JPS6198343A - Radiation picture information recorder/reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To omit prereading and to set reading conditions by a simple operation by forming a reading condition setting part consisting of an input means for inputting information related to the kinds of photographing and the irradiating conditions of radiant rays and a control means for controlling the operation of a picture reading part. CONSTITUTION:The information related to the kinds of photographing and the irradiating conditions is inputted to the reading condition setting part 9 by selecting a keyboard 9a formed on an input port 9A and adjusting a control dial 9b. The information related to the irradiating condition directly is sent to radiation controller 9C and a radiant ray irradiating condition setting signal 9c is generated from the controller 9C on the basis of the sent information and sent to a radiation source 10. Radiant rays are irradiated from the radiation source 10 under the condition coincident with the inputted irradiating condition. On the other hand, the information related to the kinds of photographing and the irradiating conditions is sent to a condition setting memory 9B previously storing the kinds of photographing and reading conditions in each irradiating condition. The memory 9b outputs a reading condition setting signal 9d through a reading controller 9D on the basis of respective input information.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of the Invention) The present invention involves accumulating and recording radiation image information on a stimulable phosphor sheet, then irradiating the same with excitation light, and emitting light according to the accumulated and recorded image information. Regarding a radiation image information recording/reading device that detects emitted light, reads image information, converts it into an electrical signal, and further performs image processing on the electrical signal as necessary,
More specifically, the present invention relates to a radiation image information recording/reading device in which a stimulable phosphor sheet is cyclically reused within the device.

(Technical Background of the Invention and Prior Art) When a certain kind of phosphor is irradiated with radiation (X-rays, α-rays, β-rays, T-rays, electron beams, ultraviolet rays, etc.), part of the energy of this radiation is absorbed by the phosphor. It is accumulated in the phosphor, and then the phosphor is irradiated with excitation light such as visible light4 t68・H1f*
a W t= x 2 AI ”< -c G U
T @ light 0゛11 Indicates stimulated luminescence. A phosphor exhibiting such properties is called a stimulable phosphor.

Using this stimulable phosphor, radiation image information of subjects such as the human body can be obtained using -EI? Bf? Recording is performed on a sheet of tetrachromatic phosphor, which is scanned with excitation light to cause stimulated luminescence, and this stimulated luminescence is read photoelectrically to obtain an image signal. Radiographic image information recording and reproducing methods for obtaining high-quality radiographic images of objects have been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publications Nos. 55-12429, 56-11395, 55-163472, 56-104645,
No. 55-116340, etc.). In this method, the final image may be reproduced as a hard copy or reproduced on a display such as a CRT. In such a radiation image information recording and reproducing method,
A stimulable phosphor sheet does not ultimately record image information, but temporarily carries image information in order to provide an image to the final recording medium as described above. The body sheet is 0 repetitions 6 users Jlt6r5! ,;:,L,,
T6*<, *t=++7) J: .

It is extremely economical if used repeatedly.

In addition, for example, a mobile station such as an X-ray copying vehicle may be equipped with a radiographic image information recording/reading device that uses a stimulable phosphor sheet, and it may be possible to travel to various locations for group examinations and take xPA images. In some cases, 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 installed in a moving vehicle in a manner that can be used repeatedly.
Radiographic image information for each subject is recorded on this, and the image signal obtained by reading it is transferred to a recording medium with a large storage capacity such as a magnetic tape, and the stimulable phosphor sheet can be circulated and reused. This is extremely useful in practice because radiographic images of a large number of objects can be taken using a car.

Furthermore, by this cyclical reuse, if continuous shooting is performed,
It is also possible to increase the speed of imaging during group medical examinations.
The practical effects are extremely large.

In addition, in order to reuse the stimulable phosphor sheet in this way, the radiation energy remaining in the stimulable phosphor sheet of the bond from which the stimulated luminescence light has been read can be removed using, for example, JP-A-56-11.
392, No. 56-12599 to erase the remaining radiation image, and the stimulable phosphor sheet can be used again for recording radiation images.

Based on the above-mentioned viewpoint, the present applicant has proposed a circulating conveyance means for conveying a stimulable phosphor sheet capable of accumulatively recording a radiographic image along a predetermined circulation path, and a circulation means for conveying a stimulable phosphor sheet capable of accumulating and recording radiographic images, and a means for conveying a stimulable phosphor sheet capable of accumulating and recording radiographic images; an image recording section that accumulates and records radiation image information of a subject on the sheet by irradiating radiation; and an excitation 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 unit having an excitation light source that emits light; and a photoelectric reading unit that reads stimulated luminescence light emitted from a sheet scanned by the excitation light to obtain an image signal; An erasing section that releases the residual radiation energy on the sheet prior to recording an image on the sheet after the image reading is performed in the image reading section is incorporated into one device, and the above-mentioned cumulative fluorescence is incorporated. We previously proposed an H-ray image information recording/reading device (hereinafter referred to as a built-in type device) in which a body sheet is circulated between the above-mentioned parts and used repeatedly.
-66730).

By the way, since the radiographic image information recording and reproducing system using the above-mentioned device is usually used for medical diagnosis of the human body, this system obtains visible images that are suitable for the purpose of diagnosis and have excellent suitability for observation and interpretation. This is required. In this case, what kind of visible image is suitable for the purpose, for example, what output density level, range of density levels, or contrast is suitable for diagnosis depends on each purpose. different.

Therefore, in order to obtain a more preferable visible image, the image @
When reading the radiographic image information recorded on the sheet in the reading section, in order to obtain an image signal that can output a visible image more suitable for the purpose of diagnosis, the reader follows the reading conditions according to the purpose. It is desirable to perform reading using

The above reading conditions include the part to be imaged of the subject (head, chest, etc.), the imaging method (simple 1 contrast, contrast, or tomography), and the diagnostic purpose (examining the morphology of the alma mater). Or
The type of imaging consists of the "type of imaging", which includes whether the running state of the blood vessels is to be examined, etc., and the radiation (am) tube voltage, tube current, irradiation time, focal spot size, etc., which are set and adjusted based on the type of imaging. ) is determined according to the ``irradiation conditions'' of the line.

As a method for setting the reading conditions to the optimum conditions, instead of determining each condition directly from the type of imaging and irradiation conditions, we excite a stimulable phosphor sheet on which radiation image information of the subject is stored and recorded. Prior to main reading, the stimulated luminescence light emitted from the sheet is read by a photoelectric reading means according to predetermined reading conditions to obtain an electrical image signal. The sheet is scanned with low-level excitation light, and pre-reading is performed to read the outline of the radiation image information accumulated and recorded on this sheet from the stimulated luminescence light emitted by this scanning. Conventionally, a method has been adopted in which the reading conditions are determined based on image information. However, this method requires a total of two readings, pre-reading and main reading, and takes a long time to read, especially when a large number of patients are being examined, such as in mass examinations that require high speed. The problem is that it is inefficient. Furthermore, since the sheet is irradiated with excitation light during pre-reading, the excitation light source is worn out quickly, and the sheet itself is frequently irradiated with excitation light, resulting in a reduction in the number of times it can be used.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it eliminates the need for pre-reading as in the past, and allows setting of reading conditions when reading image information to be performed with a simple operation. The object of the present invention is to provide a bolt-in type device that has a mechanism that allows the user to perform the following functions.

(Structure of the Invention) The built-in type device according to the present invention includes a circulating conveyance means for conveying a stimulable phosphor sheet capable of accumulating and recording radiation image information along a predetermined circulation path; an image recording section that accumulates and records radiographic image information of a subject on the sheet by irradiating radiation through the subject; an image reading unit having an excitation light source that emits excitation light that scans the sheet scanned by the excitation light; and a photoelectric reading unit that reads stimulated luminescence light emitted from the sheet scanned by the excitation light to obtain an image signal; an erasing section that releases residual radiation energy on the sheet prior to image recording on the sheet after the image reading is performed in the image reading section, and a type of imaging and the radiation an input means for inputting information regarding irradiation conditions; a reading condition for the image reading section is determined based on the information input by the input means; and the reading condition for the image reading section is determined based on the determined reading condition.
The present invention is characterized by comprising a reading condition setting section comprising a control means for controlling the operation of the reading section.

As mentioned above, the type of F3 decoy image refers to the area to be imaged, the imaging method, the purpose of diagnosis, etc., and the radiation irradiation conditions refer to the tube voltage, tube current, irradiation time, focal spot size, etc. of the radiation source. .

The reading condition setting section determines reading conditions based on an input means such as a keyboard for inputting the type of imaging 6 and radiation irradiation conditions, and various information inputted by this input means, and determines reading conditions via a reading controller etc. The control means outputs reading conditions to the image reading section. Specifically, this control means includes a storage means such as a condition setting memory for storing various conditions and reading conditions in correspondence with each other in order to determine the reading conditions based on various input information, and Control 0- for inputting the specified conditions into the image reading section
It is equipped with a and a.

E) (Actual Embodiment) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a partial M aspect of the apparatus according to the present invention.

As shown in the figure, this apparatus has an L-shaped circulation path 1, and the stimulable phosphor sheet 2 is circulated on this circulation path 1 by a circulation conveyance means 3 such as a conveyance roller or a conveyance belt.

On the circulation path 1, an image recording section (L-shaped section) 5, an image reading section 6, and an erasing section 7 are sequentially arranged in the direction in which the sheet travels (in the direction of the arrow claw).

In the imaging unit 5, the radiation emitted from the radiation mio passes through the subject 11 and enters the sheet 2, so that radiation image information of the subject is accumulated and recorded on the sheet 2. .

The photographed sheet is conveyed along the circulation path in the direction of the arrow by a circulation conveyance means 3 such as a drive roller or a conveyance belt, and enters the image reading section 6 .

ii! jlF1116G, 12-h21r&1t61.
Excitation light lI that emits excitation light 61 such as '-+fe-'
! 62, and a photoelectric reading means 63 such as a photomultiplier that reads the stimulated luminescence light emitted from the sheet 2 by scanning the excitation light and obtains an electrical image signal. 64 is a galvanometer mirror. Since this image reading unit 6 reads the sheet 2 while advancing it at a constant speed, there is a space 65 for one sheet where the sheet 2 immediately before reading starts is located, and a space 65 for one sheet where the sheet 2 immediately after reading is completed is located. It has a space of 66 minutes.

The read sheet 2 is transferred to the erasing section 7 by the circulating conveyance means 3.
sent to.

The erasing unit 7 is equipped with a large number of erasing light sources 71 such as fluorescent lamps, tungsten lamps, sodium lamps, xenon lamps, iodine lamps, etc., and the sheet 2 is irradiated with visible light by the erasing light sources 71 to eliminate residual radiation on the sheet. A release of energy takes place.

The erasing section sheet is again sent to the photographing section 5 by the circulating conveyance means 3.

A reading condition setting section 9 is provided at a position that can be operated from the outside of the apparatus of the present invention. This reading condition setting section 9 is
On the input board 9A, the imaged part of the subject (head or chest, etc.), the imaging method (III molding, contrast imaging, T1 section imaging, etc.), and the diagnostic purpose (whether the bone graft form is to be examined) are displayed. A keyboard 9 is an input means for inputting information regarding the type of imaging, such as whether to examine the running state of blood vessels, etc.
a (see FIG. 2) and an adjustment dial 9b which is an input means for inputting information regarding irradiation conditions such as the tube voltage, tube current, radiation irradiation time, and focus size of the radiation N10 set according to the type of imaging. It is equipped with The reading condition setting section 9 also controls the radiation source 10 based on the information regarding the irradiation conditions inputted by the input means 9b.
a radiation controller 9C that directly controls the radiation controller 9C, and reading conditions for setting the reading conditions in the image reading section 6 to optimal conditions based on the information regarding the type of imaging and the irradiation conditions inputted by the input means 9a and 9b. It is equipped with a setting memory 9Bq and a reading controller 9D.

The functions of the reading condition setting section 9 will be explained with reference to the block diagram of FIG.

By selecting the keyboard 9a provided on the input board 9A and adjusting the adjustment dial 9b, information regarding the type of imaging and irradiation conditions is input to the reading condition setting section 9. The information regarding the irradiation conditions is first sent directly to the radiation controller 9C, and the radiation controller 9C issues a radiation irradiation condition setting signal 9C based on the sent information and sends it to the radiation source 10. In accordance with this signal 9C, radiation is irradiated from the radiation source 10 under conditions that match the input irradiation conditions.

On the other hand, information regarding the type of imaging and irradiation conditions is sent to the condition setting memory 9B which stores reading conditions for each type of imaging and irradiation conditions in advance. The condition setting memory 9B outputs a reading condition setting signal 9d via the reading controller 9D based on each inputted information, so that appropriate reading conditions are set in the image reading section 6 based on the inputted information. , Ill・′! Note that when determining the reading conditions, it is not necessary to determine all the reading conditions based on the input information regarding the type of pattern and the irradiation conditions, and only some particularly important reading conditions may be determined. . Such reading conditions include, for example, a reading gain and a scale factor. The reading gain is a parameter that indicates the left and right positions of the line indicating the reading conditions in FIG. (image signal). Furthermore, the scale factor is a parameter that indicates the slope of the line indicating the reading conditions in Fig. 3, and regulates the relationship between the size of the level range of the input signal input to the reading means and the size of the level range of the output signal. It is something.

By the way, in the embodiment explained above! Information on the type of fi shadow and information on the irradiation conditions are input independently, but the irradiation conditions can also be determined automatically depending on the type of shooting, and the input operation involves inputting information on the type of shooting. It is also possible to enter only 1 and determine the reading conditions. That is, an irradiation condition setting memory storing irradiation conditions for each type of carrier may be provided in the control section, and reading conditions may be set based on a signal emitted from this irradiation condition setting memory.

Note that the reading condition setting section 9 does not necessarily need to be provided in the main body of the apparatus, and may be installed, for example, in an operation room so that only the reading condition setting signal is transmitted to the main body of the apparatus and the radiation source.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above in detail, according to the apparatus of the present invention, the reading conditions are simple in that the type of imaging is selected from a large number of types, and the radiation irradiation conditions are adjusted according to the type of imaging. Since settings can be made through simple operations, there is no need to read ahead as in the past, and the time required to read records is shortened, which is particularly effective in mass medical examinations. In addition, the consumption of excitation light is reduced, and the amount of excitation light that the sheet is irradiated with during one circulation is also reduced, so that the number of times the sheet can be used is increased.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the function of the control section in the above embodiment, and FIG. 3 is an example of reading conditions. It is a graph. 1... Circulation path 2... Stimulative phosphor sheet 3... Circulation conveyance path 5... Image recording section 6...
Image reading section 7...Erasing section 9...Reading condition setting section 9A...Input board 9B...Reading condition setting memory 9D...Reading controller candle and skin contact area B)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) Circulating transport means for transporting a stimulable phosphor sheet capable of accumulating and recording radiation image information along a predetermined circulation path; an image recording section that accumulates and records radiographic image information of the subject on the sheet by irradiating it; an image reading unit having an excitation light source that emits light, and a photoelectric reading unit that reads stimulated luminescence light emitted from a sheet scanned by the excitation light to obtain an image signal; an erasing unit that releases residual radiation energy on the sheet after image reading is performed prior to image recording on the sheet; and an input unit that inputs information regarding the type of imaging and the radiation irradiation conditions. and a control means for determining reading conditions for the image reading section based on the information inputted by the input means and controlling the operation of the image reading section according to the determined reading conditions. A radiation image information recording/reading device comprising: