JP2007333381A - Radiation detector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To maintain an operation state before removal after the removal in the removal of a battery. <P>SOLUTION: The radiation detector 10 includes a removable battery 19, nonvolatile memory 24 storing information before the removal of the battery 19, a control device 18 reading out information before the removal of the battery 19 from the nonvolatile memory 24 and returning an operation state after the removal of the battery 19 to an operation state before the removal of the battery 19. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a radiation detector applied in radiography of a subject.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the field of radiography for medical diagnosis, there have been widely used radiographic imaging systems for obtaining a radiographic image of a subject by irradiating the subject with radiation and detecting the intensity distribution of the radiation transmitted through the subject. Are known. In recent radiographic imaging systems, a so-called “Flat Panel Detector” radiation detector, which is a thin flat plate with a large number of photoelectric conversion elements arranged in a matrix, has been developed and used. A radiation image of a subject can be obtained easily and quickly by photoelectrically converting the radiation transmitted through the light into an electric signal and subjecting the electric signal after the photoelectric conversion to image processing.

  The radiation detector is roughly classified into a “stationary type” that is installed at a predetermined position as a part of the system and a “portable type (cassette type)” that is portable. In both stationary and cassette type radiation detectors, a storage battery (battery) is usually built in when the detector itself is driven. Examples of such radiation detectors are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

  The radiation detector (radiation detector cassette 40) described in Patent Document 1 is a portable cassette type radiation detector. This radiation detector has a built-in battery (power supply 44) for driving a photoelectric conversion element (solid state light detection element 31) and the like, and can supply power without being connected to an external signal processing device or a power supply by a cable. Therefore, it has a configuration in which the degree of freedom of the radiation imaging location is increased (see paragraph numbers 0033 to 0038).

On the other hand, the radiation detector (X-ray imaging apparatus) described in Patent Document 2 is a radiation detector that can be used as both a stationary type and a cassette type. In this radiation detector, an imaging part (basic imaging part 31) including a photoelectric conversion element (36b) and the like and a power supply part (extension part 32) including a battery (battery circuit 47) and the like are separately provided. It is configured. In Patent Document 2, when the radiation detector is used as a stationary type, the imaging part is installed on the pedestal (71) alone and power is supplied via the cable (77) (paragraph numbers 0026 to 0029). When the radiation detector is used as a cassette type, the imaging part and the power supply part are integrated to supply power from the power supply part to the imaging part (paragraph numbers 0016 to 0024). In addition, it has an excellent configuration that can be used as a cassette type.
JP-A-7-140255 JP 2003-248060 A

  Regarding the radiation detectors described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the radiation detector described in Patent Document 1 must be charged in a state where it is installed in a cradle when charging the battery even if it is portable. The detector itself cannot be used during the charging period. On the other hand, in the radiation detector described in Patent Document 2, there is no inconvenience that the detector itself cannot be used during the charging period because the power supply part with a built-in battery is detachable from the imaging part. The trouble at the time of attachment and detachment of the electric power supply part with respect to is not considered. That is, when the power supply part (that is, the battery) is attached to or detached from the imaging part during communication between the radiation detector and the external system control unit or during operation of the radiation detector, the communication and radiation detection described above are interrupted. As a result, the various information acquired is lost, and the radiation detector is reset to the operating state when the power is turned on.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a radiation detector capable of maintaining an operating state before attachment / detachment even after attachment / detachment when attaching / detaching a battery.

In order to solve the above problem, a radiation detector according to claim 1 is provided.
A removable battery,
A nonvolatile memory for storing information before the battery is attached and detached;
Control means for reading out information before the battery is attached / detached from the nonvolatile memory after the battery is attached / detached, and returning an operating state after the battery is attached / detached to an operating state before the battery is attached / detached;
It is characterized by having.

The invention described in claim 2
The radiation detector according to claim 1.
Determining means for determining whether the battery can be attached or detached;
Display means for displaying in a different manner whether the battery can be attached or detached based on the determination result of the determination means;
It is characterized by having.

