Radiation generating device and method for controlling same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a radiation generating device and a control method thereof, the radiation generating device comprising: an electron beam generating device (2) configured to generate a plurality of electron beams; a microwave generating device (4) configured to generate microwaves; a microwave circulator (5) having a power input port and at least two power output ports, the power input port being connected to the microwave generating device (4); a plurality of acceleration tubes connected to the electron beam generating device and each connected to the at least two power output ports, configured to receive a plurality of electron beams respectively and accelerate the plurality of electron beams via microwaves received from the at least two power output ports to generate a plurality of radiations having at least two different energies respectively; and a controller (1) configured to perform time-series control of microwave power of the microwave generating device (4) and time-series control of beam loads of electron beams generated by the electron beam generating device (2) and corresponding to each of the plurality of acceleration tubes (3).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202110779750.3, filed on July 9, 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] Technical Field The present invention relates to the field of accelerators, in particular to a radiation producing device and a method for controlling same. [Background technology]

[0003] In the security inspection equipment of large vehicles / containers in the fields of customs, civil aviation and railway transportation, the electron linear accelerator system is mainly used as the X-ray generating device. The high-energy X-ray generated by the generating device can carry out non-destructive testing on objects with different thicknesses and masses, and can effectively recognize the objects to be inspected, and quickly recognize and mark the prohibited items contained in the objects to be inspected without opening the box, thereby ensuring the personal and property security of citizens and maintaining social stability.

[0004] In the related radiation imaging field, X-ray projection imaging technology is mainly used to identify and detect the object to be inspected. According to the requirements of application position and recognition accuracy, multiple radiation sources are generally used to form multi-view radiation imaging. Summary of the Invention

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is a ray generating device comprising:

[0006] an electron beam generating device configured to generate a plurality of electron beams;

[0007] a microwave generating device configured to generate microwaves;

[0008] a microwave circulator having a power input port and at least two power output ports, the power input port being connected to a microwave generating device via a waveguiding structure;

[0009] a plurality of acceleration tubes connected to the electron beam generating device, each of the acceleration tubes being connected to at least two power output ports and configured to receive a plurality of electron beams generated by the electron beam generating device, and to accelerate a plurality of electron beams via microwaves received from the at least two power output ports to generate a plurality of radiation beams having different energies, respectively;

[0010] and a controller signal-connected to the electron beam generating device and the microwave generating device, the controller being configured to perform time-dependent control of microwave power of the microwave generating device and time-dependent control of beam loading of the electron beams generated by the electron beam generating device and corresponding to each of the multiple acceleration tubes.

[0011] In some embodiments, the electron beam generating device comprises:

[0012] a first electron gun configured to generate a first electron beam;

[0013] a first electron gun power supply in signal communication with the controller and connected to the first electron gun, the first electron gun power supply configured to adjust the beam loading of the first electron beam according to a time-dependent control signal provided by the controller;

[0014] a second electron gun configured to generate a second electron beam;

[0015] a second electron gun power supply in signal communication with the controller and connected to the second electron gun, the second electron gun power supply configured to adjust the beam loading of the second electron beam according to a time-dependent control signal provided by the controller;

[0016] The controller causes the first electron gun power supply to adjust the beam load of the first electron beam so that the beam load of the first electron beam is a first beam load during a first period of each of the at least one cycle, and causes the second electron gun power supply to adjust the beam load of the second electron beam so that the beam load of the second electron beam is a second beam load during a second period of each cycle, the first period not coinciding with the second period.

[0017] In some embodiments, the first beam load is less than or equal to the second beam load.

[0018] In some embodiments, the at least two power output ports of the microwave circulator include a first power output port and a second power output port, the first power output port being assigned to receive the microwave signal provided from the power input port, and the second power output port being assigned to receive the microwave signal provided from the first power output port;

[0019] Multiple accelerating structures:

[0020] a first accelerating tube connected to the first power output port and the first electron gun, the first accelerating tube being configured to accelerate the first electron beam via a first output microwave signal output by the first power output port;

[0021] a second accelerating tube connected to the second power output port and the second electron gun and configured to accelerate the second electron beam via a second output microwave signal output by the second power output port;

[0022] In some embodiments, the at least two power output ports of the microwave circulator further include a third power output port, the third power output port being assigned to receive the microwave signal provided from the second power output port; The radiation generating device further includes: an absorbing load connected to the third power output port and configured to absorb the microwave signal output by the third power output port.

