X-ray generators, X-ray imaging devices and molded transformers

Abstract

The X-ray generating device includes a storage container, an insulating container disposed in the storage container, an X-ray generating tube at least a portion of which is disposed in the insulating container, and a plurality of electrical components disposed in the insulating container. In the X-ray generating device, the electrical components include a molded transformer. The molded transformer includes a core, an insulator covering the core, and a heat dissipation path for transferring heat from the core to an external space of the insulator, and the heat dissipation path includes a hole provided in the insulator so as to extend from the external space toward the core.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an X-ray generating device, an X-ray imaging device, and a molded transformer. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a demand for miniaturization and improved voltage resistance in X-ray generators used in inspection equipment, etc. To achieve this, the use of molded transformers is considered to be advantageous, but with conventional molded transformers, it is difficult to efficiently dissipate heat from the core, which can impair the stability of the X-ray generator's operation. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention provides a technique that is advantageous for improving the operational stability of an X-ray generating device.

[0004] A first aspect of the present invention relates to an X-ray generator, the X-ray generator including a storage container, an insulating container disposed in the storage container, an X-ray generating tube at least a portion of which is disposed in the insulating container, and a plurality of electric components disposed in the insulating container, the plurality of electric components including a molded transformer, the molded transformer including a core, a first winding wound around the core, an insulator covering a first portion of the core around which the first winding is wound and not covering a second portion of the core around which the first winding is not wound, a second winding wound around the core via the insulator, and a heat dissipation path for transferring heat from the core to an external space of the insulator, the heat dissipation path including a hole provided in the insulator so as to extend from the external space toward the second portion of the core. A second aspect of the present invention relates to an X-ray generator, the X-ray generator including a storage container, an insulating container disposed in the storage container, an X-ray generating tube at least a portion of which is disposed in the insulating container, and a plurality of electric components disposed in the insulating container, the plurality of electric components including a molded transformer, the molded transformer including a core, an insulator covering the core, and a heat dissipation path for transferring heat from the core to an external space of the insulator, the heat dissipation path including a hole provided in the insulator so as to extend from the external space toward the core, the insulating container including a wall including a support surface for supporting the molded transformer, and the heat dissipation path disposed at a position on the wall that is closest to the center of the core and away from a virtual line passing through the center.

[0005] A third aspect of the present invention relates to a molded transformer including a core, an insulator covering the core, and a heat dissipation path for transferring heat from the core to an external space of the insulator, the heat dissipation path including a hole provided in the insulator so as to extend in a direction from the external space toward the core, the heat dissipation path including a member made of an insulating material having a higher thermal conductivity than the insulator, and the heat dissipation path being positioned at a position away from an imaginary line passing through the center of the core and parallel to the direction. A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to a molded transformer including a core, an insulator covering the core, and a heat dissipation path for transferring heat from the core to an external space of the insulator, the heat dissipation path including a hole provided in the insulator so as to extend in a direction from the external space toward the core, and the heat dissipation path is positioned at a position away from an imaginary line that passes through a center of the core and is parallel to the direction. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an X-ray generating device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a molded transformer. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a schematic configuration of a molded transformer. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a molded transformer. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a schematic configuration of a molded transformer. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a side view illustrating a configuration of a molded transformer according to a modified example. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a side view illustrating a configuration of a molded transformer according to another modified example. [Figure 8]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a molded transformer of a comparative example. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an X-ray imaging apparatus according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions are omitted. In this specification and the accompanying drawings, directions and positions are indicated by the XYZ coordinate system.

[0008] FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an X-ray generating device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The X-ray generating device 100 may include a storage container 20, an insulating container 50 disposed in the storage container 20, an X-ray generating tube 10 at least a portion of which is disposed in the insulating container 50, and a plurality of electrical components disposed in the insulating container 50. The storage container 20 may be made of a conductive material. The insulating container 50 may be made of an insulator. The insulating container 50 may have one or more openings. At least a portion of the X-ray generating tube 10 may be disposed in the insulating container 50, and may be disposed so as to extend from inside to outside the insulating container 50 through one opening of the insulating container 50. A portion of the storage container 20 may be shared with the X-ray generating tube 10.

[0009] The above-mentioned electrical components may include a driving circuit 14, a molded transformer 15, and cables 16 and 18. The molded transformer 15 has a primary winding electrically connected to a cable 17 drawn from the outside of the storage container 20, and a secondary winding electrically connected to the cable 16. The driving circuit 14 drives the X-ray generating tube 10 using power supplied from the molded transformer 15 through the cable 16. The driving circuit 14 may include a boost circuit. The boost circuit may include, for example, a Cockcroft-Walton circuit (CW circuit). The boost circuit may generate, for example, a negative high voltage with respect to the storage container 20.

