阅读说明：本技术 三维形状测量用x射线ct装置的长度测量误差评价用器具 (Instrument for evaluating length measurement error of X-ray CT apparatus for three-dimensional shape measurement ) 是由 岸武人 佐藤真 高辻利之 阿部诚 藤本弘之 于 2018-03-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种三维形状测量用X射线CT装置的长度测量误差评价用器具,能够完全地捕捉X射线CT装置固有的空间畸变,能够对X射线CT装置的三维形状测量精度进行评价。三维形状测量用X射线CT装置的长度测量误差评价用器具(30)具有：基台(31)；安装于该基台(1)上的、长度不同的支承棒(36、37、38)；固定在这些支承棒的前端的15个球(35)。在基台(1)上以彼此具有规定的间隔的方式配置有支承棒(36、37、38)。此时,固定在支承棒(36、37、38)的前端的15个球(35)被配置为位于基台(31)上的XYZ空间的不同坐标。(The invention provides an instrument for evaluating length measurement error of an X-ray CT device for three-dimensional shape measurement, which can completely capture the inherent space distortion of the X-ray CT device and evaluate the three-dimensional shape measurement precision of the X-ray CT device. A tool (30) for evaluating a length measurement error of an X-ray CT apparatus for three-dimensional shape measurement is provided with: a base (31); support rods (36, 37, 38) of different lengths attached to the base (1); 15 balls (35) fixed to the front ends of these support rods. Support rods (36, 37, 38) are arranged on the base (1) at predetermined intervals. At this time, 15 balls (35) fixed to the tips of the support rods (36, 37, 38) are arranged at different coordinates in an XYZ space on the base (31).)

1. A tool for evaluating a length measurement error of a three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus, which is used by being positioned on a rotating table of the three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus so that a Z-axis, which is a rotation axis of the rotating table, coincides with a center of a cylindrical imaging space, the tool comprising:

a base station;

a plurality of spheres arranged in an XYZ space on the base corresponding to the imaging space,

the plurality of spheres include outer-periphery-side spheres arranged on circles of 1 outer periphery centered on the Z axis for each of a plurality of X-Y planes having different Z positions,

the radius of a circle on which the outer circumference of the outer circumference side spherical body is disposed is the same in each of the plurality of X-Y planes, and the (X, Y) coordinates of the outer circumference side spherical body disposed in all of the plurality of X-Y planes are different,

the plurality of outer peripheral side balls include two sets of 2 balls arranged symmetrically about the Z axis.

2. A tool for evaluating a length measurement error of a three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus, which is used by being positioned on a rotating table of the three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus so that a Z-axis, which is a rotation axis of the rotating table, coincides with a center of a cylindrical imaging space, the tool comprising:

a base station;

a plurality of spheres arranged in an XYZ space on the base corresponding to the imaging space,

the plurality of spherical bodies include a plurality of outer-peripheral-side spherical bodies arranged on circles of 1 outer periphery centered on the Z axis for each of a plurality of X-Y planes having different Z positions,

in each of the plurality of X-Y planes, the radii of circles on the outer peripheries of the plurality of outer peripheral side balls are the same, and the (X, Y) coordinates of the plurality of outer peripheral side balls arranged on all of the plurality of X-Y planes are different,

the plurality of outer peripheral side balls include two sets of 2 balls arranged symmetrically about the Z axis.

3. A tool for evaluating a length measurement error of a three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus, which is used by being positioned on a rotating table of the three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus so that a Z-axis, which is a rotation axis of the rotating table, coincides with a center of a cylindrical imaging space, the tool comprising:

a base station;

a plurality of spheres arranged in an XYZ space on the base corresponding to the imaging space,

the plurality of spheres include outer-periphery-side spheres arranged on circles of 1 outer periphery centered on the Z axis for each of a plurality of X-Y planes having different Z positions,

the radius of a circle on which the outer circumference of the outer circumference side spherical body is disposed is the same in each of the plurality of X-Y planes, and the (X, Y) coordinates of the outer circumference side spherical body disposed in all of the plurality of X-Y planes are different,

a plurality of outer peripheral spheres are arranged on each X-Y plane, and the projection positions of the outer peripheral spheres on a reference X-Y plane having a Z coordinate of 0 are arranged at equal intervals along 1 circle having the Z axis as the center.

4. A tool for evaluating a length measurement error of a three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus, which is used by being positioned on a rotating table of the three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus so that a Z-axis, which is a rotation axis of the rotating table, coincides with a center of a cylindrical imaging space, the tool comprising:

a base station;

a plurality of spheres arranged in an XYZ space on the base corresponding to the imaging space,

the plurality of spherical bodies include a plurality of outer-peripheral-side spherical bodies arranged on circles of 1 outer periphery centered on the Z axis for each of a plurality of X-Y planes having different Z positions,

in each of the plurality of X-Y planes, the radii of circles on the outer peripheries of the plurality of outer peripheral side balls are the same, and the (X, Y) coordinates of the plurality of outer peripheral side balls arranged on all of the plurality of X-Y planes are different,

a plurality of outer peripheral spheres are arranged on each X-Y plane, and the projection positions of the outer peripheral spheres on a reference X-Y plane having a Z coordinate of 0 are arranged at equal intervals along 1 circle having the Z axis as the center.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device for evaluating a length measurement error of an X-ray CT apparatus for three-dimensional shape measurement designed for measuring the size of an object to be examined.

Background

In recent years, an X-ray CT apparatus developed as an observation apparatus for an internal structure of an object to be inspected is used to measure a dimension including an internal shape of the object to be inspected. Although a discussion has been made on a measurement accuracy evaluation method for an X-ray CT apparatus designed for three-dimensional shape measurement for use in maintenance of international standards, in the conventional apparatus, the accuracy of the apparatus is ensured by the measurement accuracy calculated from, for example, a german domestic guideline VDI/VDE2630-1.3 (guideline for dimension measurement of X-ray CT). Further, as a device for evaluating a length measurement error of an X-ray CT apparatus for three-dimensional shape measurement corresponding to VDI/VDE2630-1.3 (hereinafter, referred to as a device), a device manufactured by Carl Zeiss (see non-patent document 1) is known.

The instrument described in non-patent document 1 is of a type called a tracker. In an instrument called a tracker, a ball is disposed in a space by vertically providing a support bar for supporting the ball on a stepped base. As the number of balls, a 27-ball tracker or a 22-ball tracker is known.

Patent document 1 proposes a corrector for an X-ray CT apparatus, which aims to correct a shape and a size including an internal shape of an object to be examined with high accuracy from a projection image obtained from the X-ray CT apparatus. The device described in patent document 1 arranges the balls in the space by fixing the balls to the outer circumference of the cylindrical body.

