JP2012205850A - Method and system for obtaining transportation information of electronic cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and system for obtaining transportation information of an electronic cassette which appropriately deal with the failure of an electronic cassette during transportation, and finding out the cause of failure or making the responsibility for the failure clear.SOLUTION: A transportation information acquisition unit 40 for an electronic cassette has an installation detection circuit 51 for detecting that the electronic cassette is taken out of a package box and installed at a destination, a sensor group 52 of an acceleration sensor 59 or the like, and an EEPROM 55 for storing transportation information 63 as the measurement results of the sensor group 52. An imaging control device has a determination circuit for determining the presence or absence of failure of the electronic cassette during transportation based on the transportation information 63. When it is determined that the electronic cassette has a failure, a determination result display window in which a message representing the failure is displayed, is displayed on a display of the imaging control device.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and system for obtaining transport information of an electronic cassette.

  Recently, electronic cassettes (portable X-ray image detection devices) in which a flat panel detector (FPD) is built in a rectangular parallelepiped housing instead of an X-ray film or imaging plate (IP) have been put into practical use. Yes. The electronic cassette is used by attaching it to an existing imaging table for film cassettes and IP cassettes or a dedicated imaging table. In addition, the electronic cassette is placed on the bed or held by the subject itself to image areas that are difficult to capture with the stationary type. Used. In addition, in order to take pictures of elderly people who are being treated at home or those who are suddenly ill due to accidents, disasters, etc., they may be taken out of hospitals where there is no equipment for taking pictures.

  In general, electrical components involve a risk of failure due to external factors such as the surrounding environment. Electronic cassettes equipped with many electrical components are no exception, and may be damaged if the subject or radiographer accidentally drops it or is placed in a hot and humid environment. If a failure occurs, there is a risk of electric shock or the like on the subject or radiographer. In addition, in order to avoid taking a picture in spite of a failure, it is necessary to check each time before taking an image whether the electronic cassette has a failure. Conventionally, various methods for solving this problem have been proposed (see Patent Documents 1 to 3).

  In Patent Literature 1, when an electronic cassette is being used, a fall during transportation is detected by an acceleration sensor, and when an abnormal acceleration state is detected, power supply to each unit is prohibited and a power supply prohibition mode display unit notifies that effect. Is displayed. Patent Document 2 detects the impact applied to the FPD to self-diagnose the FPD operation availability, and if it is determined that the operation is impossible as a result of the self-diagnosis, X-ray irradiation is prohibited or displayed as inoperable. ing. Patent Document 3 detects an impact applied to the electronic cassette and an installation environment temperature of the electronic cassette, and displays a warning if the detection result exceeds a threshold value. Then, a failure image is diagnosed by outputting a dark image (grayscale image) from the FPD without irradiating X-rays and comparing it with an appropriate image.

JP 2005-003755 A JP 2005-177379 A JP 2006-297096 A

  Since electronic cassettes encounter various environmental changes during transportation from the manufacturing plant to delivery to customers, they can break down during transportation. If a failure occurs during transportation, information that proves that the failure occurred during transportation is necessary to clarify the responsibility of the failure. However, Patent Documents 1 to 3 describe measures against failures that occur during use of the electronic cassette, but do not describe measures against failures that occur during transportation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to obtain information on electronic cassettes during transportation, to enable appropriate measures in the event of a failure, and to investigate the cause of the failure. And to help clarify the location of the responsibility for breakdowns.

  In order to achieve the above object, a transport information acquisition system for an electronic cassette according to the present invention includes a state detection unit that detects a state of the electronic cassette during transport, a storage unit that stores a detection result of the state detection unit, and an electronic Based on the detection result of the state detection means stored in the storage means before the installation is detected by the installation detection means and the installation detection means for detecting that the cassette is installed at the customer, It is characterized by comprising determination means for determining the presence or absence of a failure and display means for displaying the determination result of the determination means.

