Automatic scraper for radioactive substances

Abstract

An automatic doctor blade (1) for scraping a radioactive target (101) to be used for a radiopharmaceutical, the automatic doctor blade comprising: a target holder (2) for holding a radioactive target; a scraping unit (3) comprising a scraping member for scraping the radioactive target located in the target holder; a receiver (5) for receiving material scraped from the radioactive target; a motor (6) for moving the scraping unit and the target holder relative to each other; and a control unit for controlling the motor. A surface (102) of the radioactive target to be scraped is arranged at an angle between 45 degrees and 315 degrees, the angle of 0 degrees corresponding to the radioactive target being oriented such that the surface of the radioactive target to be scraped is perpendicular to the vertical direction and facing upward, the angle of the target corresponding to a clockwise rotation of the target from 0 degrees.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a scraper for disintegrating radioactive material from a solid material by scraping the solid material. The solid material is typically in the form of a plate. The scrapings from the radioactive material can then be further processed to refine the radioactive material. This process can be used to produce radioactive material for the production of radiomolecules or radiopharmaceuticals. Background Art

[0002] The present invention relates to the production and refinement of radioactive materials (e.g., certain isotopes of atoms). The main purpose of these isotopes is for diagnosis and therapy in biomedicine. In order to prepare radioactive molecules or radiopharmaceuticals, it is necessary to prepare a radioactive material to be used together with a molecule to be labeled with a radioactive material to form a radiolabeled molecule. In many cases, the radioactive material is provided in the form of a plate, which has been irradiated in a cyclotron to become radioactive and include a radionuclide. The cyclotron for biomedical radionuclide production is typically compact, accelerates light ions (protons, deuterons or helium nuclei), and is primarily used in the production of short-lived, proton-rich radionuclides. The plate prepared in this way is often referred to as a target plate or simply referred to as a target.

[0003] Refining and preparing radioactive materials from target plates has been primarily performed by manual methods. However, there are some known automated methods for refining radioactive materials from target plates. WO 2015 / 195042 discloses a system and method for the automated production of radionuclide-labeled molecules, which includes refining the radionuclide. The radionuclide used in WO 2015 / 195042 is astatine-211 (At-211), an alpha-emitting radionuclide suitable for nuclear medicine applications, such as the treatment of metastatic cancer. At-211 is a rare nuclide and must be artificially synthesized to be present in sufficient quantities for use in nuclear medicine applications. The general approach for producing At-211 is by irradiating stable bismuth in a cyclotron. After irradiation, the At-211 must be converted into a chemically usable form, for example, by wet extraction or by dry distillation of the irradiated target material, and then subjected to a chemical coupling reaction for use as a component in radiopharmaceuticals.

[0004] Generally speaking, the amount of bismuth that is converted into astatine-211 in the irradiated bismuth target plate is only a fraction of the whole plate.By scraping the outer layer of the target containing the radionuclide of interest, the efficiency of the subsequent refinement process is improved.Scraping eliminates the need to subjecting the complete target to further refinement and processing, thereby allowing the more concentrated part with larger surface area and volume ratio to undergo refinement.When carrying out further purification steps, using more concentrated starting material will reduce time and / or resources, such as the amount of chemicals, heating operation and other operations required for refinement At-211.

[0005] WO 2015 / 195042 discloses an automated method and system for the purification of radionuclides and the synthesis of radiopharmaceuticals. However, improvements to this process are still desirable. Because radionuclides are radioactive, it is important to prevent uncontrolled escape of radionuclides from the system during the process to ensure no contamination of the surrounding environment. Radionuclides must be handled appropriately to minimize radiation exposure to personnel working with the system and to provide a good yield of usable radionuclides for use.

[0006] The present invention therefore aims to provide increased safety and improved radionuclide yield. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention relates to an automatic scraper for scraping a radioactive target in order to use the scrapings containing radioactive material for radiopharmaceuticals or radioactive molecules. The radioactive target can be made of different kinds of materials, but is usually metal, wherein irradiation has affected the material so that it contains another isotope or element than the isotope or element originally present in the material.

