Radiation inspection system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a radiation inspection system, comprising: a radiation source having an accelerator target; and a detector arm comprising an arm body and multiple detector modules arranged along the length of the arm body. Each detector module comprises a circuit board and multiple detector crystals mounted on the circuit board. The multiple detector crystals in each detector module are mounted parallel to each other and arranged along a reference line on the circuit board at a preset angle relative to the reference line. The multiple detector modules correspond to at least two different preset angles. Embodiments of the present disclosure can improve the quality of generated inspection images.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of radiation inspection, and in particular to a radiation inspection system. Background Art

[0002] During the radiation inspection process, the radiation source emits X-rays or gamma rays toward the object. The detector assembly located on the other side of the inspected object can receive the radiation signal weakened by the object and convert and generate image information representing the internal situation of the object through the data processing module.

[0003] Taking a container / vehicle inspection system as an example, the system includes a detector arm that forms an inspection channel. The detector arm can be equipped with multiple detector modules of the same specifications. Each detector module includes multiple detector crystals arranged side by side. To ensure that the detector modules face the radiation source beam, the multiple detector modules on the detector arm are installed at different angles. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The inventors have discovered through research that, among the multiple detector modules installed on the detector arm, there is a sudden change in the distance between the edge detector crystals of adjacent detector modules and the target point of the radiation source, which affects the quality of the inspection image generated by the system.

[0005] In view of this, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a radiation inspection system capable of improving the quality of generated inspection images.

[0006] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a radiation inspection system is provided, comprising: a radiation source having an accelerator target; and a detector arm, comprising an arm body and a plurality of detector modules, wherein the plurality of detector modules are arranged on the arm body along the length direction of the arm body, each detector module comprising a circuit board and a plurality of detector crystals mounted on the circuit board, the installation directions of the plurality of detector crystals in each detector module are parallel to each other, and are arranged along a reference straight line on the circuit board and at a preset angle relative to the reference straight line, and the plurality of detector modules correspond to at least two different preset angles.

[0007] In some embodiments, the multiple detector modules include multiple detector module groups, at least one detector module group includes multiple identical detector modules arranged adjacent to each other, and the preset angle corresponding to each detector module in the multiple identical detector modules is different from the preset angle corresponding to at least one other detector module group.

[0008] In some embodiments, the plurality of identical detector modules are installed at different angles relative to the arm, so that at least part of the detector crystals of each of the plurality of identical detector modules pass through the accelerator target along an extension line of the installation direction.

[0009] In some embodiments, the circuit board of each detector module is in the shape of a parallelogram, and a first side of the parallelogram serves as a reference straight line on the circuit board and forms a preset angle with the installation direction of the plurality of detector crystals.

[0010] In some embodiments, two opposite second sides and a third side adjacent to the first side in the parallel line quadrilateral are parallel to the installation direction of the plurality of detector crystals.

[0011] In some embodiments, the multiple detector modules in each detector module group are arranged adjacent to each other in sequence along the length direction of the arm.

[0012] In some embodiments, the arm body includes: a vertical arm body, configured to be set vertically when the radiation inspection system is in an inspection state, wherein the preset angles corresponding to each detector module group arranged on the vertical arm body and located above the horizontal plane where the accelerator target is located gradually decrease upward along the vertical direction.

[0013] In some embodiments, the arm body further includes: a cross arm body, which is configured to be horizontally arranged when the radiation inspection system is in an inspection state, wherein the preset angles corresponding to the respective detector module groups arranged on the cross arm body gradually decrease along the horizontal direction away from the accelerator target.

[0014] In some embodiments, the arm body includes a first arm body segment and a second arm body segment, the multiple detector module groups include at least two detector module groups located in the first arm body segment and at least two detector module groups located in the second arm body segment, and the inter-group distance of the at least two detector module groups located in the first arm body segment is smaller than the inter-group distance of the at least two detector module groups located in the second arm body segment.

[0015] In some embodiments, the length direction of the first arm segment is parallel to the length direction of the second arm segment, and the distance between the first arm segment and the accelerator target in the length direction of the first arm segment is smaller than the distance between the second arm segment and the accelerator target in the length direction of the second arm segment.

[0016] In some embodiments, the arm body includes: a vertical arm body, having the first arm body section, and configured to be set vertically when the radiation inspection system is in an inspection state; and a horizontal arm body, having the second arm body section, and configured to be set horizontally when the radiation inspection system is in an inspection state.

