Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Information & Control Solutions, Ltd.

Kunio Moriyama

Takahide Nakayama

Hideaki Nishiuchi

Yoshikatsu Yasue

Akihiko Maeda

Masahiro Tadokoro

Yoshihito Hori

Tomohisa Iwamoto

Koji Matsuda

Takuya Nomura

Kazuo Hiramoto

Hisataka Fujimaki

Takayoshi Matsushita

Takayoshi Natori

Satoshi Totake

Hideaki Nihongi

Futaro Ebina

Koji Tobinaga

Noriaki Ouchi

Kazumune Sakai

Kimiko Okazaki

Koji c/o Hitachi Ltd Intellect Prop Matsuda

At the start of beam extraction, the amplitude value of an acceleration radio frequency voltage is held at a first amplitude value. When the irradiation dose stemming from beam extraction reaches a prescribed dose, the amplitude value of the acceleration radio frequency voltage applied to an accelerating cavity starts to be increased from the first amplitude value to a second amplitude value. When the irradiation dose reaches a target dose, the amplitude value is raised to and held at the second amplitude value. By the time the irradiation is restarted, the amplitude value of the acceleration radio frequency voltage applied to the accelerating cavity is reduced from the second amplitude value to the first amplitude value. At the start of beam extraction, the amplitude value is held at the first amplitude value.

Radio frequency voltage control system in synchrotron accelerating cavity

When controlling the ejection of a charged particle beam from a synchrotron, a radiofrequency voltage is applied, which serves as the radio-frequency voltage to be applied to an ejection radio-frequency electrode equipping the synchrotron, and which is constituted by a first radio-frequency voltage for increasing an oscillation amplitude in such a way as to exceed a stable limit in order to eject to the exterior of the synchrotron a beam that circles inside the synchrotron, and a second radio-frequency voltage for preferentially ejecting a charged particle beam that circles in the vicinity of the stable limit, with the amplitude value of the second radiofrequency voltage being controlled in such a way that the amplitude value is 0 prior to the beam ejection start, the amplitude value increases gradually from the beam ejection start, and, once a predetermined amplitude value has been reached, this value is maintained.

Charged particle beam radiation system, synchrotron, and beam ejection method therefor

A charged particle beam irradiation system in which the energy, Bragg peak, and irradiation depth of a charged particle beam, with which a patient is to be irradiated, can be checked in real time just before actual irradiation. Just before the actual irradiation, by providing a high-speed steering magnet with 100% current, a checking beam is intentionally hit into a beam damper. By using a dosimeter and a dose measuring device in front thereof, extraction beam intensity is measured. By using a multi-layer beam monitor, a dose distribution thereof is measured. Accordingly, just before the actual irradiation, the energy, Bragg peak, and irradiation depth of the charged particle beam, with which the patient is to be irradiated, can be checked accurately and in real time. When the beam has a desired dose distribution as a result of checking, continuously, extraction control is performed.

Charged particle beam irradiation system and operating method of charged particle beam irradiation system

A beam monitor system having a simple configuration for improving a measurement precision specifying a position and the width. A beam monitor system, comprising collection electrodes that include a plurality of groups each having a plurality of adjacent wire electrodes, and detect an ionized particle beam passing therethrough, a first signal processing device that sets one wire electrode in the groups of the collection electrodes as a typical wire electrode, receives a detection signal output from the typical wire electrode to process the signal and a beam monitor controller that obtains a beam position of the ionized particle beam that has passed through the wire electrodes on the basis of a processed signal from the first signal processing device.

Beam monitor system and particle beam irradiation system

A charge collection electrode is formed of a plurality of groups each of which is made up of a plurality of adjoining wire electrodes. Further, all the wire electrodes are connected to channels of a signal processing device by the same number of lines as the wire electrodes belonging to one group so that each detection signal outputted from one wire electrode selected from each group is inputted through the same line and so that no two adjoining channels are physically continuous in regard to a certain set of consecutive measurement channels. The signal processing device determines group information indicating to which group the wire electrodes that sent the inputted detection signals belong and outputs a processing signal including the group information to a beam monitor controller. The beam monitor controller determines the position and the beam width of the charged particle beam that passed through the wire electrodes.

A control data about the devices constituting the synchrotron are formed by an initial acceleration control data item, a plural extraction control data items, a plural energy change control data items connecting the plural extraction control data items, and a plural deceleration control data items corresponding to the plural extraction control data items. An affected part position detection unit and an extraction permission determination unit are provided to determine whether the position of a marker shown in transparent image information is included within a beam irradiation permission range. If the marker position is found included, the extraction permission determination unit outputs to an interlock system an extraction permission determination signal permitting beam extraction.

