X-Ray Chopper Wheel Assembly Scatter Plate Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing x-ray backscatter imaging systems with rotating disk chopper wheels are heavy due to full shielded housings, which is a disadvantage for handheld and mobile scanning systems, while maintaining effective x-ray scattering confinement and safety.
Innovation Solution
An open-geometry disk chopper wheel assembly with scatter plates on the source and exit sides to absorb scattered x-rays, reducing the weight of the chopper disk assembly by using a support structure that secures the scatter plates parallel to the rotation plane with gaps, allowing x-ray radiation to pass through while confining leakage to safe levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a full shielded housing is used to enclose the disk chopper wheel, then x-ray scattering confinement and safety are improved, but the weight of the assembly increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The shielded housing is segmented into discrete scatter plates positioned at specific locations (source side and exit side of the chopper wheel) rather than a continuous enclosure. This segmentation maintains x-ray scattering confinement while significantly reducing the overall weight of the assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
Shielding material is applied locally at specific positions where x-ray scattering occurs (source side and exit side scatter plates) rather than uniformly throughout the entire housing. This localized approach provides effective radiation confinement with minimal weight.
2Weight of moving object
If scatter plates with small solid cross-sectional area are used, then the weight of the assembly is reduced, but x-ray leakage may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The scatter plates are positioned in a plane parallel to the rotation plane of the disk chopper wheel, creating a three-dimensional configuration that effectively confines scattered x-rays through spatial arrangement rather than relying solely on the cross-sectional area of the plates.
Solution Approach 2:
The scatter plates act as intermediary elements that intercept and absorb scattered x-rays before they can leak out of the assembly. The support structure serves as another intermediary to precisely position the scatter plates, ensuring optimal radiation confinement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly reduces the weight of the x-ray chopper wheel assembly while maintaining radiation safety comparable to full-shielded systems, making it suitable for handheld and mobile scanning applications.
Implementation Method 1
The scatter plates are designed to absorb x-rays that are scattered off the chopper wheel, either in the forward or backward directions
Implementation Method 2
The disk chopper wheel has a solid cross-sectional area in the rotation plane and is configured to absorb x-ray radiation received from an x-ray source at a source side of the disk chopper wheel
Implementation Method 3
The disk chopper wheel also defines one or more radial slit openings configured to pass x-ray radiation from the source side of the disk chopper wheel to an output side of the disk chopper wheel
Data Source
AI summary
An x-ray chopper wheel assembly includes a disk chopper wheel and a source-side scatter plate that has a solid cross-sectional area that absorbs x-ray radiation and is substantially smaller than a solid cross-sectional area of the disk chopper wheel. The assembly also includes a support structure that secures the source-side scatter plate substantially parallel to the disk chopper wheel, with a source-side gap between the scatter plate and the disk chopper wheel being a distance that substantially prevents x-ray leakage. An additional, output-side scatter plate may also be provided to reduce x-ray leakage further. Embodiments enable safe operation while significantly reducing weight, which is advantageous for a variety of disk-chopper-wheel-based x-ray scanning systems, especially hand-held x-ray scanners.