WO2011136194A1 - Radiation imaging device and radiation imaging system - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a radiation imaging device (20A-20E) configuring a radiation imaging system (10A-10E). Specifically disclosed is a radiation imaging device (20A-20E) wherein a panel housing unit (30) is provided with a photographic surface (42) to be irradiated with radiation (16) and a projecting portion (32) projecting in the incident direction of the radiation (16). The panel housing unit (30) and/or at least a portion (32, 48b) of the projecting portion (32) are movable without separating the panel housing unit (30) and the projecting portion (32) from each other.

Description

Radiation image capturing apparatus and radiation image capturing system

According to the present invention, there is provided a radiation image capturing apparatus comprising: a radiation image capturing apparatus having a panel accommodating unit containing a radiation conversion panel for converting radiation into a radiation image; a radiation image capturing apparatus; and a control apparatus for controlling the radiation image capturing apparatus. About and.

2. Description of the Related Art In the medical field, a radiation image capturing apparatus is widely used which applies radiation to a subject, guides the radiation transmitted through the subject to a radiation conversion panel, and captures a radiation image. As the radiation conversion panel, a conventional radiation film on which the radiation image is exposed and recorded, or radiation energy as the radiation image is accumulated in a fluorescent material, and the radiation image is irradiated with excitation light to stimulate the radiation image. Storage phosphor panels are known which can be extracted as light. These radiation conversion panels supply the radiation film on which the radiation image is recorded to a developing device to perform development processing, or supply the stimulable phosphor panel to a reading device to perform reading processing. A visible image can be obtained.

On the other hand, in the operating room or the like, it is necessary to be able to immediately read out and display a radiation image from the radiation conversion panel after imaging in order to perform a prompt and appropriate treatment on the patient. As a radiation conversion panel capable of meeting such requirements, a direct conversion type radiation conversion panel using a solid-state detection element that directly converts radiation into an electric signal, or a scintillator that once converts radiation into visible light, An indirect conversion type radiation conversion panel has been developed using a solid state detection element that converts light into an electrical signal.

Transmission and reception of signals including the electric signal between the above-described direct conversion type or indirect conversion type radiation conversion panel, a control unit that controls the radiation conversion panel to read out the radiation image as an electric signal, and the outside The communication unit to be performed and the power supply unit are accommodated in the panel accommodation unit, whereby a radiation imaging apparatus called an electronic cassette is configured. Therefore, the electronic cassette is thicker and heavier than a radiographic imaging device using a stimulable phosphor panel.

Therefore, in order to achieve weight reduction and thickness reduction equivalent to those of a radiation imaging apparatus using a stimulable phosphor panel, the thickness of the panel accommodation unit is made as thin as possible, and a control unit and communication unit that generate heat during operation And it is desirable to accommodate a power supply part in units (control unit) other than the above-mentioned panel accommodation unit. When the control unit is disposed on the radiation receiving surface (imaging surface) of the panel storage unit as a protruding portion with respect to the panel storage unit, it is desirable that the subject and the protruding portion be as far apart as possible. . However, if the imaging site is positioned with respect to the imaging plane so as to avoid the projecting portion, the subject may have an unnatural posture depending on the imaging site, and the subject may feel discomfort. In addition, since the protruding portion is a portion that does not contribute to the conversion of radiation into a radiation image, depending on the location of the protruding portion, there is a possibility that it may interfere with imaging.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-80103 proposes that a subject be photographed while the control unit is separated from the panel storage unit.

However, when the control unit and the panel storage unit are separated, the doctor or the radiologist needs to handle the radiographic imaging apparatus with both hands, so that preparation for imaging such as positioning of the subject on the imaging surface becomes complicated. Moreover, since the control unit, the communication unit, and the power supply unit, which are heavy in weight, are accommodated in the control unit, handling of the control unit after separation is not easy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to facilitate the preparation for shooting and shooting and the handling of the apparatus by separating the subject from the projecting portion without separating the panel housing unit and the projecting portion at the time of shooting. It is about realizing improvement together.

In order to achieve the above object, a radiation imaging apparatus according to the present invention has a panel accommodation unit that accommodates a radiation conversion panel for converting radiation into a radiation image,
The panel storage unit is provided with a photographing surface to which the radiation is irradiated, and a projecting portion which protrudes in the incident direction of the radiation,
At least one of the at least one portion of the projecting portion and the panel accommodating unit is characterized in that the projecting portion and the panel accommodating unit are movable without being separated.

Further, a radiation imaging system according to the present invention comprises a radiation imaging apparatus having a panel accommodation unit that accommodates a radiation conversion panel for converting radiation into a radiation image, and a control device for controlling the radiation imaging apparatus.
The panel storage unit is provided with a photographing surface to which the radiation is irradiated, and a projecting portion which protrudes in the incident direction of the radiation,
At least one of the at least one portion of the projecting portion and the panel accommodating unit is characterized in that the projecting portion and the panel accommodating unit are movable without being separated.

According to these inventions, an object positioned on the photographing surface by moving at least one of the projecting portion and the panel accommodating unit without separating the projecting portion and the panel accommodating unit. And the protruding portion can be easily separated. Thereby, at the time of imaging, since the irradiation area (projected area) of the radiation irradiated to the imaging surface can be changed according to the imaging region of the object, imaging is performed without making the object feel discomfort. It is possible to prevent the projection from being in the way of shooting. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize both the imaging preparation and imaging facilitation and the improvement of the handling of the apparatus.

Note that at least a portion of the protruding portion may be a portion of the protruding portion, or may be the entire protruding portion. In the movable at least one of the at least one portion of the projecting portion and the panel accommodating unit, the panel accommodating unit may be movable with respect to at least a portion of the projecting portion, or In other words, at least a portion of the projecting portion is movable, or at least a portion of the projecting portion and the panel storage unit are movable together. For example, it refers to a state in which at least a portion of the projecting portion is movable relative to the panel storage unit, based on the panel storage unit.

Here, at least a portion of the protruding portion is movable in contact with the panel storage unit or another portion of the protruding portion, while the panel storage unit is in contact with the protruding portion. It should be movable. Thereby, at the time of photographing, the projection area can be changed while separating the subject and at least a part of the projecting portion.

In this case, the projecting portion is a control unit that controls the radiation conversion panel, and the panel storage unit and the control unit can move at least a part of the control unit relative to the imaging surface. The projected area can be easily changed without separating the

Further, the irradiation area of the radiation on the imaging plane may be an imaging area that can be converted to the radiation image, and at least a part of the control unit may be movable in a direction away from the imaging area. As a result, at the time of shooting, it is possible to change (increase) the projection area according to the shooting region of the subject while separating at least a part of the control unit from the subject.

Furthermore, in a state in which at least a part of the control unit is in contact with at least one of the imaging surface and the other part of the control unit, (1) can be slid in a direction away from the imaging region; (2) The size of the imaging region can be obtained by rotating around a rotation axis substantially orthogonal to the imaging plane, or (3) rotating around a rotation axis along a direction parallel to the imaging plane. Depending on the size, the projected area can be changed.

Here, at least a part of the control unit is a portion that generates heat when the control unit operates, and the control unit detects a temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of at least a part of the control unit, and the temperature detection unit detects And a notification unit for notifying information related to the temperature. Thereby, a doctor or a radiologist can displace at least a part of the control unit in a direction to be separated from the imaging surface according to the information notified from the notification unit. As a result, contact between the subject and at least a portion of the control unit as a heating element can be reliably avoided at the time of shooting.

Therefore, the sense of incongruity that the subject feels is the presence of a load (unnaturalness) on the subject at the time of positioning the subject on the photographing surface at the time of shooting due to the presence of the projecting portion (the control unit). In addition to the burden felt by the subject due to forcing the subject posture, the feeling of heat is also included when the subject contacts a portion (at least a part of the control unit) that generates heat during operation of the control unit.

Further, the notification unit is a temperature display unit that displays the temperature, or a warning that warns the outside by at least one of a sound and a screen display when the temperature display unit and the temperature reach a predetermined temperature. It is desirable to be a department. As a result, since various information related to the temperature can be reliably notified to the doctor or the radiographer, it is possible to more efficiently displace at least a part of the control unit with respect to the imaging surface.

In addition, the temperature display unit may display the temperature in a plurality of stages or may display the temperature in the form of a thermo label. Thereby, the doctor or the radiologist can easily grasp the current temperature of at least a part of the control unit and the state of the temperature change (whether the temperature is rising or not).

Moreover, the said alerting | reporting part should just alert | report the necessity of the movement of at least one part of the said control unit based on the said temperature. Thereby, the doctor or the radiologist may move at least a part of the control unit when notified by the notification unit, without making a judgment of itself. As a result, the usability of the radiation image capturing apparatus is further improved.

In addition, the control unit further includes a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the outside, and the communication unit transmits the information to a control device that controls the radiographic imaging device. The information may be notified via the control device. Even in this case, the doctor or the radiologist can displace at least a portion of the control unit according to the information notified via the control device, so that the contact between the subject and at least a portion of the control unit It is possible to avoid.

Further, the control unit supplies power to a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving signals with the outside, a control unit that controls the control unit and the panel accommodation unit, and each unit of the control unit and the panel accommodation unit. And a power supply unit, at least the power supply unit being disposed in at least a portion of the control unit. The power supply unit is a component that generates a relatively large amount of heat among the components constituting the control unit, so the power supply unit is disposed in at least a part of the control unit, and the photographing surface By moving at least a part of the control unit in the direction of separation, it is possible to further reduce the discomfort of the subject.

In addition, the control unit further includes a movement information display unit that displays information related to movement of at least a part of the control unit, and the communication unit receives order information related to the irradiation of the radiation to the subject from the outside. The control unit may cause the movement information display unit to display the necessity of movement of at least a part of the control unit based on the order information. Since the order information also includes information such as the imaging region of the subject, the radiation image can be obtained by moving at least a part of the control unit based on the order information to change the projection area. The usability of the photographing device can be further improved.

It is a block diagram of the radiographic imaging system to which the cassette which concerns on 1st Embodiment is applied. It is a perspective view of the cassette of FIG. It is a perspective view of the cassette of FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cassette at the time of imaging, taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 2; It is the top view which fractured | ruptured and showed a part of cassette of FIG. It is a top view of a cassette when a control unit moves. FIG. 7A is a side view showing the position of the control unit before movement, and FIG. 7B is a side view showing the position of the control unit after movement. It is a block diagram of the cassette of FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating imaging | photography of the to-be-photographed object by the radiographic imaging system of FIG. FIG. 10A to FIG. 10C are explanatory views showing a state in which the temperature of the control unit and the notification of necessity / completion of movement of the control unit are displayed on the display unit of the control unit. 11A to 11C are explanatory views showing a state in which the temperature of the control unit and the notification of necessity or completion of the movement of the control unit are displayed on the display unit of the control unit. 12A to 12C are explanatory diagrams showing a state in which the order information and the notification of necessity / completion of movement of the control unit are displayed on the display unit of the control unit. It is a perspective view which shows the state of the charge process with respect to the cassette of FIG. 14A and 14B are a plan view and a side view of a cassette according to a first modification. 15A and 15B are a plan view and a side view showing a state in which the control unit is disposed at the end of the imaging area. FIG. 16A and FIG. 16B are a plan view and a side view showing a state in which the control unit is disposed at the central part of the imaging region. 17A and 17B are a plan view and a side view showing the position of the control unit at the time of shooting. 18A and 18B are side views of a cassette according to a second modification. It is a perspective view of the cassette of the 3rd modification. FIG. 20A is a side view showing the position of the control unit before movement, and FIG. 20B is a side view showing the position of the control unit after movement. FIG. 21 is a perspective view of an essential part showing the arrangement of the flexible substrate in the hinge part of FIGS. 19 to 20B. It is a perspective view of the cassette of the 4th modification. FIG. 23A is a plan view showing the position of the control unit before movement, and FIG. 23B is a plan view showing the position of the control unit after movement. It is a block diagram of the radiographic imaging system to which the cassette which concerns on 2nd Embodiment is applied. FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the cassette of FIG. 24. FIG. 26A is a side view showing the position of the control unit before movement, and FIG. 26B is a side view showing the position of the control unit after movement. It is a perspective view of the cassette of the 5th modification. FIG. 28A is a side view showing the position of the control unit before movement, and FIG. 28B is a side view showing the position of the control unit after movement. It is a perspective view of the cassette of the 6th modification. FIG. 30A is a plan view showing the position of the control unit before movement, and FIG. 30B is a plan view showing the position of the control unit after movement. It is a block diagram of the radiographic imaging system to which the cassette which concerns on 3rd Embodiment is applied. FIG. 32A is a side view showing the position of the control unit before movement, and FIG. 32B is a side view showing the position of the control unit after movement. FIG. 33A is a side view showing the position of the control unit before movement in the cassette according to the seventh modification, and FIG. 33B is a side view showing the position of the control unit after movement. FIG. 34A is a plan view showing the position of the control unit before movement in the cassette of the eighth modification, and FIG. 34B is a plan view showing the position of the control unit after movement. It is a block diagram of the radiographic imaging system to which the cassette which concerns on 4th Embodiment is applied. It is a perspective view of the cassette of FIG. FIG. 37A is a perspective view showing a state of the cassette at the time of transportation, and FIG. 37B is a side view showing a state in which the panel storage unit is rotated from the state of FIG. 37A. 38A is a perspective view showing a state in which a part of the control unit is rotated from the state of FIG. 37B, and FIG. 38B is a perspective view showing a state of the cassette after the rotation completion of FIG. 38A. 39A is a side view showing the state of FIG. 38B, and FIG. 39B is a side view showing the state of the cassette after moving a part of the control unit. FIG. 40A is a side view showing the position of the control unit before movement in the cassette of the ninth modification, and FIG. 40B is a side view showing the position of the control unit after movement. It is a block diagram of the radiographic imaging system to which the cassette which concerns on 5th Embodiment is applied. FIG. 42 is a perspective view of the cassette of FIG. 41. FIG. 43A is a perspective view showing a state of the cassette at the time of transportation, and FIG. 43B is a side view showing a state in which the panel storage unit is rotated from the state of FIG. 43A. 44A is a side view showing a state in which the cassette is turned upside down from the state of FIG. 43B, and FIG. 44B is a side view showing a state of the cassette after the control unit is moved. FIG. 45A is a side view showing the position of the control unit before movement in the cassette of the tenth modification, and FIG. 45B is a side view showing the position of the control unit after movement. FIG. 46A is a plan view showing a cassette according to an eleventh modification, and FIG. 46B is a side view of the cassette. FIG. 47A is a schematic explanatory view schematically showing an internal configuration of a cassette of a twelfth modified example, and FIG. 47B is a schematic explanatory view schematically showing an example of the scintillator of FIG. 47A.

