A radiation attenuator automatic control device, system and method

Abstract

The present invention discloses an automatic control device, system and method for a radiation attenuator, comprising a base, on which a shutter assembly and a plurality of attenuators are respectively mounted in a sliding manner, the shutter assembly is connected to a driving mechanism, and the driving mechanism can drive the shutter assembly to move in a direction close to and away from the attenuator; a selection assembly is provided on the shutter assembly, and a corresponding connecting piece is provided on the attenuator, and the shutter assembly can be connected to the connecting piece of one or more attenuators through the selection assembly, and drag the attenuator to move. The present invention can automatically replace the attenuator, reduce the risk of radiation exposure to personnel, and improve the efficiency of the use of the radiation field. The attenuator adopts a micro-cylinder for pneumatic transmission, which reduces interference and ensures the reliability of the attenuator compared to the traditional connection method of the electromagnet selection attenuator.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of radioactive irradiation equipment, and in particular to an automatic control device, system and method for a radiation attenuator. Background Art

[0002] At present, when calibrating a radiation monitor, it is often necessary to place it in a standard radiation calibration field for calibration to ensure the accuracy of the radiation instrument monitoring. The existing calibration of radiation monitoring instruments generally uses radioactive sources of different activity sizes and spatial distance changes to achieve the change of radiation dose from low to high. When using radioactive sources of different activity sizes, it often causes cost increase, and the volume and weight of the source storage device will be significantly increased. The use of spatial distance changes for adjustment requires a complex mechanical structure to achieve, and at the same time, it occupies a large area and has poor calibration accuracy. Therefore, the prior art uses shielding materials such as attenuators to change the radiation dose of the radiation source by shielding the radiation source to a certain extent. However, in the current selection process of the attenuator for shielding the radiation source, there are motor rotation selection, manual selection, and electromagnet adsorption selection. There are still disadvantages such as the motor rotation method requires a larger space, the electromagnet adsorption selection will cause interference and misselection, and the manual selection has a high risk of radiation damage. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is: to provide an automatic control device, system and method for a radiation attenuator, which solves the problems of high testing cost, large footprint, poor testing accuracy and inconvenient attenuator selection in the prior art.

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] A radiation attenuator automatic control device comprises a base, wherein the base has a horizontally arranged rectangular bearing platform, a plurality of slide rails are arranged on the bearing platform along its length direction, an attenuator is slidably mounted on each slide rail, and a shutter assembly is slidably mounted on one of the slide rails, in an initial state, the attenuator and the shutter assembly are respectively located at two ends of the slide rails; the shutter assembly is connected to a driving mechanism, and the driving mechanism can drive the shutter assembly to move in a direction close to and away from the attenuator; a selection component is arranged on a side of the shutter assembly close to the attenuator, and a connecting piece is correspondingly arranged on a side of each attenuator close to the shutter assembly, and the shutter assembly can be connected to the connecting piece of one or more attenuators through the selection component and drive the attenuator to move.

[0006] As an optimization, the attenuator is a circular or rectangular sheet structure, and a plurality of attenuators are arranged parallel to each other and vertically, and the plane where each attenuator is located passes through the straight line where the slide rail that slides with it is located.

[0007] As an optimization, each attenuator is made of the same radiation attenuating material, and each attenuator has a different thickness.

[0008] As an optimization, the shutter assembly includes a first slide seat slidably arranged on a slide rail, a shutter is arranged on the first slide seat, and a side of the first slide seat away from the attenuator is connected to the driving mechanism.

[0009] As an optimization, the cross section of the first slide is U-shaped, and the shutter is a cylindrical or prismatic structure and is fixedly installed in the first slide.

