Radiographic system, automatic exposure control method of radiographic system, and radiological image detector

• US 9,060,738 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2012
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kuwabara, Takeshi, Kamiya, Takeshi, Kitagawa, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, David E
• Application Number:
  US13/603,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20130058457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 378/51, 378/62, 378/96, 378/97, 378/162, 378/165, 378/114, 378/115
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4233 using matrix detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4494 Means for identifying the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/542 involving control of exposure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/548 Remote control of the apparatus or devices

Abstract

A storage and search unit of a console acquires a source ID of an X-ray source and searches for and extracts a type corresponding to the acquired source ID from source information of a storage device. In the case of an installation convenience preference type in which convenience in connection between a source controller and an electronic cassette is preferred, a detection signal from a detection pixel of an FPD of the electronic cassette is output from a detection signal I/F of the electronic cassette to a detection signal I/F of the source controller. In the case of an installation convenience non-preference type, an irradiation stop signal based on the comparison result of the integrated value of the detection signal from the detection pixel with an irradiation-stop threshold is output from an irradiation signal I/F of the electronic cassette to an irradiation signal I/F of the source controller.

Claims

1. A radiographic system having

a radiation source that irradiates an object with radiation,

a source controller that controls the radiation source, and

a radiological image detector that receives the radiation passing through the object to detect a radiological image and that has an AEC sensor performing an automatic exposure control of detecting the dose of the radiation passing through the object and stopping irradiation with the radiation from the radiation source when the integrated value of the detected dose reaches a predetermined irradiation-stop threshold,

the radiographic system implementing the automatic exposure control by exchanging any one of a detection signal of the AEC sensor and an irradiation stop signal based on a comparison result of the integrated value of the detection signal of the AEC sensor and the irradiation-stop threshold between the source controller and the radiological image detector,

the radiographic system comprising:

an information acquiring part for acquiring type information on an installation convenience preference type in which convenience in connection between the source controller and the radiological image detector is preferred or an installation convenience non-preference type; and

a switching part for selectively switching an output format of an automatic exposure control signal so as to exchange the detection signal between the source controller and the radiological image detector when the type acquired by the information acquiring part is the installation convenience preference type, and to exchange the irradiation stop signal between the source controller and the radiological image detector when the type acquired by the information acquiring part is the installation convenience non-preference type.

2. The radiographic system according to claim 1, further comprising a first storage part for storing source information in which a source ID specific to the radiation source and a type are correlated with each other,

wherein the information acquiring part acquires the type information by acquiring a source ID and retrieving and extracting the type correlated with the acquired source ID from the source information.

3. The radiographic system according to claim 2, wherein the source information includes a list of regions and the installation convenience preference type or the installation convenience non-preference type corresponding to each region.

4. The radiographic system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display part for displaying a GUI receiving an input of the type; and

an input device to which the type is input through the use of the GUI,

wherein the information acquiring part acquires the type information from the input result of the type through the input device.

5. The radiographic system according to claim 1, wherein the radiological image detector has a detection signal I/F outputting the detection signal and an irradiation signal I/F outputting the irradiation stop signal, and

wherein the switching part is disposed in the radiological image detector, selects the detection signal I/F as the output destination of the automatic exposure control signal when the type acquired by the information acquiring part is the installation convenience preference type, and selects the irradiation signal I/F as the output destination of the automatic exposure control signal when the type acquired by the information acquiring part is the installation convenience non-preference type.

6. The radiographic system according to claim 1, further comprising a converter that is connected to both the source controller and the radiological image detector and that relays exchange of the signals,

wherein the switching part is disposed in the converter.

7. The radiographic system according to claim 6, wherein the radiological image detector has only a detection signal I/F outputting the detection signal,

wherein the converter has an irradiation signal I/F outputting the irradiation stop signal in addition to a detection signal I/F, and

wherein the switching part selects the detection signal I/F as the output destination of the automatic exposure control signal when the type acquired by the information acquiring part is the installation convenience preference type, and selects the irradiation signal I/F as the output destination of the automatic exposure control signal when the type acquired by the information acquiring part is the installation convenience non-preference type.

8. The radiographic system according to claim 1, wherein the information acquiring part acquires the type information when the AEC sensor attached to the radiological image detector is connected to the source controller for use instead of an old AEC sensor.

9. The radiographic system according to claim 8, wherein the information acquiring part acquires positional information of a detection field of the old AEC sensor,

wherein the radiographic system further comprises detection field selecting part for selecting a detection field of the AEC sensor so as to match the detection field of the old AEC sensor on the basis of the positional information of the detection field of the old AEC sensor, and

wherein the detection field selecting part selects the detection field depending on the posture of the radiological image detector.

