Patent ID: 6977985

Claim:
An x-ray laminography imaging system comprising: an x-ray source that projects x-rays onto an object being imaged; a detector that detects x-rays that pass through the object during a plurality of laminographic pattern scans; a positioning system configured to move the object in X, Y and Z-directions to cause each of a plurality of points at particular locations along a contour of a surface of the object to be positioned at a particular respective position when a particular respective object plane of the object is imaged, each respective position being defined by an X-coordinate, a Y-coordinate and a Z-coordinate, the X and Y-coordinates defining the positions in a first plane and the Z-coordinate defining the positions in a second plane that is non-parallel to the first plane, wherein the positioning system comprises at least three prismatic-spherical-prismatic (PSP) joint configurations, and wherein each joint configuration comprises at least a Z-direction actuator; and an electronic processor in communication with the positioning system, the processor being configured to execute an algorithm that generates electrical output data signals that control the positioning system, and wherein the output data signals cause the positioning system to move the object in selected X, Y and Z-directions to position each of said points at particular respective positions and impart motion to the object to cause the object plane associated with each respective point to be at least substantially coincident with or at least substantially parallel to a focal plane of the imaging system, the X and Y-directions being within the first plane, the Z-direction being within the second plane.