JPS626246A - Radiographic image information recording and reading device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To circulate sheets efficiently in case of a failure in photography, during secondary erasure, etc., by providing a by-pass passage which by-passes an image readout part. CONSTITUTION:When normal photography, reading, and erasure are carried out for respective sheets successively, a distributing means 9 is at the 1st position when the sheets are carried in a circulation passage passing through the image readout part 6 as shown by a full line in a figure, but if some sheet need no be read because excellent photography for it is not performed by a photographing part 5, the distributing means 9 is rotated as shown by an arrow to the 2nd position where the sheet is carried in the by-pass passage 8 as shown by a broken line in the figure. Consequently, sheets are reused cyclically and efficiently by the device on the whole and the carrying means and exciting light source of the image readout part are prevented from wearing unnecessarily.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of the Invention) The present invention relates to an image recording unit that irradiates a stimulable phosphor sheet with radiation through a subject and accumulates and records a radiation image of the subject; The radiation image information recording/reading device integrates an image reading section for reading information and an erasing section for erasing the image information remaining on the sheet after reading, so that the stimulable phosphor sheet can be recycled and reused. The present invention relates to a radiation image information recording/reading device in which sheets can be circulated without passing through a reading section.

(Technical background of the invention and prior art) Certain types of phosphors are exposed to radiation (X-rays, α-rays, β-rays.

When irradiated with γ-rays, electron beams, ultraviolet rays, etc., part of the energy of this radiation is accumulated in the phosphor, and when the phosphor is irradiated with excitation light such as visible light, the accumulated energy is Accordingly, the phosphor exhibits stimulated luminescence. A phosphor exhibiting such properties is called a stimulable phosphor.

Using this stimulable phosphor, radiation image information of a subject such as a human body is recorded on a sheet of stimulable phosphor, which is then scanned with excitation light to cause stimulated luminescence. A method has been proposed in which a radiographic image of a subject with good diagnostic suitability is obtained by processing this image signal and obtaining an image signal (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 55-12429 and 56-1989).
No. 11395, No. 55-163472, No. 56-10
No. 4645, No. 55-116340, etc.).

This final image may be reproduced as a hard copy or on a CRT. In any case, in such a radiation image information recording and reproducing method,
The stimulable phosphor sheet does not ultimately record image information, but temporarily carries image information in order to provide the image to the final recording medium as described above, so this stimulable phosphor sheet may be used repeatedly, and such repeated use is extremely economical.

In addition, for example, a mobile station such as the XMM Shadow Car 0 is equipped with a radiation image information recording/reading device that uses a stimulable phosphor sheet, and is used to travel to various locations for group examinations and take X-rays. In such cases, it is inconvenient to stack multiple stimulable phosphor sheets, and there is a limit to the number of sheets that can be loaded on a moving vehicle. Therefore, a stimulable phosphor sheet is mounted on a mobile vehicle in a reusable manner, radiation image information for each subject is recorded on it, and image signals obtained by reading it are stored on a large storage capacity such as magnetic tape. If the radiation images are copied onto a recording medium and the stimulable phosphor sheet is recycled and reused, radiation images of a large number of objects can be taken using a mobile vehicle, which is extremely useful in practice. Furthermore, if continuous imaging is performed through this cyclical reuse, the imaging speed can be increased in mass medical examinations, which has an extremely large practical effect.

In addition, in order to reuse the stimulable phosphor sheet in this way, the radiation energy remaining in the stimulable phosphor sheet after the stimulated luminescence light has been read can be removed using, for example, JP-A-56-11.
The stimulable phosphor sheet may be used again for recording radiographic images by emitting it to erase residual radiation images by the method shown in No. 392, No. 56-12599.