[0010] As an optimization, the selected component includes a bracket with an F-shaped cross-section, the vertical section of the bracket is connected to the shutter assembly, and the horizontal section below it is provided with mounting holes corresponding to each attenuator, and a micro-cylinder is fixedly installed in the mounting hole, the piston rod of the micro-cylinder is arranged upward, and a through hole is provided on the horizontal section above the bracket corresponding to the piston rod, and the piston rod of the micro-cylinder can pass through the through hole; correspondingly, the attenuator is fixed on a second slide seat slidably arranged on a slide rail, and the connecting member is installed on the second slide seat, wherein the connecting member is in an inverted L-shape, and a connecting hole through which the piston rod of the micro-cylinder can pass is provided on the horizontal section of the connecting member, and when the shutter assembly is close to the attenuator, the horizontal section of the connecting member can be located above the upper horizontal section of the bracket, or between the upper horizontal section and the lower horizontal section of the bracket, and the connecting hole can be directly opposite to the through hole.

[0011] As an optimization, the driving mechanism is a driving cylinder, a piston rod of the driving cylinder is connected to the shutter assembly, and an axis of the driving cylinder is parallel to the moving direction of the shutter assembly.

[0012] As an optimization, an oil pressure buffer is also provided on the bearing platform of the base, which has a retractable and movable buffer end, and the buffer end is opposite to the end of the attenuator away from the shutter assembly and can fit with the end of the attenuator.

[0013] Based on the above device, the present invention also provides an automatic control system for a radiation attenuator, including a radiation source, a control system and the automatic control device for the radiation attenuator, wherein the radiation source is arranged on one side of the base, and has an irradiation port, and the irradiation direction of the irradiation port is perpendicular to the movement direction of the shutter assembly, and when the shutter assembly moves under the control of the control system, the irradiation port can be blocked, or a specified attenuator can be selected by selecting the assembly, and the attenuator can be driven to move to a position to block the irradiation port.

[0014] Based on the above system, the present invention also provides a radiation attenuator automatic control method, using the above radiation attenuator automatic control system, including the following steps:

[0015] S1. In the initial state, the shutter assembly is located in front of the radiation source irradiation port and blocks it, so as to completely shield the radiation from the radiation source;

[0016] S2. According to the radiation amount required for irradiation, the driving cylinder is started, the piston rod of the driving cylinder is extended and drives the shutter assembly close to the attenuator, and when the selection device of the shutter assembly moves below the horizontal section of the connecting member on the second slide, the micro cylinder is started, and the piston rod of the micro cylinder passes through the through hole and the connecting hole in sequence, so that the shutter assembly is connected to the specified attenuator;

[0017] S3, the piston rod of the driving cylinder is retracted, and the shutter assembly and the selected attenuator are dragged to the front of the irradiation port, so that the radiation of the radiation source reaches a preset radiation amount after being attenuated by the attenuator;

[0018] S4. Repeat steps S1-S3 and select different attenuators according to different radiation requirements.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0020] The present invention drives the selected attenuator to move to the irradiation port of the radiation source through the pneumatic shutter assembly to adjust the radiation dose rate. The attenuator is engaged and disengaged through the micro-cylinder and the pneumatic shutter assembly. The engagement and disengagement adopts a latch method. The micro-cylinder ventilation latch is inserted into the connection hole on the attenuator to select the attenuator. When the micro-cylinder is de-aired, the latch automatically retracts to separate the attenuator from the pneumatic shutter assembly, thereby disconnecting the attenuator. When the pneumatic shutter assembly is actuated, the corresponding attenuator is driven to move to the irradiation port of the radiation source to achieve attenuation of the dose rate. Different attenuators can be selected in the upper computer control software, so that in the calibration process of the radiation monitoring instrument, the attenuator can be directly automatically selected without opening the door to enter and manually replacing it, thereby improving work efficiency and avoiding the risk of radiation exposure caused by close contact between personnel and the radiation source when replacing the attenuator.

[0021] The present invention can automatically replace the attenuator, reduce the risk of radiation exposure to personnel, and improve the efficiency of the use of the radiation field. The attenuator adopts a micro cylinder for pneumatic transmission, which reduces interference and ensures the reliability of the attenuator compared to the traditional electromagnet connection method of selecting the attenuator. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 It is a front view of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A top view of

[0025] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A in the enlarged view;

[0026] In the figure, 1 is a base, 2 is an attenuator, 3 is a slide rail, 4 is a first slide seat, 5 is a shutter, 6 is a bracket, 7 is a micro cylinder, 8 is a second slide seat, 10 is a connecting piece, 11 is a driving cylinder, and 12 is an oil pressure buffer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0028] For specific implementation: see Figure 1-Figure 4 ,

[0029] A radiation attenuator automatic control device includes a base 1, wherein the base 1 is made of an I-beam, and a rectangular bearing platform is formed on the upper side wing plate. A plurality of parallel strip holes are opened on the web of the I-beam to reduce the weight of the overall structure and save materials. A plurality of slide rails 3 are provided in the length direction of the bearing platform, and a shutter assembly and a plurality of attenuators 2 are slidably mounted on both ends of the slide rails 3. The shutter assembly is connected to a driving mechanism, and the driving mechanism can drive the shutter assembly to move in a direction close to and away from the attenuator 2. The shutter assembly includes a first slide seat 4 slidably arranged on the slide rail 3, a shutter 5 is arranged on the first slide seat 4, and the first slide seat 4 is connected to the driving mechanism on the side away from the attenuator 2. The cross section of the first slide 4 is U-shaped, the shutter 5 is a cylindrical or prism structure, and is fixedly installed in the first slide 4, and the axis of the shutter 5 is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the first slide 4. The shutter 5 is made of shielding material, and its thickness in the longitudinal direction along the axis direction is large, which can completely shield the radiation source when blocking the irradiation port of the radiation source, thereby preventing a large amount of radiation from leaking out during the process of the shutter 5 selecting the attenuator 2, affecting the equipment to be irradiated. Specifically, the attenuator 2 is a circular or rectangular sheet structure, and multiple attenuators 2 are arranged in parallel and vertically, and the plane where the attenuators 2 are located is parallel to the moving direction of the shutter assembly. Each attenuator 2 is made of the same radiation attenuation material, and each attenuator 2 has a different thickness. In this way, different attenuators 2 have different attenuation rates for radiation when blocking the irradiation port of the radiation source, thereby generating radiation fields of different intensities, so as to facilitate testing of radiation detection equipment as needed. The driving mechanism is a driving cylinder 11, the piston rod of the driving cylinder 11 is connected to the shutter assembly, and the axis of the driving cylinder 11 is parallel to the moving direction of the shutter assembly. The attenuator 2 is made of hard lead, which meets the attenuation multiple and has good shaping characteristics. Through computer software, it communicates with the control system (single-chip microcomputer or PLC), sends control instructions to the control system, realizes the output of different I / O ports of the control system, controls the on and off of the solenoid valve, thereby realizing the on and off of the air path of the micro cylinder 7 and the driving cylinder 11, thereby realizing the movement of the shutter assembly and the selected connection of the shutter assembly with the attenuator 2, and then realizes the adjustment of different radiation doses and the opening and closing of the radiation source irradiation through the attenuator 2.

[0030] A selection component is provided on the shutter assembly, and the selection component is arranged on a side close to the attenuator 2. Correspondingly, a connector 10 is provided on the attenuator 2. The shutter assembly can be connected to the connectors 10 on one or more attenuators 2 through the selection component, and the attenuator 2 connected to the selection component can be dragged to a specified position. The selection component includes a bracket 6 with an F-shaped cross-section, and the bracket 6 is arranged along the length direction of the shutter 5. The vertical section of the bracket 6 is connected to the shutter assembly, and a plurality of mounting holes are provided on the horizontal section on the lower side along the length direction, and the number of mounting holes corresponds to the number of attenuators 2. A through hole is provided on the horizontal section on the upper side, and a micro cylinder 7 is fixedly installed in the mounting hole, and the piston rod of the micro cylinder 7 is directly opposite to and can pass through the through hole; correspondingly, the attenuator 2 is fixed on a second slide 8, and the connector 10 is installed on the second slide 8, wherein the connector 10 is in an inverted L-shape and is A connecting hole through which the piston rod of the micro cylinder 7 can pass is provided on the horizontal section of the connecting piece 10. When the shutter assembly is close to the attenuator 2, the horizontal section of the connecting piece 10 can be located above the upper horizontal section of the bracket 6, or between the upper horizontal section and the lower horizontal section of the bracket 6, and the connecting hole can be directly opposite to the through hole. In this way, when selecting the attenuator 2, the attenuator 2 can be selected by controlling one or more actions of the multiple micro cylinders 7 installed on the bracket 6 according to the demand for radiation dose, or the attenuator 2 can be selected by controlling the bracket 6 to move along the length direction of the shutter 5.

[0031] An oil pressure buffer 12 is also provided on the bearing platform of the base 1 , and has a retractable and movable buffer end, which is opposite to the end of the attenuator 2 away from the shutter assembly and can fit with the end of the attenuator 2 .

[0032] Based on the above-mentioned automatic control device, the present invention also provides a radiation attenuator automatic control system, including a radiation source and the above-mentioned radiation attenuator automatic control device, wherein the radiation source is arranged on one side of the base 1, and has an irradiation port, and the irradiation direction of the irradiation port is perpendicular to the movement direction of the shutter assembly, and the shutter assembly can block the irradiation port under the control of the control system, or select a specified attenuator 2 by selecting the component, and drag the attenuator 2 to a position to block the irradiation port.

[0033] Based on the above automatic control system, the present invention also provides a radiation attenuator automatic control method, using the above automatic control system of the radiation attenuator, comprising the following steps:

[0034] S1. In the initial state, the shutter assembly is located in front of the radiation source irradiation port and blocks it, thereby completely shielding the radiation of the radiation source.

[0035] S2. According to the required radiation amount, the driving cylinder 11 is started, the piston rod of the driving cylinder 11 is extended and drives the shutter assembly close to the attenuator 2. When the selection device of the shutter assembly moves to the bottom of the flange of the second slide seat 8, the micro cylinder 7 is started, and the piston rod of the micro cylinder 7 passes through the through hole and the connecting hole in turn to connect the shutter assembly to the attenuator 2.

[0036] S3, the piston rod of the driving cylinder 11 is retracted, and the shutter assembly and the selected attenuator 2 are dragged to the front of the irradiation port, so that the radiation of the radiation source reaches a preset radiation amount after being attenuated by the attenuator 2.

[0037] S4. Repeat steps S1-S3 and select different attenuators 2 according to different radiation requirements.

[0038] The present invention drives the selected attenuator to move to the irradiation port of the radiation source through the pneumatic shutter assembly to adjust the radiation dose rate. The attenuator is engaged and disengaged through the micro-cylinder and the pneumatic shutter assembly. The engagement and disengagement adopts a latch method. The micro-cylinder ventilation latch is inserted into the connection hole on the attenuator to select the attenuator. When the micro-cylinder is de-aired, the latch automatically retracts to separate the attenuator from the pneumatic shutter assembly, thereby disconnecting the attenuator. When the pneumatic shutter assembly is actuated, the corresponding attenuator is driven to move to the irradiation port of the radiation source to achieve attenuation of the dose rate. Different attenuators can be selected in the upper computer control software, so that in the calibration process of the radiation monitoring instrument, the attenuator can be directly automatically selected without opening the door to enter and manually replacing it, thereby improving work efficiency and avoiding the risk of radiation exposure caused by close contact between personnel and the radiation source when replacing the attenuator.

[0039] The present invention can automatically replace the attenuator, reduce the risk of radiation exposure to personnel, and improve the efficiency of the use of the radiation field. The attenuator adopts a micro cylinder for pneumatic transmission, which reduces interference and ensures the reliability of the attenuator compared to the traditional electromagnet connection method of selecting the attenuator.

[0040] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and basis of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention are merely illustrative examples of the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention do not constitute limitations on the present invention from any point of view.

Claims

1. A radiation attenuator automatic control device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a base, wherein the base has a horizontally arranged rectangular bearing platform, a plurality of slide rails are arranged on the bearing platform along the length direction thereof, an attenuator is slidably mounted on each slide rail, and a shutter assembly is slidably mounted on one of the slide rails, and in an initial state, the attenuator and the shutter assembly are respectively located at two ends of the slide rails; the shutter assembly is connected to a driving mechanism, and the driving mechanism can drive the shutter assembly to move in a direction close to and away from the attenuator; a selection assembly is arranged on a side of the shutter assembly close to the attenuator, and a connecting piece is correspondingly arranged on a side of each attenuator close to the shutter assembly, and the shutter assembly can be connected to the connecting piece of one or more attenuators through the selection assembly, and drive the attenuator to move; The selected component includes a bracket with an F-shaped cross-section, the vertical section of the bracket is connected to the shutter assembly, and the horizontal section below it is provided with mounting holes corresponding to each attenuator, and a micro-cylinder is fixedly installed in the mounting hole, the piston rod of the micro-cylinder is arranged upward, and a through hole is provided on the horizontal section above the bracket corresponding to the piston rod, and the piston rod of the micro-cylinder can pass through the through hole; correspondingly, the attenuator is fixed on a second slide seat slidably arranged on a slide rail, and the connecting member is installed on the second slide seat, wherein the connecting member is in an inverted L-shape, and a connecting hole through which the piston rod of the micro-cylinder can pass is provided on the horizontal section of the connecting member, and when the shutter assembly is close to the attenuator, the horizontal section of the connecting member can be located above the upper horizontal section of the bracket, or between the upper horizontal section and the lower horizontal section of the bracket, and the connecting hole can be directly opposite to the through hole.

2. The automatic control device for a radiation attenuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The attenuator is a circular or rectangular sheet structure, and a plurality of attenuators are parallel to each other and vertically arranged, and the plane where each attenuator is located passes through the straight line where the slide rail that slides with it is located.

3. The automatic control device for a radiation attenuator according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each attenuator is made of the same radiation attenuating material, and each attenuator has a different thickness.

4. A radiation attenuator automatic control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The shutter assembly comprises a first slide seat slidably arranged on a slide rail, a shutter is arranged on the first slide seat, and a side of the first slide seat away from the attenuator is connected to a driving mechanism.

5. The automatic control device for a radiation attenuator according to claim 4, characterized in that: The cross section of the first slide seat is U-shaped, and the shutter is a cylindrical or prism structure and is fixedly installed in the first slide seat.

6. The automatic control device for a radiation attenuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving mechanism is a driving cylinder, a piston rod of the driving cylinder is connected to the shutter assembly, and an axis of the driving cylinder is parallel to the moving direction of the shutter assembly.

7. The automatic control device for a radiation attenuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: An oil pressure buffer is also arranged on the bearing platform of the base, and has a retractable and movable buffer end, which is opposite to the end of the attenuator away from the shutter assembly and can fit with the end of the attenuator.

8. A radiation attenuator automatic control system, comprising a radiation source, a control system and the radiation attenuator automatic control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The radiation source is arranged on one side of the base and has an irradiation port, and the irradiation direction of the irradiation port is perpendicular to the movement direction of the shutter assembly. When the shutter assembly moves under the control of the control system, the irradiation port can be blocked, or a specified attenuator can be selected by selecting the assembly and the attenuator can be driven to move to a position to block the irradiation port.

9. A radiation attenuator automatic control method, using the radiation attenuator automatic control system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The following steps are included: S1. In the initial state, the shutter assembly is located in front of the radiation source irradiation port and blocks it, so as to completely shield the radiation from the radiation source; S2. According to the radiation amount required for irradiation, the driving cylinder is started, the piston rod of the driving cylinder is extended and drives the shutter assembly close to the attenuator, and when the selection device of the shutter assembly moves below the horizontal section of the connecting member on the second slide, the micro cylinder is started, and the piston rod of the micro cylinder passes through the through hole and the connecting hole in sequence, so that the shutter assembly is connected to the specified attenuator; S3, the piston rod of the driving cylinder is retracted, and the shutter assembly and the selected attenuator are dragged to the front of the irradiation port, so that the radiation of the radiation source reaches a preset radiation amount after being attenuated by the attenuator; S4. Repeat steps S1-S3 and select different attenuators according to different radiation requirements.

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