Inspection Equipment

Abstract

To provide a compact inspection device with a relatively simple structure.SOLUTION: An inspection device 1 comprises: a conveyor 17 which conveys inspection objects P1 and P2 in a horizontal direction toward a housing 11; a conveyor 18 which conveys the inspection objects P1 and P2 in the horizontal direction toward a downstream side of the housing 11; the housing 11 which shields an X-ray; a lead curtain 12 which is arranged so as to block an inlet of the housing 11; a lead curtain 13 which is arranged so as to block an outlet of the housing 11; a lifting device 16 which lifts the inspection object P in the housing 11; and an X-ray irradiation unit 14 and a panel sensor 15 which capture an X-ray transmission image of the inspection object P when the inspection object P is in an inspection area Q in the housing 11. The lead curtain 12 hangs down to block the inlet of the housing 11 when the inspection object P descends toward the inspection area Q.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection device for inspecting the contents of an inspection object by capturing an inspection ray such as an X-ray that passes through the inspection object. [Background technology]

[0002] Inspection devices (hereinafter referred to as non-destructive inspection devices) that irradiate an object under inspection with electromagnetic waves such as X-rays as an inspection line, and generate an image showing the shape of the contents of the object under inspection by detecting the intensity of the inspection line that passes through the object under inspection with a line-type or panel-type sensor, thereby enabling inspection without opening the object under inspection (i.e., non-destructively), are becoming widespread.

[0003] 8 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an inspection device 9, which is an example of a general non-destructive inspection device. The inspection device 9 includes a conveyor 91 that transports an inspection object P in a horizontal direction, a housing 92 that is arranged midway along the transport path of the conveyor 91 so as to cover a portion of the conveyor 91, an inspection line irradiation unit 93 and an inspection line sensor 94 that are arranged within the housing 92, a lead curtain 95 that is arranged so as to block an opening (entrance) provided in the wall surface on the upstream side of the housing 92 in the transport path of the inspection object P, and a lead curtain 96 that is arranged so as to block an opening (exit) provided in the wall surface on the downstream side of the housing 92.

[0004] The inspection line irradiation unit 93 is a device that irradiates an inspection line. The inspection line sensor 94 is a panel sensor (or a line sensor) that detects the inspection line that is irradiated by the inspection line irradiation unit 93 and passes through the inspection object P inside the housing 92. Therefore, the inspection line irradiation unit 93 and the inspection line sensor 94 are arranged in opposing positions above and below the conveyor 91.

[0005] Incidentally, many of the inspection rays (e.g., X-rays) used in nondestructive inspection devices are adversely affected when the human body is exposed to a large amount of radiation. Therefore, the inspection object must be irradiated with the inspection rays in a space (hereinafter referred to as the inspection space) that is covered with a material that is impermeable to the inspection rays (e.g., a heavy metal such as lead). For this reason, the inner surface of the housing 92 is covered with lead, for example.

[0006] The lead curtains 95 and 96 are multiple strips of lead-containing rubber sheets arranged like a curtain hanging down from the upper edge of the opening provided in the housing 92 so as to close the opening. The lead curtains 95 and 96 are pushed from the upstream side to the downstream side by the inspection object P transported by the conveyor 91 and bend, allowing the inspection object P to enter and exit the inspection space, and then hang down again to close the opening after the inspection object P has passed through the opening. As a result, when the inspection line is irradiated in the inspection space, the amount of inspection line leaking out from the opening of the housing 92 is reduced.

[0007] The inspection device 9 configured as described above has a drawback in that the size of the housing 92 must be significantly larger than the size of the largest test object that can be inspected. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating this drawback. In the inspection device 9 shown in FIG. 9 , the length M of the housing 92 in the direction of transport of the test object P (hereinafter, the length of the test object P in the direction of transport will simply be referred to as the length) is insufficient. Therefore, when the test object P reaches approximately the center of the housing 92 in the direction of transport, i.e., the position to be inspected, the bottom of the lead curtain 95 still rests on the test object P, and the entrance (upstream opening) of the housing 92 is not blocked by the lead curtain 95. Therefore, if an inspection is performed in this state, a large amount of the test wire will leak out from the entrance of the housing 92. To prevent this problem from occurring, the length M of the housing 92 must be made longer. Note that the required length M of the housing 92 varies depending on the length and height of the largest test object P that can be inspected by the inspection device 9, the height of the lead curtain 95, the flexibility of the lead curtain 95, and other factors.

