US 7,085,347 B2Granted

Radiotherapy device

AssigneeMitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

InventorsKazumasa Mihara, Kenji Hara, Ichiro Yamashita, Ikuo Wakamoto, Yuichiro Kamino

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Abstract

The radiotherapy apparatus in the present invention includes a bed, a radiation irradiating head, head swing mechanisms, a precise inspection unit and a control unit. The bed carries a subject. The radiation irradiating head irradiates a treatment radiation to a treatment field of the subject. The head swing mechanisms, which are coupled to the radiation irradiating head, swings the head of the radiation irradiating head so that the treatment radiation emitted from the radiation irradiating head pursues the motion of the treatment field. The precise inspection unit obtains a diagnosis image containing the treatment field. The control unit controls the positions of the head swing mechanisms so that an irradiation field of the radiation irradiating head pursues the treatment field, based on the diagnosis image, the position of the radiation irradiating head and the state of the swung head. Then, the control unit controls the radiation irradiating head so that the treatment radiation is irradiated from the radiation irradiating head, after the positional control of the head swing mechanisms.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A radiotherapy apparatus comprising:

a bed which carries a subject;
a radiation irradiating head which irradiates a treatment radiation to a treatment field of said subject;
a support frame supporting said radiation irradiating head and having a gimbal structure, said support frame being installed at a position which includes an inertia center of said radiation irradiating head and through which a first axis and a second axis pass, said support frame having at least a first side, second side, third side, and fourth side;
a first head swing mechanism which is linked to said radiation irradiating head, and swings generally around the first axis at the inertia center of said radiation irradiating head, wherein said first head swine mechanism includes at least a driving shaft and swing driving servomotor installed at the first side of said support frame;
a second head swing mechanism which is linked to said radiation irradiating head, and swings generally around the second axis at the inertia center of said radiation irradiating head, wherein said second head swing mechanism includes at least a driving shaft and swing driving servomotor installed at the second side of said support frame;
an inspection unit which detects a diagnosis image containing said treatment field;
and
a control unit which controls a position of said head swing mechanisms such that an irradiation field of said radiation irradiating head pursues said treatment field, based on said diagnosis image, said position of said radiation irradiating head and a swung state of said radiation irradiating head;
wherein said control unit controls said radiation irradiating head such that said treatment radiation is irradiated from said radiation irradiating head, after the positional control of said head swing mechanisms.

6 more elements

A radiotherapy apparatus operating method comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting a diagnosis image containing a treatment field of a subject;
(b) defining a definition region as said treatment field in said diagnosis image;
(c) recognizing said definition region;
(d) turning automatically a radiation irradiating head for irradiating a treatment radiation toward said definition region such that an irradiation field of said radiation irradiating head pursues said treatment field, said radiation irradiating head being supported by a support frame having a gimbal structure, said support frame being installed at a position which includes an inertia center of said radiation irradiating head and through which a first axis and a second axis pass, said support frame having at least a first and second side, said radiation irradiating head being in communication with a guide rail which includes an orbit on which first and second head swing mechanisms and said radiation irradiating head are moved, said head swing mechanisms and said radiation irradiating head being kept at movable states by a head circulation moving mechanism that moves said head swing mechanisms and said radiation irradiating head along said guide rail, said first head swing mechanism swings generally around the first axis at the inertia center of said radiation irradiating head, said first head swing mechanism includes at least a driving shaft and swing driving servomotor installed at the first side of said support frame, said second head swing mechanism swings generally around the second axis at the inertia center of said radiation irradiating head, said second head swing mechanism includes at least a driving shaft and swing driving servomotor installed at the second side of said support frame;
and
(e) irradiating said treatment radiation to said irradiation field.

3 more elements

A computer-readable medium comprising code that, when executed, causes a computer to perform the following:

receiving a detected diagnosis image containing a treatment field of a subject;
(k) recognizing a definition region defined as said treatment field in said diagnosis image;
(l) controlling a radiation irradiating head for irradiating a treatment radiation such that an irradiation field of said radiation irradiating head pursues said treatment field, said radiation irradiating head being supported by a support frame having a gimbal structure, said support frame being installed at a position which includes an inertia center of said radiation irradiating head and through which a first axis and a second axis pass, said support frame having at least a first and a second side, said radiation irradiating head being in communication with a guide rail which includes an orbit on which first and second head swing mechanisms and said radiation irradiating head are moved, said head swing mechanisms and said radiation irradiating head being kept at movable states by a head circulation moving mechanism that moves said head swing mechanisms and said radiation irradiating head along said guide rail, said first head swing mechanism swings generally around the first axis at the inertia center of said radiation irradiating head, said first head swing mechanism includes at least a driving shaft and swing driving servomotor installed at the first side of said support frame, said second head swine mechanism swings generally around the second axis at the inertia center of said radiation irradiating head, said second head swing mechanism includes at least a driving shaft and swing driving servomotor installed at the second side of said support frame;
and
(m) controlling said radiation irradiating head so as to irradiating said treatment radiation to said irradiation field.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/416,016Filed 23 Aug 2002
Priority: JP 2001-25489124 Aug 2001
Published: US 2004/0037390 A126 Feb 2004
Granted: 1 Aug 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

A61N 5/1049
Monitoring, verifying, controlling systems and methods: for verifying the position of the patient with respect to the radiation beam
A61N 5/10
Radiation therapy: x-ray therapy; Gamma-ray therapy; Particle-irradiation therapy
A61N 5/1082
Rotating beam systems with a specific mechanical construction, e.g. gantries: having multiple beam rotation axes
A61B 2090/101
For stereotaxic surgery, e.g. frame-based stereotaxis: for stereotaxic radiosurgery