The invention described in claim 3
The radiation detector according to claim 1 or 2,
A lock mechanism that makes it impossible to attach and detach the battery;
Determining means for determining whether the battery can be attached or detached;
With
When the determination means determines that the battery cannot be attached or detached, the control means operates the lock mechanism.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the information before the battery is attached / detached is stored in the nonvolatile memory, and the information is continuously stored irrespective of the attachment / detachment of the battery. Therefore, the information is not lost when the battery is attached / detached. . Then, after the battery is attached / detached, the control means reads the information before the battery is attached / detached from the non-volatile memory and returns the operating state after the battery is attached / detached to the operating state before the battery is attached / detached. The state can be maintained even after attachment / detachment.

  In the second aspect of the invention, since the display means displays whether the battery can be attached / detached in different manners based on the determination result of the determining means, it is easily determined whether the battery can be attached / detached. By confirming the display on the display means, the battery can be charged / replaced as required.

  In the invention according to claim 3, since the control means operates the lock mechanism when the determination means determines that the battery cannot be attached or detached, it can be easily determined whether or not the battery can be attached or detached. By checking the presence or absence of the operation of the lock mechanism, the battery can be accurately charged / replaced as necessary.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the illustrated examples.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a radiographic image capturing system 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, the radiographic imaging system 1 includes an imaging device 2 that performs radiation imaging of the subject M by irradiating the subject M with radiation, and a console 3 that generates a radiographic image of the subject M.

  The imaging device 2 is installed and used in a medical facility such as a clinic or a hospital. The imaging apparatus 2 has a radiation source 4 and emits radiation when a tube voltage is applied to the radiation source 4. A diaphragm device 5 for adjusting the radiation field is provided at the radiation outlet of the radiation source 4 so as to be freely opened and closed. A bed 6 on which the subject M is placed is provided below the radiation source 4 and in the radiation irradiation range. The bed 6 is provided with a radiation detector 10 that detects the amount of radiation transmitted through the subject M. The radiation detector 10 is a portable cassette type radiation detector that is detachably disposed on the bed 6.

  The console 3 is a general-purpose computer and has a built-in control device 30 (see FIG. 3) that generates a radiographic image of the subject M based on the detection result of the radiation detector 10. In addition, the console 3 communicates with the imaging device 2. A connector 31 (see FIG. 3) for performing the operation, a display 32 as a display unit for displaying a radiation image or the like of the subject M, a keyboard / mouse for inputting imaging information regarding the subject M and the radiation detector 10 to the control device 30 33 etc.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the radiation detector 10 according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 2, the radiation detector 10 has a thin, rectangular parallelepiped casing 11, and a part of the top plate of the casing 11 is a grid 12 that absorbs and removes scattered components of radiation. . A handle 13 is disposed on the side of the housing 11 so that the radiation detector 10 can be easily carried.

A rectangular scintillator 14 that emits fluorescence with an intensity corresponding to the intensity of radiation is disposed inside the housing 11. The scintillator 14 is made of a phosphor such as GOS (Gd ₂ O ₂ S: Tb) or CsI. A flat fluorescence detection panel 15 for detecting fluorescence is disposed below or below the scintillator 14.

  In the fluorescence detection panel 15, a large number of photoelectric conversion elements that receive fluorescence and accumulate charges corresponding to the amount of received light are arranged in a matrix (lattice). On the side of the fluorescence detection panel 15, a scanning driver 16 that sends a pulse to each photoelectric conversion element to scan and drive each photoelectric conversion element, and a signal driver 17 that reads out the amount of charge accumulated in each photoelectric conversion element, Is arranged.

  Inside the housing 11, a control device 18 that controls operations of the scanning driver 16, the signal driver 17, and other members, a battery 19 that serves as a power supply source, and a nonvolatile memory that stores various types of information before the battery 19 is attached and detached. A memory 24 is arranged. The battery 19 is detachably attached to the housing 11 and can be easily replaced with another battery 19. The nonvolatile memory 24 is composed of a solid-state memory such as a flash memory.

  In addition, the housing 11 includes a connector 20 for communicating with the console 3, a display panel 21 for displaying the remaining charge of the battery 19 in characters, symbols, and the like. An indicator 22 shown, a return button 23 for returning to a state before the battery 19 is attached / detached after the battery 19 is attached / detached, and the like are arranged.

