JPH0552934B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of the Invention) The present invention accumulates and records radiation image information in a stimulable phosphor, then irradiates it with excitation light, and produces stimulated luminescence according to the accumulated and recorded image information. It relates to a radiation image information recording/reading device that detects light, reads image information, converts it into an electrical signal, and then converts the read image information into a visible image and reproduces it. The present invention relates to a radiation image information recording/reading device that is cyclically reused within the device and is capable of superimposed imaging or two-image energy subtraction imaging.

(Technical Background and Prior Art of the Invention) Using a stimulable phosphor sheet, radiation image information of a subject such as a human body is recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet, and then it is scanned with excitation light to make it shine. Let it emit light,
A radiation image information recording and reproducing method has been proposed in which this stimulated luminescence light is read photoelectrically to obtain an image signal, and this image signal is processed to obtain a radiation image of a subject that is suitable for diagnosis (for example, −12429,
No. 56-11395, No. 55-163472, No. 56-104645
No. 55-116340, etc.). In this method,
The final image may be one reproduced as a hard copy or one reproduced on a display device such as a CRT. In such a radiation image information recording and reproducing method, the stimulable phosphor sheet does not ultimately record image information, but temporarily stores image information in order to provide an image to the final recording medium as described above. This stimulable phosphor sheet may be used repeatedly because it supports
It is also extremely economical to use it repeatedly.

In addition, when a mobile station such as an X-ray imaging vehicle is equipped with such a radiographic image information recording/reading device and is used to travel to various locations for group examinations to perform X-ray imaging, the possibility of accumulation increases. It is inconvenient to load a large number of phosphor sheets onto a vehicle, and there is a limit to the number of sheets that can be loaded onto a moving vehicle. Therefore, a stimulable phosphor sheet is made to be reusable and loaded onto a moving vehicle, and radiation image information of the subject is recorded on it. If the radiation images are copied onto a large recording medium and the stimulable phosphor sheet is reused, radiographic images of a large number of objects can be taken using a moving vehicle, which is extremely useful in practice. Furthermore, if continuous imaging is performed through this cyclical reuse, the imaging speed can be increased in mass medical examinations, which has an extremely large practical effect.

In order to reuse the stimulable phosphor sheet in this way, the radiation energy remaining in the stimulable phosphor sheet after the stimulated luminescence light is read can be absorbed by, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 56-11392, The stimulable phosphor sheet may be used again for recording radiation images by emitting it to erase residual radiation images by a method such as that shown in Japanese Patent No. 12599.

On the other hand, in a method for recording and reproducing radiation image information using a stimulable phosphor sheet as described above, it has been proposed to perform superimposition processing or energy subtraction processing. The former, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11400/1983, images of the same subject are recorded on multiple sheets in order to reduce noise in the images, and after reading them out, the image signals are subjected to addition processing. It is something. The latter, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 59-83486, involves stacking two or more sheets and interposing a filter between them to convert the quality of the radiation. This method records different radiation images and then performs subtraction between these images.

For these processes, it is desirable to overlap two or more sheets in the image recording section and irradiate them with radiation (in the case of energy subtraction, a filter is interposed between them). This is because images of the same subject are sent one after another.
It is possible to record each sheet separately, but if the subject is likely to move, such as a human body, it is better to stack the sheets and record in one shot to avoid false images caused by subject movement. This is because the occurrence of can be prevented.

Therefore, there is an image recording unit that irradiates radiation through a subject onto a stimulable phosphor sheet, an image reading unit that reads the image accumulated and recorded on this stimulable phosphor sheet, and an image recording unit that irradiates the stimulable phosphor sheet with radiation after reading the image. The overlapping process or the above-mentioned method is applied to a device that combines the erasing sections that emit the remaining radiation energy and prepare for the next recording, and circulates and reuses the stimulable phosphor sheet between these sections. Adding the function of multiplex imaging for energy subtraction processing is highly desirable since it allows a variety of images to be obtained with one device.

