Patent ID: 6724007
Filing Date: 2004-04-20
Classification: G03B

Abstract:
A radiation image read-out method, comprising the steps of:i) linearly irradiating stimulating rays onto an area of a stimulable phosphor sheet, on which a radiation image has been stored, with stimulating ray irradiating means, the stimulating rays causing the stimulable phosphor sheet to emit light in proportion to an amount of energy stored thereon during its exposure to radiation, ii) receiving light, which is emitted by the stimulable phosphor sheet, with a CCD line sensor comprising a plurality of photo electric converting sections, which are arrayed along the linear area of the stimulable phosphor sheet exposed to the linear stimulating rays, the received light being subjected to photoelectric conversion performed by the CCD line sensor, and iii) moving the stimulable phosphor sheet with respect to the stimulating ray irradiating means and the CCD line sensor and in a sub-scanning direction intersecting with a length direction of the linear area of the stimulable phosphor sheet exposed to the linear stimulating rays, wherein the improvement comprises the steps of: a) reading accumulated electric charges of the CCD line sensor, which accumulated electric charges are obtained from each set of n number of the photoelectric converting sections adjacent to one another in the array direction of the plurality of the photoelectric converting sections, where 2&lE;n, together such that the value of n is capable of being altered, the accumulated electric charges, which have thus been read together from the set of the photoelectric converting sections, being taken as an image signal component corresponding to one pixel, and b) setting the value of n in accordance with image recording information and/or diagnostic information.