[0010] The X-ray generating tube 10 may have a cathode 12 including an electron emitting portion that emits electrons, and an anode 13 including a target that generates X-rays by collision with electrons emitted from the electron emitting portion. The container 20 may be grounded, and the anode 13 of the X-ray generating tube 10 may be electrically connected to the container 20. The driving circuit 14 may supply a negative potential to the cathode 12 of the X-ray generating tube 10 via a cable 18. The cables 16 and 18 may include a conductive member and an insulating material that covers the conductive member, but may not have an insulating material. An insulating liquid (e.g., insulating oil) may be filled in the space inside the insulating container 50, the space 57 between the container 20 and the insulating container 50, and the space between the insulating container 50 and the X-ray generating tube 10. The insulating liquid may also be filled in the space inside the driving circuit 14. The cathode 12 of the X-ray generating tube 10 and the container 20 are electrically insulated. A space 57 between the storage container 20 and the insulating container 50 may function as a convection space that allows convection of the insulating liquid. The insulating container 50 may include a wall 52 that supports the molded transformer 15. The wall 52 may have a flat shape, a curved shape, or another shape. The wall 52 has a support surface 521 that supports the molded transformer 15.

[0011] 2 and 3 show the configuration of the molded transformer 15. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the molded transformer 15. FIG. 3 is a side view of the molded transformer 15 as viewed from the positive direction of the X-axis. Although omitted in FIG. 3, a wall 52 of the insulating container 50 is present behind the molded transformer 15 to support the molded transformer 15. The molded transformer 15 may include a core 60, an insulator 80 covering the core 60, and a heat dissipation path 82 that transfers heat from the core 60 to the external space of the insulator 80. The heat dissipation path 82 includes a hole 84 provided in the insulator 80 so as to extend from the external space of the insulator 80 toward the core 60. The heat dissipation path 82 is, for example, a space or a flow path, and may be filled with an insulating liquid. The heat dissipation path 82 may be configured such that an exposed portion ER, which is a part of the core 60, is exposed to the external space of the insulator 80 through the heat dissipation path 82. Alternatively, the heat dissipation path 82 may be configured so that the exposed portion ER, which is a part of the core 60, is exposed to the external space of the insulator 80 through the heat dissipation path 82 via the coating. The coating may be provided so that heat from the core 60 is sufficiently transferred to the external space through the heat dissipation path 82. The heat dissipation path 82 may include a member made of an insulating material (e.g., alumina) having a higher thermal conductivity than the insulator 80. The insulating container 50 or the wall 52 has a through opening 54, and the heat dissipation path 82 or the hole 84 may communicate with or face the external space of the insulator 80, for example, the space 57, through the through opening 54.

[0012] The core 60 may be a toroidal core. The insulator 80 is molded to cover the core 60. The insulator 80 is made of, for example, resin. The insulator 80 may have a through hole 85 arranged to pass through the opening of the core 60. The molded transformer 15 may include a first winding wound around the core 60 and covered by the insulator 80, and a second winding wound around the core 60 through the insulator 80. The second winding may be wound around the core 60 through (a part of) the insulator 80 so as to pass through the through hole 85 of the insulator 80. The first winding and the second winding are expressions for distinguishing the two windings from each other. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the first winding is the primary winding 61, and the second winding is the secondary winding 62. 2, the molded transformer 15 may include a primary winding 61 covered by an insulator 80, and a secondary winding 62 wound around the core 60 through (a portion of) the insulator 80. The secondary winding 62 may be wound around the core 60 through (a portion of) the insulator 80 so as to pass through a through-hole 85 of the insulator 80.

[0013] 2, the molded transformer 15 may include a secondary winding 62 covered by an insulator 80 and a primary winding 61 wound around the core 60 through (a part of) the insulator 80. In this case, the primary winding 61 may be wound around the core 60 through (a part of) the insulator 80 so as to pass through a through hole 85 of the insulator 80.

[0014] 2, the insulation performance of the molded transformer 15 may depend on the creepage distance (the shortest distance along the surface of the insulator 80) between the secondary winding 62 and the exposed portion ER of the core 60. In evaluating the creepage distance, the position of the secondary winding 62 that should be considered is, for example, near the exit of the through hole 85. In other words, the creepage distance may be the shortest distance along the surface of the insulator 80 between the secondary winding 62 and the exposed portion ER near the exit of the through hole 85.

