EP0405399A2 - X-ray generator apparatus - Google Patents
X-ray generator apparatus Download PDFInfo
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- EP0405399A2 EP0405399A2 EP90112038A EP90112038A EP0405399A2 EP 0405399 A2 EP0405399 A2 EP 0405399A2 EP 90112038 A EP90112038 A EP 90112038A EP 90112038 A EP90112038 A EP 90112038A EP 0405399 A2 EP0405399 A2 EP 0405399A2
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- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- voltage
- frequency
- transformer
- high voltage
- frequency converting
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05G—X-RAY TECHNIQUE
- H05G1/00—X-ray apparatus involving X-ray tubes; Circuits therefor
- H05G1/08—Electrical details
- H05G1/10—Power supply arrangements for feeding the X-ray tube
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05G—X-RAY TECHNIQUE
- H05G1/00—X-ray apparatus involving X-ray tubes; Circuits therefor
- H05G1/08—Electrical details
- H05G1/10—Power supply arrangements for feeding the X-ray tube
- H05G1/20—Power supply arrangements for feeding the X-ray tube with high-frequency ac; with pulse trains
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an X-ray generator apparatus having an X-ray tube which generates X-rays when applied with a high voltage obtained by increasing an input A.C. voltage by means of a step-up transformer or the like and rectifying the increased voltage.
- a frequency converter 2 for converting the frequency of a voltage supplied from an input power source is connected to the primary side of a high voltage transformer 3.
- An output voltage of the frequency converter 2 is increased by the high voltage transformer 3 and an output voltage of the high voltage transformer 3 is rectified by a high voltage rectifier 4.
- a rectified output of the high voltage rectifier 4 is applied between the anode and cathode of an X-ray tube 5 serving as an X-ray source.
- the frequency converter 2 is generally formed of a rectifier for converting an input A.C. voltage to a D.C. voltage, a capacitor for filtering the D.C. voltage, and an inverter for converting the D.C. voltage from the capacitor to an A.C. voltage of a desired frequency.
- the frequency converter 2 converts the frequency fo (which is a commercial frequency and is generally 50/60 Hz) of the input A.C. voltage to a frequency f1 which is higher than the frequency fo and then applies the voltage to the high voltage transformer 3.
- the output frequency f1 of the frequency converter 2 is set to be higher, the size and weight of the frequency converter 2 and high voltage transformer 3 can be reduced.
- the capacitance and inductance can be reduced as the frequency is set higher if the impedances are kept unchanged. Since the capacitance and inductance vary in proportion to the size of the capacitor and coil, the size and weight of the frequency converter 2 and high voltage transformer 3 using the coil and capacitor can be reduced as the frequency becomes higher.
- Fig. 2 shows an equivalent circuit of the device shown in Fig. 1 in view of the secondary portion of the transformer 3.
- L1, L2 and M respectively denote the primary inductance, secondary inductance and mutual inductance of the high voltage transformer 3.
- N denotes the turn ratio (the number of turns of the secondary windings/the number of turns of the primary windings) of the transformer 3.
- the high voltage transformer 3 in order to obtain a high output voltage, is so designed that the number of turns of the secondary winding is set to be very larger than that of the primary winding, and thus the secondary inductance L2 is very larger than the primary inductance L1 and mutual inductance M. Therefore, the inductance of the secondary portion of the high voltage transformer 3 which is actually equal to (L2 - M) as shown in Fig. 2 can be regarded as being equal to the secondary inductance L2 by neglecting M, and in the following explanation, it is assumed that the inductance of the secondary portion is equal to L2.
- the impedance Z2 becomes higher as the output frequency f1 of the frequency converter 2 becomes higher, causing a problem that the voltage Ex applied to the X-ray tube 5 is lowered.
- the output frequency f1 of the conventional frequency converter 2 has an upper limit of approximately 10 KHz and a higher frequency exceeding the upper limit cannot be attained. If the frequency is set to approximately 10 KHz, it is difficult to greatly reduce the size and weight of the transformer and rectifier circuit and noise may be generated from the transformer 3. The reason why the output frequency f1 of the frequency converter 2 can be increased only to approximately 10 KHz at most is that the secondary inductance L2 of the high voltage transformer 3 is very large.
- a capacitor C1 is serially connected to the primary winding of the high voltage transformer 3 to attain a series resonance operation on the primary portion.
- a capacitor C2 is connected in parallel with the primary winding of the high voltage transformer 3 to attain a parallel resonance operation on the primary portion.
- a voltage on the primary portion of the high voltage transformer 3 is equivalently increased by the series resonance or parallel resonance operation.
- the inductance L1 of the primary portion is originally small and the resonance voltage is low, and therefore, in order to obtain the same voltage applied to X-ray tube 5 as that obtained in a case wherein no resonance circuit is connected, it is only possible to increase the output frequency of the frequency converter 2 to two or three times the output frequency set in a case wherein no resonance circuit is connected.
- the secondary winding of the high voltage transformer is divided into a plurality of sub-windings to increase the frequency of the high voltage transformer, the sub-windings are connected to rectifier circuits are serially coupled and applied to an X-ray tube.
- the high voltage transformer is not divided and the high voltage transformer can be regarded as being a single transformer, and an output of one frequency converter is simply connected to a single high voltage transformer. Therefore, like the conventional case shown in Fig. 1, it is only possible to increase the frequency to approximately 10 KHz at most.
