Patent Description:
The present disclosure relates to an X-ray irradiator for single blood bags, and more particularly, to an X-ray irradiator for single blood bags capable of performing X-ray irradiation treatment of the blood bags one by one.

A blood bag for transfusion is configured to accommodate a certain amount of blood, and is stored at low temperatures and used if necessary. Since blood for transfusion contains part of the donor's immune system, it is necessary to neutralize the immune system in order to receive a blood transfusion.

Specifically, when lymphocytes contained in the blood are not removed before transfusion, the transfused lymphocytes proliferate in the patient's body with a weakened immune function, which may cause a graft versus host disease (GVHD) that attacks the patient's epithelial cells. Accordingly, a general method of performing irradiation with radiation to remove lymphocytes present in blood for transfusion is performed by using a blood irradiation device, and Cs-<NUM> is mainly used as a gamma source. The irradiation is performed with radiation (gamma rays) of about <NUM>,<NUM> rad, and in this case, it is possible to incapacitate only lymphocytes without affecting the function of red blood cells or platelets.

On the other hand, GVHD may be induced even in patients with normal immune function. When tissues in the donated blood are transfused into a patient's body, it does not matter if the tissues in the patient's body are the same as those in the donated blood, but if the tissues are different, lymphocytes may proliferate and attack them. Therefore, even if transfusions are conducted between genetically close relatives, that is, between immediate family members, blood irradiation has to be performed before transfusion.

In this regard, in the related art, radiation is mainly used for the treatment of blood bags, and since ancillary equipment has to be essentially provided for the use of radiation, there is a problem of operational inefficiency in that the equipment becomes complicated and excessively large equipment is used to treat a small number of blood bags. An X-ray irradiator for single blood bags according to the preamble of claim <NUM> is e.g. known from <CIT> and <CIT>, respectively. Further configurations of X-ray irradiators for single blood bags are shown in <CIT> and <CIT>.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide an X-ray irradiator for single blood bags capable of solving the problem of the X-ray irradiator in the related art for treating the blood bags described above.

According to the present invention an X-ray irradiator is provided having the features of claim <NUM>. Namely, there is provided an X-ray irradiator for single blood bags comprising a main body of an X-ray irradiation unit provided with a chamber configured to safely hold a single blood bag therein and an X-ray tube configured to irradiate the chamber with X-rays, a loading part configured to load the blood bag, and a transfer part configured to transfer the blood bag between the loading part and the chamber to which X-rays are to be emitted, the loading part further comprising a hand unit having a sensor unit configured to determine a relative position of the blood bag on the tray when the tray is picked up.

Here, the loading part may include a tray slot configured to load with a plurality of trays, and the tray may be configured to individually load the blood bag.

Meanwhile, the transfer part may be configured to transfer the tray in a state in which the blood bag is held onto the tray.

Furthermore, the transfer part may be configured to reciprocate the tray between a first position for exchanging the tray with the loading part and a second position for exchanging the tray with the chamber.

Furthermore, the X-ray irradiator for single blood bags may further include a shielding door configured to shield the blood bag from the outside when the blood bag is disposed at an X-ray irradiation position in the chamber.

Meanwhile, the X-ray irradiator for single blood bags may further include a stamping unit provided on a reciprocating path of the transfer part, and configured to make a completion mark on the blood bag transferred after X-ray irradiation is completed in the chamber.

Here, the stamping unit may be provided inside the main body of the X-ray irradiation unit, and may be configured to perform stamping by moving downward and contacting an upper surface of the blood bag.

Meanwhile, the loading part may further include a housing, and the tray slot may be provided inside the housing and configured so that a plurality of the trays are loaded in a vertical direction.

Furthermore, the tray slot may include a plurality of supports spaced apart from each other in a vertical direction to support the plurality of trays, respectively.

Meanwhile, the hand unit may be configured to pick up any one tray loaded in the tray slot and move the picked up tray to the first position.

Furthermore, the hand unit may be controlled not to draw the tray out from the tray slot when it is determined that a loading position of the blood bag is defective.

Furthermore, the sensor unit of the hand unit may include a plurality of sensors, and the sensors may be provided facing from top to bottom of the tray and determine a position of the blood bag based on values measured by sensors provided in regions adjacent to edges of the tray and in a region adjacent to a central portion thereof.

