Radiation imaging apparatus

• US 8,956,045 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tajima, Takashi, Kitagawa, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanore, David A
• Application Number:
  US13/599,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20130083898A1
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 378/37, 378/41, 378/42, 378/51, 378/62, 378/91, 378/95, 378/98, 378/98.8, 378/145, 378/162, 378/165, 378/166, 378/189, 378/190, 378/193, 378/197, 378201-210
• US Class Current: 378/207
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4283 characterised by a detector unit being housed in a cassette
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/542 involving control of exposure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/56 Details of data transmission or power supply, e.g. use of slip rings
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 18/00 Testing or calibrating apparatus or arrangements provided for in groups G01D1/00 - G01D15/00

Abstract

A cassette holder of an imaging stand is provided with first and second catch members for catching and holding an electronic cassette from above and below. The first catch member has a multi connector connected to a multi terminal of the electronic cassette. The multi connector is offset with respect to a center line of an imaging surface of the cassette holder. The multi terminal is offset with respect to a center line of an irradiation surface of the electronic cassette in the same direction by the same amount as those of the multi connector. In a state where said electronic cassette mounted on a tray is loaded into the cassette holder, the center line of the irradiation surface coincides with the center line of the imaging surface.

Claims

1. A radiation imaging apparatus comprising:

an electronic cassette and an imaging stand or an imaging table for detachably mounting said electronic cassette thereon, said electronic cassette having a flat panel detector for detecting a radiographic image and a housing containing said flat panel detector, said radiation imaging apparatus further comprising;

an irradiation surface formed in a surface of said housing, for receiving irradiation with radiation;

a connection terminal provided in a first side surface of said housing, said first side surface being orthogonal to said irradiation surface;

an imaging surface provided in said imaging stand or imaging table, said imaging surface facing said irradiation surface in a state where said electronic cassette is mounted on said imaging stand or imaging table;

first and second catch members provided in said imaging stand or imaging table, said first and second catch members catching said electronic cassette with contacting said first catch member to said first side surface of said housing and contacting said second catch member to a second side surface opposed to said first side surface, to hold said electronic cassette in a state of facing said irradiation surface to said imaging surface; and

a connector provided in said first catch member, said connector being connected to said connection terminal when said electronic cassette is mounted on said imaging stand or imaging table, a positional relation including a distance and a direction of said connector with respect to a center line of said imaging surface being same as that of said connection terminal with respect to a center line of said irradiation surface of said electronic cassette, said center line of said irradiation surface and said center line of said imaging surface extending in a same direction when said electronic cassette is mounted on said imaging stand or imaging table.

2. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first and second catch members extend in a direction orthogonal to said center line of said imaging surface.

3. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said connection terminal is offset with respect to said center line of said irradiation surface;

and

said connector is offset with respect to said center line of said imaging surface by a same amount in a same direction as those of said connection terminal.

4. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said connection terminal is disposed above said center line of said irradiation surface;

and

said connector is disposed above said center line of said imaging surface.

5. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said connector is moved to said projected position when being connected to said connection terminal.

6. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said imaging stand or imaging table includes:

a cassette holder having said imaging surface; and

a tray having said first and second catch members, said tray being insertable into and pullable out of said cassette holder, a catch of said electronic cassette with said first and second catch members allowing connection between said connection terminal and said connector and mounting of said electronic cassette on said tray, said center line of said irradiation surface coinciding with said center line of said imaging surface when said tray is loaded into said cassette holder in a state of connecting said connection terminal and said connector.

7. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said imaging stand or imaging table has an external connection terminal extending from an external device disposed outside said imaging stand or imaging table to electrically connect said electronic cassette to said external device through said connection terminal and said connector.

8. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said external connection terminal is provided in said first catch member.

9. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said imaging stand or imaging table has at least one relay terminal for relaying between said external connection terminal and said connector.

10. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said relay terminal includes a first relay terminal provided in said first catch member and a second relay terminal provided in said cassette holder;

said first and second relay terminals are connected by loading said tray into said cassette holder; and

said first and second relay terminals are disconnected by unloading said tray from said cassette holder.

11. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said connection terminal is a female terminal;

and

said connector is a male connector, and is movable between a retracted position in which said connector is not projected from a catch surface of said first catch member and a projected position in which said connector is projected from said catch surface, and said catch surface of said first catch member contacts said first side surface of said electronic cassette.

12. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said connection terminal has a flat contact surface coplanar to said first side surface;

and

said connector has a flat contact surface coplanar to a catch surface of said first catch member, and when said first and second catch members catch said electronic cassette with contacting said catch surface of said first catch member to said first side surface, said connection terminal and said connector are connected by contact between said flat contact surfaces.

13. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said electronic cassette includes an automatic exposure controller, and said automatic exposure controller includes:

a dosimeter for measuring a dose of said radiation emitted from a radiation source and passed through a human body;

a controller for comparing a measurement result of said dosimeter with a threshold value; and

a communicator established by connection between said connection terminal and said connector, wherein

if said measurement result reaches said threshold value, said controller sends an emission stop signal through said communicator to said radiation source to stop emission of said radiation.

14. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said connection terminal and said connector connect said electronic cassette to an external device for controlling said electronic cassette in order to establish communication between said electronic cassette and said external device.

15. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said connection terminal and said connector connect said electronic cassette to an external device in order to supply electric power from said external device to said electronic cassette.

16. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said connection terminal is a multi terminal that is integrally formed with a communication terminal for communicating with an external device and a power terminal for supplying electric power to said electronic cassette;

and

said connector is a multi connector that is integrally formed with a communication connector for communicating with said external device and a power connector for supplying the electric power to said electronic cassette.

17. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first and second catch members catch said electronic cassette from above and below.