A structure for loading radioactive particles

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of for radioactive particle feeding structure, it is related to medical instrument technical field.The present feeding structure is easy to jam and be crushed particle defect, the present application includes stepped pressure relief storage bin, flexible carding mechanism, mounting cover and escapement feeder.Stepwise pressure relief storage bin is dispersed by multistage pressure relief ladder sidewall The gravity of particle accumulation and physically blocks direct rays;Flexible carding mechanism utilizes the roll of flexible silica gel scraping piece to scatter outfeed port particles, prevent extrusion and cause particle shell damage;Particle is forced to convert into single column longitudinal arrangement by the sidewall limitation of V-shaped taper induction groove in drop tube;Escapement feeder utilizes eccentric wheel to alternately push up and down card needle and carry out staggered reciprocating motion, accurately intercept and one by one release the single column particle at the bottom.The present application adopts pure mechanical physical interlocking design, realizes the anti-pressing of small radioactive particle, flexible nondestructive carding and single particle precision escapement quantitative safe drop.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical device technology, and in particular to a feeding structure for radioactive particles. Background Technology

[0002] Medical radioactive particles (such as iodine-125 particles) are tiny and possess strong ionizing radiation, requiring rigorous loading procedures during clinical dispensing. Traditional manual loading methods are inefficient and expose operators to radiation. Developing a fully automated and physically protected safe loading structure is a critical challenge that urgently needs to be addressed in this field.

[0003] According to the research, the feeding mechanism of some devices mainly relies on the cooperation of a straight-through storage hopper and a guide plate below to guide the radioactive material into the bottom filling station by gravity, in order to achieve automated transfer and reduce direct contact with personnel.

[0004] Its drawbacks are as follows: the straight-through funnel is prone to gravity concentration at the discharge port, causing physical "arching" and blockage; if a rigid structure is used to force the passage, it is very easy to crush the fragile particle shell, leading to radioactive leakage; and the straight-through channel cannot block radiation from shooting out in a straight line when the material is falling; in addition, the lack of guidance and sorting of the falling posture of the particles can easily lead to multiple particles getting stuck at the same time, making it impossible to achieve precise single-particle separation. Summary of the Invention

[0005] (a) Technical problems to be solved To address the technical problems in existing technologies, such as gravity concentration leading to "arching" and jamming of tiny radioactive particles during feeding, rigid feeding causing particle shell damage and nuclear leakage risks, straight-through feeding channels leading to linear radiation leakage, and disordered particle falling attitude causing multiple particles to block simultaneously, and the inability to achieve precise single-particle quantitative feeding, this invention provides a feeding structure for radioactive particles. This structure employs a fully mechanical physical cascaded interlocking design, achieving pressure relief and stress reduction, flexible anti-breakage sorting, forced attitude straightening, and precise single-particle escape feeding of brittle tiny radioactive particles without requiring any electrical or circuit control.

[0006] (II) Technical Solution To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A feeding structure for radioactive particles, comprising: A stepped pressure-reducing storage silo, wherein the bottom of the stepped pressure-reducing storage silo is equipped with a discharge outlet; A flexible combing mechanism is located below the stepped pressure-reducing storage silo. The flexible combing mechanism includes a combing chamber and a discharge pipe connected to the bottom of the combing chamber. The discharge pipe is connected to the top of the combing chamber. The combing chamber is equipped with a rotating roller for dispersing and combing particles. The discharge pipe has a V-shaped tapered induction groove in its internal channel for guiding the particle posture. The mounting cover is fixedly installed on the outer wall of the discharge pipe; and An escapement feeder is located inside the mounting cover. The escapement feeder includes an upper catch pin and a lower catch pin that are transversely inserted through the feed tube. The upper catch pin and the lower catch pin are spaced apart in the vertical direction, and the two catch pins can alternately extend into or out of the internal channel of the V-shaped tapered induction groove to quantitatively intercept and release particles arranged in a single row.

[0007] As a preferred technical solution, the stepped pressure-reducing storage silo includes a storage silo, the top opening of which forms a guide port, one side of the inner wall of the storage silo slopes inward from top to bottom and forms a multi-stage pressure-reducing stepped side wall, and the discharge is elongated and located at the narrowest point of the bottom of the storage silo.

