X-ray or gamma ray systems or devices – Specific application – Absorption
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-07
2001-12-25
Porta, David P. (Department: 2882)
X-ray or gamma ray systems or devices
Specific application
Absorption
C378S146000, C378S149000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06333962
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a non-destructive inspection apparatus for inspecting large objects at high speed with a high precision, and an inspection system using such an apparatus.
An X-ray inspection apparatus, which is a kind of apparatus widely used as a non-destructive inspection apparatus, is shown in
FIGS. 1
a
and
1
b
. The example shown in
FIG. 1
a
uses a direct radiographic method of irradiating X-rays
121
generated from an X-ray source
120
onto an object
122
and picking up images on X-ray films
124
installed on the back side of the object
122
. On the other hand, an example of an apparatus using no X-ray films, as indicated in JP-A-61-254837 and JP-A-58-58451, uses an indirect radiographic method in which light is emitted from a fluorescent screen
105
arranged on the back side of the object
122
in response to X-rays emitted from the X-ray source
120
, as shown in
FIG. 1
b
. The light is then amplified using an image intensifier
112
, and light images are picked up by a camera
107
. In these methods, a two-dimensional radiation inspection process can be carried out.
To improve the sensitivity of a conventional apparatus, it is necessary to make the fluorescent screen and image intensifier thicker to increase the sensitivity of the fluorescent screen. However, there is a problem in that these methods produce a poor resolution (the image becomes blurred).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the X-ray inspection apparatus described in the above conventional example, radiography of an object of large size with a high sensitivity is not taken into account, even though improvement in the sensitivity is indispensable if the radiography is to be performed in a short time. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the aforementioned problems and to provide a high-energy non-destructive inspection apparatus for imaging a large building or similar large object at high speed with high precision, and to provide an inspection system using such an apparatus.
To image a large object, such as a building, with high precision, it is desirable to employ a radiation generator (an accelerator, etc.), a two-dimensional collimator having a plurality of pores or channels arranged not in parallel with each other, but arranged so as to be in parallel with the radiation angle of radiation spreading with a solid angle (cone-shaped radiation) emitted from the radiation generation source, and a plurality of radiation detection elements (scintillators) for detecting the radiation entering the plurality of pores or channels arranged in parallel with the radiation angle and to provide an optical means for directly focusing the radiation as pixels.
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Aoki Yasuko
Hattori Yukiya
Izumi Shigeru
Kitaguchi Hiroshi
Miyai Hiroshi
Antonelli Terry Stout & Kraus LLP
Hitachi , Ltd.
Porta David P.
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