A scintillator afterglow measuring device and system

Abstract

The application discloses a scintillator afterglow measuring device and system. The measuring device comprises a dark box with a closed hollow inner cavity and a transmission hole formed on the outer wall; a ray source is arranged on one side of the dark box and corresponds to the transmission hole, so that laser rays emitted by the ray source are shot into the hollow inner cavity from the transmission hole; a rotating disc is arranged in the hollow inner cavity and has a light transmission hole formed on the surface; the rotating disc rotates in a preset plane, so that the light transmission hole is periodically aligned with the transmission hole; a sample placing table is arranged in the hollow inner cavity and located behind the light transmission hole, and is used for placing a sample to be measured; and a measuring part is arranged in the hollow inner cavity and located behind the sample placing table, and is used for receiving a light signal after the laser rays penetrate the sample to be measured. The measuring device controls the rotating speed of the rotating disc, so that the periodic interruption of the excitation light source is realized according to different test materials, and the maximum excitation intensity and the afterglow intensity at a specified time can be measured simultaneously.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a scintillator afterglow measurement device and a corresponding scintillator afterglow measurement system, belonging to the field of radiation imaging technology. Background Technology

[0002] Afterglow refers to the phenomenon that a scintillator continues to emit visible light for a period of time after the external excitation signal (such as an X-ray beam or visible light) has disappeared. In recent years, various single-crystal scintillators, ceramic scintillators, glass scintillators, thin-film scintillators, etc., have been increasingly used to manufacture various scintillator screens or radiation detectors for applications in nuclear medicine imaging, security inspection equipment, and product inspection.

[0003] To improve image quality and detection efficiency, the scintillator used must not only have high light output and energy resolution, but also the lowest possible afterglow. Therefore, afterglow intensity is an important indicator for evaluating the performance of a scintillator material. Thus, how to conveniently, quickly, accurately, and reliably measure the scintillator performance of a material is a key issue. Afterglow intensity is generally expressed as the percentage of the luminous intensity Vt at a specified time point after the scintillator stops excitation to the maximum luminous intensity Vmax before excitation stops. Based on the length of the afterglow time, afterglow is further classified into extremely long afterglow (>1s), long afterglow (100ms~1s), medium afterglow (1ms~100ms), medium-short afterglow (10us~1ms), short afterglow (1us~10us), and extremely short afterglow (<1us).

[0004] In Chinese invention application No. 201711428826.8, Tongfang Weishi Co., Ltd. proposed an afterglow testing device for a scintillator. This afterglow testing device includes a radiation generator, a rotating body, and an afterglow detector. The rotating body is positioned between the radiation generator and the scintillator under test and has an exit hole for allowing radiation to pass through. The rotating body rotates at a constant speed relative to the radiation generator to control the on / off state of radiation irradiation of the scintillator under test. The afterglow detector receives the afterglow of the scintillator under test. This afterglow testing device increases the stability of the test by controlling the uniform rotation of the rotating body to control the on / off state of radiation reception on the scintillator under test. Furthermore, the uniform rotation of the rotating body allows the radiation emitted by the radiation generator to pass through the exit hole at intervals, irradiating the scintillator at intervals, thus facilitating multiple tests of the scintillator's afterglow. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The primary technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a scintillator afterglow measuring device.

[0006] Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a scintillator afterglow measurement system.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a scintillator afterglow measuring device is provided, comprising:

[0009] A dark box, wherein the dark box has a closed hollow inner cavity, and a transmission hole communicating with the hollow inner cavity is provided on the outer wall of the dark box;

[0010] A laser source is positioned on one side of the dark box, corresponding to the position of the transmission hole, so that the laser beam emitted by the laser source enters the hollow inner cavity from the transmission hole in a predetermined direction;

[0011] A rotating disk is disposed within the hollow inner cavity, and a light-transmitting hole of a preset size is formed on the surface of the rotating disk; the rotating disk is rotatable within a preset plane so that the light-transmitting hole and the transmission hole are periodically aligned, wherein the preset plane is perpendicular to the preset direction;

[0012] A sample placement stage is disposed inside the hollow cavity and located behind the light-transmitting hole in the preset direction for placing the sample to be tested.