  The state detection means includes an acceleration sensor that measures acceleration due to an impact applied to the electronic cassette during transportation, a temperature sensor that measures the temperature around the electronic cassette during transportation, a humidity sensor that measures humidity, and an atmospheric pressure sensor that measures atmospheric pressure, Or it is at least any one of the pressure sensors which measure the contact pressure applied to the electronic cassette surface at the time of transport.

  The installation detection means detects that the electronic cassette has been installed at the customer when the packaging article for transportation is opened and the electronic cassette is taken out from the packaging article. Alternatively, the electronic cassette is installed at the customer when the power to the electronic cassette or the external control device that controls the operation of the electronic cassette is first turned on, or when communication between the electronic cassette and the external control device is first established. Detects that

  Alternatively, a GUI for inputting an instruction to start the operation check and calibration operation of the electronic cassette is displayed on the display means, and the installation detection means installs the electronic cassette at the customer when an instruction is given through the GUI. May be detected.

  The installation detecting means has a GPS function, and detects that an electronic cassette has been installed at the customer when the customer's longitude and latitude information registered in advance matches the longitude and latitude information from the GPS satellite.

  When the electronic cassette and the external control device are integrated so as to be retractable so that the size of the non-use state becomes smaller than the use state, the installation detection means is the electronic device when it is first changed from the non-use state to the use state. Detects that a cassette has been installed at the customer.

  It is preferable to store time information in the storage unit in association with the detection result of the state detection unit. Moreover, it is preferable that the determination unit and the display unit are provided in an external control device, and include a transmission unit that transmits the detection result of the state detection unit stored in the storage unit to the external control device.

  It is preferable to provide a dedicated power source that supplies power to each unit independently of the power source of the electronic cassette or the external control device.

  An electronic cassette transport information acquisition method according to the present invention includes a state detection step of detecting a state of an electronic cassette being transported by a state detection unit, a storage step of storing a detection result of the state detection unit in a storage unit, and an electronic cassette comprising: Failure of the electronic cassette based on the detection result of the state detection means stored in the storage means before the installation detection step is detected by the installation detection means and the installation detection means that the installation detection means detects that it has been installed at the customer A determination step of determining presence / absence by a determination unit and a display step of displaying a determination result of the determination unit on a display unit are provided.

  According to the present invention, the state of the electronic cassette being transported is detected and stored, and it is detected that the electronic cassette has been installed at the customer, and the state of the electronic cassette being transported before that is detected. Based on the above, the presence or absence of a failure in the electronic cassette is determined and the result is displayed, so that in the event of a failure, appropriate measures can be taken, which helps to investigate the cause of the failure and clarify the responsibility for the failure. be able to.

It is a figure which shows the packaging aspect of an electronic cassette and accessories. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of an electronic cassette. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of an electronic cassette and imaging | photography control apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a transport information acquisition part. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure constructed | assembled by CPU of an imaging | photography control apparatus. It is a display example of the determination result of whether or not the electronic cassette has failed during transportation. (A) shows a case where it is determined that there is no failure, and (B) shows a case where it is determined that it has failed. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the transport information acquisition part until shipment, transport, and customer installation. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure until it determines whether the electronic cassette broke down during transport with an imaging | photography control apparatus, and displays the result. It is a figure which shows the window for inputting that the operation check and the calibration work are started. It is a perspective view which shows the imaging | photography unit which integrated the electronic cassette and the imaging | photography control apparatus.

  In FIG. 1, the electronic cassette 2 is stored in a packing tray 12 together with accessories such as a battery 10 and a composite cable 11. The packaging tray 12 is manufactured by sheet molding, pulp molding, or the like, and functions as a buffer material that absorbs impact during transportation. A booklet 14 such as a product specification or an instruction manual is placed on the upper part of the packaging tray 12 in which the electronic cassette 2 and various accessories are stored via a cardboard partition 13. The packing tray 12, the partition 13, and the booklet 14 are integrally stored in a cardboard packing box 15, sealed with gummed tape or the like, and shipped from the manufacturing factory to the customer.

