JP2007292521A - X-ray inspection device for carriage with castor wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an X-ray inspection device for a carriage with a castor wheel capable of dispensing with fixing work and releasing work for the castor wheel, capable of dispensing with transfer (loading an unloading) for the whole carriage and a loaded cargo, and capable of conveying smoothly the loaded cargo, as it is, to be inspected. <P>SOLUTION: The X-ray inspection device includes an X-ray inspection tunnel 10 having an opening 11 capable of passing the carriage 1 with the castor wheel having the castor wheel 2 therethrough, and for irradiating an inspected object loaded on the carriage with an X-ray to inspect the inspected object, and a carriage conveying device 20 for conveying the carriage 1 horizontally while clamping it from both sides, and for passing the opening of the X-ray inspection tunnel. The carriage conveying device 20 is provided with a pair of conveying belts 22 having vertical conveying faces 22a, and a pair of belt driving devices 24 for moving the conveying belts under the condition where the conveying belts are held vertically, and carry out horizontal conveyance while clamping vertical side faces 3a of a bed plate 3 by the pair of conveying belts. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an X-ray inspection apparatus for inspecting a cargo loaded on a cart with caster wheels as it is.

  X-ray inspection that detects X-rays in the inspection and baggage inspections at customs and airports and images the intensity distribution of the transmitted X-rays to detect internal foreign objects (cutlery, firearms, drugs, dangerous materials, etc.) Devices have been widely used in the past (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-104175, “Material Specific X-ray Inspection Device” JP 2003-279503 A, "X-ray inspection apparatus"

  As disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, in the conventional X-ray inspection apparatus, generally, the inspection object is placed on a belt conveyor and conveyed, and X-rays are irradiated on the inspection object in the middle of the inspection object. The inside is inspected.

  On the other hand, in logistics such as mail and parcels, a transport cart with caster wheels as illustrated in FIG. 5 is widely used. A cart with caster wheels consists of a rectangular horizontal base plate with caster wheels on the lower surface and a basket (for example, a rectangular frame made of a metal mesh plate) fixed on the upper surface of the horizontal base plate. Mail and parcels that are easy to collapse can be loaded randomly and transported freely with caster wheels.

However, when inspecting cargo (postal items, parcels, etc.) loaded on a cart with caster wheels with a conventional X-ray inspection apparatus, there are the following problems.
(1) A shielding curtain that shields X-rays is usually provided at the entrance of the X-ray inspection apparatus so that X-rays irradiating the inspection object do not leak outside. This shielding curtain is made of a strip-shaped rubber plate containing lead with its upper end fixed in order to enhance shielding performance.
Therefore, the resistance when pushing out the shielding curtain is large, and even if the transport cart with caster wheels is placed on the belt conveyor and transported as it is, the caster wheels run idle due to the resistance of the shielding curtain, and the transportation itself cannot be smoothly performed. .
(2) In addition, this problem can be avoided if the caster wheels are fixed so that they do not run idle and then transported on a belt conveyor. However, it is necessary to frequently fix and release the caster wheels. Cannot be implemented efficiently.
(3) Further, when the X-ray inspection apparatus is installed on the floor surface, the upper surface (conveyance surface) of the belt conveyor is at least 400 mm or more due to the internal drive mechanism. Therefore, when the caster wheels are fixed, it is necessary to transfer the transport cart with caster wheels from the horizontal floor surface to the upper surface of the belt conveyor. This transfer takes time and effort, further improving the work efficiency of the X-ray inspection. It was getting worse.

  In other words, since the transport cart with caster wheels used for loading and transporting postal parcels has caster wheels at the bottom, when performing a fluoroscopic inspection with a belt conveyor type X-ray inspection device, the belt conveyor of the inspection device is temporarily stopped. It was necessary to load and unload the transport cart. Furthermore, since it was necessary to operate the caster wheels, high inspection efficiency could not be obtained.

  The present invention has been developed to solve the above-described problems. That is, the object of the present invention is that the fixing operation and the releasing operation of the caster wheels are unnecessary, the conveyance height is low (for example, 100 mm or less), and it is not necessary to transfer (load and unload) the entire cart and the loaded cargo. An object of the present invention is to provide an X-ray inspection apparatus for a transport cart with caster wheels, which can smoothly and efficiently carry loaded cargo as it is.

