Radiation image capturing system

• US 7,888,649 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2008
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Iriuchijima, Makoto, Ueta, Kazuharu, Nishino, Naoyuki, Kito, Eiichi, Yoshimi, Takuya, Tanabe, Tsuyoshi, Ohta, Yasunori, Kuwabara, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta; David P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim; Kiho
• Application Number:
  US12/166,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20090010391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 25037001-37015, 378/97, 378/108, 378/98.8, 600/407
• US Class Current: 250/370.09
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/00 Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis; Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis combined with radiation therapy equipment instruments measuring radiation intensity for application in the field of nuclear medicine, e.g. in vivo counting, G01T1/161; apparatus for taking X-ray photographs G03B42/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4283 characterised by a detector unit being housed in a cassette
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4291 the detector being combined with a grid or grating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4423 related to hygiene or sterilisation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4488 Means for cooling A61B6/045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/563 involving image data transmission via a network

Abstract

The present invention relates to a radiation image capturing system. A radiation detector of a radiation detecting cassette detects a radiation that has passed through a patient, and an accumulated exposed radiation dose calculator calculates an accumulated exposed radiation dose by accumulating radiation image information detected by the radiation detector, at every image capturing. The calculated accumulated exposed radiation dose is transmitted, together with cassette ID information, to a console. In the console, a status determining unit compares the accumulated exposed radiation dose with an allowable accumulated exposed radiation dose for the radiation detecting cassette to determine the status of the radiation detecting cassette, and issues a warning based on the determined status.

Claims

1. A radiation image capturing system comprising:

a radiation conversion panel for detecting a radiation that has passed through a subject and converting the detected radiation into radiation image information;

an accumulated exposed radiation dose calculating unit for calculating an accumulated exposed radiation dose applied to said radiation conversion panel; and

a determining unit for comparing the calculated accumulated exposed radiation dose with an allowable accumulated exposed radiation dose for said radiation conversion panel to determine a status of said radiation conversion panel;

wherein said radiation conversion panel is housed in a radiation detecting cassette with a battery for energizing at least said radiation conversion panel;

said accumulated exposed radiation dose calculating unit is disposed in said radiation detecting cassette;

a transmitting unit is connected to said radiation conversion panel, for transmitting at least said accumulated exposed radiation dose to the outside of said radiation detecting cassette by way of wireless communications; and

the accumulated exposed radiation dose calculation unit determines the exposed radiation cumulatively over multiple image capturing cycles.

2. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1,

wherein said transmitting unit transmits said radiation image information in addition to said accumulated exposed radiation dose.

3. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein said accumulated exposed radiation dose calculating unit calculates said accumulated exposed radiation dose by accumulating the radiation image information detected by said radiation conversion panel, at every image capturing.

4. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein said accumulated exposed radiation dose calculating unit estimates said accumulated exposed radiation dose by accumulating a dose of the radiation output from a radiation source, at every image capturing.

5. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, further comprising a managing unit for managing identification information for identifying said radiation conversion panel,

wherein said determining unit determines the status of said radiation conversion panel which is identified by said managing unit.

6. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 5, further comprising an identification information holding unit for holding said identification information, said identification information holding unit being connected to said radiation conversion panel,

wherein said managing unit identifies said radiation conversion panel according to the identification information acquired from said identification information holding unit.

7. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, further comprising a warning unit for issuing a warning with respect to the radiation conversion panel whose calculated accumulated exposed radiation dose is judged as exceeding said allowable accumulated exposed radiation dose by said determining unit.

8. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 7, wherein said warning unit comprises a display device disposed in a processing room in which an image of the subject is captured using said radiation conversion panel.

9. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein said radiation conversion panel comprises a two-dimensional array of solid-state detecting devices for converting said radiation into electric charge information and holding the electric charge information.

10. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein the accumulated exposed radiation dose calculation which is calculated by the accumulated exposed radiation dose calculating unit is not reset upon a start of each image capturing cycle.