Horiba, Ltd.

Yoshihiro Wakiyama

Yoshinori Hosokawa

Shintaro Komatani

Yoshiro Ohnishi

Shunji Nagao

Yoshiaki Okada

Yazyuro Nomura

Takeshi Aoyama

An improved fluorescent x-ray instrument includes an x-ray tube for generating x-rays, with a control grid regulating the production of x-rays. An operator can set the voltage to be applied to the control grid, and a feedback system will set a desired voltage to the control grid. An operator will be provided an output signal representative of the monitor control grid voltage to enable the operator to determine the operative status of the x-ray tube.

Fluorescent x-ray analyzer and monitoring system for increasing

An X-ray analyzer capable of reducing the effects of a shift of peak positions in an energy spectrum resulting from a change in temperature and a lapse of time in an X-ray detector to enable a highly accurate analysis. A shift of peak positions of X-rays from known positions are detected and a voltage applied to a proportional counter is controlled on the basis of the detected results. In addition, a gain in an amplifier amplifying an output from the X-ray detector may be controlled on the basis of the detected results.

X-ray analyzer with self-correcting feature

An analog/digital converter includes a peak holding circuit for holding a peak voltage of input analog data and a peak time detecting circuit for detecting a point of time when the input analog data reaches a peak voltage. Also included is a constant current discharging circuit for discharging the peak voltage held in the peak holding circuit at a constant current from the peak point of time detected by the peak time detecting circuit. The converter also includes a zero time detecting circuit for detecting a zero point of time when a voltage held in the peak holding circuit is reduced to zero and a time to digital converting circuit for counting a number of pulses in a pulse line obtained by gating clock pulses during a period of time from the peak time detected by the peak detecting circuit to the zero time detected by the zero time detecting circuit, the time to digital converting including a counter to output digital data corresponding to the input analog data. A positive offset analog voltage is added to the input analog data and a digital compensator compensates the digital data obtained by the time to digital converting circuit by providing a negative offset digital value approximately corresponding to the positive offset analog voltage, more correctly, equal to a number of pulses in a pulse line passing through a clock gate of the time-to-digital converting circuit for a period of time during which the input analog data has a value equal to zero.

Method of analog/digital conversion

A method of correcting a dead time in an analog/digital converter or a linear amplifier in which a time, which is obtained by adding a time, from a predetermined level to a peak of an output generated by a slow amplifier after an input of a pulse signal from a first amplifier, to a time required for treating an output signal from said slow amplifier, is used as a dead time to reduce a correcting error.

Method of correcting a dead time

A sample cell useful in fluorescent X-ray analytical devices is provided herein, which cell is composed of an inner frame; an inner frame cover and a radiation-permeable sheet which houses the sample to be analyzed and an outer frame which covers the sample. The inner frame cover which is formed by bending a soft plastic film and the radiation-permeable sheet are such that they may be discarded after each analysis whereas the inner frame and the outer frame are used for reinforcement and sealing up of the sample and are never contaminated with the sample to be analyzed. Since the inner frame cover and the X-ray permeable sheet are the only members of the sample cell which contact the sample to be analyzed, these portions have been made from inexpensive disposable materials so that they can be discarded after each X-ray analysis, thereby eliminating the need to wash the sample cell after each analysis. Since the inner frame and the outer frame are not in contact with the sample to be analyzed, these portions may be used repeatedly in conjunction with each new disposable inner frame cover and radiation-permeable sheet. According to the present invention, the troublesome and laborious cleaning operation necessary in conventional sample cells is eliminated and further, contamination of the hands or clothes by the sample to be analyzed is prevented.

Growing community of inventors

Kyoto, Japan

Yoshihiro Wakiyama