JP5608532B2 - Radiation imaging equipment - Google Patents

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 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 provides a radiographic imaging apparatus that can be stably carried by eliminating an unbalanced load arrangement during transportation. Objective.

  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 controls the radiation conversion panel, and the control unit along the surface of the panel unit. And a moving mechanism for rotating the panel portion.

  According to this configuration, the center of gravity of the radiographic image capturing apparatus can be easily changed by rotating the control unit causing the unbalanced load arrangement with respect to the panel unit by the moving mechanism. It becomes possible 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, the control unit is rotated with respect to the panel unit, so that the center position and the center of gravity position can be made to substantially coincide with each other, and an unbalanced load arrangement can be easily eliminated. As a result, the user feels the radiographic imaging device lightly during transportation, and thus the radiographic imaging device 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.

  Thus, according to the present invention, since the control unit is rotated with respect to the panel unit by the moving mechanism, an unbalanced load arrangement in the radiographic image capturing apparatus can be easily eliminated. The user can stably carry the radiographic imaging apparatus during transportation.

  In addition, the panel unit houses the radiation conversion panel in a substantially rectangular casing capable of transmitting the radiation, and the moving mechanism is an imageable region in the surface of the casing that is irradiated with the radiation. It is desirable to have a shaft portion provided at a location other than the above and rotate the control portion around the shaft portion.

  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.

  Accordingly, the control unit is rotated with respect to the panel unit around the shaft unit, and the control unit is moved with respect to the panel unit along the oval hole, thereby the center position. And the position of the center of gravity can be easily matched, and unbalanced load arrangement can be reliably eliminated.

  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, The control unit can be stopped at an arbitrary position.

  In this case, if the stop member is a convex part that stops the movement of the control part when the projection part contacts, the control part can be reliably stopped at the arbitrary position.

  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, since the position of the center of gravity can be brought closer to the center position, the unbalanced load arrangement can be relaxed.

  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. In addition, it is possible to carry out with high accuracy.

  In addition, the above-described radiographic imaging device further includes a gripping unit that is provided in the control unit and / or the panel unit and is gripped by a user to carry the radiographic imaging device. The photographing device can be easily carried.

  In this case, the gripping part is provided on the side surface of the casing of the panel unit and / or the upper surface or side surface of another casing constituting the control unit.

  When the grip portion is provided on the panel portion, the radiographic image capturing apparatus can be easily carried.

  In addition, when the control unit is provided with the grip portion, the user grips the grip portion and holds the control unit with a relatively large weight during transportation. It is possible to increase the stability during Furthermore, the user can easily rotate the control unit with respect to the panel unit while holding the holding unit.

  Further, when the grip unit is provided in the control unit, the grip unit may be pulled out and gripped from the upper surface or the side surface when the radiographic imaging apparatus is transported or the control unit is rotated. .

  By making the gripping part a pullable gripping part that is pulled out only during transport or during the rotational movement of the control part, the presence of the gripping part does not hinder photographing. Thereby, the usability of the radiographic imaging device is improved.

  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, by rotating and moving the control unit with respect to the panel unit by the moving mechanism, the unbalanced load arrangement in the radiographic image capturing apparatus can be easily eliminated. It becomes possible to carry the radiographic imaging apparatus stably.