- An object of the present invention is to provide an X-ray generator apparatus in which the frequency of a voltage from an A.C. power source is increased by a frequency converter, then the voltage is increased by means of a transformer, and the increased voltage is rectified by means of a rectifier and applied to an X-ray tube, and in which the output frequency of the frequency converter is increased and the size and weight of the transformer and rectifier are reduced.
- An X-ray generator apparatus comprises frequency converter means connected to an A.C. power source, for increasing the frequency of an A.C. voltage; plural transformer means connected to an output of the frequency converter means, for increasing the output A.C. voltage from the frequency converter means; and rectifier means for converting the output A.C. voltages from the plural transformer means to D.C. voltages, serially adding all of the D.C. voltages, and applying the result of addition of the D.C. voltages to an X-ray tube.
- FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the construction of a first embodiment.
- An A.C. power source 11 serving as an input power source is connected to the input terminal of an frequency converter 12.
- the frequency converter 12 increases the frequency of an A.C. voltage supplied from the A.C. power source 11.
- High voltage transformers 131, 132, ... 13 n are connected in parallel with one another between output terminals of the frequency converter 12. That is, one end of the primary winding of each of the high voltage transformers 131, 132, ...
- 13 n is connected to one of the output terminals of the frequency converter 12 and the other end of the primary winding of each of the high voltage transformers 131, 132, ... 13 n is connected to the other output terminal of the frequency converter 12.
- the secondary windings of the high voltage transformers 131, 132, ... 13 n are respectively connected to high voltage rectifiers 141, 142, ... 14 n .
- the output terminals of the high voltage rectifiers 141, 142, ... 14 n are serially connected and the result of serial addition obtained by the series connection is applied to an X-ray tube 15.
- the positive output terminals of the high voltage rectifiers 141 is connected to the anode of the X-ray tube 15
- the negative output terminals of the high voltage rectifiers 141, 142, ... 14 n-1 are connected to the positive output terminals of the high voltage rectifiers 142, 143, ... 14 n
- the negative output terminal of the high voltage rectifier 14 n is connected to the cathode of the X-ray tube 15.
- the number of turns of each of the primary windings of the high voltage transformers 131, 132, ... 13 n is set to be equal to that of the primary winding of the conventional high voltage transformer 3 shown in Fig. 1 and the number of turns of each of the secondary windings of the high voltage transformers 131, 132, ... 13 n is set to 1/n of that of the secondary winding of the conventional high voltage transformer 3 in order to simplify the description.
- Fig. 6A is an equivalent circuit diagram of a secondary portion (a portion from the secondary winding to the X-ray tube with the rectifier being neglected) of the conventional transformer 3 of Fig. 1.
- Fig. 6B is also the equivalent circuit diagram of the secondary portions of the transformers 131, 132, ... 13 n of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 5.
- the number of turns of the secondary winding of each of the high voltage transformers 3, 131, 132, ... 13 n is extremely larger than that of the primary winding thereof, and the secondary inductance L2 is set to a large value. Therefore, the equivalent circuit diagrams can be expressed only by the secondary inductance L2 as shown in Figs. 6A and 6B.
- the frequency converter is generally on/off operated by the switching pulse and outputs a pulse signal. Therefore, the voltage E2 is also expressed by a pulse.
- the number of turns of the secondary winding of each of the high voltage transformers 131, 132, ... 13 n is set to 1/n of that of the high voltage transformer 3 in the conventional device (Fig. 1). Since the inductance of a coil varies in proportion to the square of the number of turns, the secondary inductance becomes L2/n2 and the secondary voltage becomes E2/n in each of the high voltage transformers 131, 132, ... 13 n . Further, the load of each of the high voltage transformers 131, 132, ... 13 n is substantially the same as a value obtained by dividing the load Rx in the conventional device by n, that is, it becomes Rx/n. As a result, the equivalent circuit diagram of the embodiment of Fig. 5 can be expressed as shown in Fig. 6A.
- the time constant in the device of this embodiment (Fig. 5) is set to 1/n of that of the conventional device (Fig. 1), and therefore, it is understood that the frequency of the transformers 131, 132, ... 13 n can be increased by n times since the same voltage is obtained if the pulse width of the output of the frequency converter 12 is set to ⁇ b.
- the high voltage transformer is divided into a plurality (for example, n) of transformers 131, 132, ... 13 n having a small capacity (the number of turns of the primary winding is kept unchanged and the number of turns of the secondary winding is reduced to 1/n times the original value), the primary windings of the divided transformers 131, 132, ... 13 n are connected in parallel with one another between the output terminals of the frequency converter 12 and a voltage obtained by serially adding together the rectification results of the outputs of the respective transformers is applied to the X-ray tube 15.
- the apparatus including the frequency converter 12 can be made small and lightweight. Since the output frequency of the frequency converter 12 can be increased up to approximately 100 KHz or to a frequency which exceeds the audio frequency, generation of noise which is a problem in the conventional device can be prevented. Further, since the output control of the frequency converter 12 can be effected at a higher speed as the output frequency thereof increases, a high voltage applied to the X-ray tube 15 can be more precisely set by using the feedback operation.
- the rising characteristic of the tube voltage can be improved as shown by the curve B of Fig. 7, it becomes easy to apply a high voltage in a pulse form to the X-ray tube 15 and generate X-rays only at necessary timings, thereby making it possible to reduce the amount of X-ray radiation to an object.
- the frequency converter can change the output voltage in addition to the output frequency by means of a pulse width modulation (PWM) for changing the pulse width of the switching pulse.
