JP2005099674A - Image information reader - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To seal up a device main body with a simple and compact configuration and to satisfactorily prevent the temperature rising in a device main body. <P>SOLUTION: A radiographic image information recording and reading device 10 is provided with a photographing part 14 and an elevating part 12 which holds the photographing part 14 so as to allow the photographing part 14 to rise and fall. An enclosure 28 constituting the photographing part 14 has the inside constituted into a closed space and has a fan 56 which constitutes a temperature maintaining means 55 for keeping the temperature in the enclosure 28 at a fixed temperature or lower, arranged therein. The fan 56 circulates cooling air in the enclosure 28 and is set in a position opposed to a read part 42 being standby. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image information reading apparatus that photoelectrically reads radiation image information of a subject accumulated and recorded on a stimulable phosphor sheet.

  Conventionally, when radiation (X-rays, α-rays, β-rays, γ-rays, electron beams, ultraviolet rays, etc.) is irradiated, a part of this radiation energy is accumulated, and then when irradiated with excitation light such as visible light, it is accumulated. An accumulative phosphor (stimulable phosphor) that exhibits stimulated luminescence according to the energy intensity is known. A system has been adopted in which radiation image information of a subject such as a human body is reproduced on a photographic light-sensitive material or the like or output as a visible image on a CRT or the like using this type of storage phosphor.

  In the above system, specifically, a radiographic image information of a subject such as a human body is temporarily recorded (photographed) on a stimulable phosphor sheet having a sheet-like stimulable phosphor layer, and the stimulable fluorescence is recorded. Radiation image information remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet after reading out the phosphor sheet by irradiating the phosphor sheet with excitation light such as laser light to generate the stimulated emission light and photoelectrically reading the stimulated emission light And a so-called built-in radiation image information recording / reading device (image information reading device) in which the storable phosphor sheet is incorporated in the device main body and the storage phosphor sheet is accommodated in the device main body. Yes.

  By the way, in this type of radiographic image information recording / reading apparatus, it is desired to make the whole apparatus compact, and various drive sources such as a motor in addition to the reading section and the erasing section are compactly arranged in a narrow space. Ingenuity has been made. At that time, the CCD constituting the reading unit, the light source constituting the erasing unit, and the motor itself become a heat source, and the temperature in the apparatus rises, and there are concerns about various problems due to the temperature.

  Therefore, for example, a radiation image reading device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. As shown in FIG. 9, the apparatus moves relative to the image storage unit 1 that holds the stimulable phosphor panel at a position where the radiation carrying the image information is incident, and the panel that stores the image information. Then, the excitation light irradiation means 2 for irradiating the panel with scanning excitation light, the information conversion means 3 for obtaining the image signal by guiding the stimulated emission light emitted from the panel by irradiation of the scanning excitation light to the photoelectric conversion element, and the scanning excitation light And an erasing means 4 for erasing the afterimage of the panel on which is incident.

  Further, on the outer wall on the back side of the apparatus, an intake means 5 is provided on one side of the relative movement direction (arrow A direction) and a right angle direction (arrow B direction), and an exhaust means 6 is provided on the other side. ing. Ducts 7 and 8 are respectively provided inside the outer walls on the side surface of the apparatus in the direction of arrow B, and air flows in the direction of arrow B1 along the reading and erasing part side of the panel. The cooling air is flowed.

JP-A-8-18733 (FIG. 1)

  However, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, since the ducts 7 and 8 are provided inside both outer walls on the side surface of the apparatus, there is a problem that the entire apparatus is elongated in the arrow B direction. Moreover, the intake means 5 and the exhaust means 6 are respectively provided with crossflow fans 5a and 6a that are open to the outside. For this reason, intrusion of external light into the image storage unit 1, leakage of laser light, and the like are caused, and dust and foreign matter may enter the image storage unit 1.

  The present invention solves this type of problem, and provides an image information reading apparatus capable of hermetically sealing the inside of the apparatus main body and satisfactorily preventing a temperature rise in the apparatus main body with a simple and compact configuration. The purpose is to provide.

