JPH0833595B2 - Radiation image information reading and reproducing device - Google Patents

Description

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a radiation image information reading / reproducing apparatus used in a radiation image information recording / reproducing system for reading and reproducing radiation image information in the same apparatus by the same scanning system. It is a thing.

(Prior Art) Radiation (X rays, α rays, β rays, γ rays,
When irradiated with electron beams, ultraviolet rays, etc., a part of this radiation energy is accumulated in the phosphor, and when this phosphor is irradiated with excitation light such as visible light, the phosphor is stimulated according to the accumulated energy. It is known to emit light, and a phosphor having such properties is called a stimulable phosphor (stimulable phosphor).

Using this stimulable phosphor, the radiation image information of a subject such as a human body is once recorded on a sheet-shaped stimulable phosphor, and the stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned with excitation light such as laser light to stimulate the irradiation. Generates emitted light, photoelectrically reads the obtained stimulated emission light to obtain an image signal, and based on this image signal, outputs a radiation image of the subject as a visible image on a recording material such as a photographic photosensitive material or a CRT. The applicant has already proposed a radiation image information recording / reproducing system for this. (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-
No. 12429, No. 56-11395, No. 55-163472, No. 56-1046
45, 55-116340, etc. Note that the stimulable phosphor sheet in the above system stores and records radiographic image information and temporarily holds the recorded image information until it is read by the excitation light scanning. After the completion of the above, it is desirable that the image information remaining on the sheet is erased and the sheet is reused.

By the way, the above-mentioned system is conventionally a recording device for accumulating and recording radiation image information, a radiation image information reading device for reading image information recorded on a stimulable phosphor sheet and outputting an image signal, and the image signal on the recording sheet. It is composed of an image reproducing device which reproduces as a visible image by being recorded by scanning a light beam modulated based on the above. Therefore, in the conventional system, in order to form a final visible image of the radiation image information recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet on the recording sheet, a reading device that reads at least the image information other than the recording device is used. Two reproducing devices for recording the image information on the recording sheet are required.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the above-mentioned radiation image information recording / reproducing system, various improvements have been made in recent years based on a request to reduce the size of the entire system as much as possible and reduce the manufacturing cost. However, in the conventional system, since the reading device and the reproducing device are separately required as described above, the downsizing of the entire system cannot be achieved as desired, and the scanning system and the like also include the reading device and the reproducing device. Therefore, there is a problem that there is a limit to the reduction of manufacturing cost.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 184677/58 discloses an X-ray image reading / recording apparatus which uses the same light source for reading and recording and alternately performs reading and recording on the same stage. Only the conceptual diagram of the device is shown therein, and the specific configuration of the device is not described, and it is difficult to put the device into practical use immediately. Further, in the above-described apparatus, scanning is performed by moving the light source and the photodetector with respect to the sheet. If such a scanning method is used, the moving mechanism becomes complicated and it is difficult to perform high-speed scanning. is there. Furthermore, when the device is switched between reading and reproducing, both the optical modulator and the photodetector are moved in and out of the optical path by the drive mechanism, so that the drive mechanism also complicates the device. There is.

In view of the above, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems and both reads and reproduces image information in the same apparatus by the same scanning system, and integrates a conventional reading apparatus and a reproducing apparatus to downsize the entire system and manufacture the same. A first object of the present invention is to provide a radiation image information reading / reproducing apparatus capable of reducing the cost.

Further, when reproducing the above-described image information as a visible image in the reproducing device, information regarding a subject (examinee),
For example, it may be necessary to display information peculiar to the subject such as sex, name, date of photography, and site of photography together with the image information. Therefore, in the past, these ID information was changed to a special ID when shooting.
The input information is input to an ID card or the like, and the input information is transmitted to the playback device when the image information is played back, and is displayed on the playback surface in addition to the image information. However, in the above case, special input means is required, so
There is a problem that the entire system becomes complicated and the input operation is troublesome, and because the format of the information to be input and reproduced is fixed in advance and the number of characters is limited, it is not possible to freely input and reproduce the information. It was

Therefore, according to the present invention, the ID information can be input without using a special input means, and any information can be input easily and freely. Furthermore, the input information can be directly reproduced on the reproduction surface. A second object is to provide a radiation image information recording / reproducing apparatus that can be used.