- PWM pulse width modulation
- the high voltage transformer and high voltage rectifier are disposed in a container filled with insulating oil. Since the container is substantially entirely filled with insulating oil, the volume and weight thereof become very large. In this case, the maintenance therefor is troublesome and there occurs a problem that oil leaks out of the container and stains the surrounding.
- the transformer since the transformer is divided into a plurality of transformers of small capacities the high voltage transformer and high voltage rectifier are disposed in a container of small capacity and can be molded into one unit with solid insulation material including gel insulating material.
- Each molding unit may be constructed by a single transformer 131 and a single rectifier 141 as shown in Fig. 8 or by a plurality of transformers 131 to 13 i and a plurality of rectifiers 141 and 14 i as shown in Fig. 9. Further, as shown in Fig. 10, only the secondary winding of the transformer 131 and the rectifier 141 are molded and it is not always necessary to mold the primary winding of the transformer.
- the high voltage transformer and the rectifier may be separately molded and they are connected by connectors or cables. Thus, various combinations of the molds can be selectively made.
- Fig. 11 is a block diagram of the second embodiment. Portions which are the same as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the detail description thereof is omitted.
- Inverters 121, 122 ... 12 n which are connected in parallel with one another are connected to the A.C. power source 11.
- Outputs of the frequency converters 121, 122, ... 12 n are supplied to rectifiers 141, 142, ... 14 n via high voltage transformers 131 132, ... 13 n .
- Capacitors C R are respectively connected in series with the secondary windings of the high voltage transformers 131, 132, ... 13 n to constitute series resonant circuits on the secondary portion of the transformers.
- the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.
- the tube voltage can be roughly controlled by controlling the number of frequency converters which are set in the rest state.
- the frequency converters are PWM-controlled, the tube voltage can be precisely controlled.
- the defective frequency converters are set into the rest state and other frequency converters which are otherwise set in the rest or nonoperative state can be used instead of the defective frequency converters. Therefore, it becomes possible to prevent the whole X-ray generator apparatus from being set into the inoperative state.
- the maximum output is lowered by an amount corresponding to the number of defective frequency converters, but it is seldom to use the maximum output and the device can be used without receiving practical interference while the defective frequency converter is being replaced.
- the resonance capacitor C R is connected to the secondary winding of each of the high voltage transformers 131, 132, ... 13 n to cause an LC series resonance so as to prevent the voltage applied to the X-ray tube 15 from being lowered and to further increase the frequency of the frequency converters.
- E2 and L2 in the respective resonant circuits can be reduced to E2 / n and L2 / n2 as shown in Fig. 6B as in the first embodiment.
- L2 varies inversely with the square of the dividing number n, it becomes extremely small. In this way, since the voltages E L and E C across L2 and C R can be suppressed to small values, the advantage of the resonance on the secondary portion of the transformer can be effectively used.
- the secondary inductance L2 becomes smaller, making it possible to attain a high frequency operation.
- influence by the secondary inductance L2 can be completely neglected, making it possible to attain a higher frequency operation.
- the dividing number can be reduced within the permissibie range of the breakdown voltage of the transformer and the capacitor.
- the secondary resonance is not limited to the series resonance described above but may be a parallel resonance attained by connecting a capacitor in parallel with the secondary winding of the high voltage transformer.
- Fig. 13 shows the characteristic of the voltage applied to the X-ray tube 15 obtained when the secondary portion is set in the resonant mode.
- solid lines indicate Ex, and curves A and B among them respectively indicate the case of the conventional device and the case wherein the transformer is divided into n portions like the curves A and B of Fig. 7, and a curve D indicates a characteristic obtained when the high voltage transformer of the second embodiment is divided and the secondary portion is set in the resonant mode.
- the raising characteristic of the curves A and B which is suppressed by the secondary inductance of the transformer is improved by means of the resonance as indicated by the curve D. Therefore, a higher frequency operation can be attained, and the voltage applied to the X-ray tube can be further increased.
- Fig. 13 fr indicates the resonant frequency.
- broken line curves indicate the voltages obtained by multiplying the terminal voltages E L and E C of the secondary inductance L2 and the capacitor C R with the dividing number n.
- the operation frequency can be further enhanced and the dividing number can be reduced by use of the secondary resonance in comparison with a case wherein the high voltage transformer is simply divided.
- the transformers and rectifiers can be selectively molded into respective units with solid insulation material. It is not necessary to respectively connect the transformers to the frequency converters. It is possible to connect several transformers to a single frequency converter.
- the output frequency of the frequency converter can be increased by dividing the transformer for increasing an output A.C. voltage of the frequency converter which increases the frequency of an A.C. voltage into a plurality of transformers of small capacity in which the number of turns of the secondary winding is smaller than that of the original transformer, adding outputs of the transformers together, and applying the result of addition to the X-ray tube.
- the apparatus can be made small and lightweight, the control speed of the voltage can be enhanced if the frequency is increased, and the output voltage can be precisely controlled by feeding back the output.
- the assembling and maintenance can be simplified by molding the divided transformers and the rectifiers into respective units with solid insulating material (including gel insulating material).
- ripple components included in the output voltage can be easily suppressed and stabilized by the high frequency operation and the X-rays can be easily generated in a pulse form.
- the frequency is increased, the frequency of the switching pulse of the frequency so that noise can be prevented from being generated.
