X-ray apparatus for measuring substance quantity

• US 10,451,565 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2015
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beamsense Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Beamsense Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Baba, Sueki
• Primary Examiner(s): Kao, Chih-Cheng
• Application Number:
  US15/518,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20170284849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/288 X-rays; Gamma rays or other forms of ionising radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/639 material in a container
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/04 and forming images of the material

Abstract

This X-ray apparatus for measuring a substance quantity includes: an X-ray irradiating unit for irradiating X-rays from above or below a container which contains a substance to be measured; an imaging unit which is disposed so as to face the X-ray irradiating unit with the container between the imaging unit and the X-ray irradiating unit, and which obtains image data on the basis of the transmitted X-rays passing through the container; and a substance quantity calculating unit which processes the obtained image data and calculates the quantity of the substance to be measured, on the basis of the intensity of the transmitted X-rays for each pixel in the container.

Claims

1. An X-ray apparatus for measuring a substance quantity comprising:

an X-ray irradiating unit for irradiating X-rays from above or below a container which contains a substance to be measured;

an imaging unit which is disposed so as to face the X-ray irradiating unit with the container between the imaging unit and the X-ray irradiating unit, and which obtains image data on the basis of the transmitted X-rays passing through the container;

a substance quantity calculating unit which processes the obtained image data and calculates the quantity of the substance to be measured, on the basis of the intensity of the transmitted X-rays for each pixel in the container; and

wherein the substance quantity calculating unit calculates the height of the substance to be measured for each pixel based on the intensity of the transmitted X-ray for each pixel in the container.

2. The X-ray apparatus for measuring substance quantity according to claim 1, wherein the substance quantity calculating unit calculates the quantity of the substance in the container based on integrated intensity of transmitted X-rays over all pixels in the container.

3. The X-ray apparatus for measuring substance quantity according to claim 1, wherein the substance quantity calculating unit calculates the quantity of the substance based on a calibration curve showing a relationship between the quantity of substance obtained from the intensity of transmitted X-rays by a plurality of quantified measured substances and the intensity of the transmitted X-ray.

4. The X-ray apparatus for measuring substance quantity according to claim 1, wherein the X-ray irradiating unit irradiates X-rays from above or below the container whose upper surface is hermetically sealed.

5. The X-ray apparatus for measuring substance quantity according to claim 1, wherein the X-ray irradiating unit irradiates X-rays from above or below a microplate in which a plurality of containers are two-dimensionally arranged.

6. The X-ray apparatus for measuring substance quantity according to claim 1, wherein the imaging unit is an area sensor.