JPS61107237A - Radiant-ray picture information recording and reading device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the processing speed of picture recording, reading, and erasing and, at the same time, accurately obtain the radiant-ray picture information of an object, by providing a circular carrying means of storage-type phosphor sheets, picture recording section, picture reading section, erasing section, selecting means which selects the quantity of radiant rays, storage means, and control means. CONSTITUTION:After recording a radiant-ray picture at a picture recording section 16, a sheet 26 is carried to a picture image reading section 44 by driving a circular carrying means of the sheet. Picture signals read by a photomultiplier 62 are transmitted to a picture processing circuit 116 through a picture signal input-output circuit 117 and 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. This reproduction of radiant-ray picture can also be made by performing optical scan recording on a photosensitive film or once recording the picture image signals on a recording device, such as magnetic tape, etc., for the purpose of reproduction.

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 emit R exhaustion light in accordance with the accumulated and recorded image information. The radiation image information recording/reading device is capable of detecting image information and converting it into an electrical signal. If high-dose radiation image information is recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet, this is detected and erased multiple times according to the amount without recording new image information or reading the image information. The present invention relates to a radiation image information recording/reading device configured to substantially completely erase residual images.

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 vA image information of a subject such as a human body can be transferred to a sheet made of stimulable phosphor (
Hereinafter, "stimulable phosphor sheet" or simply "sheet"
This is recorded in a photosensitive cell (referred to as a photo), which is irradiated with excitation light to cause stimulated luminescence, and this stimulated luminescent light is read in a charging manner to obtain image information, and this image signal is electrically processed to determine diagnostic suitability. A radiation image information recording and reproducing method for obtaining a good radiation 5s image of a subject has been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-12429
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. . In any case, in the radiation image information recording and reproducing method, the stimulable phosphor sheet is not for ultimately recording image information, but for providing an image to a different recording medium as mentioned above. Since the stimulable phosphor sheet only temporarily records image information, the stimulable phosphor sheet may be used repeatedly (and it is extremely economical to use it repeatedly in this way). Furthermore, for example, a mobile station such as an Xml imaging vehicle can be equipped with a radiation image information recording/reading device that uses a stimulable phosphor sheet, and the Xml can be used to travel to various locations for group examinations. When performing line shadowing, it is inconvenient to load a large number of stimulable phosphor sheets, and there is a limit to the number of sheets that can be loaded on a moving vehicle.
A stimulable phosphor sheet is loaded onto a moving vehicle so that it can be used repeatedly, and radiation image information for each subject is recorded on it. If the structure is such that the phosphor sheet is stored in a large recording medium, stored, erased and reused cyclically to obtain the next image information, radiographic images of a large number of objects can be stored in a location limited by a moving vehicle. This is extremely practical because it allows you to take pictures without being affected by the camera. Furthermore, by cyclically reusing it in this way, it becomes possible to perform continuous imaging, which increases the speed of imaging information in mass medical examinations.
Image information can be obtained efficiently in a short time.

By the way, 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 is
As disclosed in No. 6-11392 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 to record the radiation image. Just use 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. 58-667).
No. 30).

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.

By the way, as mentioned above, the erasing section of the radiation image information recording/reading device irradiates the stimulable phosphor sheet with light or heat, thereby releasing the residual radiation energy of the stimulable phosphor sheet. In order to make a stimulable phosphor sheet reusable, if the residual radiation energy is large, it is necessary to irradiate the sheet with a larger amount of light or heat (i.e., the amount of residual radiation energy emitted is Therefore, if the amount of light or heat irradiated in the erasing section is kept constant, the maximum residual radiation of the stimulable phosphor sheet that is normally assumed will increase. energy almost completely (i.e.
It is set so that it can be emitted (to the extent that it does not interfere with the next image recording). In addition, when controlling the amount of light or heat applied to the erasing section depending on the amount of residual radiation energy in the stimulable phosphor sheet in order to reduce the energy and time required for image erasing, the maximum amount of control The value is set to a value that allows the normally assumed maximum residual radiation energy of the stimulable phosphor sheet to be emitted almost completely.

