JP2011197641A - Radiological imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a radiological imaging device which is stably portable.SOLUTION: The radiological imaging device (20A) includes: a panel section (30) which houses radiation conversion panels for converting radiation into a radiological image; a control section (32), which is disposed at one end portion of the panel section (30) and which controls the radiation conversion panels; and a handle section (34), which is disposed at the other end portion of the panel section (30) and handled by the user.

Description

  The present invention relates to a radiographic imaging apparatus having a panel unit that houses a radiation conversion panel that converts radiation into a radiographic image, and a control unit that controls the radiation conversion panel.

  2. Description of the Related Art In the medical field, radiation image capturing apparatuses that irradiate a subject with radiation and guide the radiation transmitted through the subject to a radiation conversion panel to capture a radiation image are widely used. As the radiation conversion panel, a conventional radiation film in which the radiation image is exposed and recorded, or radiation energy as the radiation image is accumulated in a phosphor and irradiated with excitation light, thereby stimulating the radiation image. A storage phosphor panel that can be extracted as light is known. These radiation conversion panels supply the radiation film on which the radiation image is recorded to the developing device to perform development processing, or supply the storage phosphor panel to the reading device to perform reading processing, A visible image can be obtained.

  On the other hand, in an operating room or the like, it is necessary to be able to immediately read out and display a radiation image from a radiation conversion panel after imaging in order to perform a quick and accurate treatment on a patient. As a radiation conversion panel that can meet such demands, a direct conversion type radiation conversion panel using a solid-state detection element that directly converts radiation into an electrical signal, or a scintillator that temporarily converts radiation into visible light, and the visible light. An indirect conversion type radiation conversion panel using a solid-state detection element that converts light into an electrical signal has been developed.

  The direct conversion type or indirect conversion type radiation conversion panel described above is housed in a panel unit, and a radiation image obtained by the radiation conversion panel is read out by a control unit that controls the radiation conversion panel. And the radiographic imaging device called an electronic cassette is comprised by the said panel part and the said control part.

  In this case, it is desirable that the electronic cassette is configured to be portable by a doctor or an engineer (user).

  In view of this, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-26883 proposes that a gripping portion that is gripped by the user is provided integrally with the control portion, and the control portion is configured to be detachable from the panel portion.

  Patent Document 2 proposes that a grip portion is provided on a side surface of an electronic cassette, and the grip portion is configured to be movable along the side surface.

  Furthermore, Patent Document 3 proposes that the center of gravity of the electronic cassette be on the center line of the grip portion.

  Furthermore, Patent Document 4 proposes that the panel unit and the control unit are transported in an integrated state, and after transporting, shooting is performed with the control unit being separated from the panel unit. .

JP 2008-256665A JP 200477641 A JP 2002-82172 A JP 2009-80103 A

  By the way, in an electronic cassette, since an electric signal converted from radiation is read out as a radiation image, relatively expensive electronic components are mounted as compared with a radiation image capturing apparatus using a radiation film or a storage phosphor panel. . Therefore, when transporting, it is necessary to pay careful attention to carrying around so as not to cause a failure of the electronic component due to impact caused by dropping or the like. Therefore, as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3, the electronic cassette is provided with a grip portion.

  However, normally, the control unit is equipped with a power supply unit such as a battery that supplies power to the radiation conversion panel and each unit in the control unit, and a communication unit that communicates with the outside. The proportion of the weight of the control unit is large. Moreover, the power supply unit and the communication unit are often concentrated at a specific location in the control unit. Therefore, depending on the position of the control unit in the electronic cassette, the entire apparatus becomes an unbalanced load arrangement, and as a result, when the user grips the gripping part during transportation, the user exceeds the actual weight of the electronic cassette. You may feel heavy.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a radiographic imaging apparatus that can be stably carried.

  A radiographic imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes a panel unit that houses a radiation conversion panel that converts radiation into a radiographic image, a control unit that is disposed at one end of the panel unit and controls the radiation conversion panel, And a grip portion provided at the other end of the panel portion for the user to grip.

  According to this configuration, when the radiographic imaging apparatus is transported, the user grips and transports the gripping unit with the gripping unit on the upper side and the heavy control unit side on the lower side. To do.

  That is, since the ratio of the weight of the control unit is relatively large in the total weight of the radiographic image capturing apparatus, the control unit is arranged so as to be shifted with respect to the center position of the geometric shape of the radiographic image capturing apparatus. If so, the position of the center of gravity of the radiographic image capturing apparatus does not coincide with the center position and is eccentric, resulting in an unbalanced load arrangement for the entire apparatus.

  Therefore, in the present invention, in the radiographic imaging device in which the load distribution is biased toward the control unit, the grip unit is provided at a position facing the control unit, and the user places the grip unit on the upper side during transportation. The radiographic imaging apparatus is transported by gripping the gripping portion in a state where the control portion that causes a heavy and unbalanced load arrangement is on the lower side. As a result, the user grips the gripping portion in a state where the center of gravity of the entire apparatus is lowered. Therefore, when the radiographic image capturing apparatus is carried, the radiographic image capturing apparatus is felt lightly. Can be carried stably and easily. As a result, it is possible to transport the radiographic imaging apparatus without hitting the control unit against an arbitrary object or dropping the radiographic imaging apparatus, and the burden on the user during transportation Is also reduced.

  In addition, the control unit is equipped with a power supply unit such as an electronic component or a battery for controlling the radiation conversion panel, and the temperature of the control unit is increased by heat generated from the electronic component or the power supply unit. There may be. In the present invention, by disposing the control unit and the gripping part so as to face each other, it is possible to reliably avoid the heat from the control part being transmitted to the gripping part. Therefore, the user can carry the radiographic imaging apparatus by grasping the grasping portion without worrying about the heat.

  Thus, according to the present invention, by arranging the grip portion and the control portion to face each other in the panel portion, the user can grip the grip portion with a low center of gravity of the entire apparatus. As a result, the radiographic imaging apparatus can be stably carried during transportation.

  In addition, the panel unit accommodates the radiation conversion panel, and includes a substantially rectangular casing capable of transmitting the radiation, and the control unit is disposed in contact with a surface on one end side of the casing. In addition, the grip portion is provided on the other end side of the housing.

  The control unit may be disposed at any position as long as it is on one end side of the housing, for example, the one end side on the surface of the housing, the one end side on the side surface of the housing, Or it should just be arrange | positioned at the said one end part side in the back surface of the said housing | casing. In addition, the grip portion may be disposed at any position as long as it is on the other end side of the casing, for example, the other end side on the surface of the casing, and the side surface of the casing. It may be provided on the other end side or on the other end side on the back surface of the casing.

  If the control unit and the gripping unit are disposed at the location in the housing, the gripping unit is surely positioned on the upper side of the radiographic image capturing apparatus during transportation, and the control unit captures the radiographic image. Since it is surely located on the lower side of the apparatus, the carrying stability of the radiographic imaging apparatus can be ensured.

  In this case, the control unit is disposed on one side of the irradiation surface of the housing having the imageable region irradiated with the radiation, and the side surface of the housing on the other side of the irradiation surface is the side. When the gripping unit is provided, the gripping unit is positioned at the uppermost part of the radiographic image capturing apparatus and the control unit is positioned at the lowermost part of the radiographic image capturing apparatus during transportation. The stability of carrying the device can be further enhanced.

  In this case, it is desirable that the other casing constituting the control unit is entirely covered or a buffer member that covers a part of the other casing is further provided.

  As described above, at the time of transportation, the control unit is disposed at the lowermost part of the radiographic image capturing apparatus. Therefore, by providing the buffer member, the control unit can be effectively protected from an impact when the control unit is hit against another object or when the radiographic apparatus is dropped.

  The radiographic image capturing apparatus may further include a moving mechanism that rotates the control unit relative to the panel unit along the surface of the casing of the panel unit.

  When the radiographic imaging apparatus is transported, the control unit causing the unbalanced load arrangement is rotated with respect to the panel unit by the moving mechanism, whereby the center of gravity of the radiographic imaging apparatus is obtained. While changing a position easily, the said control part is rotationally moved to the lowest position of the said radiographic imaging apparatus. Thus, the user can feel the radiographic imaging device lightly during transportation, and can carry the radiographic imaging device stably and easily. Accordingly, even in this case, it is easier to transport the radiographic imaging apparatus without hitting the control unit against an arbitrary object or dropping the radiographic imaging apparatus, and at the time of transporting, The burden on the user can be further reduced.

  Thus, the user can carry the radiographic imaging apparatus more stably during transportation by rotating the control unit relative to the panel unit by the moving mechanism.

  In addition, the moving mechanism has a shaft portion provided at a position other than the imageable region where the radiation is irradiated on the surface of the housing, and the control unit is rotated around the shaft portion. It is desirable to make it.

  Since the control unit rotates about the shaft, the control unit can be rotated with respect to the panel by a simple mechanism. In addition, even when the control unit is arranged so as to cover the imageable region during transportation, the control unit can be retracted from the imageable region during image capture, so the presence of the control unit and the shaft portion is There is no hindrance to radiographic imaging.

  In this case, the moving mechanism further includes an oval hole formed in another housing constituting the control unit and through which the shaft portion passes, and the control unit is centered on the shaft portion. As long as it can rotate with respect to the shaft along the hole.

  Thereby, while rotating the said control part with respect to the said panel part centering | focusing on the said shaft part, the said radiographic image is moved by moving the said control part with respect to the said panel part along the said elliptical hole. The radiographic image capturing apparatus can be transported in a state where the control unit is disposed at the lowermost part of the image capturing apparatus.

  In that case, among the irradiation surface of the radiation having the imageable region in the casing of the panel unit, the shaft portion is provided at a place other than the imageable region, and the irradiation surface in the other housing of the control unit The oval hole may be formed in the bottom surface on the side along the longitudinal direction of the other casing.

  Thereby, the said control part can be moved more stably and reliably along the said longitudinal direction.

  The tip of the shaft portion inserted into the other housing is provided with a protrusion that extends in the radial direction of the shaft portion and has a width substantially the same as the diameter of the shaft portion. A bottom surface of the housing is provided with a movement restricting member that substantially surrounds the hole portion in a plan view and opens at one end side of the hole portion, and the shaft portion penetrates at one end side of the hole portion. In addition, when the control unit rotates around the shaft, the one end and the other end of the opening portion of the movement restricting member are brought into contact with the protrusion, thereby the control unit for the shaft. When the protrusion is disposed in the hole in plan view, the movement restricting member contacts the tip end of the shaft and the protrusion when the protrusion is disposed in the hole. It is desirable to regulate the moving direction of the control unit with respect to the above.

  In this case, a rotation angle range of the control unit with respect to the shaft portion is set by one end portion and the other end portion of the opening portion of the movement restriction member, and the projection portion, and the movement restriction member and the tip end of the shaft portion The moving direction of the control unit with respect to the shaft portion is set by the portion and the protrusion. Further, the amount of movement of the control unit along the movement direction is also set by the length of the oval hole. As described above, by providing the movement restricting member and the protrusion, it is possible to accurately and accurately perform the rotational movement of the control unit with respect to the panel unit.

  Further, if a stop member that can stop the movement of the control unit along the hole by contacting the protrusion is provided on the hole side of the movement restricting member, It becomes possible to stop the control unit at an arbitrary position (the lowermost part).

  In this case, if the stop member is a convex part that stops the movement of the control part by the protrusion part coming into contact, the control part can be reliably stopped at the lowermost part.

  In the above description, the case where the control unit is rotationally moved with respect to the panel unit by the oval hole and the shaft unit has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this description. The controller described below can be rotated and moved.

  In other words, the moving mechanism further includes a hole formed in another casing constituting the control unit and through which the shaft portion passes, and the control unit is rotatable about the shaft portion. .

  Even in this case, it is possible to arrange the control unit at the lowermost part.

  In addition, among the radiation irradiation surfaces having the imageable region in the casing of the panel unit, the shaft portion is provided at a place other than the imageable region, and the irradiation surface side in the other housing of the control unit If the hole is formed on the bottom surface of the plate, the control unit can be rotated more stably and reliably.

  In this case, a protruding portion extending in a radial direction of the shaft portion is provided at a tip portion of the shaft portion inserted into the other housing, and a bottom surface of the other housing is viewed in a plan view. And a rotation restricting member that substantially surrounds the hole and that is partially open, and when the control portion rotates around the shaft, one end and the other end of the opening of the rotation restricting member It is desirable that the portion regulates a rotation angle range of the control unit with respect to the shaft portion by contacting the projection.

  Since the rotation angle range of the control unit with respect to the shaft portion is set by the one end and the other end of the opening portion of the rotation restricting member and the protrusion, the rotational movement of the control unit with respect to the panel portion is accurately performed. Moreover, it is possible to carry out with high accuracy.

  In this case, the control unit drives and controls the radiation conversion panel and reads out the radiation image from the radiation conversion panel, a communication unit capable of communicating with the outside, the panel control unit, A power supply unit that supplies power to the communication unit and the radiation conversion panel.

  And if the said power supply part stops the electric power supply with respect to the said communication part and the said radiation conversion panel at the time of the rotational movement of the said control part by the said moving mechanism, useless power consumption can be suppressed.

  Further, a connection part for electrically connecting the radiation conversion panel and the control part is provided in the panel part, and the connection part and the control part are separated from each other when the control part is rotated by the moving mechanism. When the electrical connection is released, if the power supply unit stops supplying power to the communication unit and the radiation conversion panel, wasteful power consumption can be reliably suppressed.

  Furthermore, the panel control unit may include a connection detection unit that detects the presence or absence of an electrical connection between the connection unit and the control unit.

  Since the panel control unit is electrically connected to the radiation conversion panel via the connection unit, the connection detection unit determines whether or not there is an electrical connection between the connection unit and the control unit. By detecting, it is possible to easily grasp the control timing for the radiation conversion panel and the read timing of the radiation image for the radiation conversion panel.

  Further, by making the thickness of the panel part thinner than the thickness of the control part, it is possible to realize a reduction in thickness and weight of the radiographic imaging apparatus.

  In the radiographic imaging apparatus described above, the radiation conversion panel includes a scintillator that converts the radiation into visible light, a solid-state detection element that converts the visible light into an electrical signal indicating the radiation image, and the solid-state detection element. A switching element that reads the electrical signal from, and a substrate on which the solid state detection element and the switching element are formed, the substrate is a flexible plastic substrate, and the solid state detection element includes: Preferably, the switching element is made of an organic photoconductor, and the switching element is made of an organic semiconductor material.

  This makes it possible to form the solid state detection element and the switching element on the substrate at a low temperature, and also reduce the thickness and weight of the radiation conversion panel and the panel unit that houses the radiation conversion panel. It becomes possible. In addition, by using the flexible substrate, the radiation conversion panel and the panel unit that accommodates the radiation conversion panel can also have flexibility. Generation | occurrence | production of the failure | damage etc. of the said radiation conversion panel when a load is added to a part can be avoided.

  In this case, a high-quality radiation image can be obtained by arranging the substrate, the switching element, the solid state detection element, and the scintillator made of CsI in this order along the radiation direction.

  According to the present invention, since the grip unit and the control unit are arranged to face each other in the panel unit, the user grips the grip unit with a low center of gravity of the entire apparatus. It becomes possible to carry the photographing apparatus stably.

It is a lineblock diagram of a radiographic imaging system to which a cassette concerning a 1st embodiment is applied. It is a perspective view of the cassette of FIG. It is a perspective view of the cassette of FIG. It is sectional drawing along the IV-IV line of FIG. It is the top view which fractured | ruptured and illustrated some cassettes of FIG. It is the top view which illustrated the conveyance state of a cassette. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the arrangement | sequence of the pixel in a radiation conversion panel, and the electrical connection between a pixel and a cassette control part. It is a block diagram of the cassette of FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating imaging | photography using the cassette of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state of the charging process with respect to a cassette. 11A and 11B are perspective views illustrating a cassette provided on the buffer member in the control unit. It is a block diagram of the radiographic imaging system which applied the cassette for double-sided imaging. It is a perspective view of a cassette concerning a 2nd embodiment. It is sectional drawing along the XIV-XIV line | wire of FIG. It is sectional drawing along the XV-XV line | wire of FIG. It is the top view which fractured | ruptured and illustrated some cassettes of FIG. It is an expansion perspective view of the axial part of FIG. 16, a projection part, a movement control member, and a convex part. 18A and 18B are plan views illustrating the rotational movement of the control unit with respect to the panel unit. 19A and 19B are plan views illustrating the rotational movement of the control unit with respect to the panel unit. 20A and 20B are perspective views illustrating the rotational movement of the control unit with respect to the panel unit. FIG. 21A and FIG. 21B are plan views illustrating the transport state of the cassette. It is a block diagram of the cassette of FIG. FIG. 23A and FIG. 23B are perspective views illustrating a cassette provided on the buffer member in the control unit. 24A and 24B are perspective views of a cassette in which a grip portion is provided in the control unit. It is a perspective view of the cassette which provided the holding part in the control part. 26A and 26B are perspective views illustrating the rotation of the control unit with respect to the panel unit. FIG. 27A and FIG. 27B are enlarged plan views of the shaft portion, the protruding portion, and the rotation restricting member of the cassette of FIG. 26A and FIG. 26B. It is an expansion perspective view of the axial part of a cassette, a projection part, and a rotation control member. FIG. 29A is a perspective view of a cassette showing a case where a shaft portion is disposed at a location different from the case of FIG. 13 and FIG. 16, and FIG. 29B shows the movement of the control unit relative to the panel portion in the cassette of FIG. FIG. 30A is a perspective view illustrating rotation of the control unit with respect to the panel unit in the cassette of FIG. 29B, and FIG. 30B is a perspective view illustrating movement of the control unit with respect to the panel unit after rotation of FIG. 30A. It is a figure which shows roughly the structure for 3 pixels of the radiation detector which concerns on a modification. FIG. 32 is a schematic configuration diagram of a TFT and a charge storage section shown in FIG. 31.

  A preferred embodiment of a radiographic imaging apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS.

  First, an electronic cassette 20A as a radiographic image capturing apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a radiographic imaging system 10 includes a radiation source 18 that irradiates a subject 14 such as a patient lying on an imaging table 12 such as a bed with radiation 16 having a dose according to imaging conditions; An electronic cassette 20A that detects the radiation 16 transmitted through the subject 14 and converts it into a radiographic image, a console 22 that controls the radiation source 18 and the electronic cassette 20A, and a display device 24 that displays the radiographic image are provided.

  Between the console 22, the radiation source 18, the electronic cassette 20A, and the display device 24, for example, UWB (Ultra Wide Band), IEEE802.11. Signals are transmitted and received by wireless communication using a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) such as a / g / n or millimeter waves. It goes without saying that signals may be transmitted and received by wired communication using a cable.

  The console 22 is connected to a radiology information system (RIS) 26 for comprehensively managing radiographic images and other information handled in the radiology department in the hospital, and the RIS 26 has medical information in the hospital. Is connected to a medical information system (HIS) 28 for overall management.

  The electronic cassette 20 </ b> A according to the first embodiment includes a panel unit 30 disposed between the imaging table 12 and the subject 14, a control unit 32 disposed on the panel unit 30, and side portions of the panel unit 30. It is a portable electronic cassette provided with the grip part 34 arrange | positioned. Note that the thickness of the panel unit 30 is set to be thinner than the thickness of the control unit 32.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the panel unit 30 includes a substantially rectangular casing 40 made of a material that can transmit the radiation 16. The irradiation surface 42 is irradiated. A guide line 44 indicating the shooting area and shooting position of the subject 14 is formed at a substantially central portion of the irradiation surface 42. The outer frame of the guide line 44 becomes a photographable area 36 indicating the irradiation field of the radiation 16. The center position of the guide line 44 (intersection of the two guide lines 44 intersecting in a cross shape) is the center position of the imageable area 36 and the geometric center position of the electronic cassette 20A. .

  In addition, a grip portion 34 is provided on the side surface 46a of the housing 40 in the direction of the arrow X1, and a doctor or an engineer (user) passes the hand between the handle portion of the grip portion 34 and the side surface 46a. The hole 52 has a size.

  The control unit 32 includes a substantially rectangular casing (another casing) 60 made of a material that is impermeable to the radiation 16. The housing 60 extends along the arrow Y direction (direction parallel to the side surfaces 46a and 46b) on the side surface 46b side of the irradiation surface 42 (see FIG. 5). That is, as shown in FIGS. 1-5, the control part 32 is arrange | positioned by the side surface 46b side outside the imaging | photography possible area | region 36 in the irradiation surface 42 of the housing | casing 40, and the side surface 46a facing the side surface 46b of the arrow X2 direction is provided. A grip 34 is provided.

  In this case, a signal can be transmitted and received wirelessly between the console control unit 66 (panel control unit) 66 that controls the panel unit 30, a power source unit 68 such as a battery, and the console 22 in the housing 60. A communication unit 70 is arranged. The power supply unit 68 supplies power to the panel unit 30 and also supplies power to the cassette control unit 66 and the communication unit 70.

  On the side surface 80 on the arrow Y2 direction side (side surface 46d side) of the control unit 32, information is input between the input terminal 82 of the AC adapter for charging the power source unit 68 from an external power source and the external device. A USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal 84 as an interface means capable of transmission / reception, and a card slot 88 for loading a memory card 86 such as a PC card are provided.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a grid 90 for removing scattered rays of the radiation 16 from the subject 14 when the subject 16 is irradiated with the radiation 16 from the radiation source 18, as shown in FIGS. A radiation conversion panel 92 that detects the radiation 16 that has passed through 14, and a lead plate 94 that absorbs backscattered rays of the radiation 16 are sequentially disposed on the irradiation surface 42 on the subject 14 side. In this case, the grid 90, the radiation conversion panel 92, and the lead plate 94 substantially coincide with the imageable region 36 in plan view (see FIG. 5). Note that the irradiation surface 42 may be configured as a grid 90.

  As the radiation conversion panel 92, for example, the radiation 16 that has passed through the subject 14 is once converted into visible light by a scintillator, and the converted visible light is made of a solid detection element (hereinafter referred to as “a-Si”). Indirect conversion type radiation conversion panel that converts an electric signal into an electric signal by a direct conversion type that directly converts the dose of radiation 16 into an electric signal by a solid state detection element made of a substance such as amorphous selenium (a-Se). The radiation conversion panel can be adopted.

  The radiation 16 transmitted through the subject 14 is temporarily converted into visible light by a scintillator composed of, for example, cesium iodide (CsI) or gadolinium oxide sulfa (GOS), and the converted visible light is solid-state detecting element. 2. Description of the Related Art Indirect conversion type radiation conversion panels (radiation detectors) that convert electrical signals using (pixels) include a surface reading type radiation detector and a back side reading type radiation detector. Among these, a radiation detector of an ISS (Irradiation Side Sampling) method that is a surface reading method has a configuration in which a solid detection element and a scintillator are sequentially arranged along the irradiation direction of the radiation 16. In addition, a PSS (Penetration Side Sampling) type radiation detector which is a back side reading system has a configuration in which a scintillator and a solid state detection element are sequentially arranged along the irradiation direction of the radiation 16.

  Further, inside the panel unit 30, the radiation conversion panel 92 is electrically connected to the drive circuit unit 98 via the flexible substrate 96, and the drive circuit unit 98 is a hole 360 formed on the bottom surface of the housing 60. The cassette controller 66 is electrically connected through a flexible substrate 100 penetrating through the substrate. Accordingly, the drive circuit unit 98 drives and controls the radiation conversion panel 92 according to a control signal (address signal) from the cassette control unit 66, reads out a radiation image from the radiation conversion panel 92, and outputs it to the cassette control unit 66. In addition, the power supply unit 68 drives the radiation conversion panel 92 from the drive circuit unit 98 through the flexible substrate 96 by supplying power to the drive circuit unit 98 through the flexible substrate 100.

  4 illustrates a case where the drive circuit unit 98 is disposed on the arrow X2 direction side (side surface 46b side) of the panel unit 30. However, in practice, other drive circuit units are also arranged along the side surfaces 46c and 46d (in the direction of the arrow X) in the panel unit 30, but in the first embodiment, the other drive circuit units are provided for ease of explanation. An illustration of the drive circuit section is omitted.

  FIG. 6 illustrates a state in which the electronic cassette 20A is carried by a user 142 such as a doctor or an engineer.

  As described above, since the control unit 32 is disposed on the side surface 46b side, the user 142 has the gripping unit 34 in a state where the control unit 32 is at the bottom and the gripping unit 34 is at the top. The electronic cassette 20A is transported by gripping.

  Here, among the components of the electronic cassette 20A, the power supply unit 68 (see FIGS. 2 and 5) has a relatively large weight, so that the ratio of the weight of the control unit 32 to the total weight of the electronic cassette 20A is large. In the control unit 32, a cassette control unit 66, a power supply unit 68, and a communication unit 70 are centrally arranged in the central portion of the housing 60. For this reason, in the case of FIG. 6, the geometric center position of the electronic cassette 20A (the center position of the imageable region 36) and the gravity center position (the position on the control unit 32 side) are in an eccentric state. The load distribution is unbalanced as a whole.

  However, in FIG. 6, since the user 142 carries the electronic cassette 20A with the control unit 32 at the bottom and the center of gravity of the electronic cassette 20A lowered, for example, even in an unbalanced load arrangement The electronic cassette 20A can be carried stably.

  By the way, as schematically shown in FIG. 7, in the radiation conversion panel 92, a large number of pixels 150 are arranged on a substrate (not shown), and further, the drive circuit unit 98 passes through the flexible substrate 96 to these pixels 150. A large number of gate lines 152 for supplying control signals and a large number of signal lines 154 for reading out electric signals output from the large number of pixels 150 and outputting them to the drive circuit unit 98 via the flexible substrate 96 are arranged.

  Next, as an example, a circuit configuration and a block diagram of the electronic cassette 20A when the indirect conversion type radiation conversion panel 92 is employed will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  The radiation conversion panel 92 has a structure in which a photoelectric conversion layer in which each pixel 150 made of a substance such as a-Si that converts visible light into an electrical signal is formed is arranged on an array of matrix-shaped TFTs 156. In this case, in each pixel 150 to which a bias voltage is supplied from the bias circuit 160 that constitutes the drive circuit unit 98, electric charges generated by converting visible light into an electric signal (analog signal) are accumulated, and for each column. By sequentially turning on the TFTs 156, the charge can be read out as an image signal.

  To the TFT 156 connected to each pixel 150, a gate line 152 extending in parallel with the column direction and a signal line 154 extending in parallel with the row direction are connected. Each gate line 152 is connected to the gate drive circuit 158, and each signal line 154 is connected to the multiplexer 170. A control signal for controlling on / off of the TFTs 156 arranged in the column direction is supplied from the gate drive circuit 158 to the gate line 152. In this case, the gate drive circuit 158 is supplied with an address signal from the cassette control unit 66.

  In addition, the charge held in each pixel 150 flows out to the signal line 154 through the TFTs 156 arranged in the row direction. This charge is amplified by the amplifier 164. A multiplexer 170 is connected to the amplifier 164 through a sample and hold circuit 166. The multiplexer 170 includes an FET (field effect transistor) switch 168 that switches the signal line 154 and a multiplexer drive circuit 162 that outputs a selection signal for turning on one FET switch 168. The multiplexer driving circuit 162 is supplied with an address signal from the cassette control unit 66. An A / D converter 172 is connected to the FET switch 168, and a radiation image converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 172 is supplied to the cassette control unit 66.

  Note that the TFT 156 functioning as a switching element may be realized in combination with another imaging element such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor. Furthermore, it can be replaced with a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) image sensor that transfers charges while shifting them with a shift pulse corresponding to a gate signal referred to as a TFT.

  The cassette control unit 66 includes an address signal generation unit 180, an image memory 182, and a cassette ID memory 184.

  The address signal generator 180 supplies an address signal to the gate driving circuit 158 and the multiplexer driving circuit 162. The image memory 182 stores the radiation image detected by the radiation conversion panel 92. The cassette ID memory 184 stores cassette ID information for specifying the electronic cassette 20A.

  The radiographic imaging system 10 including the electronic cassette 20A according to the first embodiment is basically configured as described above. Next, the operation thereof will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S1, the user 142 who is a doctor or an engineer holds the grasping portion 34 with the grasping portion 34 at the top and the control portion 32 at the bottom (see FIG. 6). The electronic cassette 20A is transported from a predetermined storage location such as a radiology department to the imaging table 12 (see FIG. 1). In this case, the electronic cassette 20 </ b> A is in a sleep state in which the power supply unit 68 (see FIGS. 2, 5, and 8) supplies power only to the cassette control unit 66 and only the cassette control unit 66 is operating.

  In the next step S <b> 2, the user 142 prepares for imaging for imaging a radiographic image of the imaging region of the subject 14.

  First, the user 142 places the electronic cassette 20A on the imaging stand 12 with the control unit 32 and the irradiation surface 42 facing upward, and then turns on a power switch (not shown). Accordingly, the cassette control unit 66 controls the power supply unit 68 to supply power to the communication unit 70 and the panel unit 30 in addition to the cassette control unit 66. As a result, the power supply unit 68 starts supplying power to the communication unit 70 and the panel unit 30, and the communication unit 70 can transmit and receive signals to and from the console 22 by radio. In addition, the drive circuit unit 98 of the panel unit 30 is activated by power supply from the power supply unit 68, and the bias circuit 160 supplies a bias voltage to each pixel 150 so that the charge can be accumulated in each pixel 150. To reach. As a result, the electronic cassette 20A shifts from the sleep state to the active state.

  Next, the user 142 operates the console 22 to perform imaging conditions such as subject information related to the subject 14 to be imaged (for example, the tube voltage and tube current of the radiation source 18 and the exposure time of the radiation 16). Register. When the imaging region and the imaging method are determined in advance, the user 142 also registers these imaging conditions.

  Next, the user 142 adjusts the inter-imaging distance between the radiation source 18 and the radiation conversion panel 92 to SID (distance between the source image reception images), while placing the subject 14 on the irradiation surface 42, The subject 14 is positioned (positioned) so that the imaging region of the subject 14 enters the imageable region 36 and the center position of the imaging region substantially coincides with the center position of the imageable region 36.

  In step S3 after the preparation for imaging is completed in this way, the user 142 turns on an exposure switch (not shown) provided in the console 22 or the radiation source 18. When the console 22 is provided with an exposure switch, the imaging conditions are transmitted from the console 22 to the radiation source 18 by wireless communication after the exposure switch is turned on. If the radiation source 18 is equipped with an exposure switch, after the exposure switch is turned on, transmission of imaging conditions is requested from the radiation source 18 to the console 22 by wireless communication. In response to a transmission request from the source 18, the imaging conditions are transmitted to the radiation source 18 by wireless communication.

  When receiving the imaging conditions, the radiation source 18 irradiates the subject 14 with radiation 16 having a predetermined dose according to the imaging conditions for a predetermined exposure time. The radiation 16 passes through the subject 14 and reaches the radiation conversion panel 92 in the panel unit 30.

  In step S4, when the radiation conversion panel 92 is an indirect conversion type radiation conversion panel, the scintillator constituting the radiation conversion panel 92 emits visible light having an intensity corresponding to the intensity of the radiation 16, and the photoelectric conversion layer Each of the pixels 150 constituting the above converts visible light into an electric signal and accumulates it as an electric charge. Next, the charge information that is the radiation image of the subject 14 held in each pixel 150 is read according to the address signal supplied from the address signal generation unit 180 constituting the cassette control unit 66 to the gate drive circuit 158 and the multiplexer drive circuit 162. It is.

  That is, the gate driving circuit 158 supplies a control signal to the gate of the TFT 156 connected to the gate line 152 corresponding to the address signal supplied from the address signal generator 180. On the other hand, the multiplexer drive circuit 162 outputs a selection signal in accordance with the address signal supplied from the address signal generation unit 180 and sequentially switches (turns on and off sequentially) the FET switch 168, and the gate line selected by the gate drive circuit 158. The radiographic image as the charge information held in each pixel 150 connected to 152 is sequentially read out via the signal line 154.

  The radiation image read out from each pixel 150 connected to the selected gate line 152 is amplified by each amplifier 164, sampled by each sample hold circuit 166, and A / D converted via the FET switch 168. Is supplied to the device 172 and converted into a digital signal. The radiation image converted into the digital signal is temporarily stored in the image memory 182 of the cassette control unit 66 (step S5).

  Similarly, the gate drive circuit 158 sequentially switches the gate line 152 that outputs a control signal in accordance with the address signal supplied from the address signal generation unit 180 and is held in each pixel 150 connected to each gate line 152. The radiation image as the charge information is read out via the signal line 154 and stored in the image memory 182 of the cassette control unit 66 via the FET switch 168 and the A / D converter 172 (step S5).

  The radiation image stored in the image memory 182 is transmitted to the console 22 by wireless communication via the communication unit 70 together with the cassette ID information stored in the cassette ID memory 184. The console 22 performs predetermined image processing on the received radiographic image, and transmits the radiographic image after the image processing to the display device 24 by wireless communication. The display device 24 displays the received radiation image (step S6).

  The user 142 visually recognizes the radiographic image displayed on the display device 24, confirms that an appropriate radiographic image of the subject 14 has been obtained, and in step S7 after the imaging of the subject 14 is completed, the user 142 First, the power switch of the electronic cassette 20A is turned off. Thereby, the cassette control unit 66 controls the power supply unit 68 to supply power only to the cassette control unit 66, and the power supply unit 68 immediately stops the power supply to the communication unit 70 and the panel unit 30. The power is supplied only to the cassette controller 66. As a result, the electronic cassette 20A shifts from the active state to the sleep state where only the cassette control unit 66 can operate.

  Next, the user 142 holds the electronic cassette 20A in a predetermined storage such as a radiology department in a hospital by holding the holding unit 34 with the holding unit 34 as the uppermost part and the control unit 32 as the uppermost part. Transport to the place.

  As described above, according to the electronic cassette 20 </ b> A according to the first embodiment, the user 142 is in a state where the control unit 32, which is heavy and causes unbalanced load arrangement, is at the bottom. Thus, the electronic cassette 20 </ b> A is transported by gripping the grip portion 34 disposed at the top so as to face the control portion 32.

  That is, since the ratio of the weight of the control unit 32 is relatively large in the total weight of the electronic cassette 20A, the control unit with respect to the center position of the geometric shape of the electronic cassette 20A (substantially central portion of the imageable region 36). If the positions 32 are shifted, the center of gravity of the electronic cassette 20A does not coincide with the center position and is eccentric, resulting in an unbalanced load arrangement as a whole apparatus.

  Therefore, in the first embodiment, in the electronic cassette 20A in which the load distribution is biased toward the control unit 32 side, the gripping unit 34 is provided at a position facing the control unit 32, and the user 142 moves the gripping unit 34 to the maximum position during transportation. The electronic cassette 20A is gripped by gripping the grip portion 34 in a state where the control portion 32 that is an upper portion (upper side) and has a heavy weight and causes an unbalanced load arrangement is the lowermost portion (lower side). Transport.

  As a result, the user 142 grips the grip portion 34 in a state where the center of gravity of the entire apparatus is lowered. Therefore, the user can feel the electronic cassette 20A lightly when carrying the electronic cassette 20A. Can be carried stably and easily. As a result, it is possible to transport the electronic cassette 20A without hitting the control unit 32 against an arbitrary object or dropping the electronic cassette 20A, and the burden on the user 142 during transportation is reduced. The

  In addition, the control unit 32 includes a cassette control unit 66 on which electronic components for controlling the radiation conversion panel 92 are mounted, a power source unit 68 such as a battery, and a communication unit 70 for performing communication with the outside. In some cases, the temperature of the control unit 32 is increased by heat generated from the cassette control unit 66, the power supply unit 68, and the communication unit 70. In the first embodiment, by disposing the control unit 32 and the gripping part 34 so as to face each other, it is possible to reliably avoid the heat from the control part 32 being transmitted to the gripping part 34. Therefore, the user 142 can carry the electronic cassette 20A by grasping the grasping portion 34 without worrying about the heat.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the gripping unit 34 and the control unit 32 are arranged to face each other in the panel unit 30, so that the user 142 grips the gripping unit 34 with a low center of gravity of the entire apparatus. Therefore, the electronic cassette 20A can be stably carried during transportation.

  In addition, the control unit 32 is disposed on the side surface 46b (one side of the irradiation surface 42 of the casing 40) of the panel unit 30 and is held by the side surface 46a (the other side of the irradiation surface 42) of the casing 40. By providing the portion 34, the gripping portion 34 is positioned at the uppermost portion of the electronic cassette 20A and the control portion 32 is positioned at the lowermost portion of the electronic cassette 20A during transportation, so that the electronic cassette 20A can be carried. Stability can be increased.

  Furthermore, the thickness and weight of the electronic cassette 20A can be reduced by making the thickness of the panel unit 30 thinner than the thickness of the control unit 32.

  The electronic cassette 20A according to the first embodiment is not limited to the above description, and the embodiments shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 can also be realized.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a charging process of the power supply unit 68 by the cradle 190 arranged at a necessary place in the medical institution.

  In this case, the electronic cassette 20A and the cradle 190 are electrically connected by a USB cable 192 having connectors 194 and 196.

  The cradle 190 may transmit and receive necessary information to and from the console 22 and the RIS 26 in the medical institution using not only the charging of the power supply unit 68 but also the wireless communication function or the wired communication function of the cradle 190. Good. The information to be transmitted / received can include a radiographic image recorded in the image memory 182 of the electronic cassette 20A.

  In addition, a display unit 198 may be provided on the cradle 190, and the display unit 198 may display necessary information including a charging state of the electronic cassette 20A and a radiographic image acquired from the electronic cassette 20A. .

  Furthermore, a plurality of cradle 190 is connected to the network, and the charging state of the electronic cassette 20A connected to each cradle 190 is collected via the network so that the location of the electronic cassette 20A in the usable charging state can be confirmed. It can also be configured.

  11A illustrates the case where the casing 60 of the control unit 32 is entirely covered with the buffer member 200, and FIG. 11B illustrates the case where the side surface 46b side of the casing 60 is covered with the buffer member 202. It is a thing.

  When carrying the electronic cassette 20A, as shown in FIG. 6, the control part 32 will be arrange | positioned at the lowest part of the electronic cassette 20A. Therefore, by providing a buffer member 200 that covers the entire casing 60 of the control unit 32 or a buffer member 202 that covers a part thereof, when the control unit 32 is hit against another object, the electronic cassette 20A It becomes possible to protect the control part 32 effectively from the impact at the time of dropping.

  Further, in the first embodiment, the case where the irradiation surface 42 is irradiated with the radiation 16 has been described. However, as shown in FIG. 12, when the electronic cassette 20A for double-sided photographing is used, the top and bottom are reversed. It is also possible to shoot the subject 14 after being placed on the photographic stand 12. In this case, the bottom surface side of the panel unit 30 is an imaging surface to which the radiation 16 is irradiated, and the grid 90 and the lead plate 94 are omitted.

  Even in this case, the same effects as those of the embodiments described so far can be obtained, and the irradiation surface 42 or the bottom surface can be selected as the imaging surface according to the imaging method for the subject 14, so that the usability of the electronic cassette 20A is improved. Further improve.

