Instrument and filter

Abstract

To provide a filter that has good air permeability, efficiently dissipates heat to the outside, resists dust accumulation, is easy to clean, and suppresses deformation and performance deterioration over a long period, and an instrument having the same, especially an X-ray inspection device 1.SOLUTION: A metallic filter 10 is provided at a suction / exhaust port 20 of a housing 2 of an X-ray inspection device 1 (Fig. 2). The long holes 12 of the filter have a width of less than 1 mm, have a longitudinal direction being parallel to a vertical direction, and are arranged in a vertically staggered pattern (Fig. 4(a)). This arrangement includes a plurality of rows of vertical alignment patterns in which the plurality of long holes is aligned in a single row at a predetermined interval in the direction parallel to the longitudinal direction, the vertical alignment patterns are arranged at predetermined intervals in the width direction, and the long holes and the long holes in the vertical alignment patterns adjacent in the width direction are staggered such that they do not exist at the same position in the longitudinal direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus having a filter that prevents the passage of foreign solid matter in an opening for drawing in and exhausting air between the inside and outside of a housing for cooling, and in particular to an apparatus having a metal filter that is highly breathable, resistant to the accumulation of dust, and strong, and to said filter. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses an invention of an X-ray inspection device 1 having a housing 2, a blower unit 12 which is a cooler or air conditioner that supplies cool air into the housing from a blower hole 13, an X-ray generating unit 7 and an X-ray detecting unit 10 provided in the housing 2, a first air guide 17 and a second air guide 20 which guide the cool air to the X-ray generating unit 7 and the X-ray detecting unit 10, and a first inlet 21 and a second inlet 22 which are arranged opposite the blower hole 13 and guide the cool air to the first air guide 17 and the second air guide 20. According to this X-ray inspection device 1, the cool air is distributed when it enters the housing according to the area of ​​the first inlet and the second inlet facing the blower hole, and an appropriate amount of cool air required for cooling can be supplied to the heat source, so that the cool air can be appropriately distributed and supplied from the blower unit on the outer surface of the housing to a plurality of heat sources in the housing, and the required amount of cool air can be supplied to each heat source to cool them. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-70492 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the X-ray inspection device described in the above Patent Document 1, a cooler or air conditioner (blower) is provided on the outer surface of the housing to supply low-temperature air into the housing. However, even in the case of an X-ray inspection device that is considered to generate a relatively large amount of heat, if there is little dust and the installation environment is low temperature, and ventilation can be ensured without providing an expensive air conditioner or cooler, there may be no particular problem with cooling the inside of the housing.

[0005] However, in the conventional resin filters used in such cases, they must be removed from the intake and exhaust ports of the housing during regular cleaning, and their performance is easily deteriorated due to clogging, etc., so they need to be replaced frequently. However, when they are discarded, there are many issues in terms of recycling, and it is also time-consuming to manage replacement parts as consumables. Furthermore, since the resin filter is generally a soft body that is sponge-like and easily deformed, it needs to be detachably supported on the housing via a mounting frame, and since structures other than the resin filter are bulky, an installation space larger than the volume of the resin filter itself is required near the intake and exhaust ports. Due to these problems, even in an environment with little dust and a low temperature, the use of the resin filter requires operational constraints and time-consuming work, so it has not been possible to fully meet the demand for cooling the inside of the housing without installing an expensive cooler or air conditioner.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems associated with the conventional technology described above, and aims to provide a filter which, compared to a resin filter, has good breathability and can dissipate heat inside a housing to the outside more efficiently, is less susceptible to dust accumulation, is easy to clean, and does not deform or deteriorate in performance over long periods of time, and an apparatus equipped with such a filter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The device 1 according to claim 1 comprises: A device (1) having a housing (2) provided with an intake / exhaust port (20) for taking in air and then discharging it, and a filter (10) provided at the intake / exhaust port (20) for preventing foreign solid matter from entering the housing (2), The filter 10 is made of metal and has a plurality of long holes 12 having a predetermined length and width. The long holes 12 are characterized in that, when the filter 10 is attached to the intake and exhaust port 20, the length direction is parallel to the vertical direction and the holes 12 are staggered in the length direction or the width direction.

[0008] The device 1 according to claim 2 is the device 1 according to claim 1, The width of the slot 12 is characterized by being less than 1 mm.

[0009] The device 1 according to claim 3 is the device 1 according to claim 2, The staggered arrangement is The plate includes a plurality of vertical array patterns in which the long holes (12) are arranged parallel to the length direction, and the vertical array patterns are arranged at a predetermined interval in the width direction. The plate is characterized by a vertical staggered arrangement in which two adjacent rows of the vertical array patterns are shifted in the length direction so that the long holes 12 and the long holes 12 of the vertical array patterns adjacent in the width direction are not in the same position in the length direction.