  In FIG. 2, the electronic cassette 2 has a substantially rectangular shape and is normally used without a cable. The electronic cassette 2 has a built-in FPD 20. The FPD 20 includes, for example, a matrix substrate in which a plurality of pixels including thin film transistors (TFTs) and X-ray detection elements are two-dimensionally arranged. The FPD 20 accumulates charges according to the amount of incident X-rays when the TFT is turned off by the X-ray detection element. Then, the TFT is turned on to read out the charge accumulated in the X-ray detection element. The read charge is converted into a voltage signal by an integrating amplifier of the signal processing unit 37 (see FIG. 3), and the converted voltage signal is A / D converted by an A / D converter of the signal processing unit 37, thereby obtaining a digital image. Data is generated.

  The electronic cassette 2 incorporates the battery 10 and the antenna 21 together with the FPD 20. The battery 10 supplies power for operating each part of the electronic cassette 2. A relatively small battery 10 is used so as to fit in the thin electronic cassette 2. The battery 10 can be charged by opening the lid 22 provided on one side of the electronic cassette 2 and taking it out. The antenna 21 transmits and receives radio waves for wireless communication to and from the imaging control device 65 (see FIG. 3).

  A power switch 23 and an indicator 24 are disposed on one side surface of the electronic cassette 2 orthogonal to the side surface on which the lid 22 is provided. The indicator 24 is composed of, for example, multicolored LEDs, and displays the power on / off of the electronic cassette 2, the remaining amount of the battery 10, the wireless communication status, and the like.

  A socket 25 is disposed on one side surface of the electronic cassette 2 facing the side surface on which the lid 22 is provided. The socket 25 is provided for wired connection with the imaging control device 65, and the connector 26 of the composite cable 11 for both power supply and signal communication is inserted into the socket 25. The composite cable 11 is used when wireless communication between the electronic cassette 2 and the imaging control device 65 becomes impossible due to the remaining amount of the battery 10 being insufficient. When the composite cable 11 is used, wired communication with the imaging control device 65 becomes possible and power can be supplied from the imaging control device 65 to the electronic cassette 2. It is also possible to continue shooting while charging the battery 10 with the power supplied by the composite cable 11. When being stored in the packaging box 15 and transported, the socket 25 is covered with a protective cover 27.

  In FIG. 3, the cassette control unit 35 comprehensively controls the operation of each unit of the electronic cassette 2. The cassette control unit 35 controls the operation of the FPD 20 via the driver 36 and operates the FPD 20 at the operation timing specified by the imaging control device 65. The cassette control unit 35 receives image data from a signal processing unit 37 having an integrating amplifier and an A / D converter.

  The communication control unit 38 is connected to the antenna 21 and the socket 25 described above. The communication control unit 38 mediates transmission / reception of various information and signals including image data between the antenna 21 or the socket 25 and the cassette control unit 35. In addition, the case where it connects with the imaging | photography control apparatus 65 with the composite cable 11 using the socket 25 is shown with the dotted-line arrow.

  The power supply unit 39 supplies the power from the battery 10 or the power from the imaging control device 65 via the socket 25 to each part of the electronic cassette 2 via the cassette control unit 35.

  The transport information acquisition unit 40 acquires transport information from when the electronic cassette 2 or the like is stored in the packaging box 15 to reach the customer from the manufacturing factory until the electronic cassette 2 is installed at the customer. In FIG. 4, the transport information acquisition unit 40 includes a dedicated power supply 50, an installation detection circuit 51, a sensor group 52, a clock circuit 53, a write / read control circuit 54, and an EEPROM 55. The transport information acquisition unit 40 can supply power to each circuit, sensor, and the like by the dedicated power source 50 without depending on the battery 10 or the like.

  The installation detection circuit 51 detects that the packaging box 15 has been opened by the customer and the electronic cassette 2 has been removed from the packaging box 15. The installation detection circuit 51 is connected to the two detection terminals 56 of the socket 25. The two terminals 56 are not connected to the terminals of the connector 26 of the composite cable 11, and the two terminals 57 of the protective cover 27 are connected when the protective cover 27 is put on the socket 25. A copper wire 58 is connected to the two terminals 57 of the protective cover 27 and forms a closed circuit with the installation detection circuit 51 when the protective cover 27 is put on the socket 25.

