Abstract: A supply for a high bias voltage in an X-ray imaging system has an inverter and a voltage multiplier that produce an alternating output voltage in response to control signals. A voltage sensor produces a signal indicating a magnitude of the output voltage. A circuit determines a difference between the sensor signal and a reference signal that specifies a desired magnitude for the output voltage and that difference is integrated to produce an error signal. The error signal preferably is summed with a precondition signal that is an approximation of a nominal value for the signal sum and the summation producing a resultant signal. Another summation device arithmetically combines the resultant signal and the sensor signal with a signal corresponding to a one-hundred percent duty cycle of the inverter operation in order to produce a duty cycle command.

Abstract: An x-ray tube rotor controller uses the main high voltage inverters for acceleration. The rotor controller includes a DC voltage source, and a rotary anode drive circuit including a rotary anode motor designed as an induction motor. A first inverter circuit has a full bridge arrangement for accelerating the anode using a first switch to connect the induction motor to the full bridge output, and also generates high voltage for the x-ray tube. Once the anode is up to operating speed, the first switch is disconnected from the rotor causing the rotor to coast. Alternatively, a second small inverter may be employed for maintaining the rotor at speed during x-ray exposure, rather than allowing the rotor to coast. In such an instance, the first switch is disconnected from the rotor when the motor reaches a rated anode speed, and a second switch then connects the motor to the second inverter to maintain the rated anode speed.