JPS63226632A - After-image erasing mechanism for accumulative type fluorescent material sheet - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To miniaturize an after-image erasing mechanism by providing a light source for erasing in a housing and conveying an accumulative type fluorescent material sheet while said sheet is held bent or curved and deflected. CONSTITUTION:The accumulative type fluorescent material sheet A advancing into the housing 62 is first conveyed upward in a vertical direction, then the advancing direction thereof is deflected 90 deg. by a conveying belt 80 and rollers 82, 82b in the corner angle part of the housing 62 and the sheet is conveyed horizontally. A twice longer conveyance distance is, therefore, obtd. in the housing 62 as compared to the conventional mechanism which conveys the accumulative type fluorescent material sheet A on a straight line. The construction of this erasing mechanism 60 to the size much smaller than the size of the conventional erasing mechanism is thus permitted. In addition, the accumulative type fluorescent material sheet A is bent in the housing 62 and, therefore, the utilization of the surface part of the sheet A as if a reflection surface for erasing light is possible. The extremely efficient utilization of the erasing light projected from the light source 70 is thereby permitted.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an afterimage erasing mechanism of a stimulable phosphor sheet, and more particularly, the present invention relates to an afterimage erasing mechanism of a stimulable phosphor sheet, and more specifically, a radiation image remaining on a stimulable phosphor sheet is irradiated with erasing light. When erasing, the stimulable phosphor sheet is deviated and conveyed within a housing in which an erasing light source is arranged, thereby ensuring a good erasing time and using the sheet surface as a reflective surface for erasing light, The present invention relates to an afterimage erasing mechanism for a stimulable phosphor sheet configured to perform effective erasing processing and to be suitable for miniaturization.

[Background of the Invention] Recently, a radiation image information recording and reproducing system that uses a stimulable phosphor to obtain a radiographic image of a subject has been attracting attention.

Here, stimulable phosphors are radiation (X-rays, α-rays, β-rays, γ-rays,
A phosphor that accumulates a portion of this radiation energy when irradiated with radiation (rays, ultraviolet rays, etc.) and then emits stimulated luminescence light corresponding to the accumulated energy when irradiated with excitation light such as visible light. The radiation image information recording and reproducing system described above utilizes this stimulable phosphor, and once the radiation image information of a subject such as a human body is recorded on a sheet having a layer made of a stimulable phosphor (hereinafter referred to as a ``stimulable phosphor sheet''). This stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned with excitation light such as a laser beam to generate stimulated luminescence, and the resulting stimulated luminescence is read photoelectrically. obtain an image signal,
Based on this image signal, the radiation image of the subject is output as a visible image onto a recording material such as a photographic light-sensitive material or a CRT. Note that this type of technology is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-12429 and the like.

By the way, in such a radiation image information recording and reproducing system, the stimulable phosphor sheet does not ultimately record the image information, but temporarily stores the radiation image information in order to provide the image to the recording medium as described above. This stimulable phosphor sheet may be used repeatedly, and it is extremely economical and convenient to use it repeatedly in this way.

Therefore, in order to reuse a stimulable phosphor sheet, the radiation energy remaining in the stimulable phosphor sheet after reading has been performed by irradiation with excitation light is released by irradiation with erasing light to remove the remaining radiation image. The stimulable phosphor sheet may be erased and used again for recording radiation images. Regarding the technology for removing the radiation energy remaining in the stimulable phosphor sheet, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-1
No. 1392.

In this case, an erasing irradiation light source is arranged inside the erasing mechanism, and the stimulable phosphor sheet being conveyed in a straight line is irradiated with erasing light from the light source to erase the remaining image on the stimulable phosphor sheet. are doing. However, since it is necessary to release all of the radiation energy remaining in the stimulable phosphor sheet, the stimulable phosphor sheet must be irradiated with erasing light for a considerable period of time. Therefore, a plurality of irradiation light sources are disposed inside the erasing mechanism so as to irradiate the stimulable phosphor sheet transported in the straight line with erasing light for a predetermined period of time, and a relatively long erasing transport This has the disadvantage that the entire erasing mechanism becomes considerably bulky. Moreover, since a plurality of irradiation light sources are arranged, the erasing mechanism becomes complicated.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages, and includes disposing an erasing light source inside the casing and displacing the stimulable phosphor sheet inside the casing. By configuring the sheet to be conveyed in a relatively small size, it is possible to appropriately secure a conveyance path for erasing residual images of a desired length even in a relatively small casing. An erasing mechanism for a stimulable phosphor sheet that uses the surface part as a reflecting surface for erasing light 1, thereby making it possible to completely erase residual radiation images by efficiently utilizing the erasing light and suitable for miniaturization. The purpose is to provide

