X-ray generator and X-ray inspection device equipped with the same

Abstract

To provide an x-ray generator and an x-ray inspection device equipped with the same, which can inexpensively and easily prevent leakage of X-rays from gaps between joined members.SOLUTION: An x-ray generator includes a housing that houses an x-ray tube therein and has an X-ray irradiation port, and is fastened to an upper surface 22c of a lid portion 22 by a fastening member 25 so as to close the x-ray irradiation port, and is provided with a slit member 23 having a slit 23a through which x-rays generated by the x-ray tube pass. Between the slit member 23 and the upper surface 22c of the lid portion 22, a seal member 27 made of a metal having shielding properties for blocking x-rays and flexibility is provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an X-ray generator and an X-ray inspection apparatus equipped with the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an X-ray foreign object detection device in which an X-ray exposure port having a first slit and a U-shaped frame shielding member surrounding the X-ray exposure port are provided on the bottom side of an X-ray generating unit, a mounting base in the form of a U-shaped frame with an opening on one side facing the opening of the shielding member on which the X-ray generating unit is slidably placed and through which the shielding member is inserted as the X-ray generating unit slides, and an X-ray lead-out unit having a rectangular cylindrical shape surrounding the X-ray exposure port, a notch through which the X-ray exposure port is inserted as the X-ray generating unit slides, and a second slit that focuses X-rays that pass through the first slit into a desired plane toward the X-ray detection unit are provided on a support member on the bottom side of the X-ray generating unit.

[0003] According to the X-ray foreign object detection device described in Patent Document 1, the X-ray exposure port and the X-ray lead-out section are surrounded by a mounting table and a shielding member, thereby preventing leakage of X-rays between the first slit and the second slit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-318060 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, in an X-ray generating device that irradiates X-rays through a slit, such as the X-ray generating unit described in Patent Document 1, various leakage countermeasures are taken at the joint between the X-ray irradiation port and the slit member in order to prevent unnecessary X-rays from leaking from a gap between the X-ray irradiation port and the slit member provided in the X-ray irradiation port.

[0006] For example, leakage of X-rays has been prevented by making the joint L-shaped so that the slit member fits into the X-ray irradiation port, by increasing the flatness of the mounting surface of the slit member and the mounting surface around the X-ray irradiation port to improve adhesion, or by increasing the area of ​​the joint.

[0007] However, the above-described leakage prevention measures require special processing, complicate the structure of the joint with the slit member, and increase the size of the slit member, which leads to increased costs.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide an X-ray generator that can inexpensively and simply prevent leakage of X-rays from gaps between joined members, and an X-ray inspection device equipped with the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The X-ray generator according to the present invention is an X-ray generator comprising a housing that houses an X-ray generating source and has an X-ray irradiation port, and further comprising a slit member that is fastened to the outer surface of the housing with a fastening member so as to close the X-ray irradiation port and has a slit formed therein through which X-rays generated by the X-ray generating source pass, and between the slit member and the outer surface of the housing is a sealing member made of a metal that has shielding properties and flexibility to block the X-rays.

[0010] With this configuration, the X-ray generator according to the present invention has a sealing member made of a flexible metal that has X-ray shielding properties provided between the slit member and the outer surface of the housing, so there is no need to perform special processing on the joint between the slit member and the outer surface of the housing, and the structure of the joint does not become complicated or the slit member becomes large, making it possible to prevent X-ray leakage from the gap between the slit member and the outer surface of the housing with a simple configuration. Therefore, the X-ray generator according to the present invention can inexpensively and easily prevent X-ray leakage from the gap between the slit member and the outer surface of the housing.

[0011] In the X-ray generator according to the present invention, the sealing member is preferably made of a thin metal plate made of any of gold, silver, copper, tin, platinum, zinc, iron, nickel, and lead.