10. The radiographic system according to claim 8, further comprising a correction part for correcting the detection signal of the AEC sensor to a detection signal corresponding to the detection signal of the old AEC sensor so as to exclude the influence on the detection signal due to a variation in constitution of an intermediate member which is disposed between the radiation source and an imaging plane of a detection panel of the radiological image detector when the AEC sensor is used instead of the old AEC sensor.

11. The radiographic system according to claim 10, further comprising a second storage part for storing a correlation between the detection signal of the AEC sensor and the detection signal of the old AEC sensor,

wherein the correction part performs the correction on the basis of the correlation between the detection signal of the AEC sensor and the detection signal of the old AEC sensor.

12. The radiographic system according to claim 10, wherein the intermediate member includes at least one of a housing covering the detection panel of the radiological image detector, a scintillator converting radiation into visible rays, and a grid removing radiation scattered in the object.

13. The radiographic system according to claim 10, further comprising an integration part for integrating the detection signal output from the correction part.

14. The radiographic system according to claim 13, wherein the information acquiring part acquires information on whether the source controller has a function of integrating the detection signal, and

wherein the switching part outputs the detection signal output from the correction part without passing through the integration part when the type acquired by the information acquiring part is the installation convenience preference type and the source controller has the function of integrating the detection signal, and outputs the integrated value of the detection signal output from the integration part when the source controller does not have the function of integrating the detection signal or not.

15. The radiographic system according to claim 13, wherein the information acquiring part acquires the irradiation-stop threshold set by the source controller, and

wherein the radiographic system further comprises a comparison part for comparing the integrated value of the detection signal output from the integration part with the irradiation-stop threshold set by the source controller and outputting the irradiation stop signal when the integrated value of the detection signal reaches the irradiation-stop threshold.

16. The radiographic system according to claim 15, further comprising

a converter that is connected to both the source controller and the radiological image detector and that relays exchange of the signals,

wherein the information acquiring part acquires positional information of a detection field of the old AEC sensor,

wherein the radiographic system further comprises a detection field selecting part for selecting a detection field of the AEC sensor so as to match the detection field of the old AEC sensor on the basis of the positional information of the detection field of the old AEC sensor, and

the detection field selecting part, the correction part, the integration part, and the comparison part are disposed in the radiological image detector or the converter.

17. The radiographic system according to claim 1, wherein an inquiry signal for inquiring whether the irradiation of radiation should be started and an irradiation permission signal permitting the irradiation of radiation are exchanged between the source controller and the radiological image detector, when the type acquired by the information acquiring part is the installation convenience non-preference type.

18. The radiographic system according to claim 1, wherein the AEC sensor attached to the radiological image detector is a pixel directly connected to a signal line for reading signal charges without using a switching element.

19. The radiographic system according to claim 1, wherein the radiological image detector is an electronic cassette in which a detection panel is received in a portable housing.

20. An automatic exposure control method of a radiographic system having

a radiation source that irradiates an object with radiation,

a source controller that controls the radiation source, and

a radiological image detector that receives the radiation passing through the object to detect a radiological image and that has an AEC sensor performing an automatic exposure control of detecting the dose of the radiation passing through the object and stopping irradiation with the radiation from the radiation source when the integrated value of the detected dose reaches a predetermined irradiation-stop threshold,

the radiographic system implementing the automatic exposure control by exchanging any one of a detection signal of the AEC sensor and an irradiation stop signal based on a comparison result of the integrated value of the detection signal of the AEC sensor and the irradiation-stop threshold between the source controller and the radiological image detector,

the automatic exposure control method comprising:

an information acquiring step of acquiring type information on an installation convenience preference type in which convenience in connection between the source controller and the radiological image detector is preferred or an installation convenience non-preference type; and

a switching step of selectively switching an output format of an automatic exposure control signal so as to exchange the detection signal between the source controller and the radiological image detector when the type acquired in the information acquiring step is the installation convenience preference type and to exchange the irradiation stop signal between the source controller and the radiological image detector when the type acquired by the information acquiring part is the installation convenience non-preference type.

21. A radiological image detector that receives radiation passing through an object to detect a radiological image, comprising:

an AEC sensor that performs an automatic exposure control of detecting the dose of the radiation passing through the object and stopping irradiation with the radiation from a radiation source when the integrated value of the detected dose reaches a predetermined irradiation-stop threshold,

wherein the automatic exposure control is implemented by exchanging any one of a detection signal of the AEC sensor and an irradiation stop signal based on a comparison result of the integrated value of the detection signal of the AEC sensor and the irradiation-stop threshold with a source controller controlling the radiation source, and

wherein an output format of an automatic exposure control signal is selectively switched so as to exchange the detection signal with the source controller and the radiological image detector in the case of an installation convenience preference type in which convenience in connection to the source controller is preferred and to exchange the irradiation stop signal with the source controller in the case of an installation convenience non-preference type.