[0008] As a preferred technical solution, multiple flexible silicone scrapers are uniformly laid on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating roller along the radial and axial directions. When the flexible silicone scraper rotates with the rotating roller, its end makes flexible contact with the inner wall of the combing chamber or the lower edge of the discharge, so as to disperse the particles accumulated at the discharge point through flexible shearing force and avoid rigid compression of the particle shell.

[0009] As a preferred technical solution, the V-shaped tapered induction groove is constructed with a cross-sectional shape that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. The bottom width of the V-shaped tapered induction groove is only wide enough for a single row of single particles to pass through in a longitudinal posture, so as to physically restrict and force the particle's falling axial posture through the sidewall.

[0010] As a preferred technical solution, the escapement feeder further includes a mounting bracket fixed inside the mounting cover, on which a rotating rod extending in a vertical direction is rotatably connected, and an upper eccentric wheel and a lower eccentric wheel are fixedly sleeved from top to bottom on the rotating rod.

[0011] As a preferred technical solution, the outwardly extending tail ends of the upper and lower chucks are both fixedly connected to push plates. The outer periphery of the upper eccentric wheel is in rolling contact with the outer side of the push plate corresponding to the upper chuck, and the outer periphery of the lower eccentric wheel is in rolling contact with the outer side of the push plate corresponding to the lower chuck. This is used to alternately push the two push plates towards the direction of the material drop tube by the eccentricity when the rotating rod rotates.

[0012] As a preferred technical solution, two sets of slots are provided on the side wall of the material discharge tube, which are connected to the internal channel of the V-shaped tapered guide groove, and the tips of the upper and lower pins are respectively horizontally inserted into the corresponding slots.

[0013] As a preferred technical solution, both the upper and lower chuck pins are fitted with spring members on the rods located between the mounting bracket and the discharge tube. The spring members are in a compressed state and abut against the inner side of the push plate and the outer side wall of the slot, so as to provide the push plate with a spring torque to pull the corresponding chuck pin outward and reset.

[0014] As a preferred technical solution, the upper eccentric wheel and the lower eccentric wheel are arranged in opposite eccentric directions and have a 180° phase difference, so that when the upper chuck is pushed into the V-shaped tapered guide groove by the upper eccentric wheel, the lower chuck is pulled out of the V-shaped tapered guide groove under the elastic force of the corresponding spring member, and vice versa, so as to realize the mechanical interlocking reciprocating alternating motion of the two chucks.

[0015] As a preferred technical solution, the vertical distance between the upper and lower pins is greater than the axial length of a single radioactive particle, and the vertical distance is less than the sum of the axial lengths of two radioactive particles, so as to accurately position and separate the bottommost single particle when feeding in a single-row queue.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The stepped pressure-reducing storage bin of the present invention disperses the gravity of the bottom-accumulated particles through multi-level stepped sidewalls, destroys the force conditions of particle arching, and reduces the probability of discharge port jamming; at the same time, the stepped inner wall changes the straight-through state of the channel, restricts the straight-line penetration and leakage of internal rays, and improves the system's protection capability.

[0017] The flexible combing mechanism uses flexible silicone scrapers to disperse particles gathered at the outlet. The flexible material provides deformation clearance when in contact with particles, replacing the conventional rigid unblocking structure and preventing the particle shell from being damaged by hard compression and the risk of radioactive leakage.

[0018] Particles falling from the discharge port enter the V-shaped tapering induction tank. Due to the space limitation of the side wall, they naturally converge and adjust to a single-row longitudinal arrangement under gravity to avoid multiple particles clogging simultaneously. In conjunction with the purely mechanical interlocking and staggered movement of the upper and lower pins in the escapement feeder, the particles in the single row are intercepted and released one by one, realizing the single-particle separation and quantitative feeding of tiny particles. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments: Figure 1 This is a perspective view A of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a bottom-view perspective view of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a top view of the present invention; Figure 4 For the present invention Figure 3 AA section view in the middle; Figure 5 For the present invention Figure 3 BB section view in the middle; Figure 6 Figure for this invention Figure 4 Enlarged view of part A; Figure 7 This is a perspective view B of the present invention.