Before X-ray CT imaging is performed on such instruments, Coordinate measurement of each ball is performed using a CMM (Coordinate Measuring Machine) or the like. Then, the length measurement error of the X-ray CT is evaluated based on the difference between the actual value of the inter-sphere distance obtained from the coordinate measurement result and the value of the inter-sphere distance in the imaging space measured at the time of X-ray CT imaging.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2014-190933

Non-patent technical literature

Non-patent technical document 1: weiss, r.lonardoni, a.deffner, c.kuhn, discussion of dimensional measurement accuracy based on CT for geometric image distortion and its influencing factors in flat panel X-ray detectors, fourth industrial computed tomography conference (iCT), 9.19-21/2012, austria weils (iCT 2012)

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

The calibrator described in patent document 1 has a problem that only a cylindrical region in an imaging space can be evaluated because a ball cannot be disposed in a cavity inside a cylindrical body. On the other hand, in an instrument called a tracker, a ball can be arranged on a central axis, but there are the following problems.

Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram showing an evaluation range in an imaging field space when X-ray CT imaging is performed by a conventional tracker. Fig. 15 shows a case where a 27-ball tracker manufactured by carl zeiss is used as an object of X-ray CT imaging. Fig. 15(a) shows a cylindrical imaging view space by a virtual line, and fig. 15(b) shows an evaluation range of 1X-ray CT imaging. Fig. 15(c) schematically shows an evaluation range and an evaluation-impossible range in the imaging view space when the Z position is switched and X-ray CT imaging is performed 3 times, and fig. 15(d) is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between 3 conical spaces in the imaging view space when the Z position is switched and X-ray CT imaging is performed 3 times.

In the measurement space (X, Y, Z) inherent to the X-ray CT apparatus, the following deformation occurs. 1 st, the length reference in the X-axis direction is different from the length reference in the Y-axis direction, and is, for example, a perfect circle deformed into an ellipse on a cross-sectional image orthogonal to the Z-axis. 2, the length reference in the X-axis direction and the length reference in the Y-axis direction gradually change depending on the position of the Z-axis, and the cylindrical shape is transformed into a truncated cone shape, for example. And 3. local deformation is generated around the specific point. In the 4 th place, the X-Y plane rotates little by little depending on the position of intersection with the Z axis, and distortion such as twisting occurs in space.

In an instrument such as a tracker, since the sphere is disposed on the conical surface with the sphere at the center as the vertex, the conical space shown in fig. 15(b) becomes an evaluation range that can be compared with the value of the distance between the spheres obtained from the coordinate measurement result of the CMM. Therefore, it is difficult to capture the spatial distortions of the 2 nd to 4 th among the spatial distortions inherent to the X-ray CT apparatuses of the 1 st to 4 th.

In a 27-ball tracker manufactured by carl zeiss, a support rod having a support ball is erected on a base having a step, and a range in which a shadow of the base is reflected is widened in X-ray CT imaging. Then, only the space above the uppermost step becomes the evaluation range (see fig. 15 b). Therefore, the evaluation range in the Z-axis direction in the measurement based on 1X-ray CT imaging is narrower than the evaluation range on the X-Y plane. For example, in 3X-ray CT scans, as indicated by the hatching in fig. 15(c), an unevaluable range remains between the conical spaces. In order to eliminate such an unevaluatable range, it is necessary to repeat X-ray CT imaging while finely changing the position of the tool in the Z-axis direction a plurality of times within a height range corresponding to the vertical direction of the light receiving region of the X-ray detector, and to measure the distance between the balls. That is, it takes a long time to evaluate the measurement accuracy of the X-ray CT apparatus.

In the 27-ball tracker manufactured by carl zeiss, the Z-axis is aligned only by the vertex ball of the cone space because the ball is arranged on the surface of the cone, and the mutual positional relationship between the cone spaces to be evaluated in each X-ray CT imaging when the X-ray CT imaging is repeated a plurality of times cannot be evaluated. Therefore, as shown in fig. 15(d), although the deformation of the cone space can be captured, the mutual positional relationship of the cone spaces in each X-ray CT imaging cannot be captured.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a 1 st object of the present invention is to provide a tool for evaluating a length measurement error of an X-ray CT apparatus for three-dimensional shape measurement, which can completely capture a spatial distortion inherent in the X-ray CT apparatus and can evaluate a three-dimensional shape measurement accuracy of the X-ray CT apparatus.

Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram for explaining a conventional fixing method of a base for a support rod for supporting a ball. In a conventional tracker, a so-called snap-in clamping method is adopted as a method for fixing a support bar for supporting a ball when the ball is placed in a space by vertically arranging the support bar on a base. In fig. 16(a), a fixing member 140 having a hole into which the support rod 136 can be inserted is attached to the base 131 by screwing, and a fastening screw 145 is operated to narrow a gap 144 between the divided portions, thereby applying a fastening force to the support rod 136 and fixing the support rod 136 to the base 131. In fig. 16(b), the support rod 136 is fixed to the base 231 by using a fixing member 150 having a hole into which the support rod 136 is inserted and an external thread portion 153, and in a state where the support rod 136 is adhesively fixed to the hole, screwing the external thread portion 153 to a screw hole (internal thread) formed in the base 231.

In the conventional fixture in which the ball 35 is disposed by the fixing method shown in fig. 16, the position of the ball 35 may be slightly changed when the probe of the CMM is brought into contact with the ball for coordinate measurement due to insufficient rigidity or strength of the fixing members 140 and 150. Further, when the tool is tilted when moved or turned upside down, the position of the ball 35 may be slightly changed due to a lack of fastening force by the split clamping in fig. 16(a) and a play of engagement of the screw in fig. 16 (b). Since the length measurement error evaluation device of the three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus evaluates the length measurement error of the X-ray CT based on the difference between the actual value of the inter-sphere distance obtained from the coordinate measurement result and the value of the inter-sphere distance in the imaging space measured at the time of X-ray CT imaging, it cannot be tolerated even if the position of each sphere of the device is changed by a minute amount after the position of each sphere is measured by the CMM.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a 2 nd object of the present invention is to provide a device for evaluating a length measurement error of an X-ray CT apparatus for three-dimensional shape measurement, in which a ball position does not change even when an external force corresponding to a contact of a probe or the like is applied to a ball or a support rod or when the ball is tilted or turned upside down during movement.

Fig. 17 is a schematic sectional view illustrating a bonding structure of a ball at the tip of a conventional backup rod.

In a conventional tracker, when a ball is placed in a space, a commercially available ruby ball or sapphire ball as a probe for a CMM is bonded to the tip of a support rod, thereby supporting the ball by the support rod. As shown in fig. 17(a), as an adhesion structure for adhering a ball to a support rod, the upper surface of the support rod 136 side is recessed in conformity with the spherical shape, and the ball 35 is adhered to the recessed portion. Further, as shown in fig. 17(b), a hole-forming ball 235 to which a hole is formed is prepared, a thin shaft 239 corresponding to the hole is provided at the tip of the support rod, and the thin shaft 239 on the support rod 236 side is press-fitted and adhesively fixed to the hole of the hole-forming ball 235. It is desirable that the gap between the machined surface of the recess and the lower surface of the ball 35 as shown in fig. 17(a) and the side surface of the thin shaft 239 and the inner wall surface of the hole of the opening ball 235 as shown in fig. 17(b) be constant, and the gap is filled with an adhesive to fix the recess.

