KR20080104878A - Radiation exposure time automatic decision system and method for radiograpic testing - Google Patents

Abstract

A radiation exposure an automatic decision system and method is provided to determine radiation exposure time automatically by including a radiation detecting unit and a radiation measuring unit. A radiation exposure an automatic decision system and method includes a film(9) equipped in the lower part of a test body. A detecting unit equipped in the lower part of the film measures the amount of the radiation on the film(7). A measuring unit(1) of which one end is connected to the detecting unit, and it automatically calculates the exposure time after measuring the detection signal. A detecting unit includes a sensor(8) sensing infrared ray, ultraviolet ray, visible ray, microwave, X-ray, radiation, and gamma-ray.

Description

Radiation exposure time automatic decision system and method for radiograpic testing}

1 is a flow chart showing a radiation dose measuring method using a conventional CCD camera.

2 is a block diagram of a radiation dose measuring method using a conventional CCD camera.

Figure 3 is an automatic radiation exposure time determination system applied to the present invention

        Schematic shown.

4 is an external configuration diagram of a measurement unit applied to the present invention.

5 is an automatic radiation exposure time determination system applied to the present invention.

        Flowchart.

Figure 6 is an internal configuration diagram of the measuring unit applied to the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings>

1: measuring unit 2: control unit

5: lamp 6: speaker

7: detector 8: sensor

9: film 100: remote control unit

201: storage container 202: test object

The present invention relates to a system and method for automatically determining the exposure time of radiation, and more particularly, when the dose rate is measured through a sensor without knowing the intensity of the source, the type of material, the thickness of the material, the type of the film, and the distance between the source and the film. The calculated exposure time required is automatically displayed and an alarm is automatically triggered at the end of this time to allow the remote control to stop the exposure, which in turn can improve workability, work efficiency and safety. This, of course, drastically improved the quality and reliability of the product, allowing consumers to plant a good image.

As is well known, the time of exposure to radiation was determined by the intensity of the source, the type of material to be inspected, the thickness of the material, the type of film, and the distance between the source and the film.

In other words, the conventional radiation exposure time was determined by the exposed person or the complicated calculation formula and watched the clock and remotely operated the radiation source. Most materials are limited to steel, so for other materials, the equivalent coefficient table is used for the calculated exposure time. It is cumbersome to recalculate, and when the thickness of the material is not accurate, it is difficult to calculate the exposure time.

In addition, there are many conventional devices for measuring radiation dose (eg, G.M counter), which are large in size, making it difficult to attach to the film side, and in order to confirm this, there is a danger of approaching a place exposed to radiation.

At this time, since the GM counter (Geiger-Mueller counter) operates in the GM coefficient region, it is not proportional to the number of primary ion pairs caused by the incident particles, and anyway, when ionization occurs in the tube, the output pulse is almost constant regardless of the magnitude. Therefore, although the type and energy of the incident particles cannot be identified, the peak value of the output pulse is large because the gas amplification rate in the tube is very large. So use a simple amplifier.

He or Ar is used as the counting gas. The GM counter must not dissipate the discharge once generated by the radiation detector, but must be dissipated in some way. For this purpose, the gas added to the counting gas is called quenching g as. This is an organic gas such as ethyl alcohol or methyl formate, and this polyatomic molecule acts to desorb the charge of the cation generated by the discharge, thereby suppressing the discharge. This is called an organic gas reducing GM tube, and since organic gas decomposes together with an extinction action, it has a coefficient of 108 to 109 counting life, and the characteristics of the GM tube deteriorate. What uses halogen gas, such as Br, not organic gas, is called a halogen coefficient tube.

This extinction mechanism is different from that of organic gas, and because it is regenerated, there is no lifespan due to the extinction action. Halogen coefficient tube has many advantages such as low operating voltage and large pulse wave (1 ~ 10V), but it is difficult to get GM tube with good characteristics due to chemical activity of halogen gas, and it is easy to get bad. In the case of the gas inflow type, a counting gas called Q gas containing 0.5% of isobutane in He is well used. As described above, the use of the extinction gas is called a self-extinguish type, and to stop the discharge by the action of the outside of the GM tube, it is called the extinction type. A simple one is to attach a high resistance to the high voltage circuit, but it is not suitable for fast counting.