[0012] With this configuration, the X-ray generator according to the present invention has a sealing member made of a thin metal plate made of any of gold, silver, copper, tin, platinum, zinc, iron, nickel, and lead, so that the sealing member can achieve X-ray shielding performance and flexibility.

[0013] In the X-ray generator according to the present invention, it is preferable that the slit members are arranged in a stack of multiple stages in the irradiation direction of the X-rays, and the sealing members are also provided between the slit members arranged in a stack of multiple stages.

[0014] With this configuration, the X-ray generator according to the present invention has seal members also provided between slit members arranged in multiple stages in the X-ray irradiation direction, so that even when the slit members are stacked in multiple stages, leakage of X-rays from between the stacked slit members can be inexpensively and easily prevented. Therefore, the slit members can be installed in multiple stages in the X-ray irradiation direction, and the lengths of the slit members in the X-ray irradiation direction can be easily adjusted.

[0015] An X-ray inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes the X-ray generator according to claim 1 or claim 2, and an X-ray detector that detects the X-rays.

[0016] With this configuration, the X-ray inspection device of the present invention can inexpensively and easily prevent leakage of X-rays from the gap between the slit member and the outer surface of the housing in the X-ray generator, thereby reducing the cost of the X-ray inspection device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an X-ray generator that can inexpensively and simply prevent leakage of X-rays from gaps between mutually joined members, and an X-ray inspection device equipped with the same. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an X-ray inspection apparatus equipped with an X-ray generator according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a housing of an X-ray generator according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a housing to which a slit member is attached in an X-ray generator according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a housing of an X-ray generator according to one embodiment of the present invention, with a slit member removed. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing a joint portion between a slit member and a housing of an X-ray generator according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which slit members are stacked in multiple stages in an X-ray generator according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a modified example of the slit member of the X-ray generator according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] An X-ray inspection apparatus equipped with an X-ray generator according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0020] (Configuration of X-ray inspection equipment) As shown in Figure 1, the X-ray inspection device 1 of this embodiment is an X-ray inspection device that irradiates X-rays onto a transported inspection object W, detects the transmitted X-rays, and uses the obtained transmission image to inspect the inspection object W for foreign matter contamination, shape, etc.

[0021] The X-ray inspection apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a housing (not shown), an X-ray generator 2 that generates X-rays, an X-ray detector 3 that detects X-rays that have passed through an inspection object W, and a control device 4. The X-ray generator 2, the X-ray detector 3, and the control device 4 are housed in a housing (not shown).

[0022] The housing of the X-ray inspection apparatus 1 is incorporated, for example, into a conveyor 5 that transports the object to be inspected W. The conveyor 5 is part of the production equipment for the object to be inspected W and is configured separately from the X-ray inspection apparatus 1. In this embodiment, an embedded X-ray inspection apparatus 1 that is incorporated into a separate conveyor 5 will be described as an example. The X-ray inspection apparatus 1 of this embodiment is incorporated into an existing conveyor 5 that transports the object to be inspected W in a horizontal direction, such as a top chain conveyor or a belt conveyor. Note that the X-ray inspection apparatus 1 of this embodiment may have a transport unit made of, for example, a belt inside the housing, and the transport unit may be configured to be connected to an existing transport device.

[0023] The X-ray generator 2 and the X-ray detector 3 are arranged opposite each other in the vertical direction of the conveyor 5, sandwiching a transport path through which the inspection object W on the conveyor 5 passes.

[0024] The X-ray generator 2 generates X-rays by irradiating an electron beam from the cathode of an X-ray tube 12, which serves as an X-ray generation source provided inside the X-ray generator 2, onto an anode target, and irradiates the X-rays radially in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the inspection object W, as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 1. In this way, the X-ray generator 2 irradiates the X-rays onto the inspection object W on the conveyor 5, which is conveyed sequentially.