In the bonding structure of fig. 17(a), it is difficult to smoothly and accurately process the processed surface of the concave portion on the support rod 136 side in conformity with the curved surface of the ball 35, and there is a problem that the positional relationship between the contact surface of the ball 35 and the support rod 136 is unstable due to the unevenness of the processed surface of the concave portion. Further, when the curvature radius of the machined surface of the recess on the support rod 136 side is larger than the radius of the ball, the ball 35 rolls in the recess of the support rod 136, and conversely, when the curvature radius of the machined surface of the recess is smaller than the radius of the ball 35, the ball 35 contacts a part of the recess and the edge of the recess at a plurality of local points with respect to the support rod 136. For this reason, even if the ball is supported by the support rods 136 of the same length, the height position of the ball is subtly different.

Further, in the bonded structure of fig. 17(b), a thin shaft 239 made of a material different from that of the perforated ball 235 is present inside the ball. Therefore, there is a problem that a transmission image obtained by irradiating X-rays is distorted. That is, the center position and the spherical shape of the X-ray CT image of the spherical unit that should be originally detected and the center position and the spherical shape of the X-ray CT image of the spherical unit that is actually obtained by irradiating X-rays are not negligibly different.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a 3 rd object of the present invention is to provide a tool for evaluating a length measurement error of an X-ray CT apparatus for three-dimensional shape measurement, which can make a positional relationship between each of a plurality of support rods and a ball supported by the support rods constant.

Solution for solving the above technical problem

A first aspect of the present invention made to solve the above-described problems is a length measurement error evaluation tool for a three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus, which is positioned on a rotary table of the three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus so that a Z-axis, which is a rotation axis of the rotary table, coincides with a center of a cylindrical imaging space, the length measurement error evaluation tool comprising:

a base station;

a plurality of spheres arranged in an XYZ space on the base corresponding to the imaging space,

the plurality of spheres include outer-periphery-side spheres arranged on circles of 1 outer periphery centered on the Z axis for each of a plurality of X-Y planes having different Z positions,

the radius of a circle on which the outer circumference of the outer circumference side spherical body is disposed is the same in each of the plurality of X-Y planes, and the (X, Y) coordinates of the outer circumference side spherical body disposed in all of the plurality of X-Y planes are different,

the plurality of outer peripheral side balls include two sets of 2 balls arranged symmetrically about the Z axis.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a second aspect of the present invention is a length measurement error evaluation tool for a three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus, the length measurement error evaluation tool being positioned on a rotary table of the three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus so that a Z-axis, which is a rotation axis of the rotary table, coincides with a center of a cylindrical imaging space, the length measurement error evaluation tool comprising:

a base station;

a plurality of spheres arranged in an XYZ space on the base corresponding to the imaging space,

the plurality of spherical bodies include a plurality of outer-peripheral-side spherical bodies arranged on circles of 1 outer periphery centered on the Z axis for each of a plurality of X-Y planes having different Z positions,

in each of the plurality of X-Y planes, the radii of circles on the outer peripheries of the plurality of outer peripheral side balls are the same, and the (X, Y) coordinates of the plurality of outer peripheral side balls arranged on all of the plurality of X-Y planes are different,

the plurality of outer peripheral side balls include two sets of 2 balls arranged symmetrically about the Z axis.

Furthermore, a third aspect of the present invention made to solve the above-mentioned problems can be a length measurement error evaluation tool for a three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus, which is positioned on a rotary table of the three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus so that a Z-axis, which is a rotation axis of the rotary table, coincides with a center of a cylindrical imaging space, and is used by the apparatus, the length measurement error evaluation tool including:

a base station;

a plurality of spheres arranged in an XYZ space on the base corresponding to the imaging space,

the plurality of spheres include outer-periphery-side spheres arranged on circles of 1 outer periphery centered on the Z axis for each of a plurality of X-Y planes having different Z positions,

the radius of a circle on which the outer circumference of the outer circumference side spherical body is disposed is the same in each of the plurality of X-Y planes, and the (X, Y) coordinates of the outer circumference side spherical body disposed in all of the plurality of X-Y planes are different,

a plurality of outer peripheral spheres are arranged on each X-Y plane so that their projected positions on a reference X-Y plane having a Z coordinate of 0 are arranged at equal intervals along 1 circle centered on the Z axis.

Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the present invention made to solve the above-mentioned problems can be a length measurement error evaluation tool for a three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus, which is positioned on a rotary table of the three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus so that a Z-axis, which is a rotation axis of the rotary table, coincides with a center of a cylindrical imaging space, and is used by the apparatus, the length measurement error evaluation tool comprising:

a base station;

a plurality of spheres arranged in an XYZ space on the base corresponding to the imaging space,

the plurality of spherical bodies include a plurality of outer-peripheral-side spherical bodies arranged on circles of 1 outer periphery centered on the Z axis for each of a plurality of X-Y planes having different Z positions,

in each of the plurality of X-Y planes, the radii of circles on the outer peripheries of the plurality of outer peripheral side balls are the same, and the (X, Y) coordinates of the plurality of outer peripheral side balls arranged on all of the plurality of X-Y planes are different,

a plurality of outer peripheral spheres are arranged on each X-Y plane so that their projected positions on a reference X-Y plane having a Z coordinate of 0 are arranged at equal intervals along 1 circle centered on the Z axis.

Effects of the invention

According to the instrument for evaluating a length measurement error of an X-ray CT apparatus for three-dimensional shape measurement of the present invention, 1 or more outer peripheral spheres are arranged along 1 outer periphery in each of a plurality of X-Y planes having different Z positions, and the radii of circles on which the outer peripheries of the outer peripheral spheres are arranged are the same in each of the plurality of X-Y planes, and the (X, Y) coordinates of the outer peripheral spheres arranged in all of the plurality of X-Y planes are different from each other, so that an evaluation-impossible range is not generated in a cylindrical imaging space, and spatial distortion inherent to the X-ray CT apparatus can be completely captured.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an X-ray CT apparatus for three-dimensional shape measurement.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a tool 30 for evaluating a length measurement error of the three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the arrangement of the balls 35.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the arrangement of the balls 35.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a modification of the arrangement of the balls 35.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a modification of the arrangement of the balls 35.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a modification of the arrangement of the balls 35.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a modification of the arrangement of the balls 35.

Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating constraint conditions in a three-dimensional space when the columnar support rods 36, 37, and 38 are fixed to the base 31.

Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating the transmission of force by the wedge stopper.

Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the support rod holding mechanism 40.

Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a state where the support rod holding mechanism 40 is inserted into the base 31.

