X-ray tube anode shielding structure for discharge suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional X-ray tubes experience discharge issues due to sharp corners at the exhaust port, leading to destabilization of X-ray output, as the high potential difference across the anode and casing disrupts the electric field, increasing the likelihood of discharge between the anode tip and the casing.
Innovation Solution
A special shielding structure, such as a conductive shielding member or inner tubular member, is employed to hide the exhaust port from the anode tip, alleviating the electric field disruption and preventing discharge by creating gaps that function as passages for air during vacuum drawing and sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If an exhaust port is formed in the inner wall surface of the casing for vacuum drawing, then vacuum can be drawn from the internal space, but a corner portion with a sharp tip is formed at the boundary of the exhaust port, which disrupts the electric field and increases the possibility of discharge
Solution Approach 1:
A shielding member is introduced as an intermediary component between the exhaust port and the anode tip. This shielding member has a curved inner surface that eliminates sharp corners while maintaining the exhaust port's vacuum drawing function. The shielding member acts as a mediator that prevents direct interaction between the problematic corner portion and the high-voltage anode, thereby suppressing discharge while preserving vacuum capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The shielding member is designed with a curved inner surface instead of sharp corners or flat surfaces. This curvature eliminates the electric field disruption caused by sharp tips at the exhaust port boundary. The rounded geometry of the shielding member's inner surface smoothly guides electrons without creating discharge-prone corner portions, thus maintaining reliability while allowing vacuum drawing.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the exhaust port is left open after vacuum drawing, then vacuum state is maintained, but the sharp corner at the exhaust port boundary creates electric field disruption and discharge risk
Solution Approach 1:
The shielding member serves as a permanent intermediary structure that remains in place after vacuum drawing. It mediates between the open exhaust port and the anode tip, eliminating the harmful sharp corner effect while allowing the exhaust port to remain open for vacuum state maintenance. The shielding member's curved surface prevents electric field disruption without compromising vacuum integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
By providing a curved inner surface on the shielding member, the design eliminates sharp corners at the exhaust port boundary. This curvature ensures that even with the exhaust port open, there are no sharp tips to disrupt the electric field or cause discharge, while the vacuum state is maintained through the open exhaust configuration.
3Reliability
If a shielding structure is added to suppress discharge, then discharge at the anode tip is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shielding member is designed as a simple intermediary component with a specific curved geometry, rather than a complex multi-part structure. It performs the discharge suppression function through its curved inner surface that eliminates sharp corners, while its straightforward design as a single shielding element minimizes the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The shielding member's curved inner surface provides the necessary discharge suppression through geometric design rather than complex active control systems or multiple components. The curvature itself is the key feature that eliminates sharp corners and prevents discharge, achieving reliability improvement with relatively simple structural addition.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The shielding structure effectively suppresses discharge at the anode tip, stabilizing the X-ray output and ensuring consistent X-ray irradiation by minimizing electric field disruptions and maintaining a vacuum state during manufacturing.
Implementation Method 1
When a high potential difference is generated across the casing and an anode during driving of the X-ray tube, an electric field across the casing and the anode may become disrupted due to an influence of the corner portion
Implementation Method 2
vacuum is drawn from the internal space of the casing via the exhaust pipe. After vacuum drawing, the exhaust pipe is closed and the internal space that houses the target is put in a vacuum state
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to an X-ray tube, having a structure for effectively suppressing discharge at a tip of an anode, irradiated with electrons in order to generate X-rays, and an X-ray source including the X-ray tube. In the X-ray tube, electrons emitted from an electron gun are made to collide with an X-ray target, and X-rays generated at the X-ray target due to the collision are taken out to an exterior. The X-ray tube includes: a head, defining an internal space that houses a tip of an anode; an irradiation window, transmitting the generated X-rays to the exterior; an exhaust port, disposed at an inner wall surface of a casing and being for vacuum drawing of the internal space; and a shielding structure, hiding the exhaust port from the tip of the anode.