JPS61107236A - Radiant-ray picture information recording and reading device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain accurate radiant-ray picture information, by providing a circular carrying means of a storage-type phosphor sheet, picture image recording section, picture image reading section, erasing section which radiates radiant- ray energy, and control means. CONSTITUTION:After recording a radiant-ray picture at a picture recording section 16, a sheet 26 is carried to a picture reading section 44 by driving a circular carrying means of sheet. Picture image signals read by a photomultiplier 62 are transmitted to a picture image processing circuit 116 through a picture signal input-output circuit 117 where necessary picture processing is performed on the signals. The processed signals are sent to a display device 114 and the radiant-ray picture is reproduced. In order to grasp the positional relation between plural storage-type phosphor sheets 26a-26d circularly carried by belt conveyors, position detecting sensors 100 are provided at prescribed locations. A control circuit 102 receives the position detecting signals of the phosphor sheet from the position detecting sensors 100a-100g and controls belt conveyors constituting the carrying system so as to carry or stop the sheet 26.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention The present invention accumulates and records radiation image information of a subject on a stimulable phosphor sheet, and then irradiates this with excitation light to produce stimulated luminescence according to the accumulated and recorded image information. This relates to a radiation image information recording/reading device capable of detecting image information and converting it into an electrical signal. The stimulable phosphor sheet is configured to erase afterimages related to previous radiation image information appearing on the phosphor sheet, and to appropriately remove dust and the like adhering to the surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet to standby for recording new image information. The present invention relates to a radiation image information recording/reading device.

When certain types of phosphors are irradiated with radiation (X-rays, alpha-rays, beta-rays, T-rays, electron beams, ultraviolet light, etc.), part of the energy of this radiation is stored in the phosphor, and then the phosphor is When the phosphor is irradiated with excitation light such as visible light, the phosphor exhibits stimulated luminescence depending on the accumulated energy. A phosphor exhibiting such properties is called a stimulable phosphor.

Using this type of stimulable phosphor, radiation image information of a subject such as a human body is stored on a sheet made of stimulable phosphor (hereinafter referred to as a ``stimulable phosphor sheet'' or simply ``sheet''). This is recorded, irradiated with excitation light to cause stimulated luminescence, this stimulated luminescence light is read photoelectrically to obtain image information, and this image signal is electrically processed to determine the radiation of the subject with good diagnostic suitability. A radiation image information recording and reproducing method for obtaining an image has been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 12429/1983;
No. 55-116340, No. 55-163472, No. 56-11395, No. 56-104645, etc.). In this way, the final image obtained can be reproduced as a hard copy, reproduced on a display device such as a CRT, or recorded on a recording medium such as a magnetic tape and stored for a long period of time. I can do it. In any case, in the radiation image information recording and reproducing method, the stimulable phosphor sheet is not for ultimately recording image information (
Since the stimulable phosphor sheet is intended to provide an image to a different recording medium as mentioned above, it only temporarily records image information, and for this reason, even if the stimulable phosphor sheet is used repeatedly. Moreover, repeated use in this manner is extremely economical and convenient. Furthermore, for example,
Radiation image information recording and reading device that uses stimulable phosphor sheets in mobile stations like wc-kageyamagata
Equipped with equipment and equipment, they travel to various locations for group medical examinations.
□When performing X-ray photography, it is inconvenient to stack multiple stimulable phosphor sheets, and there is a limit to the number of sheets that can be loaded on a moving vehicle. Therefore, a stimulable phosphor sheet is loaded onto a moving vehicle so that it can be used repeatedly, radiographic image information for each subject is recorded on it, and image signals obtained by reading this are recorded on a magnetic tape, etc. If the stimulable phosphor sheet is stored in a large-capacity recording medium, and the stimulable phosphor sheet is erased once to obtain the next image information, it can be reused cyclically.
This is extremely practical because radiographic images of a large number of objects can be captured by a moving vehicle without being restricted by location. Furthermore, by cyclically reusing it in this way, it becomes possible to perform continuous imaging, which increases the speed of image information acquisition during abandonment examinations, and allows for the acquisition of image information in a short time and efficiently. I can do it.