[0008] Furthermore, the inspection device 9 configured as described above has the drawback that, when inspecting multiple inspection objects sequentially, the distance between the preceding and succeeding inspection objects must be significantly greater than the length of the largest inspection object that can be inspected. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating this drawback. In FIG. 10, the distance D between the preceding inspection object P1 and the succeeding inspection object P2 is too narrow. When the inspection object P2 reaches the inspection position, the bottom of the lead curtain 96 is still on top of the inspection object P1, and the outlet (downstream opening) of the housing 92 is not blocked by the lead curtain 96. Therefore, if inspection is performed in this state, a large amount of inspection wire will leak out from the outlet of the housing 92. To prevent this problem from occurring, the distance D between the inspection object P1 and the inspection object P2 must be made wider. Note that the required distance D between the inspection object P1 and the inspection object P2 varies depending on the length and height of the largest inspection object P that can be inspected by the inspection device 9, the height of the lead curtain 96, the flexibility of the lead curtain 96, and other factors.

[0009] The longer the length M of the housing 92, the larger the size of the inspection device 9, and the larger the space required to install the inspection device 9. Furthermore, the larger the interval D between the preceding inspection object and the following inspection object, the longer the length of the required conveyor 91, and the larger the space required to install the inspection device 9.

[0010] Various ideas have been proposed to make the inspection device smaller. For example, Patent Document 1 describes an inspection device that includes a traverser that moves an inspection object that is carried in horizontally from outside into a carry-in preparation room provided upstream of the radiography room in a vertical direction, and then transports it horizontally to enter the radiography room, and a traverser that moves an inspection object that is carried in horizontally from the radiography room in a carry-out preparation room provided downstream of the radiography room in a vertical direction, and then transports it horizontally to discharge it to the outside, and that is provided with a shielding member to prevent an inspection line from reaching one of the carry-in entrance and carry-out exit of each traverser for the inspection object. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-219508 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] The inspection device described in Patent Document 1 can be made smaller in size than the above-mentioned inspection device 9. However, the inspection device described in Patent Document 1 requires traversers on the upstream and downstream sides, and also requires a transport mechanism for carrying the inspection object into and out of those traversers. In other words, the inspection device described in Patent Document 1 has a significantly more complex structure than, for example, the above-mentioned inspection device 9, and has problems such as increased costs and a higher failure rate.

[0013] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides an inspection device that is compact and has a relatively simple structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] The present invention is an inspection device that moves an inspection object transported horizontally on a transport surface between an inspection area located below the transport surface and the transport surface by using a lifting platform, and moves a shielding member that shields an inspection line so as to cover or block an opening that appears on the transport surface as the lifting platform descends. the shielding member is a curtain that is hung at an upstream edge of the opening in the direction of conveyance of the inspection object, is pushed up by the inspection object as the inspection object is conveyed, and hangs down as the inspection object descends, is proposed as the first aspect.

[0015] The length of the housing required for the inspection device according to the first aspect may be slightly longer than the length of the largest test object that can be inspected. subject The distance between the objects may be slightly longer than half the length of the housing, so the inspection device according to the first aspect can be made small in size. Furthermore, according to the inspection device of the first aspect, there is no need to separately provide a mechanism for moving the shielding member to cover the opening, and a mechanism for moving the shielding member covering the opening to open the opening.

[0016] In the inspection device according to the first aspect, The shielding member is a lead curtain, and the bottom of the lead curtain is placed on the inspection object when the inspection object is placed on the lifting platform, and when the inspection object moves to the inspection area, it moves away from the inspection object to cover or block the opening. This configuration may be adopted as a second aspect.