  In the first embodiment, as an example, the control unit 32 is disposed on the side surface 46b side of the irradiation surface 42 in the housing 40 of the panel unit 30, and the gripping unit 34 is provided on the side surface 46a facing the side surface 46b. Explained the case.

  The first embodiment is not limited to this description, and the control unit 32 may be disposed at any position as long as it is on one end side (side surface 46b side) of the housing 40. Further, the grip portion 34 may be arranged at any position as long as it is on the other end side (side surface 46 a side) of the housing 40.

  For example, the control unit 32 may be configured such that the one end side of the irradiation surface 42 (front surface) of the housing 40, the one end side of the side surfaces 46 b to 46 d of the housing 40, or the one end of the bottom surface (back surface) of the housing 40. What is necessary is just to be arrange | positioned at the part side. Further, with respect to the grip portion 34, the other end side of the irradiation surface 42 of the housing 40, the other end portion of the side surfaces 46 a, 46 c, 46 d of the housing 40, or the other end of the bottom surface of the housing 40. What is necessary is just to be provided in the part side.

  If the control unit 32 and the gripping unit 34 are disposed at the above-described locations in the housing 40, the gripping unit 34 is securely positioned on the upper side of the electronic cassette 20A and the control unit 32 is positioned on the lower side of the electronic cassette 20A when transported. Therefore, the carrying stability of the electronic cassette 20A can be ensured.

  Furthermore, the first embodiment can also be applied to a case where a radiation image is acquired using a light conversion type radiation conversion panel. In this light readout type radiation conversion panel, when radiation is incident on each solid state detection element, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the dose is accumulated and recorded in the solid state detection element. When reading the electrostatic latent image, the radiation conversion panel is irradiated with reading light, and the value of the generated current is acquired as a radiation image. In addition, the radiation conversion panel can erase and reuse a radiation image that is a remaining electrostatic latent image by irradiating the radiation conversion panel with erasing light (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-105297).

  Furthermore, in the electronic cassette 20A, in order to prevent the risk of blood and other germs adhering, for example, the entire apparatus is structured to be waterproof and hermetically sealed, and sterilized and washed as necessary. The electronic cassette 20A can be used repeatedly.

  In addition, the first embodiment is not limited to radiographic imaging in medical institutions, but is also applied to disaster scenes, home nursing scenes, and also to imaging of subjects in health examinations by being mounted on examination cars. Is possible. Furthermore, the first embodiment is not limited to the imaging of such medical-related radiographic images, and can of course be applied to radiographic imaging in various nondestructive inspections, for example.

  Next, an electronic cassette 20B according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 30B.

  In the electronic cassette 20B, the same components as those in the electronic cassette 20A according to the first embodiment (see FIGS. 1 to 12) are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The electronic cassette 20B according to the second embodiment is different from the electronic cassette 20A according to the first embodiment (see FIGS. 1 to 12) in that the control unit 32 can rotate and move with respect to the panel unit 30.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 15, in the electronic cassette 20 </ b> B, projections 56 projecting upward are provided at the corners of the irradiation surface 42 on the arrow X2 direction side and the arrow Y2 direction side. The control part 32 is arrange | positioned at the side surface 46b side of the irradiation surface 42 so that it may cover from upper direction.

  The housing 60 of the control unit 32 extends along the arrow Y direction so as to cover the protrusion 56 from above. In this case, in the housing 60, a leaf spring-like connection terminal 78 that can come into contact with a connection terminal (connection part) 76 provided on the side surface in the arrow X1 direction of the protrusion 56, and the connection terminal 78 and the A cassette control unit 66 that controls the panel unit 30 through connection terminals 76 and 78, a power supply unit 68, and a communication unit 70 are disposed.

  In this case, when the connection terminals 76 and 78 are in contact with each other, the power supply unit 68 supplies power to the panel unit 30 via the connection terminals 76 and 78, while supplying power to the cassette control unit 66 and the communication unit 70. Even power is supplied. The power supply unit 68 supplies power only to the cassette control unit 66 when the connection terminal 76 and the connection terminal 78 are separated and the electrical connection between the panel unit 30 and the control unit 32 is interrupted. Do. Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the drive circuit unit 98 is electrically connected to the connection terminal 76 via the flexible substrate 100 inside the panel unit 30.

  A recess 116 is formed on the side of the housing 60 in the arrow X2 direction, and a connection terminal 78 is provided in the recess 116. In this case, when the protrusion 56 and the recess 116 are engaged and the connection terminal 76 and the connection terminal 78 come into contact with each other, the cassette control unit 66 is connected to the drive circuit unit 98 via the connection terminals 78 and 76 and the flexible substrate 100. Electrically connected. The power supply unit 68 supplies power to the drive circuit unit 98 via the connection terminals 78 and 76 and the flexible substrate 100.

  As shown in FIGS. 13, 14, and 16, a shaft portion 74 erected upward is disposed at a substantially central portion on the side surface 46 b side of the irradiation surface 42, and the shaft 60 is disposed on the bottom surface of the housing 60. An oval hole 72 through which the portion 74 penetrates is formed along the longitudinal direction of the housing 60 (the arrow Y direction in FIGS. 13 and 16). In this case, the hole 72 extends from the center of the bottom surface of the housing 60 to the vicinity of the side surface 308. Accordingly, the cassette control unit 66, the power supply unit 68, and the communication unit 70 are concentrated in the vicinity of the side surface 80 in the housing 60.

  Further, the tip end portion of the shaft portion 74 that has entered the housing 60 through the hole 72 extends in the radial direction of the shaft portion 74 (in the direction of the arrow X1 in FIGS. 14 and 16), and is cylindrical. A protrusion 102 having substantially the same width as the diameter of the shaft portion 74 is provided. Further, a movement restricting member 104 that substantially surrounds the hole 72 and is open on the side surface 80 side of the hole 72 in the plan view of FIG. 16 is provided on the bottom surface of the housing 60. The movement restricting member 104 is a substantially U-shaped member formed along the outer periphery of the hole 72 as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17.

  That is, the one end portion 106 of the movement restricting member 104 is located on the side surface 80 side with respect to the shaft portion 74. In this case, the movement restricting member 104 extends from the one end portion 106 toward the side surface 308 along the outer periphery of the hole portion 72, and forms a curved portion 118 at the end portion of the hole portion 72 on the side surface 308 side. Then, it extends from the curved portion 118 toward the side surface 80 along the outer periphery of the hole portion 72, and abuts against the protruding portion 102 at the other end portion 108 located on the side surface 308 side with respect to the one end portion 106.

  In addition, the movement restricting member 104 is provided with a semi-cylindrical convex portion (stop member) 112 so as to face the other end portion 108, and also in the vicinity of the curved portion 118. And a convex portion (stopping member) 114 having substantially the same shape as the above.

  In this case, the distance between the convex portion 112 and the end portion on the side surface 80 side of the hole portion 72 is set to be approximately the same length as the diameter of the shaft portion 74. Moreover, the distance between the curved part 118 and the convex part 114 is set to the length which added the diameter of the axial part 74, and the length of the projection part 102 (refer FIG. 18B). The convex portions 112 and 114 are desirably elastic members such as rubber.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 16 to 18B, when the housing 60 of the control unit 32 is rotated counterclockwise in the plan view of FIGS. 16 and 18A around the shaft portion 74, the housing 60 moves. The regulating member 104 rotates within a rotation angle range between the other end portion 108 and the one end portion 106. That is, if the angle of the housing 60 in FIGS. 16 and 18A where the other end portion 108 and the protruding portion 102 are in contact with each other is 0 °, the housing 60 is rotated counterclockwise about the shaft portion 74. Then, the housing 60 rotates between the other end portion 108 and the one end portion 106, and stops rotating at an angle of 90 ° (see FIG. 18B) where the projecting portion 102 and the one end portion 106 contact each other. That is, the rotation angle range of the housing 60 is restricted to 90 ° by the movement restricting member 104 and the protrusion 102.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 18B to 19B, by rotating the housing 60 by 90 °, the protrusion 102 and the hole 72 are on a straight line (guide line 44) directed to the center position of the shootable area 36. Will be placed.

  Here, when the housing 60 is moved in the direction of the arrow X1 from the position of FIG. 18B and FIG. 20A, the convex portion 112 contacts the shaft portion 74. In this case, the convex part 112 has elasticity. Further, in plan view, the width of the protruding portion 102 is substantially the same as the diameter of the shaft portion 74 penetrating the hole portion 72, and the movement restricting member 104 is provided so as to surround the hole portion 72.

  Accordingly, the convex portion 112 is displaced in the direction of the arrow X1 integrally with the movement restricting member 104 while being compressed by receiving the pressing force from the shaft portion 74, and as a result, the housing 60 is separated from the movement restricting member 104. It moves linearly along the direction of the arrow X1 under the guiding action with the protrusion 102.

  Further, since the convex portion 114 is also elastic like the convex portion 112, when the convex portion 114 comes into contact with the shaft portion 74, the convex portion 114 receives a pressing force from the shaft portion 74. While being received and compressed, it is displaced integrally with the movement restricting member 104 in the direction of the arrow X1. As a result, as shown in FIG. 19B, the shaft portion 74 and the protrusion 102 are positioned between the convex portion 114 and the curved portion 118, and as shown in FIGS. 19B and 20B, the side surface 80 side of the housing 60 is located. Can be positioned at a substantially central portion of the shootable region 36 provided on the arrow X2 direction side of the side surface 46a on which the grip portion 34 is disposed.

  As described above, the shaft portion 74, the protruding portion 102, and the movement restricting member 104 constitute a moving mechanism 188 that rotates and moves the control portion 32 with respect to the panel portion 30.

  In addition, when the housing | casing 60 is positioned in the position (position by the side surface 46b) of FIGS. 13-16 and FIG. 18A, as mentioned above, the connection terminals 76 and 78 contact. On the other hand, when the housing 60 is positioned at the position of FIGS. 19B and 20B, or when it is rotating as shown in FIGS. 18B, 19A, and 20A, the contact of the connection terminals 76 and 78 The state is released, and the electrical connection state between the control unit 32 and the panel unit 30 is cut off.

  FIG. 21A and FIG. 21B illustrate the transport state of the electronic cassette 20B by the user 142. FIG.

  In the case of FIG. 21A, the side surface 80 side of the control unit 32 is disposed at a substantially central portion (a position lower than the uppermost gripping portion 34), and the side surface 308 is disposed substantially flush with the side surface 46b. Further, the user 142 holds the grip portion 34 and carries the electronic cassette 20B with the grip portion 34 as the uppermost portion.

  Here, among the components of the electronic cassette 20B, the power supply unit 68 (see FIGS. 13 and 16) has a relatively large weight, so the ratio of the weight of the control unit 32 to the total weight of the electronic cassette 20B is large. In the control unit 32, a cassette control unit 66, a power supply unit 68, and a communication unit 70 are concentrated on the side surface 80 side of the housing 60. Therefore, for example, in the arrangements of FIGS. 13 to 16 and 18A, the eccentricity where the geometric center position of the electronic cassette 20B (center position of the imageable area 36) and the center of gravity position (position on the control unit 32 side) do not match. It is in a state, and the load arrangement is unbalanced as a whole device.

  However, in FIG. 21A, since the side surface 80 side of the casing 60 where the cassette control unit 66, the power supply unit 68, and the communication unit 70 are centrally arranged is arranged at the center position of the imageable region 36, the electronic cassette 20B The geometric center position and the center of gravity position substantially coincide with each other, the eccentric state is eliminated, the load arrangement is well balanced as the entire apparatus, and the control unit 32 is positioned below the uppermost gripping unit 34. Therefore, the user 142 can stably carry the electronic cassette 20B.

  In the case of FIG. 21B, the user 142 carries the electronic cassette 20B by gripping the grip portion 34 with the control portion 32 at the bottom and the grip portion 34 at the top.

  In this case, the geometric center position and the center of gravity position are in an eccentric state, and the load distribution is unbalanced as a whole apparatus. Since the electronic cassette 20B is transported in the state where the center of gravity of the electronic cassette 20B is lowered in the lower portion, the electronic cassette 20B can be stably carried even with an unbalanced load arrangement.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 16 and FIGS. 18A to 20B, in the second embodiment, the position of the housing 60 can be positioned on the side surface 46 b side and the substantially central portion of the imageable region 36. Therefore, the electronic cassette 20B can be reliably transported regardless of the position of the control unit 32 in FIGS. 21A and 21B with respect to the panel unit 30.

  FIG. 22 is a circuit configuration and block diagram of an electronic cassette 20B according to the second embodiment. Compared with the electronic cassette 20A according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 8), the panel unit 30 and the control unit 32 are The electrical connection between them is an electrical connection caused by the contact of the connection terminals 76, 78 instead of the flexible substrate 100, and the cassette control unit 66 has a connection state detection unit (connection detection unit) 186. . In this case, the connection state detection unit 186 detects the presence or absence of an electrical connection state between the connection terminal 76 and the connection terminal 78, and based on the detection result, the power from the power supply unit 68 to each unit in the electronic cassette 20B. Control the supply.

  The electronic cassette 20B according to the second embodiment is basically configured as described above. Next, the operation of the electronic cassette 20B is different from that of the first embodiment only with reference to the flowchart of FIG. explain.

  When the user 142 carries the electronic cassette 20B in the state of FIG. 21B, the operation of the electronic cassette 20B is basically the same as that of the electronic cassette 20A according to the first embodiment.

  However, in the case of FIG. 21B, the electronic cassette 20B is transported in a state where the connection terminals 76 and 78 (see FIGS. 15, 16, 18A, and 22) are in contact and electrically connected. Therefore, the connection state detection unit 186 detects the detection result even if the connection terminal 76 and the connection terminal 78 are in contact until the user 142 turns on a power switch (not shown) of the electronic cassette 20B in step S2, for example. Is not output to the power supply unit 68. Thereby, before the power switch is turned on, power is supplied only from the power supply unit 68 to the cassette control unit 66, so that the electronic cassette 20B is in a sleep state as a whole.

  In step S2, the connection state detection unit 186 displays a detection result indicating that the connection terminal 76 and the connection terminal 78 are electrically connected when the user 142 turns on the power switch. 68. As a result, the power supply unit 68 supplies power to each unit in the electronic cassette 20B, so that the electronic cassette 20B shifts from the sleep state to the active state as a whole.

  In step S7, the connection state detection unit 186 stops supplying the detection result to the power supply unit 68 when the user 142 turns off the power switch. As a result, the power supply unit 68 supplies power only to the cassette control unit 66, so that the electronic cassette 20B shifts from the active state to the sleep state as a whole.

  On the other hand, when the user 142 carries the electronic cassette 20B in the state shown in FIG. 21A, the user 142 places the grip 34 in the uppermost position in step S1 in FIG. The gripping portion 34 is gripped in a state where the side surface 80 side is disposed at a substantially central portion of the imageable region 36 and the side surface 308 of the control unit 32 is substantially flush with the side surface 46b of the panel portion 30 ( 21A), the electronic cassette 20B is transported from a predetermined storage location such as a radiology department in the hospital to the imaging table 12. In this case, since the connection terminal 76 and the connection terminal 78 are not in contact with each other, the connection state detection unit 186 (see FIG. 22) has the electrical connection between the connection terminal 76 and the connection terminal 78 cut off. And the power supply unit 68 is controlled to supply power only to the cassette control unit 66. As a result, the electronic cassette 20B enters a sleep state in which only the cassette control unit 66 is operating.

  In the next step S <b> 2, the user 142 arranges the electronic cassette 20 </ b> B on the imaging table 12 with the control unit 32 and the irradiation surface 42 facing upward, and then the position of the housing 60 of the control unit 32 can be imaged. It is rotated from the position of the substantially central portion 36 (see FIGS. 19B and 20B) to the position on the side surface 46b side (see FIGS. 13 to 16 and 18A).

  In this case, when the user 142 pushes the casing 60 of the control unit 32 in the direction of the arrow X2, the convex portion 114 comes into contact with the protruding portion 102. However, since the convex portion 114 has elasticity, the protruding portion 102 It is displaced in the direction of the arrow X2 integrally with the movement restricting member 104 while being compressed by receiving the pressing force from. As a result, the entire housing 60 can be moved in the arrow X2 direction with respect to the shaft portion 74 under the guiding action of the shaft portion 74, the protruding portion 102, and the movement restricting member 104.

  Further, when the user 142 further presses the housing 60 in the direction of the arrow X2, the convex portion 112 comes into contact with the projection portion 102. However, since the convex portion 112 also has elasticity, the convex portion 112 It is displaced in the direction of the arrow X2 integrally with the movement restricting member 104 while being compressed by receiving a pressing force from the portion 102. As a result, the shaft portion 74 and the protruding portion 102 are positioned between the convex portion 112 and the end portion of the hole portion 72 on the side surface 80 side. That is, the housing 60 is positioned at the position shown in FIGS. 18B and 20A.

  When the user 142 rotates the casing 60 about the shaft portion 74 in the clockwise direction in the plan view of FIG. 18B, the one end portion 106 is separated from the projection portion 102, while the other end portion 108 is the projection portion 102. Abut. That is, the housing 60 is rotated 90 degrees and positioned on the side surface 46b side. As a result, the connection terminal 76 of the protrusion 56 and the connection terminal 78 of the recess 116 come into contact with each other.

  When the connection state detection unit 186 detects that the connection terminal 76 and the connection terminal 78 are electrically connected by contact between the connection terminal 76 and the connection terminal 78, the connection state detection unit 186 performs cassette control on the power supply unit 68. In addition to the unit 66, the communication unit 70 and the panel unit 30 are controlled to supply power. As a result, the power supply unit 68 starts supplying power to the communication unit 70 and the panel unit 30, so that the communication unit 70 can transmit and receive signals wirelessly to and from the console 22. In addition, the drive circuit unit 98 of the panel unit 30 is activated by power supply from the power supply unit 68, and the bias circuit 160 supplies a bias voltage to each pixel 150 so that the charge can be accumulated in each pixel 150. To reach. As a result, the electronic cassette 20B shifts from the sleep state to the active state.

  Note that other processes performed by the user 142 in step S2 and the processes in steps S3 to S6 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In step S <b> 7, the user 142 changes the position of the control unit 32 on the side surface 80 side of the housing 60 from the current position on the side surface 46 b side (see FIGS. 13 to 16 and FIG. 18A). To the position (see FIG. 19B and FIG. 20B).

  In this case, the user 142 rotates the casing 60 counterclockwise about the shaft portion 74 in the plan view of FIGS. 16 and 18A. As a result, the other end portion 108 of the movement restricting member 104 is separated from the projection portion 102, while the one end portion 106 abuts on the projection portion 102, and as a result, the housing 60 rotates 90 ° to the position of FIG. 18B. The protrusion 102 and the hole 72 are disposed on the guide line 44 that is directed to the center position of the imageable region 36.

  On the other hand, since the connection terminal 78 is separated from the connection terminal 76 due to the counterclockwise rotation of the housing 60, the contact state between the connection terminal 76 and the connection terminal 78 is released, and the electrical connection between the connection terminals 76 and 78 is performed. Connection is interrupted.

  The connection state detection unit 186 controls the power supply unit 68 to supply power only to the cassette control unit 66 when detecting that the electrical connection between the connection terminal 76 and the connection terminal 78 is interrupted. To do. As a result, the power supply unit 68 immediately stops power supply to the communication unit 70 and the panel unit 30 and supplies power only to the cassette control unit 66. As a result, the electronic cassette 20B shifts from the active state to the sleep state in which only the cassette control unit 66 can operate.

  Next, when the user 142 pushes the housing 60 in the direction of the arrow X1, the convex portion 112 comes into contact with the shaft portion 74. Since the convex portion 112 has elasticity, the pressing force from the shaft portion 74 is pressed. Receiving and being compressed, it is displaced integrally with the movement restricting member 104 in the direction of the arrow X1. As a result, the housing 60 moves linearly along the direction of the arrow X1 under the guiding action of the movement restricting member 104 and the protrusion 102.

  When the user 142 further presses the housing 60 in the direction of the arrow X1, the convex portion 114 comes into contact with the shaft portion 74, and the convex portion 114 receives the pressing force from the shaft portion 74 and is compressed while being compressed. It is displaced in the direction of the arrow X1 integrally with the member 104. As a result, the shaft portion 74 and the protruding portion 102 are positioned between the convex portion 114 and the curved portion 118, and accordingly, the side surface 80 side of the housing 60 is positioned at a substantially central portion of the imageable region 36.

  Thereafter, the user 142 places the gripping portion 34 as the uppermost portion, arranges the side surface 80 side of the control portion 32 at a substantially central portion of the imageable region 36, and the side surface 308 of the control portion 32 is the side surface of the panel portion 30. In a state of being substantially flush with 46b, the gripping portion 34 is gripped and the electronic cassette 20B is transported to a predetermined storage location such as a radiology department in a hospital.

  As described above, according to the electronic cassette 20B according to the second embodiment, the user 142 places the gripping portion 34 at the uppermost portion during transportation and the side surface 80 side of the control portion 32 of the electronic cassette 20B. Since the electronic cassette 20B is transported by gripping the grip portion 34 in a state where it is arranged at the lowermost portion or substantially at the center of the imageable region 36 located below the grip portion 34, the same as in the first embodiment. The effect is obtained.

  That is, in the electronic cassette 20B according to the second embodiment, the control unit 32 that causes the unbalanced load arrangement is used as the moving mechanism 188 configured by the shaft portion 74, the protruding portion 102, and the movement restricting member 104. The center of gravity of the electronic cassette 20B can be easily changed by rotating and moving with respect to the panel unit 30, and the lowermost position of the electronic cassette 20B or the lower part of the gripper 34. The control unit 32 can be rotated and moved to a substantially central portion of the image-capable region 36 on the side.

  Specifically, in the second embodiment, the shaft portion 74, the projection portion 102, and the movement restricting member 104 constituting the moving mechanism 188 are used to reach the position on the side surface 46b side shown in FIGS. 13 to 16 and 18A. After rotating the housing 60, as shown in FIG. 21B, the electronic cassette 20B is transported with the gripping portion 34 as the uppermost portion and the housing 60 as the lowermost portion. Alternatively, after rotating the housing 60 to the position of the substantially central portion of the shootable region 36 shown in FIGS. 19B and 20B, the gripping portion 34 is placed at the top as shown in FIG. The electronic cassette 20 </ b> B is transported in a state where the side surface 80 side of the body 60 is disposed at a substantially central portion of the imageable region 36 below the grip portion 34.

  In either case of FIG. 21A or FIG. 21B, since the center of gravity of the electronic cassette 20B is on the lower side of the electronic cassette 20B, the user 142 can feel the electronic cassette 20B lightly during transportation. It becomes possible to carry the cassette 20B stably and easily. Accordingly, even in this case, it is easier to transport the electronic cassette 20B without hitting the control unit 32 against an arbitrary object or dropping the electronic cassette 20B. The burden can be further reduced.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, the user 142 can stably carry the electronic cassette 20B during transportation by rotating the control unit 32 with respect to the panel unit 30 by the moving mechanism 188. It becomes.

  Moreover, since the control part 32 rotates around the axial part 74, the control part 32 can be rotationally moved with respect to the panel part 30 with a simple mechanism. Further, even if the control unit 32 is disposed so as to cover the imageable region 36 during transportation, the control unit 32 can be retracted from the imageable region 36 during image capture. There will be no hindrance to image taking.

  In this case, the control unit 32 is rotated with respect to the panel unit 30 around the shaft 74, and the control unit 32 is moved with respect to the panel unit 30 along the oval hole 72, so that FIG. As shown in FIG. 21, the electronic cassette 20B can be transported with the control unit 32 disposed at the bottom of the electronic cassette 20B. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to transport the electronic cassette 20B in a state where the position is close and the unbalanced load arrangement is relaxed.

  Further, a shaft portion 74 is provided at a place other than the shootable region 36 on the irradiation surface 42, and an oval hole is formed along the longitudinal direction of the housing 60 on the bottom surface of the housing 60 of the control unit 32 on the irradiation surface 42 side. Since the part 72 is formed, the control part 32 can be moved more stably and reliably along the longitudinal direction.

  Further, the rotation angle range of the control unit 32 with respect to the shaft portion 74 is set by the one end portion 106 and the other end portion 108 of the opening portion of the movement restricting member 104 and the projection portion 102. The moving direction of the control unit 32 with respect to the shaft portion 74 is set by the tip portion and the projection portion 102. Further, the amount of movement of the control unit 32 in the movement direction of the control unit 32 (direction along the hole 72) is also set by the length of the oval hole 72. Thus, by providing the movement restricting member 104 and the protrusion 102, the rotational movement of the control unit 32 with respect to the panel unit 30 can be performed accurately and accurately.

  In addition, since convex portions 112 and 114 that can stop the movement of the control unit 32 along the hole 72 by contacting the protrusion 102 are disposed on the hole 72 side of the movement restricting member 104, It is possible to reliably stop the control unit 32 at an arbitrary position with respect to the panel unit 30 (for example, the geometric center position of the electronic cassette 20B).

  Further, when the control unit 32 is rotated, the power supply unit 68 stops power supply to the communication unit 70 and the panel unit 30, so that useless power consumption can be suppressed.

  In this case, when the control unit 32 is rotated and moved, the contact state between the connection terminal 76 and the connection terminal 78 is released, and the electrical connection between the panel unit 30 and the control unit 32 is interrupted. If power supply to the unit 70 and the panel unit 30 is stopped, wasteful power consumption can be reliably suppressed.

  Further, the cassette control unit 66 includes a connection state detection unit 186 that detects the presence or absence of an electrical connection between the connection terminals 76 and 78, and the connection state detection unit 186 has an electrical connection between the connection terminals 76 and 78. By detecting the presence or absence of this, it is possible to easily grasp the control timing for the panel unit 30 and the radiation image readout timing for the radiation conversion panel 92. In addition, it is possible to realize efficient power supply by notifying the power supply unit 68 of the detection result from the connection state detection unit 186.

  The electronic cassette 20B according to the second embodiment is not limited to the above description, and the embodiments shown in FIGS. 23A to 30B can also be realized.

  FIG. 23A illustrates the case where the housing 60 of the control unit 32 is entirely covered with the buffer member 200, as in FIG. 11A, and FIG. 23B buffers the side surface 308 side of the housing 60. The case where it covers with the member 202 is illustrated.

  When carrying the electronic cassette 20B with the control unit 32 in the state shown in FIG. 21A or FIG. 21B with respect to the panel unit 30, the housing 60 of the control unit 32 is disposed at the bottom of the electronic cassette 20B, or The side surface 308 side of the housing 60 is arranged. Therefore, by providing the cushioning member 200 that covers the entire casing 60 or the cushioning member 202 that partially covers the casing 60, when the control unit 32 is hit against another object or when the electronic cassette 20B is dropped. It is possible to effectively protect the control unit 32 from the impact.

  24A and 24B show a state in which a tiltable gripping portion 390 is provided on the side surface 80 of the housing 60 of the control portion 32 in addition to the gripping portion 34. In this case, a substantially hexagonal concave portion 392 is formed on the side surface 80 of the housing 60, and both end portions of the grip portion 390 are disposed in the concave portion 392. In addition, a rectangular support portion 394 is disposed in the recess 392, and both end portions of the shaft portion 396 that penetrates the support portion 394 are connected to both end portions of the grip portion 390. The input terminal 82, the USB terminal 84, and the card slot 88 are provided on the side surface 308.

  In the case of FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B, the user 142 holds the grip part 34 and carries the electronic cassette 20B in a state where the control part 32 is disposed at the position of FIG. 24A with respect to the panel part 30, or The electronic cassette 20B may be transported by gripping the grip portion 34 in a state where the control unit 32 is disposed at the position of FIG. Therefore, when the electronic cassette 20B is transported in the state of FIG. 24A, the same effect as in the case of FIG. 21B is obtained. In the state shown in FIG. 24B, when the grip portion 34 is gripped and transported, the same effect as in FIG. 21A can be obtained.

  Further, in FIGS. 24A and 24B, as described above, a tiltable grip 390 is provided. When the user 142 does not grip the grip portion 390, the grip portion 390 is accommodated in the recess 392. On the other hand, when gripping the grip portion 390 (for example, when rotating the housing 60 around the shaft portion 74), the user 142 rotates the central portion of the grip portion 390 around the shaft portion 396. The grip 390 is pulled out from the recess 392 and gripped. Therefore, the user 142 can rotate the control unit 32 while holding the holding unit 390. Note that when the grip portion 390 is accommodated in the recess 392, the central portion of the grip portion 390 may be rotated toward the recess 392 with the shaft portion 396 as the center.

  Thus, in the case of FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B, since the control part 32 is rotated and moved while holding the holding part 390, the rotational movement can be easily performed. Further, since it is only necessary to pull out the grip portion 390 only when the control portion 32 is rotated, the presence of the grip portion 390 does not hinder the photographing of the subject 14, and the usability of the electronic cassette 20B is further improved.

  FIG. 25 differs from FIGS. 24A and 24B in that a fixed grip 400 is provided on the side surface 80 instead of the tiltable grip 390. In this case, a hole 402 having a size that allows the user 142 to pass the hand between the handle portion of the grip portion 400 and the side surface 80 is formed.

  Even in this case, the user 142 can rotate and move the control unit 32 while holding the holding unit 400. Therefore, the user 142 can easily perform the rotation and further improve the usability of the electronic cassette 20B during the rotation. Can be improved.

  FIGS. 26A to 27B illustrate another configuration of the moving mechanism 188.

  In FIG. 26A to FIG. 27B, the moving mechanism 188 is formed on the side surface 308 side of the housing 60 on the irradiation surface 42, and on the side surface 308 side on the bottom surface of the housing 60 and penetrates the shaft portion 348. Hole 350, a protrusion 352 extending in the radial direction of the shaft 348 from the tip of the shaft 348 that has penetrated the hole 350 and entered the housing 60, and the hole 350 in plan view. The rotation restricting member 354 is substantially arc-shaped and has a substantially arcuate shape that is partially open.

  In this case, the width of the protrusion 352 is set to be approximately the same as the diameter of the shaft portion 348. Further, the opening portion of the rotation restricting member 354 is formed between one end 356 and the other end 358 that are in contact with the side surface of the protrusion 352 when the housing 60 rotates around the shaft 348. . Therefore, the angle (90 °) formed by the one end portion 356 and the other end portion 358 is a rotation angle range of the housing 60 around the shaft portion 348.

  That is, in the case of FIGS. 26A to 27B, the moving mechanism 188 is only the rotation of the housing 60 around the shaft portion 348, and is not moved in the arrow X direction.

  Here, when the housing 60 rotates from the position on the side face 46b shown in FIG. 26A to the position on the side face 46c shown in FIG. 26B, as shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B, the shaft section 348 is centered. It is only necessary to rotate the housing 60 by 90 ° counterclockwise. As a result, the one end 356 of the rotation restricting member 354 is separated from the protrusion 352, while the other end 358 of the rotation restricting member 354 contacts the protrusion 352, and the housing 60 is positioned on the side surface 46c side. . At that time, it is a matter of course that the contact state between the connection terminal 76 and the connection terminal 78 is released, and the electrical connection between the connection terminals 76 and 78 is cut off.

  As described above, in the case of FIGS. 26A to 27B, the control unit 32 rotates around the shaft portion 348, so that even when the user 142 transports the electronic cassette 20 </ b> B with the gripping portion 34 as the uppermost portion during transportation. The center of gravity position can be made closer to the geometric center position of the electronic cassette 20B, the unbalanced load arrangement can be relaxed, and the control unit 32 is disposed below the grip portion 34. Therefore, the electronic cassette 20B can be transported stably.

  In addition, a shaft portion 348 is provided in a portion of the irradiation surface 42 other than the shootable region 36 (location on the side surface 308 side), and a hole portion through which the shaft portion 348 penetrates the bottom surface of the housing 60 on the irradiation surface 42 side. By forming 350, the control part 32 can be rotated more stably and reliably.

  Furthermore, the rotation angle range of the control unit 32 with respect to the shaft portion 348 is set by the one end 356 and the other end 358 that form the opening portion of the rotation restricting member 354, and the projection 352, so the control unit for the panel unit 30 Thus, the rotational movement of 32 can be performed accurately and accurately.

  In addition, also in the case of FIG. 26A-FIG. 27B, of course, you may provide the holding part 390 of FIG. In this case, since the user 142 can perform the rotational movement of the housing 60 while gripping the grip portion 390, the usability of the electronic cassette 20B during the rotational movement can be further improved.

  Furthermore, the electronic cassette 20B according to the second embodiment can employ the configuration illustrated in FIGS. 28 to 30B.

  FIG. 28 illustrates another configuration of the moving mechanism 188.

  In the moving mechanism 188 shown in FIG. 28, unlike the case shown in FIGS. 26A to 27B, the distal end portion of the shaft portion 348 that penetrates the hole portion 350 and enters the housing 60 extends in different directions along the radial direction. On the other hand, rotation control members 518 and 520 that are substantially rectangular blocks are arranged on the bottom surface of the housing 60 along the radial direction of the shaft portion 348. It is installed.

  In addition, in FIG. 28, the protrusions 510 and 512 can pass at an angular position between the angular position of the rotation restricting members 518 and 520 and the angular position of the protrusions 510 and 512 on the bottom surface of the housing 60. Slots 514 and 516 having a certain size and communicating with the hole 350 are formed.

  Here, when the housing 60 rotates around the shaft portion 348, if the rotation restricting members 518 and 520 rotate 90 ° integrally with the housing 60, they come into contact with the projecting portions 510 and 512, respectively. Further, when the user 142 lifts the housing 60 when the housing 60 rotates around the shaft portion 348 and the rotation restricting members 518 and 520 face the slots 514 and 516, the rotation restricting members 518 and 520 are lifted. Passes through the slots 514 and 516, the control unit 32 can be easily removed from the panel unit 30. Therefore, according to the configuration of FIG. 28, in addition to the effects of FIGS. 26A to 27B, a remarkable effect of facilitating maintenance and component replacement of the electronic cassette 20B can be obtained.

  Of course, in the electronic cassette 20B provided with the hole 72 and the shaft 74, the above-described effects can be easily obtained by providing the rotation restricting members 518 and 520 and the slots 514 and 516.

  29A to 30B show that the shaft portion 74 is disposed on the corner side (position where the shaft portion 348 is disposed) of the panel portion 30 in the arrow Y1 direction and the arrow X2 direction. Is different.

  In FIG. 29A, the panel portion 30 is provided with a thin protrusion 530 along the direction of the arrow Y instead of the protrusion 56, and the hole 72 in the housing 60 corresponds to the case of FIG. 13 and FIG. Compared with the arrow Y, it is formed in the opposite direction along the arrow Y direction. Therefore, the curved portion 118 is formed at a substantially central portion of the housing 60. The input terminal 82, the USB terminal 84 and the card slot 88 are disposed on the side surface 308, and the connection terminal 78 is disposed on the side surface 80.

  Here, when the control unit 32 is arranged at the position shown in FIG. 29A (position on the side surface 46b side), when the user 142 pushes the housing 60 in the direction of the arrow Y1, the housing 60 is It moves to the position shown to FIG. 29B along the arrow Y1 direction under the guidance effect | action of 72 and the axial part 74. FIG. As a result, the contact state between the connection terminal 76 disposed on the protrusion 530 and the connection terminal 78 disposed on the side surface 80 is released, and the electrical connection between the connection terminals 76 and 78 is interrupted.

  Next, when the user 142 rotates the casing 60 about the shaft portion 74 in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. 29B, the casing 60 rotates 90 ° as shown in FIG. Arranged along. Next, when the user 142 pushes the housing 60 in the arrow X1 direction, the housing 60 moves to the position shown in FIG. 30B along the arrow X1 direction under the guiding action of the hole 72 and the shaft portion 74. To do. As a result, the housing 60 is positioned on the side surface 46c side, and the side surface 80 side of the housing 60 is disposed close to the geometric center position of the electronic cassette 20B.

  Even in the case of FIG. 29A to FIG. 30B, the same effect as that of FIG. 26A to FIG. 29A to 30B, the usability of the electronic cassette 20B at the time of rotational movement can be further improved by providing the grip portion 390 of FIG.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various configurations can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, the radiation conversion panel 92 may be the radiation detector 600 according to the modification shown in FIGS. FIG. 31 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of three pixel portions of the radiation detector 600 according to the modification.

  The radiation detector 600 is formed by sequentially laminating a signal output unit 604 including a switching element, a sensor unit 606 including a solid state detection element, and a scintillator 608 on an insulating substrate 602, and the signal output unit 604. The sensor unit 606 constitutes a pixel unit. The pixel units are arranged in a matrix on the substrate 602, and the signal output unit 604 and the sensor unit 606 in each pixel unit are configured to overlap each other.

  The scintillator 608 is formed by forming a phosphor that is formed on the sensor unit 606 via the transparent insulating film 610 and emits light by converting the radiation 16 into light. In FIG. 31, for example, the irradiation surface 42 (FIGS. 2 to 6, FIGS. 10 to 11B, FIGS. 13 to 16, FIGS. 23A to 26B and FIGS. 29A to 30B), if radiation 16 enters from above, the radiation detector 600 functions as a PSS radiation detector, and the scintillator 608 phosphor. Emits light by converting incident radiation 16 into light.

  The wavelength range of light emitted by the scintillator 608 is preferably the visible light range (wavelength 360 nm to 830 nm), and in order to enable monochrome imaging by the radiation detector 600, the wavelength range of green is included. Is more preferable.

  Specifically, the phosphor used in the scintillator 608 preferably contains CsI when imaging using X-rays as the radiation 16, and CsI (Tl) having an emission spectrum of 420 nm to 600 nm during X-ray irradiation. It is particularly preferable to use (cesium iodide added with thallium). Note that the emission peak wavelength of CsI (Tl) in the visible light region is 565 nm.

  The scintillator 608 may be formed, for example, by vapor-depositing CsI (Tl) having a columnar crystal structure on a vapor deposition base. When the scintillator 608 is formed by vapor deposition as described above, Al is often used as the vapor deposition substrate from the viewpoint of X-ray transmittance and cost, but is not limited thereto. Note that in the case where GOS is used as the scintillator 608, GOS is preferably applied to a resin base and then bonded to the surface of the TFT active matrix substrate. As a result, the TFT active matrix substrate can be preserved even if GOS application fails.

  The sensor unit 606 includes an upper electrode 612, a lower electrode 614, and a photoelectric conversion film 616 disposed between the upper electrode 612 and the lower electrode 614.

Since the upper electrode 612 needs to make the light generated by the scintillator 608 incident on the photoelectric conversion film 616, it is preferable that the upper electrode 612 is made of a conductive material that is transparent at least with respect to the emission wavelength of the scintillator 608. It is preferable to use a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) having a high transmittance for visible light and a small resistance value. Note that although a metal thin film such as Au can be used as the upper electrode 612, a resistance value tends to increase when the transmittance of 90% or more is obtained, so that the TCO is preferable. For example, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), IZO, AZO, FTO, SnO ₂ , TiO ₂ , ZnO _{2 and the} like can be preferably used, and ITO is most preferable from the viewpoint of process simplicity, low resistance, and transparency. Note that the upper electrode 612 may have a single configuration common to all the pixel portions, or may be divided for each pixel portion.

