Electronic radiography system and signal relay device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9967962-B2
Application number	US-201514608485-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2015
Priority date	Aug 22, 2012
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

A signal relay device comprises a first connection I/F, to which an emission switch is connected, a second connection I/F, to which an emission signal I/F of an electronic cassette is connected, and a third connection I/F, to which a switch I/F of a source control device is connected, and a signal processing unit. The signal processing unit generates an emission execution signal during a time period in which an emission command signal from the emission switch and an emission enable signal from the electronic cassette are inputted. The source control device drives an X-ray tube to allow X-ray emission while the emission execution signal is inputted.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic radiography system comprising:
(A) a radiation generating apparatus comprising:
a radiation source for emitting radiation to a subject;
an emission switch for generating an emission command signal to command start of emission of the radiation; and
a source control device having a switch I/F to which the emission command signal is inputted, the source control device allowing the radiation source to emit the radiation for radiography while the emission command signal is inputted;

(B) an electronic radiographic image detection device comprising:
a sensor panel for converting the radiation passed through the subject into an electric signal during the radiography and outputting a radiographic image of the subject;
a dose measurement sensor for measuring a dose of the radiation during the radiography; and
a controller for generating an emission enable signal, the emission enable signal determining a time period from a time when the emission is enabled in response to the emission command signal until a time for stopping the emission, the time for stopping the emission being determined by the controller through determining that a radiation exposure dose of the subject has reached a predetermined value based on measurement with the dose measurement sensor; and

(C) a signal relay device comprising:
a first connection I/F for receiving the emission command signal from the emission switch;
a second connection I/F for transmitting the emission command signal to the electronic radiographic image detection device and receiving the emission enable signal from the electronic radiographic image detection device;
a signal processing unit for generating an emission execution signal based on the emission command signal and the emission enable signal; and
a third connection I/F for transmitting the emission execution signal to the switch I/F of the source control device,

wherein the signal relay device is provided separately from the radiation generating apparatus.

2. The electronic radiography system according to claim 1 , wherein normal pixels, which detect the radiographic image, and measurement pixels, being the dose measurement sensor, are placed in a mixed arrangement in two-dimensions in the sensor panel.

3. The electronic radiography system according to claim 2 , wherein the electronic radiographic image detection device is an electronic cassette in which the sensor panel and the controller are accommodated in a portable housing.

4. The electronic radiography system according to claim 1 , wherein the emission command signal is outputted continuously while the emission switch is operated.

5. The electronic radiography system according to claim 4 , wherein the signal processing unit is configured to perform the steps of:
(a) transmitting an emission start request signal to the electronic radiographic image detection device through the second connection I/F in response to input of the emission command signal, the emission start request signal asking whether to start the emission of the radiation;
(b) receiving the emission enable signal from the electronic radiographic image detection device through the second connection I/F;
(c) generating an ON signal in response to the emission enable signal, from the time when the emission is enabled until the time for stopping the emission; and
(d) generating the emission execution signal based on the emission command signal and the ON signal.

6. The electronic radiography system according to claim 5 , wherein the signal processing unit comprises a synchronization processing unit for performing the steps (a) to (c) and an AND circuit for performing the step (d).

7. The electronic radiography system according to claim 5 , wherein the emission enable signal has a waveform outputted continuously from the time when the emission is enabled until the time for stopping the emission.

8. The electronic radiography system according to claim 5 , wherein the emission enable signal has a pulse waveform and is generated repeatedly at predetermined intervals from the time when the emission is enabled until the time for stopping the emission.

9. The electronic radiography system according to claim 5 , wherein the emission enable signal has a pulse-like emission start signal generated at the time when the emission is enabled and a pulse-like emission stop signal generated at the time for stopping the emission.

10. The electronic radiography system according to claim 5 , wherein the signal relay device has a conversion mode, which is chosen in a case where the electronic radiographic image detection device is used, and a through mode, which is chosen in a case where the electronic radiographic image detection device is not used; and
the signal processing unit is activated and the emission execution signal is generated in the conversion mode; and
the emission command signal inputted from the emission switch through the first connection I/F is inputted as the emission execution signal to the source control device through the third connection I/F in the through mode.

11. The electronic radiography system according to claim 10 , wherein a radiographic image recording device using a radiation film or a radiographic image detection device using an IP plate is used in the through mode.

12. The electronic radiography system according to claim 11 , wherein the emission switch generates a warm-up command signal, which commands warm-up of the radiation source, before outputting the emission command signal; and
the signal relay device outputs the warm-up command signal to the source control device through the third connection I/F.

13. A signal relay device used in an electronic radiography system comprising a radiation generating apparatus and an electronic radiographic image detection device, the radiation generating apparatus emitting radiation to a subject in response to input of an emission execution signal, the electronic radiographic image detection device detecting a radiographic image based on the radiation passed through the subject, the electronic radiographic image detection device generating an emission enable signal, the emission enable signal determining a time period from a time when emission of the radiation is enabled in response to an emission command signal until a time for stopping the emission, the time for stopping the emission being determined by determining that a radiation exposure dose of the subject has reached a predetermined value based on measurement with a dose measurement sensor, the signal relay device comprising:
a first connection I/F for receiving the emission command signal from an emission switch, being a component of the radiation generating apparatus;
a second connection I/F for transmitting the emission command signal to the electronic radiographic image detection device and receiving the emission enable signal from the electronic radiographic image detection device;
a signal processing unit for generating the emission execution signal based on the emission command signal and the emission enable signal; and
a third connection I/F for transmitting the emission execution signal to the source control device,
wherein the signal relay device is provided separately from the radiation generating apparatus.

14. The signal relay device according to claim 13 , further configured to perform the steps of:
(a) transmitting an emission start request signal to the electronic radiographic image detection device through the second connection I/F in response to input of the emission command signal, the emission start request signal asking whether to start t

Assignees

• Fujifilm Corp

Inventors

• Imamura Ryou

Classifications

• A61B6/542

  involving control of exposure · CPC title

• G05B1/03

  for comparing digital signals · CPC title

• G05B19/0425

  Safety, monitoring · CPC title

• H05G1/42

  using arrangements for switching when a predetermined dose of radiation has been applied, e.g. in which the switching instant is determined by measuring the electrical energy supplied to the tube · CPC title

• A61B6/4233 Primary

  using matrix detectors · CPC title