REMOTE CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20140371512A1
• Filed: 01/25/2013
• Published: 12/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varian Medical Systems Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Varian Medical Systems Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Dalla Ricca, Paolo, Greenberg, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 9,956,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1074 Details of the control system, e.g. user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/109 Neutrons
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1094 Shielding, protecting against radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1048 Monitoring, verifying, controlling systems and methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1064 for adjusting radiation treatment in response to monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A remote control system is configured to support communication between a first environment having a first neutron radiation level and a second environment having a second neutron radiation level includes a first computing device and a second computing device. The first computing device is configured to control a treatment system in the first environment. The second computing device is configured to issue commands in the second environment for the treatment system. The first computing device is further configured to determine whether to enable or disable a function supported by the treatment system, determine whether there is pending time-sensitive data to transmit, and periodically transmit a first radiation therapy data collected in the first environment and a first interrupt to the second computing device in a servo loop.

Claims

1. A system configured to support communication between a first environment having a first neutron radiation level and a second environment having a second neutron radiation level, comprising:

a first computing device configured to control a treatment system in the first environment; and

a second computing device configured to issue a command in the second environment for the treatment system, wherein

the first computing device is further configured to

determine whether to enable or disable a function supported by the treatment system,

if there is pending time-sensitive data to transmit, transmit the pending time-sensitive data with a higher priority than non time-sensitive data, and

periodically transmit a first radiation therapy data collected in the first environment and a first interrupt to the second computing device in a servo loop.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to transmit a second radiation therapy data collected in the first environment and a first interlock to the second computing device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to determine whether to transmit interlock data to the second computing device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to place the first radiation therapy data and the first interrupt are in a time sensitive packet before transmitting the packet.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the first computing device is further configured to enable or disable the function based on a control state of an enable loop received from the second computing device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to send a time sensitive packet with an interrupt to request a resend of the command, if the first computing device fails to receive the command within a predetermined amount of time.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first environment is in close proximity with the second environment.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to retrieve the first radiation therapy data from a first predetermined set of addresses designated to store time sensitive data.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein a mirrored architecture is supported between the first computing device and the second computing device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first computing device is further configured to periodically transmit data stored in a second predetermined set of addresses designated to store both non time sensitive data and time sensitive data to the second computing device.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is further configured to receive a retransmission request from the second computing device if the second computing device does not receive the pending time-sensitive data or the first interrupt within a particular time.

11. A system configured to support communication between a first environment having a first neutron radiation level and a second environment having a second neutron radiation level, comprising:

a first computing device configured to control a treatment system in the first environment; and

a second computing device configured to issue commands in the second environment for the treatment system, wherein

the second computing device is further configured to

determine whether to issue a first command to the first computing device to enable or disable a first function supported by the treatment system,

if there is pending time-sensitive data to transmit, transmit the pending time-sensitive data with a higher priority than non time-sensitive data

perform a function in response to a first interrupt asserted by the first computing device and based on a radiation therapy data from the first computing device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second computing device is further configured to determine whether to issue the first command based on whether an interlock data is received from the first computing device within a predetermined period of time.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second computing device is further configured to inspect a predetermined register for the interlock data to determine whether the interlock data is received.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the second computing device is further configured to transition to a safe state after the second computing device fails to receive the interlock data within a predetermined period of time.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the first environment is in close proximity with the second environment.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the second computing device is further configured to retrieve the time-sensitive data from a first predetermined set of addresses.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein a mirrored architecture is supported between the first computing device and the second computing device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the second computing device is further configured to periodically transmit data stored in a second predetermined set of addresses designated to store both non time sensitive data and time sensitive data to the first computing device.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the second computing device is further configured to receive a retransmission request from the first computing device if the first computing device does not receive the pending time-sensitive data or the first interrupt within a particular time.