COMPUTED RADIOGRAPHY (CR) IS NOW A WELL-ESTABLISHED PROCESS FOR CAPTURING DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHIC IMAGES. CR HAS BEEN WIDELY ACCEPTED IN RADIOLOGY BECAUSE IT REPLACES FILM AND FILM PROCESSING, PRODUCES HIGH-QUALITY DIGITAL IMAGES, AND DOES NOT REQUIRE EXPENSIVE CHANGES TO EXISTING X-RAY EQUIPMENT.

1. August 2005
Kodak Continues Its Computed
Radiography Innovation
COMPUTED RADIOGRAPHY (CR) IS NOW A WELL-ESTABLISHED PROCESS FOR CAPTURING
DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHIC IMAGES. CR HAS BEEN WIDELY ACCEPTED IN RADIOLOGY BECAUSE
IT REPLACES FILM AND FILM PROCESSING, PRODUCES HIGH-QUALITY DIGITAL IMAGES, AND
DOES NOT REQUIRE EXPENSIVE CHANGES TO EXISTING X-RAY EQUIPMENT.
What is CR? Getting Here From There
Computed radiography (CR) includes the entire process of The use of penetrating radiation in radiography dates to
creating a digital image—acquisition, processing, image December 1895 when the German scientist Wilhelm
presentation, and managing image data. CR offers image Roentgen discovered X-rays while experimenting with
quality, control and diagnostic confidence. high-voltage electricity in vacuum tubes. Within two months
At the heart of computed radiography are the special of Roentgen’s announcement, hospitals throughout the
phosphors that capture and “store” radiation. Like a piece of world were using X-ray pictures to aid in surgery. Not long
film, the storage phosphor imaging plate is placed in a after, the industrial sector began applying the same
cassette or used in its original flexible state and when technology in non-destructive examinations.
exposed to radiation, creates a latent image. That latent Within a few years, the discovery that uranium ore and
image is then “read” by the CR scanner. A laser beam in the radium also emitted penetrating radiation gave birth to
CR reader excites the energy stored on the plate, and the gamma radiography, although a few decades passed before
visible energy released is captured as a digital image. its use in industry became practical. Industrial radiography
Because visible (“photo”) light excites (“stimulates”) the grew tremendously during World War II, as part of the US
phosphors to glow (“luminescence”), this process is known Navy’s shipbuilding program, and was boosted further in
as photostimulated luminescence. 1946 with the availability of man-made gamma sources.
Unlike the “prompt-emitting” phosphors used in Modern computed radiography, using storage phosphor
conventional fluorescent and fluorometallic imaging plates, can be traced to 1973, when George Luckey,
phosphor-intensifying screens, these storage phosphors a research scientist at Eastman Kodak Company, filed a
retain the latent image for hours, even sometimes for days patent application titled Apparatus and Method for
(depending on the screen phosphor material and the amount Producing Images Corresponding to Patterns of High Energy
of exposure to white light). Also unlike conventional Radiation. His abstract states, “A temporary storage
intensifying screens, CR storage phosphor plates have to be medium, such as an infrared-stimulable phosphor or
“erased” before they can be reused. thermoluminescent material, is exposed to an incident
pattern of high energy radiation. A time interval after
exposure, a small area beam of long wavelength radiation or
heat scans the screen to release the stored energy as light. An
appropriate sensor receives the light emitted by the screen
and produces electrical energy in accordance with the light
received.”
In 1975, when George’s patent (US 3,859,527) was
approved, Kodak also patented the first scanned storage
phosphor system, thus giving birth to modern computed
radiography.
During the 1980’s, a rash of patents followed that
referenced George’s now-legendary invention. While Fuji
was the first to actually commercialize a complete CR
system (1983), many other companies also filed patents that
referenced George’s: 3M, Agfa, Fujistu, Siemens, Toshiba,
The KODAK INDUSTREX ACR-2000i Digital System, for and of course, more from Kodak.
portable computed radiography in non-destructive testing.
©Eastman Kodak Company, 2005

2. Kodak Continues Its Digital Radiography Innovation
1998
Lumisys launches
desktop CR system
1980's
Research and
2004
innovation Kodak Aerial & Industrial
Markets unit launches
CR products
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
late 80's
market acceptance in
medical community
2005
1983
Fuji commercializes
a complete CR system Kodak acquires OREX
Kodak patents the first
1975
scanned storage KODAK DIRECTVIEW CR 800
phosphor system System introduced
2000
F010_0337HA Kodak purchases Lumisys
A time line showing the history of computed radiography.
Acceptance of these systems has grown steadily, first in In 2005, Kodak acquired OREX Computed Radiography
the late 1980s among the medical community and now in the Ltd., a leading provider of compact, high-quality CR
industrial community. systems that enable non-destructive testing facilities and
Lumisys introduced the first desktop-sized CR system in specialty medical markets to acquire images digitally in a
1998, which became the ACR-2000 in the Kodak product compact, portable unit. The technology and innovation
portfolio after Kodak purchased Lumisys in 2000. The year behind the hardware and software that make up OREX small
2000 was a banner year for Kodak’s Health Imaging unit, format CR products have resulted in one of the most versatile
having introduced 45 new products, including the KODAK and flexible compact CR systems on the market.
DIRECTVIEW CR 800 System. The KODAK In an ongoing commitment to digital imaging, Kodak
DIRECTVIEW CR 850 System came in 2002, followed by continues to refresh CR technology quickly, applying its
the KODAK DIRECTVIEW CR 500 and CR 950 Systems in innovation and expertise to meet the needs of hospital
2003. radiology centers, diagnostic facilities, dental offices and
In 2004, Kodak’s Aerial and Industrial Markets unit non-destructive testing services—whether they are
joined the digital arena by adapting medical technology with high-traffic, cutting-edge teaching schools, or low-volume
software designed specifically for use in industrial operations with constrained cost requirements.
applications. The image visualization and analysis software
is designed specifically for industrial radiographic
inspections such as aircraft, welding, corrosion,
construction, plant maintenance, castings, and pipelines.
KODAK INDUSTREX Digital Systems are supported by
Kodak’s worldwide force of more than 4,000 service and
support professionals.
Aerial and Industrial Markets
EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY • ROCHESTER, NY 14650
Kodak, Directview, and Industrex are trademarks. New 8-05
Printed in U.S.A.