JPH01107250A - Radiograph information reading and reproducing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To generate a synchronizing signal without complicating a device by making the device larger and decreasing the power of a light for reading at the time of reading by respectively using a light for recording at the time of reading and the light for reading at the time of reproducing as a light for synchronizing. CONSTITUTION:At the time of reading an image, the light for recording 2A functions as the synchronizing light of the light for reading 1A and the synchronous change of the light quantity of the light for reading 2A is detected by a light detection unit 12. The change of light quantity is converted into an electrical pulse signal by a synchronizing signal generation means and then the synchronizing signal showing the position of the main scanning direction of the light for reading 1A can be obtained. At the time of reproducing the image, the light for reading 1A is made incident on a grid 10 as synchronous light and detected by the light detection unit 12, so that the synchronizing signal showing the main scanning position of the light for recording can be obtained at the time of reproducing. Thus, the synchronizing signal can be excellently generated at the time of reading and at the time of reproducing without complicating the device by making the cost of the device high and decreasing the power of the excitation light at the time of reading.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of the Invention) The present invention is directed to reading radiographic image information accumulated and recorded on a stimulable phosphor sheet and reproducing the read image information onto the recording sheet using the same scanning system. The present invention relates to a radiation image information reading and reproducing device that performs.

(Conventional technology) Certain phosphors are exposed to radiation (X-rays, α-rays, β-rays.

When irradiated with γ-rays, electron beams, ultraviolet rays, etc., a part of this radiation energy is accumulated in the phosphor, and when this phosphor is irradiated with excitation light such as visible light, the phosphor changes depending on the accumulated energy. is known to exhibit stimulated luminescence, and phosphors exhibiting this property are called stimulable phosphors (stimulable phosphors).

Using this stimulable phosphor, radiation image information of a subject such as a human body is partially recorded on a sheet of stimulable phosphor, and this stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned with excitation light such as a laser beam to make it shine. The resulting stimulated luminescent light is generated and photoelectrically read to obtain an image signal, and based on this image signal, the radiation image of the subject is recorded as a visible image on a recording material such as a photographic light-sensitive material, a CRT, etc. The applicant has already proposed a radiation image information recording and reproducing system for outputting radiation image information. (Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 55
-12429, 5B-11395, 55-18
No. 3472.

No. 56-104645, No. 55-116340, etc. ) In the above system, the image information accumulated and recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet is obtained by deflecting the excitation light in the reading device to main scan the stimulable phosphor sheet and relative to the stimulable phosphor sheet. By moving the stimulable phosphor sheet in the sub-scanning direction, the entire surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned with excitation light, and the stimulated luminescent light emitted from the scanning position is read by photoelectrically detecting it with a photodetector.

On the other hand, the read image information is recorded on a recording sheet that is relatively transported in the sub-scanning direction by scanning a light beam modulated based on the image signal obtained by the reading device in the main scanning direction. is reproduced as a visible image. Therefore, in the conventional system, in order to form a final visible image of the radiation image information recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet on the recording sheet, at least a reading device for reading the image information is required in addition to the imaging device. , and a reproducing device for recording image information on a recording sheet.

In recent years, various improvements have been made to the radiation image information recording and reproducing system described above based on the demand for simplifying the entire system as much as possible, downsizing the entire device, and reducing manufacturing costs. Therefore, it has been proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 184877/1987 to integrate the conventional reading device and reproducing device, which both scan with a light beam, so that reading and reproducing can be performed using the same scanning system. It is extremely effective in simplifying things.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) By the way, in optical scanning devices such as the reading device and the reproducing device described above, an optical deflector that deflects a scanning light beam such as a reading light beam or a recording light beam is used to Many devices are known in which the above signal is obtained by making a synchronization light beam incident along with the beam, making the deflected synchronization light beam incident on a grid, and detecting the light that has passed (transmitted or reflected) through the grid. It is also desirable for the reading and reproducing apparatus described above to obtain the synchronization signal when reading and reproducing images.

