JP6626548B2 - Radiation image capturing apparatus and radiation image capturing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a radiographic image capturing apparatus and a radiographic image capturing system.

  Radiation image capturing devices that irradiate an object with radiation and detect the intensity distribution of the radiation transmitted through the object to obtain a radiation image of the object are widely used in industrial nondestructive inspection and medical diagnosis fields. I have. In recent years, an imaging device that captures a digital radiation image using a radiation detection panel that converts light emitted in response to radiation incident on the phosphor into electrical information by a sensor has been developed, and obtains an output image immediately. Now you can do it.

  As such a photographing apparatus, a thin and lightweight portable photographing apparatus, that is, a so-called electronic cassette, has been developed to enable rapid and wide-range photographing of a region. In particular, in recent years, in order to increase portability, a wireless type photographing apparatus that does not require a cable connection has been developed. In the case of such a type of photographing apparatus, a rechargeable battery as a power supply for supplying electric power is built in or detachable, and has higher portability than conventional ones.

  At the time of photographing, it is assumed that an impact force or an external force is applied to the photographing device. The glass substrate constituting the radiation detection panel may be damaged by such external force. When the glass substrate is damaged, it becomes extremely difficult to clearly capture a radiographic image. Therefore, it is necessary to sufficiently protect the imaging device so as to avoid damage to the glass substrate. Even in such a situation, in order for the radiation detection function inside the imaging apparatus to function normally, the imaging apparatus is required to have strength, vibration resistance, and shock resistance. At the same time, the imaging device is required to be reduced in size, thickness, and weight in order to facilitate handling, improve portability, and enable quick imaging.

  For this purpose, the imaging device may have various configurations. In the imaging device described in Patent Literature 1, the radiation detection panel is supported on a base having a concave portion, and these are supported on the inner surface of the bottom of the housing via a reinforcing plate and a support, thereby improving rigidity and reducing weight. I am aiming for. Further, in the imaging device described in Patent Literature 2, the rigidity is improved and the weight is reduced by supporting the radiation detection panel on the inner surface of the bottom of the housing via the base and the structure.

  In the photographing device described in Patent Literature 3, the housing has a monocoque structure made of fiber-reinforced resin or the like, thereby aiming at improving the strength of the photographing device. In the imaging device described in Patent Literature 3, the radiation detection panel is held by a buffer member attached to two lid members that constitute a side wall of the housing. Patent Literature 3 discloses that a radiation detection panel is held by an adhesive layer on an inner wall at the top of a housing. As described above, the photographing apparatus has been conventionally made smaller, thinner, and lighter with various structures.

Japanese Patent No. 3848288 JP 2010-281753 A JP 2012-181238 A

  However, there are some problems in the above-described conventional example. The imaging apparatuses described in Patent Literatures 1 and 2 require a base and a support for supporting the radiation detection panel, separately from the housing that contains the radiation detection panel. In the imaging device described in Patent Literature 3, the housing serving as the exterior has a structure for securing rigidity, but another supporting member for supporting the radiation detection panel on the housing is required. It is desirable that the support member of the radiation detection panel is a relatively rigid member. However, if the support member has sufficient rigidity, it becomes difficult to reduce the weight. Therefore, the rigidity can be improved by fastening or contacting the support member and the housing with screws or the like. However, in such a case, it tends to be difficult to arrange a control board, a rechargeable battery, and the like that need to be included in the imaging device.

  For example, in Patent Literature 2, a control board that controls the radiation detection panel is disposed outside the radiation detection panel when viewed from the radiation incident direction. In this case, it is difficult to form a so-called narrow frame structure that reduces the distance between the housing of the imaging device that protects the radiation detection panel and the glass substrate, and it is difficult to reduce the size of the imaging device.

