JP2013250140A - X-ray inspection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To clean an X-ray inspection device with high-pressure water without any problem.SOLUTION: An X-ray inspection device includes a belt conveyor having a belt 15 and a plurality of rollers 20, a shielding cover which covers the conveyor and can be opened and closed, an X-ray emission source, and a sensor. Each of the rollers 20 includes a support shaft 21 whose shaft end faces a front side, a bearing 24 provided to the support shaft, a cylinder 25 around which the bearing is fitted by insertion and which is wound with the belt, a seal member 26 around which the support shaft is fitted by insertion and which keeps the bearing hermetic inside the cylinder, and a protection member 27 around which the support shaft is fitted by insertion and which is provided outside the seal member. Even when the cover is opened and the conveyor is cleaned with high-pressure water, the seal member is protected by the protection member from the high-pressure water and a breakdown due to water entering the bearing is not caused.

Description

  In the present invention, X-rays are irradiated while conveying an object to be inspected by a belt conveyor in which a belt is wound around a plurality of rollers, and the X-ray transmitted through the object is detected by a sensor to inspect the object to be inspected. It is related to X-ray inspection equipment, and is equipped with a cover that can be opened and closed, especially covering the belt conveyor. When cleaning, this cover is opened and high pressure water is emitted to the internal structure including the belt conveyor. The present invention relates to an X-ray inspection apparatus capable of performing general cleaning.

  The following Patent Document 1 includes a cantilever frame 10 having one end portion as a free end and the other end portion as a support end, and supports the transport mechanism 3 that moves at least an object to be inspected by the cantilever frame. An invention of an X-ray foreign matter inspection apparatus 1 having a configuration is disclosed. In this X-ray foreign substance inspection apparatus, by adopting a cantilever frame structure, it is possible to make a structure in which there are no supporting leg members on the side and bottom portions of the X-ray foreign substance inspection apparatus 1. Tools and replacement parts can be inserted into the X-ray foreign matter inspection apparatus without interfering with the X-ray foreign matter inspection apparatus, so that maintenance such as repair and cleaning of the conveyor belt 33 and X-ray detector, or parts replacement can be easily performed. It is supposed to be possible.

  Patent Document 2 below discloses an invention of an X-ray foreign object detection device that can easily change the device configuration in accordance with the type and state of an object to be inspected while maintaining the X-ray shielding capability. An opening 5a is formed at the substantially central portion of the housing 5 of the X-ray foreign object detection device. The opening 5a is open at the front and left and right sides of the housing, and the transport unit 3 is detachably fixed thereto. Yes. The transport unit 3 transports an object to be inspected from the left side surface to the right side surface of the opening of the housing. In the opening 5a of the housing, the front surface of the transport unit 3 is covered with a cover 34, and both left and right side surfaces (front side and rear side in the transport direction) are covered with covers 32 and 33, respectively. Shielding. When the X-ray shielding sheet cannot be provided inside the apparatus due to the type of the object to be inspected, etc., the transport unit 3 and the covers 32, 33, and 34 are transported to a predetermined extent that attenuates the X-rays to a necessary level. Replace it with a longer one. When there are existing front-stage devices and rear-stage devices, it is possible to prevent leakage of X-rays outside the housing by using the covers 32 and 33 that protrude onto the conveyors of these front-stage devices and rear-stage devices.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-183407 JP 2002-82070 A

  The inventions of the X-ray foreign matter detection devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 both irradiate an object to be inspected being conveyed by a belt conveyor in which a belt is wound around a plurality of rollers, and the object to be conveyed X-rays transmitted through the belt conveyor are detected by a sensor below the belt conveyor, and foreign matter contained in the inspection object is detected. In the apparatus having such a structure, dirt caused by the object to be inspected may adhere to the inner surface of the belt conveyor or the casing inside the apparatus, and in particular, it may be necessary to clean the inside of the apparatus. For example, when using an X-ray foreign substance detection device for inspection of meat and other foods, components that exude from food, food debris, etc. adhere to the belt conveyor, the inner surface of the housing, etc. Therefore, regular cleaning of the equipment was indispensable, and it was necessary to clean the inside of the equipment especially in accordance with the laws of the country concerned, the standards of supervisory authorities, industry organizations, etc. More specifically, in an example in a certain country, in an X-ray foreign object detection device for examining chicken, blow out debris etc. with predetermined high-pressure water inside the device including the inner surface of the transport device and the housing. In some cases, it is required to wash, in which case, for example, high-pressure hot water of 80 ° C. and 8 MPa defined in German standard IP69K is used as high-pressure water.

  According to the invention of the X-ray foreign matter detection device disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, if the fixed cover 61 and the front cover 34 on the front side of the device are opened, the transport mechanism 3 or the transport unit 3 that transports the inspection object. In addition, since the inside of the casing through which the object to be inspected is exposed to the outside, it is possible to perform cleaning by blowing off debris and the like using the high-pressure hot water as described above.

