoke and an axial direction of the magnetic circuit in the rotor yoke have opposite signs.

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rotary anode X-ray tube capable of achieving a long product life, or capable of increasing thermal input to an anode target. SOLUTION: A rotary anode X-ray tube 1 includes a cathode 60, an anode target 50, a fixed shaft 10, a rotating body 20, and a liquid metal LM. The fixed shaft 10 has a first radial bearing surface S10a and a second radial bearing surface S10b. The rotating body 20 has a third radial bearing surface S21a, a fourth radial bearing surface S21b, and a heat transmission region 21a to which the anode target 50 is fixed and the heat of which is transmitted. In a direction along the central axis A, the center of the heat transmission region 21a is located between a first dynamic bearing B1 and a second dynamic bearing B2.

According to one embodiment, a rotating anode X-ray tube includes a cathode, an anode target, a sliding bearing including a rotor, a stationary shaft and a lubricant, and a vacuum tube. The rotor includes a bearing member formed to extend along a rotating axis and positioned to surround the stationary shaft. At least one of the stationary shaft and the bearing member are formed of tungsten carbide, silicon carbide, or titanium carbide.

According to one embodiment, a sliding bearing unit includes a stationary shaft including a first radial bearing surface, a rotor, and a lubricant. The rotor includes a first cylinder and a second cylinder. The second cylinder includes a second radial bearing surface and is restricted in operation so that it does not rotate relative to the first cylinder. The lubricant, together with the first radial bearing surface and the second radial bearing surface, forms a dynamic pressure radial sliding bearing.

According to one embodiment, a rotating anode X-ray tube includes a cathode, an anode target, a sliding bearing including a rotating unit, a stationary shaft, and a lubricant, and a vacuum tube. The rotating unit includes a bearing member which is formed to extend along the rotation axis and which is located to surround the stationary shaft. The stationary shaft is formed of a tungsten carbide alloy. The bearing member is formed of SKD11.

In some embodiments, a system may include an X-ray tube assembly having an anode disk assembly. The system may include a motor configured to rotate the anode disk assembly. The system may include one or more pumps configured to draw a vacuum in the X-ray tube assembly. The system may include a cooling system configured to cool the anode disk assembly. In some embodiments, a method may include drawing a vacuum in an X-ray tube assembly with one or more pumps. The method may include rotating an anode disk assembly of the X-ray tube assembly. The method may include cooling the anode disk assembly with a cooling system. The method may include activating a power supply to produce an electron beam. The electron beam may interact with an X-ray generating layer of the anode disk assembly to produce an X-ray beam oriented to impinge on a sample.