In order to recycle and reuse the stimulable phosphor sheet as described above, the radiation energy remaining in the stimulable phosphor sheet after the stimulated luminescence light has been read must be absorbed by, for example,
As disclosed in No. 11392 and No. 56-12599, the remaining radiation image is erased by irradiating the sheet with light or heat, and the stimulable phosphor sheet is used again for recording radiation images. do it.

Based on this knowledge, the present applicant proposed a circulating conveyance means for conveying a stimulable phosphor sheet capable of storing and recording radiation images along a predetermined circulation path, and a means for conveying radiation through a subject through the sheet in the circulation path. an image recording section that accumulates and records radiographic image information of a subject on the sheet by irradiation; and an excitation light that emits excitation light that is located in the circulation path and scans the sheet on which radiographic image information has been accumulated and recorded in the image recording section. an image reading section including a light source and photoelectric reading means for reading stimulated luminescence light emitted from a sheet scanned by the excitation light to obtain an image signal; and an image reading section located in the circulation path where image reading is performed. and an erasing section for emitting radiation energy remaining on the sheet prior to recording an image on the sheet after the stimulable phosphor sheet is incorporated into one device, and the stimulable phosphor sheet is circulated between the respective sections. We have already proposed and filed a patent application for a so-called built-in radiation image information recording/reading device configured to be used repeatedly (Japanese Patent Application No. 58-6673).
C).

The radiographic image information recording/reading device having such a structure has the advantage of being able to continuously and efficiently record and read radiographic image information.

However, even if the surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet to be recycled and reused is irradiated with erasing light as described above, the erasing light may not be erased for a long time, such as after one day's image information recording is completed. If the unused state continues, the radiation energy that was not completely emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet once erased by irradiation with erasing light will reappear as an afterimage over time, causing a so-called lifting phenomenon.

Additionally, environmental radiation from cosmic rays and other x-ray sources can also store energy in the stimulable phosphor sheet. If the stimulable phosphor sheet remains unused for a long period of time, the afterimage that appears on the stimulable phosphor sheet and the accumulated energy are
When attempting to reuse the stimulable phosphor sheet to record image information, it generates noise, making it difficult to obtain an accurate radiation image of the subject.

Therefore, for example, when the subject is a patient, there is an inconvenience that there is a possibility of misdiagnosis by a doctor. Therefore, as a result of intensive research and efforts, the inventors of the present invention have, for example, When the information recording/reading device is restarted, the stimulable phosphor sheet already present in the device is subjected to an erasing process based on the activation instruction signal, and the remaining image information and other radiation sources such as X-rays are removed. If the structure is configured to release the energy accumulated by
: It becomes possible to keep the phosphor sheet on standby for recording new image information, and preferably, the stimulable phosphor sheet introduced in the erasing process is further subjected to a cleaning process to remove dust etc. attached to its surface. We have determined that even more precise radiographic image information can be obtained by configuring a structure that removes the radiation.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to erase residual images, etc. by subjecting the stimulable phosphor sheet to an erasing process when the stimulable phosphor sheet, which has been unused for a predetermined period of time, is placed on standby again for recording radiation image information. And, more preferably, to provide a radiographic image information recording/reading device capable of obtaining precise radiographic image information by cleaning its surface to remove dust and the like.
It's also there.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a circulating ft conveying means for conveying a stimulable phosphor sheet capable of accumulating and recording radiographic image information along a predetermined circulation path, and a stimulable phosphor sheet that is interposed in the circulation path and that an image recording section that accumulates and records radiation image information of a subject on the sheet by irradiating the sheet with radiation waves through the subject; and a sheet that is interposed in the circulation path and on which the radiographic image information is accumulated and recorded in the image recording section. an image reading unit having an excitation light source that emits excitation light that scans the sheet; and a photoelectric reading unit that obtains an image signal by reading the stimulated luminescence light emitted from the sheet scanned by the excitation light; an erasing section that releases radiation energy remaining on the sheet prior to recording an image on the sheet after the image has been read in the image reading section; The present invention is characterized by the provision of a control means for subjecting the phosphor sheet to an erasing process prior to image recording and image reading.

Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, dust adhering to the surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet is removed in the circulation path between the erasing section and the image recording section or between the erasing section and the image reading section. The present invention is characterized in that a cleaning mechanism is provided to clean the stimulable phosphor sheet when the device is started.

Next, preferred embodiments of the radiation image information recording/reading apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the basic configuration of the radiation image information recording/reading apparatus according to the present invention is as shown in FIG.

That is, in the middle of the circulating conveyance means 2 that conveys a plurality of stimulable phosphor sheets A, there is an image recording section 4 for recording radiation image information on the stimulable phosphor sheets 1-A, and an image recording section 4 for recording radiation image information on the stimulable phosphor sheets 1-A. The stimulable phosphor sheet A is irradiated with excitation light such as a laser beam to obtain stimulated luminescence light, which is converted into an electrical signal to read image information. and an erasing section 6 for erasing the afterimage of the stimulated luminescence by irradiating erasing light from the stimulable phosphor sheet (A) in this order.
Prior to image reading, the erasing section 6 is provided with a control means 8 for introducing all of the stimulable phosphor material A into the erasing section 6 at the time of startup and subjecting it to the erasing process.

1. Therefore, the mechanical structure of the radiation image information recording/reading apparatus having the basic configuration as described above is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 10 indicates a standing type (chest type) radiation image information recording/reading device, and the device 1
0 includes a first casing I2 extending in the vertical direction and a second casing 14 extending in the horizontal direction. Above the front of the first housing 12 is a recording section (for recording a radiation image of a subject).
An image recording section) 16 is disposed, and an operation section 18 is disposed above the side wall thereof.

Next, the internal configurations of the first housing 12 and the second housing 14 will be explained with reference to FIG. 3.

A bending belt conveyor 20 is disposed at the top of the first housing 12, and a first roller group 22 rotatably slides on the bending portion of the belt conveyor 20, and a first guide member 24 is in close proximity to this roller group 22. will be placed.

A stimulable phosphor sheet 26 is provided inside the recording section 16.
A pair of belt conveyors 2 for sandwiching and positioning
8a and 28b are disposed so as to be freely displaceable in the horizontal direction in the figure. Belt conveyors 30a and 30b are further disposed on the exit side of the belt conveyors 28a and 28b,
In this case, the belt conveyor 30b extends slightly below the belt conveyor 30a that is paired with it. A bending belt conveyor 32 is provided further below these belt conveyors 30a, 30b, and a second roller group 34 is provided at the bent portion.

Above the 20th group 34 is the belt conveyor 32.
A second guide member 36 is disposed adjacent to.

A guide member 3 is provided on the exit side of the bending belt conveyor 32.
8, a bending belt conveyor 40 is further disposed, and in this case, a third roller group 42 is rotatably in sliding contact with the bending portion of the belt conveyor 40. The image reading unit 44 includes a belt conveyor 46 and a belt conveyor 4.
8 are arranged in series with each other. A laser light source 50 is installed above the belt conveyors 46 and 48 that constitute a part of the image reading section 44, and the output laser light 50
A mirror 52 and a galvanometer mirror 56 are provided for scanning the sheet 26 on the belt conveyors 46 and 48 in the width direction thereof. By this reciprocating movement of the galvanometer mirror 56, the laser beam 58 is main-scanned over the sheet 26 on which the radiation image has been accumulated and recorded. Note that, after a radiation image is recorded on the sheet 26 in the image recording section 16, the sheet 26 is conveyed to the image reading section 44 by driving the sheet circulating conveyance means. At the scanning position of the laser beam 58 on the sheet 26, a condensing optical element 60 is arranged along the main scanning line. Stimulated luminescence light emitted from the sheet 26 irradiated with the laser beam 58 enters the condensing optical element 60 from the incident end face of the condensing optical element 60, and is guided through the condensing optical element 60 by total reflection. The light is received by a photomultiplier 62 connected to the exit end face,
The stimulated luminescence is read out photoelectrically. At the same time as the main scanning of the laser beam 58 is performed as described above, the sheet 26 is conveyed by the belt conveyors 46 and 48 in the direction of arrow A in the figure (that is, a direction substantially perpendicular to the main scanning direction) and is subjected to the sub-scanning. The stored radiation image information is read over the entire surface of the sheet 26. Photo multiplier 62
The image signal read by the image signal input/output circuit 1
17 (see FIG. 4) to the image processing circuit 116 (fourth
The radiographic image is transmitted to the display device 114 (see FIG. 4), where it undergoes necessary image processing and then sent to the display device 114 (see FIG. 4), where the radiation image is reconstructed. Further, the radiation image may be reproduced by performing optical scanning recording on a photosensitive film, or may be temporarily recorded on a storage device such as a magnetic tape for this purpose.