However, in reading and reproducing devices, the appropriate light powers for the reading light beam and the recording light beam are different, so it is necessary to provide a reading light source and a recording light source, and in addition to these light sources, If a light source that emits a synchronizing light beam is provided, three light sources will be required, making the device complicated. Another idea is to split the reading light beam, which has a constant light intensity because it is not modulated, and use one of the light beams as the synchronization light beam both during reading and playback, without providing a special light source for synchronization. However, in this case, the power of the light used as a reading destination beam during reading is reduced, resulting in a problem that high-sensitivity reading cannot be performed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to generate a synchronization signal without complicating or increasing the size of the device or reducing the power of the reading light beam during reading. The object of the present invention is to provide a radiation image information reading and reproducing device.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The radiation image information reading and reproducing apparatus of the present invention comprises: a reading light source that emits a reading light beam; a recording light source that emits a recording light beam; the reading light beam and the recording light beam. an optical deflector that simultaneously deflects the light beams to cause main scanning; a sub-device that moves a stimulable phosphor sheet on which a radiographic image has been stored or a recording sheet that reproduces the radiographic image in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main scanning direction; a scanning means, a grid extending in the main scanning direction, a light detection means for detecting light passing through the grid, and a light deflector when the stimulable phosphor sheet is moved by the sub-scanning means. guiding the reading light beam deflected by the light deflector to the stimulable phosphor sheet, guiding the recording light beam deflected by the light deflector to the grid, and when the recording sheet is moved by the sub-scanning means; an optical path switching means for guiding the recording light beam deflected by the optical deflector to the recording sheet and guiding the reading light beam deflected by the optical deflector to the grid;
and photoelectric reading means for detecting stimulated luminescence light emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet by main scanning of the reading destination beam.

(Function) According to the reading and reproducing device, the recording light beam is used as a synchronization light beam during reading, and the reading light beam is used as a synchronization light beam during reproduction. There is no need to provide a light source, and problems such as insufficient light intensity of the reading light beam during reading do not occur.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views showing the outline of the radiation image information reading and reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention when image information is read and reproduced, respectively.

When reading the image information shown in FIG.
A reading light beam IA emitted from a reading light source 1, which is an e-Ne laser, is reflected and deflected by a galvanometer mirror 3, which is an optical deflector that is driven back and forth in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and is arranged below the galvanometer mirror. The stimulable phosphor sheet 4 on which radiographic image information has been accumulated and recorded is main scanned in the direction of arrow X. The stimulable phosphor sheet 4 is sub-scanned by being conveyed in the direction of arrow Y by an endless belt device 5, and the reading light beam reflected and deflected by the galvanometer mirror 3 is sub-scanned on the stimulable phosphor sheet 4. The entire surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet 4 is two-dimensionally scanned by the reading light beam IA.

This reading light beam IA acts as excitation light on the stimulable phosphor sheet 4, and as the reading light beam IA scans, the stimulable phosphor sheet 4 irradiated with the light beam IA , emits stimulated light according to the image information stored and recorded therein, and this emitted light (not shown) is transmitted through a transparent transparent material having an incident end face 6a arranged parallel to the main scanning line near the stimulable phosphor sheet. Enter light guide 6. Also, through the scanning position of the reading light beam IA, the incident end surface 8a of the light guide is
A long reflective mirror 15 is provided at a position facing the
Of the stimulated luminescent light emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet,
The light emitted toward the reflecting mirror 15 is efficiently transferred to the incident end surface 6.
make it incident on a. The light guide 6 has a front end 6b located near the stimulable phosphor sheet 4 formed into a flat plate shape, and gradually becomes cylindrical toward the rear end, and has a substantially cylindrical shape at the rear end 8c. It is connected to a photomultiplier 7 which is a photodetector.
The stimulated luminescent light incident from the incident end surface 8a is transmitted to the rear end portion 6c.
The light is collected by the photomultiplier 7 and received by the photomultiplier 7.