However, during special radiography, the stimulable phosphor sheet may be exposed to a much larger amount of radiation than usual, and the stimulable phosphor sheet exposed to a large amount of radiation may be In some cases, the residual energy after image reading often exceeds the maximum value normally expected. Therefore, when such a special stimulable phosphor sheet is sent to the erasing section, it is desirable to irradiate it with light or heat for a particularly long time, so that the sheet that has been exposed to a large amount of radiation will be removed. can also be reused for image recording.

However, if the erasing section takes a particularly long time to erase the image on a stimulable phosphor sheet that has been exposed to a large amount of radiation as described above, the erasing section will erase the image of the stimulable phosphor sheet. The flow becomes congested, and image recording and reading processes have to be interrupted.

On the other hand, if you erase the remaining data without spending a particularly long time,
The next time an image is recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet, unerased image information will be superimposed on the newly recorded image information.
Accurate image information of the subject cannot be secured. Moreover, for this reason, for example, when the subject is a patient, it cannot be denied that there is a possibility that the doctor may misdiagnose the subject.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to prevent the stimulable phosphor sheet from being irradiated with a much larger amount of radiation than normal and when the afterimage energy after image reading of the sheet exceeds a predetermined value. The stimulable phosphor sheet is subjected to the erasing process multiple times without recording or reading a new image, almost completely erasing the remaining image, thereby increasing the processing speed of image recording, reading, and erasing. To provide a radiographic image information recording/reading device capable of obtaining highly accurate radiographic image information of a subject.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a circulation conveyance means for conveying a stimulable phosphor sheet capable of accumulating and recording radiation image information along a predetermined circulation path, and a circulation means for conveying a stimulable phosphor sheet capable of storing and recording radiation image information, and an image recording section that accumulates and records radiographic image information of the subject on the sheet by irradiating radiation 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 scanning excitation light; and a photoelectric reading unit that reads the R-exhausted light emitted from the sheet scanned by the excitation light to obtain an image signal; ! an erasing section that is interposed in a ring communication passage and releases radiation energy remaining on the sheet after image reading is performed in the image reading section, and prior to recording an image on the sheet; and the image recording section. a selection means attached to the apparatus for selecting the radiation dose from the radiation source to the subject; a storage means for specifying and storing the number of erasing times of the sheet passing through the erasing section based on the image signal obtained by the photoelectric reading means; The sheet is caused to pass through an image recording section and an image reading section without image recording and image reading, respectively, by a signal sent from a sheet position detection means disposed at a predetermined location of the conveying means and an output signal from the storage means. It is characterized by providing a control means.

Next, the radiation image information record reading “□°” according to the present invention
Preferred embodiments of the device will now 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 1 for conveying a plurality of stimulable phosphor sheets A, there is an image recording section 2 for recording radiation image information on the stimulable phosphor sheets A, and an image recording section 2 for recording the image information on the stimulable phosphor sheets 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. An erasing section 4 that irradiates the stimulable phosphor sheet A with erasing light to emit radiation energy remaining in the sheet is provided in this order.

A selection means 6 is provided for adjusting the radiation dose from the radiation source 5 for the subject in the image recording section 4, and is erased from the output signal of the image reading section 3 which changes based on the radiation dose selected by the selection means 6. Storage means 7 for specifying the number of erasing times of the stimulable phosphor sheet A passing through the section 4
Sheet position detection means 8a to 8c are disposed at appropriate positions along the circulation conveyance means 1, and the stimulable phosphor sheets are detected by signals from the sheet position detection means 8a to 8c and the storage means 7. It has a control means 9 for temporarily stopping the functions of the image recording section 2 and the image reading section 3 without subjecting A to the image recording step in the image recording section 2 and the 41 image reading step in the image reading section 3. .

Therefore, the mechanical structure of the radiation image information recording/reading apparatus having the above-mentioned basic structure 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 housing 12 extending in the vertical direction and a second housing 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.

