Rotary target driven by cooling fluid flow for medical linac and intense beam linac
AssigneeSiemens Medical Systems, Inc.
InventorsChong Guo Yao, James S. Harroun
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A linear accelerator x-ray target assembly including an electron beam which contacts an x-ray target and generates x-rays. The target is mounted such that it can rotate freely about its axis. The target has a contoured axially outer edge. Fluid flow impinging the contoured axially outer edge of the target acts to impart rotary motion on the target. The fluid flow helps to dissipate heat from the target in two ways. Firstly, heat is transferred to a cooling fluid as the cooling fluid passes over the target. Secondly, the rotation of the target helps to dissipate heat from the target by distributing the electron beam contact point around the target instead of having the electron beam impact continuously on one spot on the target.
Claims16
An x-ray target assembly comprising:
- a target mounted to rotate about an axis of rotation, said target being formed of a material to generate an x-ray output beam when exposed to an impinging beam, said target being configured to provide rotational motion when impinged by fluid flow, and
- means for rotating said target by directing a fluid flow to impinge said target.
A method for dissipating thermal energy from an x-ray target comprising the steps of:
- mounting said target to rotate within a path of an impinging beam, said target being formed of a material to generate x-rays in response to said impinging radiation beam, said target having a rotational axis and having a contoured axially outer edge;
- and
- passing a cooling medium over said contoured axially outer edge such that said cooling medium imparts rotary motion upon said target.
A system for forming x-ray radiation comprising:
- a source of an electron beam, said source having an output beam path;
- a disk shaped x-ray target supported within said output beam path, said target being freely rotatable about an axis of rotation, said target having an axially outer edge configured to promote target rotation in response to impingement by cooling fluid;
- and
- means for directing a flow of said cooling fluid to impinge said axially outer edge of said target.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.