[Means for Achieving the Object] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention irradiates excitation light onto a stimulable phosphor sheet on which a radiation image is stored and recorded, and emits the radiation image as stimulated luminescence light. An erasing mechanism that erases an image remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet by irradiating erasing light with respect to an image reading mechanism that photoelectrically reads the stimulated luminescence light, the erasing mechanism having an erasing light source inside. The present invention is characterized in that the stimulable phosphor sheet is conveyed by bending or curving the traveling direction inside the housing.

[Embodiments] Next, preferred embodiments of the erasing mechanism for a stimulable phosphor sheet according to the present invention in relation to an image reading device incorporating the same will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 indicates an image reading device incorporating an erasing mechanism for a stimulable phosphor sheet according to this embodiment. A supply magazine 14 is detachably attached to the chamber 12 in the image reading device 10, and stimulable phosphor sheets A on which radiation images have been stored and recorded are stored in a stacked manner. There is. A single sheet mechanism including a suction cup 16 is provided in the chamber 12 adjacent to the supply magazine 14, and below the suction cup 16 is an endless conveyor belt 1B for conveying the stimulable phosphor sheet A.
is provided.

The conveyor belt 18 extends downward in the vertical direction and is bent at an internal corner of the image reading section 210 so as to be oriented in the horizontal direction. A plurality of rollers 20a to 2 arranged in
0d is provided. Furthermore, a large-diameter roller 22 is disposed at the lower bent portion of the conveyor belt 18 .

Therefore, a scanning mechanism 24 is installed in the center of the lower part of the image reading device 10.
is provided. In this case, the scanning mechanism 24 includes an image reading section 26 and a conveyor belt 1 located below the reading section 26.
8 and a conveyance section 28 provided slightly apart from the terminal end of the transfer section 8.

The reading section 26 includes a laser light source 30, and a mirror 34 for scanning the laser light 32 on the sheet, a galvanometer mirror 36, and a condensing reflecting mirror 38 are provided on the laser light output side of the laser light source 30. It is being Further, a light guide 40 is disposed along the main scanning line at the scanning position of the laser beam 32 on the sheet, and a photomultiplier 42 is mounted above the light guide 40.

On the other hand, the conveying section 28 includes a first pair of rollers 44 and a second pair of rollers 46, and a guide member for holding the stimulable phosphor sheet A to be conveyed is provided between the pair of rollers 44 and 46. 48a and 48b are provided.

The 20th-ra pair 46 of the scanning mechanism 24 configured in this manner
An endless conveyor belt 50 is disposed adjacent to the
In this case, the conveyor belt 50 once extends in the horizontal direction, and then is oriented vertically upward, and a relatively large diameter roller 52 is provided in sliding contact with the bent portion thereof. Furthermore, a roller 54 is disposed in sliding contact with the upper part of the conveyor belt 50, and an endless conveyor belt 56 is provided above the roller 54 and the conveyor belt 50.

The conveyor belt 56 extends vertically upward, and a plurality of rollers 58a to 58 are provided on one surface of the conveyor belt 56.
8d is placed in sliding contact. A stimulable phosphor sheet erasing mechanism 60 of this embodiment is provided above the conveyor belt 56.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the erasing mechanism 60 basically includes a housing 62, a first conveying means 64 disposed at a lower corner of the housing 62, and the first conveying means 64. a second conveying means 6G located diagonally to the means 64; and the housing 6.
a conveying system 68 for conveying the stimulable phosphor sheet A, which is provided in the interior of the stimulable phosphor sheet A and is conveyed via the first conveying means 64, toward the second conveying means 66 while shifting its traveling direction;
a light source 70 for irradiating erasing light into the housing 62;
It includes an electric fan 72 for discharging hot air inside the housing 62 to the outside.