[0013] The measuring unit is disposed inside the hollow cavity and located behind the sample placement stage in the preset direction, so as to receive the light signal after the laser beam penetrates the sample to be tested.

[0014] Preferably, the scintillator afterglow measuring device further includes a collimating grating disposed on the sample placement stage and located between the sample placement stage and the rotating disk, for collimating and focusing the laser beam.

[0015] Preferably, the collimating grating includes:

[0016] Multiple docking plates, each with a through hole in its center and a positioning hole on its surface, are stacked sequentially so that the through holes of the multiple docking plates form a collimation channel and the positioning holes of the multiple docking plates form a positioning groove.

[0017] Positioning posts are inserted into the positioning grooves to limit the relative positions of the multiple docking pieces.

[0018] Preferably, the light-transmitting hole is arc-shaped, and an arc-shaped baffle is provided on the side of the rotating disk opposite to the light-transmitting hole. A photoelectric switch is provided below the arc-shaped baffle, and the center of the rotating disk is connected to a servo motor.

[0019] The servo motor drives the rotating disk to rotate at a constant speed within the preset plane. With the light-transmitting hole aligned with the transmission hole, the arc-shaped baffle blocks the photoelectric switch, so that the starting position of the laser beam cutoff can be read through the signal of the photoelectric switch.

[0020] Preferably, the cutoff time of the laser beam is t = s / v, where s is the diameter of the collimation channel, v is the linear velocity at the light-transmitting hole of the rotating disk, v = 2πRn, R is the radius of the arc of the light-transmitting hole of the rotating disk, and n is the rotational speed of the rotating disk.

[0021] Preferably, the sample placement stage is provided with a sliding tray for placing the sample to be tested. The sliding tray can reciprocate within a preset range to adjust the relative position of the sample to be tested and the collimation grating.

[0022] Preferably, the placement platform is further provided with a cover plate, which is located on one side of the collimating grating to prevent laser rays from irradiating non-measurement areas.

[0023] Preferably, the scintillator afterglow measuring device further includes a display unit connected to the measuring unit to receive electronic signals sent by the measuring unit and to process and display the electronic signals.

[0024] Preferably, the radiation source is a continuous laser source.

[0025] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a scintillator afterglow measurement system is provided, including the scintillator afterglow measurement device described above.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following technical effects:

[0027] 1. By controlling the rotation speed of the rotating disk, an appropriate rotation speed can be selected according to the length of the afterglow of the test material to achieve periodic cutoff of the excitation source, so that the maximum excitation intensity Vmax and the afterglow intensity Vt at a specified time can be measured simultaneously.

[0028] 2. A continuous laser source can be used as the X-ray source, and data from multiple rotation cycles can be obtained in a single measurement, reducing measurement errors.

[0029] 3. The cutoff time of the laser beam is short and can be accurately calculated using formulas, reducing the error in the process from unblocked to completely blocked beam. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a scintillator afterglow measuring device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 This is an internal structural diagram of a scintillator afterglow measuring device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the dark box in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the rotating disk in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the combined structure of the collimating grating and the sample placement stage in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The technical content of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0036] The scintillator afterglow measuring device provided in this invention utilizes a rotating disk with an opening to rotate within a preset plane, achieving rapid interception of a continuous X-ray source. Furthermore, it can accurately calculate the laser beam interception time based on known parameters such as the rotation speed of the rotating disk, thereby meeting the testing requirements of different samples, sizes, and X-ray sources. The following is a detailed description:

[0037] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the scintillator afterglow measuring device provided in this embodiment of the invention includes a dark box 1, an X-ray source 2, a rotating disk 3, a sample placement stage 4, a measuring unit 5, and a collimating grating 6.

[0038] The dark box 1 has a closed hollow inner cavity 101, and a transmission hole 102 communicating with the hollow inner cavity 101 is opened on the outer wall of the dark box 1. The X-ray source 2 is arranged on one side of the dark box 1, corresponding to the position of the transmission hole 102, so that the laser beam emitted by the X-ray source 2 is along a preset direction (i.e., Figure 1 The light (in the Z-axis direction) is emitted from the transmission hole 102 into the hollow inner cavity 101. A rotating disk 3 is disposed within the hollow inner cavity 101, and the surface of the rotating disk 3 has a pre-set light-transmitting hole 301 (e.g., in the Z-axis direction) that is emitted from the transmission hole 102 into the hollow inner cavity 101. Figure 4 (As shown); the rotating disk 3 is rotatable within a preset plane to periodically align the light-transmitting hole 301 with the transmission hole 102, wherein the preset plane is perpendicular to a preset direction. The sample placement stage 4 is disposed within the hollow cavity 101 and positioned behind the light-transmitting hole 301 in a preset direction for placing the sample 10 to be tested. The measuring unit 5 is disposed within the hollow cavity 101 and positioned behind the sample placement stage 4 in a preset direction for receiving the light signal after the laser beam penetrates the sample 10 to be tested. The collimating grating 6 is disposed on the sample placement stage 4 and positioned between the sample placement stage 4 and the rotating disk 3 for collimating and focusing the laser beam.

[0039] In specific operation, a laser beam is emitted from the X-ray source 2, which enters the hollow inner cavity 101 through the transmission hole 102. The laser beam entering the hollow inner cavity 101 is intercepted by the rotating disk 3. As the rotating disk 3 rotates continuously within a preset plane, when the light-transmitting hole 301 aligns with the transmission hole 102, the laser beam can pass through the light-transmitting hole 301 and enter the collimating grating 6 for collimation and focusing. The collimated and focused laser beam irradiates the sample 10 to be tested on the sample placement stage 4. After receiving the laser beam, the sample 10 uses the measuring unit 5 below the sample placement stage 4 to receive the light signal after the laser beam penetrates the sample 10 and converts it into an electrical signal for output to external equipment. During this process, the rotating disk 3 can select an appropriate rotation speed according to the length of the afterglow of the test material to achieve periodic interception of the laser beam, so that the maximum excitation intensity Vmax and the afterglow intensity Vt at a specified time can be measured simultaneously, thereby meeting the testing requirements of different samples, different sizes, and different X-ray sources.

[0040] like Figure 3 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, the darkroom 1 is a closed box made of opaque material, which can shield external light sources to prevent external light from entering the hollow inner cavity 101 and affecting the measurement accuracy. Preferably, the material of the darkroom 1 can not only shield ordinary light (e.g., natural light) but also laser rays (e.g., X-rays outside the darkroom 1), thereby further ensuring measurement accuracy. It is understood that the specific material of the darkroom 1 can be adapted as needed and is not specifically limited here. Furthermore, the darkroom 1 in this embodiment is rectangular, but in other embodiments, it can be replaced with a cylinder, triangular prism, or other shapes.

[0041] In one embodiment of the present invention, the X-ray source 2 is a continuous laser source, which can obtain data from multiple rotation cycles in a single measurement to reduce measurement error. However, the specific type of X-ray source 2 is not limited, and in other embodiments, it can be adaptively adjusted as needed.

[0042] like Figure 1 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, the center of the rotating disk 3 is connected to the servo motor 31, which drives the rotating disk 3 to rotate at a constant speed within a preset plane. Figure 4As shown, an arc-shaped light-transmitting hole 301 is provided on the surface of the rotating disk 3, and an arc-shaped baffle 302 is provided on the side of the rotating disk opposite to the light-transmitting hole 301. A photoelectric switch 7 is provided below the arc-shaped baffle 302. During the process of the servo motor 31 driving the rotating disk 3 to rotate at a constant speed in a preset plane, when the light-transmitting hole 301 is aligned with the transmission hole 102, the arc-shaped baffle 302 just blocks the photoelectric switch 7, so that the starting position of laser beam interception can be read through the signal of the photoelectric switch 7; when the light-transmitting hole 301 is completely deviated from the transmission hole 102, the arc-shaped baffle 302 no longer blocks the photoelectric switch 7, so that the ending position of laser beam interception can be read through the signal of the photoelectric switch 7. Thus, during the rotation of the rotating disk 3, the laser beam is periodically intercepted by periodically aligning the light-transmitting hole 301 with the transmission hole 102 (that is, the laser beam is periodically allowed to pass through the rotating disk 3).

