Patents Assigned to Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic, Inc.
  • Patent number: 8399846
    Abstract: Provided is a radiation image detecting system including a cassette type radiation image detecting apparatus capable of being driven by electric power supplied from a built-in battery; a charge controlling circuit to control charging of the battery; a cradle supplying electric power to the radiation image detecting apparatus; and a cable supplying electric power to the radiation image detecting apparatus, wherein the radiation image detecting apparatus includes a connection section being electrically connected to each of the cradle and the cable to receive the electric power; the battery is charged by the cradle being connected to the connection section and by the cable being connected to the connection section; and the charge controlling circuit switches a charging current between a time when the cradle is connected to the connection section and a time when the cable is connected to the connection section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic, Inc.
    Inventors: Yukihiro Niekawa, Yoshihiko Eguchi
  • Publication number: 20130058557
    Abstract: It is possible to improve a diagnostic performance by a dynamic image and in particular, to provide information effective for diagnosis of the lung ventilation function. Provided is a dynamic image capturing system (100) including: a calculation device (4) which calculates a dynamic feature amount according to a plurality of frame images of the dynamic image captured by an imaging device (1); and a diagnosis console (3) which displays the frame images of the captured dynamic image as a dynamic image display or a still image display on a display screen of a display unit (34) and colors at least one of the frame images with a color in accordance with a calculation result of a feature amount obtained by the calculation device (4).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA MEDICAL & GRAPHIC, INC.
    Inventor: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic, Inc.
  • Patent number: 8389961
    Abstract: It is a feature that in the present invention, provided is a method of cleaning a radiation image conversion panel possessing a substrate and provided thereon, a phosphor layer, and further possessing a protective layer provided on the phosphor layer, wherein a surface of the protective layer is cleaned by moving a cleaning member, while applying a pressure of 1 mN/cm2-1 N/cm2 to the surface of the protective layer with the cleaning member. Also provided can be a method of cleaning a radiation image conversion panel to provide an image information reading method by which image information exhibiting reduced image defect and image unevenness without damaging the radiation image conversion panel can be read out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic, Inc.
    Inventors: Takafumi Yanagita, Shinichi Okamura
  • Publication number: 20130038738
    Abstract: According to one implementation of the present invention, there is provided a radiation image capturing system. The system includes, a radiation source; a plurality of radiation image capturing devices; and a console. The console manages which of the radiation image capturing devices is in a state where image capturing is possible. The console registers image capturing order information including information of which radiation image capturing device is used in the image capturing, or obtains the registered image capturing order information. When there is a radiation image capturing device in a state where image capturing is possible, regardless of a predetermined order, the console displays the icon corresponding to the image capturing order information including information of the radiation image capturing device in a manner different from the other icons.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Publication date: February 14, 2013
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA MEDICAL & GRAPHIC, INC.
    Inventors: Takanori Ando, Chikako Tokuno, Koji Takemura, Akira Kurahashi
  • Publication number: 20130039468
    Abstract: A dynamic radiographing system enables determination of an evaluation value of the heart function of a subject by plain radiography. The dynamic radiographing system comprises a radiographing apparatus, an image processing apparatus, and a console for diagnosis. The radiographing apparatus dynamically radiographs the heart of a subject and creates radiographs in plural time phases (Step S1). The image processing apparatus calculates an evaluation value of the heart function by using the radiographs in plural time phases (Step S4). The console for diagnosis displays information on the calculated evaluation value on the display section (Step S5).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2012
    Publication date: February 14, 2013
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA MEDICAL & GRAPHIC, INC.
    Inventor: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20130032696
    Abstract: A radiation image capturing apparatus includes: a detecting section, a scanning drive unit, switch units, reading circuits, and a controller. The controller controls at least the scanning drive unit and the reading circuits and causes the same to execute data readout process from the radiation detection elements. The controller causes the reading circuits to periodically perform a readout operation before radiation image capturing operation in a state where each of the switch units is in an off state by applying the off voltage to all of the scanning lines from the scanning drive unit, causes the reading circuits to repeatedly execute a leaked data readout process in which the electric charges leaked from the radiation detection elements through the switch units are converted into leaked data, and detects initiation of irradiation at a point when the read-out leaked data exceeds a threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2011
    Publication date: February 7, 2013
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA MEDICAL & GRAPHIC, INC.