In this photomultiplier 7, the stimulated source light is converted into an electrical signal, and the obtained electrical signal is sent to an image information processing circuit 8 where it undergoes image processing and is stored in a memory within this circuit 8. .

On the other hand, a recording light source 2, which is a semiconductor laser, for example, is arranged near the reading light source 1, and when reading an image, this recording light source 2 is used together with the reading light source 1.
A recording light beam 2A is also emitted from. This reading light beam 2B enters the galvanometer mirror 31 together with the reading light beam IA from a direction slightly different from that of the reading light beam IA, and is reflected and deflected. During image reading, the recording light beam 2A functions as a synchronizing light for the reading light beam IA, and as described above, the recording light beam 2A functions as a synchronizing light for the reading light beam IA.
After being reflected and deflected by the mirror, the light is reflected by a long reflecting mirror 9 extending in the main scanning direction, which is an optical path switching means located at the first position shown in FIG. 1, to change the optical path. is incident on the grid lO. This grid 10 is made up of bright areas and dark areas arranged alternately in the long plane direction, and the recording light beam 2A transmitted through this grid
The incident light enters the condensing bar U provided behind the grid 10 from the front side, and the incident light is transmitted through the interior of the condensing bar by total reflection, and is transmitted to the photodetectors 12 provided at both ends of the condensing bar 11. Detected by The amount of light detected by this photodetector 12 changes with the main scanning of the reading light beam IA due to the grating of the grid 1o. The photodetector 12 detects a synchronous change in the light intensity of the recording light beam 2A, and this light intensity change is detected by a synchronizing signal generating means (not shown).
is converted into an electrical pulse signal, and a synchronization signal indicating the position of the reading light beam IAO in the main scanning direction is obtained. In the illustrated apparatus, the light collecting bar 11 and the photodetector 12 constitute a photodetecting means.

Note that the grid 10 may have a dark portion as a reflective surface, and the condensing bar 11 may be arranged to condense the light reflected by the reflective surface.

When the reading of the image information is completed, in order to reproduce the read image information, a recording sheet 13 such as a photosensitive film or photographic paper is conveyed in the direction of the arrow Y by the endless belt device 5, as shown in FIG. .

When reproducing image information on the recording sheet 13, the recording light source 2, which is a semiconductor laser, is directly analog modulated by the recording light source driving circuit I4 based on the output from the image information processing circuit 8, and the modulation is performed. The received recording light beam 2A is reflected and deflected by the galvanometer mirror 3 and repeatedly scans the recording sheet 13, which is conveyed in the direction of the arrow Y, in the direction of the arrow X, and the entire surface of the recording sheet 13 is covered with the stimulable phosphor sheet. The image information read from 4 is recorded and reproduced. Recording sheet 13 on which image information is recorded and reproduced
is sent to an automatic developing machine (not shown) and subjected to development processing.

On the other hand, during image reproduction, the reading light beam IA enters the galvanometer mirror 3 as synchronous light. Further, prior to this, the reflecting mirror 9 is placed on the optical path of the reading light beam IA and moved to the second position shown in FIG. 2 where it can reflect the reading light beam IA and make it incident on the grid 1o. being forced to move. Therefore, when reproducing an image, the reading light beam 2A enters the grid 0 as a synchronous light,
Since it is detected by the photodetector 12, a synchronization signal indicating the main scanning position of the recording light beam can be obtained even during reproduction.

In this way, in this device, the same scanning system can be used to both read image information on the stimulable phosphor sheet and reproduce image information on the recording sheet. Compared to the conventional case, the entire system can be simplified and its size and cost can be reduced. In addition, by using the recording optical beam 7 during reading and the reading optical beam during playback, it is possible to create an independent synchronizing light source and complicate the device, or to split the reading optical beam. Synchronous light can be extracted during reading and reproduction without reducing the power of the light used for reading. Furthermore, if a semiconductor laser is used as a recording light source as in this embodiment, the semiconductor laser can directly modulate based on the image fj, so there is no need to provide a modulator such as an acousto-optic modulator, and the device This is more preferable in terms of simplifying the process.

Note that the reading light beam and the recording light beam do not necessarily need to be incident on the galvanometer mirror from different directions; if they have different wavelengths, they may be combined coaxially and made incident on the galvanometer mirror. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, light in the wavelength range of the reading light beam IA is transmitted through the reading light beam IA and the recording light beam 2A from directions perpendicular to each other, and light in the wavelength range of the recording light beam 2A is transmitted. The light is made incident on the first dichroic mirror that reflects the light and combined, and then made incident on the galvanometer mirror 3 for reflection and deflection. On the optical paths of both reflected and deflected beams, when the device reads image information, a second beam is provided that transmits light in the wavelength range of the reading light beam and reflects light in the wavelength range of the recording light beam. A dichroic mirror 19B is arranged to guide the reading light beam IA onto the stimulable phosphor sheet 4 and to make the two recording light beams incident on the grid IO. When the apparatus reproduces image information, the second dichroic mirror 19B is moved out of the optical path and instead reflects light in the wavelength range of the reading light beam, and reflects light in the wavelength range of the recording light beam. The third dichroic mirror 19c that transmits the light may be moved onto the optical path so that the recording light beam 2A is incident on the recording sheet and the reading light beam IA is incident on the grid 10. In this embodiment, the first. Second and third dichroic mirrors 19A, 19B, 19c
This constitutes an optical path switching means.

In any of the embodiments, if the power of the reading light beam is too large for synchronous light during reproduction, an ND filter or the like is inserted on the optical path to adjust the amount of light, and the light beam is removed from the optical path during reading. Just do it like this. Further, the specific configuration of the device of the present invention is not limited to that shown in each of the embodiments described above, and a rotating polygon mirror may be used as the optical deflector, and a means for detecting stimulated luminescence light may be used. In addition to the light guide shown in Fig. 1, which combines a relatively small photomultiplier, the
-1686 [No. 1, etc.] may be used.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the radiation image information reading and reproducing device of the present invention, by reading and reproducing image information using the same scanning system, conventional reading devices and reproducing devices can be used. , can be integrated without increasing the size of the entire device, and the entire system can be miniaturized. In addition, according to the above device, the recording light beam is used as the synchronous light during reading, and the reading light beam is used as the synchronous light during reproduction, so that the light source for synchronous light oscillation can be used as the reading light source and the reproducing light source. There is no need to provide a separate light beam, and there is also no need to divide the reading light beam into synchronized light beams. Therefore, it is possible to read data without complicating the device, increasing cost, or reducing the power of the excitation light during reading.
The synchronization signal can be detected well during playback as well.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 are perspective views showing a radiation image information reading device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 1... Reading light source IA... Reading light beam 2
...Recording light source 2A...Recording light beam 3.
... Galvanometer mirror 4 ... Stimulative phosphor sheet 7 ... Photo multiplier 9 ... Reflection mirror 10 ... Grid 1
1... Focusing bar 12... Photodetector 1
3...Recording sheet Figure 1 Figure 21-21 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A reading light source that emits a reading light beam, a recording light source that emits a recording light beam, an optical deflector that simultaneously deflects the reading light beam and the recording light beam for main scanning, and a radiation source. a sub-scanning means for moving a stimulable phosphor sheet on which an image has been stored or recorded or a recording sheet for reproducing the radiation image in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main scanning direction; a grid extending in the main scanning direction; a light detection means for detecting the light passing through the stimulable phosphor sheet, and when the stimulable phosphor sheet is moved by the sub-scanning means, the reading light beam deflected by the optical deflector is guided to the stimulable phosphor sheet. The recording light beam deflected by the optical deflector is guided to the grid, and when the recording sheet is moved by the sub-scanning means, the recording light beam deflected by the optical deflector is guided to the grid. an optical path switching means that guides the reading light beam guided to the recording sheet and deflected by the optical deflector to the grid, and stimulated luminescence light emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet by main scanning of the reading light beam. A radiation image information reading and reproducing device consisting of a photoelectric reading means for detection.