  A voltage is applied between the detection terminals 56 from the dedicated power source 50. The installation detection circuit 51 measures the current flowing in the closed circuit, and determines that the protective cover 27 is put on the socket 25, that is, the electronic cassette 2 is not taken out from the packing box 15 when the current is a predetermined value. . On the other hand, when the current becomes zero, it is determined that the protective cover 27 has been removed from the socket 25, that is, the electronic cassette 2 has been taken out of the packing box 15 and installed at the customer, and an installation detection signal indicating that is sent. Output to the write / read control circuit 54.

  The sensor group 52 includes an acceleration sensor 59, a temperature sensor 60, a humidity sensor 61, and an atmospheric pressure sensor 62. The acceleration sensor 59 measures acceleration due to an impact applied to the electronic cassette 2 during transportation. The temperature sensor 60, the humidity sensor 61, and the atmospheric pressure sensor 62 measure the temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure around the electronic cassette 2 during transportation. The sensor group 52 operates by receiving power from the dedicated power source 50 at regular intervals (for example, every 5 minutes) scheduled by the clock circuit 53, and writes measurement results of acceleration, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. The data is output to the read control circuit 54. The sensor group 52 stops measurement when an installation detection signal is output from the installation detection circuit 51. The sensor group 52 is not operated every fixed time, but the sensor group 52 is always operated. When a measurement result of a certain value or more is output, the write / read control circuit 54 stores the time information in the EEPROM 55. You may write.

  The clock circuit 53 measures the current time including the date and time, and outputs time information to the writing / reading control circuit 54 together with the output of each measurement result of the sensor group 52 and the installation detection signal.

  The write / read control circuit 54 controls the writing of the transportation information 63 to the EEPROM 55 and the reading of the transportation information 63 from the EEPROM 55. The write / read control circuit 54 may be a low power consumption type microcomputer in order to reduce the power consumption of the dedicated power source 50. The write / read control circuit 54 associates the measurement results of acceleration, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure output from the sensor group 52 with the measurement time information output from the clock circuit 53 and stores them in the EEPROM 55 as transport information 63. . The write / read control circuit 54 associates the installation detection signal output from the installation detection circuit 51 with the detection time information output from the clock circuit 53 and stores it in the EEPROM 55 as transport information 63. In addition to the transport information 63, the EEPROM 55 stores in advance basic information such as the product ID and model number of the electronic cassette 2 at the time of shipment.

  The transportation information 63 stored in the EEPROM 55 is read from the writing / reading control circuit 54 when the communication between the electronic cassette 2 and the imaging control device 65 is first established after installation at the customer, and the communication control unit 38 to the imaging control device 65.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the imaging control device 65 controls the imaging operation of the X-ray source (not shown) that generates X-rays and the electronic cassette 2. The imaging control device 65 includes a CPU 70, a memory 71, a storage device 72, a communication control unit 73, a display 74, and an input device 75 such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a microphone. These are interconnected via a data bus 76.

  The memory 71 is a work memory for the CPU 70 to execute processing. The storage device 72 is a hard disk drive, for example. The storage device 72 stores an OS and various application programs. The CPU 70 controls each unit of the imaging control device 65 by loading a program stored in the storage device 72 into the memory 71 and executing processing according to the program. Further, the CPU 70 operates each unit of the imaging control device 65 in accordance with an operation input signal from the input device 75.

  As with the electronic cassette 2, the imaging control device 65 is provided with a socket 78 to which the antenna 77 and the composite cable 11 are connected. These are connected to the communication control unit 73 having the same function as the communication control unit 38 of the electronic cassette 2. It is connected. The display 74 displays a window for setting an imaging condition (X-ray source tube voltage, tube current, exposure time, etc.) and various notification windows. The input device 75 is operated when inputting a shooting instruction and setting shooting conditions.