  In the image information reading apparatus according to the present invention, in the apparatus main body, the stimulable phosphor sheet is irradiated with excitation light in the main direction, while the stimuli emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet by the excitation light irradiation. A reading unit that reads emitted light, a conveyance unit that conveys the reading unit relative to the stimulable phosphor sheet in a sub-direction substantially orthogonal to the main direction, and various drive sources are housed, and the apparatus The inside of the main body is configured as a sealed space, and the temperature in the sealed space is maintained at a constant temperature or lower via a temperature maintaining means.

  In the image information reading apparatus according to the present invention, in the apparatus main body, an imaging unit that irradiates a subject with radiation and records radiation image information of the subject on the stimulable phosphor sheet, and the stimulable phosphor sheet And a reading unit that reads the stimulated emission light emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet by irradiation of the excitation light, and the reading unit with respect to the stimulable phosphor sheet The apparatus includes a conveying unit that conveys relatively in a sub-direction substantially orthogonal to the main direction, an erasing unit that erases radiation image information remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet, and various drive sources. The inside of the main body is configured as a sealed space, and the temperature in the sealed space is maintained at a constant temperature or lower via a temperature maintaining means.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the temperature maintaining means includes means for reducing power consumption of the drive source during standby.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the temperature maintaining means includes a fan for circulating the cooling air in the sealed space, and an air direction plate for guiding the cooling air mainly to the waiting reading unit in the vicinity of the fan. Is preferably arranged.

  In this case, during the reading process of the stimulable phosphor sheet by the reading unit, the radiation image information can be read without being affected by wind or electromagnetic noise generated by the fan by stopping the driving of the fan. it can. In particular, it is suitable when a photomultiplier is used as a photoelectric conversion unit that converts stimulated emission light into an electrical signal.

  In addition, by disposing a filter for removing dust in the cooling air circulation part by the fan, it is possible to suitably avoid the deterioration of the function of the reading part due to dust.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the temperature maintaining means includes a heat pipe connected to the drive source and a heat radiating member that is disposed outside the apparatus main body and radiates the heat of the heat pipe to the outside.

  According to the present invention, since the inside of the apparatus main body is configured in a sealed space, dust and foreign matter do not enter the apparatus main body, and the occurrence of a failure in the reading process of the radiation image information is effectively prevented. be able to. In addition, since the inside of the apparatus main body is a sealed space, noise from a drive source or the like is hardly leaked to the outside of the apparatus main body, and a light shielding structure is not required, thereby simplifying the configuration.

  Furthermore, the temperature in the sealed space is maintained below a certain temperature via the temperature maintaining means, and the occurrence of problems associated with the temperature rise can be avoided well. Specifically, by reducing the power consumption of the drive source during standby, temperature rise in the apparatus main body is prevented with simple control.

  Further, since the cooling air is circulated in the sealed space by the fan, the inside of the sealed space can be cooled smoothly and satisfactorily. At that time, since the standby reading unit is efficiently cooled mainly under the action of the wind direction plate, the reading unit does not become unnecessarily high.

  Note that, by controlling the fan to stop during the reading process, it is possible to avoid the influence of wind and electromagnetic noise generated by the fan and read the radiation image information with high accuracy. In addition, by disposing a filter for removing dust in the cooling air circulation part by the fan, it is possible to suitably avoid the deterioration of the function of the reading part due to dust.

  Furthermore, the heat of the drive source, which tends to be particularly high, moves to a heat radiating member disposed outside the apparatus main body via a heat pipe. As a result, the heat of the drive source is well dissipated outside the apparatus main body, the drive source is cooled, and no heat is accumulated in the apparatus main body.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective explanatory view of a radiation image information recording / reading apparatus (image information reading apparatus) 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the radiation image information recording / reading apparatus 10. It is.

  The radiographic image information recording / reading apparatus 10 includes an elevating unit 12 extending in the vertical direction (arrow A direction), and an imaging unit 14 is supported by the elevating unit 12 via an imaging unit elevating mechanism 16 so as to be movable up and down. ing. As shown in FIG. 2, the imaging unit elevating mechanism 16 includes an elevating motor 18 attached to an inner lower end of the elevating unit 12, and a drive shaft of the elevating motor 18 is connected to the gear head 20. The lower end of the ball screw 22 is connected.

  The ball screw 22 extends in the direction of the arrow A (vertical direction) in the elevating part 12 and is rotatably supported by the upper end part of the elevating part 12. A guide rail 24 is provided in the elevating part 12 in parallel with the ball screw 22, while a photographing part 14 has a nut part 26 into which the ball screw 22 is screwed and a guide part engaged with the guide rail 24. 27 is provided.

  A housing (apparatus main body) 28 constituting the photographing unit 14 is configured in a sealed space, and a photographing stand 32 on which a subject 30 such as a human body is positioned is provided at the front of the housing 28. . The imaging table 32 is provided with a phototimer 36 for measuring the dose of X-rays exposed from the radiation source 34 through the subject 30 and controlling the exposure amount, and a grid 38 for removing scattered radiation. The

  Inside the housing 28, the direction of the arrow B is between an imaging position close to the grid 38 (shown by a solid line) and a reading erasing position spaced apart from the grid 38 (shown by a two-dot chain line). An accumulative phosphor sheet IP that can be moved is disposed. The stimulable phosphor sheet IP is moved by a stimulable phosphor sheet drive motor (drive source) 39 disposed substantially above the center of the housing 28. A bucky motor (drive source) 41 for moving the grid 38 is disposed above the stimulable phosphor sheet drive motor 39.

  A reading / erasing unit 40 that moves in the vertical direction along the image recording surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet IP disposed at the reading / erasing position indicated by a two-dot chain line is disposed inside the housing 28. The read / erase unit 40 irradiates the stimulable phosphor sheet IP with the excitation light L, and photoelectrically outputs the stimulated emission light R output from the stimulable phosphor sheet IP according to the intensity of the accumulated radiation energy. A reading unit 42 that reads the radiation image information, and an erasing unit 44 that irradiates the stimulable phosphor sheet IP from which the radiation image information has been read, and removes the remaining radiation energy.

  The reading / erasing unit 40 is configured to be long in a direction (main scanning direction) perpendicular to the moving direction (sub-scanning direction), and both ends thereof are connected to conveyance belts 46a and 46b extending in the vertical direction. The conveyor belts 46a and 46b are driven by a read / erase unit drive motor (drive source) 48 disposed substantially at the center in the housing 28, and move the read / erase unit 40 up and down.

  The reading unit 42 includes a laser diode 50 constituting an excitation system and a plurality of CCD line sensors 52. The erasing unit 44 irradiates the stimulable phosphor sheet IP with erasing light and releases the radiation energy remaining in the stimulable phosphor sheet IP. Therefore, the eraser 44 is longer than the width direction of the stimulable phosphor sheet IP. A plurality of fluorescent lamps 54 having a thickness are provided.

  A fan 56 that constitutes a temperature maintaining means 55 for maintaining the internal temperature of the casing 28 below a certain temperature is disposed in the casing 28. The fan 56 circulates cooling air in the housing 28 and is set at a position facing the standby reading unit 42. In the vicinity of the fan 56, a pair of wind direction plates 57a and 57b for guiding the cooling air to the reading unit 42 that is mainly on standby are arranged. The standby state is a state excluding the time of reading radiation image information, and includes the time of idling.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel 58 is attached to the upper part of the elevating unit 12. The operation panel 58 has a function of starting the radiation image information recording / reading apparatus 10 and displaying patient information, imaging size display and selection, utility operation, and the like. A remote control type elevation switch unit 62 is connected from the operation panel 58 via a cable 60. The elevation switch unit 62 includes a descending switch 64a and an ascending switch 64b for raising and lowering the photographing unit 14.

