X-ray tube device

Abstract

To provide an X-ray tube device with which long-term stable electrical connection can be obtained.SOLUTION: An X-ray tube device comprises: an X-ray tube body that has a cathode, an anode receiving, at a leading end, electrons discharged from the cathode and generating an X-ray, and a vacuum envelope accommodating the cathode and the anode and having one face sealed with sealing insulation material; and a high-voltage connector that is connected to the vacuum envelope and supplies high voltage to the anode, and supplies cooling liquid to a cooling liquid passage formed in the anode. A connector internal insulation member provided in the high-voltage connector has an anode coupling hole into which a rear end of the anode is inserted for coupling. A high-voltage contact component connected with a high-voltage cable is exposed in the anode coupling hole, and the anode coupling hole has a passage for an entrance connected to the entrance of the cooling liquid passage of the anode and a passage for an exit connected to the exit of the cooling liquid passage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an X-ray tube device. [Background technology]

[0002] An X-ray tube device is an electron tube that causes an electron beam emitted from the cathode side to collide with an anode target placed on the anode, causing X-rays to be emitted from the anode target, and is used as an X-ray generating means for various applications, such as medical diagnosis and non-destructive testing. The anode of an X-ray tube becomes hot due to the collision of the electron beam, so it needs to be cooled, and a coolant passage is provided in the high-voltage connector so that the anode can be cooled (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, in high-power end-window X-ray tubes, a coolant passage is provided inside the anode of the X-ray tube to efficiently cool the target, and the coolant can be supplied and discharged from one end of the anode (see Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-96889 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 50-148974 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, if the coolant leaks from the coolant passage, there is a risk that the coolant may cause dielectric breakdown, which may result in a failure to obtain a stable electrical connection over the long term. This embodiment provides an X-ray tube assembly that can obtain a stable electrical connection over a long period of time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One embodiment of the present invention is an X-ray tube including: an X-ray tube body having a cathode; an anode that receives electrons emitted from the cathode at its tip and generates X-rays; and a vacuum envelope that houses the cathode and the anode and has one side sealed with a sealing insulating material; a high-voltage connector connected to the vacuum envelope for supplying high voltage and a coolant to the anode; a rear end of the anode penetrates the sealing insulating material and protrudes outside the vacuum envelope, a coolant passage is formed therein through which a coolant circulates, and an inlet and an outlet of the coolant passage are opened at the rear end; the high-voltage connector includes a connector internal insulating member made of an insulating material, and a housing that houses the connector internal insulating member and has a detachable portion for attachment to the vacuum envelope; The connector internal insulating member is formed with an anode connection hole into which the rear end of the anode is inserted for connection, and a high-voltage contact part to which a high-voltage cable is connected is provided in the anode connection hole, and further is formed with an inlet passage having one end connected to the inlet of the coolant passage and an outlet passage having one end connected to the outlet of the coolant passage. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic structure of an X-ray tube assembly according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part A shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part B shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the X-ray tube assembly shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the high-voltage connector shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The disclosure is merely an example, and appropriate modifications that those skilled in the art can easily make while maintaining the spirit of the invention are naturally included within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, to clarify the drawings and explanations, the width, thickness, shape, etc. of each part may be shown schematically compared to the actual embodiment, but these are merely examples and are not intended to limit the interpretation of the present invention. Furthermore, in this specification and each drawing, elements similar to those previously described with reference to the previous drawings may be designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions may be omitted where appropriate. An X-ray tube assembly according to an embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0008] As shown in FIG. 1, the X-ray tube device XT includes an X-ray tube main body 1, a high-voltage connector 3, and an insulating plate 5 arranged between the X-ray tube main body 1 and the high-voltage connector 3. As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the X-ray tube main body 1 includes a cathode 7, an anode 9, and a vacuum envelope 11 that houses the cathode 7 and the anode 9 and has one side sealed with a sealing insulating material 8.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1, the cathode 7 is arranged to surround the tip 9a of the anode 9, and includes a filament 7a as an electron emission source that emits electrons e, and a focusing electrode 7b that focuses the electrons e emitted from the filament 7a.

[0010] The anode 9 has a target surface St at its tip, and generates X-rays by receiving electrons emitted from the cathode 7 at the target surface St. The generated X-rays are emitted from an X-ray transmitting window 15 in the vacuum envelope 11 located in front of the target surface St. The anode 9 is composed of a front end 9a that is housed within the vacuum envelope 11 and a rear end 9b that penetrates the sealing insulator 8 of the vacuum envelope 11 and protrudes to the outside of the vacuum envelope 11. A coolant passage 13 through which coolant L circulates is formed inside the anode 9, and an inlet 13a and an outlet 13b of the coolant passage 13 are opened at the rear end 9b. The coolant passage 13 is formed in a serpentine shape inside the anode 9. 4, the anode 9 has a flange 9c with an increased diameter at the portion adjacent to the sealing insulator 8. A flat flange end surface S4 is formed on one side of the flange 9c.

[0011] The vacuum envelope 11 is composed of a metal envelope 11a made of metal and having an opening on one side, and a sealing insulating material 8 provided at the opening on one side of the metal envelope 11a. The metal envelope 11a has a cylindrical shape in which the outer diameter gradually decreases on the side (other side) facing the sealing insulating material 8, and the end on the other side is closed. The end surface on the other side of the metal envelope 11a is formed flat. An X-ray transmission window 15 of the metal envelope 11a facing the target surface St of the anode 9 is made of a material that attenuates X-rays little, such as beryllium (Be). On one side of the metal enclosure 11a, on the outer periphery of the metal enclosure 11a, there is formed a detachable portion 12 to which the high-voltage connector 3 is detachably attached. The detachable portion 12 is a screw hole into which a screw 14 is screwed.

[0012] The sealing insulator 8 is a high-voltage insulating member and is made of electrically insulating ceramics. Examples of the ceramics include insulating materials such as aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, beryllia, and silicon nitride. In this embodiment, the sealing insulator 8 is made of aluminum oxide.

[0013] 4, the sealing insulator 8 has an outer end surface S1 exposed to the outside of the vacuum envelope 11, an outer peripheral surface S2, and an inner peripheral surface S3. In this embodiment, the outer end surface S1 is a flat surface perpendicular to the axis AX1. The outer peripheral surface S2 is airtightly fixed to the metal envelope 11a. The flange end surface S4 of the anode 9 and the outer end surface S1 of the sealing insulator 8 are formed flush with each other.

[0014] The high-voltage connector 3 is connected to the vacuum envelope 11 to supply high voltage to the anode 9 and also to supply the coolant L, and is equipped with a connector internal insulating member 17 made of an insulating material and a housing 19 that houses the connector internal insulating member. A detachable portion 21 into which a screw 14 is inserted is provided on the outer periphery of the housing 19 on the X-ray tube main body 1 side at a position corresponding to the detachable portion 12 formed on the vacuum envelope 11, and the detachable portion 12 and the detachable portion 21 are connected by the screw 14 in a freely detachable manner. The housing 19 is cylindrical and has a bottom surface 19a, and is made of metal.

[0015] The connector internal insulating member 17 is made of an insulating material such as ceramics, resin, etc. In this embodiment, the connector internal insulating member 17 is formed from a ceramic material such as alumina using a 3D printer. 1 and 4, the connector internal insulating member 17 is formed with an anode connection hole 23 into which the rear end 9b of the anode 9 is inserted for connection, an inlet passage 25 for supplying coolant L to the coolant passage 13 of the anode 9, and an outlet passage 27 for discharging the coolant L that has passed through the coolant passage 13 of the anode 9. The inlet passage 25 is a hole that communicates with an inlet pipe 29 connected to the bottom surface 19a of the high-voltage connector 3, and is formed directly in the connector internal insulating member 17. The outlet passage 27 is also a hole that is connected to an outlet pipe 31 that is connected to the bottom surface 19a side of the high-voltage connector 3, and is formed directly in the connector internal insulating member 17. The inlet pipe 29 and the outlet pipe 31 have through holes 34 for screws 33 formed therein, and are fastened to the bottom surface 19 a of the housing 19 by the screws 33 .

[0016] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, seal rings 32 for keeping the anode 9 and each pipe 29, 31 watertight are provided in the grooves surrounding the holes formed in the anode connecting hole 23, the inlet pipe 29, and the outlet pipe 31. A spring-shaped high-voltage contact member 37 electrically connected to the high-voltage cable 35 is provided on the bottom surface 23a of the anode connecting hole 23, and the high-voltage contact member 37 is pressed against the rear end surface 9d (see Figure 4) of the anode inserted into the anode connecting hole 23 by the spring, ensuring the supply of high voltage to the anode 9. A cable-side insulating member 39 made of a resin material or the like is provided around the high-voltage cable 35 and between the bottom surface 19a of the housing 19 and the high-voltage contact part 37.

[0017] An outer circumferential insulating member 41 made of a resin material or the like is provided between the outer circumferential surface 17a of the connector interior insulating member 17 and the inner circumferential surface 19b of the housing 19.

[0018] The insulating plate 5 is made of an insulating material having elasticity and is formed in a disk shape. As shown in Figure 2, this insulating plate 5 is sandwiched between the sealing insulating material 8 and the connector internal insulating member 17, and the X-ray tube 1 and high-voltage connector 3 are fixed with screws 14, with the insulating plate 5 being moderately compressed and fixed in place.

