JPH0434862B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] This invention scans a transported stimulable phosphor plate with excitation light, reads the radiation latent image recorded on the stimulable phosphor plate, The present invention relates to a radiation image reading device that collects the treated stimulable phosphor plate and continuously reads the processed stimulable phosphor plate.

[Conventional technology]

As an alternative to the conventional photographic method for obtaining radiographic images, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11395/1983,
The radiation emitted from the radiation source and transmitted through the subject is absorbed by a stimulable phosphor plate, and then this stimulable phosphor plate is excited with a certain kind of energy to release the radiation accumulated by this stimulable phosphor plate. 2. Description of the Related Art A device has been proposed that reads a radiation latent image by emitting energy as fluorescence and detecting this fluorescence.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

This type of radiation image reading device scans the stimulable phosphor plate with excitation light while conveying it, and reads the radiation latent image recorded on the stimulable phosphor plate. As a transportation means, a stimulable phosphor plate is attached to a cassette and transported in parallel, but this requires high cost because the cassette requires surface precision, and linear transportation increases the size of the device. It is difficult to maintain flatness during transportation for large-sized materials. Further, there are problems such as a cassette size switching mechanism and the like, which makes the device complicated.

Furthermore, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-11395, there is a device that transports a stimulable phosphor plate using rollers, but this device uses a transport roller to transport the stimulable phosphor plate, so the entire surface of the stimulable phosphor plate is However, there are problems such as scratches and stains caused by sliding contact with the roller, and the film surface peeling off from the end surface due to repeated use.

Furthermore, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-48674, a stimulable phosphor plate is attached to the drum,
Some devices scan this stimulable phosphor plate with excitation light to read the radiation latent image, but in order to transport the stimulable phosphor plate by mounting it on a drum, it is especially important to use stimulable phosphor plates of different sizes. An important issue is to transport the material to a predetermined position on the drum, and to transport the material in close contact with the drum for continuous processing.

This invention was made against the background of the above circumstances, and it is possible to take out stimulable phosphor plates of different sizes set in the main body of the device, easily and reliably bring them into close contact with the drum, and transport them. It is an object of the present invention to provide a radiation image reading device that does not cause scratches or stains on the surface of a plate due to sliding contact with a roller, and is capable of reading continuous radiation images.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above problems, the radiation image reading device of the present invention includes a feeding unit that takes out a stimulable phosphor plate from a cassette or a magazine using a suction means and conveys it toward the outer peripheral surface of a rotating drum; a holding means for positioning the tip of the stimulable phosphor plate conveyed from the drum and pressing it against the outer circumferential surface of the drum; a drum unit having a suction means for suctioning and holding a rear end portion of the body plate on the outer circumferential surface of the drum, and rotating and conveying the stimulable phosphor plate in close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the drum;
an image reading unit that reads a radiation latent image recorded on the stimulable phosphor plate that is conveyed in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the drum; It is characterized by comprising a collection section that collects and stores the drum from the outer circumferential surface of the drum.

[Effect]

In the radiation image reading device of the present invention, a stimulable phosphor plate is sucked and taken out from a cassette or magazine, and the stimulable phosphor plate is conveyed toward the outer circumferential surface of the drum to remove the leading end of the stimulable phosphor plate. The stimulable phosphor plate is positioned and pressed against the outer circumferential surface of the drum, and the rear end of this stimulable phosphor plate is adsorbed and held on the outer circumferential surface of the drum to bring the stimulable phosphor plate into close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the drum. The radiation latent image recorded on the stimulable phosphor plate is read while being conveyed by rotation, and the stimulable phosphor plate that has undergone this reading process is collected from the drum and stored.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the radiation image reading apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a radiation image reading device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a drum section for conveying a stimulable phosphor plate, and FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway plan view of the drum. , FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken from the side shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the suction portion.

In FIG. 1, inside the main body 1 of the radiographic image reading device, there is a feeding section A that takes out a stimulable phosphor plate from a cassette or magazine using suction means and conveys it toward the outer peripheral surface of the drum, and this feeding section A. holding means for positioning and pressingly holding the tip of the stimulable phosphor plate conveyed from the stimulable phosphor plate against the outer circumferential surface of the drum; a drum section B having a suction means stage for suctioning and holding a rear end portion on the outer circumferential surface of the drum, and conveying the stimulable phosphor plate in close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the drum; and an outer circumferential surface of the drum. an image reading unit C that reads a radiation latent image recorded on the stimulable phosphor plate that is conveyed in close contact with the stimulable phosphor plate;
A collecting section D is provided which collects and stores the stimulable phosphor plate that has read and processed the radiation latent image from the outer peripheral surface of the drum.