  Patent Literature 3 discloses a configuration in which a radiation detection panel is attached to an inner wall of a top on a radiation incident surface side of a casing to eliminate a support member that supports the radiation detection panel in the casing. In such a configuration, it is necessary to secure necessary rigidity at the top of the housing. Radiation emitted from the radiation source is detected by the radiation detection panel after passing through the subject and the top of the housing. In many cases, the top of the housing has a simple plate shape having a uniform plate thickness so as not to remain as an artifact in a captured image. For this reason, it is difficult to improve the rigidity by changing the shape of the member, for example, by providing a rib-shaped structure at the top of the housing in order to secure the required rigidity. As a result, in order to secure the required rigidity, the structure simply increases the plate thickness, and it is difficult to reduce the size and weight of the entire photographing apparatus. Further, if the radiation detection panel is adhered to the inner surface of the top of the housing, when a load such as an external force is applied to the housing, the external force is easily transmitted to the radiation detection panel and the load increases. Further, from the relation of bending stress, when an external force is applied, a strong tensile stress is likely to be applied to the radiation detection panel. This tensile stress is likely to cause the glass substrate constituting the sensor substrate of the radiation detection panel to break.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a radiation image capturing apparatus that is advantageous in terms of protection and miniaturization of a radiation detection panel.

The present invention is a radiation image capturing apparatus including a radiation detection panel that detects radiation, a housing that houses the radiation detection panel, and a plurality of electrical components, wherein the housing transmits the radiation to the radiation. A top member for entering the detection panel, a bottom member disposed on the side opposite to the top member across the radiation detection panel, and a side member connecting the top member and the bottom member. wherein, on the side opposite to the side of the radiation detection panel of the bottom member, is arranged different recesses in size, the electrical component is disposed in the plurality of recesses, the electrical component, the radiation detector It is characterized by including a control board for reading out a detection signal from the panel and a rechargeable battery for supplying power to the radiation detection panel .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a radiation image capturing apparatus that is advantageous in terms of protection and miniaturization of the radiation detection panel.

FIG. 2 is an external view of the radiation image capturing apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the radiation image capturing apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the radiation image capturing apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the radiation image capturing apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the radiation image capturing apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is an external view of a radiation image capturing apparatus according to a third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a vertical sectional view of the radiation image capturing apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the radiation image capturing apparatus according to the third embodiment. It is a figure explaining a radiographic imaging system.

[Example 1]
FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a radiation image capturing apparatus (photographing apparatus) 100 including a radiation detection panel 1 therein. FIG. 1A is an external view of the imaging device 100 as viewed from the radiation incident surface side, and FIG. 1B is an external view of the imaging device 100 as viewed from the side opposite to the radiation incident surface side. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the photographing apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 in the AA direction, and FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the photographing apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 in the BB direction. In general, the imaging apparatus 100 detects radiation emitted by a radiation source (not shown) and transmitted through a subject by a photoelectric conversion element (sensor) arranged in a two-dimensional lattice. The image acquired by the imaging device 100 is transferred to the outside, displayed on a monitor or the like, and used for diagnosis or the like.

  The radiation detection panel 1 includes a sensor substrate on which a number of photoelectric conversion elements (sensors) are disposed, a phosphor layer (scintillator layer) disposed on the sensor substrate, a phosphor protective film, and the like. The radiation detection panel 1 is connected to the flexible circuit board 4. A control board 5 that reads a detection signal from the radiation detection panel 1 and processes the read detection signal is connected to the flexible circuit board 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the image capturing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment includes the rechargeable battery 2 for supplying necessary power, but power may be supplied from outside by a wired connection. The control board 5 and the rechargeable battery 2 are collectively referred to as electric components.

  The image capturing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment has the following configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 in order to realize the reduction in weight, thickness, and size. The imaging device 100 has a housing (exterior) 7 that houses the radiation detection panel 1. The housing 7 includes a top member 7a for causing radiation emitted from the radiation source to enter the radiation detection panel 1, a bottom member 7c that is located on a side opposite to the radiation incident side and supports the radiation detection panel 1, And a side member 7b connecting the top member 7a and the bottom member 7c. Of the inner surface of the bottom member 7c on the side of the radiation detection panel 1, at least a support surface that supports an effective pixel area of the radiation detection panel 1 is formed flat. Here, the effective pixel area refers to an imaging area where a radiation image is actually acquired. The bottom member 7c is arranged on the side opposite to the top member 7a across the radiation detection panel 1.