According to the present invention, an X-ray inspection tunnel has an opening through which a transport cart with caster wheels having caster wheels can pass, and inspects the test object by irradiating the test object loaded on the transport cart with X-rays. When,
There is provided an X-ray inspection apparatus for a carriage with a caster wheel, comprising: a carriage conveyance device that horizontally conveys the conveyance carriage from both sides and passes through an opening of the X-ray inspection tunnel. The

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transport cart with caster wheels has a horizontal base plate having the caster wheels below, and a container that is fixed to the upper surface of the base plate and accommodates an object to be inspected. The base plate has vertical side surfaces extending in the transport direction and parallel to each other,
The carriage conveyance device includes a pair of conveyance belts having a vertical conveyance surface, and a pair of belt driving devices that move the conveyance belt horizontally while holding the conveyance belt vertically. It is transported horizontally with the vertical sides of both sides sandwiched from both sides.

One of the conveyor belts has a vertical conveyor surface positioned at a reference position in the width direction,
The other of the transport belts is configured such that a vertical transport surface is movable in the width direction.

  The cart conveying device has a guide rail for guiding the caster wheels of the cart through the opening of the X-ray inspection tunnel.

The X-ray inspection tunnel includes an X-ray irradiation apparatus that irradiates the inspection object with X-rays,
An X-ray detector for detecting the intensity of X-rays transmitted through the inspection object;
A controller for controlling the X-ray generator and the X-ray detector;

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the said X-ray inspection tunnel is equipped with the cart sensor which detects the conveyance cart located in the predetermined position in an X-ray irradiation area | region.

A shielding wall that surrounds a passage of the carriage that passes through the X-ray inspection tunnel and shields X-ray leakage to the outside;
A shielding curtain provided on the entrance side and the exit side of the shielding wall for shielding X-rays.

  According to the above configuration of the present invention, the X-ray inspection tunnel has an opening through which the transport cart with caster wheels can pass, and the cart transport device horizontally transports the transport cart from both sides to Because it passes through the opening, there is no need to fix and release the caster wheels, and there is no need to transfer the entire cart and the loaded cargo (loading and unloading). Can be inspected.

Since the carriage conveying device is composed of a pair of conveying belts having a vertical conveying surface and a pair of belt driving devices that move while holding the conveying belt vertically, the belt surface (conveying surface) is raised 1 The pair of conveyor belts can sandwich the both sides of the transport carriage and pass through the X-ray inspection tunnel.
In addition, since the weight of the entire carriage (for example, 600 kg or more) passes through the X-ray inspection tunnel while being supported by the caster wheels, the load on the carriage transport device is only the resistance of the shielding curtain, greatly reducing the load. can do.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, common portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a transport cart with caster wheels used in the present invention. In this figure, (A) and (B) differ only in height.
The transport cart 1 with caster wheels used in the present invention has a horizontal base plate 3 having caster wheels 2 below, and a car 4 that is fixed to the upper surface of the base plate 3 and accommodates an object to be inspected. The caster wheel 2 is composed of two fixed casters on the front side in the traveling direction and two free casters on the rear side in this example. The front and rear wheels may be the same tread (wheel spacing).
Further, the car 4 is a rectangular frame made of, for example, a metal mesh plate, in which a mail piece or a parcel that tends to collapse is loaded randomly. The car 4 preferably has a shape and material that does not protrude from the side surface of the base plate 3 and does not adversely affect the X-ray inspection of the internal inspection object. Further, it is preferable that at least one side of the car 4 is a double door type in order to facilitate loading and unloading of the luggage (inspection object).
Further, the horizontal base plate 3 has vertical side surfaces 3a extending in the transport direction (right direction in this figure) and parallel to each other.
In addition, the cart 1 with a caster wheel used by this invention is not limited to this structure, As long as the base plate 3 has the vertical side surface 3a extended in a conveyance direction and mutually parallel, it is possible to use arbitrary carts. it can.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an X-ray inspection apparatus according to the present invention. In this figure, the X-ray inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes an X-ray inspection tunnel 10 and a carriage transport device 20.
The X-ray inspection tunnel 10 has an opening 11 through which a caster wheeled transport cart 1 having caster wheels 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as a transport cart 1) can pass, and X-rays can be applied to an inspection object loaded on the transport cart 1. Irradiated to inspect the inspection object.

2A is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.
2A and 2B, an X-ray inspection tunnel 10 includes an X-ray irradiation apparatus 12 that irradiates an inspection object with X-rays, and an X-ray detector that detects the intensity of X-rays that have passed through the inspection object. 14 and 2 sets.

The X-ray irradiation apparatus 12 irradiates the inspection object in the transport carriage 1 with X-rays. X-rays to be irradiated may be either continuous X-rays or pulsed X-rays.
Note that the X-ray irradiation device 12 may be a linear irradiation device that linearly irradiates the transport cart 1 with X-rays.