[0025] The X-ray tube 12 is housed in a housing 20 to prevent leakage of X-rays. The inside of the housing 20 is filled with insulating oil (not shown). It is preferable that the insulating oil be filled at least to a height equal to or greater than the height at which the cathode and anode of the X-ray tube 12 are immersed. The detailed configuration of the housing 20 will be described later.

[0026] The X-ray detector 3 includes a photodiode (not shown) and a plurality of X-ray detection elements (not shown) each made of a scintillator provided on the photodiode. The X-ray detector 3 may be, for example, an area sensor in which X-ray detection elements are arranged in a plane in the conveying direction and in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, or a line sensor in which X-ray detection elements are arranged in a line in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

[0027] The X-ray detector 3 captures a transmission image of the X-rays that are irradiated from the X-ray generator 2 onto the inspection object W and transmitted through the inspection object W. Specifically, the X-rays are converted into optical signals by a scintillator in the X-ray detection element, and the optical signals are then converted into electrical signals by a photodiode. Further processing such as noise removal is then performed to generate a transmission image (X-ray image) with a gray-scale distribution based on the amount of transmitted X-rays.

[0028] The control device 4 is connected to a display unit 6 and a setting operation unit 7.

[0029] The display unit 6 is configured with a flat display or the like, and is configured to display and output to the user. The display unit 6 is configured to display images of the test results and the like from the control device 4.

[0030] The display unit 6 is also configured to display the pass / fail judgment result of the inspection object W using letters or symbols such as "OK" or "NG." The display unit 6 is also configured to display statistical values ​​such as the total number of inspections, the number of pass products, and the total number of NG products.

[0031] The display content and display mode of the display unit 6 are determined based on a default setting or a request made by a predetermined key operation on the setting operation unit 7.

[0032] The setting operation unit 7 is used to input settings such as various parameters to the control device 4. The setting operation unit 7 is made up of a plurality of keys, switches, etc. that are operated by the user, and is used to input settings such as various parameters to the control device 4 and select an operation mode.

[0033] In this embodiment, the display unit 6 and the setting operation unit 7 are integrated as a touch panel display, and are arranged at the top front of a housing (not shown).

[0034] The control device 4 includes an X-ray image storage unit 41, an image processing unit 42, a determination unit 43, and a control unit 44.

[0035] The X-ray image storage unit 41 stores the X-ray image received from the X-ray detector 3 .

[0036] The image processing unit 42 applies various image processing algorithms to the X-ray image read from the X-ray image storage unit 41 to perform image processing. Here, the image processing algorithm is a combination of multiple image processing filters.

[0037] The judgment unit 43 distinguishes between the object to be inspected W and foreign matter in the X-ray image processed by the image processing unit 42 to determine whether or not foreign matter is present, and also judges whether the shape of the object to be inspected W is good or bad.

[0038] The control unit 44 has a CPU, a memory as a storage area or a work area for a control program, and the like, and is configured to control the entire X-ray inspection apparatus 1. The control contents of the control unit 44 include control of the display contents and display form of the display unit 6.

[0039] (X-ray generator housing) As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 20 of the X-ray generator 2 includes a box-shaped main body 21 with an open top, and a lid 22 that closes the top of the main body 21.

[0040] The main body 21 and the lid 22 are made of, for example, stainless steel or iron, and are lined with a shielding material made of lead or the like that blocks X-rays. In addition to being configured to be lined with a shielding material, the housing 20 may also have a case member made of a shielding material housed inside so as to surround the X-ray tube 12. The main body 21 and the lid 22 are fastened together by a fastening member (not shown).

[0041] The lid 22 has an X-ray irradiation port 22a formed therein through which X-rays generated by the X-ray tube 12 pass. The X-ray irradiation port 22a is disposed approximately in the center of the lid 22.

