| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20090041198 | HIGHLY COLLIMATED AND TEMPORALLY VARIABLE X-RAY BEAMS - Systems and methods for highly collimated and temporally variable X-ray beams. Disclosed herein is a system for producing a collimated X-ray beam, the system including one or more distributed electron sources configured to produce electron beams, one or more X-ray production targets configured to receive the electron beams and to generate X-ray beams at X-ray focal spots, X-ray optics configured to collect the X-ray beams from the X-ray focal spots, wherein the X-rays optics are configured to focus the X-ray beams to a single virtual focal spot, and an X-ray collimator configured to collimate the X-ray beams from the virtual focal spot to generate the collimated X-ray beam. | 02-12-2009 |
| 20090185660 | FIELD EMITTER BASED ELECTRON SOURCE FOR MULTIPLE SPOT X-RAY - A multiple spot x-ray generator is provided that includes a plurality of electron generators. Each electron generator includes an emitter element to emit an electron beam, a meshed grid adjacent each emitter element to enhance an electric field at a surface of the emitter element, and a focusing element positioned to receive the electron beam from each of the emitter elements and focus the electron beam to form a focal spot on a shielded target anode, the shielded target anode structure producing an array of x-ray focal spots when impinged by electron beams generated by the plurality of electron generators. The plurality of electron generators are arranged to form an electron generator matrix that includes activation connections electrically connected to the plurality of electron generators, wherein each electron generator is connected to a pair of the activation connections to receive an electric potential therefrom. | 07-23-2009 |
| 20090185661 | VIRTUAL MATRIX CONTROL SCHEME FOR MULTIPLE SPOT X-RAY SOURCE - A system and method for addressing individual electron emitters in an emitter array is disclosed. The system includes an emitter array comprising a plurality of emitter elements arranged in a non-rectangular layout and configured to generate at least one electron beam and a plurality of extraction grids positioned adjacent to the emitter array, each extraction grid being associated with at least one emitter element to extract the at least one electron beam therefrom. The field emitter array system also includes a plurality of voltage control channels connected to the plurality of emitter elements and the plurality of extraction grids such that each of the emitter elements and each of the extraction grids is individually addressable. In the field emitter array system, the number of voltage control channels is equal to the sum of a pair of integers closest in value whose product equals the number of emitter elements. | 07-23-2009 |
| 20090245467 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF FAST SWITCHING FOR SPECTRAL IMAGING - A system includes a generator configured to output at least one voltage level and an x-ray source configured to generate x-rays directed toward an object. The system includes a module coupled to the output of the generator and to an input of the x-ray source and configured to switch or assist in switching an output to the x-ray source between a first voltage level and a second voltage level. | 10-01-2009 |
| 20100098217 | FAST SWITCHING CIRCUIT FOR X-RAY IMAGING APPLICATIONS - A system is provided, which includes a rotatable gantry for receiving an object to be scanned. The system includes an x-ray source for projecting x-rays of two different energy levels towards the object and also a power supply, which energizes the x-ray source to two different voltage levels at a predetermined rate for generating x-rays at two different energy levels. The power supply in the system includes a fixed voltage source to input a voltage to a switching module with number of identical switching stages. Each stage in the switching module consists of a first switch, which charges a capacitor in a conducting state and output a first voltage, a second switch, which connects the fixed voltage source and the capacitor in series to output a second voltage in a conducting state and a diode which blocks a reverse current from the capacitor to the power supply. | 04-22-2010 |
| 20100271081 | GATE DRIVE CIRCUITRY FOR NON-ISOLATED GATE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES - One embodiment is a gate drive circuitry for switching a semiconductor device having a non-isolated input, the gate drive circuitry having a first circuitry configured to turn-on the semiconductor device by imposing a current on a gate of the semiconductor device so as to forward bias an inherent parasitic diode of the semiconductor device. There is a second circuitry configured to turn-off the semiconductor device by imposing a current on the gate of the semiconductor device so as to reverse bias the parasitic diode of the semiconductor device wherein the first circuitry and the second circuitry are coupled to the semiconductor device respectively through a first switch and a second switch. | 10-28-2010 |