- each frequency converter can be easily and independently controlled so that the precision of generation of the X-rays can be enhanced, and even if one or some frequency converters become defective, the apparatus can be continuously operated by using the remaining frequency converters.
- the frequency can be further increased by connecting the capacitor to the secondary winding of the transformer to form an LC resonance circuit and effect the resonance operation.
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Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to an X-ray generator apparatus having an X-ray tube which generates X-rays when applied with a high voltage obtained by increasing an input A.C. voltage by means of a step-up transformer or the like and rectifying the increased voltage.
- An example of this type of conventional X-ray generator apparatus is shown in Fig. 1. In order to enhance the performance and make the device small and lightweight, a
frequency converter 2 for converting the frequency of a voltage supplied from an input power source (A.C. power source) is connected to the primary side of ahigh voltage transformer 3. An output voltage of thefrequency converter 2 is increased by thehigh voltage transformer 3 and an output voltage of thehigh voltage transformer 3 is rectified by a high voltage rectifier 4. A rectified output of the high voltage rectifier 4 is applied between the anode and cathode of anX-ray tube 5 serving as an X-ray source. - The
frequency converter 2 is generally formed of a rectifier for converting an input A.C. voltage to a D.C. voltage, a capacitor for filtering the D.C. voltage, and an inverter for converting the D.C. voltage from the capacitor to an A.C. voltage of a desired frequency. Thefrequency converter 2 converts the frequency fo (which is a commercial frequency and is generally 50/60 Hz) of the input A.C. voltage to a frequency f1 which is higher than the frequency fo and then applies the voltage to thehigh voltage transformer 3. As the output frequency f1 of thefrequency converter 2 is set to be higher, the size and weight of thefrequency converter 2 andhigh voltage transformer 3 can be reduced. Since the impedances of coils and capacitors generally vary according to the frequency, the capacitance and inductance can be reduced as the frequency is set higher if the impedances are kept unchanged. Since the capacitance and inductance vary in proportion to the size of the capacitor and coil, the size and weight of thefrequency converter 2 andhigh voltage transformer 3 using the coil and capacitor can be reduced as the frequency becomes higher. - However, in the above X-ray generator apparatus, the output frequency f1 of the
frequency converter 2 cannot be increased limitlessly and the upper limit thereof is determined by the characteristic of thehigh voltage transformer 3 for the following reason. Fig. 2 shows an equivalent circuit of the device shown in Fig. 1 in view of the secondary portion of thetransformer 3. In Fig. 2, L1, L2 and M respectively denote the primary inductance, secondary inductance and mutual inductance of thehigh voltage transformer 3. N denotes the turn ratio (the number of turns of the secondary windings/the number of turns of the primary windings) of thetransformer 3. In this case, in order to obtain a high output voltage, thehigh voltage transformer 3 is so designed that the number of turns of the secondary winding is set to be very larger than that of the primary winding, and thus the secondary inductance L2 is very larger than the primary inductance L1 and mutual inductance M. Therefore, the inductance of the secondary portion of thehigh voltage transformer 3 which is actually equal to (L2 - M) as shown in Fig. 2 can be regarded as being equal to the secondary inductance L2 by neglecting M, and in the following explanation, it is assumed that the inductance of the secondary portion is equal to L2. Further, assuming that the equivalent impedance of a theX-ray tube 5 is Rx and the terminal voltage of theX-ray tube 5 is Ex and the rectifier 4 is omitted from being consideration since it does not relate to the terminal voltage Ex, then the secondary inductance L2 is serially connected to the impedance Rx. If the output frequency of thefrequency converter 2 is f1, an impedance Z2 due to the secondary impedance L2 can be expressed by the following equation and it is understood that it varies in proportion to the output frequency f1 of the frequency converter 2:
Z2 = 2π · f1 · L2 (1) - Further, the voltage Ex applied to the
X-ray tube 5 is expressed as follows:
Ex = E2 · Rx / (Rx + Z2) (2) - Since the turn ratio N is very large and thus the inductance (L1 - M)/N² can be neglected, a terminal voltage E2 of the mutual inductance M is expressed as follows using an output voltage E1 of the frequency converter 2:
E2 = E1 · N (3) - As is clearly understood from the equations (1) and (2), the impedance Z2 becomes higher as the output frequency f1 of the
frequency converter 2 becomes higher, causing a problem that the voltage Ex applied to theX-ray tube 5 is lowered. For this reason, the output frequency f1 of theconventional frequency converter 2 has an upper limit of approximately 10 KHz and a higher frequency exceeding the upper limit cannot be attained. If the frequency is set to approximately 10 KHz, it is difficult to greatly reduce the size and weight of the transformer and rectifier circuit and noise may be generated from thetransformer 3. The reason why the output frequency f1 of thefrequency converter 2 can be increased only to approximately 10 KHz at most is that the secondary inductance L2 of thehigh voltage transformer 3 is very large. - In order to solve the above problem, it has been proposed to modify the primary portion of the
high voltage transformer 3 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In the circuit of Fig. 3, a capacitor C1 is serially connected to the primary winding of thehigh voltage transformer 3 to attain a series resonance operation on the primary portion. In the circuit of Fig. 4, a capacitor C2 is connected in parallel with the primary winding of thehigh voltage transformer 3 to attain a parallel resonance operation on the primary portion. However, in either circuit, a voltage on the primary portion of thehigh voltage transformer 3 is equivalently increased by the series resonance or parallel resonance operation. The inductance L1 of the primary portion is originally small and the resonance voltage is low, and therefore, in order to obtain the same voltage applied toX-ray tube 5 as that obtained in a case wherein no resonance circuit is connected, it is only possible to increase the output frequency of thefrequency converter 2 to two or three times the output frequency set in a case wherein no resonance circuit is connected. - Further, in United State Patent No. 4,545,005 (Mudde), the secondary winding of the high voltage transformer is divided into a plurality of sub-windings to increase the frequency of the high voltage transformer, the sub-windings are connected to rectifier circuits are serially coupled and applied to an X-ray tube. However, the high voltage transformer is not divided and the high voltage transformer can be regarded as being a single transformer, and an output of one frequency converter is simply connected to a single high voltage transformer. Therefore, like the conventional case shown in Fig. 1, it is only possible to increase the frequency to approximately 10 KHz at most.
