Patent ID: 7852979

Claim:
A CT system, comprising: a rotatable gantry having an opening for receiving an object to be scanned; at least one x-ray source coupled to the gantry and configured to project x-rays toward the object, the at least one x-ray source further comprising an anode comprising a first anode focal spot position and a second anode focal spot position; a detector coupled to the gantry and having a scintillator therein and configured to receive x-rays that pass through the object; a generator configured to energize the at least one x-ray source; and a controller configured to: energize the generator to project a first beam of x-rays toward the object from the first anode focal spot position of an anode, the first beam of x-rays having a ray traversing a first path through the object; acquire imaging data from the first beam of x-rays; position the at least one x-ray source such that a second beam of x-rays projected from the second anode focal spot position of the anode has a ray directed to traverse a second path through the object, the second anode focal spot position different than the first anode focal spot position, wherein the first path and second path through the object are the same; wherein the controller, in being configured to position the at least one x-ray source, is configured to position the second anode focal spot position of the at least one x-ray source such that the second beam of x-rays has a second Z-position different from a first Z-position of the first beam of x-rays; energize the generator to project the second beam of x-rays toward the object; and acquire imaging data from the second beam of x-rays.