JP7461748B2 - Shielding curtains and X-ray inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a shielding curtain and an X-ray inspection device.

In general, shielding curtains are provided at the entrances and inside of X-ray inspection equipment for inspecting food, medicine, etc., to prevent X-ray leakage while allowing the inspection object to pass through. Conventionally, such shielding curtains have been proposed with two types of cuts of different lengths (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the shielding curtain described in Patent Document 1, the bands formed between the cuts bend and deform, preventing X-ray leakage while allowing the inspection object to pass through.

JP 2016-109622 A

X-ray inspection equipment may inspect the contents of containers that are open at the top. In conventional shielding curtains, the strap is supported at the top and the bottom is free, so when the container passes through the shielding curtain, the strap comes into contact with the wall of the container and deforms so that the bottom end is lifted. Furthermore, when this container is transported, there is a risk that the bottom end of the strap will climb over the wall of the container and enter the container, coming into contact with the contents.

As described in Patent Document 1, the deformation of the belt can be adjusted by adjusting the length of the cut line, but it is difficult to prevent the belt from entering the container. One method to make it more difficult for the belt to enter the container is to shorten the belt length or widen the belt width, but this makes it difficult for the shielding curtain to block X-rays.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above background, and aims to provide a shielding curtain and an X-ray inspection device that can reduce X-ray leakage while suppressing contact with the contents of the container.

The above problem is solved by the present invention as described below. That is, the shielding curtain of the present invention is a shielding curtain that is provided in an X-ray inspection device to shield X-rays, and includes a membrane-like member, the membrane-like member having a held portion that holds the membrane-like member so that it hangs down vertically, a movable piece that can be partially opened and closed, a main membrane portion that supports the movable piece, and a cutting line that cuts the membrane-like member to form the movable piece, and is characterized in that the deformation boundary line that forms the boundary with the main membrane portion when the movable piece opens is inclined so that the area of the movable piece expands as it moves vertically downward.

In the present invention, the cutting line has a vertical cutting line extending upward from the lower edge of the membrane-like member, and a pair of horizontal cutting lines that are continuous with the vertical cutting line and extend toward both sides in a direction intersecting the vertical cutting line, thereby forming a pair of the movable pieces, and it is preferable that the deformation boundary line is inclined so as to move away from the vertical cutting line as it moves vertically downward.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the horizontal cutting line has an upward inclination as it moves away from the vertical cutting line.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the device further includes an auxiliary membrane member that is formed separately from the membrane member and supported so as to hang down vertically, and that the auxiliary membrane member is positioned so as to overlap a portion of the movable piece in a region above the intersection of the vertical cutting line and the horizontal cutting line with respect to the membrane member.

In the present invention, the deformation boundary line may be inclined because the total width of the pair of transverse cutting lines is smaller than the width of the object to be inspected by the X-ray inspection device in the horizontal direction, or the height of the movable piece is greater than the height of the object to be inspected.

On the other hand, the X-ray inspection device of the present invention is characterized by comprising the above-mentioned shielding curtain, a transport unit that transports the inspection object, a housing through which the inspection object passes, an emission unit that emits X-rays inside the housing, and a detection unit that detects the X-rays.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an X-ray inspection apparatus according to an embodiment that is an example of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of a shielding curtain of an X-ray inspection apparatus according to an embodiment which is an example of the present invention. 1 is a front view showing a state in which a shielding curtain of an X-ray inspection apparatus according to an embodiment that is an example of the present invention is deformed; FIG. FIG. 13 is a front view of a shielding curtain of an X-ray inspection apparatus according to a comparative example. FIG. 11 is a front view showing a state in which the shielding curtain of the X-ray inspection apparatus according to the comparative example is deformed. FIG. 2 is a front view of a shielding curtain according to a first modified example which is an example of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a front view of a shielding curtain according to a second modified example which is an example of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a front view of a shielding curtain according to a third modified example which is an example of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a front view of a shielding curtain according to a fourth modified example which is an example of the present invention. 13 is a front view showing a deformed state of a shielding curtain according to a fourth modified example which is an example of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 13 is a front view of a shielding curtain according to a fifth modified example which is an example of the present invention. 13 is a front view showing a deformed state of a shielding curtain according to a fifth modified example which is an example of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 13 is a rear view of a shielding curtain according to a sixth modified example which is an example of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an X-ray inspection device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of a shielding curtain 1 of the X-ray inspection device 100, and FIG. 3 is a front view showing a state in which the shielding curtain 1 is deformed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the X-ray inspection device 100 according to this embodiment includes a shielding curtain 1, a transport unit 11 for transporting an inspection target 200, a housing 12 through which the inspection target 200 passes, an emission unit 13 for emitting X-rays inside the housing 12, and a detection unit 14 for detecting X-rays. The inspection target 200 is composed of a container 201 and contents (e.g., food) 202 contained in the container 201, and the X-ray inspection device 100 inspects whether or not a foreign object (e.g., a needle or a metal piece) is mixed in the contents 202. Note that the use of the X-ray inspection device 100 is not limited to detection of foreign object contamination in food, and may be used for other purposes such as detection of foreign object contamination in medicines or clothing.