Fig. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the bonding structure of the ball 35 at the distal end of the support rod.

Fig. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a bonding structure of the ball 35 at the distal end of the support rod.

Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram showing an evaluation range in an imaging field space when X-ray CT imaging is performed by a conventional tracker.

Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional fixing method for fixing a support rod of a support ball to a base.

Fig. 17 is a schematic sectional view illustrating a bonding structure of a ball at the tip of a conventional backup rod.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an X-ray CT apparatus for three-dimensional shape measurement.

The X-ray CT apparatus for three-dimensional shape measurement (hereinafter, referred to as an X-ray CT apparatus) includes an X-ray irradiation unit 11, an X-ray detection unit 12, and a rotary table 13. In this X-ray CT apparatus, an object to be examined is set on a rotary table 13 disposed between an X-ray irradiation unit 11 and an X-ray detection unit 12 which are disposed to face each other, and nondestructive internal observation or three-dimensional shape measurement is performed.

The X-ray irradiation unit 11 includes an X-ray tube as an X-ray source therein, and generates X-rays from the X-ray tube according to a tube voltage and a tube current supplied from the high voltage generator 15. The high voltage generator 15 is controlled by an X-ray control unit 16, and the X-ray control unit 16 is connected to a personal computer PC on which control software for controlling the entire X-ray CT apparatus is installed. The X-ray Detector 12 is a Detector in which a CCD camera and an image intensifier (I.I) are combined, or an FPD (Flat Panel Detector), and is connected to a personal computer PC via a CT image reconstruction arithmetic device 18. The X-ray detector 12 is configured to be able to approach or separate from the rotating table 13 for enlargement or reduction of the fluoroscopic imaging area. The rotary table 13 may be close to or distant from the X-ray irradiation unit 11.

The rotary table 13 is rotatable about a Z axis orthogonal to an X axis along an X-ray optical axis L connecting the X-ray detector 12 from the X-ray irradiation unit 11, and is movable in the horizontal direction in the XY direction and the vertical direction in the Z direction by a table drive mechanism 14. The table drive mechanism 14 is connected to the personal computer PC via the table control unit 17.

In X-ray CT imaging, the rotary table 13 is rotated about the rotation axis R while X-rays are irradiated from the X-ray irradiation unit 11 onto an object to be examined provided on the rotary table 13. Then, X-rays transmitted from all directions of 360 degrees around the object to be examined are detected by the X-ray detector 12, and the X-ray transmission data is read to the CT image reconstruction arithmetic device 18.

The CT image reconstruction computing device 18 is constituted by a computer including a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk, and the like as storage devices for storing programs, detection data of the X-ray detector 12, and the like, and a CPU as a computing device. The CT image reconstruction arithmetic device 18 constructs a tomographic image (CT image) of the object after slicing on a plane along the X-Y plane using the read X-ray transmission data of 360 degrees. The CT image is transmitted from the CT image reconstruction arithmetic device 18 to the personal computer PC, and is used for three-dimensional imaging by a three-dimensional image construction program installed in the personal computer PC.

A display device 23 such as a liquid crystal display and an input device 22 including a keyboard 22a and a mouse 22b are connected to the personal computer PC. The keyboard 22a and the mouse 22b are input by the operator in various operations. The display device 23 displays the CT image transmitted from the CT image reconstruction arithmetic device 18 to the personal computer PC, and also displays a three-dimensional image constructed using the CT image. The function of the CT image reconstruction computing device 18 may be integrated with a personal computer PC, and realized by one computer as a peripheral device of the computer or software.

Next, the length measurement error evaluation tool 30 used when the X-ray CT apparatus is evaluated for three-dimensional shape measurement will be described. Since the X-ray CT apparatus obtains volume data called a reconstructed image from a plurality of projection images detected by the X-ray detector 12, it is required to be able to confirm a wide range of measurement accuracy in the X-ray detection region of the X-ray detector 12 when evaluating the X-ray CT apparatus for three-dimensional shape measurement. In addition, since the X-ray CT apparatus changes the positional relationship among the X-ray source, the rotary table 13, and the X-ray detector 12 in order to change the magnification of the projection image, it is required to be able to evaluate a geometric error deviating from a state in which the respective components are ideally combined. Further, since the X-ray CT apparatus performs X-ray imaging by rotating the rotary table 13, it is also required to be able to evaluate a motion error of the rotary table 13.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a tool 30 for evaluating a length measurement error of the three-dimensional shape measurement X-ray CT apparatus according to the present invention.

In the instrument 30 for evaluating a length measurement error of the X-ray CT apparatus for three-dimensional shape measurement (hereinafter, referred to as the instrument 30), support rods 36, 37, and 38 having different lengths, to the tips of which balls 35 are fixed, are attached to the base 31, and 15 balls 35 are arranged in the XYZ space on the base 31. Support bars 36, 37, 38 having support balls 35 of different lengths are provided upright on the flat surface 32 of the upper portion of the base 31 at predetermined intervals. The base 31 is made of a low thermal expansion metal material with extremely small thermal deformation. The ball 35 is a sphere such as a ruby ball having a small shape error (high sphericity), and the support rods 36, 37, and 38 are made of a material such as ceramic.

The space in which the balls 35 are disposed in the upper portion of the base 31 is covered by the cylindrical cover 33 during storage and use so that the balls 35 are not displaced in space after coordinate measurement by the CMM. The cover 33 is made of a material having relatively high X-ray transmittance such as acrylic resin. The cover 33 need not be transparent to visible light, but is preferably transparent to visible light. If transparent, the operator can see directly into the interior, and thus the structure is easy to understand.

Support bar 37 has a dimension 30mm longer than support bar 36 and support bar 38 has a dimension 30mm longer than support bar 37. By using the support rods 36, 37, 38 having a difference of 30mm in length, a plurality of balls 35 can be arranged at 3Z positions (for example, 5 balls can be arranged at each Z position). That is, the difference in length of the support rods 36, 37, 38 for supporting the ball 35 is set to 3 steps, so that the ball 35 is arranged on 3X-Y planes having different Z positions. In this embodiment, the interval between the 3Z positions is made uniform by setting the difference between the lengths of the shortest support rod 36 and the intermediate support rod 37 to be the same length as the difference between the lengths of the intermediate support rod 37 and the longest support rod 38.