[0008] Therefore, the automatic scraper is suitable for removing and collecting irradiated material from a cyclotron target, and includes a device for scraping off and effectively collecting the irradiated layer of a cyclotron target containing a desired radionuclide. Certain radionuclides, such as At-211, are produced in a cyclotron. In this process, the raw materials contained on the cyclotron target are converted into the desired radionuclide by irradiating the target using a cyclotron beam consisting of alpha particles, deuterons or protons. Therefore, the desired radionuclide is produced on the surface of the cyclotron target. After the irradiation of the cyclotron target and the formation of the desired radionuclide, it is desired to isolate the irradiated layer from the rest of the target. This can improve the efficiency of further radionuclide purification processes (such as retorting and wet chemistry). The automated scraper described herein is user-friendly and safe, and allows the subsequent radionuclide isolation method with a high yield to be isolated from the cyclotron target. Although the automated doctor blade is generally illustrated as being used to scrape away irradiated layers of cyclotron targets, targets prepared in other ways can of course be used in the automated doctor blade.

[0009] The automatic scraper includes several different features, including a target holder for securing a radioactive target with the surface to be scraped. The radioactive target to be used is typically a piece of material with a substantially flat surface, such as a metal plate. The function of the holder is to keep the target stable while scraping.

[0010] The scraper also includes a scraping unit comprising a scraping member for scraping a radioactive target in a target holder. The scraping member can be any one of a blade, multiple blades, a rasp, a file, and sandpaper. In a specific embodiment, the scraping member is a blade.

[0011] The plurality of blades may be arranged similarly to the blades of a multi-blade razor, the blades being configured to scrape the radioactive target simultaneously. The rasp or file may include a plurality of teeth, the teeth being configured to scrape the radioactive target simultaneously. The sandpaper may include a plurality of particles, the particles being configured to scrape the radioactive target simultaneously.

[0012] Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the scraping member will be referred to as a blade. However, it will be appreciated that the blade may be replaced mutatis mutandis with a plurality of blades, a rasp, a file or sandpaper.

[0013] The scraping unit is arranged to be movable relative to the surface of the target while removing material from the target and forming a "scrape" containing the desired radioactive material. Thus, the scrape refers to the material scraped from the target.

[0014] The scraper also includes a receiver for receiving the scraped material. The receiver can be made of various materials. Glass, particularly quartz glass, can be used as the receiver material, allowing the material in the receiver to be visually detected while also being an inert material that will not react with the scraped material from the target and will not withstand heating if the scraped material is further processed in the receiver.

[0015] The scraper also comprises a motor for moving the scraping unit and the target holder relative to each other.The most commonly used is a target holder which holds the target in a fixed position while the scraping unit and its blade are moving over the surface of the target.

[0016] The scraper comprises a control unit for controlling the motor. The control unit can be more or less complex. In a basic version, the control unit can be a simple switch that is manually activated to turn on and off the motor for moving the scraping unit and the target holder relative to each other, so that the blade of the scraping unit moves along the surface of the target to form the scrapes. In more complex designs of the control unit, the control unit can include pre-programmed movement modes of the scraping unit and / or include the option of controlling the movement of the scraper in different directions along the surface of the target and controlling the pressure with which the blade is pressed against the surface of the target, lifting the blade from the surface of the target, or changing the angle of attack of the blade relative to the surface to be scraped.

[0017] To improve the scraping process and transfer scraping material from the target into the receiver, the target plate is arranged so that the surface of the target to be scraped is inclined. The surface to be scraped is arranged at an angle between 45 and 315 degrees, with an angle of 0 degrees corresponding to the target being oriented so that the surface of the target to be scraped is perpendicular to the vertical and facing upward. The angle of the target corresponds to a clockwise rotation of the target. By having an inclined surface on the target to be scraped, gravity is allowed to act on the scraped material, causing it to fall into the receiver under the influence of gravity. The target to be scraped typically has a substantially flat surface.

[0018] When the inclination angle of the target's surface is within the range of 0 to 90 degrees and 270 to 360 degrees, the inclination angle is referred to as a positive angle. A positive angle means that an object affected by gravity will follow the surface of the target while striving to move downward due to the action of gravity. An inclination angle greater than 90 degrees and less than 270 degrees is referred to as a negative angle. A negative angle means that there is an inclination angle at which an object on the surface to be scraped will lose contact with the surface and fall directly from the surface when under the influence of gravity. Therefore, when the inclination angle is positive (i.e., between 0 to 90 degrees and 270 to 360 degrees), an object that falls off the surface of the target to be scraped and is not affected by adhesion or friction from the target plate will move along the surface of the target, while when the inclination angle is negative (i.e., greater than 90 degrees and less than 270 degrees), the object will fall from the surface.