By the way, on the exit side of the belt conveyor 48 arranged in series as described above, there is a slightly bent held conveyor/veyor 64.
is disposed, and a third roller group 66 is rotatably in sliding contact with the bent portion thereof. A third guide member 68 is disposed on the exit side of the 30th roller group 66 and the belt conveyor 64, and a nip roller 70 is disposed above the guide member 68.
is provided. A fourth guide member 72 is provided on the exit side of the nip roller 70, and the exit side further faces an erasing section 74. The erasing section 74 has a 1"
Therefore, it has a nip roller 76a surrounded by a nip roller 76a and a nip roller 76b similarly surrounded by a casing at the other end. The exit side of the nip roller 76b faces the fifth guide member 78, and the exit side of the fifth guide member 78 faces the nip roller 80.

The nip roller 80 faces a sixth guide member 82 having approximately the same length as the fifth guide member 78, and the sixth guide member 82 faces a seventh guide member 84 which is further relatively long.
The seventh guide member 84 is provided opposite to the first bending conveyor belt conveyor 20.

In this case, as can be easily understood from FIG. 3, a cleaning device 86 is interposed between the sixth guide member 82 and the seventh guide member 84. The cleaning device 86 is
A driving roller 88 , a cleaning roller 90 that comes into pressure contact with this driving roller 88 , and this cleaning roller 9
The roller 90 includes a solenoid 92 that displaces the roller 90, and a coil spring 94 that constantly tensions the roller 90. The solenoid 92 and the coil spring 94 substantially have their ends engaged with a rotatable arm member 96 that holds the roller 90. The surface of the cleaning roller 90 was disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 59-1387 by the present applicant.
40, it is covered with a cleaning material (not shown) such as felt, velvet, fur, etc.

In the above configuration, the apparatus of the present invention is provided with a position detection sensor at a predetermined position in order to grasp the positional relationship of the plurality of stimulable phosphor sheets 26a to 26d that are cyclically conveyed by the belt conveyor. .

In this embodiment, first, the first position detection sensor 10Qa is disposed at a spaced apart portion of a pair of belt conveyors 28a, 28b and belt conveyors 30a, 30b disposed below the belt conveyors 28a, 28b, and the second position detection sensor 100b is disposed near the end portion of the belt conveyor 32 that bends.

Further, the third position detection sensor 100c is disposed just before the bending part of the belt conveyor 40 connected to the bending belt conveyor 32, and the fourth position detection sensor 100d is arranged on the heald conveyor 48 extending in the horizontal direction. Arranged just before the terminal part. Furthermore, the position detection sensor 100e is disposed at a portion separated from the guide member 68 and the nip roller 70, and the position detection sensor 100f is disposed at a portion separated from the guide member 78 and the nip roller 80. Finally, the position detection sensor 100g is connected to the guide member 84 and the belt conveyor 2.
It is arranged in a spaced apart part of 0.