In this case, it is effective to give the inner wall of the casing 62 a mirror finish, or to attach a reflective thin film or plate to the inner wall to effectively reflect the erasing light from the light source 70. Openings 74a and 74b are formed in the housing 62 at positions corresponding to the transport means 64 and 66, respectively.
a and 74b have shapes corresponding to the thickness and widthwise length of the stimulable phosphor sheet A. First conveyance means 6
A pair of nip rollers 76a and 76b constituting Nip Roller 4 are arranged so as to be in sliding contact with each other, and are rotationally driven under the driving action of a rotational drive source (not shown). On the other hand, a pair of nip rollers 78a and 78b constituting the second conveyance means 66
The first conveying means 64 is also constructed in the same manner as the first conveying means 64.

Further, the endless conveyor belt 80 constituting the conveyor system 68 extends vertically upward with one end close to the opening 74a, and then bends at the upper corner of the housing 62 and extends horizontally. It extends and has its end close to the opening 74b. A roller 82 having a predetermined width and made of a light-transmitting resin material is provided at the bent portion of the conveyor belt 80.
a and 82b are arranged so as to be in sliding contact with each other. Incidentally, openings 84a and 84b are formed in the housing 62, and when the hot air inside the housing 62 is discharged to the outside under the action of the electric cup 72, it is discharged through the respective openings 84a and 84b. It is configured so that external cold air is introduced into this housing 62.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, a receive magazine 86 for storing the stimulable phosphor sheet A is provided adjacent to the second R feeding means 66.

The image reading device incorporating the stimulable phosphor sheet erasing mechanism of this embodiment is basically constructed as described above, and its operation and effects will be explained next.

First, the supply magazine 14 is installed in the chamber 12 of the image reading device 10 . In this case, the supply magazine 1
A plurality of stimulable phosphor sheets A on which radiation images of a subject such as a human body are stored and recorded are stacked and housed in the storage unit 4 .

Therefore, the stimulable phosphor sheets A are taken out one by one from the supply magazine 14 under the action of a sheet feeding mechanism including a suction cup 16, and are taken out one by one from the supply magazine 14 under the action of a sheet feeding mechanism including a suction cup 16. It is conveyed to the scanning mechanism 24 side via 20a to 20d and the roller 22.

Here, the tenth pair 44 constituting the conveying section 28 is rotationally driven, and first, the stimulable phosphor sheet A is held between the tenth pair 44 and transported in the sub-scanning direction (direction of arrow B). Transport to. At that time, the reading section 26 is driven. That is, the laser beam 32 emitted from the laser light source 30 is reflected by the mirror 34 to reach the galvanometer mirror 36, and the laser beam 32 is scanned on the sheet A while the galvanometer mirror 36 is oscillating. Thereby, the stimulated luminescence light emitted from C) A is incident directly or reflected by the reflecting mirror 38 into the light guide 40, and this is converted into an electrical signal by the photomultiplier 42, which can be used in an image recording device, for example. etc.

In this way, the stimulable phosphor sheet A conveyed in the direction of arrow B via the first roller pair 44 is transferred to the 20th roller pair 46.
The stimulable phosphor sheet A is further conveyed in the sub-scanning direction (direction of arrow B) through the 10th pair 44 and the 20th pair 46 under the driving action of the reading section 26. Continue scanning. Therefore, the entire surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned two-dimensionally by the laser beam 32, and the image signals thereof are all read through the reading section 26.