  The indicator 22 is composed of an LED (Light Emitting Diode) that lights in “green” or “red”. The indicator 22 as a display means changes its lighting color as appropriate according to when the battery 19 can be attached or detached, and more specifically, when the battery 19 can be removed, the indicator 22 turns green. Lights up and lights up in “red” when the battery 19 cannot be removed.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the radiation image capturing system 1.
As shown in FIG. 3, in the radiation detector 10, the control device 18 includes a control unit 25 composed of a general-purpose CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. ing. The control unit 25 expands the processing program recorded in the ROM to the RAM, and executes the processing program by the CPU.

  Each member such as a scanning driver 16, a signal driver 17, a battery 19, a connector 20, a display panel 21, an indicator 22, a return button 23, a non-volatile memory 24, and the like is connected to the control unit 25. 25 controls each component based on the operation status of each member such as the scanning driver 16, the signal driver 17, the battery 19, the connector 20, the display panel 21, the indicator 22, the return button 23, and the nonvolatile memory 24. It has become.

  On the other hand, in the console 3, the control device 30 has a control unit 35 constituted by a general-purpose CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory) and the like. The control unit 35 develops the processing program recorded in the ROM on the RAM, and executes the processing program by the CPU. Each member such as the connector 31, display 32, and keyboard / mouse 33 is connected to the control unit 35. The control unit 35 is based on the operation status of each member such as the connector 31, display 32, keyboard / mouse 33, and the like. Each configuration is controlled.

In the radiographic imaging system 1 described above, the connector 20 of the radiation detector 10 and the connector 31 of the console 3 are connected by a member such as a cable, and the radiation detector 10 and the console are connected through the connectors 20 and 31. 3 can communicate with each other.
The communication between the radiation detector 10 and the console 3 may be wired as described above, but may be well-known wireless, or well-known wired or wireless via a network. In particular, when communication via a network is applied, the connection from the console 3 and the radiation detector 10 to the network is preferably realized by a wireless local area network (LAN), for example.

  Then, operation | movement and an effect | action of the radiographic imaging system 1 are demonstrated.

  In a state where the radiation detector 10 of the imaging apparatus 2 and the console 3 can communicate with each other, first, the photographer operates the subject M with respect to the control unit 35 of the console 3 by an input operation of the keyboard / mouse 33 of the console 3. And “imaging information” of the radiation detector 10 is pre-registered.

  The control unit 35 of the console 3 receives the input operation of the photographer, recognizes the imaging information of the subject M and the radiation detector 10, and gives the imaging information and a “start signal” to start radiation imaging of the subject M. The data is transmitted from the connector 31 to the radiation detector 10. Then, the radiation detector 10 receives the imaging information and the start signal by the connector 20, and the control unit 25 writes the imaging information to the nonvolatile memory 24 and controls each component to emit radiation by the fluorescence detection panel 15 and the like. Detection is possible.

  In this state, the imaging device 2 irradiates the subject M lying on the bed 6 with radiation from the radiation source 4 through the diaphragm device 5, and the radiation transmitted through the subject M enters the radiation detector 10. When the radiation enters the radiation detector 10, the scattered component is absorbed and removed by the grid 12 of the radiation detector 10 and enters the scintillator 14, and the scintillator 14 emits fluorescence with an intensity corresponding to the intensity of the radiation. .

  When the scintillator 14 emits fluorescence, each photoelectric conversion element of the fluorescence detection panel 15 receives the fluorescence emitted by the scintillator 14 and accumulates charges corresponding to the amount of received light. When each photoelectric conversion element accumulates electric charge, the control unit 25 of the control device 18 controls the scan driver 16 and the signal driver 17 respectively, the scan driver 16 sends a pulse to each photoelectric conversion element, and the signal driver 17 The amount of charge accumulated in the conversion element is read out as a signal.

  When the signal driver 17 reads the signal, the signal driver 17 outputs the read signal as “image information” of the subject M to the control unit 25 of the control device 18, and the control unit 25 of the control device 18 outputs the image information. The image information is transmitted from the connector 20 to the console 3 and the image information is written to the nonvolatile memory 24.

  The console 3 receives image information at the connector 31, and the control unit 35 of the control device 30 performs image processing on the received image information to generate a radiation image, and displays the radiation image on the display 32 as a radiation image of the subject M. Let

  Here, in the radiographic imaging system 1 at the time of radiography of the subject M as described above, the lighting state of the indicator 22 in the radiation detector 10 is switched according to the operating state of the system, and the indicator 22 has a battery color with the lighting color. The 19 detachable and non-detachable periods are shown in different manners.

