JPH0543626B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a sheet sorting and conveying device. The present invention relates to a stimulable phosphor sheet sorting and conveying device configured to prevent scratches or the like from occurring on the stimulable phosphor sheet when distributing the stimulable phosphor sheet.

[Prior Art] Recently, a radiation image information recording and reproducing system that obtains a radiation image of a subject using a stimulable phosphor has been attracting attention. Here, stimulable phosphors are radiation (X-rays, α-rays, β-rays, γ-rays, electron beams, ultraviolet rays, etc.)
A phosphor that accumulates a portion of this radiation energy when irradiated with it, and then emits stimulated luminescence light corresponding to the accumulated energy when it is later irradiated with excitation light such as visible light.

The radiation image information recording and reproducing system described above utilizes this stimulable phosphor, and first, radiation image information of a subject such as a human body is recorded on a sheet having a layer of stimulable phosphor (hereinafter referred to as ``stimulable phosphor''). (hereinafter referred to as "sheet" or simply "sheet"). Then, this stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned with excitation light such as a laser beam to generate stimulated luminescence light,
The obtained stimulated luminescence light is read photoelectrically to obtain an image signal, and based on this image signal, a radiation image of the subject is recorded on a recording material such as a photographic light-sensitive material, or
This is to output it as a visible image on a CRT or the like.
Regarding this type of technology, please refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 55-
It is disclosed in No. 12429, No. 56-11395, etc.

Incidentally, this system has the practical advantage of being able to record images over a much wider radiation exposure range than conventional radiographic systems using intensifying screens and X-ray films. That is,
In a stimulable phosphor, it is recognized that the amount of emitted light that is stimulated to emit light upon excitation after accumulation is proportional to the amount of radiation exposure over an extremely wide range.

Therefore, even if the amount of radiation exposure varies considerably due to various imaging conditions, the amount of emitted light is read by the photoelectric conversion means with the reading gain set to an appropriate value and converted into an electrical signal, and this electrical signal is converted into an electrical signal. If the signal is used to output a visible image to a recording material such as a photographic light-sensitive material or a display device such as a CRT, a radiation image that is not affected by fluctuations in radiation exposure can be obtained.

In addition, according to this system, after converting the radiation image information stored in the stimulable phosphor into an electrical signal, appropriate signal processing is performed, and this electrical signal is used to record materials such as photographic light-sensitive materials, CRTs, etc. It also has the extremely great effect of outputting it as a visible image to a display device, thereby providing a radiation image with excellent suitability for observation and interpretation (diagnosis).

In such a radiation image information recording and reproducing system, the stimulable phosphor sheet does not store the image information, but temporarily retains the radiation image information in order to finally provide the image to the recording medium as described above. This stimulable phosphor sheet may be used repeatedly, and it is extremely economical and convenient to use it repeatedly in this way.

Therefore, in order to reuse the stimulable phosphor sheet, the radiation energy remaining in the stimulable phosphor sheet after reading has been performed by irradiation with excitation light is released by irradiation with light, and afterimage radiation image information is generated. This stimulable phosphor sheet can be used again for radiographic image recording.

A technique for erasing radiation energy remaining in a stimulable phosphor sheet by irradiating it with light is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-11392.

Therefore, in order to erase residual image information, the stimulable phosphor sheet, which can be uniformly irradiated with high-intensity erasing light and used for the next image recording, is directly exposed to radiation. It is used for image recording, or is temporarily stored in a tray, and then stands by for radiographic image recording.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Incidentally, when recording radiographic images, stimulable phosphor sheets of various types and sizes are used depending on the location of the subject to be imaged, the area to be imaged, etc. When temporarily storing stimulable phosphor sheets, it is desirable to store stimulable phosphor sheets of the same type or size in the same tray. Therefore, after a radiation image is recorded, the stimulable phosphor sheet, which has been read by excitation light irradiation and afterimage information erased by erasing light irradiation, is sorted by sorting device for each type or size. It is sorted and transported to a tray. In this kind of sorting device,
In order to make the device more compact, multiple trays for different types or sizes of stimulable phosphor sheets are arranged at an angle, and a conveying mechanism such as a roller is provided above these trays to load the stimulable phosphor sheets. The sheet is configured to accumulate in a predetermined tray.