(Means for Solving Problems) The radiation image information reading / reproducing apparatus of the present invention, which has been derived to meet the above-mentioned two demands, stores and stores a stimulable phosphor sheet on which radiation image information is accumulated and recorded. A stimulable phosphor sheet supply section for discharging the accumulated stimulable phosphor sheet, a recording sheet supply section for accommodating recording sheets and discharging the accommodated recording sheets one by one, photoelectrically reading other than the radiation image information Information reading unit carrying information recording means carrying information such as possible characters, and having information reading means for reading the information photoelectrically, a light beam is deflected by an optical deflector and the above-mentioned stimulable phosphor sheet is placed. A fixed reading main scanning means for main scanning, a fixed recording main scanning means for main scanning on the recording sheet by deflecting a light beam by an optical deflector, and the accumulative fluorescent light. A sub-scanning unit that conveys a sheet and a recording sheet in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction and performs sub-scanning is provided, and the radiation image information is carried from the stimulable phosphor sheet by a light beam of the reading main scanning unit. Generated light, and by reading this radiation image information by detecting this light by a fixed light detection means,
The light beam of the recording main scanning means is modulated based on the read radiation image information and the information detected by the information reading means to record both the radiation image information and the information on the recording sheet. An optical scanning unit, a stimulable phosphor sheet conveying unit that conveys the stimulable phosphor sheet carried out from the stimulable phosphor sheet supply unit to the optical scanning unit, and then carries out the stimulable phosphor sheet from the optical scanning unit, and the recording sheet. The recording sheet conveyed from the supply section is conveyed to the optical scanning section, and then is conveyed from the optical scanning section. The accumulative phosphor sheet conveying section and the recording sheet conveying section are both sheets. Before being carried into the sub-scanning unit, the both sheets are fed into the sub-scanning unit, and the both sheets are branched after being carried out from the sub-scanning unit. Serial and is characterized in that it is constituted both sheets to convey each in a separate conveying path.

The reading main scanning unit and the recording main scanning unit of the optical scanning unit may be partly or wholly common. Further, the information recording means may be any one,
It may be a sheet in which necessary ID information or the like is written by hand on the entry sheet. Further, the information reading means may be any photoelectric reading means, but it is preferable to use a CCD or the like because the apparatus can be kept compact.

(Operation) The radiation image information reading / reproducing apparatus of the present invention integrates a reading apparatus and a reproducing apparatus conventionally provided independently by performing both reading and recording using the same sub-scanning system. Since the reading and the reproduction of the image information are both performed by the two devices, the whole system can be significantly reduced in size as compared with the related art. Also,
In this apparatus, at least the sub-scanning means is shared for reading and recording, so that only one sub-scanning means is required, and the manufacturing cost of the entire system can be reduced. If the light deflectors of the two main scanning means and the light source of the light beam are shared for reading and recording, the manufacturing cost of the entire system can be further reduced. Further, if a part of the stimulable phosphor sheet conveying means and a part of the recording sheet conveying means are shared, the size and cost of the system can be further reduced.

Further, in sharing the sub-scanning means, the stimulable phosphor sheet transporting means and the recording sheet transporting means, as described above,
Before both sheets are carried into the sub-scanning unit, they are merged and sent to the sub-scanning unit, and after both sheets have been carried out from the sub-scanning unit, they are branched to convey both sheets by separate conveying paths. By doing so, the sub-scanning means can be shared with an extremely simple structure.

Further, since the reading main scanning means, the recording main scanning means and the light detecting means are of a fixed arrangement type, there is no need for a moving mechanism for moving the respective means during reading and recording, which simplifies the configuration and Further miniaturization can be achieved.

Further, according to the present reading / reproducing apparatus, since the information reading means photoelectrically reads the information recording means in which the ID information is written by the information reading means, special ID information input such as ID card, ID card printer, etc. It is possible to input the ID information using any information recording means without using any means. In addition, since information of free contents can be entered in a free format and the entered information is reproduced as it is, the degree of freedom in inputting / reproducing ID information is greatly improved.

Embodiments Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the internal structure of a radiation image information reading / reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the front thereof.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the above device.

This device can accommodate a cassette holding unit 10 which is a stimulable phosphor sheet supply unit, which removably holds a cassette 2 capable of accommodating the stimulable phosphor sheet 1, and a plurality of recording sheets 4 made of a silver salt film or the like. Magazine 5 for supplying recording sheets
A recording sheet supply section 50 for removably holding the image information, an optical scanning section 20 for reading the image information accumulated and recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet 1, and recording the read image information on the recording sheet 4, an optical scanning An erasing unit 30 for erasing image information remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 that has been read by the unit 20, a plurality of stimulable phosphor sheets can be stored, and the stored stimulable phosphor sheets can be carried out one by one. It is equipped with a stacker 40. Further, the above-mentioned respective parts are arranged side by side in the vertical direction, and the accumulative phosphor sheet conveying means 100 and the recording sheet conveying means 110 are provided sideways of these respective parts so as to extend in the vertical direction. These two respectively
It is connected to one transportation means 100, 110. As shown in the figure, the stimulable phosphor sheet conveying means 100 and the recording sheet conveying means 110 are partly common.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the front surface of the apparatus, a cassette insertion opening 61 for loading the cassette into the apparatus, a magazine insertion opening 62 for loading the recording sheet supply magazine 5 into the apparatus, and a monitor 63a. There is provided an operation panel 63 capable of observing an image being processed in the apparatus by means of, and setting various processing conditions of the entire apparatus by means of the input keys 63b, and an information reading section 90 described later.

