Radiation image capturing system

• US 7,834,322 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2008
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ueta, Kazuhara, Iriuchijima, Makoto, Kito, Eiichi, Yoshimi, Takuya, Tanabe, Tsuyoshi, Ohta, Yasunori, Kuwabara, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta; David P
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, MINDY D
• Application Number:
  US12/180,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20090026392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 250/370.09
• US Class Current: 250/370.09
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/376 using X-rays, e.g. fluoroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0271 using a remote monitoring unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0456 Apparatus provided with a docking unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/08 Sensors provided with means for identification, e.g. barcodes or memory chips
• 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 6/4423 related to hygiene or sterilisation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4488 Means for cooling A61B6/045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4494 Means for identifying the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5294 involving using additional data, e.g. patient information, image labeling, acquisition parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/542 involving control of exposure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/545 involving automatic set-up of acquisition parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/56 Details of data transmission or power supply, e.g. use of slip rings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/566 involving communication between diagnostic systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/587 Alignment of source unit to detector unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 42/025 Positioning or masking the X-ray film cartridge in the radiographic apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 42/047 provided with marking means
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 : for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 : for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation

Abstract

A transceiver of a radiation detecting cassette receives subject ID information from an RFID tag by way of wireless communications. An ID checker checks the subject ID information received by the transceiver against a plurality of subject ID information stored in an RFID memory. If the subject ID information received by the transceiver matches one of the subject ID information stored in the RFID memory, then the ID checker associates the matching subject ID information with a radiation dose that is stored in a dose storage unit and corresponds to the matching subject ID information.

Claims

1. A radiation image capturing system comprising:

a radiation source for outputting a radiation;

a radiation detecting cassette housing therein a radiation conversion panel for detecting said radiation that has passed through a subject and converting the detected radiation into radiation image information;

an RFID tag mounted on the subject and storing subject ID information for identifying the subject;

an ID storage unit for storing a plurality of pieces of subject ID information;

an ID checker;

a radiation dose storage unit for storing radiation doses corresponding to the subject ID information; and

said radiation detecting cassette comprising a first wireless communication unit;

wherein said first wireless communication unit receives the subject ID information from said RFID tag by way of wireless communications;

wherein said ID checker checks the subject ID information received by said first wireless communication unit against the subject ID information stored in said ID storage unit, and if the subject ID information received by said first wireless communication unit matches one of the subject ID information stored in said ID storage unit, said ID checker associates the matching subject ID information with a radiation dose which is stored in said radiation dose storage unit and which corresponds to the matching subject ID information;

further comprising a controller for controlling said image capturing apparatus and said radiation detecting cassette, said controller having a third wireless communication unit;

wherein when said ID storage unit, said ID checker, and said radiation dose storage unit are disposed in said radiation detecting cassette, said first wireless communication unit transmits the associated subject ID information and the radiation dose to said third wireless communication unit by way of wireless communications;

wherein said ID storage unit, said ID checker, and said radiation dose storage unit are disposed in said radiation detecting cassette, and a control ID storage unit for storing a plurality of pieces of subject ID information, a control ID checker, and a control radiation dose storage unit are disposed in said controller;

wherein said control ID checker checks the subject ID information received by said third wireless communication unit against the subject ID information stored in said control ID storage unit, and if the subject ID information received by said third wireless communication unit matches one of the subject ID information stored in said control ID storage unit, said control ID checker stores the radiation dose received by said third wireless communication unit into said control radiation dose storage unit; and

further comprising;

an image capturing apparatus having a second wireless communication unit for performing wireless communications with said first wireless communication unit, said radiation source and a radiation source controller being disposed in said image capturing apparatus.

2. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein when said ID storage unit, said ID checker, and said radiation dose storage unit are disposed in said controller, said first wireless communication unit transmits the subject ID information received from said RFID tag, to said third wireless communication unit by way of wireless communications, and said ID checker checks the subject ID information received by said third wireless communication unit against the subject ID information stored in said ID storage unit.

3. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein when said ID storage unit and said ID checker are disposed in said radiation detecting cassette, and said radiation dose storage unit is disposed in said controller, said ID checker checks the received subject ID information against the subject ID information stored in said ID storage unit, and if the received subject ID information matches one of the subject ID information stored in said ID storage unit, said first wireless communication unit transmits the matching subject ID information to said third wireless communication unit by way of wireless communications, and the matching subject ID information transmitted from said first wireless communication unit is associated with a radiation dose which is stored in said radiation dose storage unit and which corresponds to the matching subject ID information.

4. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein said first, second, and third wireless communication units are capable of performing UWB wireless communications with each other.

5. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein when said controller receives a request for transmitting image capturing conditions of the subject from said image capturing apparatus, said controller transmits, to said image capturing apparatus, the image capturing conditions including the radiation dose stored in said control radiation dose storage unit.

6. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein said first wireless communication unit transmits the radiation image information converted by said radiation conversion panel, to said third wireless communication unit by way of wireless communications.

7. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a controller for controlling said image capturing apparatus and said radiation detecting cassette;

wherein said first wireless communication unit transmits the associated subject ID information and the radiation dose to said second wireless communication unit by way of wireless communications; and

said image capturing apparatus transfers, to said controller, the associated subject ID information and the radiation dose received by said second wireless communication unit.

8. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 7, wherein said ID storage unit, said ID checker, and said radiation dose storage unit are disposed in said radiation detecting cassette, and a control ID storage unit for storing a plurality of pieces of subject ID information, a control ID checker, and a control radiation dose storage unit are disposed in said controller;

and

wherein said control ID checker checks the subject ID information transferred from said image capturing apparatus to said controller against the subject ID information stored in said control ID storage unit, and if the subject ID information transferred from said image capturing apparatus to said controller matches one of the subject ID information stored in said control ID storage unit, said control ID checker stores the radiation dose transferred to said controller, into said control radiation dose storage unit.

9. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein said first wireless communication unit and said RFID tag are capable of performing UWB wireless communications with each other.

10. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein said radiation conversion panel acquires said radiation image information by directly converting said radiation into an electric signal.

11. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a substantially rectangular casing housing therein said radiation conversion panel, said ID storage unit, said ID checker, said radiation dose storage unit, and said first wireless communication unit, said casing being made of a material permeable to said radiation.

12. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display device for displaying a radiation image based on said radiation image information;

wherein said controller and said display device are capable of performing UWB wireless communications with each other.

13. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a wrist band having said RFID tag, said wrist band being mounted on a wrist of said patient.

14. A radiation image capturing system according to claim 1, wherein the ID checker associates matching subject ID information with the radiation dose stored in the radiation dose storage unit prior to capturing of an image by the image capturing apparatus.