JP2000241920A - Cassette for stimulable phosphor sheet - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize the photographing and the reading of an elongated subject such as the whole vertebral column or the whole lower limbs by using a radiograph reader for reading one conventional stimulable phosphor sheet and a stimulable phosphor sheet of the conventional size. SOLUTION: This cassette for a stimulable phosphor sheet 10 housing two stimulable phosphor sheets 15a and 15b where a radiographic image is accumulated and recorded is equipped with a sheet housing part 3 arranging and housing two sheets 15a and 15b adjacently, and is equipped with a 1st takeout port 2a through which a sheet 15a can be taken out at one end of the housing part 3, and a 2nd takeout port 2b through which the other sheet 15b can be taken out at the other end.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cassette for accommodating stimulable phosphor sheets, and more particularly to a cassette for accommodating two stimulable phosphor sheets side by side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Using a stimulable phosphor, radiation image information of a human body or the like is temporarily recorded on a sheet having a layer made of a stimulable phosphor (hereinafter, referred to as a "stimulable phosphor sheet").
The stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned with excitation light such as laser light to generate stimulated emission light, and the obtained stimulated emission light is photoelectrically read to obtain an image signal. The applicant has already proposed many radiation image recording / reproducing systems for outputting a recording material such as a photographic light-sensitive material or a CRT or the like as a visible image.

A stimulable phosphor sheet used in this radiation image recording / reproducing system is handled by being accommodated in a cassette, and a sheet on which a radiation image is accumulated and recorded is:
The cassette is attached to a sheet feeder, which is a cassette feeder, while being accommodated in the cassette, from which sheets are supplied one by one to the radiation image reading apparatus. The radiographic image is taken with the stimulable phosphor sheet stored in the cassette,
Reading of the accumulated and recorded radiation image is performed by scanning a sheet taken out of the cassette with excitation light.

In such a system, in order to diagnose scoliosis or abnormalities of the lower limbs, a long storage capacity having a recording area corresponding to the length of the entire vertebra or the entire lower limb of the subject to be photographed is used. Using a phosphor sheet, radiographic images of the entire vertebral column and the like are taken, and a radiation image of the entire vertebral column and the like is reproduced and recorded to be used for diagnosis (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
-287248).

However, a long stimulable phosphor sheet is not easy to handle, and a dedicated reader is required to obtain image data from such a long sheet. For this reason, a plurality of divided images are obtained by dividing a radiation image of the same subject using a plurality of stimulable phosphor sheets and photographing the divided images, and the divided image data representing the divided images is later combined to form a composite image. There has been proposed a radiation image information recording / reading apparatus for obtaining composite image data representing the following (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-287249).

[0006]

However, when the image is divided and photographed, for example, if the subject moves a little during the operation of moving the photographing device, accurate image diagnosis may not be performed. Therefore, there is a demand that imaging be performed at one time, but as described above, a long sheet is not easy to handle, and a dedicated reading device is required.

On the other hand, a stimulable phosphor sheet (hereinafter referred to as "conventional size sheet") having a size for photographing the chest, abdomen, limbs and the like may be accommodated in a long cassette for a film screen and photographed at a time. . However, as described above, the cassette for the stimulable phosphor sheet is mounted on the sheet supply device, and it is necessary to supply the conventional size sheets one by one to the radiation image reading device. Therefore,
When a plurality of conventional size sheets are accommodated in a long film screen cassette and photographed, a stimulable phosphor sheet cassette (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 5-281636) that accommodates conventional size sheets one by one after photographing is used. It is necessary to change the reading in a dark room. However, in a medical institution such as a hospital where it is necessary to perform a large amount of imaging in a short time, such a replacement operation is very troublesome and may be confused. There is a further need for a means for confirming in some way whether or not the phosphor sheet brought into the radiation image processing center is a series.

Accordingly, if a plurality of conventional-size sheets are stored in a long cassette and photographed, and the plurality of sheets can be pulled out and read as they are in the reading device, the above-described replacement work is performed. Although it is not necessary, a dedicated reader equipped with a special mechanism for taking out the sheets one by one from the long cassette is required.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is intended to replace a stimulable phosphor sheet even when a plurality of stimulable phosphor sheets are stored in a long cassette and photographed. It is another object of the present invention to provide a stimulable phosphor sheet cassette that can be read by a conventional radiation image reading apparatus.