- Further, in United State Patent No. 4,317,039 (Romandi), plural frequency converters and plural high voltage transformers are used, but in this conventional case, the object thereof is to reduce ripples and the object is attained by setting the phases of the plural frequency converters different from one another. Therefore, this reference does not aim to increase the frequency of the transformer and discloses that the frequency lies in the medium frequency range and amounts to approximately six to seven KHz.
- An object of the present invention is to provide an X-ray generator apparatus in which the frequency of a voltage from an A.C. power source is increased by a frequency converter, then the voltage is increased by means of a transformer, and the increased voltage is rectified by means of a rectifier and applied to an X-ray tube, and in which the output frequency of the frequency converter is increased and the size and weight of the transformer and rectifier are reduced.
- An X-ray generator apparatus according to the present invention comprises frequency converter means connected to an A.C. power source, for increasing the frequency of an A.C. voltage; plural transformer means connected to an output of the frequency converter means, for increasing the output A.C. voltage from the frequency converter means; and rectifier means for converting the output A.C. voltages from the plural transformer means to D.C. voltages, serially adding all of the D.C. voltages, and applying the result of addition of the D.C. voltages to an X-ray tube.
- This invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
- Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an example of the conventional X-ray generator apparatus;
- Fig. 2 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the device shown in Fig. 1;
- Fig. 3 is a diagram showing another example of the conventional device;
- Fig. 4 is a diagram showing still another example of the conventional device;
- Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of an X-ray generator apparatus according to the present invention;
- Figs. 6A and 6B are equivalent circuits of a portion ranging from the secondary winding of a high voltage transformer to the X-ray tube in the conventional device of Fig. 1 and the first embodiment;
- Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the characteristic of the first embodiment;
- Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a first modification of the first embodiment;
- Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a second modification of the first embodiment;
- Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a third modification of the first embodiment;
- Fig. 11 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of an X-ray generator apparatus according to the present invention;
- Fig. 12 is an equivalent circuit of a portion ranging from the secondary winding of each high voltage transformer to the X-ray tube in the second embodiment; and
- Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the characteristic of the second embodiment.
- There will now be described an embodiment of an X-ray generator apparatus according to the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the construction of a first embodiment. An A.C. power source 11 serving as an input power source is connected to the input terminal of an
frequency converter 12. Thefrequency converter 12 increases the frequency of an A.C. voltage supplied from the A.C. power source 11.High voltage transformers frequency converter 12. That is, one end of the primary winding of each of thehigh voltage transformers frequency converter 12 and the other end of the primary winding of each of thehigh voltage transformers frequency converter 12. The secondary windings of thehigh voltage transformers high voltage rectifiers high voltage rectifiers X-ray tube 15. That is, the positive output terminals of thehigh voltage rectifiers 14₁ is connected to the anode of theX-ray tube 15, the negative output terminals of thehigh voltage rectifiers high voltage rectifiers 14₂, 14₃, ... 14n, and the negative output terminal of thehigh voltage rectifier 14n is connected to the cathode of theX-ray tube 15. - In this case, the number of turns of each of the primary windings of the
high voltage transformers high voltage transformer 3 shown in Fig. 1 and the number of turns of each of the secondary windings of thehigh voltage transformers high voltage transformer 3 in order to simplify the description. - Next, the operation of this embodiment is explained. Fig. 6A is an equivalent circuit diagram of a secondary portion (a portion from the secondary winding to the X-ray tube with the rectifier being neglected) of the
conventional transformer 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6B is also the equivalent circuit diagram of the secondary portions of thetransformers high voltage transformers - If, in Fig. 6A, L2 / Rx = τa, then the voltage Ex applied to the
X-ray tube 5 is expressed by using the time constant τa as follows and rises as shown by a curve A in Fig. 7. The reference time t = 0 with respect to time t in Fig. 7 is a timing at which the voltage E2 starts to rise.
Ex = E2 (1 - e-t/τa) (4) - That is, if it is assumed that the pulse width of the voltage E2 is τa, the tube voltage Ex is set to a maximum value (0.63 E2) at the time of t = τa.