Next, the stimulable phosphor sheet A is held between a conveyor belt 50 and rollers 52 and shifted upward from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction. It reaches 60.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the leading end of the stimulable phosphor sheet A that is conveyed to the erasing mechanism 60 via the conveyor belt 56 or the like is the first! When it enters between a pair of nip rollers 76a and 76b constituting the feeding means 64, the first I feeding means 64 is driven under the driving action of a rotational drive source (not shown).
The stimulable phosphor sheet A enters into the housing 62 from the opening 74a via the respective nip rollers 76a and 76b. Therefore, when the light source 70 is activated, the irradiated light is reflected inside the housing 62 and erases the residual image of the stimulable phosphor sheet 1-A that has entered the housing 62. At this time, the electric fan 72 is driven in synchronization with the activation of the light source 70, and the hot air inside the housing 62 is discharged to the outside via the electric fan 72. At this time, if a duct is connected to the electric fan 72, the hot air inside the housing 62 can be suitably led out to the outside of the image reading device 10. Moreover, since cold air is supplied into the housing 62 through the respective openings 84a and 84b, the inside of the housing 62 is well cooled.

Further, the conveyor belt 80 constituting the conveyor system 68 is driven, and the stimulable phosphor seal I-A that has entered the housing 62 is further conveyed vertically upward via the first conveyor means 64 and the conveyor belt 80. and reaches the upper corner of this housing 62. Then, the stimulable phosphor sheet A is conveyed to the opening 74b side via the rollers 82a, 82b and the conveyor belt 80, with its traveling direction being deviated by 90 degrees and oriented in the horizontal direction. In this case, since the rollers 82a and 82b are made of a light-transmitting material, the erasing light emitted from the light source 70 is applied to the rollers 82a and 82b of the stimulable phosphor sheet A.
The portion in contact with 82b is also suitably irradiated.

The leading end of the stimulable phosphor sheet A is located second from the opening 74b.
Respective nip rollers 78a, 7 constituting the conveying means 66
8b, the second transport means 66 is driven and the nip rollers 78a, 78b rotate, and the stimulable phosphor sheet A sandwiched between them is transferred to the receive magazine 8.
After being transported to the 6 side and irradiated with erasing light from the light source 70 over its entire surface, it is dropped and stored in the receive magazine 86.

In this case, according to this embodiment, the casing 62 can be made as small as possible, and the stimulable phosphor sheet A passing through the casing 62 can be efficiently irradiated with erasing light. It becomes possible to completely erase the radiation image remaining on this stimulable phosphor sheet A. That is, as described above with reference to FIG. Belt 80 and rollers 82a, 8
2b, it is conveyed in the horizontal direction with its traveling direction deviated by 90 degrees. Therefore, compared to the conventional method in which the stimulable phosphor sheet A is conveyed in a straight line, the casing 62
It is possible to obtain twice the transport distance within the range. Therefore, the erasing mechanism 60 can be made more compact than conventional erasing mechanisms.

Furthermore, since the stimulable phosphor sheet A is bent within the casing 62, the surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet A can be used as a reflective surface for erasing light, and the erasing light emitted from the light source 70 can be used extremely efficiently. As a result, there is no need to provide a plurality of light sources as in the conventional case, and the radiation image remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet A can be effectively erased with one light source 70 as in this embodiment. is obtained.

By the way, in the present embodiment, the stimulable phosphor sheet A is conveyed within the housing 62 while being deviated by 90 degrees. Mechanism 60a may also be used.

That is, according to this embodiment, a housing 62a constituting the erasing mechanism 60a is provided upright at the top of the image recording device 10, and openings 74 are provided at both sides of the lower part of the housing 62a.
c, 74d, and the openings 74c, 74.
Conveying means 64a and 66a are provided below d.

Further, a conveyor belt HOa constituting a conveyor system 68a is disposed within the housing 62a, and the conveyor belt 80a has one end surface close to the first conveyor means 64a and extends vertically upward. , is bent at the upper right corner of the housing 62a and extends in the horizontal direction, and is further bent at the upper left corner of the housing 62a and directed vertically downward, with its end portion extending horizontally.
It is close to the transport means 66a.

In this case, rollers 88a, 88b and 88c, 88d made of a light-transmitting resin material are disposed in sliding contact with both corners of the conveyor belt 80a, respectively.

A light source 70a is provided inside the casing 62a, and an electric exhaust fan (not shown) is attached thereto.

