X-ray tube cathode assembly tool and X-ray tube

Abstract

The utility model provides an X-ray tube cathode assembly tool and an X-ray tube, the tool at least comprises a filament welding tool, the filament welding tool is used for positioning a ceramic assembly and a filament assembly of a cathode assembly, and the filament assembly completes a preassembly process with the ceramic assembly on the filament welding tool; the lamp filament welding tool comprises a welding base, the welding base is provided with a first containing cavity concaved downwards from the surface of the welding base and an isolation part protruding from the surface of the welding base, the first containing cavity is used for containing and positioning a ceramic assembly, a groove is formed in the isolation part, and the groove is consistent with the lamp filament preassembly position of a lamp filament assembly. By adopting the assembly tool, the assembly position of the lamp filament can be accurately controlled, the concentricity of the lamp filament and the cathode focusing hole is ensured, the efficient assembly and welding of the cathode assembly are realized, the lamp filament assembly time is greatly shortened, and the production efficiency and the product performance are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of X-ray tubes and relates to an X-ray tube cathode assembly assembly tool and an X-ray tube. Background Art

[0002] An X-ray tube is a device that generates X-rays. Its primary operating principle is that electrons emitted by a cathode in a vacuum bombard an anode target under the influence of a high-voltage electric field, thereby emitting X-rays. An X-ray tube primarily consists of a cathode, an electron focusing structure, an anode target, and a tube shell that ensures vacuum and insulation. In the field of X-ray tube technology, the filament, as a key emission source, has a significant impact on the performance of the X-ray tube. Specifically, the filament's installation position directly determines the focal spot size and focusing efficiency of the X-ray tube. These parameters further affect the imaging quality and service life of the X-ray tube.

[0003] However, in the actual development and production process, the assembly position control of the filament faces many challenges. First, because the filament itself is extremely small and its densely wound part has a compact structure, the operation during the assembly process becomes extremely delicate and complicated. Secondly, the size of the focusing hole is small, and the filament must be extremely concentric with it, which undoubtedly increases the difficulty of assembly. In addition, since the concentricity of the filament and the focusing stage hole is difficult to adjust, it is easy to cause the filament to be eccentric, which in turn affects the focusing and emission capabilities of the electron beam. The densely wound part of the filament may short-circuit due to improper assembly, which will not only reduce the performance of the X-ray tube, but may also cause the equipment to malfunction or even be damaged.

[0004] Therefore, how to accurately control the installation position of the filament, ensure its concentricity with the focusing hole, and prevent the occurrence of problems such as short circuits in dense windings have become technical difficulties that need to be urgently solved in the field of X-ray tube technology. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of the present application is to provide an X-ray tube cathode assembly tooling and an X-ray tube, which are used to solve one or more problems existing in the X-ray tube manufacturing process in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned and other related purposes, in a first aspect, the present application provides an X-ray tube cathode assembly tool, comprising at least a filament welding tool for positioning a ceramic component and a filament component of the cathode assembly, wherein the filament assembly is pre-assembled with the ceramic component on the filament welding tool;

[0007] The filament welding tool includes a welding base, which has a first accommodating cavity recessed from its surface and an isolation portion protruding from its surface. The first accommodating cavity is used to place and position the ceramic component. The isolation portion is provided with a groove, which is consistent with the filament pre-assembly position of the filament assembly.

[0008] In some embodiments, the length of the groove is equal to the length of the densely wound portion of the filament, and / or the depth of the groove is less than or equal to the diameter of the densely wound portion of the filament.

[0009] In some embodiments, the filament welding tool includes a clamp and a fixing piece, the clamp is used to fix the ceramic component into the first accommodating cavity, and the clamp is locked to the welding base through the fixing piece.

[0010] In some embodiments, an arc-shaped transition structure is provided between the bottom surface and the sidewall of the groove.

[0011] In some embodiments, a filament inspection tool is further included, which is provided with a calibration part for performing concentricity inspection on the filament assembly that has completed the pre-assembly process; wherein the filament inspection tool includes an inspection base, and the inspection base has a second accommodating cavity recessed from its surface, and the second accommodating cavity is used to place the ceramic assembly and position it so that the filament is opposite to the calibration part.

