US 12,446,841 B2
Systems and methods for computed tomography
Jean-Baptiste Thibault, Waukesha, WI (US); John Howard Londt, Waukesha, WI (US); and John Boudry, Waukesha, WI (US)
Assigned to GE PRECISION HEALTHCARE LLC, Wauwatosa, WI (US)
Filed by GE Precision Healthcare LLC, Wauwatosa, WI (US)
Filed on Oct. 31, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/051,433.
Prior Publication US 2024/0138786 A1, May 2, 2024
Int. Cl. A61B 6/40 (2024.01); A61B 6/00 (2006.01); A61B 6/03 (2006.01); A61B 6/58 (2024.01)
CPC A61B 6/4021 (2013.01) [A61B 6/032 (2013.01); A61B 6/5205 (2013.01); A61B 6/54 (2013.01); A61B 6/582 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computed tomography (CT) system, comprising:
an X-ray tube including a cathode and a target, and an X-ray controller including one or more processors having executable instructions stored in a non-transitory memory of the CT system that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
during a first view of a CT scan of an object, focus an electron beam generated by the cathode at a first focal spot on a target of the X-ray tube, the first focal spot of a first size;
during a second view of the CT scan, focus the electron beam at a second focal spot on the target, the second focal spot of a second size, the second size different from the first size; and
reconstruct an image of the object from projection data including the first view and the second view;
wherein;
the CT scan is an mA modulated scan, and the first size is selected based on a first amount of current applied to the cathode in accordance with an mA modulation profile,
the second size is selected based on a second amount of current applied to the cathode in accordance with the mA modulation profile, the second amount different from the first amount, and
a total number of views of the CT scan is divided into a plurality of portions of consecutive views, each portion of the plurality of portions based on a corresponding range of current values of the mA modulation profile, and the electron beam is focused to generate a focal spot of a different size for a duration of each portion.