JP2903278B2 - Cassette - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cassette for storing a sheet-like image recording medium such as an X-ray photographic film and a stimulable phosphor sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an X-ray photographic film has been known as a recording medium for recording a radiation image of a human body or the like. Further, as a recording medium used for the same purpose, for example, a stimulable phosphor sheet disclosed in, for example, JP-A-55-12429 and JP-A-56-11395, that is, a sheet having a layer of a stimulable phosphor is also known. Has become. The above-mentioned stimulable phosphor is such that when it is irradiated with radiation (X-ray, α-ray, β-ray, γ-ray, ultraviolet ray, electron beam, etc.), a part of its energy is accumulated and then irradiated with excitation light such as visible light. The phosphor is a phosphor that emits stimulable luminescence in response to stored energy.

After recording (photographing) a radiation image of the subject by irradiating the stimulable phosphor sheet with radiation transmitted through the subject, for example, the stimulable phosphor sheet is two-dimensionally scanned with excitation light. At this time, if photostimulated light emitted from the sheet is photoelectrically detected, an electrical image signal indicating radiation image information can be obtained.

Incidentally, the above-mentioned stimulable phosphor sheet or X
The radiographic film is usually handled in a light-shielding cassette or magazine. The cassette accommodates sheet-shaped image recording media such as a stimulable phosphor sheet one by one, and usually has a box partially provided with an opening for taking a recording medium in and out, and a box including the box. And a lid for opening and closing the opening.

When a radiographic image is taken (recorded) using this cassette, the cassette is arranged, for example, at a position to receive radiation transmitted through the subject, whereby the stimulable phosphor sheet or the like accommodated in the cassette is stored. Is irradiated with radiation, and a radiation image is captured there.

When the above-described cassette is mounted on a reading device for reading radiation image information from a stimulable phosphor sheet on which a radiographic image has been taken, for example, it is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 3-88038. In some cases, cassettes are loaded with the opening of the case facing downward. In such a case, in order to prevent the image recording medium from moving freely in the cassette before the lid is opened, it is necessary to provide a clip made of a leaf spring or the like for pressing and holding the image recording medium in the cassette body. is there. Even when the above-described loading method is not adopted, it is desirable that a similar clip be provided in order to avoid unnecessary movement of the image recording medium in the cassette.

[0007] In many cases, a holding member receiving hole is provided in the casing of the cassette, and when the cassette is loaded into the cassette using device, the holding member is inserted into the holding member receiving hole from the use device side, and the cassette is inserted. Is held at a predetermined position so that it cannot be pulled out without permission.

[0008]

However, when a cassette provided with the above-described clip is used, when the image recording medium is carried out of the cassette, the holding force of the clip becomes a load resistance, and therefore, the image recording medium is used. It is necessary to set a large driving force of the carry-out device, which leads to an increase in cost of the carry-out device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is possible to hold an image recording medium so as not to move in a case, and to remove the image recording medium with a small force. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a cassette that can be used.

[0010]

A cassette according to the present invention comprises a box having the above-mentioned opening for taking in and out the image recording medium and a holding member receiving hole, and a lid closing the above-mentioned opening. When loaded, in a cassette held by the device by a holding member inserted into the holding member receiving hole of the box, the image recording medium is pressed into the box by pressing against the image recording medium stored therein. A clip is provided that is fixed and is displaced to a state where the image recording medium is released by being pushed by the holding member that has entered the holding member receiving hole.

[0011]

Before the cassette having the above configuration is loaded into the cassette utilizing device, the clip is pressed against the image recording medium and holds it, so that the image recording medium moves freely within the cassette. There is no end.

On the other hand, when the cassette is loaded in the cassette utilizing device and the holding member of the device is inserted into the holding member receiving hole of the box, the clip is displaced to release the image recording medium, The image recording medium is in a free state. Therefore, the operation of unloading the image recording medium from the cassette can be performed without particularly requiring a large force, so that an inexpensive image recording medium unloading device having a relatively small driving force can be applied.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 2 shows a cassette 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows a main part of the cassette 10 of FIG. As an example, the cassette 10 accommodates the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 described above, and opens and closes a thin box 12 and a stimulable phosphor sheet access opening 12a provided in the box 12. And a lid 13.
The box 12 and the lid 13 are formed of, for example, a synthetic resin. Then, the lid 13 is attached to the box 12 so as to be swingable about a swing axis A substantially parallel to the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 stored in the box 12, as described above. It swings to open and close the opening 12a. In addition, like this
In order to make the swingable 13, for example, a known hinge mechanism is used, or the lid 13 and the box 12 are integrally formed of synthetic resin, and the lid 13 is hinged to the box 12 with a hinge line. What is necessary is just to be able to bend.

One end of the inside of the box 12 has a clip 9
Is arranged. FIG. 1 shows a state where the clip 9 is disposed as viewed from the opening 12a side of the box 12.
As shown in FIG. 1, the clip 9 has a box 12
Is fixed to the top plate 12U, the middle portion is bent into a U-shape, and the other end is formed to protrude toward the bottom plate 12B of the box 12. The clip 9 is made of a highly elastic leaf spring material. If no external force is applied, the other end of the clip 9 is pressed against the side end of the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 and the
Keep within 12.

