Radiation imaging system and radiography system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9968311-B2
Application number	US-201615082343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2015
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

A radiation imaging system includes a holding unit configured to hold a plurality of radiation imaging apparatuses configured to convert radiation emitted onto the plurality of radiation imaging apparatuses into image signals. The radiation imaging system is configured to obtain a long radiographic image based on the image signals respectively from the plurality of radiation imaging apparatuses. The holding unit is configured to hold the plurality of radiation imaging apparatuses having imaging areas of different sizes, in such a manner that the plurality of radiation imaging apparatuses is partially overlapped with each other spatially, by a predetermined overlapping area as viewed from a radiation incident side.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radiation imaging system comprising:
a holding unit configured to hold a plurality of radiation imaging apparatuses configured to convert radiation emitted onto the radiation imaging apparatuses into image signals, and configured to obtain a long-length radiographic image based on the image signals from the plurality of radiation imaging apparatuses,
wherein the holding unit is configured to hold the plurality of radiation imaging apparatuses, having imaging areas of different sizes, in such a manner that each radiation imaging apparatus among the plurality of radiation imaging apparatuses is partially overlapped with each other spatially, by a predetermined overlapping area as viewed from a radiation incident side.

2. The radiation imaging system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the imaging areas are each an area corresponding to a pixel array, including a plurality of pixels arranged in a two-dimensional matrix, included in each of the radiation imaging apparatuses, and
wherein the holding unit is configured to be movable in accordance with the sizes of the image areas.

3. The radiation imaging system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the plurality of radiation imaging apparatuses has sizes corresponding to the sizes of the imaging areas, and
wherein the holding unit is configured to be movable in accordance with the sizes of the plurality of radiation imaging apparatuses.

4. The radiation imaging system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the holding unit includes a holding member configured to hold one of the plurality of radiation imaging apparatuses at an outside portion of a corresponding one of the imaging areas, and a connecting member mechanically connected to the holding member in a state where the holding member is movable, and
wherein the connecting member is disposed on a side of the one of the plurality of radiation imaging apparatuses opposite to the radiation incident side.

5. The radiation imaging system according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a supporting member to which the connecting member is mechanically connected,
wherein the connecting member is mechanically connected to the supporting member so as to be movable in a longitudinal direction of the radiographic image, in accordance with the size of the imaging area, and
wherein the holding member is mechanically connected to the connecting member so as to be movable in a lateral direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction.

6. The radiation imaging system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the holding unit includes an upper stage holding member, an upper stage connecting member, a middle stage holding member, a middle stage connecting member, a lower stage holding member, and a lower stage connecting member,
wherein the upper stage holding member is configured to hold a radiation imaging apparatus disposed in an upper stage among the plurality of radiation imaging apparatuses, at an outside portion of the imaging area of the radiation imaging apparatus disposed in the upper stage,
wherein the upper stage connecting member is mechanically connected to the upper stage holding member in a state of being capable of moving the upper stage holding member, and is disposed on a side of the radiation imaging apparatus disposed in the upper stage opposite to the radiation incident side,
wherein the middle stage holding member is configured to hold a radiation imaging apparatus disposed in a middle stage among the plurality of radiation imaging apparatus, at an outside portion of the imaging area of the radiation imaging apparatus disposed in the middle stage,
wherein the middle stage connecting member is mechanically connected to the middle stage holding member in a state where the middle stage holding member is movable, and is disposed on a side of the radiation imaging apparatus disposed in the middle stage opposite to the radiation incident side,
wherein the lower stage holding member is configured to hold a radiation imaging apparatus disposed in a lower stage among the plurality of radiation imaging apparatus, at an outside portion of the imaging area of the radiation imaging apparatus disposed in the lower stage, and
wherein the lower stage connecting member is mechanically connected to the lower stage holding member in a state where the lower stage holding member is movable, and is disposed on a side of the radiation imaging apparatus disposed in the lower stage opposite to the radiation incident side.

7. The radiation imaging system according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a supporting member to which the upper stage connecting member, the middle stage connecting member, and the lower stage connecting member are mechanically connected,
wherein the lower stage connecting member is fixed to the supporting member, and a movement of the middle stage connecting member is restricted at a position where a movement restriction member, provided to the middle stage holding member, comes into contact with the radiation imaging apparatus disposed in the lower stage.

8. The radiation imaging system according to claim 7 , wherein a movement of the upper stage connecting member is restricted at a position where the upper stage connecting member comes into contact with the radiation imaging apparatus disposed in the middle stage.

9. The radiation imaging system according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a supporting member to which the upper stage connecting member, the middle stage connecting member, and the lower stage connecting member are mechanically connected,
wherein the upper stage connecting member moves to a position where the radiation imaging apparatus in the upper stage comes into contact with a movement restriction member of the supporting member by an upper stage elastic member disposed between the upper stage connecting member and a protrusion of the supporting member, and
wherein the middle stage connecting member moves to a position where the radiation imaging apparatus in the middle stage comes into contact with the upper stage connecting member by an middle stage elastic member disposed between the middle stage connecting member and a protrusion of the supporting member.

10. The radiation imaging system according to claim 9 , wherein the lower stage connecting member moves to a position where the radiation imaging apparatus in the lower stage comes into contact with a movement restriction member of the middle stage connecting member by an lower stage elastic member disposed between the lower stage connecting member and a protrusion of the supporting member.

11. The radiation imaging system according to claim 6 ,
wherein the upper stage holding member is mechanically connected to the upper stage connecting member so as to be movable in a lateral direction intersecting with a longitudinal direction of the radiographic image,
wherein the middle stage holding member is mechanically connected to the middle stage connecting member so as to be movable in the lateral direction, and
wherein the lower stage holding member is mechanically connected to the lower stage connecting member so as to be movable in the lateral direction.

12. The radiation imaging system according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a first measurement unit configured to measure position information corresponding to a lateral direction, intersecting with a longitudinal direction of the radiographic image, of the holding unit;
a second measurement unit configured to measure position information corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the connecting member; and
a control unit configured to perform overall control on image processing executed by the radiation imaging system,
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Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Tagawa Motoki
• Suzuki Masataka
• Suzaki Ryo
• Sakuragi Shichihei

Classifications

• A61B6/08 Primary

  Auxiliary means for directing the radiation beam to a particular spot, e.g. using light beams · CPC title

• A61B6/587

  Alignment of source unit to detector unit · CPC title

• A61B6/4452

  the source unit and the detector unit being able to move relative to each other · CPC title

• A61B6/4266

  characterised by using a plurality of detector units (A61B6/4014 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B6/5217

  extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data · CPC title