Inside the image recording section 16, a pair of belt conveyors 213a and 28b for sandwiching and positioning the stimulable phosphor sheet 26 are disposed so as to be movable horizontally in the figure. Belt conveyors 30a and 30b are further disposed on the exit side of the belt conveyors 2ga and 28b, and 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. Said 20th-
A second guide member 36 is disposed above the group 34 and close to the belt conveyor 32. A further bending belt conveyor 40 is disposed on the exit side of the bending belt conveyor 32 via a guide member 38, and in this case, a third roller group 42 rotatably slides into the bending portion of the belt conveyor 40. ing. A laser light source 50 is installed above the belt conveyor 46 and 4, which constitute a part of the image reading section 44, and outputs laser light 58 onto the sheet 26 on the belt conveyors 46 and 48 in the width direction. A scanning mirror 52 and a galvanometer mirror 56 are provided. 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 luminescent light emitted from the sheet 26 irradiated with the laser beam 58 is collected by the condensing optical element 60
The light enters the condensing optical element 60 from the incident end face of the light, is guided through the condensing optical element 60 by total reflection, and is received by the photomultiplier 62 connected to the exit end face of the element 60, where the stimulated luminescent light is read out photoelectrically. It will be done. Laser light 58 as above
At the same time as main scanning is performed, the sheet 26 is moved in the direction of arrow A in the figure (i.e.,
The sheet 26 is conveyed in a direction (substantially perpendicular to the main scanning direction) and sub-scanned, and the accumulated radiation image information is read over the entire surface of the sheet 26. The image signal read by the photo multiplier 62 is sent to the image processing circuit 116 (see FIG. 4) via the image signal input/output circuit 117 (see FIG. 4).
The radiation image is transmitted to the computer, subjected to necessary image processing, and then sent to the display device 114 (see FIG. 4), where the radiation image is reproduced. 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, a slightly bent belt conveyor 64 is disposed on the exit side of the belt conveyor 48 arranged in series as described above, and a third roller group 66 is rotatably in sliding contact with the bent portion. This (D"A30-'twork66yo6
．． . , 3,6a6417) $DW' has the third
A guide member 68 is provided, and a nip roller 70 is provided above the guide member 68. A fourth guide member 72 is provided on the exit side of the nip roller 70,
Furthermore, the exit side faces the erasing section 74. The erasing section 74 has a nip roller 76a surrounded by a housing at one end.
and a nip roller 76b that is similarly surrounded by a housing 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 is a relatively long sixth guide member 8.
2, and this sixth guide member 82 is provided opposite to the first bending conveyor belt conveyor 20.

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 fourth position detection sensor 1
00d is a pair of belt conveyors 28a, 28b and a belt conveyor 30a disposed below them.

30b, the second position detection sensor 1
00b is arranged 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 that is connected to the bending belt conveyor 32, and the fourth position detection sensor 100d is arranged on the belt conveyor 48 that extends 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 disposed at a portion separated from the guide member 82 and the belt conveyor 20.

Therefore, as described above, the belt conveyor constituting the conveyance system is controlled to drive 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.

The output side of the position detection sensors 100a to 100g is a control circuit 1 that is substantially composed of a microcomputer.
02, and this control circuit 102 has an input device 10.
8 is connected to this control circuit 102-, and a radiation source 1 is connected to this control circuit 102-.
Sending a photographing signal, that is, a shot signal S to 04,
Moreover, a controller 106 for controlling the radiation dose of the radiation source 104 is connected. Note that the controller 106
The operator presses the button to remove the object 1 from the radiation source 104.
A switch 112 for irradiating radiation to 10 is connected.

This control circuit 102 also includes an image signal/input/output 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 11.
The radiation image is once input to the image processing device 116 via the image processing device 7, and after being subjected to appropriate image processing, is sent to the display device 114, on which the radiation image is displayed in real time. Furthermore, the output side of the control circuit 102 is a rotational drive source for a belt conveyor constituting the conveyance system;
That is, the motor M1 that drives the belt conveyor 28b
, a motor M2 that drives the belt conveyor 32, a motor M3 that drives the belt conveyor 40, and a belt conveyor 46.
Drive circuits 118a to 118g of a motor M4 that drives the belt conveyor 48, a motor M5 that drives the belt conveyor 48, a motor M6 that drives the nip roller 70, and a motor M7 that drives the nip roller 80 are connected.

Furthermore, the output side of the control circuit 102 is connected to the input side of the photomultiplier 62 constituting the image reading section 44 so as to control the activation of the photomultiplier 62.

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 an input/output capo 131, an input port 132, and a CPU 134.
, ROM136, RAM13B,
□ output port) 140, a timer 142, and a counter (not shown), that is, a register. input boat 13
2, the output signals of the position detection sensors 100a to 100g are introduced, and the output boat 140 outputs a drive control signal that energizes the drive circuits 118a to 118g to rotationally drive the motors M1 to M7. It is configured as follows. The RAM 138 has blocks B1 divided by the position detection sensors 100a to 100g.
When the stimulable phosphor sheets 26a to 26d are carried into the block corresponding to B7, a table 144 is included so that the respective positions and sheet numbers of the phosphor sheets can be looked up by the CPU 134 at any time ( .Furthermore, this RAM 138 has a photomultiplier 6.
Depending on the amount of light detected from the stimulable phosphor sheet by 2, for example, when the amount of light is 0 to 10, the number of erasing steps required for the stimulable phosphor sheet is 1. It has a table 146 that associates the number of times of erasure with the required number of times of erasure. Note that this table 14
6, information can be stored by the following method. For example, so-called solid imaging (uniform exposure) is performed on the stimulable phosphor sheet by varying the amount of radiation applied. Next, the image reading unit 44 reads this sheet, that is, '
, a zero-order reading signal level (for example, maximum value) detected by the photomultiplier 62, and an eraser 74°
The afterimage of the sheet that has been read is erased.

Note that the erasing unit 74 almost completely releases the afterimage radiation energy of the stimulable phosphor sheet after normal imaging, so that a sufficient amount of light is applied to the sheet so that the sheet can be reused for image recording. It is configured to be irradiated. Next, in the erasing section 74, the image reading section 44 again reads the afterimage of the sheet from which the afterimage has been erased, and confirms the signal level of the remaining image. If this level is sufficiently small, the number of times the sheet must be erased is one, and if it is above a certain level, the afterimage of the sheet is erased again in the erasing unit 74. In this way, erasing is repeated several times until the signal level of the remaining image becomes sufficiently low. Therefore, depending on the signal level detected by the photo multiplier 62, it is possible to determine how many times a sheet on which an image of that level has been photographed needs to be erased. As described above, a table that associates the detection signal of the photomultiplier 62 with the required number of times of erasure can be obtained experimentally in advance. Further, the RAM 138 includes a table 148 that defines the correspondence between the required number of erasures read out by the table 146 and the identification number of the stimulable phosphor sheet. In addition, R.O.
The M136 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.

1 First, in this embodiment, a stimulable phosphor sheet 1-2 is installed inside the radiation image information recording/reading device 10.
63. Assume that 26b, 26c and 26d are reserved for circular reuse. Then, as described above, the blocks are divided into blocks B1 to B7 corresponding to the respective sensors 100a to 100g. That is, the positional information of the stimulable phosphor sheet in block Bl is determined by the position detection sensor 00g.
The position information of the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B2 is detected by the position detection sensor 100a. On the other hand, the position information of the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B3 is detected by the position detection sensor 00b, and
The position detection function of the sheet is performed by the position detection sensor 00c. The position information of the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B5 is obtained by the position detection sensor 00d, and the position information of the stimulable phosphor sheet derived from the erasing section 74 is obtained by the position detection sensor 00e.

Finally, the position information of the sheet in block B7 is position.

Detected by detection sensor 00f.
) □Therefore, the subject 110 is waiting for radiography and the recording unit 16 of the radiation image information recording/reading device
When the patient maintains the state in which the chest is placed on the belt, the belt conveyor is driven and the first sheet H6a of the four stimulable phosphor sheets housed in the housings 12 and 14 is transferred to the belt conveyors 28a and 28b. Positioned in a pinched state.

Therefore, when the operator presses the switch 112, the imaging signal S from the controller 106 is sent to the radiation source 104, and the radiation source 104 irradiates the subject 110 with a predetermined radiation, and the stimulable phosphor sheet ) 26a, a radiation image of the subject 110 is photographed and recorded. The stimulable phosphor sheet 26a, which has been photographed, is transferred to the third belt conveyor 30a, 30b and the belt conveyor 32 under the urging action of the belt conveyors 23a, 28b.
It will be transported to a position directly below the sensor 1oOb shown in the figure. At this time, the position detection sensor 100a detects the passage of the stimulable phosphor sheet 26a, and the control circuit 1
Send to 02. At the same time, the stimulable phosphor sheet)
A stimulable phosphor sheet 26d located before 26a,
26c and 26b are conveyed by a conveyor belt under the rotational action of motors M1 to M7.

Normally, the belt conveyors 46 and 4 pass through block B3.
The stimulable phosphor sheet 26c conveyed by the image reading device 44 and the laser light 58 from the laser light source 50 are scanned onto the sheet surface under the swinging action of the galvanometer mirror 56. As a result of the scanning, stimulated luminescence light corresponding to radiation image information emitted by the stimulable phosphor sheet 26c is collected by the light guiding sheet 60 and sent to the photomultiplier 62.

The photomultiplier 62 converts the stimulated luminescent light into an electrical signal, and this signal is sent to the image processing device 116 via the image signal input/output circuit 117, where it is subjected to image processing and then to the display device. 114 as a visible image. This radiographic image will be checked by a doctor.

After the image information has been read, the stimulable phosphor sheet is introduced into the erasing unit 74, processed to eliminate the afterimage under the lighting action of the erasing light source, and further processed into block B6.
From there, it is led out again to the image recording unit 16, that is, block B1, via block B7.

Therefore, when attempting to irradiate a larger amount of radiation than usual in order to perform special radiography on the stimulable phosphor sheet that is reused as described above, the input device 108
A signal to increase the exposure dose is sent via control circuit 102 to controller 106 . As a result, controller 1
By pressing the .06 switch 112, the radiation source 104 emits radiation at a dose based on the input signal of the input device 108 to the subject 110. In this case, RAM1
38 preferably includes a table for determining the radiation dose using the input bag W108.

In this way, when a large amount of radiation is emitted to a specific stimulable phosphor sheet, one stimulable phosphor sheet t' is circulated through the transport system, including the erasing process performed multiple times. The process will be described 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 motors that drive the belt conveyor and nip rollers that constitute the conveyance system perform constant speed operation (STPI). As a result, the correlation between the current position and the phosphor sheet 26 (hereinafter, the stimulable phosphor sheet will be referred to as "IP" in the flowchart) is read and stored in the table 144 (SrF2). That is, table 14
4 will be created. In this case, the image reading section 44 may be used to read a barcode affixed to the back surface of the phosphor sheet 26 to obtain information on the position and sheet number.

Next, while the radiation image information reading device 10 is in operation, an interrupt operation is performed under the action of the timer 142 of the microcomputer 130 (SrF3). This interrupt operation is performed to read the bit pattern )□'□ related to the four stimulable phosphor sheets 26 from the input port 132 (SrF4). The read bit pattern is stored in the RAM 138 as shown in Table 1.
44, the block position and sheet number are stored relatively in the P area via the bit pattern (SrF
2). When the bit pattern is thus stored in the RAM 13B, the computer 130 returns to the main routine operation (SrF6). With this, computer 1
Reference numeral 30 performs other operations, such as controlling the conveyance system and feeding the phosphor sheet to the next belt conveyor.

After a predetermined time has elapsed, an interrupt operation is performed again under the action of the timer 142 (SrF7), a bit pattern is read from the input port 132 (S':r'P8), and this is stored in the RAM1.
38 Q area (SrF9). After returning (STPlo) to the main routine, the bit pattern stored in the P area and the bit pattern stored in the Q area are compared.
), the position information of the phosphor sheet 26 corresponding to the predetermined position of the table 144 is updated (S T P 12). In this way, the identification numbers of the phosphor sheets 26 in blocks B1 to B7 are identified in relation to their positions. In this state, the CPU 134 connects the drive circuits 118a to 118g from the output boat 140.
A drive signal is sent to the drive circuits 118a to 118.
g drives the belt conveyor constituting each conveyance system. As a result, for example, the stimulable phosphor sheet existing in block B1 is fed to block B2, and the stimulable phosphor sheet that was present in block B1 is fed to block B2.
The stimulable phosphor sheet present in block B2 is fed to block B3. Similarly, the stimulable phosphor sheet existing in block B4 is fed to block B5, and the accumulated phosphor sheet existing inside the erasing section 74, that is, inside the erasing box, is subjected to the erasing action. The fluorescent phosphor sheet is fed to the next block, B7.

