JPH0197944A - Radiographic information reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce a setting space by arranging a sheet supply and housing part which takes in and out a sheet housing means on the floor of a photographing room and a reading part which occupies the space the most under the floor of the photographing room. CONSTITUTION:The sheet supply and housing part 10 which must take in and out the sheet housing means 2 such as a cassette, a magazine and a tray for a reader 4 is arranged on the floor 100a of the photographing room 100 or a space for performing the operation accompanied with photographing. And the reading part which need not be touched with the hand directly and is a comparatively large space is arranged under the floor 100a of the photographing room 100 or the space for performing the operation accompanied with the photographing. Thus, the space for setting the reader 4 can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of the Invention) The present invention relates to a radiation image information reading device used in a radiation image information recording and reproducing system.
The present invention relates to a radiation image information reading device that can substantially reduce the installation space of the device.

(Prior art) When a certain type of phosphor is irradiated with radiation (X-rays, α-rays, β-rays, γ-rays, electron beams, ultraviolet rays, etc.), a part of this radiation energy is accumulated in the phosphor, and this It is known that when a phosphor is irradiated with excitation light such as visible light, the phosphor exhibits stimulated luminescence depending on the accumulated energy. It is called an exhaustible phosphor).

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, 55-16
No. 3472.

No. 5B-104845, No. 55-118340, etc. ) In the above system, the stimulable phosphor sheet is generally stored in a sheet storage means such as a cassette or magazine, and is normally used for imaging in a photography room to accumulate and record transmitted radiation images of the subject, and then loaded into an image reading device. The image information is then read. The stimulable phosphor sheet is loaded into the image reading device while being stored in the sheet storage means, and after being taken out from the sheet storage means within the device, it is two-dimensionally scanned by excitation light in the reading section. The image information is read by photoelectrically detecting the stimulated luminescent light carrying radiation image information emitted from the sheet by this scanning. The stimulable phosphor sheet that has been read is carried into the apparatus into a sheet storage means such as a cassette or a tray capable of storing a plurality of stimulable phosphor sheets, and then taken out of the apparatus. The stimulable phosphor sheet taken out from the reading device is sent to an erasing device that releases the radiation energy remaining in the stimulable phosphor sheet that has been read by irradiating it with erasing light, and erases it. It becomes something that can be used for photography. Note that this erasing device is installed in the image reading device.
4 may be incorporated.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for reducing the installation space of each device as much as possible in order to make the entire system as compact as possible. It is especially desirable to improve the configuration and arrangement of image reading devices, which are relatively large devices.

The present invention has been made based on the above-mentioned need, and an object of the present invention is to provide a radiation image information reading device that can substantially reduce the installation space and make the entire system compact.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The radiation image information reading device of the present invention removably holds a first sheet storage means capable of storing a stimulable phosphor sheet on which radiation image information is accumulated and recorded;
a sheet supply unit having a take-out means for taking out the stimulable phosphor sheet in the first sheet storage means; irradiating the stimulable phosphor sheet with excitation light to extract the radiation image information from the stimulable phosphor sheet; a reading unit that generates stimulated luminescent light carrying a stimulable luminescent light and photoelectrically detects the stimulated luminescent light to obtain an image signal; a stimulable phosphor sheet from which reading of the radiation image information has been completed in the reading unit is stored; a sheet storage section that removably holds a possible second sheet storage means, and a stimulable phosphor sheet taken out from the first sheet storage means in the sheet supply section, and after conveying the sheet to the reading section. comprising a sheet conveyance means for carrying the sheet into the second sheet storage means in the storage section, and the reading section is attached to a photographing room or a photographing room that is equipped with a radiation source and irradiates the stimulable phosphor sheet with radiation through the subject. the sheet supply section and the sheet storage section are arranged under the floor of a space for performing work associated with photographing, and the sheet supply section and the sheet storage section are arranged on the floor of the photographing room or a space for performing work incidental to photographing. It is. Here, the space for performing work associated with imaging refers to a work space for a radiologist, a dark room, a space where an X-ray controller is placed, and the like.

In addition, the sheet supply means and the sheet storage means are integrated, and the first
The sheet storage means and the second sheet storage means may be the same.

(Function) The above device has a sheet supply section and a sheet storage section where it is necessary to take sheet storage means such as cassettes, magazines, and trays into and out of the device, in a photographing room or on the floor of a space where work associated with photographing is performed. By placing the reading unit, which is a relatively large part and does not require direct contact with the child, under the floor of the photography room or space used for work related to photography, it is virtually possible to install the reading device. Space can be reduced. In addition, by placing the reading device on the floor or under the floor of the photography room or space where work related to photography is performed,
The photographed stimulable phosphor sheet can be immediately loaded into the reading device, improving work efficiency.

