Radiographic image capturing apparatus

• US 9,044,191 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2011
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishino, Naoyuki, Ohta, Yasunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Kiknadze, Irakli
• Application Number:
  US13/067,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20110317817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• Field of Search: 378/57, 378/62, 378/154, 378/205, 378/207
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 6/4405 the apparatus being movable or portable, e.g. handheld or mounted on a trolley
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4423 related to hygiene or sterilisation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/56 Details of data transmission or power supply, e.g. use of slip rings
• CPC Class Codes: H05G 1/10 Power supply arrangements for feeding the X-ray tube supply circuits with converters in general H02M; supply circuits for emitters and amplifiers H04B1/16 - H04B1/1623

Abstract

A radiographic image capturing apparatus includes a mobile cart unit, a plurality of devices used for capturing a radiographic image, and an electric power supply activator enabling supply of electric power between the devices, based on an instruction of permission to supply electric power.

Claims

1. A radiographic image capturing apparatus comprising:

a mobile cart unit;

a plurality of devices used for capturing a radiographic image; and

an electric power supply activator enabling supply of electric power between the devices, based on an instruction of permission to supply electric power,

wherein the devices at least comprise;

a radiation source device detachably attached to the cart unit, and including a radiation source for outputting radiation; and

a detector device detachably attached to the cart unit, and including a radiation detector for detecting radiation that is transmitted through a subject in a case where the subject is irradiated with the radiation by the radiation source, and converting the detected radiation into radiographic image information, and

wherein the electric power supply activator enables the supply of electric power from the radiation source device to the detector device, or from the detector device to the radiation source device, based on the instruction of permission to supply electric power.

2. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an electric power controller,

wherein the electric power controller is activatable by the electric power supply activator, and supplies electric power only along a route from the radiation source device to the detector device.

3. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the electric power controller supplies electric power of an electric power storage unit of the radiation source device to an electric power storage unit of the detector device.

4. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the electric power storage unit of the radiation source device comprises a battery for supplying electric power to the radiation source, and the electric power storage unit of the detector device comprises a built-in capacitor for supplying electric power to the radiation detector.

5. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the electric power controller is activatable based on an electric power supply request made before an image capturing process.

6. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the electric power controller deactivates the supply of electric power from the radiation source device to the detector device from a start of the image capturing process after electric power has been supplied and until an electric power supply request is given before a next image capturing process.

7. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the electric power controller limits the supply of electric power from the radiation source device to the detector device during a period in which the radiographic image is being captured based on the radiation.

8. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the electric power controller is activatable upon completion of an image capturing process.

9. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the electric power controller deactivates the supply of electric power from the radiation source device to the detector device after electric power has been supplied and until a next image capturing process is completed.

10. A radiographic image capturing apparatus comprising:

a mobile cart unit;

a plurality of devices used for capturing a radiographic image; and

an electric power supply activator enabling supply of electric power between the devices, based on an instruction of permission to supply electric power,

further comprising an electric power manager activatable by the electric power supply activator, based on the instruction of permission to supply electric power,

wherein the devices at least comprise;

a radiation source device detachably attached to the cart unit, and including a radiation source for outputting radiation; and

a detector device detachably attached to the cart unit, and including a radiation detector for detecting radiation that is transmitted through a subject in a case where the subject is irradiated with the radiation by the radiation source, and converting the detected radiation into radiographic image information, and

wherein the electric power manager manages electric power required to capture a given number of radiographic images, and supplies the required electric power flexibly to at least one of the radiation source device and the detector device.

11. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the electric power manager supplies electric power from one of the radiation source device and the detector device, which has excessive electric power with respect to the required electric power, to the other of the radiation source device and the detector device, which has insufficient electric power with respect to the required electric power, up to the required electric power.

12. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of devices include the radiation source devices and the detector devices, and the electric power manager supplies the required electric power from the one or more devices which are not used to capture a radiographic image, to the device which is used to capture a radiographic image.

13. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of devices include the radiation source devices and the detector devices, and the electric power manager supplies electric power from the one or more devices which are not used to capture a radiographic image, to the device which is used to capture a radiographic image, such that the amount of electric power held by the device which is used to capture the radiographic image is increased up to at least a level required to capture the radiographic image.

14. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising an electric power controller for supplying electric power between the radiation source device and the detector device,

wherein the electric power controller limits supply of the required electric power by the electric power manager during a period in which the radiographic image is being captured based on the radiation.

15. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the electric power manager supplies the required electric power flexibly to at least one of the radiation source device and the detector device upon completion of an image capturing process.

16. A radiographic image capturing apparatus comprising:

a mobile cart unit;

a plurality of devices used for capturing a radiographic image; and

an electric power supply activator enabling supply of electric power between the devices, based on an instruction of permission to supply electric power,

wherein the devices at least comprise;

a radiation source device detachably attached to the cart unit, and including a radiation source for outputting radiation;

a detector device detachably attached to the cart unit, and including a radiation detector for detecting radiation that is transmitted through a subject in a case where the subject is irradiated with the radiation by the radiation source, and converting the detected radiation into radiographic image information; and

a controller for controlling at least the radiation source device and the detector device,

wherein the electric power supply activator enables supply of electric power from the controller to the radiation source device, or from the controller to the detector device, based on the instruction of permission to supply electric power.

17. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the controller comprises an electric power controller, and

wherein the electric power controller of the controller is activatable by the electric power supply activator based on an electric power supply request made before an image capturing process, and supplies electric power from the controller to the radiation source device.

18. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the controller comprises an electric power controller, and

wherein the electric power controller of the controller supplies electric power from the controller to the radiation source device upon completion of an image capturing process.

19. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the electric power controller is activatable by the electric power supply activator upon completion of the image capturing process.

20. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the controller comprises an electric power controller, and

wherein the electric power controller of the controller supplies electric power from the controller to the detector device based on an electric power supply request made before an image capturing process.

21. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the electric power controller is activatable by the electric power supply activator based on the electric power supply request made before the image capturing process.

22. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the controller comprises an electric power controller, and

wherein the electric power controller of the controller supplies electric power from the controller to the detector device upon completion of an image capturing process.

23. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the electric power controller is activatable by the electric power supply activator upon completion of the image capturing process.

24. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the controller comprises an electric power controller, and the electric power controller includes an electric power manager, and

wherein the electric power manager manages electric power required to capture a given number of radiographic images, and supplies the required electric power flexibly to at least one of the radiation source device, the detector device and the controller.

25. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the electric power manager supplies electric power from any one of the radiation source device, the detector device and the controller, which has excessive electric power with respect to the required electric power, to another of the radiation source device, the detector device and the controller, which has insufficient electric power with respect to the required electric power, up to the required electric power.

26. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the controller comprises an electric power controller, and

wherein the electric power controller limits supply of the electric power between the radiation source device and the detector device during a period in which the radiographic image is being captured based on the radiation.

27. The radiographic image capturing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the controller includes an electric power collector for collecting electric power from at least one of the radiation source device and the detector device into the controller.