Preferred embodiments of a radiographic imaging device and a radiographic imaging system according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 47B.

Configuration of First Embodiment
First, a radiation imaging system 10A according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 23B.

As shown in FIG. 1, a radiation imaging system 10A includes a radiation source 18 for irradiating a subject 14 such as a patient lying on an imaging table 12 such as a bed with a radiation 16 having a dose according to imaging conditions; An electronic cassette (radiographic image capturing apparatus) 20A that detects radiation 16 transmitted through the subject 14 and converts it into a radiation image, a console (control device) 22 that controls the radiation source 18 and the electronic cassette 20A, and a radiation image is displayed And a display device 24.

Between the console 22, the radiation source 18, the electronic cassette 20A and the display 24, for example, UWB (Ultra Wide Band), IEEE 802.11. Transmission and reception of signals are performed by wireless communication using a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) such as a / g / n or millimeter wave. Of course, the signal may be transmitted and received by wired communication using a cable.

In addition, a radiology information system (RIS) 26 that comprehensively manages radiation images and other information handled in the radiology department in the hospital is connected to the console 22. In addition, medical information in the hospital is provided in the RIS 26 A medical information system (HIS) 28 that manages the entire content of the computer is connected.

The electronic cassette 20A is disposed on the panel housing unit 30 so as to protrude toward the incident direction of the radiation 16 (the direction toward the radiation source 18) and the panel housing unit 30 disposed between the imaging table 12 and the subject 14. It is a portable electronic cassette provided with the control unit (protrusion part) 32 arrange | positioned. The thickness of the panel storage unit 30 is set to be thinner than the thickness of the control unit 32.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the panel storage unit 30 has a substantially rectangular casing 40 made of a material capable of transmitting the radiation 16, and the upper surface of the casing 40 on which the subject 14 lies is a radiation 16. It is considered as a photographing surface (irradiated surface) 42 to which light is emitted. A guide line 44 serving as an index of the photographing position of the subject 14 is formed substantially at the center of the photographing surface 42. In this case, the guide line 44 indicating the outer frame becomes the imaging area 46 indicating the area where the radiation 16 can be irradiated. Further, the center position of the guide line 44 (the intersection of two guide lines 44 intersecting in a cross shape) is the center position of the imaging region 46.

In addition, when the area of the area | region where the radiation 16 in the imaging surface 42 is irradiated is made into the projection area of the said radiation 16, the area of the imaging area 46 turns into the maximum value of a projection area. That is, the imaging area 46 is the maximum area where the radiation 16 can be irradiated (projected), and accordingly, the irradiation area (projected area) of the radiation 16 is taken as the imaging area 46 according to the imaging region of the subject 14. Alternatively, it may be set to a predetermined area (for example, in the direction of the arrow X1 in the imaging area 46) smaller than the imaging area 46.

The control unit 32 has a substantially rectangular housing 48 disposed on the imaging surface 42 and made of a material non-transparent to the radiation 16. That is, the housing 48 is a projecting portion with respect to the panel accommodation unit 30 protruding in the incident direction of the radiation 16 and is a component that does not contribute to the conversion of the radiation 16 into a radiation image. In an area other than the imaging area 46 (a position on the arrow X2 direction side), it extends along the arrow Y direction.

A communication unit 54 capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving signals between the cassette control unit 50, the power supply unit 52 such as a battery, and the console 22 is provided in the housing 48, and the vicinity of the power supply unit 52 And a temperature sensor (temperature detection unit) 56 for detecting the temperature of. Further, a hole 58 along the direction of the arrow X is formed near the cassette control unit 50 on the bottom surface of the housing 48, while the housing 40 of the panel accommodation unit 30 faces the hole 58. Holes 60 are formed, and a flexible substrate 62 is disposed to penetrate the holes 58, 60. Therefore, the power supply unit 52 supplies power to the panel accommodation unit 30 via the flexible substrate 62, and also supplies power to each unit in the control unit 32, such as the cassette control unit 50 and the communication unit 54. In addition, the cassette control unit 50 transmits and receives signals to and from the panel accommodation unit 30 via the flexible substrate 62.

By the way, the cassette control unit 50, the power supply unit 52, and the communication unit 54 housed in the housing 48 serve as a heating element that emits heat to the outside during operation (during photographing), and the heat is transmitted to the housing 48. Heat is dissipated to the outside via Therefore, it is desirable that the subject 14 and the case 48 be separated as much as possible to avoid contact between the subject 14 and the case 48 so that the subject 14 does not feel the heat due to the heat at the time of photographing. In addition, if the imaging site is positioned relative to the imaging area 46 so as to avoid the housing 48, the subject 14 may have an unnatural posture depending on the size of the imaging site and the like, and the subject 14 may feel discomfort. At the time of photographing, it is desirable that the photographing region can be positioned with respect to the photographing region 46 so that the subject 14 can maintain a more natural posture while avoiding contact between the subject 14 and the housing 48.

The sense of incongruity that the subject 14 feels is that the presence of the control unit 32 imposes a load (unnatural posture) on the subject 14 when positioning the subject 14 in the imaging area 46 at the time of shooting. In addition to the burden that the subject 14 feels due to, the subject's feeling of heat is also included when the subject 14 contacts the control unit 32 that generates heat during operation.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 7B, the panel storage unit is configured so that (the housing 40 of) the panel storage unit 30 and (the housing 48 of) the control unit 32 do not separate. 30 by moving (sliding) the control unit 32 in the direction (arrow X2 direction) away from the imaging region 46 while maintaining the integrated state of the control unit 32 and the control unit 32. Ensure that they are separated.

Specifically, groove-shaped guide portions 64 and 66 are formed along the arrow X direction on the imaging surface 42 of the housing 40 so as to face the control unit 32, and the bottom surface of the housing 48 is a guide Sliding members 68, 70 are provided which are guided along the sections 64, 66 respectively. By making the case 48 slidable along the arrow X direction under the guiding action of the guide portions 64 and 66 and the sliding members 68 and 70 (see FIGS. 5 to 7B), the subject 14 and the case 48 To make sure of separation from

Note that, in the side views of FIGS. 7A and 7B, the range of the imaging region 46 on the imaging surface 42 is illustrated by a thick line for the sake of convenience for easy description. When it is desired to lock the sliding members 68 and 70 at predetermined positions in the guide portions 64 and 66, for example, the width of the guide portions 64 and 66 at the predetermined positions is formed narrower than at other places, The sliding members 68 and 70 may be positioned and fixed at the predetermined position.

As an interface means capable of transmitting and receiving information between an external device and the input terminal 72 of the AC adapter for charging the power supply unit 52 from the external power supply on the side surface in the direction of arrow Y2 of the housing 48 A USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal 74 and a card slot 78 for loading a memory card 76 such as a PC card are provided.

A handle 80 for gripping by a doctor or a radiologist is provided on the side of the housing 48 in the direction of the arrow X2. Further, on the top surface of the housing 48, a display unit (notification unit, temperature display unit, warning unit, movement information display unit) 82 for displaying various information, and a speaker (notification unit, warning unit) 84; A power switch 86 of the electronic cassette 20A is disposed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, FIG. 7A and FIG. The grid 90 for removing scattered radiation of the radiation 16, the radiation conversion panel 92 for detecting the radiation 16 transmitted through the subject 14, and the lead plate 94 for absorbing the back scattered radiation of the radiation 16 Are arranged in order. In this case, the grid 90, the radiation conversion panel 92, and the lead plate 94 substantially coincide with the imaging region 46 in plan view (see FIG. 5). The imaging surface 42 may be configured as a grid 90.

As the radiation conversion panel 92, for example, a solid detection element (hereinafter referred to as a solid detection element (hereinafter referred to as “the radiation detection panel”) made of a material such as amorphous silicon (a-Si) Indirect conversion type radiation conversion panel which converts it into electric signal by the pixel), and direct conversion type which directly converts the dose of radiation 16 into electric signal by solid detection element which consists of substances such as amorphous selenium (a-Se) Radiation conversion panels can be employed.

Further, inside the panel accommodation unit 30, the radiation conversion panel 92 is electrically connected to the drive circuit unit 96, and the drive circuit unit 96 communicates with the cassette control unit 50 and the like in the control unit 32 via the flexible substrate 62. It is electrically connected. The drive circuit unit 96 drives and controls the radiation conversion panel 92 in accordance with a control signal (address signal) from the cassette control unit 50, reads a radiation image from the radiation conversion panel 92, and outputs the radiation image to the cassette control unit 50. Further, the power supply unit 52 supplies power to the drive circuit unit 96 through the flexible substrate 62 to drive the radiation conversion panel 92 through the drive circuit unit 96.

Note that FIG. 4 illustrates the case where the drive circuit unit 96 is disposed on the side of the panel accommodation unit 30 in the direction of the arrow X2. However, in the panel accommodation unit 30, in addition to the drive circuit unit 96, other drive circuit units are disposed along the direction of the arrow X, but in this specification, for the sake of simplicity, the description will be made. Illustration of other drive circuit units is omitted.

A position detection sensor 98 such as a proximity sensor for detecting the position of the sliding member 68 is also disposed in the panel storage unit 30 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). In this case, the position detection sensor 98 is disposed in the vicinity of the side surface in the direction of the arrow X2 along the guide portion 64, and the sliding members 68 and 70 move as shown in FIGS. When the position shown by 7 B is reached, an output signal indicating that the sliding member 68 has reached the position is output to the cassette control unit 50 via the flexible substrate 62.

Next, as an example, the circuit configuration and block diagram of the electronic cassette 20A in the case of adopting the indirect conversion type radiation conversion panel 92 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

As schematically shown in FIG. 8, in the radiation conversion panel 92, a large number of pixels 100 are arranged on a substrate (not shown), and a large number of control signals are supplied from the drive circuit unit 96 to these pixels 100. A gate line 102 and a large number of signal lines 104 for reading out electric signals output from a large number of pixels 100 and outputting the electric signals to a driver circuit portion 96 are arranged.

That is, the radiation conversion panel 92 has a structure in which a photoelectric conversion layer in which each pixel 100 made of a substance such as a-Si for converting visible light into an electric signal is formed on an array of TFTs 106 in matrix. . In this case, in each pixel 100 to which a bias voltage is supplied from the bias circuit 108 constituting the drive circuit unit 96, charges generated by converting visible light into an electric signal (analog signal) are accumulated, and for each column The charges can be read out as an image signal by sequentially turning on the TFTs 106.

The TFTs 106 connected to the respective pixels 100 are connected with gate lines 102 extending in parallel with the column direction and signal lines 104 extending in parallel with the row direction. Each gate line 102 is connected to a gate drive circuit 110, and each signal line 104 is connected to a multiplexer 112. A control signal for controlling on / off of the TFTs 106 arranged in the column direction is supplied from the gate drive circuit 110 to the gate line 102. In this case, an address signal is supplied to the gate drive circuit 110 from the cassette control unit 50 via the flexible substrate 62.

Further, the charge held in each pixel 100 flows out to the signal line 104 through the TFTs 106 arranged in the row direction. This charge is amplified by the amplifier 114. The multiplexer 112 is connected to the amplifier 114 via the sample and hold circuit 116. The multiplexer 112 includes an FET (field effect transistor) switch 118 which switches the signal line 104 and a multiplexer drive circuit 120 which outputs a selection signal for turning on one FET switch 118. The multiplexer drive circuit 120 is supplied with an address signal from the cassette control unit 50. The A / D converter 122 is connected to the FET switch 118, and a radiation image converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 122 is supplied to the cassette control unit 50 via the flexible substrate 62.

Note that the TFT 106 functioning as a switching element may be realized in combination with another imaging element such as a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor. Furthermore, it is possible to replace it with a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) image sensor which transfers charges while shifting charges by a shift pulse corresponding to a gate signal in TFT.

The cassette control unit 50 includes an address signal generation unit 130, an image memory 132, a cassette ID memory 134, a movement instruction unit 136, and an order information storage unit 138.

The address signal generator 130 supplies an address signal to the gate drive circuit 110 and the multiplexer drive circuit 120. The image memory 132 stores the radiation image detected by the radiation conversion panel 92. The cassette ID memory 134 stores cassette ID information for specifying the electronic cassette 20A.

The order information storage unit 138 stores order information received from the console 22 (see FIG. 1) via the communication unit 54. The order information is created by the doctor using the RIS 26, and in addition to the subject information for specifying the subject 14, such as the name, age, sex of the subject 14, a photographing apparatus used for photographing, photographing The site and shooting conditions are included. The imaging conditions are, for example, conditions for determining the radiation amount to be irradiated to the subject 14, such as the tube voltage of the radiation source 18, the tube current, and the irradiation time of the radiation 16.

The movement instruction unit 136 causes the display unit 82 to display whether or not movement of the control unit 32 is necessary based on the order information of the subject 14 and / or the temperature of the control unit 32 detected by the temperature sensor 56. The sound is output from the speaker 84.

Specifically, the movement instruction unit 136 compares the imaging region of the subject 14 contained in the order information with the imaging area 46, and even if the control unit 32 is not moved, the contact between the subject 14 and the control unit 32 When it is expected that the unnatural posture of the subject 14 (posture giving a sense of discomfort) is not caused and the control unit 32 does not interfere with photographing, the movement of the control unit 32 is unnecessary. Information indicating the presence is displayed on the display unit 82, and is further output as a sound from the speaker 84.