In such a configuration, in the image reading device 10, the stimulable phosphor sheet A, on which the image information has been read, is held between the first conveying means 64a via the conveying belt 56, etc., as described above, and rotated (not shown). The housing 62a is transferred from the opening 74c via the first conveying means 64a under the driving action of the driving source.
will be brought inside.

Therefore, the light source 70a is energized and an electric fan (not shown) is activated. Therefore, the stimulable phosphor sheet A
is first conveyed vertically upward, and then transferred to the roller 88a.
, 88b in the horizontal direction;
Furthermore, it is conveyed vertically downward via rollers 88c and 88d.

Therefore, during this transportation, the remaining radiation image is suitably erased by the erasing light from the light source 70a, and the opening 7
4d and is introduced into the receive magazine 86 via the second conveyance means 66a.

At that time, the stimulable phosphor sheet is bent twice within the housing 62a to deviate its traveling direction, so even if the housing 62a is made relatively small, the transport path within the housing 62a is considerably reduced. The stimulable phosphor sheet A can be erased reliably for a long time. Further, as in the first embodiment, since the stimulable phosphor sheet A is bent within the housing 62a, the surface portion of the sheet A can be used as a reflective surface for erasing, and the stimulable phosphor sheet The afterimage erasing action of the sheet A is performed extremely efficiently. Furthermore, in the erasing mechanism 60a of the second embodiment, the housing 62a is exposed to the outside of the image reading device 10. Therefore, under the driving action of an electric fan (not shown), the hot air inside the casing 62a can be easily discharged to the outside, and the cold air from the outside can be suitably introduced into the casing 62a. It becomes possible to perform the cooling effect even more effectively.

Furthermore, an erasing mechanism according to another embodiment is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In this case, as shown in FIG.
The erasing mechanism 60b according to the embodiment is this erasing mechanism 60b.
The stimulable phosphor sheet A that is being transported is transported out in the same direction as the transport direction.

That is, openings 90a and 90b are formed at the lower ends of both sides of a casing 62b constituting the erasing mechanism 60b, and conveying means 92a and 92b are provided adjacent to the openings 90a and 90b. Inside the housing 62b, there are conveying means, for example, a pair of rollers 94a, which are located close to the openings 90a and 90b and on the same line as the conveying means 92a and 92b, respectively.
, 94b are provided. Then, each roller pair 94a
, 94b, and the guide plate 96 pivots from the horizontal direction upward in the vertical direction by a predetermined angle, with the other end on the roller pair 94b side centered on one end on the roller pair 94a side. It is configured to be flexible.

A light source 98 is installed inside the housing 62b, and this light source 9
A conveyance system 10 that forms a substantially circular conveyance path with 8 at the center.
0 is set. The conveyance system 100 includes a plurality of arc-shaped guide plates 102a to 102d.
Nip rollers 104a and 105a, 104b and 105b, and 104c and 105c are disposed between 02a and 102b, between guide plates 102b and 102c, and between guide plates 102c and 102d, respectively. In this case, the nip rollers 105a to 105c on the light source 98 side are made of a light-transmitting resin material. Further, an electric fan (not shown) is installed inside the housing 62b.

In such a configuration, the stimulable phosphor sheet A whose image information has been read is oriented from the left side in the direction of the arrow in FIG.
a, and introduced into the housing 62b through the opening 90a of the housing 62b. Further, the stimulable phosphor sheet A is conveyed to a pair of rollers 94a disposed within the housing 62b. At this time, the guide plate 96 is swung so that the other end on the roller pair 94b side is inclined upward in the vertical direction, as shown by the solid line in FIG. For this reason, the roller pair 94
(a) A is the guide plate 9
Guide plate 102 that is guided by 6 and constitutes the conveyance system 100
It is transported to the a side.

When the stimulable phosphor sheet A enters the housing 62b, if the light source 98 and the electric fan (not shown) are energized in advance, the stimulable phosphor sheet A will be curved into a substantially circular shape via the transport system 100. The stimulable phosphor sheet A is transported by the light source 9.
The erasing light from 8 is irradiated, and the surface portion of the stimulable phosphor sheet acts as a reflective surface. as a result,
The radiation image remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet A is reliably erased.

Next, when the stimulable phosphor sheet A is conveyed in a curved manner around the light source 98 via the conveyance system 100, the other end of the guide plate 96 on the roller pair 94b side is oscillated downward in the vertical direction. Therefore, the guide plate 96 extends substantially horizontally, and the guide plate 96 extends through the guide plate 102d.
The stimulable phosphor sheet A conveyed to the roller pair 94
It is guided to the b side, held between the pair of rollers 94b, and sent out from the opening 90b to the conveyance means 92b side. Then, the stimulable phosphor sheet A held by the conveying means 92b is conveyed in the direction of the arrow, and is fed into, for example, a receive magazine (not shown).

In this way, the stimulable phosphor sheet 1-A is curved and deflected in a substantially circular shape within the casing 62b, and a good conveyance distance of the stimulable phosphor sheet A is ensured.
b can be easily miniaturized. Moreover, the surface portion of the stimulable phosphor sheet A curved in a circular shape can be used as a reflecting surface for erasing, and as in the erasing mechanism 60.60a according to the first and second embodiments, the The effect of erasing the residual image on the fluorescent phosphor sheet A can be efficiently performed.

In addition, in the erasing mechanism 60b, the housing 62b is rotated 90 degrees from the position shown in FIG.
By arranging the erasers 92b in the vertical direction, the erasing mechanism 60b can be disposed, for example, between the rollers 58b and 58c in the image reading device 10 shown in FIG.

Furthermore, an erasing mechanism 6 according to a fourth embodiment shown in FIG.
At 0c, the stimulable phosphor sheet A conveyed to the erasing mechanism 60c is configured to be sent out with its traveling direction being deviated by 180 degrees.

That is, the casing 62c constituting the erasing mechanism 60c includes:
In FIG. 5, an opening 106 is formed approximately in the center of the left side, and a guide provided outside the housing 62c.
7ij 108 passes through the middle portion of the opening 106 and faces the inside of the housing 62c.

A driving roller 110 is disposed in the housing 62c adjacent to the guide plate 10B, and this driving roller 11
Nip rollers 112a are provided on the upper and lower sides of 0, respectively.
112b is in sliding contact.

A light source 114 is provided in the center of the housing 62c, and a transport system 116 is provided that forms a substantially circular transport path around the light source 114. In this case, similarly to the erasing mechanism 60b shown in FIG. 4, the conveyance system 116 includes a plurality of arc-shaped guide plates 118a to 118d, and two rollers 120 disposed at predetermined angular intervals.
a and 122a, 120b and 122b, and 120c and 122c. Note that the nip rollers 122a to 122c on the side of the light source 114 are made of a light-transmitting resin material, and an electric fan (not shown) is installed in the housing 62c.

In such a configuration, the stimulable phosphor sheet A conveyed above the guide plate 108 in the direction of the arrow is attached to the housing 62.
The driving roller 11 passes through the upper side of the opening 106 of c.
0 and the nip roller 112a. Therefore, when the driving roller 110 is driven and rotated in the direction of the arrow, the driving roller 110 and the nip roller 112
The stimulable phosphor sheet 1-A sandwiched between the transport system 11 and
6 in the direction of the arrow, and is curved and deflected in a circular shape with the light source 114 as the center. At this time, by energizing the light source 114 and the electric fan (not shown), the radiation image remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet A is effectively erased, similar to the above-described erasing mechanism 60b. Then, the stimulable phosphor sheet A is held between the drive roller 110 and the nip roller 112b, passes through the lower part of the opening 106, and is carried out along the lower side of the guide plate 108.

Thus, erase mechanisms 60.60a, 60b and 60
In c, the stimulable phosphor sheets A being conveyed can be carried out in different directions.