  That is, during the operation of the radiographic imaging system, the control unit 25 serving as a determination unit determines whether communication is performed between the console 3 and the radiation detector 10, and the radiation detector 10 is activated. Whether or not the signal driver 17 is reading the charge amount of each photoelectric conversion element of the fluorescence detection panel 15 or writing the shooting information and the image information to the nonvolatile memory 24. It is determined whether or not the system is operating by constantly monitoring the system operating status, and whether or not the battery 19 can be attached or detached is determined based on the determination result.

  When the control unit 25 of the control device 18 recognizes the communication with the console 3 and the operation of the radiation detector 10, the control unit 25 does not attach or detach the battery 19 during the period during which the communication, the operation or the like is permitted. It judges that it is impossible, and continues to transmit the control signal to that effect to the indicator 22 and keeps the indicator 22 lit red. Thereby, the indicator 22 continues to be lit in “red” indicating the time when the battery 19 cannot be attached / detached as a display means.

  On the other hand, when the control unit 25 of the control device 18 does not recognize the communication with the console 3 or the operation of the radiation detector 10, the control unit 25 determines that the battery 19 can be attached and detached during that period. The control signal to that effect is continuously transmitted to the indicator 22, and the indicator 22 is continuously lit in “green”. As a result, the indicator 22 continues to be lit in “green” which indicates the detachable time of the battery 19 as a display means.

  When the photographer removes the battery 19 from the housing 11 in a state where the indicator 22 is lit in green, that is, when the battery 19 can be attached and detached, the supply of power to each member of the radiation detector 10 is interrupted, Communication with the console 3 in the detector 10 is also interrupted.

  In this state, when the photographer attaches another battery 19 in place of the removed battery 19, power is supplied from the battery 19 to each member of the radiation detector 10, and the console 3 in the radiation detector 10 is connected to the radiographer 10. The communication function is also restored.

  When the return button 23 of the radiation detector 10 is pressed, the control unit 25 of the control device 18 serves as a control unit, and the imaging information and the image information written to the nonvolatile memory 24 before the battery 19 is attached / detached are stored in the nonvolatile memory. The data is read from the memory 24, and the operation state of the radiation detector 10 after the attachment / detachment of the battery 19 is restored to the operation state before the attachment / detachment of the battery. Thereby, the radiation detector 10 returns to the operating state before the battery 19 is attached / detached as it is after the battery 19 is attached / detached.

  Even when the return button 23 is not pressed, when the battery 19 is attached, the control unit 25 of the control device 18 automatically performs the above processing, and the operation state after the battery 19 is attached to and detached from the radiation detector 10 is changed to the battery. It is good also as a structure which returns to the operation state before attaching / detaching.

  During the period when the battery 19 is attached to the radiation detector 10, the control unit 25 monitors the drive voltage of the battery 19, calculates the remaining charge of the battery 19 from the drive voltage, and charges the calculated battery 19. The remaining amount is displayed on the display panel 21 with characters, symbols, etc., and the remaining amount of charge of the battery 19 can be confirmed by viewing the display panel 21.

  In the radiographic imaging system 1 described above, imaging information and image information before the battery 19 is attached / detached are written in the nonvolatile memory 24, and the imaging information and image information are continuously stored regardless of the attachment / detachment of the battery 19. When the battery 19 is attached or detached, the photographing information and image information are not lost. Then, after the battery 19 is attached / detached, the control unit 25 of the control device 18 reads out the photographing information and image information before the battery 19 is attached / detached from the nonvolatile memory 24 and the operation state after the battery 19 is attached / detached is changed to the operation before the battery 19 is attached / detached. In order to return to the state, the radiation detector 10 can maintain the operation state before the attachment / detachment after the attachment / detachment of the battery 19.

  In the radiographic imaging system 1, since the indicator 22 of the radiation detector 10 is lit in “red” or “green” to indicate the detachable time and the non-detachable time of the battery 19 in different manners. The possible time and the non-detachable time can be easily distinguished. Therefore, the battery 19 can be charged and exchanged accurately as necessary while viewing the lighting color of the indicator 22 and the remaining charge of the battery 19 displayed on the display panel 21.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various improvements and design changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the detachable time and the non-detachable time of the battery 19 are indicated by the “green” or “red” lighting color of the indicator 22, but the lighting colors other than “green” and “red” are used. The battery 19 may be configured to indicate when the battery 19 is attachable / detachable, and when the indicator 22 is displayed, that is, “lit” and “flashing”, “lit” and “off”, or “flashing”. ”And“ off ”may indicate a detachable time and a non-detachable time of the battery 19.