In addition, regarding the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 56, the movement instruction unit 136 is expected to be a temperature at which the temperature of the control unit 32 does not feel that the subject 14 is hot, without moving the control unit 32. In this case, the control unit 32 causes the display unit 82 to display information indicating that the movement of the control unit 32 is unnecessary, and further causes the speaker 84 to output the sound.

Therefore, the doctor or the radiologist visually recognizes the display content of the display unit 82 described above or listens to the sound from the speaker 84, so that the movement of the control unit 32 is unnecessary (see FIG. 7) can be recognized.

On the other hand, the movement instruction unit 136 compares the imaging region with the imaging region 46, and if the control unit 32 is not moved at the time of imaging, the subject 14 and the control unit 32 contact or the subject 14 is unnatural. When it is expected that the posture becomes or the control unit 32 gets in the way of photographing, information indicating a movement instruction of the control unit 32 is displayed on the display unit 82 as a warning, and further, the speaker 84 Output as a warning sound from.

In addition, the movement instruction unit 136 may control the control unit 32 if it is expected that the temperature of the subject 14 is hot unless the control unit 32 is moved with respect to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 56. The information indicating the movement instruction of 32 is displayed on the display unit 82 as a warning, and further, the speaker 84 is output as a warning sound.

Therefore, the doctor or radiologist needs to move the control unit 32 by visually recognizing the warning display contents on the display unit 82 or listening to the warning sound from the speaker 84 (see FIG. 6 and FIG. 7B, and then grasping the handle 80 and pulling it in the direction of the arrow X2 to guide the control unit 32 under the guidance of the guide portions 64, 66 and the sliding members 68, 70. Slide in the direction of arrow X2.

Furthermore, when the output signal is input from the position detection sensor 98, the movement instruction unit 136 determines that the control unit 32 has reached the position shown in FIGS. 6 and 7B and the movement of the control unit 32 is completed. The information indicating the completion of the movement of 32 is displayed on the display unit 82, and the sound is output from the speaker 84. Therefore, the doctor or the radiologist visually recognizes the display content of the display unit 82 or listens to the sound from the speaker 84, and the movement of the control unit 32 is completed (the control unit 32 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7B). It can be recognized that the position has been reached.

Note that the movement instruction unit 136 displays a movement instruction of the control unit 32 as a warning via the display unit 82, and further, after outputting as a warning sound from the speaker 84, the position detection sensor 98 can be used. When it is determined that the position signal of FIG. 6 and FIG. 7B has not been reached yet, warning information for prompting the movement of the control unit 32 is displayed on the display unit 82, and the speaker A warning sound may be output from 84.

Operation of First Embodiment
The radiation imaging system 10A including the electronic cassette 20A according to the first embodiment is basically configured as described above. Next, the operation thereof will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The description of FIG. 9 will be made with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 as necessary.

In step S1, the doctor or radiologist holds the handle 80 to transport the electronic cassette 20A from the predetermined storage location to the imaging table 12, and then places the electronic cassette 20A at the predetermined position on the imaging table 12. , The power switch 86 is turned on. The power supply unit 52 starts power supply to the respective units in the control unit 32 due to the turning on of the power switch 86, and starts power supply to the panel accommodation unit 30 via the flexible substrate 62.

Thus, in the control unit 32, the communication unit 54 can transmit and receive signals wirelessly with the console 22. In addition, the temperature sensor 56 starts detection of the temperature of the control unit 32. Further, the display unit 82 can display various information. On the other hand, in the panel accommodation unit 30, the drive circuit unit 96 is activated by the power supply from the power supply unit 52, and the bias circuit 108 supplies a bias voltage to each pixel 100 to charge each pixel 100. Bring to a good state. Thus, the electronic cassette 20A shifts from the sleep state to the active state due to the power switch 86 being turned on.

In step S1, the control unit 32 is disposed at the position shown in FIGS. 5 and 7A. That is, by carrying the electronic cassette 20A in a state where the position of the control unit 32 is not the position shown in FIGS. 6 and 7B but the position shown in FIGS. 5 and 7A, the electronic cassette 20A can be made compact. It becomes possible to carry.

In step S2, the communication unit 54 requests the console 22 (see FIG. 1) to transmit the order information, and the console 22 transmits the order information to the communication unit 54 in response to the transmission request. The order information received by the communication unit 54 is stored in the order information storage unit 138 (see FIG. 8) of the cassette control unit 50.

The doctor or radiologist may register the imaging conditions of the subject 14 to be imaged by operating the console 22. In addition, the console 22 may transmit order information including the imaging condition to the communication unit 54 in response to the transmission request after the imaging condition is registered.

In step S3, the movement instruction unit 136 of the cassette control unit 50 should move the control unit 32 based on the order information stored in the order information storage unit 138 or the temperature of the control unit 32 detected by the temperature sensor 56. It is determined whether or not.

Specifically, the movement instruction unit 136 compares the imaging region of the subject 14 contained in the order information with the size of the imaging area 46, and the subject 14 and the control unit 32 do not move the control unit 32. It is determined whether the subject 14 is in contact with the subject 14 or the subject 14 has an unnatural posture (a posture giving a sense of discomfort), or the control unit 32 interferes with photographing, and if there is such a possibility (step S3: YES), information indicating the movement instruction of the control unit 32 is displayed on the display unit 82 as a warning, and further, the speaker 84 is output as a warning sound.

In addition, the movement instruction unit 136 determines whether the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 56 is such a temperature that the subject 14 does not feel hot even if the control unit 32 is not moved, and may feel hot. If there is (step S3: YES), information indicating a movement instruction of the control unit 32 is displayed on the display unit 82 as a warning, and furthermore, the speaker 84 outputs it as a warning sound.

Therefore, in step S3, the movement instructing unit 136 can execute the determination process using the order information and the determination process using the temperature of the control unit 32.

In step S4, the doctor or the radiologist visually recognizes the warning display content of the display unit 82, or after hearing that the control unit 32 needs to be moved by hearing the warning sound from the speaker 84, the handle The control unit 32 is pulled in the direction of the arrow X2 by gripping the grip 80. Thus, the control unit 32 maintains the integrated state in which the control unit 32 is not separated from the panel storage unit 30 under the guiding action of the guide portions 64 and 66 and the sliding members 68 and 70. Slide away from the

Then, in step S5, when the sliding members 68, 70 reach the positions shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7B under the guiding action of the guide portions 64, 66, the position detecting sensor 98 detects the positions of the sliding members 68. An output signal indicating that has been reached is output to the cassette control unit 50 via the flexible substrate 62. When the output signal is input, the movement instruction unit 136 determines that the control unit 32 has reached the position of FIGS. 6 and 7B and the movement of the control unit 32 is completed (step S5: YES). Information indicating the completion of movement is displayed on the display unit 82 instead of the above-described warning display content, and a sound indicating the completion of movement is output from the speaker 84 instead of the warning sound. Therefore, the doctor or the radiologist can recognize the movement completion of the control unit 32 by visually recognizing the display content of the display unit 82 or by listening to the sound from the speaker 84.

When the position detection sensor 98 does not output an output signal, the movement instruction unit 136 determines that the movement of the control unit 32 is not completed (step S5: NO), and the doctor or radiation by the display unit 82 and the speaker 84 Maintain alert notification to the technician.

In addition, the movement instruction unit 136 displays a movement instruction of the control unit 32 as a warning via the display unit 82, and further, after outputting a warning sound from the speaker 84, the position detection sensor 98 even if a predetermined time has elapsed. If the output signal is not input from the display unit 82, a warning for prompting the movement of the control unit 32 may be displayed on the display unit 82, and may be output as a warning sound from the speaker 84.

In the above-mentioned step S3, even if the position of the control unit 32 is as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7A, the movement instructing unit 136 does not have a possibility that the subject 14 contacts the control unit 32, and the subject 14 is more natural. If it is determined that the posture is maintained and the control unit 32 does not interfere with photographing (step S3: NO), the temperature of the control unit 32 is such that the subject 14 does not feel hot (Step S3: NO), the processing in steps S4 and S5 is not performed, and information indicating that the movement of the control unit 32 is unnecessary is displayed on the display unit 82, and further, the sound from the speaker 84 Output as.

FIGS. 10A to 12C are explanatory diagrams illustrating the contents displayed on the screen of the display unit 82 in the processes of steps S3 to S5.

10A to 10C display the temperature (TEMP) of the control unit 32 in a step display (10 steps from LO to HI) and display the necessity or the completion of the movement of the control unit 32 on the screen. An example is illustrated.

In the case of FIG. 10A, the display unit 82 displays the temperature of the control unit 32 on the screen as the first stage temperature (low temperature) out of 10, and indicates that movement of the control unit 32 is unnecessary. "It is unnecessary" is displayed on the screen. Thereby, the doctor or radiologist can immediately recognize that the control unit 32 does not need to be moved because the control unit 32 is at a low temperature by visually recognizing the screen display of FIG. 10A.

In the case of FIG. 10B, the display unit 82 displays the temperature of the control unit 32 on the screen as the temperature of the fifth stage among the 10 stages, and “moves” indicating that the control unit 32 needs to be moved. The word "warning" is displayed on the screen. That is, FIG. 10B illustrates a screen display when, for example, the movement instructing unit 136 determines that the movement of the control unit 32 is necessary when the temperature of the control unit 32 reaches the temperature of the fifth stage. . The doctor or the radiographer needs to move the control unit 32 because the temperature of the control unit 32 has risen to a temperature that the subject 14 feels hot by visually recognizing the screen display of FIG. 10B. It can be recognized immediately.

In the case of FIG. 10C, the temperature of the control unit 32 is displayed on the screen as the fifth stage temperature in 10 steps on the display unit 82, and “movement completed” indicating that the movement of the control unit 32 is completed. The words are displayed on the screen. As a result, the doctor or the radiologist can immediately recognize that imaging has become possible because movement of the control unit 32 is completed by visually recognizing the screen display of FIG. 10C.

11A to 11C display the temperature of the control unit 32 on the screen with thermo labels (three steps of °° C., □□ ° C., ΔΔ ° C.), and also display the necessity or complete movement of the control unit 32 It is a figure showing an example displayed. In FIGS. 11A to 11C, 制 御 ° C. <□□ ° C. <ΔΔ ° C., and the ○ mark on the upper side of each display temperature lights up (shaded in FIGS. 11A to 11C). It is illustrated that 32 temperatures have reached the indicated temperature.

In the case of FIG. 11A, the display unit 82 displays that the temperature of the control unit 32 has reached ○ ° C. on the screen, and indicates that the movement of the control unit 32 is unnecessary. The words are displayed on the screen. Thereby, the doctor or the radiologist immediately recognizes that the control unit 32 does not need to be moved because the control unit 32 is at a relatively low temperature of ○ ° C. by visually recognizing the screen display of FIG. 11A. Can.

In the case of FIG. 11B, the display unit 82 displays that the temperature of the control unit 32 has reached □□ ° C., and indicates that “the control unit 32 needs to be moved. The word "warning" is displayed on the screen. That is, FIG. 11B illustrates a screen display when, for example, the movement instructing unit 136 determines that the movement of the control unit 32 is necessary when the temperature of the control unit 32 reaches □□ ° C. It is necessary for the doctor or radiologist to move the control unit 32 because the temperature of the control unit 32 has reached the degree of □□ ° C. that the subject 14 feels hot by visually recognizing the screen display of FIG. 11B. Can be recognized immediately.

In the case of FIG. 11C, the display unit 82 displays on the screen that the temperature of the control unit 32 has reached □□ ° C., and indicates that the movement of the control unit 32 has been completed. The words are displayed on the screen. As a result, the doctor or the radiologist can immediately recognize that imaging has become possible since the movement of the control unit 32 is completed by visually recognizing the screen display of FIG. 11C.

Thus, in the case of FIGS. 10A to 11C, the current temperature of the control unit 32 and the status of the temperature change (temperature rise) are collectively displayed on the screen in addition to the instruction of necessity of movement and notification of movement completion. Therefore, the doctor or the radiologist can easily grasp the situation of the control unit 32 and the like.

12A to 12C illustrate an example in which the imaging region of the subject 14 included in the order information is displayed on the screen, and the necessity of movement of the control unit 32 or the movement completion is displayed on the screen.

In the case of FIG. 12A, the display unit 82 displays the wording of “order information shooting of hand” indicating that the order information is shooting of the hand of the subject 14 and the movement of the control unit 32 is unnecessary. The wording “No movement required” is displayed on the screen. That is, when the area (projected area) of the imaging region 46 is large compared to the area of the hand, the possibility of contact between the hand and the control unit 32 is low without moving the control unit 32 during imaging. . Thereby, the doctor or radiologist can immediately recognize that it is not necessary to move the control unit 32 by visually recognizing the screen display of FIG. 12A.

In the case of FIG. 12B, the display unit 82 displays the wording “order information chest imaging” indicating that the order information is imaging the chest of the subject 14 and the control unit 32 needs to be moved. The words "Please move" are displayed on the screen. That is, if the area of the chest is such that the subject 14 contacts the control unit 32, there is a possibility that the subject 14 may have an unnatural posture and feel uncomfortable when shooting, and the control unit 32 moves It is necessary to have a screen display to indicate. Therefore, the doctor or radiologist can immediately recognize that the control unit 32 needs to be moved by viewing the screen display of FIG. 12B.

In the case of FIG. 12C, the display unit 82 displays on the screen “order information chest imaging” indicating that the order information is imaging of the chest of the subject 14 and indicates that the movement of the control unit 32 is completed. The word "Moved complete" is displayed on the screen. As a result, the doctor or radiologist can immediately recognize that imaging has become possible by visually recognizing the screen display of FIG. 12C.