  A controller 70 that controls the radiation image information recording / reading apparatus 10 is disposed outside the imaging unit 14. The controller 70 has a function as means (temperature maintaining means) for reducing power consumption of the storage phosphor sheet drive motor 39, the bucky motor 41, and the read / erase unit drive motor 48 which are drive sources during standby.

  The operation of the radiation image information recording / reading apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described below.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2, when the subject 30 moves to the radiation imaging position in order to record the radiation image information, an engineer or the like operates the elevation switch unit 62 (see FIG. 1) to change the imaging unit 14. Positioning such as raising and lowering is performed. Further, the radiation source 34 is driven by an engineer or the like in a state where the subject 30 is arranged corresponding to the imaging table 32 (see FIG. 2). The radiation output from the radiation source 34 passes through the subject 30 and reaches the stimulable phosphor sheet IP at the photographing position, whereby radiation image information is recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet IP.

  After the radiographic image information of the subject 30 is recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet IP, the stimulable phosphor sheet IP is read and erased (see 2 in FIG. 2) under the driving action of the stimulable phosphor sheet drive motor 39. Move to the position of the dotted line. Therefore, the read / erase unit drive motor 48 is driven, and the read / erase unit 40 moves in the sub-scanning direction (vertically upward) via the transport belts 46a and 46b (see FIG. 3).

  At that time, the laser diode 50 constituting the reading unit 42 is driven, and the excitation light L output from the laser diode 50 is irradiated to the stimulable phosphor sheet IP along the main scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the arrow A direction. Is done. For this reason, the stimulable phosphor sheet IP in which the radiation image information is accumulated is scanned two-dimensionally by the excitation light L, and the stimulated emission light R corresponding to the radiation image information is emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet IP. Occur.

  The stimulated emission light R is incident on the CCD line sensor 52, and the stimulated emission light R is converted into an electrical signal so that the radiation image information of the stimulable phosphor sheet IP is read photoelectrically. Then, when the reading / erasing unit 40 reaches the upper / lower upper limit position, the radiation image information reading process is completed (see the position of the solid line in FIG. 3).

  Next, the stimulable phosphor sheet IP for which the reading of the radiation image information has been completed is moved upward in the vertical direction by driving the stimulable phosphor sheet drive motor 39 (see FIG. 4). , Refer to the position of the solid line from the position of the two-dot chain line). In this state, the read / erase unit drive motor 48 is driven in the opposite direction to that described above, and the read / erase unit 40 moves vertically downward.

  At that time, erasing light is irradiated from a fluorescent lamp 54 constituting the erasing unit 44. Therefore, the radiation energy remaining on the entire image recording surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet IP is released. After the erasing process is completed, the stimulable phosphor sheet drive motor 39 is driven, so that the stimulable phosphor sheet IP moves to the recording position (see the solid line in FIG. 2) and is used for the next photographing. Will be.

  In this case, in the first embodiment, the inside of the housing 28 is configured as a sealed space. For this reason, dust and foreign matter do not enter the inside of the housing 28, and for example, it is possible to effectively prevent a failure in the reading process of the radiation image information by the reading unit 42. In addition, since the inside of the housing 28 is a sealed space, noise from a drive source or the like is not easily leaked to the outside of the housing 28, and a light shielding structure is not necessary, so that the entire configuration of the imaging unit 14 is effectively simplified. The effect that it is made is obtained.

  Further, a fan 56 constituting a temperature maintaining means 55 is disposed in the housing 28. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, when the fan 56 is driven, the cooling air circulates in the direction of the arrow in the sealed space of the casing 28, and the inside of the sealed space can be cooled smoothly and satisfactorily.

  At this time, a pair of wind direction plates 57 a and 57 b for guiding cooling air to the reading unit 42 that is mainly on standby are disposed in the vicinity of the fan 56. As a result, the standby reading unit 42, specifically, the laser diode 50 and the CCD line sensor 52 are efficiently cooled under the action of the wind direction plates 57a and 57b, and the reading unit 42 is heated to an unnecessarily high temperature. Never become.