[0023] In some embodiments, the microwave circulator comprises a four-port circulator.

[0024] In some embodiments, the controller enables a microwave signal provided by the microwave generating device to a power input port of the microwave circulator to include at least a first input microwave signal during a first time period; configured to enable the microwave signal provided by the microwave generating device to the power input port of the microwave circulator to include at least one second input microwave signal during a second time period; The power of the at least one first input microwave signal is greater than the power of the at least one second input microwave signal.

[0025] In some embodiments, the microwave generating device includes a magnetron.

[0026] An aspect of the present invention provides a method for controlling a radiation generating device as described above, said method comprising:

[0027] The method includes a step of performing time-dependent control of microwave power of the microwave generating device via a controller, and performing time-dependent control of beam loading of a plurality of electron beams corresponding to the plurality of accelerating tubes generated by the electron beam generating device, respectively, so that the plurality of accelerating tubes accelerate the plurality of electron beams, respectively, to generate a plurality of radiation beams having different energies.

[0028] In some embodiments, the electron beam generating device comprises: a first electron gun and a second electron gun for generating a first electron beam and a second electron beam, respectively; and a first electron gun power supply and a second electron gun power supply in signal communication with the controller and connected to the first electron gun and the second electron gun, respectively;

[0029] The step of performing time-dependent control of beam loading of a plurality of electron beams respectively corresponding to a plurality of acceleration structures via a controller includes:

[0030] via the controller, cause the first electron gun power supply to adjust the beam load of the first electron beam such that the beam load of the first electron beam is a first beam load during a first period in each of the at least one cycle, and cause the second electron gun power supply to adjust the beam load of the second electron beam such that the beam load of the second electron beam is a second beam load during a second period in each cycle, the first period not coinciding with the second period.

[0031] In some embodiments, the at least two power output ports of the microwave circulator include a first power output port and a second power output port, the first power output being assigned to receive the microwave signal provided from the power input port and the second power output being assigned to receive the microwave signal provided from the first power output port; The plurality of accelerating tubes include: a first accelerating tube connected to the first power output port and the first electron gun; and a second accelerating tube connected to the second power output port and the second electron gun;

[0032] The step of performing a time control of the microwave power of the microwave generating device via a controller comprises:

[0033] Via the controller, the microwave signal supplied by the microwave generating device to the power input port of the microwave circulator includes at least one first input microwave signal during a first time period, and the microwave signal supplied by the microwave generating device to the power input port of the microwave circulator includes at least one second input microwave signal during a second time period, wherein a power of the at least one first input microwave signal is greater than a power of the at least one second input microwave signal.

[0034] In some embodiments, the at least one first input microwave signal includes two first input microwave signals located in different parts of a first time period, the power of the two first input microwave signals being the same or different, and the first beam loadings of the first electron beam corresponding to the different parts of the two first input microwave signals in the first time period being the same or different.

[0035] In some embodiments, the at least one second input microwave signal includes two second input microwave signals located in different parts of the second time period, the power of the two second input microwave signals being the same or different, and the second beam loadings of the second electron beam corresponding to the different parts of the two second input microwave signals in the second time period being the same or different. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0036] The accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

[0037] The present disclosure can be more clearly understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0038] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of a radiation generating device according to the invention.

[0039] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of another embodiment of a radiation generating device according to the present invention.

[0040] [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 shows the structure of a four-port circulator in some embodiments of the radiation generating device of the present invention.

[0041] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the temporal control and radiation energy output according to some embodiments of a radiation generating device of the present invention.

[0042] [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart of some embodiments of a method for controlling a radiation generating device of the present invention.