As described above, in the case of FIGS. 12A to 12C, the order information is also displayed collectively on the screen in addition to the instruction of necessity of movement and the notification of movement completion, so the doctor or radiologist The situation of the control unit 32 can be easily grasped.

Note that, in step S3, the movement instructing unit 136 performs both the determination processing related to order information and the determination processing related to the temperature of the control unit 32, so the screen display of FIGS. 10A to 12C is combined. The display unit 82 displays the temperature display of the control unit 32 (FIGS. 10A to 11C), the display related to movement (FIGS. 10A to 12C), and the display of the order information (FIGS. 12A to 12C). It is also possible to display them collectively on the screen of.

Of course, the movement instructing unit 136 performs only one of the judgment processing related to the order information and the judgment processing related to the temperature of the control unit 32, and FIGS. 10A to 10C and FIGS. 11A to 11C. One of the screen displays of FIGS. 12A to 12C may be displayed on the display unit 82.

Returning to FIG. 9, in step S6, the doctor or radiologist adjusts the inter-imaging distance between the radiation source 18 and the radiation conversion panel 92 to SID (inter-source-image distance), while the imaging surface 42 Position the subject 14 so that the imaging region of the subject 14 enters the imaging region 46 and the center position of the imaging region substantially matches the center position of the imaging region 46 with the object 14 placed. Do.

The above-described positioning is mainly performed when imaging is performed using the entire imaging region 46, that is, when the projection area of the radiation 16 is the area of the imaging region 46, in this case, the subject 14 In order to avoid contact between (the region to be imaged) and the control unit 32, the control unit 32 has previously moved to the position shown in FIGS. 6 and 7B.

On the other hand, for example, with respect to an imaging region (the hand of the subject 14) having a small area with respect to the imaging region 46, the projection area of the radiation 16 may be reduced and imaging may be further performed. Even if the position of the point is in the positions of FIG. 5 and FIG. 7A, the possibility that the subject 14 and the control unit 32 touch is low. In such a case, the imaging region may be positioned in the area on the side of the arrow X1 in the imaging area 46 or the area at the center position of the guide line 44 without moving the control unit 32.

Also, the positioning of step S6 can be performed at the stage of steps S1 to S5. In this case, for example, after the panel accommodation unit 30 is inserted between the subject 14 and the imaging stand 12 and the positioning of step S6 is performed, steps S1 to S5 may be performed. Alternatively, after the panel accommodation unit 30 is inserted between the subject 14 and the imaging stand 12, steps S1 to S5 may be performed, and then the positioning of step S6 may be performed.

Thus, in step S7 after the imaging preparation in steps S1 to S6 is completed, the cassette control unit 50, for example, irradiates (photographs) radiation 16 based on the determination of the movement completion by the movement instruction unit 136. A photographing permission signal indicating that it has become possible is transmitted to the console 22 via the communication unit 54.

In step S8, a doctor or a radiologist turns on a radiation switch (not shown) provided on the console 22 or the radiation source 18. When the console 22 is equipped with an exposure switch, after the exposure switch is turned on, the console 22 receives radiographing conditions from the console 22 by radio communication on the condition that the radiographing permission signal has already been received. Send to When the radiation source 18 is equipped with an exposure switch, transmission of imaging conditions is requested from the radiation source 18 to the console 22 by wireless communication after the exposure switch is turned on. The imaging conditions are transmitted to the radiation source 18 by wireless communication in response to a transmission request from the radiation source 18 on the condition that the imaging permission signal has already been received.

When receiving the imaging condition, the radiation source 18 irradiates the object 14 with a radiation 16 having a predetermined dose for a predetermined exposure time according to the imaging condition. The radiation 16 passes through the subject 14 and reaches the radiation conversion panel 92 in the panel storage unit 30.

In step S9, when the radiation conversion panel 92 is an indirect conversion type radiation conversion panel, the scintillator constituting the radiation conversion panel 92 emits visible light of an intensity corresponding to the intensity of the radiation 16, and the photoelectric conversion layer Each of the pixels 100 constituting the pixel converts visible light into an electric signal and stores it as a charge. Subsequently, charge information which is a radiation image of the subject 14 held in each pixel 100 is read out according to the address signal supplied to the gate drive circuit 110 and the multiplexer drive circuit 120 from the address signal generating unit 130 constituting the cassette control unit 50 Be

That is, the gate drive circuit 110 supplies a control signal to the gate of the TFT 106 connected to the gate line 102 corresponding to the address signal supplied from the address signal generation unit 130. On the other hand, the multiplexer drive circuit 120 outputs a selection signal according to the address signal supplied from the address signal generation unit 130 to sequentially switch the FET switches 118 (turn on and off sequentially), and the gate line selected by the gate drive circuit 110. A radiation image as charge information held in each pixel 100 connected to 102 is sequentially read out via the signal line 104.

The radiation image read out from each pixel 100 connected to the selected gate line 102 is amplified by each amplifier 114 and then sampled by each sample and hold circuit 116 and A / D converted via the FET switch 118 It is supplied to the unit 122 and converted into a digital signal. The radiation image converted into the digital signal is temporarily stored in the image memory 132 of the cassette control unit 50 (step S10).

Similarly, in accordance with the address signal supplied from the address signal generation unit 130, the gate drive circuit 110 sequentially switches the gate line 102 for outputting the control signal, and is held in each pixel 100 connected to each gate line 102. The radiation image, which is the charge information, is read out through the signal line 104 and stored in the image memory 132 of the cassette control unit 50 through the FET switch 118 and the A / D converter 122 (step S10).

The radiation image stored in the image memory 132 is transmitted to the console 22 by wireless communication via the communication unit 54 together with the cassette ID information stored in the cassette ID memory 134. The console 22 performs predetermined image processing on the received radiation image, and transmits the radiation image after the image processing to the display device 24 by wireless communication. The display device 24 displays the received radiation image (step S11).

In step S11, since the electronic cassette 20A is provided with the display unit 82, the display unit 82 may display (low data or thinned data of) a radiation image.

In step S12 after the doctor or radiologist visually recognizes the radiation image displayed on the display device 24 or the display unit 82 and confirms that the appropriate radiation image of the subject 14 has been obtained, the doctor or radiologist The subject 14 is released to complete imaging, and then, when the control unit 32 is disposed in the position of FIGS. 6 and 7B, the grip 80 is gripped to push the control unit 32 in the direction of the arrow X1. . Thus, the control unit 32 slides in the direction of the arrow X1 under the guiding action of the guide portions 64 and 66 and the sliding members 68 and 70 and returns to the position shown in FIGS. 5 and 7A, and the electronic cassette 20A is transported It will be possible compact state.

In addition, when imaging | photography of the to-be-photographed object 14 is performed without moving the control unit 32, the movement of the control unit 32 by a doctor or a radiologist is not performed.

In the next step S13, the doctor or radiologist presses the power switch 86 to stop the electronic cassette 20A. Thus, the power supply unit 52 stops the power supply to each part of the control unit 32 and also stops the power supply to the panel accommodation unit 30 via the flexible substrate 62. As a result, the electronic cassette 20A shifts from the active state to the sleep state. Then, the doctor or radiologist holds the handle 80 and transports the compacted electronic cassette 20A to a predetermined storage location.

[Effect of First Embodiment]
As described above, according to the electronic cassette 20A and the radiographic imaging system 10A according to the first embodiment, the control unit 32 (at least a part of the projecting portion) and the panel accommodation unit 30 that protrude in the incident direction of the radiation 16 By making the control unit 32 movable in a state in which the control unit 32 is not separated, it becomes possible to easily separate the control unit 32 from the subject 14 positioned on the imaging surface 42. Thereby, at the time of imaging, since the irradiation area (projected area) of the radiation irradiated to the imaging surface 42 can be changed according to the imaging region of the subject 14, imaging is performed without making the subject 14 feel uncomfortable. It is possible to prevent the control unit 32 from getting in the way of imaging. Therefore, in the first embodiment, it is possible to realize both the imaging preparation and imaging facilitation and the improvement of the handling of the apparatus.

In this case, since the control unit 32 is movable in a state of being in contact with the panel storage unit 30, the projection area of the radiation 16 can be changed while separating the subject 14 and the control unit 32 at the time of photographing.

Further, since the control unit 32 is movable in the direction (arrow X2 direction) away from the imaging region 46 in a state of being in contact with the imaging surface 42, the object 14 is separated from the object 14 during imaging. The projection area of the radiation 16 can be efficiently varied (increased) according to the imaging site of

Furthermore, the cassette control unit 50, the power supply unit 52, and the communication unit 54 accommodated in the control unit 32 function as a heating element that emits heat to the outside during operation. In particular, the power supply unit 52 is a component having a relatively large amount of heat generation among the components constituting the control unit 32. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the temperature of the control unit 32 is detected by the temperature sensor 56, and information related to the detected temperature is displayed on the screen via the display unit 82, and output as sound from the speaker 84. The radiographer can displace the control unit 32 in a direction away from the imaging surface 42 according to the screen display content of the display unit 82 and the sound from the speaker 84. As a result, it is possible to reliably avoid the approach of the subject 14 and the control unit 32 as a heating element at the time of shooting, and to further reduce the discomfort of the subject 14.

In this case, the display unit 82 can display the temperature of the control unit 32, and can also display that the temperature has reached a predetermined temperature (the temperature of the control unit 32 to the extent that the subject 14 feels hot). On the other hand, the speaker 84 can also output, as a warning sound, that the temperature of the control unit 32 has reached the predetermined temperature. As a result, various information related to the temperature of the control unit 32 can be reliably notified to the doctor or the radiographer, so displacement of the control unit 32 with respect to the imaging surface 42 can be performed more efficiently.

Moreover, since the display unit 82 displays the temperature of the control unit 32 in multiple stages or in the form of a thermo label, the doctor or radiologist can change the current temperature of the control unit 32 or the status of the temperature change. Can be easily grasped.

Furthermore, the display unit 82 displays the necessity or completion of the movement of the control unit 32 based on the temperature of the control unit 32, while the speaker 84 controls the control unit 32 based on the temperature of the control unit 32. It outputs the necessity or the completion of the movement of as a sound (warning sound). Therefore, the doctor or the radiologist may move the control unit 32 or stop the moving operation when there is a notification (screen display, sound) without making a judgment of itself. As a result, the usability of the electronic cassette 20A is further improved.

Furthermore, the communication unit 54 receives order information from the console 22, and the display unit 82 displays necessity of movement of the control unit 32 based on the order information, while the speaker 84 is based on the order information. The necessity of movement of the control unit 32 is output as a sound. The order information also includes information such as the imaging region of the subject 14. Therefore, by moving the control unit 32 based on the order information to change the projection area of the radiation 16, the usability of the electronic cassette 20 A can be improved. It can be further improved.

In the above description, the position detection sensor 98 detects the position of the sliding member 68, and outputs the detection result as an output signal to the cassette control unit 50, thereby instructing the movement of the control unit 32 to move. The determination in the section 136 has been described. In the first embodiment, instead of the position detection sensor 98, the movement amount of the sliding members 68 and 70 is detected by movement amount detection means such as a linear encoder, and the movement instruction unit 136 controls the control unit 32 based on the movement amount. The movement completion of may be determined, and the display content of the display unit 82 may be changed or the sound output from the speaker 84 may be changed according to the determination result. In this case, the cassette control unit 50 generates a photographing permission signal based on the completion of movement of the control unit 32.

In the above description, the movement instruction unit 136 can determine whether the movement of the control unit 32 is necessary based on the size of the imaging region of the subject 14 included in the order information. Instead of such determination or in addition to this determination, the movement instruction unit 136 can also determine that movement of the control unit 32 is necessary, for example, in the case of order information including video shooting. is there.

Furthermore, in the above description, the information related to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 56 is displayed by the display unit 82 or the speaker 84 of the control unit 32 or notified to the outside as a sound. The information may be transmitted to the console 22 by communication, and the information may be notified to the outside through the console 22. In this case, for example, the console 22 may display the information via the display device 24 or may notify the outside as a sound through a speaker (not shown). Even in this case, each effect by informing the information can be easily obtained.

The electronic cassette 20A according to the first embodiment is not limited to the above description, and the embodiments shown in FIGS. 13 to 23B can also be realized.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the charging process of the power supply unit 52 (see FIG. 2, FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 8) by the cradle 140 disposed at a necessary place in the medical institution.

In this case, the electronic cassette 20A and the cradle 140 are electrically connected by the USB cable 146 having the connectors 142 and 144.

The cradle 140 performs transmission and reception of necessary information with the console 22 and the RIS 26 in a medical institution using not only the charging of the power supply unit 52 but also the wireless communication function or the wired communication function of the cradle 140. Good. The information to be transmitted and received can include a radiation image recorded in the image memory 132 (see FIG. 8) of the electronic cassette 20A.

In addition, the display unit 148 may be disposed on the cradle 140, and the display unit 148 may display the charge state of the electronic cassette 20A and necessary information including a radiation image acquired from the electronic cassette 20A. .

Furthermore, a plurality of cradles 140 can be connected to the network, and the charge states of the electronic cassettes 20A connected to each cradle 140 can be collected via the network to confirm the whereabouts of the electronic cassettes 20A in the usable charge state. It can also be configured.

Modified Example of First Embodiment
Next, modified examples of the electronic cassette 20A according to the first embodiment (hereinafter also referred to as first to fourth modified examples) will be described with reference to FIGS. 14A to 23B.

First, the electronic cassette 20A of the first modification shown in FIGS. 14A to 17B has two groove-shaped guide portions 150 and 152 provided on the imaging surface 42 so as to sandwich the imaging region 46 in plan view. The embodiment differs from the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 13 in that a handle 154 is also provided on the side surface of the housing 40 in the direction of the arrow X1.

In this case, the guide portions 150 and 152 simply extend the guide portions 64 and 66 to the vicinity of the side surface in the direction of the arrow X1. Therefore, the control unit 32 includes the guide portions 150 and 152 and the sliding member Under the guiding action of 68 and 70, along the arrow X direction, the position on the arrow X1 direction side shown in FIG. 15A and FIG. 15B, and a part of the control unit 32 shown in FIG. It is movable between positions 30 and 30.

