JP5061025B2 - Sample holder for X-ray imaging - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention includes a sample holder that holds a sample during X-ray imaging and that is irradiated with X-rays together with the sample.

  X-ray imaging in which a plurality of samples are arranged on a tray and these are scanned with an X-ray beam at a time is known. For example, a plurality of bones extracted from a small animal such as a mouse were photographed side by side on a flat tray. The following Patent Document 1 shows a support tool having a plurality of small chambers for storing small-diameter samples. X-ray imaging, particularly X-ray CT is performed in the state where a plurality of samples are stored in the support tool. .

JP 60-214244 A

  When a plurality of samples are photographed at once, it is necessary to separate information such as images obtained for each sample, but there has been a demand to automate this.

  The sample holder according to the present invention shields X-rays that separate adjacent samples from each other on a sample tray having a plurality of recesses for receiving samples and a sample tray. And a partition member made of material. X-ray imaging is performed together with the partition member while the sample is accommodated.

  The sample holder may have a lid that is detachably placed on the sample tray, and the partition member may be integrated with the lid.

  Moreover, the said lid | cover can be made into the plate shape with thickness, and the said partition member can have a dimension equal to this thickness in the thickness direction of a lid | cover.

  Further, the width of the concave portion can be narrowed as the depth becomes deeper. For example, the recess can have a triangular cross section.

  Further, a flat surface wider than the width of the partition member can be provided between the concave portions of the sample tray.

  An image of the partition member is reflected in the X-ray image, and information can be divided for each sample based on the image of the partition member.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view of an X-ray imaging apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of a configuration related to X-ray imaging inside the apparatus. The X-ray imaging apparatus 10 includes a main body 12 and a sample holder 14 that can be attached to and detached from the main body 12. The sample holder 14 includes a tray 16 on which a sample is placed and a lid 18 placed on the tray 16. A sample is placed on the tray 16, and further, covered with a lid 18 from above, set in the main body 12 and imaged. The main body 12 includes a base portion 20, a column portion 22 erected on the base portion 20, and an arm portion 24 that extends from the column portion 22 so as to face the base portion 20. The base 20, the pillar 22, and the arm 24 form a substantially “U” shape when viewed from the side, and receive the sample holder 14 from the open side of the U shape. The sample holder 14 is placed on a placement surface 26 that is the upper surface of the base 20. Alternatively, a table may be placed on the mounting surface 26 and the sample holder 14 may be placed thereon.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an X-ray generator 28 and a power supply 30 that supplies power to the X-ray generator 28 are accommodated in the main body 12. The X-ray generator 28 emits X-rays of a so-called fan beam that expands from the focal point into a fan shape. A detector 32 is housed in the arm 24, and X-rays emitted from the X-ray generator 28 are detected by the detector 32. The detector 32 includes a one-dimensional array of detector elements corresponding to the shape of the fan beam. The X-ray generator 28 and the detector 32 are coupled by a bracket 34 and move integrally within the main body 12. The direction of this movement is a direction that penetrates the paper surface of FIG. 2, and is a direction that intersects the plane formed by the fan beam, preferably a direction that is orthogonal. The X-ray generator 28 and the detector 32 are moved together while irradiating the X-ray with the X-ray generator 28 and detecting with the detector 32, thereby scanning the X-ray fan beam to obtain a two-dimensional X-ray. Data can be collected. This data is taken into the control unit 36, a predetermined process is executed, and a fluoroscopic image is formed.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the tray 16. The tray 16 is made of a material having a high X-ray transmittance such as styrene paper. The tray 16 is provided with a concave portion 40 opened upward for accommodating the sample 38. In the illustrated embodiment, six concave portions 40 having three columns in the horizontal direction and two rows in the vertical direction are provided, and six samples can be simultaneously stored and used for imaging. A sample 38 shown in the figure is a bone extracted from a laboratory animal such as a mouse. The shape of the concave portion 40 of the tray of the present embodiment is a concave portion having an elongated shape or a substantially rectangular opening so as to be suitable when the sample is a bone. However, the shape, number, and arrangement of the recesses 40 may be appropriately determined depending on the shape and size of the sample, the scale of the X-ray imaging apparatus, and the like. In the case of this embodiment, it is preferable that the recessed part 40 has a shape whose width becomes narrower as it gets deeper. For example, in a cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the recess 40 having a rectangular opening (hereinafter referred to as a cross section in the lateral direction), a triangular cross section can be formed. By making the width narrower as it gets deeper, even a sample having a shape that easily rolls, such as bone, can be held in a stable state so as not to move. A flat surface 42 having a predetermined width is formed between the adjacent recesses 40. The flat surface 42 is a top surface of a bank-like portion formed between the recesses 40 in the cross section in the transverse direction, and is hereinafter referred to as a bank top surface 42.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the lid 18. The lid 18 is placed on the tray 16 shown in FIG. 3 in the orientation shown in FIG. At this time, in order to determine the relative positions of the tray 16 and the lid 18, they can be provided with positioning components such as knocks and knock pins. The lid 18 includes a lid main member 46 that fills the space between the grid-like partition member 44 that shields X-rays and the partition member 44 and makes the entire lid 18 a plate shape having a thickness or a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The partition member 44 that is integral with the lid 18 is positioned so as to partition each sample 38 when the lid 18 is placed on the tray 16. Specifically, the partition member 44 includes a partition member 44a for partitioning individual samples in the row of samples 38 arranged in the horizontal direction in FIG. 3 and a partition member 44b for partitioning the row of samples. Further, the partition member 44 is made of a material such as copper that shields X-rays, and the lid main member 46 is made of a material having a high X-ray transmittance such as styrene paper like the tray 16.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a cross section in the transverse direction of the sample holder 14 in which the lid 18 is placed on the tray 16 and integrated. The partition member 44 a is disposed correspondingly between the recesses 40, and is also disposed between the recess 40 at the end of the row and the end of the tray 16. The height of the partition member 44a (vertical dimension in FIG. 5) is the same as that of the lid main member 46, and the outer shape of the lid 18 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. Further, the width of the partition member 44a (lateral dimension in FIG. 5) is narrower than the bank top surface 42, and the bank top surface 42 includes a portion facing the partition member 44a of the lid, and a lid main member. 46 and a portion facing 46. In this embodiment, the partition member 44a is located at the center of the bank top surface 42, and the bank top surfaces 42 are present on both sides of the partition member 44a. You may make it do. Further, as shown in the figure, the bank top surface 42 is a part of the upper surface of the tray 16. The recess 40 forms a cavity having an inverted triangular cross section by placing the lid 18 on the tray 16, and the sample 38 is accommodated therein.