[0017] Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of detector module groups are provided on the arm body of the detector arm, so that the preset angles of the plurality of detector crystals in the detector module relative to the reference straight line on the circuit board are different from the preset angles of the plurality of detector crystals in other detector modules relative to the reference straight line on the circuit board. When installing the detector modules, detector modules corresponding to different preset angles can be used according to the different installation positions of the arm body, without having to set each detector module to a larger installation angle according to the beam direction of the radiation source. This can effectively reduce or eliminate the sudden change in the distance between the edge detector crystals of adjacent detector modules and the target point of the radiation source, making imaging clearer and improving imaging indicators. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0019] The present disclosure can be more clearly understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of some embodiments of the radiation inspection system according to the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 2-Figure 4 They are schematic structural diagrams of detector modules in which the detector crystal and the reference line on the circuit board form different preset angles according to some embodiments of the radiation inspection system disclosed herein;

[0022] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a detector module in some embodiments of the radiation inspection system according to the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the change in distance from an accelerator target to adjacent detector crystals of adjacent detector modules of a detector arm in the related art;

[0024] Figure 7 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the change in distance from an accelerator target to adjacent detector crystals of adjacent detector modules of a detector arm in some embodiments of the radiation inspection system according to the present disclosure.

[0025] It should be understood that the size of each part shown in the drawings is not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship.In addition, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar components. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The description of the exemplary embodiments is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or use. The present disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. These embodiments are provided to make the present disclosure thorough and complete and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of parts and steps, the composition of materials, numerical expressions, and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments should be interpreted as being merely exemplary and not as limiting.

[0027] The terms "first", "second" and similar terms used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different parts. The terms "include" or "comprises" and similar terms mean that the elements before the term include the elements listed after the term, and do not exclude the possibility of also including other elements. The terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0028] In the present disclosure, when a specific device is described as being located between a first device and a second device, an intervening device may or may not be present between the specific device and the first device or the second device. When a specific device is described as being connected to another device, the specific device may be directly connected to the other device without an intervening device, or may be not directly connected to the other device but with an intervening device.

[0029] All terms (including technical or scientific terms) used in this disclosure have the same meaning as those understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs, unless otherwise specifically defined. It should also be understood that terms defined in, for example, general dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or highly formal sense, unless explicitly defined herein.

[0030] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0031] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the radiation inspection system according to the present disclosure. Figure 2-Figure 4 They are schematic diagrams of the structures of detector modules in which the detector crystal and the reference line on the circuit board are at different preset angles according to some embodiments of the radiation inspection system disclosed herein. Figures 1-4In some embodiments, a radiation inspection system includes a radiation source 10 and a detector arm. Radiation source 10 includes an accelerator target 11. High-speed particles generated by radiation source 10 can bombard accelerator target 11, thereby emitting a radiation beam from accelerator target 11 toward an object under inspection. In some embodiments, radiation source 10 may be an X-ray source or a gamma-ray source.

[0032] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment, the detector arm includes an arm body 20 and a plurality of detector modules 30. The plurality of detector modules 30 are arranged on the arm body 20 along the length direction of the arm body 20. Figure 2-Figure 5 Each detector module 30 includes a circuit board 31 and multiple detector crystals 32 mounted on the circuit board 31. The multiple detector crystals 32 in each detector module 30 are mounted parallel to each other and arranged along a reference line R on the circuit board 31 at a preset angle relative to the reference line R. Multiple detector modules 30 correspond to at least two different preset angles.

[0033] In this embodiment, multiple detector modules are arranged on the arm of the detector arm, so that the preset angles of the multiple detector crystals in each detector module relative to the reference line on the circuit board are different from the preset angles of the multiple detector crystals in other detector modules relative to the reference line on the circuit board. When installing the detector modules, detector modules corresponding to different preset angles can be used according to the different installation positions of the arm, eliminating the need to set each detector module at a large installation angle based on the beam direction of the radiation source. This effectively reduces or eliminates sudden changes in the distance between the edge detector crystals of adjacent detector modules and the target point of the radiation source, resulting in clearer imaging and improved imaging performance.

[0034] refer to Figure 2-Figure 5 In some embodiments, the detector crystal 32 is a thin rectangular parallelepiped, and its installation direction is the length direction of the detector crystal 32. The circuit board 31 may include a control circuit 311 electrically connected to the detector crystal 32. The control circuit 311 may be located on a side of the detector crystal 32 away from the accelerator target 11.