In an external photographing device (not shown), the cassette 2 that has been photographed with respect to the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 housed inside is in the cassette holding portion 10 in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. It is loaded inside. The cassette 2 has a light-shielding property in order to prevent the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 from being exposed to external light when irradiating the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 with radiation and recording (imaging) image information. A cassette body 2a for accommodating a stimulable phosphor sheet and an openable / closable lid portion 2b. This lid 2b
Is closed when the cassette 2 is loaded into the cassette holding portion 10, but inside the cassette holding portion 10, when the internal stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is taken out, the suction cup or the like is opened. The lid means 11 opens the lid portion 2b as shown. Lid 2b
When the sheet is opened, a means for removing the stimulable phosphor sheet such as a suction cup
12 is a part of the stimulable phosphor sheet conveying means 100 that enters the cassette 2 and adsorbs the stimulable phosphor sheet 1.
It is delivered to the nip roller 101 near the cassette 2. Note that the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is held in the cassette 2 so that the front surface on which the stimulable phosphor layer is formed faces down.

On the other hand, at the time of photographing, desired items of information (ID information) peculiar to the subject such as the name, sex, date of photographing, and region of the subject are written on a predetermined entry sheet which is an information recording medium. The entry sheet 7 on which the ID information is entered is placed on the holding table 91 of the information reading section 90 when the cassette 2 is loaded in the cassette holding section 10, as shown in FIG. The entry sheet 7 used in the apparatus of this embodiment is made of a normal light-reflective sheet such as a blank sheet as shown in FIG. 3, and the desired ID information can be written on the surface by hand with a pen or the like. is there. By thus manually writing the ID information on the entry sheet 7, no special ID information input means such as an ID information card printer is required, and the ID information input operation becomes simple. Further, arbitrary information can be freely written on the entry sheet 7 at an arbitrary position, and since there is no numerical limitation, the degree of freedom of input is increased.

As described above, the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 which is taken out from the cassette 2 and whose tip is gripped by the nip roller 101 is
Accumulative phosphor sheet conveying means 10 including an endless belt, a guide plate, rollers, a movable sheet distribution plate, and the like.
After being conveyed in the direction of arrow A ₁ by 0, it is guided in the direction of arrow A ₂ by being guided by the sheet distribution plate 102 located at the position indicated by the solid line in the figure, and further conveyed in the directions of arrows A ₃ and A ₄ and the light Scanning unit 20
It is brought in. Reference numeral 80, which is provided in the transport path of the stimulable phosphor sheet 1, is a secondary erasing unit for performing a secondary erasure described later by the erasing light source 81. The stimulable phosphor sheet taken out from the cassette holding unit 10 is used. The erasing light source 81 is turned off when the sheet is conveyed from above. Also, this secondary eraser
The sheet distribution plates 103 and 104 between the optical scanning unit 20 and the optical scanning unit 20 are solid lines in the figure when the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 taken out from the cassette 2 is immediately sent to the optical scanning unit 20 as described above. It allows the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 to be conveyed downward at the position indicated by.

The optical scanning unit 20 scans the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 on which image information is stored and recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 with a laser beam 21A, and is emitted from the sheet 1 excited by the scanning. The stimulated emission light is photoelectrically read by a photoelectric reading unit 22 such as a photomultiplier to operate as a device for generating an electric image signal for outputting a visible image. In the figure, 21 is a He-Ne laser light source as an example, 23 is an optical deflector such as a galvanometer mirror, and 24 is a light guide of photoelectric reading means for the stimulated emission light emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet 1.
A reflection mirror 22a (the light guide 22a serves to guide the stimulated emission light to the photodetector 22b such as a photomultiplier while totally reflecting it). 25 in the figure
Is an optical modulator such as AOM, but its operation is stopped when the laser beam 21A scans the stimulable phosphor sheet 1.

