X-ray tube pressure monitoring method in which the pressure inside the tube is measured, based on measurements of heating and tube currents and their comparison with calibration values, to predict remaining tube service life

摘要

Method for measuring the pressure in an X-ray tube (1) wherein a cathode (2) in the tube is heated to produce electrons that are accelerated by a tube voltage towards the anode (3). To measure the pressure: the heating current is measured, the tube current is measured, the difference between the two currents is determined, temporal changes in measured heating or tube currents are measured, the measured difference or changes are compared with calibration values and a tube pressure is determined from the comparison values.