[0018] No. 2 According to the inspection device of this aspect, there is no need to separately provide a mechanism for moving the shielding member to cover the opening, and a mechanism for moving the shielding member covering the opening to open the opening. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an inspection apparatus according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the behavior of an inspection apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the behavior of an inspection apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an inspection device according to a modified example. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an inspection device according to a modified example. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an inspection device according to a modified example. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an inspection device according to a modified example. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an inspection device according to a conventional technique. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining drawbacks of an inspection device according to the prior art; [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining drawbacks of an inspection device according to the prior art; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] [Embodiment] An inspection device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the inspection device 1. However, Fig. 1 also shows components that are not actually visible from the outside, such as those located inside the housing 11, inside the wall covering the bottom of the conveyors 17 and 18, and on the other side of the housing 11.

[0025] The housing 11 is a component indicated by a thick line in FIG. 1 and is a box-shaped member that houses the X-ray irradiation unit 14, the panel sensor 15, and the lifting device 16 that constitute the X-ray imaging device. The inside of the housing 11 is covered with lead, for example, to prevent X-rays (an example of inspection rays) emitted by the X-ray imaging device from leaking to the outside. In the housing 11 illustrated in FIG. 1, in order to ensure the necessary distance between the X-ray irradiation unit 14 and the panel sensor 15, the portion that forms the space S2 located below the height of the conveyors 17 and 18 is longer in the conveyance direction than the portion that forms the space S1 located above the height of the conveyors 17 and 18. However, the shape of the housing 11 is not limited to this.

[0026] The housing 11 has an opening on the upstream side (left side in FIG. 1 ) of the side wall above the conveyor 17, which serves as an entrance for the object under inspection P. A lead curtain 12 is attached to the housing 11 so as to hang down from the upper edge of the opening to block the entrance. The lead curtain 12 is composed of multiple strips of rubber curtains containing lead, and like a Japanese noren curtain, is pushed up and bent by the object under inspection P as it is transported from outside the housing 11 into the housing 11, allowing the object under inspection P to enter the housing 11. When the object under inspection P passes through the entrance of the housing 11 and is placed on the lifting platform 161 of the lifting device 16, the lead curtain 12 returns to its original shape and blocks the entrance when the object under inspection P descends as the lifting platform 161 descends. The lead curtain 12 reduces the amount of X-rays leaking out from the entrance of the housing 11 when the X-ray imaging device irradiates X-rays inside the housing 11.

[0027] Furthermore, the housing 11 has an opening on the downstream side (right side in FIG. 1 ) in the side wall above the height of the conveyor 18, which serves as an exit for the object under test P. A lead curtain 13 is attached to the housing 11 so as to hang down from the upper edge of the opening to block this exit. The structure of the lead curtain 13 is similar to that of the lead curtain 12. As the object under test P is transported from inside the housing 11 to outside the housing 11, the lead curtain 13 is pushed up and bent by the object under test P, allowing the object under test P to exit the housing 11. When the object under test P passes through the exit of the housing 11 and is placed on the conveyor 18, and is transported downstream of the housing 11, the lead curtain 13 returns to its original shape and blocks the exit. The lead curtain 13 reduces the amount of X-rays leaking to the outside from the exit of the housing 11 when the X-ray imaging device irradiates X-rays inside the housing 11.

[0028] An X-ray irradiator 14 and a panel sensor 15, which constitute the X-ray imaging device, are disposed within the housing 11. The X-ray irradiator 14 is disposed on the inner surface of the side wall on the upstream side of the housing 11, below the height of the conveyor 17, and irradiates X-rays that spread in, for example, a cone shape toward the panel sensor 15. The panel sensor 15 is disposed, for example, on the inner surface of the side wall on the downstream side of the housing 11, below the height of the conveyor 18, and has a large number of light-receiving elements arranged side by side on a plane, and generates a signal representing an X-ray transmission image by measuring the intensity of X-rays irradiated from the X-ray irradiator 14 and transmitted through the inspection object P using these light-receiving elements.

