X-ray inspection device

Abstract

To provide an X-ray inspection device that resolves supporting of a belt conveyor in a single-supported manner without reducing maintainability.SOLUTION: An X-ray inspection device (1) comprises: a device body (3) that includes an inspection chamber (6); a belt conveyor (2) that conveys an object to be inspected in a conveyance direction (A); and an opening and closing door (9) that is provided on a side of a direction (B) orthogonal to the conveyance direction to open and close the inspection chamber. A rotating member (10) rotating independently of the opening and closing door is provided between the opening and closing door and the belt conveyor in the same direction as an opening and closing direction (H) of the opening and closing door. The rotating member includes a support part (14) that supports the belt conveyor. The belt conveyor (2) can thus be supported in a single-supported manner / double-supported manner by opening and closing of the rotating member (10) regardless of the opening and closing state of the opening and closing door 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an X-ray inspection apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] An X-ray inspection device irradiates an object to be inspected with X-rays, and inspects for foreign objects and the like based on the detection results (X-ray transmission image) of the X-rays that have penetrated the object to be inspected. The device body constituting the inspection room where the X-rays are irradiated has a tunnel shape, and the object to be inspected is transported to the inspection room by a belt conveyor. The front of the device body has an opening and closing door, and the inspection room can be opened by opening the opening and closing door to perform maintenance of the belt conveyor in the inspection room (cleaning, belt replacement, etc.). To facilitate this maintenance, the belt conveyor is supported by a cantilever on the rear side of the device body, which does not have an opening and closing door. In response to this, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which a support part that supports the belt conveyor from below is provided on the back side of the opening and closing door, and the cantilever of the belt conveyor is eliminated by closing the door. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3112418 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the technology of Patent Document 1, the belt conveyor cannot be supported on both sides unless the door is closed. During maintenance, the belt conveyor may be test driven with the door open to the inspection room. In this case, the belt conveyor is driven on one side, which may cause a load on the belt conveyor.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide an X-ray inspection device that eliminates the need to support a belt conveyor on one side and can maintain double-support of the belt conveyor even when the door is open. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the X-ray inspection apparatus of the present invention is an X-ray inspection apparatus comprising an apparatus main body equipped with an inspection chamber, a belt conveyor that passes through the inspection chamber and transports an object to be inspected in a transport direction, and an opening / closing door that is provided in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction and that opens and closes the inspection chamber, wherein a rotating member that rotates independently of the opening / closing door in the same direction as the opening / closing direction of the opening / closing door is provided between the opening / closing door and the belt conveyor, and the rotating member comprises a support part that supports the belt conveyor.

[0007] In the X-ray inspection apparatus of the second aspect, in the first aspect, it is also preferable that the rotating member is elongated in the transport direction, and both ends of the rotating member in the transport direction are the support portions.

[0008] In the X-ray inspection apparatus of the third aspect, in the second aspect, it is also preferable that the support portion includes a bearing, and a horizontal portion that comes into contact with an outer ring of the bearing is provided on the lower surface of the belt conveyor.

[0009] In the fourth aspect of the X-ray inspection apparatus, in any of the first to third aspects, it is also preferable that the opening / closing door and the rotating member are each fixed to the bottom of the apparatus body below the belt conveyor, with their lower parts as axes.

[0010] In the X-ray inspection device of the fifth aspect, in any of the first to fourth aspects, it is also preferable that the space between the support parts of the rotating member is an X-ray shielding plate extending between the bottom of the device body and the belt conveyor.

[0011] In the X-ray inspection device of the sixth aspect, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, it is also preferable that the X-ray shielding plate includes a pressing portion for pressing the upper surface of the belt conveyor, and a handle. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an X-ray inspection device that eliminates the cantilevering of a belt conveyor without compromising maintainability. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an X-ray inspection apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the device body 3 with the opening / closing door 9 open. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a right side view of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 1A to 1D are diagrams of a rotating member 10, in which (A) is a front view, (B) a front perspective view, (C) a rear perspective view, and (D) a left side view. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the bottom 303 of the device body 3. [Figure 6] 3 is a perspective view of the device body 3 of FIG. 2 as seen from below. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the opening and closing operation of the rotating member 10, in which (A) is an enlarged view of the main part when the rotating member 10 is closed, and (B) is an enlarged view of the main part when the rotating member 10 is open. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a front view of a rotating member 10 according to a first modified example. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a front view of a rotating member 10 according to a second modified example. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a front view of a rotating member 10 according to a third modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the directions of front, back, left, right, top and bottom are as shown in the drawings.

