JPH0457584B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of the Invention) The present invention relates to a stimulable phosphor sheet in which the stimulable phosphor sheet is accumulated one by one by the feeding of a carrying mechanism such as an introduction roller and the falling of the sheet by its own weight. The present invention relates to a stacking tray for sheets, and more particularly to a stacking tray for stimulable phosphor sheets in which the sheets can be aligned and stacked at predetermined positions within the tray.

(Technical Background and Prior Art of the Invention) Certain phosphors are exposed to radiation (X-rays, α-rays, β-rays,
When irradiated with γ-rays, ultraviolet rays, etc., part of the energy of this radiation is accumulated in the phosphor, and then when the phosphor is irradiated with excitation light such as visible light,
The phosphor exhibits stimulated luminescence depending on the accumulated energy. A phosphor exhibiting such properties is called a stimulable phosphor.

Using this stimulable phosphor, radiographic image information of a subject such as a human body is stored and recorded on a sheet of stimulable phosphor, and this sheet is scanned with excitation light to cause stimulated luminescence. A radiation image information recording and reproducing method has been proposed in which the emitted light is read photoelectrically to obtain an image signal, and this image signal is processed to obtain a radiation image of a subject that is suitable for diagnosis (for example,
−12429, No. 56-11395, No. 55-163472, No. 56-11395, No. 55-163472, No.
56-104645, 55-116340, etc.). In this method, the final image may be reproduced as a hard copy or reproduced on a display device such as a CRT. In any case, in such a radiographic image information recording and reproducing method, the stimulable phosphor sheet does not ultimately record image information, but temporarily carries image information. The sheet may be used repeatedly, and such repeated use is extremely economical. Therefore, in order to use the stimulable phosphor sheet repeatedly, it is necessary to remove the radiation energy remaining in the stimulable phosphor sheet after the image information has been read by scanning with excitation light. Afterimage erasure is performed. This afterimage is erased by, for example, irradiating the entire surface of the sheet with light included in the excitation wavelength range of the stimulable phosphor constituting the sheet, heating the sheet, etc. The phosphor sheet is again used to record image information. In such a process, the stimulable phosphor sheets whose afterimages have been erased are once accumulated on a sheet accumulation tray, and the accumulated stimulable phosphor sheets are carried out together with the tray to record image information. The data is then transferred to the recording section where it is processed. Here, the accumulation of the stimulable phosphor sheets inside the tray is carried out one by one by feeding by a carry-in mechanism such as an introduction roller provided near the top of the tray and by falling of the sheets under their own weight. In order to reliably guide the phosphor sheet into the accumulation tray, the width of the carrying mechanism is larger than the width of the stimulable phosphor sheet, and the width of the tray is also larger than the width of the carrying mechanism. The stimulable phosphor sheets that are guided into the tray by the feed mechanism and then fall into the tray due to their own weight are not always aligned at a fixed position within the tray, and are stacked with deviations in the width direction of the sheets. There was also the problem that the sheets could easily move inside the tray. For this reason, in addition to the inconvenience that the stimulable phosphor sheet rattles within the tray when the tray is transported, causing damage to the sheet, when recording on the stimulable phosphor sheet in this tray, the recording device side Since the stimulable phosphor sheets are lifted one by one and automatically moved to the photographing position by the member, when the tray is transported to the recording section, the stimulable phosphor sheets are kept at a certain level in the tray. If the sheet is not aligned properly, misalignment of the sheet within the tray will directly result in misalignment at the shooting position, causing problems such as the stimulable phosphor sheet protruding from the designated shooting frame. .

(Object of the Invention) The present invention provides a method for transporting stimulable phosphor sheets to be supplied to the next stage, as in the case where the above-mentioned stimulable phosphor sheets from which afterimages have been removed are accumulated for recording purposes. In an accumulation tray of stimulable phosphor sheets, in which the stimulable phosphor sheets are accumulated one by one by feeding by a mechanism and falling under their own weight, the stimulable phosphor sheets are aligned in a predetermined position without shifting. This prevents the stimulable phosphor sheet from rattling and being damaged during transportation, and from being fed out of position when being fed to the next stage. The purpose is to provide an accumulating tray.