  Here, an example of the operation timing of the fan 56 will be specifically described based on the timing chart shown in FIG.

  First, the fan 56 is driven at a timing T1 when the power of the radiation image information recording / reading apparatus 10 is turned on, and starts a blowing operation. Thereby, the temperature rise of the reading unit 42 is suppressed. Thereafter, the operation of the fan 56 is temporarily stopped at the driving timing of the radiation source 34 by an engineer or the like, that is, the imaging timing T2 of the radiation image information of the subject 30.

  Next, after the stimulable phosphor sheet IP is moved to the reading and erasing position shown in FIG. 3, the reading process of the radiation image information by the reading unit 42 is performed. In this case, since the fan 56 is in a stopped state, no wind is generated in the apparatus. Therefore, the excitation light L output from the laser diode 50 does not fluctuate due to the influence of the wind. Further, no electromagnetic noise is generated from the drive source that rotates the fan 56.

  As a result, the CCD line sensor 52 can process the photostimulated light R obtained from the stimulable phosphor sheet IP and obtain good radiation image information without being affected by wind or electromagnetic noise.

  When the reading process of the radiation image information is completed, the fan 56 is driven again at the timing T3 to restart the blowing operation, and the erasing process by the erasing unit 44 is performed. In this case, the wind and electromagnetic noise generated by the fan 56 do not affect the erasing process, and the erasing process is performed in a state where the temperature rise in the apparatus is suitably suppressed.

  On the other hand, the controller 70 reduces the power consumption (including the OFF state) of the stimulable phosphor sheet drive motor 39, the bucky motor 41, and the read / erase unit drive motor 48 which are drive sources during standby. For this reason, the temperature rise of various drive sources can be relieved, and it becomes possible to maintain the temperature in the housing | casing 28 below a fixed temperature by simple control.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of an imaging unit 81 constituting a radiation image information recording / reading apparatus (image information reading apparatus) 80 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Note that the same components as those of the imaging unit 14 constituting the radiographic image information recording / reading apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The imaging unit 81 includes a casing (apparatus main body) 82 whose inside is a sealed space, and the casing 82 is provided with temperature adjusting means 84. The temperature adjusting means 84 is disposed outside the casing 82 and the heat pipes 86a, 86b and 86c connected to the bucky motor 41, the stimulable phosphor sheet driving motor 39 and the reading / erasing unit driving motor 48. And fins (heat radiating members) 88 that radiate the heat of the pipes 86a to 86c to the outside.

  In the second embodiment configured as described above, the heat of the drive source that is particularly likely to be high, that is, the bucky motor 41, the stimulable phosphor sheet drive motor 39, and the read / erase unit drive motor 48 is heated from the heat pipes 86a to 86a. It moves to the fin 88 arrange | positioned outside the housing | casing 82 via 86c. As a result, the heat of the drive source can be radiated well outside the housing 82, and the drive source can be cooled and reliably prevented from accumulating in the housing 82. .

  As the heat radiating member, a frame (not shown) of the housing 82 may be employed instead of the fins 88.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image information reading device 90 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  The image information reading device 90 includes a cassette loading unit 94 in the upper part of the casing 92, and a cassette 98 containing a stimulable phosphor sheet IP is loaded into the cassette loading unit 94. In the vicinity of the lid member 99 of the cassette 98 loaded in the cassette loading section 94, an adsorbing plate 100 that adsorbs and takes out the stimulable phosphor sheet IP from the cassette 98 with the lid member 99 opened is disposed.

  A curved conveyance path 106 that is provided continuously with the suction plate 100 and includes a plurality of conveyance rollers 102 and a plurality of guide plates 104 that sandwich and convey the stimulable phosphor sheet IP is formed. In the conveyance path 106, an erasing unit 108 including a fluorescent lamp 107 is disposed in the vicinity of the suction plate 100, and a scanning unit 110 and a reading unit 112 are disposed in the middle of the conveyance path 106. .

