System and method for a built-in alignment mechanism for an X-ray focal spot

A system for maintaining an X-ray focal spot position at a desired location on an X-ray detector of an X-ray imaging system, comprising:

• a memory encoding processor-executable routines;
• and
• processing circuitry configured to access the memory and to execute the processor-executable routines, wherein the routines, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to:
• obtain a scan protocol for performing an X-ray scan with the X-ray imaging system;
• generate a functional map prior to the X-ray scan by:
• obtaining air scan data and edge scan data utilizing an initial bending magnet current value and initial acquisition parameters during an initial scan with the X-ray imaging system;
• determining an initial X-ray focal spot position based on the air scan data and the edge scan data;
• obtaining additional air scan data and additional edge scan data at different bending magnet current values utilized with the initial acquisition parameters during subsequent scans with the X-ray imaging system;
• and
• determining different X-ray focal spot positions based on the additional air scan data and the additional edge scan data;
• access the functional map prior to the X-ray scan, wherein the functional map comprises a plurality of bending magnet current values and corresponding X-ray focal spot positions to be utilized for a plurality of acquisition parameters;
• determine a bending magnet current value to utilize to maintain the X-ray focal spot position of an X-ray beam emitted from an X-ray tube of the X-ray imaging system at the desired location on the X-ray detector based on a plurality of acquisition parameters of the X-ray scan, wherein determining the bending magnet current value to utilize to maintain the X-ray focal spot position comprises determining the bending magnet current value from the functional map based on the plurality of acquisition parameters of the X-ray scan to achieve the desired location for an X-ray focal spot;
• and
• utilize the bending magnet current value during the X-ray scan to maintain the X-ray focal spot position at the desired location on the X-ray detector.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium, the computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable code that when executed by processing circuitry, causes the processing circuitry to:

• obtain a scan protocol for performing a scan with a computed tomography (CT) imaging system;
• generate a functional map prior to the scan by:
• obtaining air scan data and edge scan data utilizing an initial bending magnet current value and initial acquisition parameters during an initial scan with the CT imaging system;
• determining an initial X-ray focal spot position based on the air scan data and the edge scan data;
• obtaining additional air scan data and additional edge scan data at different bending magnet current values utilized with the initial acquisition parameters during subsequent scans with the CT imaging system;
• and
• determining different X-ray focal spot positions based on the additional air scan data and the additional edge scan data;
• access the functional map prior to the scan;
• determine from the functional map a bending magnet current value to utilize to maintain an X-ray focal spot position of an X-ray beam emitted from an X-ray tube of the CT imaging system at a desired location on an X-ray detector of the CT imaging system based on a plurality of acquisition parameters of the scan, wherein the functional map comprises a plurality of bending magnet current values and corresponding X-ray focal spot positions to be utilized for the plurality of acquisition parameters;
• and
• utilize the bending magnet current value during the scan to maintain the X-ray focal spot position at the desired location on the X-ray detector.