[0043] In addition, the dimensions of each part shown in the accompanying drawings are not drawn according to actual scale, and the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar components. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0044] Various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The description of the exemplary embodiments is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure and its application or use. The present disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. These embodiments are provided so that the disclosure will be thorough and complete, and the scope of the disclosure will be fully conveyed to those skilled in the art. Please note that unless otherwise specified, the relative arrangement of components and steps described in these embodiments, composition of materials, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​should be interpreted as merely illustrative and not limiting.

[0045] Similar words such as "first", "second" and the like used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are only used to distinguish different parts. Similar words such as "including" or "comprising" mean that the element before the word includes the element listed after the word, and do not exclude the possibility of including other elements. "Upper", "lower", "left", "right", and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. After the absolute positions of the described objects are changed, the relative positional relationships may change accordingly.

[0046] In this disclosure, when a particular device is described as being located between a first device and a second device, there may or may not be an intervening device between the particular device and the first or second device. When a particular device is described as being connected to another device, the particular device may be directly connected to the other device without an intervening device, or may have an intervening device without being directly connected to the other device.

[0047] All terms used in this specification (including technical or scientific terms) have the same meaning as understood by a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs, unless otherwise defined. In addition, terms defined in general dictionaries, etc. should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the related art, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or extremely formal sense unless clearly defined in this specification.

[0048] Techniques, methods, and equipment known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but the techniques, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the description where appropriate.

[0049] Through research, the inventors found that a single ray source has the problem that it is difficult to distinguish overlapping materials on an image from the perspective of single-angle imaging due to the transmission imaging principle, while a multi-ray source generally requires the cooperation of multiple detector groups, thereby leading to increased system costs and having requirements on installation space.

[0050] In view of this, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a radiation generating device and a control method thereof that can realize the requirements of multi-energy spectrum detection of an object.

[0051] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an embodiment of a radiation generating device of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the radiation generating device includes an electron beam generating device 2, a microwave generating device 4, a microwave circulator 5, a plurality of accelerating tubes 3, and a controller 1.

[0052] The electron beam generating device 2 is configured to generate multiple electron beams. In some embodiments, the electron beam generating device 2 can cause multiple electron guns to generate multiple electron beams with the same or different beam loads by different high voltage amplitudes generated by a pulse modulator.

[0053] The microwave generating device 4 is configured to generate microwaves. In some embodiments, the microwave generating device 4 may generate a varying operating current by different amplitudes of the voltage output from the pulse modulator, thereby generating microwave signals of different powers. In other embodiments, the microwave generating device 4 may also generate microwave signals of different powers through changes in magnetic field strength.

[0054] The microwave circulator 5 has a power input port and at least two power output ports, and the power input port is connected to the microwave generating device 4 via a waveguiding structure. The microwave circulator 5 has isolation and power allocation characteristics, and can transmit microwave energy along one direction. By connecting a single microwave generating device 4 to the power input port of the microwave circulator 5, the microwave energy supplied from the power input port can be allocated to a specific power output port, and the reflected microwave energy received at that power output port can be allocated to another power output port. By utilizing such characteristics of the microwave circulator 5 in combination with the time-dependent control of the microwave generating device 4, it is possible to achieve microwave energy output of two or more ports through the microwave generating device 4 as a single microwave power source.

[0055] The multiple accelerating tubes 3 are connected to the electron beam generating device 2 and are each connected to at least two power output ports. The multiple accelerating tubes 3 each receive the multiple electron beams generated by the electron beam generating device 2, and can accelerate the multiple electron beams via microwaves received from the at least two power output ports to generate multiple light beams having different energies. The accelerated electron beams can generate light beams such as X-rays by colliding with a target.

[0056] The controller 1 is signal-connected with the electron beam generating device 2 and the microwave generating device 4, and controls the microwave power of the microwave generating device 4 over time, and controls the beam load of the electron beams generated by the electron beam generating device 2 and corresponding to the multiple accelerating tubes 3 over time. By performing the time-dependent control of the microwave generating device 4 and the electron beam generating device 2 by the controller 1, the multiple accelerating tubes 3 can respectively generate radiation of different energies through the microwave power source, so as to realize the inspection requirements of multi-energy spectrum coverage of the object, and can improve the wire resolution index of the system and ensure the transparency.