The stimulable phosphor sheet 1 carried into the optical scanning section 20 is conveyed in the direction of arrow A ₅ by the sub-scanning means 26 including guide plates 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d and nip rollers 26c, 26f, and is substantially perpendicular to this conveying direction. The entire surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet is two-dimensionally scanned by the laser beam 21A deflected to generate stimulated emission light, and the stimulated emission light is emitted from the light guide 22a.
Through the photodetector 22b. In the photodetector 22b, the stimulated emission light is converted into an electric signal, and the obtained electric signal is sent to the image information processing circuit 27 to be subjected to image processing and then stored in the memory 29. Stimulable phosphor sheet 1 after the reading of the entire surface ends, the tip while being gripped by the nip rollers 26f is conveyed backward from the contact that position the guide plate 26d in the arrow A ₆ direction by a switchback rear . In the reading of the radiation image information, the outline of the radiation image information previously stored and recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet before the reading (main reading) for obtaining the image signal for outputting the visible image described above is described. There is known a method of performing prereading for reading, determining reading conditions and the like for performing the main reading based on image information obtained by the prefetching, and performing the main reading according to the reading conditions.

As a method of performing such pre-reading, for example, the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is scanned with excitation light having an energy lower than the energy of the laser beam (excitation light) used for the main reading, and the luminescence emitted by this scanning is performed. There is also a method of reading the exhausted light by a photoelectric reading means (see, for example, JP-A-58-67240).

The optical scanning unit in the present invention may be a part that performs both main reading and pre-reading, in addition to the part that performs only main reading. For example, the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is conveyed in the direction of arrow A ₅ and pre-reading is first performed, and then the stimulable phosphor sheet is switched back in the direction of arrow A ₆ by switchback, returned to the reading start position, and again indicated by arrow A. _It may be conveyed in ₅ directions and then the main reading may be performed. Each of the above-mentioned optical members arranged in the optical scanning unit is fixedly arranged at a predetermined position. Further, each optical member is not limited to the above, and for example, as a photoelectric reading unit, a long photomultiplier may be arranged along the main scanning line to detect stimulated emission light ( Japanese Patent Application No. 60-156255 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-01
6666 publication)).

On the other hand, in the information reading section 90, the ID information written on the entry sheet 7 is read. As shown in FIG. 4, a part of the information reading section 90 projects outward from the front surface of the device to hold the entry sheet 7 on the upper surface, and the remaining part is arranged inside the device. The CCD92 is built into this device.
A lamp 93 and a reflection plate are provided below the holding table 91.
94 is provided, and this lamp 93 is turned on when reading the ID information of the entry sheet 7. The light emitted from the lamp 93 is reflected by the reflecting plate 94 and illuminates the entry sheet 7. The entry sheet 7 is a light-reflecting sheet as described above, and the holding base 91 is made of a light-transmitting material. Therefore, the light reflected by the entry sheet 7 is reflected by the mirror 95.
After being reflected by, the light is condensed by the lens 96 arranged on the optical path, enters the CCD 92, and is written on the entry sheet 7.
The D information is photoelectrically detected by the CCD92. The electric signal indicating the ID information obtained from the CCD 92 is sent to the memory 29 in the optical scanning unit 20 and stored together with the corresponding image signal of the stimulable phosphor sheet 1. The signal indicating the ID information is
The image information may be stored in a memory separate from the image information, and the corresponding ID information and image information may be retrieved from the two memories at the time of reproduction described later.

The reading of the image information and the reading of the ID information corresponding to one stimulable phosphor sheet are performed as described above, but the reading of the image information in the optical scanning unit 20 takes a comparatively long time, and therefore it is preceded. When the cassette 2 containing the newly photographed stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is loaded into the cassette holding unit 10 after waiting for the processing in the optical scanning unit 20 of the stimulable phosphor sheet to be completed, the accumulation is performed. The process of the fluorescent phosphor sheet may not be performed efficiently. Therefore, the stacker 40 is provided in the apparatus of this embodiment, and the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 taken out from the cassette holding unit 10 is scanned by the optical scanning unit 20 according to the situation of the optical scanning unit 20.
Before being sent to 20, the stacker 40 can be once loaded into the stacker 40 to wait.