(Objective of the Invention) The present invention, in response to the various demands mentioned above, allows for the circulation and reuse of a stimulable phosphor sheet for storing and recording radiation image information, allows for a compact design, and enables high-speed imaging. possible, easy to install and move,
In a radiation image information recording/reading device that can be easily installed in a screening vehicle for mass medical examinations, it is possible to take images by overlapping stimulable phosphor sheets for energy subtraction processing or superimposition processing. The purpose of this invention is to provide a device that can

(Structure of the Invention) The radiation image information recording/reading device of the present invention includes an image recording section that irradiates a stimulable phosphor sheet with radiation through a subject to accumulate and record a radiographic image of the subject; an image reading section having a photoelectric reading means for scanning the sheet with excitation light and reading the emitted stimulated luminescence light to obtain an image signal;
The stimulable phosphor sheet is provided with an erasing section that releases the radiation energy remaining in the stimulable phosphor sheet after reading, and a circulating conveyance means that circulates the sheet to each of these sections in turn. means for feeding the phosphor sheets so that the sheets are stacked and supported in the image recording section; and means for taking out the sheets and feeding them into the circulation path after the stacked sheets are irradiated with radiation. It is characterized by having the following.

When performing double-layer imaging for energy subtraction processing, it is necessary to supply a radiation quality conversion filter to the image recording section along with the sheets, and the supply means also supplies this filter. In addition, methods for interposing this filter between sheets include feeding sheets above and below the filter.
Alternatively, insert a filter between the sheets. Alternatively, there are various known methods such as providing a sheet supply section for energy subtraction and simultaneously feeding two sheets from this separate supply section with a filter interposed between them only during energy subtraction. It goes without saying that any method may be used.

It is not for energy subtraction processing, but for simple superposition processing (for example, JP-A-56-
11400), it suffices if multiple sheets are superimposed in the image recording section. A method is possible in which a sheet supply section for stacking is provided and the sheets are fed together from this separate supply section only when stacking the sheets.

Note that when two or more sheets are stacked and set in the image recording section for superimposition processing or energy subtraction processing, each sheet must be set without misalignment with respect to each other, so that the set position It is desirable that means be provided for accurately positioning each sheet.

The apparatus of the present invention performs a reading operation and subsequent erasing, but the image signal obtained by the reading operation may be temporarily stored in a storage medium such as a magnetic tape or a magnetic disk, or may be stored in a storage medium such as a CRT or the like. It may be displayed on the display for immediate observation, or it may be made into a hard copy and permanently recorded. A playback device for this purpose may be directly connected to the above device, may be temporarily played back via a storage device at a remote location, or may be placed at a remote location and receive signals wirelessly. , may be played back. In this way, it becomes possible, for example, for an image taken by a moving vehicle to be played back by a hospital receiving and reproducing device, for a specialist to observe the image, and to wirelessly report the diagnosis results to the moving vehicle.

In the present invention, a stimulable phosphor is a phosphor that, when irradiated with radiation, accumulates a portion of this radiation energy internally, and when it is then irradiated with excitation light such as visible light, it emits a light amount that corresponds to the accumulated energy. A substance that has the property of emitting exhaustive light.

In the present invention, the stimulable phosphor sheet refers to a sheet-like recording medium made of the above-mentioned stimulable phosphor sheet, and generally includes a support and a stimulable phosphor layered on the support. It consists of layers. The stimulable phosphor layer is formed by dispersing the stimulable phosphor in a suitable binder, and if the stimulable phosphor layer is self-supporting, it will itself contain the stimulable phosphor. It can be used as a light sheet.

In the case of energy subtraction treatment, the same type of stimulable phosphor sheet may be used.
As described in the above publication, two or more types of stimulable phosphor sheets having different radiation absorption characteristics may be used (in the latter case, one of them may be for normal imaging). In this case, the radiation absorption characteristics are different, for example, when the absorption characteristics for the energy of the incident radiation are different, such as when the material of the phosphor itself is different, and when the absorption characteristics of the energy of the phosphor are different, such as when the material of the phosphor itself is unchanged Both cases where the ratio of the absorbed radiation dose to the incident radiation differs due to methods such as changing the thickness are shown. For energy subtraction high-energy radiation recording, storage has radiation absorption characteristics that have a higher radiation absorption rate on the high-energy side than normal, and also has a higher radiation absorption rate by making the phosphor layer thicker. The target structure can be extracted well by using a stimulable phosphor sheet, and for low-energy radiation recording, a stimulable phosphor sheet with radiation absorption characteristics that has a high radiation absorption rate on the low energy side. It is possible to obtain an energy subtraction image with good graininess.