[0012] In some embodiments, the calibration portion defines a through hole, which is opposite to the densely wound portion of the filament and is coaxial and of equal diameter to the focusing hole of the cathode focusing electrode of the X-ray tube.

[0013] In some embodiments, the calibration portion of the filament inspection tool is movable relative to an extension direction of the pins of the filament assembly.

[0014] In some embodiments, it also includes: a filament assembly tool, the filament assembly tool including a first pressure ring and a second pressure ring coaxial with the first pressure ring, the first pressure ring having a through hole for accommodating the cathode focusing electrode and a step structure for engaging the cathode assembly, the second pressure ring is sleeved on the outside of the cathode assembly and the first pressure ring to fix the cathode assembly to complete the overall assembly of the X-ray tube cathode assembly.

[0015] In some embodiments, the filament assembly tool further includes a pressing plate, which is disposed inside the second pressure ring and abuts against the exhaust end of the cathode assembly to fix the cathode assembly.

[0016] In a second aspect, the present application provides an X-ray tube, comprising a cathode assembly, wherein the cathode assembly is assembled by the X-ray tube cathode assembly tooling according to any one of the above technical solutions.

[0017] As described above, the X-ray tube cathode assembly tooling provided by the technical solution of the present application can accurately control the assembly position of the filament, ensure its concentricity with the cathode focusing hole, realize efficient assembly and welding of the cathode assembly, greatly shorten the filament assembly time, and improve production efficiency and product performance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 Shown is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cathode assembly of an X-ray tube;

[0019] Figure 2 Shown is a schematic structural diagram of the filament welding tool provided by this application;

[0020] Figure 3 Display as Figure 2 A partial enlarged schematic diagram;

[0021] Figure 4 Shown is a schematic diagram of the principle of positioning using a filament welding fixture;

[0022] Figure 5 Shown is a schematic diagram of the structure of the filament inspection tool provided by this application;

[0023] Figure 6 Shown is a schematic diagram of the principle of concentricity calibration using a filament inspection fixture;

[0024] Figure 7 Shown is a structural schematic diagram of a filament assembly tool provided by the present application from one perspective;

[0025] Figure 8 Shown is a structural schematic diagram of another perspective of the filament assembly tool provided by this application;

[0026] Figure 9 Shown is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the filament assembly tool provided by this application.

[0027] Component number description

[0028] 1 Filament welding tool

[0029] 10 Welding base

[0030] 101 first accommodating chamber

[0031] 102 Limiting part

[0032] 103 Isolation Department

[0033] 104 grooves

[0034] 11 Welding clamp

[0035] 12 First fixing piece

[0036] 2 Filament inspection tooling

[0037] 20 Check the base

[0038] 201 second accommodating chamber

[0039] 202 Calibration Department

[0040] 21. Check the clamp

[0041] 22 Second fixing piece

[0042] 3 Filament assembly tooling

[0043] 30 pressure plate

[0044] 31 First pressure ring

[0045] 311 through hole

[0046] 32 Second pressure ring

[0047] 4 Cathode assembly

[0048] 40 ceramic components

[0049] 41 Filament

[0050] 42 pins

[0051] 43 Exhaust structure

[0052] 44 Sealing parts

[0053] 5 Cathode focusing electrode DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] The following describes the implementation methods of the present application through specific specific examples. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present application from the contents disclosed in this specification. The present application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific implementation methods. The details in this specification can also be modified or changed in various ways based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present application. For example, when describing the embodiments of the present application in detail, for the sake of convenience, the cross-sectional views showing the device structure will not be partially enlarged according to the general proportion, and the schematic views are only examples, which should not limit the scope of protection of the present application. In addition, in actual production, the three-dimensional dimensions of length, width and depth should be included.

[0055] In the context of the present application, a structure described as a first feature "above" a second feature may include embodiments in which the first feature and the second feature are formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which additional features are formed between the first feature and the second feature, such that the first feature and the second feature may not be in direct contact.