[0035] The plurality of detector modules 30 include a plurality of detector module groups, for example Figure 1 In the plurality of detector module groups 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, 30e, and 30f, at least one detector module group includes a plurality of identical detector modules 30 disposed adjacent to each other. A preset angle corresponding to each detector module 30 in the plurality of identical detector modules 30 is different from a preset angle corresponding to at least one other detector module group.

[0036] Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of the change in distance from an accelerator target to adjacent detector crystals of adjacent detector modules of a detector arm in the related art. Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the distance change from the accelerator target to the adjacent detector crystals of the adjacent detector modules of the detector arm in some embodiments of the radiation inspection system disclosed herein. Figure 6 In some related technologies, when installing detector modules, installers use detector modules of the same specifications at different installation positions on the arm. In order to make each detector module face the beam direction of the radiation source, each detector module is set at a different installation angle, and the installation angles of adjacent detector modules vary greatly. This causes a large abrupt change in the distance from the accelerator target to the edge detector crystal of the adjacent detector module, for example Figure 6 d1 and d2 in .

[0037] refer to Figure 7 In this embodiment, when installing the detector module, the installer can use detector modules corresponding to different preset angles according to the different installation positions of the arm. Figure 7 In the example, the two lower detector modules have the same specifications and form a detector module group 30b. Their detector crystals form a preset angle α1 with the reference line on the circuit board. The upper detector module group 30c has different specifications from detector module group 30b, and its detector crystals form a preset angle α2 with the reference line on the circuit board. This arrangement minimizes the difference in installation angles between adjacent detector modules, which reduces the abrupt change in the distance from the accelerator target to the edge detector crystals of adjacent detector modules. Figure 7 Therefore, this embodiment can effectively reduce or eliminate the sudden change in the distance between the edge detector crystals of adjacent detector modules and the target point of the radiation source, making the imaging clearer and improving the imaging index.

[0038] In other related technologies, detector modules of different specifications are installed at different installation positions of the arm. In contrast, this embodiment arranges multiple identical detector modules in groups (e.g. Figure 7 The detector modules 30b are grouped in a plurality of ways, thereby effectively reducing the types of detector modules of different shapes and specifications used in the radiation inspection system, reducing production costs and after-sales maintenance costs, and improving practicality.

[0039] refer to Figure 1 In some embodiments, multiple identical detector modules 30 are installed at different angles relative to the arm 20, so that at least part of the detector crystals 32 of each detector module 30 in the multiple identical detector modules 30 passes through the accelerator target 11 along the extension line 12 of the installation direction, thereby ensuring that the detector module faces the beam direction of the radiation source and improving the imaging quality. Figure 1 In the embodiment, multiple detector module groups 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, 30e, and 30f each include at least two identical detector modules 30. The multiple detector modules 30 in each detector module group are sequentially arranged adjacent to each other along the length of the arm 20. Fine-tuning of each detector module is sufficient to ensure that at least a portion of the detector crystals 32 of each detector module 30 passes through the accelerator target 11 along the extension line 12 of the installation direction.

[0040] refer to Figure 5 In some embodiments, the circuit board 31 of each detector module 30 is in the shape of a parallelogram, and the first side L1 of the parallelogram, serving as a reference straight line R on the circuit board 31, forms a preset angle with the installation direction of the plurality of detector crystals 32. The first side L1 may be located at the signal receiving side 321 of the detector crystal 32. Figure 2 The circuit board 31 may also be rectangular, that is, a parallelogram with an internal angle of 90°. Accordingly, the installation direction of the detector crystal 32 in the rectangular circuit board 31 forms a preset angle α1 with the reference line R of 90°. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The preset included angles α2 and α3 between the installation directions of the detector crystals 32 of the other detector module groups shown in FIG. 5 and the reference straight line R are both smaller than 90°.

[0041] exist Figure 5 In the parallel quadrilateral, the two opposing second sides L2 and third side L3 adjacent to the first side L1 are parallel to the installation direction of the multiple detector crystals 32. This allows the installation angles of the circuit boards 32 of adjacent detector modules to differ more closely, thereby further reducing the sudden change in the distance between the edge detector crystals of adjacent detector modules and the target point of the radiation source.