[0043] Furthermore, using known parameters such as the rotation speed of the rotating disk 3, the cutoff time t of the laser beam can be accurately calculated. Specifically, the cutoff time of the laser beam is t = s / v, where s is the diameter of the collimation channel 601 of the collimation grating 6 (e.g., ...). Figure 5 (As shown), v is the linear velocity at the light-transmitting hole 301 of the rotating disk 3, v=2πRn, R is the radius of the arc of the light-transmitting hole 301 of the rotating disk 3, and n is the rotational speed of the rotating disk 3.

[0044] like Figure 5 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, the collimating grating 6 includes multiple docking plates 61 and positioning posts 62. Each docking plate 61 has a through hole at its center and positioning holes on its surface. By stacking multiple docking plates 61 sequentially, the through holes of the multiple docking plates 61 form a collimating channel 601, and the positioning holes of the multiple docking plates form a positioning groove. The positioning posts 62 pass through the positioning groove to limit the relative positions of the multiple docking plates 61. In this embodiment, the collimating grating 6 can collimate and focus laser beams, reducing laser beam scattering and improving the measurement effect on the sample 10 under test. Furthermore, the diameter of the through hole at the center of the docking plate 61 can be changed according to different measurement areas to adapt to different measurement needs. In addition, the number of docking plates 61 can be increased or decreased as needed to adjust the length of the collimating channel 601. It is understood that the structure of the collimating grating 6 is only a preferred embodiment; in other embodiments, the structure of the collimating grating 6 can be adapted to meet specific requirements.

[0045] like Figure 5As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, preferably, the sample placement stage 4 is provided with a sliding tray 401 for placing the sample 10 to be tested. The sliding tray 401 can reciprocate within a preset range to adjust the relative position of the sample 10 to be tested and the collimation grating 6. Specifically, in this embodiment, the sliding tray 401 can move at fixed intervals in the X-axis and Y-axis directions (e.g., it can move one division at a time, each division being 1cm or 1mm), thereby controlling the alignment of different measurement areas of the sample 10 to be tested with the collimation channel 601 of the collimation grating 6, and thus measuring different measurement areas of the sample 10 to be tested.

[0046] like Figure 5 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, preferably, the placement stage 4 is further provided with a cover plate 402, which is located on one side of the collimating grating 6 to prevent laser rays from irradiating non-measurement areas. The cover plate 402 is a tungsten alloy cover plate, capable of blocking laser rays. By placing this tungsten alloy cover plate at a specific position on the placement stage 4, laser rays can be prevented from irradiating non-measurement areas, thus ensuring the accuracy of the measurement.

[0047] In one embodiment of the present invention, preferably, the scintillator afterglow measuring device further includes a display unit. This display unit is connected to the measuring unit 5 to receive electronic signals sent by the measuring unit 5, process the electronic signals, and display the data. In this embodiment, the display unit is an oscilloscope, which can export measured data information and display it intuitively. However, the specific type of display unit is not limited; in other embodiments, it can be adapted to other electronic devices with display functions.

[0048] Based on the scintillator afterglow measuring device provided in the above embodiments, this invention also provides a scintillator afterglow measuring system. This scintillator afterglow measuring system includes the aforementioned scintillator afterglow measuring device and other functional components. For example, the scintillator afterglow measuring system may include a control device to control the overall measurement process of the scintillator afterglow measuring device; it may also include a data analysis device (e.g., a computer equipped with data analysis software) to analyze the data measured by the measuring unit and thus determine the performance of the sample 10 to be tested; it may also include a conveying device to realize automatic loading and unloading of the sample 10 to be tested, thereby realizing a streamlined afterglow measurement mode; different functional components may also be selected according to other functional requirements, which will not be specifically described here.

[0049] In summary, the scintillator afterglow measuring device and system provided in the embodiments of the present invention have at least the following beneficial effects:

[0050] 1. The rotation speed of the rotating disk 3 can be controlled by the servo motor 31, so that the appropriate rotation speed can be selected according to the length of the afterglow of the test material to achieve the periodic cutoff of the excitation light source, so that the maximum excitation intensity Vmax and the afterglow intensity Vt at a specified time can be measured simultaneously.

[0051] 2. The X-ray source 2 can be a continuous laser source, which can obtain data from multiple rotation cycles in a single measurement, thereby reducing measurement error.

