Patent ID: 7554275

Claim:
An accelerator complex of proton beams, comprising: a cyclotron with a plurality of beam lines, each beam line configured to provide a proton beam generated by the cyclotron; a proton source configured to provide protons to the cyclotron; a target, configured with a first of the beam lines to produce radioisotopes; a proton radiofrequency linear accelerator (LINAC), comprised of LINAC accelerating modules and configured to accelerate one of the proton beams generated by the cyclotron; a Medium Energy Beam Transfer channel (MEBT), connected to a second of the beam lines output from the cyclotron on a first side of the MEBT to receive a proton beam of the second beam line, and to a beam input of the radiofrequency LINAC on a second side of the MEBT to provide the proton beam to the radiofrequency LINAC, the MEBT equipped with one or more mechanical and/or magnetic and/or electrostatic “choppers” and “gates” configured i) to improve security, ii) to reduce irradiation of components located downstream of the MEBT, and iii) to vary an intensity of the beams accelerated by the LINAC for proton therapy; a High Energy Beam Transfer channel (HEBT), connected to an output of the radiofrequency LINAC on a first side of the HEBT to receive a high energy proton beam from the LINAC, and to one or more systems for distribution of a proton dose to a patient on a second side of the HEBT; a modular power system for supplying radiofrequency power to the LINAC accelerating modules, the power system configured to power, in a separate and independent way, one or more of said accelerating modules; and a fully integrated computer control system configured to control the accelerator complex, wherein the accelerator complex is configured to perform, alternatively or simultaneously, any of radioisotope production for medical or industrial purposes, and irradiation of shallow and/or deep-seated tumors, and wherein the integrated computer control system is composed of a distributed system of computers formed by a first group of computers dedicated to operators and to foreseen procedures, and a second group of computers dedicated to high technology apparata, and a specific software configured to operate the different proton beams both in parallel and one at a time.