GB1330302A - Handling of radio-active sources - Google Patents

Abstract

1330302 Irradiation apparatus S G YOUNG 1 Oct 1970 [17 July 1969] 36092/69 Heading H5R An isotope capsule 13 mounted in a flexible source holder 2, which is itself housed in the hole 5 of the transport container 1 described in Specification 1,330,301 (see Division B4), is withdrawn from the container and moved to a desired position by the use of manipulating apparatus 3, which is attachable to the container upon removal of a closure cap from the connector 12, and which includes a curved passageas shown, a tube 4-into which the source holder may be retracted by a cable 33, whereafter the tube is rotated about the central axis of its other end through an angle of less than 360 degrees, such that the source holder may then be ejected into a fresh position-as shown, into the further tube 8. The source holder is pulled, by the remote controlled cable 33, into the tube 4-which is secured in a sleeve 17 rotatable in the housing 31-until the end of the source holder strikes the end 36 of the hollow piston 34, whereupon further pulling of the cable moves the piston against the action of the spring 41, rectilinear motion being ensured by a sleeve 39 carried by the piston and by stationary guide pins 37 which engage in grooves in the piston. A spring-urged pin 44 on the piston projects into a track 43 in the sleeve 17, the track having a closed form consisting of two straight-line portions joined by two helical portions (Figs. 5 and 11, not shown), such that with movement of the piston against the spring 41, the sleeve 17 and tube 4 are rotated through 180 degrees so that the end 7 of the tube abuts against the end of the tube 8. In this position the pin 44 will just have reached the end of a helical portion of track 43, so that with release of the cable the pin 44 will traverse a straight portion of the track without turning the sleeve 17, so that the source holder is ejected into tube 8, and may be pushed therealong by continued feeding of the cable. Tube 8 may terminate in a rotatable change-over block 9 containing a curved passage which, by rotation of the block may be brought into alignment with a selected one of a plurality of guide paths 11 leading to a selected exposure position. The source holder is returned to the container 1 by a repetition of the cable actuation procedure. For safety, a roller 22 upon the end of a spring-urged arm 20 extends through a slot in the side of the tube 4 and prevents withdrawal of the source holder from the container 1 until a plate 23 is swung aside by use of a key 24, and arm 20 is depressed, causing a warning signal to be displayed through the window 27; a cam disc 28 carried by the tube 4 maintains roller 22 depressed during rotation of the tube 4, to stop it returning to its blocking position until the tube end 7 is again aligned with the end of the hole 5 of the container 1.