US-12618990-B2 - Radiation image scanner

Abstract

A radiation image scanner is a radiation image scanner that reads a radiation image from a front surface of an image plate (IP), and includes a stage that supports the IP from a back surface side and a setting guide including a first IP guide surface that guides the IP obliquely downward. At least one of the setting guide and the stage includes an inclined surface (second IP guide surface), which is a surface inclined downward to the opposite side with respect to the first IP guide surface, receives the IP guided by the first IP guide surface, and guides the IP obliquely downward. At least one of the stage and the setting guide includes a front-back inverting portion that comes into contact with the IP from a front surface side of the IP to invert the IP to the same inclined posture as the inclined surface.

Inventors

• Yusuke Fujii

Assignees

• J. MORITA MFG. CORP.

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20240322

Priority Date

20230323

Claims (18)

1. 1 . A radiation image scanner that reads a radiation image from a front surface of an imaging plate (IP), the radiation image scanner comprising: a stage that supports the IP from a back surface side; an excitation light source that irradiates the IP supported by the stage with excitation light; a photodetector that detects light emitted from the IP by the excitation light; and a setting guide that guides the IP toward the stage, the setting guide including a first IP guide surface that guides the IP obliquely downward, the first IP guide surface being inclined downward, wherein at least one of the setting guide and the stage include a second IP guide surface being inclined downward, the second IP guide surface is a surface that is inclined downward to an opposite side with respect to the first IP guide surface, receives the IP guided by the first IP guide surface, and guides the IP obliquely downward, and at least one of the stage and the setting guide include a front-back inverting portion that inverts the IP in an inclined attitude identical to the second IP guide surface while coming into contact with the IP guided by the second IP guide surface from a front surface side of the IP.
2. 2 . The radiation image scanner according to claim 1 , wherein the stage includes a supporting surface as the second IP guide surface, the supporting surface being inclined with respect to a horizontal direction and supporting the IP from a back surface side, the stage further includes a receiving surface that receives the IP supported by the supporting surface from a lower side in an inclination direction of the supporting surface, the first IP guide surface gradually slopes downward toward the supporting surface and guides the IP toward the supporting surface, the setting guide includes the front-back inverting portion, and the front-back inverting portion is a portion located closer to the supporting surface than an imaginary extension directly above a position where the receiving surface receives the IP.
3. 3 . The radiation image scanner according to claim 1 , wherein the setting guide includes the second IP guide surface and the front-back inverting portion.
4. 4 . The radiation image scanner according to claim 1 , further comprising a housing that covers the stage, the excitation light source, the photodetector, at least the first IP guide surface and the front-back inverting portion of the setting guide, and the second IP guide surface.
5. 5 . The radiation image scanner according to claim 1 , wherein the first IP guide surface includes a portion that is a curved surface protruding outward.
6. 6 . The radiation image scanner according to claim 1 , wherein the first IP guide surface has a shape of one straight line or a combination of a plurality of straight lines when viewed along a horizontal direction orthogonal to a guiding direction of the IP.
7. 7 . The radiation image scanner according to claim 1 , wherein the front-back inverting portion is continuous to a downstream side of a guiding direction of the IP with respect to the first IP guide surface.
8. 8 . The radiation image scanner according to claim 1 , wherein the setting guide further includes a restricting guide surface for the second IP guide surface that gradually approaches the second IP guide surface as the restricting guide surface goes downward in an inclination direction of the second IP guide surface.
9. 9 . The radiation image scanner according to claim 8 , wherein the restricting guide surface is continuous to a downstream side of the front-back inverting portion.
10. 10 . The radiation image scanner according to claim 1 , wherein the setting guide further includes an insertion guide positioned away from an upper end of the first IP guide surface by a distance corresponding to a thickness of the IP.
11. 11 . The radiation image scanner according to claim 1 , wherein the setting guide further includes a recess that is located halfway of a guide path of the IP by the first IP guide surface and suppresses a flow of liquid along a guiding direction of the IP.
12. 12 . The radiation image scanner according to claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the setting guide is detachably supported such that at least a part of the first IP guide surface is exposed outside while being in a detached state.
13. 13 . The radiation image scanner according to claim 1 , wherein the setting guide further includes an insertion port through which the IP is inserted at an upper end of the first IP guide surface and a shutter that openably closes the insertion port.
14. 14 . The radiation image scanner according to claim 1 , wherein the setting guide guides the IP in a posture in which a longitudinal direction of the IP is set along a moving direction of the IP in the first IP guide surface, and the stage supports the longitudinal direction of the IP in a posture in which the longitudinal direction of the IP is inclined with respect to a horizontal direction.
15. 15 . The radiation image scanner according to claim 1 , further comprising a stage moving mechanism that moves the stage between a setting position where the IP is set on the stage and a reading position where the photodetector reads the radiation image according to the excitation light from the excitation light source, wherein the setting guide is provided at a position where the setting guide faces the stage located at the setting position.
16. 16 . The radiation image scanner according to claim 15 , wherein the stage moving mechanism includes a motor that applies driving force to move the stage and a stage guide that guides the stage.
17. 17 . A setting guide that guides an imaging plate (IP) toward a stage that supports the IP from a back surface side, comprising: a first IP guide surface that guides the IP obliquely downward, the first IP guide surface being inclined downward; a second IP guide surface being inclined downward, the second IP guide surface being a surface that is inclined downward to an opposite side with respect to the first IP guide surface, receives the IP guided by the first IP guide surface, and guides the IP obliquely downward, and a front-back inverting portion that inverts the IP in an inclined attitude identical to the second IP guide surface while coming into contact with the IP guided by the second IP guide surface from a front surface side of the IP.
18. 18 . A radiation image scanner that reads a radiation image from a front surface of an imaging plate (IP), the radiation image scanner comprising: a stage that supports the IP from a back surface side; an excitation light source that irradiates the IP supported by the stage with excitation light; a photodetector that detects light emitted from the IP by the excitation light; and a first IP guide surface that guides the IP obliquely downward, the first IP guide surface being inclined downward, wherein the stage includes a second IP guide surface being inclined downward, the second IP guide surface is a surface that is inclined downward to an opposite side with respect to the first IP guide surface, receives the IP guided by the first IP guide surface, and guides the IP obliquely downward, and the stage includes a front-back inverting portion that inverts the IP in an inclined attitude identical to the second IP guide surface while coming into contact with the IP guided by the second IP guide surface from a front surface side of the IP.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Field of the Disclosure The present disclosure relates to a radiation image scanner. Description of the Background Art Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-53459 discloses a radiation image scanner including a conveyance mechanism that conveys an IP (imaging plate). The conveyance mechanism including a belt that holds an IP and a belt drive mechanism that rotates the belt is disclosed as an example. The IP is conveyed while placed on a holding surface that is a part of the belt. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the IP is inserted into an inlet formed in a housing while a radiation image forming surface faces upward, and is placed on a holding surface of a belt. For this reason, when the IP is inserted into the inlet, the radiation image forming surface facing upward may be exposed to light outside the scanner. When the radiation image forming surface is exposed to external light, the radiation image forming surface emits light, energy stored in the radiation image forming surface is released and dissipated, and a part of image data may be lost. SUMMARY An object is to make the radiation image forming surface of the IP less likely to be exposed to external light when the IP is set in the radiation image scanner. A radiation image scanner is a radiation image scanner that reads a radiation image from a front surface of an imaging plate (IP), the radiation image scanner including: a stage that supports the IP from a back surface side; an excitation light source that irradiates the IP supported by the stage with excitation light; a photodetector that detects light emitted from the IP by the excitation light; and a setting guide that guides the IP toward the stage, the setting guide including an first IP guide surface that guides the IP obliquely downward, the first IP guide surface being inclined downward, wherein at least one of the setting guide and the stage include a second IP guide surface being inclined downward, the second IP guide surface is a surface that is inclined downward to an opposite side with respect to the first IP guide surface, receives the IP guided by the first IP guide surface, and guides the IP obliquely downward, and at least one of the stage and the setting guide include a front-back inverting portion that inverts the IP in an inclined attitude identical to the second IP guide inclined surface while coming into contact with the IP guided by the second IP guide surface from a front surface side of the IP. According to the radiation image scanner, the radiation image forming surface of the IP can be hardly exposed to external light when the IP is set in the radiation image scanner. These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a scanner according to a first embodiment; FIGS. 2 and 3 are partially exploded perspective views illustrating the scanner; FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating an internal structure of the scanner; FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along a line V-V in FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a stage; FIG. 7 is a front view illustrating the stage at a reading position; FIG. 8 is a partially sectional view taken along a line VIII-VIII in FIG. 4; FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a setting guide is removed from a support member; FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the setting guide; FIG. 11 is an explanatory view illustrating an operation of a shutter; FIG. 12 is an explanatory view illustrating a guiding operation of an IP; FIG. 13 is a sectional view illustrating an IP guide surface according to a first modification; FIG. 14 is a sectional view illustrating an IP guide surface according to a second modification; FIG. 15 is a sectional view illustrating a setting guide according to a third modification; FIG. 16 is a sectional view illustrating a setting guide according to a fourth modification; FIG. 17 is a sectional view illustrating a setting guide according to a fifth modification; FIG. 18 is an explanatory view illustrating a setting guide according to a sixth modification; FIG. 19 is an explanatory view illustrating a setting guide according to a seventh modification; FIG. 20 is a partially perspective view illustrating a scanner according to a second embodiment; FIG. 21 is a partial side view illustrating the scanner; FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a setting guide according to the second embodiment; FIG. 23 is a perspective view illustrating a guide body as viewed from an IP guide surface side; FIG. 24 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a lid and a tray are removed from a guide support; FIG. 25 is a view illustrating a modification of a liquid inflow suppression