Therefore, as described above, the belt conveyor constituting the conveyance system is controlled to convey or stop in response to the position detection signals of the stimulable phosphor sheet from the position detection sensors 100a to 100g. The control circuit will be explained in detail below with reference to FIG.

First, the output sides of the position detection sensors 1QOa to 100g are connected to a control circuit 102 that is substantially composed of a microcomputer. Further, an input device 108 and a controller 106 are connected to the control circuit 102, and a switch 112 is connected to the controller 106', which is pressed by the operator to irradiate radiation from the radiation source 104 to the subject 110. There is.

The control circuit 102 also includes an image signal turnout circuit 1
17 are connected. On the other hand, the subject 11 detected by the photo multiplier 62 provided in the image reading unit 44
The radiation image information signal of 0 is transmitted to this image signal input/output circuit 1.
The radiation image is once input to the image processing device 116 via the image processing device 17, and after being subjected to appropriate image processing, is sent to the display device 114, and the radiation image is displayed on the display device 114 in real time. Furthermore, the output side of the control circuit 102 is a rotational drive source for the belt conveyor constituting the conveyance system, that is, a motor M1 that drives the belt conveyor 28b, a motor M2 that drives the belt conveyor 30b, and a motor M2 that drives the belt conveyor 32. Motor M3, motor M4 that drives the heald conveyor 40, motor M5 that drives the belt conveyor 46, motor M6 that drives the belt conveyor 48, motor M7 that drives the heald conveyor 64, nip roller 70 Motor M that drives
8. Motor M9 that drives nip rollers 75a and 76b
, MIO are connected to drive circuits 118a to 1181 of the motor Mll that drives the nip roller 80 and the motor M12 that drives the roller 88, respectively.

Further, the output side of the control circuit 102 is connected to an image reading section 44.
The photomultiplier 62 is connected to the input side of the photomultiplier 62 so as to control the activation of the photomultiplier 62 composing the photomultiplier 62 .

Furthermore, in this case, the output side of the control circuit 102 is connected to a circuit 120 for energizing a solenoid 92 for rotating the arm member 96 and pressing the cleaning roller 90 against the roller 88 .

Here, as described above, the control circuit 102 actually utilizes a microcomputer. As shown in FIG. 5, the microcomputer 130 that substantially constitutes the control circuit 102 is of a well-known type, and basically includes a human output port 131, an input port 132, and a CPU 134.
, ROM136, RAM138, output port 1
40 and a timer 142. The output signals of the position detection sensors 100a to 100g are introduced to the input port 132, while the output signals of the position detection sensors 100a to 100g are inputted from the output port 140 to energize the drive circuits 118a to 118g to rotate the motors M1 to M7. The control signal is configured to be issued. The position detection sensor 1 is stored in the RAM 13B.
The stimulable phosphor sheets 2 are placed in the blocks corresponding to blocks B1 to B7 divided by 00a to 100g.
A table 144 is included so that the CPU 134 can always look up the respective positions and sheet numbers of the phosphor sheets when the sheets 6a to 26d are carried in. In this case, the ROM 136 stores a program that controls the CPU 134 to make the stimulable phosphor sheet 26 stand by when it reaches a predetermined position, or to feed it to the next block. .

The radiation image information recording/reading apparatus according to the present invention is basically constructed as described above, and its operation and effects will be explained next.

First, when the stimulable phosphor sheet that is recycled as described above remains unused for a long time, as described above,
A "floating" phenomenon or an accumulation of energy due to environmental radiation may occur, resulting in noise to the recording of new image information.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the causes of noise such as afterimages caused by the lifting phenomenon are removed through the following process, and the stimulable phosphor sheet is also subjected to a cleaning process to wipe away dust and the like on the surface. . This process will be explained below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

Therefore, the radiation image information reading device 10 is started using a start switch (not shown). As a result, the belt conveyor constituting the conveyance system and the motor driving the nip rollers operate at a constant speed, and at the same time, the image information recording section, the image information reading section 44, and the erasing section 74 are activated.

