JPS6292934A - Taking-out mechanism for picture recording carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make the whole of a device small in size by forming an aperture part in which an enclosure where a picture recording carrier is stored and held in the light shielding state, is received from above in the vertical direction and providing a means which opens forcibly a cover member of the enclosure to lead out the recording carrier to the outside. CONSTITUTION:A storage type phosphor sheet A stored with a cover member 46 closed is loaded by inserting the lower end part of a casing 60 into an aper ture part 32 for cassette insertion. When a solenoid 40 is energized, a pin 42 reaches a groove 36 through a hole part 48 to displace the cover member 46 downward, and the sheet A is dropped from a drop hole 52 toward guide plated 54a and 54b by its own weight. The sheet A is caught by belts 56 and 58 and is transported to a picture reading part. Since a cassette 44 is inserted in the vertical direction and the stored phosphor sheet is taken out by its own weight in this manner, a cover opening and sheet taking-out mechanism is simplified without complicating a carrying system.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an image record carrier ejecting mechanism for automatically ejecting an image record carrier from an image record carrier cassette.
More specifically, for example, stimulable phosphor sheets or
When a cassette that holds an image recording carrier such as a line film in a light-shielded state is inserted vertically from above, an opening is forcibly opened at the tip of the cassette, and the image recording carrier is inserted through this opening by its own weight. The present invention relates to an image recording carrier take-out mechanism configured to drop the carrier and supply it to an image reading section, a developing section, or the like.

Recently, a radiographic image recording and reproducing system for obtaining a radiographic image of a subject using a storage phosphor (stimulable phosphor) has been developed and is becoming widespread, particularly in the medical field.

Here, a storage phosphor is a material that, when irradiated with radiation (X-rays, α-rays, β-rays, γ-rays, electron beams, ultraviolet rays, etc.), stores a portion of this radiation energy and later uses visible light, etc. A phosphor that exhibits stimulated luminescence according to the accumulated energy when irradiated with excitation light. The radiation image recording and reproducing system described above utilizes this stimulable phosphor, in which radiation image information of a human body, etc. is recorded once on a sheet having a layer made of the stimulable phosphor, and then the stimulable phosphor sheet is is scanned with excitation light such as a laser beam to generate stimulated luminescence light, the obtained stimulated luminescence light is read out photoelectrically to obtain an image signal, and based on this image signal, a recording material such as a photographic light-sensitive material is processed. , CRT, etc. as a visible image.

An example of a radiation image information reading device for reading out radiation image information recorded on this stimulable phosphor sheet by obtaining stimulated luminescence light is shown in FIG. 1, and its structure and function will be explained next.

A laser beam 4 of a constant intensity emitted from a laser light source 2,
The laser beam enters the galvanometer mirror 6, and the galvanometer mirror 6 causes the laser beam to main scan (scan in the direction of arrow a) in the width direction of the stimulable phosphor sheet A placed below the galvanometer mirror 6. The laser beam is deflected and irradiated onto the stimulable phosphor sheet 1-A.

The stimulable phosphor sheath) A is, for example, adsorbed by the endless belt device 8 and conveyed in the direction indicated by the arrow, which is substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction, and sub-scanning is performed. Laser light 4 is emitted over the entire surface of light sheet A.
A two-dimensional scan is performed.

As the laser beam 4 scans, the portion of the stimulable phosphor sheet A that is irradiated with the laser beam 4 emits stimulated light according to the image information stored there. This emitted light enters a transparent light guiding sheet 10 having an incident end surface 9 formed in parallel to the main scanning line near the stimulable phosphor sheet A.

In this case, the light guide sheet 10 has a front end 12 located near the stimulable phosphor sheet A that is formed into a flat shape, and
It is formed so as to gradually become cylindrical toward the rear end side 14, and is engaged with a photomultiplier tube (photomultiplier) 18 provided at the rear end portion 14. Therefore, the stimulated luminescent light entering from the incident end face 9 is collected at the rear end 14,
The stimulated luminescence light is transmitted to the photomultiplier 18 via a filter (not shown) that selectively transmits it.

In the photomultiplier 18, the stimulated luminescent light is converted into an electrical signal, and the obtained electrical signal is sent to an image information reading circuit 20 for processing, and then, for example, a CRT 22.
The information may be outputted as a visible image, recorded on the magnetic tape 24, or directly recorded as a hard copy on a photographic material or the like.

