Radiant energy – Source with recording detector – Using a stimulable phosphor
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-05
2004-07-06
Gagliardl, Albert (Department: 2878)
Radiant energy
Source with recording detector
Using a stimulable phosphor
C250S484400, C250S581000, C250S585000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06759673
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radiation image readout method and apparatus for reading out a radiation image, based on the radiation energy stored on a stimulable phosphor sheet, by projecting an excitation light onto the stimulable phosphor sheet.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are known stimulable phosphors, which upon the irradiation thereof by radiation, store a portion of the radiation energy, and emit upon the subsequent irradiation thereof with a visible light, a laser light, or other excitation light, a stimulated emission corresponding to the stored radiation energy. Radiation image readout apparatuses employing, for example, stimulable phosphor sheets comprising a stimulable phosphor layer containing stimulable phosphors formed on a substrate, to temporarily record the radiation image data of the radiation that has passed through a human body or other subject of photographing upon the irradiation thereof by a radiation, then causing stimulated emission to be generated by irradiating the stimulable phosphor sheet with an excitation light such as laser light, are in wide use as CR (Computed Radiography) apparatuses. Further, in accordance with the radiation image readout apparatus utilizing the stimulable phosphor sheet described above and with a view to reduce the readout time of the stimulated emission as well as making the apparatus more compact and of reduced cost, configurations have been proposed wherein: a line light source is used as an excitation light source for projecting an excitation light in a line beam onto the stimulable phosphor sheet, together with a line sensor formed of a plurality of photoelectric converting elements arranged in a straight line along the lengthwise direction of the line-shaped portions of a stimulable phosphor sheet that have been irradiated with the excitation light emitted from the line light source (hereinafter referred to as the main scanning direction); and a scanning means moves the line light source and line sensor relative to the stimulable phosphor sheet from one end of thereof to the other, in the direction substantially perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the aforementioned line-shaped portions (hereinafter referred to as the sub-scanning direction). Refer to, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 60 (1985)-111568, 60(1985)-236354, and 1(1989)-101540.
Further, there are widely known, as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 1(1989)-60784, 1(1989)-60782 and 4(1992)-3952, autoradiography detection systems employing stimulable phosphor sheets, wherein: a material that has been radioactively labeled is administered to an organism; the organism or a part of the organism is taken as a sample and overlaid on a stimulable phosphor sheet for a predetermined time interval so as to cumulatively record the radiation energy of the radioactively labeled sample onto the stimulable phosphor sheet; an excitation light beam such as a laser beam is scanned over the stimulable phosphor sheet, thereby causing each part of the stimulable phosphor sheet exposed to the excitation light beam to emit a stimulated emission; and the stimulated emission is photoelectrically detected, whereby an image signal representing the radiation image of the sample is obtained. According to the autoradiography detection systems, the excitation light is caused to scan over the entire surface of the sample by moving the optical system in both the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction relative to a stage on which the sample has been placed and maintained in a stationary position, or by moving the optical system in the main scanning direction, in which the excitation light is required to scan the sample at a high speed, and moving the stage in the sub-scanning direction, in which the excitation light can scan the sample at a relatively low speed.
The image signal obtained in each of the aforesaid systems is subjected to image processing such as gradation processing, frequency processing and/or the like appropriate for rendering the image to be read, and a radiation image of the sample is reproduced, based on the processed radiation image signal, on a recording medium such as a photographic film or a display such as a high-resolution CRT as a visible diagnostic image (a final image) for diagnosis. The visible diagnostic image is then diagnostically read by a physician, or subjected to a quantitative analysis by a computer to perform the diagnosis.
Further, there have been developed microarray detection systems, wherein: known binding materials, e.g., hormones, tumor markers, enzymes, antibodies, antigens, abzymes, other proteins, nucleic acids, cDNAs, DNAs, mRNAs and the like, each of which is capable of binding to a specific organism-derived material, according to known properties such as the sequence, lengths, the composition and/or the like of bases, are applied in droplets, by use of a spotting apparatus, onto a substrate such as a membrane filter to form a microarray of independent spots; an organism-derived material, e.g., hormone, tumor marker, enzyme, antibody, antigen, abzyme, other protein, nucleic acid, cDNA, DNA, mRNA or the like, which has been obtained as a sample from an organism by simple separation, an extraction process or the like and chemically processed or modified as desired, and radioactively labeled, is hybridized with the known binding materials on the microarray, the binding materials to which the sample material binds are radioactively labeled; the microarray is brought into close contact with a stimulable phosphor sheet to expose the stimulable phosphor sheet in the pattern of distribution of the radioactive labeling on the microarray; an excitation light beam such as a laser beam is scanned over the stimulable phosphor sheet, thereby causing the stimulable phosphor sheet exposed to the excitation light beam to emit a stimulated emission; and the stimulated emission is photoelectrically detected, whereby an analysis of the organism-derived material sampled from the organic body is obtained. According to the microarray detection system, as in the autoradiography detection system, the excitation light scanning system can be of a configuration wherein: the excitation light beam is scanned over the entire surface of the sample by moving the optical system in both the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction with respect to a stage on which the substrate has placed held stationary, or by moving the optical system in the main scanning direction, in which the excitation light is required to scan the sample at a high speed, and moving the stage in the sub-scanning direction, in which the excitation light can scan the sample at a relatively low speed. In the case of the microarray detection system, since the sample is small in size, the excitation light beam may be caused to scan the surface of the support by moving the stage in the main scanning direction or in both the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction.
According to the above-described systems wherein a stimulable phosphor sheet, on which radiation energy has been cumulatively stored, is scanned in the main scanning direction and in the sub-scanning direction by an excitation light beam, and the stimulated emission emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet upon the irradiation thereof by the excitation light beam is detected, because there are cases in which it is necessary to read out at a high resolution the radiation image stored on the stimulable phosphor sheet, in order to prevent the scattering of the excitation light within the interior portion of the stimulable phosphor sheet in such cases, a colorant, such as an navy blue colorant that selectively absorbs the excitation light can be added to the stimulable phosphor sheet in advance, whereby the diffusion rate of the excitation light can be controlled, and the readout can be performed at a high resolution.
However, if a stimulable phosphor sheet contains a colorant such a
Akimoto Kousuke
Akimoto Taisuke
Akimoto Taizo
Akimoto Yaeko
Hakamata Masashi
Akimoto Kousuke
Akimoto Taisuke
Akimoto Yaeko
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Gagliardl Albert
LandOfFree
Radiation image readout method and apparatus does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Radiation image readout method and apparatus, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Radiation image readout method and apparatus will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3200499