JPH02205718A - Detecting-system supporting and driving mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To shorten required measuring time and to improve measuring accuracy by providing a supporting and driving mechanism so that a plurality of detectors correspond to a plurality of measuring points. CONSTITUTION:An environment device 2 hours a detector 11. The environment device 2 is driven in order to compensate for the commonly used wall surface of the environment device and the individual difference of a material to be measured 4. In this way, the individual difference of the material to be measured 4 is compensated, and the predetermined positional relationship between the detector 11 and the material to be measured 4 is obtained. Namely, the material to be measured 4 is brought into contact with a cover 7 having a reflecting surface by driving the environment device 2. When a pressure is applied, the cover 7 having the reflecting surface is deflected, and an oblique polished surface 10 of an optical fiber 9 comes close to the reflecting surface of the cover 7 having the reflecting surface. This phenomenon causes the change in amount of light passing through the optical fiber 9. Therefore achievement of positioning can be found. After the fact that the environment device 2 is moved with a driving device and the achievement of the positioning is confirmed with a detecting system 3, measurement is performed with the detector 11.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (A) Technical field This invention consists of a plurality of detectors and an environmental device necessary to realize and maintain an environment in which they operate, and The present invention relates to a device for detecting point information.

Here, a detector is a detector that requires some kind of special environment, such as being kept at low temperature, high pressure, or maintained at high temperature and low pressure.

For example, a quantum interference device (SQU) that requires a superconducting state
ID> etc. This must be cooled, for example with liquid helium. If a high-temperature oxide superelectric body could be used as the detector material, it would be possible to cool it with liquid nitrogen.

A device for realizing and maintaining a special environment in this way is referred to as an environmental device here.

Assume that the object to be measured is a living body or the like and cannot be placed in this environment. Therefore, the object to be measured is outside the environmental device. Only the detector is in the environmental equipment.

Furthermore, there are multiple measurement points on the surface of the object to be measured, and it is desired to use multiple detectors at the same time to obtain information on all of the measurement points at once. This is the purpose of the device of the present invention.

(a) Conventional technology There are conventional measuring devices for cases where the detector is inside the environmental device and the object to be measured is outside the environmental device.

Conventional device I (a) The number of detectors is one, or a plurality of detectors are arranged in one place. There was actually one piece.

(b) An environmental device surrounds the detector.

(C) The environmental device containing the detector is a moving table or
Attached to a universal joint. In some cases, the object-to-be-measured mounting table is attached to a moving table.

(d) Prior to measurement, move the environmental device, adjust the relative positional relationship between the object to be measured and the environmental device, and make the detector face each measurement point of the object at a fixed distance and direction. .

(e) Perform measurements.

At another measurement point, perform (d) and perform the next measurement.

Such a device has already been produced as a practical device and is widely applied.

Conventional Apparatus 11 (a) A number of detectors corresponding to the measurement points of the object to be measured are prepared and arranged in a predetermined direction at the position to be measured. All the multiple detectors are independent. They can be moved independently and fixed independently.

(b) Cover the entire detection system with an environmental device.

(c) Bring the environmental device containing the detection system close to the object to be measured, and after confirming that it is in the predetermined position, carry out the measurement.

This device is still in the proposal stage and has not yet been put into practical use. This is because it is difficult to independently move and independently fix the many detectors in an environmental device.

(1) Problems to be Solved by the Invention An environmental device includes a detector. The head of the detector and the object to be measured are separated by at least the thickness of the environmental device.

In order to obtain accurate measurement values for measurement points on the object to be measured, it is desirable to bring the outer wall of the environmental device as close as possible to the object to be measured.

Conventional device I can realize the optimal positional relationship between the measurement point of the object to be measured and the detector. There are some shortcomings here and there.

One is that a complex drive mechanism and long adjustment time are required to achieve the optimal positional relationship.

Another problem is that there are directions in which the environmental device cannot realize or maintain a unique environment. For this reason, blind spots are created in the object to be measured, resulting in points that cannot be measured.

Of course, the simpler the drive mechanism and the shorter the adjustment time, the better. Also, there should be no blind spots.

Since Conventional Device II has an independent detector, it is easy to set the positional relationship. You can also eliminate blind spots. but,
On the other hand, there are the following difficulties.

The shape of the object to be measured and the shape of the environmental device must correspond. Therefore, if the object to be measured has an arbitrary shape and dimensions, an environmental device is required for each object to be measured. This means that environmental devices of many shapes and sizes are required.

Alternatively, it is necessary to limit the environment that can be realized and to make the wall surface of the environmental device variable. However, it is not easy to make the wall surface variable.

Alternatively, it is not impossible to use one common environmental device that is the greatest common divisor.

