BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a radiation image capturing system. Specifically, the present invention relates to a radiation image capturing system which can perform long length capturing.

Description of Related Art

As a method of capturing a relatively large range such as the upper half or the lower half of the patient, there is known long length capturing in which a radiation image capturing apparatus (Flat Panel Detector) is irradiated with radiation from a radiation irradiating apparatus while changing the position along a body axis of the captured subject and a plurality of radiation images are captured. Usually, the plural radiation images obtained by the long length capturing are connected by image processing to create one radiation image. Various configurations are known as a configuration of a radiation image capturing system to perform such long length capturing. As one example, the radiation image capturing system as described inFIG. 22is known.

In other words, the radiation image capturing system positions a collimator102including an opening (not shown) between a radiation irradiating apparatus100and a radiation image capturing apparatus101. The position of the opening of the collimator102is changed by moving the collimator102in the body axis direction of a subject H according to the position of the radiation image capturing apparatus101being moved along the body axis A of the subject H without changing the irradiating direction and the irradiating region of the radiation from the radiation irradiating apparatus S. An irradiating field of the radiation irradiated from the radiation irradiating apparatus S is limited by the opening of the collimator102to only the necessary range including the radiation image capturing apparatus101. In this state, the radiation is irradiated from the radiation irradiating apparatus S each time the radiation image capturing apparatus101changes the position, in other words, radiation is irradiated a plurality of times to capture a plurality of radiation images. A console (not shown) connects the plurality of radiation images to generate one radiation image of long length capturing (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2013-226243).

According toFIG. 22, the radiation image capturing apparatus101is moved to two positions vertically to perform capturing. The number of positions the radiation image capturing apparatus101is moved to is suitably determined according to the size of the radiation image capturing apparatus101used, the capturing site, or the like. Although not shown, the capturing is not limited to a state in which the subject H is standing, in other words a standing position as shown inFIG. 22. For example, similar long length capturing can be performed when capturing is performed in a state in which the subject H is lying down, in other words a lying position.

However, although not limited to the radiation image capturing system using the collimator102as shown inFIG. 22, at least in the conventional radiation image capturing system which performs long length capturing by capturing a plurality of radiation images while moving the radiation image capturing apparatus101in the body axis A direction of the subject H, the problem of the subject H moving while the radiation image capturing apparatus101moves occurs to some extent (in other words, the problem of body movement). When body movement occurs in even one of the plurality of radiation images, even if the one radiation image is captured again and the image combining processing is performed, it is difficult to obtain a suitable long length image. Therefore, all of the plurality of radiation images need to be captured again and the radiation amount on the patient increases.

In order to solve such problem, it is effective to configure the later described radiation image capturing system of the present invention (see later describedFIG. 1), in which a plurality of radiation image capturing apparatuses are positioned aligned in the body axis direction (see A inFIG. 1) of the subject and irradiation is irradiated only once (in other words, one shot) from the radiation irradiating apparatus to the radiation image capturing apparatus to capture a plurality of radiation images.

However, from the point of cost effectiveness, it is not easy to newly introduce in facilities such as a hospital a capturing stage to be dedicated to long length capturing provided with a plurality of radiation image capturing apparatuses in the body axis direction of the subject in advance. That is, such capturing stage is costly and the frequency of capturing long length capturing is not high compared to frequency of normal capturing (hereinafter, simple capturing) in which radiation is irradiated once from the radiation irradiating apparatus to one radiation image capturing apparatus.

Therefore, it is preferable to configure a radiation image capturing system in which long length capturing can be performed by using a bucky apparatus for long length capturing already provided in the facilities in which a plurality of CR (Computer Radiography) cassettes are loaded, or cheaply manufacturing a bucky apparatus for long length capturing and loading the necessary number in a portable (also called a cassette type) radiation image capturing apparatus. According to such configuration, the portable radiation image capturing apparatus which can be used in simple capturing which is the main operation in the radiology department can also be used for long length capturing. Therefore, it is possible to enhance cost effectiveness and capturing effectiveness of the entire radiation image capturing system of the radiology department.

However, according to such configuration, various defects may occur in the radiation image capturing system since both simple capturing and long length capturing can be performed using the same portable radiation image capturing apparatus.

SUMMARY

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and one of the main objects is to provide a radiation image capturing system in which both simple capturing and long length capturing can be accurately performed using a portable radiation image capturing apparatus.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a radiation image capturing system including:a capturing room including:a bucky apparatus on which a plurality of portable radiation image capturing apparatuses can be loaded;a radiation irradiating apparatus which is able to simultaneously irradiate radiation to the plurality of portable radiation image capturing apparatuses loaded on the bucky apparatus; anda detecting unit which detects entry of the portable radiation image capturing apparatus; anda console which is associated with the capturing room, which is able to control the portable radiation image capturing apparatus detected by the detecting unit, and which obtains capturing order information and generates a radiation image based on image data transferred from the portable radiation image capturing apparatus to be associated with the capturing order information;wherein,the console allows the plurality of portable radiation image capturing apparatuses in the associated capturing room to advance to a capturing possible state when the console judges based on the capturing order information that capturing in the capturing order information is long length capturing which is performed with the plurality of portable radiation image capturing apparatuses loaded on the bucky apparatus; andthe console allows only one of the portable radiation image capturing apparatuses in the associated capturing room to advance to the capturing possible state when the console judges based on the capturing order information that the capturing in the capturing order information is not the long length capturing.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a radiation image capturing system including:a capturing room including:a bucky apparatus on which a plurality of portable radiation image capturing apparatuses can be loaded;a radiation irradiating apparatus which is able to simultaneously irradiate radiation to the plurality of portable radiation image capturing apparatuses loaded on the bucky apparatus; anda detecting unit which detects entry of the portable radiation image capturing apparatus; anda console which is associated with the capturing room, which is able to control the portable radiation image capturing apparatus detected by the detecting unit, and which obtains capturing order information and generates a radiation image based on image data transferred from the portable radiation image capturing apparatus to be associated with the capturing order information;wherein,the bucky apparatus includes a reading unit which reads identification information of the portable radiation image capturing apparatus loaded in a loading position in which the portable radiation image capturing apparatus is loaded, and the bucky apparatus notifies the identification information to the console when the reading unit reads the identification information of the portable radiation image capturing apparatus loaded in the loading position;the console judges whether long length capturing which is performed with the plurality of portable radiation image capturing apparatuses loaded on the bucky apparatus can be performed based on the identification information of the portable radiation image capturing apparatus loaded in the loading position, the identification information notified from the bucky apparatus;the console allows the plurality of portable radiation image capturing apparatuses loaded on the bucky apparatus to advance to a capturing possible state when the console judges that the long length capturing can be performed; andthe console notifies that the long length capturing cannot be performed when the console judges that the long length capturing cannot be performed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a radiation image capturing system including:a plurality of capturing rooms including:a radiation irradiating apparatus which is able to irradiate radiation to a portable radiation image capturing apparatus; anda detecting unit which detects entry of the portable radiation image capturing apparatus;a console which is associated with the capturing room, which is able to control the portable radiation image capturing apparatus detected by the detecting unit, and which obtains capturing order information and generates a radiation image based on image data transferred from the portable radiation image capturing apparatus to be associated with the capturing order information; anda management apparatus which manages the portable radiation image capturing apparatus in the capturing room based on information of the portable radiation image capturing apparatus detected by the detecting unit provided in each capturing room,wherein,any or all of the capturing rooms are provided with a bucky apparatus in which the plurality of portable radiation image capturing apparatuses can be loaded;the management apparatus judges in which capturing room the long length capturing can be performed based on information of the portable radiation image capturing apparatus and the bucky apparatus in the capturing room and notifies to the console the capturing room which can perform long length capturing in reply to a request from the console which judges based on the capturing order information that the capturing of the capturing order information is the long length capturing which is performed with the plurality of portable radiation image capturing apparatuses loaded on the bucky apparatus; andthe console notifies the information of the capturing room notified from the management apparatus.

According to the radiation image capturing system of the present invention, it is possible to accurately perform both simple capturing and long length capturing using the portable radiation image capturing apparatus.