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

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a radiation image information reading device according to an embodiment of the present invention installed in an imaging room.

The photographing room 100 is equipped with a radiation source 101 such as an X-ray source, and the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 stored in the cassette 2 is irradiated with radiation through the subject 3 in the photographing room. 1, radiation image information of the subject 3 is accumulated and recorded. In the photographing room 100, for example, a photographing table 102 for standing photographing and a photographing table 103 for lying photographing are installed, and the cassette 2 containing the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is placed on these photographing tables as appropriate. It is loaded and ready for shooting. When the imaging is completed, the cassette 2 is taken out from the imaging stand and is placed in a radiation image information reading device 4, which will be described below.
is loaded into. Incidentally, the cassette 2 has radiation transparency as well as light shielding properties.

In the radiographic image information reading device 4 of this embodiment, only the sheet supply storage unit IO that removably holds the cassette 2 protrudes above the floor 100a of the imaging room 100, and the remaining parts are arranged below the floor 100a. ing. The cassette 2 containing the photographed stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is loaded into the sheet supply storage section 10, and the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 in the cassette 2 is taken out from the cassette in the sheet supply storage section 1O, as will be described later. After being sent to the reading section and the erasing section, it is again carried into the cassette 2 held in the sheet supply and storage section IO. Therefore, an operator such as a radiologic technologist in the imaging room 100 can repeatedly perform imaging simply by loading and unloading the cassette 2 into the sheet supply storage section.

Next, details of the structure of the reading device will be explained with reference to FIG.

This reading device includes a reading section 20 for reading image information accumulated and recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet in the sheet supply storage section IO1;
The apparatus is equipped with an erasing section 30 for erasing image information remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet after reading, and the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is transferred from the sheet supply storage section l〇 to the reading section 2 within the apparatus.
A sheet conveying means 50 consisting of an endless belt, a roller, a guide plate, etc. is provided to convey the sheet in the order of 0→erasing section 30→sheet supply/storage section IO.

As described above, the cassette 2 in which the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 stored in the photographing room 100 has been photographed is loaded into the sheet supply/storage section IO from the cassette outlet 10a. The cassette 2 consists of a cassette main body 2a that stores a stimulable phosphor sheet and a lid 2b that can be opened and closed.The lid 2b is closed when the cassette 2 is loaded into the sheet supply storage section IO. Although,
In the sheet supply storage section 10, when the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 inside is taken out, the lid opening means 1 such as a suction cup is used.
1 opens the lid part 2b as shown in the figure. When the lid 2b is opened, a stimulable phosphor sheet take-out means 12 such as a suction cup enters the cassette 2, sucks up the stimulable phosphor sheet 1, and transfers it to a nearby sheet conveying means 50. The stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is housed in the cassette 2 so that the front surface on which the stimulable phosphor layer is formed faces down.

The stimulable phosphor sheet 1 taken out from the cassette 2 as described above is conveyed in the direction of arrow A1 by the sheet conveying section means 50, and sent to the underfloor portion of the photographing room 100 described above. When the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is thus transported in the direction of the arrow A1 and placed below the cassette 2 at the position indicated by the broken line in the figure, three endless belts 51a, which are a part of the sheet transport means 50, are transported.

51b and 51c rotate to transport the stimulable phosphor sheet in the direction of arrow A2. Note that two pairs of nip rollers 52 and 53 are provided between these endless belts, and each upper roller 5 of these nip rollers
2a and 53a are movable up and down, and when the photographed stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is conveyed from above as described above, they take an upper position away from the lower rollers 52b and 53b, so that the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 This does not affect the conveyance of body sheets. The stimulable phosphor sheet 1 further includes an endless belt 54.
A, 54B in the directions of arrows A3 and A4, and prior to being sent to the reading section 20, the paper is carried into the first stacker 40 provided in the transport path.

The first stacker 40, as shown in FIG. 3, which is a sectional view taken along the line 1-1 in FIG. Support plate 4
A plurality of stimulable phosphor sheets can be stored by placing the stimulable phosphor sheets 1 one by one on 2. This stacker 40 is connected to the housing 41 on an endless belt 44 that is driven by a motor 43 and rotates in both forward and reverse directions.
is fixed, and is movable in the vertical direction as the endless belt 44 rotates. The movement range of the stacker 40 is from the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 to the position shown by the chain line, and all the partition plates 42 in the housing 41 can be adjacent to the endless belt 54B.