Fig. 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams illustrating the arrangement of the balls 35. Fig. 3 is a three-dimensional image showing the arrangement of the balls 35 in the cylindrical imaging space indicated by the two-dot chain line, and fig. 4 is a schematic plan view. Fig. 4 shows projection coordinates (Xi, Yi) of the position of each ball 35 projected in parallel with the Z axis on the X-Y plane toward the Z position of the ball 35 supported by the shortest support rod 36. Here, the triangle (Δ) in the figure shows the positions of 5 balls 35 supported by the shortest support bar 36, the quadrangle (□) shows the positions of 5 balls 35 supported by the intermediate-length support bar 37, and the circle (good) shows the positions of 5 balls 35 supported by the longest support bar 38.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, in this tool 30, 1 ball 35 is disposed at each of 3Z positions on a circle (inner circle) having a radius of about 10mm and centered on an origin (0,0) in the projection coordinates, and 4 balls 35 are disposed at each of 3Z positions on a circle (outer circle) having a radius of about 50mm, so that the 4 balls 35 are offset by about 90 degrees to form a substantially cross shape, thereby disposing a total of 12 balls 35. Since the origin (0,0) of the projection coordinates is also the Z axis, 5 balls are arranged on each of 3X-Y planes having different Z positions, and 15 balls are arranged as a whole. Since the difference in length between the support rods 36, 37, 38 is the same length of 30mm or the like, the 3X-Y planes are equally spaced from each other in the Z direction. In addition, in the arrangement of the spheres arranged on the outer circle spaced apart from the Z axis by a predetermined distance on the 1X-Y plane at a position farther than the spheres arranged on the inner circle near the Z axis, a plurality of groups of 2 spheres arranged facing the Z axis, that is, in this embodiment, 4 balls 35 are arranged by arranging two groups of 2 spheres arranged facing the Z axis. Then, by adjusting the positions of the two sets so that two line segments connecting the two balls 35 on the same line passing through the Z axis are in an orthogonal relationship, the arrangement of the 4 balls 35 is made substantially cross-shaped with being shifted by about 90 degrees from each other.

In the different 3X-Y planes, the balls 35 arranged on the outer circle are arranged at equal intervals on the same circle with the Z axis as the center in the positional relationship in the plan view shown in fig. 4. That is, the positions on the circle centered on the origin (0,0) of fig. 4 are located at positions spaced apart from each other by approximately 30 degrees. In this embodiment, four balls 35 indicated by a quadrangle □ are arranged at positions rotated counterclockwise by approximately 30 degrees around the Z axis on the X-Y plane in which the Z position is shifted upward based on the arrangement of 4 balls 35 on the lowest X-Y plane indicated by a triangle Δ, and 4 balls 35 indicated by a circle o are arranged at positions rotated counterclockwise by approximately 30 degrees around the Z axis on the X-Y plane from which the Z position is shifted upward. That is, the balls 35 are arranged in a spiral shape by a combination of 30 degrees rotation about the Z axis and 30mm advance parallel to the Z axis in order of triangle (Δ), quadrangle (□), and circle (o) on the outer peripheral surface of a cylinder having a radius of 50mm and a height of 60mm every 90 degrees. In this manner, the plurality of spheres arranged on the outer peripheral side of each of the 3X-Y planes are arranged in a cylindrical shape as evaluation points of a cylindrical region (indicated by a two-dot chain line in fig. 3) of the imaging space. Further, the plurality of balls on the outer peripheral side can be arranged evenly at intervals of approximately 30 degrees on a circle centered on the Z axis in a plan view by arranging the arrangement positions of 4 balls arranged on each plane on the 3X-Y planes to be rotated approximately 30 degrees with respect to the arrangement positions of the balls on the adjacent X-Y planes about the Z axis.

As described above, 4 of the 5 balls 35 supported by the shortest support rod 36, 4 of the 5 balls 35 supported by the intermediate-length support rod 37, and 4 of the 5 balls 35 supported by the longest support rod 38 are arranged uniformly on a circle of a radius of 50mm centered on the origin (0,0) of the projection coordinates. As described above, in this embodiment, the distances between the respective balls 35 and the Z axis are made equal by disposing the 4 balls 35 on the same circle on the respective X-Y planes. In each of the spheres 35 other than the 3 spheres 35 near the Z axis shown in fig. 4, if the average of the distances between the origin (0,0) and each triangle (Δ), the average of the distances between the origin (0,0) and each quadrangle (□), and the average of the distances between the origin (0,0) and each circle (o) are the same, it is not always necessary to arrange the spheres 35 on the same circle. That is, the 3 balls 35 other than the balls arranged in the vicinity of the Z axis of each X-Y plane may have an average value of the distances between each ball 35 and the Z axis on each X-Y plane substantially equal to each other.

1 of the 5 balls 35 supported by the shortest support rod 36, 1 of the 5 balls 35 supported by the intermediate-length support rod 37, and 1 of the 5 balls 35 supported by the longest support rod 38 are inner circumference side spheres of the present invention, and are arranged at regular intervals on a circle having a radius of about 10mm or less near the Z axis. That is, 1 ball 35 is disposed at each of 3 kinds of Z positions on a substantially straight line in the Z axis direction. In the tool 30, since the ball 35 is supported by the support rods 36, 37, and 38, respectively, it is not possible to arrange strictly 3 balls 35 whose Z positions are different from each other on the origin (0,0) of the projection coordinates. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the plurality of spheres are arranged at equal intervals on a circle having a radius of about 10mm or less in the vicinity of the Z axis, thereby achieving equal arrangement of the plurality of spheres in the Z axis direction (equal arrangement of the spheres in the vertical direction). The reference in the vicinity of the Z axis is a range of a distance from the Z axis of about 20% or less of the diameter of a circle defining the arrangement position of the 4 balls 35 on each X-Y plane. In the present embodiment, the 3 balls 35 supported by the support rods 36, 37, 38 having different lengths are arranged on the inner circumference circle near the Z axis at equal intervals, but if the positions of the 3 points having different heights along the Z axis can be obtained, they may not be arranged on the same circle. In the present invention, "near" in the vicinity of the Z axis includes a position distant from the center by a distance to the extent that the position can be regarded as a central position, and also includes the center, i.e., on the Z axis. Further, the balls 35 arranged in the vicinity of the Z axis are arranged on a line connecting 2 balls in a diagonal relationship with the origin (0,0) therebetween among the 4 balls 35 arranged on a circle having a radius of 50mm on each X-Y plane at each Z position, so that it is easy to grasp the amount of deviation from the Z axis and the uniform arrangement centered on the Z axis in a plan view.

Fig. 5 to 8 are schematic diagrams illustrating modifications of the arrangement of the balls 35. Fig. 5 and 7 are three-dimensional images showing the arrangement of the balls 35 in the imaging space, and fig. 6 and 8 are schematic plan views. In this modification, the position of the ball 35 on the X-Y plane with the lower Z position is indicated by a black circle, and the position of the ball 35 on the X-Y plane with the higher Z position is indicated by a white circle.

In the arrangement of the balls 35 shown in fig. 5 and 6, 1 ball is arranged on the Z axis, so that the evaluation point in the Z direction is 1 point. In the 2 different X-Y planes, 2 balls 35 are arranged along one outer circumference with the Z axis as the center. In the plan view shown in fig. 6, the balls 35 are arranged on the same circle at equal intervals.

