Radiation image capturing system
A radiation image capturing system includes a radiation image capturing apparatus, one or more radiation generation apparatuses and a calculation unit. The radiation image capturing apparatus includes a control unit which controls a scan driving unit and a readout integrated circuit of the radiation image capturing apparatus since before start of irradiation of the radiation image capturing apparatus and detects the start of the irradiation when data read out by the readout integrated circuit is equal to or more than a threshold. Before radiation image capturing, the calculation unit calculates a maximum body thickness for each of the radiation generation apparatuses on the basis of the data read out in the radiation image capturing apparatus irradiated by the radiation generation apparatus, the maximum body thickness up to which the control unit can detect the start of the irradiation through a subject.
1. An x-ray radiation image capturing system comprising:
an x-ray radiation image capturing apparatus including:
a plurality of scan lines;
a plurality of signal lines disposed to intersect with the scan lines;
a plurality of x-ray radiation detection elements disposed two-dimensionally;
a scan driving unit which applies ON voltage and OFF voltage to the scan lines, switching the ON voltage and the OFF voltage;
a plurality of switch elements which are connected to the scan lines and release electric charges accumulated in the x-ray radiation detection elements to the signal lines when the ON voltage is applied to the switch elements via the scan lines;
a readout integrated circuit which reads out the electric charges released from the x-ray radiation detection elements as image data; and
a control unit which controls the scan driving unit and the readout integrated circuit since before start of irradiation of the x-ray radiation image capturing apparatus and detects the start of the irradiation when data read out by the readout integrated circuit is equal to or more than a threshold; and
one or more x-ray radiation generation apparatuses each of which irradiates the x-ray radiation image capturing apparatus; and
a calculation unit which, before x-ray radiation image capturing, calculates a maximum body thickness for each of the one or more x-ray radiation generation apparatuses on the basis of the data read out in the x-ray radiation image capturing apparatus irradiated by the respective x-ray radiation generation apparatus, the maximum body thickness up to which the control unit can detect the start of the irradiation through a subject.
2. The x-ray radiation image capturing system according to claim 1 , wherein the calculation unit calculates the maximum body thickness in relation to a radiography condition set to the respective x-ray radiation generation apparatus to find a relationship between the maximum body thickness and the radiography condition.
3. The x-ray radiation image capturing system according to claim 2 , wherein the radiography condition includes a tube voltage supplied to the respective x-ray radiation generation apparatus.
4. The x-ray radiation image capturing system according to claim 2 , wherein the calculation unit finds the relationship for the x-ray radiation image capturing apparatus with a grid attached and the x-ray radiation image capturing apparatus with no grid attached.
5. The x-ray radiation image capturing system according to claim 2 further comprising:
a console into which a desired radiography condition to be set to the respective x-ray radiation generation apparatus is input; and
a notifying unit which notifies a found maximum body thickness based on the relationship between the maximum body thickness and the desired radiography condition, the found maximum body thickness up to which the control unit can detect the start of the irradiation through the subject under the radiography condition input into the console.
6. The x-ray radiation image capturing system according to claim 2 further comprising a notifying unit which (i) obtains a body thickness of the subject as a target for the x-ray radiation image capturing and (ii) notifies a found radiography condition based on the relationship between the maximum body thickness and the radiography condition, the found radiography condition under which the control unit can detect the start of the irradiation through the subject having the body thickness.
7. The x-ray radiation image capturing system according to claim 2 further comprising a notifying unit which (i) obtains a body thickness of the subject as a target for the x-ray radiation image capturing and (ii) automatically sets to the x-ray radiation image capturing apparatus a found radiography condition based on the relationship between the maximum body thickness and the radiography condition, the found radiography condition under which the control unit can detect the start of the irradiation through the subject having the body thickness.
8. The x-ray radiation image capturing system according to claim 1 further comprising a computer including a display unit, wherein
information on the maximum body thickness is displayed on the display unit.
9. The x-ray radiation image capturing system according to claim 1 , wherein, in addition to the maximum body thickness, the calculation unit calculates for each of the x-ray radiation generation apparatuses a minimum area of a direct irradiation region where the x-ray radiation image capturing apparatus is directly irradiated by the respective x-ray radiation generation apparatus not through the subject, the minimum area down to which the control unit can detect the start of the irradiation with the direct irradiation region.
10. The x-ray radiation image capturing system according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit changes sensitivity of the control unit for an irradiation start detection process to detect the start of the irradiation by changing the threshold, and
the calculation unit calculates the maximum body thickness for each of sensitivity levels of the sensitivity.
11. The x-ray radiation image capturing system according to claim 1 , wherein the calculation unit performs a calculation process to calculate the maximum body thickness for each of the x-ray radiation generation apparatuses on the basis of data of a dose rate detected by a dosimeter (i) disposed at a position where the x-ray radiation image capturing apparatus is to be disposed and (ii) irradiated by the respective x-ray radiation generation apparatus instead of performing the calculation process on the basis of the data read out in the x-ray radiation image capturing apparatus irradiated by the respective x-ray radiation generation apparatus.
12. An x-ray radiation image capturing system comprising:
an x-ray radiation image capturing apparatus including:
a plurality of scan lines;
a plurality of signal lines disposed to intersect with the scan lines;
a plurality of x-ray radiation detection elements disposed two-dimensionally;
a scan driving unit which applies ON voltage and OFF voltage to the scan lines, switching the ON voltage and the OFF voltage;
a plurality of switch elements which are connected to the scan lines and release electric charges accumulated in the x-ray radiation detection elements to the signal lines when the ON voltage is applied to the switch elements via the scan lines;
a readout integrated circuit which reads out the electric charges released from the x-ray radiation detection elements as image data; and
a control unit which controls the scan driving unit and the readout integrated circuit since before start of irradiation of the x-ray radiation image capturing apparatus and detects the start of the irradiation when data read out by the readout integrated circuit is equal to or more than a threshold; and
an x-ray radiation generation apparatus which irradiates the x-ray radiation image capturing apparatus, wherein
the control unit of the x-ray radiation image capturing apparatus is configured to change sensitivity of the control unit for an irradiation start detection process to detect the start of the irradiation by changing the threshold, and
the x-ray radiation image capturing system further comprises a determination unit which, before x-ray radiation image capturing, determines whether or not the control unit can detect the start of the irradiation at each of sensitivity levels of the sensitivity on the basis of the data read out in the x-ray radiation image capturing apparatus not irradiated by the x-ray radiation generation apparatus and notifies a result of the determination.
13. The x-ray radiation image capturing system according to claim 12 , wherein, with or without the notification of the result of the determination, the determination unit automatically sets to the x-ray radiation image capturing apparatus a sensitivity level determined as a sensitivity level at which the control unit can detect the start of the irradiation.