Particle therapy configuration

• US 20090077209A1
• Filed: 09/11/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Schneider, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/232,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20090077209A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1074 Details of the control system, e.g. user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1087 Ions; Protons
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/10 X-ray therapy; Gamma-ray therapy; Particle-irradiation therapy A61N5/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1079 Sharing a beam by multiple treatment stations
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades

Abstract

A particle therapy system is provided. The particle therapy system includes a plurality of spatially-distributed, configurable systems, which are operable to be configured using configuration data, a central configuration server that is operable to centrally store the configuration data, and a network that connects the configurable systems, with the central configuration server. The configurable systems include a local copy of the configuration data. The local copy of the configuration data may be accessed and used to configure one or more of the plurality of configurable systems.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a plurality of spatially-distributed, configurable systems, which are operable to be configured using configuration data,

a central configuration server that is operable to centrally store the configuration data, and

a network that connects the configurable systems with the central configuration server,

wherein the configurable systems include a local copy of the configuration data, and

wherein the local copy of the configuration data may be accessed and used to configure one or more of the plurality of configurable systems.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the central configuration server and the configurable systems are operable to synch configuration data that is changed with the local copy of the configuration data when the configuration data is changed.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the configuration data is stored on the central configuration server in a database, and the plurality of configurable systems have a local copy of the database.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

at least one additional configurable system, which is networked with the central configuration server, and with the additional configurable system being embodied such that a configuration in the additional configurable system can be made by accessing central configuration data stored on the central configuration server.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a particle source for creating particles,

an accelerator unit for accelerating the particles and for forming a particle beam,

at least one radiation treatment station,

a particle beam feed unit for guiding the particle beam from the accelerator unit to the at least one radiation treatment station,

wherein one of the plurality of configurable systems is a control unit for the acceleration unit and/or the particle beam feed unit, the control unit, on the basis of a transmission of local stored configuration data to the accelerator unit or particle beam feed unit, being operable to guide a particle beam to the at least one radiation treatment station and/or control a desired beam quality.

9. The particle therapy system as claimed in claim 2,

wherein the central configuration server is operable to send the changed configuration data to one or more respective configurable systems, and

wherein the configurable systems are operable to confirm receipt of the changed configuration data and update the copy of the configuration data with the changed configuration data after the plurality of configurable systems have confirmed the receipt of the configuration data.

10. The particle therapy system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the one or more respective configurable systems are configurable systems that are affected by the changed configuration data.

6. A method for configuring a plurality of spatially-distributed and configurable systems that are networked with a central configuration server, the method comprising:

creating a local copy of configuration data stored on the central server for each of the configurable systems, and configuring one of the configurable systems by accessing the configuration data in the local copy of the configuration data of the configurable systems.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

changing the configuration data stored on the central configuration server; and

synchronizing the changed configuration data with the local copy of the configuration data.

11. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein synchronizing includes:

sending the changed configuration data from the central configuration server to one or more respective configurable systems;

8. A method for configuring a particle therapy system that includes a central server, a plurality of configurable systems, a particle source for creating particles, an accelerator unit for accelerating the particles and for forming a particle beam, at least one radiation treatment station, and a particle beam feed unit for guiding the particle beam from the accelerator unit to the at least one radiation treatment station, the method comprising:

creating a local copy of configuration data stored on the central server for each of the configurable systems, where one of the configurable systems is a control unit for the accelerator unit and/or the particle beam feed unit, the control unit being operable to ensure that a particle beam is guide to the at least one radiation treatment station and has a desired beam quality,

accessing configuration data, which is stored in the local copy of the configuration data of the control unit; and

transferring configuration data to the accelerator or the particle beam feed unit.