JPS63103226A - Reproduction and storing system for radiograph - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reproduce and store a radiation image efficiently by easy operation by connecting an image reproduction system consisting of an IRD (image reader), an IPC (image processor), and an IRC (image output device), a recording and storing system for image data which consists of an IRD, an IPC, and a DMS (image file device), and an image reproduction and output system consisting of a DMS, an IPC, and an IRC through a switching device not as independent systems. CONSTITUTION:Image data outputted from an IRD 1 is sent to DMS 6 through an SW box 2 together with relative information from an operation console 5, band-compressed, and written and stored on an optical disk together with image processing information. An IPC-I 3 or IPC-II 4 processes the image data based on said relative information and sends the result to an IRC 7 through the SW box 2. Then, a photographic film is exposed based on the inputted image data to obtain a visualized X-ray image.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a radiation image reproduction/storage system, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a radiation image recording i1T method using a stimulable phosphor sheet. The present invention relates to a system for reproducing and storing radiographic images.

[Technical Background of the Invention and Prior Art] A method for recording and reproducing radiation images using a stimulable phosphor has recently been developed by the present applicant, and numerous patent applications have already been filed in this regard. Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-1242
9 U'i, No. 55-87970, No. 55-1034
No. 72-1 No. 55-116340, etc.). A stimulable phosphor has the property of absorbing and accumulating radiation energy when irradiated with radiation such as X-rays, and then exhibiting stimulated luminescence when irradiated with excitation light such as visible light. In the radiation image recording and reproducing method, the object was transmitted through a sheet made of this stimulable phosphor. Alternatively, after irradiating the subject with radiation emitted from the subject and storing and recording the subject or the radiation image of the subject as an accumulated image of radiation energy, the stimulable phosphor sheet (also referred to as an imaging plate) is scanned with a laser beam. A radiographic image is emitted as fluorescence using a method such as that, and the fluorescence is detected photoelectrically to obtain radiation image information as an electrical signal, which is then A/D converted to obtain a digital signal. The obtained digital image signal is subjected to various image processing as desired, and then reproduced as a visible image on a photographic light-sensitive material, CRT, etc.
Alternatively, it is recorded and stored on magnetic tape, optical disk, etc.

According to this radiation image recording and reproducing method, the radiation dose to the subject can be significantly reduced compared to radiography using conventional radiation film, and since radiation image information is directly obtained as a digital signal, gradation processing is possible. It is easy to perform image processing such as the following, image information can be output in a desired format, and information can be easily stored and managed.

Therefore, this method can be used for various types of radiography, and is particularly widely used in medical radiography where the human body is the subject.

However, in order to carry out an efficient and reliable method for reproducing and storing radiation images recorded on a stimulable phosphor sheet, it is necessary to use an image for reading radiation image information from a stimulable phosphor sheet. Reading devices, image processing devices for processing digital image signals containing radiation image information, image output devices for converting image information into visible images, and image file devices for recording and storing image information have already been developed. A record of how each device was placed and connected remains.

[Summary of the Invention] One object of the present invention is to provide a radiation image reproduction and storage system that can efficiently reproduce and store radiation images with simple operations.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a radiographic image reproduction/storage system in which the reliability and safety of the entire system are improved.

Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a radiographic image storage system with reduced overall system cost.

”; The purpose of the description is an image reading device for reading radiation image information stored and recorded on a stimulable phosphor sheet; an image processing device for image processing the read digital image data: image processed image data In this system, a plurality of image processing devices are arranged, and an image reading device performs a plurality of image processing operations via a switching means a. and an image file device, each of the plurality of image processing devices is connected to the image output device via a switching means, and the switching stage a converts the image data into the plurality of images based on information related to the radiographic image. It is characterized in that it is possible to determine which of the processing devices should be used to process the image data, and the switching means a and b are adapted to input and output image data in conjunction with each other according to the determination. This can be achieved by the radiographic image reproduction/storage system of the present invention.

According to the system of the present invention, an image reproduction system includes an image reading device, an image processing device, and an image output device; an image data recording/keeping system includes an image reading device, an image processing device, and an image aisle device; The image 14 output system consisting of the image file device, the image processing device, and the image output device does not have to be separate and independent systems, but can be made into a single system by connecting them through a switching device. For this reason.

By a simple switching operation, radiation image information can be visualized and recorded and stored as digital data, and work efficiency can be greatly improved.

Furthermore, since the system of the present invention incorporates a plurality of image processing devices, even if one of the devices breaks down, the image data can be immediately processed by another device to create a suitable visible image. l) Therefore, valuable data containing radiographic image information will not be lost or become unprocessable due to a failure that occurs within the system, and the reliability and safety of the entire system can be improved. .

A switching device that connects these multiple image processing devices and image reading devices determines which processing device should be used to process the image based on information related to the radiographic image, such as the area to be imaged and the patient's ID number. Because of this function, the read image data can be automatically sent to the corresponding processing device for image processing. In particular, by making the processing capabilities of the plurality of image processing apparatuses different from each other, the processing apparatuses can be suitably used depending on the purpose, and the efficiency and reliability of the system can be further improved.

