Radiographic image photographing system

• US 9,661,728 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2013
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Inventors: Eguchi, Yoshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Fox, Dani
• Application Number:
  US13/892,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20130301802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4283 characterised by a detector unit being housed in a cassette
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4494 Means for identifying the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/563 involving image data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H05G 1/08 Electrical details

Abstract

The radiographic image photographing system includes an information acquisition member which acquires information on the radiographic image photographing device from an information presentation member of the radiographic image photographing device in a non-contact manner. When the information acquisition member makes the notification of the acquired information on the radiographic image photographing device, the management apparatus notifies the wireless communication member of the radiographic image photographing device of an identifier dedicated to an access point correlated with the information acquisition member. The wireless communication member of the radiographic image photographing device conducts wireless communication with the access point using a general-purpose identifier in a default state, and using the identifier dedicated to the access point after receiving the notification of the identifier dedicated to the access point from the management apparatus.

Claims

1. A radiographic image photographing system comprising:

a plurality of photographing rooms;

a portable radiographic image photographing device which comprises;

a plurality of radiation detection elements arrayed in a two-dimensional pattern;

a wireless communication member structured to conduct wireless communication with an access point; and

an information presentation member structured to present identification information on the radiographic image photographing device;

a console which is communicable with the radiographic image photographing device;

the access point, which is structured to conduct wireless communication with the wireless communication member in the radiographic image photographing device and relay communication conducted between the wireless communication member in the radiographic image photographing device and the console;

an information acquisition member structured to acquire the identification information on the radiographic image photographing device from the information presentation member in the radiographic image photographing device in a non-contact manner; and

a management apparatus to which at least the access point and the information acquisition member are connected,

wherein the information acquisition member is structured to notify the management apparatus of the identification information on the radiographic image photographing device, which is acquired from the information presentation member in the radiographic image photographing device,

the management apparatus is structured to notify the wireless communication member in the radiographic image photographing device of an identifier dedicated to the access point correlated with the information acquisition member when the identification information on the radiographic image photographing device is received,

the wireless communication member in the radiographic image photographing device comprises a general-purpose identifier which enables communication with the access point,

the wireless communication member receives the dedicated identifier from the management apparatus by conducting wireless communication with the access point using the general purpose identifier, and

the wireless communication member conducts communication with the access point using the identifier dedicated to the access point after the management apparatus notifies the wireless communication member in the radiographic image photographing device of the identifier dedicated to the access point;

wherein the access point, the information acquisition member, and a repeater to which the access point and the information acquisition member are connected, are provided in each of the plurality of photographing rooms,

the management apparatus is connected to the repeater in each of the photographing rooms through a network,

the general-purpose identifier is an identifier common to the access point in each of the photographing rooms, and

the identifier dedicated to the access point is an identifier which is assigned to the access point in each of the photographing rooms and different from the identifier assigned to the access point in other of the photographing rooms.

2. The radiographic image photographing system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the information acquisition member and the repeater is structured to notify the management apparatus of the identification information on the radiographic image photographing device while attaching identification information of the information acquisition member and/or the repeater to the information on the radiographic image photographing device,

at least one of the pieces of the identification information of the information acquisition member and the repeater is previously correlated with the photographing room, and

when the information acquisition member is structured to notify the management apparatus of the identification information on the radiographic image photographing device, which is acquired from the information presentation member in the radiographic image photographing device, the management apparatus is structured to perform management by recognizing which of the photographing rooms the radiographic image photographing device exists in based on the identification information on the radiographic image photographing device.

3. The radiographic image photographing system of claim 1, wherein the console is provided in each of the photographing rooms.

4. The radiographic image photographing system of claim 1, wherein the console is connected to each of the photographing rooms through the network, and the management apparatus is structured such that when one of the photographing rooms is assigned by the console, the management apparatus manages the console and the photographing room assigned by the console while correlating the console and the assigned photographing room with each other.

5. The radiographic image photographing system of claim 1, wherein the management apparatus is structured to notify the wireless communication member in the radiographic image photographing device of both the identifier dedicated to the access point correlated with the information acquisition member and an address of the console on a network.

6. The radiographic image photographing system of claim 1, wherein the identification information on the radiographic image photographing device comprises the identification information of the radiographic image photographing device.

7. The radiographic image photographing system of claim 1, wherein the information presentation member in the radiographic image photographing device is a barcode which displays the identification information on the radiographic image photographing device, and

the information acquisition member is a barcode reader structured to read the identification information on the radiographic image photographing device from the barcode.

8. The radiographic image photographing system of claim 1, wherein the information presentation member in the radiographic image photographing device is an RFID tag, and

the information acquisition member is a tag reader structured to acquire the identification information on the radiographic image photographing device from an electromagnetic field or a radio wave emitted from the RFID tag in a non-contact manner.

9. The radiographic image photographing system of claim 1, wherein the information presentation member in the radiographic image photographing device is a light emission member structured to make a notification of the identification information on the radiographic image photographing device by blinking of light, and

the information acquisition member is a light receiving member structured to receive the light emitted from the light emission member and acquires the identification information on the radiographic image photographing device from a blinking pattern of the light in the non-contact manner.

10. The radiographic image photographing system of claim 9, further comprising a bucky device including a cassette retention section into which the radiographic image photographing device can be loaded,

wherein the information acquisition member is provided in the cassette retention section of the bucky device.

11. The radiographic image photographing system of claim 10, wherein the information acquisition member is disposed in each of positions where the light emitted from the information presentation member in the radiographic image photographing device can be received when the radiographic image photographing device is vertically loaded into the cassette retention section of the bucky device and where the light emitted from the information presentation member can be received when the radiographic image photographing device is horizontally loaded into the cassette retention section.

12. The radiographic image photographing system of claim 1, wherein the identification information on the radiographic image photographing device comprises an operating state of the radiographic image photographing device and a network setting.

13. The radiographic image photographing system of claim 1, further comprising a photographing room,

wherein the photographing room comprises a display member which displays the identification information on the radiographic image photographing device, which is transmitted from the console.

14. The radiographic image photographing system of claim 1, wherein the console is structured to transmit the identification information on the radiographic image photographing device to a mobile terminal brought with an operator, and make the mobile terminal display the identification information on the radiographic image photographing device on a display screen in the mobile terminal.

15. The radiographic image photographing system of claim 13, wherein the display member comprises a CRT or an LCD.

16. The radiographic image photographing system of claim 13, wherein the display member comprises a rotary beacon light.