Radiation image information reading apparatus

A radiation image information reading apparatus comprising:

• a linear light source for linearly emitting an excitation light to an area on a front side of a stimulating phosphor sheet having radiation image recorded therein;
• detection means comprising a plurality of line sensors, each of the line sensors comprising a plurality of photoelectric conversion devices arranged in a lengthwise direction of the area in the sheet where the excitation light is linearly irradiated for carrying out photoelectric conversion by receiving light emitted from the area on the front side of the sheet or from an area on a backside of the sheet corresponding to the area on the front side of the sheet, the line sensors being placed in the length wise direction as well as in a direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction so that the photoelectric conversion devices of at least one of the line sensors can receive the light;
• scanning means for causing either a combination of the linear light source and the detection means or the sheet to have movement relative to the other in a direction different from the lengthwise direction;
• reading means for obtaining initial image data by sequentially reading outputs from the photoelectric conversion devices of the detection means in accordance with the movement;
• and
• integration processing means for carrying out a first conversion process to generate pixel data corresponding to pixels divided in the lengthwise direction in the case where only one of the outputs in the initial image data is available for an area in the area where the excitation light is irradiated, and to generate the pixel data corresponding to the pixels divided in the lengthwise direction by adding two or more of the outputs in the case where the two or more of the outputs are available for an area in the area where the excitation light is irradiated and for carrying out a second conversion process to generate data of a final image by adding the pixel data over a predetermined number of pixels consecutively lined in the lengthwise direction.