  However, according to a belt conveyance type conveyance mechanism that conveys an object to be inspected in a conventional X-ray inspection apparatus, the roller portion around which the belt is wound has insufficient durability against high-pressure water. In some cases, moisture may enter the device and cause malfunctions. Some X-ray inspection devices that require the belt conveyor to be washed with high-pressure water can be removed by removing the belt and roller of the belt conveyor from the main unit. Since it can be devised as appropriate, problems such as the ingress of moisture into the roller are relatively unlikely to occur, but it is still difficult to completely avoid the ingress of moisture into the bearing depending on how high pressure water is sprayed onto the roller. . In contrast to this, there is a device in which the belt can be removed but the roller cannot be removed from the main body in consideration of the possibility of failure or loss due to poor handling of the removed roller. In that case, when cleaning, the high pressure water is radiated from the end face side facing the front to the belt conveyor roller that conveys the article in the left-right direction when viewed from the front side of the apparatus. Problems such as intrusion into the water are more likely to occur. In order to seal the bearing inside the roller, it is conceivable to provide an oil seal such as rubber at the shaft end of the roller. However, if the high pressure water as described above is sprayed onto the shaft end, the oil seal can be easily deformed. It is thought that it is inevitable that the water will be drowned and water will enter the internal bearing.

  In addition, a belt conveyor provided with lubricating oil supply means such as a grease cup to supply lubricating oil to the bearing inside the roller is also known, but the structure is complicated and the manufacturing cost and maintenance cost are low. Due to the high problem, there is a demand for the belt conveyor of the X-ray inspection apparatus to omit such lubricating oil supply means if possible. However, in the case of an X-ray inspection apparatus in which the belt conveyor needs to be cleaned with high-pressure water, even if an oil seal is provided for retaining the lubricating oil of the bearing, this oil seal is It is thought that it deforms with high-pressure water and swells up. For this reason, not only water enters the bearing, but the internal bearing may be exposed to the outside, which may cause problems such as outflow of lubricating oil, deterioration of lubricating oil, etc. There were circumstances that were difficult.

In addition, in the conventional X-ray inspection apparatus, because the internal cleaning with the high-pressure water is not planned as described above, in addition to the roller of the belt conveyor, the structural portion that cannot withstand the injection of the high-pressure water There was also a problem that there was.
For example, in the belt conveyor described above, the left and right ends protrude from the shielding structure casing serving as the main body, and the protruding both end portions may be covered with a shielding structure cover that is a member different from the casing. . This cover is normally openable and closable for convenience of cleaning, etc. However, in order to stably clean the inner surface side of the cover that is easily soiled with high-pressure water, the cover in the opened state must be opened. It is necessary to fix it securely and temporarily with strength that does not withstand water pressure. However, conventionally, there has been no cover fixing means that is used only for cleaning by such a special technique. Moreover, such a fixing means is also required to have a storage property so as not to interfere with work when not in use, so that a simple fixing structure alone is not sufficient as an industrial device with excellent usability. Conceivable.

  FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the inside of the housing of the conventional X-ray inspection apparatus, in the vicinity of the position where X-rays are irradiated to the inspection object conveyed by the belt conveyor. The X-ray inspection apparatus includes a housing having an X-ray shielding structure and a belt conveyor provided so as to penetrate both left and right side surfaces of the housing. As shown in this figure, a space S (room) through which an object to be inspected conveyed by the belt conveyor passes is defined in the housing through which the belt conveyor passes. This space S is partitioned by a conveyor surface F of the belt conveyor, a ceiling C that is the upper inner surface of the housing, and both side walls on the front side and the back side in the figure, and the object to be inspected is a space S on the left side in the figure. The right side is an entrance through which the object to be inspected is carried out from the space S. The inlet and the outlet communicate with the internal space of the cover that covers the left and right ends of the belt conveyor. An X-ray generation source 1 is provided in a casing above the space S in the casing (that is, inside the ceiling C), and a slit 2 orthogonal to the transport direction is provided in the ceiling C of the space S. . Conventionally, a pair of shield plates 3 and 3 are attached in parallel to each other in a state of being suspended from the ceiling C at a predetermined interval before and after the slit 2 in the transport direction. The pair of shield plates 3 and 3 suspended from the ceiling C are means for limiting the irradiation range of the X-rays radiated from the X-ray generation source 1 in the space S, and are constituted by metal plates having a shielding function. Has been. X-rays radiated downward from the X-ray generation source 1 are radiated from the gaps at the lower ends of the pair of shield plates 3 and 3 and spread in a triangular frustum shape, and are irradiated toward the conveyance surface F in the space S. The A sensor 4 for detecting X-rays is provided on the lower side of the belt conveyor on the opposite side of the X-ray irradiation position.