[0056] See also Figures 1 to 9 It should be noted that the diagrams provided in this embodiment are only for schematically illustrating the basic concept of the present application. Therefore, the diagrams only show components related to the present application and are not drawn according to the number, shape and size of components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the type, quantity and proportion of each component may be changed at will, and the component layout may also be more complex.

[0057] See also Figure 1 The structure of the X-ray tube cathode assembly 4 includes at least a ceramic assembly 40 and a filament assembly. The ceramic base 40 is cylindrical and has a through hole vertically passing through the ceramic base 40. The filament assembly includes a pin 42 provided on the through hole of the ceramic assembly 40 and a filament 41 located at the end of the pin 42 and connecting the plurality of pins 42. The material of the pin 42 is Kovar alloy 4J34. In this embodiment, the number of pins 42 of the X-ray cathode assembly 4 is two and they are arranged parallel to each other, corresponding to the two core column through holes of the ceramic assembly 40 respectively. Component 40 ensures a stable connection between the pin 42 and the filament 41. An exhaust structure 43 is also provided on the ceramic component 40 and is plugged into the tail end of the ceramic component 40 to ensure that the tube is in a high vacuum state and maintain the normal operation of the X-ray tube. The exhaust structure 43 adopts a metal exhaust pipe, and the exhaust structure 43 is welded to the exhaust through-hole of the ceramic component 40 to exhaust and vacuum the X-ray tube cavity. The exhaust structure 43 is a thin-walled metal tube, such as an oxygen-free copper material that is easy to seal. The metal exhaust pipe 4 and the exhaust through-hole are welded by vacuum brazing.

[0058] See also Figures 2 to 4 The present application provides an X-ray tube cathode assembly tool, including a filament welding tool 1, for positioning the ceramic component 40 and the filament component of the cathode assembly 4, and the filament component is pre-assembled with the ceramic component 40 on the filament welding tool 1; wherein,

[0059] The filament welding tool 1 includes a welding base 10, which has a first accommodating cavity 101 recessed from its surface and an isolation portion 103 protruding from its surface. The first accommodating cavity 101 is used to place and position the ceramic component 40. The isolation portion 103 is provided with a groove 104, which is consistent with the pre-assembly position of the filament of the filament assembly.

[0060] In an optional embodiment, the isolation portion 103 includes a first isolation portion and a second isolation portion separated by a groove 104, and the first isolation portion is located between the pins 42. The first isolation portion and the second isolation portion are both detachable structures to facilitate adjustment of the position of the groove 104, thereby broadening the application scope of the tooling to meet the assembly and use of different models of cathode assemblies.

[0061] In an optional embodiment, the length of the groove 104 is equal to the length of the densely wound part of the filament, so that the filament fits exactly in the middle of the groove 104. In an optional embodiment, the depth of the groove 104 is less than or equal to the diameter of the densely wound part of the filament, so that the filament fits exactly in the groove 104, or the top of the filament exceeds the depth of the groove 104, which makes it easier for the operator to observe the placement of the filament and avoids the groove 104 from scratching the filament. In an optional embodiment, there is an arc-shaped transition structure between the bottom surface and the side wall of the groove 104, such as Figure 3 As shown, this is to prevent the sharp structure of the groove 104 from causing damage to the filament.

[0062] In some embodiments, the filament welding tool 1 includes a clamp 11 and a fixing member 12 . The clamp 11 is used to fix the ceramic component 40 into the first accommodating cavity 101 , and the fixing member 12 is used to lock the clamp 11 and the welding base 10 .