    Inventor: Hideaki Tajima
  • Patent number: 8368025
    Abstract: Disclosed are a radiation image conversion panel which has achieved a radiation image with enhanced sharpness and improved moisture resistance and shock resistance, and a production method thereof. The radiation image conversion panel comprises, on a support, a phosphor layer comprising phosphor columnar crystals, each composed mainly of cesium iodide (CsI) and formed by a process of gas phase deposition, wherein a coefficient of variation of crystal diameter of the phosphor columnar crystals is not more than 50% and a coefficient of variation of phosphor filling factor of the phosphor layer is not more than 20%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigetami Kasai, Hiroshi Isa, Makoto Iijima, Yasushi Nagata
  • Publication number: 20130019462
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a flat panel detector such that the surface on the sale of a fluorescent body layer of a scintillator panel which has the fluorescent body layer comprising a column crystal on the supporting body, is coupled to the planar light receiving element surface of a light-receiving element, comprising: a step of manufacturing the scintillator panel which has a larger area than that of the planar light receiving element surface; a step of trimming the edges of the scintillator panel, obtained by the step of manufacturing the scintillator panel, to correspond to the area of the planar light receiving element surface; and a step of coupling the edge-trimmed scintillator panel to the planar light receiving element surface, thus providing a flat panel detector which has an excellent productivity and that can be made small in size without non-image area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Publication date: January 24, 2013
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA MEDICAL & GRAPHIC, INC.
    Inventors: Takehiko Shoji, Keiko Itaya, Masashi Kondo, Makoto Iijima
  • Patent number: 8357097
    Abstract: A small-scale diagnostic system and a display control method are provided. In the diagnostic system, while image data on a patient is displayed on a screen of a medical image control device, when image data on another patient is received from an image generating device, and the medical doctor wants to display the received image data on the another patient on the screen for examining the image and diagnosing the another patient, the displayed image on the screen can be switched to that of the image data on the another patient by a simple operation of depressing a patient selection button. This enables the medical doctor to perform image diagnosis efficiently in a small-scale facility such as a clinic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic, Inc.
    Inventor: Takao Shiibashi
  • Publication number: 20130015327
    Abstract: A control device of a radiation image capturing apparatus performs repeated reading of leak data prior to radiation image capturing operation and, when a threshold value has been exceeded by the leak data having been read out, said control device detects the start of irradiation. If there are periodic fluctuations in the leak data read out prior to radiation image capturing operation even though irradiation has not started, said control device determines whether or not a threshold value has been exceeded by a value obtained by subtracting a previously obtained fluctuation pattern of the leak data from the read-out leak data during a time period including at least a time period when the leak data fluctuates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2012
    Publication date: January 17, 2013
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA MEDICAL & GRAPHIC, INC.
    Inventor: Kouji AMITANI
  • Publication number: 20130018266
    Abstract: In a laminated piezoelectric body, a laminated piezoelectric body manufacturing method, an ultrasound transducer, and an ultrasound diagnostic device according to the present invention, a plurality of mutually laminated piezoelectric bodies are electrically connected in parallel to each other, and each of the plurality of piezoelectric bodies arranges an orientation of residual polarization or a crystal axis that is related to an electrical displacement or a sign of an electric field due to a direct piezoelectric effect in a direction which reduces sensitivity in a first resonance mode and increases sensitivity in a second resonance mode of a higher order than the first resonance mode with respect to an axis of a first-level piezoelectric body on a fixed end-side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2011
    Publication date: January 17, 2013
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA MEDICAL & GRAPHIC, INC.
    Inventors: Yuichi Nishikubo, Kenji Ohnuma, Kiyokazu Morita, Kenji Suzuki, Hidekazu Kodama, Munehiro Date
  • Patent number: 8354646
    Abstract: The scintillator plate has a reflective layer, a resinous anti-corrosion layer and a scintillator layer provided sequentially in that order on a heat resistant resin substrate. The scintillator plate is employed as a component for a flat panel radiation detector. The scintillator plate has a protective film between the scintillator layer and the flat light receiving element which makes up the flat panel radiation detector. There is point contact between the surface of the scintillator layer and the protective film and there is point contact between the flat light receiving element and the protective film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic, Inc.
    Inventors: Shinji Kudo, Yasushi Nagata
  • Publication number: 20130011040
    Abstract: Disclosed in an x-ray imaging device, which uses a Talbot-Lau interferometer, eliminates the effects on image quality of a reconstructed image that arises in such cases as when the direction of a multi-slit or each lattice slit is altered and imaging is performed, and provides reconstructed images favorable for diagnosis. When a plurality of moire images imaged with an imaging subject loaded onto a imaging subject stand (13) and a plurality of moire images imaged without the imaging subject are input, a control unit (51) of a controller (5) corrects signal value differences arising from variations in x-ray strength during imaging respectively between the plurality of moire images with the imaging subject and between the plurality of moire images without the imaging subject, and respectively creates a reconstructed image with the imaging subject and a reconstructed image without the imaging subject.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2011
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA MEDICAL & GRAPHIC, INC.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Kido, Chiho Makifuchi, Junko Kiyohara
  • Publication number: 20120321047
    Abstract: A radiographic system includes: a radiographic apparatus; a radiation generator that irradiates radiation to the radiographic apparatus; and a console which forms a radiation image based on an image data transmitted from the radiographic apparatus, wherein when a radiation image capturing is completed, a controller transmits thinned-out data in which read-out image data are thinned at a prescribed ratio, to the console, which displays a preview image on a display section based on the thinned-out data, when a rejection operation that rejects the preview image through an input section is conducted, the console transmits a stop signal that instructs the radiographic apparatus to stop a series of processing, and wherein when the controller receives the stop signal, the controller stops the series of processing currently in progress, and returns an operation state of each functional section to an operation state before the radiation image capturing is carried out.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2012
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA MEDICAL & GRAPHIC, INC.