[0010]

A cassette for a stimulable phosphor sheet according to the present invention is a cassette for a stimulable phosphor sheet accommodating a stimulable phosphor sheet for storing and recording a radiation image. Are provided so as to be adjacent to each other and two sheets are arranged adjacent to each other, one end of the sheet storage section is provided with a first outlet through which one of the stimulable phosphor sheets can be taken out, and the other end is provided at the other end. A second outlet for allowing the luminescent phosphor sheet to be taken out.

"To arrange two sheets adjacent to each other" means to arrange two sheets in substantially the same plane so that the whole spine or all the lower limbs can be photographed in series.
The two sheets may be arranged so that their adjacent edges are partially overlapped, or the two sheets may be arranged adjacent to each other without a gap. Even when the stimulable phosphor sheets are partially overlapped, the overlapping portion of the sheet extends, for example, half the length of one sheet so that a long subject such as the entire spine or the entire lower limb cannot be captured. Such a thing is not included in the side-by-side arrangement described herein. In addition, even if two sheets are adjacent, if there is a gap between the two sheets, it is not possible to take an image of the entire spine or part of the entire lower limb. Anything that causes a problem is not included in the arrangement of two sheets adjacent to each other.

It is desirable that the "sheet accommodating portion" is partitioned into areas for accommodating the two stimulable phosphor sheets separately. Even if the area is not partitioned, the sheet is not easily dislodged because the sheet is sandwiched by the elastic body provided on the inner surface of the sheet storage unit. Since the cassette is moved during use until reading, and the cassette is in a state in which two sheets are vertically connected at the time of photographing, depending on the use situation, the accommodated sheets are shifted in the accommodating portion and the two sheets are greatly overlapped. In some cases, there may be a gap between the two sheets, and in any case, a part of the subject that is not photographed may appear. In this case, it is conceivable to provide a member for sandwiching the sheet at the end of the cassette. However, since the attachment is an optional operation of the user, in order to realize more complete photographing, the sheet accommodating portion has two sheets. It is desirable that the sheets are partitioned into areas that can individually accommodate the sheets.

Therefore, the "sheet accommodating portion" is more desirably formed so as to accommodate the mutually adjacent ends of the two stimulable phosphor sheets so as to overlap each other, or to contact the mutually adjacent ends. It is desirable that it is formed so as to be in contact with and accommodated. As described above, even if the sheet storage unit is partitioned into areas that can separately store two sheets, depending on the usage conditions, the position may be slightly shifted or medical treatment at a hospital or the like that requires a large amount of imaging. This is because in an engine, it cannot be said that there is no gap between two sheets due to an impact such as a collision between cassettes. For example, when the sheet storage portion is formed so as to be "overlapped", the partition between the two sheets of the sheet storage portion may be formed diagonally,
There is a case where the sheet accommodating portion itself is formed in two steps and the ends are overlapped. In the case where the sheet storage portion is formed so as to be "contacted" and stored, the inside of the central portion of the sheet storage portion is formed to be slightly narrow so that two sheets cannot be shifted and overlap. The non-adjacent ends may be held by an elastic body, for example, a sponge.

In general, radiation image data obtained from two sheets is linked and synthesized as one image data, but it is necessary to align the respective radiation image data at the time of linking. It is preferable that a marker, a scale, or the like be provided in a part of the cassette so that the cassette can be used as a reference position.

[0015]

The cassette for a stimulable phosphor sheet of the present invention can accommodate two stimulable phosphor sheets side by side so that a long sheet can be used or a subject can be divided. It is possible to photograph a long subject such as the entire spinal column or the entire lower limb in a single photographing using a stimulable phosphor sheet of a conventional size without photographing. Further, a first outlet for allowing one of the stimulable phosphor sheets to be taken out is provided at one end of the sheet storage portion, and a second outlet for allowing the other stimulable phosphor sheet to be taken out is provided at the other end. Because it is provided, without replacing the cassette for stimulable phosphor sheet to read two conventional size stimulable phosphor sheets one by one, and without preparing a dedicated reader for directly reading two sheets, It becomes possible to read with a reader for reading a conventional size stimulable phosphor sheet.