Also, in the case of overlapping processing, the same type of stimulable phosphor sheet may be used, or
- As described in No. 11399, two or more different types of radiation can be made to have higher sensitivity to radiation, by making the phosphor layer thicker, etc., the further away from the radiation source. A sheet may also be used.

(Embodiments) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 schematically show an example in which the apparatus of the present invention is capable of taking images for energy subtraction processing, and FIG. 1 shows an image recording section of one circulation path. Fig. 2 shows one in which a bypass passage is formed, and Fig. 2 shows one in which two circulation passages are formed in parallel.

In the example shown in Fig. 1, the photographing platform T on which the subject S is placed is
A circulation path shown by an arrow is formed in the apparatus 1 having a phosphor, a large number of stimulable phosphor sheets are circulated and conveyed along this path, and a radiation quality conversion filter F is sandwiched in the circulation path to detect the subject. The sheet is fed to the S side and the opposite side. That is, a radiation quality conversion filter F is arranged in the image recording section, and a sheet S1 is first fed under this filter F as shown by arrow A, and then another sheet S2 is fed onto this filter F as shown by arrow B. After overlapping two sheets S1 and S2 with filter F in between, radiation is irradiated from radiation source X to record an image for energy subtraction, and then the lower sheet S1 is moved as shown by arrow C. It is discharged from the image recording section and returned to the circulation path.
Next, the upper sheet S2 is discharged in the direction of arrow D and is also returned to the circulation path.

The circulation path includes a reading section and an erasing section, and the sheet is supplied to the image recording section again after passing through these processing sections.

When superimposing images for normal superimposition processing, not for energy subtraction processing, remove the radiation quality conversion filter F from the image recording section and use two (or three or more) sheets. superimpose only the images on the image recording unit. As a mechanism for withdrawing the filter F or feeding and discharging the sheet, various known sheet conveying or moving means can be employed, and there are no particular structural limitations. Practically speaking, it is preferable to use a type that is high-speed and does not damage the sheet surface.

In the example shown in Fig. 2, two circulation passages are provided in parallel, and a radiation quality conversion filter F is disposed in the image recording section (preferably, it can be moved in and out). Sheet S2 on top and bottom,
Two circulation passages are configured to set S1. In the illustrated example, a reading device is arranged in each of the two circulation paths, and the erasing device is configured to act in common on the two circulation paths. In this example as well, in the case of normal superimposed photography, the filter F is removed from the irradiation field of the image recording section and the sheet S
1. Overlap S2 directly. Moreover, the number of sheets may be such that several sheets are circulated in each circulation path.

In each of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 above, an example of how to remove the filter F from the image recording section is in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the sheets S1 and S2 are conveyed, as shown in FIG. 3A. There is a method of horizontally moving it to (indicated by arrow Y). As a moving mechanism for this purpose, various known mechanisms can be employed, such as one in which the filter F is driven by a wire as shown in FIG. 3B.

An example of the sheet conveyance mechanism in the example shown in FIG. 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4A-4G.

The sheet S1 is conveyed by the endless belt E1, guided onto the guide belt G by the distribution belt E2, and guided onto the endless belt E3 in the image recording section. (4th A, 4B
Figure) Next, the filter F is moved onto the sheet S1. (FIG. 4C) A second sheet S2 is fed and set thereon by the endless belt E1, the distribution belt E2, and the guide belt G.
(FIG. 4D) In this state, radiation is irradiated and imaging for energy subtraction is performed.

After the photographing is completed, the filter F is slightly lifted upward (FIG. 4E), and then the sheet S1 is carried out in the direction of the arrow. (FIG. 4F) By doing this, it is possible to prevent the surface of the sheet S1 from being scratched. Next, the filter F moves out laterally, and the remaining sheet S2 is discharged by the endless belt E3.

Although the means for lifting the filter F upward is not shown, it is easily possible by any mechanical method. In addition, in the above example, the distribution belt E2
may be a guide roller that simply guides the sheet S2 onto the filter F. Alternatively, the filter F may be inserted in the state shown in FIG. 4A, a gap may be formed between the filter F and the endless belt E3, and the sheet S1 may be inserted into this gap. At this time,
In particular, the angle of the distribution belt E2 must be accurately controlled.

Figures 4A-4G above use an endless belt, but Figure 5 shows an example using a magazine.
This will be explained below using Figure A-5F.