  As described above, in the conventional X-ray inspection apparatus, the pair of shield plates 3, 3 are attached so as to protrude downward from the ceiling C in the space S irradiated with X-rays in the housing. In order to prevent X-ray leakage, the gap between the pair of shield plates 3 and 3 is desired to be set as narrow as possible. However, if the gap is set as narrow as possible, it may be difficult to clean the object to be transported in the gap. There was a problem. In addition, if the inside of the pair of shield plates 3 and 3 is suspended from the ceiling C and the interior is cleaned with high-pressure water as described above, in addition to the front side surfaces of the shield plates 3, Since it is necessary to clean the gap between the shield plates 3 and 3 in a reliable manner, it is necessary to change the radiation direction of the high-pressure water in various ways, and to perform necessary cleaning work by completely blowing off debris and the like. Has a problem that a great deal of labor is required. Further, since the shield plate 3 has a structure in which one side of the plate-like member is fixed to the ceiling C, when high-pressure water is sprayed on the plate surface, a great force is applied to the fixed portion at the base, and the interval changes due to deformation. Therefore, there is also a problem that the X-ray irradiation performance may be affected. Furthermore, in spite of various problems as described above, even if the gap between the pair of shield plates 3 and 3 is set to be narrow, the shielding effect is due to the X-rays transmitted from the plate surface of the shield plate 3 in the first place. There was also a problem that there was a limit.

  The present invention has been made in view of the various problems described above, and in an X-ray inspection apparatus having a structure in which a belt conveyor that conveys an object to be conveyed is covered with a cover that can be opened and closed, the belt conveyor is used for cleaning. The object is to enable effective cleaning without damaging equipment by radiating high-pressure water to the internal structure.

The X-ray inspection apparatus 10 according to claim 1 is:
A belt conveyor 5 that conveys an object to be inspected by a belt 15 and a plurality of rollers 20, an X-ray generation source 1 that irradiates the object to be conveyed on the belt conveyor 5 with X-rays, and an X-ray that has passed through the object to be conveyed In an X-ray inspection apparatus 10 that includes a sensor 4 to be detected and a cover 6 that can be opened and closed to cover the belt conveyor 5, and inspects an inspection object by X-rays detected by the sensor 4.
The rollers 20 of the belt conveyor 5 are
A support shaft 21 provided at a position exposed when the cover 6 is opened;
A bearing 24 provided by extrapolating the support shaft 21;
A cylindrical body 25 provided by extrapolating the bearing 24, provided with openings 25a at both ends, and around which the belt 15 is wound;
A seal member 26 provided by extrapolating the support shaft 21, sealing the opening 25 a of the cylindrical body 25 and enclosing the bearing 24 in the cylindrical body 25;
A protective member 27 that is provided by extrapolating the support shaft 21 and is disposed closer to the opening 25a of the cylindrical body 25 than the seal member 26, and protects the seal member 26;
It is characterized by comprising.

The X-ray inspection apparatus 10 according to claim 2 is the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 according to claim 1,
At least a housing 7 that covers the X-ray generation source 1 and the sensor 4, first holding means 30 provided on the cover 6, and a base end portion rotatably attached to the surface of the housing 7 A support rod 31 that supports the cover 6 in an opened state with the tip held by the first holding means 30 of the opened cover 6, and the support rod 31 when the cover 6 is closed. And a second holding means 32 for holding in a state in contact with 7.

The X-ray inspection apparatus 10 described in claim 3 is the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 according to claim 2,
The shield plate 35 for limiting the irradiation range of the X-rays radiated from the X-ray generation source 1 is housed inside the ceiling C of the casing 7 above the belt conveyor 5.

  According to the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 recited in claim 1, when the cover 6 that covers the belt conveyor 5 is opened for cleaning the inside of the apparatus, at least one of the support shafts 21 of the rollers 20 of the belt conveyor 5. The end face side is exposed to at least one side of the device. From this side, if high-pressure water is radiated to the inside of the belt conveyor 5 and the apparatus, the debris of the object to be transported and other unnecessary items adhering to the inside of the belt conveyor 5 and the apparatus are blown off and effective cleaning is performed. Can do. This cleaning operation can be performed without disassembling the belt conveyor 5. Here, since one end surface side of the support shaft 21 of the roller 20 of the belt conveyor 5 faces the side where the high-pressure water is radiated, there is a possibility that the high-pressure water is directly sprayed on the end surface of the roller 20. is there. However, among the openings 25a of the cylindrical body 25 at the end face of the roller 20, at least the opening 25a on the end face side is closed by the protective member 27, and the seal member 26 inside the cylindrical body 25 is directly exposed to the outside. Not. For this reason, even if the high-pressure water directly hits the end face of the roller 20, the high-pressure water is not blocked by the protective member 27 and does not deform the seal member 26 inside. The possibility of inconvenience that water enters the bearing 24 and causes failure is low.

