Method for reading radiation image information

Abstract

A radiation image information reading method includes scanning a stimulating ray on a radiation image converting panel surface to obtain radiation image information stored on the radiation image converting panel, the scanning step including performing scanning of the stimulating ray while repeating successively irradiation and stopping thereof. In this manner, the noise caused by fluorescent afterflow, stimulation afterglow, stray light from outside of the apparatus or a laser beam, etc., can be removed simply and correctly. A visible image which is correct with good reproducibility corresponding to the real image, and also good in sharpness, can be obtained, whereby diagnosis with high reliability by means of a radiation image is rendered possible. In one embodiment, only image signals detected during periods of irradiation by the stimulating ray are read. In another embodiment, the difference in image signals read during irradiation and during stopping of the stimulating ray is used as the image information.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.