JPS6285238A - X-ray image photographing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To photograph the upper parts of the lungs by providing a moving means which displaces a gripping means forward when a sheet film is brought into contact with an intensifying screen. CONSTITUTION:A sheet film fed from a supply magazine is locked to support rods 401 and 401' which abut on each other in the center and the support rods 401 and 401' are elevated and stop where the upper end of the sheet film is aligned with the upper ends of intensifying screens 114 and 115. Then, grip levers 140 and 140', and 141 and 141' grip the upper end of the sheet film and when the sheet film is gripped, the support rods 401 and 401' move away from a photographic area and also move down to get ready for next operation. Thus, the grip levers 140 and 140', and 141 and 141' move forth to a photographic stage side when contacting the intensifying screens 114 and 115, so the gap between a jaw stopper and the upper end of the film is narrowed down and the upper parts of the lungs are therefore photographed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a medical X-ray imaging device, and in particular, to selectively take out sheet films from a magazine filled with sheet films of different lengths and transport them to an imaging (exposure) stage. The present invention relates to an apparatus for photographing an X-ray image.

In recent years, in order to save labor, a large number of X-ray sheet films are loaded into a magazine at once, the films are transferred one by one to the imaging stage, and after the X-ray photograph is taken, the films are removed from the imaging stage. Line film changers have become popular. At present, due to the mechanism of the apparatus, there are various restrictions on the size of the film used, the position of the film on the photographing stage, etc. as described below.

However, as this type of device becomes more widespread, it is desired to develop a device that is easier to use. Here, a conventional example will be explained first, and then the present invention will be explained.

An example of a conventionally used film changer for chest imaging will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a system using this apparatus, in which 1 is an X-ray tube, 2 is a subject, 3 is a film changer, and 4 is a pedestal that supports the film changer.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the film changer 3, and 5 is the first
, and 6 is a second size film having a different width from the first size film. 7 is a supply magazine that stores a first size of unshot film, 8 is another supply magazine that stores a second size of unshot film, 9 is a receive magazine that collects shot film, and 10 is an already shot film. It is a film of.

Note that each magazine has a rectangular opening on the side surface suitable for loading and unloading films. Next 11. Reference numeral 11' denotes a suction cup, which is connected to a suction pump (not shown) and is reciprocated between the illustrated position and the interior of the magazine by a moving mechanism. 12a to 12e are rotating rollers that have the function of sandwiching and moving the film between them. Reference numeral 13 denotes a guide plate that guides the film along the transport path. 14 is a front intensifying screen fixed to an X-ray transparent fixing plate. Reference numeral 15 denotes a rear intensifying screen, which is fixed to a fixed plate that can be moved back and forth, and exposure is performed with the sheet film sandwiched between the two intensifying screens. 16
supports the bottom edge of the sheet film with the film stopper. 17 waits for the function to scrape off the sheet film after shooting with the film scraping lever. 18 is a rotating roller, and 19 is a guide plate, which has the function of moving the photographed film.

As explained above, Change-1-1 film for chest photography is generally used in large-angle sizes (354 m, m
x 354 mm, ) and great circle size (354 m
m x 259 mm), and the longitudinal direction is used as the vertical direction, especially in the case of great circle size.

However, in recent years, the physique of Japanese people has improved, and it has become possible to see patients who cannot fit into the large-angle size, or methods have begun to be used to image the abdomen at the same time as the chest. Due to reasons such as the fact that the clavicle is being diagnosed more frequently, there are more opportunities to use half-cut sizes (430 x 354 mm) that are longer vertically than before, and in Europe and the United States, A half-cut size is used for chest imaging. Furthermore, when photographing children, you can use a four-cut size (for example) if necessary.
If you use a small film such as 303mm x 252mm, you can avoid taking up a lot of wasted space and make the photos difficult to see, and it is also economical.

By the way, in the case of the conventional device explained in Fig. 2, the sheet film is stopped by the stopper 16 and then pinched by an intensifying screen, so when a sheet film shorter than the specified length is used, the changer The distance between the position of the chin rest and the top of the film is too wide (too much), and it is necessary to lift the changer body and align the film set position with the subject's area to be imaged. If the position of the changer increases, the patient's chin will get in the way when taking a chest image, and the patient's chest will move away from the changer body, making it difficult to obtain a sharp photograph. If the distance between the abutment and the roller 12e is too small, the sheet film will not be able to fit in. On the other hand, if the distance is too large, the upper part of the lungs cannot be photographed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an X-ray image photographing apparatus that enables imaging of the upper part of the lungs by reducing the distance between the chin rest and the upper end of the film at a fixed position.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

3 and 4 show a first embodiment. ioi is the main body of the changer, 105 is the first size of film, 1
06 is a second size film with a different length for the first size film.
The size of the film. Reference numeral 107 denotes the first size of the unshot film, and 108 denotes the second size magazine.
109 is a receive magazine for collecting film that has been shot, and 11o is a film that has been shot. Note that each magazine has a rectangular opening on the side surface suitable for loading and unloading films. Next 111. 111' is a sucker,
It is connected to a suction pump (not shown), and also depends on the moving mechanism.
It is assumed that the robot moves back and forth between the illustrated position and the inside of the magazine. 112a to 112e are rotating rollers that have the function of sandwiching and moving the film between them.

