JP2008102382A - Cassette holder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cassette holder accommodating a radiographic cassette, with the cassette holder being designed so that the cassette can smoothly be inserted along a tested body, without hurting the subject to be tested, lying in a recumbent position or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The cassette holder 10 has a cassette insertion opening 15, through which the cassette accommodating a sheet-like or plate-like radiation testing body is received from its side face. The cassette holder 10 accommodates the cassette in it, and this holder 10 is provided with an air introducing section 11, which expands by air introduced through, for example, an air pump 20 or contracts, thereby making it free to switch between a first thickness T1 allowing the accommodation of the cassette and a second thickness less than the first thickness 1. When the holder thickness is set to the first thickness T1, the cassette insertion opening 15 is expanded to the size allowing the reception of the cassette; and when the holder thickness is set to the second thickness, the opening 15 is reduced to the size inhibiting the reception of the cassette. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cassette holder that accommodates a cassette in which a radiation detector is housed and is used for radiography.

  Conventionally, when taking a radiographic image of a subject such as a human body, an X-ray film, a stimulable phosphor sheet shown in Patent Document 1 or the like, a radiation solid state detector shown in Patent Document 2 or the like A cassette in which a sheet-like or plate-like radiation detector is housed is widely used. When such a cassette is used to capture a radiographic image of a subject (patient or the like) in a prone position such as a prone position or a supine position when bedridden or the like, a cassette as shown in Patent Document 3 is used. A holder is often used. More specifically, this cassette holder has a cassette insertion opening for receiving a cassette containing a sheet-like or plate-shaped radiation detector inside from its side end face, and accommodates the cassette inserted from this opening inside. It is composed of.

Conventionally, when using this type of cassette holder, the cassette holder is inserted in a state in which the cassette is accommodated under the subject in the prone position, or the cassette is accommodated after the cassette holder is inserted, Next, a radiation source arranged to face the cassette with the subject interposed therebetween is driven. As a result, the radiation source is irradiated with radiation from the radiation source through the subject, and a radiation image of the subject is recorded (photographed) on the radiation detector.
JP-A-2005-091282 JP 2005-308409 A JP-A-10-282598

  When inserting the cassette holder under the patient (subject) in the supine position as described above, the cassette holder can be inserted smoothly in order to reduce the burden on the patient with poor physical strength in many cases. It is desirable to be. From such a viewpoint, Patent Document 3 proposes facilitating insertion of the cassette holder by providing handles on both sides of the cassette holder to improve handling.

  However, even if the cassette holder is easy to handle in this way, when inserting it into the patient's lower side, the corner part of the cassette holder hits the patient's back etc. and the patient feels pain There are many.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a cassette holder that can be smoothly inserted along a subject without causing pain to the subject in a lying position or the like. Objective.

  The cassette holder according to the present invention can be inserted in a thin state when inserted into the lower side of the patient, and is deformed to a thickness that can accommodate the cassette after the insertion, so that the corner portion hits the patient at the time of insertion. It avoids as much as possible.

That is, the cassette holder according to the present invention has a cassette insertion opening for receiving a cassette containing a sheet-like or plate-like radiation detector inside from its side end face, and accommodates the cassette therein.
The holder thickness can be changed between a first thickness that can accommodate the cassette and a second thickness that is smaller than the first thickness.
The cassette insertion opening expands to a size that can accept a cassette when the holder thickness is set to the first thickness, and cannot accept a cassette when the holder thickness is set to the second thickness. It is characterized in that it is configured to be reduced in size.

  More specifically, the cassette holder preferably has a configuration in which the thickness of the holder is increased from the second thickness to the first thickness by introducing a fluid, that is, gas or liquid, into the inside. In addition, when such a structure is employ | adopted, it is desirable for the cassette holder of this invention to incorporate the pump for introducing the said fluid.

  Further, the cassette holder of the present invention has a pair of members sandwiching the cassette from the front surface side and the back surface side thereof, and by moving these members in directions away from each other, the holder thickness is set to the second thickness. May be configured to increase to a first thickness.

  In the cassette holder of the present invention, it is desirable that a layer made of a foamable resin or a viscoelastic (viscoelastic) foam is formed on the holder surface on the side in contact with the subject to be radiographed.

  Furthermore, in the cassette holder of the present invention, it is desirable that a reinforcing material layer is formed on the back side of the holder opposite to the side in contact with the subject to be radiographed. When such a reinforcing material layer is formed, it is desirable that a layer for preventing radiation backscattering is formed on the surface of the reinforcing material layer on the radiation incident side.