Based on the above-mentioned viewpoint, the present applicant has proposed a circulating conveyance means for conveying a stimulable phosphor sheet capable of accumulating and recording a radiographic image along a predetermined circulation path, and a means for conveying a stimulable phosphor sheet capable of accumulating and recording a radiographic image, and a means for conveying a stimulable phosphor sheet, which is located in the circulation path, through which a subject passes through the sheet. an image recording section that accumulates and records radiographic image information of the subject on this sheet by irradiating the sheet, and scans sheets 1 to 1 that are located in the circulation path and on which radiographic image information has been accumulated and recorded in the image recording section. an image reading unit having an excitation light source that emits excitation light; a photoelectric reading unit that reads stimulated luminescence light emitted from a sheet scanned by the excitation light to obtain an image signal; An erasing section that releases the residual radiation energy on the sheet prior to recording an image on the sheet after the image reading is performed in the image reading section is incorporated into one IA location, and the above-mentioned stimulable phosphor is We previously proposed a radiation image information recording/reading device (hereinafter referred to as a built-in type device) in which a sheet is circulated between the above-mentioned parts and used repeatedly (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-1999).
-192240). According to this proposed device, the stimulable phosphor □ sheet can be circulated using a conveying means, and radiation image information can be recorded, read, and erased continuously, which is convenient in practice. In conventional devices, only a single circulation path is provided, so all sheets that pass through the image recording section are automatically sent to the image reading section, which makes it difficult to efficiently circulate the sheets. Tubes that cannot be used may cause various problems.
.

For example, if a photograph is taken in the image recording section and the photograph fails because the subject moves or the radiation is not irradiated by mistake, it is completely useless to read the sheet. It is desirable to immediately send the data to the erasing section for erasing without reading it. However, in conventional devices, the above-mentioned sheets are automatically sent to the image reading section and read, so it takes more time than necessary to circulate the sheets as a whole, and the image of the excitation light source etc. A problem arises in that the components of the reading section wear out quickly. Furthermore, as will be described later, each sheet may be circulated through the apparatus in order to be erased in an erasing section, and in such cases, the sheets are not printed. & Since the sheet does not need to pass through the image reading unit, it would be extremely efficient if the sheet could be circulated through a shorter circulation path without passing through the image reading unit.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to circulate the sheet without passing through the image reading section by causing the sheet to bypass the image reading section as necessary. The object of the present invention is to provide a radiot J1 radiation image information recording/reading device that can be used.

(Structure of the Invention) The radiation image information recording/reading device of the present invention includes a circulation conveyance means for conveying a stimulable phosphor sheet along a predetermined circulation path;
In the radiation image information recording/reading device including an image recording section, an image reading section, and an erasing section located in the circulation path, the circulation path has a detour path that directly connects the front and back of the image reading section, and the upstream side of the detour path At the end, a sorting means for sorting and carrying the sheets into either the detour passage or the part of the circulation passage passing through the image reading section, and a controller for controlling the operation of the sorting means are provided externally. The present invention is characterized in that it includes an input means for inputting information from the computer.

According to the above device, when sheets that do not need to pass through the image reading section are circulated, a signal is input to the input means, and the sorting means sends the sheets to the detour path based on this signal. The sheet is controlled to take the position where it is carried in, and the sheet can be circulated without going through the image reading section, so it can be used when the sheet does not need to pass through the image reading section, such as when the image recording section fails. Sheets can be circulated efficiently.

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

FIG. 1 is a conceptual side view showing one embodiment of the device according to the present invention.

The illustrated apparatus has a single-shaped circulation path 1, and the stimulable phosphor sheet 2 is circulated and conveyed on this circulation path 1 by a circulation conveyance means 3 such as a conveyance roller, a conveyance belt, or a guide plate.

On the circulation path 1, an image recording section (photographing section) 5, an image reading section 6, and an erasing section 7 are sequentially arranged in the direction of the sheet movement (in the direction of the arrow).

In the photographing section 5, the radiation emitted from the radiation source 10 passes through the subject 11 and enters the sheet 2, so that radiation image information of the subject is accumulated and recorded on the sheet 2.

The photographed sheet is conveyed along the circulation path 1 in the direction of the arrow by a circulation conveyance means 3 such as a drive roller or a conveyance belt, and enters the image taking section 6 .

The image reading unit 6 includes an excitation light source 62 that emits excitation light 61 such as a laser beam that scans the sheet 2, and a photomultiplier that reads stimulated luminescence light emitted from the sheet 2 by scanning the excitation light and obtains an electrical image signal. It is composed of a photoelectric reading means 63 such as. 64 is a galvanometer mirror.

In the excitation light scanning, the excitation light 61 is deflected by a galvanometer mirror 64 in the main scanning direction (perpendicular to the plane of the paper) and incident on the sheet 2, and the sheet 2 is moved at a predetermined speed in the sub-scanning direction (in the direction of the arrow). This is done by continuing to transport the material. The image signal read by the photoelectric reading means 63 through the light guide 67 is transmitted to an image processing circuit (not shown), subjected to necessary image processing, and then sent to a necessary image reproduction device. This reproducing device may be a CRTW display, a recording device that performs optical scanning recording on a photosensitive film, or a recording device that records on a magnetic tape or the like for that purpose.

The read sheet 2 is transferred to the erasing section 7 by the circulating conveyance means 3.
sent to.

The erasing unit 7 includes a large number of erasing light sources 71 such as fluorescent lamps, tungsten lamps, sodium lamps, xenon lamps, and iodine lamps, and the sheet 2 is irradiated with light by the W1 erasing light source 71 to eliminate residual radiation on the sheet. A release of energy takes place.

The erasing section sheet is again sent to the photographing section 5 by the circulating conveyance means 3.

By the way, if J3 in the imaging unit 5 performs imaging on a certain sheet and the imaging fails due to poor radiation irradiation or movement of the subject, the sheet will be read. Since it is not necessary, it is preferable to send the data directly to the erasing section 7 for erasing without sending it to the image reading section 6. Therefore, in the apparatus of the present invention, a detour passage 8 is provided that directly connects the front and rear of the image reading section, and the sheet 2 is placed at the upstream end of the detour passage 8, and the image reading section of the detour passage and the circulation passage is Sorting means 9 is provided for sorting and transporting the materials to any of the sections passing through the section. Further, the distributing means 9 is configured to be moved by a moving means (not shown), and a switch 12 is provided as an input means for inputting a signal sent to the moving means to control the position of the distributing means. It is being

When normal photographing and reading are performed on each sheet sequentially in the apparatus, the sorting means 9
As shown by the solid line in the mouth, is at the first position where the sheet is carried into the circulation path passing through the image reading section 6. However, a certain sheet cannot be properly photographed in the photographing section 5, and the reading of that sheet is difficult. If it is desired not to do so, the sorting means 9 rotates in the direction of the arrow and moves to a second position, indicated by a broken line in the figure, for carrying the sheet into the detour path 8. That is, when a photographing defect occurs, when a signal is input to the switch 12, the sorting means moves the photographed sheet to the second position by the time it reaches the sorting means after a predetermined period of time. , the sheet is carried into the detour path 8 by the sorting means located at the second position, and is conveyed along the detour path that detours around the image reading section. When the conveyance of the sheets to the detour path is completed, the sorting means returns to the first position and guides the photographed sheets to be sent subsequently to the circulation path passing through the image recording section.

If there is a sheet being read in the image reading section, the sheet sent to the detour path as described above may be sent to the erasing section and then to the erasing section 7. Since it is possible to send the sheet to the erasing unit overtaking the sheet being read, it is possible to quickly erase the sheet that has been poorly photographed. By providing the bypass passage in this way, in the apparatus of the present invention, sheets that do not need to be read can be circulated bypassing the image reading unit, and the entire apparatus can efficiently circulate and recycle sheets. This prevents the conveyance means and excitation light source of the image reading section from being worn out more than necessary.