In the arrangement of the balls 35 shown in fig. 5 and 6, the imaging space in the region inside the region where the outer-peripheral-side spherical body is arranged can be evaluated by one ball 35 in the Z axis. Then, by arranging 2 spheres facing each other along the outer circumference so that at least the sphere 35 can be projected to a position close to the maximum X-ray detection area in the lateral direction of the X-ray detector 12, a plurality of evaluation points can be obtained in the cylindrical imaging space. Further, by disposing 2 balls 35 on the outer peripheral side on each of 2X-Y planes having different Z positions, the balls 35 can be projected at different height positions near the position of the maximum X-ray detection area in the longitudinal direction of the X-ray detector 12. Therefore, when a plurality of times of imaging are performed while changing the Z position, the cylindrical imaging visual field space can be evaluated with a small number of times of imaging without generating an area that cannot be evaluated between the imaging spaces. Further, by disposing 2 balls 35 on each set of X-Y planes having different Z positions, it is possible to evaluate a kinematic error and a geometric error of the rotary table 13.

In the present modification, 2 balls 35 are arranged to face each other on 2 different X-Y planes, but if the balls 35 on the 2X-Y planes are arranged along one outer circumference circle, the arrangement may not be exactly equal intervals, and may not be arranged to face each other on each X-Y plane. The "outer periphery" of the spherical body on the outer peripheral side in the present invention refers to a circle having a diameter that can project the spherical body 35 at a position close to the maximum X-ray detection area in the lateral direction of the X-ray detector 12, or a circle having a major diameter such as an ellipse. By disposing 2 or more spheres on each of 2 or more X-Y planes having different Z positions, it is possible to solve the problem that the spheres are disposed in a conical surface shape and an unexpectable range is generated in a cylindrical imaging space as in the conventional tracker described with reference to fig. 15 (c).

The outer-peripheral spherical body in the present invention means a spherical body arranged on a plurality of X-Y planes along the outer periphery of the sphere 35 which can be projected at a position close to the maximum X-ray detection area in the lateral direction of the X-ray detector 12, and all the spherical bodies may not have the same distance relationship with the Z axis as long as they are along the circumference. The cylindrical arrangement of the outer-peripheral spherical bodies in the present invention means an arrangement of spherical bodies in which the difference in Z position between 2X-Y planes is in a cylindrical shape with a height if a plurality of spherical bodies in each X-Y plane are advanced in parallel with the Z axis toward the other X-Y plane between different X-Y planes.

In the arrangement of the balls 35 shown in fig. 7 and 8, there are 2 evaluation points in the Z direction. That is, 1 ball 35 is disposed in the vicinity of the Z axis in each of 2X-Y planes, and the balls 35 in the vicinity of the Z axis between the different X-Y planes have a positional relationship along the inner circumference in the vicinity of the Z axis in the plan view shown in fig. 8. The "inner periphery" of the spherical body on the inner periphery side in the present invention means an inner periphery facing the outer periphery, and the positional relationship of the spherical body in the vicinity of the Z axis between different X-Y planes has a certain regularity in design, thereby ensuring the uniformity in manufacturing the appliance. Compared with the modification examples of fig. 5 and 6, by increasing the evaluation points in the Z direction, the mutual positional relationship between the cylindrical spaces to be evaluated in each X-ray CT imaging in the case of repeating X-ray CT imaging a plurality of times can be evaluated.

The arrangement of the balls 35 can be modified in addition to the description with reference to fig. 1 to 8. That is, the number of X-Y planes in which the outer peripheral spheres are arranged and the number of spheres arranged in the X-Y planes can be changed according to the size of the X-ray detector 12 and the necessity of multiple X-ray CT imaging for changing the position of the Z axis.

The structure in which the support rods 36, 37, 38 of the support ball 35 are fixed to the base 31 will be described. Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating constraint conditions in a three-dimensional space when the columnar support rod 36 is fixed to the base 31. Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating the transmission of force by the wedge stopper.

In order to fix the columnar support rods 36, 37, 38 to the base 31, it is considered that 5 degrees of freedom are indicated by reference numerals 1 to 5 circled with hollow arrows in fig. 9. That is, on the X-Y plane, at points 1 and 2 in fig. 9, the restraint is performed by a force from the opposite direction thereof (a force 180 degrees opposite to the intermediate direction of 1 and 2), and at points 3 and 4, the restraint is performed by a force from the opposite direction thereof (a force 180 degrees opposite to the intermediate direction of 3 and 4). The Z-axis direction advance is restrained by a force from the opposite direction thereof at the point 5 in fig. 9. The rotation in the Z-axis direction can be restrained by a frictional force generated by surface contact in addition to the restraint at points 1 to 5 in fig. 9.

As shown by the broken line arrows in fig. 9, in order to restrict the degree of freedom in the forward direction on the X-Y plane and the degree of freedom in the forward direction (up-down direction) on the Z axis of the support rods 36, 37, 38, it is necessary to apply forces in two different directions having an included angle of 90 degrees to the support rod 36 at the same time. As a mechanism capable of transmitting such force, a stopper combining a wedge shape having a wedge shape with an acute angle of 45 degrees and a shape of a stopper for restraining the support rod 36 can be used. As shown in fig. 10, in the wedge-shaped stopper in which 3 members having wedge shapes that contact each other on the inclined surface are combined, 2 forces in directions having different included angles of 90 degrees as shown by the broken line arrows in fig. 10 can be generated by the action of the inclined surface with respect to the load indicated by the hollow arrow.

Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the support rod holding mechanism 40. Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a state where the support rod holding mechanism 40 is inserted into the base 31. Fig. 12(a) is a plan view of the support rod holding mechanism 40, and fig. 12(b) is a sectional view taken along line a-a' of fig. 12 (a).

The support rod holding mechanism 40 is composed of a bottomed cylindrical member 41 provided with a space into which the support rods 36, 37, 38 can be inserted, a fixing stopper 45 and a load transmission stopper 46 for restraining the support rods 36, 37, 38, and a load bolt 42 for applying a load to the fixing stopper 45 and the load transmission stopper 46. The support rods 36, 37, and 38 are rod materials having the same diameter and different lengths from each other, and therefore, the support rod 36 will be described below.

A female screw to be screwed with a male screw 43 formed on the outer periphery of a load bolt 42 described later is formed on the inner wall of the opening of the cylindrical member 41. Further, punched holes 44 for arranging a fixing stopper 45 and a load transmission stopper 46 are formed in the side surface of the cylindrical member 41 at equal intervals of substantially 120 degrees from the cylindrical axis 3 direction. 2 fixing stoppers 45 and 1 load transmission stopper 46 are disposed in 3 punched holes 44 provided in the side surface of the cylindrical member 41. The fixing stopper 45 is provided with a projection 47 that abuts against the support rod 36 at a position corresponding to the points 1 and 3 and the points 2 and 4 shown in fig. 9. In the fixing stopper 45 of the present embodiment, a convex portion 47 is similarly provided at a position corresponding to the surface on the opposite side to the side in contact with the support rod 36.

