Particle beam irradiation apparatus and particle beam irradiation method

• US 7,709,818 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Moriyama, Kunio, Matsuda, Koji, Hiramoto, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanore; David A
• Assistant Examiner(s): MASKELL, MICHAEL P
• Application Number:
  US11/239,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20060076515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,677 Days
• Field of Search: 577/491, 250/492.3, 250/505.1, 250/423.R, 250/398, 315/503
• US Class Current: 250/492.3
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1074 Details of the control system, e.g. user interfaces
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1079 Sharing a beam by multiple treatment stations

Abstract

To ensure irradiation accuracy and safety, even when an irradiation device employing a different irradiation method is used, disclosed is herein a charged particle beam irradiation apparatus that irradiates an irradiation target with charged particle beams includes:

• • a charged particle beam generator for generating the charged particle beams; a passive scattering irradiation device and a scanning irradiation device, both for irradiating the irradiation target with the charged particle beams; a beam transport system for transporting the charged particles beam extracted from the charged particle beam generator, to selected one of the two irradiation devices; and a central controller that modifies operating parameters on the charged particle beam generator, according to the irradiation method adopted for the selected irradiation device.

Claims

1. A charged particle beam irradiation apparatus that irradiates an irradiation target with a charged particle beam, said apparatus comprising:

a charged particle beam generator for generating the charged particle beam according to operating parameters, the charged particle beam generator including a beam reducing device for reducing the beam size of the charged particle beam;

a plurality of irradiation devices including an irradiation device that employs a scanning irradiation method and an irradiation device that employs a passive scattering irradiation method, each irradiation device for irradiating the irradiation target with the charged particle beam;

a beam transport system for transporting the charged particle beam extracted from said charged particle beam generator, to a selected one of said irradiation devices; and

a controller for determining the operating parameters of said charged particle beam generator according to the irradiation method of the selected irradiation device and irradiation parameters for the selected irradiation device,

said controller comprises a computer readable medium containing instructions that, when executed, cause the controller to determine operating parameters for controlling the beam reducing device based on the irradiation method of the selected irradiation device, wherein the beam reducing device reduces the beam size said charged particle beam when said selected irradiation device employs the scanning irradiation method so that the beam intensity and beam size of the charged particle bean that exist when an irradiation device employing the scanning irradiation method is selected will be smaller than the beam intensity and beam size existing when an irradiation device employing the passive scattering irradiation method is selected.

2. The charged particle beam irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, further including:

a detector for detecting a beam state of the charged particle beam extracted from said charged particle beam generator; and

a judging device for judging whether the beam state that has been detected is normal;

wherein said controller modifies judgment parameters of said judging device according to the irradiation method adopted for said selected irradiation device.

3. The charged particle beam irradiation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said detector detects a beam energy level and beam position of the charged particle beam;

said judging device judges whether detection results by said detector stay within allowable ranges; and

said controller modifies the allowable ranges used as judgment criteria by said judging device, according to the irradiation method adopted for said selected irradiation device.

4. The charged particle beam irradiation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said controller modifies judgment parameters of said judging device so that the allowable beam energy and beam position ranges used as judgment criteria by said judging device when an irradiation device employing the scanning irradiation method is selected will be narrower than the allowable ranges used as judgment criteria when an irradiation device employing the passive scattering irradiation method is selected.

5. The charged particle beam irradiation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said charged particle beam generator includes a synchrotron.

6. The charged particle beam irradiation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

said charged particle beam generator includes said synchrotron having a high-frequency beam extraction device for extracting the charged particle beam by applying high-frequency electric power to the beam; and

said controller operates such that the voltage applied to said high-frequency beam extraction device when an irradiation device employing the scanning irradiation method is selected will be lower than the voltage applied when an irradiation device employing the passive scattering irradiation method is selected.

8. The charged particle beam irradiation apparatus according to claim 2, further including a second controller which, if said judging device judged that the charged particle beam extracted from said charged particle beam generator is abnormal, stops further extraction of charged particle beams from said charged particle beam generator.

7. A charged particle beam irradiation apparatus that irradiates an irradiation target with a charged particle beam, said apparatus comprising:

a charged particle beam generator for generating the charged particle beam;

a plurality of irradiation devices each for irradiating the irradiation target with the charged particle beam;

a beam transport system for transporting the charged particle beam extracted from said charged particle beam generator, to selected one of said irradiation devices;

a controller that modifies operating parameters of said charged particle beam generator;

a detector for detecting a beam state of the charged particle beam extracted from said charged particle beam generator; and

a judging device for judging whether the beam state that has been detected is normal,

wherein said plurality of irradiation devices include an irradiation device that employs a scanning irradiation method and an irradiation device that employs a passive scattering irradiation method,

said controller is adapted to modify operating parameters of said charged particle beam generator according to said selected irradiation device that employs the scanning irradiation method or the passive scattering irradiation method,