As a result, the four stimulable phosphor sheets 26a to 26d (hereinafter, these stimulable phosphor sheets are referred to as "IP" in the flowchart) in the radiation image information recording/reading apparatus 10 circulate. This circulating stimulable phosphor sheet is connected to position detection sensors 100a to 100 installed in the conveyance system.
g.

First, the radiation image information recording/reading apparatus is divided into 87 blocks from B1 corresponding to the respective sensors 100a to 100g. In other words, the positional information of the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B1 is detected by the position detection sensor LOOG during its conveyance, and the positional information of the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B2 is detected by the position detection sensor 100a. Detected. On the other hand, the position information of the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B3 is detected by the position detection sensor 100b, and the position detection function of the sheet in block B4 is detected by the position detection sensor 100b.
This is done by 0c. The position information of the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B5 is obtained by the position detection sensor 100d, and the position information of the stimulable phosphor sheet derived from the erasing section 74 is obtained by the position detection sensor 100e. Finally, the position information of the sheet in block B7 is detected by position detection sensors lO, Qf.

Therefore, as described above, the present invention aims to eliminate the inconvenience such as "lifting" of images that occurs when the radiation image information reading/recording device IO restarts after a long period of inactivity through an erasing process. Therefore, it is determined whether or not a phosphor sheet exists in block B5 immediately before the erasing section 74. Specifically, the stored information in the backed up table 144 immediately before the apparatus 10 enters the hibernation state indicates whether or not a phosphor sheet exists in block B5. In this case, the control circuit 102), that is, a register (not shown) built in the computer 130, uses the output signal of the position detection sensor 100f to indicate in advance that the stimulable phosphor sheet has not been led out from the erasing section 74. Set the count value to N=0 (S
TP 1). Next, after determining whether or not a stimulable phosphor sheet exists in block B5 as described above (STP2)
If there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in block B5, then it is determined whether or not there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B6 (STP3). On the other hand, block B5
If a stimulable phosphor sheet exists in block B6, then the stimulable phosphor sheet exists in block B6.
"It is determined whether or not to do so (STP4). In this case,
If there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in block B6,
The stimulable phosphor sheet of block B5 is fed to block B6 (STP5), and the erasing light irradiation time in the erasing section 74 is set by the timer 142 (STP5).
TP6). And when the set time elapses (
STP7), then the presence or absence of the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B7 is determined (STP8), and in the case of No,
An energizing signal for the solenoid 92 is sent from the CPU 134 via the output port 140 .

As a result, the solenoid 92 is driven, and the cleaning roller 90 is pressed against the roller 88 against the tensile force of the coil spring 94 (STP9). In this state, the stimulable phosphor sheet of block B6 is
7 (STPlO), and the position detection sensor 100f
detects these, and the computer 130 stores this signal received from the manual port 132 in the RAM 138 to indicate that the stimulable phosphor sheet erasing process has been performed once (STPII).

Next, the computer 130 determines whether the erasing process has already been performed for the fourth time (5TP12), No.
If so, it is determined again whether or not there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B7 (STP13). When a stimulable phosphor sheet is present in block B7, then block B1
It is determined whether or not there is a stimulable phosphor sheet (STP).
14) If the answer is No, the stimulable phosphor sheet of block B7 is sent to block B1.
is turned off (STP16). That is, this roller 90 is separated from the roller 88 under the tension of the coil spring 94.

Next, it is determined whether a stimulable phosphor sheet exists in block Bl (5TP17), and if YES,
Furthermore, it is determined whether or not there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B2 (STP18). No in 5TP1B
When , the computer 130 sends an output signal from the output port 140 to the motor drive circuit 118a, and the block B1
The stimulable phosphor sheet is delivered to block B2 (STP19). If there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in block B1 and there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B2 (STP20), it is further determined whether or not there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B3. (STP21), if NO, the stimulable phosphor sheet of block B2 is fed to block B3 (STP22)
. In addition, if it is determined in 5TP20 that there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in block B2, or if it is determined in 5TP21 that there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B3, the process is repeated again. 5TP23) If YES, then judge whether there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B4 5TP24); If NO, check if there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B3. The phosphor sheet is fast forwarded to the rear end of block B4 (STP25). That is, the output signal from the output capo 140 causes the belt conveyor 4 to
The motor M4 of the belt conveyor 46, the motor M5 of the belt conveyor 46, and the motor M6 of the belt conveyor 48 rotate at a higher speed than in the normal state.

