Patent ID: 7813478

Claim:
A method comprising: providing a first X-ray source; providing at least a second X-ray source that is independent and discrete from the first X-ray source; providing at least a third X-ray source that is independent and discrete from the first X-ray source and the second X-ray source; selecting when to: emit X-rays from the first X-ray source and X-rays from the second X-ray source towards an object while causing relative motion between the object and the X-ray sources; and emit X-rays from the first X-ray source and X-rays from the third X-ray source towards the object while causing relative motion between the object and the X-ray sources; to thereby provide a selected first X-ray source and an additional X-ray source and an unselected X-ray source; causing relative motion as between: (1) the selected first X-ray source and the additional X-ray source; and (2) an object to be examined; emitting first X-rays from the first X-ray source and second X-rays from the additional X-ray source, but not emitting X-rays from the unselected X-ray source, towards the object while causing the relative motion to thereby provide substantially similar image planes as correspond to the object.