  In order to hold electric components such as the control board 5 and the rechargeable battery 2, the bottom member 7 c has at least one concave portion on the outer surface opposite to the radiation detection panel 1. Each of the at least one recess is defined by a part of the outer surface of the bottom member 7c exposed to the outside of the housing 7. Accordingly, there is no need to dispose electrical components outside the radiation detection panel 1 when viewed from the radiation incident direction, so that a configuration in which a narrow frame is easily obtained is achieved. In the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the top member 7a is formed of a member different from the side member 7b and the bottom member 7c. The top member 7a is made of carbon fiber reinforced resin or the like in terms of radiation transmission and rigidity, but is not limited thereto. On the other hand, the side member 7b and the bottom member 7c are made of a fiber reinforced resin, a fiber reinforced metal, an aluminum alloy, a magnesium alloy or the like in order to secure rigidity for sufficiently protecting the radiation detection panel 1.

  The bottom member 7c is configured to have higher bending rigidity than the top member 7a. Thereby, the load of the tensile stress generated by the bending stress on the glass substrate constituting the sensor substrate can be reduced. Further, in order to protect the radiation detection panel 1 from an impact force from the radiation incident side, a cushioning material 3 for absorbing a shock is disposed between the radiation detection panel 1 and the top member 7a. With the above structure, the imaging apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment secures a structure for arranging components necessary for the imaging apparatus 100 while ensuring sufficient rigidity and at the same time reducing the weight, thickness, and size. can do.

  In the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in order to secure electrical safety and allow replacement of electrical components such as the control board 5 and the rechargeable battery 2, the concave portion is a closed space. An access cover (cover member) 6 to be formed is disposed so as to cover the recess. The access cover 6 is fastened to the bottom member 7c of the housing 7 by, for example, fitting but can be removed. A seal member may be provided at a contact portion between the bottom member 7c and the access cover 6 in order to maintain waterproofness against the concave portion. Further, the access cover 6 may be integrated with the control board 5 and the rechargeable battery 2 arranged in the formed closed space.

  The access cover 6 can be made of the same member as the bottom member 7c in order to suppress the influence of warpage due to heat. In order to enable wireless communication between the imaging device 100 and the outside, a part of the access cover 6 and the housing 7 may be made of a non-conductive material. The access cover 6 can be realized from a material such as a non-conductive resin or a fiber reinforced resin such as a carbon fiber reinforced resin, but is not limited thereto. Since the rigidity can be further improved by fixing the access cover 6 to the bottom member 7c, a configuration in which the weight can be easily reduced.

  In the first embodiment, with these configurations, the rigidity is ensured by the entire member. Therefore, it is necessary to secure a structure for arranging the electric components while ensuring the rigidity and reducing the weight, the thickness, and the size. Can be. This makes it possible to further reduce the weight, thickness, and size of the imaging device 100, which was difficult with the related art.

[Example 2]
4 and 5 are cross-sectional views of the photographing apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view in the AA direction in FIG. 1, and FIG. Each figure is shown. As in the first embodiment, a control board 5 for controlling readout of the radiation detection panel 1 and processing electric output is connected to the radiation detection panel 1 via the flexible circuit board 4, and a charge for supplying electric power is provided. Battery 2 is provided similarly.

  In the first embodiment, the radiation detection panel 1 is supported by the bottom member 7c of the housing 7 while omitting the base that supports the radiation detection panel 1. Further, in order to arrange the control board 5 and the rechargeable battery 2 while keeping the imaging device 100 downsized, a concave structure is provided on the lower surface of the bottom member 7c, and a closed space is formed by the access cover 6. However, in the first embodiment, since it is necessary to secure the rigidity required for the image capturing apparatus 100 by the housing 7, it may be difficult to further reduce the weight.

  Therefore, in order to further reduce the weight compared to the first embodiment, the image capturing apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment has the following configuration. The housing 7 has a flat support surface that includes and supports the radiation detection panel 1 on the upper surface of the bottom member 7c in order to include and support the radiation detection panel 1 as in the first embodiment. I have. Further, the bottom member 7c has at least one concave portion for incorporating the control board 5 and the rechargeable battery 2 on the lower surface thereof.