Feed rollers R1 and R2 are provided at the bottom of the magazine M, a discharge port P is formed in the end wall on the discharge side, and an opening for moving the filter F into and out of the magazine is formed above the discharge port P.

First, when the first sheet S1 is carried in from the right in the direction of the arrow (FIG. 5A), the filter F is inserted thereon (FIG. 5B). Then a second
The sheet S2 is carried in (FIG. 5C), and in this state it is irradiated with radiation. When the irradiation is completed, the filter F moves out of the magazine M, and the upper sheet S2 falls onto the lower sheet S1 (FIG. 5D). next,
The feed rollers R1 and R2 at the bottom of the magazine M are driven to discharge the lower sheet S2 (FIG. 5E). At this time, the upper sheet S2 comes into contact with the end of the filter F at the discharge side end of the magazine M, and is not discharged. Note that the above steps (FIGS. 5D and 5E) may be reversed. That is, the lower sheet S1 may be ejected before the filter F is ejected, and then the filter F may be ejected. Next, the sheet S2 remaining in the magazine is also transferred to the feed rollers R1 and R.
2 (Figure 5F).

When the magazine M is used in this way, the sheet feeding is simplified, so there is an advantage that the operation becomes easier.

Note that although the above description describes a mode in which sheets are fed and discharged one by one, the sheets may be stacked in advance upstream of the image recording unit and then fed to the image recording unit, or the sheets may be stacked upstream of the image recording unit and The group of sheets may be simultaneously discharged and transported one by one to a circulation path downstream of the image recording section.

Next, a specific example of the radiation image information recording/reading apparatus of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to FIG. In this example, the image recording section using the endless belt shown in FIGS. 4A to 4G described above is employed. Since the explanation of the structure and operation of this part overlaps with the details of FIGS. 4A to 4G, the following explanation will be omitted.

FIG. 6 schematically shows an apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention for photographing and recording radiographic images of the chest, abdomen, etc. while the subject is lying on his back. Inside the device 1 are endless belts 2A, 2B, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11A, 11B, 12,
13 and endless belt 3, 4, 7, 10, 11
Guide rollers 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 rotated by A, 11B, 12, 13
, another roller 17A, 19A, and guide plate 2
1, 22, 23A, 23B, 23C, 24, 2
5, 26, 27 and Nitsu Pro rollers 28A, 28B
, a sorting belt 2C provided between the endless belts 13 and 2A, and the endless belt 10
The transport direction changing plate 29 is installed in front of the conveyance direction change plate 29.
-13 and 17A-11A, 11B-18-12-
A sheet circulation conveyance system that constitutes a circulation path including 19A is provided. In this sheet circulation conveyance system, as an example, six stimulable phosphor sheets 3
0 are arranged to be circulated and conveyed at appropriate intervals in the direction of the arrow in the figure.

An imaging platform 41 is provided above the endless belt 2A disposed at the top of the circulation conveyance system, and a radiation source such as an X-ray source is provided at a position facing the endless belt 2A with the imaging platform 41 in between. A radiation source 42 is provided, and the imaging table 41 and the radiation source 42 constitute an image recording section 40 . The image recording unit 40 also includes a radiation shielding plate A ₁ ,
A ₂ and A ₃ are arranged to prevent scattered radiation from penetrating into areas other than the recording area.

When radiographing the subject 43, the sheet 30 used for radiography is placed on the endless belt 2A, and the subject 43 is irradiated with the radiation source 42 while lying supine on the radiographing table 41. As a result, the transmitted radiation image of the subject 43 is projected onto the sheet 30 on the endless belt 2A, and the radiation image information of the subject 43 is stored and recorded on the sheet 30.

The distribution belt 2C located in front of the endless belt 2A (on the right side in Figure 1) is used for energy subtraction photography and overlapping photography.
In the former case, the sheets of stimulable phosphor sheet 30 are distributed above and below the radiation quality conversion filter F, and in the latter case, they are placed overlappingly on the endless belt 2A, and are fixed during normal imaging. Seat 3
0 is simply transported between them.

In the illustrated example, one of the two parallel passages (10-17-19-13) constitutes a normal circulation passage, and the other (17A-11A,
11B-18-12-19A) is used to supply a special sheet for energy subtraction or superimposition when the sheet is used for imaging, and is not driven during normal imaging. . When only one of these special sheets is used and the sheet for multiplex photography is also used as a sheet for normal photography, the latter sheet may be passed through the normal circulation path (10-17-19-13). The conveyance direction changing plate 29 is for selectively conveying the sheet 30 into one of the two parallel paths, and is controlled by a controller (not shown) to move the sheet 30 into a predetermined path. invite.

