JP7369869B2 - Particulate collection system and particulate collection method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technology for a particulate collection system and a particulate collection method.

The threat of terrorism is increasing worldwide. Explosives, in particular, have been increasingly used in terrorist attacks in recent years, as methods for manufacturing powerful explosives using everyday items have spread through the Internet. One of the effective means of preventing explosive terrorism is to discover hidden explosives using explosive detection equipment. There are two known methods for testing explosives: bulk testing, which finds chunks of explosives, and trace testing, which finds traces of explosives. Bulk inspection and trace inspection provide different information and can be used in a complementary manner. Therefore, it is known that security can be improved by using both inspection methods together.

Patent Document 1 states, ``In order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, dangerous substances such as nitro compounds are efficiently ionized using negative corona discharge, and the generated negative ions are analyzed using a mass spectrometer. A sample gas sampling device and a dangerous substance detection device for highly sensitive detection are disclosed (see abstract).

Patent Document 2 states, ``The deposit inspection device (1) sprays compressed gas onto the inspection object (25) to which a sample substance has adhered, and collects the peeled sample substance with a collection filter (52). A baggage delivery system that includes a collection section (5) and an inspection section (2) that analyzes the sample substance collected on the collection filter (52), and further delivers the baggage to the inspection section (2). a part (3) and a conveyance part (4) for conveying the collection filter (52) from the collection part (5) to the inspection part (2). A kimono inspection method is disclosed (see abstract).

Patent Document 3 states, ``The static elimination booth (20) is provided at the boundary between the first area (11) and the second area (12). A partition (26), a second partition (27) that partitions the second area and the booth interior space, and a humidification nozzle (21) provided in the booth interior space between the first partition and the second partition.Humidification. A static elimination booth, a static elimination system, and a static elimination method are disclosed in which the nozzle sprays water or steam to increase the humidity in the booth interior space (see abstract).

Patent Document 4 states, ``When manufacturing rubber stoppers for pharmaceuticals and medical products using a vulcanizable rubber composition, the rubber stopper manufactured through a molding process and a washing/drying process is characterized in that it is subjected to static neutralization treatment. Rubber stoppers for drugs and medical products are manufactured through a molding process, a washing and drying process, and the above-mentioned rubber stoppers are subjected to static electricity removal treatment and then subjected to a final appearance inspection using image processing.'' Rubber stoppers for drugs and medical products A method for manufacturing the rubber stopper, a method for inspecting the rubber stopper, and an inspection device are disclosed (see abstract).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-58318 International Publication 2006/097990 JP 2019-15447 Publication Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-302144

There is a trace inspection device that uses airflow to separate and collect fine particles such as explosive particles attached to luggage and analyzes the fine particles to determine whether there are traces of explosives. In such a trace inspection device, it has been found that when the jetting pressure and flow rate of the airflow are the same, the particle removal efficiency is affected by the surface material.

The present invention has been made in view of this background, and an object of the present invention is to improve the collection efficiency of fine particles adhering to an object to be inspected.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention includes a peeling section that peels off particulates adhering to the test object with a first airflow generated by jetting compressed air toward the test object with a jet nozzle; A collection unit that collects the fine particles peeled off from the object to be inspected by the separation unit, and a static eliminator that removes static electricity on the surface of the object to be inspected, and the separation unit and the recovery unit are provided after the static electricity removal unit. It is characterized by having a part.
Other solutions will be described as appropriate in the embodiments.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the collection efficiency of fine particles adhering to an object to be inspected.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a particle inspection device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic internal transparent diagram of the configuration of the particle inspection device viewed from above. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a trace inspection section. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a control device. FIG. 3 is a diagram specifically showing the position of a static eliminator. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of a peeling and collecting section. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process performed by the particle inspection apparatus in 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a trace inspection section. It is a figure specifically showing the position of an electrostatic sensor part. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a control device. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process performed by the particle inspection apparatus in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the peeling part based on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure showing the composition of the trace inspection part in a 4th embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows the procedure of processing performed by a particulate inspection device. This graph compares the signal strength detected when a certain amount of explosive particles are attached to the surface of various types of objects to be inspected (before static electricity removal) using a trace inspection device that detects explosive particles by peeling them off and collecting them using airflow. be. This graph compares the signal strength detected when a certain amount of explosive particles are attached to the surface of various types of objects to be inspected (after static elimination) using a trace inspection device that detects explosive particles by peeling them off and collecting them using airflow. be.

Next, modes for carrying out the present invention (referred to as "embodiments") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In addition, in each drawing, the same reference numerals are given to the same components, and the description thereof will be omitted.

Before describing the embodiments, consideration regarding the collection efficiency of fine particles attached to the object to be inspected will be explained. Particles tended to be more difficult to peel off from insulating materials, which are often used as materials for luggage, than from metal surfaces. In experiments conducted by the inventors, the difference in surface roughness depending on the material could not explain the difference, so the inventors assumed that static electricity was the reason why fine particles were difficult to peel off from the insulating material.

Figures 15A and 15B compare the signal intensities detected by attaching a certain amount of explosive particles to the surfaces of various types of objects to be inspected, using a trace inspection device that detects explosive particles by peeling them off and collecting them using airflow. This is a graph.
In FIGS. 15A and 15B, the signal intensity in the case of testing with fine particles attached to stainless steel is normalized to "1" and shown. FIG. 15A shows the signal intensity when explosive particles attached to the surface of the test object are peeled off and collected without static electricity being removed from the test object. Further, FIG. 15B shows the signal intensity when explosive fine particles adhering to the surface of the test object are peeled off and collected in a state where the charge is removed from the test object.

