X-ray inspection apparatus and X-ray inspection method

• US 7,099,432 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2004
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshino, Shinji, Kinoshita, Toshio, Ohuchi, Kazuo, Inoue, Hiroyuki, Ichihara, Masaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Glick, Edward J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SONG, HOON K
• Application Number:
  US10/924,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20050074088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 378/208, 378/24, 378/57, 378/21, 378/23, 378/118, 378/117, 378/199, 378/127, 378 25- 27
• US Class Current: 378/25
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/419 computed tomograph
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/6113 printed circuit board [PCB]
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/046 using tomography, e.g. computed tomography [CT]

Abstract

The X-ray inspection device and the X-ray inspection method according to the present invention are configured to hold an object to be inspected irradiated with an X-ray from an X-ray irradiation device, uses a swinging device for performing swinging motion of tilting the object to be inspected at an arbitrary angle and in an arbitrary direction, images the X-ray that passes through the object to be inspected in an X-ray detection device and extracts data of a desired cross section from the X-ray image of the X-ray detection device in a control device.

Claims

1. An X-ray inspection device comprising:

an X-ray irradiation device for generating an X-ray and irradiating an object to be inspected with the X-ray;

an X-ray detection device for detecting the X-ray radiated from said X-ray irradiation device that passes through said object to be inspected;

a swinging device having a holding plane for holding said object to be inspected in an X-ray path from said X-ray irradiation device to said X-ray detection device and driving said holding plane at an optional angle in an optional direction with respect to an X-ray irradiation axis which is arranged on said X-ray path; and

a control device for controlling driving of said swinging device and said X-ray irradiation device, receiving an input of an X-ray image data from said X-ray detection device and displaying said X-ray image data,

wherein said holding plane is composed to swing said holding plane by rotating around two axes orthogonal to each other by an X-axis motor and a Y-axis motor, rotation by said X-axis motor is reciprocating motion reciprocating within a predetermined range of rotation angles and rotation by said Y-axis motor performs reciprocating motion of the same cycle within a predetermined range of rotation angles with the phase being shifted from the rotation of said X-axis motor.

2. The X-ray inspection device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said control device controls driving of said X-ray detection device, said swinging device and said X-ray irradiation device and displays data on the X-ray image from said X-ray detection device and data on an arbitrary cross section from said X-ray image data.

3. The X-ray inspection device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said control device calculates inner condition of said object to be inspected in comparison with prestored data and has an automatic inspection function or inspecting inner condition of said object to be inspected.

4. An X-ray inspection device comprising:

an X-ray irradiation device for generating an X-ray and irradiating an object to be inspected with the X-ray;

an X-ray detection device for detecting the X-ray radiated from said X-ray irradiation device that passes through said object to be inspected;

a swinging device having a holding plane for holding said object to be inspected in an X-ray path from said X-ray irradiation device to said X-ray detection device and driving said object to be inspected at an arbitrary angle in an arbitrary direction with respect to an X-ray irradiation axis which is arranged on said X-ray path;

a swinging device for X-ray detection for driving said X-ray detection device in the same direction and at the same angle as said object to be inspected driven by said swinging device; and

a control device for controlling driving of said swinging device and said X-ray irradiation device, receiving an input of an X-ray image data from said X-ray detection device and displaying said X-ray image data,

wherein said holding plane is composed to swing said holding plane by rotating around two axes orthogonal to each other by an X-axis motor and a Y-axis motor, rotation by said X-axis motor is reciprocating motion reciprocating within a predetermined range of rotation angles and rotation by said Y-axis motor performs reciprocating motion of the same cycle within a predetermined range of rotation angles with the phase being shifted from the rotation of said X-axis motor.

5. The X-ray inspection device in accordance with claim 4, wherein said control device controls driving of said X-ray detection device, said swinging device, said swinging device for X-ray detection and said X-ray irradiation device, stops and images said object to be inspected at an arbitrary position and displays data on the X-ray image from said X-ray detection device and data on an arbitrary cross section from said X-ray image data.

6. The X-ray inspection device in accordance with claim 4, wherein said control device calculates inner condition of said object to be inspected in comparison with prestored data and has an automatic inspection function of inspecting inner condition of said object to be inspected.

7. An X-ray inspection device comprising:

an X-ray irradiation device for irradiating an X-ray in the vertical direction in a form of cone with an X-ray focus as a vertex at a predetermined irradiation angle;

a holding mechanism for horizontally holding an object to be inspected within an X-ray irradiation range

a transfer mechanism for object to be inspected for transferring said object to be inspected held by said holding mechanism to an arbitrary position in the horizontal direction within the X-ray irradiation range;

an X-ray detection device having a detection plane for detecting the X-ray that passes through said object to be inspected;

a transfer mechanism for X-ray detection for transferring said X-ray detection device to an arbitrary position on a plain parallel to the plane to which said object to be inspected is transferred;

a motor control device for controlling driving of said transfer mechanism for object to be inspected and said transfer mechanism for X-ray detection in synchronization with each other;

an image processing device for extracting an X-ray image of an arbitrary cross section from the X-ray image formed by said X-ray detection device; and

a display device for displaying said X-ray image formed by said X-ray detection device and said image processing device,

wherein when said transfer mechanism for object to be inspected transfers said object to be inspected within the X-ray irradiation range, said transfer mechanism for object to be inspected and said transfer mechanism for X-ray detection are transferred in synchronization with each other so that a center point of said detection plane of said X-ray detection device is located on a straight line connecting said X-ray focus with a center point of an inspected place of said object to be inspected.