Furthermore, since the image file device is connected to the switching device, the read image data can be directly recorded and saved in the file device, and once the image data is saved, arbitrary image processing can be performed on it to create a visible image. can do.

In addition to these advantages, conventionally when configuring a system using multiple image processing devices, multiple image reading devices and multiple image output devices were also required, but according to the present invention, one image processing device can be used. Since a plurality of processing devices can be connected to one reading device and one output device, the cost of the entire system can be significantly reduced.

[Implementation 1!1 Structure J&] Below, the radiographic image reproduction/storage system of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration example of a 11f live storage system for radiographic images of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the radiation image reproduction/storage system includes an image reading device (IRD) 1. The reading bag is connected to a switching device (SW box) 2;
Image processing devices (IPC-I) 3 and (IPC-It) are devices for image processing digital image data read by the reading device 1, and are connected to the switching device 2.
4; an operation console (IDT) 5, which is a device for inputting information regarding radiation images and their image processing and is connected to the switching device 2; f4 capture device 1;
A device for storing image data read by an optical disk image file device (DMS) 6 connected to a switching device 2, and a device for converting image data processed by a processing device 3.4 into a visible image. An image output device (IRC) connected to the switching device 2
It consists of 7.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a switching device used in the system of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the switching device (SW box) 2 includes a switch a that can connect IRDI, IDT5, DMS6 and IPC-I3 or these and IPC-[4; I
It consists of switch b that can connect PC-[4 and IRC7. The switch a has a function of determining which processing device should perform image processing on the image data based on information related to radiation images such as subject (patient) information and image processing conditions output from the IDT 5, According to the decision, IRDI and IPC-I3 or I
P C-II 4 can be linked. In addition, switches a and b are linked to each other so that the image data is
3 or IPC-114, and then immediately converts the image into an IIf visual image.

Specifically, when the switching device 2 receives the subject (patient) information and the image processing function 1 from the IDT 5, the NPC on which the image data should be subjected to image processing is determined based on the information. Then, the control signal for the IRD-IPC changeover switch a and the IPC-IRC1il changeover switch b is set to -L, which allows for a break in the control signal -J, to switch between the image processing being executed, +lfl residual or image processing. After the storage system is completely terminated, the signal processing line is switched to the corresponding IPC side.

The switching device used in the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
The present invention is not limited to the single device shown in the figure; for example, switches a and b may be independent devices. Further, if the read image data is only stored and not immediately converted into an image, the switch a does not necessarily need to make the above determination at the time when the relevant information is output from the IDT 5. If a failure occurs in the switching device, it is automatically connected to either IPC, and normally it is connected to the one that is used more frequently.

For example, the image reading device 1 is a stack-L stage for storing a plurality of stimulable phosphor sheets, scans the sheets with excitation light from a laser beam shade to emit stimulated luminescence light, and converts the luminescent light into a photoelectric generator. The apparatus is comprised of a reading means for detecting radiation energy, an erasing means for removing radiation energy remaining on the sheet after reading, and a conveyance system for feeding the sheet to each means. The image reading device also includes a storage means (imaging means) for absorbing and storing radiation energy on the sheet.
It may also be a built-in type device that also has a built-in device.

The image processing device 3.4 has a data processing function for performing digital image processing on digital image data so as to obtain a suitable image that is easy to visually understand and judge. That is, the processing device 3.4 performs various types of image processing based on subject (patient) information and setting conditions related to image processing.

In the system shown in FIG. 1, during processing ri3 is gradation processing;
Relatively simple processing for simple imaging such as frequency processing, correction processing, enlargement processing, and reduction processing; and advanced processing such as subtraction processing for angiography and multilayer tomography. It is a performance device. on the other hand,
The processing device 4 is a simple device that can only perform relatively simple processing such as gradation processing and frequency processing.

Note that in the present invention, image processing is not limited to the arithmetic processing described in 1- above, and one processing device is not limited to a combination of a high-performance type and a simple type; They may have completely different image processing functions. Furthermore, each processing device may be connected to an operation console as shown in F so that image processing conditions and the like can be input directly.

The operation console 5 has means for identifying a patient's ID card (identification card), a CRT, and a keyboard. The subject (patient) information that can be input into the console 5 includes, for example, the date and place of radiography, the body part to be radiographed, the patient's ID number, name, age, and surname.

The optical disk image file device 6 has a control means for recording storage and data retrieval, and this device also includes an optical disk for recording and storing digital image data, and the above-mentioned subject information for later data retrieval. A magnetic disk can be loaded to record and save related information such as
In addition, there are 4 CRTs and keyboards for data retrieval.
It is set up. In addition to the function of recording and saving image data on an optical disk, the file device also has a function of using a bandwidth compression processor to reduce the amount of image data when saving it, and a function of reproducing the compressed image data when converting it into an image. It has a function to search and process the data. By using an optical disk to store image data, a large amount of data can be recorded and stored without occupying space. Furthermore, by separately storing subject information on a magnetic disk, data searches can be performed efficiently in a short time.