[0042] Furthermore, an annular inner flange portion 22b is formed around the X-ray irradiation port 22a in the lid portion 22. The inner flange portion 22b is formed in a stepped shape so as to be recessed downward relative to an upper surface 22c of the lid portion 22. An upper cylindrical portion (not shown) provided on the upper portion of the X-ray tube 12 is fastened to the inner flange portion 22b from the underside of the lid portion 22. X-rays generated in the X-ray tube 12 pass through this upper cylindrical portion and are irradiated to the outside of the X-ray generator 2 from the X-ray irradiation port 22a.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 20 has a slit member 23 in which a slit 23a is formed, through which the X-rays generated by the X-ray tube 12 pass.

[0044] The slit member 23 according to this embodiment is disk-shaped and is fastened by four fastening members 25 to the upper surface 22c of the lid portion 22 that constitutes the outer surface of the housing 20 so as to close the X-ray irradiation port 22a.

[0045] The fastening members 25 are adapted to be screwed into fastening holes 22d (see FIG. 2) formed in the upper surface 22c of the lid portion 22 through through holes 23b formed in the slit member 23. The number of fastening members 25 is not limited to four.

[0046] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a seal member 27 made of a flexible metal having shielding properties for blocking X-rays is provided between the slit member 23 and the upper surface 22c of the lid portion 22.

[0047] The seal member 27 is formed in an annular shape, and its inner diameter matches the outer diameter of the inner flange portion 22b, and its outer diameter matches the outer diameter of the slit member 23. Note that it is sufficient that the inner diameter of the seal member 27 is at least larger than the diameter of the X-ray irradiation port 22a. Furthermore, the outer diameter of the seal member 27 does not have to match the outer diameter of the slit member 23.

[0048] In this embodiment, it is preferable that the radial width of the seal member 27, i.e., the distance from the inner peripheral edge to the outer peripheral edge, is wide enough to sufficiently shield the X-rays generated by the X-ray tube 12. The radial width of the seal member 27 can be appropriately set to an optimum dimension depending on, for example, the output of the X-ray tube 12.

[0049] The sealing member 27 is preferably made of a thin plate of a material that has the shielding properties to block X-rays and is flexible enough to be deformed to eliminate or reduce the gap between the slit member 23 and the upper surface 22c of the lid portion 22, and is made of, for example, a thin metal plate made of any of gold, silver, copper, tin, platinum, zinc, iron, nickel, and lead.

[0050] A through hole 27a through which the fastening member 25 passes is formed in the sealing member 27. When the fastening member 25 passes through the through hole 27a, the sealing member 27 is fastened to the upper surface 22c of the lid portion 22 together with the slit member 23. As a result, the gap between the slit member 23 and the upper surface 22c of the lid portion 22 is sealed by the sealing member 27.

[0051] (Adjusting the height of the slit member) As shown in Figure 6, in the X-ray generator 2 of this embodiment, the slit members 23 can be arranged in multiple stages (three stages in this embodiment) in the X-ray irradiation direction (the direction shown by the dashed line in Figure 1).

[0052] In this case, sealing members 27 are also provided between the slit members 23 arranged in multiple layers. In the example shown in Fig. 6, sealing members 27 are provided between the slit member 23 in the first layer located at the top and the slit member 23 in the second layer, and between the slit member 23 in the second layer and the slit member 23 in the third layer.

[0053] In this way, by arranging the slit members 23 in multiple layers in the X-ray irradiation direction, the height of the slit members can be easily adjusted, and there is no need to prepare multiple slit members of different heights to adjust the height of the slit members, which increases versatility.

[0054] (Action and effect) As described above, in the X-ray generator according to this embodiment, the seal member 27 made of a flexible metal and having shielding properties for blocking X-rays is provided between the slit member 23 and the upper surface 22c of the lid part 22, so there is no need to perform special processing on the joint portion between the slit member 23 and the upper surface 22c of the lid part 22, and the structure of the joint portion does not become complicated or the slit member 23 becomes large, and leakage of X-rays from the gap between the slit member 23 and the upper surface 22c of the lid part 22 can be prevented with a simple configuration without the need for special processing on the joint portion between the slit member 23 and the upper surface 22c of the lid part 22. Therefore, the X-ray generator according to this embodiment can inexpensively and easily prevent leakage of X-rays from the gap between the slit member 23 and the upper surface 22c of the lid part 22.