Meanwhile, the X-ray irradiator for single blood bags may further include a controller configured to control the main body of the X-ray irradiation unit and the loading part, in which the controller is configured to record data on whether X-ray irradiation is completed on the blood bag loaded in the loading part, or whether the loading position is defective.

Meanwhile, the loading part may be further provided with a rotating frame configured to be rotated and include a plurality of tray slots formed to extend radially, and the rotating frame may be configured to locate each of the tray slots to the first position as the rotating frame is rotated.

Meanwhile, the tray slot may further include a holder configured to prevent the tray loaded in the tray slot from being separated.

Meanwhile, the tray slot may further include a tray door configured to prevent the blood bag from being separated.

The X-ray irradiator for single blood bags according to the present disclosure may perform X-ray treatment on single blood bags, which may perform an optimized treatment for a small amount of a blood bag and may simplify a system configuration by using an X-ray tube.

In addition, since a loading part is provided, the number of blood bags desired by a user may be automatically treated with the X-ray, which may increase the degree of freedom of operation.

Hereinafter, an X-ray irradiator for single blood bag according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the following embodiments, the names of respective components may be referred to as different names in the art. However, if they have functional similarities and identities, they may be viewed as having a uniform configuration even if a modified embodiment is employed. In addition, symbols added to each component are described for convenience of description. However, the details illustrated on the drawings in which these symbols are indicated do not limit each component to the range within the drawings. Likewise, even if an embodiment in which the configuration in the drawings is partially modified is employed, the embodiment may be regarded as having an equivalent configuration if it has a functional similarity and identity. In addition, when a component is recognized as a component that should be included in view of the level of those of ordinary skill in the art, a description thereof will be omitted.

Hereinafter, an X-ray irradiator for single blood bags according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> is a perspective view illustrating a concept of an X-ray irradiator for single blood bags according to the present disclosure. In this drawing, the front surface of the housing of the main body of the X-ray irradiator is omitted for convenience of description. <FIG> is a cross-sectional view of the main body of the X-ray irradiator.

As shown, the X-ray irradiator for single blood bags <NUM> according to the present disclosure may be configured to include a main body <NUM> of an X-ray irradiation unit <NUM>, a loading part <NUM>, and a transfer part <NUM>.

The main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM> is configured to perform X-ray irradiation for treating the blood bags <NUM> on the individual basis. The loading part <NUM> is loaded with a plurality of blood bags <NUM>, and each of the blood bags <NUM> is configured to be loaded in each of spaces separated from each other so as to aid in transport one by one. The transfer part <NUM> is configured to transfer the blood bag <NUM> from the loading part <NUM> to the main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM> to supply the blood bag <NUM> that needs X-ray treatment, or, conversely, to transfer the blood bag <NUM> on which the X-ray treatment has been completed from the main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM> to the loading part <NUM>. In the present embodiment, a description will be made on the premise that the transfer part <NUM> is provided on the main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM>. However, the transfer part <NUM> may be provided on the main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM>, and may be applied by modifying the configuration so as to be provided on the loading part <NUM>.

The main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM> may be configured to include a housing <NUM>, a chamber <NUM>, the transfer part <NUM>, the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM>, a control panel <NUM>, a display unit <NUM>, a stamping unit <NUM>, a controller <NUM>, and a power supply unit <NUM>.

The housing <NUM> is configured to form the overall appearance of the main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM>. The housing <NUM> may be provided in a hexahedral shape as a whole, and may be divided into an upper stage <NUM> and a lower stage <NUM>. The upper stage <NUM> may be a space in which the blood bag <NUM> is treated, and the lower stage <NUM> may include a power supply unit <NUM>, a cooler, and the controller <NUM> for driving the entire device. The housing <NUM> may further include an outer door configured to move the tray <NUM> on a side wall thereof. The opening and closing operation of the outer door <NUM> may be controlled door so that the tray <NUM> may be transferred between a withdrawal part of the loading part <NUM> to be described later and the transfer part <NUM>. Meanwhile, the outer door <NUM> may be provided on both side walls and configured to receive the blood bag <NUM> from each loading part <NUM> or such that the user directly supplies the blood bag <NUM>.