[0042] refer to Figure 1 In some embodiments, the arm 20 includes a vertical arm 21 configured to be positioned vertically when the radiation inspection system is in an inspection state. The preset angles corresponding to the detector module groups (e.g., detector module groups 30a, 30b, and 30c) arranged on the vertical arm 21 and located above the horizontal plane of the accelerator target 11 gradually decrease upward in the vertical direction. This ensures that the preset angles of the detector modules match their installation positions relative to the accelerator target.

[0043] For a detector module group that is far away from the accelerator target in the vertical direction, if a detector module with the same specification and a preset angle of 90° in the related art is used, it is necessary to set the installation angle of the detector module on the vertical arm body 21 to be larger. By reducing the preset angle of the detector module group, the larger installation angle is shared by the installation angle of the detector module and the preset angle of the detector module, so that the installation angle on the vertical arm body 21 is set to be smaller, thereby reducing the difference in the installation angles of adjacent detector modules and reducing the sudden change in the distance between the edge detector crystals of adjacent detector modules and the target of the radiation source.

[0044] The farther the detector module is from the accelerator target in the vertical direction, the larger the required installation angle is generally. In this way, by making the preset angle corresponding to each detector module group that is closer to the accelerator target in the vertical direction larger, and making the preset angle corresponding to each detector module group that is farther from the accelerator target in the vertical direction smaller, the installation angle difference of the detector modules at various installation positions on the vertical arm body 21 is effectively reduced, and the sudden change of the distance between the edge detector crystal and the target of the radiation source within and between each detector module group is reduced.

[0045] In order to reduce the length of the vertical arm and meet the scanning needs of larger objects, refer to Figure 1 In some embodiments, the arm body 20 further includes: a cross arm body 22, which is configured to be horizontally arranged when the radiation inspection system is in an inspection state, wherein the preset angles corresponding to the respective detector module groups (for example, the detector module groups 30d, 30e, and 30f) arranged on the cross arm body 22 gradually decrease along the horizontal direction away from the accelerator target 11.

[0046] The preset angles corresponding to the detector modules arranged on the cross arm 22 are different. Figure 4 The installation direction of the detector crystal 32 can form a preset angle α3 with the reference line R. The method and reason for installing the detector module on the vertical arm body are the same or similar to the above-mentioned method and reason for installing the detector module on the horizontal arm body 22.

[0047] The inter-group distances of the detector module groups may be the same or different. In some embodiments, the arm 20 includes a first arm segment and a second arm segment. The plurality of detector module groups include at least two detector module groups located in the first arm segment and at least two detector module groups located in the second arm segment, wherein the inter-group distances of the at least two detector module groups located in the first arm segment are smaller than the inter-group distances of the at least two detector module groups located in the second arm segment.

[0048] A smaller inter-group distance allows for a denser arrangement of detector modules, improving detection accuracy within the scanning range corresponding to the first arm segment. On the other hand, a larger inter-group distance allows for a sparser arrangement of detector modules, saving on detector modules and reducing production and after-sales maintenance costs.

[0049] In some embodiments, the length direction of the first arm segment is parallel to the length direction of the second arm segment, and the distance between the first arm segment and the accelerator target 11 in the length direction of the first arm segment is smaller than the distance between the second arm segment and the accelerator target 11 in the length direction of the second arm segment. In other words, the first arm segment and the second arm segment can be different portions of a linear arm along the length direction. The distance between at least two detector module groups provided on the arm segment farther from the accelerator target 11 along the length direction is wider, and the distance between at least two detector module groups provided on the arm segment closer to the accelerator target 11 along the length direction is narrower.

[0050] In some embodiments, the arm body 20 includes: a vertical arm body 21 and a horizontal arm body 22. The vertical arm body 21 has the first arm body section and is configured to be vertically set when the radiation inspection system is in the inspection state. The horizontal arm body 22 has the second arm body section and is configured to be horizontally set when the radiation inspection system is in the inspection state. In other words, the first arm body section and the second arm body section are in vertical and horizontal setting states, respectively, when the radiation inspection system is in the inspection state. The distance between the at least two detector module groups arranged on the vertically arranged first arm body section is narrower, and the distance between the at least two detector module groups arranged on the horizontally arranged second arm body section is wider.

