Irradiation Device

• US 20090321665A1
• Filed: 04/05/2007
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varian Medical Systems Particle Therapy GmbH & Company KG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Varian Medical Systems Particle Therapy GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Heese, Juergen, Timmer, Jan Hein, Schmidt, Stefan, Schillo, Michael, Goebel, Holger
• Granted Patent: US 8,053,746 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/492.3
• 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 5/1081 Rotating beam systems with a specific mechanical construction, e.g. gantries

Abstract

The present invention relates to an irradiation device for irradiating an irradiation object with heavy charged particles at an irradiation station, comprising a particle accelerator for providing a particle beam and a swivelling device for swivelling the particle beam impinging on the irradiation object, wherein the swivelling device comprises a carrier pivotable about an axis. In accordance with the invention, the irradiation device is characterized in that the particle accelerator is mounted on the pivotable carrier.

Claims

1. An irradiation device for irradiating an irradiation object with heavy charged particles at an irradiation station, comprising a particle accelerator for providing a particle beam and a swivelling device for swivelling the particle beam impinging on the irradiation object, wherein the swivelling device comprises a carrier pivotable about an axis, and wherein the particle accelerator is mounted on the pivotable carrier.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the carrier is a pivotable gantry frame.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the pivotable carrier has a bent structure with at least two legs, wherein the swivel axis extends through at least two legs.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the bent structure of the pivotable carrier is a U-shaped structure, wherein the swivel axis extends substantially vertically through the two legs of the U-structure.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the particle accelerator is mounted in a terminal region of one of the two legs of the U-structure.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein another of the two legs of the U-structure forms an opening and/or recess in a vicinity of the swivel axis, and wherein the irradiation station is located in the vicinity of the opening and/or recess.

7. The device according to claim 1, further comprising means for guiding and/or shaping the particle beam mounted on the carrier.

8. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a means for reducing the particle energy mounted on the carrier.

9. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a nozzle with nozzle components for the guided and/or controlled emission of the particle beam in a direction of the irradiation station, the nozzle mounted on the carrier.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the nozzle components comprise one or more means for performing an irradiation by pencil-beam scanning.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein the nozzle components comprise one or more means for deflecting the particle beam and/or a means for monitoring a beam position and/or a means for monitoring an radiation dose.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the particle accelerator is a cyclotron.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein at the irradiation station the device includes a movable patient couch for positioning irradiation patients.

14. The device according claim 1, wherein the particle accelerator provides a beam of protons and/or heavier ions, in particular He2+ or C6+.

15. The device according to claim 1, wherein the particle accelerator is a superconducting synchrocyclotron.

16. The device according to claim 1, wherein a stationary beam is not coupled into the swivelling device.

17. An irradiation device for irradiating an irradiation object with heavy charged particles at an irradiation station, comprising:

a particle accelerator for providing a particle beam of heavy charged particles;

a swivelling device for swivelling the particle beam impinging on the irradiation object, the swivelling device including a carrier pivotable about an axis, the particle accelerator being mounted on the pivotable carrier, wherein the particle beam can be swivelled by rotating the carrier.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein a stationary beam is not coupled into the swivelling device.

19. The device of claim 17 wherein the swivelling device includes a gantry frame so that the pirvotable carrier constitutes a pivotable gantry frame, wherein the particle accelerator is mounted on the gantry frame and is swivelled with the gantry frame, where the particle beam is not an externally generated beam fixed in space.