Particle beam irradiation apparatus

• US 9,937,361 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2014
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Sakamoto, Yusuke, Pu, Yuehu, Harada, Hisashi, Honda, Taizo
• Primary Examiner(s): IPPOLITO, NICOLE MARIE
• Application Number:
  US15/110,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20160325116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 2504921, 2504922, 25049221, 25049222, 25049223, 2504923, 250396 R, 250397
• 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 5/1044 with multiple repetitions of the scanning pattern
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1071 for verifying the dose delivered by the treatment plan

Abstract

In a particle beam irradiation apparatus that controls a scanning apparatus so that each irradiation position is irradiated with a particle beam a rescan-count number of times by repeating for the rescan-count number of times the irradiation of all irradiation positions in the irradiation target, the irradiation apparatus includes a calculator that receives either one of a rescan count n or a beam intensity J that is a particle beam dose per unit time, to calculate a maximum value of the other satisfying the following conditional expression (P1) for all irradiation positions to present the maximum value to a user.
J*t_i≤d_i/n  (P1)

Claims

1. A particle beam irradiation apparatus that includes:

a scanning apparatus deflecting a particle beam in a two X-Y directions perpendicular to a traveling direction of the particle beam, to scan the particle beam two-dimensionally over irradiation positions in an irradiation target to be irradiate with the particle beam;

a memory that stores position information on the irradiation positions, information on a dose to be administered to each irradiation position, and information on scan speed of the scanning apparatus;

a controller that controls the scanning apparatus; and

a dose monitor that measures a dose of the particle beam,

wherein the controller controls the scanning apparatus so that each irradiation position in the irradiation target are irradiated with the particle beam a rescan-count number of times by repeating for the rescan-count number of times the irradiation of all irradiation positions in a two-dimensional X-Y plane by repeating scan-shifting of the particle beam to a next irradiation position without interrupting the irradiation with the particle beam after a dose measured with the dose monitor reaches a dose calculated on the basis of the dose to be administered to a current irradiation position, stored in the memory,

the particle beam irradiation apparatus comprising;

a calculator that receives either one of a rescan count n or a beam intensity J that is a dose of the particle beam per unit time, to calculate a maximum value of the other satisfying the following conditional expression (P1) for all irradiation positions to present the maximum value to a user,

J*t_i≤

d_i/n 

 

(P1),

where i is an irradiation position number;

t_i is a time for the particle beam to be scan-shifted from an irradiation position i−

1 to an irradiation position i, calculated from the scan speed information and the position information stored in the memory; and

d_i is a dose to be administered to the irradiation position i, stored in the memory.

2. The particle beam irradiation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the calculator receives either one of a rescan count n and a beam intensity J that is a dose of the particle beam per unit time, to calculate a maximum value of the other satisfying the following conditional expression (P1m), instead of the conditional expression (P1), for all irradiation positions to present the maximum value to a user,

margin*J*t_i≤

d_i/n 

 

(P1m),

where a “

margin”

is a coefficient set on the basis of intensity fluctuations of the particle beam.

3. A particle beam irradiation apparatus that includes:

a scanning apparatus deflecting a particle beam in a two X-Y directions perpendicular to a traveling direction of the particle beam, to scan the particle beam two-dimensionally over irradiation positions in an irradiation target to be irradiate with the particle beam;

a memory that stores position information on the irradiation positions, information on a dose to be administered to each irradiation position, and information on scan speed of the scanning apparatus; and

a controller that controls the scanning apparatus,

wherein the controller controls the scanning apparatus so that each irradiation position in the irradiation target are irradiated with the particle beam a rescan-count number of times by repeating for the rescan-count number of times the irradiation of all irradiation positions in a two-dimensional X-Y plane by repeating scan-shifting of the particle beam from a current irradiation position to a next irradiation position at a speed calculated on the basis of a dose to be administered to each irradiation position, stored in the memory, the particle beam irradiation apparatus comprising;

a calculator that receives either one of a rescan count n or a beam intensity J that is a dose of the particle beam per unit time, to calculate a maximum value of the other satisfying the following conditional expression (P2) for all irradiation positions to present the maximum value to a user,

J*t_i,min≤

d_i/n 

 

(P2),

where i is an irradiation position number;

t_i,min is a minimum time for the particle beam to be able to be scan-shifted from an irradiation position i−

1 to an irradiation position i, calculated from the scan speed information and the position information stored in the memory; and

d_i, is a dose to be administered to the irradiation position i, stored in the memory.