[0057] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the radiation generating device of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a structural diagram of a four-port circulator in some embodiments of the radiation generating device of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 2, in some embodiments, the electron beam generating device 2 includes a first electron gun 22, a first electron gun power supply 21, a second electron gun 24, and a second electron gun power supply 23. The first electron gun 22 is configured to generate a first electron beam. The second electron gun 24 is configured to generate a second electron beam. Each electron gun power supply and the microwave generating device may be powered by the same AC power supply (e.g., 380V).

[0058] The first electron gun power supply 21 is signal-connected to the controller 1 and connected to the first electron gun 22, and configured to adjust the beam load of the first electron beam according to a time-dependent control signal provided by the controller 1. The second electron gun power supply 23 is signal-connected to the controller 1 and connected to the second electron gun 24, and configured to adjust the beam load of the second electron beam according to a time-dependent control signal provided by the controller 1. The controller 1 can adjust the voltage applied to the electron gun by sending a time-dependent control signal (e.g., a pulse-width modulated signal) to the electron gun power supply to further adjust the beam load of the electron beam.

[0059] 2 and 3, in some embodiments, the at least two power output ports of the microwave circulator 5 include a first power output port b and a second power output port c, where the first power output port b is assigned to a microwave signal supplied from the power input port a, and the second power output port c is assigned to a microwave signal supplied from the first power output port b. The microwave signal supplied from the first power output port b may be a reflected microwave signal that is reflected back after being output to the outside from the first power output port b.

[0060] 2, the multiple accelerating tubes 3 include a first accelerating tube 31 and a second accelerating tube 32. The first accelerating tube 31 is connected to the first power output port b and the first electron gun 22, and is configured to accelerate a first electron beam via a first output microwave signal output by the first power output port b. The second accelerating tube 32 is connected to the second power output port c and the second electron gun 24, and is configured to accelerate a second electron beam via a second output microwave signal output by the second power output port c. The accelerated first and second electron beams can generate X-rays with different energies by colliding with a target.

[0061] In another embodiment, the electron beam generating device can include three or more electron guns and corresponding electron gun power supplies, and the radiation generating device includes more than three accelerating tubes, which are respectively connected to three or more power output ports of the microwave circulator, so as to realize the output of more kinds of radiation energy through the time-dependent control of the controller, and to perform multi-energy spectrum inspection requirements and multi-viewpoint scanning requirements for the object.

[0062] Referring to Fig. 2, in some embodiments, the at least two power output ports of the microwave circulator 5 further include a third power output port d. The microwave signal supplied from the second power output port c is assigned to the third power output port d. The microwave signal supplied from the second power output port c may be a reflected microwave signal that is reflected back after being output to the outside from the second power output port c. The radiation generating device may further include an absorbing load 6 connected to the third power output port d. The absorbing load may absorb the microwave signal output from the third power output port d to realize an isolation effect that prevents the microwave signal from returning to the power input port of the microwave circulator.

[0063] 3, in some embodiments, the microwave circulator 5 includes a four-port circulator 51. The four-port circulator 51 has four ports, which are a power input port a, a first power output port b, a second power output port c, and a third power output port d in a power transmission sequence, that is, the power transmission rule of the four-port circulator 51 is a→b→c→d. In some other embodiments, the microwave circulator 5 may further include a combination structure of a plurality of three-port circulators and a four-port circulator connected in series.