Therefore, after the stimulable phosphor sheet is carried into the tray from the opening of the tray by the carry-in mechanism and the rear end of the stimulable phosphor sheet leaves the carry-in mechanism, the stimulable phosphor sheet falls under its own weight. and are accumulated at a predetermined position within the tray. At this time, since the surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet is easily damaged, the stimulable phosphor sheet is carried into the inner edge of the open upper side wall end of the tray disposed below the carrying mechanism. The sheets come into contact and scratches occur on the surface. In particular, when the stacked stimulable phosphor sheets are removed from the tray using a suction means such as a suction cup and the next radiation image recording is performed, care must be taken to prevent the suction means from damaging the stimulable phosphor sheets. To prevent this, stimulable phosphor sheets are stacked with the image recording side of the stimulable phosphor sheet facing downward; however, in such a case, the image recording side of the stimulable phosphor sheet is placed in the opening of the tray. Since it comes into sliding contact with the inner edge of the end of the upper side wall, scratches occur on the image recording surface, and as a result, the quality of images obtained by subsequent radiographic image recording and reproduction is degraded. Since the stimulable phosphor sheet is used repeatedly as described above, the occurrence of scratches is a serious problem.

The present invention was made in view of the above problems, and
A stimulable phosphor with a simple structure that allows stimulable phosphor sheets to be reliably stored in various trays according to their type, size, etc., and that can be stored smoothly without damaging the surface. The object of the present invention is to provide a sheet sorting and conveying device.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a plurality of trays arranged with openings facing upward and inclined at a predetermined angle, a belt conveyor, and the belt. a sheet conveying unit configured of a frame or a housing housing a rotary drive source for driving a conveyor and disposed so as to be movable along a running path disposed above the tray; an upper end of the tray; a guide member provided between the sheet conveying unit and the belt to prevent the sheet carried into the tray from coming into contact with the open upper side wall end of the tray; Transferring the sheet conveying unit while holding the stimulable phosphor sheet on the conveyor, positioning and stopping it above a predetermined tray,
Next, the belt conveyor is driven under the driving action of a rotary drive source, and the held stimulable phosphor sheet is dropped and stored in the tray through the opening of the tray.

[Function] In the stimulable phosphor sheet sorting and conveying device according to the present invention, the sheet conveying unit is transported with the stimulable phosphor sheet held on the belt conveyor, positioned and stopped above a predetermined tray, and then, The belt conveyor is driven under the driving action of a rotary drive source, and the held stimulable phosphor sheet is dropped and stored in the tray through the opening. Therefore, the stimulable phosphor sheets are sorted according to their type and size and stored in the tray. At this time, since a guide member was provided at the end of the open upper side wall of the tray facing the conveyance unit, the stimulable phosphor sheet did not come into contact with the end of the side wall, but only with the guide member, causing the accumulation of The phosphor sheet is stored in the tray through the opening without damaging the surface.

[Example] Next, preferred embodiments of the stimulable phosphor sheet sorting and conveying apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, a radiation image information reading device incorporating a stimulable phosphor sheet sorting and conveying device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. This device includes a radiation image information reading section 10, an erasing unit 42 integrated with this reading section 10,
It consists of a transport unit 52 and a sorting section 60.
The reading section 10 generally includes an optical surface plate 20 that supports a light guide sheet 12, a photomultiplier 14, a laser light source 16, and a galvanometer mirror 18 in a hollow space. A first belt conveyor 24 is provided to convey the stimulable phosphor sheet 22 to the light guide sheet 12 side, and the exit side of the first belt conveyor 24 is directly below the light guide sheet 12. A second belt conveyor 26 is installed in series. Note that the stimulable phosphor sheet 2 is attached to one roller of the second belt conveyor 26.
A nip roller 28 is provided for enjoying 2.