[0019] With a positive angle, the scraper will generally follow the surface of the target until it reaches the lower edge of the target and falls into the receptacle. The advantage of this arrangement is that no matter where the material is scraped from the target, the scraper will have the same drop-off point: the lower edge of the target. On the other hand, with a negative tilt angle, the scraper will drop directly off the target plate when scraped, and therefore there is no risk of the scraper becoming displaced laterally as it rolls or slides along the target's surface when the tilt angle is negative.

[0020] The blade and target may be arranged so that the edge of the blade contacts the surface of the target at an angle of attack relative to the target surface of 80 to 100 degrees; preferably 85 to 95 degrees; most preferably about 90 degrees.

[0021] The automatic scraper can be designed to further include a shielding plate that moves with the blade and scraping unit. The shielding plate is arranged parallel to and close to the target surface in front of the blade and prevents stray scraping material from deviating from the intended path to the receiver for receiving the scraping material. In particular, the shielding plate is intended to prevent the scraping material from bouncing off the target surface when it is cut from the target.

[0022] The automatic scraper may also include a funnel arrangement that collects scraping material as it leaves the target surface, funneling it into a receptacle for scraped material. The funnel arrangement should be used close to the landing point to guide stray scraping material. Thus, the funnel arrangement serves to reduce the risk of scraping material falling outside the receptacle.

[0023] The funnel arrangement may be designed with an opening corresponding to the length of the blade.

[0024] The automatic scraper may also include a feature specifically designed to control the lifting and lowering of the blade of the scraping unit. The scraping unit and its blade can be adjusted to be lowered to contact the target surface and adjusted to be raised to be removed from the target surface by using a guide device, which defines the position at which the blade is lowered and raised when the scraping unit moves along the target. By adjusting the guide device or using different guide devices, the target area to be scraped can be adjusted. The use of the guide device provides robust and precise control of the lowering and raising operation of the scraping unit. The guide device is designed to mechanically influence the scraping unit to be lowered or raised. The guide device can be, for example, a cutout in a plate or track. The guide device forms part of the fixed structure of the automatic scraper and is designed to interact with a component (e.g., a bolt) that forms part of the mobile scraping unit. By using an adjustable guide device, or using different guide devices, the lowering and raising of the blade can be adjusted.

[0025] The scraping unit's blade can also be adjusted to lower into contact with the target surface and raise to remove it using a programmable control unit. By programming the control unit to control the motor or actuator to lower and raise the blade at the desired position, flexible and precise scraping of the target surface is achieved. In this case, the scraping unit's movement pattern can be quickly switched between different pre-programmed scraping sequences.

[0026] The scraping process can be controlled so that, based on the location of the active area of the target, the blade is lowered into contact with the target surface and raised to remove it from the target surface. In this way, the concentration of the desired radionuclide in the scrape can be increased compared to random scraping or scraping the entire surface of the target. The area of the target plate to be scraped can be predefined to scrape the surface of the target where the desired radionuclide is typically highest, or by using a detector to identify the area of the target where the concentration of the desired radionuclide is highest.

[0027] The target holder may be removable so that it can be detached from the automatic scraper. This feature will make it easier to insert the target into the target holder.

[0028] The automatic scraper can be designed so that the contact pressure between the blade and the target can be adjusted by providing a spring arrangement for the blade and / or the target to provide a force that acts in a direction that acts to urge the blade and the target toward each other. By having a spring arrangement, the contact force between the blade and the target can be maintained at a similar pressure even if there are some small differences in the distance between the scraping unit and the target. The spring arrangement will also compensate for irregularities in the target surface to be scraped.

[0029] To optimize scraping of the target, the contact pressure between the blade and the target can be controlled. The preload that forces the blade and target toward each other can be adjusted. In the case of a spring arrangement, the spring constant or spring load can be adjusted. Alternatively, or in addition to controlling the spring load, the contact force between the blade and the target can be adjusted by controlling the lowering and raising of the blade from the target surface to provide the desired force. By controlling the contact force between the target and the blade, the arrangement can be adapted to the use of targets to be scraped of different materials and thicknesses.

[0030] The blade can also be arranged to accommodate undesired offsets between the target plate and the blade. The blade can be arranged to pivot to self-adjust to the angular offset of the target's surface and adapt the cutting edge of the blade to contact the target along its length. This can be achieved, for example, by a spring arrangement. Of course, it is also possible to allow the target or target holder to be alternatively provided with such an arrangement.