The feeding section A includes a cassette transport mechanism 2, a suction cup 3 as a suction means, a transport roller 4, and a sensor 5.
It consists of The cassette transport mechanism 2 holds a cassette 7 containing a stimulable phosphor plate 6, and a lid 7a of the cassette 7 is opened by an opening mechanism (not shown), so that the stimulable phosphor plate 6 can be taken out.
The cassette 7 is provided on the side of the main body 1 of the apparatus, a light-shielding lid 8 is opened, and the cassette 7 is inserted into the cassette transport mechanism 2.
The cassette 7 is stopped and set based on the upper position according to its size.

Then, the suction cup 3 moves toward the cassette 7 and adsorbs the photographed stimulable phosphor plate 6 in the cassette 7.
The tip of the stimulable phosphor plate 6 is inserted into the conveyance roller 4 to release the adsorption state. The conveying roller 4 rotates to convey the stimulable phosphor plate 6 toward the outer peripheral surface of the drum of the drum section B. When the sensor 5 detects the tip of the stimulable phosphor plate 6, the conveying roller 4 is rotated based on the signal. will be stopped. This conveyance roller 4 is provided with a clutch mechanism (not shown).

The drum section B is constructed as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5. A cylindrical drum 9 with one end sealed has a support roller 10 provided at an open end 9a.
A drum shaft 11 provided on the side wall 9b is supported by a bearing 12 and is rotatable. This drum shaft 11
A drive gear 13 is provided to be integrally rotatable, power is transmitted from a drive motor (not shown) through a worm gear 14, and the rotation of the drive gear 13 causes the drum 9 to rotate at a predetermined speed.

Inside the drum 9, there is a holding means E for positioning and pressing the leading end of the stimulable phosphor plate 6 against the outer peripheral surface of the drum 9, and a holding means E for positioning and holding the leading end of the stimulable phosphor plate 6 against the outer peripheral surface of the drum 9. A suction means F for suctioning and holding on the surface is provided, and is operated by a power source and a signal input means G.

The holding means E includes a plate holder 15 and an electromagnet 16.
It is composed of. This plate holder 15
The locking portion at the tip protrudes from the outer periphery of the drum 9, and the tip of the stimulable phosphor plate 6 is held between the ends. This plate holder 15 has its shaft portion attached to an electromagnet 16,
It is always urged outward by a spring 17.

The suction means F includes a plurality of suction sections 18 and a control section 19 that controls the suction sections 18. The suction part 18 is a window part 2 opened in the drum 9.
This suction part 18 is connected to a pipe 22 via a joint 21.
The joint 21 is inserted into and fixed to a mounting bracket 23 fixed to the inner surface of the drum 9. The pipe 22 is connected to branch pipes 24 of the control device 19, and each branch pipe 24 is equipped with a solenoid valve.

The window portions 20 of the drum 9 are formed in five rows at predetermined intervals in the axial direction, and the distance between the window portions 20 and the plate holder 15 is set in accordance with the size of the stimulable phosphor plate 6. .

In the control device 19, a pipe 25 is connected to a passage 27 of the drum shaft 11 through a joint 26, and this passage 27 is further connected to a pipe 29 through a rotary joint 28, which communicates with a vacuum generator 30. The pipe 29 is provided with a control valve 31, which adjusts the suction force of the suction unit 18 so that the stimulable phosphor plate 6 smoothly follows the surface of the drum 9.

A balance weight 3 is placed above the inside of the drum 9.
2 is fixed, and this drum 9 reciprocates within a predetermined range. Further, a presser roller 33 is disposed around the outer periphery of the drum 9.

The image reading section C is composed of an argon laser 34, a rotating mirror 35, an f-lens 36, a mirror 37, a cylindrical lens 38, a photo frame 39, a signal processing section 40, a lamp house 41, a fan 42, and the like.

When the stimulable phosphor plate 6 rotates clockwise by the operation of the drum section B and reaches a predetermined position, the laser beam from the argon laser 34 is irradiated by a rotating mirror 35 via a modulator, a mirror, etc. The laser beam irradiated at a certain angle by the rotating mirror 35 passes through the f-lens 36, the mirror 37, and the cylindrical lens 38, and is irradiated onto the stimulable phosphor plate 6 in close contact with the drum 9. Therefore, fluorescence is generated from the stimulable phosphor plate 6. This light is collected by a glass fiber or the like and converted into electricity by a photomultiplier 39. The information thus obtained is processed by the output signal in the signal processing section 40, and the radiation latent image recorded on the stimulable phosphor plate 6 is reproduced. The lamp house 41 is arranged along the outer periphery of the drum 9, and the stimulable phosphor plate 6 enters inside to remove afterimages. The lamp house 41 is designed to vary or swing the conveying speed of the drum 9 according to the capacity of the lamp so that uneven erasing does not occur.