[0020] Reference numerals: 1. Stepped pressure-reducing storage bin; 11. Storage bin; 12. Guide port; 13. Multi-stage pressure-reducing stepped sidewall; 14. Discharge; 2. Flexible carding mechanism; 21. Carding chamber; 22. Rotary roller; 23. Flexible silicone scraper; 24. Drop pipe; 25. V-shaped tapered guide groove; 3. Mounting cover; 4. Escapement dropper; 41. Mounting bracket; 42. Slot; 43. Lower chuck pin; 44. Push plate; 45. Spring component; 46. Rotating rod; 47. Lower eccentric wheel; 48. Upper chuck pin; 49. Upper eccentric wheel. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Please see Figures 1 to 7 The present invention provides a feeding structure for radioactive particles, which adopts a purely mechanical cascaded interlocking design and mainly includes four core modules: a stepped depressurization storage bin 1, a flexible combing mechanism 2, a mounting cover 3, and an escapement feeder 4.

[0022] The stepped depressurization storage bin 1 is located at the top of the entire equipment and is mainly used to receive and buffer the batch of radioactive particles. Its main body is the storage bin 11, and the top of the storage bin 11 is open to form a guide port 12. In order to fundamentally eliminate the "arching" phenomenon of microparticles under the action of gravity, the interior of the storage bin 11 adopts an asymmetrical spatial design. One side of its inner wall is vertical, while the other side of its inner wall slopes inward from top to bottom and is processed into a multi-level depressurization stepped side wall 13 composed of multiple horizontal and vertical surfaces. The bottom of the storage bin 11 is narrowed to the narrowest point to form a long and narrow discharge 14. The setting of the multi-level depressurization stepped side wall 13 allows the vertical gravity of the particles above to be unloaded step by step by each stepped surface, effectively preventing the bottom particles from getting stuck at the discharge 14 due to excessive pressure. At the same time, the staggered stepped channel physically cuts off the straight propagation path of the radiation, avoiding the "direct radiation effect" generated at the moment of falling material.

[0023] Secondly, the flexible combing mechanism 2 is fixedly connected below the stepped pressure-reducing storage bin 1, including a combing chamber 21 and a discharge pipe 24 connected to the bottom of the combing chamber 21; the discharge 14 is directly connected to the top opening of the combing chamber 21; a rotating roller 22 is installed horizontally (horizontal axis) inside the combing chamber 21, and multiple flexible silicone scrapers 23 are evenly distributed radially and axially on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating roller 22; the rotating roller 22 can be driven to rotate by an external low-speed micro motor or a robotic hand crank; during the rotation, the end of the flexible silicone scraper 23 sweeps across the upper half of the combing chamber 21 and makes flexible contact with the lower edge of the discharge 14; when the particles are slightly congested at the discharge 14, the flexible silicone scraper 23 provides tangential pushing force through flexible deformation to disperse the particles; if it encounters great resistance, the scraper can bend and retreat naturally, completely avoiding the hard squeezing and scratching of the fragile particle shell by traditional rigid teeth.

[0024] Furthermore, the internal channel of the feeding pipe 24 is machined with a V-shaped tapering induction groove 25 from top to bottom; the induction groove presents a smooth transition shape with a wider top and a narrower bottom in the vertical cross section. Its upper end is a wide "U" shape, which is used to receive the randomly shaped particles falling from both sides of the combing chamber 21; its lower end gradually narrows towards the center into a deep "V" shape, and the width of the groove at the bottom is strictly controlled to allow only a single row of single particles to pass through longitudinally; through the physical compression and geometric induction of the inclined surfaces on both sides, the particles that were originally horizontal or inclined are forcibly flipped and straightened, so that they are connected end to end under the action of gravity to form a single row arrangement.