[0015] (Overall composition) FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an X-ray inspection device 1 according to an embodiment. The X-ray inspection device 1 includes a belt conveyor 2, a device body 3, a control box 4, and a stand 5 on which the device body 3 is attached. The X-ray inspection device 1 is disposed in a part of a conveying path (line) of an entire manufacturing or inspection system (not shown). For example, an inspection object is conveyed by the belt conveyor 2 from the upstream of the line to an inspection room 6 (see FIG. 2 described later) in the device body 3 of the X-ray inspection device 1, irradiated with X-rays in the inspection room 6, and then sent to the downstream of the line (hereinafter, the conveying direction is indicated by the symbol A). The belt conveyor 2 includes a driving pulley 202 and a driven pulley 203 (see FIG. 6 described later), and sends the inspection object in the conveying direction A by a motor 201. An X-ray transmission image is displayed on a display unit 8 provided in the control box 4.

[0016] The side of the apparatus body 3 on the front side of the apparatus in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction A (the perpendicular direction is indicated by the symbol B) is an openable / closable door 9. The openable door 9 is divided into three parts in the transport direction A, and consists of a central main door 91 and sub-doors 92 and 93 on either side of the main door 91. The main door 91 and the sub-door 92, and the main door 91 and the sub-door 93 are adjacent to each other, and the examination room 6 can be opened by pulling each of them toward the front. However, the shape of the openable door 9 is not limited to that in the embodiment, and it may not be divided, and may be constituted by, for example, the main door 91 as a single door.

[0017] 2 is a front perspective view of the device body 3 with the opening and closing door 9 open. The device body 3 is box-shaped with a tunnel-shaped interior, which serves as the examination room 6. The examination room 6 is opened by opening the opening and closing door 9 (main door 91 and sub doors 92, 93), and the entrance and exit of the examination room 6 are each provided with a curtain unit 7 equipped with a plurality of shielding curtains.

[0018] Fig. 3 is a right side view of Fig. 2 with the curtain unit 7 removed. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the X-ray irradiation unit 304 is provided on the ceiling 301 of the examination room 6, and the examination room 6 has left and right entrances shielded by the curtain unit 7, a lower part shielded by the belt conveyor 2, a rear part shielded by the back part 302 of the apparatus main body 3, and a front part shielded by an opening / closing door 9. The belt conveyor 2 is fixed by welding to the back part 302 of the apparatus main body 3 which does not have an opening / closing door 9, and is supported by the back part 302 in a cantilever manner.

[0019] The bottom 303 of the device body 3 is a fixed part to the stand 5, and the lower part of the opening and closing door 9 is fixed to it so as to be rotatable. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower side 915 of the main door 91, the lower side 925 of the sub door 92, and the lower side 935 of the sub door 93 are provided with door rotation mechanisms 910, 920, and 930, respectively. The door rotation mechanisms 910, 920, and 930 are provided with a pair of left and right hinges 901 provided on an arm attached across the lower part (lower side 915, 925, and 935) of each door, and a rotation restriction plate 902 (see FIG. 3). The rotation restriction plate 902 is provided with a cushioning material such as a rubber ball or a long cushion rubber, and the cushioning material comes into contact with the surface of each door 91, 92, and 93 to restrict the rotation angle of each door 91, 92, and 93. The door pivot mechanisms 910, 920, 930 are fixed to the front side surface of the bottom 303 of the device body 3, for example, by screws. The main door 91 and the sub doors 92, 93 open toward the front of the device (direction B) around the door pivot mechanisms 910, 920, 930 installed along the lower parts (lower sides 915, 925, 935) of the respective doors. Hereinafter, the opening and closing direction of the opening and closing door 9 is indicated by the symbol H.