  The photoelectric conversion film 616 includes an organic photoconductor (OPC), absorbs light emitted from the scintillator 608, and generates a charge corresponding to the absorbed light. If the photoelectric conversion film 616 includes an organic photoconductor (organic photoelectric conversion material), the photoelectric conversion film 616 has a sharp absorption spectrum in the visible light region, and electromagnetic waves other than light emitted by the scintillator 608 are almost absorbed by the photoelectric conversion film 616. In addition, noise generated when the radiation 16 is absorbed by the photoelectric conversion film 616 can be effectively suppressed. Note that the photoelectric conversion film 616 may be configured to include a-Si instead of the organic photoconductor. In this case, it has a wide absorption spectrum and can efficiently absorb light emitted by the scintillator 608.

  The organic photoconductor constituting the photoelectric conversion film 616 preferably has a peak wavelength closer to the emission peak wavelength of the scintillator 608 in order to absorb light emitted by the scintillator 608 most efficiently. Ideally, the absorption peak wavelength of the organic photoconductor coincides with the emission peak wavelength of the scintillator 608. However, if the difference between the two is small, the light emitted from the scintillator 608 can be sufficiently absorbed. . Specifically, the difference between the absorption peak wavelength of the organic photoconductor and the emission peak wavelength of the scintillator 608 with respect to the radiation 16 is preferably within 10 nm, and more preferably within 5 nm.

  Examples of organic photoconductors that can satisfy such conditions include quinacridone organic compounds and phthalocyanine organic compounds. For example, since the absorption peak wavelength of quinacridone in the visible region is 560 nm, if quinacridone is used as the organic photoconductor and CsI (Tl) is used as the material of the scintillator 608, the difference between the peak wavelengths may be within 5 nm. Thus, the amount of charge generated in the photoelectric conversion film 616 can be substantially maximized.

  The sensor unit 606 is a stack of a part that absorbs electromagnetic waves, a photoelectric conversion part, an electron transport part, a hole transport part, an electron blocking part, a hole blocking part, a crystallization prevention part, an electrode, an interlayer contact improvement part, or the like. An organic layer formed by mixing is included. The organic layer preferably contains an organic p-type compound (organic p-type semiconductor) or an organic n-type compound (organic n-type semiconductor).

  An organic p-type semiconductor is a donor organic semiconductor (compound) typified by a hole-transporting organic compound and refers to an organic compound having a property of easily donating electrons. More specifically, an organic compound having a smaller ionization potential when two organic materials are used in contact with each other. Therefore, any organic compound can be used as the donor organic compound as long as it is an electron-donating organic compound.

  An organic n-type semiconductor is an acceptor organic semiconductor (compound) typified by an electron-transporting organic compound and refers to an organic compound having a property of easily accepting electrons. More specifically, the organic compound having the higher electron affinity when two organic compounds are used in contact with each other. Accordingly, as the acceptor organic compound, any organic compound can be used as long as it is an electron-accepting organic compound.

  The materials applicable as the organic p-type semiconductor and the organic n-type semiconductor and the configuration of the photoelectric conversion film 616 are described in detail in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-32854, and thus the description thereof is omitted. Note that the photoelectric conversion film 616 may be formed to further contain fullerene or carbon nanotube.

  The thickness of the photoelectric conversion film 616 is preferably as large as possible in terms of absorbing light from the scintillator 608. However, when the thickness is more than a certain level, the photoelectric conversion film 616 is generated in the photoelectric conversion film 616 by a bias voltage applied from both ends of the photoelectric conversion film 616. In this case, the electric field strength is reduced and the charge cannot be collected. Therefore, the thickness is preferably 30 nm to 300 nm, more preferably 50 nm to 250 nm, and particularly preferably 80 nm to 200 nm.

  The photoelectric conversion film 616 has a single-layer configuration common to all the pixel portions, but may be divided for each pixel portion. The lower electrode 614 is a thin film divided for each pixel portion. However, the lower electrode 614 may have a single configuration common to all the pixel portions. The lower electrode 614 can be made of a transparent or opaque conductive material, and Al, silver, or the like can be suitably used. The thickness of the lower electrode 614 can be, for example, 30 nm or more and 300 nm or less.

  In the sensor unit 606, by applying a predetermined bias voltage between the upper electrode 612 and the lower electrode 614, one of charges (holes, electrons) generated in the photoelectric conversion film 616 is moved to the upper electrode 612. And the other can be moved to the lower electrode 614. In the radiation detector 600 according to this modification, a wiring is connected to the upper electrode 612, and a bias voltage is applied to the upper electrode 612 via the wiring. In addition, the polarity of the bias voltage is determined so that electrons generated in the photoelectric conversion film 616 move to the upper electrode 612 and holes move to the lower electrode 614, but this polarity is opposite. May be.

  The sensor unit 606 included in each pixel unit only needs to include at least the lower electrode 614, the photoelectric conversion film 616, and the upper electrode 612. In order to suppress an increase in dark current, the electron blocking film 618 and the hole are included. It is preferable to provide at least one of the blocking films 620, and it is more preferable to provide both.

  The electron blocking film 618 can be provided between the lower electrode 614 and the photoelectric conversion film 616. When a bias voltage is applied between the lower electrode 614 and the upper electrode 612, the electron blocking film 618 is exposed from the lower electrode 614 to the photoelectric conversion film 616. It is possible to prevent the dark current from being increased due to the injection of electrons.

  An electron-donating organic material can be used for the electron blocking film 618. The material actually used for the electron blocking film 618 may be selected according to the material of the adjacent electrode, the material of the adjacent photoelectric conversion film 616, and the like, and 1.3 eV or more from the work function (Wf) of the material of the adjacent electrode. Those having a large electron affinity (Ea) and an Ip equivalent to or smaller than the ionization potential (Ip) of the material of the adjacent photoelectric conversion film 616 are preferable. Since the material applicable as the electron donating organic material is described in detail in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-32854, description thereof is omitted.

  The thickness of the electron blocking film 618 is preferably 10 nm or more and 200 nm or less, more preferably 30 nm or more and 150 nm or less, and particularly preferably, in order to surely exhibit the dark current suppressing effect and prevent a decrease in photoelectric conversion efficiency of the sensor unit 606. It is good to set it to 50 nm or more and 100 nm or less.

  The hole blocking film 620 can be provided between the photoelectric conversion film 616 and the upper electrode 612, and when a bias voltage is applied between the lower electrode 614 and the upper electrode 612, the photoelectric conversion film is formed from the upper electrode 612. An increase in dark current due to injection of holes into 616 can be suppressed.

  An electron-accepting organic material can be used for the hole blocking film 620. The thickness of the hole blocking film 620 is preferably 10 nm or more and 200 nm or less, more preferably 30 nm or more and 150 nm or less, and particularly preferably, in order to reliably exhibit the dark current suppressing effect and prevent a decrease in photoelectric conversion efficiency of the sensor unit 606. Is preferably 50 nm to 100 nm.

  The material actually used for the hole blocking film 620 may be selected according to the material of the adjacent electrode, the material of the adjacent photoelectric conversion film 616, and the like, and 1.3 eV from the work function (Wf) of the material of the adjacent electrode. As described above, it is preferable that the ionization potential (Ip) is large and that the Ea is equal to or larger than the electron affinity (Ea) of the material of the adjacent photoelectric conversion film 616. Since the material applicable as the electron-accepting organic material is described in detail in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-32854, description thereof is omitted.

  Note that, among the charges generated in the photoelectric conversion film 616, when a bias voltage is set so that holes move to the upper electrode 612 and electrons move to the lower electrode 614, the electron blocking film 618 and the hole blocking are set. The position relative to the film 620 may be reversed. Further, it is not necessary to provide both the electron blocking film 618 and the hole blocking film 620. If either of them is provided, a certain dark current suppressing effect can be obtained.

  As shown in FIG. 32, the signal output unit 604 is provided on the surface of the substrate 602 corresponding to the lower electrode 614 of each pixel unit, and the storage capacitor 622 that accumulates the electric charge that has moved to the lower electrode 614; The TFT 624 converts the electric charge accumulated in the accumulation capacitor 622 into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal. The region where the storage capacitor 622 and the TFT 624 are formed has a portion that overlaps with the lower electrode 614 in plan view. With such a configuration, the signal output unit 604 and the sensor unit 606 in each pixel unit Will have an overlap in the thickness direction. If the signal output unit 604 is formed so as to completely cover the storage capacitor 622 and the TFT 624 with the lower electrode 614, the plane area of the radiation detector 600 (pixel unit) can be minimized.

  The storage capacitor 622 is electrically connected to the corresponding lower electrode 614 through a wiring made of a conductive material formed through an insulating film 626 provided between the substrate 602 and the lower electrode 614. Thereby, the charge collected by the lower electrode 614 can be moved to the storage capacitor 622.

  The TFT 624 includes a gate electrode 628, a gate insulating film 630, and an active layer (channel layer) 632, and a source electrode 634 and a drain electrode 636 are formed on the active layer 632 at a predetermined interval. Yes. The active layer 632 can be formed of, for example, a-Si, amorphous oxide, organic semiconductor material, carbon nanotube, or the like. Note that the material forming the active layer 632 is not limited thereto.

The amorphous oxide that can form the active layer 632 is preferably an oxide containing at least one of In, Ga, and Zn (for example, In—O-based), and at least two of In, Ga, and Zn. Oxides containing one (for example, In—Zn—O, In—Ga—O, and Ga—Zn—O) are more preferable, and oxides including In, Ga, and Zn are particularly preferable. As the In—Ga—Zn—O-based amorphous oxide, an amorphous oxide whose composition in a crystalline state is represented by InGaO ₃ (ZnO) _m (m is a natural number less than 6) is preferable, and InGaZnO is particularly preferable. ₄ is more preferable. Note that the amorphous oxide that can form the active layer 632 is not limited thereto.

  Examples of the organic semiconductor material that can form the active layer 632 include, but are not limited to, phthalocyanine compounds, pentacene, vanadyl phthalocyanine, and the like. In addition, about the structure of a phthalocyanine compound, since it describes in detail in Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2009-212389, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  If the active layer 632 of the TFT 624 is formed of an amorphous oxide, an organic semiconductor material, or a carbon nanotube, the radiation 16 such as X-rays is not absorbed, or even if it is absorbed, a very small amount remains. Generation of noise in the output unit 604 can be effectively suppressed.

  In addition, when the active layer 632 is formed of carbon nanotubes, the switching speed of the TFT 624 can be increased, and a TFT 624 having a low light absorption in the visible light region can be formed. Note that when the active layer 632 is formed of carbon nanotubes, the performance of the TFT 624 is remarkably deteriorated only by mixing a very small amount of metallic impurities into the active layer 632, so that extremely high purity carbon nanotubes are separated by centrifugation or the like.・ It needs to be extracted and formed.

  Here, any of the above-described amorphous oxide, organic semiconductor material, carbon nanotube, and organic photoconductor can be formed at a low temperature. Therefore, the substrate 602 is not limited to a substrate having high heat resistance such as a semiconductor substrate, a quartz substrate, and a glass substrate, and a flexible substrate such as plastic, aramid, or bio-nanofiber can also be used. Specifically, flexible substrates such as polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene phthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyethersulfone, polyarylate, polyimide, polycycloolefin, norbornene resin, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, etc. Can be used. If such a plastic flexible substrate is used, it is possible to reduce the weight, which is advantageous for carrying around, for example.

  In addition, the photoelectric conversion film 616 is formed from an organic photoconductor, and the TFT 624 is formed from an organic semiconductor material, whereby the photoelectric conversion film 616 and the TFT 624 are formed at a low temperature on a plastic flexible substrate (substrate 602). It is possible to reduce the thickness and weight of the radiation detector 600 as a whole. Accordingly, the panel portion 30 (see FIGS. 1 to 6, FIGS. 10 to 16, 18 </ b> A to 21 </ b> B, FIGS. 23A to 26 </ b> B and FIGS. 29A to 30 </ b> B) that accommodates the radiation detector 600 is reduced in thickness and weight. It becomes possible. In addition, by using the flexible substrate 602, the radiation conversion panel 92 and the housing 40 of the panel unit 30 that accommodates the radiation conversion panel 92 can also have flexibility, and as a result, Occurrence of damage or the like of the radiation conversion panel 92 when a load is applied from the subject 14 to the panel unit 30 can be avoided.

  Note that the substrate 602 is provided with an insulating layer for ensuring insulation, a gas barrier layer for preventing permeation of moisture and oxygen, an undercoat layer for improving flatness or adhesion to electrodes, and the like. May be.

  In addition, since aramid can be applied at a high temperature process of 200 ° C. or higher, the transparent electrode material can be cured at a high temperature to reduce the resistance, and can be used for automatic mounting of a driver IC including a solder reflow process. Moreover, since aramid has a thermal expansion coefficient close to that of ITO or a glass substrate, warping after production is small and it is difficult to break. In addition, aramid can form a substrate thinner than a glass substrate or the like. Note that the substrate 602 may be formed by stacking an ultrathin glass substrate and an aramid.