[0064] Figure 3 shows the structure of a ferrite four-port circulator. The four-port circulator is a coupling device that includes a dual T-joint, a non-reciprocal phase shifter based on the ferrite field displacement effect, and a 3 dB coupler. During the operation of the radiation generating device, an electromagnetic wave with amplitude E0 is fed from the power input port a. Due to the dual T (H-branch) characteristic, electromagnetic waves with equal amplitude and equal phase of E0 / (2^(1 / 2)) are output from the waveguides I and II at the side AB. The non-reciprocal phase shifter can make the phase of the electromagnetic wave in the waveguide I lead the phase of the electromagnetic wave in the waveguide II by 90° when the electromagnetic wave is transmitted in the forward direction from the AB side to the CD side (conversely, the phase in the waveguide II leads the phase in the waveguide I by 90° when the electromagnetic wave is transmitted in the reverse direction from the CD side to the AB side), and the 3 dB coupler from the CD side to a position between the first power output port b and the third power output port d can make the microwave power in the waveguides I and II equally divided into the first power output port b and the third power output port d, respectively, but the phase shift is increased by 90° during the coupled transmission, so that all the microwave power output from the waveguides I and II to the first power output port b and the third power output port d, respectively, is output from the first power output port b but not at the third power output port d.

[0065] Similarly, microwave power input from the first power output port b is distributed to the second power output port c for output, and microwave power input from the second power output port c is distributed to the third power output port d for output. Thus, the reflected microwave input from the first power output port b is assigned to the second power output port c for output, and the reflected wave from the second power output port c is transmitted to the third power output port d and absorbed by the absorbing load.

[0066] In some embodiments, the time-dependent control by the controller 1 causes the first accelerating tube connected to the first power output port b to obtain higher power and energy and output at least one type of X-ray having higher energy, for example, X-ray having output energy of 6 MeV and 3 MeV, and the time-dependent control by the controller 1 causes the second accelerating tube connected to the second power output port c to obtain lower power and energy and output at least one type of X-ray having lower energy, for example, X-ray having output energy of 0.5 to 1 MeV. In this way, the effect of power allocation is achieved by the difference in microwave power output from different power output ports of the microwave circulator, and by utilizing the power allocation characteristic of the microwave circulator, it is possible to drive the accelerating tubes having different energies, thereby realizing various inspection requirements.

[0067] 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the control over time and radiation energy output according to some embodiments of the radiation generating device of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the controller 1 causes the first electron gun power supply 21 to adjust the beam load of the first electron beam such that the beam load of the first electron beam is a first beam load in a first period in each period T of at least one period T, and causes the second electron gun power supply 23 to adjust the beam load of the second electron beam such that the beam load of the second electron beam is a second beam load in a second period in each period T, the first period not coinciding with the second period.

[0068] The controller 1 is configured to enable the microwave signal supplied by the microwave generating device 4 to the power input port of the microwave circulator 5 to include at least one first input microwave signal in a first time period and the microwave signal supplied by the microwave generating device 4 to the power input port of the microwave circulator 5 to include at least one second input microwave signal in a second time period, wherein the power of the at least one first input microwave signal is greater than the power of the at least one second input microwave signal.

[0069] A series of control commands sent by the controller 1 above realizes an alternate operation mode of the first accelerating tube 31 and the second accelerating tube 32, which, in cooperation with the power distribution effect of the microwave circulator 5, can generate X-rays with different energies in different time periods of each period T. In some embodiments, the X-rays generated by the first accelerating tube 31 and the second accelerating tube 32 are arranged to irradiate in different directions to achieve multi-view radiography.

[0070] In FIG. 4, the magnetron 41 inputs three pulsed microwave powers of different amplitudes in sequence to the power input port a of the four-port circulator 51 in each period T, i.e., the highest pulsed microwave power 1a is input in a first period t11, the second highest pulsed microwave power 1b is input in a first period t12, and a lower pulsed microwave power 1c is input in a second period t2. Corresponding to the first periods t11 and t12, the first electron beam is configured with first beam loads 2a and 2b, respectively. Corresponding to the second period t2, the second electron beam is configured with a second beam load 3a. In some embodiments, the first beam load is less than or equal to the second beam load, for example, in FIG. 4, the second beam load 3a is approximately equal to the first beam load 2b and is greater than the first beam load 2a.