Therefore, in the first modification, the control unit 32 can be easily disposed at a desired position along the arrow X direction with respect to the panel accommodation unit 30. Further, since the control unit 32 is movable on the photographing surface 42, the entire electronic cassette 20A can be made compact and easy to carry. In particular, when the control unit 32 is moved to the central portion of the panel accommodation unit 30 shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, the weight balance in carrying is good.

Thus, by providing the guide portions 150 and 152 along the arrow X direction, the projection area of the radiation 16 in the imaging region 46 is controlled according to the imaging region of the subject 14 included in the order information and / or According to the temperature of the unit 32, it becomes possible to change suitably. For example, in the case of chest imaging where a relatively large projection area is required, the control unit 32 may be moved to the positions of FIGS. 14A and 14B or to the positions of FIGS. 17A and 17B. Further, in the case of photographing a hand or a knee having a relatively small projection area, the control unit 32 may be moved to the positions of FIGS. 15A and 15B or the positions of FIGS. 16A and 16B. In the case of FIGS. 15A and 15B, radiation 16 can be irradiated to the region on the side of the arrow X2 direction in the imaging region 46, and in the case of FIGS. 16A and 16B, the side on the arrow X1 direction or the arrow X2 in the imaging region 46 Radiation 16 can be applied to the area on the direction side.

When the doctor or radiologist transports the electronic cassette 20A of the first modification, the doctor or the radiologist grasps and transports the handle 80 or the handle 154 in the state of FIGS. 14A and 14B, or FIG. 15A and FIG. The handle 154 may be held and transported in the state of 15B.

In the electronic cassette 20A of the second modified example shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the case 48 constituting the control unit 32 includes the base portion 48a (the other portion of the protruding portion) on the panel accommodation unit 30 side, and the base portion 48a. It differs from the embodiment of FIGS. 1-17B in that it is configured with a movable portion 48 b (at least a portion of the projecting portion) that is movable with respect to.

In this case, the base portion 48a is fixed to the panel accommodation unit 30, and groove- like guide portions 160 and 162 having the same function as the guide portions 64 and 66 described above are provided on the upper surface of the base portion 48a. There is. Further, on the side of the base portion 48a (bottom surface side) of the movable portion 48b, sliding members 164 and 166 having the same function as the sliding members 68 and 70 are provided. A large cassette control unit 50, a power supply unit 52, and a communication unit 54 are accommodated. Preferably, the temperature sensor 56 is also disposed on the movable portion 48b. Further, as described above, the position detection sensor 98 (see FIGS. 5, 6 and 8) may be disposed on the side of the case 40 in the direction of the arrow X2, or the arrow X2 of the base portion 48a. It may be disposed on the side of the direction.

Then, in the second modification, as in the case of FIGS. 1 to 17B, movement is performed according to the imaging region included in the order information and / or according to the temperature of the movable portion 48b configuring the control unit 32. When the instruction unit 136 instructs the doctor or the radiologist to move the movable unit 48b via the display unit 82 and the speaker 84, the doctor or the radiologist holds the handle 80 and pulls it in the direction of the arrow X2 to move the movable unit 48b slides from the position shown in FIG. 18A to the position shown in FIG. 18B under the guiding action of the guide portions 160, 162 and the sliding members 164, 166.

As described above, also in the second modification, the movable unit 48b which is a part of the control unit 32 can be moved with respect to (the imaging region 46 of) the panel accommodation unit 30 according to the temperature of the imaging region and the movable unit 48b. By doing this, it is possible to easily change the projection area of the radiation 16, so that the same effect as in FIGS. 1 to 17B can be obtained.

In the electronic cassette 20A of the third modification shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the case 40 of the panel accommodation unit 30 and the case 48 of the control unit 32 are connected via a hinge portion (rotational shaft) 170. In that it differs from the embodiment of FIGS. 1-18B.

In this case, the hinge portion 170 is provided along the arrow Y direction on the side surface of the housing 40 in the arrow X 2 direction, and the handle 80 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 48.

Then, in the third modification, the movement instruction unit 136 is a doctor or a radiologist via the display unit 82 and the speaker 84 according to the imaging region included in the order information and / or according to the temperature of the control unit 32. When the doctor or radiologist holds the handle 80 and instructs the housing 48 to rotate about the hinge portion 170 when the control unit 32 is instructed to rotate the control unit 32, the housing 48 is separated from the imaging region 46. Turn in the direction

As described above, also in the third modification, the radiation 16 is made rotatable by making the housing 48 rotatable with respect to (the imaging region 46 of) the panel accommodation unit 30 according to the temperature of the imaging region and the housing 48. Since it is possible to easily change the projected area of the lens, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the effect of FIGS. 1 to 18B.

The flexible substrate 62 for transmitting and receiving signals and supplying power between the panel accommodation unit 30 and the control unit 32 is disposed in a state of being rotated once in the hinge portion 170, as shown in FIG. Therefore, as described above, even when the control unit 32 is rotated with respect to the panel accommodation unit 30, the tension associated with the rotation can be effectively suppressed from being applied to the flexible substrate 62.

In the electronic cassette 20A of the fourth modification shown in FIGS. 22 to 23B, a shaft portion (rotation shaft) 172 is erected at a corner portion of the housing 40 of the panel accommodation unit 30 on the control unit 32 side. This embodiment differs from the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 21 in that the housing 40 and the housing 48 of the control unit 32 are connected to each other.

In this case, according to the imaging region included in the order information and / or according to the temperature of the control unit 32, the movement instructing unit 136 transmits the control unit 32 to the doctor or radiologist via the display unit 82 and the speaker 84. When a doctor or a radiologist holds the handle 80 and instructs the housing 48 to rotate about the shaft 172 when rotation is instructed, the housing 48 rotates in a direction away from the imaging region 46 Do.

As described above, also in the fourth modification, as in the case of the third modification, the housing 48 is mounted on (the imaging area 46 of) the panel accommodation unit 30 according to the temperature of the imaging region and the housing 48. Since the projection area of the radiation 16 can be easily changed by making it rotatable, the same effect as in FIGS. 1 to 21 can be obtained.

In addition, as for the flexible substrate 62 for transmitting and receiving signals and supplying power between the panel accommodation unit 30 and the control unit 32, as in the case of FIG. Even when the control unit 32 is rotated with respect to the panel accommodation unit 30, the tension accompanying the rotation can be effectively suppressed from being applied to the flexible substrate 62.

The first embodiment can also be applied to the case of acquiring a radiation image by using a light conversion type radiation conversion panel. In the light reading type radiation conversion panel, when radiation is incident on each solid detection element, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the dose is accumulated and recorded on the solid detection element. When reading the electrostatic latent image, the radiation conversion panel is irradiated with the reading light, and the value of the generated current is acquired as a radiation image. The radiation conversion panel can erase and reuse the radiation image, which is the remaining electrostatic latent image, by irradiating the radiation conversion panel with the erasing light (see JP-A-2000-105297).

Further, in the electronic cassette 20A, in order to prevent the possibility of blood or other bacteria from adhering, for example, the entire device is made waterproof and airtight, and if necessary, it is sterilized and cleaned to make one electronic The cassette 20A can be used repeatedly and continuously.

In addition, the first embodiment is not limited to radiographing in a medical institution, and may be installed in a disaster site, a home nursing home, or a medical examination car, and may be applied to radiographing a subject in a health checkup. Is possible. Furthermore, the first embodiment is not limited to the radiographing of medical-related radiation images as described above, and is naturally applicable to radiographing of radiographs in various nondestructive inspections, for example.

Description of Second Embodiment
Next, an electronic cassette 20B and a radiation imaging system 10B according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 24 to 30B.

In the electronic cassette 20B and the radiation imaging system 10B, the same components as those of the electronic cassette 20A and the radiation imaging system 10A (see FIGS. 1 to 23B) according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. The detailed description is omitted.

The electronic cassette 20B and the radiation imaging system 10B according to the second embodiment are the first embodiment in that the control unit 32 is connected to the side surface (outside of the imaging surface 42) of the panel accommodation unit 30 in the arrow X2 direction. This embodiment is different from the electronic cassette 20A and the radiation imaging system 10A (see FIGS. 1 to 23B) according to the present invention.

That is, in the electronic cassette 20B, the base portion 48a constituting the housing 48 of the control unit 32 is fixed to the side surface of the housing 40 of the panel storage unit 30 in the direction of the arrow X2, and the movable portion 48b is formed on the base portion 48a. It is slidably disposed along the arrow X direction (see FIGS. 26A and 26B).

Therefore, also in the electronic cassette 20B, as in the case of the second modification (see FIGS. 18A and 18B), the movable portion 48b configuring the control unit 32 according to the imaging region included in the order information. When the movement instructing unit 136 (see FIG. 8) instructs the doctor or radiologist to move the movable unit 48b via the display unit 82 and the speaker 84, the doctor or radiologist holds the handle 80 depending on the temperature of the Then, when the movable portion 48b is pulled in the direction of the arrow X2, the movable portion 48b slides from the position shown in FIG. 26A to the position shown in FIG. 26B under the guiding action of the guide portions 160, 162 and the sliding members 164, 166.

Therefore, also in the second embodiment, the movable unit 48b which is a part of the control unit 32 is movable with respect to (the imaging region 46 of) the panel accommodation unit 30 according to the temperature of the imaging region and the movable unit 48b. Thus, the projected area of the radiation 16 can be easily changed, and therefore, the same effect as that of the first embodiment including the second modification can be obtained.

Modified Example of Second Embodiment
Next, modified examples of the electronic cassette 20B according to the second embodiment (hereinafter, also referred to as fifth and sixth modified examples) will be described with reference to FIGS. 27 to 30B.

In the electronic cassette 20B of the fifth modification shown in FIGS. 27 to 28B, the base portion 48a and the movable portion 48b of the housing 48 are connected via the hinge portion (rotational shaft) 170. Different from the embodiment of FIG. 26B.

In this case, the hinge portion 170 is provided along the arrow Y direction on the side surface of the base portion 48a in the arrow X2 direction, and the handle 80 is provided on the upper surface of the movable portion 48b.

Then, in the fifth modification, as in the case of the third modification (see FIGS. 19 to 21), according to the imaging region included in the order information and / or according to the temperature of the movable portion 48b, When the movement instruction unit 136 instructs the doctor or radiologist to turn the control unit 32 (the movable unit 48b) via the display unit 82 and the speaker 84, the doctor or radiologist holds the handle 80, and the hinge unit When the movable portion 48 b is rotated about 170, the movable portion 48 b is rotated in a direction away from the imaging region 46.

As described above, also in the fifth modification, the radiation 16 can be rotated by making the movable portion 48b rotatable relative to (the imaging region 46 of) the panel accommodation unit 30 according to the temperature of the imaging portion and the movable portion 48b. Since it is possible to easily change the projected area of the lens, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment including the effects of FIGS. 24 to 26B and the third modification. The flexible substrate 62 may be disposed in a state of being rotated once in the hinge portion 170, as in the case of FIG.

In the electronic cassette 20B of the sixth modification shown in FIGS. 29 to 30B, the base portion 48a and the movable portion 48b of the housing 48 are connected via the shaft portion 172, as shown in FIGS. It differs from the embodiment. In this case, the shaft portion 172 is provided upright on the side of the upper surface of the base portion 48a in the direction of the arrow Y1.

Then, in the sixth modification, as in the fourth modification (see FIGS. 22 to 23B), according to the imaging region included in the order information and / or according to the temperature of the movable portion 48b, When the movement instruction unit 136 instructs the doctor or radiologist to rotate the control unit 32 (the movable unit 48b) via the display unit 82 and the speaker 84, the doctor or radiologist holds the handle 80, and the shaft unit When the movable portion 48 b is pivoted about the point 172, the movable portion 48 b is pivoted away from the imaging region 46.

As described above, also in the sixth modification, the radiation 16 can be rotated by making the movable portion 48b rotatable with respect to (the imaging region 46 of) the panel accommodation unit 30 according to the temperature of the imaging portion and the movable portion 48b. Since it is possible to easily change the projection area of the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment including the effects of FIGS. 24 to 28B and the fourth modification can be obtained. As in the case of the fourth modification, the flexible substrate 62 may be disposed in a state of being rotated once in the shaft portion 172.

Description of Third Embodiment
Next, an electronic cassette 20C and a radiation imaging system 10C according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 31 to 34B.

The electronic cassette 20C and the radiation imaging system 10C according to the third embodiment control the two side surfaces (the outside of the imaging surface 42) of the side surface in the arrow X1 direction and the side surface in the arrow X2 direction of the panel storage unit 30. The electronic cassette 20B and the radiation imaging system 10B according to the second embodiment are different in that the units 32 are respectively connected, and the casings 48 of the two control units 32 are respectively constituted by the base portion 48a and the movable portion 48b. This is different from FIGS. 24 to 30B). Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 31 to 32B, the electronic cassette 20C has a symmetrical structure with the panel accommodation unit 30 as a center.

As shown in FIGS. 32A and 32B, the electronic cassette 20C balances the weight of the entire electronic cassette 20C, and for the purpose of avoiding an increase in weight due to provision of two control units 32 as much as possible. The power supply unit 52 is accommodated in the movable unit 48b of the control unit 32 in the arrow X1 direction, and the cassette control unit 50 and the communication unit 54 are accommodated in the movable unit 48b of the control unit 32 in the arrow X2 direction. However, the cassette control unit 50, the power supply unit 52, and the communication unit 54 may be accommodated in each of the movable units 48b if the weight does not increase significantly even if two control units 32 are provided.