In the following description, the vertical direction (gravity direction) is referred to as the Z direction, and the upper side in the Z direction may simply be referred to as the "upper side" or "upper side", the lower side in the Z direction may simply be referred to as the "lower side" or "lower side", and the dimension in the Z direction may simply be referred to as the "height". The transport unit 11 transports the inspection object 200 in one direction in a horizontal plane as the transport direction, and this transport direction is referred to as the A direction, and the upstream side and downstream side of the transport direction may simply be referred to as the "upstream side" and the "downstream side", respectively. The direction perpendicular to both the Z direction and the A direction is referred to as the B direction, and the B direction is referred to as the "width direction", and the dimension in the B direction may simply be referred to as the "width". In the description of the shielding curtain 1, the above Z direction, A direction, and B direction are used assuming that the shielding curtain 1 is incorporated in the X-ray inspection device 100.

The opening and closing modes (opening and closing directions) of the openable and closable parts of the shielding curtain 1 are defined as follows. The opening and closing mode about an axis extending along the vertical direction (similar to a door body with one vertically extending side supported by a hinge) is called "vertical axis opening and closing". On the other hand, the opening and closing mode about an axis extending along the horizontal direction (similar to a door body with a horizontally extending upper edge supported by a hinge) is called "horizontal axis opening and closing". Note that the configuration in which an elastic member opens and closes differs from the configuration in which a rigid body (door body) is supported by another rigid body (frame body) to open and close in that the elastic member itself is flexibly deformed, but the same expressions as for a rigid body are used to describe the opening and closing modes.

As shown in FIG. 2, the shielding curtain 1 is provided in an X-ray inspection device 100 to block X-rays, and includes a membrane-like member 2. The membrane-like member 2 has a held portion that holds the membrane-like member 2 so that it hangs down vertically, movable pieces 24, 25 that can be partially opened and closed, a main body membrane portion 26 that supports the movable pieces 24, 25, and cutting lines 21-23 that cut the membrane-like member 2 to form the movable pieces 24, 25. A deformation boundary line X1 that forms a boundary with the main body membrane portion 26 when the movable pieces 24, 25 open is inclined so that the area of the movable pieces 24, 25 expands as it moves vertically downward.

The membrane member 2 is a continuous flat membrane member, and is formed by using a flexible material such as rubber as a base material and containing an X-ray absorbing material such as lead. The membrane member 2 is supported by the housing 12 and suspended, so that the A direction is the surface perpendicular direction and extends along a plane including the Z direction and the B direction. The membrane member 2 has a lower edge 2A extending along the B direction on the lower side, an upper edge 2B extending along the B direction on the upper side, a first horizontal edge 2C extending along the Z direction on one side of the B direction (left side in FIG. 2), and a second horizontal edge 2D extending along the Z direction on the other side of the B direction (right side in FIG. 2), and is formed in a rectangular shape with the B direction as the longitudinal direction. That is, the membrane member 2 is held by the upper edge 2B or its vicinity as the held part and hangs down vertically. In addition, if the Z direction dimension of the membrane member 2 is large, a position away from the upper edge 2B downward may be the held part. Additionally, the lower edge 2A of the membrane member 2 is positioned slightly above and does not come into contact with the placement surface of the transport section 11, but when describing the dimensions below, it is assumed that the placement surface of the transport section 11 (i.e., the lower surface of the inspection target 200) and the lower edge 2A are approximately aligned.

