Charged particle beam irradiating apparatus

• US 8,153,989 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2009
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Heavy Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Heavy Industries Limited
• Inventors: Tachikawa, Toshiki, Asaba, Toru, Ochi, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Berman, Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, JOHNNIE L
• Application Number:
  US12/382,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20100072389A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 250/492.2, 250/398, 250/397, 250/505.1, 250/492.3, 850/9, 355/18, 355/73
• US Class Current: 250/396.R
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1087 Ions; Protons
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/10 X-ray therapy; Gamma-ray therapy; Particle-irradiation therapy A61N5/01 takes precedence
• 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

The present invention provides a charged particle beam irradiating apparatus capable of simply preventing unevenness or reduction in a peripheral portion of the dose distribution of a charged particle beam.

A charged particle beam irradiating apparatus includes scanning electromagnets that scan a charged particle beam and a control device that controls the operations of the scanning electromagnets. In the charged particle beam irradiating apparatus, the control unit changes a scanning speed when the charged particle beam is irradiated along an irradiation line such that a peripheral portion of the dose distribution of the charged particle beam is corrected.

Claims

1. A charged particle beam irradiating apparatus for continuously irradiating a charged particle beam along an irradiation line in an irradiation field that is set in an object, comprising:

a scanning electromagnet that scans the charged particle beam; and

a control unit that controls an operation of the scanning electromagnet,

wherein the control unit changes a scanning speed when the charged particle beam is irradiated along the irradiation line such that a peripheral portion of a dose distribution of the charged particle beam is corrected,

wherein the irradiation line extends in a rectangular wave shape, and includes a plurality of first irradiation lines that are arranged in parallel to each other at predetermined intervals and a plurality of second irradiation lines that connect the ends of adjacent first irradiation lines on one side or the other side, and

wherein the control unit controls a scanning speed when the charged particle beam is irradiated along an outermost first irradiation line among the plurality of first irradiation lines to be lower than a scanning speed when the charged particle beam is irradiated along the other first irradiation lines.

2. The charged particle beam irradiating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit controls a scanning speed when the charged particle beam is irradiated to an end of the first irradiation line to be lower than a scanning speed when the charged particle beam is irradiated to portions of the first irradiation line other than the end, or to be zero for a predetermined time.

3. The charged particle beam irradiating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit controls a scanning speed when the charged particle beam is irradiated along the second irradiation line to be higher than the scanning speed when the charged particle beam is irradiated along the first irradiation line.

4. A charged particle beam irradiating apparatus for continuously irradiating a charged particle beam along an irradiation line in an irradiation field that is set in an object, comprising:

a scanning electromagnet that scans the charged particle beam; and

a control unit that controls an operation of the scanning electromagnet,

wherein the control unit changes a scanning speed when the charged particle beam is irradiated along the irradiation line such that a peripheral portion of a dose distribution of the charged particle beam is corrected, and

wherein the control unit controls a scanning speed when the charged particle beam is irradiated along the irradiation line in the peripheral portion of the dose distribution to be lower than a scanning speed when the charged particle beam is irradiated along the other irradiation lines.

5. The charged particle beam irradiating apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the irradiation line includes a third irradiation line that extends along the edge of the irradiation field and a fourth irradiation line that is disposed inside the third irradiation line, and

the control unit controls a scanning speed when the charged particle beam is irradiated along the third irradiation line to be lower than a scanning speed when the charged particle beam is irradiated along the

fourth irradiation line.

6. The charged particle beam irradiating apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the fourth irradiation line extends in a rectangular wave shape, and includes a plurality of fifth irradiation lines that are arranged in parallel to each other at predetermined intervals and a plurality of sixth irradiation lines that connect the ends of adjacent fifth irradiation lines on one side or the other side.