[0051] The distance between at least two detector module groups of different arm segments can be determined according to the region of interest of the object being inspected. Figure 1 For the inspected object (such as a container or a vehicle), the materials inside are usually piled up at a lower position, while the higher position may be empty or have only a small amount of materials, which may distinguish the area of ​​interest and the area of ​​no interest of the inspected object to a certain extent. Accordingly, the area of ​​interest corresponds to the multiple detector module groups at the lower part of the vertical arm, and the area of ​​no interest corresponds to the multiple detector module groups at the upper part of the vertical arm or the multiple detector module groups on the horizontal arm. In other embodiments, other layout methods can be adopted between the radiation source and the detector arm, and the arrangement of the detector modules corresponding to the area of ​​interest and the area of ​​no interest may be different, and is not limited to Figure 1 The situation shown.

[0052] Thus far, various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail. To avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, some details known in the art have not been described. Based on the above description, those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solutions disclosed herein.

[0053] Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail through examples, those skilled in the art will understand that the above examples are for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the above embodiments may be modified or some technical features may be replaced with equivalents without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A radiation inspection system, characterized in that: include: a radiation source (10) having an accelerator target (11); and A detector arm, comprising an arm body (20) and a plurality of detector modules (30), wherein the plurality of detector modules (30) are arranged on the arm body (20) along the length direction of the arm body (20), each detector module (30) comprising a circuit board (31) and a plurality of detector crystals (32) mounted on the circuit board (31), wherein the mounting directions of the plurality of detector crystals (32) in each detector module (30) are parallel to each other, and are arranged along a reference straight line (R) on the circuit board (31) and form a preset angle relative to the reference straight line (R), and the plurality of detector modules (30) correspond to at least two different preset angles; The plurality of detector modules (30) include a plurality of detector module groups (30a; 30b; 30c; 30d; 30e; 30f), at least one detector module group (30a; 30b; 30c; 30d; 30e; 30f) includes a plurality of identical detector modules (30) arranged adjacent to each other, and a preset angle corresponding to each detector module (30) in the plurality of identical detector modules (30) is different from a preset angle corresponding to at least one other detector module group (30a; 30b; 30c; 30d; 30e; 30f); The plurality of identical detector modules (30) are installed at different angles relative to the arm (20), so that at least a portion of the detector crystals (32) of each detector module (30) in the plurality of identical detector modules (30) passes through the accelerator target (11) along an extension line (12) of the installation direction.

2. The radiation inspection system according to claim 1, wherein: The circuit board (31) of each detector module (30) is in the shape of a parallelogram, and a first side (L1) of the parallelogram, serving as a reference straight line (R) on the circuit board (31), forms a preset angle with the installation direction of the plurality of detector crystals (32).

3. The radiation inspection system according to claim 2, wherein: Two opposite second sides (L2) and a third side (L3) adjacent to the first side (L1) in the parallelogram are both parallel to the installation direction of the multiple detector crystals (32).

4. The radiation inspection system according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of detector modules (30) in each detector module group (30a; 30b; 30c; 30d; 30e; 30f) are sequentially arranged adjacent to each other along the length direction of the arm body (20).

5. The radiation inspection system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The arm body (20) comprises: The vertical arm (21) is configured to be arranged vertically when the radiation inspection system is in an inspection state. The preset angles corresponding to the respective detector module groups arranged on the vertical arm (21) and located above the horizontal plane where the accelerator target (11) is located gradually decrease upwards along the vertical direction.

6. The radiation inspection system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The arm body (20) further includes: The cross arm body (22) is configured to be arranged horizontally when the radiation inspection system is in an inspection state. The preset angles corresponding to the respective detector module groups arranged on the cross arm (22) gradually decrease along the horizontal direction away from the accelerator target (11).

7. The radiation inspection system according to claim 1, wherein: The arm body (20) includes a first arm body segment and a second arm body segment, and the multiple detector module groups (30a; 30b; 30c; 30d; 30e; 30f) include at least two detector module groups located in the first arm body segment and at least two detector module groups located in the second arm body segment, and the inter-group distance of the at least two detector module groups located in the first arm body segment is smaller than the inter-group distance of the at least two detector module groups located in the second arm body segment.

8. The radiation inspection system according to claim 7, wherein: The length direction of the first arm segment is parallel to the length direction of the second arm segment, and the distance between the first arm segment and the accelerator target (11) in the length direction of the first arm segment is smaller than the distance between the second arm segment and the accelerator target (11) in the length direction of the second arm segment.

9. The radiation inspection system according to claim 7, wherein: The arm body (20) comprises: a vertical arm (21), having the first arm section and configured to be arranged vertically when the radiation inspection system is in an inspection state; and The cross arm body (22) has the second arm body section and is configured to be arranged horizontally when the radiation inspection system is in an inspection state.

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