<FIG> is an enlarged partial perspective view of the chamber <NUM> of <FIG>.

The chamber <NUM> is a place where X-rays are irradiated in a state in which the blood bag <NUM> is transferred. The chamber <NUM> is configured in a size sufficient to allow a single blood bag <NUM> to be irradiated with X-rays. In this case, one blood bag <NUM> is transferred to the inside of the chamber <NUM> in a state of being loaded on one tray <NUM>, and the size of the chamber <NUM> is determined so that the tray <NUM> is able to be positioned inside the chamber <NUM>. The height of the upper surface of the chamber <NUM> may be determined so that when X-ray irradiation is performed from the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM> toward the blood bag <NUM> below, which is to be described later, the blood bag <NUM> may be irradiated with a uniform dose. The chamber <NUM> may be made of an X-ray shielding material and have a thickness capable of shielding X-rays so that when X-ray irradiation is performed, radiation to the outside is prevented. For example, the chamber <NUM> may be made of a metallic material and configured to shield X-rays. The chamber <NUM> may have an opening in the side thereof so that the tray <NUM> may be transferred from the transfer part. A shielding door <NUM> may be provided in the opening, and the chamber <NUM> may be configured to be sealed by closing the shielding door <NUM> before irradiating the tray <NUM> with X-rays.

The transfer part <NUM> is configured to transfer the tray <NUM> in which the blood bag <NUM> is loaded. The transfer part <NUM> may be configured to be horizontally movable in a state of supporting the tray <NUM>, and for example, may be a conveyor belt. One side of the transfer part <NUM> may be adjacent to the outer door <NUM>, and the other side may be formed to extend to the inside of the chamber <NUM> by passing through the shielding door <NUM> of the chamber <NUM>. The transfer part <NUM> is operated by a control signal from the controller <NUM>, and may be configured such that the tray may be transferred between a first position P1 for exchanging the tray <NUM> with the loading part <NUM> and a second position P2 inside the chamber <NUM> where the tray <NUM> is subjected to the X-ray treatment.

However, in the present embodiment, a configuration in which the transfer part <NUM> is a conveyor belt is disclosed, but this is only an example and may be modified into various configurations capable of horizontally moving the tray <NUM> when applied. In addition, a configuration in which the other side of the transfer part <NUM> extends to the inside of the chamber <NUM> is shown, but a separate drive unit may be provided to transfer the tray <NUM> from the transfer part <NUM> to the inside of the chamber <NUM>.

The X-ray irradiation unit <NUM> may be configured to emit X-rays into the chamber <NUM>. The X-ray irradiation unit <NUM> is provided on the upper side of the chamber <NUM> to emit X-rays downward, and the X-ray irradiation paths may be formed in the shape of a cone in which an irradiation area is gradually widened toward the lower side. The X-ray irradiation unit <NUM> may be configured such that an area of X-rays with which the blood bag <NUM> is irradiated is larger than that of the blood bag <NUM>. That is, the irradiation region of X-rays with which the tray <NUM> is irradiated may be larger than the cross-sectional area of the blood bag <NUM>. In the case of such a configuration, even if the posture of the blood bag <NUM> is not changed or the direction of X-ray irradiation is not changed, the X-ray treatment may be uniformly performed as a whole. Meanwhile, the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM> may be an X-ray tube, for example. The X-ray tube may be configured to include a glass tube, a cathode, an anode, and a target, but since a widely used configuration may be applied, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Referring back to <FIG>, the control panel <NUM> is provided on the upper surface of the housing <NUM>. The control panel <NUM> may be configured to allow a user to perform an operation input or display information about state with respect to the main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM> and the loading part <NUM> to be described later. The control panel <NUM> may be provided on the upper surface of the housing <NUM> in order to improve the operability and recognition of the user, and may be configured to have a slightly tilted inclination toward the front. Accordingly, the user may manipulate the control panel <NUM> while looking from the top to the bottom, thereby improving convenience.

The control panel <NUM> may include an input unit <NUM>, a display unit <NUM>, and a notification unit <NUM>.

The input unit <NUM> may be configured to generate an input signal for the overall operation of the main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM> and the operation of the loading part <NUM> with an input of the user.

