Abstract:
A charged particle therapy system is disclosed in which a hard switch for making a beam request of the accelerator side is installed in an irradiation room so that the accelerator side can start a desired beam irradiation preparation after depressing the hard switch. This arrangement allows the accelerator allocated time to be reduced, thereby improving the usage efficiency of the facilities by increasing the throughput with respect to patients.

Description:
This is a continuation of Application No. 10/884,971, filed on Jul. 7, 2004 now abandoned, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a charged particle therapy apparatus and a charged particle therapy system. 
     In the irradiation therapy using a medical accelerator, an operator performs positioning with respect to a patient in an irradiation room, and thereafter enters an irradiation operation room from the irradiation room through a passage. Then, the operator sends a desired beam request from a console provided in the irradiation operation room to the accelerator control side. The passage in the irradiation room has a labyrinth-like configuration in order to shield against radiation, and a protective door at the outlet of the irradiation room is constituted by a large-sized electric door because a large shielding work load. Such techniques are disclosed, for example, in JP, A 5-223987. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In the above-described related art, after having performed positioning with respect to a patient, an operator enters an irradiation operation room from the irradiation room through the labyrinth-like passage, then the operator requires beams to the accelerator side, and from that point in time, the accelerator side starts a preparation for required beams. The operator in the irradiation operation room, therefore, must wait for some time until the preparation for beam transport is made. 
     The object of the present invention is to allow the accelerator to be efficiently used, and enable the throughput with respect to patients to be enhanced by reducing the accelerator allocation time. 
     To solve the above-described object, the present invention provides a medical accelerator control system in which a hard switch for beam request is arranged in an irradiation room. This arrangement allows the accelerator side to start a desired beam irradiation preparation after depressing the hard switch. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an overall constructional view of an embodiment according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram showing the details of the accelerator control. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing the details of an irradiation room. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram showing the positional relation between the irradiation rooms and the irradiation operation rooms. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram showing flows of signals from an operation room to the accelerator. 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram showing flows of signals from operation rooms to the accelerator. 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram showing flows of signals from an operation room to the accelerator. 
         FIG. 8  is a diagram showing a hard switch for beam request, and lamps. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The medical accelerator control system according to this embodiment comprises a main body of an accelerator for performing the generation, acceleration, and accumulation of charged particle beams; irradiation rooms  16  in each of which an irradiation therapy is performed using charged particle beams extracted from the main body of the accelerator; irradiation operation rooms  403  for each outputting an irradiation start command; a controller  400  mainly performing control of a plurality of constituent components of the main body of the accelerator; and an accelerator control room  501  including the controller  400  principally and some user interface for setting and adjusting the accelerator. The accelerator control room  501  is disposed in a reasonable position within the facilities. The main body of the accelerator includes a pre-stage accelerator  10  for generating charged particle beams; a low-energy beam transport system (or simply referred to as a beam transport system; the same shall apply hereinafter)  11  for transporting the charged particle beams generated by the pre-stage accelerator  10  to a synchrotron for acceleration  13 ; the synchrotron for acceleration (i.e., accelerator)  13  for performing the acceleration and accumulation of charged particle beams and their extraction to each of the irradiation rooms  16 ; and a high-energy beam transport system  15  for transporting the charged particle beams extracted by the synchrotron for acceleration (i.e., accelerator)  13  to each of the plurality of irradiation rooms  16 . The beam transport system  11  comprises a bending magnet  20  for bending charged particle beams, an injector  23  for injecting charged particle beams into the synchrotron  13  for acceleration, and current monitors  320  to  322  each measuring the beam current of charged particle beams. 
     The synchrotron  13  for acceleration includes bending magnets  20 , quadrupole magnets  21  for performing the convergence and divergence of charged particle beams, steering magnets  26  for fine-tuning the position of charged particle beams, and an accelerating cavity  22  for accelerating charged particle beams, and current monitors  330  to  337 . 
     The beam transport system  15  includes an extractor  27  for extracting charged particle beams from the synchrotron  13  for acceleration, a bending magnet  20  for bending charged particle beams, a switching magnet  28 , dampers  29  each changing the beam current of charged particle beams, quadrupole magnets  21  for performing the convergence and divergence of charged particle beams, current monitors  340  to  346  each measuring the beam currents of charged particle beams, and irradiation rooms. 