However, in this case, individual detectors and measurement points do not necessarily correspond accurately, resulting in inaccurate measurements.

(1) Configuration The mechanism of the present invention includes a plurality of detectors. A support drive mechanism is provided to make the plurality of detectors correspond to the plurality of measurement points. Additionally, an array of optical detectors is provided. The detection system detects that a plurality of detectors correspond to a plurality of objects to be measured, and then measurements are performed.

The detector should preferably be one that causes almost no disturbance to the object to be measured.

The configuration of the detection system support and drive mechanism of the present invention is listed below.

A detection system consisting of multiple detectors corresponding to the measurement points of the object to be measured, an environmental device that realizes and maintains the environment necessary to operate the detection system, and an environment device that supports the environment device that houses the detection system and supports the object to be measured. A support drive mechanism that adjusts each measuring point of an object and a corresponding detector to have a predetermined positional relationship; It consists of a detection system in which an array of detectors using light that causes little disturbance to the object to be measured is arranged in correspondence with the measurement points. Measurement is performed while adjusting the corresponding detectors to have a predetermined positional relationship.

This will be explained using drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of one measurement point.

The object to be measured has many measurement points, and the detection system accordingly has many detectors. The support and drive mechanism supports and drives all the detectors, but since only the vicinity of one detector is shown here, the support and drive mechanism is not shown in the figure.

The detection system 1 has a plurality of detectors 11. The detector is supported and driven by a support drive mechanism.

An environmental device 2 surrounds all the detectors.

The environmental device 2 has a space surrounded by an environmental device wall 5 filled with, for example, a refrigerant 6. This may be to prepare an environment in which the detector can function, or may be an environment at low temperature, very high temperature, vacuum, or even high pressure. Since it is partitioned by the environmental device wall 5, any environment can be provided.

The object to be measured 4 is, for example, a part of the human body.

The environmental device 2 does not have a shape that corresponds to the shape of each α1 constant object 4, but can correspond to an object to be measured having an arbitrary size and shape.

The detection system 3 is provided outside the environmental device wall 5.

The detection system 3 includes a cover 7 with a reflective surface, an optical fiber 9,
It consists of an optical fiber support part 8 and the like.

The cover 7 with a reflective surface is made of a material that has a certain degree of rigidity and flexibility. A space of a certain width is created between the environmental device wall 5 and the optical fiber 9 and the optical fiber support section 8 are placed in this space.

Since the cover 7 with a reflective surface has a certain degree of rigidity and contains air 13, it can maintain its original shape unless external force is applied.

A resin film 12 is lined inside the cover 7 with a reflective surface.

The optical fiber 9 is curved forward just in front of the detector 1 and has an obliquely polished surface 10 at its end. By changing the reflection conditions, the diagonally polished surface can be
It detects the pressure applied to the

The optical fiber support section 8 is a block member fixed to the environmental device wall 5, and is a member for directing the obliquely polished surface 10 of the optical fiber toward the cover 7 with a reflective surface.

The starting end of the optical fiber is branched into two, and one end passes light from a light source such as a light emitting diode or a laser diode.

A light receiving element is provided at the other end of the branch.

The light entering from one end of the optical fiber reaches the diagonally polished surface 1 at the tip.
0, is reflected by the cover 7 with a reflective surface, and part of the light returns to the optical fiber and enters the other end of the branch. The light receiving element detects the amount of returned light.

If pressure is applied to the cover 7 with a reflective surface in front of the detector, the reflective surface in front of the obliquely polished surface 10 at the end of the optical fiber approaches. Then, the reflection conditions change. Since the obliquely polished surface 10 and the reflective surface become closer, the amount of reflected light increases.

This indicates that pressure has been applied. Since the obliquely polished surface 10 and the detector 11 are located at the same point, the detector 11 and the object to be measured 4 overlap at this time.

This is the detection system 3.

(E) Effect In the detection system 1, the head of the detector 11 is attached to the environmental device wall 5 in a predetermined direction.

The environmental device 2 incorporates the detector 11, as already mentioned. The environmental device includes a commonly used environmental device wall,
It is driven to compensate for individual differences in the object to be measured.

By being driven, individual differences between the objects to be measured are compensated for, and the detector 11 assumes a predetermined positional relationship with the object to be measured 4. This can be detected by detectors installed at each measurement point that detect changes in the amount of light.

As a result, driving is stopped.

The drive is for alignment.

A detector that uses changes in light intensity is a diagonally polished surface 10.
This refers to the optical fiber 9 having the following characteristics.

Usually, the cover 7 with a reflective surface has a free shape depending on its own rigidity and the pressure of the air 13.

By driving the environmental device, when the object to be measured 4 comes into contact with the cover 7 with a reflective surface and applies pressure, the cover 7 with a reflective surface flexes, and the diagonally polished surface 10 of the optical fiber becomes the reflective surface of the cover with a reflective surface. Get closer. This causes a change in the amount of light passing through the optical fiber, so it can be seen that the position has been successfully determined.

After the environmental device is moved by the driving device and the detection system confirms that the environmental device has been positioned, the detector 11 takes measurements.

Positioning by the detection system can be done quickly and the amount of drive required is small, so the time required for measurement can be shortened. Also,
Measurement accuracy is improved.

(Power) Example of implementation An example will be described.

As a detector: 1. The object to be measured by a quantum interference device (SQUID) is assumed to be a living body, particularly a magnetic brain. The object to be measured is the brain.

Magnetoencephalography is measured at over 100 points on the head for diagnostic and observation purposes.

Environmental equipment needs to meet the following requirements: (a) It must be able to maintain extremely low temperatures to maintain a superconducting state, and (b) It must be made of materials that are difficult to magnetize to reduce noise.

Therefore, the environmental device usually has a dewar structure made of fiber-reinforced plastic (FPC) with vacuum insulation, double structure, etc. The thickness of the environmental device is typically several centimeters
There are m. Inside the environmental equipment, as a refrigerant, liquid or
If it contains gaseous He and therefore liquid, the environmental device cannot be turned upwards.

Furthermore, since the FPC has high rigidity, it is difficult to deform the wall surface of the environmental device.

The environmental device is in the form of a helmet that covers the head, and is shaped to accommodate heads of various shapes and sizes.

The detection coil of the 5QUID, which is a detector, is attached at a predetermined angle to the wall of this environmental device.

Because the helmet-shaped environmental device or a part of it has grooves filled with refrigerant such as liquid or gaseous He,
The detection system including the 5QUID body is maintained in a superconducting state.

The helmet-like environmental device is attached to a support drive mechanism which is a key element of the invention. The support drive mechanism is
The environmental device is driven and positioned so that the measurement point on the head and the wall surface of the helmet have a certain positional relationship.

Here, the fact that the individual differences in the object to be measured have been compensated for and the detector is in a predetermined positional relationship with the object to be measured can be detected by an optical sensor using an optical fiber.

This is as shown in FIG. The optical fiber has an obliquely polished surface corresponding to the detector.

When the environmental device approaches the object to be measured, the cover with a reflective surface deforms, and the amount of reflected light returning to the obliquely polished surface increases. As a result, the amount of light propagating through the optical fiber changes significantly. It is possible to detect that the position has been determined by the change in the amount of light.

If an optical fiber sensor is used to confirm positioning, (a) there will be less interference with the biomagnetic field of the object to be measured;

(b) Even if 100 or more are arranged corresponding to the measurement points, it does not take up much space.

(C) Less harm to the human body.

There are advantages such as

(g) Effects The support drive mechanism of the present invention realizes and maintains a detection system consisting of a plurality of detectors corresponding to a plurality of measurement points of an object to be measured, and an environment in which the detection system is housed and operated. This is because it consists of an environmental device that controls the measurement, a support drive mechanism that can drive the environmental device according to the object to be measured, and an optical sensor that detects that the detector is in a predetermined positional relationship with the object to be measured. It has a great effect.

(1) Can handle objects of any size and shape.

(2) Optimal placement of measurement points and detector heads can be realized.

(3) The support and drive mechanism of the environmental device can be simplified.

(4) The time required for measurement can be shortened.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing a part of the support drive mechanism of the present invention. 11"・Detection system 2・・・・・Environmental device 3・・・・Detection system 4・・・φMeasurement object 5・Environmental device wall 61」−Refrigerant 7・・・・Cover with reflective surface 811...Optical fiber support 9, φ...Optical fiber 10...Oblique polished surface 1111 Detector 12...Resin film 131'' Air Inventor Michi Asa Iyama

Claims (1)

[Claims] A detection system consisting of multiple detectors that correspond to the measurement points of the object to be measured, an environmental device that realizes and maintains the environment necessary to operate the detection system, and an environmental device that supports and supports the environment device that houses the detection system. A support drive mechanism that adjusts each measurement point of the object to be measured and the corresponding detector to have a predetermined positional relationship, and a support drive mechanism that detects when the detector has reached the predetermined positional relationship with the object to be measured and It consists of a detection system in which an array of detectors that use light that causes little disturbance to objects are arranged in correspondence with measurement points.
A detection system support drive mechanism characterized in that, prior to measurement at each measurement point, measurement is performed while adjusting each measurement point of the object to be measured and the corresponding detector so that they have a predetermined positional relationship.