Therefore, by selecting an erasing mechanism that has a desired conveyance direction even if there are various types of image reading devices, etc., it is possible to easily connect the erasing mechanism to each image reading device, etc. You can get the effect of

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the erasing light source is disposed inside the housing, and the stimulable phosphor sheet is conveyed while being deviated within the housing. . Therefore, compared to the conventional method in which the stimulable phosphor sheet is transported in a straight line and irradiated with erasing light, even if the housing is relatively small, the stimulable phosphor sheet's erasing transport path is can be maintained for a considerable length of time, and the entire erasing mechanism can be effectively miniaturized. Furthermore, by shifting the advancing direction of the stimulable phosphor sheet within the housing, various positions for arranging the erasing mechanism within the image reading device can be selected, and as a result, the image reading device can be This has the advantage that the erasing mechanism can be further miniaturized, and the erasing mechanism can be used in a variety of different devices. Moreover, since the stimulable phosphor sheet is curved or bent within the housing, the erasing light irradiated onto it is reflected on the surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet, and as a result, the erasing light can be utilized extremely efficiently. The number of erasing light sources can be significantly reduced compared to the conventional method.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.
For example, the erasing mechanism can be incorporated into a radiographic image information recording/reading device that performs recording, reading, erasing, etc. of a radiographic image of a subject using a single device, and various improvements and improvements can be made within the scope of the present invention. Of course, the design can be changed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an image reading device incorporating an erasing mechanism for a stimulable phosphor sheet according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partially omitted perspective view of the erasing mechanism for a stimulable phosphor sheet according to the present invention. 3 is a partial schematic explanatory diagram of an image reading device incorporating an erasing mechanism for a stimulable phosphor sheet according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a stimulable phosphor sheet according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an erasing mechanism for a stimulable phosphor sheet according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. 10... Image reading device 12... Room 24...
・Scanning mechanisms 60.60a to 60c...Erasing mechanisms 62.62a to 62c...Casings 64.64a, 66.66a...Transportation means 68.68
a...Transportation system 70.70a...Light source 80.
80a...Transport belt 82a, 82b...Roller 86...Receive magazine 88a-88d...
-Rollers 92a, 92b...conveying means 100...
- Conveyance system 102a to 102d... Guide plates 104a to 104c, 105a to 105c... Nip roller 110... Drive roller 116...
Conveyance system 118a-118d-Guide plates 120a-120c, 122a-122c...Nip roller FIG, 2 FIG, 3

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) For an image reading mechanism that irradiates a stimulable phosphor sheet on which a radiation image is stored and recorded with excitation light, emits the radiation image as stimulated luminescence light, and reads the stimulated luminescence light photoelectrically. An erasing mechanism that erases an image remaining on a stimulable phosphor sheet by irradiation with erasing light, the erasing mechanism including a housing in which an erasing light source is disposed, and the erasing mechanism that erases an image remaining on a stimulable phosphor sheet. 1. An afterimage erasing mechanism for a stimulable phosphor sheet, characterized in that the afterimage erasing mechanism for a stimulable phosphor sheet is configured to be conveyed by bending or curving the advancing direction inside the body. (2) In the erasing mechanism according to claim 1,
An endless conveyor belt having at least one bent portion is disposed inside the casing, and a roller is provided so as to be in sliding contact with the bent portion, and the stimulable phosphor sheet to be conveyed inside the casing is An afterimage erasing mechanism for a stimulable phosphor sheet, which is sandwiched between the conveyor belt and a roller and conveyed while being bent or curved in the direction of travel. (3) In the erasing mechanism according to claim 2,
The afterimage erasing mechanism for the stimulable phosphor sheet includes a roller that slides in contact with the bent portion of the conveyor belt and is made of a light-transmissive member. (4) In the erasing mechanism according to claim 1,
A plurality of pairs of rollers and a guide plate are disposed inside the housing, and the stimulable phosphor sheet conveyed inside the housing is held between the pairs of rollers and guided by the guide plate. An afterimage erasing mechanism for a stimulable phosphor sheet that is conveyed by bending or curving the traveling direction. (5) In the erasing mechanism according to claim 4,
An afterimage erasing mechanism for a stimulable phosphor sheet, in which at least the roller disposed on the erasing light source side of the pair of rollers is formed of a light-transmissive member.