The bottom plate 12B of the box 12 has a circular holding member receiving hole 12 at a position facing the clip 9 described above.
H is provided. A substantially columnar spacer 8 is provided between the holding member receiving hole 12H and the clip 9.

The cassette 10 containing the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 therein is used for taking a radiographic image as described above, and then loaded into the radiographic image information reading device 40 shown in FIG. Although the cassette 10 is carried for radiographic image capturing and loading into the radiographic image information reading device 40, since the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 stored therein is held by the clip 9 as described above, It does not move freely inside the cassette.

FIG. 4 shows a front view of the cassette loading section of the radiation image information reading apparatus 40 in detail. As shown, the cassette loading portion includes a fixed guide member 21 for defining the left end of the cassette 10 from the outside and a fixed guide member 22 for defining the right end of the cassette 10 from the outside.
And a light shielding roller pair 23 also having a cassette holding function.

The fixed guide members 21 and 22 respectively have
A lock roller 29 is rotatably mounted. The rollers of the light-shielding roller pair 23 are formed slightly longer than the width of the cassette 10, and are urged in a direction approaching each other by urging means (not shown), and are kept in a state of being slightly separated from each other by stoppers (not shown). Dripping. Further, the radiation image information reading device 40 is provided with a frame 31 having a cassette setting port 31a.

When the cassette 10 is loaded, one end thereof, that is, the end having the opening 12a, is inserted from above into the light blocking roller pair 23 through the cassette setting opening 31a of the frame 31. At this time, the light shielding roller pair 23 is slightly opened to receive the cassette 10. When the cassette 10 is pushed into a predetermined position, the fixed guide member 2
The stoppers 21a and 22a respectively formed on the cassettes 1 and 22 come into contact with each other, and the cassette 10 is set at the predetermined position. The radiation image information reading apparatus 40 is provided with a cassette holding pin 24 at a position facing the holding member receiving hole 12H of the cassette 10 set in this state (see FIG. 1). This cassette holding pin 24 is an electromagnetic actuator
3 allows the cassette 10 to be moved in its longitudinal direction, that is, in the left-right direction of FIG. 3, and is set at a position where it does not interfere with the cassette 10 (the position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1) when the cassette 10 is loaded. .

Next, the cover 13 is opened by appropriate means as shown in FIG. 3, and the roller arm 74 holding the roller 75 at the tip is moved in the direction of arrow B, that is, into the cassette 10. When the roller 75 comes in contact with the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 in the cassette 10, the movement of the roller arm 74 is stopped. When the roller arm 74 stops, the above-described actuator 25 is driven, and the cassette holding pin 24 is moved to a position (indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1) into the holding member receiving hole 12H of the cassette 10.

In the radiation image information reading apparatus 40, as described later, the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 after the reading process is performed.
Is returned to the cassette 10 containing it. Therefore,
Although it is necessary to prevent the cassette 10 from being pulled out by itself, the cassette holding pins 24
Has entered the holding member receiving hole 12H, the cassette 10 cannot be pulled out without permission thereafter.

The cassette holding pin 24 is provided with a holding member receiving hole.
When the clip 9 enters the inside, the clip 9 is pushed by the cassette holding pin 24 via the spacer 8 and is displaced as shown by a broken line in FIG. When the clip 9 is displaced in this way,
The clip 9 is separated from the stimulable phosphor sheet 11
11 is released.

Next, the roller 75 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3 by driving means (not shown). Then this roller
The stimulable phosphor sheet 11 in contact with 75 is carried downward from the cassette 10 through the opening 12a. At this time, since the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 is released from the clip 9 as described above, the driving force of the roller 75 is smaller than when the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 is carried out while being held down by such a clip. Small enough. If so, a relatively low output and inexpensive drive device for the roller 75 can be applied.

The unloaded stimulable phosphor sheet 11 is
In the radiation image information reading apparatus 40 shown in FIG.
6, 47, 48 and nip rollers 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 5
The sheet is sent to the reading unit 62 via the erasing unit 60 by a sheet conveying system including 5, 56, 57, and the like. The reading process of the radiation image information in the reading unit 62 is known, for example, from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-12429, and the following briefly describes it. The stimulable phosphor sheet 11 is conveyed by the nip rollers 55, 56, 57 in the direction of arrow H in FIG. And the main scanning optical system 63
A laser beam 64 as excitation light emitted from the substrate scans (main scans) the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the arrow H direction.

From the portion of the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 irradiated with the laser beam 64, a stimulable luminescence light of a light amount corresponding to the radiation image information stored and recorded therein is emitted. The light is detected via a light guide 65 by a photodetector 66 such as a photomultiplier tube. Therefore, from the photodetector 66, an output signal S indicating the radiation image information stored and recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 is obtained. If the signal S is sent to an image reproducing device such as a CRT display device or an optical scanning recording device for image reproduction, the radiation image recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 is reproduced as a visible image.