- On the other hand, in the device of this embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the number of turns of the secondary winding of each of the
high voltage transformers high voltage transformer 3 in the conventional device (Fig. 1). Since the inductance of a coil varies in proportion to the square of the number of turns, the secondary inductance becomes L2/n² and the secondary voltage becomes E2/n in each of thehigh voltage transformers high voltage transformers - In secondary portion of each of the
high voltage transformers
τb = (L2 / n²) / (Rx / n)
= (L2 / Rx) / n
= τa / n (5) - A voltage E3 applied to the load Rx/n is expressed as follows:
E3 = E2 (1 - e-t/τb) / n (6)
The voltage Ex applied to theX-ray tube 15 is given as follows by serially adding the terminal voltages E3 of the loads:
Ex = n · E3
= E2 (1 - e-t/τb) (7) - That is, as shown by a curve B in Fig. 7, at the time of t = τb, the tube voltage Ex is set to 0.63 E2 which has been reached at the time of t = τa in the conventional device. In this case, since τb = τa/n as shown by the equation (5), the time constant in the device of this embodiment (Fig. 5) is set to 1/n of that of the conventional device (Fig. 1), and therefore, it is understood that the frequency of the
transformers frequency converter 12 is set to τb. - the conventional high voltage transformer shown in Fig. 6A, even if the switching pulse width of the
frequency converter 2 is simply changed from τa to 1/n times (= τb) to increase the frequency, the peak value of the tube voltage Ex expressed by the equation (4) becomes smaller as shown by a curve C in Fig. 7 and the application power simply becomes small as indicated by a hatched portion. - As described above, according to the first embodiment, the high voltage transformer is divided into a plurality (for example, n) of
transformers transformers frequency converter 12 and a voltage obtained by serially adding together the rectification results of the outputs of the respective transformers is applied to theX-ray tube 15. Thus, the secondary inductance of each of thetransformers frequency converter 12 is increased by n times. Therefore, the apparatus including thefrequency converter 12 can be made small and lightweight. Since the output frequency of thefrequency converter 12 can be increased up to approximately 100 KHz or to a frequency which exceeds the audio frequency, generation of noise which is a problem in the conventional device can be prevented. Further, since the output control of thefrequency converter 12 can be effected at a higher speed as the output frequency thereof increases, a high voltage applied to theX-ray tube 15 can be more precisely set by using the feedback operation. Further, since high voltage wave ripples become smaller as the frequency becomes higher, a flat high voltage wave can be obtained. In addition, the rising characteristic of the tube voltage can be improved as shown by the curve B of Fig. 7, it becomes easy to apply a high voltage in a pulse form to theX-ray tube 15 and generate X-rays only at necessary timings, thereby making it possible to reduce the amount of X-ray radiation to an object. It is preferable to form the cores of thehigh voltage transformers 13₁ 13₂, ... 13n by using ferrite or the like which has a good frequency characteristic in order to attain the high operation frequency. Further, it is also possible to serially connect the outputs of thehigh voltage transformers transformers respective rectifiers high voltage transformers - Next, modifications relating to the improvement of the first embodiment are explained. In the conventional X-ray generator apparatus, the high voltage transformer and high voltage rectifier are disposed in a container filled with insulating oil. Since the container is substantially entirely filled with insulating oil, the volume and weight thereof become very large. In this case, the maintenance therefor is troublesome and there occurs a problem that oil leaks out of the container and stains the surrounding. In the first embodiment, since the transformer is divided into a plurality of transformers of small capacities the high voltage transformer and high voltage rectifier are disposed in a container of small capacity and can be molded into one unit with solid insulation material including gel insulating material. Injection type insulating material such as epoxy and material such as silicone gel which is solidified but has a physical property between those of the fluid and solid can be given as examples of the above insulating material. Since silicone gel has a good high frequency characteristic, it can be preferably used as the insulating material for the device constructed to attain a high frequency. Each molding unit may be constructed by a
single transformer 13₁ and asingle rectifier 14₁ as shown in Fig. 8 or by a plurality oftransformers 13₁ to 13i and a plurality ofrectifiers transformer 13₁ and therectifier 14₁ are molded and it is not always necessary to mold the primary winding of the transformer. Although not shown in the drawing, the high voltage transformer and the rectifier may be separately molded and they are connected by connectors or cables. Thus, various combinations of the molds can be selectively made. - Unlike the conventional device in which a large-high voltage transformer and rectifier are disposed in one container, use of the above molded units makes it unnecessary to fill insulating oil into an unnecessary space, so that a small and lightweight X-ray generator apparatus can be realized which can be easily assembled by combining the units and in which replacement can be effected for each molded unit to attain easy maintenance. Further, since the dielectric breakdown voltage of solid insulating material is higher than that of insulating oil, a high insulation efficiency can be attained and the size and weight can be easily reduced. The small and lightweight X-ray generator apparatus requires only a small installation space in a hospital or the like and can be easily transported.
- Next, a second embodiment is explained. Fig. 11 is a block diagram of the second embodiment. Portions which are the same as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the detail description thereof is omitted. In the first embodiment, only one
frequency converter 12 is provided, but in the second embodiment an frequency converter is also divided into n frequency converters like a transformer.Inverters frequency converters rectifiers high voltage transformers 13₁ 13₂, ... 13n. Capacitors CR are respectively connected in series with the secondary windings of thehigh voltage transformers - Also, in this embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, in a case where a part of the
frequency converters high voltage transformers X-ray tube 15. Therefore, the tube voltage can be roughly controlled by controlling the number of frequency converters which are set in the rest state. Moreover, if the frequency converters are PWM-controlled, the tube voltage can be precisely controlled. - Further, according to the second embodiment, since a number of frequency converters are used, even if a part of the frequency converters becomes defective, the defective frequency converters are set into the rest state and other frequency converters which are otherwise set in the rest or nonoperative state can be used instead of the defective frequency converters. Therefore, it becomes possible to prevent the whole X-ray generator apparatus from being set into the inoperative state. The maximum output is lowered by an amount corresponding to the number of defective frequency converters, but it is seldom to use the maximum output and the device can be used without receiving practical interference while the defective frequency converter is being replaced.