The stacker 40 includes a plurality of stimulable phosphor sheet storage chambers 42 partitioned by a partition plate 41, and can move up and down in a direction indicated by an arrow C from a position indicated by a solid line to a position indicated by a broken line in FIG. 105 all seat storage rooms 42
Can be adjacent. When carrying the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 taken out from the cassette holder 10 into the stacker 40, the sheet distribution plate 104 is moved to the position shown by the broken line in the figure, and the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is conveyed from above. To the stacker 40 direction. The stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is a stacker 40
The sheet is carried into the predetermined sheet storage chamber 42, the rear end of the sheet is separated from the nip roller 105 and then dropped by its own weight, and the front end is held in contact with the stopper 43 in the sheet storage chamber 42.
When taking out the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 from the stacker 40, the stacker 40 is moved so that the desired sheet storage chamber 42 is adjacent to the nip roller 105, and then the stopper
43 is moved to the position shown by the broken line in the figure to push up the stimulable phosphor sheet 1, and the nip roller 105 holds the tip thereof. The stimulable phosphor sheet 1 gripped by the nip roller 105 is once conveyed upward by the stimulable phosphor sheet conveying means 100 while being guided by the sheet distribution plate 104 at the position shown by the broken line in the figure, and then the arrow A _It is conveyed in the ₃ and A ₄ directions and carried into the optical scanning unit 20. Note that the stimulable phosphor sheet taken out from the stacker 40 is once conveyed upward because the surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 on which the stimulable phosphor is formed faces the upper side (laser beam irradiation side) in the optical scanning unit 20. To do so.

When the stacker 40 is used as described above, the ID information corresponding to each stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is read by the information reading section 90 each time each cassette is loaded into the cassette holding section 10. The image information read by the optical scanning unit may be stored in correspondence with the ID information stored in advance.

As described above, the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 that has been read by the optical scanning unit 20 is stored in the stimulable phosphor sheet conveying means 10
At 0, it is conveyed in the directions of arrows A _{7 to} A ₁₀ and sent to the erasing section 30. In this case, the sheet distribution means 102 is at the position shown by the broken line in the figure, and the sheet distribution means 103 and 104 are at the position shown by the solid line in the figure.

The erasing section 30 stores the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 after the reading is completed.
This is for erasing the remaining radiographic image information (discharging the radiation energy remaining in the stimulable phosphor). That is, a part of the radiation image information stored and recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 still remains on the stimulable phosphor sheet after being read. Deletion of residual image information
Done at 30. In the erasing unit 30 in the present embodiment, a fluorescent lamp, a tungsten lamp, a sodium lamp,
An erasing light source 31 such as a xenon lamp or an iodine lamp is provided, and the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is moved along a guide plate 32 by an arrow.
The remaining radiation energy on the stimulable phosphor sheet is released by being irradiated with light from these erasing light sources 31 while being conveyed in the A _u direction. It should be noted that the erasing method in the erasing section 30 may be any known method, and the erasing can be performed by heating or by using light irradiation and heating in combination.
Although the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is conveyed to the position shown by the broken line in the figure and then conveyed back in the direction of arrow A ₁₂ , the erasing unit 30
It is preferable to provide a guide plate for supporting the end portion of the stimulable phosphor sheet on the outer side of. When a stimulable phosphor sheet storage tray 6 is provided near the erasing section as described later, the tray 6 can also be used as a guide.

The stimulable phosphor sheet 1 that has been erased in the erasing section 30 is indicated by the arrow by the stimulable phosphor sheet conveying means 100.
The sheet is conveyed in the directions of A ₁₃ and A ₁₄ and guided by the sheet distribution plate 104 moved to the position shown by the broken line in the figure, and is stored in an empty sheet storage chamber 42 in the stacker 40. If some erased stimulable phosphor sheets 1 are stored in the stacker 40 in advance in this way, the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is taken out from the cassette 2 in the cassette holding unit 10. The erased stimulable phosphor sheet can be immediately carried into the empty cassette 2. When the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is taken out from the stacker 40 and conveyed to the cassette holding unit 10, the sheet distribution plate 104 is moved to the position shown by the broken line, and the sheet distribution plates 102 and 103 are moved to the positions shown by the solid line. The stimulable phosphor sheet conveying means 100 conveys the stimulable phosphor sheet in the directions of the arrows A _{15 to} A ₁₇ and carries it into the cassette 2. In some cases, the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 carried out of the stacker 40 has been kept in the stacker 40 for a long time, and may have been erased by the erasing unit 30 for a long time. The stimulable phosphor sheet emits radiation emitted from radioisotopes such as ²²⁶ Ra and ⁴⁰ K, which are contained in trace amounts in the stimulable phosphor, and cosmic rays after a certain time has passed even after being erased. Radiation energy may be accumulated by environmental radiation such as X-rays from the X-ray source or other X-ray sources, and this radiation energy may become noise with respect to the next captured image. Therefore, from the stacker 40 to the cassette holding unit 10. A secondary erasing section 80 for irradiating the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 with erasing light again is provided in the conveying path.
The secondary erasing unit 80 turns on the erasing light source 81 only when the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 taken out from the stacker 40 is conveyed toward the cassette holding unit 10, and while it is accommodated in the stacker 40, The radiation energy accumulated in the stimulable phosphor sheet is released. The cassette 2 into which the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 has been carried in this way can be taken out of the apparatus and supplied to new photographing. Further, in the present apparatus, the stimulable phosphor sheet which has been erased by the erasing section 30 can be immediately carried into the cassette 2. In that case, the arrow A ₁₃
The stimulable phosphor sheet that has been conveyed in the same direction is once conveyed downward, and then it is switched back upward before being conveyed into the cassette 2. When such a conveyance is performed, the stimulable phosphor sheet is stored in the cassette 2. The surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet on which the phosphor layer is formed can be directed downward.