       FIG. 2  shows the controller  400  monitoring operations of the accelerator and performing the control of the accelerator. The controller  400  comprises a beam current measuring device  42  that measures the beam current of the accelerator at a predetermined timing; a control quantity measuring device  43  that measures, at predetermined timings, control quantities such as the cathode temperature of the pre-stage accelerator  10 , the exciting currents of the bending magnets  20 , quadrupole magnets  21 , and steering magnets  26 ; a control quantity setting device  44  that sets the control quantities of the constituent components of the accelerator at predetermined timings; a trigger generation device  41  that generates trigger signals used for the measurement of the beam current by the beam current measuring device  42 , the measurement of the control quantities by the control quantity measuring device  43 , the setting of the control quantities by the control quantity setting device  44 , and trigger signals used for the injection, extraction, acceleration, deceleration of charged particle beams in the accelerator (hereinafter, these trigger signals are referred to as various trigger signals); and a main controller  40  that determines the control quantities and the control timings of all constituent components. 
     Next, descriptions of the irradiation rooms and irradiation operation rooms will be provided. 
       FIG. 3  shows an irradiation room  16 . Irradiation rooms  16   a  to  16   c  are all set to be substantially the same. In the irradiation room  16 , a patient  371  is laid on a couch  372 . 
     The couch  372  is fixed to a couch stand  374 . Proton beams accelerated by the accelerator (specifically, e.g., a synchrotron for acceleration is used)  13  are introduced to a proton beam irradiation nozzle  373  through the transport system, and applied to the patient  371 . The proton beam irradiation nozzle  373  is fixed to a gantry  375 . The gantry  375  is freely rotatable  360  degrees. With the rotation of the gantry  375 , the proton beam irradiation nozzle  373  rotates relative to the couch  372 . 
       FIG. 4  shows the details of the irradiation rooms  16 . The irradiation rooms  16  each comprise a hard switch  401  for sending a beam request to the accelerator control room  501 ; an acceptance confirmation lamp  502 ; the gantry  375  irradiating the affected area of a patient from arbitrary directions; the couch  372  for fixing the patient; a labyrinth-like passage (wall)  406  and protective door  405  for blocking radiation. An irradiation operation room  403  is provided to each of the irradiation rooms  16  so that a shield wall  402  is interposed between them. The irradiation operation rooms  403  each have an operation console  404  equipped with a hard switch  407  for beam irradiation command, and a display device  408 . In addition, the irradiation operation rooms  403  each have a hard switch  409  for beam request, in order that a beam request can be made even from each of the irradiation operation rooms  403 . 
     The operator fixes the patient  371  to the irradiation position, and when an irradiation preparation has been completed, the operator depresses the hard switch  401  for beam irradiation request of the accelerator control room  501 . Upon acceptance of this beam irradiation request, the acceptance confirmation lamp  502  blinks. At this time, in the accelerator control room  501 , a startup of the accelerator for extracting required beam begins. Thereafter, the operator moves to the pertinent irradiation operation room  403  through a labyrinth-like passage  406  of the pertinent irradiation room  16 . Upon completion of a beam irradiation preparation, a notification of the completion of the beam irradiation preparation is provided from the accelerator control room  501  to the irradiation room  16  and the irradiation operation room  403 , and the acceptance confirmation lamp  502  and the display device  408  blink. The operator in the irradiation operation room  403  makes sure that beam is correctly set, by the display device placed on the operation console  404 , and depresses the hard switch  407  for beam irradiation command that is disposed on the operation console  404 , thereby making a request for a beam irradiation command. 
       FIG. 5  shows an embodiment in which a single irradiation room  16  is provided with a hard switch  401  for beam irradiation request and a lamp  502 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , upon depressing the hard switch  401  in the irradiation room, a beam irradiation preparation command is transmitted to the accelerator control room  501  by a metal signal. The acceptance of this request can be recognized by the acceptance confirmation lamp  502  entering a blinking state. Upon acceptance of the request from the irradiation room  16  through an input/output device  503 , the accelerator  13  side retrieves, from database, the operation pattern that has been determined in advance in accordance with a beam irradiation request signal, and uniquely determines an automatic operation setting file for the accelerator  13 . A monitoring device  504  determines which irradiation room  16  is to be allocated for beams from the accelerator  13 , and monitors the setting states in the accelerator  13  and those between the accelerator  13  and the irradiation room  16 . Here, the input/output device  503  and the monitoring device  504  are portions of components constituting the above-described controller  400 . Upon completion of the beam irradiation preparation, a signal for beam request acceptance completion that indicates the preparation completion of the accelerator  13  is transmitted, by a metal signal, to the irradiation room  16  through the input/output device  503 , and the acceptance confirmation lamp  502  in the irradiation room  16  is lighted. The signal for beam request acceptance completion is also transmitted to the irradiation operation room  403 , and displayed on the display device  408 . The operator in the irradiation room  16  makes sure by the display that equipment is correctly set, and make a request for a beam irradiation command. 