- The resonance capacitor CR is connected to the secondary winding of each of the
high voltage transformers X-ray tube 15 from being lowered and to further increase the frequency of the frequency converters. - Next, the characteristic of the second embodiment is explained. An equivalent circuit of the secondary portion of one of the
high voltage transformers 13 is shown in Fig. 12. Since thefrequency converter 12 effects a switching operation for the rectangular wave, the secondary voltage E2 takes a rectangular waveform in the first embodiment shown in Fig. 6A, but takes substantially a sine waveform in the second embodiment in which the secondary portion is set in the resonant condition. Assuming that the frequency of the sine wave is f and ω = 2 π f, and if the capacitance of the capacitor CR is so determined as to set up the condition of ω L2 = 1 /ω CR at the frequency f according to the general theory of series resonance, then the impedance on the secondary portion becomes only Rx. Therefore, even if the frequency f is set at a high frequency, influence of the secondary inductance L2 to the tube voltage Ex can be neglected as shown in Fig. 12. However, voltages across L2 and CR in Fig. 12 have inverted phases and cancel each other but EL = E2 · ω L2 / Rx and Ec = E2 / (ω CR · Rx) are obtained, and in general, they becomes relatively larger than E2. Therefore, in the conventional device shown in Fig. 6A, resonance cannot be attained on the secondary portion when the dielectric voltage of the transformer and capacitor and the insulating measure are taken into consideration. - However, in the present invention, since the high voltage transformer is divided into n portions, E2 and L2 in the respective resonant circuits can be reduced to E2 / n and L2 / n² as shown in Fig. 6B as in the first embodiment. In particular, L2 varies inversely with the square of the dividing number n, it becomes extremely small. In this way, since the voltages EL and EC across L2 and CR can be suppressed to small values, the advantage of the resonance on the secondary portion of the transformer can be effectively used.
- As described above, in a case where only the high voltage transformer is divided as in the first embodiment, the secondary inductance L2 becomes smaller, making it possible to attain a high frequency operation. However, in a case where the resonance circuit is formed on the secondary portion of the transformer as in the second embodiment, influence by the secondary inductance L2 can be completely neglected, making it possible to attain a higher frequency operation. Alternatively, in a case where the device is operated at the same frequency as that obtained where no resonance circuit is formed on the secondary portion, the dividing number can be reduced within the permissibie range of the breakdown voltage of the transformer and the capacitor. Since the primary voltage becomes a sine wave due to the resonance circuit in the secondary portion, it is possible to turn on or turn off switching transistors in the frequency converters at the time of the current does not flow therethrough. Therefore, the heat radiation of the apparatus can be suppressed, thereby increasing the efficiency of the apparatus. The secondary resonance is not limited to the series resonance described above but may be a parallel resonance attained by connecting a capacitor in parallel with the secondary winding of the high voltage transformer.
- Fig. 13 shows the characteristic of the voltage applied to the
X-ray tube 15 obtained when the secondary portion is set in the resonant mode. In Fig. 13, solid lines indicate Ex, and curves A and B among them respectively indicate the case of the conventional device and the case wherein the transformer is divided into n portions like the curves A and B of Fig. 7, and a curve D indicates a characteristic obtained when the high voltage transformer of the second embodiment is divided and the secondary portion is set in the resonant mode. - According to the second embodiment, the raising characteristic of the curves A and B which is suppressed by the secondary inductance of the transformer is improved by means of the resonance as indicated by the curve D. Therefore, a higher frequency operation can be attained, and the voltage applied to the X-ray tube can be further increased. Fig. 13, fr indicates the resonant frequency. Further, broken line curves indicate the voltages obtained by multiplying the terminal voltages EL and EC of the secondary inductance L2 and the capacitor CR with the dividing number n.
- As described above, the operation frequency can be further enhanced and the dividing number can be reduced by use of the secondary resonance in comparison with a case wherein the high voltage transformer is simply divided.
- Further, the modifications explained with reference to the first embodiment can also be applied in the second embodiment, and like the first embodiment, the transformers and rectifiers can be selectively molded into respective units with solid insulation material. It is not necessary to respectively connect the transformers to the frequency converters. It is possible to connect several transformers to a single frequency converter.
- As described above, according to the X-ray generator apparatus of the present invention, the output frequency of the frequency converter can be increased by dividing the transformer for increasing an output A.C. voltage of the frequency converter which increases the frequency of an A.C. voltage into a plurality of transformers of small capacity in which the number of turns of the secondary winding is smaller than that of the original transformer, adding outputs of the transformers together, and applying the result of addition to the X-ray tube. As a result, the apparatus can be made small and lightweight, the control speed of the voltage can be enhanced if the frequency is increased, and the output voltage can be precisely controlled by feeding back the output. Further, the assembling and maintenance can be simplified by molding the divided transformers and the rectifiers into respective units with solid insulating material (including gel insulating material). In addition, ripple components included in the output voltage can be easily suppressed and stabilized by the high frequency operation and the X-rays can be easily generated in a pulse form. When the frequency is increased, the frequency of the switching pulse of the frequency so that noise can be prevented from being generated. Further, if a plurality of transformers are respectively connected to a plurality of frequency converters, each frequency converter can be easily and independently controlled so that the precision of generation of the X-rays can be enhanced, and even if one or some frequency converters become defective, the apparatus can be continuously operated by using the remaining frequency converters. The frequency can be further increased by connecting the capacitor to the secondary winding of the transformer to form an LC resonance circuit and effect the resonance operation.