  The bionanofiber is a composite of a cellulose microfibril bundle (bacterial cellulose) produced by bacteria (acetobacterium Xylinum) and a transparent resin. The cellulose microfibril bundle has a width of 50 nm and a size of 1/10 of the visible light wavelength, and has high strength, high elasticity, and low thermal expansion. By impregnating and curing a transparent resin such as acrylic resin and epoxy resin in bacterial cellulose, a bio-nanofiber having a light transmittance of about 90% at a wavelength of 500 nm can be obtained while containing 60% to 70% of the fiber. Bionanofiber has a low coefficient of thermal expansion (3-7 ppm) comparable to silicon crystals, is as strong as steel (460 MPa), has high elasticity (30 GPa), and is flexible, compared to glass substrates, etc. Thus, the substrate 602 can be formed thin.

  In this modification, the signal output unit 604, the sensor unit 606, and the transparent insulating film 610 are formed in order on the substrate 602, and the scintillator 608 is attached to the substrate 602 using an adhesive resin having low light absorption. Thus, the radiation detector 600 is formed.

  In the radiation detector 600 according to the above-described modification, the photoelectric conversion film 616 is made of an organic photoconductor, and the active layer 632 of the TFT 624 is made of an organic semiconductor material. The part 604 hardly absorbs the radiation 16. Thereby, the fall of the sensitivity with respect to the radiation 16 (refer FIG.1, FIG.4, FIG.12, FIG.14 and FIG.15) can be suppressed.

  Both the organic semiconductor material constituting the active layer 632 of the TFT 624 and the organic photoconductor constituting the photoelectric conversion film 616 can be formed at a low temperature. Therefore, the substrate 602 can be formed of a plastic resin, aramid, or bionanofiber that absorbs less radiation 16. Thereby, the fall of the sensitivity with respect to the radiation 16 can be suppressed further.

  Further, for example, when the radiation detector 600 is arranged in the housing 40 and the substrate 602 is formed of a highly rigid plastic resin, aramid, or bionanofiber, the rigidity of the radiation detector 600 itself can be increased. The housing 40 can be formed thin. Further, when the substrate 602 is formed of a highly rigid plastic resin, aramid, or bionanofiber, the radiation detector 600 itself has flexibility as described above, so that even when an impact is applied to the housing 40, the radiation detector. 600 is hard to break.

  In FIG. 31, as described above, as an example, as described above, the light emitted from the scintillator 608 is a sensor unit 606 (photoelectric conversion) positioned on the side opposite to the side where the radiation source 18 (see FIGS. 1 and 12) is positioned. A PSS type radiation detector 600 is shown which reads a radiation image after being converted into electric charge by a film 616).

  The radiation detector 600 is not limited to this configuration, and may be configured as an ISS radiation detector. In this case, the substrate 602, the signal output unit 604, the sensor unit 606, and the scintillator 608 are stacked in this order along the irradiation direction of the radiation 16, and the light emitted from the scintillator 608 is sensor unit on the side where the radiation source 18 is positioned. At 606, the radiation image is read after being converted into electric charges. In general, the scintillator 608 emits light more strongly on the irradiation surface side of the radiation 16 than on the back side. Therefore, the radiation detector 600 configured by the ISS system is more scintillator than the radiation detector 600 configured by the PSS system. The distance until the light emitted in 608 reaches the photoelectric conversion film 616 can be shortened. Thereby, since the diffusion / attenuation of the light can be suppressed, the resolution of the radiation image can be increased.

  In addition, when the radiation conversion panel 92 (radiation detector 600) is configured using the above-described plastic and organic materials, the radiation conversion panel 92 is arranged along the irradiation direction of the radiation 16 in the substrate 602, TFT 624, photoelectric. A high-quality radiation image can be easily obtained by using an ISS panel arranged in the order of the conversion film 616 and the CsI scintillator 608.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, CsI or GOS can be used as the scintillator 608.

  Here, when an electric circuit portion such as the control unit 32 generates heat, the sensitivity of the GOS does not change with respect to the heat generation, but with CsI, the sensitivity decreases as the temperature increases (for a temperature increase of 1 ° C.). Sensitivity is reduced by about 0.3%).

  However, in the present embodiment, the housing 40 of the panel unit 30 that houses the scintillator 608 and the control unit 32 are separate, and the control unit 32 is separated from the scintillator 608 during operation. Therefore, even if the scintillator 608 made of CsI is used, it is possible to avoid a change in sensitivity with respect to heat generated by the control unit 32. Therefore, a highly sensitive radiation image can be acquired even during long-time imaging.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, 10 to 16, 18 A, 23 A to 24 A, 26 A and 29 A, the control unit 32 is controlled in plan view during operation. The part 32 is prevented from overlapping the radiation conversion panel 92 in the panel part 30. This is because the heat generated by the control unit 32 is transmitted to the radiation conversion panel 92, so that the temperature distribution due to the heat is easily generated at both ends of the radiation conversion panel 92, and the image correction is performed when the scintillator 608 is CsI. This is because the sensitivity will be uneven. Therefore, when the CsI scintillator 608 is used, it is necessary to devise a measure not to transfer the heat generated in the control unit 32 to the radiation conversion panel 92 in the panel unit 30. Specifically, the following measures may be taken.

  (1) A gel-like cooling sheet may be used as the buffer members 200 and 202 (see FIGS. 11A and 11B) that protect the housing 60 from impact. The cooling sheet has a structure in which a nonwoven fabric and a polymer gel gel are bonded together, and the control unit 32 takes away the heat generated in the control unit 32 and evaporates the water contained in the gel with the heat of evaporation. The heat generated at 32 is dissipated to lower the temperature of the control unit 32.

  (2) A heat radiating window or a heat radiating plate for radiating the heat generated by the control unit 32 to a location away from the panel unit 30 in the casing 60 of the control unit 32 (the opposite side to the side opposite to the panel unit 30) The heat dissipating member is arranged.

  (3) The grip portions 390 and 400 (see FIGS. 24B and 25) are made of a material having high thermal conductivity, and are used as heat radiating members for radiating heat generated by the control unit 32. In this case, a wave-shaped or rectangular member that functions as a heat sink may be attached to the grip portions 390 and 400 to increase the heat radiation area. In addition, since the holding parts 390 and 400 are directly provided on the housing 60 of the control unit 32, the heat generated by the control unit 32 can be directly radiated. In addition, since the grip portions 390 and 400 are locations where the user 142 grips, it is needless to say that the user 142 needs to dissipate heat to the extent that the user 142 does not cause low temperature burns.

  In addition, since components with a large amount of heat generation, such as the power supply unit 68, are arranged in the housing 60 of the control unit 32, the amount of heat generation is large at locations near the grips 390 and 400 in the housing 60. If the components are arranged, the heat generated by the control unit 32 can be efficiently radiated through the gripping units 390 and 400.

  By devising the above (1) to (3), heat transfer to the radiation detector 600 (radiation conversion panel 92) including the CsI scintillator 608 is avoided, and a decrease in sensitivity to radiation 16 and occurrence of sensitivity unevenness are prevented. It becomes possible to suppress.

16 ... Radiation 20A, 20B ... Electronic cassette 30 ... Panel part 32 ... Control part 34, 390, 400 ... Grasping part 36 ... Shootable area 40, 60 ... Case 42 ... Irradiation surface 46a-46d, 80, 308 ... Side surface 66 ... cassette control part 68 ... power supply part 70 ... communication part 72, 350 ... hole 74, 348 ... shaft part 76, 78 ... connection terminal 92 ... radiation conversion panel 102, 352 ... projection part 104 ... movement regulating member 106, 356 ... One end part 108, 358 ... Other end part 112, 114 ... Convex part 142 ... User 186 ... Connection state detection part 188 ... Moving mechanism 200, 202 ... Buffer member 354, 518, 520 ... Rotation restricting member

Claims (21)

A panel unit containing a radiation conversion panel for converting radiation into a radiation image;
A control unit that is disposed at one end of the panel unit and controls the radiation conversion panel;
A grip portion provided at the other end of the panel portion for a user to grip;
A radiographic imaging apparatus comprising: The apparatus of claim 1.
The panel unit includes the radiation conversion panel, and includes a substantially rectangular casing capable of transmitting the radiation.
A radiographic imaging apparatus, wherein the control unit is disposed in contact with a surface on one end side of the casing, and the grip unit is provided on the other end side of the casing. The apparatus of claim 2.
The control unit is disposed on one side of the irradiation surface of the housing having a shootable region irradiated with the radiation,
The radiographic imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the grip portion is provided on a side surface of the housing on the other side of the irradiation surface. The apparatus of claim 3.
The radiographic imaging apparatus characterized by further comprising a buffer member that covers the entire other casing constituting the control unit or covers a part of the other casing. The device according to claim 3 or 4,
A radiographic imaging apparatus, further comprising a moving mechanism for rotating the control unit relative to the panel unit along a surface of a casing of the panel unit. The apparatus of claim 5.
The moving mechanism has a shaft portion provided at a location other than the imageable region irradiated with the radiation on the surface of the housing, and rotates the control portion around the shaft portion. A radiographic imaging device characterized by the above. The apparatus of claim 6.
The moving mechanism further includes an oval hole formed in another casing constituting the control unit and through which the shaft portion passes,
The radiographic imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit rotates about the shaft portion and is movable with respect to the shaft portion along the hole. The apparatus of claim 7.
The shaft portion is provided at a location other than the imageable region, in the radiation irradiation surface having the imageable region in the housing of the panel unit,
The ellipse-shaped hole is formed on the bottom surface on the irradiation surface side in the other casing of the control section along the longitudinal direction of the other casing. The apparatus of claim 8.
The tip portion of the shaft portion inserted into the other casing is provided with a protrusion that extends in the radial direction of the shaft portion and has a width substantially the same as the diameter of the shaft portion,
The bottom surface of the other housing is provided with a movement restricting member that substantially surrounds the hole portion in a plan view and opens at one end side of the hole portion,
When the shaft portion penetrates on one end portion side of the hole portion and the control portion rotates around the shaft portion, one end portion and the other end portion of the opening portion of the movement restricting member are the protrusions. Restricting the rotation angle range of the control unit relative to the shaft part by contacting the part,
When the projection is disposed in the hole in plan view, the movement restricting member contacts the tip of the shaft and the projection to change the movement direction of the control unit relative to the shaft. A radiographic imaging device characterized by regulating. The apparatus of claim 9.
A radiation image characterized in that a stop member capable of stopping the movement of the control unit along the hole by contacting the protrusion is disposed on the hole side of the movement restricting member. Shooting device. The apparatus of claim 8.
The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stop member is a convex portion that stops the movement of the control unit when the projecting portion comes into contact therewith. The apparatus of claim 6.
The moving mechanism further includes a hole formed in another casing constituting the control unit and through which the shaft portion passes,
The radiographic imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is rotatable about the shaft. The apparatus of claim 12.
The shaft portion is provided at a location other than the imageable region, in the radiation irradiation surface having the imageable region in the housing of the panel unit,
The radiation image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hole is formed on a bottom surface on the irradiation surface side in another housing of the control unit. The apparatus of claim 13.
The tip portion of the shaft portion inserted into the other casing is provided with a protruding portion extending in the radial direction of the shaft portion,
The bottom surface of the other casing is provided with a rotation restricting member that substantially surrounds the hole portion in a plan view and that is partially opened.
When the control portion rotates around the shaft portion, one end portion and the other end portion of the opening portion of the rotation restricting member come into contact with the projection portion, thereby rotating the control portion with respect to the shaft portion. A radiographic imaging apparatus characterized by regulating a range. The device according to any one of claims 5 to 14,
The control unit drives and controls the radiation conversion panel and reads out the radiation image from the radiation conversion panel, a communication unit capable of communicating with the outside, the panel control unit, and the communication unit And a radiographic imaging apparatus comprising: a power supply unit that supplies power to the radiation conversion panel. The apparatus of claim 15.
The radiographic imaging apparatus, wherein the power supply unit stops power supply to the communication unit and the radiation conversion panel when the control unit is rotated by the moving mechanism. The apparatus of claim 16.
The panel unit is provided with a connection unit for electrically connecting the radiation conversion panel and the control unit,
When the connection unit and the control unit are separated from each other and the electrical connection is released when the control unit is rotationally moved by the moving mechanism, the power unit is configured to supply power to the communication unit and the radiation conversion panel. A radiographic imaging apparatus characterized by stopping supply. The apparatus of claim 17.
The said panel control part is provided with the connection detection part which detects the presence or absence of the electrical connection of the said connection part and the said control part, The radiographic imaging apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 18,
The radiation image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the panel unit is thinner than a thickness of the control unit. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 19,
The radiation conversion panel includes a scintillator that converts the radiation into visible light, a solid detection element that converts the visible light into an electrical signal indicating the radiation image, and a switching element that reads the electrical signal from the solid detection element, A substrate on which the solid state detection element and the switching element are formed;
The radiographic imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a flexible plastic substrate, the solid-state detection element is made of an organic photoconductor, and the switching element is made of an organic semiconductor material. The apparatus of claim 20.
A radiographic imaging apparatus, wherein the substrate, the switching element, the solid state detection element, and the scintillator made of CsI are arranged in this order along the radiation direction.

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