IMAGING SUPPORT DEVICE FOR RADIOGRAPHIC LONG LENGTH IMAGING

• US 20090238341A1
• Filed: 03/19/2009
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: YAMAGUCHI, Yoshitaka, KAWAMURA, Takahiro
• Application Number:
  US12/407,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20090238341A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/162
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/04 Positioning of patients; Tiltable beds or the like operating tables A61G13/00; operating chairs A61G15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4233 using matrix detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4283 characterised by a detector unit being housed in a cassette
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5241 combining overlapping images of the same imaging modality, e.g. by stitching

Abstract

An image taking support device for radiographic long length imaging, the image taking support device providing an image of a subject, the image being longer than a length of a maximum field of view of a radiation detector, by combining a plurality of radiographic images each partially overlapping another at the overlapping parts, the device comprising:

• • a supporting member including a radiotransparent material and supporting the subject;
  • markers including a substance with a large radiation attenuation coefficient, the markers being movably arranged along a surface of the supporting member supporting the subject so that the markers provide marks for combining the images;
  • an irradiated area determination device that determines an area to be irradiated with a radiation;
  • a marker position determining device that determines positions for arranging the markers, based on the determined area to be irradiated; and
  • a marker moving device that moves the markers to the determined positions of the markers.

Claims

1. An image taking support device for radiographic long length imaging, the image taking support device providing an image of a subject, the image being longer than a length of a maximum field of view of a radiation detector, by combining a plurality of radiographic images each partially overlapping another at the overlapping parts, the device comprising:

a supporting member including a radiotransparent material and supporting the subject;

markers including a substance with a large radiation attenuation coefficient, the markers being movably arranged along a surface of the supporting member supporting the subject so that the markers provide marks for combining the images;

an irradiated area determination device that determines an area to be irradiated with a radiation;

a marker position determining device that determines positions for arranging the markers, based on the determined area to be irradiated; and

a marker moving device that moves the markers to the determined positions of the markers.

2. The image taking support device for radiographic long length imaging according to claim 1, wherein the subject is arranged in a standing position.

3. The image taking support device for radiographic long length imaging according to claim 2, wherein:

the markers are arranged substantially parallel to a body axis of the subject;

a predetermined number of the markers is arranged on each of two rod-like members that are moved in parallel to each other to widen/narrow the space between the two rod-like members, with a predetermined space between each marker; and

the marker moving device is a device that moves the two rod-like members on which the markers are arranged, in parallel to each other.

4. The image taking support device for radiographic long length imaging according to claim 1, wherein the irradiated area determining device determines the area to be irradiated by calculating the area to be irradiated from a distance between a source of the radiation and the radiation detector and the size of an aperture for the radiation.

5. The image taking support device for radiographic long length imaging according to claim 2, wherein the irradiated area determining device determines the area to be irradiated by calculating the area to be irradiated from a distance between a source of the radiation and the radiation detector and the size of an aperture for the radiation.

6. The image taking support device for radiographic long length imaging according to claim 3, wherein the irradiated area determining device determines the area to be irradiated by calculating the area to be irradiated from a distance between a source of the radiation and the radiation detector and the size of an aperture for the radiation.

7. The image taking support device for radiographic long length imaging according to claim 3, further comprising:

an irradiation field lamp arranged at a position that is substantially the same as the position of a source of the radiation, the irradiation field lamp applying visible light to the subject; and

a plurality of photodetectors arranged on the rod-like members, wherein the irradiated area determining device detects light from the radiation field lamp while moving the rod-like members in parallel to each other, to determine the area to be irradiated.