8. The X-ray inspection device in accordance with claim 7, wherein said transfer mechanism for X-ray detection has a Z-axis driving mechanism for X-ray detection for transferring said X-ray detection device in the vertical direction and a magnifying factor of the X-ray image can be changed by changing a ratio between a distance from said X-ray focus to said object to be inspected and a distance from said X-ray focus to said X-ray detection device.

9. The X-ray inspection device in accordance with claim 8, wherein when said Z-axis driving mechanism for X-ray detection transfers said transfer mechanism for X-ray detection in the vertical direction, said transfer mechanism for X-ray detection is transferred in synchronization with said Z-axis driving mechanism for X-ray detection so that a center point of said X-ray detection device is located on a straight line connecting said X-ray focus with a center point of an inspected place of said object to be inspected.

10. An X-ray inspection device comprising:

an X-ray irradiation device for irradiating an X-ray in the vertical direction in a form of cone with an X-ray focus as a vertex at a predetermined irradiation angle;

a holding mechanism for horizontally holding an object to be inspected within an X-ray irradiation range;

a transfer mechanism for object to be inspected for transferring said object to be inspected held by said holding mechanism to an arbitrary position in the horizontal direction within an X-ray irradiation range;

an X-ray detection device having a detection plane for detecting the X-ray that passes through said object to be inspected;

a transfer mechanism for X-ray detection for transferring said X-ray detection device to an arbitrary position on a plain parallel to the plane to which said object to be inspected is transferred;

a motor control device for controlling driving of said transfer mechanism for object to be inspected and said transfer mechanism for X-ray detection in synchronization with each other;

an image processing device for extracting an X-ray image of an arbitrary cross section from the X-ray image formed by said X-ray detection device; and

a display device for displaying said X-ray image formed by said X-ray detection device and said image processing device,

wherein said transfer mechanism for object to be inspected and said transfer mechanism for X-ray detection are rotated on each horizontal plane in synchronization with each other and radiography is performed while a shutter is opened during one rotation in rotation motion.

11. An X-ray inspection device comprising:

an X-ray irradiation device for irradiating an X-ray in the vertical direction in a form of cone with an X-ray focus as a vertex at a predetermined irradiation angle;

a holding mechanism for horizontally holding an object to be inspected within an X-ray irradiation range;

a transfer mechanism for object to be inspected for transferring said object to be inspected held by said holding mechanism to an arbitrary position in the horizontal direction within an X-ray irradiation range;

an X-ray detection device having a detection plane for detecting the X-ray that passes through said object to be inspected;

a transfer mechanism for X-ray detection for transferring said X-ray detection device to an arbitrary position on a plain parallel to the plane to which said object to be inspected is transferred;

a motor control device for controlling driving of said transfer mechanism for object to be inspected and said transfer mechanism for X-ray detection in synchronization with each other;

an image processing device for extracting an X-ray image of an arbitrary cross section from the X-ray image formed by said X-ray detection device; and

a display device for displaying said X-ray image formed by said X-ray detection device and said image processing device,

wherein said transfer mechanism for object to be inspected and said transfer mechanism for X-ray detection are rotated on each horizontal plane in synchronization with each other while stopping by each certain angle and radiography is performed at each stopped position.

12. An X-ray inspection method using an X-ray inspection device which comprises at least a swinging device having a holding plane for holding said object to be inspected in an X-ray path from said X-ray irradiation device to said X-ray detection device and driving said holding plane at an optional angle in an optional direction with respect to an X-ray irradiation axis which is arranged on said X-ray path, and said X-ray inspection method comprising:

attaching an object to be inspected to a swinging device disposed on an X-ray path from an X-ray irradiation device to an X-ray detection device;

driving said object to be inspected by said swinging device at an arbitrary angle in an arbitrary direction with respect to an X-ray irradiation axis on said X-ray path;

irradiating said object to be inspected with the X-ray radiated from said X-ray irradiation device;

detecting the X-ray that passes through said object to be inspected by said X-ray detection device; and

receiving an input of an X-ray image data from said X-ray detection device and extracting data on an arbitrary cross section from said X-ray image data;

wherein said holding plane to which said object to be inspected is attached is swung by two axes orthogonal to each other by an X-axis motor and a Y-axis motor, rotation by said X-axis motor is reciprocating motion reciprocating within a predetermined range of rotation angles and rotation by said Y-axis motor performs reciprocating motion of the same cycle within a predetermined range of rotation angles with the phase being shifted from the rotation of said X-axis motor.

13. An X-ray inspection method comprising:

holding an object to be inspected horizontally within an X-ray irradiation range;

transferring said object to be inspected held by said holding mechanism to an arbitrary position in the horizontal direction within an X-ray irradiation range;

transferring said X-ray detection device to an arbitrary position on a plain parallel to the plane to which said object to be inspected is transferred by a transfer mechanism for X-ray detection so that a target point is located at a center of the X-ray image formed by an X-ray detection device in synchronization with the transfer of said object to be inspected;

irradiating an X-ray in the vertical direction in a form of cone with an X-ray focus as a vertex at a predetermined irradiation angle;

detecting the X-ray that passes through said object to be inspected by said X-ray detection device;

in an image processing device, extracting an X-ray image of an arbitrary cross section from the X-ray image formed by said X-ray detection device; and

displaying said X-ray image formed by said X-ray detection device and said image processing device,

wherein when said transfer mechanism for object to be inspected transfers said object to be inspected within the X-ray irradiation range, said transfer mechanism for object to be inspected and said transfer mechanism for X-ray detection are transferred in synchronization with each other so that a center point of said detection plane of said X-ray detection device is located on a straight line connecting said X-ray focus with a center point of an inspected place of said object to be inspected.