Systems, methods, and devices for multi-energy x-ray imaging

An imaging system comprising:

• an X-ray source configured to generate a plurality of pulse trains of different energy level pulses to be applied to a target according to imaging sequences;
• an imaging device configured to acquire images of the target based on the applied pulse trains;
• and
• a processing device operably coupled to the X-ray source and the imaging device and configured to generate a figure of merit (FOM) from the acquired images and configured to control the X-ray source based on the generated (FOM),
• the processing device including a memory configured to store a lookup table including predetermined imaging sequences and corresponding figures of merit (FOMs),
• wherein the processing device is configured to:
• select a figure of merit (FOM) from the lookup table;
• select an imaging sequence from the lookup table corresponding to the selected (FOM) to be applied to the target;
• send a first control signal to the X-ray source to generate a first pulse train of different energy level pulses according to the selected imaging sequence;
• monitor and evaluate the (FOM) generated from the images acquired by the imaging device by applying the first pulse train on the target;
• modify the imaging sequence based on a result of the evaluation;
• and
• send a second control signal to the X-ray source to generate a second pulse train of different energy level pulses according to the modified imaging sequence.