Radiation imaging system and operating method thereof

• US 9,521,987 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2014
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tajima, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMAS, COURTNEY D
• Application Number:
  US14/511,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20150055753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 378/62, 378/97, 378/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 6/4283 characterised by a detector unit being housed in a cassette
• 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 6/542 involving control of exposure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/547 involving tracking of position of the device or parts of the device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/588 Setting distance between source unit and detector unit

Abstract

A console acquires a displacement amount of an X-ray source from a displacement amount detector. In the case where an electronic cassette having an image detector is not appropriately positioned with respect to a body part to be imaged, a position of the X-ray source is changed in accordance with a position of the body part to be imaged. A dose measurement field position determining unit specifies a current relative position between the X-ray source and the electronic cassette having the image detector based on a displacement amount. The dose measurement field position determining unit determines a position of a dose measurement field based on the specified current relative position.

Claims

1. A radiation imaging system including a radiation generating device having a radiation source for irradiating radiation to an object, and a radiation image detecting device having an image detector for detecting a radiation image of the object, the image detector being formed with an imaging surface on which pixels for accumulating electric charges upon receiving the radiation are two-dimensionally arranged, the radiation imaging system comprising:

a plurality of dose detection sensors disposed on the imaging surface, for detecting a dose of the radiation to perform exposure control of the radiation image;

a dose measurement field setting section for setting a dose measurement field for the exposure control in the imaging surface by selecting at least one of the plurality of dose detection sensors;

a displacement mechanism for displacing a relative position between the radiation source and the image detector;

a displacement amount detector for detecting a displacement amount of the relative position; and

a dose measurement field position determining section for specifying a current relative position as a current position of the relative position based on the displacement amount and determining a position of the dose measurement field set by the dose measurement field setting section based on the current relative position.

2. The radiation imaging system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a default position memory section for storing a default position of the dose measurement field; and

a standard relative position setting section for setting a standard relative position as a standard of the relative position in association with the default position of the dose measurement field, wherein

the dose measurement field position determining section determines a destination position to which the dose measurement field moves from the default position in accordance with the specified current relative position.

3. The radiation imaging system according to claim 2, wherein the dose measurement field position determining section calculates a movement distance of a main ray incident position from the standard relative position to the current relative position, and determines the destination position of the dose measurement field based on the calculated movement distance, the main ray incident position being a position in the imaging surface of the image detector on which a main ray as a center of a radiation beam irradiated from the radiation source is incident.

4. The radiation imaging system according to claim 2, wherein the standard relative position setting section preliminarily stores the standard relative position, the standard relative position being a position at which a main ray as a center of a radiation beam irradiated from the radiation source is orthogonal to the imaging surface of the image detector as well as a main ray incident position for receiving entrance of the main ray in the imaging surface is coincident with a center of the imaging surface.

5. The radiation imaging system according to claim 2, wherein the standard relative position setting section is configured to set an arbitrary standard relative position.

6. The radiation imaging system according to claim 2, wherein the default position memory section stores the default position of the dose measurement field for each body part of the object to be imaged.

7. The radiation imaging system according to claim 2, further comprising a notification section, wherein

the dose measurement field position determining section determines whether or not it is possible to move the dose measurement field from the default position to the destination position based on a size of the imaging surface, and

the notification section makes a notification in the case where the dose measurement field position determining section determines it impossible to move the dose measurement field.

8. The radiation imaging system according to claim 7, wherein

the default position memory section stores the default position of the dose measurement field for each body part of the object to be imaged, and

the dose measurement field position determining section determines whether or not it is possible to move the dose measurement field for each body part of the object to be imaged.

9. The radiation imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the dose measurement field setting section is configured to adjust a position of the dose measurement field irrespective of the displacement amount, upon receiving a command for adjusting the position of the dose measurement field by a manual operation.

10. The radiation imaging system according to claim 2, wherein

the displacement mechanism includes a first displacement mechanism section for displacing the radiation source,

the displacement amount detector detects a first displacement amount as a displacement amount of the radiation source displaced by the first displacement mechanism section, and

the dose measurement field position determining section determines the destination position of the dose measurement field based on the first displacement amount.

11. The radiation imaging system according to claim 10, wherein the first displacement amount includes at least one of a linear movement distance of the radiation source and a rotation angle of the radiation source.

12. The radiation imaging system according to claim 2, wherein

the displacement mechanism includes a first displacement mechanism section for displacing the radiation source and a second displacement mechanism section for displacing the image detector,

the displacement amount detector detects a first displacement amount of the radiation source displaced by the first displacement mechanism section and a second displacement amount of the image detector displaced by the second displacement mechanism section, and

the dose measurement field position determining section determines the destination position of the dose measurement field based on the first displacement amount and the second displacement amount.

13. The radiation imaging system according to claim 12, further comprising a displacement limit judging section for judging whether or not the image detector has reached a displacement limit thereof based on the second displacement amount, wherein

the dose measurement field position determining section does not determine the destination position of the dose measurement field in conjunction with the displacement of the relative position while the image detector does not reach the displacement limit thereof, and

the dose measurement field position determining section determines the destination position of the dose measurement field in conjunction with the displacement of the relative position in the case where the image detector has reached the displacement limit thereof.

14. The radiation imaging system according to claim 2, wherein switching is performed between a state in which the displacement of the relative position and the movement of the dose measurement field are in conjunction with each other and a state in which the displacement of the relative position and the movement of the dose measurement field are not in conjunction with each other.

15. The radiation imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the dose detection sensor is configured to use part of the pixels in the imaging surface.

16. The radiation imaging system according to claim 1, further comprising a console for controlling the radiation image detecting device, wherein

the dose measurement field position determining section is provided in the console, and

the dose measurement field setting section is provided in the radiation image detecting device.

17. The radiation imaging system according to claim 16, wherein the radiation image detecting device is an electronic cassette having the image detector contained in a portable housing.

18. An operating method of a radiation imaging system including a radiation generating device having a radiation source for irradiating radiation to an object, and a radiation image detecting device having an image detector, a plurality of dose detection sensors, and a dose measurement field setting section, the image detector being formed with an imaging surface on which pixels for accumulating electric charges upon receiving the radiation are two-dimensionally arranged to detect a radiation image of the object, the plurality of dose detection sensors being disposed on the imaging surface to detect a dose of the radiation to perform exposure control of the radiation image, and the dose measurement field setting section setting a dose measurement field for the exposure control in the imaging surface by selecting at least one of the plurality of dose detection sensors, the operating method comprising:

a displacement amount detecting step for detecting a displace amount of a relative position between the radiation source and the image detector; and

a dose measurement field position determining step for specifying a current relative position as a current position of the relative position based on the displacement amount, and determining a position of the dose measurement field set by the dose measurement field setting section based on the current relative position.