The display unit <NUM> is provided on a part of the upper surface of the housing <NUM>. The display unit <NUM> is configured to receive a signal from the controller <NUM>, which will be described later, and to generate an image signal so that the user may visually recognize the signal. The display unit <NUM> may be configured to display information on a current progress status, the number of loaded blood bags <NUM>, the number of treated blood bags <NUM>, the type of blood loaded in the blood bag <NUM>, or the like. Meanwhile, since the configuration of images displayed on the display unit <NUM> may be applied in various configuration methods, further detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The notification unit <NUM> is configured to notify the user while the X-ray is being emitted, and may induce the user not to approach the main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM> by making the user aware that X-ray irradiation is in progress.

The stamping unit <NUM> is configured to perform completion mark stamping on the blood bag <NUM> on which X-ray irradiation has been completed. The stamping unit <NUM> may be provided on the upper stage <NUM> of the housing <NUM> and may be provided above the transfer part <NUM>. The stamping unit <NUM> is connected to the upper side of the upper stage, may be formed to extend from top to bottom, and may be raised and lowered in the vertical direction. The stamping unit <NUM> may be provided with an actuator (not shown) extending in the vertical direction so that the lower end thereof descends to the upper surface of the blood bag <NUM> to contact the surface of the blood bag <NUM>. The stamping unit <NUM> may be configured to make a mark on the blood bag <NUM> using ink. Meanwhile, the stamping unit <NUM> may be controlled to perform stamping by descending when the transfer part <NUM> is temporarily stopped at a third position P3 where stamping is performed while transferring the tray <NUM> from the chamber <NUM> to the second position P2.

The controller <NUM> may be configured to perform overall control of the X-ray irradiator. The controller <NUM> may be provided on the lower station. The main function of the controller <NUM> may be to control elements for movement of the blood bag <NUM> and generation of X-rays, and, specifically, may be to control electrical elements such as an X-ray tube, a high voltage generator, and a transformer. In addition, feedback control may be performed by receiving information on the blood bag <NUM> to be treated using a plurality of sensors.

The power supply unit <NUM> may be configured to supply power required for electrical elements and mechanical driving elements such as the controller <NUM>, a transformer (not shown), and a high voltage supply (not shown). Since the configuration of the power supply unit <NUM> may be variously modified into generally available components, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Hereinafter, operations in the main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM> will be described with reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>.

<FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG> are operational state diagrams illustrating a concept of a process of treating the blood bags <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the transfer part <NUM> is driven, and then the tray <NUM> is transferred from the first position P1 to the second position P2 inside the chamber <NUM>. That is, according to the configuration of <FIG>, the tray <NUM> may be moved from left to right in <FIG>. At this time, when the tray <NUM> is transferred into the chamber <NUM>, the shielding door <NUM> of the chamber <NUM> may be raised and opened, and after the tray <NUM> passes, the shielding door <NUM> may be closed. Then, as shown in <FIG>, the blood bag <NUM> is irradiated with the X-rays generated by the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM>. The X-ray irradiation time may vary depending on factors such as the size of the blood bag <NUM>, the type of blood contained in the blood bag <NUM>, for example, a plasma component and a whole blood component. In the case of whole blood, X-rays may be emitted for <NUM> to <NUM> minutes depending on the strength of the X-rays.

Then, as shown in <FIG>, when the X-ray irradiation is completed, the shielding door <NUM> is opened again and the transfer part <NUM> is operated to remove the tray <NUM> from the chamber <NUM>, and the transfer part <NUM> is controlled to be temporarily stopped at the third position P3, which is determined to be on the lower side of the stamping unit <NUM>. Then, by operating the stamping unit <NUM>, stamping is performed on the outer surface of the blood bag <NUM> loaded on the tray <NUM> to indicate that the X-ray treatment is complete.

After the stamping is completed, as shown in <FIG>, by operating the transfer part <NUM>, the tray <NUM> is moved to the first position P1, and in the first position P1, the loading part <NUM> to be described later transfers and loads the tray <NUM>.

Hereinafter, the loading part <NUM> will be described in detail with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> is a perspective view of the loading part <NUM>. As shown, the loading part <NUM> is configured to be loaded with a plurality of trays <NUM> to individually supply each of the trays <NUM> to the main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM> or load the tray <NUM> in a loading slot. The loading part <NUM> may be configured to include a case <NUM>, a tray slot <NUM>, a hand unit <NUM>, a temperature control unit, and a door.

The case <NUM> forms the appearance of the overall loading part <NUM>. The case <NUM> may be provided with the tray slot <NUM>, an insertion/retrieval unit <NUM>, the hand unit <NUM>, and a temperature control part therein. An opening may be formed on the side of the case <NUM> close to the main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM> so that the tray <NUM> may be exchanged with the main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM>. The other side of the case <NUM> may be provided with a door so that the case may be opened and closed, which may allow approach to the inside of the case when the user pulls out the blood bag <NUM> that has been treated with X-rays or reloads the blood bag <NUM> that needs X-ray treatment in the loading part <NUM>.

The tray slot <NUM> is configured to be loaded with a plurality of trays <NUM>. A space of the tray slot <NUM> may be partitioned by sub-frames <NUM> and supports <NUM>. A plurality of the tray slots <NUM> may be provided side by side in the vertical direction on one side in the case <NUM>. Each tray <NUM> may be configured to be held in one tray slot <NUM>. The tray slot <NUM> may be formed to be spaced apart from an adjacent tray slot by a predetermined distance so that interference does not occur when the hand unit <NUM> to be described later picks up the tray <NUM> and transfers the tray <NUM>. Therefore, the tray slots <NUM> may be arranged such that, when the trays <NUM> are loaded in two adjacent tray slots and a hand is inserted between the two trays <NUM> and grips the lower tray <NUM>, the hand and the upper tray <NUM> do not interfere with each other.

The tray slot <NUM> may be connected to and fixed to the sub-frames <NUM> formed to extend from one point of the case <NUM> in the vertical direction. The sub-frames <NUM> are disposed at intervals greater than the width of the tray <NUM>, and may be configured as a pair to serve as a base on which a plurality of supports <NUM> to be described later may be fixed.

Each tray slot <NUM> may be provided with a pair of supports <NUM> spaced apart from each other. The support <NUM> may be formed to extend in one direction, may support the lower surface of the tray <NUM>, and may be formed in an "L" shape to support the side surface. In this case, a bending direction may be formed in a shape cut in the lateral direction to facilitate insertion of the tray <NUM> from the side. In the plurality of tray slots <NUM>, the height difference between the respective supports <NUM> may be determined to be greater than the height of the tray <NUM> for smooth entry and exit of the tray <NUM> when the user inserts or reloads the tray <NUM> in the lateral direction. However, the sub-frames <NUM> and the plurality of supports <NUM> constituting the tray slot <NUM> are only exemplary, and may be modified into various configurations capable of easily exchanging the tray <NUM> with the outside and loading a plurality of trays.

The insertion/retrieval unit <NUM> is configured to exchange the tray <NUM> with the outside. The insertion/retrieval unit <NUM> may be provided on the upper side of the tray slot <NUM> and may be configured to move the tray <NUM> in the horizontal direction. For example, the transfer part <NUM> may be a conveyor belt that is movable in the horizontal direction. When the hand unit <NUM> to be described later grips the tray <NUM> and holds the tray <NUM> on the upper surface of the insertion/retrieval unit <NUM>, the conveyor is driven to move the tray <NUM> outside of the loading part <NUM>, then the first position, and next, hand over the tray <NUM> to the transfer part <NUM> provided in the main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM>. In addition, the insertion/retrieval unit <NUM> may take over the tray <NUM> in which the blood bag <NUM> that has been treated with X-rays is loaded from the transfer part <NUM> and move the tray <NUM> to the inside of the loading part <NUM>. Meanwhile, the insertion/retrieval unit <NUM> may include a roller which is connected to the drive unit of the insertion/retrieval unit <NUM> and rotates.