Further, the second belt conveyor 26 faces a third belt conveyor 30 whose exit side is curved, and the third belt conveyor 30 has a first roller group 32 at its curved portion. Furthermore, a fourth belt conveyor 34 is disposed in sliding contact with the third belt conveyor 30 that is bent and extends forward;
A first guide member 36 is provided directly above the third belt conveyor 30 and the fourth belt conveyor 34.

The first guide member 36 faces the second guide member 40 via a pair of rollers 38. Substantially, this second guide member 40 is an erasing unit 42.
attached to. That is, a part of the fifth belt conveyor 44 is disposed opposite to the second guide member 40, and as a whole, the fifth belt conveyor 44 has a housing 46 that constitutes an erasing unit 42 for erasing residual images.
Enter the bottom of the. In this case, the erasing unit 42 has erasing light sources 45a to 45 inside.
Contains d.

Next, a sixth bent belt conveyor 4 is placed directly above the fifth belt conveyor 44 and the second guide member 40.
8 is disposed, and in contact with this sixth belt conveyor 48, a seventh belt conveyor 5 that bends is further provided.
0 is placed. 6th belt conveyor 48 and 7th belt conveyor
A conveyance unit 52 for sorting and conveying the stimulable phosphor sheets 22 according to their size, for example, faces the exit side of the belt conveyor 50. As will be described later, the conveyance unit 52 has an 86th belt conveyor 54 and a 9th belt conveyor 56 in sliding contact therewith, and the conveyance unit 52 itself is horizontal in the figure as shown by the arrow. It is possible to move in any direction. Note that a sorting section 60 made up of a plurality of trays 58 is provided below the transport unit 52. As can be easily understood from FIG. 1, the trays 58 constituting the sorting section 60 are arranged side by side at a predetermined angle displacement.

Next, the transport unit 5 configured as described above is
2 and the sorting section 60 will be explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 2 and subsequent figures.

Transport unit 52 substantially includes a housing 62 . Side plates 62a and 62b forming the housing 62
is a self-propelled motor 61, a belt conveyor 54,
56, and further includes rollers 54a, 54b, 54c, 54d, and 54 that constitute the belt conveyor 54.
4e is maintained as a bridge. A conveyor belt 64 is stretched around these rollers 54a to 54e. On the other hand, the belt conveyor 56 includes a roller 56a, a roller 56b, and a roller 56c. A conveyor belt 66 is stretched around these rollers 56a to 56c. The rollers 54e and 56c are arranged so that the tension applied to the belt can be adjusted.
The positions of these rotation axes are adjustable.

As can be easily understood from FIG. 3, at least the roller 54a and the roller 56a are arranged close to each other, and the roller 54b and the roller 56 located above them are also arranged close to each other. Further, an auxiliary roller 68 is provided above the belt 64. As shown in FIG. 3, in this case, a sprocket 70 is fitted onto the rotating shaft of the belt drive motor 62, and a chain 7 meshing with the sprocket 70 is fitted onto the rotating shaft of the belt drive motor 62.
2 includes a sprocket 7 fitted to the rotating shaft of a roller 56a that substantially drives the belt conveyor 56.
meshes with 4. Note that a gear 76 is fitted onto the rotating shaft of the roller 56a.

On the other hand, the belt 64 substantially drives the roller 5.
A gear 78 is fitted to the rotating shaft of 4a. This gear 78 and the gear 76 mesh with each other. Therefore, when the motor 63 is driven to rotate, the chain 72 transfers the rotational force to the sprockets 70 and 74.
When the transmission is transmitted to the gear 76 via the gear 76, the gear 78 rotates in the opposite direction to the gear 76, and as a result, the belt 64 and the belt 66 perform a conveyance operation while slidingly contacting each other within a predetermined range. At this time, the auxiliary roller 68 cooperates with the belt 64 to
The stimulable phosphor sheet 22 that has been transported is transported in the direction of arrow A.