(Structure of the Invention) The stacking tray of stimulable phosphor sheets of the present invention comprises:
A tapered portion is provided on the inner wall of at least one side end surface, and a lower end of the tapered portion is arranged at a distance approximately equal to the width of the stimulable phosphor sheet and remains substantially parallel to the inner wall of the side end surface, and reaches the bottom wall of the accumulation tray. It is characterized in that it is provided so as to be joined to a long straight part, and a buffer material is provided on the surfaces of the tapered part and the straight part. This allows the stimulable phosphor sheet to be aligned in a predetermined position, and at the same time prevents the sheet from wobbling when the tray is conveyed.Furthermore, it softens the impact when the sheet falls into the tray, and the edges of the sheet It is characterized by being able to eliminate damage to. The tapered portion is provided on the inner wall of the tray at a position through which the lower end of the stimulable phosphor sheet, which falls under its own weight, passes.

(Embodiments) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the usage of the stimulable phosphor sheet accumulation tray of the present invention.

A stimulable phosphor sheet (hereinafter simply referred to as a sheet) 1 on which image information has been accumulated and recorded is scanned by excitation light 11 such as a laser beam deflected by a deflector 12 in a radiation image reading section 10. An image reading system 13 that photoelectrically reads stimulated luminescence light emitted from the sheet 1 by scanning reads image information while being conveyed on a conveyor belt 14. The sheet 1 that has been read is then conveyed to the afterimage erasing section 20. This afterimage erasing section 2
0, the sheet 1 is conveyed on the conveyor belt 22 and is irradiated with erasing light from the erasing light source 21 above, thereby erasing the radiation image remaining on the sheet 1. This erasing light source 21 releases the radiation energy remaining in the sheet 1 by irradiating it with light included in the excitation wavelength range of the stimulable phosphor of the sheet 12, and is a fluorescent lamp, a tungsten lamp, Halogen lamps, infrared lamps, laser light sources, etc. may be used.

The sheet 1 whose afterimage has been erased in the afterimage eraser 20 is carried out to the outside of the afterimage eraser and is accumulated in the sheet accumulation tray 3. The afterimage erasing section 20
A pair of introduction rollers 2A and 2B for guiding the discharged sheet 1 into the tray 3 is provided outside near the sheet discharge port 23. The sheet 1 is guided halfway into the tray 3, which stands diagonally with the opening surface facing upward, by the introduction rollers 2A and 2B, and after the sheet 1 leaves the printing rollers 2A and 2B, it falls due to its own weight. They are accumulated one by one. Although only one tray is provided in FIG. 1, a plurality of trays may be provided so that sheets can be stacked according to the size of the sheets.

The pair of introduction rollers 2A, 2B have a width larger than the width of the sheet 1 in order to reliably guide the sheet 1, and the tray 3 has a width larger than the width of the sheet 1 in order to reliably guide the sheet 1.
In order to reliably receive the sheet 1 guided by B, the width is larger than the width of the introduction rollers 2A and 2B. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the width of the tray 3 is larger than the width of the sheet 1;
A tapered portion 4 is provided at the position indicated by the arrow b in FIG. The height b of the tapered portion 4 is such that the lower end of the sheet 1 introduced into the tray 3 by the distance indicated by the arrow a by the introduction rollers 2A, 2B is separated from the introduction rollers 2A, 2B and falls due to its own weight. This is the part that passes through, and sheet 1 falls under its own weight.
The lower end of the tapered portion 4 slides on the tapered slope 4a and is guided to a predetermined position. This tapered portion 4 is made of a material such as synthetic resin, metal, etc. that allows the sheet 1 in contact with it to slide and fall under its own weight. Further, the lower part of the tapered part 4 is formed so as to be joined to a straight part 4b that is substantially parallel to the inner wall of the other end surface of the tray 3. Furthermore, this tapered portion 4
The surfaces of the tapered slope 4a and the straight portion 4b are provided with a cushioning material such as a polyethylene film pasted on the surface of a sponge layer or a raised material, which softens the impact when the sheet falls. This eliminates damage to the edge portion of the sheet, and also eliminates wobbling of the sheet during tray conveyance. Further, by providing such a straight portion 4b at the lower part of the tapered portion 4, the positioning of the sheet 1 within the tray 3 can be performed more reliably. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in the present invention, tapered portions 4A, 4
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the side end surface of the tray 3 may be formed into a tapered shape in advance. As shown in FIG. 5, a slipping layer 5 such as a Teflon layer or a polyethylene layer is provided on the surface of the above-mentioned cushioning material provided on at least the surfaces of the tapered slope 4a and the straight portion 4b of the tape portion 4.
By layering the sheet 1, the tapered portion 4 can guide the sheet 1 even more smoothly.
This is most preferable since it provides a buffering effect and a sliding effect.