It should be noted that the device of the present invention having a detour passage that detours around the image reading section is not limited to the device with the above structure, but can be any built-in type device with any structure. good. For example, as schematically shown in FIG. 2, there is an m-shaped section 50 at the upper end of the device, and an image reading section 60 and an erasing section 70 are arranged on the same horizontal plane. The apparatus may have a circulation path formed so that each sheet is sequentially conveyed in the direction of the arrow through the section. Shown in Figure 2! In this case, the detour passage 80 is configured to send the sheet h3 sent from the photographing section 50 to the erasing section over a shorter distance than when it passes through the image reading section 60, and the sheet that has failed to be photographed is , and are sent to the erasing section 70 more quickly by bypassing the image reading section Go.

It should be noted that the detour path according to the present invention can be used for various purposes other than directly sending sheets with defective images to the erasing section as described above.

For example, if the device is to be used again after being left unused for a certain period of time, the stimulable phosphor sheet may be exposed to radiation emitted from radioactive isotopes such as GRa and 40 that are mixed in trace amounts in the stimulable phosphor. and environmental radiation such as cosmic rays and X-rays from other X-ray sources.
In order to prevent this radiation energy from becoming noise in the next removed image, only the erasing section is operated, the one-image recording section and the image reading section are stopped, and the sheet is circulated within the apparatus. Erasing is performed in which the radiation energy accumulated in the sheet is released while the apparatus is at rest (hereinafter, this erasing is referred to as secondary erasing in contrast to erasing after image reading (primary erasing)). When circulating sheets in the apparatus for erasing, there is no need for the sheets to pass through the image reading section, so the sheets may pass through a detour.In other words, the apparatus shown in FIG. , each sheet is paused at the position shown in the figure, and if it becomes necessary to perform secondary erasing of the sheet before using it again, the sorting means 9 is brought into continuous communication with the detour path 80, and each sheet is If the data reaches the erasing section via a detour path, the secondary erasure can be quickly performed.
When performing the next erasing, if there is a sheet 2' in the device that has only been read and has not been primary erased, as shown by the broken line in the figure, the primary eraser other than this sheet is First, the above-described secondary erasing is performed on the erased sheet, and then the sheet 2' is sent to the erasing section to perform the primary erasing. In any case, by going through the detour path 80, after activating the device,
Since the time required for the first sheet that has been erased to return to the imaging unit is shortened, imaging can be resumed in a shorter time than with conventional devices.

(Effects of the Invention) As described in detail above, according to the image information recording/reading device of the present invention, by providing a detour passage that detours around the image reading unit, sheets that do not need to pass through the image reading unit are provided. The sheets can be circulated through the apparatus through a detour path, and the sheets can be efficiently circulated when a certain sheet fails to be photographed or when performing secondary erasing.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual side view showing a radiation image information recording/reading device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a 11i line image information recording/reading device according to another embodiment of the present invention. be.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] Circulating conveyance means for conveying a stimulable phosphor sheet capable of accumulating and recording radiation image information along a predetermined circulation path; in the circulation path, radiation is irradiated onto the sheet through a subject; an image recording section that accumulates and records radiation image information of the subject on the sheet; and an excitation light source that is located in the circulation path and emits excitation light that scans the sheet on which the radiographic image information is accumulated and recorded in the image recording section. and a photoelectric reading means for reading stimulated luminescence light emitted from the sheet scanned by the excitation light to obtain an image signal; In the radiation image information recording/reading device, the radiation image information recording/reading device includes an erasing unit that releases residual radiation energy on the sheet prior to image recording on the sheet after the image reading is performed, wherein the circulation path is connected to the image reading unit. a detour path that directly connects the front and back of the detour path, and at an upstream end of the detour path, a sorting unit that distributes and carries the sheets into either the detour path or a portion of the circulation path that passes through the image reading section; and an input means for externally inputting a signal for controlling the operation of the sorting means.