Patent ID: 7709818
Filing Date: 2010-05-04
Classification: A61N

Abstract:
1. A charged particle beam irradiation apparatus that irradiates an irradiation target with a charged particle beam, said apparatus comprising: a charged particle beam generator for generating the charged particle beam according to operating parameters, the charged particle beam generator including a beam reducing device for reducing the beam size of the charged particle beam; a plurality of irradiation devices including an irradiation device that employs a scanning irradiation method and an irradiation device that employs a passive scattering irradiation method, each irradiation device for irradiating the irradiation target with the charged particle beam; a beam transport system for transporting the charged particle beam extracted from said charged particle beam generator, to a selected one of said irradiation devices; and a controller for determining the operating parameters of said charged particle beam generator according to the irradiation method of the selected irradiation device and irradiation parameters for the selected irradiation device, said controller comprises a computer readable medium containing instructions that, when executed, cause the controller to determine operating parameters for controlling the beam reducing device based on the irradiation method of the selected irradiation device, wherein the beam reducing device reduces the beam size said charged particle beam when said selected irradiation device employs the scanning irradiation method so that the beam intensity and beam size of the charged particle bean that exist when an irradiation device employing the scanning irradiation method is selected will be smaller than the beam intensity and beam size existing when an irradiation device employing the passive scattering irradiation method is selected.