[0020] (Configuration of Rotating Member) 2 and 3, a rotating member 10 is provided between the opening / closing door 9 and the belt conveyor 2. Fig. 4 shows the rotating member 10, with (A) being a front view, (B) being a front perspective view, (C) being a rear perspective view, and (D) being a left side view.

[0021] The rotating member 10 is made of a stainless steel plate and is formed long in the conveying direction A as a whole. The rotating member 10 has an upper region 11 and a lower region 12. A plate surface 111 of the upper region 11 has a vertically standing shape, and a plate surface 112 of the lower region 12 has a stepped shape. In detail, as shown in FIG. 4(C), the plate surface 112 of the lower region 12 has a vertical portion 112A continuing from the plate surface 111, an inclined portion 112B facing diagonally downward toward the rear of the device, and then a vertical portion 112C facing vertically downward.

[0022] The lower region 12 is formed longer than the upper region 11 in the conveying direction A, and both ends of the lower region 12 function as support parts 14 that support the belt conveyor 2. The support part 14 has left and right side surfaces 141, 142 formed by bending the left and right ends of the plate surface 112 of the lower region 12 toward the rear of the device, and is provided with bearings 15 on the left and right side surfaces 141, 142 (vertical portion 112A). The bearings 15 are metal bearings made of, for example, stainless steel, and are provided with mounting screws in the axial direction. The bearings 15 are fixed with wheels arranged on the outsides of the left and right side surfaces 141, 142 so as to have a rotation axis in the conveying direction A, and are fixed so that the outer wheels slightly protrude upward from the lower region 12.

[0023] The lower part of (vertical part 112C of) plate surface 112 of lower region 12 is bent into a U-shaped cross section to provide reinforcing part 112D (see FIG. 4(C)), and has hinges 17 on both ends. FIG. 5 is an upper perspective view of bottom part 303 of device body 3. Bottom part 303 of device body 3 has a pair of first frames 3031, 3032 parallel to conveying direction A, and a pair of second frames 3033, 3034 parallel to perpendicular direction B. A pin of hinge 17 of rotating member 10 is provided in conveying direction A, and one wing part of hinge 17 is fixed to the surface of plate surface 112 (vertical part 112C) of rotating member 10 (see FIG. 4(A)), and the other wing part is fixed to the front surface of first frame 3032 in front of bottom part 303. The first frame 3032 is also formed with fixing holes 903 for the door pivot mechanisms 910, 920, and 930 of the opening and closing door 9.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 4, the plate surface 111 of the upper region 11 of the rotating member 10 has an upper side surface 161 formed by bending the upper central region 90 degrees toward the rear of the device, and a handle 162 is provided in the center of the upper side surface 161. This upper side surface 161 functions as a pressing part 16 that presses the upper surface of the belt conveyor 2. This will be described in detail later. The plate surfaces 111 and 112 of the rotating member 10 extending between the support parts 14, 14 also function as an X-ray shielding plate 30. This will also be described in detail later.

[0025] 6 is a perspective view of the device body 3 of FIG. 2 as seen from below. The belt conveyor 2 includes an endless belt 204 wound around a driving pulley 202 and a driven pulley 203, a receiving stand 205 disposed between the driving pulley 202 and the driven pulley 203, and a pair of side frames 206 connecting the driving pulley 202 and the driven pulley 203. The side frame 206 is a metal frame made of stainless steel, for example, and as shown in FIG. 6, the front side frame 206 is formed with a horizontal portion 207 that contacts the bearing 15 at a position corresponding to the support portion 14 of the rotating member 10. The horizontal portion 207 is formed by bending the lower portion of a vertical portion 2071 fixed to the side frame 206 by 90 degrees. The vertical portion 2071 is provided with a screw hole (not shown) for fixing to the side frame 206, and the horizontal portion 207 is provided with an opening 2073 for receiving the bearing 15 of the rotating member 10.

[0026] 7 is a diagram for explaining the opening and closing operation of the rotating member 10, where (A) is an enlarged view of the main part when the rotating member 10 is closed, and (B) is an enlarged view of the main part when the rotating member 10 is open. Note that FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the main part of the part indicated by the symbol E in FIG. 3. The rotating member 10 is interposed between the opening / closing door 9 and the belt conveyor 2, and the opening / closing door 9 and the rotating member 10 are fixed to the bottom 303 of the device body 3 below the belt conveyor 2, with their lower parts as axes. The rotating member 10 rotates independently of the opening / closing door 9 in the same direction as the opening / closing direction H of the opening / closing door 9.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 7(A), when the belt conveyor 2 is to be supported on both sides during maintenance, for example, during test driving, the handle 162 is held and the rotating member 10 is rotated in the closing direction. When the rotating member 10 is closed, the bearing 15 provided on the support part 14 of the rotating member 10 enters under the side frame 206 of the belt conveyor 2 and supports the belt conveyor 2 downward via the horizontal part 207. Since the horizontal part 207 has an opening 2073, the bearing 15 does not contact the top part F1 in this state, but contacts the horizontal part 207 in a manner that disperses stress near the front and rear parts F2 and F3 of the top part F1. In other words, when the rotating member 10 is closed, the belt conveyor 2 is supported downward by the rotating member 10 through the support part 14 (bearing 15), and is supported on both sides by the back part 302 of the device main body 3 and the rotating member 10. When the rotating member 10 is closed, the upper surface 161 of the rotating member 10 is hung on the upper surface of the receiving base 205 of the belt conveyor 2, and the upper surface 161 also functions as a pressing part 16 that presses the belt conveyor 2 (see also FIG. 2).

[0028] 7(B), when it is desired to cantilever the belt conveyor 2 during maintenance, for example, when replacing the belt, the handle 162 is held and the rotating member 10 is rotated in the open direction. When the rotating member 10 is opened, the support portion 14 (bearing 15) of the rotating member 10 comes out of the horizontal portion 207 (opening 2073) of the belt conveyor 2, the upper surface 161 of the rotating member 10 separates from the receiving base 205 of the belt conveyor 2, the support by the rotating member 10 is released, and the belt conveyor 2 becomes cantilevered by the back portion 302 of the device main body 3.

[0029] In addition, the rotating member 10 rotates independently of the opening / closing door 9, but when the opening / closing door 9 is closed, the back surface 911 (see FIG. 2) of the main door 91 of the opening / closing door 9 presses the plate surface 112 (see FIG. 4) of the rotating member 10, and the rotating member 10 is placed in the double-supported position shown in FIG. 7(A). In other words, when the opening / closing door 9 is closed, the rotating member 10 also closes automatically, and the belt conveyor 2 is supported on both sides by the back surface 302 of the device body 3 and the rotating member 10.

[0030] (Action and effect) As described above, according to the X-ray inspection device 1 of this embodiment, the rotating member 10 that rotates independently of the opening / closing door 9 in the same direction as the opening / closing direction H of the opening / closing door 9 is provided between the opening / closing door 9 and the belt conveyor 2, so that the belt conveyor 2 can be supported on one side or both sides by opening and closing the rotating member 10 regardless of the opening / closing state of the opening / closing door 9. Therefore, it is possible to flexibly respond to belt replacement with one-sided support and test driving with both-sided support, so that the problem of one-sided support of the belt conveyor 2 can be solved without reducing maintainability. Switching between one-sided support and both-sided support of the belt conveyor 2, i.e., opening and closing of the rotating member 10, can be easily performed by pushing and pulling the handle 162 provided on the rotating member 10.

[0031] In addition, when the opening / closing door 9 is closed, the rotating member 10 rotates together with the opening / closing door 9 and closes automatically, which prevents the rotating member 10 from being forgotten to be closed during X-ray inspection, resulting in the belt conveyor 2 being transported in a cantilevered manner.

