Elekta Ab (Publ)

Elekta, Inc.

Elekta Ab

Per Harald Bergfjord

Francesco Gnoato

Christopher Charles Knox

Andrew Long

Stephen G Young

Kevin J Brown

Duncan Neil Bourne

Clifford William Perkins

Dan Thompson

Mikael Bergman

Daniel Thompson

Francesco Gnoata

A radiotherapy apparatus including a rotatable gantry, a beam generation system, an on-gantry heat transfer system and an off-gantry heat transfer system is disclosed. The beam generation system is attached to the gantry and configured to generate abeam of therapeutic radiation. The on-gantry heat transfer system is configured to rotate with the gantry and includes a first conduit including a first thermally conductive surface, the on-gantry heat transfer system being configured to transfer heat generated by the beam generation system to the thermally conductive surface. The off-gantry heat transfer system includes a second thermally conductive surface, the off-gantry heat transfer system being configured to transfer heat away from the second thermally conductive surface. The first thermally conductive surface is in thermal contact with the second thermally conductive surface to form an interface between the on-gantry heat transfer system and the off-gantry heat transfer system, the interface comprising one of physical contact, or a gas bearing.

Radiotherapy apparatus

A radiotherapy apparatus includes a fixed support and a gantry including a chassis part and a source part, the chassis part being rotatably attached to the fixed support to allow rotation thereof about a generally horizontal axis, and the source part being connected to the chassis part via a rotatable connection allowing the source part to rotate relative to the chassis part around a transverse axis. The source part includes a source of therapeutic radiation directed towards the intersection of the transverse axis and the horizontal axis. The chassis part and the source part together define an annular ring that encircles the horizontal axis. In this way, the radiotherapy apparatus can provide the full usual range of treatments, but can also adapt itself to adopt a non-coplanar geometry when required, for example to treat difficult locations in the head and neck.

Embodiments disclose a radiotherapy apparatus comprising a source of radiation configured to emit a beam of radiation and a collimator structure configured to limit a lateral extent of the beam, the collimator structure including a primary collimator configured to shape the beam, a first collimator comprising a plurality of adjacent elongate leaves, the leaves being extendable into the beam in a first direction transverse to the beam, and a block collimator including an aperture configured to permit the beam to pass through, the block collimator being extendable into the beam in a second direction transverse to the beam and transverse to the first direction. In some embodiments, the aperture may be cone-shaped or a through-hole, which may be empty or filled with a radiotransparent material. In some embodiments, the block collimator may include a plurality of apertures, which may be of varying dimensions.

Collimation apparatus for radiotherapy

A radiotherapy apparatus includes a rotatable drum on which is mounted a gantry arm carrying a radiation source. The arm extending from the drum to a location of the radiation source is offset from the axis of rotation of the drum and oriented towards the axis. The radiotherapy apparatus further includes a mechanism configured to apply a tilt to the arm at one or more rotational orientations of the drum. The rotatable drum is supported on wheels beneath the drum, and the mechanism is an eccentric mechanism within the wheels and is configured to apply the tilt to the arm via the wheels.

A system and method for compensating for torque reaction forces in a medical apparatus is disclosed. The system may include a rotary element which rotates about an axis. A contra-rotating flywheel may be driven to rotate about the axis relative to the rotary element, wherein the flywheel is free to rotate and is accelerated and decelerated by a driver which is fixed to the rotary element. Contra-rotation of the flywheel may compensate for torque reaction forces when the rotary element is accelerated or decelerated.

Torque reaction in rotating medical apparatus

In various embodiments, a system for controlling radiotherapy equipment in a treatment environment includes a controller for receiving, from one or more image capture devices, data indicating the position of one or more objects in the treatment environment. Based on the position data, the controller defines one or more exclusionary zones from which the radiotherapy equipment is excluded. Each zone has a buffer area surrounding one or more of the objects. The controller further directs the radiotherapy equipment such that a radiotherapy treatment plan is delivered without the equipment entering into the exclusionary zones.

Vision system for radiotherapy machine control

A patient support system includes a floor cavity in the floor of a treatment room; a patient support device comprising a treatment table; a base; a first movement mechanism on which the treatment table is mounted; a second movement mechanism mounted on the base and attached to the first movement mechanism, wherein the first and second movement mechanisms are moveable independently of each other; the first movement mechanism is configured to raise and lower the treatment table and the second movement mechanism is configured to raise and lower the first movement mechanism such that in a lowered position the second movement mechanism is contained within the floor cavity.

Patient support system

A radiotherapy apparatus includes a rotatable drum on which is mounted a gantry arm carrying a radiation source, the arm extending from the drum to locate the source is offset from the axis of rotation of the drum and oriented towards the axis, and a mechanism to apply a tilt to the arm depending on the rotational orientation of the drum.

An apparatus is provided for performing radiation therapy on a patient. In certain embodiments, the apparatus includes a patient support surface, a gantry having a radiation source rotatable around the patient support surface, a supply arm extending through the central bore, a supply interface disposed on the supply arm, and a supply line connecting the supply interface to a supply source. The apparatus delivers radiation therapy accessories to the patient while minimally interfering with access to the patient by radiation therapy personnel.

Methods and apparatus for providing accessories to a patient during radiation treatment

An investigative X-ray apparatus comprises a source of X-rays emitting a cone beam centred on a beam axis, a collimator to limit the extent of the beam, and a two-dimensional detector, the apparatus being mounted on a support which is rotatable about a rotation axis, the collimator having a first state in which the collimated beam is directed towards the rotation axis and the second state in which the collimated beam is offset from the rotation axis, the two-dimensional detector being movable accordingly, the beam axis being offset from the rotation axis by a lesser amount than the collimated beam in the second state. The X-ray source is no longer directed towards the isocentre as would normally be the case; the X-ray source is not orthogonal to the collimators. This is advantageous in that the entire field of the X-ray tube can be utilised. As a result, a lesser field is required of the X-ray tube and the choice of tube designs and capacities can be widened so as to optimise the performance of the X-ray tube in other aspects.

X-ray apparatus

A mount for a radiotherapy apparatus may include a cylindrical bearing surface to allow the mount to be supported in a rotateable manner, a housing extending from the bearing surface and having an extent in a direction along an axis of the cylindrical bearing surface, the mount having an axial through-hole which encompasses the axis of the cylindrical bearing surface, the housing having at least one opening communicating with the through-hole and extending in a direction transverse to the axis of the cylindrical bearing surface.

Growing community of inventors

West Sussex, United Kingdom

Per Harald Bergfjord