[0055] Furthermore, in the X-ray generator according to this embodiment, the sealing member 27 is made of a thin metal plate made of any of gold, silver, copper, tin, platinum, zinc, iron, nickel, and lead, so that the sealing member 27 can achieve X-ray shielding performance and flexibility.

[0056] Furthermore, in the X-ray generator according to this embodiment, the seal members 27 are also provided between the slit members 23 arranged in multiple stages in the X-ray irradiation direction, so even when the slit members 23 are stacked in multiple stages, it is possible to inexpensively and easily prevent leakage of X-rays from between the stacked slit members 23. Therefore, the slit members 23 can be installed in multiple stages in the X-ray irradiation direction, and the length of the slit members in the X-ray irradiation direction can be easily adjusted.

[0057] The X-ray inspection apparatus of this embodiment can inexpensively and easily prevent leakage of X-rays from the gap between the slit member 23 and the upper surface 22c of the lid portion 22 in the X-ray generator 2, thereby reducing the cost of the X-ray inspection apparatus 1.

[0058] (Variation) In this embodiment, an example has been described in which a disk-shaped slit member 23 is used as the slit member, but the slit member is not limited to a disk shape, and other shapes may also be used, such as a square plate-shaped slit member 53 having slits 53a as shown in Fig. 7. In the case of the square plate-shaped slit member 53 shown in Fig. 7, a sealing member 57 formed in a square frame shape to match the shape of the slit member 53 is used as the sealing member.

[0059] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example in which the seal member 27 is provided between the slit member 23 and the upper surface 22c of the lid portion 22 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to a joint between one member and another member where X-ray leakage may occur in the X-ray inspection apparatus 1 or the X-ray generator 2. For example, the seal member 27 may be provided at a joint between the main body 21 and the lid portion 22 of the housing 20, or at a joint between the housing and the external cover of the X-ray inspection apparatus 1. In this case, the seal member 27 is configured to have an optimum shape depending on the shape, area, etc. of the joint.

[0060] While an embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention, and it is intended that all such modifications and equivalents be included in the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1 X-ray inspection equipment 2 X-ray generators 3 X-ray detector 12 X-ray tube (X-ray source) 20 Case 21 Main body 22 Lid 22a X-ray irradiation port 22b Inner flange 22c Top surface (outer surface of the housing) 22d fastening hole 23, 53 Slit member 23a, 53a slit 23b Through hole 25 Fastening members 27, 57 Sealing material 27a Through hole W Inspection object

Claims

1. An X-ray generator including a housing (20) that houses an X-ray generation source (12) therein and has an X-ray irradiation port (22a), a slit member (23) fastened to the outer surface (22c) of the housing by a fastening member (25) so as to close the X-ray irradiation port, the slit member (23) having a slit (23a) formed therein through which the X-rays generated by the X-ray generating source pass; An X-ray generator, wherein a seal member (27) made of a flexible metal having shielding properties for blocking the X-rays is provided between the slit member and the outer surface of the housing.

2. 2. The X-ray generator according to claim 1, wherein said sealing member is made of a thin metal plate made of any one of gold, silver, copper, tin, platinum, zinc, iron, nickel, and lead.

3. the slit members are arranged in a stacked manner in the X-ray irradiation direction, 3. The X-ray generator according to claim 1, wherein the sealing members are also provided between the slit members arranged in a plurality of stages.

4. An X-ray generator (2) according to claim 1 or claim 2, and an X-ray detector (3) for detecting the X-rays.

5. An X-ray generator (2) according to claim 3, and an X-ray detector (3) for detecting the X-rays.

Images