In the first embodiment, the bottom member 7c has a single-layer structure. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the bottom member 7c supporting the radiation detection panel 1 has a multilayer structure as shown in FIGS. Bottom member 7c of the second embodiment has a sandwich structure sandwiching the both sides of the core layer 7c ₂ skin layer 7c _1. Skin layer 7c ₁ disposed on the upper surface of the bottom member 7c forms a flat surface. Further, on the lower surface of the core layer 7c _2, at least one recess is formed. The concave portion can be formed by a method of hollowing out the core layer 7b. Forming a skin layer 7c ₁ high fiber reinforced resin or fiber reinforced metal rigid or the like from a metal alloy such as an aluminum alloy or a magnesium alloy, a core layer 7c ₂ and foamed resin, Ya aluminum alloy having a honeycomb structure or a lattice structure It can be composed of a structure such as a resin.

The core layer 7c _2, the elastic is very small, a small specific gravity members. Therefore, only the core layer 7c _2, it is difficult to ensure a sufficient rigidity, by sandwiching the core layer 7c ₂ with a strong skin layer 7c ₁ rigidity, and improves overall bending stiffness. Since the core layer 7c ₂ has a low rigidity, when forming the recess can be configured to follow the recess, skin layer 7c ₁ of the lower surface side as well as in FIGS. 4 and 5. Thereby, a sudden change in bending rigidity of the sandwich structure can be reduced.

  Let us consider a case where the bending rigidity of the sandwich structure changes rapidly without taking such a structure. In that case, there is a possibility that the glass substrate constituting the sensor substrate supported by the bottom member 7c may locally be strained or stress concentrated by an external force in the vicinity of the portion where the rigidity changes rapidly. . Therefore, even if the imaging device 100 has sufficient rigidity as a whole, the glass substrate may be damaged.

The bending rigidity of the bottom member 7c of the sandwich structure is set to be higher than the bending rigidity of the top member 7a serving as the radiation incident surface. Thus, the load of the tensile stress due to the bending stress on the glass substrate can be reduced, so that it is easy to further reduce the weight. Similarly to the first embodiment, in the second embodiment, the access cover 6 is disposed so as to cover the concave portion, thereby ensuring electrical safety and enabling replacement of electric components such as the control board 5 and the rechargeable battery 2. ing. Access cover 6, in order to suppress the influence of warpage due to heat, either the same material as the skin layer 7c _1, or may be made of a material having a multilayer structure.

  With these configurations, it is possible to secure a structure for arranging necessary electric components in the imaging device 100 while securing the rigidity of the imaging device 100. Thus, the light-weight and thinning of the photographing apparatus 100, which has been difficult with the related art, can be achieved. The size can be reduced.

[Example 3]
In the first and second embodiments, the top member 7a of the housing 7 can be removed as shown in FIG. 2 and the like. However, the structure for removing the housing 7 is not limited to this. In the third embodiment, the housing 7 has a structure that can easily suppress the twist of the imaging device 100. In order to reduce the weight while suppressing torsion, the imaging device 100 according to the third embodiment has the following configuration. FIG. 6 is an external view of the image capturing apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 6A is an external view as viewed from a side where radiation is incident, and FIG. 6B is an external view as viewed from a side opposite to the side where radiation is incident. 7 and 8 show a longitudinal sectional view in the AA direction and a transverse sectional view in the BB direction in FIG. 6, respectively. In Example 3, the side members 7, and a pair of first side member 7b ₁ and the pair of second side member 7b _2.

Housing 7, as shown in FIG. 7, a top member 7a and the bottom member 7c is connected with the first side member 7b ₁ of the pair has a rectangular tubular monocoque structure having a pair of openings. A pair of second side member 7b ₂ may be in a closed space inside the releasably attached to a pair of openings housing 7 of the monocoque structure. Inserting a second side member 7b ₂ pair of openings of the side members 7b of the casing 7 by removing the monocoque structure is opened, the radiation detection panel 1 via the opening in the housing 7 It is possible to assemble. Monocoque structure consisting of top member 7a, a bottom member 7c, first side member 7b ₁ of the pair can be made from such as an autoclave molding using a fiber reinforced resin.