It is to be noted that the sheet accommodating portion is partitioned into regions for accommodating the two stimulable phosphor sheets separately, or the adjacent ends of the two stimulable phosphor sheets are overlapped or overlapped. If the stimulable phosphor sheet is formed so as to be in contact with the stimulable phosphor sheet, the stimulable phosphor sheet positioned on the upper side is shifted downward depending on the use condition, and two sheets are greatly overlapped. Therefore, there is no possibility of reading loss that may hinder image diagnosis. Further, if the two sheets are overlapped, the image information of the overlapped portion can be used for alignment when connecting the radiation image data.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The configuration of a cassette 10 according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cassette for a stimulable phosphor sheet according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of the cassette for a stimulable phosphor sheet according to the first embodiment. . The cassette 10 has a sheet accommodating portion 3 in a flat box-shaped front plate 1, and a first accommodating phosphor sheet (first sheet) 15 a can be taken out at one end of the sheet accommodating portion 3. An outlet 2a is provided, and the other end is provided with a second outlet 2b from which the other stimulable phosphor sheet (second sheet) 15b can be taken out. The first lid 6a and the second lid 6b are locked by a locking means (not shown) so as not to open in a normal state. The first lid 6a
The second lid 6b has a structure that opens upward as shown by the arrow in FIG. 2, but is not necessarily limited to this, and an outlet corresponding to the radiation image reading device is provided. It should just be done. In the sheet accommodating portion 3, a partition plate 4 for allowing the first sheet 15a and the second sheet 15b to come into contact is provided at the center, and the first sheet 15a and the second sheet 15b are elastically provided on the back surface. Elastic layer 5 supporting the first sheet 15a and the second sheet 15b by pressing against
Is affixed. The elastic layer 5 may be, for example, a sponge-like material or a structure in which a rigid plate material is elastically supported by a leaf spring or the like.

The inside of the cassette 10 is as shown in FIG.
The vertical partition plate 4 is not limited to be provided inside so that the first sheet 15a and the second sheet 15b can come into contact with each other. Install the first sheet 15 between the partition pins
a, the second sheet 15b may be formed so as not to pass. It is desirable that the plates or pins separating the first sheet 15a and the second sheet 15b be as thin as possible so as not to hinder the image diagnosis after reading the radiation image.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the inside of the cassette 10 may be provided with a diagonal partition plate so that the first sheet 15a and the second sheet 15b can overlap.
In this case, since the radiation images of the first sheet 15a and the second sheet 15b are accumulated and recorded in an overlapping manner, the partition plate may be somewhat thick.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the inside of the cassette 10 may be one in which the sheet accommodating portions 3 are formed vertically in parallel so that the first sheet 15a and the second sheet 15b can overlap. .

In the cassette for accommodating the first sheet 15a and the second sheet 15b in an overlapping manner, a marker is set at a predetermined position as shown in FIG. (A dotted line indicates a stimulable phosphor sheet accommodated in the cassette 10), a scale is provided on one side as shown in FIG. 6, or a scale is provided on both sides (not shown).
It is desirable to use a cassette that allows this marker or scale to be printed on the first sheet 15a and the second sheet 15b. In order to imprint the markers and scales on the first sheet 15a and the second sheet 15b, different materials are used for those parts that do not transmit radiation or that have different radiation transmittance from other parts of the cassette 10. Alternatively, the thickness of the cassette may be increased only at that portion.

Next, the operation of the cassette 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, by irradiating the first sheet 15a and the second sheet 15b contained in the cassette 10 with the radiation 13 emitted from the radiation source 11 and transmitted through the subject 12, a radiation image of the entire spine of the subject 12 is obtained. It can be stored and recorded on two sheets.

The first sheet 15a and the second sheet 15b, on which the radiation images are stored and recorded as described above, are loaded into a radiation image reading device 40 as shown in FIG. At that time, the cassette 10 is inserted into the cassette insertion opening 40a of the radiation image information reading apparatus 40 from the first outlet 2a side in which the first sheet 15a is stored, and is pushed to a predetermined loading position while maintaining the posture. A guide member (not shown) for guiding the right and left ends of the cassette 10 to be pushed is provided inside the radiation image information reading device 40.

When the cassette 10 is loaded into the radiation image reading device 40 at a predetermined position, the cover is automatically opened. When the cover 6a is opened, the drive roller 44 is opened as shown in FIG.
Is moved in the direction of arrow G,
After entering the cassette 10, the drive roller 44 is pressed against the first sheet 15a. Next, the driving roller 44 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 4 by driving means (not shown). As a result, the first sheet 15a is carried out of the cassette 10 to the outside.

