Patent ID: 8378327

Claim:
A radiography device for use with a fixed imaging plate and an imaging plate cassette, the device comprising: A frame assembly having a plurality of elongated frame members spaced apart along a parallel axis; A modular scanning assembly having a housing removeably coupled between the spaced apart elongated frame members, said scanning assembly further comprising an optical assembly and a light collecting assembly and adapted for scanning a focused laser beam across and measuring light energy received from the imaging plate; A cassette carriage assembly moveably coupled to at least one of the elongated frame members and adapted for receiving and ejecting an imaging plate cassette and for sensing the existence of a cassette; and A drive assembly coupled to the cassette carriage assembly and to at least one elongated frame member, said drive assembly adapted to move the cassette carriage relative to the scanning assembly so that an imaging plate within the cassette carriage may be scanned by the scanning assembly; A first imaging plate moveably coupled to the frame assembly between a first position adjacent the scanning assembly wherein it can be scanned by the scanning assembly a second position a greater distance from the scanning assembly wherein an imaging plate cassette may be loaded into the cassette carriage and scanned by the scanning assembly; and A plurality of covers coupled to at least one of the elongated frame members so as to enclose a substantial portion of the computed radiography device; Wherein the device may be converted to a cassette scanning computed radiography device whenever a cassette is sensed within the cassette carriage and the fixed imaging plate is moved to the second position away from the scanning assembly.