In the above configuration, conventionally, the sheet (A) in which radiation image information can be stored and recorded is stored in a cassette in a light-shielded state, and radiation having image information is irradiated through the cassette to record the radiation image on the sheet. are accumulated and recorded. Thereafter, the sheet is stored in a cassette and loaded into an image reading device, taken out from the cassette, and sent for image reading operation. Here, in conventional image reading apparatuses, a sheet ejecting means including, for example, a suction cup has been employed in order to take out the sheet from the cassette and convey it to the image reading section. However, in this case, not only a suction cup but also a movement mechanism for displacing this suction cup is required, and a special control system is also required to displace the suction cup along a desired trajectory by this movement mechanism. shall be. Therefore, the mechanism itself becomes complicated, and furthermore, it is necessary to provide a conveying system for introducing the sheet from a suitable direction in order to read the image, which greatly increases the size of the apparatus as a whole. As a result, when trying to make effective use of narrow spaces in hospitals, etc., this image reading device occupies a large amount of space, and furthermore, it causes complications such as the need for periodic maintenance and inspection of the ejecting mechanism for sheet A. It has been pointed out that

In addition, even in systems that record radiographic images using conventional X-ray film, unexposed X-ray film is stored in a cassette in a light-shielded state, and image information is stored in the X-Sy'A film while it is stored in the cassette. A radiation image is recorded on the XvA film by irradiating the XvA film with radiation. Thereafter, the X-ray film is stored in a cassette and loaded into an automatic processor, where it is taken out from the cassette and developed. Conventionally, in this automatic developing device, when taking out the X-ray film from the cassette, a sheet ejecting means using a suction cup is used, similar to the above-mentioned image reading device, and the mechanism is complicated like the image reading device. Therefore, there are disadvantages in that the cost increases and the overall size of the device increases.

The present invention has been made to solve all of the above-mentioned disadvantages, and makes it possible to load and automatically take out an image recording carrier such as a stimulable phosphor sheet from a cassette, thereby: It is an object of the present invention to provide an image recording carrier ejecting mechanism that can further simplify a sheet ejecting mechanism and a conveyance system that constitutes an image reading device and is disposed inside a casing.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention defines an opening that receives a casing for storing and holding an image recording carrier in a light-shielded state from vertically above, and a casing provided in the casing at the bottom of the opening. The present invention is characterized in that a lid opening means is provided for forcibly opening the lid member and leading out the image recording carrier to the outside of the casing.

Next, preferred embodiments of the cassette according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The image reading device 30 has a housing 34 including a cassette insertion opening 32 that opens upward and opens at the top thereof. The cassette insertion opening 32 essentially consists in this case of a casing 38 defining a longitudinally extending groove 36 in its bottom, which casing 38 is preferably molded in one piece from a synthetic resin body. Ru. The cassette insertion opening 32 is provided in the upper part of the casing 38 so as to communicate with the groove 36.
is defined. A pin 42 protruding from a solenoid 40 held by a support member (not shown) passes through the lower end of one side wall of the casing 38, and a lid member 46 is rotatably supported at the lower end of the cassette 44. A hole 48 is formed for impact contact. In this case, the lower part of the groove 36 is formed by inclined surfaces 5 that are inclined and converge with each other.
0a and 50b are formed, and a sheet drop hole 52 is defined in order to direct the sheet A downward from the convergence portion of the inclined surfaces 50a and 50b and lead out the sheet A to the image reading device side.

Therefore, a pair of upwardly expanding guide plates 54a and 54b are provided below the sheet drop hole 52, and below these guide plates 54a and 54b, a first conveyor belt 5 is provided.
6 and a second conveyor belt 58 are provided. The second conveyor belt 58 is in sliding contact with the first conveyor belt 56, and its lower end extends in the horizontal direction and faces the image reading section. The image reading section has already adopted the configuration described in detail in FIG. Therefore, the same reference numerals as those shown in FIG. 1 indicate the same components, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

Next, a description will be given of the cassette 44 suitably loaded into the image reading apparatus configured as described above.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cassette 44 includes a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped casing 60 with an opening 62 defined at its narrow bottom. A shaft 66 is attached to the side wall portion 64b among the two side wall portions 64a and 64b forming the casing 60.
A bendable lid member 46 that closes the opening 62 is pivoted via a and 66b. On the other hand, a recess 63 is defined at the lower end of the side wall 64a. In this case, coil springs 68a and 68b are fitted onto the shafts 66a and 66b so that the lid member 46 always closes the opening 62.

The image reading device of this embodiment is basically configured as described above, and its operation and effects will be explained next.

The stimulable phosphor sheet A, on which radiographic image information is recorded and stored in the cassette 44 in a light-shielded state, that is, with the lid member 46 closed, is placed inside the cassette insertion opening 32 at the lower end of the casing 60. is inserted and loaded.

That is, the cassette 44 is inserted through the opening 32 defined in the casing 38 until the lower end of the cassette 44 reaches the lower end of the groove 36 . As a result, the pin 42 of the solenoid 40 faces through the hole 48 the upper part of the shafts 66a, 66b of the lid member 46 that closes the opening 62 of the cassette 44.

Therefore, in this state, the solenoid 40
When energized, the pin 4 protrudes from this solenoid 40.
2 reaches the groove 36 through the hole 48, and its tip instantly presses the top of the lid member 46. Due to the coil springs 68a and 68b, the tip of the lid member 46 is always connected to the recess 6 defined in the other side wall 64a.
3, but is released from the engagement state from the recess 63 under the action of the pressing force, and rotates downward about the shafts 66a and 66b due to its own weight.