The stimulable phosphor sheet 30 on which a radiation image has been recorded in the image recording section 40 is shown in FIGS. 4E to 4G or 5D to 5D when energy subtraction or superposition imaging is performed. 5
The sheet is transferred onto the endless belt 2B by a sheet discharging means as shown in Fig. F, and then passed through the passage 3-22-
The image is sent to the image reading unit 50 via steps 4-5-6-7.

In this embodiment, an image reading section 50 is provided at the right end position in the figure of the sheet circulation conveyance system. In this image reading section 50, a laser light source 51 is provided above the endless belt 8 constituting the reading section 50.
A mirror 53 and a galvanometer mirror 5 are installed to scan the output laser beam 52 in the width direction of the sheet 30 on the endless belt 8.
4, a mirror 55 and a mirror 56 are provided,
By reciprocating the galvanometer mirror 54, the laser beam 52 is main-scanned over the sheet 30 on which the radiation image has been accumulated and recorded. Note that this sheet 30 is
After the radiation image is recorded in the image recording section 40, the sheet is conveyed to the image reading section 50 by driving the sheet circulation conveyance system. Also, the laser beam 52
A condensing reflective mirror 57 is disposed along the main scanning line at a scanning position on the sheet 30, and the stimulated luminescence light emitted from the sheet 30 by the laser beam 52 is directly or condensingly reflected. After being reflected by the mirror 57, the light enters the light collecting optical element 58 from the incident end face 58A of the light collecting optical element 58, and is guided through the light collecting optical element 58 by total reflection.
The stimulated luminescent light is received by a photomultiplier 59 connected to B, and the stimulated luminescence light is read out photoelectrically. At the same time as the main scanning of the laser beam 52 is performed as described above, the sheet 30 is conveyed by the endless belt 8 in the direction of the arrow in the figure (that is, the direction substantially perpendicular to the main scanning direction) to perform the sub-scanning. The accumulated radiation image is read over the entire surface of the sheet 30. The image signal read by the photoprinter 59 is sent to an image processing circuit (not shown) and undergoes necessary image processing (for example,
In addition to the energy subtraction processing described in JP-A No. 59-83486 and the superposition processing described in JP-A-56-11399, gradation processing and frequency processing)
After that, the image is sent to an image reproducing device. As mentioned above, this reproducing device may be a display such as a CRT, a recording device that performs optical scanning recording on a photosensitive film, or a device that temporarily records data on a storage device such as a magnetic tape for that purpose.

Note that the time required to read the radiation image information from one sheet 30 is generally longer than the time required to record (photograph) the radiation image information on the sheet 30, but the recorded sheet 30 may be transferred to an endless belt, for example. By leaving them on the top, the six sheets 30 can be used one after another and recording can be completed within a short period of time. For example, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-89245,
Prior to the reading operation (main reading) as described above to obtain a visible image for observation and interpretation, a stimulable phosphor sheet is prepared in advance using excitation light at a lower level than the excitation light to be irradiated in the main reading. A reading operation (pre-reading) is performed to grasp the accumulated recorded information of the radiographic image information stored and recorded in the storage area, and the accumulated recorded information of the radiographic image information is grasped. By appropriately adjusting the reading gain or performing appropriate signal processing based on After reading, the sheet 30 sent onto the endless belt 9 is returned to the image reading position by reversing the endless belt 9 and the endless belts 7 and 8, thereby performing the above-mentioned "pre-reading" and "main reading".

The sheet 30 whose image has been read is sent to the erasing section 70 by the endless belt 9. The erasing section 70 includes a box 71 and a large number of erasing light sources 72 arranged inside the box 71 such as fluorescent lamps, tungsten lamps, xenon lamps, sodium lamps, etc.
The sheet 30 is made up of the shutter 7.
3 is opened, its tip is the Nitsu roller 27
It is conveyed by the endless belt 9 until it comes into contact with . The sheet 30 is then fed into the box 71 by the rotating nip roller 28A. sheet 3
When 0 is sent into the box 71, the shutter 73
is closed. The erasing light source 72 inside the box 71 mainly emits light in the excitation wavelength range of the stimulable phosphor of the sheet 30, and the radiation energy remaining in the sheet 30 after reading the image is transferred to the sheet 30. When such light is irradiated, it is emitted from the sheet 30. Note that since the shutter 73 is closed at this time, the erasing light does not leak and enter the image reading section 50 and generate noise in the read signal.

