Fault detection and recovery device used in a radiation imaging information processing system

• US 5,077,768 A
• Filed: 02/20/1990
• Issued: 12/31/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Kunimasa, Shigyo, Masao
• Primary Examiner(s): Howell, Janice A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chu, Kim-Kwok
• Application Number:
  US07/481,273
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 364/800, 364/200, 364/187, 364/224.5, 364/413.13, 371/7, 371/4, 371/9.1, 371/16.5, 371/21.2, 371/29.1, 378/62, 378/98, 378/901
• US Class Current: 378/98
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/2012 using stimulable phosphors, e.g. stimulable phosphor sheets
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 378/901 Computer tomography program or processor

Abstract

A radiation image information processing system processes a radiation-transmission image, such as an X-ray image of a human body, into an image signal, and records or displays the image signal as a visible image. When a fault occurs in the radiation image information processing system during operation thereof, a support device is connected to a control device of the system. The fault is detected by the support device, which generates a fault detection signal. An address in the image data processing program which is executed by the CPU of the control device is stored in the support device in response to the fault detection signal. The support device can also be used when a function of the system is to be altered or a new function is to be added to the system.

Claims

1. A support device for use with a radiation image information processing system which processes a radiation-transmission image into an image signal and generates a visible image from the image signal, the radiation image information processing system having a control device including a CPU, said support device comprising:

program executing information storing means for successively storing addresses and instructions from said control device, which are executed by the CPU in the support device,;

fault detecting means for detecting a fault of the radiation image information processing system and generating a fault detection signal indicative of the fault;

storage instructing means for instructing said program executing information storing means to store an address and an instruction thereof in response to the fault detection signal from said fault detecting means,

said stored address and instruction corresponding to the address and instruction executed by the CPU at the time a fault occurs, thereby recording contents of a status register and control registers of the CPU at the time of fault and storing chronological data regarding the system failure,

said support device being arranged physically separate and detachable from the image processing system; and

gate means for controlling which instructions said CPU executes, wherein said gate means switches the instructions executed by the CPU from an image data processing program store din said control device to a recovery program stored in said program executing information storing means, when a fault is detected, and allows image processing operations to continue based upon said recovery program.

2. A support device according to claim 1, wherein said fault detecting means comprises fault address information establishing means for establishing information including an address executed by the CPU when the fault occurs, fault address information storing means for storing the information established by said fault address information establishing means, and a comparator for successively comparing the addresses executed by the CPU with the address stored by said fault address information storing means thereby to detect the fault and generate the fault detecting signal.

5. A support device according to claim 1, wherein said CPU is removed from the control device and mounted in the support device while performing fault detection operations.

3. A support device for use with a radiation image information processing system which processes a radiation-transmission image into an image signal and generates a visible image from the image signal, the radiation image information processing system having a control device including a CPU, said support device comprising:

address monitoring means for monitoring addresses in an image data processing program executed by the CPU and for storing addresses and instructions executed by the CPU in memory of the support device,

address information establishing means for establishing address information of one of said monitored addresses;

function alteration program storing means for storing a function alteration program which alters a predetermined function performed by the radiation image information processing system;

comparing/detecting means for successively comparing the addresses monitored by said address monitoring means with the address information established by said address information establishing means, and for generating a detection signal when an address corresponding to the address information is detected; and

means for executing said function alteration program in response to said detection signal, wherein a support CPU of said support device performs an alteration upon said predetermined function before said function performs operations on the image, said CPU of said control device transferring image data, required by said support CPU for said alteration, to memory of the support device

said support device being arranged physically separate and detachable from the image processing system.

6. A support device according to claim 3, wherein said CPU is removed from the control device and mounted in the support device while performing alternative function operations.

4. A support device for use with a radiation image information processing system which processes a radiation-transmission image into an image signal and generates a visible image from the image signal, the radiation image information processing system having a control device including a CPU, said support device comprising:

address information establishing means for establishing address information within an image data processing program executed by the CPU of the control device;

function addition program storing means for storing a function addition program which adds a function to the radiation image information processing system wherein a support CPU performs operations of said added function upon said image data in addition to operations performed by the CPU of said control device,

comparing/detecting means for successively comparing the addresses executed by the control device CPU with the address information established by said address information establishing means, and for generating a detection signal when a CPU executed address corresponding to the address information is detected; and

means for executing, parallel to each other, said image data processing program by said CPU and said function addition program by said support CPU in response to said detection signal,

wherein said support device allows parallel processing upon the image data by the CPU and support CPU,

said support device being arranged physically separate and detachable from the image processing system.

7. A support device according to claim 4, wherein said CPU is removed from the control device and mounted in the support device while performing additional function operations.