The load transmission stopper 46 is a wedge stopper described with reference to fig. 10, and is composed of 3 wedge members 46a, 46b, and 46c joined to each other at inclined surfaces, and when these 3 wedge members 46a, 46b, and 46c are combined so as to match the respective inclined surfaces, one prism is formed. When a force in the compression direction of the axis of the prism is applied to the load transmission stopper 46, the 3 wedge members 46a, 46b, and 46c move relative to each other by sliding on the inclined surfaces.

The base 31 is provided with holes slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical member 41 for accommodating the cylindrical member 41, and the number of the holes corresponds to the number of the balls 35 to be arranged in the XYZ space. Then, the cylindrical member 41 is inserted into each hole of the base 31 in a state where the load transmission stopper 46 and the two fixing stoppers 45 are arranged in the punched hole 44.

The load bolt 42 is a bolt-like member, and has a hole through which the support rod 36 passes at the center portion thereof, and a male screw portion 43 that is screwed to a female screw formed on the inner wall of the opening of the cylindrical member 41 at the outer peripheral portion thereof. The load bolt 42 is different from a general bolt in that a hole is formed in the center portion thereof, but can be rotated by a wrench, which is a general tool, by forming parallel flat surfaces or the like in a portion where no male screw is formed, and can be attached to and detached from the cylindrical member 41.

When the load bolt 42 is fastened to the cylindrical member 41, a force is applied to the load transmission stopper 46 along the longitudinal direction of the stopper. In the present embodiment, the length of the load transmission stopper 46 in the longitudinal direction of the stopper 45 is sufficiently larger than the length of the load transmission stopper 46 in the longitudinal direction of the stopper 46. Thus, when the load bolt 42 is fastened, the load bolt 42 does not abut against the upper end portion of the fixing stopper 45, and the load at this time is transmitted only to the load transmission stopper 46. In the fixing stopper 45 of the present embodiment, the length in the longitudinal direction may be set smaller than the length of the load transmission stopper 46, and the upper end portion of the fixing stopper 45 may not be in contact with the load transmission bolt 42 when the load transmission bolt 42 is fastened, but the upper end portion of the fixing stopper 45 may be deformed in the shape of the upper convex portion on the side in contact with the support rod 36 so that the upper end portion becomes the outer side of the diameter of the load transmission bolt 42 by setting the length in the longitudinal direction to be equal to the length in the longitudinal direction of the load transmission stopper 46.

As described with reference to fig. 10, the force applied to the load transmission stopper 46 by tightening the load bolt 42 is dispersed into a force in the horizontal direction and a force in the vertical direction with respect to the load direction at the joint portion between the inclined surfaces of the wedge member 46a and the wedge member 46 b. Further, the force in the vertical direction is dispersed into a force in the horizontal direction and a force in the vertical direction with respect to the load direction at the joint portion between the inclined surfaces of the wedge 46b and the wedge 46 c. By the forces in the 2 directions different by 90 degrees, the support rod 36 is applied with a force toward the central axis of the support rod 36 and a force toward the lower side. The force toward the center axis of the support rod 36 is transmitted from the position where the load transmission stopper 46 is disposed to the fixing stopper 45 provided in the ± 120-degree direction (see fig. 12 a). Then, the support rod 36 is restrained on the X-Y plane by a force on the opposite side of the abutting point of the convex portion 47 of the fixing stopper 45 and the support rod 36. Further, the downward force of the support rod 36 is transmitted to the cylindrical member 41. The movement of the lower end of the support rod 36 in the Z-axis direction, such as floating from the bottom of the cylindrical member 41, is restrained by a force in the opposite direction, i.e., a force in the same direction as the load applied to the load transmission stopper 46 when the load is fastened by the load bolt 42. At this time, the wedge member 46a directly contacting the load bolt 42 slides by the inclination of the inclined surface where the wedge member 46a and the wedge member 46b contact, and slightly moves toward the support rod 36 side, and is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the support rod 36. Therefore, the movement of the support rod 36 in the rotational direction is restricted by the frictional force between the outer peripheral surface of the support rod 36 and the surface of the wedge member 46 a.

In the state where the load-transmitting stopper 46 is fastened to the cylindrical member 41 by the load bolt 42, the wedge members 46c of the load-transmitting stopper 46 that are disposed in contact with the bottom surface of the cylindrical member 41 slide by the inclination of the inclined surfaces of the wedge members 46b and 46c that are in contact with each other, and slightly move outward of the cylindrical member 41. Thereby, the wedge member 46c is pressed against the inner wall surface of the base 31 outside the outer periphery of the cylindrical member 41. At this time, the wedge member 46b is inclined as the wedge members 46a and 46c slightly move in opposite directions, and the upper end is pressed against the inner wall surface of the base 31 outside the outer periphery of the cylindrical member 41. Further, since a metal such as aluminum, which is softer than iron, is used as a material of the fixing stopper 45 and the load transmission stopper 46, when a load generated by fastening of the load bolt 42 is received via the load transmission stopper 46, the fixing stopper 45 is also slightly deformed by being pressed against the support rod 36, and the convex portion 47 on the opposite side of the convex portion 47 on the support rod side facing the fixing stopper 45 is pressed against the inner wall surface of the base 31. By the force pressing the inner wall surface of the base 31 in this manner, the support rod holding mechanism 40 including the cylindrical member 41 is fixed to the base 31, and the support rod 36 is fixed to the base 31.

In the present embodiment, a wedge-like shape is used as the load transmission stopper 46, but any other shape may be used as long as it can apply lateral and downward forces to the support rod 36 by dispersing the load from 1 direction into 2 directions.

Next, a structure in which the ball 35 is fixed to the distal ends of the support rods 36, 37, and 38 will be described. Fig. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the bonding structure of the ball 35 at the distal end of the support rod. The following description is not limited to the support rod 36, but is also the same for the support rod 37 and the support rod 38.

One end (tip) of the support rod 36 of the present embodiment is recessed in a conical shape to fix the ball 35, and the end opposite to the fixed ball 35 is flat and in contact with the bottom surface of the cylindrical member 41. As shown in fig. 13, if the ball 35 is placed in the conical recessed portion 51, the ball 35 contacts a circular line indicated by reference numeral t on the conical inclined surface of the conical recessed portion 51. The depth of the conical recess 51 and the inclination of the conical surface are determined by the diameter of the ball 35 such that the upper end 52 of the support rod 36, which is the edge of the conical recess 51, is closer to the apex side of the cone in the conical recess 51 than the equator e of the ball 35. The ball 35 is fixed to the conical slope of the conical recess 51 by an adhesive.

As described above with reference to fig. 17(a), the ball 35 does not need to be bored for inserting the thin shaft 239, and there is no structure in which the X-ray transmission image is distorted on the equator e of the ball 35. Therefore, the center position and the spherical shape of the X-ray CT image of the spherical unit that should be originally detected, and the center position and the spherical shape of the X-ray CT image of the spherical unit that is actually obtained by irradiation with the X-ray do not deviate from each other.