  According to the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 described in claim 2, the cover 6 opened for cleaning the inside of the apparatus can be fixed in the opened state. That is, the support rod 31 held by the second holding means 32 and held in a compact state in contact with the housing 7 is removed from the second holding means 32 and rotated around the base end portion, and the tip end portion is moved. The cover 6 is taken toward the opened cover 6, and the tip of the support bar 31 is held by the first holding means 30 provided on the cover 6. As a result, the opened cover 6 and the housing 7 are firmly connected by the support bar 31, and the state where the internal structure including the belt conveyor 5 is exposed to the outside can be reliably held. Accordingly, high-pressure water is also radiated to the structure or parts inside the cover 6 including the belt conveyor 5 and the back side of the cover 6 to blow off fragments and other unnecessary items of the object to be conveyed, thereby performing effective cleaning. be able to.

  According to the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 described in claim 3, there is a space S in which an object to be inspected is conveyed by the belt conveyor 5 inside the housing 7 of the X-ray shielding structure. An X-ray generation source 1 and a shield plate 35 that limits the irradiation range of X-rays emitted from the X-ray generation source 1 are housed inside the ceiling C that is the upper inner surface. Then, the X-rays radiated from the X-ray generation source 1 are radiated into the space S below from the gap of the shield plate 35 opened to the ceiling C of the casing 7 above the belt conveyor 5 and are on the belt conveyor 5. The object to be inspected is irradiated. The space S inside the casing 7 through which the object to be inspected passes is flat without a projection such as a shield plate on the ceiling C, which is the upper inner surface thereof, so that cleaning with radiation of high-pressure water can be easily performed from one direction. There are few unwashed parts such as debris, and effective cleaning can be performed.

In the X-ray inspection apparatus of 1st Embodiment, it is a perspective view which shows the state which has open | released and fixed the cover of the belt conveyor. In the X-ray inspection apparatus of 1st Embodiment, the cover of a belt conveyor, a front cover, etc. are open | released and it is a front view which shows the state which the end surface of the roller of a belt conveyor is exposed to the front side of an apparatus. It is sectional drawing of the roller of the belt conveyor in the X-ray inspection apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the state which opened and fixed the cover of the belt conveyor in the X-ray inspection apparatus of 1st Embodiment. In the X-ray inspection apparatus of 1st Embodiment, it is a right view which shows the state which opened and fixed the cover of the belt conveyor. FIG. 4A is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the support bar in the X-ray inspection apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the support bar in the X-ray inspection apparatus of FIG. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of the inside of the housing of the X-ray inspection apparatus according to the first embodiment, in the vicinity of a position where X-rays are irradiated to the inspection object conveyed by the belt conveyor. Part (b) is a cross-sectional view of the inside of the housing of the conventional X-ray inspection apparatus, in the vicinity of the position where X-rays are irradiated onto the inspection object conveyed by the belt conveyor.

An X-ray inspection apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The X-ray inspection apparatus 10 has a structure in which a belt conveyor 5 that conveys an object to be inspected is covered with a cover 6 that can be opened and closed, and radiates high-pressure water to the internal structure of the apparatus including the belt conveyor 5. It is characterized by having a structure that can perform cleaning effectively without damaging equipment.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment as viewed obliquely from the front side. The X-ray inspection apparatus 10 includes, as an apparatus main body (frame), a support body including a housing 7 having an X-ray shielding structure disposed in the center of the device and a leg portion 8a that supports the housing 7 on an installation surface. 8. A rectangular front opening 11 leading to the inside of the casing 7 is provided on the front side of the casing 7, and a lower edge of the rectangular front cover 12 is connected to a lower edge of the front opening 11 by a hinge. Yes. The front cover 12 can open and close the front opening 11 of the housing 7 by a pivoting operation in the vertical direction around the hinge. In addition, an inlet opening 13 and an outlet opening 14 communicating with the inside of the casing 7 are provided on both the left and right side surfaces of the casing 7 (the inlet opening 13 does not appear in FIG. 1).

  A belt conveyor as a transport means for transporting the product to be inspected along the transport direction A indicated by an arrow at the bottom of the space S inside the housing 7 communicating with the front opening 11, the entrance opening 13, and the exit opening 14. 5 is installed. The belt conveyor 5 is installed with both end portions protruding from the inlet opening 13 and the outlet opening 14 of the housing 7. Both end portions of the belt conveyor 5 protruding outward from the housing 7 are covered with shielding covers 6 and 6 provided in communication with the inlet opening 13 and the outlet opening 14 of the housing 7, respectively. These covers 6 are substantially box-shaped members whose inlet side, outlet side, and lower surface are released, and are connected to the apparatus main body by a hinge of a rotary shaft that is substantially parallel to the conveying direction A of the belt conveyor 5. These covers 6 can accommodate the belt conveyor 5 inside or be opened to the outside by rotating in the vertical direction around the hinge.

  A drive mechanism 16 for driving the belt 15 is provided in the casing 7 below the central portion of the belt conveyor 5. The drive mechanism 16 has a prime mover such as a motor and a pulley that is driven by the motor to move the belt. The apparatus main body provided with the drive mechanism 16 is connected to the lower side of the drive mechanism 16 so that the lower side of the protective cover 17 can be rotated by a hinge. The protective cover 17 can house the drive mechanism 16 inside or open it to the outside by a pivoting operation in the vertical direction around the hinge.

  In the above configuration, if the cover 6 is opened, both end portions of the belt conveyor 5 protruding from the inlet opening 13 and the outlet opening 14 of the housing 7 are exposed to the outside. Can be accessed from. Further, if the front cover 12 is opened, the space S inside the housing 7 communicates with the outside through the front opening 11 of the housing 7, so that the front portion of the apparatus 10 is not connected to the central portion of the belt conveyor 5. Accessible from the side. Further, if the protective cover 17 is opened, the drive mechanism 16 provided in the apparatus main body is exposed to the outside, and this can be accessed from the front side of the apparatus 10.

  FIG. 2 shows that the two covers 6 and 6 at both ends of the belt conveyor 5, the front cover 12 of the housing 7, and the protective cover 17 of the drive mechanism 16 are visible or accessible from the front side of the apparatus 10. The outer shape of the belt conveyor 5 is shown. However, illustration of these covers 6, 12, and 17 is omitted in this figure. As can be seen from this figure, the conveying direction A of the belt conveyor 5 substantially coincides with the horizontal direction of the apparatus, and the axis of each roller 20 of the belt conveyor 5 is orthogonal to this direction A. Therefore, in a state where the covers 6 and the like are opened, one end face (end face on the front side of the apparatus 10) of the plurality of rollers 20 included in the belt conveyor 5 is exposed to the front side of the apparatus 10.

  The belt conveyor 5 is a conveying unit in which an endless belt 15 is wound around six rollers 20. Here, according to the illustrated example, the six rollers 20 are composed of two end rollers 20a, two upper rollers 20b disposed horizontally at an upper center, and a pulley of the drive mechanism 16. It consists of two lower rollers 20c arranged at short intervals below to wind the belt around. The object to be inspected conveyed by the belt 15 is conveyed while climbing the inclined conveying surface F between the end roller 20a and the upper roller 20b in the closed entrance-side cover 6, and the space S in the casing 7 is transferred. In the cover 6 on the outlet side, which is subjected to the inspection by X-ray while being transported on the horizontal transport surface F between the two upper rollers 20b and 20b, the cover 6 between the upper roller 20b and the end roller 20a is closed. It is conveyed while descending the inclined conveyance surface F and discharged out of the apparatus 10.

The roller 20 of the belt conveyor 5 has a structure having a certain durability against cleaning with high-pressure water.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing one of the plurality of rollers 20 included in the belt conveyor 5, omitting one side of a symmetrical structure with respect to the center of the axis, and showing only the other shaft end. . The roller 20 includes a support shaft 21. The support shaft 21 is a central member attached to the support body 8 of the apparatus main body in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction A of the belt conveyor 5 in a horizontal plane. The support shaft 21 has an inner large-diameter portion 21a and small-diameter shaft end portions 21b provided at both ends of the large-diameter portion 21a. Locking grooves 22 are formed in the support 8 at positions corresponding to both shaft end portions 21 b of the support shaft 21. Both shaft end portions 21 b and 21 b of the support shaft 21 are inserted into a pair of locking grooves 22 and 22 of the support 8. Both shaft ends 21b of the support shaft 21 projecting outward from the locking groove 22 are provided with male screws, and fixing means 23 such as nuts are fastened to the support shaft 21 so that the support shaft 21 is paired with the pair of support bodies 8 and 8. It is fixed between. Further, the large diameter portion 21a of the support shaft 21 is provided with extrapolated bearings 24 at both ends thereof, and a cylindrical body 25 having circular openings 25a at both ends is extrapolated to the bearings 24. Is provided. The cylindrical body 25 is a member around which the belt 15 of the belt conveyor 5 is wound. Although not shown in detail, the inner ring of the bearing 24 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the support shaft 21, and the outer ring is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 25. When the belt 15 moves, the inner ring is fixed to the fixed support shaft 21. On the other hand, the cylindrical body 25 can be rotated via the bearing 24.

  Further, an oil seal 26 as a seal member is provided by extrapolating the support shaft 21 at a position between the support shaft 21 and the cylindrical body 25 and outside the bearing 24 and closer to the shaft end portion 21b. . The oil seal 26 is a shaft sealing member having elasticity and resistance to lubricating oil, and has a function of closing the opening 25 a of the cylindrical body 25 and sealing the bearing 24 in the cylindrical body 25. Further, a protective member 27 is provided by extrapolating the support shaft 21 at a position between the support shaft 21 and the cylindrical body 25 and outside the oil seal 26 and closer to the shaft end portion 21b. The protective member 27 is an annular member made of metal having a required durability, and is sandwiched between the oil seal 26 and the support 8 and is held inside the cylindrical body 25 so as to close the opening 25a. The internal oil seal 26 and the bearing 24 are protected.

  In this embodiment, the oil seal 26 and the protection member 27 are fixed to the support shaft 21 and do not follow the rotation of the cylindrical body 25, but may follow and rotate. In the structure of the roller 20 described above, the cylindrical body 25 rotates with respect to the fixed support shaft 21. However, not only the cylindrical body 25 but also the support shaft 21 can be rotated by the bearing 24. Also good. Further, although the protection member 27 is provided at both ends of the roller 20, the protection member 27 may be provided only on one end face side that is exposed to the front side of the apparatus 10 when the cover 6 is opened. Further, although the protective member 27 is provided on all the rollers 20 of the belt conveyor 5, high pressure water is radiated to the two lower rollers 20c in the vicinity of the drive mechanism 16 covered with the protective cover 17. If the possibility of cleaning is low, the protective member 27 may not be provided.

  According to the above configuration, when the cover 6 covering the belt conveyor 5 is opened, the end surface of the belt conveyor 5 on the front side of the roller 20 is exposed. Therefore, if high-pressure water is radiated from the front side of the apparatus to the inside of the belt conveyor 5 and the apparatus 10, it is effective to blow off debris of inspection objects and other unnecessary items attached to the inside of the belt conveyor 5 and the apparatus 10. Cleaning can be performed. This cleaning operation can be performed without disassembling the belt conveyor 5. Since one end surface of the support shaft 21 of the roller 20 of the belt conveyor 5 faces the front side of the device 10 from which high-pressure water is radiated, the high-pressure water may be directly sprayed on the end surface of the roller 20. . However, among the openings 25a of the cylindrical body 25 at the end face of the roller 20, at least the opening 25a on the end face side is closed by the protective member 27, and the oil seal 26 inside the cylindrical body 25 is directly exposed to the outside. Not. For this reason, even if the high-pressure water directly hits the end face of the roller 20, the high-pressure water is not blocked by the protective member 27 and does not deform the oil seal 26 inside. The possibility of inconvenience that water enters the bearing 24 and causes failure is low.

The cover 6 of the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 to the belt conveyor 5 has a fixing structure that can fix and open the cover 6 with a simple operation so that cleaning with high-pressure water can be performed reliably and safely.
As shown in FIG.4 and FIG.5, the cover 6 which covers the both ends of the belt conveyor 5 which protrudes from the housing 7 can be fixed in an open state. As shown in these drawings, the cover 6 has a predetermined open position at a position of about 60 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane. However, even if the cover 6 is set to this position, the cover 6 is lowered by its own weight if it is not supported. The belt conveyor 5 is covered with a cover.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, as a first means for fixing the cover 6 in the open position, a first holding means 30 is provided at a position near the housing 7 of the front plate 6 a of the cover 6. The first holding means 30 has a pair of holding plates 30a, 30a that can be opened and closed and can be stopped at any angle, and a fixing means 30b such as a screw for detachably fixing the pair of closed holding plates. doing. As a second means for fixing the cover 6 to the open position, the base end portion of the support bar 31 is rotatably attached to the side surface of the housing 7. The support bar 31 can be rotated within a predetermined angle range, for example, a range of about 90 degrees, and the plane of rotation is an angle that intersects the first holding means 30 of the cover 6 in the open position. Is set.

  The fixing work is performed as follows. First, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 (b), the holding plates 30 a and 30 a of the first holding means 30 are opened, and the cover 6 is lifted to an open position with an angle of about 60 degrees. Next, the support bar 31 is rotated to the lower limit and brought close to the cover 6, and the tip of the support bar 31 is sandwiched between the holding plates 30 a and 30 a of the first holding means 30. Then, the holding plates 30a and 30a are fixed by the fixing means 30b. As a result, the cover 6 and the housing 7 are firmly connected by the support rod 31. Note that the fixing strength of the base end portion of the support rod 31 to the housing 7, the strength of the support rod 31 itself, the fixing force for the first holding means 30 to hold the support rod 31, etc. It is set so that the open state can be stably maintained even when sprayed on the inner and outer surfaces.