It is a lineblock diagram of a radiographic imaging system to which a cassette concerning this embodiment is applied. It is a perspective view of the cassette of FIG. It is a perspective view of the cassette of FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3. It is sectional drawing along the VV line 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. 6, a projection part, a movement control member, and a convex part. 8A and 8B are plan views illustrating the rotational movement of the control unit with respect to the panel unit. 9A and 9B are plan views illustrating movement of the control unit with respect to the panel unit. 10A and 10B are perspective views illustrating the rotational movement of the control unit with respect to the panel unit. FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B are plan views illustrating how the cassette is transported. 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. 16A and 16B are perspective views illustrating a cassette provided on the buffer member in the control unit. 17A and 17B are perspective views of a cassette in which a grip portion is provided on each of the control unit and the panel unit. 18A and 18B are perspective views of a cassette provided with two gripping portions on the panel portion. 19A and 19B are perspective views of a cassette in which a grip portion is provided on the control portion and the panel portion, respectively. 20A and 20B are perspective views of a cassette in which a grip portion is provided on each of the control unit and the panel unit. It is a perspective view of the cassette which provided the holding part in the control part and the panel part, respectively. 22A and 22B are perspective views illustrating rotation of the control unit with respect to the panel unit. FIG. 23A and FIG. 23B are enlarged plan views of the shaft portion, the protruding portion, and the rotation restricting member of the cassette of FIG. 22A and FIG. 22B. It is a perspective view of a cassette which provided two grasping parts in a control part. It is an expansion perspective view of the axial part of a cassette, a projection part, and a rotation control member. 26A is a perspective view of a cassette showing a case where a shaft portion is disposed at a location different from the case of FIGS. 3 and 6, and FIG. 26B shows the movement of the control unit relative to the panel portion in the cassette of FIG. 26A. FIG. 27A is a perspective view illustrating the rotation of the control unit relative to the panel unit in the cassette of FIG. 26B, and FIG. 27B is a perspective view illustrating the movement of the control unit relative to the panel unit after the rotation of FIG. 27A. It is a block diagram of the radiographic imaging system which applied the cassette for double-sided imaging. It is a figure which shows roughly the structure for 3 pixels of the radiation detector which concerns on a modification. FIG. 30 is a schematic configuration diagram of a TFT and a charge storage section shown in FIG. 29.

  A preferred embodiment of a radiographic image capturing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below 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 20 that detects 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 20, and a display device 24 that displays the radiographic image are provided.

  Between the console 22, the radiation source 18, the electronic cassette 20, 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.

  An electronic cassette 20 as a radiographic imaging device according to the present 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 a panel unit. It is a portable electronic cassette provided with the grip part 34 arrange | positioned by the side part of 30. FIG. 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 5, the panel unit 30 includes a substantially rectangular casing 40 made of a material that can transmit the radiation 16, and the upper surface of the casing 40 on which the subject 14 lies is exposed to 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. Further, 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 20. .

  Further, a grip portion 34 is provided on the side surface 46a of the housing 40, and a hole having a size that allows a doctor or an engineer (user) to pass a hand between the handle portion of the grip portion 34 and the side surface 46a. 52.

  Further, projections 56 projecting upward are provided at corners of the irradiation surface 42 on the arrow X2 direction side (side surface 46b side) and arrow Y2 direction side (side surface 46d side), and the projection portion 56 is covered from above. As described above, the control unit 32 is disposed on the side surface 46 b side of the irradiation surface 42.

  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) so as to cover the protruding portion 56 from above. In this case, the housing 60 includes a leaf spring-like connection terminal 78 that can contact a connection terminal (connection part) 76 provided on the side surface of the protrusion 56 in the arrow X1 direction (side surface 46a side); A cassette control unit (panel control unit) 66 that is electrically connected to the connection terminal 78 and controls the panel unit 30 via the connection terminals 76 and 78, a power supply unit 68 such as a battery, and the console 22 is wireless. And a communication unit 70 capable of transmitting and receiving signals.

  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.

  On the side surface 80 on the arrow Y2 direction side of the control unit 32, an interface capable of transmitting and receiving information between an input terminal 82 of an AC adapter for charging the power source unit 68 from an external power source and an external device. A USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal 84 as a means 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 to 6, the panel unit 30 includes 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, and the subject. 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. 6). 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.

  In 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 electrically connected to the connection terminal 76 via the flexible substrate 100. It is connected to the.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a recess 116 is formed on the side of the housing 60 in the direction of the arrow X <b> 2, 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 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 the radiation image to the cassette control unit 66. Further, 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 connection terminals 78 and 76 and the flexible substrate 100. .

  4 and 5 illustrate the case where the drive circuit unit 98 is disposed on the arrow X2 direction side of the panel unit 30. FIG. However, in practice, other drive circuit units are also arranged in the panel unit 30 along the side surfaces 46c and 46d. However, in the present embodiment, the other drive circuit units are illustrated for ease of explanation. Is omitted.