In order to solve the above problems, a patent application No. 2000-0083667 (Registration No. 0458,461) (name of the invention: a radiation dose measuring method and apparatus using a CCD camera) is applied as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Has been registered.

That is, the above-described technical configuration shields the light flowing into the CCD camera 10 of the remote control robot into the inaccessible high-level radiation zone, and the image processing unit 20 captures the image of the CCD camera according to the light shielding. After processing in real time, the obtained image is analyzed by the image analyzer 30 to measure the radiation dose. The CCD camera 10 is a remote control robot when working in a dangerous area such as a high radiation area or a narrow area such as a sewerage, that is, an area where an operator cannot directly input (work by a remote control robot). Attached to facilitate the work, it is protected by the lead shielding wall 11, and a light shielding film 12 is provided at the light inlet. The image processing unit 20 is connected by a CCD camera 10 attached to an image remote control robot and a data line 40. The image processing unit 20 monitors an image acquired by the CCD camera 10 in real time. 50 to deliver. The image acquisition board obtains one frame of image from a shielded CCD camera in a radiation environment, and then the average value of pixels measured in the absence of radiation, that is, the value due to dark current, in the brightness value of each pixel constituting the image. Remove it. This dark current value plays a role of noise in the radiation measurement, which causes a decrease in sensitivity and an inaccurate measurement in the radiation measurement. The value of each pixel from which the dark current is removed is accumulated over one frame of image (640x480), and in the case of NTSC signal, since 30 frames per second are obtained from the CCD camera, the above process is repeatedly accumulated for 30 frames. .

Through the above method, the noise due to the dark current can be removed, and the radiation rate / amount with increased sensitivity can be measured in real time.

The image analyzer 30 calculates the radiation dose by analyzing the image acquired by the image processor 20, and compares the brightness of the image according to a predetermined radiation rate with the brightness of the acquired image to calculate the radiation dose. Is calculated. That is, the CCD camera attached to the remote control robot has an average brightness of 3.38 per pixel of the CCD image due to dark current when light inflow is shielded in a place where no radiation is irradiated, and when the radiation rate is irradiated at 100 rad / h. Since the average brightness of the pixels is 3.95, the value 3.38 due to dark current is removed from this value (= 0.57), and the cumulative accumulation over the entire image (one frame image is 640x480 pixels) results in 175,104. 52453,120. By applying this method, the cumulative image brightness value is 248183,120 when the radiation rate is 500rad / h, and the image brightness value is 254,374,400 when 1000rad / h is irradiated, and 269,291,520 is obtained when the 5000rad / h irradiation is . This can be represented as a graph of the light quantity versus radiation rate (rad / h).

When the correlation between the radiation rate and the image brightness is expressed as a function using the graph, a function formula of Ｑsum = 3.46 + 0.0057 * radiation rate (rad / h) and (Ｑ sum; integrated image brightness value) is established. That is, by measuring the brightness of the image obtained through the CCD camera, it is possible to measure the radiation dose irradiated to the CCD camera by the function equation.

By using the same principle as above, the remote control robot with the CCD camera is inserted into the radiation zone of high level, shielding the light flowing into the CCD camera, and then the CCD camera in the state where the light is blocked through the image processing unit. Acquire an image and compare the brightness of the obtained image in the image analyzer, that is, substitute and calculate the formula Ｑsum = 3.46 + 0.0057 * radiation rate (rad / h) to measure the radiation dose at the present time in real time. It is supposed to be.

However, the above-described prior art has the following problems.

That is, the amount of radiation covered in real time can be measured by the brightness of the CCD camera acquired image, which is a mobile robot vision device. However, this device measures the approximate radiation dose at a very high radiation dose (a few 100 Rad). The radiation dose range of several 10 Rad used for radiographic examination caused a problem that it could not be applied because accurate data could not be measured.