  Thus, by opening the cover 6 and fixing it to a predetermined open position, the state in which the internal structure of the apparatus 10 including the belt conveyor 5 is exposed to the outside can be reliably held. Accordingly, the structure or components inside the cover 6 including the belt conveyor 5 and the back side or the inner side of the cover 6 are also radiated with high-pressure water, and the attached debris and other unnecessary items are blown away. Cleaning can be performed. Further, even if high-pressure water is sprayed, the securely fixed cover 6 does not fall down and is safe.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, in the vicinity of the base end portion of the support bar 31 attached to the housing 7, second holding means for holding the support bar 31 in contact with the side surface of the housing 7. 32 is provided. Since the support bar 31 is not used when the cover 6 is closed, the support bar 31 can be brought into contact with the side surface of the housing 7 and can be sandwiched between the second holding means 32 and stored in the retracted position. . If the support rod 31 is merely rotatable and there is no structure to be held in the housing 7, the support rod 31 protrudes to an unexpected position and becomes an obstacle when the cover 6 is opened. Although it may be an obstacle to cause danger, according to this apparatus, the support rod 31 when not in use is stored along the side surface of the housing 7 with the second holding means 32 interposed therebetween. Therefore, such inconvenience can be avoided.

According to the X-ray inspection apparatus 10, the space S in the housing 7 through which the inspection object passes by the belt conveyor 5 is hard to get dirty and can be easily and reliably cleaned with high-pressure water, and also has excellent X-ray shielding properties. It is structured.
FIG. 7 shows a comparison between the inside of the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment (part (a)) and the inside of the conventional X-ray inspection apparatus (part (b)). It is a figure explaining and all are sectional drawings in the space S which irradiates an X-ray to the to-be-inspected object conveyed with the belt conveyor 5. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, in the X-ray inspection apparatus 10, a space (room) for passing an object to be inspected conveyed by the belt conveyor 5 inside the housing 7 through which the belt conveyor 5 passes. S is partitioned. This space S is partitioned by the conveying surface F of the belt conveyor 5, the ceiling C which is the upper inner surface of the housing 7, and both side walls on the front side and the rear side in the figure, and the left side in the figure is the object to be inspected. An inlet opening 13 is carried into the space S, and the right side is an outlet opening 14 through which the inspection object is carried out of the space S. As described above, the inlet opening 13 and the outlet opening 14 communicate with the internal space S of the cover 6 that covers the left and right ends of the belt conveyor 5, respectively.

  The height of the space S (height of the ceiling C) in the device 10 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 7A is lower than the height of the space S in the conventional device shown in FIG. Since the shield plate 3 is suspended from the ceiling C in the conventional space S, the height at which the inspection object can pass corresponds to the interval between the lower end of the shield plate 3 and the transport surface F. This interval is substantially the same as the height of the space S (the height of the ceiling C) in the apparatus of the present embodiment. Therefore, the size or height of the inspected object that can be inspected in this embodiment is the same as the conventional one.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the X-ray generation source 1 is provided in the casing 7 above the space S (that is, inside the ceiling C). If the output of the X-ray generation source 1 is the same as the position of the X-ray generation source 1 with respect to the conveyance surface F (or the distance between the conveyance surface F and the X-ray generation source 1), the detection force for the inspection object is constant. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to make it the same as in the prior art, and this is the case in the example of FIG. However, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7A and as described above, although there is no hindrance to the passage of the inspection object, the height of the ceiling C is low, so the ceiling C and X There is a space between the line sources 1. In the present embodiment, a slit-shaped opening 2 orthogonal to the conveyance direction A is provided in the ceiling C, and the X-ray generation source is located in the casing 7 on the ceiling C and below the X-ray generation source 1. A shield plate 35 for limiting the irradiation range of the X-rays radiated from 1 was provided. The shield plate 35 is the same as the conventional one in that it is formed of a metal plate having a shielding function. However, the shield plate 35 is different from the conventional one in that it has a narrowed structure in which the distance decreases downward. . According to the shield plate 35 having such a diaphragm structure of the present embodiment, the X-ray irradiation range can be further limited and minimized as compared with the conventional case. Further, since the shield plate 35 for narrowing the irradiation range of the X-rays radiated from the X-ray generation source 1 is provided inside the casing 7, the shielding property against the outside of the X-rays is improved as compared with the conventional case. Such a diaphragm structure can be used because the shield plate 35 is housed in the housing 7 and there is no possibility that the gap between the shield plates 35 is clogged with dirt due to debris of the object to be inspected. is there.