The vertical cutting line 21 extends in a straight line upward from the center of the lower edge 2A in the B direction a predetermined distance, and does not reach the upper edge 2B. That is, the lower end 211 of the vertical cutting line 21 is located on the lower edge 2A, and the upper end 212 of the vertical cutting line 21 is located slightly above the center of the film-like member 2 in the Z direction. The upper end 212 is located slightly above the upper end of the inspection object 200 so as not to interfere with the inspection object 200.

The pair of horizontal cutting lines 22, 23 each have the upper end 212 as a base end, extend linearly toward one side or the other side in the B direction, and do not reach the horizontal edges 2C, 2D. The horizontal cutting lines 22, 23 have an inclination toward the upper side as they move away from the vertical cutting line 21. The central ends 221, 231, which are the ends of the horizontal cutting lines 22, 23 on the vertical cutting line 21 side, coincide with the upper end 212. In addition, the side ends 222, 232, which are the ends of the horizontal cutting lines 22, 23 on the opposite side of the vertical cutting line 21 in the B direction, are located above the upper end 212 in the Z direction. The distance between the pair of side ends 222, 232 in the B direction may be set to be approximately the same as the width of the inspection target 200. As described above, a Y-shaped cutting line (notch) is formed in the film-like member 2 by the vertical cutting line 21 and the pair of horizontal cutting lines 22, 23.

The inclination angle of the horizontal cutting lines 22, 23 with respect to the B direction is preferably 30° to 70°, and more preferably about 45°. If the inclination angle of the horizontal cutting lines 22, 23 is within the above range, it is easy to incline the deformation boundary line X1 described later with respect to the Z direction, and it is easy to utilize the difference in the center of gravity position before and after the deformation of the movable pieces 24, 25, and it is easy to ensure the interval between both ends of the horizontal cutting lines 22, 23 in the B direction, and it is easy to ensure the length of the movable pieces 24, 25 and to pass the inspection target 200. On the other hand, if the inclination angle of the horizontal cutting lines 22, 23 is too small, it is difficult to incline the deformation boundary line X1 described later with respect to the Z direction. Also, if the inclination angle of the horizontal cutting lines 22, 23 is too large, it is difficult to ensure the length (B direction dimension) of the movable pieces 24, 25.

The area surrounded on three sides by the lower edge 2A, the vertical cutting line 21, and the horizontal cutting line 22, and the area surrounded on three sides by the lower edge 2A, the vertical cutting line 21, and the horizontal cutting line 23 are partially flexible in the membrane member 2, forming a pair of movable pieces 24, 25. The pair of movable pieces 24, 25 have ends 241, 251 on the vertical cutting line 21 side as free ends. In the membrane member 2, the imaginary boundary line between the area A1 that deforms as the movable pieces 24, 25 and the area A2 that does not deform as the main membrane portion 26 is called the deformation boundary line X1. That is, the movable pieces 24, 25 deform in the area A1 on the free end side of the deformation boundary line X1. Furthermore, even if the shape of the vertical cutting line 21 and the horizontal cutting lines 22, 23 in the membrane-like member 2 is determined, if the dimensions of the inspection object 200 or the rigidity of the membrane-like member 2 change, the direction of the area A1 where the pair of movable pieces 24, 25 are bent and deformed and the deformation boundary line X1 may change.

The main membrane portion 26 is formed integrally with the movable pieces 24, 25 and is arranged to surround the movable pieces 24, 25 from both sides in direction B and from above, and is a portion that does not deform when the inspection object 200 passes through the membrane member 2.

A slit 27 is formed in the membrane member 2, extending upward from the lower edge 2A near the lateral edges 2C and 2D. The slit 27 is formed to suppress interference with a guide rail for guiding the inspection object 200 in the transport section 11. The position and size of the slit 27 may be set according to the guide rail. Furthermore, if a guide rail is not provided, the slit 27 does not need to be formed.

The conveying unit 11 is capable of conveying the inspection object 200 in and out of the housing 12, and is composed of, for example, a number of rollers 111 and a belt 112 suspended between the rollers 111. One of the rollers 111 is a driven roller, and the rest are driven rollers. The conveying unit 11 may be provided exclusively for the X-ray inspection device 1, or may be shared with other conveying units in the production line. The inspection object 200 is supplied to the upstream side of the housing 12 on the belt 112 by hand or a conveying device.