[0029] The X-ray irradiation unit 14 and the panel sensor 15 may be arranged in any manner as long as the X-rays irradiated by the X-ray irradiation unit 14 are directed toward the inspection object P that has been moved to the inspection area by the lifting device 16 as described below, and the X-rays that have passed through the inspection object P are directed toward the panel sensor 15.

[0030] The lifting device 16 is a device that lifts and lowers the inspection object P that has entered the housing 11. The lifting device 16 includes a lifting platform 161 that is a member on which the inspection object P rests, a conveyor 162 that is integrated with the lifting platform 161 and transports the inspection object P placed on the lifting platform 161 from the upstream side to the downstream side, and a lifting mechanism 163 that lifts and lowers the lifting platform 161.

[0031] The conveyor 17 is disposed on the upstream side of the housing 11 and is a device that transports the inspection object P toward the housing 11. The conveyor 18 is disposed on the downstream side of the housing 11 and is a device that transports the inspection object P discharged from the housing 11 downstream.

[0032] In the present application, the conveying surface means a surface that the bottom surface of the inspection object P comes into contact with when the inspection object P is conveyed from the upstream side to the downstream side by the conveyors 17, 162, and 18.

[0033] The controller 19 is a data processing device that controls the operations of the X-ray irradiation unit 14, the panel sensor 15, the elevator device 16, the conveyor 17, and the conveyor 18. The behavior of the X-ray irradiation unit 14, the panel sensor 15, the elevator device 16, the conveyor 17, and the conveyor 18 that operate under the control of the controller 19 will be described later.

[0034] The controller 19 performs wired or wireless data communication with the terminal device 10. The controller 19 generates X-ray transmission image data representing an X-ray transmission image using a signal generated by the panel sensor 15, and transmits the generated X-ray transmission image data to the terminal device 10.

[0035] The terminal device 10 is a terminal device used by an inspector, and displays an X-ray transmission image represented by the X-ray transmission image data transmitted from the controller 19. The inspector looks at the X-ray transmission image displayed on the terminal device 10 and determines whether the inspection object P contains any dangerous materials or the like.

[0036] 2 and 3 are diagrams for explaining the behavior of the X-ray irradiation unit 14, panel sensor 15, elevator device 16, conveyor 17, and conveyor 18 (hereinafter referred to as the behavior of the inspection device 1) which operate under the control of the controller 19.

[0037] 2 shows the behavior of the inspection device 1 from when an inspection object P1 placed on the conveyor 17 moves to the inspection area Q in the housing 11 and is photographed. Note that an inspection object P2 is an inspection object that is inspected after the inspection object P1.

[0038] Figure 2(A) shows the state in which inspection object P1 and inspection object P2 are being transported by conveyor 17 toward housing 11. Figure 2(B) shows the state in which inspection object P1 is transported by conveyor 17 and conveyor 162, enters housing 11 while pushing up lead curtain 12, and is placed on lifting platform 161. In the state of Figure 2(B), the bottom of lead curtain 12 is resting on inspection object P1, and the entrance to housing 11 is not sufficiently blocked by lead curtain 12.

[0039] 2(C) shows a state in which the lifting mechanism 163 lowers the lifting platform 161, and the inspection object P1 on the lifting platform 161 moves to the inspection area Q, which is the area in front of the X-ray irradiation unit 14. In the state shown in FIG. 2(C), the X-ray irradiation unit 14 and the panel sensor 15 capture an X-ray transmission image of the inspection object P1. The captured X-ray transmission image is displayed on the terminal device 10 and confirmed by the inspector.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 2(C), when the lifting platform 161 descends, an opening O is created on the conveying surface R. Therefore, when the X-ray irradiator 14 irradiates X-rays, some of the X-rays are reflected inside the housing 11, pass through the opening O, and proceed toward the entrance or exit of the housing 11. However, when the lifting platform 161 descends and the inspection target P1 is in the inspection area Q, the lead curtain 12 suspended from the upstream edge of the opening O blocks the entrance of the housing 11, thereby covering the opening O. Furthermore, the lead curtain 13 suspended from the downstream edge of the opening O blocks the exit of the housing 11, thereby covering the opening O. As a result, most of the X-rays passing through the opening O and proceeding outside the housing 11 are blocked. Therefore, the amount of X-rays leaking outside the housing 11 is reduced to within an acceptable range.