Incidentally, instead of this lamp house 41, an appropriate number of units made of aperture type white fluorescent lamps may be provided.

The fan 42 is provided on the upper side wall of the device 1,
Heat generated from the argon laser 34 or the lamp house 41 is forcibly discharged to the outside of the apparatus to promote ventilation.

The collection section D that stores the processed stimulable phosphor plate 6 is composed of a guide section consisting of a collection roller 43 and a switching plate 44, a sorter magazine 45, and a receive magazine 46. The stimulable phosphor plate 6 that has been completely erased is stored in the sorter magazine 43 by operating the switching plate 44. When the switching plate 44 is returned to its original position, the stimulable phosphor plates 6 are collected in a receive magazine 46 that accommodates different sizes of stimulable phosphor plates 6.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

The stimulable phosphor plate 6 housed in the cassette 7 is inserted into the cassette transport mechanism 2 of the feeding section A from the direction of the arrow X. This cassette 7 is set at a predetermined position depending on its size. Then, the cassette transport mechanism 2 opens the lid of the cassette 7, and the stimulable phosphor plate 6 is removed.
make it removable. The suction cup 3 attracts the stimulable phosphor plate 6 and guides its tip to the conveyance roller 4.The suction cup 3 separates from the stimulable phosphor plate 6, the conveyance roller 4 rotates, and the stimulable phosphor plate 6 is removed. is sent out toward the outer peripheral surface of the drum 9. When the sensor 5 detects the tip of the stimulable phosphor plate 6, the conveyance roller 4 stops rotating. At this position, the leading end of the stimulable phosphor plate 6 is at the locking position of the plate holder 15 provided on the drum 9, and is thus positioned. Then, the electromagnet 16 is activated by a control signal from the power supply and signal input means G, and the plate holder 15 is pulled inward of the drum 9 against the spring 17, thereby causing the tip 6a of the stimulable phosphor plate 6 to
is locked by the plate holder 15 and held pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the drum 9.

Next, a driving force is transmitted to the worm gear 14 and the driving gear 13 by a driving device (not shown), whereby the drum 9 rotates clockwise in FIG. 1. At this time, the rear end 6b of the stimulable phosphor plate 6 is attracted by the suction portion 18, and the stimulable phosphor plate 6 is held in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the drum 9.

The size of the stimulable phosphor plate 6 is determined in advance when the cassette 7 is inserted, and the corresponding adsorption section 18 is operated by the control device 19. For example, when the longest size stimulable phosphor plate 6 is inserted, the information is transmitted from the current and signal input means G to the control device 1.
9 is input. Based on this information, the control device 19 opens the solenoid valve of the branch pipe 24 and operates the suction section 18 in the fifth row arranged in the axial direction of the drum 9. At this time, the solenoid valves of the other branch pipes 24 are closed, and only the solenoid valves corresponding to the adsorption portions 18 in the fifth row are open.

When the stimulable phosphor plate 6 rotates clockwise by the operation of the drum part B and reaches a predetermined position, the laser beam from the argon laser 34 is transferred to the rotating mirror 3.
The stimulable phosphor plate 6 in close contact with the drum 9 is irradiated with the stimulable phosphor plate 6 through the f-lens 36, mirror 37, and cylindrical lens 38. Therefore, fluorescence is generated from the stimulable phosphor plate 6. This light is collected by a glass fiber or the like and converted into electricity by a photomultiplier 39. The information thus obtained is processed by the output signal in the signal processing section 40, and the radiation latent image recorded on the stimulable phosphor plate 6 is reproduced.

Furthermore, this stimulable phosphor plate 6 is connected to the lamp house 4.
1, at which the conveyance speed of the drum 9 is changed and the afterimage is removed by swinging in the direction of the arrow. And the stimulable phosphor plate 6 from which the afterimage has been removed
The drum 9 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, the plate holder 15 and the suction section 18 are opened at a predetermined position, and the drum 9 is sent to the collecting section D. In this collection section D, the sorter magazine 45 and the receive magazine 46 are separated by the operation of the collection roller 43 and the switching plate 44.
will be collected. Alternatively, it may be returned to the original cassette 7 for recovery.

In this embodiment, the drum unit B for transporting the stimulable phosphor plate 6 is placed in the center of the apparatus 1, and the image reading unit C for reading the radiation latent image is arranged above.
A feeding unit A that sends the stimulable phosphor plate 6 downward and a recovery unit D that collects the processed stimulable phosphor plate 6 are provided, and the stimulable phosphor plate 6 is continuously read and processed. .