The housing 12 is formed in a box shape and contains an X-ray absorbing material such as lead, making it possible to suppress leakage of X-rays. The housing 12 has openings at an entrance 121 through which the inspection target 200 is introduced and an exit 122 through which it is extracted. Two shielding curtains 1 are provided on the entrance 121 side, and two shielding curtains 1 are provided on the exit 122 side. That is, two shielding curtains 1 are provided on each side of the position within the housing 12 where the X-rays are emitted. The number and positions of the shielding curtains 1 may be set appropriately according to the configuration of each part of the X-ray inspection device 100.

The emitter 13 generates X-rays and is disposed above the belt 112 of the transport unit 11 within the housing 12, emitting X-rays at least toward the downward direction. This allows the X-rays to be irradiated onto the inspection object 200 transported below the emitter 13.

The detection unit 14 is composed of elements capable of detecting X-rays, and is disposed below the belt 112 of the transport unit 11 within the housing 12, and faces the emission unit 13 across the belt 112. This allows the detection unit 14 to detect X-rays that are emitted from the emission unit 13 and transmitted through the inspection object 200. Note that the emission unit 13 and the detection unit 14 only need to face each other across the belt 112, and the direction of opposition and the direction in which the X-rays are emitted are not limited to those described above.

Now, referring to FIG. 3, we will explain how the pair of movable pieces 24, 25 deform when the inspection object 200 passes through the shielding curtain 1. When the inspection object 200 reaches the film member 2, the movable pieces 24, 25 of the film member 2 are pressed downstream by the inspection object 200. As a result, the movable pieces 24, 25 open and close along the vertical axis, and the lower ends 241A, 251A of the ends 241, 251 located at the lower ends in the Z direction move upward. In other words, the movable pieces 24, 25 are formed to perform an opening operation that basically opens and closes along the vertical axis, but also includes elements of opening and closing along the horizontal axis. The movable pieces 24, 25 deform so as to roll up while forming a curved surface that is convex toward the upstream side.

When the length of the vertical cutting line 21 is approximately the same as the height of the inspection object 200, and the distance between the pair of side ends 222, 232 in the B direction is approximately the same as the width of the inspection object 200, the deformation boundary line X1 passes through the ends 222, 232 and tries to extend approximately perpendicular to the horizontal cutting lines 22, 23. Since the horizontal cutting lines 22, 23 have an inclination toward the upper side as they move away from the vertical cutting line 21, the deformation boundary line X1 is inclined with respect to the vertical Z direction so as to move away from the vertical cutting line 21 as it moves downward in the vertical direction. In other words, the deformation boundary line X1 is inclined in the direction in which the area A1 of the movable pieces 24, 25 expands as it moves downward in the vertical direction. As described above, although the orientation of the deformation boundary line X1 can change depending on the size of the inspection object 200 and the rigidity of the membrane-like member 2, etc., the inclination of the horizontal cutting lines 22, 23 with respect to the B direction makes it easier to obtain a deformation boundary line X1 inclined in the same direction as in this embodiment.

As the inspection object 200 is transported downstream, the pair of movable pieces 24, 25 gradually open, and after they reach their most open state, the inspection object 200 passes completely through the film-like member 2. When the inspection object 200 has completely passed through, the movable pieces 24, 25 are no longer subjected to the pressing force. At this time, the movable pieces 24, 25 try to return to their original shape not only due to the restoring force caused by the elasticity of the film-like member 2, but also due to gravity. That is, because the deformation boundary line X1 when the movable pieces 24, 25 deform is inclined with respect to the Z direction, the center of gravity of the movable pieces 24, 25 after deformation is located higher than the center of gravity of the movable pieces 24, 25 before deformation. Due to this difference in the center of gravity position, a force is generated in the movable pieces 24, 25 that causes them to return to their pre-deformation shape.

The manner in which the membrane member 800 of the comparative example deforms will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. The membrane member 800 is formed with a vertical cutting line 801 that is a cutting line extending upward from the lower edge, and a pair of horizontal cutting lines 802, 803 that are cutting lines extending along the B direction from the upper end of the vertical cutting line 801, i.e., a T-shaped notch is formed. The membrane member 800 also forms movable pieces 804, 805 surrounded by the vertical cutting line 801, the horizontal cutting lines 802, 803, and the lower edge. At this time, the length of the vertical cutting line 801 is approximately the same as the height of the inspection object 200, and the total length of the pair of horizontal cutting lines 802, 803 is approximately the same as the width of the inspection object 200 or slightly longer.

When the inspection object 200 attempts to pass through such a membrane member 800, almost the entire movable pieces 804, 805 are subjected to a pressing force. Because the pair of horizontal cutting lines 802, 803 extend along the horizontal direction B, the deformation boundary line X0 of the movable pieces 804, 805 extends along the vertical direction Z. In other words, the pair of movable pieces 804, 805 open and close along the vertical axis. Therefore, when the inspection object 200 has completed passing through, a restoring force is generated in the movable pieces 804, 805 due to the elasticity of the membrane member 800, but due to the difference in the center of gravity position before and after deformation, no force is generated to return them to their pre-deformation shape.

According to this embodiment, the deformation boundary line X1, which is the boundary with the main body membrane portion 26 when the movable pieces 24, 25 open, is inclined so that the area A1 of the movable pieces 24, 25 expands as it moves vertically downward, so that the movable pieces 24, 25 open and close in a manner similar to opening and closing along the vertical axis, and the movable pieces 24, 25 are less likely to climb over the wall of the container 201 compared to a shielding curtain having a band portion that opens and closes along the horizontal axis. Therefore, contact between the movable pieces 24, 25 and the contents 202 of the container 201 can be suppressed.

Furthermore, because the deformation boundary line X1 of the movable pieces 24, 25 is inclined as described above, the difference in the center of gravity positions of the movable pieces 24, 25 before and after deformation makes it easier for the movable pieces 24, 25 to return to their pre-deformation shapes. Therefore, after the inspection object 200 passes, the movable pieces 24, 25 can easily return to their pre-deformation shapes, reducing X-ray leakage.

In addition, by forming a pair of movable pieces 24, 25 on the film-like member 2, the width of each movable piece can be made smaller compared to a configuration in which only one movable piece is formed, and this makes it possible to reduce the leakage of X-rays when the object to be inspected passes through.

In addition, the horizontal cutting lines 22, 23 have an upward inclination as they move away from the vertical cutting line 21, which makes it easier to incline the deformation boundary line X1 in the Z direction.

The X-ray inspection device 100 of the present invention has been described above with reference to a preferred embodiment, but the shielding curtain used in the X-ray inspection device of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the pair of horizontal cutting lines 22, 23 extend linearly overall while being inclined with respect to direction B, but the shape of the horizontal cutting lines is not limited to this, and may be as shown in the modified examples below. In the modified examples below, components having the same function or shape as the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals and will not be described.

As shown in the first modified example in FIG. 6, the horizontal cutting lines 31, 32 may have horizontal portions 311, 321 extending from the upper end 212 of the cutting line 21 on both sides along the B direction, and inclined portions 312, 322 inclined upward as they move away from the vertical cutting line 21. The inclined portions 312, 322 are continuous with the ends of the horizontal portions 311, 321 that are farther from the vertical cutting line 21. The horizontal portions 311, 321 and the inclined portions 312, 322 all extend linearly. In the first modified example, a pair of movable pieces 24, 25 are also formed. When the inspection target 200 passes, the movable pieces 24, 25 deform with a deformation boundary line X2 according to the inclination angle of the inclined portions 312, 322 with respect to the B direction.

As in the second modified example shown in FIG. 7, the horizontal cutting lines 41, 42 may be configured to be curved and convex upward. When the horizontal cutting lines 41, 42 are curved, the direction of the deformation boundary line X3 is determined by the direction of the tangent line at the end portions 411, 421 of the horizontal cutting lines 41, 42 opposite the vertical cutting line 21. In other words, the deformation boundary line X3 tends to extend approximately perpendicular to this tangent line.

As in the third modified example shown in FIG. 8, the horizontal cutting lines 51, 52 may be configured to be curved downwardly. In the third modified example, as in the second modified example, the modified boundary line X3 extends so as to be approximately perpendicular to the tangents of the ends 511, 521 of the horizontal cutting lines 51, 52 on the opposite side to the vertical cutting line 21.

In the above embodiment, the horizontal cutting lines 22 and 23 are inclined upward as they move away from the vertical cutting line 21, so that the deformation boundary line X1 is inclined. However, the deformation boundary line may be inclined by appropriately setting the dimensional relationship between the vertical and horizontal cutting lines and the object to be inspected.

9 and 10, the membrane member 6 of the fourth modified example is formed with a vertical cutting line 61 that is a cutting line extending upward from the lower end edge 6A, a pair of horizontal cutting lines 62, 63 that are continuous with the vertical cutting line 61 and extend toward both sides in a direction intersecting the vertical cutting line 61, a pair of movable pieces 64, 65 surrounded by the vertical cutting line 61, the cutting lines 62, 63, and the lower end edge 6A, and a main membrane portion 66 that supports the pair of movable pieces 64, 65. When the inspection target 200 passes through, the movable pieces 64, 65 have ends 641, 651 on the vertical cutting line 61 side as free ends, and a region A3 on the free end side of the deformation boundary line X5 that extends downward from ends 621, 631 on the horizontal cutting lines 62, 63 opposite the vertical cutting line 61 is deformed.

The horizontal cutting lines 62 and 63 extend along the B direction, and a T-shaped cut is formed by the vertical cutting line 61 and the horizontal cutting lines 62 and 63. At this time, the total length of the horizontal cutting lines 62 and 63 is smaller than the width of the inspection object 200. In this configuration, the pair of movable pieces 64 and 65 opening and closing only along the vertical axis does not form an opening through which the inspection object 200 can pass, so the movable pieces 64 and 65 deform by including elements of opening and closing along the horizontal axis as well as opening and closing along the vertical axis. As a result, the deformation boundary line X5 tries to extend in a direction passing through, for example, the ends 621 and 631 and the corner 203 on the upper surface side of the inspection object 200. That is, the deformation boundary line X5 is inclined with respect to the Z direction so as to move away from the vertical cutting line 61 as it moves downward.

11 and 12, the membrane member 7 of the fifth modified example is formed with a vertical cutting line 71 that is a cutting line extending upward from the lower end edge 7A, a pair of horizontal cutting lines 72, 73 that are continuous with the vertical cutting line 71 and extend toward both sides in a direction intersecting the vertical cutting line 71, a pair of movable pieces 74, 75 surrounded by the vertical cutting line 71, the cutting lines 72, 73, and the lower end edge 7A, and a main membrane portion 76 that supports the pair of movable pieces 74, 75. When the inspection target 200 passes through, the movable pieces 74, 75 have ends 741, 751 on the vertical cutting line 71 side as free ends, and a region A4 on the free end side of the deformation boundary line X6 that extends downward from ends 721, 731 on the horizontal cutting lines 72, 73 opposite the vertical cutting line 71 is deformed.

The horizontal cutting lines 72 and 73 extend along the B direction, and a T-shaped cut is formed by the vertical cutting line 71 and the horizontal cutting lines 72 and 73. At this time, the total length of the horizontal cutting lines 72 and 73 is greater than the width of the inspection object 200, and the length of the vertical cutting line 71 is sufficiently greater than the height of the inspection object 200 (for example, more than twice as long). In this configuration, the inspection object 200 abuts only the lower parts of the pair of movable pieces 74 and 75, and the parts above this do not receive a pressing force, so that the lower parts of the pair of movable pieces 74 and 75 are more likely to deform than the other parts. As a result, the deformation boundary line X6 extends at an angle to the Z direction, for example, starting from the ends 721 and 731 and moving downward away from the vertical cutting line 71.

In the above embodiment, the shielding curtain 1 is composed of one film member 2, but as a sixth modified example, as in the shielding curtain shown in FIG. 13, in addition to the film member 2, an auxiliary film member 8 formed separately from the film member 2 and supported so as to hang down vertically may be provided. The auxiliary film member 8 is positioned so as to overlap a portion of the movable pieces 24, 25 in the region A5 above the intersections 212, 221, 231 of the vertical cutting line 21 and the horizontal cutting lines 22, 23 with respect to the film member 1.

The auxiliary membrane member 8 is made of the same material as the membrane member 2, and is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape with the B direction as the longitudinal direction. In the illustrated example, the auxiliary membrane member 8 has no cutting lines, but a cutting line extending upward from the lower edge 8A may be formed, and multiple band portions hanging down from the upper side may be formed. The auxiliary membrane member 8 is overlapped on the upstream side of the membrane member 2 while aligning the upper edges with the membrane member 2 and aligning the central portions in the B direction. Note that while FIG. 2 shows the membrane member 2 as viewed from the downstream side, FIG. 13 shows the membrane member 2 as viewed from the upstream side.