In the electronic cassette 20C shown in FIGS. 31 to 32B, as in the case of FIGS. 24 to 26B, the temperature of the movable portion 48b configuring each control unit 32 according to the imaging region included in the order information In response to the movement instruction unit 136 (see FIG. 8) instructing the doctor or the radiologist to move each movable unit 48b via the display unit 82 and the speaker 84, the doctor or the radiographer controls the arrow X1 direction side Holding the handle 80 of the unit 32 and pulling the movable portion 48b in the direction of the arrow X1, the movable portion 48b is positioned as shown in FIG. 32A under the guidance of the guide portions 160 and 162 and the sliding members 164 and 166. To the position shown in FIG. 32B. Similarly, when the doctor or radiologist holds the handle 80 of the control unit 32 on the arrow X2 direction side and pulls the movable portion 48b in the arrow X2 direction, the movable portion 48b slides on the guide portions 160 and 162 and the slide. Under the guidance of members 164, 166, they slide from the position shown in FIG. 32A to the position shown in FIG. 32B.

Therefore, also in the third embodiment, the projection of the radiation 16 is enabled by making the movable portion 48b slidable with respect to (the imaging region 46 of) the panel accommodation unit 30 according to the temperature of the imaging portion and the movable portion 48b. Since the area can be easily changed, the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments can be obtained.

Modified Example of Third Embodiment
Next, modifications of the electronic cassette 20C according to the third embodiment (hereinafter also referred to as seventh and eighth modifications) will be described with reference to FIGS. 33A to 34B.

In the electronic cassette 20C of the seventh modification shown in FIGS. 33A and 33B, the base portion 48a and the movable portion 48b of each housing 48 are connected via the hinge portion 170, as shown in FIGS. 31 to 32B. Is different from the embodiment of FIG. As in the fifth modification (FIGS. 27 to 28B), the hinge portion 170 is provided on the side surface of the base portion 48a along the arrow Y direction (direction perpendicular to the sheet of FIGS. 33A and 33B), The handle 80 is provided on the upper surface of the movable portion 48b.

Therefore, in the seventh modification, as in the fifth modification, the movement instructing unit 136 includes the display unit 82 and the speaker according to the imaging region included in the order information and / or according to the temperature of the movable unit 48b. When the doctor or radiologist instructs rotation of the movable portion 48b via 84, the doctor or radiologist holds the handle 80 and rotates the movable portion 48b around the hinge portion 170, the movable portion The 48 b rotates in the direction away from the imaging region 46.

As described above, also in the seventh modification, the radiation 16 can be rotated by making the movable portion 48b rotatable with respect to (the imaging region 46 of) the panel housing unit 30 according to the temperature of the imaging portion and the movable portion 48b. It is possible to easily change the projection area of the second embodiment, so that the same effects as those of the second embodiment including the effects of FIGS. 31 to 32B and the fifth modification can be obtained.

In the electronic cassette 20C of the eighth modification shown in FIGS. 34A and 34B, the base portion 48a and the movable portion 48b of each housing 48 are connected via the shaft portion 172, as shown in FIGS. 31 to 33B. Is different from the embodiment of FIG. The shaft portion 172 is provided upright on the upper surface of the base portion 48a, as in the sixth modification (FIGS. 29 to 30B).

In the eighth modification, as in the sixth modification, the movement instructing unit 136 displays the display unit 82 and the speaker according to the imaging region included in the order information and / or according to the temperature of the movable unit 48b. When the doctor or radiologist instructs the doctor or radiologist to turn each movable portion via 84, the doctor or radiologist holds the handle 80 and turns the movable portion b around the shaft portion 172, the movable portion The portion 48 b pivots (moves) in a direction away from the imaging region 46.

As described above, also in the eighth modification, the radiation 16 can be rotated by making the movable portion 48b pivotable with respect to (the imaging region 46 of) the panel housing unit 30 according to the temperature of the imaging portion and the movable portion 48b. It is possible to easily change the projection area of the second embodiment, so that the same effects as those of the second embodiment including the effects of FIGS. 31 to 32B and the sixth modification can be obtained.

Description of the Fourth Embodiment
Next, an electronic cassette 20D and a radiation imaging system 10D according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 35 to 40B.

The electronic cassette 20D and the radiographic imaging system 10D according to the fourth embodiment are shown in FIGS. 37B to 39B from a state in which the panel storage unit 30 and the control unit 32 are compactly folded via the hinge 170 as shown in FIG. As described above, the electronic cassette 20A according to the first to the third embodiments is that the bottom side of the electronic cassette 20D is made flat by the control unit 32 and the panel accommodation unit 30 being developed sequentially to make the photographing possible. 20C and radiation imaging systems 10A to 10C (see FIGS. 1 to 34B). FIG. 37A illustrates the state of the electronic cassette 20D when the doctor or radiologist transports the electronic cassette 20D.

The housing 48 constituting the control unit 32 includes a first base portion 48c connected to the hinge portion 170, a second base portion 48d connected to the first base portion 48c via the shaft portion 180, and a groove shape. The movable portion 48b is slidable relative to the second base portion 48d under the guiding action of the guide portions 160 and 162 and the sliding members 164 and 166. The cassette control unit 50, the power supply unit 52, and the communication unit 54 (see FIG. 8) are accommodated in the movable unit 48b.

Here, the doctor or radiologist expands the electronic cassette 20D from the compact state shown in FIG. 37A to the state shown in FIG. 39B, and sets the electronic cassette 20D in the imaging ready state (state shown in FIGS. 35 and 36). The working steps for achieving the above will be described.

First, the doctor or radiologist transports the electronic cassette 20D to a predetermined place (for example, the imaging table 12) in a compact state shown in FIG. 37A, and then the case of the panel accommodation unit 30 with the hinge 170 as a central axis. 40 is pivoted to the position of FIG. 37B.

Next, the doctor or radiologist integrally pivots the second base portion 48d and the movable portion 48b with the shaft portion 180 as a central axis (see FIG. 38A). In this case, the doctor or the radiologist turns the second base portion 48d and the movable portion 48b to a position where the movable portion 48b is upward (see FIGS. 38B and 39A).

Then, in the same manner as in the first to third embodiments, the movement instructing unit 136 (according to the imaging region included in the order information and / or according to the temperature of the movable portion 48b that constitutes the control unit 32 8) instructs the doctor or radiologist to move the movable unit 48b via the display unit 82 and the speaker 84, the doctor or radiologist holds the handle 80 to move the movable unit 48b in the direction of the arrow X2. pull. Thus, the movable portion 48b slides from the position shown in FIG. 39A to the position shown in FIG. 39B under the guiding action of the guide portions 160 and 162 and the sliding members 164 and 166. As a result, the electronic cassette 20D reaches a state capable of photographing shown in FIGS.

Depending on the temperature of the imaging region and / or the movable portion 48b, the movement of the movable portion 48b may not be necessary. In such a case, imaging may be performed in the state shown in FIGS. 38B and 39A.

Further, the total length of the second base portion 48d is only slightly shorter than the total length of the housing 40 (see FIG. 37A). Therefore, the total length of the guide portions 160 and 162 is the second modification (FIG. 18A and FIG. Compared to the case of 18 B), it is set longer. Therefore, the distance between the imaging region 46 and the movable portion 48b can be easily made large.

As described above, also in the fourth embodiment, the movable portion 48 b can slide and turn with respect to (the imaging region 46 of) the panel accommodation unit 30 according to the temperature of the imaging portion and the movable portion 48 b. Since the panel accommodation unit 30 is also pivotable with respect to the control unit 32, the projected area of the radiation 16 can be easily changed, so that the same effects as in the first to third embodiments can be obtained. it can.

[Modification of Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a modified example of the electronic cassette 20D according to the fourth embodiment (hereinafter, also referred to as a ninth modified example) will be described with reference to FIGS. 40A and 40B.

In the electronic cassette 20D of the ninth modification shown in FIGS. 40A and 40B, the second base portion 48d and the movable portion 48b are connected via the third base portion 48e, and the control unit 32 is entirely made into a telescopic structure. In that it differs from the embodiment of FIGS. 35-39B. That is, in the housing 48, in a side view, the first base portion 48c, the second base portion 48d, the third base portion 48e, and the movable portion 48b are connected in this order, and the shape of each component becomes larger in this order. Therefore, when the doctor or the radiologist pulls the handle 80 in the direction of the arrow X2 in the state shown in FIG. 40A, the movable portion 48b can be easily separated from the imaging region 46.

As described above, also in the ninth modification, since the movable portion 48b can be moved relative to the imaging region 46 according to the temperature of the imaging portion and the movable portion 48b, the projection area of the radiation 16 can be easily changed. Can be obtained, and the same effect as in FIGS. 35 to 39B can be obtained.

Description of Fifth Embodiment
Next, an electronic cassette 20E and a radiation imaging system 10E according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 41 to 45B.

In the electronic cassette 20E and the radiation imaging system 10E according to the fifth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 43A, from the state where the panel storage unit 30 and the control unit 32 are compactly folded via the hinge portion 170, as shown in FIGS. As described above, the electronic cassette 20A according to the first to the fourth embodiments is that the bottom side of the electronic cassette 20E is made flat by the control unit 32 and the panel accommodation unit 30 being developed sequentially to make the imaging possible. To 20D and radiation imaging systems 10A to 10D (see FIGS. 1 to 40B). FIG. 43A illustrates the state of the electronic cassette 20E when the doctor or radiologist transports the electronic cassette 20E in a compact state.

The housing 48 constituting the control unit 32 is guided by the base portion 48a connected to the hinge portion 170, the grooved guide portions 160 and 162 provided on the base portion 48a, and the sliding members 164 and 166. And a movable portion 48b slidable with respect to the base portion 48a. The cassette control unit 50, the power supply unit 52, and the communication unit 54 (see FIG. 8) are accommodated in the movable unit 48b.

Here, the doctor or radiologist expands the electronic cassette 20E from the compact state shown in FIG. 43A to the state shown in FIG. 44B, and sets the electronic cassette 20E in the imaging ready state (state shown in FIGS. 41 and 42) The working steps for achieving the above will be described.

The doctor or radiologist transports the electronic cassette 20E to a predetermined place (for example, the imaging table 12) in the state of FIG. 43A, and then the case 40 of the panel accommodation unit 30 of FIG. Rotate to position.

In this case, since the imaging region 46 is directed downward, the doctor or the radiologist turns the electronic cassette 20E upside down as a whole (see FIG. 44A). As a result, the imaging region 46 is directed upward, and in the control unit 32, the base portion 48a is positioned on the bottom side and the movable portion 48b is positioned on the top side.

Then, as in the case of the first to fourth embodiments, the movement instruction unit 136 (according to the imaging region included in the order information and / or according to the temperature of the movable part 8) instructs the doctor or radiologist to move the movable unit 48b via the display unit 82 and the speaker 84, the doctor or radiologist holds the handle 80 to move the movable unit 48b in the direction of the arrow X2. pull. Thereby, the movable portion 48b slides from the position shown in FIG. 44A to the position shown in FIG. 44B under the guiding action of the guide portions 160 and 162 and the sliding members 164 and 166. As a result, the electronic cassette 20E reaches a state capable of photographing shown in FIGS.

Depending on the temperature of the imaging region and / or the movable portion 48b, the movement of the movable portion 48b may not be necessary. In such a case, imaging may be performed in the state shown in FIG. 44A.

In addition, since the total length of the base portion 48a is substantially the same as the total length of the housing 40 of the panel storage unit 30 (see FIG. 43A), the total length of the guide portions 160 and 162 can be set longer. The distance between the imaging region 46 and the movable portion 48b can be easily made large.

Thus, also in the fifth embodiment, the same effect as that of the fourth embodiment can be obtained.

Modified Example of Fifth Embodiment
Next, a modified example of the electronic cassette 20E according to the fifth embodiment (hereinafter, also referred to as a tenth modified example) will be described with reference to FIGS. 45A and 45B.

In the electronic cassette 20E of the tenth modification shown in FIGS. 45A and 45B, the first base portion 48c, the second base portion 48d, and the movable portion 48b are connected to the hinge portion 170 in this order, and the control unit 32 is entirely It differs from the embodiment of FIGS. 41-44B in that it is telescopically structured. That is, in the control unit 32, the shapes become larger in the order of the first base portion 48c, the second base portion 48d, and the movable portion 48b in a side view. Therefore, the doctor or the radiologist handles in the state shown in FIG. By pulling 80 in the direction of the arrow X2, the movable portion 48b can be easily separated from the imaging region 46.

As described above, also in the tenth modification, since the movable portion 48b is movable, the same effect as that of the ninth modification (see FIGS. 40A and 40B) can be obtained.

[Another configuration example of the first to fifth embodiments]
In the first to fifth embodiments described above, the guide portions 150 and 152 are provided on the imaging surface 42 which is the upper surface of the housing 40 (see FIGS. 14A to 17B), or on the upper surface of the base portion 48a of the housing 48. The guide portions 160 and 162 may be provided (see FIGS. 18A, 18B, 26A, 26B, 32A, 32B, 42, 43B, 44A and 44B) or the second base portion 48d. Guide portions 160 and 162 were provided on the upper surface (FIGS. 36, 37B, 39A and 39B).

The first to fifth embodiments are not limited to such an embodiment, and the guide portions 150 and 152 may be provided on the side surface of the housing 40, the side surface of the base portion 48a, or the side surface of the second base portion 48d. It goes without saying that even if 160 and 162 are provided, the respective effects of providing the guide portions 150, 152, 160 and 162 can be easily obtained.

Here, as an example, the first modified example (see FIGS. 14A to 17B) is partially modified to provide the guide portions 150 and 152 on the side surface in the arrow Y1 direction and the side surface in the arrow Y2 direction in the housing 40, respectively. The case (an eleventh modification) is shown in FIGS. 46A and 46B.

In the electronic cassette 20A of the eleventh modification, both end portions of the case 48 of the control unit 32 respectively project in the arrow Y1 direction and the arrow Y2 direction more than the case 40 of the panel accommodation unit 30 in plan view of FIG. In addition, in the side view of FIG. 46B, each protruding portion is provided to be engaged with the guide portions 150 and 152. Therefore, also in this eleventh modification, the same effect as in the first modification can be easily obtained.

In the first to fifth embodiments, the radiation conversion panel 92 may be configured as shown in FIGS. 47A and 47B (Twelfth Modified Example).

