Image recording and reading system

Details Image recording and reading system Image recording and reading system

1999-03-16

2001-05-22

Hannaher, Constantine (Department: 2878)

Radiant energy

Source with recording detector

Using a stimulable phosphor

C250S585000, C250S583000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06236058

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image recording and reading system and, particularly, such a system which enables a single image reading apparatus to read images in a radiation diagnosis system, an autoradiographic system, a chemiluminescence detecting system, an electron microscope detecting system and a radiographic diffraction image detecting system.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
There is known a radiation diagnosis system comprising the steps of employing, as a detecting material for the radiation, a stimulable phosphor which can absorb and store the energy of radiation upon being irradiated therewith and release a stimulated emission whose amount is proportional to that of the received radiation upon being stimulated with an electromagnetic wave having a specific wavelength range, storing and recording the energy of radiation transmitted through an object in the stimulable phosphor contained in a stimulable phosphor layer formed on a stimulable phosphor sheet, scanning the stimulable phosphor layer with an electromagnetic wave to excite the stimulable phosphor, photoelectrically detecting the stimulated emission released from the stimulable phosphor to produce digital image signals, effecting image processing on the obtained digital image signals, and reproducing an image on displaying means such as a CRT or the like or a recording material such as a photographic film (see for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Nos. 55-12429, 55-116340, 55-163472, 56-11395, 56-104645 and the like).
There is also known an autoradiography system comprising the steps of employing a similar stimulable phosphor as a detecting material for the radiation, introducing a radioactively labeled substance into an organism, using the organism or a part of the tissue of the organism as a specimen, placing the specimen and a stimulable phosphor sheet formed with a stimulable phosphor layer together in layers for a certain period of time, storing and recording radiation energy in a stimulable phosphor contained in the stimulable phosphor layer, scanning the stimulable phosphor layer with an electromagnetic wave to excite the stimulable phosphor, photoelectrically detecting the stimulated emission released from the stimulable phosphor to produce digital image signals, effecting image processing on the obtained digital image signals, and reproducing an image on displaying means such as a CRT or the like or a recording material such as a photographic film (see for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-60784, Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-60782, Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-3952 and the like).
There is further known chemiluminescence detecting system comprising the steps of employing, as a detecting material for light, a stimulable phosphor which can absorb and store the energy of light upon being irradiated therewith and release a stimulated emission whose amount is proportional to that of the received light upon being stimulated with an electromagnetic wave having a specific wavelength range, selectively labeling a fixed high molecular substance such as a protein or a nucleic acid sequence with a labeling substance which generates chemiluminescent emission when it contacts a chemiluminescent substance, contacting the high molecular substance selectively labeled with the labeling substance and the chemiluminescent substance, storing and recording the chemiluminescent emission in the wavelength of visible light generated by the contact of the chemiluminescent substance and the labeling substance in the stimulable phosphor contained in a stimulable phosphor layer formed on a stimulable phosphor sheet, scanning the stimulable phosphor layer with an electromagnetic wave to excite the stimulable phosphor, photoelectrically detecting the stimulated emission released from the stimulable phosphor to produce digital image signals, effecting image processing on the obtained digital image signals, and reproducing an image on displaying means such as a CRT or a recording material such as a photographic film (see for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,793, UK Patent Application 2,246,197 A and the like).
There are further known an electron microscope detecting system and a radiographic diffraction image detecting system comprising the steps of employing, as a detecting material for an electron beam or radiation, a stimulable phosphor which can absorb and store the energy of an electron beam or radiation upon being irradiated therewith and release a stimulated emission whose amount is proportional to that of the received electron beam or radiation upon being stimulated with an electromagnetic wave having a specific wavelength range, irradiating a metal or nonmetal specimen with an electron beam and effecting elemental analysis, composition analysis or structural analysis of the specimen by detecting a diffraction image or a transmission image, or irradiating the tissue of an organism with an electron beam and detecting an image of the tissue of the organism, or irradiating a specimen with radiation, detecting a radiographic diffraction image and effecting structural analysis of the specimen (see for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 61-51738, Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 61-93538, Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 59-15843 and the like).
Unlike the system using a photographic film, according to these systems using the stimulable phosphor as a detecting material for an image, development which is chemical processing, becomes unnecessary. Further, it is possible reproduce a desired image by effecting image processing on the obtained image data and effect quantitative analysis using a computer. Use of a stimulable phosphor in these processes is therefore advantageous.
Either of the radiation diagnosis system, the autoradiographic system, the chemiluninescence detecting system, the electron microscope detecting system and the radiographic diffraction image detecting system stores an image in the stimulable phosphor, scans the stimulable phosphor layer with anaelectromagnetic wave to excite the stimulable phosphor, photoelectrically detects the stimulated emission released from the stimulable phosphor and reproduces an image and these systems are often used for similar purposes. Therefore, it is preferable that images in these system can be read by a single image reading apparatus.
However, the wavelength of a stimulating ray which can effectively excite the stimulable phosphor employed in the radiation diagnosis system, the autoradiographic system and the electron microscope detecting system and the radiographic diffraction image detecting system differs from the wavelength of a stimulating ray which can effectively excite the stimulable phosphor employed in the chemiluninescence detecting system. Further, the sensitivity is not satisfactory in the case where a chemiluninescent image is recorded using a stimulable phosphor which can effectively used in the radiation diagnosis system, the autoradiographic system and the electron microscope detecting system and the radiographic diffraction image detecting system, the stimulable phosphor layer is then scanned with an electromagnetic wave to excite the stimulable phosphor and the stimulated emission released from the stimulable phosphor is photoelectrically detected to reproduce an image, while the sensitivity is also not satisfactory in the case where a radiation image, an autoradiographic image, an electron microscope image or a radiographic diffraction image is recorded using a stimulable phosphor which can effectively used in the chemiluninescence detecting system, the stimulable phosphor layer is then scanned with an electromagnetic wave to excite the stimulable phosphor and the stimulated emission released from the stimulable phosphor is photoelectrically detected to reproduce an image. Therefore, it is impossible to read images in these systems by a single image reading apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an image recordin

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