Since the contact between the retainer rod 36 and the ball 35 is limited to the line of the circle of the conical inclined surface, the retainer rod 36 is less likely to be affected by the difference in the machining accuracy of each ball 35, and the ball 35 can be attached more stably than in the related art. Further, since a certain gap between the conical surface of the support rod 36 and the outer portion of the ball 35, which is not in direct contact with each other, can be filled with the adhesive, the holding force of the ball 35 can be stabilized.

Another structure for fixing the ball 35 to the tip of each of the support rods 36, 37, and 38 will be described. Fig. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a bonding structure of the ball 35 at the distal end of the support rod. The following description is not limited to the support rod 36, but is also applicable to the support rod 37 and the support rod 38.

The tip of the support rod 36 shown in fig. 14 has a conical recess 51 for placing the ball 35 thereon, similarly to the configuration shown in fig. 13. Further, as shown in fig. 14, a through hole 54 is provided at the tip of the support rod 36 so as to pass through the outer surface of the support rod 36 from the bottom of the conical recess 51. The through hole 54 is used to allow the adhesive used to fix the ball 35 to escape to the outside of the conical recess 51. By providing such through-hole 54, the adhesive material between the conical inclined surface and the ball 35 can be made thin. Further, a force for pulling the ball 35 toward the bottom of the conical recess 51 is generated by a contraction action at the time of curing the adhesive, and the holding force of the ball 35 is improved. In the embodiment shown in fig. 14, the adhesive is more easily released by the through-hole 54 communicating with the outer surface of the support rod 36, but the through-hole 54 does not necessarily need to communicate with the outer surface of the support rod 36. The same degree of effect can be obtained by providing only a thin cylindrical recess at the bottom of the conical recess 51.

Before the X-ray CT imaging is performed on the instrument 30, coordinates of 15 balls 35 are measured by the CMM, and coordinate information of each ball 35 and a value of an inter-ball distance obtained from a coordinate measurement result are stored in the personal computer PC.

In the tool 30, the support rod holding mechanism 40 can restrain the support rods 36, 37, and 38 in the three-dimensional space, and the ball 35 can be stably fixed to the support rods 36, 37, and 38 in which the conical recess 51 is formed. Therefore, even when the tool 30 is tilted during transportation or installation before the tool 30 is placed on the turntable 13, or when the tool 30 is turned upside down, the change in the ball position can be reduced more than in the conventional case. In addition, when coordinate measurement is performed by the CMM, even when a considerable amount of external force is applied to the support rods 36, 37, and 38 due to contact of the probe with the ball 35, it is possible to prevent a change in the position of the ball as in the conventional case.

When the CMM coordinate measurement is completed, the XYZ space in which the balls 35 are arranged is covered by the cover 33. In this instrument 30, since the number of balls 35 is limited to 15, coordinate measurement of the CMM can be performed quickly. Further, since the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the conventional one, the manufacturing cost of the tool 30 can be suppressed.

When performing X-ray CT imaging of the tool 30, the tool 30 is positioned with the cover 33 attached to the rotary table 13, and X-ray CT imaging is performed.

In the instrument 30 of the present embodiment, since the projection coordinates (Xi, Y i) of the respective balls 35 are substantially uniform as shown in fig. 4, and the positions in the Z direction of the 3X-Y planes having different Z positions are also substantially uniform, the 15 balls 35 arranged in the XYZ space do not have a structure in which the spherical bodies are arranged on the conventional conical surface, and have an appropriate distance interval. Such a spherical arrangement enables complete capture of spatial distortion inherent in the X-ray CT apparatus.

In the tool 30 of the present embodiment, the upper surface of the base 31 is made flat 32, and the lengths of the support rods 36, 37, and 38 of the support ball 35 are changed, whereby the evaluation range in the Z-axis direction in the imaging field space in the primary X-ray CT imaging can be made wider than that of a conventional tool having a stepped base.

In the tool 30 of the present embodiment, the difference in length between the shortest support rod 36 and the longest support rod 38 (for example, 60mm) is made longer than the radius (50mm) of a circle centered on the origin (0,0) of the projection coordinates shown in fig. 4. Therefore, the arrangement range of the plurality of spheres is a range in which the distance in the Z direction between the X-Y plane having the lowest Z position among the plurality of X-Y planes and the X-Y plane having the highest Z position is larger than the distance in the XY direction from the Z axis. As described above, in the present embodiment, since the difference between the arrangement range of the balls 35 on the X-Y plane and the arrangement range in the Z-axis direction is set smaller than the conventional one, for example, when the size ratio of the aspect of the X-ray detector 12 is equal, the cylindrical imaging view space can be isotropically evaluated by 2X-ray CT imaging, and the size ratio of the aspect of the X-ray detector 12 is vertical: 1: in case 2, the cylindrical imaging field space can be isotropically evaluated by 1X-ray CT imaging. In this way, the number of times of repeating measurement by changing the Z-axis position can be reduced compared to the conventional one, and therefore, the imaging time for evaluating the measurement accuracy of the X-ray CT apparatus can be shortened.

In order to enable the cylindrical imaging field space to be evaluated isotropically by 1X-ray CT imaging, when the vertical-to-horizontal dimension ratio of the X-ray detector 12 is equal, the distance in the Z direction between the X-Y plane with the lowest Z position and the X-Y plane with the highest Z position among the plurality of X-Y planes is preferably substantially equal to the distance 2 times the distance in the XY direction from the Z axis. The arrangement range of the balls 35 may be changed depending on the size of the X-ray detector 12, the length of the support rods 36, 37, 38 due to the material deflection, and the like, such that the distance in the Z direction between the X-Y plane with the lowest Z position and the X-Y plane with the highest Z position among the plurality of X-Y planes is larger than the distance in the XY direction from the Z axis (the radius of a circle centered on the origin (0,0) of the projection coordinates shown in fig. 4) and smaller than or substantially equal to 2 times the distance in the XY direction from the Z axis (the diameter of a circle centered on the origin (0,0) of the projection coordinates shown in fig. 4).

Description of the reference numerals

11X-ray irradiation unit

12X-ray detector

13 rotating table

14 worktable driving mechanism

15 high voltage generating device

16X-ray control unit

17 worktable control part

18 CT image reconstruction arithmetic device

22 input device

23 display device

30 appliances

31 base station

32 flat surface

33 cover

35 sphere

36 support rod

37 support rod

38 support rod

40 support rod retention mechanism

41 cylindrical part

42 bolt for load

43 external screw thread part

44 punching hole

45 stopper for fixing

46 load transmission stopper

47 convex part

51 conical recess

52 upper end

54 through hole

131 base station

136 support bar

140 fixing part

144 gap of the divided portion

145 fastening screw

153 external screw thread part

150 fixing part

231 base station

235 hole ball

236 support rod

239 a thin shaft.