Claims (10)
frequency converting means (12) connected to said A.C. power source, for receiving an A.C. voltage from said A.C. power source and increasing the frequency of an input A.C. voltage;
transformer means (13) connected to said frequency converting means, for receiving an output voltage of said frequency converting means and increasing the input voltage; and
rectifier means (14) for rectifying an output of said transformer means and applying a D.C. voltage to said X-ray tube, and characterized in that
said transformer means comprises a plurality of transformer means (13₁, 13₂, ... 13n) connected in parallel to an output of said frequency converting means (12), for receiving an output voltage of said frequency converting means (12) and increasing the input voltage; and
rectifier means (14₁ 14₂, ... 14n) rectifies the outputs of said plurality of transformer means (13₁, 13₂, ... 13n) and applying a D.C. voltage corresponding to the sum of the outputs of said transformer means to said X-ray tube.
said frequency converting means comprises a plurality of frequency converting means (12₁, 12₂, ... 12n) connected in parallel to said A.C. power source, for receiving an A.C. voltage from said A.C. power source and increasing the frequency of an input A.C. voltage; and
said plurality of transformer means (13₁, 13₂ ... 13n) are connected to outputs of said plurality of frequency converting means (12₁, 12₂, ... 12n).
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP16964589 | 1989-06-30 | ||
JP169645/89 | 1989-06-30 | ||
JP2150458A JPH0395898A (en) | 1989-06-30 | 1990-06-08 | X-ray generating device |
JP150458/90 | 1990-06-08 |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0405399A2 true EP0405399A2 (en) | 1991-01-02 |
EP0405399A3 EP0405399A3 (en) | 1991-06-05 |
EP0405399B1 EP0405399B1 (en) | 1995-04-12 |
Family
ID=26480045
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP19900112038 Expired - Lifetime EP0405399B1 (en) | 1989-06-30 | 1990-06-25 | X-ray generator apparatus |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0405399B1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE69018525T2 (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE4107199A1 (en) * | 1991-03-06 | 1992-09-10 | Siemens Ag | HIGH FREQUENCY X-RAY GENERATOR |
WO1995009520A1 (en) * | 1993-09-27 | 1995-04-06 | Eagle Lcs Limited | A mobile x-ray unit |
DE102006052285A1 (en) * | 2006-11-03 | 2008-05-08 | Dr. Simon Consulting Gmbh | High-voltage power supply unit for producing electrical high voltage with specified rating, has regulating and control unit, and power unit and high-voltage part that are connected with one another by removable signal connecting units |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE102013212099B4 (en) * | 2013-06-25 | 2020-03-05 | Trumpf Laser Gmbh | High voltage modulation without following error |
Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4317039A (en) | 1978-07-14 | 1982-02-23 | Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | X-ray diagnostic generator |
EP0286678A1 (en) | 1985-12-20 | 1988-10-19 | Yokogawa Medical Systems, Ltd | X-ray tomograph |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4338657A (en) * | 1974-05-21 | 1982-07-06 | Lisin Vladimir N | High-voltage transformer-rectifier device |
DE2814320C2 (en) * | 1978-04-03 | 1984-02-16 | Siemens AG, 1000 Berlin und 8000 München | X-ray diagnostic generator with an inverter circuit that feeds its high-voltage transformer from a mains rectifier and has two inverters |
FR2507842A1 (en) * | 1981-06-12 | 1982-12-17 | Gen Equip Med Sa | SEMICONDUCTOR VOLTAGE REGULATOR AND RADIOLOGY GENERATOR COMPRISING SUCH A REGULATOR |
US4504895A (en) * | 1982-11-03 | 1985-03-12 | General Electric Company | Regulated dc-dc converter using a resonating transformer |
US4823250A (en) * | 1987-11-05 | 1989-04-18 | Picker International, Inc. | Electronic control for light weight, portable x-ray system |
-
1990
- 1990-06-25 DE DE1990618525 patent/DE69018525T2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1990-06-25 EP EP19900112038 patent/EP0405399B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Patent Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4317039A (en) | 1978-07-14 | 1982-02-23 | Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | X-ray diagnostic generator |
EP0286678A1 (en) | 1985-12-20 | 1988-10-19 | Yokogawa Medical Systems, Ltd | X-ray tomograph |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE4107199A1 (en) * | 1991-03-06 | 1992-09-10 | Siemens Ag | HIGH FREQUENCY X-RAY GENERATOR |
US5210780A (en) * | 1991-03-06 | 1993-05-11 | Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | Low ripple x-ray generator |
WO1995009520A1 (en) * | 1993-09-27 | 1995-04-06 | Eagle Lcs Limited | A mobile x-ray unit |
DE102006052285A1 (en) * | 2006-11-03 | 2008-05-08 | Dr. Simon Consulting Gmbh | High-voltage power supply unit for producing electrical high voltage with specified rating, has regulating and control unit, and power unit and high-voltage part that are connected with one another by removable signal connecting units |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP0405399B1 (en) | 1995-04-12 |
EP0405399A3 (en) | 1991-06-05 |
DE69018525T2 (en) | 1995-08-10 |
DE69018525D1 (en) | 1995-05-18 |
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