JPH07118762B2 - Radiation image reader - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a latent image is once formed by X-rays or other radiation, and then the latent image is converted into a visible image by irradiating a heat ray such as a laser beam. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a radiation image reading apparatus for a stimulable fluorescent plate that can be read.

The stimulable fluorescent plate is easy to handle in that it does not require a developing operation by chemical treatment unlike the conventional X-ray film. That is, the surface of the fluorescent plate on which a latent image is formed by irradiation with X-rays is scanned with a thin excitation beam such as a heat ray, and at the same time, a photoelectric converter opposite to this is used to detect a light beam generated from each point to form an image. You can get a signal. However, in the conventional device, the fluorescent plate is attached to the side surface of the cylindrical body, and therefore, it is necessary to expose the fluorescent plate in a flat state to form a latent image, and then bend the fluorescent plate into a cylindrical surface and attach it to the reading device. There is a drawback that it becomes complicated or requires a complicated mechanism. An object of the present invention is to provide a device which is capable of forming a latent image and reading the latent image while holding the fluorescent plate in a flat shape and is simple and extremely easy to handle.

The device of the present invention is provided with a base that can be moved from the first position to the second position along the guide rail, and the base is provided with a rotating shaft perpendicular to the rail and the rotating shaft continuously rotating. And a second drive mechanism for moving the base along a guide rail by attaching a flat storage phosphor holder to the rotating shaft. A device for projecting a radiation image on a fluorescent plate and a device for exciting the fluorescent plate to read a visible image are arranged at first and second positions along the rail, respectively.

Therefore, since the fluorescent screen is always held flat, image distortion can be prevented and imaging and reading can be performed with a simple mechanism. Moreover, there is an effect that scanning at the time of reading can be performed by utilizing a mechanism for moving the fluorescent plate from the image pickup position to the reading position.

FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof. The device according to the invention thus comprises two parallel guide rails 3, 4 between two supports 1, 2 arranged at suitable intervals. A base 5 supported by the rails is provided with a rotary shaft 6 and a first drive mechanism for continuously rotating the rotary shaft 6. The rail 3 has the supports 1 and 2 fixed, and the base 5 is slidably fitted to this rail, but the rail 4 is a screw rod as shown in the drawing, and the base 5 is A second drive mechanism that is screwed onto the rail and that rotates the rail in an arbitrary direction at an arbitrary speed is provided inside the support 1. Further, the rotary shaft 6 is formed so as to be orthogonal to the rails 3 and 4, and the base 5 is provided with a rotary handle 7 for moving the shaft in the axial direction as indicated by an arrow a.
A holder 8 is coaxially formed on the upper end of the shaft 6, and a stimulable fluorescent plate 9 is attached to the surface of the holder 8. Further, a reading head 10 is provided above the support 1, and an excitation line source for converting a latent image into a visible image by exciting a point on the fluorescent plate 9 and causing the point to emit light therein is provided. It contains a photoelectric converter for detecting a visible image. Further, as shown by the solid line in the figure, when the base 5 is moved to the vicinity of the support 2 by the rotation of the screw rail 4, an X-ray irradiation device is provided so as to face the fluorescent plate 9 on the holding table 8. is there. This device is, for example, as shown in the figure, a support 12 for a single crystal sample 11 for which an X-ray diffraction state is to be observed, an X-ray tube 13 for irradiating the sample with a thin X-ray beam, and the like.

In the above device, when the rail 4 is rotated by the second drive mechanism provided inside the support 1, the base 5 moves to the right or left in the figure depending on the direction of rotation. By this movement, the base 5 is first set to the first position as shown by the solid line in the figure. The first drive mechanism provided in the base 5 is
With this stopped, the handle 7 is rotated to set the height of the holding table 8 to an appropriate position. When the sample 11 is irradiated with the thin X-ray beam b from the X-ray tube 3 in that state, the X-rays c diffracted in each direction by the sample enter the stimulable fluorescent plate 9 on the holding table 8, so that this incident point A latent image is formed. Next, the rail 4 is rotated in an appropriate direction by the second drive mechanism in the support 1 to move the base 5 to the second position as shown by the arrow d, and on the holding table 8 as shown by the chain line. The fluorescent plate 9 of is opposed to the reading head 10. In this state, a laser light beam e having an appropriate wavelength is emitted from the head 10 to one point on the fluorescent plate 9, the latent image formed at that point is excited to generate fluorescence f, and this fluorescence is generated in the head 10. It is detected by the photoelectric converter. At the same time, the holding table 8 is rotated at a relatively high speed by the first drive mechanism provided on the base 5, and the base 5 is moved at a relatively low speed by the second drive mechanism. By this operation, the fluorescent plate 9 is swirled by the beam e, and the fluorescent light generated from each scanning point is detected by the photoelectric converter.
The image signal is transmitted by 10. In this case, by appropriately changing the rotation speed or the moving speed of the holding table 8 according to the distance from the axis 6 to the incident point of the beam e,
The resolution of the image signal can be kept constant. The latent image formed on the fluorescent screen 9 is reproduced as a visible image by applying the image signal to an appropriate recording device or a picture tube.

As described in the above embodiments, the apparatus of the present invention can read a radiation image with an extremely simple mechanism. Moreover, since it is not necessary to bend the fluorescent plate into a cylindrical surface or the like, and the fluorescent plate can be held in a flat shape from beginning to end, there is no risk of distortion of the image and the handling is easy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. In the figure, 1.2 is a support, 3 is a guide rail, 4 is a guide rail made of a screw rod, 5 is a base,
Reference numeral 6 is a rotary shaft, 7 is a handle, 8 is a fluorescent plate holder, 9 is a fluorescent plate, 10 is a reading head, 11 is a single crystal sample, 12 is a sample support, and 13 is an X-ray tube.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A radiation image reading apparatus having the following configurations (a) to (h). (A) A holding table for holding the flat phosphorescent plate. (B) A rotating shaft fixed at a right angle to the holding table. (C) A base that rotatably supports the rotary shaft. (D) A first drive mechanism provided on the base to continuously rotate the rotary shaft. (E) A guide rail for guiding the base in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis. (F) The base is a first position on the guide rail,
A second drive mechanism for moving between a second position on the guide rail remote from the first position. (G) An apparatus for projecting a radiation image on a stimulable phosphor plate, which is arranged so as to face the stimulable phosphor plate on the holding table when the base is in the first position. (H) When the base is in the second position, the stimulable fluorescent plate arranged so as to face the stimulable fluorescent plate on the holding table is excited to convert the latent image into a visible image. Excitation source and photoelectric converter for reading its visible image.