[0041] 3 shows the behavior of the inspection device 1 from the time when the inspection object P1, for which an X-ray transmission image has been taken, is ejected from the housing 11. FIG. 3(A) shows the state in which the inspection object P1 has moved from the inspection area Q to the transport surface R as the lifting platform 161 rises.

[0042] FIG. 3(B) shows the state in which the inspection object P1 has been discharged outside the housing 11 by the transport of the conveyors 162 and 18. When the inspection object P2 is waiting behind the inspection object P1, while the inspection object P1 is being transported from inside the housing 11 to the outside, the inspection object P2 is transported from outside to inside the housing 11 by the conveyors 17 and 162. As a result, the state shown in FIG. 3(B) is reached. In the state shown in FIG. 3(B), the bottom of the lead curtain 12 is on top of the inspection object P2, and the entrance of the housing 11 is not sufficiently blocked by the lead curtain 12. In addition, in the state shown in FIG. 3(B), the bottom of the lead curtain 13 is on top of the inspection object P1, and the exit of the housing 11 is not sufficiently blocked by the lead curtain 13.

[0043] FIG. 3(C) shows a state in which the lifting mechanism 163 lowers the lifting platform 161 and the inspection object P2 on the lifting platform 161 moves to the inspection area Q. While the inspection object P2 descends from the transport surface R to the inspection area Q, the inspection object P1 is transported downstream on the transport surface R by the conveyor 18. As a result, the state shown in FIG. 3(C) is reached. In the state of FIG. 3(C), the lead curtain 12 blocks the entrance of the housing 11, thereby covering the opening O, and the lead curtain 13 blocks the exit of the housing 11, thereby covering the opening O. In this state, the X-ray irradiation unit 14 and the panel sensor 15 capture an X-ray transmission image of the inspection object P2. This concludes the description of the behavior of the inspection device 1.

[0044] According to the inspection device 1 described above, the length of the housing and the length of the conveyor in the transport direction of the inspection object P can be shortened compared to, for example, the inspection device 9 according to the conventional technology.

[0045] [Variations] The above-described embodiment may be modified in various ways within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. These modifications are shown below. Note that two or more of the modifications shown below may be combined as appropriate.

[0046] (1) In the above-described embodiment, the upstream opening (entrance) of the housing 11 is blocked by a shielding member of an inspection line, exemplified by the lead curtain 12, which is hung at the upstream edge of the opening O, pushed up by the inspection object P as the inspection object P is transported, and hangs down as the inspection object P descends. Instead of such a shielding member, a shielding member may be employed which descends to form a wall at the upstream edge of the opening O as the lifting platform 161 descends, blocking the upstream opening of the housing 11, and rises as the lifting platform 161 rises, opening the blocked upstream opening of the housing 11.

[0047] 4 and 5 are diagrams showing the configuration of an inspection device 2 according to a specific example of such a modification. However, Fig. 5 shows only the reel 21, the inspection line shielding sheet 22, the end bar 23, the rail 24R, the rail 24L, the rope 25R, and the rope 25L, which will be described later. In Fig. 5, the entrance of the housing 11 and the lift platform 161 are shown by dashed lines.

[0048] Below, we will explain the differences between the inspection device 2 and the inspection device 1 according to the above-described embodiment, and will omit explanations of the points that the inspection device 2 has in common with the inspection device 1. In the following explanation, left and right refer to the left and right when facing the transport direction of the inspection object P.