[0010] The device 1 according to claim 4 is the device 1 according to claim 2, The staggered arrangement is The plate includes a plurality of horizontal array patterns in which a plurality of the long holes 12 are arranged in a row at a predetermined interval parallel to the width direction, and the horizontal array patterns are arranged at a predetermined interval in the length direction, and the horizontal array patterns of two adjacent rows are arranged with a shift in the width direction so that the long holes 12 and the long holes 12 of the horizontal array patterns adjacent to each other in the length direction are not in the same position in the width direction.

[0011] The device 1 according to claim 5 is the device 1 according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The X-ray inspection device 1 is characterized in that it irradiates the inspection object W transported by the transport means 3 with X-rays from an X-ray generator 4, and inspects the inspection object W based on an X-ray image obtained from the X-rays that have passed through the inspection object W.

[0012] The filter 10 according to claim 6 comprises: A filter 10 is attached to an intake / exhaust port 20 of a housing 2, the intake / exhaust port 20 being provided for taking in air and then discharging the air, A plurality of long holes 12 having a predetermined length and width are formed in the metal plate in a staggered arrangement such that, when attached to the intake and exhaust port 20, the length direction is parallel to the vertical direction. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the device described in claim 1 to the filter described in claim 6, the holes in the filter through which the air passes are elongated holes, so that if the aperture ratio is the same, the pressure loss per hole is smaller than that of a round hole, and higher breathability is obtained. Also, if the aperture ratio is the same, the number of holes is smaller than that of a round hole, and since the longitudinal direction of the elongated holes is parallel to the vertical direction, dust can accumulate only at the lower end of the elongated holes, so there are fewer places for dust to accumulate compared to round holes, making them less likely to get dirty, and even if they do get dirty, they are made of metal, so cleaning The filter is easy to install and maintain, and since the multiple long holes are arranged in a staggered manner in the length direction or width direction, the strength of the filter as a whole is higher than when the staggered arrangement is not adopted, and since it is made of metal, it hardly deteriorates. In addition, since it can be manufactured by processing long holes into a metal plate, it is thin, does not require an installation space larger than the volume of the filter itself near the intake and exhaust port, and the installation structure is simple.

[0014] According to the device described in claim 2, it can be installed and used in an environment requiring the dustproof performance IP4X level defined in JIS C0902 "Protection class by external enclosures of electrical machinery and equipment".

[0015] According to the device recited in claim 3, by adopting a vertical staggered arrangement as the staggered arrangement, it is possible to realize the effects recited in claims 1 and 2 above.

[0016] According to the device recited in claim 4, by adopting a horizontal staggered arrangement as the staggered arrangement, it is possible to realize the effects recited in claims 1 and 2 above.

[0017] According to the device described in claim 5, in an X-ray inspection device in which the dissipation of heat generated by the X-ray generator is a particular problem, the effects of the inventions described in claims 1 to 4 can be obtained, and thus the device has great practical advantages. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a partial see-through perspective view of an X-ray inspection apparatus according to a first embodiment, as viewed obliquely from behind. [Diagram 2] 2 is a right side view showing a cutaway view of a filter portion in the X-ray inspection device of the first embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] 4 is a rear view of a filter provided in the X-ray inspection apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a partial enlarged view of a filter provided in the X-ray inspection apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 5] 5A to 5C are diagrams showing other forms of the filter provided in the X-ray inspection apparatus of the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] An X-ray inspection apparatus, which is an embodiment of the device of the present invention, will be described with reference to Figs. First, the configuration of an X-ray inspection apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. The X-ray inspection device 1 has a housing 2 with an X-ray shielding structure. The housing 2 is composed of a relatively large upper housing 2a, a relatively small lower housing 2b, and an intermediate housing 2c that connects the upper housing 2a and the lower housing 2b, and the area surrounded by the upper housing 2a, the intermediate housing 2c, and the lower housing 2b is an inspection space S for an object to be inspected W. In the inspection space S, a transport means 3 for transporting the object to be inspected W is provided so as to penetrate the inspection space S along the horizontal direction. Inside the upper housing 2a, an X-ray generator 4 is provided as a heat source that irradiates X-rays downward toward the inspection space S. Inside the lower housing 2b, an X-ray detector 5 is provided as a heat source that detects X-rays that have passed through the object to be inspected W.