[0071] The equation for the beam loading effect can be expressed as: E=(A*P)^0.5-B*I E is the energy of the accelerated electron beam, I is the intensity of the accelerated electron beam (i.e., beam load), P is the pulse microwave power supplied to the accelerating tube, and A and B are predetermined constants. According to the beam load effect, when different electron beams are accelerated, high-energy electron beams with different energies are obtained. Referring to FIG. 4, the larger the beam load, the smaller the microwave power supplied to the accelerating tube, and the smaller the energy obtained when the electron beam is accelerated in the accelerating tube; otherwise, the smaller the beam load, the larger the microwave power supplied to the accelerating tube, and the larger the energy obtained when the electron beam is accelerated in the accelerating tube.

[0072] In the first periods t11 and t12, the first electron beam is configured with first beam loads 2a and 2b. In the first periods t11 and t12, the pulse microwave powers 1a and 1b inputted, respectively, are supplied to the first accelerating tube 31 via the first power output port b of the four-port circulator 51. Since the pulse microwave power 1a is larger than the pulse microwave power 1b and the first beam load 2a is smaller than the second beam load 2b, the first accelerating tube generates X-rays having two different energies, i.e., a higher energy 4a and a lower energy 4b (e.g., 6 MeV and 3 MeV), in the first periods t11 and t12, respectively.

[0073] Since the microwave energy supplied to the first accelerating tube 31 is used to accelerate the first electron beam, the reflected microwave returning from the first power output port b is small. In the first period, a beam load is not configured with the second electron beam, and therefore the reflected microwave incident on the first power output port b is assigned to the second power output port c and is reflected back to the second power output port c. The reflected microwave incident on the second power output port c is assigned to the third power output port d and is absorbed by an absorbing load connected to the third power output port d.

[0074] In the second period t2, the pulse microwave power 1c input from the power input port a is supplied to the first accelerating tube 31 via the first power output port b of the four-port circulator 51. In the second period t2, since the first electron beam is not set with a beam load, more microwave energy entering the first accelerating tube 31 from the first power output port b is reflected back to the first power output port b. The reflected microwave incident on the first power output port b is assigned to the second power output port c, and the second electron beam in the second period t2 is configured with a second beam load 3a, and in the second period t2, the second accelerating tube 32 generates X-rays having energy 4c (for example, 0.5 to 1 MeV) lower than the energies 4a, 4b of the X-rays generated by the first accelerating tube 31.

[0075] Through each of the above-mentioned embodiments of the radiation generating device of the present invention, while making full use of the operating characteristics of the output power of each port of the microwave circulator, a single microwave power supply is matched with the beam load of the electron beam generating device to achieve the output of multiple different radiation energies, and meet the radiation scanning requirements of different operating environments. Through the time-dependent control of the controller, diversified radiation energy output can be realized, and the stability of the multi-stage energy output can be guaranteed.

[0076] 5 is a schematic flow chart of some embodiments of a method for controlling a radiation generating device of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 5, based on the above embodiments of the radiation generating device, in some embodiments, the method for controlling a radiation generating device includes step 100 and step 200. Step 100 and step 200 are executed synchronously according to a time-dependent control command of a controller.

[0077] In step 100, the microwave power or electric power of the microwave generating device 4 is controlled over time via the controller 1. In step 200, a beam load of a plurality of electron beams corresponding to the plurality of accelerating tubes 3 generated by the electron beam generating device 2 is controlled over time, so that the plurality of accelerating tubes 3 accelerate the plurality of electron beams respectively to generate a plurality of radiations having different energies, e.g., X-rays.

[0078] 2, in some embodiments, the electron beam generating device 2 comprises: a first electron gun 22 and a second electron gun 24 for generating a first electron beam and a second electron beam, respectively; and a first electron gun power supply 21 and a second electron gun power supply 23, which are signal-connected to the controller 1 and connected to the first electron gun 22 and the second electron gun 24, respectively. Correspondingly, step 100 includes the steps of: enabling, via the controller 1, the first electron gun power supply 21 to adjust the beam load of the first electron beam to be the first beam load 2a, 2b in first periods t11 and t12 in each period T of at least one period T, and enabling the second electron gun power supply 23 to adjust the beam load of the second electron beam to be the second beam load 3a in a second period in each period T, where the first periods t11 and t12 do not coincide with the second period t2.