[0031] The attack angle of the blade can be adjustable. The attack angle means the inclination of the blade relative to the target surface, which can be set to different angles. Generally speaking, the attack angle is adjusted to 90 degrees.

[0032] The automated scraper can be provided with an additional arrangement to facilitate collection of scraped material into a receiver. The receiver for receiving the material scraped from the target can be provided with an air recirculation arrangement for recovering the scraped material into the receiver. By providing a recirculating airflow, any scraped material that may be recovered by the airflow is prevented from leaking into the environment.

[0033] To collect scrapings from the target into the receiver, various features can be designed to fit together correctly. One approach is to design the blade so that its relative horizontal position is the same as that of the blade. Therefore, in this case, the receiver and any possible funnel arrangement that mates with it would be arranged to move with the blade, so that the receiver is in the same position relative to the blade. This arrangement is particularly useful when the target surface is arranged to have a negative slope, and the scrapings will fall directly from where they were scraped from the target surface.

[0034] The blade and the target move relative to each other. This can be achieved by arranging the blade to move while the target holder remains in a fixed position, or by moving the target holder while the blade remains in a fixed position. Of course, it is also possible to allow both the target holder and the blade to move simultaneously, although such an arrangement will generally be more expensive.

[0035] The automatic scraper can be designed so that the target holder, scraper, and receiver are housed in an airtight housing. This will reduce the risk of radioactive material escaping from the automatic scraper during scraping and thus improve safety. Such a housing can be made of a radiation-proof material to also protect the operator from radiation.

[0036] The automated scraper may be a stand-alone device or may form part of a refinement system for further processing and purification of radioactive scrapings from a target. The processing and refinement of the desired radioactive material may be performed, for example, by dry distillation of the scrapings or by a wet process performed in a system comprising the automated scraper. By including a scraper in such a refinement system, the time for producing the refined product may be reduced, as well as increasing safety and reducing the risk of radioactive material continuing to enter the environment. Thus, the scrapings may be automatically transferred for further downstream processing by the refinement system. Such a system may, for example, include a feature for automatically moving a receiver so as to transfer the scrapings contained therein into the system for further processing and purification of the radioactive scrapings. The automated scraper described herein may, for example, be used in such a system as disclosed in WO 2015 / 195042.

[0037] The present invention also relates to a method for preparing a radioactive material to be used in a radiopharmaceutical. The method includes positioning a radioactive target so as to be held in a target holder of an automated scraper according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method also includes moving a scraping unit relative to the radioactive target so that a blade of the scraping unit scrapes the radioactive material from the radioactive target. The method also includes collecting the scraped radioactive material in a receiver.

[0038] Moving the scraping unit relative to the radioactive target so that the blade of the scraping unit scrapes radioactive material from the radioactive target may include moving the scraping unit toward the radioactive target so that the blade contacts the target surface of the radioactive target; moving the scraping unit parallel to the target surface so that the blade scrapes the target surface, thereby scraping radioactive material from the radioactive target; and moving the scraping unit away from the radioactive target so that the blade breaks contact with the target surface.

[0039] Radioactive targets can be made of different kinds of materials, but are usually metals, where the irradiation has affected the material so that it contains another isotope or element than the one originally present in the material.

[0040] Collecting the scraped radioactive material in a receiver may include arranging the receiver below the radioactive target; and arranging the radioactive target such that gravity acting on the scraped radioactive material causes the scraped radioactive material to fall into the receiver. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] The foregoing and other aspects of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the following drawings.

[0042] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of automatic scraper disclosed

[0043] Figure 2 The desired inclination angle of the surface of the target to be scratched is disclosed

[0044] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a second embodiment of an automatic scraper is disclosed.

[0045] Figure 4 An isometric view of a prototype of the automated scraper is revealed DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] exist Figure 1 , the features of the automatic scraper 1 are schematically disclosed. The automatic scraper 1 is intended for scraping material from a surface 102 of a radioactive target 101. The radioactive target 101 can be made of any suitable material, and it is desired to form a "scrape" from the material by scraping and separating the material from the radioactive target 101 along the surface 102. Generally speaking, the target 101 is a rectangular block with two dimensions (e.g., length and width) greater than its third dimension (e.g., thickness) and having a flat surface. The target 101 can be composed of a single block of material or a layer of two or more materials. In one embodiment, the target 101 is composed of a first layer and a second carrier material layer, the first layer being composed of a material selected for undergoing different nuclear transmutation reactions during irradiation. In another embodiment, the target 101 is composed of a first thin material layer, a second layer, and a third carrier material layer, the first thin material layer providing a means for, for example, beam degradation, mechanical stability, and / or activated material confinement, and the second layer being composed of a material selected for undergoing different nuclear transmutation reactions during irradiation. In another embodiment, there are additional material layers applied to support, for example, mechanical stability including, for example, layer adhesion between materials, thermal conductivity, and different material properties with respect to nuclear transmutation. The materials forming the different layer combinations may include, but are not limited to, metals, ceramics, and composite materials (capable of withstanding elevated temperatures during irradiation).

