Abstract: A radiation image storage panel comprises a stimulable phosphor layer, which contains a stimulable phosphor, and a light reflecting layer, which contains a light reflecting substance and is overlaid on one surface of the stimulable phosphor layer. A scattering length of the light reflecting layer with respect to light having wavelengths falling within a stimulation wavelength range for the stimulable phosphor is at most 5 &mgr;m. The light reflecting substance may be a white pigment. The light reflecting substance may have a bulk density of at most 1 mg/cm3 or a BET specific surface area of at least 1.5 m2/g. The light reflecting substance may have a mean particle size falling within the range of 1/4 of the stimulation wavelengths to two times as large as the stimulation wavelengths. The radiation image storage panel is capable of emitting light having a high intensity and furnishing a radiation image having good image quality with a high sharpness.

Abstract: Stimulating rays produced by a line light source are linearly irradiated onto an area of a stimulable phosphor sheet, on which a radiation image has been stored, the stimulating rays causing the sheet to emit light in proportion to an amount of energy stored thereon during its exposure to radiation. Light emitted from the exposed linear area of the sheet is received with a line sensor comprising photoelectric conversion devices arrayed along each of a length direction of the linear area of the stimulable phosphor sheet and a direction normal to the length direction. The sheet is moved with respect to the line light source and the line sensor and in a direction different from the length direction of the linear area of the sheet. Operation processing is performed on outputs of the photoelectric conversion devices, which outputs have been obtained at respective positions of movement and correspond to an identical site on the sheet.

Abstract: A method for transferring a stimulable phosphor sheet by holding and driving the phosphor sheet by a set of rollers which are placed on both edge sides of the phosphor sheet, at least one of the rollers being rotated by a driving force provided by a driving means, is advantageously employed in a radiation image reading step composed of sequentially applying stimulating rays onto the phosphor sheet to excite the phosphor sheet whereby releasing radiation energy from the radiation image as light emission and collecting the light emission from both surface sides of the phosphor sheet.

Abstract: A scattered ray absorption grid enhancing a scattered ray absorption property without increasing costs is provided. A grid portion of the scattered ray absorption grid is constituted by use of plate members obtained in such a manner that a powder containing tungsten 50% by weight or more is hardened with a binder so that the powder has a spatial filling rate of 40% or more.

Abstract: A stimulable phosphor sheet for a radiation image recording and reproducing method comprising the steps of recording a radiation image as a latent image, irradiating the latent image with stimulating rays to release stimulated emission, and electrically processing the emission to reproduce the radiation image, is preferably composed of a stimulable phosphor-containing grid partition that contains a stimulable phosphor, a UV or visible light-emitting phosphor, or a reflective material and two-dimensionally divides the phosphor sheet on its plane to give plural small rectangular sections, and stimulable phosphor-incorporated areas which are rectangularly sectioned with the grid partition and which have a reflectance at the wavelength of the stimulating rays which differs from that of the grid partition.

Abstract: A scattered ray absorption grid enhancing a scattered ray absorption property without increasing costs is provided. A grid portion of the scattered ray absorption grid is constituted by use of plate members obtained in such a manner that a powder containing tungsten 50% by weight or more is hardened with a binder so that the powder has a spatial filling rate of 40% or more.

Abstract: A stimulable phosphor sheet for a radiation image recording and reproducing method comprising the steps of recording a radiation image as a latent image, irradiating the latent image with stimulating rays to release stimulated emission, and electrically processing the emission to reproduce the radiation image, has partitions that divide the phosphor sheet on its plane to give plural sections, and stimulable phosphor-incorporated areas in the sections, wherein the phosphor-incorporated areas have a light-scattering length of 20 to 100 &mgr;m and a light-absorption length of 1,000 &mgr;m or longer, while the partitions have a light-scattering length of 0.05 to 20 &mgr;m and a light-absorption length of 1,000 &mgr;m or longer, under the condition that a ratio of the light-scattering length of the phosphor-incorporated areas to that of the partitions is 3.0 or more.

Abstract: A stimulable phosphor sheet for radiation image recording and reproducing method is composed of at least two partitioned stimulable phosphor films laminated one or another [the partitioned stimulable phosphor film is composed of plural partitions that divide the stimulable phosphor film on a plane thereof to give plural stripe sections, and a stimulable phosphor layer placed in each stripe section] in such manner that the partitions of one stimulable phosphor film are arranged to cross the partitions of another stimulable phosphor film.

Abstract: A stimulable phosphor film in which acicular particles of stimulable phosphor having an aspect ratio of 1.5 or more are oriented in the direction of depth of the phosphor film gives a reproduced radiation image having increased sharpness when it is employed in a radiation image recording and reproducing method.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a radiation image information reader for reading radiation image information from a stimulable phosphor sheet and obtaining an image signal which represents the radiation image information. The radiation image information reader comprises a horizontal scan section and a read section. The horizontal scan section is used for horizontally scanning a plurality of spot-sized excitation light beams simultaneously onto the phosphor sheet at predetermined intervals on a horizontal scanning line. The read section is used to obtain the image signal which represents the radiation image information by photoelectrically detecting photostimulated luminescent light beams, emitted from portions of the sheet irradiated with the excitation light beams and/or from portions on a bottom surface of the sheet which correspond to the irradiated portions, by horizontal scanning of the excitation light beams.

Abstract: A radiation image conversion panel has a stimulable phosphor layer which is parted into a plurality of cells regularly arranged at least in a main scanning direction by a partition wall and has been exposed to a radiation bearing a radiation image of an object. The radiation image conversion panel is scanned by a stimulating light beam in the main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction and stimulated emission emitted from the radiation image conversion panel upon stimulation by the stimulating light beam is photoelectrically detected to make up an analog image signal and a digital image signal representing a radiation image of the object is obtained by digitizing the analog image signal.

Abstract: In a radiation image read-out apparatus, a line stimulating light beam is projected onto a stimulable phosphor sheet, and stimulated emission emitted from the irradiated portion of the stimulable phosphor sheet is detected by a line sensor. A refractive index profile type lens array is disposed between the stimulable phosphor sheet and the line sensor. The photoelectric convertor elements of the line sensor and the refractive index profile type lenses of the refractive index profile type lens array are arranged at pitches such that the frequency band of the periodic pattern generated due to the pitches of the refractive index profile type lenses in said refractive index profile type lens array are higher than the frequency band of a radiation image information reproduced on the basis of the image signal.

Abstract: Stimulating rays produced by a line light source are linearly irradiated onto an area of a stimulable phosphor sheet, on which a radiation image has been stored, the stimulating rays causing the sheet to emit light in proportion to an amount of energy stored thereon during its exposure to radiation. Light emitted from the exposed linear area of the sheet is received with a line sensor comprising photoelectric conversion devices arrayed along each of a length direction of the linear area of the stimulable phosphor sheet and a direction normal to the length direction. The sheet is moved with respect to the line light source and the line sensor and in a direction different from the length direction of the linear area of the sheet. Operation processing is performed on outputs of the photoelectric conversion devices, which outputs have been obtained at respective positions of movement and correspond to an identical site on the sheet.

Abstract: Stimulating rays produced by a line light source are linearly irradiated onto an area of a stimulable phosphor sheet, on which a radiation image has been stored, the stimulating rays causing the sheet to emit light in proportion to an amount of energy stored thereon during its exposure to radiation. Light emitted from the exposed linear area of the sheet is received with a line sensor comprising photoelectric conversion devices arrayed along each of a length direction of the linear area of the stimulable phosphor sheet and a direction normal to the length direction. The sheet is moved with respect to the line light source and the line sensor and in a direction different from the length direction of the linear area of the sheet. Operation processing is performed on outputs of the photoelectric conversion devices, which outputs have been obtained at respective positions of movement and correspond to an identical site on the sheet.

Abstract: Stimulating rays produced by a line light source are linearly irradiated onto an area of a stimulable phosphor sheet, on which a radiation image-has been stored, the stimulating rays causing the sheet to emit light in proportion to an amount of energy stored thereon during its exposure to radiation. Light emitted from the exposed linear area of the sheet is received with a line sensor comprising photoelectric conversion devices arrayed along each of a length direction of the linear area of the stimulable phosphor sheet and a direction normal to the length direction. The sheet is moved with respect to the line light source and the line sensor and in a direction different from the length direction of the linear area of the sheet. Operation processing is performed on outputs of the photoelectric conversion devices, which outputs have been obtained at respective positions of movement and correspond to an identical site on the sheet.

Abstract: Stimulating rays produced by a line light source are linearly irradiated onto an area of a stimulable phosphor sheet, on which a radiation image-has been stored, the stimulating rays causing the sheet to emit light in proportion to an amount of energy stored thereon during its exposure to radiation. Light emitted from the exposed linear area of the sheet is received with a line sensor comprising photoelectric conversion devices arrayed along each of a length direction of the linear area of the stimulable phosphor sheet and a direction normal to the length direction. The sheet is moved with respect to the line light source and the line sensor and in a direction different from the length direction of the linear area of the sheet. Operation processing is performed on outputs of the photoelectric conversion devices, which outputs have been obtained at respective positions of movement and correspond to an identical site on the sheet.

Abstract: In a radiation image acquisition apparatus that obtains a radiation image recorded on a stimulable phosphor layer having a plurality of arranged cells, the quantity of stimulated emissions from the stimulable phosphor within each cell is obtained precisely for each cell as a digital image signal. A radiation image conversion panel comprising a phosphor layer formed of multiple cells filled with stimulable phosphor having recorded on the surface thereof a radiation image is scanned with a stimulating light beam by a scanning unit, and the stimulated emissions caused thereby are photoelectrically detected as an analog image signal by a photoelectrical amplifier. The signal component representing the partition walls is recognized, and the component of the analog image signal obtained between the recognized signal components representing the cell partition walls is digitized and a digital image signal is obtained.

Abstract: A stimulable phosphor sheet giving a high sensitivity and a high sharpness in a radiation image recording and reproducing method is composed of a stimulable phosphor-containing partition which divides the phosphor sheet along its plane into small sections, and stimulable phosphor-incorporated area which is divided with the partition and which has a reflectivity with respect to stimulating rays differing from a reflectivity with respect to the stimulating rays of the partition.

Abstract: A stimulable phosphor sheet giving a high sensitivity and a high sharpness in a radiation image recording and reproducing method is composed of a partition containing a phosphor that emits a light in a UV or visible region upon absorbing the applied radiation which divides the phosphor sheet on its plane into small sections, and stimulable phosphor-incorporated area which is divided with the partition and which has a reflectivity to stimulating rays differing from a reflectivity to the stimulating rays of the partition.

Abstract: A radiation image storage panel has a phosphor layer which comprises a stimulable phosphor, and a protective film. The protective film is a coated layer containing at least 30% by weight of a fluorine-containing resin which is soluble in an organic solvent, such as a copolymer derived from a fluoroolefin and other copolymerizable monomer, polytetrafluoroethylene or a modified polytetrafluoroethylene.