[0079] Referring to FIG. 2 , in some embodiments, the at least two power output ports of the microwave circulator 5 include a first power output port b and a second power output port c, the first power output port b is assigned to a microwave signal supplied from the power input port a, and the second power output port c is assigned to a microwave signal supplied from the first power output port b, and the multiple accelerating tubes 3 include a first accelerating tube 31 connected to the first power output port b and the first electron gun 22, and a second accelerating tube 32 connected to the second power output port c and the second electron gun 24.

[0080] Correspondingly, step 200: enables, via the controller 1, the microwave signal supplied by the microwave generating device 4 to the power input port of the microwave circulator 5 to include at least one first input microwave signal in a first period, and enables the microwave signal supplied by the microwave generating device 4 to the power input port of the microwave circulator 5 to include at least one second input microwave signal 1c in a second period, the power of the at least one first input microwave signal being greater than the power of the at least one second input microwave signal 1c.

[0081] In some embodiments, the at least one first input microwave signal includes two first input microwave signals 1a and 1b located in different parts of a first time period (e.g., a first time period t11 and a first time period t12), and the powers of the two first input microwave signals 1a and 1b are the same or different. The first beam loads 2a and 2b of the first electron beam corresponding to the different parts t11 and t12 of the two first input microwave signals 1a and 1b in the first time period are the same or different.

[0082] In some embodiments, the at least one second input microwave signal includes one second input microwave signal 1c located in the second time period t2. In some other embodiments, the at least one second input microwave signal includes two second input microwave signals located in different parts of the second time period, and the power supplies of the two second input microwave signals located in different parts of the second time period are the same or different. The second beam loads of the second electron beams corresponding to the different parts of the two second input microwave signals in the second time period are the same or different.

[0083] The embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner with different emphasis on each embodiment, and the same or similar parts of various embodiments may be referred to each other. For the method embodiments, the description is relatively simple due to the correspondence between their overall, involved steps, and the contents in the apparatus embodiments. Please refer to the partial diagrams of the apparatus embodiments for relevant details.

[0084] Above, various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail. Some details well known in the art are not described in order to avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solutions disclosed herein according to the above description.

[0085] Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail through examples, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art should understand that the above embodiments can be modified or some technical features can be replaced by equivalents without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. 1. A radiation generating device comprising: an electron beam generating device configured to generate a plurality of electron beams; A microwave generating device configured to generate microwaves; a microwave circulator having a power input port and at least two power output ports, the power input port being connected to the microwave generating device via a waveguiding structure; a plurality of acceleration tubes connected to the electron beam generating device, each of the acceleration tubes being connected to the at least two power output ports and configured to receive a plurality of electron beams generated by the electron beam generating device, and configured to accelerate each of the plurality of electron beams via microwaves received from the at least two power output ports to generate a plurality of radiation beams having different energies; a controller signal-connected to the electron beam generating device and the microwave generating device, the controller configured to perform time-dependent control of microwave power of the microwave generating device and time-dependent control of beam loading of the electron beams generated by the electron beam generating device and corresponding to each of the plurality of acceleration tubes; Equipped with The electron beam generating device comprises: A first electron gun configured to generate a first electron beam; a first electron gun power supply in signal communication with the controller and connected to the first electron gun, the first electron gun power supply configured to adjust the beam loading of the first electron beam according to a time-dependent control signal provided by the controller; a second electron gun configured to generate a second electron beam; a second electron gun power supply in signal communication with the controller and connected to the second electron gun, the second electron gun power supply configured to adjust the beam loading of the second electron beam in accordance with a time-dependent control signal provided by the controller; the controller causes the first electron gun power supply to adjust the beam load of the first electron beam so that the beam load of the first electron beam becomes a first beam load in a first period in each of at least one cycle, and causes the second electron gun power supply to adjust the beam load of the second electron beam so that the beam load of the second electron beam becomes a second beam load in a second period in each cycle, the first period not coinciding with the second period; Radiation producing devices.