  The imaging control device 65 gives an operation command to the X-ray source and the electronic cassette 2 so that their operation timings are synchronized based on the imaging conditions and imaging instructions input from the input device 75. Specifically, the imaging conditions are transmitted to the electronic cassette 2 to set the signal processing conditions (such as the amplification factor of the voltage signal read from the pixel) of the FPD 20, and the reset, storage, and readout operations of the FPD 20 are performed. It indirectly controls and receives image data from the electronic cassette 2. The imaging control device 65 performs various image processing such as offset correction and gain correction on the received image data. The image-processed X-ray image is displayed on the display 74, and the data is stored in the storage device 72 or an image storage server connected to the imaging control device 65 via a network.

  The imaging control device 65 receives an input of an examination order including information such as the patient's sex, age, imaging region, and imaging purpose, and displays the examination order on the display. The examination order is input from an external system that manages patient information such as HIS (Hospital Information System) and RIS (Radiation Information System) and examination information related to radiation examination, or is manually input by a radiographer. The radiologist confirms the contents of the examination order on the display and inputs imaging conditions corresponding to the contents through the setting window.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 70 of the imaging control device 65 functions as a comparison circuit 85 and a determination circuit 86 when the application program is started. The comparison circuit 85 is set in advance with measurement results of acceleration, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure of the transport information 63 sent from the electronic cassette 2 when communication between the electronic cassette 2 and the imaging control device 65 is first established. The threshold value Dref is compared. For the threshold value Dref, for example, a value is set that destroys the pixels of the FPD 20 when a further impact is applied in the case of acceleration, and a lower limit and an upper limit are set in the case of temperature. The comparison circuit 85 outputs the comparison result to the determination circuit 86.

  The determination circuit 86 determines whether or not the electronic cassette 2 has failed during transportation based on the comparison result from the comparison circuit 85. Specifically, when the impact exceeding the threshold value Dref has been applied for a specified number of times (for example, 1 to several times) or more, the temperature, the humidity, or the pressure exceeding the threshold value Dref is continued for a specified period (for example, 1 hour) or more. It is determined that the cassette 2 has failed during transportation. Otherwise, it is determined that there is no failure.

  The display 74 of the imaging control device 65 displays the determination result of the determination circuit 86. When the determination circuit 86 determines that the electronic cassette 2 has not failed during transportation, a pop-up display of a determination result display window 90a shown in FIG. In the determination result display window 90a, a message “There is no abnormality in the transportation state” is displayed. The determination result display window 90 a is deleted by selecting the OK button 91 with the pointer 92.

  On the other hand, when the determination circuit 86 determines that the electronic cassette 2 has failed during transportation, a determination result display window 90b shown in FIG. In the determination result display window 90b, a detailed display button 93 is displayed together with a message “There is a possibility that an abnormality has occurred during transportation. Check the details.”. When the detail display button 93 is selected with the pointer 92, information that is the basis for determining that the electronic cassette 2 has failed during transportation by the determination circuit 86 is displayed. For example, when the acceleration exceeds a threshold value Dref for a specified number of times or more, the acceleration value and time information at that time, and a list of expected failure contents such that the defective pixel of the FPD 20 is more than specified are listed.

  The operation of the above configuration will be described below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. First, in S (step) 10 of FIG. 7, the electronic cassette 2 is stored in a packing box 15 together with accessories, a booklet 14 and the like after being subjected to necessary quality inspections at a manufacturing factory, and shipped to a customer. Is done.

  The packaging box 15 is transported to the customer by land transportation, air transportation, etc. (S11). During transportation, acceleration and the like are measured at regular intervals by the sensor group 52 of the transportation information acquisition unit 40. Then, the writing / reading control circuit 54 stores the measurement result such as acceleration as the transport information 63 in the EEPROM 55 together with the time information from the clock circuit 53 each time.

  The packaging box 15 arrives at the customer, the packaging box 15 is unsealed by the manufacturer's service person who has been sent to the customer, the electronic cassette 2 is taken out from the packaging tray 12, and the protective cover 27 placed on the connector 26 is removed. The installation detection circuit 51 detects that the protective cover 27 has been removed (YES in S12), and outputs an installation detection signal from the installation detection circuit 51. The writing / reading control circuit 54 stores this fact in the transport information 63 of the EEPROM 55 (S13).

