CONTROL APPARATUS OF RADIOTHERAPY SYSTEM AND OPERATION METHOD OF RADIOTHERAPY SYSTEM

• US 20120134470A1
• Filed: 10/26/2010
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Inventors: Takahashi, Kunio, Shibuya, Osamu, Oda, Yoshimi
• Granted Patent: US 8,989,350 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1061 using an x-ray imaging system having a separate imaging source
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1065 Beam adjustment

Abstract

A control apparatus of a radiotherapy system of the present invention includes an irradiation object detecting section configured to calculate a target position based on a position of a specific part of a sample; and a swing position control section configured to control a drive unit to drive a radiation irradiating unit which irradiates a therapeutic radiation, such that the radiation irradiating unit directs to a post-correction target position at a control time after the measurement time. The post-correction target position indicates a position near a position to which the radiation irradiating unit directs rather than the target position in the preparation period before a therapy period, and the target position in the therapy period.

Claims

1. A control apparatus of a radiotherapy system comprising:

an irradiation object detecting section configured to calculate a target position based on a position of a specific part of a sample at a measurement time; and

a swing position control section configured to control a drive unit to drive a radiation irradiating unit configured to irradiate a therapeutic radiation, such that said radiation irradiating unit turns to a post-correction target position at a control time after the measurement time,

wherein said post-correction target position indicates a position nearer a position to which said radiation irradiating unit turns immediately before the control time rather than the target position, when the control time is contained in the preparation period, and

wherein when the control time is contained in a therapy period after the preparation period, said post-correction target position shows the target position.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said post-correction target position indicates a position of an internal division of a segment linking an initial position and the target position when the control time is contained in the preparation period, and

wherein a ratio of the internal division of the segment by said post-correction target position is calculated such that said post-correction target position gradually approaches to the target position with elapse of time.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a change per a unit time of the internal division ratio is constant.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said swing position control section comprises:

an operation amount calculating section configured to calculate an operation amount based on a position deviation between said post-correction target position and the position to which said radiation irradiating unit turns;

a coefficient calculating section configured to calculate a coefficient based on the position deviation; and

a multiplier configured to calculate a post-correction operation amount by multiplying the operation amount by the coefficient,

wherein the coefficient decreases monotonously with respect to an absolute value of the position deviation, and

wherein said drive unit is controlled based on the post-correction operation amount.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said swing position control section further comprises:

a feed-forward section configured to calculate a feed-forward operation amount based on a change of said post-correction target position, and

wherein said drive unit is controlled based on the feed-forward operation amount in addition to the post-correction operation amount.

6. The control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said swing position control section further comprises:

a temperature drift correcting section configured to calculate a temperature drift amount based on a temperature of a unit which generates an electrical signal supplied to said drive unit when said drive unit is controlled, and

wherein said drive unit is controlled based on the temperature drift amount in addition to the feed-forward operation amount and the post-correction operation amount.

7. An operation method of a radiotherapy system, comprising:

calculating a target position based on a position of a specific part of a sample at a measurement time; and

controlling a drive unit to drive a radiation irradiating unit which irradiates a therapeutic radiation, such that said radiation irradiating unit turns to a post-correction target position at a control time after the measurement time,

wherein said post-correction target position indicates a position nearer a position to which said radiation irradiating unit turns immediately before the control time rather than the target position, when the control time is contained in the preparation period, and

wherein when the control time is contained in a therapy period after the preparation period, said post-correction target position shows the target position.

8. The operation method of the radiotherapy system according to claim 7, wherein said post-correction target position indicates a position of an internal division of a segment linking an initial position and the target position when the control time is contained in the preparation period, and

wherein a ratio of the internal division of the segment by said post-correction target position is calculated such that said post-correction target position gradually approaches to the target position with elapse of time.

9. The operation method of the radiotherapy system according to claim 8, wherein a change per a unit time of the internal division ratio is constant.

10. The operation method of the radiotherapy system according to claim 9, further comprising:

calculating an operation amount based on a position deviation between said post-correction target position and the position to which said radiation irradiating unit turns;

calculating a coefficient based on the position deviation; and

calculating a post-correction operation amount by multiplying the operation amount by the coefficient,

wherein the coefficient decreases monotonously with respect to an absolute value of the position deviation, and

wherein said drive unit is controlled based on the post-correction operation amount.

11. The operation method of the radiotherapy system according to claim 10, further comprising:

calculating a feed-forward operation amount based on a change of said post-correction target position, and

wherein said drive unit is controlled based on the feed-forward operation amount in addition to the post-correction operation amount.

12. The operation method of the radiotherapy system according to claim 11, further comprising:

calculating a temperature drift amount based on a temperature of a unit which generates an electrical signal supplied to said drive unit when said drive unit is controlled, and

wherein said drive unit is controlled based on the temperature drift amount in addition to the feed-forward operation amount and the post-correction operation amount.