[0025] Finally, the mounting cover 3 is fixedly installed on the outer wall of the lower half of the feed tube 24; the escapement feeder 4 is hidden inside the mounting cover 3 and is used to perform single-particle precise separation of the lined particles; the escapement feeder 4 includes a mounting frame 41 fixed inside the mounting cover 3, and a rotating rod 46 extending vertically is rotatably connected to the mounting frame 41; an upper eccentric wheel 49 and a lower eccentric wheel 47 are fixedly sleeved on the rotating rod 46 from top to bottom; two sets of slots 42 distributed vertically are opened on the feed tube 24 at the position corresponding to the V-shaped tapered guide groove 25; the tips of the upper locking pin 48 and the lower locking pin 43 pass horizontally through the corresponding slots 42; the outwardly extending tail ends of the two locking pins are fixedly connected to push plates 44. The outer peripheries of the upper eccentric wheel 49 and the lower eccentric wheel 47 roll against the outer side of the corresponding push plate 44. Between the inner side of the push plate 44 and the outer side wall of the slot 42, the spring 45 sleeved on the pin rod is always in a compressed state, providing the push plate 44 with a resetting force for pulling outward. Furthermore, the eccentric directions of the upper eccentric wheel 49 and the lower eccentric wheel 47 are offset by a phase difference of 180°. The vertical distance between the upper pin 48 and the lower pin 43 is set to be greater than the axial length of a single radioactive particle and less than the sum of the axial lengths of two radioactive particles (for example, for a particle with a length of 4.2 mm, the distance can be set to 4.5 mm).

[0026] Working principle: First stage (feeding and depressurization buffer): The operator feeds the bulk radioactive particles into the storage bin 11 in batches from the feed inlet 12; as the particle group falls, gravity is dispersed layer by layer by the side wall 13 of the multi-stage depressurization ladder, and the particles are in a relatively loose low-pressure state when they reach the discharge 14, which avoids the "arching" blockage at the bottom of the funnel. Second stage (flexible combing and feeding): The external power drives the rotating roller 22 to rotate slowly, and the rotating roller with flexible silicone scraper 23 sweeps continuously below the discharge 14; the flexible scraper gently pushes the particles at the discharge 14 into the combing chamber 21, completing physical unblocking without damaging the titanium alloy shell of the particles. The third stage (gravity contouring and attitude convergence): After the particles fall into the drop tube 24, they are physically constrained by the inclined surfaces on both sides of the V-shaped tapering induction groove 25, and the falling space of the particles becomes narrower. The slender particles are forced to adjust to an upright posture by gravity and the groove wall, and form a single row of connected end to end at the bottom of the drop tube 24. The fourth stage (precise single-particle escape and separation): The external drive rod 46 rotates at a constant speed, driving the upper eccentric wheel 49 and the lower eccentric wheel 47 to rotate; when the long radius of the upper eccentric wheel 49 rotates to the side of the push plate 44, it overcomes the elastic force of the spring 45 and pushes the upper clamping pin 48 into the V-shaped tapered guide groove 25, just piercing and blocking below the second to last particle; due to the 180° phase difference, at this time the short radius of the lower eccentric wheel 47 rotates to the side of the push plate 44, and the lower clamping pin 43 is pulled outward under the action of the spring 45, and the bottommost particle loses its support and falls freely under gravity, completing the single-particle separation; as the drive rod 46 continues to rotate, the upper clamping pin 48 is pulled out to release, and the lower clamping pin 43 is pushed in to receive, and the particle queue slides down one grid as a whole, repeating the cycle to achieve stable single-particle quantitative feeding; the whole process does not require sensor intervention, realizing highly reliable pure mechanical precision dispensing.

Claims

1. A feeding structure for radioactive particles, characterized in that, include: A stepped pressure-reducing storage silo (1) is provided with a discharge outlet (14) at the bottom. A flexible combing mechanism (2) is located below the stepped pressure-reducing storage silo (1). The flexible combing mechanism (2) includes a combing chamber (21) and a discharge pipe (24) connected to the bottom of the combing chamber (21). The discharge (14) is connected to the top of the combing chamber (21). The combing chamber (21) is provided with a rotating roller (22) for dispersing and combing particles. The discharge pipe (24) has a V-shaped tapered induction groove (25) for guiding the particle posture in its internal channel. Mounting cover (3) is fixedly installed on the outer wall of the discharge pipe (24); and An escapement feeder (4) is located inside the mounting cover (3). The escapement feeder (4) includes an upper catch pin (48) and a lower catch pin (43) that are transversely inserted through the feed tube (24). The upper catch pin (48) and the lower catch pin (43) are spaced apart in the vertical direction, and the two catch pins can alternately extend into or out of the internal channel of the V-shaped tapered induction groove (25) to quantitatively intercept and release particles arranged in a single row.