       FIG. 6  shows an embodiment in which a plurality of (three) irradiation rooms  16   a  to  16   c , respectively, are provided with hard switches  401   a  to  401   c  for beam irradiation request, and lamps  502   a  to  502   c . The basic operations in these three irradiation rooms are the same as those in a single irradiation room  16 , but because a plurality of irradiation beam requests occur, priority processing must be performed with respect to them. The beam request acceptance on the accelerator  13  side is assumed to be performed in the order of the arrival of beam request. When the accelerator  13  side receives substantially simultaneously receives beam irradiation preparation requests from two or more of the operation rooms  16 , the accelerator  13  side is assumed to accept a beam irradiation preparation request signal in accordance with a priority that has been determined in advance with respect to each of the operation rooms  16 . After the accelerator  13  side has made the acceptance, a signal for beam request confirmation is transmitted, by a metal signal, from the accelerator control operation room  501  to each of the plurality of irradiation rooms  16  that have made the beam requests, through the input/output device  503 , and the display of the lamp  502  in each of the pertinent irradiation rooms  16  becomes a blinking display. One possible method for notifying which room has been given a higher priority over the other is to change the lamp color, and this method may also be adopted as one embodiment of the present invention. The same signal as the foregoing is also sent to the display device  408  in each of the corresponding irradiation operation rooms  403 , and the display device  408  likewise blinks. 
       FIG. 7  shows an embodiment in which the plurality of (three) irradiation rooms  16   a  to  16   c  are provided with respective hard switches for beam irradiation request, and respective lamps displaying the irradiation request states of the respective irradiation rooms. As shown in  FIG. 8 , three lamps  502 - 1 ,  502 - 2  and  502 - 3  that are marked with the respective irradiation room numbers are provided in the vicinity of the respective hard switches  401  for beam irradiation request. The same displays as those in the three irradiation rooms  16  are also performed on the display devices  408  provided in the respective irradiation operation rooms  403 , and thereby an operator in each of the irradiation rooms can check which irradiation room  16  is allocated for the accelerator, and can ascertain the reservation status and the order of irradiation. The operation regarding the irradiation beam request from a single irradiation room  16  is as described above, and in addition to this operation, a signal indicating the accelerator allocated state of an irradiation room  16  of which irradiation beam request has been accepted, is transmitted from the accelerator control room  501  to the pertinent lamp  502  in each of the irradiation rooms  16  through the input/output device  503 . At this time, in each of the irradiation rooms  16 , the display of the lamp  502  representing the irradiation room  16  of which the irradiation beam request has been accepted, becomes a lighting display indicating the accelerator allocated state. When irradiation beam requests are made from two or more of the irradiation rooms, a signal indicating the reservation state is transmitted, by a metal signal, from the accelerator  13  side to each of the irradiation rooms through the input/output device  503 , with respect to irradiation beam requests other than the accepted irradiation beam request. At this time, in each of the irradiation rooms  16 , the display of the lamp  502  representing the pertinent irradiation room  16  that indicates the reservation state becomes a blinking display indicating the reservation state. In this manner, regarding the display of the lamps  502 , by changing the lamp display in a manner such as blinking, lighting, and lighting-out in correspondence with the reservation (accepted) state, allocated (ready) state, and non-reservation state, respectively, as described above, the operator can visually ascertain the state of each of the irradiation rooms  16  with ease. Upon completion of the irradiation in an irradiation room, an irradiation completion signal is automatically transmitted from the accelerator control side to each of the irradiation rooms  16 , and the corresponding lamp in each of the irradiation room  16  is lighted out. Thereafter, an irradiation beam request acceptance signal that indicates the acceptance of an irradiation room  16  in a reservation waiting state, is transmitted from the accelerator  13  side to each of the irradiation rooms  16 , and the display of the pertinent lamp becomes a lighting display in each of the irradiation rooms  16 . The display of the display device  408  in the irradiation operation  403  is controlled in the same manner as the lamp  502  in the irradiation room  15 . 
     As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the accelerator allocated time, and improve the usage efficiency of the facilities by enhancing the throughput with respect to patients.