said controller modifies operating parameters of said charged particle beam generator so that the beam intensity and beam size of the charged particle beam that exist when an irradiation device employing the scanning irradiation method is selected will be smaller than the beam intensity and beam size existing when an irradiation device employing the passive scattering irradiation method is selected,

said controller modifies judgment parameters of said judging device according to the irradiation method adopted for said selected irradiation device,

said detector detects a beam energy level and beam position of the charged particle beam,

said judging device judges whether detection results by said detector stay within allowable ranges,

said controller modifies the allowable ranges used as judgment criteria by said judging device, according to the irradiation method adopted for said selected irradiation device,

said controller modifies judgment parameters of said judging device so that the allowable beam energy and beam position ranges used judgment criteria by said judging device when an irradiation device employing the scanning irradiation method is selected will be narrower than the allowable ranges used as judgment criteria when an irradiation device employing the passive scattering irradiation method is selected,

said charged particle beam generator includes a synchrotron,

said charged particle beam generator includes said synchrotron having a beam scraping device which, by inserting a beam scraper, cuts a part of the charged particle beam while the beam is circularly revolving within said synchrotron, and

said controller operates such that a stroke through which the beam scraper is inserted by said beam scraping device when an irradiation device employing the scanning irradiation method is selected will be greater than a stroke through which the beam scraper is inserted when an irradiation device employing the passive scattering irradiation method is selected.

9. A charged particle beam irradiation apparatus that irradiates an irradiation target with a charged particle beam said apparatus comprising:

a charged particle beam generator including at cyclotron which accelerates the charged particle beam, said charged particle beam generator comprising an aperture device for cutting out a part of the charged particle beam;

a plurality of irradiation devices each for irradiating the irradiation target with the charged particle beam;

a beam transport system for transporting the charged particle beam extracted from said charged particle beam generator, to a selected one of said irradiation devices; and

a controller comprising a computer readable medium containing instructions that, when executed, cause said controller to select data settings for operating parameters of said charged particle beam generator and aperture device from a predetermined data list based on the irradiation method of the selected irradiation device and stored irradiation parameters for the selected irradiation device,

wherein said charged particle beam generator includes an ion source for emitting the charged particle beam to said cyclotron,

said plurality of irradiation devices include an irradiation device that employs a scanning irradiation method and an irradiation device that employs a passive scattering irradiation method,

and

said data settings of said operating parameters result in the charged particle beam having a smaller beam intensity and beam size when the selected irradiation device employs a scanning irradiation method than when the selected irradiation device employs a passive scattering irradiation method.

10. The charged particle beam irradiation apparatus according to claim 9, further including:

an energy adjusting system that changes energy of the charged particle beam extracted from said cyclotron;

wherein said controller modifies operating parameters of said charged particle beam generator or of said energy adjusting system according to the irradiation method adopted for said selected irradiation device.

11. The charged particle beam irradiation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein;

said energy adjusting system includes said aperture device in which plural kinds of apertures each for cutting part of the charged particle beam extracted from said cyclotron are selectively equipped; and

said controller selects each of the apertures such that the amount of beam cut when an irradiation device employing the scanning irradiation method is selected will be greater than the amount of beam cut when an irradiation device employing the passive scattering irradiation method is selected.

12. A method of charged particle beam irradiation in which the charged particle beam generated by a charged particle beam generator is emitted in transported form to selected one of plural irradiation devices whose irradiation methods include a different irradiation method, wherein operating parameters of the charged particle beam generator are selected from a predetermined data list according to the irradiation method adopted for the selected irradiation device and stored irradiation parameter data;

and

said operating parameters of the charged particle beam generator are selected so that the beam intensity and beam size of the charged particle beam that is transported to the selected irradiation device will be smaller when the selected irradiation device employs the scanning irradiation method than when the selected irradiation device employs the passive scattering irradiation method.

13. The charged particle beam irradiation method according to claim 12, wherein judgment parameters for judging whether a beam state of the charged particle beam extracted from the charged particle beam generator is normal are modified according to the irradiation method adopted for the selected irradiation device.

14. The charged particle beam irradiation method according to claim 13, wherein allowable ranges for judging whether a beam energy level and beam position of the charged particle beam are normal are modified according to the irradiation method adopted for the selected irradiation device.

15. A method of charged particle beam irradiation in which the charged particle beam generated by a charged particle beam generator which includes a cyclotron and an ion source for emitting the charged particle beam to said cyclotron is emitted in transported form to selected one of plural irradiation devices whose irradiation methods include the scanning irradiation method and the passive scattering irradiation method;

wherein data settings for operating parameters of the charged particle beam generator and of the beam transport are selected according to the irradiation method adopted for the selected irradiation device, and said selected data settings result in the charged particle beam that is emitted in transported form to the selected irradiation device to have a smaller beam intensity and beam size when the selected irradiation device employs a scanning irradiation method than when the selected irradiation device employs a passive scattering irradiation method.