As a result, the lid member 46 is displaced downward within the groove 36, and eventually the stimulable phosphor sheet A falls from the drop hole 52 toward the guide plates 54a and 54b due to its own weight. At this time, it will be easily understood that even if the sheet A is temporarily bent, the inclined surfaces 50a and 50b will cause the sheet A to slide and be guided toward the falling hole 52.

In this way, the falling stimulable phosphor sheet A is then captured by the first conveyor belt 56 and the second conveyor belt 58, and is transported toward the image reading section under the conveyance action of the conveyor belts 56 and 58. be transported. That is, the stimulable phosphor sheet A is transported in the sub-scanning direction by the endless belt device 8, and at this time, the laser light 4 is emitted from the laser light source 2.
When the laser beam 4 is irradiated, the rotating galvanometer mirror 6 scans the laser beam 4 in the main scanning direction, and the stimulable phosphor sheet A is exposed to the stimulable luminescent light in accordance with the accumulated radiation image information. cause Then, the stimulated luminescence light passes through the light guide sheet 10 to the photomultiplier 18.
The optical signal is converted into an electrical signal, e.g.
The information is stored directly in the RT 22 or in a recording device such as a magnetic tape 24.

According to this embodiment, as described above, the cassette 44 is inserted vertically and the stimulable phosphor sheet stored in the cassette 44 is taken out by its own weight. Therefore, unlike the prior art, the effect of simplifying the lid opening/retrieval mechanism can be obtained without particularly complicating the transport system. In addition, since the conveyance system has a simple configuration, it can be manufactured at low cost and the overall size of the apparatus can be further reduced.

This only means that a narrow space can be used effectively.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b, and in this embodiment, the same components as in the previous embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. .

That is, in this embodiment, a rotary actuator 100 is used instead of the solenoid 40.

Therefore, the rotary arm 102 of the rotary actuator 100 presses the vicinity of the upper end of the lid member 46 through the hole 48 to open the lid member 46. The remaining operation is similar to the previously described embodiments.

It goes without saying that the rotary actuator may be replaced by a link mechanism and a rotational drive source that swings the link mechanism to face the hole 48.

Furthermore, another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. This embodiment differs from the previously described embodiments in that, in particular, no solenoids are used. Therefore, in this embodiment, the pin members 150a and 150b provide
A first lid member 152a and a second lid member 152b are disposed so as to always close the opening of the cassette 44. Therefore, for example, coil springs (not shown) are attached to the pin members 150a, 150b so that the end surfaces of the lid members 152a, 152b are in sliding contact with each other. Note that in this embodiment, the first lid member 152
a and the second lid member 152b are configured to define a tree-like recessed space 154 when they are in sliding contact with each other. On the other hand, at the bottom of the casing 38 that defines the cassette insertion opening 32, there is a drop hole 52 for the stimulable phosphor seal I-A.
, and the tip of the wedge-shaped recessed space 15
A wedge-shaped protrusion 156 is formed so as to face 4. Therefore, the cassette 44 is inserted into the groove 36, and further,
When the wedge-shaped concave space 154 defined by the lid members 152a and 152b is pressed so as to engage with the protrusion 156, the lid members 152a and 152b respond to the elastic force of the coil spring via the protrusion 156. As a result, the opening of the cassette 44 is opened, so that the stimulable phosphor sheet A passes through the drop hole 52 to the guide member 54a,
It becomes possible to fall in the direction of 54b.

According to the present invention, the stimulable phosphor sheet A on which image information is recorded can be automatically taken out for image reading in a light-shielded state with the extremely simple configuration as described above. That is, when trying to use this to read an image, the stimulable phosphor sheet (A) falls from the cassette due to its own weight, and can be transported toward the image reading section. It is easy to handle, and unlike a take-out device that uses a suction cup or the like, there is no fear of failure.

Moreover, since the structure is simple, there is an advantage that it can be manufactured at low cost.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.
It goes without saying that various improvements and changes in design are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention, such as, for example, the present invention can be used for recording images on photographic materials instead of image reading.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an image reading unit using a stimulable phosphor sheet according to the prior art, and FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional diagram of an image reading device including an image recording carrier ejection mechanism according to the present invention. 3 is a perspective explanatory view of the cassette loaded into the image reading device of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a partial vertical sectional view of the cassette shown in FIG. 3, and FIGS. 5a and 5b are another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a take-out mechanism for an image recording carrier according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) An opening is defined to receive a casing for storing and holding an image recording carrier in a light-shielded state from vertically above, and a lid member provided on the casing is forcibly opened at the bottom of the opening. An image recording carrier ejecting mechanism characterized in that an image recording carrier ejecting mechanism is provided with a lid opening means for leading out the image recording carrier to the outside of the casing. (2) In the mechanism according to claim 1, the lid opening means is an image recording carrier ejecting mechanism comprising a solenoid that presses one end of the lid member. (3) In the mechanism according to claim 1, the lid opening means comprises a rotary actuator that presses one end of the lid member. (4) In the mechanism as set forth in claim 1, the lid opening means comprises a wedge-shaped convex portion formed at the bottom of the opening and directed upward, and the drop hole into which the image recording carrier is dropped into the convex portion. An image recording carrier ejection mechanism comprising: