Method and apparatus for maintaining alignment of a cyclotron dee

• US 7,038,403 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2003
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Technology Services, Inc. (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Technology Services, Inc. (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Smith, Roger Deane, Mastrangeli, Edward J., Johns, Nevin R., Erickson, Timothy E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wells, Nikita
• Application Number:
  US10/631,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20050023948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 315/502, 315/111.31, 313/62, 313/359.1, 313/363.1
• US Class Current: 315/502
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 13/00 Magnetic resonance accelerators; Cyclotrons strophotrons, turbine tubes H01J25/62

Abstract

A technique is provided for the alignment of an H/D puller for use in a cyclotron. One aspect of the technique comprises magnetically attaching a pair of feeler gages to an alignment tool for use in aligning the H/D puller. The magnetic retention of the feeler gages allows a field engineer to make the desired adjustments to align the H/D puller. Another aspect of the present technique provides for the H/D puller to include a replaceable tip such that the tip may be replaced without removing the H/D puller. Because the H/D puller is not removed and replaced, the alignment of the H/D puller to the ion source is maintained.

Claims

1. An ion source alignment tool, comprising:

an alignment tool body; and

one or more magnetic surfaces configured to retain a first feeler gage and a second feeler gage to the alignment tool body.

2. The ion source alignment tool as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more magnetic surface are configured to retain the first feeler gage and the second feeler gage orthogonal to one another.

3. A method for aligning an H/D puller and an ion source, comprising:

positioning an alignment tool in a cyclotron such that the alignment tool may be used to align an H/D puller to an ion source;

attaching a first feeler gage and a second feeler gage to at least one magnetic surface of the alignment tool such that the first feeler gage and the second feeler gage measure different dimensions of a plane;

contacting a first surface of the H/D puller adjacent to the first feeler gage and a second surface of the H/D puller adjacent to the second feeler gage to align the H/D puller to the ion source.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising adjusting one or more adjustment screws on the H/D puller while the H/D puller is in contact with the first and second feeler gages.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein positioning the alignment tool comprises placing the alignment tool in the cyclotron in place of the ion source.

6. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising adjusting at least one of the first feeler gage and the second feeler gage to correspond to a known alignment dimension.

7. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the first feeler gage measures an x-dimension and the second feeler gage measures a y-dimension.

8. An H/D puller, comprising:

a removable tip; and

a body configured to receive the removable tip.

9. The H/D puller as recited in claim 8, wherein the removable tip comprises one or more mating regions and the body comprises one or more conforming regions configured to receive respective mating regions.

10. The H/D puller as recited in claim 9, wherein the one or more mating regions and the one or more conforming regions are configured to engage by sliding.

11. The H/D puller as recited in claim 8, wherein the removable tip comprises an aperture through which one or more ions may pass into the removable tip and the body.

12. A removable H/D puller tip, comprising one or more mating regions configured to fit one or more respective conforming regions of an H/D puller body.

13. The removable H/D puller tip as recited in claim 12, wherein the H/D puller tip comprises an aperture through which one or more ions may pass.

14. A cyclotron, comprising:

an ion source configured to generate a plurality of ions;

one or more H/D pullers configured to receive one or more ions from the ion source, wherein each H/D puller comprises;

a removable tip; and

a body configured to receive the removable tip;

a pair of Dees separated by a gap, wherein at least one of the Dees receives the one or more ions from the one or more H/D pullers;

an extractor configured to redirect the one or more ions after the one or more ions travel a spiral path through the dees and the gap to reach the extractor;

a target chamber configured to receive the one or more redirected ions from the extractor and to collide the one or more redirected ions and a target material to generate a plurality radioactive isotopes;

an electromagnet comprising two poles, wherein the ion source, the one or more H/D pullers, the pair of Dees, and the gap are positioned between the two poles;

a vacuum tank containing the electromagnet, the ion source, the one or more H/D pullers, the pair of dees, the gap, and the extractor; and

a computer control unit configured to operate at least one of the ion source, the electromagnet, and the extractor.

15. The cyclotron as recited in claim 14, wherein the extractor comprises one or more extraction foils.

16. The cyclotron as recited in claim 14, wherein the extractor comprises one or more carousels.

17. The cyclotron as recited in claim 14, further comprising a biochemical synthesizer unit configured to generate a radiopharmaceutical using the radioactive isotopes.

18. The cyclotron as recited in claim 14, wherein the removable tip comprises an aperture configured to align with an opposing aperture on the ion source.

19. A method for repairing an H/D puller, comprising:

removing a first H/D puller tip from an H/D puller body; and

attaching a second H/D puller tip to the H/D puller body.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein removing the first H/D puller tip comprises sliding a mating region of the first H/D puller tip out of a conforming region of the H/D puller body and wherein attaching the second H/D puller tip comprises sliding the mating region of the second H/D puller tip into the conforming region.

21. A cyclotron, comprising:

an ion source configured to generate a plurality of ions;

one or more H/D pullers configured to receive one or more ions from the ion source, wherein each H/D puller comprises a tip, a body, and means for replacing the tip;

a pair of Dees separated by a gap, wherein at least one of the Dees receives the one or more ions from the one or more H/D pullers;

an extractor configured to redirect the one or more ions after the one or more ions travel a spiral path through the Dees and the gap to reach the extractor;

a target chamber configured to receive the one or more redirected ions from the extractor and to collide the one or more redirected ions and a target material to generate a plurality radioactive isotopes;

an electromagnet comprising two poles, wherein the ion source, the one or more H/D pullers, the pair of dees, and the gap are positioned between the two poles;

a vacuum tank containing the electromagnet, the ion source, the one or more H/D pullers, the pair of Dees, the gap, and the extractor; and

a computer control unit configured to operate at least one of the ion source, the electromagnet, and the extractor.