[0063] Specifically, the ceramic assembly 40 is first positioned and engaged within the first accommodating chamber 101 of the filament welding tool 1 to determine the assembly reference position of the filament assembly. The filament welding tool 1 also includes a welding clamp 11, which is buckled onto the welding base 10 and precisely positioned and locked with the first accommodating chamber 101. A first fixing member 12 is provided on the welding clamp 11 and the welding base 10 to lock the welding clamp 11 to prevent displacement during welding. In an optional embodiment, the first fixing member 12 is a bolt fastener. When the ceramic assembly 40 is locked, the filament assembly contacts the upper surface of the welding base 10, the pins 42 are separated by the isolation portion 103, and the filament 41 at the end of the pins 42 is placed in the groove 104 to determine the assembly distance between the filament 41 and the pins 42. When the filament 41 is placed in the groove 104, the relative position between the filament 41 and the pins 42 is the appropriate assembly position for the cathode assembly 4, and the pre-assembly of the filament assembly and the ceramic assembly 40 is then completed. It is understandable that cathode assemblies of different models have different assembly distances, and the location of the groove 104 can be adjusted according to actual usage.

[0064] See also Figures 5 and 6 The X-ray tube cathode assembly tooling also includes a filament inspection tooling 2, which is provided with a calibration portion 202 for performing concentricity inspection on the filament assembly that has completed the pre-assembly process; wherein, the filament inspection tooling 2 includes an inspection base 20, and the inspection base 20 has a second accommodating cavity 201 recessed from its surface, and the second accommodating cavity 201 is used to place the ceramic component 40 and position it so that the filament 41 is opposite to the calibration portion 202.

[0065] In some embodiments, the calibration portion 202 defines a through hole, which is opposite to the densely wound portion of the filament 41 and is coaxial and of equal diameter to the focusing hole of the cathode focusing electrode of the X-ray tube.

[0066] In some embodiments, the calibration portion 202 of the filament inspection tool 2 is movable relative to the extension direction of the pins of the filament assembly to meet the needs of assembling cathode assemblies of different models.

[0067] Specifically, the filament inspection tool 2 includes an inspection base 20, which has a second accommodating cavity 201 that is concave from its surface, and also includes a welding clamp 21. The welding clamp 21 is buckled on the welding base 20 and accurately positions and locks the ceramic component 40 with the second accommodating cavity 201. A second fixing member 22 is provided on the welding clamp 21 and the welding base 20 to lock the welding clamp 21 to prevent displacement during welding. In an optional embodiment, the second fixing member 22 is a bolt fastener. A calibration portion 202 is provided at the end of the second accommodating cavity 201. The calibration portion 202 has an opening that is opposite to the densely wound part of the filament 41 and is coaxial and diametric with the focusing hole of the cathode focusing electrode 5. The filament concentricity is inspected by verifying whether the center of the densely wound part is concentric with the center of the opening. When the center of the tightly wound portion is concentric with the center of the opening, the filament 41 is also concentric with the cathode focusing electrode 5 to be assembled, and the X-rays emitted by the cathode assembly 4 can be smoothly emitted from the cathode focusing electrode 5. If it is not concentric, it is necessary to promptly adjust the pins 42 or further adjust the welding of the filament 41 to fine-tune the concentricity of the tightly wound portion of the filament 41.

[0068] See also Figures 7 to 9 The X-ray tube cathode assembly tooling also includes a filament assembly tooling 3, which includes a first pressure ring 31 and a second pressure ring 32 coaxial with the first pressure ring 31. The first pressure ring 31 has a through hole 311 for accommodating the cathode focusing electrode 5 and a step structure for engaging the cathode assembly 4. The side wall of the cathode focusing electrode 5 is arranged around the periphery of multiple pins 42 to focus the electron beam. In an optional embodiment, the cathode focusing electrode 5 is made of stainless steel 316L, the surface is polished, and the cathode focusing electrode 5 is welded to the sealing member 44 using resistance welding or laser welding. The second pressure ring 32 is sleeved on the outside of the cathode assembly 4 and the first pressure ring 31 to fix the cathode assembly 4 and complete the overall assembly of the X-ray tube cathode assembly 4. In some embodiments, the filament assembly tooling also includes a pressure plate 30, which is arranged inside the second pressure ring and abuts against the exhaust end of the cathode assembly 4 to fix the cathode assembly 4.

[0069] In an optional embodiment, the filament welding tool 1 and the filament inspection tool 2 are designed as separate parts or as an integrated side-by-side part. The two tools share a base to save space and facilitate operation. The filament assembly tool 3 can be independently set according to the actual processing environment.

[0070] This embodiment also provides an X-ray tube comprising a cathode assembly 4, an anode assembly, and a tube housing. The cathode assembly 4 is assembled using the X-ray tube cathode assembly tooling provided in the above embodiment. The anode assembly and tube housing structures are common product component structures and are not described in detail here.

[0071] The operating steps of the tooling provided in this application are as follows:

[0072] S100: See Figures 2 to 4 , pre-position the filament 41 and the pin 42 so that the filament 41 and the pin 42 reach a preset assembly distance to obtain a pre-assembled filament assembly; pre-position the filament assembly and the ceramic assembly 40 and assemble the filament assembly onto the ceramic assembly 40.

[0073] Specifically, see Figures 2 to 4 The filament welding tool 1 includes a welding base 10 having a first recessed accommodating cavity 101 and a protruding isolation portion 103. The isolation portion 103 is oriented in the same direction as the pins 42 and separates the two pins 42 to prevent short circuits during welding. The isolation portion 103 also assists in positioning the pins 42, ensuring accurate placement of the pins 42. A groove 104 is defined in the isolation portion 103, aligning with the pre-assembly position of the filament 41 of the filament assembly and extending perpendicularly to the isolation portion 103.

[0074] The method of using the filament welding tool 1 is as follows: first, position the ceramic component 40, engage the ceramic component 40 inside the first accommodating cavity 101 of the filament welding tool 1 and position it, determine the assembly reference position of the filament component, the filament component contacts the upper surface of the welding base 10, the pins 42 are separated by the isolation portion 103 and the filament 41 at the end of the pins 42 is placed in the groove 104 to determine the assembly distance between the filament 41 and the pins 42. When the filament 41 is placed in the groove 104, the relative position between the filament 41 and the pins 42 is the appropriate assembly position of the cathode component 4. Different models of cathode components have different assembly distances. The setting position of the groove 104 can be adjusted according to actual usage; then the pre-assembly of the filament component and the ceramic component 40 is completed. Understandably, because the filament diameter of the micro-filament assembly is extremely thin, typically around 0.06 mm, and the dimensions of the tightly wound portion of the filament 41 are extremely small, typically around 1 mm, controlling the weld positioning between the filament 41 and the pin 42 is quite difficult. A misaligned weld position can lead to a decrease in the X-ray tube's electron beam focusing and emission capabilities. However, by providing a filament welding fixture 1 that determines the relative distance between the filament 41 and the pin 42, as well as the relative position of the filament assembly and the ceramic assembly 40, the assembly precision of the product can be effectively controlled, thereby improving the operating performance of the X-ray tube.

[0075] S200: See Figures 5 and 6 , check and adjust the concentricity of the filament of the pre-assembled filament assembly so that its concentricity is consistent with the cathode focusing electrode 5 to be assembled.

[0076] Specifically, see Figures 5 and 6 The concentricity of the filament 41 is inspected by a filament inspection tool 2. The filament inspection tool 2 includes an inspection base 20 having a second accommodating cavity 201 that is recessed from its surface. A calibration portion 202 is provided at the end of the second accommodating cavity 201. The calibration portion 202 has an opening that faces the densely wound portion of the filament 41 and is coaxial and diametric with the focusing hole of the cathode focusing electrode 5. The filament concentricity is inspected by verifying whether the center of the densely wound portion is concentric with the center of the opening. When the center of the densely wound portion and the center of the opening are concentric, it indicates that the filament 41 and the cathode focusing electrode 5 to be assembled are also concentric. The X-rays emitted by the cathode assembly 4 can be smoothly emitted from the cathode focusing electrode 5, having a good focusing effect and being conducive to extending the service life of the product.

[0077] S300: See Figures 7 to 9 , assemble the cathode focusing electrode 5 onto the filament assembly whose concentricity has been adjusted to obtain a cathode assembly 4 in which the filament 41 is concentric with the cathode focusing electrode 5 .