[0049] Instead of the lead curtain 12, the inspection device 2 is equipped with a reel 21 extending in the left-right direction and positioned at the upper upstream edge within the housing 11, an inspection line shielding sheet 22 which is a flexible sheet that shields the inspection line being wound onto the reel 21, an end bar 23 which is a rod-shaped body attached to the edge of the inspection line shielding sheet 22 on the opposite side (lower side) from the side wound onto the reel 21, a rail 24R that guides the movement of the right end of the end bar 23, a rail 24L that guides the movement of the left end of the end bar 23, a rope 25R which is an elastic rope having one end connected near the right end of the end bar 23 and the other end connected to the upstream right corner of the lifting platform 161, and a rope 25L which is an elastic rope having one end connected near the left end of the end bar 23 and the other end connected to the upstream left corner of the lifting platform 161.

[0050] The reel 21 is biased in a direction to wind up the inspection line shielding sheet 22, and as the lifting platform 161 descends, a force opposing this bias increases, and the downward force that the ropes 25R and 25L apply to the end bar 23 causes the inspection line shielding sheet 22 to be unwound from the reel 21, forming a wall that blocks the entrance to the housing 11. Furthermore, as the lifting platform 161 rises, the force opposing the bias of the reel 21 weakens, and the inspection line shielding sheet 22 is wound onto the reel 21, opening the entrance to the housing 11.

[0051] In addition, instead of the lead curtain 13, the inspection device 2 is equipped with a reel 26 extending in the left-right direction and positioned at the upper downstream edge within the housing 11, an inspection line shielding sheet 27 which is a flexible sheet that shields the inspection line being wound up on the reel 26, an end bar 28 which is a rod-shaped body attached to the edge of the inspection line shielding sheet 27 on the opposite side (lower side) from the side wound up on the reel 26, a rail 29R that guides the movement of the right end of the end bar 28, a rail 29L that guides the movement of the left end of the end bar 28, a rope 20R which is an elastic rope having one end connected near the right end of the end bar 28 and the other end connected to the downstream right corner of the lifting platform 161, and a rope 20L which is an elastic rope having one end connected near the left end of the end bar 28 and the other end connected to the downstream left corner of the lifting platform 161.

[0052] The reel 26 is biased in a direction to wind up the inspection line shielding sheet 27, and as the lifting platform 161 descends, a force opposing this bias increases, and the downward force that the ropes 20R and 20L apply to the end bar 28 causes the inspection line shielding sheet 27 to be unwound from the reel 26, forming a wall that blocks the exit of the housing 11. Furthermore, as the lifting platform 161 rises, the force opposing the bias of the reel 26 weakens, and the inspection line shielding sheet 27 is wound onto the reel 26, opening the exit of the housing 11.

[0053] In the inspection device 2 according to this modification, a lead curtain 13 may be employed on the downstream side, as in the inspection device 1 of the embodiment. In this case, the inspection device 2 does not include the reel 26, the inspection line shielding sheet 27, the end bar 28, the rails 29R and 29L, and the ropes 20R and 20L.

[0054] The inspection device 2 according to this modification also allows the length of the housing and the length of the conveyor in the transport direction of the inspection object P to be shorter than, for example, the inspection device 9 according to the conventional technology.

[0055] (2) Instead of the shielding member (exemplified by the lead curtain 12) in the above-described embodiment, a horizontally extending plate body that descends as the lifting platform 161 descends may be adopted as the shielding member that blocks the opening O.

[0056] 6 and 7 are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of an inspection device 3 according to one specific example of such a modification. However, FIG. 7 shows only a flange 31, a cover plate 32, and legs 33, which will be described later. In FIG. 7, the entrance of the housing 11 and the lifting platform 161 are indicated by dashed lines. Below, differences between the inspection device 3 and the inspection device 1 according to the above-described embodiment will be explained, and explanations of the points that the inspection device 3 has in common with the inspection device 1 will be omitted.

[0057] On the inner surface of the housing 11 of the inspection device 3, at a height slightly lower than the conveying surface R, a flange 31, which is a rectangular plate extending horizontally inward by a predetermined length, is provided.

[0058] In addition, instead of the lead curtain 12 and the lead curtain 13, the inspection device 3 is equipped with a cover plate 32, which is a horizontally extending rectangular plate that rises and falls as the lifting platform 161 rises and falls and blocks the opening O when the lifting platform 161 descends to the inspection area Q, shielding the inspection line, and four legs 33 of a predetermined length that extend downward from each of the four corners of the cover plate 32 and pass through the opening O toward the top surface of the lifting platform 161.

