Patent ID: 9329280
Filing Date: 2016-05-03
CPC Classification: A61B,G01T,H01L,H04N

Claim Text:
1. A method for controlling a radiation image pickup apparatus, the radiation image pickup apparatus including a pixel array having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, a drive circuit, and a detection unit, each of the pixels including a conversion element and a switch element and converting radiation into an electric signal, the drive circuit controlling the switch element between a conducting state and a non-conducting state, the detection unit outputting a signal varying with an intensity of irradiation of the pixel array, the method comprising: switching the radiation image pickup apparatus between a first mode and a second mode, wherein in the first mode, a start threshold value used for detecting start of irradiation of the pixel array is calculated on the basis of the signal output from the detection unit during a period of time during which irradiation is not applied to the pixel array in which the switch elements of the plurality of pixels are sequentially set in the conducting state on a row-by-row basis by the drive circuit and the signal output from the detection unit during a period of time during which irradiation is applied to the pixel array in which the switch elements of the plurality of pixels are sequentially set in the conducting state on a row-by-row basis by the drive circuit, and wherein in the second mode, the switch elements of the plurality of pixels are set in the non-conducting state by the drive circuit if a value of the signal output from the detection unit exceeds the start threshold value during a period of time during which the switch elements of the pixels are sequentially set in the conducting state on a row-by-row basis by the drive circuit after the first mode occurs.