Particle beam irradiation system and method for operating the same

Disclosed is a beam monitor system in which signals outputted from a plurality of wires are divided in a multi-wire type monitor for measuring a beam profile of a charged particle beam, an identical number of the wires are grouped, the signals of the respective groups are taken out one piece by one piece to be connected with each other, and the number of the pieces, corresponding to a number of the wires belonging to the one group, are put together to be connected to a signal processor storing connection information.

A beam extraction process (interruption and restart) is appropriately performed when a failure occurs during irradiation of a spot group. A charged particle irradiation system includes a synchrotronand a scanning irradiation unitthat scans an ion beam extracted from the synchrotron over a subject. The extraction of the ion beam from the synchrotron is stopped on the basis of a beam extraction stop command. Scanning magnetsA andB are controlled to change a point (spot) to be irradiated with the ion beam, while the extraction of the ion beam is stopped. The extraction of the ion beam from the synchrotron is restarted after the change of the spot to be irradiated. When a relatively minor failure in which continuous irradiation would be possible occurs during irradiation of a certain spot with the beam, the extraction of the beam is not immediately stopped.

Charged particle irradiation system and method for controlling the same

A charged particle beam irradiation system comprises a high-speed steerer (beam dump device)disposed in a course of a beam transport linethrough which an ion beam is extracted from a charged-particle beam generator. The beam dump deviceis provided with dose monitoring devicesfor measuring a dose of an ion beam applied to a beam dumpso that the intensity of the ion beam can be measured without transporting the ion beam to irradiation nozzlesA throughD. Thus, the system is capable of adjusting the intensity of an ion beam extracted from a synchrotron without operating each component of a beam transport line, and an irradiation nozzle.

Charged particle beam irradiation system

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:

Particle beam irradiation apparatus and particle beam irradiation method

The present invention improves the accuracy of therapy by checking in real time whether an spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) width agrees with a desired width during irradiation with a beam. The device for outputting a charged particle beam includes a charged particle beam generatorincluding a synchrotron; a range modulation device such as a range modulation wheel (RMW)which forms a Bragg peak of an ion beam extracted from this charged particle beam generator; an irradiation devicewhich is located in the direction of ion beam propagation of this RMW deviceand includes a dose monitorfor detecting a dose of the ion beam; and an SOBP width calculation devicewhich calculates ion beam Bragg peak formed by the RMW devicebased on a detection value of the dose monitor

Device and method for outputting charged particle beam

A particle beam therapy system comprises a charged particle beam generator for generating a charged particle beam, two or more treatment rooms provided with respective irradiation devices for irradiating the charged particle beam, a beam line for transporting the charged particle beam extracted from the charged particle beam generator to the irradiation device in selected one of the two or more treatment rooms, a beam detection processing/control unit for monitoring a beam state of the charged particle beam in one of the two or more irradiation devices, and a selector for switchably selecting one of the irradiation devices which is to be monitored by the beam detection processing/control unit. The selector is controlled such that the selector establishes connection with the irradiation device in the selected one treatment room to which the charged particle beam is transported through the beam line. The system configuration can be simplified while maintaining the operation efficiency.

Particle beam therapy system and control system for particle beam therapy

A first manual input device for inputting an irradiation ready state is provided in each treatment room or a control room formed corresponding to the treatment room. A safety device confirms that preparations for generation of an ion beam in an accelerator are completed and preparations for transport of the ion beam in a beam transport system for introducing the ion beam to an irradiation unit in the treatment room selected in response to a ready signal from the first manual input device are completed, followed by outputting ready information. A ready state display unit for displaying the ready information is provided. In the treatment room or the control room, a second manual input device is provided for inputting an irradiation start instruction when the ready information is displayed by the ready state display unit.

Particle beam therapy system

A particle beam therapy system transports an ion beam emitted from an accelerator to one of a plurality of treatment rooms. When preparations for irradiation of the ion beam to patients in the plurality of treatment rooms are completed, irradiation ready signals are outputted from treatment (operator) consoles provided respectively in the treatment rooms. A first-come, first-served basis controller decides the sequence of introducing the ion beam to the treatment rooms based on the order in which the respective irradiation ready signals have been inputted. Beam paths for introducing the ion beam emitted from the accelerator to respective irradiation units in the treatment rooms are formed in accordance with the decided sequence.

A particle beam therapy system transports an ion beam emitted from an accelerator to one of a plurality of treatment rooms. For that purpose, the therapy system includes a first beam transport system connected to the accelerator, and a plurality of second beam transport systems provided respectively corresponding to the treatment rooms and connected to the first beam transport system. To transport the ion beam to the selected treatment room, a plurality of electromagnets disposed in the corresponding second beam transport system and in a portion of the first beam transport system extended into the relevant second beam transport system are excited in accordance with respective control commands. Control command information including the respective control commands is formed by using at least treatment room information representing the selected treatment room and treatment plan information specified depending on patient identification information.

Growing community of inventors

Hitachi, Japan

Kunio Moriyama