Devices and methods for measuring a radiation output rate and monitoring beam energy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10668303-B2
Application number	US-201815909969-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2018
Priority date	Mar 1, 2018
Publication date	Jun 2, 2020
Grant date	Jun 2, 2020

Abstract

A radiation treatment device may include a first dosimeter and a second dosimeter. Quantum efficiency of the first dosimeter may be lower than quantum efficiency of the second dosimeter. A method for monitoring beam energy may include receiving a first signal generated by a first dosimeter, receiving a second signal generated by a second dosimeter, receiving a third signal generated by the first dosimeter and receiving a fourth signal generated by the second dosimeter. The first signal and the second signal may be associated with a first radiation beam. The second signal and the fourth signal may be associated with a second radiation beam. The method may also include determining whether there is a difference between the beam energy of the first radiation beam and the second radiation beam based on at least one of the first signal, the second signal, the third signal or the fourth signal.

First claim

We claim:

1. A radiation treatment device, comprising:
a radiation source configured to generate a radiation beam;
a first dosimeter configured to
generate a first signal upon receiving at least a portion of the radiation beam; and

a second dosimeter configured to
generate a second signal upon receiving at least a portion of the radiation beam;
wherein quantum efficiency of the first dosimeter is lower than quantum efficiency of the second dosimeter, and the second dosimeter comprises one or more optical detectors and a scintillator assembly coupled to the one or more optical detectors.

2. The radiation treatment device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more optical detectors includes a photodiode.

3. The radiation treatment device of claim 1 , wherein the scintillator assembly includes one or more phosphors.

4. The radiation treatment device of claim 1 , wherein the scintillator assembly includes one or more Gd 2 O 2 S phosphors.

5. The radiation treatment device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more optical detectors includes a photomultiplier, and the scintillator assembly includes one or more cadmium telluride scintillators.

6. The radiation treatment device of claim 5 , wherein the photomultiplier includes a silicon photomultiplier.

7. The radiation treatment device of claim 1 , wherein the radiation treatment device further comprises a collimator configured to delimit an extent of the first radiation beam or the second radiation beam, and the second dosimeter is located between the radiation source and the collimator.

8. The radiation treatment device of claim 7 , wherein the second dosimeter is placed so as not to block a radiation-beam-passing-through area between the radiation source and the collimator.

9. The radiation treatment device of claim 7 , wherein the second dosimeter is placed on a moveable component.

10. The radiation treatment device of claim 7 , wherein the radiation treatment device further comprises a backscatter plate located distal, along the beam path, to the first dosimeter, and the second dosimeter is located on the backscatter plate.

11. The radiation treatment device of claim 7 , wherein the radiation treatment device further comprises a carrousel located between the radiation source and the first dosimeter, and the second dosimeter is located on the carrousel.

12. The radiation treatment device of claim 1 , wherein the at least portion of the radiation beam received by the second dosimeter is scattered from the radiation beam.

13. The radiation treatment device of claim 12 , wherein the at least portion of the radiation beam received by the second dosimeter is scattered by a block located beyond a radiation-beam-passing-through area from a first angle.

14. The radiation treatment device of claim 1 , wherein
the radiation source is further configured to generate a first radiation beam in a first mode and a second radiation beam in a second mode, and the energy level of the second radiation beam is lower than the energy level of the first radiation beam;
the first dosimeter is further configured to receive at least portion of the first radiation beam under the first mode;
the second dosimeter is further configured to receive at east portion of the second radiation beam under the second mode.

15. A method for monitoring beam energy implemented on a computing device having at least one processor and a non-transitory storage medium, the method comprising:
receiving a first signal generated by a first dosimeter, the first signal corresponding to a first radiation output rate of a first radiation beam, wherein the first radiation beam is generated at a first time point by a radiation source;
receiving a second signal generated by a second dosimeter, the second signal corresponding to at least one of a second radiation output rate of the first radiation beam or a first energy spectrum of the first radiation beam;
receiving a third signal generated by the first dosimeter, the third signal corresponding to a third radiation output rate of a second radiation beam, wherein the second radiation beam is generated at a second time point by the radiation source;
receiving a fourth signal generated by the second dosimeter, the fourth signal corresponding to at least one of a fourth radiation output rate of the second radiation beam or a second energy spectrum of the second radiation beam; and
determining whether there is a difference between the beam energy of the first radiation beam and the beam energy of the second radiation beam based on at least one of the first signal, the second signal, the third signal or the fourth signal.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein quantum efficiency of the first dosimeter is lower than quantum efficiency of the second dosimeter.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein determining whether there is a difference between the beam energy of the first radiation beam and the beam energy of the second radiation beam further comprises:
determining a first relationship between the first signal and the second signal;
determining a second relationship between the third signal and the fourth signal;
determining whether there is a difference between the first relationship and the second relationship; and
in response to the determination that there is the difference between the first relationship and the second relationship,
determining that there is a difference in the beam energy of the first radiation beam and the second radiation beam.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein determining whether there is a difference between the beam energy of the first radiation beam and the beam energy of the second radiation beam further comprises:
determining maximum energy of the first energy spectrum based on the second signal;
determining maximum energy of the second energy spectrum based on the fourth signal;
determining whether there is a difference between the maximum energy of the first energy spectrum and the maximum energy of the second energy spectrum; and
in response to the determination that there is the difference between the maximum energy of the first spectrum and the maximum energy of the second spectrum,
determining that there is the difference between the beam energy of the first radiation beam and the beam energy of the second radiation beam.

19. A method for monitoring beam energy implemented on a computing device having at least one processor and a non-transitory storage medium, the method comprising:
receiving a first signal generated by a first dosimeter, the first signal corresponding to a first radiation output rate of a radiation beam;
receiving a second signal generated by a second dosimeter, the second signal corresponding to a second radiation output rate of the radiation beam;
determining a relationship between the first signal and the second signal;
determining a difference between the relationship and a reference value; and
determining, based on the difference between the relationship and the reference value, whether a change exists in a beam energy of the radiation beam, wherein quantum efficiency of the second dosimeter is higher than quantum efficiency of the first dosimeter.

20. The radiation treatment device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more optical detectors exhibit different spectral responses.

Assignees

• Uih Rt Us Llc
• Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare Co Ltd

Inventors

• Maltz Jonathan
• Aguilar Walter

Classifications

• A61N5/1071

  for verifying the dose delivered by the treatment plan · CPC title

• A61N2005/1074

  Details of the control system, e.g. user interfaces · CPC title

• A61N5/1067 Primary

  in real time, i.e. during treatment · CPC title