In the twelfth modification shown in FIGS. 47A and 47B, the radiation conversion panel 92 converts the radiation 16 transmitted through the subject 14 into visible light (absorbs the radiation 16 and emits visible light), and the scintillator 200. The radiation detection unit 202 is configured to convert the visible light converted at 200 into an electrical signal (charge) corresponding to the radiation image.

As the radiation conversion panel 92, as shown in FIGS. 47A and 47B, a surface reading method (ISS method in which the radiation detection unit 202 and the scintillator 200 are disposed in order with respect to the imaging surface 42 to which the radiation 16 is irradiated) ISS: Irradiation Side Sampling), and a back side reading method (PSS method, PSS: Penetration Side Sampling) in which the scintillator 200 and the radiation detection unit 202 are disposed in order with respect to the imaging surface 42.

The scintillator 200 emits light more strongly on the imaging surface 42 side where the radiation 16 is incident. Therefore, in the ISS method, since the scintillator 200 is disposed closer to the imaging surface 42 as compared with the PSS method, the resolution of the radiation image obtained by imaging is high, and the visibility of the radiation detection unit 202 is The amount of light received also increases. Therefore, the ISS method can improve the sensitivity of the radiation conversion panel 92 (electronic cassettes 20A to 20E) than the PSS method.

The scintillator 200 can use, for example, materials such as CsI: Tl (cesium iodide to which thallium is added), CsI: Na (sodium activated cesium iodide), GOS (Gd ₂ O ₂ S: Tb), etc. .

FIG. 47B illustrates, as an example, a case where a scintillator 200 including a columnar crystal region is formed by depositing a material containing CsI on the deposition substrate 204.

Specifically, in the scintillator 200 of FIG. 47B, a columnar crystal region formed of the columnar crystal 200 a is formed on the imaging surface 42 side (the radiation detection unit 202 side) to which the radiation 16 is incident, and on the opposite side of the imaging surface 42 side. A non-columnar crystal region composed of the non-columnar crystal 200b is formed. In addition, as the vapor deposition board | substrate 204, a material with high heat resistance is desirable, for example, aluminum (Al) is suitable from a viewpoint of low cost. In the scintillator 200, the average diameter of the columnar crystals 200a is approximately uniform along the longitudinal direction of the columnar crystals 200a.

As described above, the scintillator 200 has a configuration formed of columnar crystal regions (columnar crystals 200 a) and non-columnar crystal regions (non-columnar crystals 200 b), and also includes columns consisting of columnar crystals 200 a from which light emission with high efficiency can be obtained. The crystal region is disposed on the radiation detection unit 202 side. Therefore, visible light generated by the scintillator 200 travels in the columnar crystal 200 a and is emitted to the radiation detection unit 202. As a result, diffusion of visible light emitted to the radiation detection unit 202 side is suppressed, and blurring of the radiation image detected by the electronic cassettes 20A to 20E is suppressed. Further, since the visible light reaching the deep portion (non-columnar crystal region) of the scintillator 200 is also reflected by the non-columnar crystal 200b toward the radiation detection unit 202, the amount of visible light incident on the radiation detection unit 202 (in the scintillator 200) The detection efficiency of the emitted visible light can also be improved.

If the thickness of the columnar crystal region located on the imaging surface 42 side of the scintillator 200 is t1 and the thickness of the non-columnar crystal region located on the deposition substrate 204 side of the scintillator 200 is t2, then between t1 and t2 It is desirable to satisfy the relationship of 0.01 ≦ (t2 / t1) ≦ 0.25.

As described above, when the thickness t1 of the columnar crystal region and the thickness t2 of the non-columnar crystal region satisfy the above relationship, the region (pillar crystal region) having high luminous efficiency and preventing the diffusion of visible light; The ratio along the thickness direction of the scintillator 200 with the region (non-columnar crystal region) that reflects the light is a suitable range, and the luminous efficiency of the scintillator 200, detection efficiency of visible light emitted by the scintillator 200, and radiation image Resolution is improved.

Note that if the thickness t2 of the non-columnar crystal region is too large, the region with low light emission efficiency is increased, which leads to a decrease in the sensitivity of the electronic cassettes 20A to 20E, so (t2 / t1) is 0.02 or more and 0.1 or less. More preferably, it is in the range of

Further, in the above description, the scintillator 200 in which the columnar crystal region and the non-columnar crystal region are continuously formed has been described, but, for example, light reflection made of Al or the like instead of the non-columnar crystal region A layer may be provided to form only the columnar crystal region, or another configuration may be used.

The radiation detection unit 202 detects visible light emitted from the light emission side (columnar crystal 200a) of the scintillator 200, and in the side view of FIG. 47A, along the incident direction of the radiation 16, on the imaging surface 42 In contrast, the insulating substrate 208, the TFT layer 210, and the photoelectric conversion unit 212 are stacked in order. A planarization layer 214 is formed on the bottom of the TFT layer 210 so as to cover the photoelectric conversion unit 212.

In addition, the radiation detection unit 202 includes a plurality of pixel units 220 each including a photoelectric conversion unit 212 including a photodiode (PD: Photo Diode) or the like, a storage capacitor 216, and a TFT 218 in a matrix on the insulating substrate 208. It is configured as a formed TFT active matrix substrate (hereinafter, also referred to as a TFT substrate).

The TFT 218 corresponds to the TFT 106 (see FIG. 8) described in the first embodiment, and the photoelectric conversion unit 212 and the storage capacitor 216 correspond to the pixel 100.

The photoelectric conversion unit 212 is configured by disposing a photoelectric conversion film 212 c between the lower electrode 212 a on the scintillator 200 side and the upper electrode 212 b on the TFT layer 210 side. The photoelectric conversion film 212 c absorbs visible light emitted from the scintillator 200 and generates a charge according to the absorbed visible light.

The lower electrode 212 a is preferably made of a conductive material that is transparent to at least the emission wavelength of the scintillator 200 because the visible light emitted from the scintillator 200 needs to be incident on the photoelectric conversion film 212 c. Specifically, it is preferable to use a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) having a high transmittance to visible light and a small resistance value.

Although a metal thin film of Au or the like can be used as the lower electrode 212a, TCO is more preferable because the resistance value tends to increase if it is attempted to obtain a light transmittance of 90% or more. For example, it is preferable to use ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), IZO (Indium Tin Oxide), AZO (Aluminium doped Zinc Oxide), FTO (Fluorine doped Tin Oxide), SnO ₂ , TiO ₂ , ZnO ₂ or the like. ITO is most preferable from the viewpoints of resistance, low resistance and transparency. Further, the lower electrode 212 a may be configured as a single sheet common to all the pixel units 220 or may be divided for each pixel unit 220.

Further, the photoelectric conversion film 212c may be made of a material which absorbs visible light to generate an electric charge, and for example, amorphous silicon (a-Si), an organic photoelectric conversion material (OPC), or the like can be used. When the photoelectric conversion film 212 c is made of amorphous silicon, the visible light emitted from the scintillator 200 can be absorbed over a wide wavelength range. However, the formation of the photoelectric conversion film 212 c made of amorphous silicon needs to be performed by evaporation, and when the insulating substrate 208 is made of synthetic resin, the heat resistance of the insulating substrate 208 also needs to be considered.

On the other hand, when the photoelectric conversion film 212c is made of a material containing an organic photoelectric conversion material, an absorption spectrum showing high absorption mainly in the visible light region can be obtained, so in the photoelectric conversion film 212c, visible light emitted from the scintillator 200 There is almost no absorption of electromagnetic waves other than light. As a result, it is possible to suppress noise generated by the absorption of the radiation 16 such as X-rays and γ-rays by the photoelectric conversion film 212 c.

In addition, since the photoelectric conversion film 212c made of an organic photoelectric conversion material can be formed by depositing the organic photoelectric conversion material on a formation target using a droplet discharge head such as an inkjet head, the formation Heat resistance to the body is not required. Therefore, in the twelfth modification, the photoelectric conversion film 212c is made of an organic photoelectric conversion material.

Furthermore, when the photoelectric conversion film 212c is made of an organic photoelectric conversion material, the radiation 16 is hardly absorbed by the photoelectric conversion film 212c, so in the ISS method in which the radiation detection unit 202 is disposed to transmit the radiation 16, radiation detection The attenuation of the radiation 16 transmitted through the portion 202 can be suppressed, and the decrease in sensitivity to the radiation 16 can be suppressed. Therefore, it is particularly preferable to configure the photoelectric conversion film 212c with an organic photoelectric conversion material in the ISS method.

It is preferable that the absorption peak wavelength of the organic photoelectric conversion material constituting the photoelectric conversion film 212 c be closer to the emission peak wavelength of the scintillator 200 in order to absorb the visible light emitted from the scintillator 200 most efficiently. Ideally, the absorption peak wavelength of the organic photoelectric conversion material matches the emission peak wavelength of the scintillator 34. However, if the difference between the two is small, it is possible to sufficiently absorb visible light emitted from the scintillator 200. It is. Specifically, the difference between the absorption peak wavelength of the organic photoelectric conversion material and the emission peak wavelength of the scintillator 200 with respect to the radiation 16 is preferably 10 nm or less, and more preferably 5 nm or less.

As an organic photoelectric conversion material which can satisfy such conditions, a quinacridone organic compound and a phthalocyanine organic compound are mentioned, for example. For example, since the absorption peak wavelength of quinacridone in the visible region is 560 nm, the difference between the above peak wavelengths can be made within 5 nm by using quinacridone as the organic photoelectric conversion material and CsI: Tl as the material of the scintillator 200. Thus, the amount of charge generated in the photoelectric conversion film 212c can be substantially maximized.

Next, the photoelectric conversion film 212 c applicable to the radiation conversion panel 92 will be described more specifically.

The electromagnetic wave absorption / photoelectric conversion site in the radiation conversion panel 92 is an organic layer including the upper electrode 212 b and the lower electrode 212 a, and the photoelectric conversion film 212 c sandwiched between the upper electrode 212 b and the lower electrode 212 a. More specifically, the organic layer is a site that absorbs electromagnetic waves, a photoelectric conversion site, an electron transport site, a hole transport site, an electron blocking site, a hole blocking site, a crystallization prevention site, an electrode, and an interlayer contact. It can form by piling up or mixing improvement site | parts etc.

The organic layer preferably contains an organic p-type compound or an organic n-type compound. The organic p-type semiconductor (compound) is a donor type organic semiconductor (compound) mainly represented by a hole transporting organic compound, and is an organic compound having a property of easily giving an electron. More specifically, when two organic materials are used in contact with each other, it is an organic compound having a smaller ionization potential. Therefore, any organic compound can be used as the donor organic compound, as long as it has an electron donating property. The organic n-type semiconductor (compound) is an acceptor-type organic semiconductor (compound) mainly represented by an electron transporting organic compound, and is an organic compound having a property of easily accepting an electron. More specifically, when the two organic compounds are brought into contact with each other and used, it is the one having the larger electron affinity. Accordingly, any organic compound can be used as the acceptor type organic compound, as long as it has an electron accepting property.

The materials applicable as the organic p-type semiconductor and the organic n-type semiconductor, and the configuration of the photoelectric conversion film 212c are described in detail in JP 2009-32854 A, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

The photoelectric conversion unit 212 may include at least the upper electrode 212 b, the lower electrode 212 a, and the photoelectric conversion film 212 c. However, in order to suppress an increase in dark current, at least one of the electron blocking film and the hole blocking film Preferably, it is preferable to provide both.

The electron blocking film can be provided between the upper electrode 212b and the photoelectric conversion film 212c, and when a bias voltage is applied between the upper electrode 212b and the lower electrode 212a, the upper electrode 212b to the photoelectric conversion film 212c It can be suppressed that electrons are injected and dark current increases. An electron donating organic material can be used for the electron blocking film. Actually, the material used for the electron blocking film may be selected according to the material of the adjacent electrode, the material of the adjacent photoelectric conversion film 212c, etc., and the work function (Wf) of the material of the adjacent electrode is 1.3 eV or more It is preferable to have a large affinity (Ea) and an Ip equal to or smaller than the ionization potential (Ip) of the material of the adjacent photoelectric conversion film 212c. The material applicable as the electron donating organic material is described in detail in JP-A-2009-32854, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

The thickness of the electron blocking film is preferably 10 nm or more and 200 nm or less, more preferably 30 nm or more and 150 nm or less, in order to reliably exhibit the dark current suppressing effect and to prevent the decrease in photoelectric conversion efficiency of the photoelectric conversion unit 212. Is 50 nm or more and 100 nm or less.

The hole blocking film can be provided between the photoelectric conversion film 212c and the lower electrode 212a, and when a bias voltage is applied between the upper electrode 212b and the lower electrode 212a, the lower electrode 212a to the photoelectric conversion film 212c. It is possible to suppress an increase in dark current due to the injection of holes into the An electron accepting organic material can be used for the hole blocking film. Actually, the material used for the hole blocking film may be selected according to the material of the adjacent electrode, the material of the adjacent photoelectric conversion film 212c, etc., and the work function (Wf) of the material of the adjacent electrode is 1.3 eV or more It is preferable that the ionization potential (Ip) is large and Ea equal to the electron affinity (Ea) of the material of the adjacent photoelectric conversion film 212 c or Ea larger than that. The materials applicable as the electron-accepting organic material are described in detail in JP-A-2009-32854, and the description thereof is omitted.

The thickness of the hole blocking film is preferably 10 nm or more and 200 nm or less, more preferably 30 nm or more and 150 nm or less, in order to reliably exhibit the dark current suppressing effect and to prevent the decrease in photoelectric conversion efficiency of the photoelectric conversion unit 212. Is 50 nm or more and 100 nm or less.

When a bias voltage is set so that holes among the charges generated in the photoelectric conversion film 212c move to the lower electrode 212a and electrons move to the upper electrode 212b, the position of the electron blocking film and the holes are set. The position of the blocking film may be reversed. Further, it is not essential to provide both the electron blocking film and the hole blocking film, and if any one is provided, it is possible to obtain a certain dark current suppressing effect.