  6 is a view showing a cross section (hereinafter referred to as a longitudinal cross section) of the sample holder 14 orthogonal to the cross section of FIG. The partition member 44 b is located between the recesses 40. In the longitudinal section, the upper surface of the tray 16 located between the recesses 40 has the same width as the partition member 44b. However, a flat surface wider than the width of the partition member 44b may be formed as shown in the transverse cross section.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an image obtained by X-ray imaging of a sample (extracted bone) 38 using the sample holder 14 of this embodiment. Since the partition member 44 is made of a material that does not transmit X-rays as described above, as shown in the drawing, the partition member 44 includes a strip-shaped image 48a of the partition member extending in the vertical direction and a strip-shaped image 48b extending in the horizontal direction. It appears as a shaped image 48. What is indicated by reference numeral 50 is an image of the sample 38. On the photographed image, portions other than the partition member image 48 and the sample image 50 include portions corresponding to the concave portions 40 and the bank top surface 42 of the tray 16 having different thicknesses. Since these materials are almost transparent, it is almost impossible to distinguish them on the image with the naked eye. However, for the sake of explanation, in FIG. 7, a portion corresponding to the recess 40 is indicated by reference numeral 52, and a portion corresponding to the bank top surface 42 is indicated by reference numeral 54.

  As shown in the figure, the partition member image 48 is positioned so as to partition the sample images 50. Based on the image 48 of the partition member, the image can be divided for each sample. That is, it is possible to perform predetermined image processing, data storage, management, and the like with a portion partitioned by the partition member image 48 as one region of interest and each region of interest as one unit. In addition, in the image 54 of the bank top surface other than the portion facing the partition member image 48, the X-ray transmittance of the sample can be accurately calculated by measuring the X-ray intensity at that time. Become.

  The partition member 44 has a predetermined dimension in the height direction, for example, a dimension that is approximately twice as large as the depth of the recess 40, and thereby scatters from an adjacent region or a region related to another sample. It functions to shield X-rays. When the influence of such leaking X-rays does not pose a problem, the partition member 44 may be a thin plate made of metal attached to the bottom surface of the lid 18, that is, the surface facing the tray 16. That is, for example, a metal thin plate that projects X-rays vertically and horizontally is attached to the bottom surface of a rectangular parallelepiped of an X-ray transmissive material such as an integral styrene paper having the entire shape of the lid 18 shown in FIG. Further, if it is not necessary to cover the sample with the lid 18, the lid main member 46 can be eliminated and only the partition member 44 can be disposed on the tray 16. Further, the lid 18 itself may be eliminated, and a thin partition member may be attached to the upper surface of the tray 16.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of an X-ray imaging apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows schematic structure inside an X-ray imaging apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the tray of the sample holder of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the cover of the sample holder of this embodiment. It is a cross-sectional view of a sample holder. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a sample holder. It is a figure which shows an example of an X-ray imaging image.

Explanation of symbols

  10 X-ray imaging apparatus, 12 body, 14 sample holder, 16 tray, 18 lid, 38 sample, 40 recess, 42 bank top surface, 44 partition member, 46 lid main member.

Claims (5)

A sample holder for holding a sample to be radiographed;
A sample tray having a plurality of recesses for receiving samples in each;
A partition member made of a material for shielding X-rays, which is arranged on a sample tray and partitions adjacent samples on a photographed image;
A lid detachably placed on the sample tray;
Have
The partition member is integral with the lid, and the lid integral with the partition member has a plate shape as a whole,
Samples were housed, specimen holder X-ray imaging is Ru performed with the partition member. The sample holder according to claim 1 ,
The lid has a plate shape with a thickness, and the partition member has a dimension equal to this thickness in the thickness direction of the lid.
Sample holder.   The sample holder according to claim 2, wherein X-rays are irradiated from below the sample tray. The sample holder according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a flat surface wider than the width of the partition member is provided between the concave portions of the sample tray . The sample holder according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the concave portion becomes narrower as it becomes deeper.

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