The X-ray detector 14 detects the intensity of X-rays that have passed through the inspection object 1.
The X-ray detector 14 is, for example, a multi-channel linear detector that detects the intensity of linear X-rays that have passed through the inspection object 1.
This linear detector includes a plurality of X-ray / light converting elements arranged in a line adjacent to each other, for example, a scintillator, and a plurality of photodiodes that respectively detect light emitted by the X-rays of each scintillator.
With this configuration, the intensity distribution of linear X-rays that have passed through the inspection object 1 can be detected simultaneously by a plurality of scintillators.

In FIG. 2 (A), the X-ray irradiation apparatus 12 is installed in the upper part of the X-ray inspection tunnel 10, and irradiates the X-ray from the X-ray generation part 12a linearly. In this case, the X-ray detector 14 has linear detectors provided on the bottom and sides facing the irradiation unit 12a, and detects the intensity of the linear X-rays that have passed through the inspection object in the transport carriage 1. To do.
Further, in FIG. 2B, the X-ray irradiation apparatus 12 is installed on the side portion of the X-ray inspection tunnel 10 and irradiates the X-rays from the X-ray generation unit 12a linearly. In this case, the X-ray detector 14 has linear detectors provided on the upper part and the side part facing the irradiation part 12a, and detects the intensity of the linear X-rays transmitted through the inspection object in the transport carriage 1. To do.

The control device 16 processes the X-ray intensity detected by the X-ray detector 14 to construct a fluoroscopic image.
For example, the control device 16 classifies the material of the inspection object by the equivalent atomic number based on the intensity of the transmitted X-ray obtained from the X-ray detector 14 and outputs the result.
The control device 16 includes a display device that displays an image of the X-ray intensity transmitted through the object to be examined. For example, the equivalent atomic number section is colored and displayed on the image.

  With the configuration described above, a perspective image in which the viewpoint is changed by linearly irradiating X-rays in two directions crossing (for example, orthogonal to) the transport direction at the same time by transporting the transport cart 1 horizontally by the cart transport device 20. Can be obtained and a more reliable inspection can be performed.

  In FIG. 1, the cart transport device 20 transports the transport cart 1 horizontally from both sides and passes through the opening 11 of the X-ray inspection tunnel 10.

FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line CC in FIG. In this figure, the carriage transport device 20 includes an entrance-side transport device 20A located on the entrance side of the X-ray inspection tunnel 10, an exit-side transport device 20B located on the exit side of the X-ray inspection tunnel 10, and an entrance-side transport device 20A. It further comprises an auxiliary transfer device 20C located on the entrance side.
The auxiliary conveyance device 20C is not essential and can be omitted as long as the carriage can be moved manually or the like.

In FIG. 3, each carriage conveying device 20 includes a pair of conveying belts 22 and a pair of belt driving devices 24.
Each conveyor belt 22 is an endless belt having a vertical conveyor surface 22a. Each conveyor belt 22 is preferably set to a height and a width necessary and sufficient to sandwich the vertical side surface 3a of the base plate 3 from both sides.
Each belt driving device 24 is composed of front and rear belt pulleys that rotate about a vertical axis and their driving motors, and is moved horizontally while holding the endless belt conveying surface 22a vertically.
With this configuration, the pair of two conveyor belts 22 positioned on both sides of the transport carriage 1 are driven in synchronization, and the two side surfaces of the base plate 3 are horizontally sandwiched between the two conveyor belts 22 from both sides. Can be conveyed.

One of the conveyor belts 22 (upper side in this figure) is positioned with the vertical conveyor surface 22a fixed at the reference position in the width direction.
The other side (the lower side in this figure) of the conveyor belt 22 is installed on the traversing base 25 together with the belt drive device 24, and the conveyor surface 22a is moved by a linear actuator 26 or a biasing device (spring or the like). It is configured to be movable in the width direction toward the upper conveyance surface 22a while maintaining parallel to the opposite upper conveyance surface 22a.
With this configuration, the width error of the carriage can be absorbed and the carriage 1 can be transported while positioning the width direction of the carriage 1 at the reference position, so that a precise inspection while maintaining the attitude of the carriage can be performed.

In FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the cart conveyance device 20 further includes a guide rail 28 that guides the caster wheels 2 of the transport cart 1 through the opening 11 of the X-ray inspection tunnel 10.
In this example, the guide rail 28 is composed of two concave grooves that match the tread (wheel interval) of the caster wheel 2. For this guide rail 28, for example, a steel plate (channel) having a U-shaped cross section can be used.
Further, in this example, the guide rail 28 includes a horizontal portion 28a extending horizontally and an inclined portion 28b before and after the horizontally extending portion 28a. The vehicle can be moved by simply pressing the transport cart 1 lightly.
Further, since the height of the horizontal portion 28a is low, the inclined portion 28b can be shortened.
The height of the horizontal portion 28a is about 80 mm in this example, but it is preferable to make it lower as long as the X-ray detector 14 described above can be installed below the guide rail 28.

In FIG. 3, the X-ray inspection tunnel 10 includes cart sensors 18a and 18b for detecting a transport cart at a predetermined position. The cart sensors 18a and 18b are, for example, photoelectric switches.
The cart sensor 18a on the entrance side is installed in the trouble of the X-ray irradiation line because it takes time to turn on (pressurize) the X-ray. This distance is preferably set by adding an allowance to the conveyance speed × pressure increase time.
The cart sensor 18b on the exit side is installed on the downstream side of the X-ray irradiation line in order to minimize the X-ray irradiation time, protect the X-ray generator, and extend the life. The cart sensor 18b may be omitted, and the X-ray irradiation time may be determined from the cart length, the conveyance speed, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the X-ray inspection apparatus of the present invention further includes a shielding wall 32 that surrounds the passage of the transport carriage 1 that passes through the X-ray inspection tunnel 10 and shields X-ray leakage to the outside. And a shielding curtain 34 that shields X-rays provided on the entrance side and the exit side.

  The shielding wall 32 includes a ceiling, a floor plate, and two side plates that surround the passage of the carriage 1, and is configured by a member (for example, a metal plate) having high X-ray shielding performance. The portion facing the X-ray generation part of the box containing the X-ray detector 14 described above is made of a material that easily transmits X-rays (for example, plastic), and the X-ray detector 14 has an X-ray detector behind the X-ray detector 14. A member with high shielding performance (for example, lead) is preferably disposed.

In this example, the shielding curtain 34 includes a first shielding curtain 34 a and a second shielding curtain 34 b that are arranged at an interval on the entrance side of the X-ray inspection tunnel 10, and a third that is arranged on the exit side of the X-ray inspection tunnel 10. It consists of a shielding curtain 34c.
Each shielding curtain 34 is preferably made of a strip-shaped rubber plate containing lead with its upper end fixed to enhance shielding performance.
In addition, the distance between the first shielding curtain 34a and the second shielding curtain 34b is such that when the transport carriage 1 passes through the shielding curtain, at least one of the first shielding curtain 34a hangs downward due to its own weight, and always irradiates the inspection object. It is set to a sufficiently long distance (for example, higher than the height of the transport carriage) so that X-rays do not leak outside.

In this example, there is one third shielding curtain 34c, and when the carriage 1 passes through the third shielding curtain 34c, X-rays are not irradiated. However, the same configuration as the entrance side may be used. .
Further, the shielding curtain is not limited to the above-described structure, and may be automatically opened and closed by the approach of the carriage 1, for example.

  FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory view of the X-ray inspection apparatus of the present invention. In this figure, (A) to (G) show a series of states from immediately after (A) when a single carriage 1 is carried into the apparatus to immediately after (G) is carried out.

  In FIG. 4 (A), since the preceding transport carriage 1 has passed away from the first shielding curtain 34a, the first shielding curtain 34a is partially opened, but the other second shielding curtain 34b and the second The three shielding curtains 34c are fully closed. Further, in this state, the cart sensor 18a does not detect the transport cart, and the X-ray irradiation by the X-ray irradiation device 12 is in an OFF state correspondingly.

4B and 4C, the auxiliary transport device 20C and the entrance-side transport device 20A are operated to transport the transport cart 1 horizontally from both sides, and the cart sensor 18a detects the transport cart 1 to detect X-rays. The irradiation apparatus 12 is started, X-ray irradiation by the X-ray irradiation apparatus 12 is turned on, and the transport cart 1 is inspected by X-ray. In this state, the first shielding curtain 34a and the third shielding curtain 34c are fully closed to prevent X-ray leakage.
In FIG. 4D, since the second shielding curtain 34b is fully closed, the next transporting carriage 1 passes through the first shielding curtain 34a. In this state, the X-ray inspection of the preceding transport cart is continued.

  In FIG. 4 (E), the cart sensor 18b detects the carry-out of the preceding transport cart 1, turns off the X-ray irradiation by the X-ray irradiation device 12, and ends the inspection. In this state, the second shielding curtain 34b and the third shielding curtain 34c are fully closed, and X-ray irradiation is turned off.