The auxiliary film member 8 has dimensions and a positioning such that the lower edge 8A overlaps with the intersections 212, 221, and 231, and does not interfere with the inspection object 200. The auxiliary film member 8 only needs to overlap with a portion of the movable pieces 24 and 25 and not interfere with the inspection object 200, and the lower edge 8A may be located above or below the intersections 212, 221, and 231. In the illustrated example, the width of the auxiliary film member 8 is smaller than the distance between the ends 222 and 232, but the width of the auxiliary film member 8 may be larger than or equal to the distance between the ends 222 and 232.

The auxiliary membrane member 8 is stacked upstream of the membrane member 2 so that it does not interfere with the movable pieces 24 and 25 when they open. Here, if the lengths of the vertical cutting lines are made equal in the membrane member 2 having a Y-shaped notch and the membrane member 800 having a T-shaped notch as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the horizontal cutting lines 22 and 23 in the membrane member 2 are inclined relative to the B direction, so that the opening dimensions become larger when the movable pieces 24 and 25 are deformed. That is, in the region A5 above the intersections 212, 221, and 231, the movable pieces 24 and 25 form an opening that does not contribute to the passage of the inspection target 200.

Therefore, by arranging the auxiliary film member 8 so that it overlaps a portion of the movable pieces 24, 25 in the region A5, it is possible to block at least a portion of the opening that does not contribute to the passage of the inspection object 200, thereby suppressing the leakage of X-rays.

In the above embodiment, a pair of movable pieces 24, 25 are formed on the membrane-like member 2, but only one movable piece may be formed on the membrane-like member. In the above embodiment, the cutting lines for forming the movable pieces 24, 25 are configured by the vertical cutting line 21 and a pair of horizontal cutting lines 22, 23, but the shape of the cutting lines is not limited to this. For example, the movable pieces may be formed by a curved cutting line that extends upward from the lower edge 2A of the membrane-like member 2 toward either of the horizontal edges 2C, 2D and is convex upward.

In addition, those skilled in the art may modify the shielding curtain and X-ray inspection device of the present invention as appropriate in accordance with previously known knowledge. As long as such modifications still include the configuration of the present invention, they are of course included in the scope of the present invention.

100: X-ray inspection apparatus, 1: shielding curtain, 11: transport device, 12: housing, 13: emission section, 14: detection section, 2: film-like member, 21: vertical cutting line, 22, 23: horizontal cutting line, 24, 25: movable piece, 26: main body film section, 2A: lower edge, 8: auxiliary film-like member

Claims (6)

A shielding curtain that is provided in an X-ray inspection device to block X-rays,
A membrane-like member is provided,
the film-like member has a held portion that holds the film-like member so as to hang down vertically, a movable piece that can be partially opened and closed, a main body film portion that supports the movable piece, and a cutting line that cuts the film-like member to form the movable piece,
the cutting line includes a vertical cutting line extending upward from a lower end edge of the film-like member, and a horizontal cutting line continuing from the vertical cutting line and extending in a direction intersecting the vertical cutting line,
A shielding curtain characterized in that a deformed boundary line that forms the boundary with the main membrane portion when the movable piece opens is inclined so that the area of the movable piece expands as it moves vertically downward. the cutting line includes a pair of horizontal cutting lines that are continuous with the vertical cutting line and extend toward both sides in a direction intersecting the vertical cutting line, thereby forming a pair of the movable pieces;
2. The shielding curtain according to claim 1, wherein the deformation boundary line is inclined so as to move away from the longitudinal cutting line as it goes vertically downward. 3. The shielding curtain according to claim 1 , wherein the horizontal cutting line has an inclination that approaches upward as it moves away from the vertical cutting line. The apparatus further includes an auxiliary membrane member formed separately from the membrane member and supported so as to hang down vertically,
The shielding curtain described in claim 3, characterized in that the auxiliary membrane-like member is positioned so as to overlap a portion of the movable piece in the region above the intersection of the vertical cutting line and the horizontal cutting line with respect to the membrane-like member. The shielding curtain according to claim 2, characterized in that the deformation boundary line is inclined because the total width of the pair of transverse cutting lines is smaller than the width of the object to be inspected by the X-ray inspection device in the horizontal direction, or the height of the movable piece is higher than the height of the object to be inspected. A shielding curtain according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
A transport unit that transports the object to be inspected;
A housing through which the inspection object passes;
an emission unit that emits X-rays inside the housing;
and a detection unit that detects X-rays.

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