As shown in FIG. 15A, when static elimination was not performed, the signal intensity detected from the insulating material to be inspected (quartz glass, synthetic leather, rubber, cork) was about half that of stainless steel. Therefore, when an insulating material to be inspected was tested with a trace inspection device after static electricity was removed from its surface, it was found that signal strength comparable to that of stainless steel could be obtained even from the insulating material, as shown in FIG. 15B. In this way, it has been found that by removing static electricity from the surface of the object to be inspected, even insulating materials can have a peeling efficiency comparable to that of metals.
Hereinafter, embodiments based on this consideration and knowledge will be described.

[First embodiment]
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. In the first embodiment, an example will be shown in which after static electricity is removed from the surface of the object to be inspected, fine particles are peeled off and collected from the object to be inspected.

(Particle inspection device D)
FIG. 1 is an external view of a particle inspection device D according to the first embodiment.
When the baggage 5 (see FIG. 3), which is the object to be inspected, is placed on the conveyance section 3, which is represented by a belt conveyor, the conveyance section 3 conveys the baggage 5 into the particulate inspection device D. . In the housing 4, it is preferable that a shielding part 41 such as a blind, a shutter, or a sliding door be provided at the entrance E1 where the baggage 5 enters the particulate inspection device D. This is because an X-ray source, radiation source, ultraviolet light source, etc. may be installed inside the particle inspection device D, so people outside the particle inspection device D may be exposed to radiation, or people or pets may be accidentally exposed to particles. This is to prevent it from entering the inside of the inspection device D.

FIG. 2 is a schematic internal transparent diagram of the structure of the particle inspection device D viewed from above.
Inside the particle inspection device D, a trace inspection section 1 is provided. The trace inspection unit 1 collects fine particles attached to the surface of the luggage 5 and analyzes their components. The trace inspection unit 1 will be described later. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a bulk inspection section 2 that performs bulk inspection is provided in series with the trace inspection section 1 along the direction (thick arrow) in which the cargo 5 placed on the transportation section 3 is conveyed. Good too. Bulk inspection is an inspection for the presence or absence of explosives based on shape, density, etc., similar to an X-ray inspection device. By doing so, analysis of fine particles attached to the luggage 5 by the trace inspection unit 1 and confirmation of the inside of the luggage 5 by a bulk inspection such as an X-ray inspection can be performed simultaneously in a single inspection. Note that either the particle analysis or the bulk inspection may be performed first. Further, the bulk inspection section 2 may be omitted.

The cargo 5 that has passed through the bulk inspection section 2 is discharged from the exit E2 of the particle inspection device D by the conveyance section 3.

(Trace inspection section 1)
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the trace inspection section 1 (a schematic internal perspective view seen from above).
When the luggage 5 is placed on the transport unit 3, the transport unit 3 transports the luggage 5 into the particle inspection device D. The cargo 5 transported into the particulate inspection device D is transported near the static eliminator 11. The static eliminator 11 performs static electricity removal to remove static electricity from the surface of the package 5 . The baggage 5 whose surface has been neutralized by the static eliminator 11 is transported to the peeling and recovery unit 100 in order to sample fine particles attached to the surface of the baggage 5. Specifically, the cargo 5 is transported between the peeling section 120 and the collection section 130.

The stripping and recovery section 100 includes a compressed air supply section 110, a stripping section 120, a recovery section 130, a concentration section 140, and an analysis section 150. The peeling section 120 is connected to a compressed air supply section 110 such as a compressor via a pipe P1. The compressed air supply section 110 sends compressed air to the stripping section 120, and the compressed air is jetted from the stripping section 120, thereby stripping the fine particles attached to the surface of the luggage 5. The peeled particulates are collected from the collection section 130 and sent to the concentration section 140 via the pipe P2. The fine particles concentrated in the concentration section 140 are sent to the analysis section 150 via a pipe P3. The analysis unit 150 then analyzes the sent particulates and detects their components.

The control device 7 controls the injection of compressed air by controlling the injection nozzle 121 (see FIG. 6) of the peeling section 120.

(Control device 7)
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the control device 7. As shown in FIG.
The control device 7 includes a memory 701, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 702, and a storage device 703 such as an HD (Hard Disk). Further, the control device 7 includes a communication device that receives signals from the electrostatic sensor section 12 and the like and transmits the signals to the injection nozzle 121 and the like.
A program stored in the storage device 703 is loaded into the memory 701 and executed by the CPU 702. As a result, the processing section 710 and the nozzle control section 711 that constitutes the processing section 710 are realized.
The nozzle control unit 711 controls ON/OFF of the injection of compressed air by the injection nozzle 121.

(Position of static eliminator 11)
FIG. 5 is a diagram specifically showing the position of the static eliminator 11. As shown in FIG.
FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
When carrying a large baggage 5 such as a suitcase, casters 52 are provided at the bottom and a handle 51 is often provided at the top to make it easier to carry. The area around the handle 51 is often touched by hands during transportation, loading and unloading of luggage 5, etc., and there is a high possibility that explosive fine particles will be transferred through the hands. For this reason, it is preferable that the particulates are collected in the vicinity of the handle 51 in the trace inspection section 1.