The housing 62 further includes side plates 62a, 62.
The rotating shaft 8 is spaced apart by a predetermined distance and parallel to each other using b.
0 and 82 are pivoted. Rollers 84a and 84b are supported at both ends of the rotating shaft 80, and rollers 86a and 86b are similarly supported at both ends of the rotating shaft 82. A sprocket 88 is attached to the rotating shaft 80, and a sprocket 90 is similarly attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 61. The sprocket 88 and the sprocket 90
A chain 92 is stretched between. Therefore,
When the self-propelled motor 61 is driven, the sprocket 9
0 rotates, and the rotation is transmitted through chain 92 to sprocket 88. In this case, the roller 84
a, 84b and the rollers 86a, 86b are in contact with the running paths arranged parallel to each other, that is, the horizontal portions of the angle members 94a, 94b, so that the rotational force of the motor 61 is transmitted to the rollers 84a, 84b as described above. Then, these rollers 84a, 84b
together with the housing 62, the angle members 94a, 94
It will be displaced on b. In this case, since the pair of guide rollers 96a, 96b and the guide rollers 98a, 98b are pivotally attached to the housing 62 so as to sandwich the vertical portion of the angle member 94b, the housing 62 itself cannot be moved. It is suitable because it is carried out smoothly.

Next, as described above, trays 58a to 58g constituting the sorting section 60 are arranged below the angle members 94a and 94b, that is, below the horizontally displacing casing 62. in this case,
The trays 58a to 58g are configured to have different sizes depending on the size of the stimulable phosphor sheets 22 to be sorted. The tray 58a
The seven trays 58a to 58g are arranged so as to face the transport unit 52 with their openings facing upward, and the seven trays 58a to 58g themselves are arranged at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction.

That is, a holding member 100 extending in the horizontal direction is supported by a housing 102 directly below the angle members 94a and 94b, and a holding member 103 bent from the bottom of the housing 102 is extended upwardly so that its upper end is It is engaged with the holding member 100. Therefore, inclined angle members 104a to 104g are arranged at a predetermined distance on the upper surface of the bottom of the holding member 103, and these angle members 104
A to 104g have tray storage bodies 106a to 10
Fix 6g. In this case, as can be easily understood from FIGS. 5 and 6, the tray storage body 10
Bent plates 108a to 108g are attached to the upper side walls of each of the plates 6a to 106g, and layers 110a to 110g made of a foaming agent, flocked material, etc. are formed on each of these plates 108a to 108g. That is, the plates 108a to 108g
and layer bodies 110a to 110g formed on that surface.
serves as a guide member for the falling stimulable phosphor sheet 22.

Note that the upper end portions of the tray storage bodies 106a to 106gb are connected to the angle member 11 fixed to the holding member 100 via the plate bodies 108a to 108g.
2a to 112g.

The sheet sorting and conveying device according to the present invention is basically constructed as described above, and its operation and effects will be explained next.

A stimulable phosphor sheet 22 on which radiation image information has been accumulated and recorded is conveyed by a first belt conveyor 24, and is held between a nip roller 28 and a second belt conveyor 26 and conveyed in the sub-scanning direction. When starting, the laser light from the laser light source 16 is reflected by the galvanometer mirror 18 as shown by the dashed line, and the laser light scans the surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet 22 in the main scanning direction. In this case, for example, the size of the stimulable phosphor sheet 22 introduced into the reading section 10 is detected by a detection means (not shown) via a bar code attached to it in advance, and this detection signal is detected. Keep it temporarily.

By the way, as mentioned above, the stimulable phosphor sheet 2
Stimulated luminescent light is generated as a result of being excited by the laser beam, and this is transmitted to the light guiding sheet 12.
After reaching the photo multiplier 14 via .
Then, the stimulable phosphor sheet 22 whose reading has been completed is bent and conveyed vertically upward by the third belt conveyor 30, roller group 32, and belt conveyor 34, and then passed through the guide member 36 and rollers 38 to the second It reaches between the guide member 40 and the fifth belt conveyor 44. At this time, since the sixth belt conveyor 48 and the seventh belt conveyor 50 are driven by a rotational drive source (not shown), the stimulable phosphor sheet 22 is temporarily transferred to the seventh belt conveyor 48 of the sixth belt conveyor 48. It will be held between the belt conveyor 50.

After the stimulable phosphor sheet 22 is conveyed a predetermined distance in the sandwiched state as described above, the sixth belt conveyor 48 and the seventh belt conveyor 50 start rotating in opposite directions. The blank sheet 22 is transported to a fifth belt conveyor 44 through a so-called switchback, and introduced into a casing 46 constituting an erasing unit 42.

When the stimulable phosphor sheet 22 is introduced into the housing 46 in this manner, the radiation image information remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet 22 is erased by the irradiation light from the erasing light sources 45a to 45d. That will happen.

When erasing is completed, the belt conveyor 44 is driven again. That is, the stimulable phosphor sheet 22
Under the re-driving of the belt conveyor 44, the conveyance begins again in the direction of the guide member 40, and is held between the sixth belt conveyor 48 and the seventh belt conveyor 50, and reaches the sorting and conveying unit 52.

Therefore, the belt conveyor drive motor 63 is driven. That is, as described above, the driving force rotates the gear 76 via the chain 72, and the rotation of the gear 76 causes the gear 78 to rotate in a rotation direction different from that of the gear 78.

As a result, since the rollers 56a and 54a rotate, the belt conveyor 54 and the belt conveyor 56 are displaced in opposite directions while slidingly contacting each other. That is, the belt 64 of the belt conveyor 54 is displaced in the direction of arrow A, while the belt 66 forming the belt conveyor 56 is displaced in the direction of arrow B. For this purpose, the stimulable phosphor sheet 22 is first held between the belt 64 and the roller 68, and then transported in the direction of the belt 66.
The belts 64 and 66, which are in sliding contact with each other, transport the stimulable phosphor sheet 22 thus transported to a position intermediate between the rollers 56a and 54a. Here, the driving of the motor 63 is temporarily stopped.

By the way, as described above, the reading unit 10 obtains the size information of the stimulable phosphor sheet to be transported in advance using a bar code or the like, and temporarily holds this information. Therefore, the signal related to this size is
1 drive signal and is introduced. As a result, the motor 61 starts driving, and its rotational force reaches the chain 92 via the sprocket 90, which in turn rotates the sprocket 88. As a result, the rollers 84a, 84b rotate, and these rollers 84a, 84b displace the upper surfaces of the horizontal parts of the angle members 94a, 94b in the direction of arrow C.
The entire casing 62 is moved in the direction shown in FIG. During this time, the guide rollers 96a, 96b and 98a, 98
b rotates while contacting the vertical portion of the angle member 94b, so the housing 62 is smoothly transferred.

For example, when the stimulable phosphor sheet 22 is at its maximum size, the rotation of the self-propelled motor 61 is controlled by the housing 62.
is transferred to the frontmost end and stopped directly above the tray 58a. That is, belt 64 and belt 66
The sheet discharge section defined by the tip of the tray 58a is positioned as if facing the opening of the tray 58a. Then, the belt drive motor 63 is rotated again, and the stimulable phosphor sheet 22 sandwiched between the belts 64 and 66 is accommodated in the tray 58a from the sheet discharge section. Of course, if the size of the stimulable phosphor sheet 22 detected by the reading unit 10 is small, the self-propelled motor 61 moves the housing 62 onto the tray 58g, for example.
Then, the belt drive motor 63 operates to introduce the stimulable phosphor sheet 22 into the tray 58g.

By the way, since there is a gap spaced apart by a predetermined distance between the belts 64 and 66 and the tray, the rear end of the stimulable phosphor sheet 22 emitted by the belts 64 and 66 is Due to its gravity, it falls a predetermined distance and is accommodated in the tray.
In this embodiment, in this case, the layer bodies 110a to 1
Since the plate bodies 108a to 108g having the thickness of 10g formed thereon are attached to the upper side wall of the tray storage bodies 106a to 106g, the sheet 22 is brought into contact with the edge of the upper side wall of the tray by the layer bodies 110a to 110g. They are prevented from coming into contact with each other and are guided into the tray. In particular, in this embodiment, since the layers 110a to 110g are made of a foaming agent or flocked material, which is a softer material than the stimulable phosphor sheet 22, scratches on the surface of the sheet 22 are effectively prevented. . That is, no trouble occurs to the next image recording.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, as described above, various stimulable phosphor sheets can be sorted and conveyed to trays according to their size or type in order to wait for the next recording of image information. It consists of Further, a guide member containing a layer material softer than the stimulable phosphor sheet, such as a foam material or a flocked material,
Since the stimulable phosphor sheet is provided at the end of the open upper side wall of the tray disposed below the transport mechanism, the stimulable phosphor sheet does not slide only on the guide member when the stimulable phosphor sheet is placed in the tray. It can be stored inside the tray. Therefore, it can be introduced into the tray without damaging the surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet. Moreover, since the tray itself is arranged at an angle, it occupies a small area, and therefore, the apparatus as a whole can be made compact.