[0019] The effects of the X-ray tube assembly XT according to the embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the connector internal insulating member 17 is formed with an anode connection hole 23 into which the rear end 9 b of the anode 9 is inserted for connection, and a high-voltage contact part 37 to which a high-voltage cable is connected is exposed in the anode connection hole 23, and an inlet passage 25 and an outlet passage 27 connected to the coolant passage 13 of the anode 9 are formed. Therefore, a stable electrical connection can be obtained for a long period of time, and the X-ray tube assembly XT can be easily assembled by simply inserting the rear end 9 b of the anode 9 into the connector internal insulating member 17 and fixing it.

[0020] The connector internal insulating member 17, the anode 9, the inlet pipe 29 and the outlet pipe 31 are attached and fixed with a seal ring 32, which also simplifies the structure and makes assembly easy. The anode connecting hole 23, the inlet passage 25, and the outlet passage 27 are holes formed in the connector internal insulating member 17, and no other parts such as tubular members are placed therein. This also makes assembly easier, and insulation breakdown can be prevented for a long period of time compared to when other parts such as tubular members are placed therein.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the insulating plate 5 is sandwiched between the sealing insulating material 8 and the connector internal insulating member 17, and the X-ray tube 1 and the high-voltage connector 3 are fixed with screws 14. The insulating plate 5 is compressed and fixed to a suitable degree, thereby achieving a good high-voltage connection.

[0022] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the anode 9 has a flange 9c with an increased diameter at the portion adjacent to the sealing insulator 8, and the outer end surface S1 of the sealing insulator 8 and the end surface S4 of the flange 9c are formed flush with each other, so that the insulating plate 5 can be uniformly pressed against the connector internal insulating member 17 by the sealing insulator 8 and the flange 9. As shown in Figures 3 and 5, an outer insulating member 41 is filled between the outer surface 17a of the connector internal insulating member 17 and the inner surface 19b of the housing 19, so there are no spaces or gaps, preventing the occurrence of dielectric breakdown.

[0023] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the above embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiments described above can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the inventions and their equivalents as set forth in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0024] XT...X-ray tube device, 1...X-ray tube device, 3...high voltage connector, 5...insulating plate, 7...cathode, 8...sealing insulator, 9...anode, 9c...flange portion, 11...vacuum envelope, 13...coolant passage, 13a...inlet, 13b...outlet, 19...casing, 23...anode connecting hole, 25...inlet passage, 27...outlet passage.

Claims

1. an X-ray tube body including a cathode, an anode at its tip that receives electrons emitted from the cathode and generates X-rays, and a vacuum envelope that houses the cathode and the anode and has one side sealed with a sealing insulating material; a high-voltage connector connected to the vacuum envelope for supplying high voltage and a coolant to the anode; a rear end of the anode penetrates the sealing insulating material and protrudes outside the vacuum envelope, a coolant passage is formed therein through which a coolant circulates, and an inlet and an outlet of the coolant passage are opened at the rear end; the high-voltage connector includes a connector internal insulating member made of an insulating material, and a housing that houses the connector internal insulating member and has a detachable portion for attachment to the vacuum envelope; an X-ray tube assembly in which an anode connection hole into which the rear end of the anode is inserted and connected is formed in the connector internal insulating member, a high-voltage contact part to which a high-voltage cable is connected is provided in the anode connection hole, and an inlet passage one end of which is connected to the inlet of the coolant passage and an outlet passage one end of which is connected to the outlet of the coolant passage are formed in the connector internal insulating member.

2. 2. The X-ray tube assembly according to claim 1, wherein no piping members are provided in the inlet passage and the outlet passage, and only an inlet pipe disposed at the other end of the inlet passage and an outlet pipe disposed at the other end of the outlet passage are provided.

3. 2. The X-ray tube assembly according to claim 1, wherein the anode connection hole of the connector internal insulating member is provided with a seal ring that is pressed against and fixed to the outer periphery of the rear end portion of the anode, and a groove that holds the seal ring is formed.

4. 2. The X-ray tube apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an insulating plate is sandwiched between the one surface of the X-ray tube body and the high-voltage connector, the anode has a flange portion with an increased diameter at a portion adjacent to the sealing insulating material, the sealing insulating material and the flange portion are formed flush with each other on the one surface side of the vacuum envelope, and the insulating plate is pressure-welded to the connector internal insulating member by the sealing insulating material and the flange portion.

5. 2. The X-ray tube assembly according to claim 1, wherein the connector internal insulating member is columnar, and an insulating member is filled between the outer peripheral surface of the connector internal insulating member and the inner peripheral surface of the housing.

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