Since it is preferable to detect fine particles adhering to the vicinity of the handle 51 of the luggage 5 in this way, the static eliminator 11 for removing static electricity adhering to the surface of the luggage 5 is also installed on the ceiling near the handle 51. It is preferable to install it nearby. In this way, the static eliminator 11 removes static electricity on the surface near the part where the particles are collected.
Note that the static eliminator 11 does not need to be installed near the handle 51 (that is, the static neutralization target location).

The static electricity removing unit 11 removes static electricity from the surface of the baggage 5 (main body) and the handle 51 of the baggage 5. Here, there are two main methods of static elimination: a method that uses ionized gas and a method that uses humidity. When using ionized gas, the static eliminator 11 ionizes the atmosphere by means such as discharge, ultraviolet rays, X-rays, and radiation. Since the ionized atmospheric gas (ionized gas) has positive and negative charges, the static electricity near the handle 51 (the area to be neutralized) is neutralized and neutralized by the opposite polarity charges contained in the ionized gas.

Further, when using humidity, the static eliminator 11 causes water vapor or water droplets by spraying to adhere to the cargo 5 (object to be inspected). In this way, the relative humidity inside the trace inspection section 1 is maintained at about 80% or more. In this case, by doing so, water conduction occurs on the entire surface of the cargo 5 (object to be inspected), and static electricity can be released to the transport section 3. At this time, it is desirable that the material of the conveyance section 3 has conductivity, which facilitates the release of static electricity. Note that when performing static elimination using humidity, a drying section (not shown) may be provided in order to facilitate the peeling off of fine particles by the peeling section 120 after static elimination.

(Specific configuration of peeling and recovery section 100)
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of the peeling and recovery section 100.
As described above, when the cargo 5 is transported between the stripping section 120 and the collection section 130 by the transportation section 3, the injection nozzle 121 that constitutes the stripping section 120 is connected to the compressed air supply section 110 ( (see Figure 3). The jetted compressed air peels off the particulates P attached to the luggage 5 or the handle 51. The separated fine particles P are separated in the direction of the recovery unit 130 by the compressed air flow F1. It is preferable to provide a dome-shaped cover (referred to as a dome 161) so that the airflow F1 between the peeling section 120 and the recovery section 130 is not disturbed. In this case, the injection nozzle 121 is preferably fixed to the dome 161 by a nozzle support 162. Note that the dome 161 is installed inside the casing 4 and separately from the casing 4.

The separated particulates P are sucked into the intake port 131 constituting the recovery section 130 and introduced into the concentration section 140 via the pipe P2. The concentration section 140 is constituted by a cyclone concentration section 141. The cyclone concentration section 141 separates the particles P from the gas, and the separated particles P are introduced into the analysis section 150. The intake of particulates P by the collection unit 130 is controlled by the exhaust volume of an exhaust fan 142 provided in the cyclone concentration unit 141 and the intake volume by the mass spectrometer 154.

The analysis section 150 includes a filter 151, a heater 152, a heater 153, and a mass spectrometer 15.
The fine particles P separated by the cyclone concentrator 141 are accumulated in the filter 151 . Further, the gas separated from the particulates P by the cyclone concentrator 141 is exhausted by an exhaust fan 142 provided in the cyclone concentrator 141 (thick arrow in FIG. 6). The filter 151 is heated to about 180° C. to 200° C. by a heater 152. The particulates P collected on the filter 151 are vaporized by heat from the heater 152. The mass spectrometer 154 is inhaling air. By the intake air by the mass spectrometer 154, chemical substances originating from the vaporized particles P are introduced into the mass spectrometer 154 via the pipe P3, which is heated to about 180° C. by the heater 153. The mass spectrometer 154 analyzes chemical substances originating from the introduced fine particles P. If an explosive component is detected as a result of the analysis by the mass spectrometer 154, a warning section (not shown) issues an alarm and other processing is performed.

It is assumed that the configuration shown in FIG. 6 is entirely housed inside the casing 4 shown in FIG. 1, but the analysis section 150 may be provided outside the casing 4, for example.

(flowchart)
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing performed by the particle inspection device D in the first embodiment.
The static eliminator 11 removes static electricity from the surface of the baggage 5 transported by the transport unit 3 (S101). As described above, the static eliminator 11 removes static electricity from the surface of the baggage 5 (including the handle 51) using the ionized gas G or humidity. At this time, it is preferable that the cargo 5 is stopped for several seconds in the static eliminator 11 and that the conveyance speed is reduced (for example, the control device 7 controls the conveyance section 3).
Subsequently, the nozzle control unit 711 of the control device 7 injects compressed air from the peeling unit 120 (injection nozzle 121) (S102) to peel off the particles, and also removes the particles from the collection unit 130 (intake port 131). is collected (S103).
The collected fine particles are concentrated by the concentrator 140 (cyclone concentrator 141) and then vaporized by the filter 151 (S104).
The vaporized fine particles are analyzed in the mass spectrometer 154 (S105).

