Particle beam irradiation system

• US 7,301,162 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2005
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakayama, Takahide, Matsuda, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Wells; Nikita
• Application Number:
  US11/273,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20060102856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 250/505.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1087 Ions; Protons
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1043 Scanning the radiation beam, e.g. spot scanning or raster scanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1048 Monitoring, verifying, controlling systems and methods

Abstract

A particle beam irradiation system capable of ensuring a more uniform dose distribution at an irradiation object even when a certain time is required from output of a beam extraction stop signal to the time when extraction of a charged particle beam from an accelerator is actually stopped. The particle beam irradiation system comprises a synchrotron, an irradiation device including scanning magnets and outputting an ion beam extracted from the synchrotron, and a control unit. The control unit stops the output of the ion beam from the irradiation device in accordance with the beam extraction stop signal, controls the scanning magnets to change an exposure position in a state in which the output of the ion beam is stopped, and after the change of the exposure position, starts the output of the ion beam from the irradiation device again. The control unit further outputs a next beam extraction stop signal when an increment of dose integrated from the time of a preceding beam extraction stop signal as a start point reaches a setting dose stored in advance.

Claims

1. A particle beam irradiation system comprising:

an accelerator for producing a charged particle beam to be extracted therefrom;

an irradiation device including a charged particle beam scanner and irradiating the charged particle beam extracted from said accelerator to an exposure position of an irradiation object;

a dose detector for measuring a dose of the charged particle beam irradiated to the exposure position; and

a control unit for receiving the dose measured by said dose detector, and when the sum of a first dose irradiated after output of a beam extraction stop signal with respect to a first exposure position preceding a second exposure position and a second dose irradiated to the second exposure position reaches a setting dose, outputting the beam extraction stop signal to stop the extraction of the charged particle beam irradiated to the second exposure position.

2. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 1, wherein said control unit stops the extraction of the charged particle beam from said accelerator in accordance with the beam extraction stop signal, controls said charged particle beam scanner to change the exposure position to the second exposure position in a state in which the extraction of the charged particle beam is stopped, and after the change of the exposure position, starts the extraction of the charged particle beam from said accelerator in accordance with a beam extraction start signal.

3. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 1, wherein the dose is a dose integrated from, as an essential start point, start of the irradiation of the charged particle beam to said irradiation object.

4. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 3, wherein the integrated dose is read when a preset time has lapsed after the output of the beam extraction stop signal.

5. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 4, wherein a time from the output of the beam extraction stop signal to the read of the integrated dose is longer than a time required for essentially stopping the extraction of the charged particle beam from said accelerator.

6. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 1, wherein the dose is a dose integrated from, as an essential start point, the output of the beam extraction stop signal.

7. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 6, wherein the integrated dose is read when a preset time has lapsed after the output of the beam extraction stop signal.

8. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 7, wherein a time from the output of the beam extraction stop signal to the read of the integrated dose is longer than a time required for essentially stopping the extraction of the charged particle beam from said accelerator.

9. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 1, wherein said control unit determines the presence of an abnormality based on the dose irradiated to the first exposure position during a period in which a preset time lapses after the output of the beam extraction stop signal.

10. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 9, wherein a period from the output of the beam extraction stop signal to the lapse of the preset time is longer than the time required for essentially stopping the extraction of the charged particle beam from said accelerator.

11. A particle beam irradiation system comprising:

an accelerator for producing a charged particle beam to be extracted therefrom;

an irradiation device including a charged particle beam scanner and irradiating the charged particle beam extracted from said accelerator to an exposure position of an irradiation object;

a dose detector for measuring a dose of the charged particle beam irradiated to the exposure position; and

a control unit for receiving the dose measured by said dose detector, and when an integrated dose for a second exposure position, including a first dose irradiated after output of a beam extraction stop signal with respect to a first exposure position preceding the second exposure position, reaches a setting dose, outputting the beam extraction stop signal to stop the extraction of the charged particle beam irradiated to the second exposure position.

12. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 11, wherein said control unit stops the extraction of the charged particle beam from said accelerator in accordance with the beam extraction stop signal, controls said charged particle beam scanner in a state in which the extraction of the charged particle beam is stopped, thereby changing the exposure position to the second exposure position, and after the change of the exposure position, starts the extraction of the charged particle beam from said accelerator in accordance with a beam extraction start signal.

13. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 11, wherein the dose is a dose integrated from, as an essential start point, start of the irradiation of the charged particle beam to said irradiation object.

14. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 13, wherein the integrated dose is read when a preset time has lapsed after the output of the beam extraction stop signal.

15. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 14, wherein a time from the output of the beam extraction stop signal to the read of the integrated dose is longer than a time required for essentially stopping the extraction of the charged particle beam from said accelerator.

16. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 11, wherein the dose is a dose integrated from, as an essential start point, the output of the beam extraction stop signal.

17. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 16, wherein the integrated dose is read when a preset time has lapsed after the output of the beam extraction stop signal.

18. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 17, wherein a time from the output of the beam extraction stop signal to the read of the integrated dose is longer than a time required for essentially stopping the extraction of the charged particle beam from said accelerator.

19. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 11, wherein said control unit determines the presence of an abnormality based on the dose irradiated to the first exposure position during a period in which a preset time lapses after the output of the beam extraction stop signal.

20. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 19, wherein a period from the output of the beam extraction stop signal to the lapse of the preset time is longer than the time required for essentially stopping the extraction of the charged particle beam from said accelerator.