On the other hand, when the above-mentioned first stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is carried out from the optical scanning unit 20, the recording sheet supply unit 50
One recording sheet 4 is taken out from the recording sheet supply magazine 5 inside by suction means 51, and recording sheet conveying means 110
Is passed to the nip roller 111 in the vicinity which is a part of the. The recording sheet 4 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow B ₁ along the guide plate 112 by the nip roller 111, and then is conveyed into the optical scanning section 20 by the recording sheet conveying means 110 which is also common to the stimulable phosphor sheet conveying means. In the optical scanning unit 20, the recording sheet 4 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow B ₂ by the sub-scanning unit 26, and the image information previously read from the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is recorded.

When the recording sheet 4 is conveyed, the optical scanning unit 20 reads the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 and performs image processing, and the optical modulator according to the image information stored in the memory 29. 25 is driven and photo detector
The drive of 22b is stopped. The recording sheet 4 is an optical modulator 25.
The image information recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is reproduced by scanning with the laser beam 21A which is the recording light which is modulated by the optical deflector 23 and is deflected by the optical deflector 23. Further, subsequently, the information reading unit 90 is read from the memory 29.
The electric signal indicating the ID information corresponding to the above-mentioned stimulable phosphor sheet 1 is transmitted to the optical modulator 25, and the optical modulator 25 responds to these electric signals by the laser beam 21A.
To modulate. Thus a laser beam modulated in this way
The ID information is recorded together with the image information on the recording sheet 4 by 21A.

Recording sheet 4 reproduction of the image information and the ID information has been completed is transported to the arrow B ₃ .about.B ₅ direction by the recording sheet conveying means 110 in the optical scanning unit 20. When the recording sheet 4 thus reproduced is conveyed, the sheet sorting means is used.
104 is at the position shown by the solid line in the figure, and the sheet allocating means 103 is moved to the position shown by the broken line in the figure to guide the recording sheet 4 in the direction of the arrow B ₆ to cause the discharge roller 113 to grip the leading end thereof. As an example, the discharge roller 113 carries the recording sheet 4 into the automatic developing machine 70 which is previously connected to the reading device.
Instead of sending the recording sheet to the automatic developing machine 70 by the carry-out roller, a tray or the like may be arranged close to the discharging roller 113 and the recording sheet 4 may be sequentially discharged into the tray. Further, a holding unit for a tray for storing recording sheets may be provided inside the reading apparatus, and the recording sheets may be stored in the tray inside the apparatus, and the tray together with the tray may be taken out from the apparatus and appropriately conveyed to an external automatic developing machine.

As shown, the stimulable phosphor sheet conveying means is provided.
The recording sheet conveying means 110 and the recording sheet conveying means 110 join together before the two sheets 1 and 4 are carried into the sub-scanning means 26, and the both sheets 1 and 4 are fed to the sub-scanning means 26. After being carried out from the means 26, the sheet is branched at the position of the sorting means 103 and the two sheets 1 and 4 are respectively conveyed by different conveying paths.