In this manner, by driving the conveyance system, the position detection sensors 100a to 100g send information to the CPU 134 as to whether or not a stimulable phosphor sheet is present in each block.

Therefore, first, at the beginning of driving the device 10, the RAM
In relation to the stimulable phosphor sheets 26a to 26d, the number of times the table 148 constituting the table 138 is erased is 0 (S
TP13).

Under such conditions, first, it is determined via the table 144 whether or not the stimulable phosphor sheet 26a exists in the block B1 (STP14), and if it exists, the microcomputer 130 basically Next block B2
The presence or absence of a stimulable phosphor sheet is confirmed by the output signal of the position detection sensor 100b (STP15).
. If there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in this block B2, the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B1)
26 Is the required number of erasures for a 0? Table 1
48 for judgment (STP16). If the required number of times of erasing of the phosphor sheet in block B1 is not 0, the phosphor sheet in block B1 is directly sent to block B2 without taking a radiographic image (STP17).
. On the other hand, if it is determined that the required number of times of erasure is 0, it is assumed that the radiation image information recording/reading device 10 is 5T
P1B), CRT1 indicates that the device is in the Ready state.
14, and the operator who emits the X-rays
After confirming the y state, the user presses the switch 112 to take an XvA image (STP19). When this X-ray shot is achieved, the device must be released from the Ready state to prevent the next shot until the next shot is ready.
P20), the stimulable phosphor sheet of block B1 is fed to block B2 in the same manner as above. On the other hand, if the X-ray sit is not achieved in 5TP19, the phosphor sheet 26 in block B1 is left as it is and proceeds 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 (STP21), then if it is determined that there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in block B3 based on the output signal of the position detection sensor 100C (STP22), then the The stimulable phosphor sheet can be fed to block B3 (STP23). When a stimulable phosphor sheet is fed to block B3 and there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B3 (STP24), the stimulable phosphor sheet that has reached block B3 is sent to block B4 in order to proceed to the next step. It is confirmed whether or not there is a stimulable phosphor sheet (STP25). Then, if there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in block B4, look up from the table 148 to see if the required number of times of erasing of the stimulable phosphor sheet that has reached this block B3 is O.
6) If it is determined that the required number of times of erasing has not reached O, the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B3 is quickly fed to the rear end of block B4 by driving the belt conveyor 46, 48 faster than in normal conditions. (S'rP2
7). That is, when the CPU 134 receives information from the table 148 that as a result of receiving a high dose of stimulable phosphor sheet in block B3, it cannot stand by for image recording again until a predetermined number of times of erasing is performed. The drive circuit 118 sends a signal from 140 to send a signal faster than the normal state.
d and 1180, and the drive circuit 118d
, 118e drive predetermined motors of the belt conveyors 46, 48 at high speed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the required number of times of erasing of the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B3 is O (STP26), the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B3 is imaged by driving the conveyance system in the normal state. The reading unit 44 is energized, and the excitation light from the laser light source 50 is irradiated onto the stimulable phosphor sheet that has reached the block B4 to read its image information (STP2B). At this time, the stimulated luminescence light generated by the excitation light is converted into an electrical signal by the photomultiplier 62, and the CPU 134 looks up the table 146 based on the maximum value of this electrical signal (for example, current value). to determine the required number of erasures. Then, it is written and recorded in the table 148 together with the identification number of the stimulable phosphor sheet (STP2
9).

By the way, if there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B4 (STP30), when feeding the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B4, it is first checked whether or not there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B5. (
STP31).

When the stimulable phosphor sheet is present in the block B5, the microcomputer 13o, that is, the C
No drive signal is output from the PU 134 to the drive circuit 118f. On the other hand, if it is confirmed that there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in block B5, the stimulable phosphor sheet in block B4 is fed to block B5 (STP3
2).

In addition, if a stimulable phosphor sheet exists in block B5 (STP33), when feeding this stimulable phosphor sheet to the next block B6, it is checked whether or not a stimulable phosphor sheet exists in the block B6. Judgment (STP3
4). 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 ST P3
5) The CP 0134 sets the time of the timer 142 (STP36). Therefore, within the time set in the timer 142, the erasing unit 74 processes the remaining image by irradiating the stimulable phosphor sheet with erasing light from an erasing light source disposed inside the erasing unit 74.

Further, if there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B6 (STP37), wait for the time set by the timer 142 to elapse (STP38) and check whether there is a stimulable phosphor sheet in block B7. (STP39).

If the time has not elapsed, proceed to the next step.

Next, it is determined by 5TP38 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. (STP4
0). The result of feeding the stimulable phosphor sheet to this block B7: I゛f-7'zlz148 K#ItsT'A
The ■'''Jha'i.

- 1 will be subtracted from the number of times the card is erased (STP
41).

By the way, if there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in block B7 (STP42), the process returns to 5TP14 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 Bl.5TP43
), the stimulable phosphor sheet of block B7 is fed to the block B1 only when it is determined that there is no stimulable phosphor sheet in block B1 (5TP44), and further S T
Return to P14 and repeat the same flow indefinitely while the device is operating.

Through the above flow, if a specific stimulable phosphor sheet contains high-dose radiation image information, the block Bi block B4 is skipped as is, and the stimulable phosphor sheet sufficiently erases the remaining image. This state will continue until it is reached.

In the embodiment described above, when the stimulable phosphor sheet is passed through without being read by the image reading unit, scanning of the galvanometer mirror 56 is stopped,
Although the photo multiplier 62 may be deenergized, it is better to keep the image reading function as is and rapidly feed the stimulable phosphor sheet, as in normal reading, to avoid starting and stopping unnecessary equipment. It's nice that you don't have to do that.

As explained in detail above, the radiation image information recording/reading device of the present invention uses a stimulable phosphor sheet for image recording, reading, and
Since each part of the sheet is moved in a circular manner, the sheet can be used repeatedly, and the sheet is compact as a whole, so it is particularly suitable for use while being loaded onto a vehicle. In the radiation image information recording/reading device of the present invention, no matter how high the level of residual radiation energy remains in the stimulable phosphor sheet, the sheet will not become jammed in the erasing section. Therefore, recording and reading of radiation image information can be performed continuously and at high speed without interruption.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.
Of course, various improvements and changes in design are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[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; FIGS. 6A to 6C are flow charts for conveying the stimulable phosphor sheet based on the control circuit shown in FIG. 5. 1 l.. Circulating conveyance means 2.. Image recording section 3.. Image reading section 4.. Erasing section 5.. Radiation source 6.. Selection means 7.. Storage means 80 to 8c.. Sheet position detection means 9. -Control means 10...Radiation image information recording/reading device 12...First housing 14...Second housing 16...
Image recording unit 18...Operation unit 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 ...
- Nip roller 72... Guide member 74... Erasing portions 76a, 76b -- Nip roller 78... Guide member 80... Nip roller 82... Guide members 100a to 100g... Position detection sensor 102...
Control circuit 104... Radiation source 106...
- Controller 10 days - Input device 110 - Subject 112 - Switch 116 - Image processing device 118 - Drive circuit 130 - Microcomputer 131 - Input/output boat 132 - Input port 134 - CPU 136 -・R
OM138 ・・RAM 140 ・
・Output port 142 ・・Timer 1.44.146.148 ・・Table patent applicant
Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.-2, □ Pa. Applicant's representative Patent attorney Takehiro Chiba 7-9゛

Claims (1)

[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 section that releases radiation energy remaining on the sheet prior to image recording on the sheet after the image recording is performed; and an erasing section that is attached to the image recording section and selects the radiation dose from the radiation source to the subject. a selection means, a storage means for specifying and storing the number of erasing times of the sheet passing through the erasing section based on the image signal obtained by the photoelectric reading means, and a sheet position detection means disposed at a predetermined position of the conveyance means. A radiation image information recording/reading apparatus characterized in that a control means is provided for causing the sheet to pass through an image recording section and an image reading section without image recording or image reading, respectively, according to a fed signal and an output signal of the storage means. .