According to the first embodiment, by having the static eliminator 11 that eliminates static electricity from the surface of the object to be inspected (baggage 5), it is possible to improve the collection efficiency of fine particles attached to the object to be inspected (baggage 5). .
Furthermore, by including the analysis section 150, the particle inspection device D of the present embodiment can realize an improvement in analysis accuracy due to an improvement in the collection efficiency of particles.
Furthermore, by having the bulk inspection section 2, trace inspection and bulk inspection can be performed by the particle inspection device D, so inspection efficiency can be improved.

[Second embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11. The second embodiment includes a static electricity sensor section 12 in addition to the static eliminator 11 of the first embodiment.
In the second embodiment, the same components as in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. Moreover, since the external view of the particle inspection apparatus Da according to the second embodiment is the same as that in FIG. 1, illustration and description here will be omitted.

(Trace inspection unit 1a)
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of the trace inspection section 1a.
As shown in FIG. 8, in the trace inspection section 1a, an electrostatic sensor section 12 for measuring the charging state of the baggage 5 is provided before the static elimination section 11, that is, near the entrance of the trace inspection section 1a. When the baggage 5 passes near the electrostatic sensor section 12, the electrostatic sensor section 12 measures the voltage on the surface of the baggage 5. Thereby, the electrostatic sensor section 12 measures the amount of charge on the surface of the luggage 5. The measurement results by the static electricity sensor section 12 are transmitted to the control device 7a. As will be described later, the control device 7a controls the compressed air supply section 110, the stripping section 120, the collection section 130, and the analysis section 150 based on the measurement results by the static electricity sensor section 12. Further, the control device 7a controls ON/OFF of the static eliminator 11. The processing performed by the control device 7a will be described later.

The load 5 whose surface voltage has been measured by the static electricity sensor section 12 is transported near the static eliminator 11 . Then, the static electricity removal unit 11 performs static electricity removal to remove static electricity from the surface of the baggage 5. The baggage 5 whose surface has been neutralized by the static eliminator 11 is transported to the peeling and recovery unit 100 in order to sample fine particles attached to the surface of the baggage 5. Since the processing of the static eliminator 11 is the same as that in the first embodiment, the explanation here will be omitted. Furthermore, since the configuration of the peeling and recovery section 100 is the same as that in the first embodiment, the explanation here will be omitted.

(Position of static electricity sensor section 12)
FIG. 9 is a diagram specifically showing the position of the electrostatic sensor section 12 in the particle inspection device Da.
FIG. 9 shows a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.
As mentioned above, when carrying a large baggage 5 such as a suitcase, there are many opportunities to touch the area around the handle 51 when carrying the baggage 5, putting it in and taking it out, etc., and there is a possibility that explosive particles may be transferred through the hands. expensive. For this reason, it is preferable that the particulates be collected near the handle 51 in the trace inspection section 1a. As shown in FIG. 9, the static electricity sensor unit 12 is preferably installed near the ceiling near the handle 51 to measure the amount of static electricity (charge amount) on the surface near where the particles are collected. Note that the static electricity sensor section 12 does not have to be installed near the handle 51.
Note that the installation position of the static eliminator 11 is the same as that in the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

As described above, if the baggage 5 or the handle 51 is electrostatically charged, it becomes difficult for the attached particles to be peeled off. In order to separate the fine particles from the charged surface, it is recommended to increase the jet pressure of the compressed air jetted from the jet nozzle 121, or to move the jet nozzle 121 closer to the baggage 5 or the handle 51 to apply a stronger airflow. However, when compressed air (strong wind pressure) is injected from the injection nozzle 121 with a strong injection pressure, the amount of gas injected instantaneously becomes larger than the amount of gas sucked in by the recovery section 130, so that the gas is blown away. The proportion of fine particles collected by the collection unit 130 is limited. In other words, even if the fine particles are peeled off with a large wind pressure when the amount of charge is small, the recovery rate will actually decrease. Similarly, even if the particles are peeled off with a small wind pressure when the charge rate is high, the recovery rate decreases.

Therefore, even if the pressure of the compressed air is increased blindly or the distance between the injection nozzle 121 and the baggage 5 or the handle 51 is shortened, it is difficult to detect fine particles with high sensitivity. Therefore, the static electricity sensor unit 12 measures the amount of static electricity on the surfaces of the luggage 5 and the handle 51. In addition, the amount of static electricity, the optimum injection pressure of compressed air, the distance between the injection nozzle 121 and the baggage 5 or the handle 51, the appropriate amount of air intake by the collection unit 130, etc. are measured in advance. In this way, the static electricity sensor unit 12 measures the amount of static electricity on the surface, and depending on the amount of static electricity, the injection pressure of compressed air, the distance between the injection nozzle 121 and the cargo 5, the amount of air intake by the collection unit 130, etc. are adjusted. By optimally controlling it, it is possible to improve the collection efficiency of particulates even when the surface of the cargo 5 is electrically charged.

(Control device 7a)
FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the control device 7a. In FIG. 10, the same components as those in FIG. 4 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
A program stored in the storage device 703 is loaded into the memory 701 and executed by the CPU 702. As a result, the processing section 710a, and the nozzle control section 711, determination section 712, static elimination control section 713, and peeling and recovery control section 714 that constitute the processing section 710a are realized.

Since the nozzle control unit 711 is the same as that shown in FIG. 4, the explanation here will be omitted.
The determination unit 712 performs various determinations.
The static elimination control unit 713 controls ON/OFF of the static elimination unit.
The peeling and recovery control unit 714 controls the wind pressure of compressed air that is blown onto the peeling target location (in this embodiment, the handle 51). The peeling and recovery control unit 714 increases the compressed air at the peeling target location (in this embodiment, the handle 51) by increasing the jet pressure of compressed air or shortening the distance between the jet nozzle 121 and the baggage 5 or the handle 51. control so that the wind pressure increases. When controlling the wind pressure to a small value, the opposite control is performed. In addition, the stripping and recovery control unit 714 controls the exhaust volume of the exhaust fan 142 (see FIG. 6) provided in the cyclone concentration unit 141 and the intake air volume of the mass spectrometer 154 (see FIG. 6). The intake air amount by the section 130 is controlled. In general, the separation and recovery control unit 714 controls the amount of air taken into the recovery unit 130 to increase as the wind pressure at the area to be removed increases (if it becomes greater). Conversely, the separation and recovery control unit 714 controls the air intake amount of the recovery unit 130 to become smaller as the wind pressure at the separation target location becomes smaller (lower).

(flowchart)
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing performed by the particle inspection device D in the second embodiment. Refer to FIG. 10 as appropriate.
First, the electrostatic sensor unit 12 measures the amount of charge Q on the surface of the luggage 5 (S201).
Next, the determination unit 712 of the control device 7a determines whether the charge amount Q measured in step S201 is larger than a predetermined value Q1 (Q>Q1; S202). The predetermined value Q1 is a value at which it becomes difficult to peel off the particles when the charge amount Q is larger than this value.
When the charge amount Q is larger than the predetermined value Q1 (S202→Yes), the static elimination control unit 713 of the control device 7a turns on the static elimination unit 11 (S211). In other words, the static elimination section 11 performs static elimination based on the value of the amount of charge.
Then, the static eliminator 11 neutralizes the surface of the baggage 5 transported by the transport unit 3 (S212). As described above, the static eliminator 11 removes static electricity from the surface of the baggage 5 using the ionized gas G or humidity. At this time, it is desirable that the baggage 5 is stopped in the static eliminator 11 for several seconds. After that, the processing unit 710a advances the process to step S231.

When the charge amount Q is less than or equal to the predetermined value Q1 (S202→Yes), the peeling and recovery control unit 714 of the control device 7a controls the removal target location (the handle 51 in this embodiment) according to the measured charge amount Q. The compressed air supply section 110, the stripping section 120, and the recovery section 130 are controlled so that the wind pressure of the compressed air is optimized (separation and recovery control: S221). In step S221, the peeling and recovery control unit 714 controls so that the larger the charge amount Q, the stronger the wind pressure of the compressed air at the peeling target location. Further, the peeling and recovery control unit 714 controls so that the smaller the amount of charge Q, the weaker the wind pressure of the compressed air at the peeling target location. In addition, the peeling and recovery control unit 714 controls the amount of air taken in by the recovery unit 130 to increase as the amount of charge Q increases. Further, the peeling and recovery control unit 714 controls the amount of air taken in by the recovery unit 130 at the area to be peeled to become smaller as the amount of charge Q becomes smaller.

Specifically, based on the amount of static electricity measured in advance, the wind pressure, and the amount of intake air, the optimal wind pressure at the area to be peeled, the optimal amount of intake air by the recovery unit 130, etc. are controlled. The wind pressure at the peeling target location is controlled based on the jet pressure of compressed air, the distance between the jet nozzle 121 and the luggage 5 or the handle 51, and the like. Further, as described above, the intake air amount by the recovery unit 130 is controlled by the exhaust amount of the exhaust fan 142 (see FIG. 6) provided in the cyclone concentrator 141 or the intake air amount by the mass spectrometer 154 (see FIG. 6). This is done by controlling the amount.

When the process of step S221 is completed, compressed air is injected from the peeling section 120 (injection nozzle 121) under the control of the nozzle control section 711 (S231). Furthermore, as the particles are separated by the injected compressed air, the particles are collected from the collection unit 130 (intake port 131) (S232).
The collected particulates are concentrated by the concentrator 140 (cyclone concentrator 141) and then vaporized in the filter 141 (S233).
The vaporized fine particles are analyzed in the mass spectrometer 154 (S234).

In the second embodiment, in addition to the static electricity eliminator 11, the static electricity sensor part 12 is provided. static electricity removal is performed. As a result, if the amount of charge Q is smaller than the predetermined value Q1, that is, if it is possible to separate the particles without removing the charge, the charge removal process is not performed. This makes it possible to improve throughput.

Further, in the second embodiment, the wind pressure of the compressed air at the part to be peeled off (the handle 51 in this embodiment) is adjusted so as to increase as the amount of charge Q measured by the electrostatic sensor unit 12 increases. Further, the smaller the charge amount Q, the smaller the wind pressure of the compressed air at the part to be peeled off (the handle 51 in this embodiment). In addition, control is performed so that the larger the amount of charge Q is, the larger the amount of air taken in by the recovery unit 130 is. Furthermore, the smaller the amount of charge Q, the smaller the amount of air taken in by the collection unit 130 at the location to be removed. Thereby, it is possible to realize an appropriate wind pressure according to the amount of electrification Q, and improve the collection efficiency of particulates.

[Third embodiment]
Referring to FIG. 12, a third embodiment of the present invention is shown. In the third embodiment, the peeling section 120 and the static eliminator 11 in the first and second embodiments are integrated.
(Configuration of peeling part 120b)
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the configuration of a peeling section 120b according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 12, the same components as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
As shown in FIG. 12, in the peeling section 120b, a discharge electrode 122 for generating ionized gas G is provided between the injection nozzle 121 and the cargo 5 or in the vicinity of the injection nozzle 121. The discharge electrode 122 has the function of the static eliminator 11. The discharge electrode 122 is fixed by a discharge electrode support 123 so that the positional relationship with the injection nozzle 121 does not change. A high voltage is applied to the discharge electrode 122 from a power source 125 via the wiring W1. The discharge electrode 122 is the static eliminator 11 in the first embodiment and the second embodiment. In this way, in the example shown in FIG. 12, the peeling section 120b is configured to include the static eliminating section 11.

A valve 124 is provided in the middle of the pipe P1 that supplies compressed air, and this valve 124 is connected to the control device 7b via a wiring W2. When the handle 51 of the baggage 5 is transported to the vicinity of the injection nozzle 121, a part of the valve 124 is opened by a signal transmitted from the peeling and recovery control section 714 (see FIG. 10) of the control device 7b. At this time, the opening degree of the valve 124 is adjusted so that a weak airflow F2 is ejected from the injection nozzle 121. Here, the relationship between the weak airflow F2 and the airflow F1 shown in FIG. 6 is F2<F1.

The ionized gas G generated near the discharge electrode 122 is blown near the handle 51 by a weak airflow F2 sent from the injection nozzle 121. As the ionized gas G is blown near the handle 51 by the weak airflow F2 in this manner, the ionized gas G remains near the handle 51, and the surface near the handle 51 is neutralized. In other words, the weak airflow F2 is strong enough to remain in the vicinity of the handle 51. After static elimination is performed for several seconds, the valve 124 is opened in response to a signal from the control device 7b so that the compressed air is jetted from the jet nozzle 121 at a high jetting pressure. As a result, compressed air is injected from the injection nozzle 121 at a high injection pressure, and the particles adhering to the vicinity of the handle 51 are peeled off by the airflow F1 (see FIG. 6). The peeled fine particles are collected from the collection section 130, and their components are analyzed by the analysis section 150. Note that the weak airflow F2 may be injected all the time, or may be injected only when the luggage 5 is transported.

In this way, in the third embodiment, the static eliminating section 11 is provided in the peeling section 120b. That is, the peeling section 120b and the static eliminator 11 are integrated. In this way, the peeling section 120b and the static eliminating section 11 are integrated, so that the entire particle inspection device D becomes compact. Note that the generation of the ionized gas G is not limited to the discharge by the discharge electrode 122, and the ionized gas G may be generated by X-rays, radiation, or the like.

[Fourth embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. In the fourth embodiment, a static electricity sensor section 12 is provided in place of the static eliminator 11 in the first embodiment.
(Trace inspection unit 1c)
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of the trace inspection section 1c in the fourth embodiment.
In FIG. 13, the same components as those in FIG. 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
The trace inspection section 1c shown in FIG. 13 has a substructure in which the static eliminator 11 of the trace inspection section 1a of FIG. 8 is omitted. The other configurations are the same as in FIG. 8.

Moreover, although it is preferable that the electrostatic sensor section 12 is installed near the handle 51 as shown in FIG. 9, it does not have to be installed near the handle 51.

Note that in the fourth embodiment, the specific configuration of the trace inspection unit 1c is the same as that in FIG. 12, so illustration and description thereof will be omitted.

As described above in the second embodiment, even if you blindly increase the injection pressure of compressed air or shorten the distance between the injection nozzle 121 and the luggage 5 or the handle 51, it is difficult to detect fine particles with high sensitivity. .

Therefore, the static electricity sensor section 12 measures the amount of static electricity (charge amount) on the surface of the luggage 5 and the handle 51. In addition, as in the second embodiment, the amount of static electricity (amount of charge) on the surface of the luggage 5 and the handle 51, the optimum injection pressure of compressed air, and the distance between the injection nozzle 121 and the luggage 5 and the handle 51 are determined in advance. , the appropriate intake air amount of the recovery unit 130, etc. are measured. Then, the control device 7a measures the amount of static electricity (charge amount) on the surface of the baggage 5 and the handle 51 measured by the static electricity sensor section 12, and adjusts the injection pressure of compressed air and the injection nozzle 121 according to the amount of charge. The distance to the baggage 5, the intake amount of the collecting section 130, etc. are optimally controlled. Thereby, even if the surface of the baggage 5 is charged, fine particles can be detected with high sensitivity. Incidentally, since the configuration of the control device 7a is similar to the configuration shown in FIG. 10, the explanation here will be omitted.

(flowchart)
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing performed by the particle inspection device D.
As described above, the configuration of the control device 7a is the same as that shown in FIG. 10, so illustration and description will be omitted, and FIG. 10 will be referred to as appropriate in FIG. 14.
First, the electrostatic sensor unit 12 measures the amount of charge Q on the surface of the luggage 5 (handle 51) (S301).
Next, the peeling and recovery control unit 714 of the control device 7a controls the compressed air supply unit 110 and , the peeling section 120, and the collecting section 130 (separating and collecting control: S311). In step S311, the peeling and recovery control unit 714 performs the same process as step S221 in FIG. 11.
Compressed air is injected from the peeling section 120 (injection nozzle 121) (S312) to peel off the particles, and the particles are collected from the collection section 130 (intake port 131) (S313).
The collected particulates are concentrated by the concentrator 140 (cyclone concentrator 141) and then vaporized in the filter 141 (S314).
The vaporized fine particles are analyzed in the mass spectrometer 154 (S315).