The conveyed first sheet 15a is sent to the reading section 62 via the erasing section 60 by a sheet conveying system including guide plates 46 to 48 and nip rollers 49 to 57. In the reading section 62, the first sheet 15a is conveyed at a constant speed in the direction of arrow H in the figure for excitation light sub-scanning by nip rollers 55-57. Then, a laser beam 64 as excitation light emitted from the main scanning optical system 63 is
The first sheet 15a is scanned (main scanning) in a direction substantially perpendicular to the arrow H direction.

From the first sheet 15a which has been irradiated with the laser beam 64, stimulable luminescence light of an amount corresponding to the radiation image information stored and recorded therein is emitted. The light is detected by a photodetector 66 such as a photomultiplier tube via the light 65. Therefore, from the photodetector 66, an output signal S indicating the radiation image information stored and recorded on the first sheet 15a is obtained.

The first sheet 15a from which the reading of the radiation image information has been completed is sent from the reading section 62 to the erasing section 60 by rotating the nip rollers 49 to 57 in the opposite direction. This erasing unit 60 is connected to the first sheet 15
When “a” passes, the plurality of erasing light sources 61 are turned on, and the erasing light emitted from them is irradiated on the first sheet 15a. The radiation energy remaining on the first sheet 15a even after the reading of the radiation image information is released from the first sheet 15a by the irradiation of the erasing light, and is in a state where it can be newly used for radiographic image capturing.

Next, the cassette 10 is taken out, and subsequently, the cassette 10 is mounted in the opposite direction, that is, from the side of the second outlet 2b in which the second sheet 15b is stored, and the first sheet 1 is inserted.
The second sheet 15b is read in the same manner as 5a.

The two radiation image data obtained by reading the first sheet and the second sheet as described above are:
They are linked to form one piece of image data. Such a linking process may be performed immediately after reading by providing a linking processing means in the reader, and two pieces of radiation image data may be transferred from the reader to another device (image processing device, QA workstation, etc.). Later, it may be performed in another device. The image data linked in this way is transferred to an image processing device to perform various image processing, transferred to a CRT display device or an optical scanning recording device for image reproduction, or transferred to a filing device for holding. It is done.

As described above, the stimulable phosphor sheet cassette 10 of the present invention comprises the stimulable phosphor sheets 15a,
5b can be accommodated side by side so as to be adjacent to each other, so that a conventional size stimulable phosphor sheet can be used without using a long sheet or dividing and photographing a subject. In imaging, a long subject such as the entire spine or all the lower limbs can be imaged. In addition, a stimulable phosphor sheet 15a is provided at one end of the sheet accommodation section 3.
And a second outlet 2 at the other end, from which the stimulable phosphor sheet 15b can be taken out.
Since b is provided, it becomes possible to read a conventional size stimulable phosphor sheet with a radiation image reading apparatus without replacing two sheets with a conventional size cassette.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stimulable phosphor sheet cassette according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of the cassette for a stimulable phosphor sheet according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of a cassette for a stimulable phosphor sheet according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of a cassette for a stimulable phosphor sheet according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an example of a marker for positioning a cassette for a stimulable phosphor sheet.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an example of a positioning scale of a cassette for a stimulable phosphor sheet.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a photographing unit.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a use state at the time of reading a radiation image;

[Explanation of symbols]

 2a first outlet 2b second outlet 3 sheet storage unit 4 partition plate 10 cassette 15a stimulable phosphor sheet 15b stimulable phosphor sheet

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A stimulable phosphor sheet cassette accommodating a stimulable phosphor sheet for accumulating and recording a radiographic image, comprising a sheet accommodating portion for arranging two stimulable phosphor sheets side by side so as to be adjacent to each other. One end of the sheet accommodating portion has a first outlet through which one of the stimulable phosphor sheets can be taken out, and the other end has a second outlet through which the other stimulable phosphor sheet can be taken out. A cassette for a stimulable phosphor sheet, comprising: 2. The cassette for a stimulable phosphor sheet according to claim 1, wherein the sheet accommodating portion is partitioned into regions for separately accommodating the two stimulable phosphor sheets. 3. The sheet storage section according to claim 1, wherein the sheet storage section is formed so as to store adjacent two end portions of the stimulable phosphor sheet so as to overlap each other. Cassette for stimulable phosphor sheet. 4. The stimulable phosphor sheet according to claim 1, wherein the sheet accommodating portion is formed so as to abut two adjacent stimulable phosphor sheets such that adjacent ends thereof are in contact with each other. Cassette for stimulable phosphor sheet.