Particle beam irradiation system and method for controlling the particle beam irradiation system

• US 8,232,536 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2010
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Harada, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanore, David A
• Application Number:
  US13/058,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20120056098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 250/396.R, 250/396.ML, 250/491.1, 250/492.1, 250/492.2, 250/492.22, 250/492.3, 250/493.1, 378/65, 378/137, 378/156, 600/1, 600/2
• US Class Current: 250/493.1
• 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 5/1042 with spatial modulation of the radiation beam within the treatment head
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1043 Scanning the radiation beam, e.g. spot scanning or raster scanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1049 for verifying the position of the patient with respect to the radiation beam
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1065 Beam adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1079 Sharing a beam by multiple treatment stations
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 1/093 by magnetic means

Abstract

There is provided a particle beam irradiation system so as to provide the dose distribution having more accuracy. An irradiation control part comprises an energy setting controller that sets the energy of a charged particle beam, a beam scanning controller that controls a beam scanner, and a beam diameter changer to control a beam diameter changer, wherein the irradiation control part sets a beam diameter of the charged particle beam to be a first beam diameter by the beam diameter changer, the charged particle beam is scanned step-wise by the beam scanning controller so as to irradiate the charged particle beam on a predetermined region of the irradiation target, after that, the beam diameter of the charged particle beam is set by the beam diameter controller to be a second beam diameter that is different from the first beam diameter, and the charged particle beam is scanned step-wise by the beam scan controller so as to control the charged particle beam to irradiate on a region that is overlapped with at least a part of the predetermined part of the irradiation target.

Claims

1. A particle beam irradiation system comprising:

a particle beam generation part;

a particle beam irradiation part where a charged particle beam that is generated in the particle beam generation part is irradiated on an irradiation target and;

an irradiation control part that controls the charged particle beam to be irradiated;

wherein the particle beam irradiation part comprises;

a beam scanner that scans the charged particle beam laterally in two dimensions that is perpendicular to the irradiation direction of the charged particle beam; and

a beam diameter changer that changes the beam diameter of the charged particle beam;

wherein the irradiation control part comprises;

an energy setting controller that sets the energy of the charged particle beam;

a beam scanning controller that controls the beam scanner; and

a beam diameter controller that controls the beam diameter changer;

wherein the irradiation control part sets the beam diameter of the charged particle beam by the beam diameter controller to be a first beam diameter, the charged particle beam is scanned step-wise by the beam scanning controller so as to irradiate the charged particle beam on a predetermined region of the irradiation target, after that, the beam diameter of the charged particle beam is set by the beam diameter controller to be a second diameter that is different from the first beam diameter, and the charged particle beam is scanned step-wise by the beam scan controller so as to control the charged particle beam to irradiate on a region that is overlapped with at least a part of the predetermined part of the irradiation target.

2. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 1, wherein the region irradiated by the beam having the smaller diameter between the first beam and the second beam is narrower than the region irradiated with the beam having the larger diameter between the first beam and the second beam.

3. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 2, further comprising a displacement detector to detect a displacement of the irradiation target,

wherein the irradiation control part controls the irradiation with the small beam diameter corresponding to the output signal transmitted from the displacement detector.

4. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 3,

wherein the irradiation control part controls the irradiation in which the beam having the larger beam diameter is irradiated under the condition that irradiation permission condition for irradiation with the beam having the larger beam diameter is less strict compared to the irradiation permission condition for irradiation with the beam having the smaller diameter corresponding to the output signal transmitted from the displacement detector.

5. The particle beam irradiation system according to claim 2, wherein the irradiation control part controls to irradiate with a beam having small beam diameter plural times at the same irradiation region.

6. A method for controlling a particle beam irradiation system in which a charged particle beam that is generated in a particle generation part is irradiated on an irradiation target,

wherein a beam diameter of the charged particle beam is set to be a first beam diameter,

the charged particle beam is scanned step-wise so as to irradiate the charged particle beam on a predetermined region of the irradiation target, after that, the beam diameter of the charged particle beam is set to be a second diameter that is different from the first diameter, and the charged particle beam is scanned step-wise so as to control the charged particle beam to irradiate on a region that is overlapped with at least a part of the predetermined part of the irradiation target.

7. The method for controlling the particle beam irradiation system according to claim 6, wherein the region irradiated by the beam having the smaller diameter between the first beam and the second beam is narrower than the region irradiated with the beam having the larger diameter between the first beam and the second beam.

8. The method for controlling the particle beam irradiation system according to claim 7, wherein the irradiation with the small beam diameter is controlled to perform corresponding to the displacement of the irradiation target.

9. A method for controlling the particle beam irradiation system according to claim 7, wherein the irradiation with the small beam diameter is controlled to perform plural times at the same irradiation region.