As mentioned above, the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 conveyed in the direction of arrow A is moved from the empty partition plate 42 to the endless belt 54 in advance.
It is carried into the stacker 40 which is being moved so that it is arranged at a position adjacent to B. In this manner, the stimulable phosphor sheets 1 taken out from the cassette 2 in the sheet supply/storage section IO are sequentially carried into the first stacker 40 and are once kept on standby within the stacker 4G. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, each of the sheet feed-in side ends of the partition plate 42 is provided with a sheet feed-out plate 4B that can be rotated between a position shown by a solid line and a position shown by a broken line in the figure by a rotary solenoid 45 or the like. is provided, and when taking out the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 from inside the casing 41, the end of the stimulable phosphor sheet is pushed by this sheet feeding plate 4B and the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is removed from the casing 41.
The paper is carried out from there and passed to the adjacent endless belt 54C and rollers 55. The stimulable phosphor sheet 1 taken out from the first stacker 40 is conveyed in the direction of arrow A5+AI+ by endless belts 54C and 54D and sent to the reading section 2o.

If some of the stimulable phosphor sheets 1 taken out from the cassette 2 are carried into the stacker 40 and placed on standby, the preceding stimulable phosphor sheets are read in the reading section 20. Even if the stimulable phosphor sheet has already been photographed, a new cassette containing the photographed stimulable phosphor sheet can be loaded into the sheet supply storage section IO, and the sheet can be taken out from the stimulable phosphor cassette, allowing efficient sheet circulation. .

The reading unit 20 scans the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 on which image information has been accumulated and recorded with an excitation light 21 such as a laser beam,
The stimulated luminescent light emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 by the scanning is photoelectrically read by a photoelectric reading means 22 such as a photomultiplier to obtain an electrical image signal for outputting a visible image. . In the figure, 23 is an excitation light source, 24 is a light deflector such as a galvanometer mirror, and 25 is a light guide 22a of a photoelectric reading means (the light guide 22a is a photoelectric reading means) which transmits stimulated luminescence light emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet 1. A photodetector 22 such as a photomultiplier while totally reflecting the light
It is a reflecting mirror that reflects the light toward

The stimulable phosphor sheet 1 carried into the reading section 20 is conveyed in the direction of arrow A7 by the sheet conveying means 50, and the entire surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet is two-dimensionally illuminated by the excitation light 21 that is deflected approximately perpendicularly to the feeding direction. is scanned to produce stimulated luminescence light, which is detected by the photodetector 22b via the light guide 22a. Photodetector 22
In b, the stimulated luminescence light is converted into an electrical signal, and the obtained electrical signal is sent to the image processing circuit 27 for image processing.

In addition, in reading the radiation image information, prior to the reading (main reading) to obtain the image signal for visible image output described above, the outline of the radiation image information stored and recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet is read in advance. Look ahead,
A method is known in which reading conditions and the like for performing the main reading are determined based on the image information obtained by this pre-reading, and the main reading is performed according to the reading conditions.

As a method for performing such pre-reading, for example, the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is scanned using excitation light with an energy lower than that of the excitation light used for the above-mentioned main reading, and the stimulated luminescence light emitted by this scanning is Similarly, a method of reading by photoelectric reading means (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-672
(see Publication No. 40), etc.

The reading section in the present invention may be a section that performs only main reading as described above, or a section that performs both main reading and pre-reading. For example, the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is conveyed in the direction of arrow A7 to perform pre-reading, then the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is conveyed back in the direction of arrow A8 by switchback to return to the reading start position, and then again in the direction of arrow A7. What is necessary is to carry it and read it. Note that the optical members disposed in the reading section are not limited to those described above; for example, as a photoelectric reading means, a long photomultiplier is arranged along the main scanning line, and a photomultiplier is arranged along the main scanning line to detect stimulated luminescence light. Detection may also be carried out (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 82-18868, etc.).

As described above, the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 whose image information has been read in the reading section 20 is placed on the endless belt 54.
After being carried out onto E, the endless belt 54E transports the paper in the direction of arrow A9 toward the erasing section 30.

