Back to results
US 7,050,541 B2Granted
X-ray tube with liquid-metal fluid bearing
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorHerbert Bittl
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An x-ray tube has a stationary cathode and a rotating anode in a vacuum housing. The anode is positioned on a housing-fixed axle such that it can be rotated, and is fashioned as a hollow body in the interior of which an axle-fixed ring projection is disposed, such that, at least between an inner surface of the rotating anode and the adjacent outer surface of the ring projection, a gap exists that is filled with liquid metal and forms a liquid-metal fluid bearing for the rotating anode.
Claims10
An x-ray tube comprising:
- a vacuum housing;
- a stationary cathode disposed in said vacuum housing;
- an axle fixedly attached to said vacuum housing and proceeding through an interior of said vacuum housing;
- a ring projection fixed to said axle, and having an outer surface;
- a rotating anode formed by a hollow body surrounding said axle and having an interior, having an inner surface, in which said ring projection is disposed with a gap existing between said inner surface of said interior of said hollow body and said outer surface of said ring projection;
- and
- a liquid metal film filling said gap forming with said gap a liquid-metal fluid bearing for said rotating anode, allowing rotation of said hollow body around said axle.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.