  The cassette holder of the present invention has a holder thickness that can be changed between a first thickness that can accommodate the cassette and a second thickness that is smaller than the first thickness, and the cassette insertion opening has a holder thickness. When the thickness is set to the first thickness, the size is increased to an acceptable size for the cassette, and when the holder thickness is set to the second thickness, the size is reduced to an unacceptable size for the cassette. Therefore, when the cassette holder is inserted below the subject in the lying position, the subject is placed at the corner by setting the second thickness to be relatively thin. It becomes possible to insert smoothly and easily while avoiding hitting. Therefore, it is possible to prevent problems such as giving pain to the patient or causing the cassette holder to shift greatly.

  If this cassette holder is placed under the subject, the cassette thickness is set to the first thickness and the cassette insertion opening is enlarged to a size that can accept the cassette. Since it can be accommodated in the holder, radiation imaging can be performed using this cassette.

  In particular, in the cassette holder of the present invention, when a layer made of foamable resin or viscoelastic (viscoelastic) foam is formed on the holder surface on the side in contact with the subject such as a patient to be radiographed. When the cassette holder is inserted below the subject or when the thickness of the cassette holder is increased to the first thickness, it is possible to avoid the holder surface from hitting the subject strongly. It is possible to more surely prevent a problem that the cassette holder or the cassette holder is greatly displaced.

  Further, particularly in the cassette holder of the present invention, when a reinforcing material layer is formed on the back side of the holder opposite to the side on which the subject to be radiographed contacts, the rigidity can be increased by the reinforcing material layer. Therefore, it becomes easy to insert the cassette holder having the relatively thin second thickness along the subject.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show perspective views of the cassette holder 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and show states in a first thickness T1 and a second thickness T2, respectively.

  The cassette holder 10 basically includes a balloon-like air introduction portion 11, a generally thin rectangular parallelepiped low-resilience flexible layer 12 fixed to the upper surface of the air introduction portion 11 in the figure, and the air introduction portion 11 in the figure. It is composed of a thin plate-like reinforcing material layer 13 fixed to the lower surface and a handle portion 14 fixed to one side surface of the air introducing portion 11.

  For example, the balloon-shaped air introduction portion 11 formed from a synthetic resin is such that air is introduced into the interior as described later, and when the air is introduced, the state shown in FIG. A rectangular parallelepiped cassette insertion opening 15 is defined. FIG. 3 shows a side cross-sectional shape of the air introduction part 11. As shown here, the air introduction part 11 has a U-shaped cross-sectional shape and is a space into which air is introduced. 11B. The cassette insertion opening 15 is open to one side end surface of the air introduction part 11.

  The low resilience flexible layer 12 is made of, for example, a foamable resin such as urethane, and is attached so as to cover the upper surface of the air introduction portion 11. The four corner portions of the low resilience flexible layer 12 are rounded and formed so as not to have large angular portions. The low resilience flexible layer 12 may be formed using, for example, a viscoelastic (viscoelastic) foam known as “Tempur” (registered trademark) as well as a foamable resin. On the other hand, the thin plate-like reinforcing material layer 13 is made of a synthetic resin having high rigidity.

    The handle portion 14 has a shape suitable for a human to hold by hand, and a small air pump 20 for introducing air and an air discharge port of the small air pump 20 are connected to the inside of the air introducing portion 11. A piping 21 that communicates with the rechargeable battery 22 that drives the small air pump 20 is housed. A flexible layer such as a viscoelastic foam may be formed on the surface of the handle 14 in order to reduce pain and ease of holding the patient. A plurality of small air introduction holes 23 are provided on the side surface of the handle portion 14 at a position facing the suction port of the small air pump 20, and a switch 24 for operating the small air pump 20 and a part of the pipe 21 are provided. A valve opening / closing button 25 that is provided and opens and closes a valve (not shown) that opens to the outside of the handle portion 14 is provided.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the cassette holder 10 of the present embodiment having the above configuration will be described. When a radiographic image is taken using the cassette holder 10, the cassette holder 10 is first brought into the state shown in FIG. 2, that is, the second thickness T2 by an operation described later. In this state, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, the patient (subject) 30 in a lying position is inserted under the surface on which the low resilience flexible layer 12 is located on the lower side. At this time, the operator grasps the handle 14 and inserts the cassette holder 10 into the lower side of the patient 30 from the opposite side. However, since the cassette holder 10 is in a relatively thin state, this insertion operation is Can be easily done.

  The cassette holder 10 has sufficient rigidity as a whole because the reinforcing material layer 13 is fixed to the cassette holder 10, so that the insertion operation is easy from this point. The cassette holder 10 is thin as a whole, and the low resilience flexible layer 12 is formed on the surface in contact with the patient 30 as described above. It is also possible to prevent the corner of the holder from hitting the patient's 30 back or the like and causing pain.

  When the cassette holder 10 is inserted below the patient 30 as described above, the switch 24 provided on the handle portion 14 is then pressed. Then, the small air pump 20 is activated to suck air from the air introduction hole 23, and the air is sent into the internal space of the air introduction portion 11 through the pipe 21. The air introduction part 11 expands when air is introduced in this way, and the entire cassette holder 10 is in the state of the first thickness T1, as shown in FIG. In this state, the cassette insertion opening 15 that has been crushed up to that time is expanded to a predetermined size, and a cassette 40 of a predetermined size can be accommodated from the opening 15 as shown in FIG.

  Here, the edge of the cassette insertion opening 15 of the air introduction part 11 is elastically bent and flattened in the state of FIG. 2, while in the state of FIG. A frame member 11a that regulates the size to a predetermined size is attached. Such a frame member 11a is preferably formed from a synthetic resin that absorbs less radiation such as X-rays or a carbon plate.

  When the operator visually confirms that the cassette holder 10 is in the first thickness T1, the small air pump 20 may be stopped by removing the finger from the switch 24, or A sensor that detects the pressure in the internal space of the air introduction unit 11 may be provided, and the small air pump 20 may be automatically stopped when the pressure reaches a predetermined pressure.

  After accommodating the cassette 40 in the cassette holder 10 in this way, a radiation source (not shown) is arranged so as to face the cassette 40 with the patient 30 in between, and when the radiation source is driven, the patient 30 is transmitted. Radiation such as X-rays is applied to the radiation detector in the cassette 40. With the above operation, the radiation image of the patient 30 is recorded (photographed) on the radiation detector in the cassette 40.

  When the radiography described above is completed, the cassette 40 is taken out from the cassette holder 10, and then the valve opening / closing button 25 is pushed. Then, the above-described valve provided in a part of the pipe 21 is opened, and the air existing in the internal space of the air introduction unit 11 is released from this valve through the pipe 21. And since the air introduction part 11 is crushed with the weight of the patient 30, the cassette holder 10 returns to the state of FIG. 2 whose whole thickness is T2. When the pushing of the valve opening / closing button 25 is stopped, the valve returns to the closed state.

  Thus, after the cassette holder 10 becomes thin as a whole, the cassette holder 10 is taken out from the lower side of the patient 30 by grasping the handle portion 14 and pulling it out. At this time, for the same reason as when the cassette holder 10 is inserted, the corner portion of the cassette holder 10 is prevented from hitting the back of the patient 30 and giving pain.

  In the present embodiment, air is introduced into the air introduction part 11 by the small air pump 20 incorporated in a part of the cassette holder 10, but the air supply means is separated from the cassette holder 10. It may be provided and air may be introduced into the air introduction part 11 through a hose or the like connected thereto.

  In addition to the cassette insertion opening 15, the air introduction section 11 may be provided with an opening for inserting a grid for absorbing scattered radiation, and such a grid may be applicable. Alternatively, the cassette insertion opening 15 itself may be formed in a size that can accommodate a cassette with a grid, and this type of cassette with a grid may be applicable.

  Further, the thickness of the cassette holder 10 can be increased by introducing a gas other than air or a liquid such as lukewarm water into a portion having a structure such as the air introducing portion 11. However, in terms of suppressing the absorption of radiation, gas is more preferable than liquid. Further, a thin film made of lead or the like may be formed on the surface on the radiation incident side of the reinforcing material layer 13 in order to prevent radiation backscattering.

  The cassette holder 10 of the first embodiment described above is formed to increase the thickness by introducing a fluid, but the thickness can be changed by other means. The cassette holder 50 according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 5 is formed to change the thickness by moving a pair of plate members. Hereinafter, the cassette holder 50 will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cassette holder 50 includes a pair of plate members 51 and 52 that receive the cassette 40 therebetween, and directions in which these plate members 51 and 52 are close to and separated from each other (in the drawing). A link mechanism 53 that is movably connected in the vertical direction), a plurality of springs 54 that urge the plate members 51 and 52 toward each other, and is attached to one plate member 51 so as to be rotatable about a shaft 55 And an elliptical cam 56 whose tip is in contact with the cam groove 52a of the other plate member 52 and rotates within the range indicated by the arrow R, and each of the elements 51 to 56 can be elastically deformed. A cover 57 and a circular knob 58 that is disposed outside the cover 57 and rotates the shaft 55 and rotates the cam 56 are provided.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the cassette holder 50 will be described. When the cam 56 is set to a substantially horizontal position (a state in which the long axis is substantially parallel to the plate member 51) by the operation of the knob 58, the plate members 51 and 52 are brought close to each other by the biasing force of the spring 54, and It will be in a state of almost touching. Under this condition, the thickness of the cassette holder 50 is relatively small T2, and it is impossible to receive the cassette 40 between the two plate members 51 and 52.

