Particle therapy system

• US 6,936,832 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2004
• Issued: 08/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hiramoto, Kazuo, Umezawa, Masumi, Norimine, Tetsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Wells, Nikita
• Application Number:
  US10/872,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20040232356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 250/505.1, 250/492.3, 315/503, 315/507, 313/359.1, 378/65
• US Class Current: 250/505.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1087 Ions; Protons
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1048 Monitoring, verifying, controlling systems and methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1065 Beam adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 1/093 by magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 5/04 with beam-forming means
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 7/04 Magnet systems , e.g. undulators, wigglers free-electron laser H01S3/0903; Energisation thereof

Abstract

A particle therapy system is provided which can simply and quickly correct a beam orbit. In a particle therapy system provided with an irradiation facility comprising a first beam transport system for receiving a beam and transporting the beam to the patient side, and an irradiation nozzle for forming an irradiation field of the beam, the particle therapy system comprises first beam position monitors for detecting a position upstream of the irradiation nozzle at which the beam passes, second beam position monitors for detecting a position downstream of the irradiation nozzle at which the charged-particle beam passes, and first and second steering magnets. Correction bending amounts for causing the beam to be coincident with a predetermined orbit after the correction are determined in accordance with detected results from the first and second beam position monitors, and first and second steering magnets are excited under control so that the determined correction bending amounts are obtained.

Claims

1. A particle therapy system comprising an accelerator for accelerating a charged-particle beam to a set level of energy, and a rotating irradiation facility for irradiating the charged-particle beam extracted from said accelerator, said irradiation facility comprising beam transport apparatus for transporting the charged-particle beam extracted from said accelerator, and irradiation field forming apparatus for forming an irradiation field of the charged-particle beam transported by said beam transport apparatus, wherein said particle therapy system further comprises:

first beam position detecting apparatus arranged along an orbit of the charged-particle beam downstream of a bending magnet arranged most downstream in said beam transport apparatus, and detecting a position at which the charged-particle beam passes;

second beam position detecting apparatus arranged along the orbit of the charged-particle beam downstream of said first beam position detecting apparatus, and detecting a position at which the charged-particle beam passes;

a first steering magnet and a second steering magnet both provided in said first beam transport apparatus upstream of said first beam position detecting apparatus;

displacement amount computing apparatus for determining respective displacement amounts by which the position of the charged-particle beam is to be displaced by said first and second steering magnets, in accordance with detected signals outputted from said first and second beam position detecting apparatus; and

control system for controlling respective excitation currents of said first and second steering magnets in accordance with said respective displacement amounts.

2. A particle therapy system comprising an accelerator for accelerating a charged-particle beam to a set level of energy, and a rotating irradiation facility for irradiating the charged-particle beam extracted from said accelerator, said irradiation facility comprising beam transport apparatus for transporting the charged-particle beam extracted from said accelerator, and irradiation field forming apparatus for forming an irradiation field of the charged-particle beam transported by said beam transport apparatus,

wherein said irradiation field forming apparatus includes beam scanning apparatus for scanning the charged-particle beam;

and

wherein said particle therapy system further comprises;

first beam position detecting apparatus arranged along an orbit of the charged-particle beam upstream of said beam scanning apparatus, and detecting a position at which the charged-particle beam passes;

second beam position detecting apparatus arranged along the orbit of the charged-particle beam downstream of said beam scanning apparatus, and detecting a position at which the charged-particle beam passes;

a first steering magnet and a second steering magnet both provided in said first beam transport apparatus upstream of said first beam position detecting apparatus;

displacement amount computing apparatus for determining respective displacement amounts by which the position of the charged-particle beam is to be displaced by said first and second steering magnets, in accordance with detected signals outputted from said first and second beam position detecting apparatus; and

control system for controlling respective excitation currents of said first and second steering magnets in accordance with said respective displacement amounts.

3. A method of adjusting an orbit of a charged-particle beam in a particle therapy system comprising an accelerator for accelerating a charged-particle beam to a set level of energy, and a rotating irradiation facility for irradiating the charged-particle beam extracted from said accelerator, said irradiation facility comprising a beam transport apparatus having first and second steering magnets for transporting the charged-particle beam extracted from said accelerator, and irradiation field forming apparatus for forming an irradiation field forming apparatus for forming an irradiation field of the charged-particle beam transported by said beam transport apparatus, wherein said method comprises the steps of:

detecting a first passing position at which the charged-particle beam passes, downstream of a bending magnet arranged most downstream in said beam transport apparatus;

detecting a second passing position at which the charged-particle beam passes, downstream of a position where said first passing position is detected;

computing respective displacement amounts by which the position of the charged-particle beam is to be displaced by said first and second steering magnets, in accordance with said detected first and second passing positions by using a displacement amount computing apparatus; and

controlling respective excitation currents of said first and second steering magnets in accordance with said respective displacement amounts.

4. A method of adjusting an orbit of a charged-particle beam in a particle therapy system comprising an accelerator for accelerating a charged-particle beam to a set level of energy, a rotating irradiation facility for irradiating the charged-particle beam extracted from said accelerator, and a beam transport apparatus having first and second steering magnets for transporting the charged-particle beam extracted from said accelerator to said irradiation facility, wherein said method comprises the steps of:

detecting a first passing position at which the charged-particle beam passes, at a position where said beam transport apparatus is present;

detecting a second passing position at which the charged-particle beam passes, downstream of a position where said first passing position is detected;

computing respective displacement amounts by which the position of the charged-particle beam is to be displaced by said first and second steering magnets, in accordance with said detected first and second passing positions by using a displacement amount computing apparatus; and

controlling respective excitation currents of said first and second steering magnets in accordance with said respective displacement amounts.