In addition, accurate data can be measured only by knowing the strength of the source, the type of material, the thickness of the material, the type of the film, and the distance between the source and the film, resulting in a problem of deterioration of workability and work efficiency and safety.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, the detection unit for measuring the amount of radiation that reaches the film, and the measurement to automatically calculate the exposure time after measuring the signal of the detection unit The first purpose is to provide an additional, the second purpose is to measure the dose rate through the sensor without knowing the strength of the source, the type of material, the thickness of the material, the type of the film and the distance between the source and the film according to the above technical configuration If the required exposure time is displayed automatically, the alarm will sound automatically when this time is over, and the remote control device can stop the exposure. In order to improve safety, the fourth objective is to greatly improve the quality and reliability of the product, thereby providing a good room for consumers. Radiation exposure time to provide a transmission line inspection services provide a system and method for automatic determination.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a system for measuring radiation dose using a remote control unit, a storage container, and a device for measuring radiation dose, the film being provided under the test body; A sensing unit provided below the film and measuring a radiation dose reaching the film; One end is connected to the sensing unit, the other end is connected to the remote control unit and measuring unit for automatically measuring the exposure time after measuring the signal of the sensing unit; provides an automatic radiation exposure time determination system characterized in that it is provided. .

In another aspect, the present invention is a method for measuring the radiation dose using a remote control unit and storage container and the device for measuring the radiation dose, when the sensing unit measures the radiation dose to reach the film, the measurement unit determines the exposure time automatically It provides a method for automatically determining the radiation exposure time characterized in that.

Hereinafter, described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of the present invention for achieving this purpose are as follows.

Automatic radiation exposure time determination system and method applied to the present invention is configured as shown in Figs.

In the following description of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The following terms are terms set in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may vary depending on the intention or custom of the producer, and their definitions should be made based on the contents throughout the specification.

First, the present invention is a system for measuring the radiation dose by using the remote control unit 200, the storage container 201, and a device for measuring the radiation dose, the following technical configuration as a technical feature of the present invention.

That is, the present invention is a film 9 is provided in the lower portion of the test body 202, as shown in Figure 3, the kind of this film is used, such as Fujifilm, Agpa film and Kodak film.

In addition, the present invention is provided in the lower portion of the film 9, the sensing unit 7 for measuring the radiation dose that reaches the film (9) is provided.

In this case, the sensing unit 7 is provided with a sensor 8 for detecting infrared rays, ultraviolet rays, visible light, microwaves, x-rays, radiation, gamma rays, etc. In particular, the sensor 8 is a sensor provided in the GM counter Of course, it can be reduced.

And the present invention is one end is connected to the sensing unit 7, the other end is connected to the remote control unit 200 is measured by measuring the signal of the sensing unit 7 automatically calculates the exposure time ( 1) is provided.

In this case, the measuring unit 1 is provided with a control unit 2 for controlling the measuring unit as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, and the control unit 2 includes a plurality of selection buttons for selecting any one of various film types ( 3a, 3b, 3c are provided. In addition, the display unit (4a) is displayed by pressing the selection button to display the type of film corresponding thereto. In addition, an input button 3d for inputting the film of the selection button is provided, and when the sensor 8 measures the radiation dose reaching the film 9, the control unit 2 sends a signal to the control unit 2. After determination, the dose rate display section 4b for displaying to the outside, the total required exposure time display section 4c, and the remaining time display section 4d are provided.

In addition, the control unit 2 applied to the present invention is provided with an alarm 6 and a lamp 5 which inform the stop of the remote control unit 200 after displaying the exposure time.

On the other hand, the present invention may be variously modified and may take various forms in applying the above configuration.

And it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific forms referred to in the above description, but rather includes all modifications, equivalents and substitutions within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It should be understood that.

Referring to the operation and effect of the automatic radiation exposure time determination system and method of the present invention configured as described above are as follows.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, when the sensing unit 7 measures the amount of radiation reaching the film 9, the measuring unit 1 determines the exposure time and then reports the exposure time automatically. The decision is made automatically.

In more detail, each step of informing the exposure time is as follows.

First, as shown in FIG. 5, the step S100 of inputting the type of film to the measuring unit 1 is performed. At this time, one of the plurality of selection buttons 3a, 3b, and 3c is selected, and when the selection button 3a is pressed, "Fuji (film) # 100, Agfa (film) D7, Kodak (film) ) AA "is displayed on the display 4a, and when the selection button 3b is pressed," Fuji (film) # 80, Agfa (film) D5, Kodak (film) T "is displayed on the display 4a. When the selection button 3c is pressed, "Fuji (film) # 50, Agfa (film) D4, Kodak (film) M" is displayed on the display unit 4a, and the operator selects one of the final films. After selecting the input button (3d) is input to the control unit (2).

After that, the worker goes through the step S101 of exposing the source using the remote control unit 200, in which the radiation source of the storage container 201 moves to the test body to transmit the radiation to the test body 202.