Further, in 5TP26, it is determined whether or not there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B4, and if YES, it is determined whether or not there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B5 (STP27).

If there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in block B5, the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B4 is fed to block B5 (STP2B).

On the other hand, in 5TP12, when the stimulable phosphor sheets to be subjected to the erasing process are counted by a register (not shown) in the Conbuque 130 and the number has already reached 4, there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B7. It is determined whether or not it exists (STP29), and when it is determined that it exists,
Again, the presence or absence of the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B1 is determined (STP30). u)r to this 5TP30
゛7'o -t 9 BI CHmnV! ＊＃'i
-)'',,y,l',,:;If it is determined that there is no stimulable phosphor sheet, the stimulable phosphor sheet of block B7 is sent to block Bl to avoid any problems in the future (STP31).
Then, the solenoid 92 is deenergized to turn off the cleaning roller 90, that is, to separate it from the roller 88 (STP32).

Next, it is determined whether or not a stimulable phosphor sheet exists in block B1 (STP33), and if it exists, basically the microcomputer 130 next
The presence or absence of a stimulable phosphor sheet is confirmed by the output signal of the position detection sensor 100b (STP34).
. If it is determined that there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in this Pro-Tsuku B2, the radiation image information recording/reading device 1
0 is sufficient for photographing (5TP25), and the device is set to Re.
The CRT 114 displays that it is in the ready state, and the X-ray operator confirms the ready state and turns the switch 11
Press 2 to take an XvA photograph (S'TP36). When this X-ray shot is achieved, the device should be released from the Ready state to prevent the next shot until the next shot is ready (5TP37), and the block B1 is stored in the same manner as above.

The multilayer phosphor sheet is then fed to block B2 (STP38). On the other hand, if the X-ray shot is not achieved at 5TP21, the phosphor sheet 2 of block B1
Step 6 will be left as is and will proceed to the next step.

By the way, although the stimulable phosphor sheet is sent to the block B2 in this manner, whether or not there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in the block B2 is determined based on the output of the position detection sensor 100b. If there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B2 (STP39), then position detection sensor 1
If it is determined that there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in block B3 based on the output signal of 00C (STP40), the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B2 can be fed to block B3 (STP41). When a stimulable phosphor sheet is fed to block B3 and there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B3 (STP42), the stimulable phosphor sheet that has reached block B3 is stored in block B4 in order to proceed to the next step. Check whether there is a fluorescent phosphor sheet (STP43). If there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in block B4, the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B3 is sent to block B4, and the image information of the stimulable phosphor sheet is read (STP44).

By the way, if it is determined in 5TP42 that there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in block B3, or if it is determined in 5TP43 that there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B4, the process also shifts to 5TP45.

In 5TP45, when a stimulable phosphor sheet exists in block B4, it is first determined whether or not there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B5 when feeding the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B4. (STP46
). When a stimulable phosphor sheet is present in block B5, no drive signal is output from the microcomputer 130, ie, substantially the CP 134, to the drive circuit 118f. On the other hand, if it is confirmed that there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in the block B5, the block B4
stimulable phosphor sheet is fed to block B5 (ST
P47). In addition, when a stimulable phosphor sheet exists in block B5 (STP4B), when feeding this stimulable phosphor sheet to the next block B6, the block B
It is determined whether or not there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in step 6 (STP49). Then, if it is determined that there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in block B6, the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B5 is sent to block B6 (5TP50), and the CPU 134 sets the time of the timer 142. (STP51). Therefore, the timer 142
The erasing section 74 irradiates the stimulable phosphor sheet with erasing light from the erasing light source disposed therein to process the remaining image within the time set in block B6. If the stimulable phosphor exists (STP52), wait for the time set by the timer 142 to elapse (STP53) and check whether or not the stimulable phosphor exists in B7. Determine (STP54
).