[0059] As the platform 161 rises, the upper surface of the platform 161 pushes the lower ends of the legs 33 upward, and this force lifts the cover plate 32. As the platform 161 descends, the cover plate 32 also descends, and when the edge of the cover plate 32 rests on the flange 31, the opening O is closed by the cover plate 32.

[0060] In the inspection device 3, the part of the housing 11 above the height of the conveying surface R does not need to have a function to shield the inspection line. Therefore, the inner surface of the part of the housing 11 above the height of the conveying surface R does not need to be covered with, for example, lead.

[0061] The inspection device 3 according to this modification also allows the length of the housing and the length of the conveyor in the transport direction of the inspection object P to be shorter than, for example, the inspection device 9 according to the conventional technology.

[0062] (3) In the inspection device 1 according to the embodiment described above, an opening / closing sensor (such as an object sensor) is provided to detect whether the lead curtain 12, which is a shielding member covering the opening O, is in a position blocking the entrance to the housing 11, and an opening / closing sensor (such as an object sensor) is provided to detect whether the lead curtain 13, which is a shielding member covering the opening O, is in a position blocking the exit of the housing 11. The X-ray irradiation unit 14 may irradiate the inspection line only when these opening / closing sensors detect that the lead curtain 12 is in a position blocking the entrance to the housing 11 and that the lead curtain 12 is in a position blocking the exit of the housing 11.

[0063] In addition, the inspection device 2 relating to the above-mentioned variant example (1) may be provided with an opening / closing sensor (object sensor, etc.) that detects whether the inspection line shielding sheet 22, which is a shielding member covering the opening O, is in a position blocking the entrance of the housing 11, and an opening / closing sensor (object sensor, etc.) that detects whether the inspection line shielding sheet 27, which is a shielding member covering the opening O, is in a position blocking the exit of the housing 11, and the X-ray irradiation unit 14 may irradiate the inspection line only when these opening / closing sensors detect that the inspection line shielding sheet 22 is in a position blocking the entrance of the housing 11 and that the inspection line shielding sheet 27 is in a position blocking the exit of the housing 11.

[0064] Furthermore, the inspection device 3 relating to the above-mentioned variant example (2) may be provided with an opening / closing sensor (such as an object sensor) that detects whether the cover plate 32, which is a shielding member that blocks the opening O, is in a position that blocks the opening O, and the X-ray irradiation unit 14 may irradiate the inspection line only when the opening / closing sensor detects that the cover plate 32 is in a position that blocks the opening O.

[0065] According to this modified example, if the opening O is not sufficiently covered or blocked for some reason, the inspection line is not emitted, thereby avoiding the inconvenience that, for some reason, part of the inspection line emitted from the X-ray irradiation unit 14 passes through the opening O toward the entrance or exit of the housing 11 and leaks out of the housing 11 from the entrance or exit.

[0066] (4) In the inspection device 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the inspection device 2 according to the modified example (1), or the inspection device 3 according to the modified example (2), a line-type sensor (line sensor) may be employed instead of the panel sensor 15. In this modified example, while the inspection object P is descending in accordance with the descending of the lifting platform 161, or while the inspection object P is rising in accordance with the rising of the lifting platform 161, the line sensor sequentially senses the inspection lines that are continuously irradiated from the X-ray irradiation unit 14 and that have passed through the inspection object P, thereby generating a two-dimensional X-ray transmission image.

[0067] (5) The inspection device 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the inspection device 2 according to the modified example (1), or the inspection device 3 according to the modified example (2) may be configured to generate X-ray transmission images of the inspection object P taken from multiple different directions around the vertical axis, and to generate a computed tomographic image representing the three-dimensional shape of the inspection object P based on the multiple X-ray transmission images.