The erasing unit 30 erases the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 after the reading is completed.
This is for erasing the radiation image information remaining in the stimulable phosphor (releasing the radiation energy remaining in the stimulable phosphor). That is, some of the radiation image information stored and recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 still remains on the stimulable phosphor sheet after being read, and in order to reuse the stimulable phosphor sheet 1, this information is removed. The remaining image information is erased in the erasing section 30. Erasing unit 30 in this embodiment
is provided with erasing light sources 31 such as a fluorescent lamp, a tungsten lamp, a sodium lamp, a xenon lamp, an iodine lamp, etc., and the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is exposed to light from these erasing light sources 31 while being conveyed in the direction of arrow AI@. Upon irradiation, the residual radiation energy on the stimulable phosphor sheet is released. Note that the erasing method in the erasing section 30 may be any known method, and erasing may be performed using heating or a combination of light irradiation and heating.

The stimulable phosphor sheet 1 that has been erased in the erasing section 30 is carried into a second stacker 60 provided adjacent to the erasing section 30 . This second stacker 60 has exactly the same structure as the first stacker 40 described above, and is capable of storing a plurality of stimulable phosphor sheets in the erasing section, and can store the stored stimulable phosphor sheets into one. It can be carried out one by one. Further, the second stacker 60 already accommodates a plurality of stimulable phosphor sheets ready for photographing before the above-mentioned stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is carried in. That is, any sheet can be selected and carried out from the second stacker 60, but this sheet can be carried out from among the stimulable phosphor sheets stored in the stacker 60 from the sheet supply storage unit IO. A stimulable phosphor sheet suitable for the cassette loaded in the cassette 2 is selected and immediately after the stimulable phosphor sheet is taken out from the cassette 2 as described above. A second stacker 60 like this
By providing this, the cassette 2 containing the photographed stimulable phosphor sheet is loaded into the sheet supply storage section 10, and the empty cassette is removed within a short time after the stimulable phosphor sheet is taken out. A new stimulable phosphor sheet can be carried in, and the cassette 2 into which the stimulable phosphor sheet has been carried can be immediately taken out from the sheet supply storage section 10 for photographing. Furthermore, even if the size of the stimulable phosphor sheets held in the cassette 2 differs from cassette to cassette, various stimulable phosphor sheets are stored in the second stacker 60 in advance, and the sheets are stored in the sheet supply storage section. Since the stimulable phosphor sheet can be selected and carried out from the stacker 60 according to the size of the cassette loaded in the cassette, the stimulable phosphor sheet can be efficiently circulated and reused regardless of the size of the stimulable phosphor sheet. Can be done. In addition,
In order to store various stimulable phosphor sheets in the stacker 60 in advance, the stimulable phosphor sheets should not be taken out from the stacker 60 for a while after the start of use of the apparatus. Alternatively, unused stimulable phosphor sheets of various sizes may be stored in the stacker in advance before the apparatus starts to be used.

The stimulable phosphor sheet discharged from the second stacker 60 as described above is conveyed in the direction of arrow A by the endless belt 54F adjacent to the stacker 60. 2 was stored in the stacker 6θ before being loaded into the sheet supply storage unit 1O. A secondary erasing section 80 provided in the area receives light irradiation from an erasing light source 81. That is, even if the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is erased once, after a certain period of time elapses, the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is exposed to radiation emitted from radioactive isotopes such as 2sRa and 40 that are mixed in trace amounts in the stimulable phosphor. , X-rays from cosmic rays and other X-ray sources
Radiation energy is accumulated by environmental radiation such as radiation,
This radiation energy may become noise in the next captured image. To prevent this noise from occurring,
The stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is made to pass through the secondary erasing section 80, and the radiation energy accumulated in the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 during the waiting time in the second stacker 60 is removed from the stimulable phosphor sheet 1. Erasing (so-called secondary erasing) is performed to emit . The stimulable phosphor sheet 1 that has passed through the secondary erasing section 80 is conveyed onto the endless belt 54G, and then conveyed by the endless belt 54G in the force direction of arrow A to the three endless belts 51a,
51b and 51c.

When the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 of the erasing section is conveyed, these endless belts 51a, 51b, 5
1C, the stimulable phosphor sheet is transported only until it reaches the position indicated by the broken line, and when the stimulable phosphor sheet stops at the position indicated by the broken line, the upper rollers 52a and 53a of the two pairs of nip rollers 52 and 53 move to the lower rollers, respectively. 52b
, 53b, descend to the position where the stimulable phosphor sheet is held, rotate, and hold the stimulable phosphor sheet in the direction of the arrow AH).
transport in the direction. The stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is further conveyed in the direction of arrow A14 by the sheet conveying means 50 and carried into the empty cassette 2 held within the sheet supply and storage section 10.