  In the above-described embodiment, the detachable timing and non-detachable timing of the battery 19 are indicated by the indicator 22. However, instead of or in addition to this configuration, whether or not the battery 19 is detachable can be indicated by characters, symbols, images. For example, the display panel 21 may be configured to display the display panel 21 in different display modes, and the display panel 21 may function as a display unit.

  In the above embodiment, the detachable / unremovable timing of the battery 19 is indicated by the indicator 22, but this configuration (including a configuration for displaying the detachability of the battery 19 on the display panel 21) is replaced or added. Thus, the battery 19 may be locked when the battery 19 cannot be attached or detached.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration in the vicinity of the battery 19 of the radiation detector 10, and shows a lock mechanism for locking the battery 19.
As shown in FIG. 4, a rectangular opening 40 having a size capable of inserting the battery 19 is formed at the corner of the housing 11 of the radiation detector 10. A lid 42 that can cover the opening 40 is connected to the lower portion of the opening 40 via a hinge (not shown), and the lid 41 can be opened and closed with respect to the opening 40. A lock mechanism 43 that restricts the attachment and detachment of the battery 19 is disposed on the side of the opening 40 of the housing 11.

  The lock mechanism 43 is a claw-like member, and can be shifted between a state protruding toward the opening 40 and a state retracted into the housing 11. When the lock mechanism 43 protrudes in a state where the battery 19 is housed / installed in the housing 11, the battery 19 is locked so that the battery 19 cannot be attached or detached, and conversely, when the lock mechanism 43 is retracted. Then, the lock of the battery 19 is released, and the battery 19 can be attached and detached.

  In such a configuration, when the control unit 25 of the control device 18 recognizes communication with the console 3, operation of the radiation detector 10, etc., during the period during which the communication, operation, etc. are permitted, the control unit 25 Then, it is determined that the battery 19 cannot be attached / detached, and a control signal to that effect is transmitted to the lock mechanism 43 to activate the lock mechanism 43. Thereby, the state in which the lock mechanism 43 protrudes toward the opening 43 of the housing 11 is maintained, and the battery 19 cannot be attached or detached.

  On the other hand, when the control unit 25 of the control device 18 does not recognize the communication with the console 3 or the operation of the radiation detector 10, the control unit 25 determines that the battery 19 can be attached and detached during that period. A control signal to that effect is transmitted to the lock mechanism 43 to release the operation of the lock mechanism 43. Thereby, the state in which the lock mechanism 43 is pulled into the housing 11 is maintained, and the battery 19 can be attached and detached.

  When such a configuration is applied, the battery 19 is charged / replaced as necessary while observing whether the lock mechanism 43 is activated and the remaining charge of the battery 19 displayed on the display panel 21. Can be done accurately.

It is drawing which shows schematic structure of a radiographic imaging system. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of a radiation detector. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of a radiographic imaging system. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a locking mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Radiographic imaging system 3 Console 10 Radiation detector 18 Control apparatus 25 Control part (control means, determination means)
19 Battery 22 Indicator (display means)
24 Nonvolatile memory 43 Lock mechanism

Claims (3)

A removable battery,
A nonvolatile memory for storing information before the battery is attached and detached;
Control means for reading out information before the battery is attached / detached from the nonvolatile memory after the battery is attached / detached, and returning an operating state after the battery is attached / detached to an operating state before the battery is attached / detached;
A radiation detector comprising: The radiation detector according to claim 1.
Determining means for determining whether the battery can be attached or detached;
Display means for displaying in a different manner whether the battery can be attached or detached based on the determination result of the determination means;
A radiation detector comprising: The radiation detector according to claim 1 or 2,
A lock mechanism that makes it impossible to attach and detach the battery;
Determining means for determining whether the battery can be attached or detached;
With
The radiation detector, wherein when the determination means determines that the battery cannot be attached or detached, the control means activates the lock mechanism.

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