Radiographic image capturing system

• US 8,363,786 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2010
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakatsugawa, Haruyasu, Nishino, Naoyuki, Yoshida, Yutaka, Iwakiri, Naoto, Ohta, Yasunori
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMAS, COURTNEY D
• Application Number:
  US12/979,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20110158385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 378/42, 378/44, 378/62, 378/98, 378/98.8, 378/101, 378/106, 378/116, 250/370.08, 250/370.09
• US Class Current: 378/116
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4423 related to hygiene or sterilisation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4441 the rigid structure being a C-arm or U-arm
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/542 involving control of exposure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/548 Remote control of the apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/586 Detection of faults or malfunction of the device

Abstract

A radiographic image capturing system includes a radiographic image capturing device, a radiation irradiating device, and a control device. The radiographic image capturing device is capable of performing fluoroscopic imaging, and carries out capturing of radiographic images continuously. The radiation irradiating device performs continuous irradiation or pulse irradiation with respect to the radiographic image capturing device at a time of fluoroscopic imaging. The control device has a controller that affects control such that, in a case in which a frame rate of fluoroscopic imaging is low, the radiation irradiating device performs fluoroscopic imaging by the continuous irradiation with respect to the radiographic image capturing device.

Claims

1. A radiographic image capturing system comprising:

a radiographic image capturing device that is capable of performing fluoroscopic imaging, and that carries out capture of radiographic images continuously;

a radiation irradiating device that performs continuous irradiation or pulse irradiation with respect to the radiographic image capturing device at a time of fluoroscopic imaging; and

a control device having a controller that affects control such that, in a case in which a frame rate of fluoroscopic imaging is low, the radiation irradiating device performs fluoroscopic imaging by continuous irradiation with respect to the radiographic image capturing device.

2. The radiographic image capturing system of claim 1, wherein

the control device further comprises a selection section that selects whether the radiation irradiating device performs pulse irradiation or continuous irradiation, and

in a case in which a frame rate of fluoroscopic imaging is less than or equal to a first frame rate threshold value, the controller recommends continuous irradiation rather than pulse irradiation to the selection section, and, in a case in which the frame rate of fluoroscopic imaging is less than or equal to a second frame rate threshold value that is lower than the first frame rate threshold value, the controller prohibits selection of pulse irradiation to the selection section.

3. The radiographic image capturing system of claim 2, wherein the first frame rate threshold value is from 15 fps to 60 fps, and the second frame rate threshold value is from 5 fps to less than the first frame rate threshold value.

4. The radiographic image capturing system of claim 3, wherein the first frame rate threshold value is 30 fps, and the second frame rate threshold value is 15 fps.

5. The radiographic image capturing system of claim 1, wherein the controller derives an irradiated amount of radiation per one image from an irradiation time of radiation per one image at a frame rate of fluoroscopic imaging and an irradiated amount of radiation per unit time from the radiation irradiating device, and, in a case in which the derived irradiated amount of radiation per one image is less than a minimum irradiated amount that is needed for capture of radiographic images, the controller issues a warning or changes the frame rate to a frame rate at which a minimum irradiated amount per one image is obtained.

6. The radiographic image capturing system of claim 5, wherein the controller derives the irradiated amount of radiation per unit time from the radiation irradiating device by dividing a total amount of radiation permitted for an imaged region, that is an object of image capture, by a planned image capture time.

7. The radiographic image capturing system of claim 1, wherein

the radiographic image capturing device is further capable of performing still image capture, and

in a case in which still image capture is to be performed, the controller sets a priority level of pulse irradiation so as to be higher than a priority level of continuous irradiation.

8. The radiographic image capturing system of claim 1, wherein the radiation irradiating device performs continuous irradiation with a smaller radiation amount per unit time than in a case in which the radiation irradiating device performs pulse irradiation.

9. The radiographic image capturing system of claim 8, wherein the radiographic image capturing device comprises:

a radiation detector at which a plurality of pixels, that generate charge as a result of radiation being irradiated thereon and that accumulate the charge, are provided in a two-dimensional form, and that outputs the charge accumulated at the respective pixels as an electric signal;

an amplifier that amplifies the electric signal output from the radiation detector; and

an image capturing device controller that, in a case in which continuous irradiation is performed, carries out at least one of extending a charge accumulating time at the respective pixels so as to be longer than in pulse irradiation, increasing a gain amount of the amplifier so as to be greater than in pulse irradiation, and image processing that combines a plurality of adjacent pixels as one pixel.

10. The radiographic image capturing system of claim 1, further comprising a detecting section that detects shaking of the radiation irradiating device,

wherein, in a case in which a shaking amount of the radiation irradiating device detected by the detecting section during fluoroscopic imaging is greater than or equal to a first shaking threshold value, the controller issues a warning, and, in a case in which the shaking amount is greater than or equal to a second shaking threshold value that is greater than the first shaking threshold value, the controller stops irradiation of radiation from the radiation irradiating device.

11. The radiographic image capturing system of claim 10, wherein the controller issues the warning and stops irradiation of radiation in a case in which the detecting section detects shaking of the radiation detection device during fluoroscopic imaging with continuous irradiation.