  A shaft portion 74 standing upward is disposed at a substantially central portion on the side surface 46 b side of the irradiation surface 42, and an oval hole portion 72 through which the shaft portion 74 passes is formed on the bottom surface of the housing 60. It is formed along the longitudinal direction of the housing 60 (the arrow Y direction in FIGS. 3 and 6). 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, at the distal end portion of the shaft portion 74 that has entered the housing 60 through the hole 72, the shaft portion 74 extends in the radial direction of the shaft portion 74 (in the direction of the arrow X1 in FIG. 6), and is a cylindrical shaft portion. A protrusion 102 having a width substantially the same as the diameter of 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. 6 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. 6 and 7.

  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. 9B). The convex portions 112 and 114 are desirably elastic members such as rubber.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8B, when the housing 60 of the control unit 32 is rotated counterclockwise in the plan view of FIGS. 6 and 8A 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. 6 and 8A 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. 8B) 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. 8B to 9B, 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. 8B and FIG. 10A, the convex portion 112 abuts on 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. 9B, 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. 9B and 10B, the side surface 80 side of the housing 60 is located. Can be positioned at a substantially central portion of the imageable region 36.

  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. 2-6 and 8A, as mentioned above, the connection terminals 76 and 78 contact. On the other hand, when the housing 60 is positioned at the position shown in FIGS. 9B and 10B, or when it is rotating as shown in FIGS. 8B, 9A, and 10A, 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. 11A and FIG. 11B illustrate how the electronic cassette 20 is transported by a user 142 such as a doctor or engineer.

  In the case of FIG. 11A, the side surface 80 side of the control unit 32 is disposed at a substantially central portion of the shootable region 36, the side surface 308 is disposed substantially flush with the side surface 46b, and the grip portion 34 is at the top. Thus, the user 142 grips the grip portion 34 and carries the electronic cassette 20.

  Here, among the components of the electronic cassette 20, the power supply unit 68 (see FIGS. 3 and 6) 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 20 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 arrangement of FIGS. 1 to 6, the geometric center position of the electronic cassette 20 (center position of the imageable region 36) and the center of gravity position (position on the control unit 32 side) are not in an eccentric state. Therefore, the entire device is unbalanced.

  However, in FIG. 11A, the side surface 80 side of the casing 60 in which 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 geometric center position and the center of gravity position substantially coincide with each other, the eccentric state is eliminated, and the entire apparatus has a balanced load arrangement. As a result, the user 142 can carry the electronic cassette 20 stably.

  In the case of FIG. 11B, the control unit 32 is arranged on the side surface 46b side, and the user 142 holds the gripping unit 34 with the control unit 32 at the bottom and the gripping unit 34 at the top. The electronic cassette 20 is carried.

  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 20 is transported in the state where the center of gravity of the electronic cassette 20 is lowered in the lower portion, the electronic cassette 20 can be stably carried even with an unbalanced load arrangement.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8A to 10B, in the present embodiment, the position of the housing 60 can be positioned on the side surface 46b side and the substantially central portion of the imageable region 36, respectively. Therefore, the electronic cassette 20 can be reliably transported regardless of the position of the control unit 32 in FIGS. 11A and 11B with respect to the panel unit 30.

  By the way, as schematically shown in FIG. 12, 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 20 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, a cassette ID memory 184, and a connection state detection unit (connection detection unit) 186.

  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 20. 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 controls power supply from the power supply unit 68 to each unit in the electronic cassette 20 based on the detection result. To do.

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

  Here, after the electronic cassette 20 is transported to the imaging table 12 in the state shown in FIG. 11A, the electronic cassette 20 is taken in the state shown in FIG. The case of returning to the state and transporting again will be described.

  In FIG.14 S1, the user 142 who is a doctor or an engineer makes the grip part 34 the uppermost part, arrange | positions the side surface 80 side of the control part 32 in the approximate center part of the imaging | photography possible area | region 36, and this With the side surface 308 of the control unit 32 being substantially flush with the side surface 46b of the panel unit 30, the grip unit 34 is gripped (see FIG. 11A), and an imaging table is taken from a predetermined storage location such as a radiology department in a hospital. The electronic cassette 20 is transported to 12 (see FIG. 1). 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. 13) 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 20 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 on the imaging table 12 with the control unit 32 and the irradiation surface 42 facing upward, and then determines the position of the housing 60 of the control unit 32 in the imageable region. 36 is rotated from the position of the substantially central portion 36 (see FIGS. 9B and 10B) to the position on the side face 46b (see FIGS. 1 to 6 and 8A).