[0068] In this modified example, for example, the lifting device 16 includes a rotation mechanism that rotates the lifting platform 161 around a vertical axis, in addition to the lifting mechanism 163 that raises and lowers the lifting platform 161. Then, every time the rotation mechanism rotates the lifting platform 161 around the vertical axis by a predetermined angle, an X-ray transmission image of the inspection object P is captured by the X-ray irradiation unit 14 and the panel sensor 15. Based on the multiple X-ray transmission images captured in this way, the controller 19 or the terminal device 10 generates a computed tomographic image of the inspection object P. The terminal device 10 displays the computed tomographic image thus generated.

[0069] It should be noted that instead of the lifting platform 161 rotating around the vertical axis, the X-ray irradiator 14 and the panel sensor 15 may rotate around the inspection object P in the inspection area Q around the vertical axis.

[0070] According to this modification, the inspector can confirm the shape of the contents of the inspection object P when viewed from various directions.

[0071] (6) In the inspection device 1 according to the embodiment, the inspection device 2 according to the modified example (1), or the inspection device 3 according to the modified example (2) described above, the movement of the inspection object P from the conveyor 17 to the lifting platform 161 and the movement of the inspection object P from the lifting platform 161 to the conveyor 18 are carried out by a method in which the inspection object P is transported by the conveyor 162 provided on the lifting platform 161. The method of moving the inspection object P from the conveyor 17 to the lifting platform 161 and from the lifting platform 161 to the conveyor 18 is not limited to this.

[0072] For example, the lifting device 16 may be provided with a rotation mechanism that rotates the lifting platform 161 about a horizontal axis and tilts the lifting platform 161 downward from the upstream side to the downstream side, and by lowering the lifting platform 161 to a position where the height of the upstream end of the tilted lifting platform 161 is lower than the conveyance surface R, the inspection object P that has reached the downstream end of the conveyor 17 may move by gravity onto the lifting platform 161. Alternatively, by raising the lifting platform 161 to a position where the height of the downstream end of the lifting platform 161 in the tilted state as described above is higher than the conveyance surface R, the inspection object P on the lifting platform 161 may move by gravity onto the conveyor 18.

[0073] In addition, a mechanism may be provided near the entrance of the housing 11 to push baggage from the conveyor 17 into the housing 11 using an arm or the like, or a mechanism may be provided near the exit of the housing 11 to push baggage from inside the housing 11 onto the conveyor 18 using an arm or the like.

[0074] (7) In the inspection device 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the inspection device 2 according to the modified example (1), or the inspection device 3 according to the modified example (2), X-rays are used as the inspection line, but other types of electromagnetic waves may also be used as the inspection line. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1...inspection device, 2...inspection device, 3...inspection device, 9...inspection device, 10...terminal device, 11...housing, 12...lead curtain, 13...lead curtain, 14...X-ray irradiation unit, 15...panel sensor, 16...lifting device, 17...conveyor, 18...conveyor, 19...controller, 20...rope body, 21...reel, 22...inspection line shielding sheet, 23...end bar, 24...rail, 25...rope body, 26...reel, 27...inspection line shielding sheet, 28...end bar, 29...rail, 31...flange, 32...cover plate, 33...leg, 91...conveyor, 92...housing, 93...inspection line irradiation unit, 94...inspection line sensor, 95...lead curtain, 96...lead curtain, 161...lifting platform, 162...conveyor, 163...lifting mechanism.

Claims

1. An inspection device that moves an inspection object transported horizontally on a transport surface between an inspection area located below the transport surface and the transport surface by a lifting platform, and moves a shielding member that shields an inspection line so as to cover or block an opening that appears on the transport surface as the lifting platform descends, The shielding member is a curtain that is suspended at the upstream edge of the opening in the direction of transport of the object to be inspected, is pushed up by the object to be inspected as it is transported, and hangs down as the object to be inspected descends.

2. The shielding member is a lead curtain, The bottom of the lead curtain is placed on the object to be inspected when the object to be inspected is placed on the lifting platform, and when the object to be inspected moves to the inspection area, it moves away from the object to cover or block the opening.

2. The inspection device according to claim 1.

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