When the radiation penetrates the test body 202, the film 9 is exposed to an appropriate radiation dose, resulting in a concentration of about 2.0 to 2.5. Since the appropriate radiation dose is determined according to the kind of each film, what is necessary is just to measure the radiation dose which reaches a film.

Thereafter, after the sensing unit 7 measures the amount of radiation reaching the film 9 and sends it to the measuring unit 1, the measuring unit 1 automatically calculates the exposure time (S102).

That is, the automatic calculation of the exposure time results in the step (S103) of displaying the dose rate, the total required exposure time, and the remaining time to the outside, for example, measured in the case of Fuji (film) # 100 → 1 Rad. If the dose rate is 20R / hr, the exposure time is 1/20 hours, or 3 minutes, and as shown in FIG. 4, the dose rate display section 4b displays the dose rate as 20R / hr, and the total required exposure time. The total required exposure time is displayed on the display portion 4c for 1/20 hours, and the remaining time display portion 4d is automatically displayed on the remaining time display portion 4d.

The present invention is to go through the alarm and lamp operation step (S104) to inform the outside visually and audibly after the automatic exposure time, as shown in Figs. This is generated, a strong light through the lamp (5) to allow the operator to grasp at a glance.

Finally, the present invention ends the final operation through the step (S105) of giving the command to stop the exposure to the remote control unit 200 by the alarm and lamp operation.

As described in detail above, the present invention is to provide a detection unit for measuring the amount of radiation that reaches the film, and a measurement unit for automatically calculating the exposure time after measuring the signal of the detection unit.

According to the above technical configuration, the calculated exposure time required by measuring the dose rate through the sensor is automatically obtained without knowing the intensity of the source, the type of material, the thickness of the material, the type of the film, and the distance between the source and the film. At the end of this time, an alarm sounds automatically, allowing the remote to stop exposure.

In addition, the present invention is intended to improve the workability and work efficiency and safety as a result of the above action.

The present invention is a very useful invention that can significantly improve the quality and reliability of the product due to the above-described effects to provide a high-quality radiographic services to consumers.

Claims (6)

In the system for measuring the radiation dose using a remote control unit, a storage container and a device for measuring the radiation dose, A film 9 provided below the test body; A sensing unit 7 provided below the film and measuring a radiation dose reaching the film; One end is connected to the sensing unit, the other end is connected to the remote control unit measuring unit (1) to automatically calculate the exposure time after measuring the signal of the sensing unit; automatic radiation exposure time determination system characterized in that it is provided . According to claim 1, The detection unit (7) is automatic radiation exposure time determination system, characterized in that the sensor (8) for detecting infrared, ultraviolet, visible light, microwave, x-rays, radiation, gamma rays and the like. According to claim 1, The measuring unit 1 is provided with a control unit 2 for controlling the measuring unit. A plurality of selection buttons 3a, 3b, 3c for selecting any one of several film types; A display unit 4a for displaying a kind of film corresponding to the selection button by pressing the selection button; An input button 3d for inputting the film of the selection button if it is correct; After the sensor 8 measures the amount of radiation reaching the film and sends a signal to the control unit, the control unit judges this and displays the dose rate display unit 4b, the total required exposure time display unit 4c, and the remaining time display unit 4d. Automatic connection system for determining the radiation exposure time, characterized in that the connection is provided. According to claim 3, The control unit (2) is automatic radiation exposure time determination system, characterized in that the alarm (6) and the lamp (5) for further telling to stop the remote control unit after the exposure time display. In the method of measuring the radiation dose using a remote control unit, a storage container and a device for measuring the radiation dose, Method for automatically determining the exposure time of radiation, characterized in that when the detection unit (7) measures the amount of radiation that reaches the film (9) after the measurement unit (1) determines the exposure time automatically. The method of claim 5 wherein Informing the exposure time Inputting the type of film into the measuring unit 1 (S100); Exposing the source using the remote control unit 200 (S101); Measuring the amount of radiation reaching the film and sending it to the measuring unit after measuring by the measuring unit (S102); Displaying the dose rate, the total required exposure time and the remaining time to the outside by automatic calculation of exposure time (S103); Alarm and lamp operation step (S104) to inform the outside visually and audibly after automatic exposure time calculation; And a step (S105) of issuing a stop command to the remote control unit by an alarm and a lamp operation.

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