2. the first beam load is less than or equal to the second beam load; 2. The radiation generating device of claim 1.

3. the at least two power output ports of the microwave circulator include a first power output port and a second power output port; the first power output port is assigned to receive the microwave signal supplied from the power input port, and the second power output port is assigned to receive the microwave signal supplied from the first power output port; The plurality of accelerating structures include: a first accelerating tube connected to the first power output port and the first electron gun and configured to accelerate the first electron beam via a first output microwave signal output by the first power output port; a second accelerating tube connected to the second power output port and the second electron gun and configured to accelerate the second electron beam via a second output microwave signal output by the second power output port.

2. The radiation generating device of claim 1.

4. the at least two power output ports of the microwave circulator further include a third power output port, the third power output port being assigned to receive the microwave signal provided from the second power output port; the radiation generating device further comprising an absorbing load connected to the third power output port and configured to absorb the microwave signal output by the third power output port.

4. A radiation generating device according to claim 3.

5. The microwave circulator includes a four-port circulator.

5. A radiation generating device according to claim 4.

6. the controller is configured to enable the microwave signal provided by the microwave generating device to the power input port of the microwave circulator to include at least one first input microwave signal during the first time period, and to enable the microwave signal provided by the microwave generating device to the power input port of the microwave circulator to include at least one second input microwave signal during the second time period; a power of the at least one first input microwave signal is greater than a power of the at least one second input microwave signal; 4. A radiation generating device according to claim 3.

7. the microwave generating device includes a magnetron; 2. The radiation generating device of claim 1.

8. 2. A method for controlling the radiation generating device according to claim 1, comprising: performing a time-dependent control of the microwave power of the microwave generating device via the controller, and performing a time-dependent control of the beam load of a plurality of electron beams corresponding to the plurality of accelerating tubes generated by the electron beam generating device, respectively, so that the plurality of accelerating tubes accelerate the plurality of electron beams, respectively, to generate a plurality of radiation beams having different energies; method.

9. The electron beam generating device comprises: a first electron gun and a second electron gun for generating a first electron beam and a second electron beam, respectively; a first electron gun power supply and a second electron gun power supply connected to the controller and to the first electron gun and the second electron gun, respectively; The step of performing time-dependent control of the beam load of a plurality of electron beams corresponding to a plurality of acceleration tubes via the controller includes: via the controller, causing the first electron gun power supply to adjust the beam load of the first electron beam so that the beam load of the first electron beam becomes a first beam load in a first period in each of at least one cycle, and causing the second electron gun power supply to adjust the beam load of the second electron beam so that the beam load of the second electron beam becomes a second beam load in a second period in each cycle, the first period not coinciding with the second period. The method of claim 8.

10. the at least two power output ports of the microwave circulator include a first power output port and a second power output port; the first power output port is assigned to receive the microwave signal supplied from the power input port, and the second power output port is assigned to receive the microwave signal supplied from the first power output port; The plurality of accelerating structures include: a first accelerating tube connected to the first power output port and the first electron gun; a second accelerating structure connected to the second power output port and the second electron gun; The step of performing a time control of the microwave power of the microwave generating device via the controller comprises: enabling, via the controller, the microwave signal provided by the microwave generating device to the power input port of the microwave circulator to include at least one first input microwave signal during the first time period, and enabling the microwave signal provided by the microwave generating device to the power input port of the microwave circulator to include at least one second input microwave signal during the second time period, a power of the at least one first input microwave signal being greater than a power of the at least one second input microwave signal.

10. The method of claim 9.

11. the at least one first input microwave signal includes two first input microwave signals located in different portions of the first time period; the power of the two first input microwave signals is the same or different; the first beam loads of the first electron beams corresponding to different portions of the two first input microwave signals in the first time period are the same or different; The method of claim 10.

12. the at least one second input microwave signal includes two second input microwave signals located in different portions of the second time period; the power of the two second input microwave signals is the same or different; the second beam loads of the second electron beams corresponding to different portions of the two second input microwave signals in the second time period are the same or different; The method of claim 10.

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