[0032] Furthermore, since the rotating member 10 includes the pressing portion 16 (upper surface 161), it is hung on the belt conveyor 2, and therefore the belt conveyor 2 can be stably supported.

[0033] In addition, by providing bearings 15 on the support portion 14 of the rotating member 10, the opening and closing operation is smooth and the generation of metal powder due to contact friction between the rotating member 10 and the belt conveyor 2 (side frame 206) can be prevented.

[0034] In addition, the plate surfaces 111 and 112 between the support parts 14, 14 of the rotating member 10 function as the X-ray shielding plate 30. The space indicated by the symbol G in FIG. 3 is a space that needs to be provided for the ease of belt replacement of the belt conveyor 2. Therefore, the belt conveyor 2 and the bottom 303 of the device main body 3 are inevitably left empty. The space G is basically shielded by the belt conveyor 2, but since the risk of X-ray leakage increases toward the bottom in the examination room 6, by providing the rotating member 10, the plate surfaces 111 and 112 extend between the top and bottom of the belt conveyor 2 and the bottom 303 of the device main body 3, shielding the space G in the conveying direction A, and thus further reducing the risk of X-ray leakage from the space G.

[0035] (Modification) Next, modifications of the above-described embodiment will be described. The same components as those in the embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0036] 8 is a front view of the rotating member 10 according to the modified example 1. In the modified example 1, the shape of the upper region 11 of the rotating member 10 is changed, and the plate surface 111 of the upper region 11 does not have an upper side surface 161, and has a shape that stands up vertically to an extent that it can press the side surface 208 of the belt conveyor 2. In this form, the effect of stably supporting the belt conveyor 2 is weakened compared to the embodiment, but other effects can be exhibited.

[0037] 9 is a front view of the rotating member 10 according to the modified example 2. In the modified example 2, a cushioning material 40 such as resin or rubber is provided on the upper surface (see also FIG. 4) of the inclined portion 112B of the lower region 12 of the rotating member 10. In this embodiment, in addition to the effect of the embodiment, the cushioning material 40 contributes to load support.

[0038] 10 is a front view of a rotating member 10 according to Modification 3. In Modification 3, a resin bearing or a semi-spherical resin member 50 is provided at support portion 14 of rotating member 10 instead of metal bearing 15. In this embodiment, the rigidity is lower than when a metal bearing is provided, but the same effect as the embodiment can be achieved.

[0039] Although the preferred embodiment and modifications of the present invention have been described above, these can be modified and combined based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and such modifications are also included within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1...X-ray inspection device, 2...belt conveyor, 207...horizontal part of belt conveyor, 3...device body, 303...bottom part of device body, 6...inspection room, 9...opening / closing door, 10...rotating member, 14...support part, 15...bearing, 16...claw part, 30...X-ray shielding plate, A...transport direction, B...direction perpendicular to the transport direction, H...opening / closing direction

Claims

1. An apparatus body including an inspection chamber; a belt conveyor that passes through the inspection room and conveys the inspection object in a conveying direction; an opening / closing door for opening and closing the inspection chamber, the opening / closing door being provided on a side in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, a rotating member that rotates independently of the opening and closing door in the same direction as the opening and closing direction of the opening and closing door is provided between the opening and closing door and the belt conveyor; The rotating member includes a support portion that supports the belt conveyor.

1. An X-ray inspection apparatus comprising:

2. 2. The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member is elongated in the transport direction, and both ends of the rotating member in the transport direction serve as the support portions.

3. 3. The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the support portion includes a bearing, and a horizontal portion that comes into contact with an outer ring of the bearing is provided on the lower surface of the belt conveyor.

4. 3. The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the opening / closing door and the rotating member are fixed to a bottom of the apparatus body below the belt conveyor, with their lower parts as axes.

5. 5. The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 4, wherein an X-ray shielding plate is provided between the support parts of the rotating member and extends between the bottom part of the apparatus body and the belt conveyor.

6. 6. The X-ray inspection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the X-ray shielding plate includes a pressing portion for pressing an upper surface of the belt conveyor, and a handle.

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