[0047] Thus, "scrapes," defined as material scraped from target 101 by the scraping process, may include a single or multiple materials prior to embodiment of target 101 in use.

[0048] The automatic scraper 1 includes a target holder 2 for holding a radioactive target 101. The target holder 2 can be designed to include a cutout into which the radioactive target 101 can fit. In this case, the target holder 2 is designed to hold the radioactive target 101 in a position such that the surface 102 is vertical. At the lower end of the target holder 2 is a receiver 5 positioned to collect material scraped from the radioactive target 101, the so-called scrapings.

[0049] The automatic scraper 1 also includes a scraping unit 3, which includes a blade 4 for scraping material from the surface 102 of the radioactive target 101. The blade 4 is arranged to have an edge with an angle of attack of 90 degrees relative to the planar target surface 102. However, the blade can be arranged to have a different angle of attack. In some examples, the angle of attack relative to the planar target surface 102 can be 80 to 100 degrees. In other examples, the angle of attack can be 85 to 95 degrees.

[0050] The automatic scraper 1 also comprises a motor 6 for moving the scraping unit 3 and scraping the surface 102 of the target 101. In order to control the motor 6, and thus the movement of the scraping unit 3, there is a control unit 7 connected to the motor 6.

[0051] Hereinafter, when describing how scraping may be performed, lowering the blade 4 or scraping unit 3 means that the blade 4 will move toward the target surface 102, and raising the blade 4 or scraping unit 3 means that the blade 4 will move away from the target surface 102. The automatic scraper 1 is intended to operate in such a manner that when the scraping unit 3 is moving downward, the blade 4 is lowered and will contact and scrape the target surface 102, and when the scraping unit 3 is moving upward, the blade 4 will be raised and removed from the target surface 102. Thus, according to one example of a scraping cycle, the blade 4 will be lowered to contact the target surface 102 at a starting point in the upper region of the radioactive target 101, after which the scraping unit 3 will move downward while the blade is in contact with the target surface 102 until it reaches a stopping point in the lower region of the radioactive target 101. At the stopping point, the blade 4 will be raised from the target surface 102, and the scraping unit 3 can be returned to the same or another starting point in the upper region of the radioactive target 101. When the scraping unit 3 has reached the starting point, the blade 4 is lowered into contact with the target surface 102, and a new scraping cycle can begin as the scraping unit 3 moves downward. Thus, by programming the control unit 7 to lower and raise the blade 4 at desired positions by controlling the motor 6 or a separate actuator, the blade 4 of the scraping unit 3 can be adjusted to lower into contact with the target surface 102 and to raise to remove from the target surface 102. Thus, the motor 6 can be designed to perform the raising and lowering of the scraping unit 3 in addition to moving the scraping unit 3 along the radioactive target 101. Alternatively, additional features, such as guides or a separate actuator, can be present specifically for raising and lowering the scraping unit 3. Control of the lowering and raising of the scraping unit 3 can be based on which areas of the target 101 are most active, so that the areas with the most radioactive material will be scraped.

[0052] Scraping can be fully automatic or semi-automatic. Fully automatic means that the motor 6 is fully controlled by the control unit 7 so that when the automatic scraper is turned on, the motor will perform a predefined number of scraping cycles with predefined starting and stopping points. Semi-automatic means that the raising / lowering of the blade 4 and / or the upward / downward movement of the scraping unit 3 can be manually controlled via a control panel (not shown). The fully automatic program can be pre-programmed at the factory or programmed on site to provide a tailored program for a specific user.

[0053] Radioactive Target 101 Figure 1 The target holder 2 is positioned in the automatic scraper 1 so that the target surface 102 is vertical. By arranging the target surface 102 vertically, it is ensured that the scraping object will easily descend from the radioactive target 101 and into the receiver 5. However, the target holder 2 can be designed and arranged in the automatic scraper 1 so that the target surface 102 has other inclinations.

