Radiation image signal acquiring method

1. A radiation image signal acquiring method, comprising the steps of:

i) scanning a stimulable phosphor sheet, on which a radiation image of an object has been stored, with stimulating rays, which cause the stimulable phosphor sheet to emit light in proportion to the amount of energy stored on the stimulable phosphor sheet during exposure of the stimulable phosphor sheet to radiation, and

ii) detecting the light, which is emitted by the stimulable phosphor sheet when the stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned with the stimulating rays, whereby an image signal representing the radiation image of the object is acquired,

wherein the scanning of the stimulable phosphor sheet with the stimulating rays is performed from an object image-carrying edge area, in which a radiation image pattern representing the object has been stored, the object image-carrying edge area being one of edge areas of the stimulable phosphor sheet.

2. A radiation image signal acquiring method, comprising the steps of:

i) scanning a stimulable phosphor sheet, on which a radiation image of a breast has been stored, with stimulating rays, which cause the stimulable phosphor sheet to emit light in proportion to the amount of energy stored on the stimulable phosphor sheet during exposure of the stimulable phosphor sheet to radiation, and

ii) detecting the light, which is emitted by the stimulable phosphor sheet when the stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned with the stimulating rays, whereby an image signal representing the radiation image of the breast is acquired,

wherein the scanning of the stimulable phosphor sheet with the stimulating rays is performed from an object image-carrying edge area, in which a radiation image pattern representing a chest wall side of the breast has been stored, the object image-carrying edge area being one of edge areas of the stimulable phosphor sheet.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the scanning of the stimulable phosphor sheet with the stimulating rays is performed with an operation for irradiating the stimulating rays to each of a plurality of point-shaped sites on the stimulable phosphor sheet.

4. A method as defined in claim 2 wherein the scanning of the stimulable phosphor sheet with the stimulating rays is performed with an operation for irradiating the stimulating rays to each of a plurality of point-shaped sites on the stimulable phosphor sheet.

5. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the stimulable phosphor sheet is provided with a stimulable phosphor layer containing a compound, which may be represented by a chemical formula MeX:Eu,

wherein Me represents at least one kind of element selected from the group consisting of Rb and Cs, and X represents at least one kind of element selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br, and I.

6. A method as defined in claim 2 wherein the stimulable phosphor sheet is provided with a stimulable phosphor layer containing a compound, which may be represented by a chemical formula MeX:Eu,

wherein Me represents at least one kind of element selected from the group consisting of Rb and Cs, and X represents at least one kind of element selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br, and I.

7. A method as defined in claim 3 wherein the stimulable phosphor sheet is provided with a stimulable phosphor layer containing a compound, which may be represented by a chemical formula MeX:Eu,

wherein Me represents at least one kind of element selected from the group consisting of Rb and Cs, and X represents at least one kind of element selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br, and I.

8. A method as defined in claim 4 wherein the stimulable phosphor sheet is provided with a stimulable phosphor layer containing a compound, which may be represented by a chemical formula MeX:Eu,

wherein Me represents at least one kind of element selected from the group consisting of Rb and Cs, and X represents at least one kind of element selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br, and I.

9. A method as defined in claim 5 wherein the stimulable phosphor layer is a layer having been formed with a vapor phase deposition technique and comprises optically anisotropic pillar-shaped crystal structures, which extend in a direction normal to a surface of the stimulable phosphor layer.

10. A method as defined in claim 6 wherein the stimulable phosphor layer is a layer having been formed with a vapor phase deposition technique and comprises optically anisotropic pillar-shaped crystal structures, which extend in a direction normal to a surface of the stimulable phosphor layer.

11. A method as defined in claim 7 wherein the stimulable phosphor layer is a layer having been formed with a vapor phase deposition technique and comprises optically anisotropic pillar-shaped crystal structures, which extend in a direction normal to a surface of the stimulable phosphor layer.

12. A method as defined in claim 8 wherein the stimulable phosphor layer is a layer having been formed with a vapor phase deposition technique and comprises optically anisotropic pillar-shaped crystal structures, which extend in a direction normal to a surface of the stimulable phosphor layer.

13. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the scanning is performed in a horizontal direction and in a vertical direction.

14. A method as defined in claim 2 wherein the scanning is performed in a horizontal direction and in a vertical direction.

15. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of point-shaped sites comprises a point where the stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned with a stimulating ray of the stimulating rays.

16. A method as defined in claim 2 wherein each of the plurality of point-shaped sites comprises a point where the stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned with a stimulating ray of the stimulating rays.

17. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising determining the object image-carrying edge area to determine an edge for scanning prior to scanning.

18. A method as defined in claim 1 , where the object image-carrying edge area comprises an edge of the phosphor sheet on a side where the object image is formed.

19. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein scanning is carried out in consistently one direction in each of a main scan and a sub-scan direction.