  In FIG. 4 (F), since the preceding transport cart 1 passes away the third shielding curtain 34c, the third shielding curtain 34c is partially opened, but the second shielding curtain 34b is fully closed. Yes. In this state, the X-ray irradiation apparatus 12 is stopped and X-ray irradiation is in an OFF state.

  In FIG. 4G, the preceding transport cart 1 is unloaded from this device, and the next transport cart 1 is in the state (A).

  By the series of operations described above, it is possible to inspect the transport cart 1 on which the inspection object is continuously loaded without stopping the cart transport device.

  As described above, according to the configuration of the present invention, the X-ray inspection tunnel 10 has the opening 11 through which the transport cart 1 with caster wheels can pass, and the cart transport device 20 transports the transport cart 1 horizontally from both sides. Then, since the opening 11 of the X-ray inspection tunnel is passed, it is not necessary to fix and release the caster wheels, and it is not necessary to transfer (load and unload) the entire cart and the loaded cargo. Can be transported smoothly and efficiently.

Further, since the carriage conveying device 20 includes a pair of conveying belts 22 having a vertical conveying surface and a pair of belt driving devices 24 that move while holding the conveying belt vertically, a belt surface (conveying surface 22a). ) Can be passed through the X-ray inspection tunnel 10 by sandwiching both side surfaces of the carriage with two conveyor belts.
In addition, since the weight of the entire carriage (for example, 600 kg or more) passes through the X-ray inspection tunnel while being supported by the caster wheels, the load on the carriage transport device is only the resistance of the shielding curtain, greatly reducing the load. can do.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, Of course, it can change variously in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an X-ray inspection apparatus of the present invention. It is AA sectional drawing and BB sectional drawing of FIG. It is CC arrow line view of FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the X-ray inspection apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram of the carrier cart with a caster wheel used by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Carriage truck with caster wheels, 2 caster wheels,
3 base plate, 3a vertical side, 4 basket,
10 X-ray inspection tunnel, 11 opening,
12 X-ray irradiation apparatus, 12a X-ray generation part (focus),
14 X-ray detector, 16 controller,
18a, 18b cart sensor,
20 cart transport device, 20A entrance side transport device,
20B Exit side transfer device, 20C Auxiliary transfer device,
22 conveying belt, 22a conveying surface,
24 belt drive, 25 ramp,
26 linear actuator, 28 guide rail,
28a horizontal part, 28b inclined part,
32 shielding walls, 34 shielding curtains,
34a first shielding curtain, 34b second shielding curtain,
34c 3rd shielding curtain

Claims (7)

An X-ray inspection tunnel for inspecting the inspection object by irradiating the inspection object loaded on the transportation carriage with an X-ray, having an opening through which the transportation wheel with a caster wheel having a caster wheel can pass;
An X-ray inspection apparatus for a carriage with a caster wheel, comprising: a carriage conveyance device that horizontally conveys the conveyance cart from both sides and passes the opening of the X-ray inspection tunnel. The transport cart with caster wheels has a horizontal base plate having caster wheels on the lower side and a cage fixed to the upper surface of the base plate to accommodate an object to be inspected. Have vertical sides extending parallel to each other,
The carriage conveyance device includes a pair of conveyance belts having a vertical conveyance surface, and a pair of belt driving devices that move the conveyance belt horizontally while holding the conveyance belt vertically. The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the X-ray inspection apparatus is horizontally transported by sandwiching a vertical side surface thereof from both sides. One of the conveyor belts has a vertical conveyor surface positioned at a reference position in the width direction,
The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the other of the transport belts is configured such that a vertical transport surface is movable in the width direction.   2. The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carriage transport device includes a guide rail that guides a caster wheel of the transport carriage through an opening of the X-ray inspection tunnel. 3. The X-ray inspection tunnel includes an X-ray irradiation apparatus that irradiates an inspection object with X-rays,
An X-ray detector for detecting the intensity of X-rays transmitted through the inspection object;
The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 1, comprising the X-ray generation apparatus and a control apparatus that controls the X-ray detector.   The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the X-ray inspection tunnel includes a cart sensor that detects a transport cart positioned at a predetermined position in the X-ray irradiation region. A shielding wall that surrounds the passage of the carriage that passes through the X-ray inspection tunnel and shields leakage of X-rays to the outside;
The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a shielding curtain that is provided on an entrance side and an exit side of the shielding wall and shields X-rays.

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