[0020] 2, while the inspection object W is being transported by the transport means 3 within the inspection space S, an X-ray generator 4 irradiates the inspection object W with X-rays, and an X-ray detector 5 detects the X-rays that have passed through the inspection object W. Based on an X-ray image obtained from the output signal of the X-ray detector 5, it is possible to inspect the inspection object W for the presence or absence of foreign matter, etc.

[0021] 1 and 2 show an outline of the structure of the X-ray inspection device 1, and the X-ray generator 4, the X-ray detector 5, and the transport means 3 are shown in a schematic manner. Also, devices associated with the housing 2 other than the filter 10 described below, devices inside the housing 2, support legs supporting the housing 2, an X-ray shielding structure for the inspection space S, and the like are omitted from the illustration. The devices inside the housing 2 that are not shown include a heat source.

[0022] 2 and the partially enlarged view in the upper right of FIG. 2, a horizontally long rectangular air intake / exhaust port 20 is provided at the upper part of the back surface of the housing 2 of the X-ray inspection apparatus 1. The air intake / exhaust port 20 is an opening for taking in outside air into the housing 2 and discharging air inside the housing 2 to the outside of the housing 2.

[0023] 1 and 2, the filter 10 is detachably attached to the housing 2 by screws 15 as attachment means, and covers the intake and exhaust port 20 from the outside. As shown by arrow A1 in FIG. 1, air that flows from the outside of the housing 2 into the inside through the filter 10 circulates inside the housing 2 to cool various devices that are heat sources, and the air whose temperature has increased as a result is discharged to the outside of the housing 2 through the filter 10. Air flows in and out through the filter 10 by natural circulation, but an air suction fan or an exhaust fan may be provided inside the housing 2 near the filter 10, or a circulation fan that promotes air circulation within the housing 2 may be provided inside the housing 2.

[0024] Next, the configuration of the filter 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 3 to Fig. 5. Here, in Fig. 3 to Fig. 5, the direction indicated by the symbol V indicates the up-down direction when the filter 10 is attached to the housing 2 of the X-ray inspection device 1, and similarly, the direction indicated by the symbol H indicates the left-right direction. When describing the filter 10 alone, the up-down direction and the left-right direction may be called the vertical direction and the left-right direction, respectively. When a vertical plane is formed at the top of the rear surface of the housing 2 of the X-ray inspection device 1, the intake and exhaust port 20 to which the filter 10 is attached also forms a vertical plane, so the up-down direction and the left-right direction of the filter 10 are synonymous with the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. Fig. 3 is a front view of the filter 10 attached to the housing 2, i.e., a view corresponding to a part of the rear view of the X-ray inspection device 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the filter 10 is a horizontally long rectangular metal plate slightly larger than the air intake and exhaust port 20 of the housing 2, and is formed with a large number of long holes 12 formed therethrough in a predetermined pattern called a staggered arrangement, which will be described later. In the state shown in Fig. 3 where the filter 10 is attached to the air intake and exhaust port 20, the length direction of each long hole 12 is parallel to the vertical direction (longitudinal direction V in Fig. 3) and the width direction is horizontal (horizontal direction H in Fig. 3).

[0025] The means for forming the long holes 12 in the filter 10 is not particularly limited, and may be a mechanical means such as punching, or may be laser processing. Stainless steel, which has high corrosion resistance and excellent workability, is suitable as the material for the metal plate. Through holes 11 are formed in the four corners and the two upper and lower long sides of the horizontally elongated rectangular filter, through which screws 15 (see FIG. 2) for fixing the filter 10 to the rear surface of the housing 2 are inserted.

[0026] Fig. 4(a) is an enlarged view of a portion of the staggered arrangement of the long holes 12 in the filter 10 shown in Fig. 3. Therefore, the vertical direction V (up-down direction) in Fig. 4(a) corresponds to the vertical direction when the filter 10 is attached to the intake / exhaust port 20, and similarly, the horizontal direction H (left-right direction) corresponds to the horizontal direction.

[0027] The staggered arrangement shown in Fig. 4(a) is called a vertical staggered arrangement. The vertical staggered arrangement is composed of a plurality of slots 12 of the same shape with a predetermined length and width. In one specific example, the length of the slots 12 is 25 mm and the width is 0.9 mm. In addition, both ends of the slots 12 are machined into a semicircular shape.

[0028] electric The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard for the waterproof and dustproof performance of electrical machinery and equipment is based on the Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code) / IEC60529, which is used worldwide. In Japan, the JIS standard "Degrees of protection provided by enclosures for electrical machinery and equipment" (JISC0920) is prescribed as an equivalent standard. The IP code is a system that codes and expresses the level of protection provided by an enclosure against the approach of the human body to dangerous objects such as machinery and equipment inside the enclosure (housing) and against the intrusion of foreign solid objects such as dust and liquids into the housing. IP4X is a protection degree that protects against foreign solid objects with a diameter of 1 mm or more and prevents approach to dangerous areas by wires with a diameter of 1 mm or more. The 0.9 mm width of the long hole 12 complies with this IP4X.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 4(a), the vertical staggered arrangement includes multiple rows of vertical array patterns in which multiple long holes 12 are arranged in a row at a specified interval parallel to the length direction (vertical direction V in the figure). Fig. 4(a) shows a vertical array pattern with two long holes 12, 12 lined up in the length direction, and shows a state in which eight sets of this vertical array pattern are lined up in the width direction (horizontal direction in the figure).

[0030] As shown in Fig. 4(a), the vertical array patterns are arranged at a predetermined interval in the width direction (horizontal direction H in the figure), and the long holes 12 of two vertical array patterns adjacent in the width direction are not located at the same position in the length direction. In other words, the vertical array patterns of two adjacent rows are arranged with a shift in the length direction.

[0031] In this vertical staggered arrangement, in two adjacent vertical arrangement patterns in the width direction, the center-to-center distance P between two adjacent long holes 12, 12 in the width direction is 3 mm to 6 mm. Also, in two adjacent vertical arrangement patterns in the width direction, the deviation D1 in the length direction between two adjacent long holes 12, 12 is 4 mm to 8 mm. Of course, these dimensions and the dimensions of the long holes 12 are merely examples, and can be changed as desired depending on the opening size of the intake and exhaust port 20, the required amount of exhaust heat, processing convenience, differences in obtained strength, design, etc.

[0032] The staggered arrangement shown in Fig. 4(b) is called a horizontal staggered arrangement, and is composed of a plurality of slots 12 having the same length and width as those in Fig. 4(a).

[0033] As shown in Fig. 4(b), the horizontal staggered arrangement includes multiple rows of horizontal array patterns in which multiple long holes 12 are lined up at predetermined intervals in a row parallel to the width direction (horizontal direction H in the figure). Fig. 4(b) shows one horizontal array pattern with seven long holes 12 lined up in the width direction at a relatively higher position in the vertical direction V in the figure, and another horizontal array pattern with eight long holes 12 lined up in the width direction at a relatively lower position.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 4(b), the horizontal array patterns are arranged at a predetermined interval in the length direction (vertical direction V in the figure), and the long holes 12 of two vertical array patterns adjacent in the length direction are not located at the same position in the width direction. In other words, two rows of horizontal array patterns adjacent to each other with a center distance P are arranged with a shift in the width direction.

[0035] In this horizontal staggered arrangement, the distance G between two adjacent horizontal array patterns in the length direction, i.e., the distance G between a line connecting corresponding ends of each of the long holes 12 in one horizontal array pattern and a line connecting corresponding ends of each of the long holes 12 in the other horizontal array pattern adjacent to the one horizontal array pattern, is 2 to 5 mm. Also, in two adjacent horizontal array patterns, the shift D2 in the width direction between two adjacent long holes 12 is (P / 2) mm.

[0036] Fig. 5 shows another embodiment of a vertical staggered arrangement different from Fig. 4(a). This vertical staggered arrangement is composed of a plurality of slots 12 having a predetermined length and width, but the vertical arrangement pattern includes only one slot 12 in the length direction (vertical direction V in the figure). The vertical arrangement patterns, each consisting of one slot 12 arranged parallel to the length direction (vertical direction V in the figure), are arranged at a predetermined interval in the width direction (horizontal direction H in the figure), and adjacent two rows of vertical arrangement patterns (i.e., two adjacent slots 12, 12) are arranged alternately in the length direction (vertical direction V in the figure) so that the slots 12 and slots 12 of the vertical arrangement patterns adjacent to each other in the width direction do not exist in the same position in the length direction (vertical direction V in the figure). Another embodiment of this vertical staggered arrangement can be expressed as an arrangement in which a single long hole 2 is arranged parallel to the length direction (vertical direction V in the figure) at a predetermined position in the width direction (horizontal direction H in the figure), and a plurality of long holes 2 are provided at predetermined intervals along the width direction (horizontal direction H in the figure), and when viewed as a whole, the positions of the upper ends (or lower ends) of the long holes 2 are alternately shifted up and down along the width direction (horizontal direction H in the figure). Note that the center-to-center distance between adjacent long holes 12, 12 in the width direction (horizontal direction H in the figure) and the shift in the length direction (vertical direction V in the figure) correspond to the center-to-center distance P and the shift D1 in the vertical staggered arrangement shown in Figure 4(a).