In this way, according to the reading device of this embodiment, only the sheet supply storage section where it is necessary to take the cassette into and out of the device protrudes above the floor, and the rest of the section is placed under the floor of the photographing room. The actual installation space for the device is only the installation space for the sheet supply storage section, and the installation space for the reading device can be substantially reduced. Further, since the cassette can be taken in and out of the reading device in the photographing room, work efficiency is improved.

Note that although the above-mentioned embodiment device is provided with two stackers as described above in order to efficiently reuse the stimulable phosphor sheets, the stimulable phosphor sheets taken out from one cassette are read. If the stimulable phosphor sheet in the next cassette needs to be processed after the cassette is sent to the storage section, eraser section, etc. and returned to the original cassette, and then this cassette is taken out from the device, the above two stackers are not necessarily used. Not necessary. In addition, the above-mentioned device has a structure in which the stimulable phosphor sheet of the erasing unit is carried into the empty cassette from which the stimulable phosphor sheet that has been imaged has been taken out. The sheet supply section that takes out the body sheet from the cassette and supplies it to the device, and the sheet storage section that stores the stimulable phosphor sheet that has been read and erased into the cassette are integrated, but the cassette can be attached and removed freely. The sheet supply section and the sheet storage section may be separated by providing portions for holding the sheets in front of the reading section and ahead of the erasing section, respectively. Further, a first sheet storage means for storing and loading photographed stimulable phosphor sheets into the sheet supply section and a second sheet storage means for carrying in the stimulable phosphor sheets of the erasing section are connected to the aforementioned cassette. It is not limited. In other words, in addition to photographing a stimulable phosphor sheet held in a cassette, the photographing device also shoots a plurality of stimulable phosphor sheets stored in a sheet supply magazine when performing continuous photographing. There are cases where images are taken one by one and photographed. The stimulable phosphor sheets that have been photographed are sequentially stored in a sheet storage magazine, and the sheet storage magazine containing the stimulable phosphor sheets is loaded into a reader and the stimulable phosphor sheets inside are read. It is done. The reading device of the present invention may be compatible with such an imaging method, and the sheet supply section may hold the sheet storage magazine. In that case, a tray capable of storing a plurality of stimulable phosphor sheets may be loaded into the sheet storage section as a second sheet storage means. Furthermore, if the erasing section is provided inside the reading device as in the device of the above embodiment, it is convenient because the stimulable phosphor sheet taken out from the device can be immediately used for photographing, but the device of the present invention The stimulable phosphor sheet may be used only for reading, or the stimulable phosphor sheet after reading may be collected on a tray or the like, removed from the apparatus, and sent to an external erasing apparatus.

Incidentally, the image information read by the above reading device is recorded by scanning a recording sheet with a light beam modulated based on the image information, and reproduced as a visible image. In order to miniaturize the entire radiographic image information recording and reproducing system, it is effective if a part of the image reproducing device that records the image information can be disposed under the floor of the imaging room together with the image reading section. Next, referring to FIG. 5, a description will be given of an embodiment in which an image reproducing device and an image reading device are electrically connected and both are placed above and below the floor of a photography room. The image reading device in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is exactly the same as that shown in FIG. 2, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

The illustrated image reproducing device 5 is disposed adjacent to the image reading device 4, and is disposed so that only the portion above the - dotted chain line X protrudes above the floor of the photographing room. This image reproducing device includes a magazine holding section 11G that removably holds a magazine 7 that stores a plurality of recording sheets, a reproducing section 120 that records image information read by a reading section 20 on a recording sheet, and a reproducing section 120 that records image information read by a reading section 20 on a recording sheet. an automatic developing section 130 that performs development processing on developed recording sheets; a tray holding section 140 that removably holds a tray 8 that stores a plurality of developed recording sheets; and a tray holding section 140 that conveys recording sheets to each of the above-mentioned sections. It consists of a recording sheet conveying means 150 or 5. When the magazine 7 containing a plurality of recording sheets 6 is loaded into the magazine holding section 110 from the magazine loading port 110a, one recording sheet 6 is taken out from the magazine 7 by the suction means 111 and transferred to the nearby recording sheet conveying means 15G. passed to. This recording sheet conveying means 150 receives and picks up the recording sheet 6 and moves it toward the reproducing section 120 as indicated by the arrow B1. Convey in direction B2. The recording sheet 6 is scanned by the recording light 121 while being conveyed in the direction of arrow B3 by the recording sheet conveyance means in the reproducing section. This recording light 121 is emitted from a recording light source 122, modulated by a modulator 123, and then scanned by an optical deflector 124 such as a galvanometer mirror in a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording sheet.
The modulator 123 is connected to the image processing circuit 27 of the reading section 20.
It is driven based on the image signal output from. A recording sheet is fed into the reproducing section 120 each time one stimulable phosphor sheet is read in the reading section 20, and the read image information is immediately reproduced.

