X-ray radiography device

• US 8,767,913 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2011
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
• Original Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
• Inventors: Okuno, Tomoharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Kiknadze, Irakli
• Application Number:
  US13/312,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20130142306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 378/62, 378205-207
• US Class Current: 378/62
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/06 Diaphragms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/08 Auxiliary means for directing the radiation beam to a particular spot, e.g. using light beams
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4233 using matrix detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4452 the source unit and the detector unit being able to move relative to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5241 combining overlapping images of the same imaging modality, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/588 Setting distance between source unit and detector unit
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/04 and forming images of the material

Abstract

In long-format radiography, a long-format imaging region is determined and the long-format imaging region is partitioned into a plurality of imaging regions. Following this, and prior to x-ray imaging, a particular location of an overlapping image area is illuminated by a laser line marker, through laser line marker emission controlling means, in order to confirm that no overlapping image area, which is provided in adjacent imaging regions when the long-format imaging region is partitioned, is positioned on a location of interest of the examination subject. The ability to indicate clearly the particular location of the overlapping image area, through the laser line marker, makes it possible to evaluate accurately whether or not an overlapping image area is positioned on a location of interest. Doing so makes it possible to set the imaging region easily.

Claims

1. An x-ray radiography device comprising:

an x-ray tube emitting an x-ray toward an examination subject, with an attached collimator for adjusting the field of irradiation of the x-ray;

an x-ray detection device detecting x-rays that have traversed the examination subject;

a laser line marker emitting a laser beam that is emitted in the form of a line that, when viewed from the x-ray tube, is perpendicular to the bodily axis of the examination subject;

a imaging region partitioning device partitioning, into a plurality of imaging regions, a long-format imaging region that has been set, so that there will be overlapping image areas wherein portions of adjacent imaging regions overlap; and

a laser line marker emission controller controlling the emission of a laser beam from the laser line marker onto the overlapping image areas, by calculating the overlapping image areas based on location data for the plurality of imaging regions that have been partitioned by the imaging region partitioning means.

2. The x-ray radiography device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the particular location of the overlapping image area is an edge portion of the overlapping image area.

3. The x-ray radiography device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the particular location of the overlapping image area is an center point of the overlapping image area.

4. The x-ray radiography device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

an x-ray tube angle changing device changing the direction of emission of a laser beam of the laser line marker by changing the angle of the x-ray tube around the focal point of the x-ray emission.

5. The x-ray radiography device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

an x-ray tube moving device moving an emission location of a laser beam of the laser line marker by moving the x-ray tube in a direction that is parallel to the direction of movement of the x-ray detecting device.

6. The x-ray radiography device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the laser line marker is structured from a plurality of laser line markers, and illuminates mutually different particular locations of the overlapping image areas.