2. The feeding structure for radioactive particles according to claim 1, characterized in that, The stepped pressure-reducing storage silo (1) includes a storage silo (11), the top opening of the storage silo (11) forms a guide port (12), one side inner wall of the storage silo (11) slopes inward from top to bottom and forms a multi-level pressure-reducing stepped side wall (13), and the discharge (14) is elongated and opened at the narrowest part of the bottom of the storage silo (11).

3. The feeding structure for radioactive particles according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple flexible silicone scrapers (23) are evenly distributed on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating roller (22) in both radial and axial directions. When the flexible silicone scraper (23) rotates with the rotating roller (22), its end makes flexible contact with the inner wall of the combing chamber (21) or the lower edge of the discharge (14) to disperse the particles accumulated at the discharge point through flexible shearing force.

4. The feeding structure for radioactive particles according to claim 1, characterized in that, The V-shaped tapered induction groove (25) is constructed with a cross-sectional shape that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. The bottom groove width of the V-shaped tapered induction groove (25) is only wide enough to allow a single row of single particles to pass through in a longitudinal posture.

5. The feeding structure for radioactive particles according to claim 1, characterized in that, The escapement feeder (4) also includes a mounting bracket (41) fixed inside the mounting cover (3). A rotating rod (46) extending in the vertical direction is rotatably connected to the mounting bracket (41). An upper eccentric wheel (49) and a lower eccentric wheel (47) are fixedly sleeved on the rotating rod (46) from top to bottom.

6. The feeding structure for radioactive particles according to claim 5, characterized in that, The upper chuck (48) and the lower chuck (43) are both fixedly connected to push plates (44) at their outwardly extending tail ends. The outer periphery of the upper eccentric wheel (49) rolls in contact with the outer side of the push plate (44) corresponding to the upper chuck (48), and the outer periphery of the lower eccentric wheel (47) rolls in contact with the outer side of the push plate (44) corresponding to the lower chuck (43). This is used to push the two push plates (44) alternately with the eccentricity when the rotating rod (46) rotates, so as to move the two push plates (44) towards the direction of the material drop tube (24) by alternating the eccentricity.

7. A feeding structure for radioactive particles according to claim 6, characterized in that, The side wall of the material drop tube (24) is provided with two sets of slots (42) that communicate with the internal channel of the V-shaped tapered guide groove (25). The tips of the upper pin (48) and the lower pin (43) are respectively horizontally inserted into the corresponding slots (42).

8. A feeding structure for radioactive particles according to claim 7, characterized in that, Both the upper clasp (48) and the lower clasp (43) are fitted with springs (45) on the rod between the mounting bracket (41) and the drop tube (24). The springs (45) are in a compressed state and abut against the inner side of the push plate (44) and the outer side wall of the slot (42) to provide the push plate (44) with a spring torque to pull the corresponding clasp outward and reset.

9. A feeding structure for radioactive particles according to claim 5, characterized in that, The upper eccentric wheel (49) and the lower eccentric wheel (47) are set in opposite eccentric directions and have a phase difference of 180°, so that when the upper pin (48) is pushed into the V-shaped tapered guide groove (25) by the upper eccentric wheel (49), the lower pin (43) is pulled out of the V-shaped tapered guide groove (25) under the elastic force of the corresponding spring (45), and vice versa.

10. A feeding structure for radioactive particles according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vertical distance between the upper pin (48) and the lower pin (43) is greater than the axial length of a single radioactive particle, and the vertical distance is less than the sum of the axial lengths of the two radioactive particles.

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