Apparatus for and method of capturing radiation image
AssigneeFUJIFILM Corporation
InventorsNobuhiko KASHIWAGI, Hajime Nakata
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An irradiation dose calculator calculates a pre-exposure-mode-required irradiation dose using the thickness of a breast which measured by a thickness measuring unit, as a parameter, and the irradiation time of a pre-exposure mode is controlled to apply a radiation to the breast in the pre-exposure mode. According to the dose of the radiation detected by a dose detecting sensor in the pre-exposure mode, the irradiation dose calculator calculates a main-exposure-mode-required irradiation dose, and the irradiation time of a main exposure mode is controlled to apply the radiation to the breast in the main exposure mode, thereby capturing a radiation image of the breast.
Claims15
An apparatus for capturing a radiation image by applying a radiation emitted from a radiation source to a breast and detecting the radiation that has passed through the breast with a radiation detector, comprising:
- a dose detecting sensor for detecting a dose of said radiation that has passed through the breast;
- a thickness measuring unit for measuring a thickness of the breast along a direction in which the radiation passes through the breast, when the breast is pressed against said radiation detector by a presser plate;
- a pre-exposure-mode-required irradiation dose calculator for calculating a pre-exposure-mode-required irradiation dose required to apply said radiation to the breast in a pre-exposure mode prior to a main exposure mode for capturing said radiation image, using the measured thickness of the breast as a parameter;
- a main-exposure-mode-required irradiation dose calculator for calculating a main-exposure-mode-required irradiation dose required to apply said radiation to the breast in the main exposure mode, based on a pre-exposure-mode irradiation dose which represents the dose of said radiation detected by said dose detecting sensor in said pre-exposure mode;
- and
- a radiation source controller for controlling said radiation source to apply said radiation to the breast in said pre-exposure mode according to the calculated pre-exposure-mode-required irradiation dose and controlling said radiation source to apply said radiation to the breast in said main exposure mode according to the calculated main-exposure-mode-required irradiation dose.
A method of capturing a radiation image by applying a radiation emitted from a radiation source to a breast and detecting the radiation that has passed through the breast with a radiation detector, comprising the steps of:
- measuring a thickness of the breast along a direction in which the radiation passes through the breast, when the breast is pressed against said radiation detector by a presser plate;
- calculating a pre-exposure-mode-required irradiation dose required to apply said radiation to the breast in a pre-exposure mode prior to a main exposure mode for capturing said radiation image, using the measured thickness of the breast as a parameter;
- controlling said radiation source to apply said radiation to the breast in the pre-exposure mode according to the calculated pre-exposure-mode-required irradiation dose, and detecting a pre-exposure-mode irradiation dose of the radiation which has passed through the breast;
- calculating a main-exposure-mode-required irradiation dose required to apply said radiation to the breast in the main exposure mode, based on the pre-exposure-mode irradiation dose detected in said pre-exposure mode;
- and
- controlling said radiation source to apply said radiation to the breast in said main exposure mode according to the calculated main-exposure-mode-required irradiation dose.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.