[0015] The primary winding 61 may be connected to the cable 17 through, for example, a wiring hole 56 provided in the insulating container 50 or the wall 52. A conductive member such as a screw may be inserted into the wiring hole 56, and the cable 17 and the primary winding 61 may be electrically connected via the conductive member. The primary winding 61 may have a positive terminal and a negative terminal, but may also have a positive terminal, a negative terminal, and a ground terminal. The cable 17 may include conductive wires corresponding to the number of terminals of the primary winding 61.

[0016] The core 60 may be a toroidal core as described above, but may also be a core having another shape, for example, an EI core, an EE core, an EER core, or a PQ core. The exposed portion ER may be provided on the cylindrical surface (outer peripheral surface) of the core 60, or on an end face of the core 60 (a surface parallel to the XZ plane in FIG. 2), i.e., on a surface perpendicular to the axial direction of the core 60 (the Y direction in FIG. 2). Alternatively, the exposed portion ER may be provided on both the cylindrical surface or the outer peripheral surface and the end face.

[0017] In order to achieve high cooling performance, the heat dissipation path 82 is preferably arranged so as to transfer the heat of the core 60 to the space 57 (convection space) arranged between the storage container 20 and the insulating container 50, in other words, so as to extend toward the space 57. However, the heat dissipation path 82 may be arranged so as to move the heat of the core 60 to the internal space of the insulating container 50, in other words, so as to extend toward the internal space of the insulating container 50. The cross-sectional shape of the heat dissipation path 82 may be, for example, rectangular, but may have other shapes. The heat dissipation path 82 is preferably arranged so as to connect the exposed portion ER and the through opening 54 via the shortest path.

[0018] A preferred arrangement of the heat dissipation path 82 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The heat dissipation path 82 is preferably arranged at a position away from the imaginary line VL passing through the center G of the core 60 and the position NP closest to the center G of the core 60 on the wall 52 of the insulating container 50. From another point of view, the heat dissipation path 82 is preferably arranged at a position away from the imaginary line VL passing through the center G of the core 60. From another point of view, it is preferable that at least a part of the heat dissipation path 82 is arranged at a position that does not overlap with the imaginary line VL. Such an arrangement is advantageous for increasing the creepage distance CD between the secondary winding 62 and the exposed part ER. Note that the creepage distance can be shortest when the heat dissipation path 82 is arranged so as to overlap with the imaginary line VL. Furthermore, arranging the heat dissipation path 82 at a position away from the imaginary line VL is advantageous for increasing the area of ​​the exposed part ER facing the cross section of the heat dissipation path 82, that is, for increasing the heat dissipation efficiency from the core 60 (exposed part ER) to the heat dissipation path 82. The area of ​​the exposed portion ER facing the cross section of the heat dissipation path 82 is proportional to the arc length of the exposed portion ER. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the heat dissipation path 82 can be arranged such that at least a part of an area in which the heat dissipation path 82 is orthogonally projected onto a plane including the support surface 521 of the wall 52 falls within an area PR in which the core 60 is orthogonally projected onto the plane.

[0019] 5 is a side view of the molded transformer 15 as viewed from the negative direction of the Y axis. The insulator 80 preferably has irregularities 87 on the path (path defining the creepage distance CD) from the secondary winding 62 to the core 60 (exposed portion ER) along the surface of the insulator 80. The irregularities 87 can function to increase the creepage distance CD and improve insulation performance.

[0020] A modified example of the molded transformer 15 is shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a side view of the modified molded transformer 15 as viewed from the positive direction of the X-axis. The modified molded transformer 15 includes an insulating member 152 that covers at least a portion of the secondary winding 62 (second winding). The insulating member 152 can function to improve insulation performance.

[0021] Another modified example of the molded transformer 15 is shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a side view of the molded transformer 15 of the other modified example as viewed from the positive direction of the X-axis. The molded transformer 15 of the other modified example includes an insulating member 153 that covers at least a portion of the secondary winding 62 (second winding). The insulating member 153 can function to improve insulating performance. The insulating member 153 can be formed, for example, by molding.

[0022] In the molded transformer 15 described above, as illustrated in Figs. 2 to 8, the second winding 62 is disposed so as not to surround the heat dissipation path 82. From another point of view, the second winding 62 is disposed at a position different from the position surrounding the heat dissipation path 82. Such a configuration is advantageous for increasing the creepage distance CD and improving insulation performance. Fig. 8 shows a molded transformer 15' of a comparative example. In the molded transformer 15' of the comparative example, the second winding 62' is disposed so as to surround the heat dissipation path 82. It can be seen that in the comparative example, the shortest distance (creepage distance) between the secondary winding 62' along the surface of the insulator 80 and the core 60 (exposed portion ER) is short.