As shown in FIG. 5, the image information 4A and the ID information 4B are finally reproduced as a visible image on the recording sheet 4 which has been loaded into the automatic developing machine 70 and subjected to the development processing as described above.
In the present embodiment, when recording on one recording sheet 4 in the optical scanning section 20, as an example, first, the laser beam 21A is modulated based on the image signal to record the image information, and then the recording sheet. ID by the laser beam 21A that is modulated based on the signal indicating the ID information at the rear end of the conveyance direction of 4
The information is recorded, and the ID information 4B is displayed below the image information 4A on the recording sheet, but the arrangement of the ID information and the image information on the recording sheet may be arbitrary. The ID information may be recorded on top of. Further, the signal indicating the ID information may be corrected by an arbitrary correction means, and its position, reduction ratio, etc. may be adjusted as necessary, and then reproduced on the recording sheet.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case of reading the stimulable phosphor sheet imaged using the cassette has been described as an example, but in the image capturing apparatus, the stimulable phosphor held in the cassette is used. In addition to photographing a sheet, when performing continuous photographing, a plurality of stimulable phosphor sheets housed in a sheet supply magazine may be taken out one by one and photographed. The stimulable phosphor sheets for which photographing has been completed are sequentially stored in a sheet storing magazine, and the sheet storing magazine storing the sheets is sent to a reading device to be read. The reading device of the present invention is provided with a cassette holding unit described above as a stimulable phosphor sheet supply unit and a magazine holding unit for detachably holding the above-mentioned sheet storage magazine on the side of the stimulable phosphor sheet conveying means. Alternatively, the stimulable phosphor sheet taken out from the magazine may be read and erased. The magazine holding section is connected to the stimulable phosphor sheet conveying means 100, and the above-mentioned optical scanning section 2
0, the erasing unit 30 and the like can be provided at arbitrary positions lined up and down in the vertical direction. However, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in the drawing, the cassette holding unit 10 can be loaded with both the cassette 2 and the magazine 3. The magazine holding section may be integrated. Further, when the magazine holding unit is provided, a tray holding unit for holding the trays sequentially storing the stimulable phosphor sheets that have been read out and erased one by one from the magazine is required. This tray holding unit is also the same as the magazine holding unit.
Although it can be provided at any position connected to 0, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in the figure, the tray 6 is adjacent to the erasing section 30.
If a tray holding section is provided outside the erasing section 30 so as to position the tray, the tray 6 is made to function as a guide during erasing with respect to the stimulable phosphor sheet taken out from the cassette, and the tray is taken out from the magazine. The accumulated phosphor sheet can be dropped and stored in the tray as it is after erasing, which is extremely convenient.

As described above, in the apparatus of this embodiment, the optical scanning section 20 can share the main scanning means and the sub-scanning means to read the image information from the stimulable phosphor sheet and reproduce the image information from the recording sheet. Therefore, the whole system can be downsized and the manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared with the case where the reading device and the reproducing device are provided respectively. It should be noted that two sets of main scanning means may be provided separately for reading and reproducing. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the stimulable phosphor sheet and the recording sheet are conveyed along one conveying path in the vertical direction, and the optical scanning unit, the erasing unit, and the like are vertically arranged on the side of the conveying path. By arranging them side by side, it is possible to more efficiently downsize the device.

Further, according to this apparatus, the ID information handwritten on the entry sheet can be reproduced as it is on the recording sheet, so that the desired ID information can be appropriately written on the entry sheet to be displayed on the conventional recording sheet. Information that could not be displayed can be displayed.

In the above embodiment, the case where the image information read on one recording sheet is immediately recorded after reading one stimulable phosphor sheet has been described. Of the stimulable phosphor sheet is continuously read in the optical scanning unit, and all the read image information is temporarily stored in the memory 29.
Alternatively, the image information may be continuously recorded on a plurality of recording sheets. Further, it is also possible to temporarily display the image information on a CRT display device or the like without reproducing all the read image information as a hard copy on a recording sheet, and to reproduce only necessary images as a hard copy on the recording sheet.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the cassette containing the erasable stimulable phosphor sheet can be directly loaded into the photographing device to perform photographing, but after the reading is completed, the stimulable phosphor sheet May be temporarily stored in an appropriate storage means that is not loaded in the image capturing device. When such a storage means is used, the erasing section does not necessarily need to be provided, and the storage means storing the stimulable phosphor sheet may be taken out and erased separately. Furthermore, the configuration and arrangement of each part of the apparatus are not limited to those shown in the above embodiment. For example, in addition to the cassette holding section, a second cassette holding section for storing an empty cassette into which the erased stimulable phosphor sheet is carried is provided to provide a stimulable phosphor sheet supply section and a stimulable phosphor sheet storage section. May be separated, or if the next stimulable phosphor sheet may be processed after all the treatments for one stimulable phosphor sheet are completed, the stacker is eliminated and the apparatus is further downsized. May be.

The recording sheet used in the apparatus of the present invention is not limited to a silver salt film or the like in which image information is recorded by light as described above and is developed by an automatic developing machine (part), and a heat-sensitive recording sheet. It may be a photothermographic material, an instant film or the like. For example, when the recording sheet is a heat-sensitive recording sheet, the recording is performed by the heat of the laser beam, so the structure of the optical scanning unit may be the same as that shown in each of the above embodiments, but the automatic developing machine is used. Since the (part) is unnecessary, a recording sheet storage section may be provided and the recording sheets for which recording has been completed may be appropriately stacked on a tray or the like. Note that there is a thermal recording sheet of a type in which an image is fixed by irradiating light after thermal recording is performed. In this type, an optical scanning unit and a recording sheet storage unit are used. Light irradiation means may be provided in the recording sheet conveyance path during the fixing to perform fixing. Further, the above-described erasing section may be provided in front of the recording sheet storage section to serve also as light irradiation means.

Further, the information recording means for entering the ID information is not limited to the light-reflective entry sheet, and may be any one as long as the necessary ID information can be entered photoelectrically readable. It does not necessarily have to be handwritten. Further, it goes without saying that the CCD may detect transmitted light instead of reflected light.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the radiation image information reading and reproducing apparatus of the present invention, reading and reproducing of image information are performed by using the same sub-scanning means in the optical scanning unit, thereby achieving the conventional reading. The device and the playback device can be integrated without increasing the size of the entire device, and the entire system can be reduced in size. Also, only one optical deflector and light source for the main scanning means can be provided for reading and reproducing, and the conveying means for the stimulable phosphor sheet and the recording sheet can be partially shared, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. It can be greatly reduced.

Further, in sharing the sub-scanning means, the stimulable phosphor sheet transporting means and the recording sheet transporting means, as described above,
Before both sheets are carried into the sub-scanning unit, they are merged and sent to the sub-scanning unit, and after both sheets have been carried out from the sub-scanning unit, they are branched to convey both sheets by separate conveying paths. By doing so, the sub-scanning means can be shared with an extremely simple structure. Further, since the reading main scanning means, the recording main scanning means and the light detecting means are of a fixed arrangement type, there is no need for a moving mechanism for moving the respective means during reading and recording, which simplifies the configuration and Further miniaturization can be achieved.

Along with this, according to the present reading / reproducing apparatus, an information reading unit for photoelectrically reading the ID information and the like carried by the information recording means is provided, and by playing the read ID information and the like on the recording sheet, a special It becomes possible to input the ID information without using the ID information input means, and the input work becomes easy. Also, input desired information in free form,
Since the information can be reproduced, it becomes possible to change the way of writing in the information recording means each time the image is taken, or to enter information that could not be included in the conventional art.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the internal structure of a radiographic image information reading / reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the apparatus, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an entry sheet, and FIG. 4 is information. FIG. 5 is a side view of the reading unit, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of a recording sheet on which image information and ID information are reproduced. 1 ... Accumulative phosphor sheet, 2 ... Cassette 4 ... Recording sheet, 7 ... Writing sheet 10 ... Cassette holding section, 20 ... Optical scanning section 26 ... Sub scanning means, 50 ... Recording sheet supply Part 90 …… Information reading part, 92 …… CCD 100 …… Storable phosphor sheet transport means 110 …… Record sheet transport means

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Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A stimulable phosphor sheet supply section for accommodating a stimulable phosphor sheet on which radiation image information has been accumulated and recorded, carrying out the accommodated stimulable phosphor sheet, and a accommodating and accommodating recording sheet. A recording sheet feeding unit that carries out the recording sheets one by one, an information reading unit that holds information recording unit carrying information such as photoelectrically readable characters other than the radiation image information and photoelectrically reads the information An information reading section having, fixed reading main scanning means for deflecting a light beam by an optical deflector to perform main scanning on the stimulable phosphor sheet,
A fixed recording main scanning unit that deflects a light beam by an optical deflector to perform main scanning on the recording sheet, and conveys the stimulable phosphor sheet and the recording sheet in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction. And sub-scanning means for sub-scanning, and the light beam of the reading main scanning means causes the stimulable phosphor sheet to carry light carrying the radiation image information, and this light is fixed to the light detecting means. The radiation image information is read by detecting the radiation beam information, and the recording sheet is modulated by modulating the light beam of the recording main scanning means based on the radiation image information read and the information detected by the information reading means. An optical scanning unit for recording the radiation image information and the information together, and the stimulable phosphor sheet carried out from the stimulable phosphor sheet supply unit to the optical scanning unit. A stimulable phosphor sheet conveying unit that conveys the recording sheet conveyed from the optical scanning unit and then conveys the recording sheet conveyed from the recording sheet supply unit to the optical scanning unit and then conveys the recording sheet from the optical scanning unit. The stimulable phosphor sheet conveying means and the recording sheet conveying means are joined together before the both sheets are carried into the sub-scanning means, and the both sheets are sent to the sub-scanning means,
A radiation image information reading / reproducing apparatus, characterized in that after the both sheets have been carried out from the sub-scanning means, they are branched to convey the respective sheets through separate conveying paths.