Therefore, the installation area is small and the entire device is miniaturized, and since the image reading section C having an optical system for reading the radiation latent image is disposed in the upper part, dustproofness and maintainability are excellent. Further, since a feeding section A for feeding the stimulable phosphor plate 6 and a collecting section D for recovering the processed stimulable phosphor plate 6 are arranged below, the cassette 7, the sorter magazine 45, and the receive magazine 46 is located at a low position, making it easy to handle and reducing operational fatigue.
can be used to directly insert photographic equipment, improving usage efficiency.

Further, since the radiation latent image is read by bringing the stimulable phosphor plate taken out from the cassette or magazine into close contact with the outer periphery of the rotating drum 9, the surface precision of the stimulable phosphor plate 6 is improved and the reading accuracy is improved. Furthermore, the front end of the stimulable phosphor plate 6 is held by the holding means E.
Since the rear end is supported by the suction means F and rotates together with the drum 9, the stimulable phosphor plate 6
There is little dirt on the membrane surface.

6 and 7 show other embodiments of the feeding section A for feeding the stimulable phosphor plate 6, and FIG. 6 shows a receiving magazine 46 collected during cassetteless photography.
is inserted and taken out using suction cup 3. FIG. 7 shows a device in which only the cassette 7 can be inserted, which allows the device to be made lower and more compact.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show schematic diagrams of still other embodiments.

In FIG. 8, a feeding section A and a collecting section D are provided in one upper part of the inside of the apparatus, and an image reading section C and an erasing light source H are arranged around a drum section B.

In FIG. 9, a feeding section A is provided to be movable up and down and is also used as a collecting section, which is useful for reading a stimulable phosphor plate 6 coated on both sides. The feeding section A is conveyed at the bottom to read the surface, and the feeding section A
Move it to the top and collect it. It is moved to the lower part and conveyed from the feeding section A to read the back side, and the feeding section A is moved to the upper part again to collect the processed stimulable phosphor plate 6.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the present invention includes a feeding section that takes out a stimulable phosphor plate from a cassette or magazine using a suction means and conveys it toward the outer peripheral surface of the drum, and a feeding section that brings the stimulable phosphor plate into close contact with the outer surface of the drum. A drum section that rotates and is conveyed, an image reading section that reads a radiation latent image recorded on a stimulable phosphor plate that is conveyed in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the drum, and a stimulable phosphor that reads and processes the radiation latent image. Since the device is equipped with a collection section that collects and stores the plates from the outer circumferential surface of the drum, the stimulable phosphor plates set in the main body of the device are taken out and conveyed in close contact with the drum, allowing continuous radiation image reading. is possible.

The drum section also includes a holding means for positioning and pressing the tip of the stimulable phosphor plate conveyed from the feeding section against the outer peripheral surface of the drum, and a holding means selected according to the size of the stimulable phosphor plate. It has a suction means that operates to suction and hold the rear end of the stimulable phosphor plate on the outer peripheral surface of the drum, so that even if stimulable phosphor plates of different sizes are conveyed from the feeding section, By positioning the leading end of the body plate and pressing it against the outer circumferential surface of the drum, and by adsorbing and holding the rear end of the stimulable phosphor plate on the outer circumferential surface of the drum, the stimulable phosphor plate is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the drum. They can be easily and reliably brought into close contact and rotated and transported. Therefore, the surface of the stimulable phosphor plate is not scratched or soiled by sliding contact with the roller during transportation, and it is possible to read successive radiation images of stimulable phosphor plates of different sizes.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a radiation image reading device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a drum section for conveying a stimulable phosphor plate, and FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway plan view of the drum. , FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the suction section, and FIGS. 6 and 7 show other embodiments of the feeding section A for feeding the stimulable phosphor plate. A front view, FIG. 8 is a front view of an embodiment in which a feeding section and a collecting section are provided in one upper part of the inside of the device, and FIG. 9 is a front view of an embodiment in which the feeding section is provided so as to be movable up and down. It is. A... Feeding section, B... Drum section, C... Image reading section,
D...Recovery section, 6...Storage phosphor plate.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A feeding unit that takes out a stimulable phosphor plate from a cassette or magazine using suction means and conveys it toward the outer peripheral surface of the drum; and holding means for positioning and pressing the leading end of the stimulable phosphor plate against the outer circumferential surface of the drum; a drum unit for rotating and transporting the stimulable phosphor plate in close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the drum; an image reading unit that reads a radiation latent image recorded on a phosphor plate; and a collection unit that reads the radiation latent image and collects the processed stimulable phosphor plate from the outer peripheral surface of the drum and stores it. A radiation image reading device characterized by: