RADIOLOGICAL IMAGING SYSTEM COMPRISING A PORTABLE X-RAY IMAGE DETECTOR AND AN ANTIDIFFUSION GRID

Abstract

A radiological imaging system includes a portable X-ray image detector and an antidiffusion grid comprising a support for receiving the portable detector, wherein: the portable detector is provided with a near distance radio communication module; and the antidiffusion grid comprises a near distance radio communication tag, provided with a memory of at least 10 kilobytes comprising data representative of the antidiffusion grid, disposed in such a way as to be capable of communicating with the near distance radio communication module when the detector is fully inserted in the receiving support; the portable detector being configured for determining locally if the antidiffusion grid and the portable detector are compatible or incompatible from read data representative of the antidiffusion grid supplied to the near distance radio communication module by the tag.

Claims

1. A radiological imaging system comprising a portable X-ray image detector and an antidiffusion grid comprising a support for receiving the portable detector, wherein: the portable detector is provided with a near distance radio communication module; and the antidiffusion grid comprises a near distance radio communication tag, provided with a memory of at least 10 kilobytes comprising data representative of the antidiffusion grid, disposed in such a way as to be capable of communicating with the near distance radio communication module when the detector is fully inserted in the receiving support; the portable detector being configured for determining locally if the antidiffusion grid and the portable detector are compatible or incompatible from read data representative of the antidiffusion grid supplied to the near distance radio communication module by the tag.

2. The system according to claim 1, comprising a module for blocking the functioning of the portable detector whilst declaring it as not ready for acquiring an image if the portable detector and the antidiffusion grid are incompatible.

3. The system according to claim 1, comprising a warning module configured to inform a user if the antidiffusion grid and the portable detector are compatible or incompatible.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the warning module comprises: a sound emitter configured for emitting a first sound signal in the case of compatibility of the antidiffusion grid and the portable detector, and for emitting a second sound signal in the case of incompatibility of the antidiffusion grid and the portable detector; and/or a light emitter configured for emitting a first light signal in the case of compatibility of the antidiffusion grid and the portable detector, and for emitting a second light signal in the case of incompatibility of the antidiffusion grid and the portable detector.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the light emitter comprises light emitting diodes configured for flashing in green in the case of compatibility of the antidiffusion grid and the portable detector, and for flashing in red in the case of incompatibility of the antidiffusion grid and the portable detector.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable detector is configured for, during an image acquisition, applying image corrections corresponding to the type of the antidiffusion grid.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the portable detector is configured for, during an image acquisition, inserting the data representative of the antidiffusion grid in the header of the computer file representing the acquired image.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the data representative of the antidiffusion grid comprise an identifier representative of the type of antidiffusion grid, and/or an identifier representative of the antidiffusion grid, and/or an identifier representative of its portrait or landscape orientation, and/or an identifier representative of the number of pairs of lines per centimetre, and/or an identifier representative of the form factor, and/or an identifier representative of the nominal focal length of the X-ray source, and/or an identifier representative of the minimum and maximum focal lengths of the X-ray source, and/or an identifier representative of the primary transmission rate of the X-rays of the device, and/or an identifier representative of the dimensions of the antidiffusion grid, and/or an identifier representative of the thickness of the absorbent material.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the near distance radio communication module is of the near field communication NFC type, and the near distance radio communication tag is an NFC tag.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the near distance radio communication module is of the radiofrequency identification RFID communication type, and the near distance radio communication tag is an RFID tag.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The invention will be better understood on examining several embodiments described as examples which are in no way limiting and which are illustrated by the appended drawings among which figures:

[0034] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a digital radiological imaging system, according to one aspect of the invention; and

[0035] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of a portable X-ray image detector of a system as shown in FIG. 1, according to one aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a radiological imaging system 1 according to one aspect of the invention.

[0037] A radiological imaging system 1 comprises a portable X-ray image detector 2 and an antidiffusion grid 3 comprising a support 4 for receiving the portable detector 2, wherein: [0038] the portable detector 2 is provided with a near distance radio communication module 5; and [0039] the antidiffusion grid 3 comprises a near distance radio communication tag 6, “tag” being the English term, provided with a memory 7 of at least 10 kilobytes comprising data representative of the antidiffusion grid 3, disposed such a way as to be capable de communicating with the near distance radio communication module 5 when the detector 2 is fully inserted in the receiving support 4.

[0040] The portable detector 2 is configured for locally determining (without connection to a remote server) if the antidiffusion grid 3 and the portable detector 2 are compatible or incompatible on the basis of the read data representative of the antidiffusion grid 3 supplied to the near distance radio communication module 5 by the tag 6.

[0041] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a portable detector 2 according to one aspect of the invention, provided with a module 8 for blocking the functioning of the portable detector 2 whilst declaring it as not ready to acquire an image if the portable detector (2) and the antidiffusion grid (3) are incompatible.

[0042] Thus, there is no emission of X-rays when the portable detector 2 and the antidiffusion grid 3 are incompatible.

[0043] A warning module 9 can be configured for informing a user if the antidiffusion grid 3 and the portable detector 2 are compatible or incompatible.

[0044] The warning module 9 can comprise: [0045] a sound emitter 10 configured to emit a first sound signal in the case of compatibility of the antidiffusion grid 3 and the portable detector 2, and to emit a second sound signal in the case of incompatibility of the antidiffusion grid 3 and the portable detector 2; and/or [0046] a light emitter 11 configured to emit a first light signal in the case of compatibility of the antidiffusion grid 3 and the portable detector 2, and to emit a second light signal in the case of incompatibility of the antidiffusion grid 3 and the portable detector 2.

[0047] For example, the light emitter can comprise light emitting diodes configured to flash in green in the case of compatibility of the antidiffusion grid 3 and the portable detector 2, and to flash in red in the case of incompatibility of the antidiffusion grid 3 and the portable detector 2.

[0048] When the detector 2 is fully inserted in the support 4 of the antidiffusion grid 3, the near distance radio communication module 5 is facing the tag 6. If the antidiffusion grid 3 used is compatible with the portable detector 2, then the latter can emit a first particular sound corresponding to a compatibility and the light emitting diodes can flash in green.

[0049] On the contrary, if the antidiffusion grid 3 is not compatible with the portable detector 2, the latter can emit a second sound corresponding to an incompatibility and the light emitting diodes can flash in red.

[0050] The near distance radio communication module 5 then reads the data or information contained in the memory 7 of the tag, that is to say all of the characteristics of the antidiffusion grid 3 used.

[0051] The radiological X-ray imaging system 1 can then retrieve the data of the antidiffusion grid 3 by a software command sent to the X-ray detector and thus adjust the characteristics of the X-ray beam that it will generate for exposing the patient.

[0052] The portable detector 2 can be configured in order, during an image acquisition, to insert the data representative of the antidiffusion grid 3 in the header of the computer file representing the acquired image.

[0053] The X-ray detector 2 then writes all of the characteristics of the antidiffusion grid 3 used for acquiring an X-ray image in the header of the digital image (computer file representing the acquired image) that it has produced. The system then uses these characteristics as input parameters for its image processing.

[0054] This makes it possible to reduce the risk of errors in the data of the antidiffusion grid used for the acquisition and the processing of the image.

[0055] The data representative of the antidiffusion grid 3 can comprise an identifier representative of the type of antidiffusion grid, and/or an identifier representative of the antidiffusion grid, and/or an identifier representative its portrait or landscape orientation, and/or an identifier representative the number of pairs of lines per centimetre, and/or an identifier representative of the form factor, and/or an identifier representative of the nominal focal length of the X-ray source, and/or an identifier representative of the minimum and maximum focal lengths of the X-ray source, and/or an identifier representative of the primary transmission rate of the X-rays of the device, and/or an identifier representative of the dimensions of the antidiffusion grid, and/or an identifier representative of the thickness of the absorbent material.

[0056] The near distance radio communication module 5 can be of the NFC near field communication type and the near distance radio communication tag 6 is an NFC tag.

[0057] As a variant, the near distance radio communication module 5 can be of the RFID radio-identification communication type, and the near distance radio communication tag 6 is an RFID tag.