<FIG> is a partial perspective view of the hand unit <NUM>, and <FIG> is a plan view of the tray <NUM>. Referring to <FIG>, the hand unit <NUM> is configured to transfer the tray <NUM> inside of the loading part <NUM>. The hand unit <NUM> is configured to grip the single tray <NUM> and to perform a main operation between the tray slot <NUM> and the insertion/retrieval unit <NUM>. The hand unit <NUM> may be configured to include a plurality of links <NUM> to enable movement in a first direction for gripping the tray <NUM>, movement in a second direction for removing the tray <NUM> from the tray slot, and movement in a third direction for moving the tray <NUM> in the vertical direction. The hand unit <NUM> may be configured to include at least three drive units to perform the aforementioned movements in the three directions. Each drive unit may be a linear actuator <NUM> so that movement in a linear direction may be performed. Meanwhile, the hand unit <NUM> is provided with a pair of gripping units <NUM> to stably grip the plurality of trays <NUM>, and the gripping units <NUM> may be configured to be inserted into grooves formed in the tray <NUM>. However, the configuration of the hand and the configuration of the gripping unit <NUM> corresponding to the tray are only exemplary, and may be modified in various ways capable of stably gripping and transferring the tray <NUM>.

Meanwhile, as shown in <FIG>, the hand unit <NUM> may include sensors configured to determine the location of the blood bag <NUM> at a plurality of points. A sensor unit <NUM> may be constituted by distance sensors, for example, and may be configured to individually perform sensing at sensing positions including four regions adjacent to edges and a central portion in the loading space of the blood bag <NUM> inside the tray. The combination of the measured values makes it possible to check whether the blood bag <NUM> is loaded and whether the loading position is defective. The position determination of the blood bag <NUM> may be made when the hand unit <NUM> grips the tray <NUM> for transferring. When the hand unit <NUM> grips the tray <NUM>, the distance between the sensor unit <NUM> and the bottom surface of the tray <NUM> is a constant value, and when the distance is measured shorter than the constant value, a determination may be made that the blood bag <NUM> is positioned. Meanwhile, with reference to <FIG>, the position measurement of the blood bag <NUM> will be described in detail later.

A temperature control unit (not shown) is configured to maintain an appropriate temperature when a plurality of blood bags <NUM> are loaded. The temperature control unit may be provided on one side of the case <NUM>.

Meanwhile, although not shown, the controller <NUM> configured to control a driving element inside the loading part <NUM> may be separately provided. The controller <NUM> may drive the above-described driving element, drive the hand unit <NUM> based on values measured from the sensors of the hand unit <NUM>, or transmit a signal to the main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM>.

<FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG> are operational state diagrams inside the loading part <NUM>. First, as shown in <FIG>, the hand unit <NUM> moves to the tray slot <NUM> in which the blood bag <NUM> that needs X-ray treatment is loaded to grip the tray <NUM>. Then, as shown in <FIG>, the hand unit <NUM> is moved upward by a certain distance in a gripping state to prevent interference with the support <NUM>, and then removes the tray <NUM> from the slot. Then, the tray <NUM> is mounted on a seating surface, which is the upper surface of the conveyor of the insertion/retrieval unit <NUM>.

Meanwhile, as shown in <FIG>, when the tray <NUM> in which the blood bag <NUM> that has been treated with X-rays is loaded is transferred back to the loading part <NUM>, the hand may operate in an order reversed from that described above.

<FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG> are examples of a case where the loading position is defective when the blood bag <NUM> is loaded on the tray <NUM>. In contrast to the case of <FIG>, there may be a case in which the blood bag <NUM> is detected by one of the sensors at the edges and the sensor at the center (<FIG> and <FIG>), and a case in which the blood bag <NUM> is biased to one side and the measurement is performed only with the sensor near the edge (<FIG>). In this way, when X-rays are emitted while the blood bag <NUM> is loaded, there is a concern that the blood bag <NUM> is partially unevenly subjected to X-ray treatment. In this case, at the time of picking up by the hand unit <NUM>, a case in which the loading position of the blood bag <NUM> is defective is detected in advance, and the corresponding tray <NUM> is left as it is without being transferred to the insertion/retrieval unit <NUM>, and the transfer operation of the next tray <NUM> is performed. At this time, the controller <NUM> may function to record the loading defect of the corresponding tray <NUM> and notify the user.