[0023] FIG. 9 illustrates a configuration of an X-ray imaging device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The X-ray imaging device 200 may include an X-ray generating device 100 and an X-ray detector 112 that detects X-rays 104 emitted from the X-ray generating device 100 and transmitted through an object 106. The X-ray imaging device 200 may further include a control device 120 and a display device 130. The X-ray detector 112 may include the X-ray detector 112 and a signal processing unit 114. The control device 120 may control the X-ray generating device 100 and the X-ray detector 112. The X-ray detector 112 detects or captures the X-rays 104 emitted from the X-ray generating device 100 and transmitted through the object 106. The signal processing unit 114 may process a signal output from the X-ray detector 112 and supply the processed signal to the control device 120. The control device 120 may cause the display device 130 to display an image based on the signal supplied from the signal processing unit 114.

[0024] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An X-ray generating device comprising: a container; an insulating container disposed in the container; an X-ray generating tube having at least a portion disposed in the insulating container; and a plurality of electrical components disposed in the insulating container, The electrical components include a molded transformer, the molded transformer including a core, an insulator covering the core, and a heat dissipation path for transferring heat from the core to an external space of the insulator, the heat dissipation path including a hole provided in the insulator so as to extend from the external space toward the core.

1. An X-ray generating device comprising:

2. The heat dissipation path is filled with an insulating liquid.

2. The X-ray generating device according to claim 1 .

3. The heat dissipation path communicates with a space between the storage container and the insulating container.

3. The X-ray generating device according to claim 2.

4. The heat dissipation path includes a member made of an insulating material having a higher thermal conductivity than the insulator.

2. The X-ray generating device according to claim 1 .

5. the insulating container includes a wall including a support surface that supports the molded transformer; The heat dissipation path is disposed at a position on the wall closest to the center of the core and away from an imaginary line passing through the center.

2. The X-ray generating device according to claim 1 .

6. The heat dissipation path is arranged such that at least a part of an area in which the heat dissipation path is orthogonally projected onto a plane including the support surface is within an area in which the core is orthogonally projected onto the wall.

6. The X-ray generating device according to claim 5.

7. The molded transformer includes a first winding wound around the core and covered with the insulator, and a second winding wound around the core via the insulator.

2. The X-ray generating device according to claim 1 .

8. The insulator has a through hole, and the second winding is wound around the core via the insulator so as to pass through the through hole.

8. The X-ray generating device according to claim 7.

9. The first winding is a primary winding and the second winding is a secondary winding.

9. The X-ray generating device according to claim 8.

10. The first winding is a secondary winding and the second winding is a primary winding.

9. The X-ray generating device according to claim 8.

11. The molded transformer further includes an insulating member covering at least a portion of the second winding.

9. The X-ray generating device according to claim 8.

12. the insulator has irregularities on a path from the second winding to the core along a surface of the insulator; 9. The X-ray generating device according to claim 8.

13. The second winding is disposed so as not to surround the heat dissipation path.

9. The X-ray generating device according to claim 8.

14. An X-ray generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, an X-ray detector for detecting X-rays emitted from the X-ray generating device; An X-ray imaging device comprising:

15. A molded transformer, a core; an insulator covering the core; and a heat dissipation path for transferring heat from the core to an external space of the insulator, the heat dissipation path including a hole provided in the insulator so as to extend from the external space toward the core; The heat dissipation path includes a member made of an insulating material having a higher thermal conductivity than the insulator. A molded transformer characterized by:

16. The heat dissipation path is a space.

16. The molded transformer according to claim 15.

17. The heat dissipation path is disposed at a position away from an imaginary line passing through the center of the core.

16. The molded transformer according to claim 15.

18. A molded transformer, comprising: a core; an insulator covering the core; and a heat dissipation path for transferring heat from the core to an external space of the insulator, the heat dissipation path including a hole provided in the insulator so as to extend from the external space toward the core; The heat dissipation path is disposed at a position away from an imaginary line passing through the center of the core. A molded transformer characterized by:

19. The molded transformer includes a first winding wound around the core and covered with the insulator, and a second winding wound around the core via the insulator.

19. A molded transformer according to any one of claims 15 to 18.

20. The insulator has a through hole, and the second winding is wound around the core via the insulator so as to pass through the through hole.

20. The molded transformer according to claim 19.

21. The first winding is a primary winding and the second winding is a secondary winding.

21. The molded transformer according to claim 20.

22. The first winding is a secondary winding and the second winding is a primary winding.

21. The molded transformer according to claim 20.

23. The molded transformer further includes an insulating member covering at least a portion of the second winding.

20. The molded transformer according to claim 19.

24. the insulator has irregularities on a path from the second winding to the core along a surface of the insulator; 20. The molded transformer according to claim 19.

25. The second winding is disposed so as not to surround the heat dissipation path.

20. The molded transformer according to claim 19.

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