In the fourth embodiment, the wind pressure is adjusted so that the greater the charge amount Q measured by the electrostatic sensor unit 12, the greater the pressure at the peeling point, and the smaller the charge amount Q, the lower the pressure at the peeling point. The wind pressure is adjusted accordingly. In addition, control is performed so that the larger the amount of charge Q is, the larger the amount of air taken in by the recovery unit 130 is. Furthermore, the smaller the amount of charge Q, the smaller the amount of air taken in by the collection unit 130 at the location to be removed. As a result, it is possible to realize an appropriate peeling point pressure according to the amount of charge Q, and improve the collection efficiency of fine particles adhering to the object to be inspected (baggage 5).

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes various modifications. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to having all the configurations described. Furthermore, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace some of the configurations of each embodiment with other configurations.

The injection nozzle 121 can also be held by a robot arm (not shown). With such a configuration, it is possible to change the position of the injection nozzle 121 to a desired position and to spray the airflow so as to lick the surface of the baggage 5. It is also possible to configure the head of the injection nozzle 121 to swing vertically and horizontally. Note that when the injection nozzle 121 is held by a robot arm or the neck of the injection nozzle 121 is configured to swing vertically and horizontally, the direction and position of the collection unit 130 may change in response to the movement of the injection nozzle 121. It will be done.

Further, a part or all of the configurations, functions, processing units 710, 710a, storage device 703, etc. described above may be realized by hardware, for example, by designing an integrated circuit. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 10, each of the above-described configurations, functions, etc. may be realized by software by a processor such as the CPU 702 interpreting and executing a program for realizing each function. In addition to storing information such as programs, tables, and files that realize each function on the HD, it can also be stored in memory, storage devices such as SSD (Solid State Drive), IC (Integrated Circuit) cards, and SD (Secure). The data can be stored in a recording medium such as a Digital Versatile Disc (Digital) card or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).
Furthermore, in each embodiment, control lines and information lines are shown that are considered necessary for explanation, and not all control lines and information lines are necessarily shown in terms of the product. In reality, almost all configurations can be considered interconnected.

2 Bulk Inspection Department 5 Baggage (non-inspection items)
51 Handle (point to be peeled off)
7, 7a, 7b Control device (control unit)
11 Static electricity removal section 12 Static electricity sensor section (charge amount measuring section)
120 Peeling part 121 Injection nozzle 122 Discharge electrode (ionized gas generation part)
130 Recovery Department 150 Analysis Department D Particulate inspection device (particulate collection system)
F1 airflow (first airflow)
F2 Weak airflow (second airflow)
P Fine particles Q1 Predetermined value S101, S212 Static elimination (static elimination step)
S102, S231 Compressed air injection (injection step)
S103, S232 Collection (recovery step)
S105, S234 Analysis (analysis step)
S201, S301 Charge amount Q measurement (charge amount measurement step)
S221, S311 Peeling and recovery control (peeling and recovery control step)

Claims (13)