[0054] exist Figure 2 In the invention, it is disclosed how a target holder 2 can be designed and arranged in an automatic scraper 1. The target holder 2 should be arranged so that the surface 102 to be scraped of the radioactive target 101 is arranged at an angle between 45 degrees and 315 degrees, wherein an angle of 0 degrees corresponds to the radioactive target 101 being oriented so that its surface 102 to be scraped is horizontal and facing upwards at an angle of 0 degrees, and the angle of the target corresponds to a clockwise rotation of the target. The radioactive target should be positioned in such a way as to allow gravity to act on the scraped material (i.e. the scrapings) so that the scrapings fall by means of gravity to the receiver 5 (see Figure 1 )middle.

[0055] exist Figure 2 In FIG. 1 , a target holder 2 with a target 101 is disclosed in three different positions “A”, “B” and “C”. Position “A” corresponds to Figure 1 The target holder 2 is positioned as disclosed in FIG. 2 , in which the target surface 102 is vertical and has been rotated 270 degrees clockwise from a position in which the target surface 102 is horizontal and facing upward. Position "B" corresponds to a position of the target holder 2 in which the target surface 102 is angled 45 degrees when the target holder is rotated clockwise from a starting position of 0 degrees, in which the target surface 102 to be scraped is horizontal and facing upward. Position "B" defines one of the endpoints at which the inclination of the target surface 102 is considered to be at a suitable inclination. If the angle is less than 45 degrees, the surface is considered insufficiently inclined to provide the desired drop of scrapings into a receptacle for collecting the scrapings. When the target holder is rotated clockwise from the starting position of 0 degrees as defined above, the inclination angle of the target surface 102 will be sufficient, ranging from 45 degrees corresponding to position "B" to 315 degrees corresponding to position "C."

[0056] In addition to arranging the target holder 2 in the automatic scraper 1 to provide the desired inclination of the target surface 102, other features may be added to improve the collection of scrapings. Figure 3 In which it was made public Figure 1 In addition to all the features of the automatic scraper 1, a shield plate 8 has been added. The shield plate 8 is arranged in front of the blade 4 and moves with the blade as the scraper unit 3 moves downward as the blade scrapes material. The shield plate 8 prevents stray scraping material from deviating from the desired path and guides stray scraping material to the receiver 5.

[0057] Figure 3 The automatic scraper 1 in also comprises a funnel arrangement 9 designed to collect the falling scrapings so that they will be directed to the receiver 5 .

[0058] Figure 3A spring arrangement 41 is also disclosed to provide a force that acts in a direction that forces the blade 4 and the target 101 toward each other. This arrangement allows the contact pressure between the blade 4 and the target 101 to be controlled by loosening or tightening the spring arrangement 41. Therefore, by controlling the force from the spring arrangement, the preload of the contact force between the blade 4 and the target 101 can be adjusted. The contact force between the blade 4 and the target 101 can also be adjusted by controlling the lowering and raising of the blade from the target surface 102 to provide the desired force. By providing an adjustable force between the blade 4 and the target 101, the force that engages the blade with the target surface 102 can be set at an appropriate level to provide effective scraping, thereby removing the desired amount of material, while also avoiding too high a pressure that causes the blade 4 to cut too deep and get stuck or produce undesirable "jumps" when scraping.

[0059] therefore, Figures 1 to 3 An automatic scraper 1 is disclosed in a schematic manner. Figure 4 , an isometric view of a prototype of an automatic scraper 1 is disclosed. In this figure, the housing has been removed except for one side wall to reveal the interior of the automatic scraper 1. Figure 4 The automatic scraper in FIG. 1 comprises a target holder 2, a scraping unit 3, a blade 4, a receiver 5, a motor 6, and a control unit 7. In the target holder 2, there is a cutout into which a radioactive target 101 has been inserted, and the blade 4 is lowered and brought into contact with the target surface 102. In this case, the control unit 7 is an electronic control unit (ECU) located in a housing together with the motor 6.

[0060] There is also a shield plate 8 located in front of the blade 4. The shield plate 4 serves to keep the scraping material close to the target surface 102 and prevent the scraping material from bouncing off in undesired directions.

[0061] There is also a funnel arrangement 9 comprising a funnel opening 13. The funnel opening is preferably designed such that the length of the opening corresponds to the length of the blade 4. Corresponding means that the length of the opening should have the same length as the length of the blade 4 or be longer than the length of the blade.

