Control device for scanning electromagnet and particle beam therapy apapratus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9694207-B2
Application number	US-201214399099-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2012
Priority date	Aug 21, 2012
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

A control device (control unit) to be used for controlling a scanning electromagnet that is used for scanning irradiation, which includes: a command-value processing line (a memory, an arithmetic circuit, an interface) that generates a command value for driving the scanning electromagnet on the basis of a treatment plan, and outputs the generated command value in synchronization with an accelerator; and a comparator unit that detects an error in the processing line; wherein a circuit (for example, the arithmetic circuit) that constitutes at least a part of the processing line is made redundant, and the comparator unit detects occurrence of the error in the processing line when outputs from the circuit made redundant are unmatched to each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control device for scanning electromagnet to be used for controlling a scanning electromagnet that is used for scanning irradiation so as to form a particle beam supplied from an accelerator into an irradiation field matched to a treatment plan, said control device for scanning electromagnet being placed under an environment where neutrons are produced and comprising:
a command-value processing unit that generates a command value for driving the scanning electromagnet on a basis of the treatment plan, and outputs the generated command value in synchronization with the accelerator; and
an error detection unit that detects a processing error in the command-value processing unit;
wherein a circuit that constitutes at least a part of the command-value processing unit is made redundant, and the error detection unit detects occurrence of the processing error when outputs from the circuit made redundant are unmatched to each other.

2. The control device for scanning electromagnet according to claim 1 , wherein the circuit made redundant is an arithmetic circuit that converts data of the treatment plan to the command value.

3. The control device for scanning electromagnet according to claim 2 , wherein the circuit made redundant is a memory that retains the generated command value.

4. The control device for scanning electromagnet according to claim 3 , wherein the circuit made redundant is a timing adjustment circuit that causes output of the generated command value to be output in synchronization with the accelerator.

5. The control device for scanning electromagnet according to claim 2 , wherein the circuit made redundant is a timing adjustment circuit that causes output of the generated command value to be output in synchronization with the accelerator.

6. The control device for scanning electromagnet according to claim 2 , wherein the error detection unit is placed in a driving power source for driving the scanning electromagnet.

7. The control device for scanning electromagnet according to claim 2 , wherein the circuit made redundant includes three or more circuits, and the error detection unit, when detected occurrence of the processing error, determines a degree of the occurred error according to a number of circuits whose outputs are matched to each other among the three or more circuits.

8. A particle beam therapy apparatus, comprising:
an accelerator that supplies a particle beam;
an irradiation device that includes a range adjustment device that adjusts a range of the particle beam and a scanning electromagnet used for scanning irradiation, and performs irradiation matched to a tridimensional shape of a deceased site by scanning irradiation for each of slices using the particle beam supplied from the accelerator;
the control device for scanning electromagnet according to claim 7 , that controls the scanning electromagnet; and
a cooperation control device that controls the accelerator and the irradiation device in their cooperative manner;
wherein, when the error detection unit detects the processing error, the control device for scanning electromagnet outputs an error-occurrence signal indicative of occurrence of the processing error and the degree of the occurred error, to the cooperation control device;
wherein, when the error-occurrence signal having been output indicates that the degree of the error is high, the cooperation control device immediately suspends at least one of the supply of the particle beam by the accelerator and the irradiation with the particle beam by the irradiation device, and
wherein, when the error-occurrence signal indicates that the degree of the error is not high, the cooperation control device, after completion of irradiation of the slice at the time of occurrence of the error, suspends at least one of the supply of the particle beam by the accelerator and the irradiation with the particle beam by the irradiation device.

9. A particle beam therapy apparatus, comprising:
an accelerator that supplies a particle beam;
an irradiation device that includes a scanning electromagnet used for scanning irradiation and performs scanning irradiation matched to a shape of a deceased site using the particle beam supplied from the accelerator;
the control device for scanning electromagnet according to claim 2 , that controls the scanning electromagnet; and
a cooperation control device that controls the accelerator and the irradiation device in their cooperative manner;
wherein, when the error detection unit detects the processing error, the control device for scanning electromagnet outputs an error-occurrence signal indicative of occurrence of the processing error to the cooperation control device; and
wherein, when the error-occurrence signal is output, the cooperation control device suspends at least one of the supply of the particle beam by the accelerator and the irradiation with the particle beam by the irradiation device.

10. The control device for scanning electromagnet according to claim 1 , wherein the circuit made redundant is a memory that retains the generated command value.

11. The control device for scanning electromagnet according to claim 10 , wherein the circuit made redundant is a timing adjustment circuit that causes output of the generated command value to be output in synchronization with the accelerator.

12. The control device for scanning electromagnet according to claim 1 , wherein the circuit made redundant is a timing adjustment circuit that causes output of the generated command value to be output in synchronization with the accelerator.

13. The control device for scanning electromagnet according to claim 1 , wherein the error detection unit is placed in a driving power source for driving the scanning electromagnet.

14. The control device for scanning electromagnet according to claim 1 , wherein the circuit made redundant includes three or more circuits, and the error detection unit, when detected occurrence of the processing error, determines a degree of the occurred error according to a number of circuits whose outputs are matched to each other among the three or more circuits.

15. A particle beam therapy apparatus, comprising:
an accelerator that supplies a particle beam;
an irradiation device that includes a range adjustment device that adjusts a range of the particle beam and a scanning electromagnet used for scanning irradiation, and performs irradiation matched to a tridimensional shape of a deceased site by scanning irradiation for each of slices using the particle beam supplied from the accelerator;
the control device for scanning electromagnet according to claim 14 , that controls the scanning electromagnet; and
a cooperation control device that controls the accelerator and the irradiation device in their cooperative manner;
wherein, when the error detection unit detects the processing error, the control device for scanning electromagnet outputs an error-occurrence signal indicative of occurrence of the processing error and the degree of the occurred error, to the cooperation control device;
wherein, when the error-occurrence signal having been output indicates that the degree of the error is high, the cooperation control device immediately suspends at least one of the supply of the particle beam by the accelerator and the irradiation with the particle beam by the irradiation device, and
wherein, when the error-occurrence signal indicates that the degree of the error is not high, the cooperation control device, after completion of irradiation of the slice at the time of occurrence of the error, suspends at least

Assignees

• Iwata Takaaki
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Iwata Takaaki

Classifications

• A61N2005/1087

  Ions; Protons · CPC title

• A61N5/1077

  Beam delivery systems · CPC title

• A61N5/1048

  Monitoring, verifying, controlling systems and methods · CPC title

• A61N5/103

  Treatment planning systems · CPC title

• A61N2005/1074

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