MULTI-TARGET X-RAY TUBE WITH STATIONARY ELECTRON BEAM POSITION

摘要

A transmission x-ray tube comprising an end window hermetically sealed to a flexible coupling. The flexible coupling can allow the window to shift or tilt in one direction or another direction to allow an electron beam to impinge upon one region of the window or another region of the window.;A method of utilizing different regions of an x-ray tube target by tilting an x-ray tube window at an acute angle with respect to an electron beam axis to cause an electron beam to impinge on a selected region of the window and tilting the window in a different direction to allow the electron beam to impinge on a different selected region of the window.

主权项

1. A transmission x-ray tube comprising:
a. an end window hermetically sealed to a first end of a flexible coupling; b. a second end of the flexible coupling hermetically sealed to one end of an enclosure; c. a cathode including an electron emitter hermetically sealed to an opposite end of the enclosure; d. the electron emitter configured to emit electrons in an electron beam along an electron beam axis extending between the electron emitter and the window and through a hollow core of the flexible coupling; e. the window including a target material configured to produce x-rays in response to impinging electrons from the electron emitter; f. the window configured to allow the x-rays to be transmitted out of the enclosure through the window; and g. the window being selectively tiltable to selectively align a region of the window with the electron beam axis, and thus selectively position the region in the electron beam by tilting the window and the first end of the flexible coupling at an acute angle with respect to the electron beam axis.