Method and apparatus for reading out image information stored in a storage phosphor of a storage medium
OwnerMichael Thomsinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for reading out image information stored in a storage phosphor of a storage medium includes moving a light beam over the storage medium. A luminescence signal is generated by the photostimulation of the storage phosphor. In first time intervals a respective output value is determined from the luminescence signal, and a respective pixel value of an image pixel of a digital image is determined from the output value. The output value is thereby determined by addition of a plurality of measurement values of the luminescence signal which are detected in second time intervals lying within the first time interval. A corresponding apparatus for carrying out the method is described as well.
Claims17
A method of reading out image information stored in a storage phosphor of a storage medium, the method which comprises:
- moving a light beam along lines over the storage medium line by line in order to generate a luminescence signal by photostimulation of the storage phosphor, within a first time interval;
- determining an output value from the luminescence signal by addition of a plurality of sequential, equally weighted measurement values of the luminescence signal taken during second time intervals lying within the first time interval;
- wherein the storage phosphor has a given decay time constant and each of the second time intervals are less than three times the decay constant of the storage phosphor;
- and
- determining from the output value a respective digital image pixel value.
An apparatus for reading out image information stored in a storage phosphor of a storage medium, the apparatus comprising:
- a photostimulation device for photostimulating the storage phosphor by moving a light beam along lines of the storage medium and scanning the storage medium line by line and generating a luminescence signal;
- a measuring device configured for measuring luminescence emitting from the storage medium sequentially one after another by detecting the luminescence signal within a second time interval lying within a first time interval and outputting a measurement value;
- a summation element for determining a respective output value by adding a plurality of equally weighted, sequentially acquired measurement values of the luminescence signal detected during the second time interval;
- and an A/D converter for determining, from the output value, a respective digital image pixel value;
- and wherein the storage phosphor has a given decay time constant and each of the second time intervals are less than three times the decay constant of the storage phosphor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.