  The manufacturer's service person turns on the electronic cassette 2 and the imaging control device 65 to check the operation of the electronic cassette 2 and performs calibration, and either wirelessly by the antennas 21 and 77 or wired by the composite cable 11. To establish communication between them (YES in S14). The writing / reading control circuit 54 reads the transport information 63 from the EEPROM 55 in response to the establishment of communication with the imaging control device 65 and outputs it to the communication control unit 38. The communication control unit 38 transmits the transport information 63 received from the writing / reading control circuit 54 to the imaging control device 65 (S15).

  In FIG. 8, the imaging control device 65 receives the transport information 63 from the electronic cassette 2 via the communication control unit 73 (S20). Then, the measurement result such as acceleration of the transportation information 63 and the threshold value Dref are compared with each other by the comparison circuit 85, and based on this comparison result, it is determined whether or not the electronic cassette 2 has failed during transportation (S21). ). If it is determined that there is no failure during transportation (NO in S22), a determination result display window 90a with a message to that effect is displayed on the display 74 (S23). On the other hand, if it is determined that a failure has occurred during transportation, a determination result display window 90b with a message indicating that fact and a detailed display button 93 is displayed (S24).

  When the determination result display window 90a is displayed, the manufacturer's service person selects the OK button 91 to delete the determination result display window 90a, and shifts to the operation check and calibration work of the electronic cassette 2. On the other hand, when the determination result display window 90b is displayed, the detail display button 93 is selected to confirm the cause and content of the failure. Appropriate measures are taken, such as explaining the situation to the customer and requesting an understanding, or contacting the manufacturing factory and requesting a new product to be shipped as soon as possible.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the transport information 63 of the electronic cassette 2 is acquired and stored in the EEPROM 55, and the determination circuit 86 determines whether or not the electronic cassette 2 is being transported based on the transport information 63. Since the result is displayed on the display 74, it is possible to immediately know whether or not the electronic cassette 2 being transported has failed. In addition, the transport information 63 can be used to investigate the cause of the failure. If the time information is also stored, it is useful for investigating the cause.

  Since various parameters such as acceleration and temperature are measured by a plurality of sensors such as the acceleration sensor 59 and the temperature sensor 60, a wide range of events (strong impact, low temperature, high temperature, high humidity, high pressure) that cause the electronic cassette 2 to fail. Can be covered. In addition to or in place of the sensors exemplified in the above embodiment, a pressure sensor that measures the contact pressure applied to the surface of the electronic cassette 2 by contact with the packing tray 12 or the like may be employed.

  Since the installation detection circuit 51 detects that the packaging box 15 has been opened and the electronic cassette 2 has been taken out, the failure before the installation detection is distinguished from the responsibility of the carrier, and the failure after the installation detection is distinguished from the responsibility of the manufacturer's service person or customer. And the location of the responsibility for the failure can be clarified.

  Since the transport information 63 is transmitted to the imaging control device 65, the determination circuit 86 of the imaging control device 65 determines whether or not the electronic cassette 2 has failed, and the determination result is displayed on the display 74. A configuration corresponding to the circuit 86 and the display 74 is not required, and a simple configuration can be achieved.

  In addition, it corresponds to the comparison circuit 85, the determination circuit 86, and the display 74 not to the imaging control device 65 but to other external control devices that are remote from the customer, such as a server of a manufacturer's service center connected to the imaging control device 65 via a network You may provide the structure to do. If the service center server and the product ordering terminal at the manufacturing plant are connected to the network, and it is determined that the electronic cassette 2 has failed during transportation, the service center server automatically sends a new one to the ordering terminal at the manufacturing plant. It is also possible to place an order.

  In order to prevent forgetting to remove the protective cover 27 at the time of opening, a note such as “Please remove this cover when installing” may be provided near the protective cover 27. In addition, since there is a concern that the size of the protective cover 27 and the cautionary note is small, the X-ray incident surface of the electronic cassette 2 is covered with a protective sheet, and the protective sheet and the protective cover 27 are integrally formed. Such a notice may be printed on the entire surface of the protective sheet.