The sheets 1 aligned and stacked in the tray 3 as described above are transported to the recording section 30 shown in FIG. 1 for image recording. In the recording section 30, each sheet in the tray 3 is transferred one by one to the suction arm 3.
3, and is taken out from the tray 3 and automatically transported onto the photographing table 31. Since the sheets are aligned in the tray 3 without any displacement, each sheet is always correctly placed on a predetermined imaging position 32 within the irradiation field of the radiation 34 by the suction arm 33.

The stimulable phosphor sheet accumulation tray of the present invention has been described above by taking as an example the case where the stimulable phosphor sheets discharged from the afterimage erasing section are accumulated for supply to the recording section. The mode of use of the accumulation tray is not limited to this.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above in detail, the tray for accumulating stimulable phosphor sheets of the present invention has a tapered portion on the inner wall of at least one end surface of the tray, and the lower end of the tapered portion is approximately equal to the width of the sheet. They are provided so as to be joined to a straight part of a predetermined length that is spaced at the same interval and reaches the bottom wall of the tray while remaining substantially parallel to the inner wall of the side end surface of the tray, and a buffer material is provided on the surfaces of the tapered part and the straight part. ing. This makes it possible to align the sheets that fall due to their own weight in a predetermined position and prevent them from shifting inside the tray, so the sheets will not move inside the tray when the tray is conveyed and cause damage to the sheets. By conveying the tray to the next stage while the sheet is still generated, the problem that the sheets that are automatically taken out one by one from the tray at that stage are fed out of position is also solved. Furthermore, the cushioning material provided on the surfaces of the tapered portion and the straight portion reduces the cushioning when the sheet falls into the tray, thereby providing a cushioning effect that can eliminate damage to the edge portion of the sheet. Can be done.

The stacking tray of the present invention can achieve the above-mentioned great effects without requiring a complicated mechanism such as a sheet holding member, and has extremely great practical value.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating one mode of use of the accumulation tray of the stimulable phosphor sheet of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view and sectional view showing one embodiment of the accumulation tray of the present invention, and FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are plan views showing other embodiments of the accumulating tray of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view showing the accumulating tray of the present invention in which a sliding layer is provided on the surface of the tapered part. be. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Storage phosphor sheet, 2A, 2B...Introduction roller, 3...Tray, 4...Tapered portion, 4a
...Tapered slope, 5...Slip layer.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a stimulable phosphor sheet accumulation tray in which stimulable phosphor sheets are accumulated one by one by the feeding of a carrying mechanism and the falling of the sheets by their own weight, at least one of the trays A tapered portion for aligning the sheets in a predetermined position is provided in a portion of the inner wall of the side end surface through which the lower end of the sheet falling due to its own weight passes, and the lower end of the tapered portion is at an interval approximately equal to the width of the sheet. and a straight part of a predetermined length reaching the bottom wall of the tray while remaining substantially parallel to the inner wall of the side end face, and a buffer material is provided on the surfaces of the tapered part and the straight part. An accumulation tray of stimulable phosphor sheets. 2. The accumulating tray according to claim 1, wherein the accumulating tray is for accumulating stimulable phosphor sheets from which afterimages have been removed for radiographic image recording.