The recording sheet 6 whose image information has been reproduced in the reproducing section 120 is conveyed by the recording sheet conveying means 150 to the automatic developing section 13G adjacent to the reproducing apparatus. In the automatic development section 130, the recording sheet is placed in the development zone 13.
1. The recording sheet is sequentially sent to the fixing zone 132, the washing zone 133, and the drying zone 134, where it is subjected to development processing, and the recording sheet that has been developed is transferred to the B4 by the recording sheet conveying means 15G.
~B6 direction and sequentially loaded into the trays 8 in the tray holding section 140.

In this way, installing a playback device along with a reading device in the shooting room is convenient because the image information taken in the shooting room can be visualized on the spot in a short time. Since the system can be placed under the floor, the actual installation space for the entire system can be further reduced.

In the above embodiment, the reading unit is placed under the floor of the photography room, and the sheet supply unit and sheet storage unit are placed above the floor. The reading unit may be placed under the floor of a space for performing the test, such as a radiologist's work space, a darkroom, or a space where an X-ray controller is placed, and a sheet supply unit and a sheet storage unit may be placed above the floor.

Note that the image information may be reproduced for one recording sheet each time one stimulable phosphor sheet is read as described above, or the image information may be reproduced for one recording sheet each time one stimulable phosphor sheet is read, or the image information may be reproduced for a plurality of stimulable phosphor sheets first in the reading section. It is also possible to read the images continuously, temporarily store all the read image information in memory, and then record the image information continuously on a plurality of recording sheets. In addition, without having to reproduce all the image information that has been read as a hard copy on the recording sheet, the image information can be displayed on a CRT display device, etc., and only the necessary images can be reproduced as a hard copy on the recording sheet. .

(Effects of the Invention) As described above in detail, according to the radiation image information reading device of the present invention, the sheet supply section and the sheet storage section for loading and unloading sheet storage means such as cassettes and magazines from the device are arranged in the imaging room. By placing the reading unit on the floor, which takes up the most space, under the floor of the photography room, the actual installation space for the reading device can be reduced.

Furthermore, since the stimulable phosphor sheet that has been photographed can be loaded into the reading device on the spot, work efficiency is improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a radiographic image information reading device according to an embodiment of the present invention arranged in an imaging room, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the reading device, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a stacker, and FIG. This figure is a perspective view of a support plate, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an image reproducing device installed in combination with an image reading device in another embodiment of the present invention. 1...Stormable phosphor sheet 2...Cassette 10.
...Sheet supply storage section 20...Reading section 30...
・Erasing section 50...Sheet conveyance means 10
0... Photography room 100a... Floor 101...
radiation source

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Detachably hold a first sheet storage means capable of storing a stimulable phosphor sheet on which radiation image information is stored and recorded, and take out the stimulable phosphor sheet from the first sheet storage means. a sheet supply unit having a take-out means; irradiating the stimulable phosphor sheet with excitation light to generate stimulated luminescence light carrying the radiation image information from the stimulable phosphor sheet; a reading unit that photoelectrically detects and obtains an image signal; a sheet storage unit that removably holds a second sheet storage unit capable of storing a stimulable phosphor sheet from which the radiation image information has been read in the reading unit; , and sheet conveyance means for conveying the stimulable phosphor sheet taken out from the first sheet storage means in the sheet supplying section to the reading section and then transporting it into the second sheet storage means in the sheet storage section. , the reading unit is disposed under the floor of a photography room that is equipped with a radiation source and irradiates the stimulable phosphor sheet with radiation through the subject, or a space for performing work incidental to photography, and the reading unit is located under the floor of a space for performing work incidental to photography, and 1. A radiation image information reading device characterized in that a storage section and a sheet storage section are arranged on the floor of the imaging room or a space for performing work incidental to imaging. (2) The radiation image according to claim 1, wherein the sheet supply section and the sheet storage section are integrated, and the first sheet storage means and the second sheet storage means are the same. Information reading device.