Reference numeral 113 denotes a guide plate that guides the film along the transport route. 114 is a front intensifying screen and an X-ray transparent fixing plate 114
′ is fixed. 115 is a rear intensifying screen, and a fixed plate 115# is movable back and forth via a cushion 115'.
Fixed.

131 and 131' (FIG. 4) are film support boxes, each of which has an open top and one side, and the open sides face each other. These film support boxes 131 and 13
1' is movable in the horizontal direction between the intensifying screens 114 and 115, and when they approach each other, they almost form a thin box with an open top, and when the film is fed as described later. The top is open to ensure that even if the film is curled, it will fit inside.

On the other hand, 132 and 132' are rotating shafts installed in the protrusions of the film support box 131, and 133a to 133f and 133'a to 133'f are rotary shafts installed in the projections of the film support box 131, respectively.
Rotatably mounted levers via a-134e and 134'a-134'e constitute a pantograph and are rotatably connected to the rotating shaft, 32 or 132'.

135 and 135' are position servo motors whose desired amount of rotation is determined by a position control circuit. 136 and 1
36' is the rotating shaft of each of the servo motors 135 and 135', which are connected to the other end of the pantograph.
The levers 133' and 133' are fixedly connected to one of the levers making up each pair, and rotatably connected to the other lever.

Although only a portion is shown, the film support box 131
′ is also connected to a similar pantograph and servo motor, and position servo motor 1
35 and 135', the film support boxes 131 and 131' can be moved forward and backward symmetrically, and the sheet film can be appropriately rotated at the position between the intensifying screens 114 and 115. It can be supported and, if necessary, moved to a position where it does not interfere with bringing the intensifying screen and sheet film into close contact. Although the lifting mechanism is not shown, the servo motors 135, 135'
It is convenient to be able to move up and down according to the length of the sheet or film, so that sheets and films of various lengths can be handled.

The pair 140 and 140' and the pair 141 and 141' are grip levers for temporarily gripping the upper end of the film, and are gripped and released by a control mechanism (not shown).
Furthermore, it shall be possible to move up and down and back and forth while holding the sheet/film.

The operation of the above configuration is as follows. That is, the suction cups 111 and 111' attract the unphotographed film 105 or 106 one by one and sandwich it between the rollers 112a or 112b. Rollers 112a or 112b and 112c and 112d rotate to transfer the film to the intensifying screen 114.
and 115. At this time, the gripping lever 140
140' and 141 and 141' are each in an open state. The film support boxes 131 and 131' receive the film sent by rollers, and are aligned in advance by servo motors 135 and 135' so that the upper edge of the sheet film is aligned with the upper edge of the intensifying screen. The sheet/film is placed on the roller 112.
e and falls into the film support box, the gripping levers 140-140' and 141, 141' firmly pinch the upper end of the sheet film, and then the servo motor 13
5 and 135' and the others rotate and the film support boxes 131 and 1
31' is removed from the exposure field. When the evacuation is completed, the rear intensifying screen support plate 115'' moves forward,
Intensifying screens 14 and 15 are brought into close contact with the sheet film from the front and back. At this time, grip levers 140-140' and 141
-141' moves forward at the same time as the rear intensifying screen 115 with the sheet film sandwiched therebetween.

This completes the preparation for shooting, but after that, when the shooting is finished, the rear intensifying screen returns to its original position, but the levers 140 and 140'
and 141-141' also move backward. Subsequently, these levers move upward while holding the photographed film between them, and the end of the film is sandwiched between the rollers 112e pressed against each other. At this time, it is assumed that the roller 112e is stationary, and this roller is rotated by a one-way clutch in the direction of the arrow in FIG. After being caught, the film will not fall even if each gripping lever is opened. Next, the roller 112
e rotates in the direction of the arrow, rollers 112d and 112c rotate in the opposite direction to the previous rotation, roller 118 rotates, and the sheet film is fed into the receive magazine 109.

In this example, a vertically long box-shaped member was used as the film support member, so that even if the sheet film that fell between the intensifying screens curled, it would not be able to escape from the gap between the film support plate and the intensifying screen. No more fear of falling. If the film support plate is simply a flat plate, it is a good idea to attach a soft material such as a sponge to the edge of the support plate to fill the gap with the intensifying screen. The support plate can now be moved without damaging it. Furthermore, the size of the sheet film is that the top and bottom lengths are 2
Regardless of the type, even if there are three or more types, if the vertical position of the support plate is changed to three or more levels, the intensifying screen and the top edge of the sheet film can be aligned in the same way, and the longest sheet film A conventional stopper can also be used. On the other hand, the conventional method can be used for storing the film in the receive magazine, and a belt can be used instead of a roller to transport the sheet film.

5 and 6 show a second embodiment. Among the reference numerals in the figure, the same members as in the above-described embodiment are given the same numbers, and 113 and 119 are guide plates for the sheet film, and 112f is a roller. Furthermore, 201 is a photosensor, which is an element sensitive to wavelength light that does not sensitize the sorting film, and detects the point at which the sheet film passes by receiving the light emitted from the light emitting element 200 and having a wavelength that does not sensitize the film. Has the ability to detect. A pulse motor 202 drives the rollers 112a to 11'2f via a drive mechanism (not shown). 21
4 and 215 are support plates to which intensifying screens are attached, respectively, and the perspective view is shown in FIG.
215b.

Note that the support plate 215 can be moved back and forth similarly to the embodiment described above.

In the above configuration, when the unphotographed sheet film 105 or 106 is transferred via the rollers 112a to 112e, the photosensor 201 detects the end of the sheet film as it passes between the guide plates 113, and The detection signal is instantaneously detected by the pulse motor 202.
The pulse motor 202 rotates by a preset number of pulses from the moment it receives this signal, and then stops. This number of pulses is such that the rear end of the film is connected to the photo sensor 201.
The time required to reach the upper end of the intensifying screen after passing through the position is determined so as to correspond to the time required to reach the upper end of the intensifying screen.

When the pulse motor stops, the end of the sheet film (
Since the final roller 112f stops while holding the upper end of the sheet film, the upper end of the sheet film coincides with the upper end of the intensifying screen. Subsequently, the roller 112f holding the film and the rear intensifying screen 215 simultaneously move forward, and the front and rear intensifying screens come into close contact with the sheet film.

When X-ray irradiation is performed in this state and the photographing is completed, the rear intensifying screen 215 and the roller 112 return to their original positions, and then the rollers 112f to 112c rotate in the opposite direction and the roller 118 rotates in the same direction, and the photograph is completed. The sheet film is fed into the receive magazine 109.

7 and 8 show a third embodiment, and in this embodiment as well, the same members as in the previously described examples are given the same numbers. Further, numerals 302 and 302' are needles that normally communicate between the front and rear photosensitive papers even when the distance between them is the maximum, and these needles are inserted into or withdrawn from the photosensitive paper by a feed-out mechanism 303. Further, 314a and 314b are minute holes penetrating the photosensitive paper and its support plate, through which a needle is passed.

In addition, in the feeding and feeding mechanism, when the shorter sheet film is selected by the sheet film size selection device, the needle is fed out to support the shorter sheet film and align the top edge of the sheet film with the top edge of the intensifying screen. obtain. Further, in the case of a normal longer sheet film, the conventional stopper 16 is used as is, and the feed-out mechanism 303 is designed to house a needle.

With the above configuration, the sheet film is conveyed by the roller 112e etc. and further moved by the roller 112f.
The roller 112f rotates for a certain period of time with the film in between, but it is assumed that the sheet film slips when it is stopped by the needles 302 and 302' or by the stopper 16. In this state, the rear intensifying screen 315 moves forward and comes into close contact with the front intensifying screen 314 with the film sandwiched therebetween, and the roller 112f moves forward together with the rear intensifying screen while sandwiching the film.

When the photographing is finished, the rear intensifying screen 315 and the roller 112f
When the roller 112f moves back and comes to rest at the original position, the roller 112f firmly clamps the sheet film, then reverses and transports the photographed sheet film to the receive magazine 109 in cooperation with other rollers.

Regarding storage in the receive magazine, the receive magazine may be arranged below the stopper 16, and the upper end of the receive magazine may be used as a storage opening, and the sheet film may be stored therein by falling naturally due to gravity.

9 and 10 show a fourth embodiment. In the diagram, members with the same functions as those already described are given the same numbers.
Support rods 401 and 401' have V-shaped grooves at their tips, and can be moved forward and backward by a mechanism not shown, and can also be moved up and down. In addition, 140.
140' and 141.141' are the same gripping levers as described in FIG.
This is a transfer roller similar to that of .

The sheet film fed from the supply magazine 107 or 108 is placed in contact with the support rod 401° 401 at the center.
' and then the support rod 401.401'
rises and stops at the position where the top edge of the sheet film and the top edge of the intensifying screen coincide. Next, the grip lever 140°140
' and 141, 141' grip the upper end of the sheet film, and when the sheet film is gripped, the support rods 401, 401' retreat from the photographing area and descend to prepare for the next photograph. When the support rod is completely retracted, the rear intensifying screen 115 moves forward together with the gripping lever to clamp the sheet film together with the front intensifying screen.

When photographing is completed, the rear intensifying screen 115 and the gripping lever return to their original positions, the gripping lever rises slightly, and the roller 112e
' A sheet film is sandwiched between them to enable later transport.

11 and 12 show the fifth embodiment, and the first
FIG. 1 is a sectional view, and FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the main parts.

In the figure, 601a and 601b are rotatable pulleys,
It is assumed that they are displaced by a moving mechanism (not shown), and reciprocate between positions m and n and the positions shown. Also 601
Similarly, pulleys c to 601e are rotatable, and pulley 601c is movable from position 0 to p, pulley 601d is movable from position q to r, and pulley 601e is movable from position S or position t. be.

Next, 602 is a motor, 603 is a drive pulley, and the drive pulley 603 is driven by the motor 602.

604 is a wire, and pulleys 601 a to 601
A hook is passed through e and 603, and a clipper 61.61' is fixed to this wire.

In the above configuration, first, the clipper 61. 61' is set at position a or b. This operation moves pulleys 601c and 601d to the positions shown or to positions 0 and q.
This is accomplished by selecting the clipper, rotating the motor 602 to move the wire, and stopping the clipper at the desired position. Next, as described above, cut the unphotographed sheet film into the clipper 61. 61', then motor 6
02 operates to pull the wire in the direction of the arrow, and the clipper 61. 61' is moved to position d.

Here, the sheet film is pressed between the intensifying screens 73 and 74, and as the rear intensifying screen 74 advances, the pulley 601a moves to position m, and the pulley 601b advances to position n, thereby accomplishing this. At this time, the pulley 601e moves in the direction of the position S to compensate for the change in the length of the wire.

When the photographing is finished, pulleys 601a and 601b return to their original positions, pulley 601c moves to position p, pulley 601d faces to position r, and pulley 601e moves to position t. As each pulley moves into position,
As the motor 602 rotates, the drive pulley 603 sends the wire in the direction opposite to the arrow, and the clipper 61. 61' is transferred to position C, where the clippers 61, 61' are opened and the sheet film is stored in the receive magazine 53.

In this example, a combination of a pulley and a wire is used, but a combination of a gear and a chain may also be used.

As described above, according to the present invention, the member that holds the upper end of the sheet film in a fixed position advances toward the photographing stage side when the intensifying screen is brought into close contact with the sheet film.
Because it is located on the magazine side, the distance between the chin rest and the top of the film can be narrowed to accommodate sheet film, making it possible to photograph the upper part of the lungs. Furthermore, the depth of the chin rest can be increased.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the state of chest X-ray photography. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a conventional device. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the first embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the main part. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the second embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the main parts. FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the third embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the main parts. FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the main part. FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the fifth embodiment.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the main parts. 106 and 107 are supply magazines, 109 is a receive magazine, 114 and 115 are intensifying screens, 131 and 131'
are film support boxes, 133a to 133f and 133'
a N133' f is the lever, 135 and 135' are position servo motors, 140-140' and 141
-141' is a gripping lever, 112e is a roller, 1
13 and 119 are guide plates, 112f is a roller, 200 is a light emitting element, 201 is a photo sensor, 202 is a pulse motor, 1302 and 302' are needles, 314a and 314
b is a microhole, 401 and 401' are support rods, b O1a
601e is a pulley, 602 is a motor, 603 is a drive pulley, and 604 is a wire.

Claims (1)

[Claims] Sheet films of different lengths are selectively taken out and transported to a photographing stage, and the sheet films are held substantially vertically so that the upper end is at a constant position in the vertical direction, and the front and rear sides are increased. The X is placed in close contact with the sensing screen to take X-ray images.
The line image photographing device has a gripping means for gripping the upper end of the sheet film at a position on the back side of the photographing stage, and a moving means for displacing the gripping means forward when bringing the sheet film into close contact with the intensifying screen. Characteristic X-ray imaging device.