  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. 8B and 10A.

  When the user 142 rotates the casing 60 about the shaft portion 74 in the clockwise direction in the plan view of FIG. 8B, 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 20 shifts from the sleep state to the active state.

  In the next step S <b> 3, the user 142 prepares for imaging for imaging a radiographic image of the imaging region of the subject 14.

  In this case, 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 S4 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 S5, 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 S6).

  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 S6).

  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 S7).

  The user 142 visually recognizes the radiographic image displayed on the display device 24, confirms that an appropriate radiographic image of the subject 14 is obtained, and in step S8 after the imaging of the subject 14 is completed, the user 142 The position of the casing 60 of the control unit 32 is changed from the current position on the side surface 46b (see FIGS. 1 to 6 and 8A) to the position of the substantially central portion of the imageable region 36 (see FIGS. 9B and 10B). Rotate to.

  In this case, the user 142 rotates the casing 60 counterclockwise about the shaft portion 74 in the plan view of FIGS. 8A and 8B. 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. 8B. 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 20 shifts from the active state to the sleep state where 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.

  In step S9, the user 142 places the grip portion 34 at the top, arranges the side surface 80 side of the control unit 32 at a substantially central portion of the imageable region 36, and sets the side surface 308 of the control unit 32 to the panel. The electronic cassette 20 is transported to a predetermined storage location such as a radiology department in a hospital by gripping the grip portion 34 while being substantially flush with the side surface 46b of the portion 30.

  When the user 142 carries the electronic cassette 20 in the state shown in FIG. 11B in steps S1 and S9, the operations in steps S2 and S8 are omitted.

  As described above, according to the electronic cassette 20 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 32 causing the unbalanced load arrangement is configured by the shaft portion 74, the protruding portion 102, and the movement regulating member 104. By using the moving mechanism 188 to rotate and move with respect to the panel unit 30, the center of gravity of the electronic cassette 20 can be easily changed.

  That is, since the proportion of the weight of the control unit 32 is relatively large in the total weight of the electronic cassette 20, the control unit is located with respect to the center position of the geometric shape of the electronic cassette 20 (substantially central portion of the imageable region 36). If 32 is displaced, the position of the center of gravity of the electronic cassette 20 does not coincide with the center position and is decentered, resulting in an unbalanced load arrangement for the entire apparatus.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, by rotating the control unit 32 with respect to the panel unit 30, the center position and the center of gravity position can be substantially matched, and the unbalanced load arrangement can be easily eliminated. .

  Specifically, the position of the control unit 32 with respect to the panel unit 30 is set to the position of the substantially central portion of the shootable area 36 shown in FIGS. Until the side surface 80 side of the housing 60 of the control unit 32 is rotated until the electronic cassette 20 is transported with the gripping portion 34 as the uppermost portion, as shown in FIG. 11A. That is, since the cassette control unit 66, the power supply unit 68, and the communication unit 70 are centrally arranged on the side surface 80 side in the housing 60, the side surface 80 side is arranged at a substantially central portion of the shootable region 36. The position of the center of gravity is made to approach the center position.

  Thereby, since the user 142 feels the electronic cassette 20 lightly at the time of conveyance, it becomes possible to carry the electronic cassette 20 stably and easily. As a result, it is possible to transport the electronic cassette 20 without hitting the control unit 32 against an arbitrary object or dropping the electronic cassette 20, and the burden on the user 142 during transportation is reduced. The

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the unbalanced load arrangement in the electronic cassette 20 can be easily eliminated by rotating the control unit 32 with respect to the panel unit 30 by the moving mechanism 188. The user 142 can stably carry the electronic cassette 20 during transportation.

  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 portion 74, and the control unit 32 is moved with respect to the panel unit 30 along the oval hole 72, thereby the center position. And the position of the center of gravity can be easily matched, and unbalanced load arrangement can be reliably eliminated.