  As a method of installation detection, in addition to electrical detection using the copper wire 58 of the above embodiment, a method of mechanically and optically detecting may be adopted. As a method of mechanically detecting, installation is detected by using a string that is pulled along with the movement of the lid when the lid of the packaging box 15 is opened and measuring the tension applied to the string. Alternatively, a pressing switch is provided on the electronic cassette 2, and when the electronic cassette 2 is set on the packaging tray 12, the pressing switch is pushed by the protrusion of the packaging tray 12, the packaging box 15 is opened, and the electronic cassette 2 is taken out from the packaging tray 12. When pressed, the pressing by the protrusion is released, and the installation is detected by releasing the pressing. As an optical detection method, an optical sensor is provided in the electronic cassette 2, and the installation is detected by external light that hits the optical sensor when the electronic cassette 2 is taken out of the packaging box 15.

  Alternatively, a GPS device may be used as the installation detection unit. In this case, the customer's longitude and latitude information is registered in advance in the GPS device, and if it matches with the longitude and latitude information from the GPS satellite, it is detected that it is installed at the customer.

  The standard for determining that the electronic cassette 2 is installed at the customer is not limited to the case where the electronic cassette 2 is taken out of the packaging box 15 or the packaging tray 12 after the packaging box 15 is opened. It may be when power is first applied to the electronic cassette 2 or when communication with the imaging control device 65 is first established.

  Alternatively, it may be determined that the electronic cassette 2 is installed at the customer immediately before the communication with the imaging control device 65 is established and the operation check and calibration work of the electronic cassette 2 are performed. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, a work start confirmation window 100 for inputting operation confirmation and calibration work start is displayed on the display 74. Then, when the “Yes” button 101 is selected, the fact that the electronic cassette 2 has been installed at the customer is stored in the transportation information 63, and the transportation information 63 is transmitted to the imaging control device 65 to perform comparisons thereafter. Judge and display.

  As the photographing control device, a commercially available personal computer may be used, or a portable information terminal (PDA) having a liquid crystal screen that also serves as a notebook computer or a touch panel may be used. When a PDA is used as the imaging control device, it may be shipped in the same package as the electronic cassette.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the electronic cassette 2 and the imaging | photography control apparatus 65 are made into a different body, as shown in FIG. In FIG. 10, the photographing unit 105 is configured such that an electronic cassette 106 and a photographing control device 107 can be folded by a hinge 108. The photographing control device 107 is provided with a display unit 109 corresponding to the display 74 and an operation unit 110 corresponding to the input device 75.

  The electronic cassette 106 and the imaging control device 107 are folded as shown by a dotted line during transportation or non-imaging (non-use state), and the electronic cassette 106 and the imaging control device 107 are turned 180 as shown by a solid line during imaging (use state). ° Use with wide open. Or the structure which accommodates an imaging | photography control apparatus in a housing | casing of an electronic cassette so that it can pull out by a rail etc. may be sufficient.

  In this case, the fact that the electronic cassette 106 and the imaging control device 107 are first opened or the imaging control device is first pulled out from the housing of the electronic cassette is electrically, mechanically, or optically as described above. It may be detected that the electronic cassette is installed at the customer.

  When a PDA is used as an imaging control device and shipped in the same package as the electronic cassette, or when the electronic cassette and the imaging control device are integrated like the imaging unit 105, a transport information acquisition unit is provided on the imaging control device side. Also good. In addition to the electronic cassette and the imaging control device, a device having a function of a transportation information acquisition unit may be accommodated in a packaging box and transported.

  Needless to say, each unit constituting the transportation information acquisition unit has such durability that it can operate without any problem even in a hard environment in which the determination circuit determines that a failure has occurred in the electronic cassette.

  When judging means, display means, etc. are provided on the imaging control device side, the transportation information is exchanged between the electronic cassette and the imaging control device, but if the communication function of the electronic cassette is broken, the transportation information is photographed. A situation occurs in which transmission to the control device is impossible. In order to solve this problem, it is preferable to provide the storage means with a unique communication function different from the communication function of the electronic cassette, for example, adopting an RFID tag as the storage means.

  The present invention can be applied not only to X-rays but also to imaging systems that use other radiation such as gamma rays.

2,106 Electronic cassette 12 Packing tray 15 Packing box 20 FPD
27 Protective Cover 40 Transport Information Acquisition Unit 51 Installation Detection Circuit 52 Sensor Group 53 Clock Circuit 54 Write / Read Control Circuit 55 EEPROM
59 Acceleration sensor 60 Temperature sensor 61 Humidity sensor 62 Atmospheric pressure sensor 63 Transport information 65, 107 Imaging control device 70 CPU
74 Display 85 Comparison circuit 86 Judgment circuit 90a, 90b Judgment result display window 100 Work start confirmation window 110 Imaging unit

Claims (12)

State detection means for detecting the state of the electronic cassette in transit;
Storage means for storing the detection result of the state detection means;
Installation detection means for detecting that an electronic cassette is installed at the customer;
Determination means for determining the presence or absence of a failure of the electronic cassette based on the detection result of the state detection means stored in the storage means before installation is detected by the installation detection means,
An electronic cassette transportation information acquisition system comprising: a display unit that displays a determination result of the determination unit.   The state detection means includes an acceleration sensor that measures acceleration due to an impact applied to the electronic cassette during transportation, a temperature sensor that measures the temperature around the electronic cassette during transportation, a humidity sensor that measures humidity, and an atmospheric pressure sensor that measures atmospheric pressure, 2. The electronic cassette transportation information acquisition system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic cassette transportation information acquisition system is at least one of pressure sensors for measuring a contact pressure applied to the surface of the electronic cassette during transportation.   The said installation detection means detects that the electronic cassette was installed in the customer when the packaging goods for transport were opened and the electronic cassette was taken out from the packaging goods, The claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Transportation information acquisition system for electronic cassettes.   3. The installation detection unit detects that the electronic cassette is installed at a customer when the power of an electronic cassette or an external control device that controls the operation of the electronic cassette is first turned on. The electronic cassette transportation information acquisition system described in 1.   The transport of the electronic cassette according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the installation detecting means detects that the electronic cassette is installed at a customer when communication between the electronic cassette and the external control device is first established. Information acquisition system. A GUI for inputting an instruction to start an operation check and calibration work of the electronic cassette is displayed on the display means.
3. The transportation information acquisition system for an electronic cassette according to claim 1, wherein the installation detection means detects that the electronic cassette is installed at a customer when an instruction is given through a GUI.   The installation detection means has a GPS function, and detects that an electronic cassette is installed at a customer when the customer's longitude and latitude information registered in advance matches the longitude and latitude information from a GPS satellite. The transportation information acquisition system for an electronic cassette according to claim 1 or 2. The electronic cassette and the external control device are integrated so that they can be stored so that the size of the non-use state becomes smaller than the use state.
3. The transportation information acquisition system for an electronic cassette according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the installation detecting means detects that the electronic cassette is installed at a customer when it is first changed from a non-use state to a use state.   9. The electronic cassette transport information acquisition system according to claim 1, wherein time information is stored in the storage unit in association with a detection result of the state detection unit. The determination means and the display means are provided in an external control device,
The electronic cassette transport information acquisition system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a transmission unit configured to transmit a detection result of the state detection unit stored in the storage unit to an external control device. .   The transportation information acquisition system for an electronic cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a dedicated power source for supplying power to each unit independently of the power source of the electronic cassette or the external control device. A state detection step of detecting the state of the electronic cassette in transit by the state detection means;
A storage step of storing the detection result of the state detection unit in the storage unit;
An installation detection step for detecting by the installation detection means that the electronic cassette is installed at the customer;
A determination step of determining the presence or absence of a failure of the electronic cassette based on the detection result of the state detection unit stored in the storage unit before the installation is detected by the installation detection unit;
And a display step of displaying the determination result of the determination means on the display means.

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