    Inventor: Ryotaro IWASE
  • Publication number: 20120321043
    Abstract: A radiation image capturing system including a CR cassette and a FPD cassette, and when the radiation image capturing is started without either of the cassettes being loaded, the radiation generating apparatus is set for the CR cassette and when the icon of the FPD cassette is selected, the radiation generating apparatus is set for the FPD cassette.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2012
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA MEDICAL & GRAPHIC, INC.
    Inventor: Hisashi YONEKAWA
  • Publication number: 20120318994
    Abstract: The control device allows a step of reading the leak data and a step of resetting each radiation detection element to be executed alternately before radiation image capturing. When the data exceed a threshold value, the irradiation start is detected and electric charge is accumulated. Then, the step of reading the image data is executed. After this, the control device further allows a step of reading the leak data and a step of resetting each radiation detection element to be performed alternately at the same cycle time as that in the step of reading the leak data and the step of resetting each radiation detection element performed before detecting the irradiation start. After transfer to the electric charge accumulation state, the control device further permits a step of reading the offset data to be executed at the same cycle time as that in the step of reading the image data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2012
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA MEDICAL & GRAPHIC, INC.
    Inventor: Hideaki TAJIMA
  • Publication number: 20120323122
    Abstract: An ultrasound image diagnostic device including: a transducer to output transmission ultrasound toward a subject by a drive signal and also to output a reception signal by receiving reflection ultrasound from the subject; a noise output section in which when the transducer receives the reflection ultrasound, a voltage containing noise is applied to the transducer to amplify the reception signal by a stochastic resonance phenomenon; a harmonic extracting section to extract a harmonic component from the reception signal; and an image processing section to generate ultrasound diagnostic image data of an interior of the subject based on the harmonic component extracted by the harmonic extracting section, wherein the noise output section applies a voltage containing noise such that the harmonic component is amplified by the stochastic resonance phenomenon to the transducer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2012
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA MEDICAL & GRAPHIC, INC.
    Inventor: Tsuyoshi OKUBO
  • Publication number: 20120321044
    Abstract: A radiation image capturing system including a CR cassette and a FPD cassette, and the icon corresponding to the bucky device is displayed in a different manner according to the type of cassette loaded on the bucky device. When the icon of the bucky device showing that the FPD cassette is loaded is selected, the icon corresponding to the FPD cassette does not need to be selected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2012
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA MEDICAL & GRAPHIC, INC.
    Inventor: Hisashi YONEKAWA
  • Publication number: 20120316443
    Abstract: An ultrasound probe includes a receiving section to receive ultrasound waves from an object and to acquire a receiving signal of each of multiple channels; a beam forming section to adjust a phase of the receiving signal of each of multiple channels and to sum the receiving signals; an image producing section to produce image data to display an ultrasound diagnostic image based on the receiving signals summed by the beam forming section; a transmission target selecting section to select one from at least two of the receiving signal for each of multiple channels, the receiving signals summed by the beam forming section, and the image data as a transmission target; and a transmitting section to transmit the transmission target selected by the transmission target selecting section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2012
    Publication date: December 13, 2012
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA MEDICAL & GRAPHIC, INC.
    Inventor: Yoshiki KATOU
  • Publication number: 20120310091
    Abstract: The transmitting section of an ultrasound image diagnostic apparatus outputs a square pulse signal to allow a transducer to generate transmission ultrasound. The transmitting section sets the duty ratio of a pulse signal so that one of peaks of the first step response of the transducer which is generated when a change is made to voltage of the pulse signal overlaps with one of peaks of the second step response of the transducer which is generated when another change is made to the voltage of the pulse signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA MEDICAL & GRAPHIC, INC.
    Inventors: Kenji OHNUMA, Takayuki SASAKI, Tetsuya TANIGUCHI, Makoto HORIUCHI, Katsumi HOSOKAWA, Kenji SUZUKI, Kikurou NEMOTO, Kazuya OSADA