As described above, the present invention has a simple structure and can operate reliably, allowing for accurate handling.Moreover, it does not damage the surface of the phosphor sheet, and does not require labor. It is economical and has the effect of saving labor because it is free of heat.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the correlation between a radiation image information reading device using a stimulable phosphor sheet in which a sheet sorting and conveying device according to the present invention is incorporated, an erasing unit, and a sheet sorting and conveying device, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially omitted perspective explanatory view showing a belt drive mechanism of the sheet sorting and conveying device according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a self-propelled portion of the sheet sorting and conveying device according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective explanatory view showing the correlation between the self-propelled mechanism and the belt conveyance mechanism of the sheet sorting and conveying device according to the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a partially omitted perspective view showing the correlation between the guide member and the tray of the sheet sorting and conveying device according to the present invention. 10...Reading section, 12...Light guide sheet, 14
... Photo multiplier, 16 ... Laser light source, 18 ... Galvanometer mirror, 20 ... Optical surface plate, 22 ... Stimulative phosphor sheet, 24 ...
1st belt conveyor, 26...2nd belt conveyor, 28...nip roller, 30...3rd belt conveyor, 32...roller group, 34...4th belt conveyor, 36...1st guide member, 38...
...Roller, 40...Second guide member, 42...Erasing unit, 44...Fifth belt conveyor, 46
...Housing, 48...6th belt conveyor, 50...
...7th belt conveyor, 52... sorting conveyance unit, 54... 8th belt conveyor, 56... 9th belt conveyor
Belt conveyor, 58... Tray, 60... Sorting section, 61... Self-propelled motor, 62... Housing, 6
3... Belt drive motor, 64, 66... Belt, 68... Auxiliary roller, 70... Sprocket, 72... Chain, 74... Sprocket,
76, 78... Gear, 80, 82... Rotating shaft, 8
4a, 84b, 86a, 86b...Roller, 8
8, 90... Sprocket, 92... Chain,
94a, 94b...Angle member, 96a, 96
b, 98a, 98b...Guide roller, 100
... Holding member, 102 ... Housing, 103 ... Holding member, 104 ... Angle member, 106 ... Tray storage body, 108 ... Plate body, 110 ... Layer body.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A frame or a frame housing a plurality of trays arranged at a predetermined angle with openings facing upward, a belt conveyor, and a rotational drive source for driving the belt conveyor. a sheet conveying unit configured of a housing and disposed so as to be movable along a running path disposed above the tray; a guide member provided to prevent the sheet from coming into contact with the open upper end of the side wall of the tray; Transfer the transport unit, position and stop it above a predetermined tray,
Next, the belt conveyor is driven under the driving action of a rotary drive source, and the held stimulable phosphor sheet is dropped and stored in the tray through the opening of the tray. Phosphor sheet sorting and conveying device. 2. In the device according to claim 1,
In the stimulable phosphor sheet sorting and conveying device, the guide member includes a layer that is softer in hardness than the stimulable phosphor sheet, and a plate that holds this layer. 3. In the device according to claim 2,
The layered body is a stimulable phosphor sheet sorting and conveying device made of a foaming agent. 4. In the device according to claim 2,
The layer body is a stimulable phosphor sheet sorting and conveying device made of flocked material. 5. In the device according to claim 1 or 2, each of the plurality of trays is arranged in a tray storage body so as to be freely stored therein, and the guide member is fixed to the tray storage body. Phosphor sheet sorting and conveying device.