[0062] exist Figure 4 In the prototype disclosed in , the lowering and raising of the scraping unit 3 is controlled by a guide device 10. Figure 4Only one side of the automatic scraper, including the guide 10, is shown in the figure. However, in the prototype, a guide is also present on the opposite side (not shown). To ensure that the scraping unit 3 follows the guide 10, it is provided with a guide bolt 11 designed to fit into the clearance space of the guide 10. Therefore, the guide bolt 11 will follow the contour of the guide, causing the blade 4 to be raised and lowered according to the design of the guide as it moves along the target 101. In this case, it can be seen that the clearance space of the guide 10 is wider in the center, while the distance from the edge of the guide 10 to the target holder 2 is shorter than in the narrower sections of the guide at the corresponding ends. The guide can be designed to be interchangeable or adjustable, so that the positions defining the lowering of the blade 4 to contact the target surface 102 and the lifting of the blade to remove it from the target surface 102 can be changed. For example, if targets of different sizes are used, different guides can be used for different targets.

[0063] The target holder 2 may be designed to be removable so as to be detached from the automatic scraper 1 in an easy manner in order to facilitate the insertion of the target into the target holder 2 .

[0064] Furthermore, a rotating bolt 12 is shown, which forms part of the scraping unit 3. The rotating bolt 3 extends vertically through the housing of the scraping unit 3. The blade 4 is pivotally connected to the rotating bolt 12. By allowing the blade 4 to pivot about the rotating bolt 12, the blade 4 can self-adjust to the angular offset of the target surface 102 and adapt the cutting edge of the blade 4 to contact the target along its length. Thus, if the target surface 102 is tilted to a certain extent, for example, one of its lateral sides is closer to the blade than another lateral side, the blade can self-adjust by rotating about the rotating bolt 12 so that the edge of the blade 4 will contact the target surface 102 along its length. Without this feature, if the target 2 is placed in the holder in the wrong way, the blade 4 will not be able to scrape the entire length of the edge.

[0065] The automatic scraper 1 is preferably surrounded by a housing (not shown) so that the target holder 2, scraper 3 and receiver 5 are contained in the housing. Preferably, the housing is made airtight so that no scraping material can escape to the surrounding environment when the radioactive target 101 is scraped. The housing will also help prevent the scraping material from falling to the outside of the funnel arrangement structure 9 because it will prevent undesirable flow interference from the surrounding air. The housing can also be made of radiation shielding material to reduce radiation exposure to the person operating the automatic scraper 1. It should be understood that the present invention can be embodied in different forms and should not be understood as limited to the embodiments listed herein.

Claims

1. An automatic scraper (1) for scraping a radioactive target (101) to be used for radiopharmaceuticals, the automatic scraper (1) comprising A target holder (2) for holding a radioactive target (101) A scraping unit (3) comprising a scraping member for scraping a radioactive target (101) located in the target holder (2) A receiver (5) for receiving material scraped from the radioactive target (101) a motor (6) for moving the scraping unit (3) and the target holder (2) relative to each other A control unit (7) for controlling the motor (6) It is characterized by: The surface (102) of the radioactive target (101) to be scraped is arranged at an angle between 45 degrees and 315 degrees, an angle of 0 degrees corresponding to the radioactive target (101) being oriented so that the surface (102) of the radioactive target (101) to be scraped is perpendicular to the vertical direction and faces upwards at an angle of 0 degrees, and the angle of the target corresponds to a clockwise rotation of the target (so as to allow gravity to act on the scraped material so that the scraped material falls into the receiver by means of gravity).

2. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to claim 1, wherein the scraping member is one of a blade (4), a plurality of blades, a rasp, a file and sandpaper.

3. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to claim 2, wherein the scraping member is one of the following: a plurality of blades configured to simultaneously scrape the radioactive target (101); a rasp or file comprising a plurality of teeth configured to simultaneously scrape the radioactive target (101); and Sandpaper comprising a plurality of particles configured to simultaneously scrape the radioactive target (101).

4. The automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used for radiopharmaceuticals according to claim 2, wherein the scraping member is a blade (4) for scraping the radioactive target (101).

5. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used for radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the automatic scraper (1) is capable of separating layers of a single material and a combination of layers of multiple materials from the radioactive target (101).

6. An automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used for radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the scraping member and the target surface (102) are arranged so that the edge of the scraping member contacts the target surface (102) at an angle of attack of 80 to 100 degrees relative to the target surface (102); preferably, 85 to 95 degrees; most preferably, about 90 degrees.

7. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The scraping unit (3) further comprises a shielding plate (8) which moves together with the scraping member, and the shielding plate (8) is arranged in front of the scraping member so as to guide stray scraping objects.

8. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that There is a funnel arrangement (9) for collecting the scrapings / scraped material as it leaves the target surface (102) to be directed via the funnel arrangement (9) into the receiver (5) for receiving the material scraped from the radioactive target (101).

9. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that By using a guide device (10) that defines a position for lowering and raising the scraping member, the scraping member of the scraping unit (3) is adjusted to be lowered to contact the target surface (102) and to be raised to be removed from the target surface (102).

10. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that By programming the control unit (7) to lower and raise the scraping member at a desired position by controlling the motor (7) or a separate actuator, the scraping member of the scraping unit (3) is adjusted to be lowered to contact a target surface (102) and to be raised to be removed from the target surface (102).

11. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any one of claims 9 or 10, characterized in that Based on the position of the active area of the target (101), the scraping member is lowered into contact with the target surface (102) and raised to be removed from the target surface.

12. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The target holder (2) is removable and can be detached from the automatic scraper (1).

13. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The contact pressure between the scraping member and the target (101) can be adjusted by providing the scraping member and / or the target with a spring arrangement (41) to provide a force acting in a direction for urging the scraping member and the target (101) towards each other.

14. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The preload of the contact force that brings the scraping member and the target toward each other (spring arrangement) is adjustable.

15. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that By controlling the lowering and raising of the scraping member from the target surface (102), the contact force between the scraping member and the target (101) is adjustable to provide a desired force.

16. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The scraping member is pivotable about a rotating bolt (12) to self-adjust the angular offset of the surface of the target and adapt the cutting edge of the scraping member to contact the target along its length.

17. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The attack angle of the scraping member is adjustable.

18. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The receiver (5) for receiving material scraped from the target (101) is provided with an air recirculation arrangement for recovering the scraped material into the receiver.

19. The automatic scraper for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to claim 8, characterized in that The funnel arrangement (9) is designed to have an opening (91) corresponding to the length of the scraping member.

20. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The receiver (5) is designed to cooperate with the scraping member so that the relative horizontal position of the receiver is the same as that of the scraping member.

21. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The scraping member is moving while the target holder (2) is held in a fixed position.

22. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The target holder (2) is moving while the scraping member remains in a fixed position.

23. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The target holder (2), scraper (3) and receiver (5) are accommodated in a housing.

24. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to claim 23, characterized in that The housing is made airtight.

25. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that The automated scraper (1) forms part of a polishing system for further processing and purification of radioactive scrapings originating from the target (101).

26. Automatic scraper (1) for preparing radioactive material to be used in radiopharmaceuticals according to claim 25, characterized in that The scrapings are automatically transferred for further downstream processing by the refining system.

27. A method for preparing a radioactive material to be used in a radiopharmaceutical, the method comprising: arranging a radioactive target (101) to be held in the target holder (2) of the automatic scraper (1) according to any preceding claim; moving the scraping unit (3) relative to the radioactive target (101) so that the scraping member of the scraping unit (3) scrapes radioactive material from the radioactive target (101); as well as The scraped radioactive material is collected in the receiver (5).

28. A method for preparing a radioactive material to be used in a radiopharmaceutical according to claim 27, wherein Moving the scraping unit (3) relative to the radioactive target (101) so that the scraping member of the scraping unit (3) scrapes radioactive material from the radioactive target (101) comprises: moving the scraping unit (3) toward the radioactive target (101) so that the scraping member contacts the target surface (102) of the radioactive target (101); moving the scraping unit (3) parallel to the target surface (102) so that the scraping member scrapes the target surface (102), thereby scraping radioactive material from the radioactive target (101); and The scraping unit (3) is moved away from the radioactive target (101) so that the scraping member breaks contact with the target surface (102).

29. A method for preparing a radioactive material to be used in a radiopharmaceutical according to claim 27 or claim 28, wherein Collecting the scraped radioactive material in the receiver (5) comprises: placing the receiver (5) below the radioactive target (101); and The radioactive target (101) is arranged so that the force of gravity acting on the scraped radioactive material causes the scraped radioactive material to fall into the receptacle.

Images