  The scanning unit 110 includes a laser oscillator 114 that outputs the excitation light L, a polygon mirror 116 that deflects and scans the excitation light L, and a reflection mirror 118 that reflects the excitation light L and guides it to the stimulable phosphor sheet IP. Is done. The reading unit 112 is connected to the light collecting guide 120 whose one end is located close to the conveyance path 106 and the other end of the light collecting guide 120, and stimulated emission light obtained from the stimulable phosphor sheet IP. And a photomultiplier 122 for converting the signal into an electric signal.

  In this case, the internal space of the casing 92 is separated by a light-shielding partition wall 123 into a space (a bright room portion) in which the erasing unit 108 is disposed and a space (dark room portion) in which the scanning unit 110 and the reading unit 112 are disposed. Configured. The light shielding partition 123 prevents light from the erasing unit 108 from entering the scanning unit 110 and the reading unit 112.

  In addition, a fan 124 is disposed in the vicinity of the scanning unit 110 and the reading unit 112. The fan 124 cools the scanning unit 110 and the reading unit 112 by circulating cooling air in the dark room in the casing 92.

  In the image information reading apparatus 90 configured as described above, when the apparatus is turned on, the fan 124 is driven to start the air blowing operation, and the components in the apparatus, such as the scanning unit 110 and the reading unit 112, are started. On the other hand, ventilation is performed. Thereafter, when the cassette 98 in which the radiation image information is recorded is loaded into the cassette loading unit 94, the operation of the fan 124 is temporarily stopped at that timing.

  Next, the lid member 99 of the cassette 98 is opened by a lid opening mechanism (not shown), and the stimulable phosphor sheet IP is taken out from the cassette 98 by the suction disk 100. The stimulable phosphor sheet IP taken out from the cassette 98 is transported by a plurality of transport rollers 102 and a guide plate 104 constituting the transport path 106, and is supplied to a portion where the scanning unit 110 and the reading unit 112 are disposed. The radiation image information reading process is performed.

  That is, the excitation light L output from the laser oscillator 114 is deflected and scanned in the main direction by the rotating polygon mirror 116, then reflected by the reflection mirror 118 and guided to the stimulable phosphor sheet IP. From the stimulable phosphor sheet IP irradiated with the excitation light L, stimulated emission light corresponding to the radiation image information is output, and this stimulated emission light is guided to the photomultiplier 122 via the condensing guide 120. Or converted into an electrical signal. During this time, the stimulable phosphor sheet IP is conveyed in the sub-direction by the conveying roller 102, so that the radiation image information is read two-dimensionally.

  Here, while the radiographic image information is being read from the stimulable phosphor sheet IP, the fan 124 is in a stopped state, so that the air density in the apparatus fluctuates due to the influence of the wind generated by the fan 124. There is nothing. Therefore, the excitation light L deflected and scanned by the polygon mirror 116 and irradiated on the stimulable phosphor sheet IP is stabilized, and the photostimulated luminescent light carrying the radiation image information can be read with high accuracy. Further, since electromagnetic noise is not generated from the drive source that rotates the fan 124, the photoelectric conversion by the photomultiplier 122 is not affected. As a result, good radiographic image information free from noise and artifacts can be obtained.

  When the reading process of the radiation image information is completed, the fan 124 is driven again, and the air blowing operation is resumed, thereby suitably suppressing the temperature rise in the apparatus. It should be noted that if a filter is provided in a portion where the wind inside the image information reading device 90 is circulated, dust generated by the air blown by the fan 124 can be removed and a good reading state can be maintained.

  When the reading process is completed and the stimulable phosphor sheet IP is transported to the erasing unit 108 by the transport path 106, the fluorescent lamp 107 is turned on and the erasing light is irradiated so that the remaining radiation energy is stored in the stimulable fluorescence. Removed from body sheet IP.

  The storable phosphor sheet IP that has been erased is stored in the cassette 98 by the suction disk 100, and after the lid member 99 is closed, it is discharged to the outside.