  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.

  Moreover, since the grip part 34 for the user 142 to hold | grip and convey the electronic cassette 20 is provided in the side surface 46a of the panel part 30, this electronic cassette 20 can be carried easily.

  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.

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

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the control unit 32 can be rotated and moved using the moving mechanism 188 including the shaft portion 74, the protruding portion 102, and the movement restricting member 104. On the other hand, after the control unit 32 is moved to the position shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 and 8A, as shown in FIG. 11B, the gripping unit 34 is at the top and the control unit 32 is at the bottom. Thus, the electronic cassette 20 can be transported.

  Thus, even with an unbalanced load arrangement, the electronic cassette 20 is transported in a state where the center of gravity of the electronic cassette 20 is lowered, so that the electronic cassette 20 can be stably carried.

  That is, by grasping the grip portion 34 with the center of gravity of the entire apparatus being lowered, the user 142 feels the electronic cassette 20 lightly when carrying the electronic cassette 20, so that the electronic cassette 20 can be stably and easily held. It can be carried around. Therefore, even in the case of FIG. 11B, the electronic cassette 20 can be transported without hitting the control unit 32 against an arbitrary object or dropping the electronic cassette 20, and the user 142 at the time of transportation can be provided. The burden of is also reduced.

  The electronic cassette 20 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the above description, and the embodiments shown in FIGS. 15 to 30 can also be realized.

  FIG. 15 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 20 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 20.

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

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

  FIG. 16A illustrates the case where the casing 60 of the control unit 32 is entirely covered with the buffer member 200, and FIG. 16B illustrates the case where the side surface 308 side of the casing 60 is covered with the buffer member 202. It is what.

  When the electronic cassette 20 is transported with the control unit 32 in the state shown in FIG. 11B with respect to the panel unit 30, the side surface 308 side of the housing 60 of the control unit 32 is disposed at the bottom of the electronic cassette 20. 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 20 is dropped. It is possible to effectively protect the control unit 32 from the impact.

  FIG. 17A to FIG. 19B each illustrate a case where a gripping portion is disposed at a place other than the side surface 46a.

  In FIG. 17A, in addition to the grip portion 34, a grip portion 290 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 60 of the control portion 32, and the space between the handle portion of the grip portion 290 and the upper surface of the housing 60 is not used. The hole portion 292 is large enough to allow the person 142 to pass the hand.

  In this case, for example, the user 142 may hold the grip 290 as the uppermost part and carry the electronic cassette 20 in a state where the control unit 32 is arranged at the position of FIG. As a result, the electronic cassette 20 can be transported in a well-balanced load arrangement, and the heavy control unit 32 is directly gripped via the grip 290. Therefore, when the electronic cassette 20 is carried, the electronic cassette 20 is It feels light and the electronic cassette 20 can be carried stably and easily.

  Further, when the control unit 32 is rotationally moved with respect to the panel unit 30, the control unit 32 may be rotationally moved while gripping the gripping portion 290, so that the rotational movement can be easily performed.

  Therefore, in the case of FIG. 17A, by providing the grip portion 290, the usability when the electronic cassette 20 is transported and when the control portion 32 is rotationally moved is further improved.

  FIG. 17B is different from FIG. 17A in that a retractable grip 300 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 60.

  A substantially hexagonal concave portion 302 is formed on the upper surface of the housing 60, and both end portions of the gripping portion 300 are disposed in the concave portion 302. Further, a rectangular support portion 304 is disposed in the recess 302, and both end portions of the shaft portion 306 penetrating the support portion 304 are connected to both end portions of the grip portion 300.

  When the user 142 does not grip the grip portion 300, the grip portion 300 is accommodated in the recess 302. On the other hand, when gripping the grip portion 300, the user 142 pulls the grip portion 300 from the recess 302 and grips it while rotating the central portion of the grip portion 300 around the shaft portion 306. Further, when the grip 300 is accommodated in the recess 302, the central portion of the grip 300 may be rotated toward the recess 302 with the shaft 306 as a center.