The stimulable phosphor sheet 11 from which the reading of the radiation image information has been completed is turned from the reading section 62 through the erasing section 60 to the cassette loading section by rotating the nip rollers 49 to 57 in the opposite direction. Sent to When the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 passes through the erasing section 60, a plurality of erasing light sources 61 are turned on, and erasing light emitted from the illuminating light sources 61 is applied to the stimulable phosphor sheet 11. The radiation energy remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 even after reading the radiation image information is released from the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 by this erasing light irradiation, and the sheet 11 can be newly used for radiographic image capturing. Becomes

The stimulable phosphor sheet having been subjected to the erasing process
The roller 11 is carried into the cassette 10 by the roller 75 rotating in the opposite direction, that is, clockwise in FIG. Next, the cassette 10 is closed and locked by performing an operation reverse to the above-described case of taking out the stimulable phosphor sheet. That is, first, the cassette holding pin 24 is moved by the actuator 25 to the holding member receiving hole 12H.
It is returned to the position to escape from. Then, the clip 9 returns to the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1 due to its elasticity, and the clip 9 holds the stimulable phosphor sheet 11.

Next, the roller arm 74 moves in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3, and the roller 75 returns to the standby position outside the cassette 10. Next, the lid 13 that was widely opened
Is returned to a slightly open state by the means for opening the lid as described above. When the detecting means detects that the roller 75 has returned to the standby position, and this is notified by, for example, a display device, the apparatus operator operates the cassette 10.
From the cassette set opening 31a. When the cassette 10 is pulled out in this manner, the lid 13 is pushed by the pair of lock rollers 29, and the lock claws (both not shown) provided on both the lid 13 and the box 12 engage with each other. The lid 13 is locked.

Although the spacer 8 shown in FIG. 1 is not always necessary, by providing it, the amount of movement of the cassette holding pin 24 can be reduced, and the holding member receiving hole 12 can be provided.
External light can be prevented from entering the cassette 10 through H.

Also, the clip holding the image recording medium is
The present invention is not limited to the above-described first embodiment, and various other types can be employed. For example, in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a clip 80 made of a leaf spring material, one end of which is fixed to the top panel 12U and the other end of which is pushed by the cassette holding pin 24 via the spacer 8 is used. ing. When the other end of the clip 80 is pressed by the cassette holding pin 24, the V-shaped intermediate portion of the clip 80, which previously held the stimulable phosphor sheet 11, is displaced upward in the figure, and The body sheet 11 is released.

A clip 81 according to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 6 includes a clip body 81a movably held in the thickness direction of the box 12 (vertical direction in the figure) and a clip body 81.
and a compression coil spring 81b which urges a toward the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 and presses against it.

The clip 82 according to the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 7 is swingable in the direction of arrow W, and is capable of pivoting around a pivot shaft 82b and a clip main body 82a held on a box bottom plate 12B. One end is in contact with the clip body 82a from below in the figure, and the other end is pushed up by the cassette holding pin 24, and the clip body 82a is urged upward by urging the one end of the connection member 82c upward. And a compression coil spring 82d pressed against the stimulable phosphor sheet 11.

The clip 83 in the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is made of a leaf spring material, the base end of which is fixed to the box top plate 12U, and the tip end of which is pressed against the stimulable phosphor sheet 11a. And a connecting member 83b having an inclined portion 83c and held movably in the lateral direction. In this configuration, when the slope portion 83c of the connecting member 83b is pushed from below by the cassette holding pin 24, the connecting member 83b is pressed.
b moves to the clip body 83a side, whereby the tip of the clip body 83a is pushed up and the stimulable phosphor sheet 11
To release.

Although the embodiment applied to the cassette accommodating the stimulable phosphor sheet 11 has been described above, the present invention is applicable to other image recording media, for example, the cassette accommodating the above-mentioned radiographic film. It is equally applicable.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing a main part of a cassette according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the overall shape of the cassette;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a radiographic image information reading apparatus in which the cassette is loaded.

FIG. 4 is an elevation view showing a cassette loading section of the radiation image information reading apparatus of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an elevational sectional view showing a main part of a cassette according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an elevational sectional view showing a main part of a cassette according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an elevational sectional view showing a main part of a cassette according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an elevational sectional view showing a main part of a cassette according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 8 spacer 9, 80, 81, 82, 83 clip 10 cassette 11 stimulable phosphor sheet 12 box 12a box opening 12H box holding member receiving hole 13 lid 24 cassette holding pin 25 electromagnetic actuator 40 radiation image Information reading device

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A box which stores a sheet-shaped image recording medium, and which is provided with an opening for taking in and out the recording medium and a holding member receiving hole, and a lid which opens and closes the opening of the box. When the cassette is loaded in the cassette utilizing device, the cassette held in the device by the holding member inserted into the holding member receiving hole, in the box, by pressing against the image recording medium stored therein. A cassette provided with a clip for fixing the image recording medium and displacing the image recording medium in a state of being released by being pushed by a holding member that has entered the holding member receiving hole.