<FIG> is a conceptual diagram illustrating a transfer path of the blood bag <NUM>. As shown, the individual blood bag <NUM> is drawn out from the tray slot <NUM> in a state of being loaded on the tray <NUM> and held on the insertion/retrieval unit <NUM> (①). The insertion/retrieval unit <NUM> transfers the tray <NUM> in connection with the transfer part <NUM>, and the transfer part <NUM> that has taken over the tray <NUM> transfers the tray <NUM> into the chamber <NUM> (②). Then, when the X-ray irradiation is completed, the transfer part <NUM> transfers the tray <NUM> in the reverse direction, disposes the tray <NUM> below the stamping unit <NUM>, performs stamping (③), and then transfers the tray <NUM> to the insertion/retrieval unit <NUM> again (④). When the transfer part <NUM> takes over the tray <NUM>, the hand unit <NUM> grips the tray <NUM> to hold the tray <NUM> in the tray slot <NUM> where it has been originally positioned (⑤). Then, X-ray irradiation is performed in a unit of single blood bag <NUM> while changing trays <NUM>. The number of blood bags <NUM> to be treated with X-rays may be set by the user or may be determined by the number loaded into the loading part <NUM> by the user.

Hereinafter, another embodiment according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to <FIG>. The present embodiment may be configured to include the same components as those of the above-described embodiment, and descriptions of the same components will be omitted to avoid overlapping descriptions and only the different components will be described in detail.

<FIG> shows an X-ray irradiator for single blood bags <NUM> according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, <FIG> is an enlarged perspective view showing a transfer part <NUM> of <FIG>, and <FIG> is a perspective view of the tray (<NUM>) of <FIG>.

In a configuration of the loading part <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the loading part <NUM> may be provided with a plurality of tray slots <NUM> and may be configured to include a rotating frame to be rotatable. The rotating frame <NUM> may be configured to include a plurality of tray slots <NUM> formed to be spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals in a rotation direction, and each tray slot <NUM> may be configured to extend radially from a rotation center of the rotating frame <NUM> and be sequentially positioned at a first position P1 during rotation.

However, although not shown, each tray slot <NUM> may be provided with a holder to prevent displacement during rotation when the tray <NUM> is loaded. The holder may be connected to a separate drive unit and configured to reciprocate between the fixed position and the release position of the tray <NUM>.

The rotating frame <NUM> may be configured to minimize the height tolerance with the upper surface of the transfer part <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM> for transfer of the tray <NUM> for smooth movement when exchanging the tray <NUM> with the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the transfer part <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM> may be configured to include a linear actuator (not shown) extending toward the loading part <NUM> to have an operating range capable of supporting the tray <NUM> and have an operating range capable of transferring the tray <NUM> inside the chamber <NUM> of the main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM>. Here, the transfer part <NUM> may be configured to have a plurality of layers, and an actuator (not shown) may be provided on each layers to have a large stroke.

Referring to <FIG>, in the present embodiment, the tray <NUM> may be provided with a tray door <NUM> on the upper surface. The tray door <NUM> is configured to be locked and unlocked relative to the tray <NUM>. Therefore, when the user locks the tray door <NUM> after loading the blood bag <NUM> inside the tray <NUM>, it is possible to prevent the driving of the rotating frame <NUM> from occurring while being loaded on the loading part <NUM> or to prevent the blood bag <NUM> from being separated to the outside of the tray <NUM> when the transfer is made in the main body <NUM> of the X-ray irradiation unit <NUM>.

As described above, the X-ray irradiator for single blood bags according to the present disclosure may perform X-ray treatment on single blood bags, which may perform an optimized treatment for a small amount of a blood bag, and may simplify a system configuration by using an X-ray tube.

In addition, since a loading part is provided, the number of blood bags desired by a user may be automatically treated with the X-ray, which may have an effect on increasing the degree of freedom of operation.

Claim 1:
An X-ray irradiator for single blood bags (<NUM>), comprising:
a main body (<NUM>) of an X-ray irradiation unit (<NUM>) provided with a chamber (<NUM>) configured to safely hold a single blood bag (<NUM>) therein and an X-ray tube (<NUM>) configured to irradiate the chamber (<NUM>) with X-rays;
a loading part (<NUM>) configured to load the blood bag (<NUM>); and
a transfer part (<NUM>) configured to transfer the blood bag (<NUM>) between the loading part (<NUM>) and the chamber (<NUM>) to which X-rays are to be emitted,
characterized by the loading part comprising a hand unit (<NUM>) which comprises a sensor unit (<NUM>) configured to determine a relative position of the blood bag (<NUM>) on the tray (<NUM>) when the tray (<NUM>) is picked up.