  In this way, in the case of FIG. 17B, in addition to the effects in FIG. 17A, the gripping part 300 only has to be pulled out during transportation or during the rotational movement of the control part 32. The usability of the electronic cassette 20 is further improved.

  In FIG. 18A, a gripping portion 280 is provided on the side surface 46 b side in addition to the gripping portion 34, and the user 142 can pass the hand between the handle portion of the gripping portion 280 and the protruding portion 54. The hole 282 has a size.

  In this case, for example, the user 142 grips the grip part 34 with one hand and rotates the grip part 34 with the other hand in a state where the control part 32 is rotated to the position of FIG. 18A with respect to the panel part 30. The electronic cassette 20 may be transported by gripping 280. Thereby, while being able to carry the electronic cassette 20 in the state of load arrangement with a good balance, since the electronic cassette 20 is carried with both hands, the stability at the time of carrying can be further improved. In addition, since the two gripping portions 34 and 280 are provided, the electronic cassette 20 is transported with the gripping portion 280 at the top, in addition to transporting the gripping portion 34 (see FIG. 11A). This also improves usability during transportation.

  In FIG. 18B, in addition to the grip portion 34, the grip portion 330 is also arranged on the side surface 46c side, and the user 142 can pass the hand between the handle portion of the grip portion 330 and the side surface 46c. The hole portion 332 is formed.

  In this case, for example, when the user 142 holds the gripping unit 330 as the uppermost part and rotates the control unit 32 to the position of FIG. 18B with respect to the panel unit 30 and carries the electronic cassette 20. Good. Even in this case, since the load arrangement is well balanced, the electronic cassette 20 can be stably transported. Further, since the two gripping portions 34 and 330 are disposed, the usability during transportation is improved as in the case of FIG. 18A.

  FIG. 19A differs from the case of FIG. 17A in that the grip portion 310 is disposed on the side surface 308 of the housing 60. In this case, a hole 312 is formed between the handle portion of the grip portion 310 and the side surface 308 of the housing 60 so that the user 142 can pass the hand.

  Further, FIG. 19B is different from FIG. 17B in that a tiltable grip portion 320 is arranged on the side surface 308 of the housing 60. In this case, a substantially hexagonal concave portion 322 is formed on the side surface 308 of the housing 60, and both end portions of the grip portion 320 are disposed in the concave portion 322. In addition, a rectangular support portion 324 is disposed in the recess 322, and both end portions of the shaft portion 326 that penetrates the support portion 324 are connected to both end portions of the grip portion 320.

  In the case of FIGS. 19A and 19B, the same effects as those of FIGS. 17A and 17B can be obtained.

  20A and 20B, the input terminal 82, the USB terminal 84, and the card slot 88 are provided on the side surface 308 of the housing 60, and the retractable grip 390 is disposed on the side surface 80 side.

  In this case, a substantially hexagonal concave portion 392 is formed on the side surface 80, 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.

  In the case of FIGS. 20A and 20B, the same effect as in FIGS. 17B and 19B can be obtained. In the case of FIG. 20A and FIG. 20B, the gripping part 34 may be provided or may not be provided.

  FIG. 21 differs from the case of FIG. 20A and FIG. 20B in that the input terminal 82, the USB terminal 84, and the card slot 88 are provided on the side surface 308 of the housing 60 and the grip portion 400 is disposed on the side surface 80 side. 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 of the housing 60 is formed.

  Even in the case of FIG. 21, the same effects as those of FIGS. 17A and 19A can be obtained. In the case of FIG. 21 as well, the grip portion 34 may be provided or may not be provided.

  22A to 24 illustrate another configuration of the moving mechanism 188. FIG.

  22A to 24, the moving mechanism 188 includes a shaft portion 348 erected on the irradiation surface 42 on the side surface 308 side of the housing 60 and a shaft portion 348 formed on the side surface 308 side on the bottom surface of the housing 60. 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 258 that come into 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. 22A to 24, 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. 22A to the position on the side face 46c shown in FIG. 22B, as shown in FIGS. 23A and 23B, the shaft section 348 is the center. 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. 22A to 24, since the control unit 32 rotates around the shaft portion 348, it becomes possible to bring the center of gravity position closer to the center position, and unbalanced load arrangement Can be relaxed.

  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 on the irradiation surface 42 side of the housing 60 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 Thus, the rotational movement of 32 can be performed accurately and accurately.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 22A and 22B, a tiltable grip 340 is provided on the side surface of the housing 60. In this case, a substantially hexagonal concave portion 342 is formed on the side surface of the housing 60, and both end portions of the grip portion 340 are disposed in the concave portion 342. In addition, a rectangular support portion 344 is disposed in the recess 342, and both end portions of the shaft portion 346 that penetrates the support portion 344 are connected to both end portions of the grip portion 340.

  When the user 142 does not grip the grip portion 340, the grip portion 340 is accommodated in the recess 342. On the other hand, when gripping the grip portion 340 (for example, when rotating the housing 60 around the shaft portion 348), the user 142 rotates the central portion of the grip portion 340 around the shaft portion 346. The grip part 340 is pulled out from the recess 342 and gripped. Further, in the case where the grip portion 340 is accommodated in the concave portion 342, the central portion of the grip portion 340 may be rotated toward the concave portion 342 with the shaft portion 346 as a center. Even in this case, the same effects as those in FIGS. 17B and 19B can be obtained.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 24, the same effect as in FIG. 18B can be obtained by arranging the gripping portion 330 on the side surface 46c side.

  Furthermore, the electronic cassette 20 according to the present embodiment can also employ the configuration illustrated in FIGS.

  FIG. 25 illustrates another configuration of the moving mechanism 188.

  In the moving mechanism 188 shown in FIG. 25, unlike the cases shown in FIGS. 22A to 24, 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.

  Further, in FIG. 25, the protrusions 510 and 512 can pass through the 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. 25, in addition to the effects of FIGS. 22A to 24, the remarkable effect that the maintenance and replacement of parts of the electronic cassette 20 are facilitated can be obtained.

  Of course, in the electronic cassette 20 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.

  26A to 27B show the case of FIGS. 3 and 6 in that the shaft portion 74 is disposed on the corner portion 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. 26A, the panel portion 30 is provided with a thin protrusion 530 along the arrow Y direction instead of the protrusion 56, and the hole 72 in the housing 60 corresponds to the case of FIGS. 3 and 6. Compared with the arrow Y, it is formed opposite to the left and right 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. 26A (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 It moves to the position shown to FIG. 26B along the arrow Y1 direction under the guidance effect | action of 72 and the axial part 74. As shown in 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 around the shaft portion 74 in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. 26B, 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. 27B 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 46 c side, and the side surface 80 side of the housing 60 is disposed close to the geometric center position of the electronic cassette 20.

  Even in the case of FIGS. 26A to 27B, the same effect as in FIGS. 22A to 24 can be obtained.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the radiation surface 16 is irradiated with the radiation 16 has been described. However, when the electronic cassette 20 for double-sided photographing is used as shown in FIG. 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 in accordance with the imaging method for the subject 14, so that the usability of the electronic cassette 20 is improved. Further improve.

  Furthermore, the present embodiment can also be applied to a case where a radiation image is acquired using an optical readout 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 20, 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 to obtain one unit. The electronic cassette 20 can be used repeatedly.

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

  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. 29 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. 29, for example, the irradiation surface 42 (FIGS. 2 to 6, 8A to 11B, 15 to 22B, 24 and 26A to 26A to the upper side (the side opposite to the side where the substrate 602 is located) is disposed. When the radiation 16 enters from above, the radiation detector 600 functions as a PSS radiation detector, and the scintillator 608 phosphor converts the incident radiation 16 into light. Converts to emit 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. 30, 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 unit 30 (see FIGS. 1 to 6, 8A to 11B, 13, 15 to 22B, 24 and 26A to 28) that accommodates the radiation detector 600 is made thinner and lighter. 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.5 and FIG.28) 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.

  29, as described above, as an example, in FIG. 29, the light emitted from the scintillator 608 is a sensor unit 606 (photoelectric conversion) located on the opposite side to the side where the radiation source 18 (see FIGS. 1 and 28) is located. 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 the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, 8A, 15 to 16B, 20A, 22A, 26A, and 28, 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 heat radiating window or a heat radiating plate for radiating the heat generated by the control unit 32 to a part of the casing 60 of the control unit 32 that is away from the panel unit 30 (the side opposite to the panel unit 30). The heat dissipating member is arranged.

  (2) The gripping portions 290, 300, 310, 320, 340, 390, 400 (see FIGS. 17A, 17B, 19A, 19B, 20B, and 21 to 22B) are made of a material having high thermal conductivity. The heat generated in the control unit 32 is used as a heat radiating member for radiating heat. In this case, a wave-shaped or rectangular member that functions as a heat sink may be attached to the grip portions 290, 300, 310, 320, 340, 390, and 400 to increase the heat radiation area. In addition, since the holding | gripping part 290,300,310,320,340,390,400 is directly provided in the housing | casing 60 of the control part 32, it can thermally radiate the heat which generate | occur | produced in this control part 32 directly. In addition, since the gripping portions 290, 300, 310, 320, 340, 390, and 400 are locations where the user 142 grips, it is needless to say that the user 142 needs to dissipate heat to such an extent that low temperature burns do not occur. It is.

  On the other hand, even if the gripping portions 280 and 330 (see FIGS. 18A, 18B, and 24) attached to the panel unit 30 are used, if the control unit 32 is disposed in the vicinity of the gripping portions 280 and 330, the thermal conductivity. It can be used as a heat dissipating member by being composed of a material having a high value. Also in these gripping portions 280 and 330, it is possible to increase the heat radiation area by attaching the above-mentioned wave-shaped or rectangular members, and furthermore, the heat is dissipated to the extent that the user 142 does not cause low-temperature burns. Of course, there is a need.

  It should be noted that since the heat generating component such as the power supply unit 68 is arranged in the housing 60 of the control unit 32, the gripping units 290, 300, 310, 320, 340, 390, 400 in the housing 60 are arranged. If the part with a large amount of heat generation is arranged in the vicinity, the heat generated by the control unit 32 can be efficiently radiated through the gripping units 290, 300, 310, 320, 340, 390, 400.

  (3) A gel-like cooling sheet may be used as the buffer members 200 and 202 (see FIGS. 16A and 16B) 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.

  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 20 ... Electronic cassette 30 ... Panel part 32 ... Control part 34, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, 330, 340, 390, 400 ... Grasping part 36 ... Shootable area 40, 60 ... Housing 42 ... Irradiation surface 46a-46d, 80, 308 ... Side surface 66 ... Cassette control part 68 ... Power supply part 70 ... Communication part 72, 350 ... Hole part 74, 348 ... Shaft part 76, 78 ... Connection terminal 92 ... Radiation conversion panels 102, 352 ... Projection part 104 ... Movement restriction member 106, 356 ... One end part 108, 358 ... Other end part 112, 114 ... Convex part 142 ... User 186 ... Connection state detection part 188 ... Movement mechanism 200, 202 ... Buffer member 354, 518, 520 ... Rotation restricting member

Claims (18)

A panel unit containing a radiation conversion panel for converting radiation into a radiation image;
A control unit for controlling the radiation conversion panel;
A moving mechanism for rotating the control unit relative to the panel unit along the surface of the panel unit;
A radiographic imaging apparatus comprising: The apparatus of claim 1.
The panel unit accommodates the radiation conversion panel in a substantially rectangular casing capable of transmitting the radiation,
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 2.
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 3.
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 4.
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 5.
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 6.
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 2.
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 8.
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 9.
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 2 to 10, wherein
A radiographic imaging apparatus, further comprising a gripping part that is provided on the control unit and / or the panel unit and is gripped by a user to carry the radiographic imaging apparatus. The apparatus of claim 11.
The radiographic imaging apparatus, wherein the gripping part is provided on a side surface of the casing of the panel unit and / or an upper surface or a side surface of another casing constituting the control unit. The apparatus of claim 12.
When the grip unit is provided in the control unit, the grip unit is pulled out from the top surface or the side surface when the radiographic imaging apparatus is transported or the control unit is rotated and gripped. A radiographic imaging device. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
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 14.
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 15.
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 16.
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 17,
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.

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