[0078] Specifically, see Figures 7 to 9 The steps of assembling the cathode focusing electrode 5 include:

[0079] A first pressure ring 31 is provided, wherein the first pressure ring 31 has a through hole 311 for accommodating the cathode focusing electrode 5 and a step structure for engaging the cathode assembly 4;

[0080] The sealing member 44 is engaged with the step structure inside the first pressure ring 31 for positioning, and then the cathode focusing electrode 5 is assembled onto the sealing member 44, and the filament assembly that has been tested for concentricity is assembled onto the cathode focusing electrode 5;

[0081] A pressure plate 30 is provided and placed on the top of the cathode assembly 4. A second pressure ring 32 is provided and is sleeved on the outside of the cathode assembly 4 and the first pressure ring 31 to fix the cathode assembly 4 and complete the overall assembly of the X-ray tube cathode assembly 4.

[0082] In an optional embodiment, after each process is completed, an automatic gripping system determines the product's position and grabs it for the next process. This gripping system operates similarly to the multi-stage robotic arm in existing technology and will not be described in detail here. It is understood that after each process is completed, the product can also be manually grabbed and moved to the next process for processing. The specific operation between processes is freely selected based on a combination of factors such as the actual processing scenario and the position of the tooling.

[0083] This application effectively overcomes various shortcomings of the prior art and has high industrial utilization value.

[0084] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of this application and are not intended to limit this application. Anyone skilled in the art may modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concepts disclosed in this application shall be covered by the claims of this application.

Claims

1. An X-ray tube cathode assembly tooling, characterized in that: At least includes a filament welding tool for positioning the ceramic component and the filament component of the cathode assembly, and the filament component completes the pre-assembly process with the ceramic component on the filament welding tool; wherein, The filament welding tool includes a welding base, which has a first accommodating cavity recessed from its surface and an isolation portion protruding from its surface. The first accommodating cavity is used to place and position the ceramic component. The isolation portion is provided with a groove, which is consistent with the filament pre-assembly position of the filament assembly.

2. The X-ray tube cathode assembly tooling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The length of the groove is equal to the length of the densely wound portion of the filament, and / or the depth of the groove is less than or equal to the diameter of the densely wound portion of the filament.

3. The X-ray tube cathode assembly tooling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The filament welding tool includes a clamp and a fixing piece. The clamp is used to fix the ceramic component into the first accommodating cavity, and the clamp is locked to the welding base through the fixing piece.

4. The X-ray tube cathode assembly tooling according to claim 1, characterized in that: An arc-shaped transition structure is provided between the bottom surface and the side wall of the groove.

5. The X-ray tube cathode assembly tooling according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a filament inspection tool, which is provided with a calibration part for performing concentricity inspection on the filament assembly that has completed the pre-assembly process; wherein, the filament inspection tool includes an inspection base, and the inspection base has a second accommodating cavity recessed from its surface, and the second accommodating cavity is used to place the ceramic assembly and position it so that the filament is opposite to the calibration part.

6. The X-ray tube cathode assembly tooling according to claim 5, characterized in that: The calibration part is provided with a through hole, which is directly opposite to the densely wound part of the filament and is coaxial with and has the same diameter as the focusing hole of the cathode focusing electrode of the X-ray tube.

7. The X-ray tube cathode assembly tooling according to claim 5, characterized in that: The calibration portion of the filament inspection tool is movable relative to an extension direction of the pins of the filament assembly.

8. The X-ray tube cathode assembly tooling according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a filament assembly tool, which includes a first pressure ring and a second pressure ring coaxial with the first pressure ring, the first pressure ring having a through hole for accommodating the cathode focusing electrode and a step structure for engaging the cathode assembly, and the second pressure ring is sleeved on the outside of the cathode assembly and the first pressure ring to fix the cathode assembly to complete the overall assembly of the X-ray tube cathode assembly.

9. The X-ray tube cathode assembly tooling according to claim 8, characterized in that: The filament assembly tool further includes a pressing plate, which is arranged inside the second pressing ring and abuts against the exhaust end of the cathode assembly to fix the cathode assembly.

10. An X-ray tube, characterized in that: The X-ray tube comprises a cathode assembly, and the cathode assembly is obtained by assembling the X-ray tube cathode assembly tooling according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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