In the TFT 218 of the TFT layer 210, a gate electrode, a gate insulating film, and an active layer (channel layer) are stacked, and further, a source electrode and a drain electrode are formed on the active layer at predetermined intervals. The active layer can be formed of, for example, any of amorphous silicon, amorphous oxide, organic semiconductor material, carbon nanotube and the like, but materials which can form the active layer are not limited thereto. Absent.

As an amorphous oxide which can form an active layer, for example, an oxide containing at least one of In, Ga and Zn (for example, In—O-based) is preferable, and at least one of In, Ga and Zn An oxide containing two (eg, In-Zn-O-based, In-Ga-O-based, Ga-Zn-O-based) is more preferable, and an oxide containing In, Ga and Zn is particularly preferable. As the In—Ga—Zn—O-based amorphous oxide, an amorphous oxide whose composition in the crystalline state is represented by InGaO ₃ (ZnO) _m (m is a natural number less than 6) is preferable, and in particular, InGaZnO ₄ is more preferable. In addition, the amorphous oxide which can form an active layer is not limited to these.

Moreover, as an organic-semiconductor material which can form an active layer, although a phthalocyanine compound, pentacene, vanadyl phthalocyanine etc. are mentioned, for example, it is not limited to these. The configuration of the phthalocyanine compound is described in detail in JP-A-2009-212389, and thus the description is omitted.

If the active layer of the TFT 218 is formed of any of amorphous oxide, organic semiconductor material, carbon nanotube, etc., the radiation 16 such as X-ray will not be absorbed, or if it is absorbed, it will remain in a very small amount. The generation of noise in the radiation detection unit 202 can be effectively suppressed.

When the active layer is formed of carbon nanotubes, the switching speed of the TFT 218 can be increased, and the degree of absorption of light in the visible light range of the TFT 218 can be reduced. In the case where the active layer is formed of carbon nanotubes, the performance of the TFT 218 is significantly reduced if only a very small amount of metallic impurities are mixed in the active layer, so separation and extraction of very high purity carbon nanotubes by centrifugation etc. It must be used to form the active layer.

Further, since both the film formed of the organic photoelectric conversion material and the film formed of the organic semiconductor material have sufficient flexibility, the photoelectric conversion film 212 c formed of the organic photoelectric conversion material and the active layer are If the configuration is combined with the TFT 218 formed of an organic semiconductor material, it is not always necessary to increase the rigidity of the radiation detection unit 202 to which the weight of the body of the subject 14 is applied as a load.

In addition, the insulating substrate 208 may be any substrate as long as it has optical transparency and little absorption of radiation. Here, film formation at a low temperature is possible for both the amorphous oxide forming the active layer of the TFT 218 and the organic photoelectric conversion material forming the photoelectric conversion film 212 c of the photoelectric conversion portion 212. Therefore, the insulating substrate 208 is not limited to a highly heat resistant substrate such as a semiconductor substrate, a quartz substrate, and a glass substrate, and a flexible substrate made of a synthetic resin, an aramid, and a bionanofiber can also be used. Specifically, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene phthalate, polyester such as polyethylene naphthalate, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyether sulfone, polyarylate, polyimide, polycycloolefin, norbornene resin, poly (chlorotrifluoroethylene), etc. Substrate can be used. If such a flexible substrate made of synthetic resin is used, weight reduction can be achieved, which is advantageous, for example, for portability. Note that the insulating substrate 208 may be an insulating layer for securing insulation, a gas barrier layer for preventing permeation of moisture or oxygen, an undercoat layer for improving flatness, adhesion with an electrode, or the like. May be provided.

In addition, since aramid can apply a high temperature process of 200 ° C. or higher, the transparent electrode material can be cured at high temperature to reduce resistance, and can cope with automatic mounting of a driver IC including a solder reflow process. In addition, since aramid has a thermal expansion coefficient close to that of ITO or a glass substrate, there is little warpage after manufacture and it is difficult to be broken. In addition, aramid can make a substrate thinner than a glass substrate or the like. Note that the insulating substrate 208 may be formed by stacking an ultrathin glass substrate and an aramid.

The bio-nanofiber is a composite of a cellulose microfibril bundle (bacterial cellulose) produced by bacteria (Acetobacter, Acetobacter Xylinum) and a transparent resin. The cellulose microfibril bundle is 50 nm in width and 1/10 in size with respect to visible light wavelength, and is high strength, high elasticity, and low thermal expansion. By impregnating and curing bacterial cellulose with a transparent resin such as an acrylic resin or an epoxy resin, a bionanofiber exhibiting a light transmittance of about 90% at a wavelength of 500 nm can be obtained while containing 60% to 70% of fibers. Bionanofibers have a low coefficient of thermal expansion (3 ppm to 7 ppm) comparable to silicon crystals, and have strength comparable to steel (460 MPa), high elasticity (30 GPa), and are flexible compared to glass substrates etc. Thus, the insulating substrate 208 can be thinned.

When a glass substrate is used as the insulating substrate 208, the thickness of the entire radiation detection unit 202 (TFT substrate) is, for example, about 0.7 mm, but in the twelfth modification, thinning of the electronic cassettes 20A to 20E is performed. In consideration of the above, as the insulating substrate 208, a thin substrate made of a synthetic resin having light transparency is used. Thus, the thickness of the radiation detection unit 202 as a whole can be reduced to, for example, about 0.1 mm, and the radiation detection unit 202 can be made flexible. In addition, by making the radiation detection unit 202 flexible, the impact resistance of the electronic cassettes 20A to 20E is improved, and the electronic cassettes 20A to 20E become difficult to be damaged even when an impact is applied thereto. In addition, plastic resins, aramids, bio-nanofibers and the like all have low absorption of radiation 16, and when insulating substrate 208 is formed of these materials, the amount of absorption of radiation 16 by insulating substrate 208 also decreases. Even in the configuration in which the radiation 16 passes through the radiation detection unit 202 by the ISS method, the decrease in sensitivity to the radiation 16 can be suppressed.

It is not essential to use a synthetic resin substrate as the insulating substrate 208 of the electronic cassettes 20A to 20E, and although the thickness of the electronic cassettes 20A to 20E is increased, a substrate made of another material such as a glass substrate is used. The insulating substrate 208 may be used.

Further, in the radiation detection unit 202 (TFT substrate), a planarization layer 214 for flattening the radiation detection unit 202 is formed on the side (scintillator 200 side) opposite to the arrival direction of the radiation 16.

In the twelfth modification, the radiation conversion panel 92 may be configured as follows.

(1) The photoelectric conversion unit 212 including a PD may be formed of an organic photoelectric conversion material, and the TFT layer 210 may be formed using a CMOS sensor. In this case, since only the PD is made of an organic material, the TFT layer 210 including the CMOS sensor may not have flexibility. The photoelectric conversion unit 212 made of an organic photoelectric conversion material and the CMOS sensor are described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-212377, and thus the detailed description thereof is omitted.

(2) The photoelectric conversion portion 212 including PD may be made of an organic photoelectric conversion material, and the flexible TFT layer 210 may be realized by a CMOS circuit provided with a TFT made of an organic material. In this case, pentacene may be employed as the material of the p-type organic semiconductor used in the CMOS circuit, and copper fluoride phthalocyanine (F ₁₆ CuPc) may be employed as the material of the n-type organic semiconductor. Thereby, it is possible to realize the flexible TFT layer 210 which can be made to have a smaller bending radius. Further, by forming the TFT layer 210 in this manner, the gate insulating film can be made extremely thin, and the driving voltage can also be reduced. Furthermore, the gate insulating film, the semiconductor, and each electrode can be manufactured at room temperature or 100 ° C. or less. Furthermore, CMOS circuits can also be fabricated directly on the flexible insulating substrate 208. Moreover, TFTs made of an organic material can be miniaturized by the manufacturing process in accordance with the scaling law. In the insulating substrate 208, when a polyimide precursor is applied by a spin coating method on a thin polyimide substrate and heated, the polyimide precursor is changed to a polyimide, so that a flat substrate without unevenness can be realized. it can.

(3) By applying a self-aligned placement technique (Fluidic Self-Assembly) in which a plurality of micron-order device blocks are disposed at specified positions on a substrate, PD and TFT composed of crystalline Si are insulated as resin substrates It may be disposed on the substrate 208. In this case, PDs and TFTs as micron-order micro device blocks are fabricated on another substrate in advance and then separated from the substrates, and the PDs and the TFTs are dispersed on the insulating substrate 208 as a target substrate in a liquid. And place them statistically. The insulating substrate 208 is previously processed to conform to the device block, and the device block can be selectively disposed on the insulating substrate 208. Therefore, the optimum device block (PD and TFT) made of the optimum material can be integrated on the optimum substrate (insulating substrate 208), and the non-crystalline insulating substrate 208 (resin substrate) can be PD and It becomes possible to integrate the TFT.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various configurations can be adopted without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (16)

1. A panel storage unit (30) containing a radiation conversion panel (92) for converting radiation (16) into a radiation image;
   The panel accommodation unit (30) is provided with an imaging surface (42) to which the radiation (16) is irradiated, and a projecting portion (32) projecting in the incident direction of the radiation (16).
   At least one of at least a portion (32, 48b) of the projecting portion (32) and the panel accommodating unit (30) does not separate the projecting portion (32) and the panel accommodating unit (30) A radiation imaging apparatus characterized in that it is movable.
2. Device (20A-20E) according to claim 1
   At least a portion (32, 48b) of the projecting portion (32) is movable in contact with the panel receiving unit (30) or another portion (48a, 48c, 48d, 48e) of the projecting portion (32) And
   The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the panel storage unit (30) is movable in contact with the projecting portion (32).
3. Device (20A-20E) according to claim 2
   The projecting portion (32) is a control unit that controls the radiation conversion panel (92),
   At least a portion (32, 48b) of the control unit (32) is movable relative to the imaging surface (42).
4. Device (20A-20E) according to claim 3
   The irradiation area (46) of the radiation (16) on the imaging surface (42) is an imaging area that can be converted to the radiation image,
   At least a portion (32, 48b) of the control unit (32) is movable in a direction away from the imaging area (46).
5. Device (20A-20E) according to claim 4
   At least a portion (32, 48b) of the control unit (32) contacts at least one of the imaging surface (42) and the other portions (48a, 48c, 48d, 48e) of the control unit (32) A radiographic imaging device characterized in that it is slidable in a direction away from the imaging region (46) in a state.
6. Device (20A-20C) according to claim 4
   At least a portion (32, 48b) of the control unit (32) is in contact with at least one of the imaging surface (42) and the other portion (48a) of the control unit (32). A radiation image capturing apparatus characterized by rotating around a rotation axis (172) substantially orthogonal to (42).
7. Device (20A-20E) according to claim 4
   At least a portion (32, 48b) of the control unit (32) contacts at least one of the imaging surface (42) and the other portions (48a, 48c, 48d, 48e) of the control unit (32) A radiation image capturing apparatus characterized in that, in a state, it rotates about a rotation axis (170) along a direction parallel to the image capturing surface (42).
8. The device (20A) according to any one of claims 3 to 7
   At least a part (32, 48b) of the control unit (32) is a place where heat is generated when the control unit (32) operates;
   The control unit (32) is a temperature detection unit (56) that detects the temperature of at least a part (32, 48b) of the control unit (32), and information related to the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit (56) And a notification unit (82, 84) for notifying the user.
9. Device (20A) according to claim 8
   The radiographic imaging device, wherein the notification unit (82) is a temperature display unit that displays the temperature.
10. Device (20A) according to claim 8
    The notification unit (82, 84) is a temperature display unit (82) for displaying the temperature, and a warning unit (82) for warning the outside by at least one of a sound and a screen display when the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature. 84) and a radiation imaging apparatus characterized in that
11. Device (20A) according to claim 9 or 10
    The radiation image capturing apparatus, wherein the temperature display unit (82) displays the temperature in a plurality of stages, or displays the temperature in the form of a thermo label.
12. A device (20A) according to any one of claims 8 to 11,
    The informing unit (82, 84) notifies, based on the temperature, whether or not at least a part (32, 48b) of the control unit (32) needs to be moved.
13. Device (20A) according to any of the claims 8-12.
    The control unit (32) further includes a communication unit (54) capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the outside, and the control unit (22) controls the radiation imaging device (20A) from the communication unit (54). And transmitting the information to the user to notify the information via the control device (22).
14. The device (20A-20C) according to any one of claims 3 to 13
    The control unit (32) includes a communication unit (54) capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the outside, a control unit (50) for controlling the control unit (32) and the panel accommodation unit (30), and the control A power supply unit (52) for supplying power to the unit (32) and each part of the panel accommodation unit (30);
    At least the said power supply part (52) is arrange | positioned at at least one part (32, 48b) of said control unit (32), The radiographic imaging apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.
15. Device (20A-20C) according to claim 14
    The control unit (32) further includes a movement information display unit (82) that displays information related to the movement of at least a part (32, 48b) of the control unit (32),
    The communication unit (54) receives from the outside the order information related to the irradiation of the radiation (16) to the subject (14),
    The control unit (50) causes the movement information display unit (82) to display the necessity of movement of at least a part (32, 48b) of the control unit (32) based on the order information. Radiation imaging device.
16. A radiation imaging apparatus (20A-20E) having a panel accommodation unit (30) accommodating a radiation conversion panel (92) for converting radiation (16) into a radiation image;
    A control device (22) for controlling the radiation imaging device (20A-20E);
    Equipped with
    The panel accommodation unit (30) is provided with an imaging surface (42) to which the radiation (16) is irradiated, and a projecting portion (32) projecting in the incident direction of the radiation (16).
    At least one of at least a portion (32, 48b) of the projecting portion (32) and the panel accommodating unit (30) does not separate the projecting portion (32) and the panel accommodating unit (30) A radiation imaging system characterized in that it is movable.

Images