As in the first and second embodiments, the radiation detection panel 1 is supported on the flat upper surface of the bottom member 7c, and at least one concave portion is formed on the lower surface side of the bottom member 7c. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the bottom member 7c of the third embodiment can have a multilayer structure (sandwich structure) as in the second embodiment. Again, the skin layer 7c ₁ is formed from a metal alloy such as high rigidity fiber reinforced resin, fiber reinforced metal or aluminum alloy or a magnesium alloy, a core layer 7c ₂ is foamed resin and, honeycomb or lattice structure And a structure such as an aluminum alloy or resin having Further, similarly to the second embodiment, the bending rigidity of the bottom member 7c is set higher than the bending rigidity of the top member 7a. Thus, the load of the tensile stress due to the bending stress on the glass substrate can be reduced, so that it is easy to further reduce the weight.

  Electrical components such as the control board 5 and the rechargeable battery 2 can be arranged in the recess provided in the housing 7. In addition, access covers 6 are arranged in these recesses to ensure electrical safety and allow replacement of electrical components. With these configurations, the photographing apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment secures the rigidity of the entire housing 7, so that the electric components necessary for the photographing apparatus 100 can be achieved while maintaining the rigidity and reducing the weight, thickness, and size. A structure for arranging can be secured. This makes it possible to further reduce the weight, thickness, and size of the imaging device 100, which was difficult with the related art.

[Radiation imaging system]
FIG. 9 relates to a radiation image capturing system including the above-described radiation image capturing apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 9, an X-ray (radiation) 211 generated by an X-ray tube (radiation source) 210 passes through a chest 221 of a patient or a subject 220 and enters the radiation image capturing apparatus 100. The incident X-ray contains information on the inside of the body of the patient 220. The scintillator (fluorescent substance) emits light in response to the incidence of X-rays, and the light emission is photoelectrically converted by the sensor (photoelectric conversion element) 111 of the sensor panel 110 to obtain electrical information. This electrical information is converted to digital, image-processed by a signal processing unit (image processor) 230, and can be observed by a display unit (display) 240.

  The information processed by the image processor 230 can be transferred to a remote location by a transmission processing unit 250 such as a telephone, a LAN, or a network such as the Internet. Therefore, the information processed by the image processor 230 can be displayed on a display unit (display) 241 such as a doctor's room at another location or stored in a recording unit such as an optical disk, and can be stored in a remote location. Diagnosis is possible. The information processed by the image processor 230 can be recorded on the film 261 by the film processor 260.

  The radiation detection apparatus of the present invention can be applied to medical radiation detection apparatuses and non-medical analysis and inspection apparatuses using radiation, such as nondestructive inspection apparatuses.

  100: radiation image capturing apparatus. 1: Radiation detection panel. 2: Rechargeable battery (electric component). 5: Control board (electric component). 7: Housing. 7a: Top member. 7b: side member. 7c: bottom member.

Claims (9)

A radiation detection panel that detects radiation, a housing that houses the radiation detection panel, and a plurality of electrical components, a radiation image capturing apparatus including:
The housing includes a top member for causing the radiation to enter the radiation detection panel, a bottom member disposed on the side opposite to the top member with the radiation detection panel interposed therebetween, and the top member and the bottom member. And a side member connecting the
On the side of the bottom member opposite to the side of the radiation detection panel, a plurality of recesses having different sizes are arranged,
The electric component is arranged in the plurality of recesses ,
The radiation image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric component includes a control board for reading out a detection signal from the radiation detection panel and a rechargeable battery for supplying power to the radiation detection panel .   The radiation image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein different electric components are arranged in each of the plurality of recesses. 3. The radiation image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a size of the concave portion in which the control board is disposed is larger than a size of the concave portion in which the rechargeable battery is disposed. 4. The radiation image capturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising a plurality of cover members that cover each of the plurality of recesses. The radiographic imaging apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein any one of the plurality of cover members and any one of the plurality of electric components are integrated. Wherein the plurality of at least one of the cover members, the radiographic imaging apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that it is formed of a non-conductive material. The radiation image capturing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6 , wherein each of the plurality of cover members is formed of the same material as the bottom member. The radiation image capturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein a cushioning member is disposed between the top member and the radiation detection panel. A radiation image capturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 ,
A signal processing unit that processes a signal from the radiation image capturing apparatus,
A display unit for displaying a signal from the signal processing unit;
A radiation source for generating the radiation,
A radiographic imaging system comprising:

Images