  In this state, the cassette holder 50 is inserted into the lower side of the patient who is in the lying position, as in the first embodiment. Also in this case, since the cassette holder 50 is in a relatively thin state, the insertion operation can be easily performed. In this embodiment as well, the low resilience flexible layer 12 applied in the first embodiment is formed on the upper surface in the figure of the cover 57 that comes into contact with the patient's back and the like to give pain to the patient. You may make it prevent more reliably.

  After the cassette holder 50 is inserted under the patient as described above, the knob 58 is rotated clockwise in the drawing, and the cam 56 is rotated to the position shown in the drawing. In this state, the cam 56 pushes down the plate member 52 against the urging force of the spring 54, so that the thickness of the cassette holder 50 is relatively large T1, and the cassette 40 is between the plate members 51 and 52. Thus, a cassette insertion opening 60 of a predetermined size for accepting is defined. Therefore, the cassette 40 can be pushed into the cassette insertion opening 60 and received between the plate members 51 and 52.

  As described above, the cassette 40 can be accommodated in the cassette holder 50, and radiation imaging can be performed using the cassette 40. When photographing is completed, the cassette 40 is pulled out from the cassette holder 50, and then the knob 58 is rotated counterclockwise in the drawing to return the cam 56 to the horizontal position. As a result, the plate members 51 and 52 are brought into close contact with each other by the biasing force of the spring 54, and the thickness of the cassette holder 50 returns to a relatively small T2. In this manner, the cassette holder 50 is pulled out from the lower side of the patient in a relatively thin state. In this case as well, it is desirable that the cassette holder 50 is provided with a handle portion similar to the above-described handle portion 14 to facilitate insertion and extraction operations with respect to the patient.

  Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. (1) and (2) in the figure respectively show the planar shape and the side surface shape of the cassette holder 70 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, the same elements as those in FIGS. 4 and 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted unless particularly required. FIG. 2B shows only the main mechanism of the cassette holder 70.

  In the cassette holder 70, a cassette insertion opening 60 for receiving the cassette 40 is defined between the plate members 51 and 52 on the upper side and the left side in FIG. As a result, the cassette holder 70 can receive the cassette 40 from two directions, that is, from either the upper side or the left side, and is easy to use.

The perspective view which shows the cassette holder by 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cassette holder of FIG. 1 has a thickness different from that of FIG. Side sectional view showing a part of the cassette holder of FIG. Schematic plan view showing the usage state of the cassette holder of FIG. The side view which shows the cassette holder by 2nd Embodiment of this invention The top view (1) and side view (2) which show the cassette holder by 3rd Embodiment of this invention

Explanation of symbols

10, 50, 70 cassette holder
11 Air inlet
12 Low resilience flexible layer
13 Reinforcement layer
14 Handle part
15, 60 cassette insertion opening
20 Small air pump
21 Piping
22 Rechargeable battery
40 cassettes
51, 52 Plate member
53 Link mechanism
54 Spring
55 axes
56 cam
57 Cover

Claims (7)

In a cassette holder that has a cassette insertion opening for receiving a cassette containing a sheet-shaped or plate-shaped radiation detector inside from a side end surface thereof, and accommodates the cassette therein,
The holder thickness can be changed between a first thickness that can accommodate the cassette and a second thickness that is smaller than the first thickness.
The cassette insertion opening expands to a size that can accept a cassette when the holder thickness is set to the first thickness, and cannot accept a cassette when the holder thickness is set to the second thickness. A cassette holder that is configured to be reduced in size.   The cassette holder according to claim 1, wherein the holder thickness is increased from the second thickness to the first thickness by introducing a fluid therein.   3. The cassette holder according to claim 2, further comprising a pump for introducing the fluid.   The holder has a pair of members sandwiching the cassette from the front surface side and the back surface side, and the holder thickness is changed from the second thickness to the first thickness by moving the members in directions away from each other. The cassette holder according to claim 1, wherein the cassette holder is configured to increase.   5. A layer made of a foamable resin or a viscoelastic (viscoelastic) foam is formed on a holder surface on the side that comes into contact with a subject to be radiographed. The cassette holder described.   The cassette holder according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a reinforcing material layer is formed on a back surface of the holder opposite to a side on which a subject to be radiographed contacts.   The cassette holder according to claim 6, wherein a layer for preventing backscattering of radiation is formed on a surface on the radiation incident side of the reinforcing material layer.

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