Sheet feeding or delivering – Feeding and delivering – Conveyor releases to subsequent conveyor
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-05
2003-06-03
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Feeding and delivering
Conveyor releases to subsequent conveyor
C271S276000, C355S076000, C346S138000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06572095
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of and a system for conveying a sheet to be scanned to an arcuate concave surface of a sheet holding device, such a sheet holding device, and a method of holding the sheet.
2. Description of the Related Art
When certain kinds of phosphors are exposed to a radiation such as X-rays, &agr;-rays, &bgr;-rays, &ggr;-rays, cathode rays or ultraviolet rays, they store a part of the radiation. Then when the phosphor which has been exposed to the radiation is exposed to stimulating rays such as visible light, light is emitted from the phosphor in proportion to the stored energy of the radiation. A phosphor exhibiting such properties is generally referred to as “a stimulable phosphor”. In this specification, the light emitted from the stimulable phosphor upon stimulation thereof will be referred to as “stimulated emission”. There has been known a radiation image recording and reproducing system in which a sheet provided with a layer of the stimulable phosphor (will be referred to as “a stimulable phosphor sheet”, hereinbelow) is first exposed to a radiation passing through an object to have a radiation image of the object stored on the stimulable phosphor sheet, a stimulating light beam such as a laser beam is caused to scan the stimulable phosphor sheet so that the stimulable phosphor sheet emits stimulated emission as signal light bearing thereon information on the radiation image, the stimulated emission is photoelectrically detected, thereby obtaining an image signal (a radiation image signal), and the radiation image of the object is reproduced as a visible image on the basis of the image signal on a recording medium such as a photographic film or a display such as a CRT. See, for instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 55(1980)-12429, 56(1981)11395 and 56(1981)-11397, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 1(1989)-60784.
There has been known an autoradiography using the principle of the radiation image recording and reproducing system in which an organism such as a rat is administered with a radioactive marker substance, a sample of a tissue of the organism is kept on the stimulable phosphor layer of the stimulable phosphor sheet for a predetermined time to have the stimulable phosphor absorb radiation energy radiated from the sample, a stimulating light beam is caused to scan the stimulable phosphor sheet so that the stimulable phosphor sheet emits stimulated emission, the stimulated emission is photoelectrically detected to form a digital image signal, a predetermined signal processing is carried out on the digital image signal, and a visible image is reproduced on the basis of the processed digital image signal on a recording medium such as a photographic film or a display such as a CRT, thereby obtaining information on the distribution of the radioactive marker substance in the sample. See, for instance, Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 1(1989)-60784, 1(1989)-60782 and 4(1992)-3952.
Further, there has been proposed a chemiluminescence detecting system in which a high polymer fixed with its protein sequence, nucleic acid sequence and the like is selectively labeled with a marker substance which causes a chemiluminescence substance to emit chemiluminescence upon contact therewith, the high polymer selectively labeled with the marker substance is brought into contact with a chemiluminescence substance, the stimulable phosphor of the stimulable phosphor sheet is caused to store the energy of the chemiluminescence in a visible wavelength range emitted upon contact of the marker substance with the chemiluminescence substance, an electromagnetic beam is caused to scan the stimulable phosphor sheet so that the stimulable phosphor sheet emits stimulated emission, the stimulated emission is photoelectrically detected to form a digital image signal, a predetermined signal processing is carried out on the digital image signal, and a visible image is reproduced on the basis of the processed digital image signal on a recording medium such as a photographic film or a display such as a CRT, thereby obtaining information on the high polymer such as genetic information. See, for instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 3(1991)-205550 and 4(1992)-232864.
These systems includes an image read-out apparatus having a stimulating beam scanning device for scanning the stimulable phosphor sheet with a stimulating beam or the like. The stimulating beam scanning device generally comprises, as shown in
FIG. 2A
, a sheet holding device
20
which holds a stimulable phosphor sheet
10
on a sheet holding surface
23
a
, which is an arcuate concave surface, and is movable in the direction of arrow Y parallel to the generatrix of the sheet holding surface
23
a
, a stimulating light source
40
, a photoelectric conversion means
50
such as a photomultiplier which outputs an electric signal S according to the amount of light received and a spinner (a main scanning means)
30
which is rotated in the direction of arrow X by an electric motor (not shown) about a central axis Y
0
of curvature of the arcuate sheet holding surface
23
a
while projecting a beam L of stimulating light emitted from the stimulating light source
40
onto the stimulable phosphor sheet
10
held on the sheet holding surface
23
a
through a lens
31
provided on a part of its peripheral wall, collecting stimulated emission M emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet
10
upon stimulation by the stimulating light beam L, and causing the collected stimulated emission M to impinge upon the photoelectric conversion means
50
.
As shown in more detail in
FIG. 2B
, the spinner
30
is provided therein a mirror
32
which reflects the stimulating light beam L, which is emitted from the stimulating light source
40
and reflected by a mirror
41
and a dichroic mirror
42
to enter the spinner
30
along the central axis Y
0
, toward a condenser lens
31
provided on the peripheral surface of the spinner
30
. The mirror
32
also reflects the stimulated emission M, which is emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet
10
and collected by the condenser lens
31
, toward the photoelectric conversion means
50
along the central axis Y
0
.
Conventionally, the stimulable phosphor sheet
10
is conveyed to the sheet holding surface
23
a
of the sheet holding device
20
of the image read-out apparatus, for instance, by a sheet conveying system shown in
FIGS. 4A and 4B
which are views as seen in the direction of arrow A in FIG.
2
A.
The sheet conveying system shown in
FIGS. 4A and 4B
comprises conveyor rollers
21
and
22
which convey the stimulable phosphor sheet
10
along the sheet holding surface
23
a
in the circumferential direction, a leading end detecting means which is formed by a lever
24
urged by a spring
24
a
and a sensor
26
and detects that the leading end
10
a
of the stimulable phosphor sheet
10
reaches a predetermined position where it abuts against a stopper
23
b
, and a sheet positioning means
25
which positions the stimulable phosphor sheet
10
in place on the sheet holding surface
23
a
by positioning the trailing end
10
b
of the stimulable phosphor sheet
10
in response to detection of the leading end
10
a
by the leading end detecting means. That is, when the leading end
10
b
of the stimulable phosphor sheet
10
is brought into abutment against one end portion of the lever
24
and moves upward the lever
24
overcoming the force of the spring
24
a
, the lever
24
is rotated in the clockwise direction to the stopper
23
b
as shown in FIG.
4
B. The sensor
26
is normally detecting the distance to the other end portion of the lever
24
and the sensor
26
detects that the leading end
10
a
of the stimulable phosphor sheet
10
reaches the stopper
23
through the distance to the other end portion of the lever
24
. Then the sensor
26
informs a control means
27
of the fact that it has detected that the leading end
10
a
of the stimulable phosphor sheet
10
reaches the stop
Katou Hirokazu
Muraishi Katsuaki
Deuble Mark A.
Ellis Christopher P.
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
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