Then, if the time has not elapsed, proceed to the next step.

On the other hand, it is determined by 5TP54 whether or not there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B7, and if there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in block B7, the stimulable phosphor sheet is sent to block B7. Become (STP55)'
.

By the way, if there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in block B7 (STP56), the process returns to 5TP33 and the same flow is repeated. On the other hand, if a stimulable phosphor sheet exists in block B7, then it is determined whether or not a stimulable phosphor sheet exists in block B1.5TP57
), and only when it is determined that there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in block B1, the stimulable phosphor sheet of block B7 is sent to the block Bl (5TP58), and further 5TP.
Return to step 33 and repeat the same flow infinitely.

That is, according to the present invention, the 4
The stimulable phosphor sheets enter the erasing section, and all of them are subjected to an erasing process prior to recording image information. Moreover, since the stimulable phosphor sheet that has been subjected to the erasing process is brought into pressure contact with the cleaning roller, dust on its surface is almost completely removed. This makes it possible to obtain radiographic images with high sharpness.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.
For example, a cleaning device may be provided between the erasing section and the image reading section, or this cleaning device may not necessarily be provided. Various improvements and design changes may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course it is possible.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram explaining the present invention in detail, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a radiation image information recording/reading device according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a part of the radiation image information recording/reading device shown in FIG. 2. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the control system of the radiation image information recording/reading device; FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the control circuit in the control system shown in FIG. 4; FIG. Figures A to 5 are flowcharts for conveying a stimulable phosphor sheet based on the control circuit shown in FIG. 5. 2... Circulating transport means 4... Image recording section 5... Image reading section 6... Erasing section 8... Control means 10... Radiation image information recording/reading device 12... First housing 14... Second housing 16・・・
Image recording section 18...Operation section 20...Belt conveyor 22...Roller group 24...Guide member 26...
- Storable phosphor sheets 28a, 28b, 30a, 30b, 32...Belt conveyor 34...Roller group 36.38...Guide member 40...Belt conveyor 42...Roller group 44...Image reading section 46.
48... Belt conveyor 50... Laser light source 52... Mirror 56... Galvanometer mirror 58... Laser light 60... Condensing optical element 62
... Photo multiplier 64 ... Belt conveyor 66 ... Roller group 68 ... Guide member 70 ...
・2・Knob roller 72・・Guide member 74・・Erasing portions 75a, 76b・・Nip roller 78・・Guide member 80・・・Nip roller 82
．． 84... Guide member 86... Cleaning device 88... Drive roller 90
... Cleaning roller 92 ... Solenoid 94 ... Coil spring 96 ... Arm member 100
100g to a...Position detection sensor 102...Control circuit 104...Radiation source 106...Controller 108...Input device 110...Subject
112...Switch 114...Display device 116...Image processing device 118a'' 1187!...Drive circuit 120...
・Control circuit

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A circulating conveyance means for conveying a stimulable phosphor sheet capable of accumulating and recording radiation image information along a predetermined circulation path, and a means for irradiating radiation onto the sheet through a subject, which is interposed in the circulation path. an image recording section that accumulates and records radiation image information of a subject on the sheet; and an excitation light source that is interposed in the circulation path and emits excitation light that scans the sheet on which the radiation image information is accumulated and recorded in the image recording section. an image reading section having a photoelectric reading means for reading stimulated luminescence light emitted from a sheet scanned by the excitation light to obtain an image signal; an erasing unit that releases radiation energy remaining on the sheet before image recording is performed on the sheet after image recording; A radiation image information recording/reading device characterized in that it is provided with a control means for performing a prior erasing step. (2) In the apparatus according to claim 1, the stimulable phosphor sheet is attached to the surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet in the circulation path between the erasing section and the image recording section or between the erasing section and the image reading section. A radiation image information recording/reading device equipped with a cleaning mechanism for removing dust.