X-ray tube anode drive speed monitor including flux pickup coil

A method for monitoring a rotor speed of an X-ray tube anode drive includes acquiring axial flux pickup data from the rotor, using the axial flux pickup data to provide a flux spectrum, and estimating the rotor speed by analyzing the flux spectrum. The step of acquiring axial flux pickup data can include situating an axial leakage flux pickup coil so as to pick up a flux signal from an X-ray tube anode drive rotor while the rotor rotates. An analog flux signal can be converted to a digital flux signal and a fast Fourier transform can be used to transform the digital flux signal into a flux spectrum. The flux spectrum can be used to estimate a drive frequency and a slip frequency and the speed can be estimated by subtracting the slip frequency from the drive frequency and dividing by the number of pole pairs of the X-ray tube anode drive.