a peeling section that peels off fine particles adhering to the test object with a first airflow generated by jetting compressed air toward the test object with a jet nozzle;
a collection unit that collects the fine particles peeled off from the inspection object by the peeling unit;
a static eliminator that removes static electricity from the surface of the object to be inspected;
Equipped with
A particulate collection system comprising: the stripping section and the collection section at a stage subsequent to the static eliminator. a charge amount measurement unit that measures the charge amount on the surface of the inspected object;
a control unit that controls execution of static elimination by the static elimination unit;
Equipped with
The control unit includes:
The particulate collection system according to claim 1, wherein the charge removal unit performs charge removal based on the value of the charge amount on the surface of the inspected object measured by the charge amount measurement unit. The control unit controls the pressure of the compressed air injected from the peeling unit and the amount of air intake in the recovery unit,
The collection unit collects the particulates by sucking air,
The control unit includes:
The pressure of the compressed air is controlled so that as the amount of charge on the surface of the object to be inspected, which is measured by the charge amount measurement unit, increases, the wind pressure of the first air flow at the part to be separated increases, and the amount of charge is increased. controlling the pressure of the compressed air so that when the amount of charge on the surface of the object to be inspected measured by the measurement unit becomes smaller, the wind pressure of the first airflow at the separation target location also becomes smaller;
Controlling the intake air amount in the recovery section so that as the amount of charge on the surface of the inspection object measured by the charge amount measurement section increases, the amount of air intake in the recovery section also increases, and the charge amount measurement section 3. The air intake amount in the collection section is controlled so that the amount of air intake in the collection section is also reduced as the amount of charge on the surface of the test object measured by is reduced. Particulate collection system. The particulate collection system according to claim 1, wherein the static eliminator and the peeling part are integrated. An ionized gas generation unit that ionizes the atmosphere is provided near the injection nozzle,
According to claim 4, the injection nozzle injects a second airflow, in which the atmosphere ionized by the ionized gas generation unit is weaker than the first airflow, toward the object to be inspected. Particulate collection system as described. a peeling section that peels off fine particles adhering to the test object with a first airflow generated by jetting compressed air toward the test object with a jet nozzle;
a collection unit that collects the fine particles peeled off from the inspection object by the peeling unit;
a charge amount measurement unit that measures the charge amount on the surface of the inspected object;
a control unit that controls the pressure of the compressed air injected from the separation unit and the amount of air intake in the recovery unit;
Equipped with
The control unit includes:
The pressure of the compressed air is controlled so that as the amount of charge on the surface of the object to be inspected, which is measured by the charge amount measurement unit, increases, the wind pressure of the first air flow at the part to be separated increases, and the amount of charge is increased. controlling the pressure of the compressed air so that when the amount of charge on the surface of the object to be inspected measured by the measurement unit becomes smaller, the wind pressure of the first airflow at the separation target location also becomes smaller;
Controlling the intake air amount in the recovery section so that as the amount of charge on the surface of the inspection object measured by the charge amount measurement section increases, the amount of air intake in the recovery section also increases, and the charge amount measurement section A particulate collection system characterized in that the amount of intake air in the collection section is controlled so that the amount of air intake in the collection section also decreases as the amount of charge on the surface of the object to be inspected is reduced. The particulate collection system according to claim 1 or 6, further comprising an analysis part that analyzes the particulates collected by the collection part. The fine particles according to claim 1 or claim 6, further comprising a bulk inspection section that performs a bulk inspection on the inspection object to inspect the presence or absence of the substance to be inspected based on information including shape and density. collection system. a peeling section that peels off fine particles adhering to the test object with a first airflow generated by jetting compressed air toward the test object with a jet nozzle;
a collection unit that collects the fine particles peeled off from the inspection object by the peeling unit;
a static eliminator that removes static electricity from the surface of the object to be inspected;
A particle collection system equipped with
a static eliminating step in which the static eliminating unit eliminates static electricity on the surface of the inspected object;
an injection step in which the injection nozzle injects the compressed air toward the object to be inspected;
a collecting step in which the collecting unit collects the fine particles peeled off from the test object by the compressed air;
A method for collecting particulates, characterized by carrying out the following. a charge amount measurement unit that measures the charge amount on the surface of the inspected object;
a control unit that controls execution of static elimination by the static elimination unit;
Equipped with
Before the static eliminating step, performing a charging amount measuring step of measuring the charging amount on the surface of the object to be inspected by the charging amount measuring unit,
The method for collecting particulates according to claim 9, wherein when the amount of charge on the surface of the object to be inspected measured by the amount of charge measuring section is larger than a predetermined value, the control section executes the static elimination step. . The control unit controls the pressure of the compressed air injected from the peeling unit and the amount of air intake in the recovery unit,
The collection unit collects the particulates by sucking air,
The control unit includes:
The pressure of the compressed air is controlled so that when the amount of charge on the surface of the object to be inspected as measured by the charge amount measurement unit increases, the pressure of the first air flow at the part to be peeled also increases, and the amount of charge is measured. controlling the pressure of the compressed air so that if the amount of charge on the surface of the inspected object measured by the section decreases, the wind pressure of the first airflow at the separation target location also decreases;
Controlling the intake air amount in the recovery section so that as the amount of charge on the surface of the inspection object measured by the charge amount measurement section increases, the amount of air intake in the recovery section also increases, and the charge amount measurement section A peeling and recovery control step is performed in which the intake air amount in the recovery section is controlled so that if the amount of charge on the surface of the inspection object measured by is reduced, the intake air amount in the recovery section is also reduced. The method for collecting fine particles according to claim 10. a peeling section that peels off fine particles adhering to the test object with a first airflow generated by jetting compressed air toward the test object with a jet nozzle;
a collection unit that collects the fine particles peeled off from the inspection object by the peeling unit;
a charge amount measurement unit that measures the charge amount on the surface of the inspected object;
a control unit that controls the pressure of the compressed air injected from the separation unit and the amount of air intake in the recovery unit;
Equipped with
a charge amount measuring step of measuring a charge amount on the surface of the object to be inspected by the charge amount measuring section;
an injection step in which the injection nozzle injects the compressed air toward the object to be inspected;
a collecting step in which the collecting unit collects the fine particles peeled off from the test object by the compressed air;
Run
The control unit includes:
The pressure of the compressed air is controlled so that as the amount of charge on the surface of the object to be inspected, which is measured by the charge amount measurement unit, increases, the wind pressure of the first air flow at the part to be separated increases, and the amount of charge is increased. controlling the pressure of the compressed air so that when the amount of charge on the surface of the object to be inspected measured by the measurement unit becomes smaller, the wind pressure of the first airflow at the separation target location also becomes smaller;
Controlling the intake air amount in the recovery section so that as the amount of charge on the surface of the inspection object measured by the charge amount measurement section increases, the amount of air intake in the recovery section also increases, and the charge amount measurement section A peeling and recovery control step is performed in which the intake air amount in the recovery section is controlled so that if the amount of charge on the surface of the inspection object measured by is reduced, the intake air amount in the recovery section is also reduced. A method for collecting fine particles. The method for collecting particles according to claim 9 or 12, characterized in that an analysis section executes an analysis step of analyzing the particles collected by the collection section.

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