  In this case, even in an apparatus in which the scanning unit 110 and the reading unit 112 are arranged in a substantially sealed space having a configuration in which the cassette 98 for storing the stimulable phosphor sheet IP is attached and detached, like the image information reading device 90, Can be suitably prevented.

1 is a perspective explanatory view of a radiation image information recording / reading apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the said radiographic image information recording / reading apparatus. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of reading the radiographic image information of a stimulable phosphor sheet. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of erasing the radiographic image information which remain | survives in the said stimulable fluorescent substance sheet. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing when cooling air circulates within the imaging | photography part which comprises the said radiographic image information recording / reading apparatus. It is a timing chart of the operation | movement in the said radiographic image information recording / reading apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram of the imaging | photography part which comprises the radiographic image information recording / reading apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the image information reading apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the radiographic image reading apparatus of patent document 1. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,80 ... Radiation image information recording / reading device 12 ... Elevating part 14, 81 ... Imaging | photography part 16 ... Imaging | photography part raising / lowering mechanism 28, 82 ... Case 30 ... Subject 32 ... Imaging stand 39 ... Storage phosphor sheet drive motor 40 ... Read / erase unit 41 ... Bucky motor 42, 112 ... Read unit 44, 108 ... Erase unit 48 ... Read / erase unit drive motor 50 ... Laser diode 52 ... CCD line sensor 55 ... Temperature maintenance means 56, 124 ... Fans 57a, 57b ... Wind direction Plate 58 ... Operation panel 62 ... Elevating switch part 84 ... Temperature adjusting means 86a to 86c ... Heat pipe 88 ... Fin 90 ... Image information reading device 110 ... Scanning part IP ... Storage phosphor sheet

Claims (9)

An image information reading device that photoelectrically reads radiation image information of a subject accumulated and recorded on a stimulable phosphor sheet,
A reading unit that irradiates the stimulable phosphor sheet with excitation light in a main direction while reading stimulated emission light emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet by irradiation of the excitation light, and the reading unit includes the stimulable fluorescence sheet. An apparatus main body configured to accommodate a conveying unit that conveys relatively in a sub-direction substantially orthogonal to the main direction with respect to the body sheet, and various drive sources, and in which an interior is formed in a sealed space;
Temperature maintaining means for maintaining the temperature in the sealed space below a certain temperature;
An image information reading apparatus comprising: An image information reading device that photoelectrically reads radiation image information of a subject accumulated and recorded on a stimulable phosphor sheet,
An imaging unit for irradiating the subject with radiation and recording radiation image information of the subject on the stimulable phosphor sheet; and irradiating the stimulable phosphor sheet with excitation light in a main direction, A reading unit that reads the photostimulated light emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet by irradiation, and a conveyance that relatively conveys the reading unit in a sub-direction substantially orthogonal to the main direction with respect to the stimulable phosphor sheet. An apparatus main body configured to contain a portion, an erasing unit for erasing radiation image information remaining in the stimulable phosphor sheet, and various drive sources,
Temperature maintaining means for maintaining the temperature in the sealed space below a certain temperature;
An image information reading apparatus comprising:   3. The image information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature maintaining means includes means for reducing power consumption of the drive source during standby.   4. The image information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature maintaining unit includes a fan that circulates cooling air in the sealed space. 5.   5. The image information reading apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a wind direction plate for guiding cooling air to the reading unit that is mainly waiting is disposed in the vicinity of the fan. 6. The image information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature maintaining unit includes a heat pipe connected to the drive source,
A heat dissipating member that is disposed outside the apparatus main body and dissipates the heat of the heat pipe to the outside;
An image information reading apparatus comprising:   5. The image information reading apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the fan is controlled to be stopped during the reading process by the reading unit.   8. The image information reading apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the reading unit includes a photomultiplier that converts the stimulated emission light emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet into an electric signal. 5. The image information reading apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a filter for removing dust is disposed in a cooling air circulation portion of the fan.

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