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US 2009/0289192 A1Published application
Scanning aperture ion beam modulator
AssigneeWisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
InventorsDavid C. Westerly, Thomas R. Mackie, Ryan T. Flynn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A modulator for ions such as protons employs multiple shutter pairs to create independently movable apertures effecting a multiple pencil beam treatment of the patient thereby increasing treatment speed by eliminating the need for a custom compensator.
Claims25
A method of modulating at least one of the intensity and range of ions comprising:
- (a) generating an area beam of ions directed along an axis and having a longitudinal and latitudinal extent in cross-section;
- (b) controllably occluding an area of beam with a set of longitudinally opposed latitudinally adjacent shutter pairs, each shutter of the pair controllably extended to different longitudinal distances simultaneously to control multiple discrete ion beams at different adjacent latitudinal positions and control independent longitudinal positions such that at least one of an intensity and energy of the ion beams may be independently controlled among ion beams;
- whereby parallel multiple beam treatment over an area may be obtained.
An area modulator for an area beam of ions directed along an axis and having a longitudinal and latitudinal extent in cross-section, the modulator comprising:
- a set of longitudinally opposed latitudinally adjacent shutter pairs;
- and
- an actuator system controllably extending the shutters to different longitudinal distances simultaneously to control multiple discrete ion beams at different, adjacent latitudinal positions and controllable independent longitudinal positions such that at least one of an intensity and energy of the ion beams may be independently controlled among different ion beams;
- whereby parallel multiple beam treatment over an area may be obtained.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.