  X-rays radiated downward from the X-ray generation source 1 are radiated into the space S from the gap between the lower ends of the pair of diaphragm-structured shield plates 35, and spread in a triangular frustum shape at a smaller angle than the conventional one. The surface F is irradiated. In the housing 7, a sensor 4 for detecting X-rays is provided on the lower side of the belt conveyor 5 that is opposite to the X-ray irradiation position. Although not shown in detail, the sensor 4 includes a large number of detection elements arranged at predetermined intervals in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction A of the belt conveyor 5 and a scintillator disposed above the detection elements. The detection element is configured to detect light emitted from the scintillator.

  According to the above configuration, the pair of shield plates 35 and 35 are housed inside the ceiling C, and the inner surface of the space S in the housing 7 irradiated with X-rays is a flat surface without any projections. It has become. When a pair of shield plates 3 and 3 are suspended from the ceiling C as in the prior art, cleaning is performed by changing the radiation direction of the high-pressure water in various ways when cleaning the inside with the high-pressure water as described above. Need to be carried out, and a great deal of work is required. However, in this embodiment, since the inner surface of the space S is a simple flat surface, it is difficult to get dirt, and even if it gets dirty, it can be easily cleaned with high-pressure water. No overworking is required. Moreover, damage to internal equipment or the like is not caused by water pressure.

  In addition, since the debris of the object to be inspected is not sandwiched between the pair of shield plates 35, 35, the gap can be set as narrow as necessary, and the X-ray irradiation range is narrowed within a necessary range. can do. In addition, since the pair of shield plates 35 and 35 are housed in the housing 7, the leakage of X-rays to the outside is reduced as much as possible. It has improved.

  As described above, according to the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the belt conveyor 5 that conveys the object to be inspected has the structure covered with the cover 6 that can be opened and closed. When the belt 6 is opened, the end of the belt conveyor 5 exposed to the radiation side of the high-pressure water is protected by a protective member 27 so that the oil seal 26 is not easily damaged, and the cover 6 can be easily touched. Can be securely and firmly fixed in a predetermined open state, and the inside of the housing 7 that is most susceptible to contamination has a structure that is free of contamination and easy to clean. Therefore, the X-ray inspection apparatus 10 does not cause damage that impairs the function for high-pressure cleaning from any direction, and radiates high-pressure water to the internal structure including the belt conveyor 5 during cleaning. It can be effectively cleaned and has sanitary or cleaning properties superior to those of the prior art.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... X-ray generation source 4 ... Sensor 5 ... Belt conveyor 6 ... Cover 7 ... Case 10 ... X-ray inspection apparatus (apparatus)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Front cover as a cover 15 ... Belt 16 ... Drive mechanism of a belt conveyor 17 ... Protective cover as a cover 20 ... Roller 21 ... Support shaft 24 ... Bearing 25 ... Cylindrical body 25a ... Opening of a cylindrical body 26 ... As a sealing member Oil seal 27 ... Protective member 30 ... First holding means 31 ... Support rod 32 ... Second holding means 35 ... Shield plate S ... Space in housing F ... Conveying surface of belt conveyor C ... Ceiling of space in housing A ... Belt Conveyor transport direction

Claims (3)

A belt conveyor (5) for conveying an object to be inspected by a belt (15) and a plurality of rollers (20), an X-ray generation source (1) for irradiating the object to be conveyed on the belt conveyor with X-rays, and a object to be conveyed A sensor (4) for detecting X-rays transmitted through an object and an openable / closable shielding cover (6) for covering the belt conveyor, and inspecting an inspection object by X-rays detected by the sensor X In the line inspection device (10),
The rollers of the belt conveyor are
A support shaft (21) provided at a position exposed when the cover is opened;
A bearing (24) provided by extrapolating the support shaft;
A cylindrical body (25) provided by extrapolating the bearing, provided with openings (25a) at both ends and around which the belt is wound;
A seal member (26) provided by extrapolating the support shaft, sealing the opening of the cylindrical body and enclosing the bearing in the cylindrical body;
A protective member (27) that is provided by extrapolating the support shaft and is disposed closer to the opening of the cylindrical body than the seal member, and protects the seal member;
X-ray inspection apparatus (10) characterized by comprising. A casing (7) covering at least the X-ray generation source (1) and the sensor (4), first holding means (30) provided on the cover (20), and a base end on the surface of the casing A support rod (31) that is attached to the first holding means of the opened cover and supports the cover in an opened state, and the cover is closed. The X-ray inspection apparatus (10) according to claim 1, further comprising second holding means (32) for holding the support rod in contact with the housing. A shield plate (35) that limits the irradiation range of X-rays emitted from the X-ray generation source (1) is placed inside the ceiling (C) of the housing (7) above the belt conveyor (5). The X-ray inspection apparatus (10) according to claim 2, wherein the X-ray inspection apparatus (10) is housed.

Images