[0037] The dimensions and number of the long holes 12, the dimensions of the vertical and horizontal staggered arrangement, and the center-to-center distance of the long holes 12 described above are of course just examples, and can be changed as desired depending on the opening size of the intake and exhaust port 20, the amount of heat required to be exhausted by the X-ray inspection device 1, the convenience of processing the long holes 12, differences in the obtained strength, design, etc.

[0038] When cleaning the above-described filter 10, accumulated dust can be sucked up from the outside using a suction device while the filter 10 is still attached to the housing 2. Since the filter 10 is a metal plate and has considerable strength, there is little risk of the filter 10 being deformed even if a suction device is pressed against the filter 10 with a strong force, and sufficient cleaning can be performed.

[0039] According to the X-ray inspection device 1 having the filter 10 described above, since the portion through which the air passes is the long hole 12, when the aperture ratio is the same, the pressure loss per hole is smaller than that of a round hole, for example, and higher ventilation is obtained, realizing the required heat dissipation performance. Therefore, it can be installed and used effectively in an environment requiring the IP4X level defined in JISC0920 "Protection rating by enclosures of electrical machinery and equipment" (for example, a dust-free workplace, etc.) without the need for an air conditioner or cooler.

[0040] In addition, according to the filter 10 described above, if the aperture ratio is the same, the number of the long holes 12 is smaller than that of the round holes, and since the longitudinal direction of the long holes 12 is along the vertical direction, the places where dust accumulates are only the lower ends of the long holes 12, so the number of places where dust accumulates is smaller than that of the round holes, and the filter 10 is less likely to become dirty. In addition, since the filter 10 is made of metal, it is easy to clean even if it becomes dirty, and maintenance is easy. In addition, since the multiple long holes 12 are arranged in a staggered manner, the overall strength is higher than that of a filter that is not arranged in a staggered manner, and since the filter 10 is made of metal, it hardly deteriorates. In addition, since the long holes 12 can be manufactured by processing the long holes 12 in a thin metal plate, it does not take up a large installation space near the intake and exhaust port 20, does not require a complicated installation structure, and can be easily installed with screws 15 or the like.

[0041] Although the equipment in the embodiment described above is an X-ray inspection device 1, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to any type of equipment that needs to dissipate heat inside the housing to the outside, and to filters attached to the equipment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1. X-ray inspection equipment 2. Housing 10. Filter 12...Long hole 20...Intake and exhaust port

Claims

1. A device (1) having a housing (2) provided with an intake and exhaust port (20) for taking in air and then discharging it, and a filter (10) provided at the intake and exhaust port to prevent foreign solid matter from entering the housing, The filter is a metal filter having a plurality of long holes (12) having a predetermined length and width, The device is characterized in that, when the filter is attached to the intake and exhaust port, the length direction of the long holes is parallel to the vertical direction, and the long holes are staggered in the length direction or the width direction.

2. 2. The device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the width of the slot (12) is less than 1 mm.

3. The staggered arrangement is The device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that it includes a plurality of vertical array patterns in which the long holes (12) are arranged parallel to the length direction, the vertical array patterns are arranged at a predetermined interval in the width direction, and two adjacent rows of the vertical array patterns are arranged with a shift in the length direction so that the long holes and the long holes of the vertical array patterns adjacent to each other in the width direction are not in the same position in the length direction, forming a vertical staggered arrangement.

4. The staggered arrangement is The device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that it includes a plurality of horizontal array patterns in which a plurality of the long holes (12) are arranged in a row at a predetermined interval parallel to the width direction, the horizontal array patterns are arranged at a predetermined interval in the length direction, and two adjacent rows of the horizontal array patterns are arranged with a shift in the width direction so that the long holes and the long holes of the horizontal array patterns adjacent to each other in the length direction are not in the same position in the width direction.

5. The apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is an X-ray inspection device (1) which irradiates an object (W) to be inspected transported by a transport means (3) with X-rays from an X-ray generator (4) and inspects the object based on an X-ray image obtained from the X-rays that pass through the object.

6. A filter (10) is attached to an intake / exhaust port (20) of a housing (2) having the intake / exhaust port for taking in air and then discharging the air, The filter (10) is characterized in that a plurality of long holes (12) having a predetermined length and width are formed in a metal plate in a staggered arrangement, with the length direction being parallel to the vertical direction when the filter is attached to the intake and exhaust port.

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