The sheet 30, on which the afterimage has been erased to such an extent that radiation image information can be recorded again, is discharged from the erasing section 70 by rotating the nip roller 28B. The ejected sheet 30 is attached to the endless belt 1
0 and 13, the sheet is conveyed to the endless belt 2A of the image recording section 40, but if another sheet 30 gets stuck first, the endless belt 1
3, 10 and waits. Further, when the image recording and reading operations are completed for the time being, the last sheet 30 undergoes afterimage erasure in the erasing section 70, and then is sent onto the endless belt 9 by rotating the nip roller 28A in the opposite direction. It waits on the belt 9.

In addition, when using sheets 30 dedicated to energy subtraction or superposition photography, these sheets 30 are attached to the endless belts 11A, 11.
Waiting on B.

As explained above, the endless belts 2B, 2A to 13 and the nip rollers 28A, 28B that constitute the sheet circulation conveyance system are connected to the image recording unit 4.
0, the image reading section 50, and the erasing section 70 are controlled in conjunction with the operations of the image reading section 50 and the erasing section 70 (this can be done by employing a known sequence control), and the sheet 30 is conveyed or placed.

Furthermore, when performing multiple imaging for energy subtraction or superposition processing, the sheets 30 are fed and held in an overlapping state in the image recording section, making it easy to perform these multiple imaging operations. can be done.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the radiation image information recording/reading device of the present invention, the image recording section, the image reading section, and the image erasing section are integrated, and the stimulable phosphor sheet is circulated through these sections. Because I decided to reuse it,
The device can be made compact, and the image recording section is configured to perform multiple imaging for energy subtraction processing or superimposition processing, making it possible to obtain various radiographic image information with one device. This is extremely advantageous for diagnosis.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the radiation image information recording/reading device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment, and FIG. 3A is the operation of the mechanism for moving the filter in the device. FIG. 3B is a plan view for explaining the same, and FIG. 4A- is a perspective view thereof.
4G is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of an example of the image recording section in the above-mentioned apparatus of the present invention, FIGS. 5A-5F are explanatory diagrams for explaining the operation of other examples, and FIG. 6 is a more specific diagram of the apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 1... Apparatus body, 2A... Endless belt at shooting position, 2B... Endless belt at standby position, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
A, 11B, 12, 13... endless belt,
14, 15, 16, 17, 17A, 18, 19,
19A, 20...Guide roller, 21, 22, 23
A, 23B, 23C, 24, 25, 26, 27...
...Guide plate, 28A, 28B...Nitsupurora,
29... Conveyance direction change plate, S1, S2, 30, 3
0A, 30B...Storage phosphor sheet, 41T...
...Photographing table, 42X...Radiation source, 43S...Subject, 50...Image reading section, 70...Erasing section.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Circulating conveyance means for conveying at least two stimulable phosphor sheets capable of accumulating and recording radiographic images along a predetermined circulation path; an image recording section that accumulates and records a radiographic image of a subject on the sheet by irradiating radiation through the image recording section; an image reading unit having an excitation light source that emits an excitation light source; and a photoelectric reading unit that reads stimulated luminescence light emitted from a sheet scanned by the excitation light to obtain an image signal; A radiation image information recording/reading device comprising: an erasing section that releases residual radiation energy on the sheet prior to recording an image on the sheet after image reading is performed in the section; At least two of the sheets are supplied to the image recording section so that the sheets are stacked and supported in the image recording section, and after the stacked sheets are irradiated with radiation, the image recording A radiation image information recording/reading apparatus, comprising: a sheet supply/discharge means for taking out the sheet from the section and discharging the sheet so as to be conveyed to the circulation path. 2. The radiation image information recording/reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply means inserts a radiation filter between at least two sheets together with the sheet. 3. The radiation image information recording/reading apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the supply means sequentially supplies the sheets one by one to the image recording section. 4. The radiation image information recording according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stimulable phosphor sheet is two or more types of stimulable phosphor sheets. reading device.