In addition to semi-permanently storing the compressed image data, the file device can also temporarily store the image data as it is read before being subjected to image processing and IIf processing. By temporarily storing this data, the operating efficiency of the reading device can be increased, and at the same time, the output of data to the IPC can be adjusted. In the present invention, the image file device is not limited to a device that uses an optical disk, but may be a device that uses any other recording medium.

The image output device 7 has an exposure means for recording an image on a photographic film by scanning with a laser beam, and a development processing means for developing the film, and can be loaded with a large number of films. Note that in the system of the present invention, the image output device is not limited to such a device that creates an image on a photographic film, but also includes a device that records on thermal paper using 8 lines, and a device that records optically on photosensitive paper. Alternatively, various known devices such as a CRT display device can be used.

Next, a method for reproducing and storing radiographic image information using the system of the present invention will be briefly described using the case of medical diagnosis as an example.

First, a stimulable phosphor sheet, in which X-ray image information of the patient is stored and recorded as an accumulated image of radiation energy by irradiating the stimulable phosphor sheet with X-rays that have passed through the subject (patient), is attached to the phosphor sheet shown in Figure 1 above. Load into IRDI. The image information stored and recorded on the phosphor sheet by the reading means in the IRDI is directly obtained as an electrical signal and then converted into a digital signal. The phosphor sheet has information about the patient's ID number, which is also included in the image information. The phosphor sheet that has been read is conveyed to an erasing means to remove residual radiation energy, and then stored in a magazine in preparation for next use.

Separately, the date, time and place of X-ray photography, the location of the X-ray, and the patient's I.
When patient information such as n number, name, and possibly image processing conditions are input into the IDT 5, information related to these X-ray images is sent to the 5W box 2. SW
In box 2, the I
It is determined which IPC should image-process the image data having the D number. Normally, image data is processed using IPC, I3 for advanced image processing, and processed using IPC-JT4 for simple image processing.

Then, when a digital signal (digital image data) containing the patient's ID number t) and its X-ray image information is output from the IRDI, the image data is sent to the 0MS6 through the 5Wboz2 together with the above related information from the InI3.

At the same time, based on the determination regarding the ID number, switches a and b shown in FIG. 2 are switched to the corresponding IPC side, and the image data is sent to either IPC-I3 or IPC-IT4.

In 0MS6, the image data as read is subjected to band compression processing at an appropriate compression rate, and then this image data is written and saved on an optical disk together with image processing information. Note that with 0MS6, it is also possible to record and save read data on an optical disk as is without performing compression processing. Meanwhile, patient information is written to a magnetic disk and saved for later data retrieval.

In IPC-I3 or IPC-114, suitable image processing is performed on the image data based on the above-mentioned related information. The processed image data passes through 5W box 2 and is sent to the IR
Sent to C7. In the IRC 7, the photographic film is subjected to exposure and development processing based on the input image data, and an X-ray image visualized on the film is obtained.

In this case, it is not always necessary to store and reproduce the image data at the same time, and it is also possible to just output the image data to the 0MS6 and not perform image processing and reproduction.

For example, if it is not necessary to diagnose a patient's X-ray images immediately, the data is stored in the DMS 6, and later the data is searched in the DMS 6 based on the patient's ID number, etc., and the image data is output from the 0MS 6. Then, SW box 2 makes a decision based on the accompanying image processing information, performs image processing using a suitable IPC, and then sends the IRC7
It can be imaged with In this way, with the DMS 6, stored data can be searched for each patient or optical disk, and a large amount of data can be stored and managed reliably and efficiently.

In addition, in theory 11 of -1-, an example was described in which a king-sized image processing apparatus is connected, but it goes without saying that more than a king-sized image processing apparatus may be connected.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a radiographic image reproduction/storage system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a switching device used in the system of the present invention. 2: Switching device (SWbox) a, b: Selector switch 3.4: Image processing device (IF (, -I, NPC-II) 5: Operation console (IDT) 7: Light Disk image file device (DMS) 8: Image output device (IR
C)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An image reading device for reading radiation image information stored and recorded on a stimulable phosphor sheet; An image processing device for image processing the read digital image data; Image processed image In a system consisting of an image output device for converting data into a visible image; and an image file device for storing image data, a plurality of image processing devices are arranged, and an image reading device can output a plurality of images via a switching means a. The plurality of image processing devices are each connected to the image output device via the switching means b, and the switching means a converts the image data into the plurality of images based on information related to the radiation image. It is possible to decide which of the processing devices should be used for processing,
A radiographic image reproduction/storage system characterized in that the switching means a and b are configured to input and output image data in conjunction with each other according to the determination. 2. The radiographic image according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of image processing devices has an image processing function that the other image processing devices have as well as other image processing functions. regeneration storage system. 3. The radiographic image reproduction/storage system according to claim 1, wherein an operation console for inputting information related to the radiographic image is connected to the switching means a. 4. The radiographic image reproduction/storage system according to claim 1, wherein the switching means a and b constitute a single switching device. 5. The radiographic image reproduction/storage system according to claim 1, wherein the image file device stores image data on an optical disk.