Patent ID: 7112814

Claim:
A radiation image recording and read-out method, comprising the steps of: i) supporting a stimulable phosphor sheet at a position for image recording, at which one surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet is exposed to radiation, ii) exposing the one surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet, which is supported at the position for image recording, to the radiation, a radiation image being thereby stored on the stimulable phosphor sheet, iii) performing an image read-out operation from a side of the other surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet supported at the position for image recording, which other surface is opposite to the one surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet exposed to the radiation, the image read-out operation being performed by irradiating stimulating rays in two-dimensional directions to the stimulable phosphor sheet as the sheet is held in a substantially stationary position, on which the radiation image has been stored during its exposure to the radiation, the stimulating rays causing the stimulable phosphor sheet to emit light in proportion to an amount of energy stored thereon during its exposure to the radiation, and photoelectrically detecting the emitted light, an image signal, which represents the radiation image having been stored on the stimulable phosphor sheet, being thereby obtained, and iv) releasing energy, which remains on the stimulable phosphor sheet after the image signal has been obtained from the stimulable phosphor sheet, by irradiating erasing light to an entire area of the stimulable phosphor sheet with a sheet-shaped erasing light source, the sheet-shaped erasing light source being located in close vicinity to the stimulable phosphor sheet and on a side of the one surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet supported at the position for image recording, which one surface is exposed to the radiation, the sheet-shaped erasing light source having uniform transmissivity to the radiation, wherein the stimulable phosphor sheet comprises a sheet-shaped transparent substrate and a stimulable phosphor layer, the sheet-shaped erasing light source is arranged on one side of the sheet-shaped transparent substrate, and the stimulable phosphor layer is arrange on another side, which is opposite to the one side, of the sheet-shaped transparent substrate, and the stimulating rays for the image read-out irradiate the stimulable phosphor layer at the side opposite to the side exposed to the radiation.