[0052] 3. The cutoff time of the laser beam is short and can be accurately calculated using formulas, reducing the error in the process from unblocked to completely blocked beam.

[0053] 4. A collimating grating 6 is added to the path of the laser beam to effectively reduce the effect of laser beam scattering.

[0054] 5. The sample placement stage 4 is equipped with a sliding tray 401 and a cover plate 402, which not only allows for adjustment of the measurement area of ​​the sample 10 to be tested, but also prevents the laser beam from irradiating the non-measurement area, thus improving the afterglow measurement effect of the sample 10 to be tested.

[0055] The scintillator afterglow measuring device and system provided by the present invention have been described in detail above. Any obvious modifications made to this invention by those skilled in the art without departing from its essential content will constitute an infringement of the patent rights of this invention and will incur corresponding legal liability.

Claims

1. A scintillator afterglow measuring device, characterized in that... include: A dark box, wherein the dark box has a closed hollow inner cavity, and a transmission hole communicating with the hollow inner cavity is provided on the outer wall of the dark box; A laser source is positioned on one side of the dark box, corresponding to the position of the transmission hole, so that the laser beam emitted by the laser source enters the hollow inner cavity from the transmission hole in a predetermined direction; A rotating disk is disposed within the hollow inner cavity, and a light-transmitting hole of a preset size is formed on the surface of the rotating disk; the rotating disk is rotatable within a preset plane so that the light-transmitting hole and the transmission hole are periodically aligned, wherein the preset plane is perpendicular to the preset direction; A sample placement stage is disposed inside the hollow cavity and located behind the light-transmitting hole in the preset direction for placing the sample to be tested. The measuring unit is disposed within the hollow cavity and positioned behind the sample placement stage in the preset direction to receive the light signal after the laser beam penetrates the sample to be tested. in, The radiation source is a continuous laser source; The light-transmitting hole is arc-shaped, and an arc-shaped baffle is provided on the side of the rotating disk opposite to the light-transmitting hole. A photoelectric switch is provided below the arc-shaped baffle, and the center of the rotating disk is connected to a servo motor. The servo motor drives the rotating disk to rotate at a constant speed within the preset plane. When the light-transmitting hole and the transmission hole are aligned, the arc-shaped baffle blocks the photoelectric switch, so that the starting position of the laser beam cutoff can be read through the signal of the photoelectric switch. When the light-transmitting hole and the transmission hole are completely deviated, the arc-shaped baffle no longer blocks the photoelectric switch, so that the ending position of the laser beam cutoff can be read through the signal of the photoelectric switch. The cutoff time of the laser beam is t = s / v; where s is the diameter of the collimation channel between the sample stage and the rotating disk, v is the linear velocity at the light-transmitting hole of the rotating disk, v = 2πRn, R is the radius of the arc of the light-transmitting hole of the rotating disk, and n is the rotational speed of the rotating disk.

2. The scintillator afterglow measuring device as described in claim 1, characterized in that... It also includes a collimation grating, which is disposed on the sample placement stage and located between the sample placement stage and the rotating disk, for collimating and focusing the laser beam.

3. The scintillator afterglow measuring device as described in claim 2, characterized in that... The collimating grating includes: Multiple docking plates, each with a through hole in its center and a positioning hole on its surface, are stacked sequentially so that the through holes of the multiple docking plates form a collimation channel and the positioning holes of the multiple docking plates form a positioning groove. Positioning posts are inserted into the positioning grooves to limit the relative positions of the multiple docking pieces.

4. The scintillator afterglow measuring device as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The sample placement stage is equipped with a sliding tray for placing the sample to be tested. The sliding tray can reciprocate within a preset range to adjust the relative position of the sample to be tested and the collimation grating.

5. The scintillator afterglow measuring device as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The placement platform is also provided with a cover plate, which is located on one side of the collimating grating to prevent laser rays from irradiating non-measurement areas.

6. The scintillator afterglow measuring device as described in claim 1, characterized in that... It also includes a display unit connected to the measuring unit to receive electronic signals sent by the measuring unit and to process and display the electronic signals.

7. A scintillator afterglow measurement system, characterized in that... It includes a control device and a scintillator afterglow measuring device as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

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