Radiography apparatus and radiography system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11129584-B2
Application number	US-201916725140-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2019
Priority date	Nov 27, 2014
Publication date	Sep 28, 2021
Grant date	Sep 28, 2021

Abstract

The present invention provides a radiography apparatus that can effectively exhibit the advantages of individual image capturing modes, namely, a controlled mode and an autonomous mode. A radiography apparatus includes: a plurality of radiation detecting elements that are arrayed two-dimensionally and that generate charges in accordance with the dose of radiation used for irradiation; and a control means that exercises control so as to at least read the charges from the individual radiation detecting elements and generate image data, wherein the image capturing mode can be switched between a controlled mode, in which image capturing is controlled via an external console, and an autonomous mode, in which image capturing is executed autonomously without being controlled via the console, and when the image capturing mode is switched between the controlled mode and the autonomous mode, the control means switches its processing method to a processing method for the image capturing mode entered after the switching.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A radiographic image capturing apparatus comprising:
a plurality of radiation detecting elements that generate one or more electric charges in proportion to a dose of radiation emitted by a radiation irradiating apparatus and passing through a subject;
a controller that performs control to read the electric charges from the radiation detecting elements and generate image data; and
an own connector that is connectable with an external connector, wherein
the radiographic image capturing apparatus is capable of image capturing in a state of not being connected with the radiation irradiating apparatus,
the radiographic image capturing apparatus has, as an image capturing mode, a controlled mode in which the radiographic image capturing apparatus is under control of an external capturing control device and a stand-alone mode in which the radiographic image capturing apparatus performs the image capturing without the control of the external capturing control device,
when the external connector is connected to the own connector in a state in which the radiographic image capturing apparatus is capable of operating in the stand-alone mode, the image capturing mode is switched to the controlled mode from the stand-alone mode, and
in response to the external connector being disconnected from the own connector, if a default image capturing mode is the stand-alone mode, the image capturing mode switches to the stand-alone mode, whereas if the default image capturing mode is the controlled mode, the image capturing mode remains the controlled mode.

2. The radiographic image capturing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
in the controlled mode, the radiographic image capturing apparatus sends the image data read from the radiation detecting elements or radiographic image data after image correction of the image data, to the capturing control device, immediately after the image capturing, and
in the stand-alone mode, the radiographic image capturing apparatus stores the image data read from the radiation detecting elements or the radiographic image data in a storage unit after the image capturing and sends the image data or the radiographic image data to the capturing control device based on establishment of wireless or wired connection with the capturing control device.

3. The radiographic image capturing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein in the stand-alone mode, the radiographic image capturing apparatus stores the image data read from the radiation detecting elements or the radiographic image data in the storage unit after the image capturing and sends the image data or the radiographic image data to the capturing control device upon the establishment of wireless or wired connection with the capturing control device.

4. The radiographic image capturing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a memory that stores identification information on one or more external devices each having the external connector, wherein
when identification information on an external device having the external connector connected to the own connector is included in the identification information stored in the memory, the imaging capturing mode switches to the controlled mode.

5. The radiographic image capturing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the image capturing mode switches to the stand-alone mode when the external connector is disconnected from the own connector.

6. The radiographic image capturing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein when the external device having the external connector is a cradle that charges the radiographic image capturing apparatus, the image capturing mode does not switch to the stand-alone mode even when the external connector is disconnected from the own connector.

7. The radiographic image capturing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein a notification indicating that the image capturing mode switches to the stand-alone mode is provided before the image capturing mode switches to the stand-alone mode, and the image capturing mode switches to the stand-alone mode upon an input operation that gives permission for the switch.

8. The radiographic image capturing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein a notification indicating that the image capturing mode switches to the controlled mode is provided before the image capturing mode switches to the controlled mode, and the image capturing mode switches to the controlled mode upon an input operation that gives permission for the switch.

9. A radiographic image capturing system comprising:
a radiographic image capturing apparatus that is capable of image capturing in a state of not being connected with a radiation irradiating apparatus, comprising:
a plurality of radiation detecting elements that generate one or more electric charges in proportion to a dose of incident radiation emitted by the radiation irradiating apparatus and passing through a subject; and
a controller that performs control to read the electric charges from the radiation detecting elements and generate image data;

an own connector that is connectable with an external connector; and
a capturing control device capable of controlling an operation of the radiographic image capturing apparatus, wherein
the radiographic image capturing apparatus has an image capturing mode, a controlled mode in which the radiographic image capturing apparatus is under control of the capturing control device, and a stand-alone mode in which the radiographic image capturing apparatus performs the image capturing without the control of the capturing control device,
when the external connector is connected to the own connector in a state in which the radiographic image capturing apparatus is capable of operating in the stand-alone mode, the image capturing mode is switched to the controlled mode from the stand-alone mode, and
in response to the external connector being disconnected from the own connector, if a default image capturing mode is the stand-alone mode, the image capturing mode switches to the stand-alone mode, whereas if the default image capturing mode is the controlled mode the image capturing mode remains the controlled mode.

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Hiroshige Akira
• Matsushita Wataru
• Miyake Nobuyuki
• Tezuka Hidetake
• Hosoki Tetsu
• Gido Tomonori

Classifications

• H04N25/70

  SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith · CPC title

• H04N23/60

  Control of cameras or camera modules · CPC title

• H04N23/667

  Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes · CPC title

• H10F39/12

  Image sensors · CPC title

• A61B6/486

  involving generating temporal series of image data · CPC title